How artists can find the one metric that matters

The OMTM helps identify primary issues to focus on and define a straightforward goal for a certain time to get results more quickly.

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How artists can find the one metric that matters

To cut through the noise of overwhelming data, artists should care about just one metric above all else.

Why it matters

Tools like Spotify for Artists, Instagram Account Insights, and other data points such as ticket sales reports provide artists with a lot of data to measure their growth. With all these metrics for success, it can be overwhelming to distinguish where to focus.

Selecting a One Metric That Matters (OMTM) for a certain period of time helps artists focus on impactful improvements in their strategies towards a better brand, more fans, and higher revenue.

How it works

The concept of the OMTM was first described by Alistair Croll and Benjamin Yoskovitz in their book Lean Analytics as "the only metric you care about above anything else at any given time."

The OMTM helps identify primary issues to focus on and define a straightforward goal for a certain time to get results more quickly.

Extremely simplified: Artists could select their OMTM by asking themselves, "What would I focus on if I had only the next three months to grow my artist brand?"

Some examples:

• Improve awareness by focusing on reached accounts on Instagram

• Improve activation by focusing on video watch time on YouTube

• Improve retention by focusing on newsletter open rates

• Improve revenue by focusing on vinyl sales on Bandcamp

• Improve referrals by focusing on shares on TikTok

Go Deeper: Start with a fan funnel based on the AARRR framework. Identify bottlenecks in the funnel: Where do potential fans drop out? Use this to determine what problem the OMTM should address for the next three months.

Generated with SDXL using the prompt ‘a microphone and a measuring tape’

Yes, but..

Don't stop measuring other metrics when using an OMTM. Artists should maintain a broader sense of what's going on in their careers. Approach the OMTM as a focus metric for a predefined period. The OMTM will change once the target is reached or the period is completed.

Take action now

Select an OMTM. Take three months to improve this metric with growth experiments. Come up with tactics to grow the OMTM. Experiment, measure, learn and repeat.

Go deeper

Water & Music Academy has opened up registrations for their next bootcamp on data-driven music marketing, which will run online via Zoom from October 3–26, 2023 with a host of great speakers ranging from David Hesmondhalgh to Christine Osazuwa.

I’ve followed a Water & Music Academy course before with great pleasure, and I highly recommend this course to artist managers and marketers. Email me for a 15% discount code.

Further reading

• Alistair Croll, A. & Yoskovitz, B. (2013). Lean Analytics: Use Data to Build a Better Startup Faster (goodreads)

• How to use pirate metrics to set up a fan journey (The Fanbase Builder)

• What is One Metric That Matters and how to find your OMTM? (Userpilot)

• One Metric That Matters (OMTM) (Growth Mentor)