As more musicians choose the independent route to market, digital distributors are developing new tools to connect artists to their audiences.
Fan Builder is a music marketing app created by digital distributor Beatchain for its customers. Having successfully helped Dermot Kennedy attract over half a million viewers to a live-streamed performance, Beatchain is making it available for all artists whether or not they use their distribution platform.
By drawing on the artist’s own social media and streaming data, Fanbuilder can create a bespoke advertising campaign to build a fan base, sell merchandise and increase streaming. During the campaign artists can track fan activity down to the nearest city, including location of purchases, streams or social media posts. This could also prove useful for planning tours to include towns that show positive audience interest.
Fan Builder was designed as a professional music industry tool, but Beatchain has priced it to be accessible to the growing community of independent musicians. ‘For as little as five dollars, artists can start a targeted digital ad campaign that is proven to find them more fans,’ claims Ed Godshaw, Beatchain’s CTO.
‘This levels the playing field for independent artists and gives them access to the same tools and processes they’d get working with a marketing team at a major record label’, adds Beatchain’s Founder and CEO, Ben Mendoza.
Although Fan Builder is currently only available on Instagram and Facebook, plans are in place to deliver Google and Twitter advertising placement soon.
