Site Overlay

Fan Etiquette: Are The People Who Love Your Music Ruining Your Bands Reputation?}

Submitted by: Sheena Metal

Theyre generous, theyre consistent, theyre givingand most of all…they love your music. Theyre your fans and they come to every one of your live shows, fork out money for cover charges, CDs and t-shirts, bring your band gifts, throw you house parties, and spread the word of your music on the internet and beyond. Your fans are the single most important ingredient to the success of your band. Without them, youd be rocking out in your Aunts basement to an audience of nonewell, maybe her cat.

But there can be a dark side to the hoards of happy humans drunk on your future #1 hits. Sometimes the folks barreling in to see you play, or flooding your websites with their online presence are causing more harm than good to the reputation of your band. Rude behavior, message board flaming, compulsive sticker-ing and flyer-ing, may all seem like helping to your flock of followers but to club owners, industry and those newly interested in your music, they may seem like trouble-makers, belligerents and vandals.

It may be simply a case of over-exuberant fan zeal. Your fans think theyre preaching the gospel of your band to anyone with eyes and ears: by dropping your postcards all over town like a bird with irritable bowel syndrome, by filling up strangers email in-boxes with bulky MP3s and HTML photo-heavy notices about how much you rock, and by yelling your bands name at the top of their lungs during another bands set like a parrot with Turrets Syndrome. These unsolicited over-promotionsalbeit well-intentionedare hard for the average person to separate from your bands own promotional efforts and may not be appreciated in the way they were intended. On the other hand, it may be that your fans are so revved up by the love of your music that theyve become arrogant, aggressive and just plain out of control in any arena (or cyber place) your band inhabits. At any rate, you may find that you need to dial these folks back a bit to create a environment that is fan-friendly without comprising your bands opportunities.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l7oadchZMYA[/youtube]

The following are a few tips that will help you to guide your supporters in their quest to be adamant fans without allowing them to turn into an obnoxious, rowdy, gang of rabid baboons.

1.) Communicate With Your Fans—A lot of problems can be eliminated by simply setting up a line of communication between your band members and your fans. For instance, if you know that a particular club forbids setting around flyers, postcards or other promo materials, post it on your website with the upcoming show info-blast. Set guidelines for your band and for each individual show and let your fans know that they need to follow these simple rules or theyre no longer permitted to attend live gigs and to post on your cyber message boards. A little information can go a long way and your fans will be happy that you let them know what they can and cant do at any particular show.

2.) Learn From Experience—Sad but true, often the best way to learn whats not appropriate at shows is for inappropriate things to happen. When fans begin their overblown behaviors, benign-intentioned or not, you will learn by the reaction of the clubs, the industry and your other fans whats okay and whats not going to fly. A good example is thisplacing bumper stickers on club walls may be encouraged at some places but forbidden at others. The first time you get a call from a red-faced bar owner screeching through clenched teeth that his mens room walls have to be repainted, youll know that its time to email your fan base and let them know to leave their reserve of band stickers at home when the band plays that club again. In another example, it may not occur to your band that certain fans are behaving rudely to club personnel or to your other fans, at your shows, until someone makes you aware of it. At that time, you may need to email your naughty fans and let them know that certain bad attitudes are unacceptable at shows, and on your message boards, and that fans who cant be pleasant will not be invited back.

3.) Friends And Family Are No Exception—As awful as it sounds, often times a bands family and friends are the most out of control and obnoxious at showsand on the web. Maybe its because theyre more emotionally invested in the band and its members, or maybe because the musicians forget to remind their loved one about fan etiquette. You and your bandmates may think its a given, but some of the biggest jerks, idiots, and rebel rousers at gigs are your loved ones. It doesnt matter its the bass players ten year-old brother to the drummers 60 year-old dad, you dont want to be banned from your favorite showcase venue because granny kicked the bouncer in the shin. Dont be afraid to sit your friends/family down and spell out the live show/internet rules for your band. Sometimes you cant control the fans you dont know, which makes it all the more important than ever to control the fans you do.

4.) Lay Down The Law—Once you become aware of the problem fans, its time to explain to them what they can and cannot do at your gigs and on your website. Before banning anyone from visiting the bands shows and sites, try sending out a polite, but firm, email with some specific guidelines and a serious warning that the next step will be cutting these bad elements out of the bands loop. Its important to try not to make the email too harsh, as it may insight further acting up. So, just deliver the message in a casual way, explaining that their actions are hurting and not helping the banda fact that they honestly may not realize. Honestly, you may need to give it some backbone so that your jerky fans really understand that their jig is up. If youre having trouble with someone you know wella particular friend or family membera phone call or face-to-face meeting might better do the trick. No matter how the message is executed, its important to let your fans know that certain behaviors will not be tolerated by the band under any circumstance. Most fans would rather shape up that be cut out of all of the fun, and the bands reputation will be safe from troublesome followers for the time being.

Its true that fans are a bands biggest asset. But left uncontrolled they can also be the biggest liability as your band takes on the responsibility and reputation for the antics that its fans pull at live shows and on websites. Like crazed leprechauns, full of mischief, each fans silly stunts and nasty attitude problems will eat away at your bands good name with tiny biteslike a school of piranha in a stream eating a full sized goat down to the bone in secondsuntil your band is left, a former shell of itself, wandering your town trying to figure out why you cant get booked and no one visits your website. Its not a good sign when you see a tumbleweed blow through your music career. Nip it in the bud now. Control your fans behavior. Trust me; youll be glad you did.

About the Author: Sheena Metal is a radio host, producer, promoter, columnist, journalist and musician. Her syndicated radio program, Music Highway Radio, airs on over 2,400 affiliates to more than 126 million listeners. Her musicians assistance program boasts over 10,000 members.

sheena-metal.com

Source:

isnare.com

Permanent Link:

isnare.com/?aid=206468&ca=Career }