In the digital age, where millions of songs are just a click away, artists can reach fans quicker and more globally than ever. But streaming services like Spotify, Apple Music, TIDAL, and even YouTube are also some of the most competitive spaces for developing connections with fans.
Where can artist go to have direct, immersive, experiential contact with both new and returning fan bases? Duh… the stage!
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Yes, even in 2024 (when everything feels like it comes from a screen), the live concert stage is still the best place to connect with your community on a deep, personal, and emotional level and create lasting bonds. In this article, we’re going to share why (and how). Are you ready?
1. Identifying Your Superfans
People hear the word “superfan” and get nervous that it’s something reserved only for the top 1% of pop artists. Not true — you don’t have to be BTS or Taylor Swift to engage with superfans. But, what exactly is a superfan, anyway?
Technically a superfan is anyone who takes multiple (or above-average) actions to support your creativity. So that could mean buying several of your records or merch items, a fan that comes to your live shows more than once, perhaps a fan who supports your music on Patreon or who creates TikTok videos using your music. Being a superfan also means being part of a shared interest community around your music — which in short means they love your music — and that’s highly valuable!
Even though these days digital streaming is still the best way to get your music heard by audiences around the world, there’s a limit to how much we can actually engage with fans directly through digital platforms.
Superfans crave personal connection; they’re the kinds of fans that will wait for you after the show to get an autograph, they’d attend your AMAs on platforms like Instagram Live, Discord, or Twitch, they’d sign up to receive a birthday message on Cameo, and they’d likely rather grab a limited edition version of your music.
On that note, let’s talk a little bit about how exclusive merch can help you connect with your fans on a deeper level.
2. Merch & Exclusives
No matter who you are, events are always more special when they turn into “memories”.
Why go to the cinema when you can stay on your couch and watch a movie on Netflix? Why go to a bar across town to see a band when you can just stream their album in your headphones for free? Obviously it’s a lot more special, more social, more fun and immersive to be somewhere in person, but a great way to ensure that fans are taking home the memory of a concert is to offer merchandise for sale (especially if it’s exclusive).
For artists, merch sales are still one of the best drivers of net revenue, especially when fans buy directly from you. But you can make merch items even more special to incentivize fans to come see you perform by offering concert exclusives.
Here are some ideas:
- A limited edition collection or EP of unreleased songs available only at live shows,
- A t-shirt with your 2024 tour dates on it,
- Autographed posters, buttons, photos, or records,
- Custom prints for each show on a tour,
- An email signup at the end of the show to purchase a live recording of the show,
- A contest or sweepstakes to win free stuff, or a raffle for charity that you can pass a bucket around the venue to collect during the show,
- One-off collabs with local brands commemorating the tour or show.
That’s just a start. Get creative with ideas that resonate with your musical identity or your fans’ unique preferences!
| Looking for live opportunities? Check out our best music contests guide!
3. A Truly Immersive Experience
When you’re on stage performing for a crowd, you’re literally the only thing competing for an audience’s attention in that moment. And if you’re a headlining band, you’ve got at least 40-60 minutes worth of that audience’s time and attention all to yourself! No distractions.
Compared to pretty much every other means of musical experience — even including a fan putting on your record at home (where they could easily get distracted by children, work, a phone call, a kitchen timer, etc.) — live music is the most direct way to connect with an audience on a human level.
That’s an incredibly powerful tool in your fan connection toolkit! The question is: What are you going to do with that audience’s attention?
For us, it all starts with the setlist: cater to different crowds, gigs, and situations, but the basic best practice is this: You want to combine a mix of “hits” (crowd favorites, or the songs that have the most plays on Spotify for example), rare old songs, new songs you’re still working on, and possibly even a couple covers. The idea is to give everyone something that they enjoy, and to make the audience feel like they’ve gotten their money’s worth.
The arrangement of songs in a setlist can also play a crucial role in shaping the emotional journey of a live show, and for that you might want to think about your “narrative arc.” Try to build a setlist with peaks and valleys, creating a story that unfolds over time for your audience and leaves a lasting impression. A well-crafted setlist can make the live experience more memorable and emotionally charged.
| Read also: Your checklist for a successful concert
Beyond that, you might want to consider bringing in some visual elements, such as:
- Immersive lights,
- Lasers,
- Fixed media projections,
- Interactive live video feed projections,
- Hired dancers,
- Your band choreographing dance moves to perform yourselves,
- A live painter creating a work in front of the stage,
- Flowers and stage arrangements.
There’s no end to the amount of visual creativity you can bring to the stage, but one thing is for sure: curating a unique ambiance in the room will make for a distinct, memorable experience that your fans will never forget, elevating the music to a whole new emotional level.
4. Think Globally, Act Locally
Yes, this phrase is usually reserved for environmental or community stewardship, but here we’re talking about your music (obviously!). What we mean by “think globally, act locally” is that you should rehearse your stage show as if you’re planning to tour internationally, and play for giant audiences, even if you’re only playing locally.
Why does that matter? Well, a paying audience in a live venue doesn’t care if you live up the street or in a different hemisphere — they want to be entertained!
If you practice your live set, your stage banter, and your entertaining performance details (solos, choreographed movements, extended song vamps, microphone stand “prop play”) as if you’re on the big screen in front of 10,000 people, it’s certainly going to make for a wild atmosphere in a 250-person club.
But there’s another side to this as well: intimacy.
It can also be super special to play up and enhance the intimacy of a small venue environment. While large arenas offer a grand spectacle, smaller or cozier rooms provide a unique opportunity for musicians to connect with fans on a personal level. In these settings, artists can see and interact with individual faces in the crowd, creating a more personal atmosphere. The proximity allows for a more direct and visceral connection, as the artist can feel the energy of the audience and respond in real-time.
However you choose to perform, make sure that “connection” is an ultimate goal, and you’ll do just fine!
5. Don’t Be Afraid to Go Digital!
Stage fright? No local venues nearby? Need to practice your chops a few months before a big tour?
No matter the reason, there are tons of opportunities when it comes to going digital and live-streaming a concert online. 2023 was a watershed year for virtual concerts (TikTok’s recent concert broadcast garnered over 33 million viewers), NPR’s Tiny Desk Concerts consistently reach millions of viewers in a paired-down, intimate setting, and platforms like Meta, YouTube, and Twitch all offer ways to set up and start rocking pretty quickly.
Not only that, but filmed live concert documentaries, both new and old, are totally trending right now — just look at Taylor Swift, Béyonce, Talking Heads, Bob Dylan’s Rolling Thunder Revue, etc. In short, people are becoming more used to tuning into live concerts from the comfort of their own homes, and that means big opportunities for you.
Whether you want to set up some cameras in your studio or rehearsal space and let it roll, take a videographer to your next live concert to record it, or just go live on Instagram every now and then for an impromptu “behind the scenes” type experience, giving your fans the opportunity to experience your live sound on their devices is a great way to reach out and connect on a deeper level.
There’s so much opportunity out there to exploit these days, and a ton of fun ideas to bounce around!
Conclusion
In an era dominated by digital interactions, live shows remain a powerful tool for musicians to connect with their fans on a deeper level.
By crafting a unique live experience, embracing your authenticity and vulnerability, engaging with the audience, curating emotional setlists, creating shared moments, utilizing technology, and fostering a community atmosphere, musicians can transform their live performances into emotionally resonant events. Ultimately, the connection formed through live shows goes beyond the music, creating an enduring bond that can sustain and elevate an artist’s career.
As musicians continue to explore innovative ways to connect with their audience, the live show stands as a timeless and irreplaceable conduit for genuine, heartfelt connection.
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