(Excerpted from Tara Shannon’s You and the Music Business)
This is one of my favorite quotes about branding. I think it’s a great way to explain this thing called a brand—a trendy word thrown around a lot on social media. And widely misunderstood. Let’s start with what a brand is NOT. A brand is not your logo. Branding is not the colors you use on a website or the style of T-shirt you sell in your merch. Your website, logo and merch are all expressions of your brand.
A brand is a feeling. It’s the way something or someone makes us feel.
Think about a huge corporate brand for a minute. Let’s make it McDonald’s—a huge global brand. Whether you actually eat at McDonald’s or not, if you were raised in North America, you have a sense of what McDonald’s is all about. It’s comfort food. Cheap, fast comfort food.
If you ate there as a kid, your experience of McDonald’s will have warm fuzzy feelings around the memory of getting the toy in your Happy Meal. Good feelings around laughing and hanging with your friends as a teenager there because it was the only takeout food you could afford. As parents, taking your kids there because it’s easier than cooking after a long day at work. And they loved it. Win win. Comfort. Easy. Feel good.
McDonald’s sells the feel-good feeling of tasty, addictive food that everyone can afford. The fact that the food is terrible for you health-wise is secondary. Even when you know the effects of too much McDonald’s and fries that never rot (thank you Super Size Me!), we can still find a feel-good feeling about eating at McDonald’s. Maybe not always, but even health gurus understand the draw of McDonald’s—it becomes the cheat day. Comfort. Relief. Easy.
It’s a powerful brand, and even when it was hit hard by a documentary that exposed the health risks, it came back stronger than ever. Because they understand the power of a brand and the psychology behind it.
You have a brand. I prefer to say brand identity because it reminds you to connect it to you, the person. Your identity. As opposed to it being something apart from who you are. Your brand identity is the experience of you. How people feel when they experience you, your music, your show, your social media content... any interaction with you. Branding is a story and the feeling that comes with it. It’s the story you choose to tell the world about who you are, what you’re doing and why you do it. It’s how you communicate who you are in everything that you do.
Brand identity is a combination of your personal values, how you communicate those values, the experience of your product and what you want people to feel when they interact with your product. Essentially, your brand identity is the personality of your business combined with a promise to your customers, aka fans.
Defining your brand—especially because in music, you, a human being, are the product—requires you to look inside yourself. In order to communicate who you are, you have to know who you are. It is a journey of self discovery. It is first an internal exercise and then an external one. Connecting what you know to be true about yourself with the world.
This process is about self-discovery and communication. NOT imitation. NOT manufacturing. Authenticity is the only path to successful branding. It’s not about becoming something you THINK you should be. Becoming something other than yourself because it sells. It’s about having a grounded sense of what’s true about you, insight into what people enjoy about you and the skill to communicate that feeling in everything you do.
As humans, we are complex. We don’t like being boiled down to one thing. And branding is not about just being one thing. Remember, it’s the feeling of the experience of you. Let’s look at major brands in music. What’s the feeling that comes to mind when you think of them?
Taylor Swift: Power? Strength? Rebel?
Elvis Presley: Swoon? Dominance? Confidence?
Blake Shelton: Easygoing? Laidback? Country boy?
As you reach for feelings that describe major music brands, you start to see a consistent pattern in their brand... their songs, their shows, their merch. That personality thread runs through everything they do. And you come to expect a certain experience from them. You expect to feel in awe when you see Taylor’s show. You expect a down to earth, simple I’m just living a simple life attitude with Blake.
Now, as people, we have more than one personality trait. We have many sides to us. Who we are with a romantic partner is different from who we are with our boss. (Unless you’re dating your boss—sidebar, probably not a great idea). The parts of ourselves we choose to show a stranger we’re meeting for the first time are very different from the parts of ourselves we show our best friend. We are like kaleidoscopes. We shine from different angles depending on who’s looking at us.
The trick to being successful with your brand identity in music is knowing which sides of yourself you want to show the world. If you are a heavy rocker, your brand is probably not going to be the softer side of you that rocks your baby to sleep at night. You’ll want your brand to feel like your music. If you are a folk singer-songwriter, your brand is probably not going to have a night club party vibe. Your music will likely be more chill and acoustic. Focusing the feeling you want people to have in the experience of you is a conscious choice, yes. But it’s not manufactured. It’s just intent. And intent dictates the outcome.
