

Musician makes 26.3% of his net income from just 40 hard- core fans - dan_sim
http://www.musicthinktank.com/blog/in-defense-of-1000-true-fans-part-ii-matthew-ebel.html

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dschobel
_Imagine what it will be like for him when he gets to 1,000?_

And imagine what happens if he loses just ten. That sword cuts both ways.

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omarish
As a musician, it's much harder to lose fans than it is to gain.

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MikeCapone
Really?

I would assume that's true for the best ones (survivorship bias), but on
average, there are probably more musicians who just fizzle out and disappear
after a few years...

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llimllib
In related news, Botticelli made ~100% of his net income from the Medicis.

Which is to say, what role does/can patronage play in the modern world?

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netcan
That is a great point & one that has been floating around in my head. What is
the qualitative difference between a fan & a patron? It doesn't seem like you
would expect the same kinds of people in these categories.

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Retric
Patrons get to directly tell you what to create, where a fan is get's to tell
you if they liked what you created.

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Poiesis
Yes, this was a big deal in the evolution from music from the Renaissance to
post-Renaissance. Normally musicians were employed by the wealthy, often
church and royalty. This rather limited the variety of music coming out. The
French Revolution, and related social change rather downgraded the importance
and wealth of royalty. Some of this related social change was the Industrial
Revolution, which helped create more of a middle class and spread the wealth
around, also consolidating people more in cities.

So then, you had sorta the same problems any entrepreneur has. You go from
having a boss...to having thousands. So they could and did compose different
stuff, but the composers who ate well were the ones who could write popular
stuff. Obviously they could push the envelope a bit as there's always those
who appreciate novelty. So they went after the folks who now had disposable
income, in the places where they were conveniently lumped together (as the
geographic distribution wasn't quite as favorable before then, and the working
classes didn't really have the spare money anyway).

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jamesbressi
There is a lot to dissect from this interview for small businesses and
entrepreneurs. The goal is not to get big fast (although that is so sweet),
but to engage with your "brand" advocates to help make your living and expand
your reach.

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dan_sim
I personally don't like it when everything that is extended to entrepreneurs.

I posted it for independant musicians (and there seems to be a lot among us)
that want to make a living from music. I don't think it really applies for
entrepreneurs in general.

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ryanwaggoner
Independent musicians trying to make a living from their music _are_
entrepreneurs, and most of what I saw in the article definitely applies to
someone bootstrapping a startup.

