The internet has undeniably revolutionised how grassroots musicians take control of their own career development but that does not mean floods of new prospective fans will be flocking to purchase said bands music. On the contrary there is simply too much noise. What bands & musicians seem to be forgetting right now is that to sustain a viable career you NEED a fanbase. Seems obvious, right?

Not so. Think of this business adage: “Turnover is vanity, bottom-line is sanity” - in other words having 1,000’s of followers within your social media network is wonderful but it does NOT mean they are buying your music or merch, going to shows, forking out for limited edition prints etc. So with this in mind you (the artist) really need to start identifying and building relationships with your PAYING customers.

To close this subtle rant I would like to suggest that for any grassroots band or musician to realistically build and sustain a career within this fickle industry your resolution for 2011 really must be to BUILD & NUTURE YOUR FANBASE oh, and please stop thinking SHORT TERM and start thinking LONG TERM.