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- The Music Industry is Kind of DUMB!
The Music Industry is Kind of DUMB!
Mauricio Ruiz
July 30, 2024
Welcome to The Manager’s Playbook, my personal newsletter where I share weekly insights for aspiring artists, emerging music managers and executives on how to navigate the music industry, by Ruiz.
Note: For any links that are behind a paywall, copy the URL and paste it into this paywall ladder to read the article without any issues.
Ruiz Note:
“…And Right Now They’re Super Dumb”
Chip Sutherland tells it like it is. He’s not wrong
And that’s why I fucks with Chip. He is the next guest on episode 006 of ‘The Manager’s Playbook’ podcast.
You know that book All You Need to Know About The Music Business that damn near everyone recommends when you first embark on this music journey? Well, Chip wrote the Canadian edition with the legend Donald Passman.
An absolute legend in his own right, Chip Sutherland, a lawyer and artist manager, tells us all about his thoughts on the state of the business in this short but worthwhile pod. Please do yourself a favour and watch this podcast in its entirety for the valuable lessons.
Don’t forget to subscribe to our YouTube Channel HERE
You can also listen to ‘The Manager’s Playbook’ Podcast on Spotify, Apple, Amazon and several other platforms HERE
-Ruiz
STRATEGY
(Today's strategy is brought to you by Rob Abelow. It’s from a his newsletter on how Fred Again and his team create true fandom experiences)
The new model for building crazy fandom
8 lessons from Fred Again
Rob Abelow
July 02, 2024
Welcome, artists & builders.
Today, we’re diving into one of the best recent examples of fan-building in music & what we can learn from it. Let’s take a look.
Inside Issue #33
💡 Idea: How to build a loyal AF fanbase
🛠️ Tools: Memberships built for artists
🤔 Breakdown: The majors sue Suno & Udio
How to Build a Loyal Fanbase
Fred Again is the model for music’s future.
He’s a masterclass in building fandom, redefining what fan interactivity & involvement look like.
Direct fan relationships
Community over everything
More of a friend-dom than a fandom
Here are all the things Fred is doing right - and what we can learn:
8 Lessons on How to Build a Loyal AF Fanbase
1. BUILD DIRECT RELATIONSHIPS
Fred has focused on direct fan engagement from day 1, prioritizing real-time, personal interactions & lean-in locations over mass broadcast channels.
→ Discord & Reddit communities
→ Exclusive Whatsapp chats
→ 1:1 direct messaging
The results may appear smaller at first, but it creates genuine community, a true understanding of your fans, and the ability to activate them in real-time.
Everything builds on this foundation.
It’s not just about big numbers.
It’s about deep interactions.
2. EMBRACE AUTHENTICITY
He’s pouring beers behind the bar & attending quiz night with fans. His music samples from everyday moments creating a collaborative diary.
→ self-shot videos
→ voice memos from friends
→ sharing facetimes with collaborators
There is no pretense. It’s never about being slick. Or coming across as bigger, better & more famous than you.
You're all along for the ride.
3: COMMUNITY COMES FIRST
For the launch of Actual Life 3, Fred asked the most engaged fans in his Discord to host 18 launch parties across the globe.
→ Set up events
→ Spread the word
→ Listen to the album 1 day early
Superfans became the central nodes, rallying the community to connect more deeply in-person with Fred as the context.
First, feed the community.
Then, the masses.
4. REWARD FANDOM
Before his Los Angeles coliseum show, Fred hosted a secret listening party for 150 fans he found & invited who went to his first LA show in 2021.
→ He greeted each personally,
→ handed out mugs of tea,
→ & previewed new songs.
All 2 days before his first arena show in front of 77,000.
Show fans they're seen.
Show them they're valued.
5. GET FANS INVOLVED
Fred is constantly including fans in his process, asking for input & cultivating community-generated content.
→ Voting on which tracks to release
→ Asking fans to suggest local venues
→ Video recaps from the dancefloor
→ Co-creating material
Don’t serve fans “content”.
Make them part of the journey.
