Kev Brown

Every brand wants reach. But the brands that grow consistently all have something far stronger. They have fandom.

I have written a piece that breaks this down clearly. What fandom really is. How it works for brands. And why direct-to-fan thinking is essential for anyone who wants loyalty rather than surface attention.

Every brand wants reach. But the brands that grow consistently all have something far stronger. They have fandom.

It is about having a group of people who stay with you because they believe in what you stand for.

Every brand wants reach. But the brands that grow consistently all have something far stronger. They have fandom.

It means they care enough to take a step.

Every brand wants reach. But the brands that grow consistently all have something far stronger. They have fandom.

Creators. Music artists. Anyone who needs an audience that actually cares. Direct-to-fan is not a trend. It is simply the clearest way to understand who supports you.

Every brand wants reach. But the brands that grow consistently all have something far stronger. They have fandom.

The real signals come from something far more human and far more reliable: 👉 Who takes action 👉 Who signs up 👉 Who stays close 👉 Who wants a direct relationship 👉 Who makes space for your brand in their daily life This is why the most successful brands focus on direct connection.

Every brand wants reach. But the brands that grow consistently all have something far stronger. They have fandom.

The problem is that most of the vanity numbers people look at today simply do not tell that story. Views disappear quickly. Follower counts look big but rarely do anything. Socials can look impressive but don't show commitment.

Every brand wants reach. But the brands that grow consistently all have something far stronger. They have fandom.

Not hype.

The issue with Spotify is that of course they don’t pay enough to music creators. But the model was never meant to be fair to artists either. It was meant to favor the majors with their back catalogs that were sitting on shelves doing nothing.

As as for discovery? Spotify for discovery as made up - to make you fall for the fear of missing out, unless you’re a major label who has the strange superpower to place their music along side other major artists. Funny that!

The issue with Spotify is that of course they don’t pay enough to music creators. But the model was never meant to be fair to artists either. It was meant to favor the majors with their back catalogs that were sitting on shelves doing nothing.

The bigger question I put is, should new music be released on streaming platforms on release day in the first place? - Why not hold it back, make it scarce. - Why not release physical before release to streaming networks? - Why not sell the album/EP/song on Amazon and bandcamp first?

What if you streamed your new album via your website and could earn 22x more than uploading it to Spotify? I've been analysing the potential of a direct music distribution strategy using Google and Meta retargeting pixels to earn more than what Spotify pays out. The results are pretty interesting.🧵

But here's an even more fascinating thought: What if artists simply asked for an email address after the first free track? Now you're not just earning more revenue - you're building a direct connection with every listener. Each email is worth $8-$15 in potential lifetime value.

What if you streamed your new album via your website and could earn 22x more than uploading it to Spotify? I've been analysing the potential of a direct music distribution strategy using Google and Meta retargeting pixels to earn more than what Spotify pays out. The results are pretty interesting.🧵

If artists hosted their music directly on their websites and used tracking pixels to build retargeting audiences from listeners who play say, 3+ tracks, here's what happens: 📈 Retargeting conversion rate: 0.7% (industry standard) 💰 Album price: $19.99 🎯 Sales revenue: 7 conversions × $19.99=$139.93

What if you streamed your new album via your website and could earn 22x more than uploading it to Spotify? I've been analysing the potential of a direct music distribution strategy using Google and Meta retargeting pixels to earn more than what Spotify pays out. The results are pretty interesting.🧵

Music streaming platform pay ~$17,000 per 10 million plays. If you’re with a label your likely to get ~$1,700 for 10 million plays How many artists do you know that get 10 million plays? #spotify doesn’t work for new music. It works only for albums who have decades of already record catalog