71 Great Ways Of Rewarding Your Music Fan Subscribers
Once an artist has started selling fan subscriptions, it's important to establish a rewards system which consistently gives back and keeps them engaged enough to stay subscribed.
Once an artist has started selling fan subscriptions, it's important to establish a rewards system which consistently gives back and keeps them engaged enough to stay subscribed.Some of these same rewards would also be great additions to a music crowdfunding campaign or just as thank-yous to any artists most active fans.
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Guest post by Dave Cool of The Bandzoogle BlogOnce you've decided that you're going to start selling fan subscriptions or fan club memberships, the first thing you'll need to figure out is what rewards to offer your fans. With crowdfunding, your fans make a single payment for a specific reward. But with subscriptions, it’s all about offering ongoing rewards for regular, monthly payments. So you’ll have to think of the content, perks, and rewards that you can deliver on a regular basis to your biggest fans. Early vs. exclusive Something to consider for your subscriber rewards is if you’re going to give early or exclusive access to new content. This is especially important when it comes to your music and videos. For example, if you’ve recorded a new song, you’ll have to decide if it’s going to be something that is exclusive to your subscribers. This means that it won’t go up for sale on your website or be available on streaming services. On the other hand, you could give your subscribers early access to new tracks and videos for a certain amount of time, then officially release them publicly.There’s no right or wrong approach to this. It’s really a matter of how prolific you are with creating content, and what your goals are with each song, album, or video. Structuring your rewards and tiersIt might be tempting to offer lots of rewards to encourage fans to subscribe. Keep in mind that you’ll have to manage the delivery of each reward every month. Plus, once you’ve decided what types of rewards to offer subscribers, you’re going to organize them into tiers, which you’ll also have to manage.If you’re just starting out, keep things simple. You can always add rewards and tiers as you go. Start with a few rewards for the lowest tier that are easily scalable (like access to digital music), then add 1-2 bonus rewards for each higher tier. For more info on how to set up your tiers with rewards, check out our guide: How to sell fan subscriptions on your music websiteTo help you decide which rewards to offer your subscribers, here are some ideas to get you started. You could pick and choose from each list, for a combination of rewards. Or you could focus on one area for your subscriptions (if you are a teacher, for example).Music1. Exclusive unreleased songs2. Early access to songs/albums 3. Access to full catalog (streams)4. Access to full catalog (downloads)5. Access to full catalog (FLAC & WAV)6. Albums/EPs on CD7. Albums/EPs on vinyl 8. Albums/EPs on cassette 9. Demos10. Live recordings 11. Instrumental versions of songs12. Handwritten lyrics 13. Pre-sales14. Discounts (can be a larger discount for higher tiers)15. Let fans give feedback on songs in progress16. Let fans vote on song direction17. Let fans choose specific cover songs to record18. Write custom songs for fans19. Let fans vote on cover songs to record20. Give fans producer credit on albums21. Stem filesBuild a professional website in just a few clicks where you can sell fan subscriptions commission-free! Try Bandzoogle now.Merch22. Exclusive merch23. Signed posters 24. Buttons, pins, stickers25. Pre-sales26. Discounts on merch / store items (can be larger a discount for higher tiers)27. Branded USB drive of all music, photos, or videos28. Postcards (signed / handwritten)29. Other art (paintings, photos, illustrations)30. Let fans vote on merch designVideos31. Exclusive videos (behind the scenes, messages for fans, etc.)32. Videos before they go public33. Video downloads34. Download of the audio from videos35. Shout outs in videos36. Thank yous in video descriptions 37. Personalized videos / covers38. Let fans vote on songs for video releases39. Happy birthday videos for fansLive40. Guest list at shows41. Signed set lists from shows 42. Meet & greets43. Green room access44. VIP seating45. Dinner before the show46. Exclusive online shows 47. Let fans vote on setlists48. Let fans request songs for online concertsMusic Teachers49. Sheet music50. Songbook (pdf)51. Songbook (physical copy)52. Song charts53. Tabs54. Video lessons55. Live lessons 56. Archived lessons & videos57. Q&A’s58. Song requests59. Let fans vote on songs to learn60. Let fans choose the song to learnOther61. Exclusive blog 62. Exclusive forum63. Personal video calls64. Livestream / video hangouts / listening parties 65. Promote the fan’s business66. Follow fans on social media67. Thanks/shout outs on social media 68. Feature fans on your website, on social media69. Q&As70. Private / fan-only social media account (Instagram, Facebook Group, Snapchat)71. Birthday shout-outs on your blog, on social mediaAs you can see, there’s no shortage of ways to reward your subscribers. It really comes down to what you think you can deliver and manage on an ongoing basis that your biggest fans will enjoy!
