Innovative Ideas

1.You got a Gift!

Approach: Economic

Target Audience: Audience by Habit

Audience development Objective: Deepening relationships

Music Genre: ALL

Description: At a time when album releases are more and more frequent, especially digitally, it is good to know how to thank your existing audience for their economic support for the purchase of a physical album (CD, vinyl). A QR Code printed on the cover or in the booklet of a record can refer to a download link to enjoy an unreleased track, a remix, etc. This allows the artist and/or the label to deepen the relationship with the audience and offer something special.

Steps/Example:

  1. Record an unreleased track
  2. Host the track on a server or a download platform
  3. Generate a QR Code that links to the platform link
  4. Integrate this QR Code into the album booklet

Orelsan – Civilisation album – 5 Golden tickets hidden in 5 copies of his new CD.

2. Amateur Feat

Approach: Economic

Target Audience: Audience by Habit

Audience development Objective: Widening Audiences, Deepening the relationships

Music Genre: ALL

Description: Every amateur artist dreams of recording with their favorite artists! An artist and/or a Label can launch a call for applications to each singer and non-professional musician in the form of a competition. The candidates send a demo to the artist, who, in consultation with his/her team, chooses the one that will appear on the upcoming album. This will allow them to target part of the existing audience but also widen the audience reaching other people that are amateur musicians that would like to expand their own fan-base. It is a way to engage the audience, make it participate in the artistic creation process.

Steps/Example:

  1. Establish the rules of the contest
  2. Communicate on social networks
  3. After the date for the reception of the demos, organize a listening session
  4. Choose the winner
  5. Organize a recording session with the winner

3. Premiere

Approach: Artist, Live

Target Audience: Audience by Habit

Audience development Objective: Deepening relationships

Music Genre: ALL

Description: Using the example of a preview of a film in the presence of the director, we propose to organize a listening session to an album in preview, just a few days before its release. The session can be done in the presence of the artist and in small groups to deepen the relationship between the artist and his/her audience.

Steps/Example:

  1. Organize the event in a place that allows proximity
  2. Communicate about the event and the limited number of participants
  3. Receive the audience
  4. Have the audience actively listen to each track of the new album by asking the participants several questions
  5. Dedicate a moment of exchange with the audience

Apple TV+ announces “Billie Eilish: The World’s A Little Blurry” live premiere event on February 25

4. Blind Event

Approach: Live

Target Audience: Audience by Habit

Audience development Objective: Widening Audiences

Music Genre: ALL

Description: It would be fun to go to a festival without knowing who is going to perform, wouldn’t it? Imagine all the lights are off in the venue, the musicians start playing in the dark. After a few moments the lights are back and the audience sees who is on stage. The line-up could be a chance to discover new artists. Ticket prices for this kind of event should be attractive.

Steps/Example:

  1. Organize the festival at a venue
  2. Book the artists and groups
  3. Communicate about the concept of the event on social networks, media etc.
  4. Welcome to audience and start the shows

5. SocialTicket

Approach: Live, Society

Target Audience: Audience by Choice

Audience development Objective: Diversifying Audiences

Music Genre: ALL

Description: Everybody should have equal and fair access to culture and music. Sometimes the prices of some concert tickets are very expensive and a lot of people cannot afford them. Why not organize some concerts where people pay the tickets on a pro rata basis of their incomes? Culture has also a responsibility to work towards a more fair society.

Steps/Example:

  1. Organize the concert
  2. Work on a decreasing price scale for the tickets
  3. Communicate about the concept of the event
  4. Ask for proof of income to the people who want to buy tickets and adjust the price
  5. Welcome the audience

6. TicketActive

Approach: Economic, Live

Target Audience: Audience by Choice

Audience development Objective: Diversifying Audiences, Widening Audiences

Music Genre: ALL

Description: The world is going through plenty of different crises especially since the pandemic has begun. So as we said before, culture has a responsibility to work towards a more fair society. People who work this way, especially the young people, should be rewarded. Why not organize some concerts and offer free tickets to some people in exchange for a few hours of work? For example some works in the field of ecology or some tutoring for children who encounter difficulties with studying.

Steps/Example:

  1. Organize a concert
  2. Find some partners like NGO’s, municipalities, schools etc.
  3. Communicate about the concept of the event
  4. Hire people who are interested in this trade
  5. Offer them the tickets
  6. Welcome the audience

7. Music on the Road

Approach: Live

Target Audience: Audience by Surprise

Audience development Objective: Diversifying Audiences

Music Genre: ALL

Description: As the whole world was affected by the pandemic, we all saw concerts being cancelled everywhere. Now that things are slowly getting back to normal we still have some restrictions in organizing events like a limited audience, social distancing, sanitary pass etc. It could be an opportunity to diversify the offer and organize more concerts outdoors and in a different way. For example, why not arrange a truck like a moving stage equipped with speakers, microphone etc. The musicians play in the back of the truck while it slowly drives across a city. It also creates a nice surprise as people who walk in the streets do not expect this kind of thing to happen. It could be perfect to organize this in spring and summer as a lot of people chill outside and have drinks on the terraces of restaurants and bars.

Steps/Example:

  1. Find partners who can provide this kind of equipment
  2. Book artists to perform this way
  3. Start the parade !

Example: Camion Scratch in Paris, France

8. Choose your Live!

Approach: Artist

Target Audience: Audience by Habit

Audience development Objective: Deepening relationships

Music Genre: Contemporary Music

Description: Sometimes people are disappointed because concerts are not long enough or the artists or groups did not perform the songs the audience were expecting to. It could be interesting for some artists to organize a vote online on the songs the audience wants them to play. It could be a different vote session for every city of the tour and can deepen the link betweens the artists and the audience.

