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Copywriter Cole Schafer wrote today about the topic of "Don't make art to make money. Make money to make art."
His premise? If artists try to create art in order to make money, it won't actually be art, and they won't actually make money. Instead, artists should find related jobs in which they can use their talent to make money - for example, a writer can become a copywriter, an artist can become a designer, and a singer can do voiceovers for brands. With the worry of making a living off their head, they can then pursue the art they really want to create, without contorting it to make it "sellable".
But this is the part of his post that piqued my interest most.
"I read the other day of an independent artist who pulled all his music off Spotify and chose to sell records instead. He made the decision because at $30 a pop, he only had to sell 100 records to make the equivalent of 1,000,000 streams."
A pause here so you can absorb that.
Yes. Instead of trying to reach as many people as possible in order to make just a little bit of money from each person - a better option might be to reach the fans who appreciate you. And are willing to pay a premium in order to have what you made.
The best way to build a community of fans?
Email. Because the people who really like your brand? They'll be happy to invite you to their inbox, and they'll keep opening your emails time after time.
And once you have a core audience of dedicated fans who are reading your content week after week, you can charge more and make a healthier profit off each sale. Because your audience is not going to run to competitor who has zero relationship with them just to get a better price.
You'll have earned their trust and loyalty. And with trust and loyalty come profits.
Like the artist Cole mentioned above. He built a community of fans. His fans can easily listen to thousands of other songs for the price of a Spotify subscription. But instead they buy his record, spending 30 dollars for just a few songs - because they appreciate him and his art.
So if you'd like to stop chasing 1,000,000 streams for pennies each, and start attracting the 100+ fans who will pay you $$$$$, Email Infusion is your answer.
Jeff Koons sold a giant blue balloon dog for $58.4 million,
Chavy