The indie artist's fans...

Hey everyone! Just stopping in real quick to drop a few lines for you. 

I wanted to touch base with you about my feelings on fans and indie artists building a strong fan base. If I had to venture a guess, I would say that at least 90 to 95% of the indie artists that I either follow or follow me (on Twitter) or that I subscribe to their Facebook page or YouTube channel are regular working stiffs like myself. More than anything, they rely on their fans to get their name and their music out there in the public eye. Just as important as their fans are to them, their fans are just as important to each other. Having 3 millions followers is one thing and sure it looks good on the screen, but how many of those 3 million fans would actively (and effectively) promote you and/or the artists that you promote? Another guess on my part? Less than 1/10th of 1% would be a good starting point (but probably still optimistically high).

Two individuals that come to mind that embody the unique qualities of effective promotion on Twitter are @crazyforjensen and @tanja_love. Talk about a couple of forces of nature when it comes to supporting and promoting their favorite indie artists! I've learned more from these two than I could have ever figured out on my own. Without them, I may have never heard of bands like Broken Romeo or Zoey'z Fallacy, Thy Kingdom Gone or The Red Abbey Band, just to name a few. Their support of their favorites (Broken Romeo for Nora and David Geftakys for Tanya) is unparalleled. And I'll even admit that I'm jealous of them for their ability to promote a helluva lot better than I can! I've always said that if every indie artist had 5 fans each like these two, the "mainstream" music industry wouldn't be in such a sad state as it currently is! They both have this uncanny ability to connect with the artists they follow and promote. It becomes more about the candor and camaraderie that they share with these artists that enhances their love of the music they share.  But more than just fellow music lovers and indie music supporters, I consider these two to be my friends (hopefully the feeling is mutual!). Even though the only contact we have is thru Facebook and Twitter, they always know how to put a smile on my face and brighten the day just a bit more! Love you ladies to pieces, and I'd walk thru hell for either of you!

I'm a firm believer that all it takes is for that one Tweet or post to be seen by that one person at that one moment for any indie artist to get the break they may have been hoping for. Some indie artists may be content with staying out of the limelight and building a small but rabid fan base, but I believe that every artist deserves to have their voice heard and to be given a chance to make their mark in the industry. For you fellow fans, I implore you to please share the music that you love with your friends and followers. Tweet their names, ask your followers to follow your favorites. Share Facebook pages, share websites, Reverb pages, Amazon, CDBaby & iTunes links (putting music out there isn't cheap... while the majority of them offer free downloads, support them properly EVERY chance that you get). Re-Tweet show dates, album release party info. If your invited to an event that you can't make it to, share the event info with your friends. We can't effectively do this alone, but together maybe we can shake up mainstream music enough to make a difference!

I've found myself wondering over the course of the last few days what exactly it is I'm hoping to accomplish with this blog (Editor's note: I AM NOT IN THIS FOR FREE MUSIC. I legally download as much music as I can afford to... my iTunes library currently has over 8000 songs/videos, of which nearly 50% have been purchased over the course of the last year in support of the great indie artists I've discovered during the same time period!). I'm far from being an expert on just about anything that has to do with the music industry, but what I am is a fan... and a champion for the indie artist. What I'd like most to do though is share some of the best music out there with you that you may not otherwise have a chance to hear. I plan to introduce you to one indie artist every few days (at least 3 to 4 per week) with maybe some random thoughts sprinkled in-between. Any indie artists out there that would like to have their music shared, please contact me thru Twitter at @cgnipp. Those of you that I actively promote know who you are and will most definitely get plenty of space on this blog! I have yet to hear an indie artist that I haven't liked, so if you want my support, I will do my best to promote the hell out of you to the best of my abilities... and for what I'm lacking in my promotional skills, maybe Nora and Tanya will have my back! I'll leave you with a couple of their favorites. Until next time...