Steps/Example:

  1. Organize a vote online for the audience to select their favorite songs
  2. Communicate about the concept of the tour
  3. Adapt your playlist according to the votes
  4. Welcome the audience and start the show by thanking them and interact with them

9. InterA(ctive)lbum

Approach: Artist, Economic

Target Audience: Audience by Habit

Audience development Objective: Deepening relationships

Music Genre: ALL

Description: Why not release an album in collaboration with your audience. Let your audience be the A & R of your new album! It is also a very good idea to deepen the link with the audience. Organize an online meeting with the fans and let them decide how many tracks you’ll record, what guest you’ll invite to appear on it as a feature, what kind of artwork you’ll use for the cover, what influences and genres you’ll work etc. It will be a project designed by your audience and will create a special link between you and them.

Steps/Example:

  1. Communicate about the concept of the album
  2. Organize one or a few online meetings on Zoom for example
  3. Have the meeting
  4. Record the album according to what has been said
  5. Release the album
  6. Organize a release party for the album

10. ImprovisA(tion)lbum

Approach: Economic

Target Audience: Audience by Habit

Audience development Objective: Deepening relationships

Music Genre: Jazz, Rap, Contemporary Music

Description: Improvisation is very important in some genres of music and are part of their essence (jazz or hip-hop for example). Why not record an album live in front of an audience, interacting with people to make the project evolve in some artistic direction you didn’t even expect.

Steps/Example:

  1. Organize the event
  2. Communicate about the concept of the concert / album
  3. Receive the audience
  4. Play / record the session
  5. Finalize the album with some post-production works
  6. Release the album

11. Intimate Interview

Approach: Artist

Target Audience: Audience by Habit

Audience development Objective: Deepening relationships

Music Genre: ALL

Description: Sometimes the audience is a bit frustrated with some artists’ interviews in the media. Fans would love to ask their own questions to the artists. It could be very interesting and exciting if an artist is planning a social network live session (Instagram live for example) and allow some people to join the live session and ask directly their own question to the artist. A very good way to deepen the link with the audience and include them in your promotion works.

Steps/Example:

  1. Plan a live session on a social network and communicate on it
  2. Welcome the audience and let them join the live one by one for them to ask their questions
  3. Answer the questions
  4. Record and upload the live session
  5. Post the live session on your social networks for the audience who missed it

12. Like me, Like him

Approach: Artist, Economic

Target Audience: Audience by Habit, Audience by Choice

Audience development Objective: Deepening relationships, Diversifying Audiences

Music Genre: ALL

Description: It is always great for a newcomer artist in the music industry to have a mentor. A label or an artist can release a new album and announce that a part of the profits on the sales and tours will be invested in the production of an emergent artist’s new album. These emergent artists send their demos or previously released materials to the label and the audience votes to select the emergent artist who will be produced. Then why not organize a mutual tour with the mentor and the newcomer artist?

Steps/Example:

  1. Communicate about the concept of the album and organize a call for emerging artists
  2. Organize a vote session for the audience to select the emergent artist who will be produced
  3. Release the album
  4. Invest the profits and release the new album
  5. Organize a tour with both artist, mentor and emergent

13. Wanna be on TV with me?

Approach: Media/Society

Target Audience: Audience by Surprise

Audience development Objective: Diversifying Audiences

Music Genre: ALL

Description: There is a TV show in France called “J’irai dormir chez vous”. The host of the show travels to different countries in the world in order to meet people and discover their customs and cultures. His goal is to have lunch or dinner with them and stay at people’s place in order to share a bit of their life! Why not adapt this concept to some artists who are promoting their projects. The artist goes to random places (music stores, bars, restaurants etc), meet people and try to make them listen to the new releases. Do some video footage of these adventures and share them with the world! It could be very interesting to see people reaction, to deepen the link with the audience but also gain a new one.

Steps/Example:

  1. Release a new album
  2. Form a team with a video maker, technician etc.
  3. Go to different places and cities in your country or overseas
  4. Release the videos online

14. New Instrument, New Music

Approach: Economic, Live

Target Audience: Audience by Habit

Audience development Objective: Deepening relationships, Widening Audiences

Music Genre: ALL

Description: In order to engage the audience and make it participate in an Artist’s creative process or Live performance, Music Community imagined an audience development strategy focused on the participation of the audience. For an online or offline concert, the organizers and/or artists give the
possibility to the audience to choose the instruments that will be played to improvise and compose an original piece of music!

Steps/Example:

  1. Organized an event, online or offline
  2. Explain the rules could be like a game. Audience randomly pick up for example 4 instruments out of 10
  3. Record your album according to what has been decided and be creative
  4. Release the album

15. Surprise!

Approach: Artist, Economic, Live

Target Audience: Audience by Surprise

Audience development Objective: Diversifying Audiences, Deepening relationships

Music Genre: ALL

Description: In order to diversify the audience of an artist, a festival, or a venue, Music Community imagined an audience development strategy with the use of public space. “Surprise!” is about organizing surprise events, happenings in public spaces and a very short term communication or notice to the audience. Coupled with a social media communication strategy inviting the existing audience to guess what is the next city the happening will take place in, this strategy involves a lot of logistics and a consequent budget but could lead to the discovery of the organization, band, festival by an audience by surprise that would have never bought a ticket or encountered that music if it did not cross surprisingly their way.

Steps/Example:

  1. Organize a tour without telling the audience about when and where you will perform
  2. Come to the venue or whatever spot you’ve planned to
  3. Perform !
  4. Communicate about the concept of the tour on your social networks
  5. Upload and document your tour daily asking your audience “where do you think we’ll play tomorrow?”
  6. Maybe announce the place and time just a couple hours before to let a bit of time to your audience to come and see you