6. CREATE MAGICAL MOMENTS
Fred is the king of pop-up shows.
→ No roll-out
→ No pre-hype
→ Fans find out first
Every event feels like you’re lucky to be there. You had to be in the know. It’s alive. It’s ephemeral. Fans band together on Discord & Reddit, creating guides to help each other get into the next one.
They’re marketing through magic. Through fomo. By understanding that every event or sale isn’t about maximizing profits, but investing in your lore.
What's crazy?
He's taking the pop-up show mentality to arena tours & selling them out on 3-day notice with a $0 ad budget. These decisions are backed by direct fan data, not vanity metrics like monthly listeners.
Know your fans, know your worth.
The best marketing is from the ground up.
7. MAKE FANS A MAIN CHARACTER
When a fan accidentally paused Fred’s decks during his now iconic Boiler Room set, he simply flashed a smile, embraced him & it became the most memorable moment of the now viral set.
Later, Fred invited this fan to accept his Best Live Act award by DJ Mag. He took this fan’s worst moment & made it his best.
Lift your fans up.
Everyone’s in it together.
8. BE A CONNECTOR
Fred finds ways to bring people together around his art.
Like leading a massive community bike ride across London to celebrate the release of Actual Life 3. Or facilitating a fan’s marriage proposal in the middle of his set.
What people want more than anything else is human connection.
This is the dopamine Fred delivers.
There Is No Formula
No rinse and repeat. But there are lessons to learn.
Create direct fan relationships
Embrace authenticity
Put community first
Reward your fans
Encourage participation
Create magical moments
Make fans a main character
Bring people together
Community building may be the most important skill you can have today.
And when done right, community can be the best fuel for momentum & curting through. Your magical moments go viral. The word-of-mouth is sticky. You’ve created a space others want to enter.
If you lean all the way in, your reach will grow.
And it will last.
- Rob
PAY ATTENTION
Will.i.Am Is Always Worth Listening To
Will.i.am. breaks it down for the novice. Now it’s your job to go and dive deeper into these 3 different music industries.
TikTok Guide
I sometimes take for granted the information that I know about the content space not realizing that there are several folk in the music business who don’t come from that, want nothing to do with that, and don’t prioritize it.
I can empathize with this. The harsh reality is you’re not going to get very far without understanding the culture of each platform.
On that note, HERE is a guide for all things you should know for TikTok.
Billie’s Release Strategy Break Down
My good people at Venice Music break down Billie’s release strategy with tactical advice for the new artist to implement in their rollouts.
INDUSTRY NEWS
Wasserman Going Into Full M&A Mode
Murray hails from Providence Equity Partners, where he was instrumental in helping Wasserman complete M&A deals.
Shaboozey and Manager Jared Cotter 3rd Week at #1!
WHAT WE’RE WATCHING
Some Shared Truths
Love this clip from Daniella Pierson. It’s a harsh one, but it’s very true for the recording artist. Much like the the world of entrepreneurship, the journey of the recording artist is all about getting hit with rejection, constant no, discouragement from family and friends, and non-believers everywhere…Until you make it.
Stay with it, stay committed, and keep learning. If this is all you can see yourself doing, hold onto your values, your authentic self (that isn’t self sabotaging) and stay pushing forward.
The reward is always in the moment you find hardest to deal with.
CHECK THIS OUT..
Music Industry Job Openings
Have a look at ROSTR’s job board for paid work in the industry.
Stay hungry. Stay open.
WRAPPING UP..
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Bio
I’m Mauricio Ruiz, the Founder/CEO of 8 Til Faint, an Artist Management company with over 5 billion audio streams worldwide. Our past and current clients include Grammy nominated, Juno Award winning and nominated singer/songwriter Jessie Reyez, Skratch Bastid and more. I am also the Co-Founder of Mad Ruk Entertainment, a content agency with over 3 billion long form video streams worldwide. Our client list includes The Weeknd, Eminem, and Celine Dion, along with renowned brands like Nike, Pernod Ricard, Canon, and the NBA. Most recently I am the Founder of ‘The Manager’s Playbook’
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