thanks for posting this - i actually had a similar start with my start up, artmeme. after hearing "expensive hobby" to "business hobby" i can relate. took me over 2 years to find out what the art community needed. this all through the on and off line community i built. get a newsletter going if you dont have one already. i'd love to hear how i can improve and generate some cash flow. i think you got the concept there - just continuing to build the community - you'll figure out what's needed after surveying musicians to see what's lacking in their community. this might be a good udemy for musicians down the road...i also praise you for reaching out and getting feedback. not many people can put their pride down for a second. would love to hear where you end up going with it. good luck!
I have 404,772 users. Now what?
161–170 of 198 posts
Re: I have 404,772 users. Now what?
#162What say the musicians? What are their pain points? And really focus on disruptive, as that is where the ripest of opportunities remain.
Just don't try to be the ______ (Craigslist/Facebook/Pinterest/HotOrNot) for musicians because _____ is probably sufficient, if not better for the simple reason that it's already being utilized and substitution is unlikely to be the droid that you are looking for.
Though I'm not a musician myself, you've really piqued my interest and I'm going to go poll my surprisingly large collection of musician friends and acquaintances...
Re: I have 404,772 users. Now what?
#163Earlier quoted context omitted.
That's a good idea. There are people on Fandalism who are unbelievably good musicians, better than pros. I should ask them to do online lessons or whatnot. (of course, just because they're a good musician doesn't mean they're a good teacher. but i could come up with guidelines to help them teach..)
This could be very cool. I'm quite a good musician myself (varsity educated and all that), but lately I've really been wanting to learn some more solo production techniques (basically I want to make music that sounds like purity ring: http://soundcloud.com/purity-ring ) as, despite all my education and experience, I don't really know squat about how to produce a good dance track. I would be really interested in somew…
I love that idea of a reward/bounty system. For example multiple musicians could try to make short tutorials and the bounty is shared among the top 3 voted submissions. That teach-me-anything and get a bounty system could work for quite a few other areas as well.
Re: I have 404,772 users. Now what?
#164One possibility which I think is overlooked is simply to ask for money from your users.
Add a "badges" feature (i.e. "X Followers", "Y Plays") and then ask for contributions in return for a "Fandalism Supporter" badge.
It won't serve long term - but it may tide you over in costs for a couple of months, allowing you to focus on the site & users. In which time a proper business model may emerge.
Re: I have 404,772 users. Now what?
#165Earlier quoted context omitted.
Imagine: You have a growing successful website and you wonder what to do with it, would your answer be: I should sell it on flippa? I think this is a poor advice, especially in an entrepreneur community.
It may be poor advice but it is an option nevertheless. pud asked for what to do next and selling the site is a potential road to take. I'm disappointed that some people have down voted this to death. I am following the rules of the site. I feel bullied after expressing an opinion.
I think you're right, but I guess some people thought your comment didn't add to the discussion.
It did answer the original question. I wouldn't have downvoted it, but I wouldn't have upvoted it either.
That said, I do believe it's not the best suggestion (especially since pud seems engaged and interested in growing the site).
Re: I have 404,772 users. Now what?
#166I'm honored, you're asking us... ?
Re: I have 404,772 users. Now what?
#167One possibility: Create pro tools to help musicians grow their mailing lists. Most bands make money from touring. Having a big list allows them to get people to show up at gigs. So help them grow their lists and provide tools for doing broadcast messages to those lists.
Re: I have 404,772 users. Now what?
#168A few months ago I did a post[1] where I promoted a page I made for my dad Nick Dooley[2] which was basically to test whether a simple "online busking" model has legs. The results were that about 4000 people downloaded the 1st track, about half that the second and roughly 350 each for the last two (I didn't do enough analysis to know if those last 350 or so people were the same ones or not). Out of those, about 20 pe…
This. Also, allow them to sell the rights for commercial reuse. Although I don't think it should sound like charity or donation. Musicians should be able to set a price for a 'virtual ticket' that will allow you to download their music via any means, without the guilt.
Re: I have 404,772 users. Now what?
#169Disclaimer: this one's out there.
Think stock market for music meets Kickstarter. As you mentioned, most musicians are strapped for cash. Most also have plans for bigger and better things, need new equipment, and want to get the word out about their music.
Let each musician set a value on their musical worth (market cap). Let friends, family, and fans contribute to the musician for a percentage stake in that musician's future/company. You take a cut of the money contributed sort of like a brokerage/transaction fee. They own a share of that musician. If I own 10 percent of John Doe and John gets a record deal for 1M, then I earn $100,000. Sure most people never make it, but it could be a fun way to spice up interest in a musician and help out at the same time. Plus the added bonus if that person really does make it big.
I have thought about this one for awhile but don't have the technical expertise to put it together yet. I might end up kicking myself for putting it out there, but if it worked, it could be really cool. Good luck.
Re: I have 404,772 users. Now what?
#170I was talking to a musician friend of mine about a website I plan on building and he mentioned a hip-hop centered site that made a mix-tape track everyday. The artists on the site paid for a slot on the mix-tape and it was available for anyone to download for free. I think it would be cool to have a few mix-tapes, separated by different genres, maybe once a week. I'd probably even pay to get a mix of all new artists every week.