1,000 True Fans - A practical model of success for independent artists
A while back I wrote an article for the Fractured Atlas Newsletter (RIP) entitled “Defining Success.” In it, I wrote about the need for artists to develop new ways to measure their accomplishment outside the paradigm of “blockbuster” and “hobbiest.”
Kevin Kelly takes a go at developing a practical definition and his conclusions are worth a read. He eloquently puts into words some of the ideas that have been churning around my marketing consultant brain for a long time. He addresses The Long Tail and where the creative individual fits into the equation. Kevin puts forth the idea that in order for an artist to find sustainability, she needs to find “1,000 true fans.”
You don’t need to aim for the short head of best-sellerdom to escape the long tail. There is a place in the middle, that is not very far away from the tail, where you can at least make a living. That mid-way haven is called 1,000 True Fans. It is an alternate destination for an artist to aim for.
Check out the full article here. I’d call this post a must-read for those trying to “make it” as an artist.
[...] the most important lessons a young artist can learn is to reframe her concept of success and set realistic, attainable, useful goals. And if there’s an industry even more dangerously obsessed with romanticized notions about [...]