Why losing followers isn’t a bad thing for artists
Don’t worry when fans unfollow you.
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Let’s dive into today’s topic:
Why losing followers isn’t a bad thing for artists
Forget churn, it’s irrelevant for artists.
Why it matters
Rejection is tough for everyone, but perhaps especially for artists. When you invest so much of yourself into your work, it can feel disheartening when people walk away or show disinterest.
For artists, a useful measure of rejection is a declining follower count. However, there’s a 0% chance that everyone will like your work.
When artists lose more followers than they gain, they might avoid taking creative risks to prevent their numbers from dropping. That’s why it’s helpful for artists to realise that losing followers isn’t actually that bad.
How it works
The business metric that measures customer churn could be applied to followers:
So, if an artist has 100.000 followers on March 1 but loses 100 followers, the churn rate for March would be (100 / 100.000) x 100 = 0,1%
While this business logic may seem perfectly applicable to artists, I think this is a metric that artists should avoid.
Artists shouldn’t worry when fans leave a fanbase, because it’s nothing to be concerned about.
In most cases, it’s perfectly fine when people unfollow accounts. Some valid explanations:
Friction: Churn is a valuable metric for businesses that sell utility. Music fandom is a cultural identity and a sense of belonging. Friction is a necessary filter.
Seasonality: Fans go through phases that often do not match an artist’s development. Active fans might drop off, but stay casual listeners for a decade.
Core audience: Strong brands attract and repel in equal measure. If you’re not losing followers, you’re probably not outspoken enough or not saying anything significant. While emerging, artists should focus on making their core target audience smaller rather than larger.
Algorithmic advantage: High engagement from a small, dedicated group is far more valuable than a large, silent list.
Fake followers: Platforms frequently remove fake accounts, such as bots. Artists cannot control the presence of fake accounts in their follower list, but their follower count decreases once those accounts are removed.
Nobody cares: Nobody pays attention to a declining follower count. Of course, there are industry geeks who notice a drop in follower count. But they monitor the wrong metrics in the first place, so why bother?
Yes, but..
Sometimes, churn is problematic. For example, people walking away during a festival show represent a highly visible form of churn, affecting both artists and the crowd. It creates a negative perception and could damage your reputation. Artists should always aim to deliver a great show to keep the audience engaged.
On the other hand, the cause might be poor booking: a mismatch between the festival and the artist. It’s not always due to a bad gig. When it happens, view it as a learning opportunity that not every booking will benefit your career.
Obviously, bad PR and scandals lead to churn.
In any case, we must distinguish levels of fandom when discussing churn: When superfans are the ones leaving, you have a product problem. If casual observers are leaving because you’ve become too niche, you’ve won the brand battle.
Take action now
Are you an artist or creator worried about losing followers? Change your mindset and start taking creative risks. You might lose some followers, but your connection with your core audience will grow stronger.
Your thoughts
Further reading
Friction in the sea of sameness (MusicX)
Why artists should stop trying to please everyone (The Fanbase Builder)
Finding the metrics that matter (The Fanbase Builder)
The limits of business logic in music (The Fanbase Builder)
Why your live show should be more than just your album played loud (The Fanbase Builder)
How to leverage user intent (The Fanbase Builder)