If you are not intentional about your actions, the outcome will be chaos. If people don’t understand who you are and what you’re about, they are not likely to connect with what you do. If they don’t connect, they don’t buy. If you know how to create an emotional connection through the experience of you, and it’s a good feeling for your fans, they will want to feel that way again and again, which equals a sustainable living for you.
We can’t control what people think of us. We can’t control people’s experience of us. It’s a complete waste of time to try. But coming back to Jeff Bezos’ quote, you do want to have a sense of what people say about you when you’re not in the room. Your brand identity is about trying to manage that outcome. Being aware of what the conversation in your absence might be. And being clear and consistent in every medium you use to communicate your desired messaging with your fans. Clarity and consistency is everything.
Notice the music you love. Notice what you come to expect from a new album release from your favorite artists. When we experience music we absolutely love, songs that make us feel something good, we hope and expect the artist to release something that will make us feel that way again.
So how do you develop and define your brand identity? Here is an exercise that will help you narrow in on the experience of you.
Brand Foundations - What’s My Why?
1. List the top 5 artist brands you like or love and what you
admire about them.
2. List your top 3-5 values.
3. What is your mission? In other words, what do you want to
do with your values?
4. What is your vision for your career?
5. Where do you see your career in 1 year, 5 years, 10 years?
Fundamental Nature – Who’s Going To Care?
1. Describe the nature of your music in one sentence.
2. List some similar artists to you.
3. What is unique about you versus these artists?
4. What is the primary differentiator between you and them?
Personality – The Feeling Of Me
1. How would you describe yourself? (Energetic, Outgoing, Friendly, Attentive, Casual, Formal, Businesslike, Serious, Relaxed, Funny, LaidBack, Progressive, Calm, Authoritative,Warm, Capable, Masterful, Resourceful, Inventive, Proactive, Problem-solving, Trustworthy, Solid, Cutting Edge, Organic, Understanding)
2. Any additional words describing your personality?
3. If your music was a place, where would it be?
4. If your music was a vehicle, what would it be?
5. If your music was a bumper sticker or a quote, what would it say?
Elements – The Expression Of Me
1. Are there images or icons that appeal to you that you feel reflect you and your music?
2. Are there colors that you feel resonate with you and your music?
3. Is there a particular tone to your average speech?
4. If you think of your music as a mood, what mood is it? What’s the vibe? Describe it.
It’s not an easy exercise, and it takes a few sessions with my clients to peel back the layers, so I’ll give you a set of answers to help you based on me as an artist. The trick is not to overthink it too much. Don’t try to be clever. Trust your first thoughts.
ARTIST: Tara Shannon
Brand Foundations - What’s My Why?
List the top 5 artist brands you like or love and what you
admire about them.
Jann Arden – her songwriting, her sense of humor, her stage presence
Céline Dion – her talent, her grace and commandment of the stage
Sara Bareilles – her wicked sense of lyric and melody.
Ed Sheeran – his work ethic, determination and vulnerability he
shares in his music
Annie Lennox – her voice, her timelessness, her individuality
List your top 3-5 Values
– kindness
– compassion
- humor
– respect
What is your mission? In other words, what do you want
to do with your values?
– to make music that helps people connect with themselves more deeply but also laugh at ourselves and this thing we call being human.
What is your vision for your career?
– build a sustainable living in all things music, creating it, sharing it and mentoring those who wish to do the same.
Where do you see your career in 1 year, 5 years, 10 years?
– In 1 year, touring in Canada/U.S. with my new album.
– In 5 years, filling soft seat theaters across Canada in
major markets.
– In 10 years, doing a few key shows per year, writing more books and educating and empowering other music creators around the world.
Fundamental Nature - Who’s Going To Care?
Describe the nature of your music in one sentence.
Inspirational, country, soul that uplifts with its storytelling.
List some similar artists to you
Sarah McLachlan, Trisha Yearwood, Jennifer Nettles.
What is unique about you versus these artists?
Mother of seven kids, broader range in style.
What is the primary differentiator between you and them?
My life experience and the stories I tell.
