“Oh Kent, you’re so great, I love your new songs.” I love these people! Hey, I’m human just like you are and nothing is more flattering than praise. But then there’s “Dude, Kent, that set last night at the Factory sucked. I should ask for my money back.” I love these people too!
So, what do these two people have in common? They both made the effort to come up and talk to me…I now have contact with two people who I do not even know, but who (more importantly) knows me! Granted, these two represent both ends of the spectrum. We have the fan and the anti fan.
I don’t need to explain what a fan is. We all know and accept that just about anyone who likes our music, buys our merch and comes to our shows are fans. It’s hard to displease them on a normal day, so they are with us and we let them continue their ‘Pro-Us’ campaign. But the other guy, the anti-fan, is a completely different animal. Let’s take a look at this equally important group.
The Anti-Fan usually is such because of their dislike of our music, genre, style, attitude or public perception. Usually, however, when asked the question “what do you not like about…” they can’t give a complete, intelligent answer. There are several types of anti-fans. This group is made up of the ‘because everyone else likes them’ individual; the ‘not my cup of tea’ people; the ‘they think they’re superstars’ folk; and the ‘I don’t like their looks and attitudes’ individuals.
I have been guilty of being an anti-fan myself. A couple of years ago I would proclaim to my friends that I wouldn’t waste my time listening to Linkin Park. What I didn’t let everyone know was that I was a closet LP fan, but then I got busted. One day while warming up to record some vocal tracks my son walked into the studio and heard me singing the line “shut up when I’m talking to you…” He looked me straight in the eyes and said “You’re such a kool whip.” And turned around and walked out. (Definition: in case you don’t know, a kool whip is just another word for a poser inspired by Seth McFarlane’s Stewie.) Ok, it was now out in the open what could I do except embrace it.
This is the situation many anti-fans are in. They simply refuse to acknowledge their like of a band just because everyone else likes them. These are the ones who visit your sites/pages regularly and read the comments; show schedules and listens to your music on their iPod. They are always careful to never close an internet session without clearing the history and never allow anyone to listen to their play lists. They have your CD’s in their vehicle, but always say it’s their wife’s when discovered. These are a great group of anti-fans. You won’t be able to make your merch fortune from them, but they are someone who is tracking your success none the less.
It doesn’t matter how much effort you put into the music or how good it actually is because there always will be those who simply just don’t like your music. I personally know many artists who are extremely talented and skilled musicians, but I don’t like their music. These anti-fans can easily be converted into fans by careful manipulation. I personally didn’t like rap and hip hop; I still really don’t care much for urban rap. From the previous example and this one you can see how my interests were manipulated into an appreciation for these genres. As I said before, I like LP, but I have also been a Rage Against the Machine fan for ever. These both are styles of hip hop. A few months ago a good friend, Michael Dodson who is president of Self Made Records (a hip hop label) introduced me to the genre of Horrorcore. He used my repressed like of rock/metal backed hip hop and dark themes against me. I am now somewhat converted.
When the anti-fan uses the ‘not my cup of tea’ excuse it may be the simple fact that they just don’t know what flavor of tea is in the cup. So, don’t expect to convert these anti’s, just turn them on to something closer to their preferences while keeping them closely linked to you. In the above example, both Mike and I work under the Nvaazion USA banner and are linked by that one common factor. Kent Grey, Morta and Mary’s Malice are now associated with Tha Ghoulies and Bigg Mic D. When someone visits their sites/pages they also see links or items relative to the others. Eventually this type exposure will bring more of these fans to you.
It is a common thread in our industry that when a band starts to gig a lot and gets a few downloads of some of their songs, they immediately believe themselves to be superstars. Nothing turns fans and anti-fans into haters any quicker than this attitude. The day of the superstar label artist has passed and now, thanks to the internet, every musician has the opportunity to become a successful artist. Superstar careers are the products of tons of label money and intelligent, non-stop marketing - not necessarily the greatest talent. Whether this is the reality or not, if a fan/anti-fan sees this attitude you can forget trying to make them part of your die-hard army. The simple solution: make yourself accessible to your audience…both fan and anti-fan. Let them get to know you and appreciate you as individuals and more often than not they will support your efforts even if they don’t like your music.
The Superstar syndrome is directly related to the perception and projected image you are judged by. It is very important that you maintain a stage persona, but also that you realize that you don’t have to be that person when in the crowd. I am not saying that you should not be who you are, but there is such a thing as the “friendly asshole”. (But that is something discussed in another article). Let me give another example. Think back to the bands of the middle to late eighties. There were some very talented artists then who you never hear of now except as the butt of some joke. One of the most influential for me recently release a collab with another eighties singer. It was a total failure. This artist was part of a band who set a new standard for rock music but now when folks talk about them it is usually in reference to the lead guitarist who continues to enjoy great success. Why was this? Because the fans grew tired of the controversy created around this guy. This artist even drove the anti-fans away and now has no career and no fans to speak of. So, while it’s good to be in the limelight (no not the club), it is more important how you are perceived while standing there.
Now that we know that even anti-fans are as important as our raving fans, what can you do to attract them? It’s easy; a fan loves you because you give them something they want. It may be the music, the attitude, the looks or simply the personal interaction and attention you give them. On the same token an anti-fan dislikes you for their particular reasons…so give them what they want, or rather make them think it’s what they want.
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Kent Grey is the Director of Artist Relations for eleven29 Records and a Director of Nvaazion USA. With more than 25 years in the music industry he is a consultant, lectures and writes about the importance of the independent music industry and artist development. Kent continues to be an active performing and recording artist.
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Read other articles by Kent Grey at http://www.nvaazion.com/KentGrey
