If I started my own little music enterprise – in light of the power of the internet – I would do these things:
1) As I’m making a song, I would take photos and make videos or small documentaries of the process of making that particular song. Then post them.
2) Set up a damn blog. If only for the various band members to contribute their own insights on the collaborative process every once in awhile. But an active and often updated blog for a band I like is definitely going to keep me coming back. This is also an awesome way to set up a tour and keep fans intrigued. Tell stories about the things happening on tour. Relay some experiences. Invest the time and energy into bringing your solid fans even closer to your music – almost into your touring van.
3) Set up a messageboard and ACTUALLY POST ON IT. If your fans can actively participate in some sort of discourse with you – holy shit – that is a great way to get yourself out there and set yourself apart from most bands. The great thing about this is that the fans can get both the art and the thoughts, feelings, and mentalities that inspired the art. That intimidating barrier between the producer and audience becomes broken down.
All of these things (with the exception of maybe the video-making aspect) are low cost and don’t take too long to set up. I can understand why some bands might not want to do any of these things, because this actually requires talking to their fans. Some bands would prefer not to deal with that. I don’t really blame them, there are a lot of annoying assholes that many bands would be embarrassed to call fans. But I’m not interested in those fans. I’m interested in the few gold nuggets that appreciate both the art and the people behind it, that WANT some reasonable discussion with the creators (if only to banter), and WANT that connection that breaks down the traditional producer-audience barrier.