Personality - The Feeling of Me
How would you describe yourself?
Warm, kind, relaxed, funny, trustworthy, strong minded.
Any additional words describing your personality?
Hopeful and positive.
If your music was a place, where would it be?
Sitting under a Willow tree at the edge of a pond.
If your music was a vehicle, what would it be?
Not a car, a magic carpet
If your music was a bumper sticker or a quote, what would it say?
Just wing it. Life. Eyeliner. Everything.
Elements – The Expression of Me
Are there images or icons that appeal to you that you feel reflect
you and your music?
Soft flowing lines, no sharp edges
Are there colors that you feel resonate with you and your music?
Rose gold
Is there a particular tone to your average speech?
I have two distinct tones... wistful, calm and in love with life and
a direct, intentional tone that comes out when I’m teaching.
If you think of your music as a mood, what mood is it?
What’s the vibe? Describe it.
The mood or vibe of my music is uplifting and inspiring in an
easygoing, chill way.
Hopefully through the answered version, you can start to see how my brand identity would look and feel. You might get an impression of what my music would sound like. Then go listen and see if it was a match! (tarashannonmusic.com—clever way to get streams, right?)
Once you do have that clear sense of who you are, what you have to say and how you want to say it, refer to it when you’re prepping your show, when you’re designing your merch, when you’re posting on socials. Did you stay in line with your core messaging? The feeling of you? Or did you move away from it?
When I create a post, I ask myself, does this feel like sitting under a willow tree by the edge of a pond on a magic carpet with a just wing it attitude? If it does, post away. If it doesn’t, tweak it a bit so that it is consistent with your brand identity. If you’re posting, it’s because you’re trying to drive followers. So do it well—the effort pays off. Be purposeful and mindful in the sharing of you.
There is only ONE you. The key to setting yourself apart in the competitive space that is the music business is to reveal the most authentic, truest version of YOU bravely to the world in a way that evokes emotion in others. A feeling of connection.
When you have a good handle on what you’re about, what your music is about and the experience of you, you’re in a much better position to intentionally and successfully build your audience.
Finding Your People
Building your audience will come from a combination of live shows, touring and digital marketing on social media platforms and YouTube. You can choose to focus only on touring if that’s what appeals to you, and you can choose to focus all your efforts on content creation. It’ll come down to what’s motivating you. It’s very difficult to break even as an indie artist with your live shows when you’re starting out.
But if you’re okay not making money and you need the connection with the live audience, then it’s a great fit for you. If you don’t want to lose money out on the road, then learning about content creation and digital marketing will be a very effective way to build your fan base. These days, a hybrid approach combining live shows with a smart digital strategy seems to yield the best results, but it also depends on the type of music you make and how flexible your life is to allow for touring.
No matter what combination of strategies you choose, the psychology of building relationships remains the same. The strategies you use to build your fan base will be more effective if you understand the basics of how we as humans form relationships and the function of marketing.
Marketing: The action or business of promoting and selling products or services; the process of attracting potential customers and clients to a product or service.
Yes, this is true for music marketing. However, we do need to tweak it a little because the relationship between a customer and product (and the company that sells it) is very different from the relationship between fan and artist. Fan/artist connections feel more personal than product/consumer ones.
Let’s say I need a broom. I’m probably going to either scroll on my phone to find one, check the reviews, the price, the delivery and make a decision. Or I might go to the store and choose the one that looks most appealing to me because of the design, the price, familiarity with the name brand, etc.
When I get the broom and use it, I’ll either feel happy about my purchase, grateful for its usefulness or disappointed and frustrated if it’s not what I hoped for. Then I would simply get another one. My relationship with the product and the brand pretty much starts and ends with my experience using the product.
But with fans, it’s much more personal. There’s an ongoing investment in the relationship. There’s a feeling of loyalty, commitment, connection. When fans connect with our music, they feel seen and understood. They feel a kinship with the artist who created it. They feel gratitude and awe. It’s a unique and special relationship. One that shouldn’t be taken for granted and should be treated with the utmost care. It’s difficult to build your fan base.
