The Reality Of 1,000 True Fans
A few weeks ago, Kevin Kelly coined the idea that an artist needs only 1,000 True Fans to make a living. In his follow up, he presents the response to that idea from Rober Rich, an artist who is making a living, at least in part, from a narrow fan base. Some interesting quotes:
I agree strongly with your basic thesis [of a thousand True Fans], that artists can survive on the cusp of the long tail by nurturing the help of dedicated fans; but perhaps I can modulate your welcome optimism with a light dose of realism, tempered by some personal reflections.
The sort of artist who survives at the long tail is the sort who would be happy doing nothing else, who willingly sacrifices security and comfort for the chance to communicate something meaningful, hoping to catch the attention of those few in the world who seek what they also find meaningful. It’s a somewhat solitary existence, a bit like a lighthouse keeper throwing a beam out into the darkness, in faith that this action might help someone unseen.
Further down, Robert also shares some hard realities about the financial implications of being a niche artist:
So let’s look a bit at the finances. If I can make about $5-$10 per download or directly sold CD, and I sell 1000, I clear a maximum of $10,000 for that year’s effort. That’s not a living. Let’s say, after 20 concerts I net about $10,000 for three to four months worth of full time effort. That’s not a living.
I concur that $20,000 a year is not enough - I spend double that amount just to cover the cost of living (in Utrecht). By my estimates, I would need to have a gross income of at least $75,000 to keep up a healthy business, which is in the same ballpark as in the premise of the original 1,000 True Fans article. It’s interesting, then, to learn that Robert’s 600 True Fans spend around $10-$15 a year on his music, significantly less than the $100 that Kevin Kelly’s idealized True Fans. All this doesn’t invalidate the main point of Kelly’s article - that you can make a living in the long tail of the music market - but it does suggest that the number of True Fans you need is an order of magnitude higher.
Still, 10,000 is a lot less than a million…
