Why artists should stop trying to please everyone
Focus on the core audience, with the sunny side up. It’s cracking.
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Let’s dive into today’s topic:
Why artists should stop trying to please everyone
Smaller audiences create big wins.
Why it matters
The artist-fan relationship is built on emotional connections. Fans assess their mood to determine whether they resonate with the music, artist brand, and associated niches or scenes.
It’s valuable for artists to understand their core audience and distinguish them from broader listeners. This core group represents the artist's purpose and primary focus in building emotional connections.
Focusing on this audience in everything the artist does is a good strategy. Wider audiences will be drawn in, aspiring to belong to this core group.
How it works
A “fried egg model” offers a simple visualisation of the core audience segmentation.
Imagine frying a sunny-side-up egg in a pan. The yolk becomes an island in an ocean of white. It represents two distinct audiences:
The egg yolk represents the core audience - the fans the artist wants explicitly to attract and engage as loyal and emotionally invested fans.
The egg white symbolises other audiences - people who like the artist but aren’t part of the core audience of fans. They are attracted by efforts aimed at the core group.
This concept encourages artists to stop trying to appeal to everyone. Instead, artists should focus on a small, more defined group.
Like scenes and niches, this core audience becomes an attractive community that others want to join. Focus on the core audience; the other audiences will be drawn in automatically.
Artists should be bold and unapologetic in defining their core audience. This helps create a clear persona and purpose for their work.
Yes, but..
Other industries might define core audiences based on customer value or yield. This outside-in approach doesn't align well with authentic artist branding. Artists should brand from an inside-out perspective, focusing on the fans they genuinely want to attract and engage with rather than solely on economic factors.
Take action now
Artists can apply this approach by clearly defining their core audience:
Ideal listener: Who does the artist want their music to resonate with most?
Dream crowd: Who does the artist want to see in the audience when on stage?
Brands: What are the artist’s favourite brands?
Community: What scene, niche or other cultural space does the artist occupy or aspire to?
Be very specific in its descriptions to make the group as focused as possible. Consider cultural interests, values, and lifestyle choices that align with the artist’s artistic vision.
Your thoughts
Further reading
The secret of Apple News+ success? Knowing your content and your audience (OneMan&HisBlog)
How artists can learn more about their best fans (The Fanbase Builder)
Why artists should stop mentioning their genre (The Fanbase Builder)
Can superfan and community strategies coexist? (The Fanbase Builder)
Transforming music marketing from algorithms to authenticity (The Fanbase Builder)