It’s easy to lose them if you’re not managing the relationship with care. Taylor Swift is the most brilliant example these days of an artist who deeply cares for her fans. And they feel it. They know it. It’s real and authentic and consistent. As a result, her legion of fans is massive. Her fans feel connected to her personally. She worked hard to cultivate that. It did not happen by accident, and it’s an extension of who she is as a person. As an indie artist with a smaller fan base, you need to put the same heart and attention into your fan base. It might not be millions, but each and every one of them counts.
Fan relationships are committed relationships; interpersonal committed relationships as humans follow distinct stages.
1. Introduction: When we meet someone for the first time, this is the introduction phase. Hello, nice to meet you. My name is. That kind of thing. Small talk. We often talk about the weather because it’s a common experience, and when we don’t know anything yet about the person we are meeting, we gravitate to the common. Come here often? Referencing the common space you’re in. Is it your first time at this conference?
Referencing the common experience of the event you’re both attending and so on. At this stage, our brains are assessing whether the person we are introduced to is worth the energy and effort to move to the next stage. If something turns us off at the introduction stage, the relationship will not move forward. “Are you from Tennessee? Cause you’re the only Ten I See.” By-ee.
2. Education: If the introduction stage goes well and we feel some sort of connection, whether it be curiosity, interest, familiarity, any positive feeling really, we will open up to the education part. We will share more of ourselves. Give away information about ourselves. I live over in Richmond Hills. I’m a singer. I’m single. That kind of information.
Anything that provides more knowledge about ourselves. We might find we have nothing in common, or maybe we don’t like the things we learn about the person, so we’ll start winding it down, deciding to not invest more time and energy into the conversation or relationship. If we do find we have things in common or feel a sense of connection, we’ll move to the next stage.
3. Permission: This is where there is an exchange that signals permission to further the connection. You like golf? I’d love to have you at the club sometime. What’s your number? I’ll set up a tee time. You live just a few blocks over from me. We should go for coffee sometime. That kind of thing. A signal that says, you have my permission to keep developing this connection.
4. Nurturing: After the permission stage, you’re in nurturing. Maintaining that relationship and the level of connection you experience from it. That one golf game turning into a regular weekly tee time. The one coffee meetup turning into a dinner date, etc., and we can go backwards too. If you discover something you don’t like once in the nurturing stage as you get to know someone, you can go back and set new boundaries around permission, share less and less information, and create space and distance so the relationship naturally fades away.
There are many more complexities, of course, but thinking in terms of these stages when it comes to your marketing to build a fan base is important. Understanding which phase you’re in with your fans will inform your ask. If you’re meeting someone for the very first time, you wouldn’t say, “Hey, can I borrow your car?”
We have social norms that tell us that would be inappropriate. It’s too much too soon. There hasn’t been enough time to establish trust or friendship. Asking a brand new fan just discovering you to pay a $10/month subscription fee will probably not be successful. Inviting a group of hardcore followers who have been your fans for years to VIP level access with exclusive perks with a fee of $10/month, now that’ll work very well.
These strategies come into play when you’re using digital ads and social media to build your audience, as well as any marketing materials you prepare at any given time. They are also important for the connection with your fans at live shows and how you approach your live show. If you’re playing a venue for the first time as an opener for an established act, you’re going to approach the set like you would approach someone you’re meeting for the first time.
It’s going to have a “hey, I’m so and so and this is my music” kind of vibe. If you’re playing to a sold out crowd in your home town and everyone is only there to see you, you’re not going to start your show with “Hi, I’m so and on, here’s some of my songs.” You’re gonna come out guns blazing ready to rock and roll. Just like seeing your best friend after months apart. It’ll be all smiles and big hugs.
Building your fan base effectively starts with communicating your brand effectively—the experience of you and your music. Being able to do that, means you need to know yourself and feel a strong connection to the essence that is YOU. Always come back to you. Who are you? What do you have to say? And how do you want to say it?
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Tara Shannon is an award-winning artist and songwriter with over 30 years of experience in the music industry. As a celebrated entrepreneur and founder of Willow Sound Records and The (Gro)ve, Tara has been a guest speaker at notable events such as the G20 Summit and won awards such as the BMO Award for Women: Community and Charitable Giving.
Tara also founded The Syndicut, a unique and exclusive membership community for artists looking for coaching in their career development.
For more, visit jointara.com and syndicutmusic.com.
