{"id":2308,"date":"2021-02-01T10:26:09","date_gmt":"2021-02-01T18:26:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.scot.fun\/damentals\/?p=2308"},"modified":"2021-02-01T10:41:25","modified_gmt":"2021-02-01T18:41:25","slug":"selling-an-album-isnt-worth-it","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.scot.fun\/damentals\/selling-an-album-isnt-worth-it\/","title":{"rendered":"Selling an album isn&#8217;t worth it"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"635\" data-attachment-id=\"2310\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/www.scot.fun\/damentals\/selling-an-album-isnt-worth-it\/cofe\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.scot.fun\/damentals\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/cofe.jpg?fit=2000%2C1240&amp;ssl=1\" data-orig-size=\"2000,1240\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"cofe\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.scot.fun\/damentals\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/cofe.jpg?fit=1024%2C635&amp;ssl=1\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.scot.fun\/damentals\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/cofe.jpg?resize=1024%2C635&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-2310\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.scot.fun\/damentals\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/cofe.jpg?resize=1024%2C635&amp;ssl=1 1024w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.scot.fun\/damentals\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/cofe.jpg?resize=300%2C186&amp;ssl=1 300w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.scot.fun\/damentals\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/cofe.jpg?resize=1536%2C952&amp;ssl=1 1536w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.scot.fun\/damentals\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/cofe.jpg?w=2000&amp;ssl=1 2000w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Some things in entertainment aren&#8217;t worth a lot. Selling a book, or an album or a single download of a video game are some of these things. It is possible to make money by selling lots of albums, but when it comes to acquiring a single customer (which is how all customers are acquired) it&#8217;s too expensive.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Okay bye.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Just kidding.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Acquire a fan, not a customer<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A fan has a lifetime value that&#8217;s way above the profits of one album. They&#8217;ll buy all kinds of stuff from us down the road because we serve them directly. Now, we&#8217;re connected to a whole world of people and there are ways to link up with them and give them exactly what they want. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\"><p>Instead of convincing someone to buy a thing, we find the people who will already love what we&#8217;re doing.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">There are people who will buy a $.99 product that won&#8217;t LOVE us. Unless it&#8217;s super easy to get these people, I say ignore them&#8230; or even reject them. This $.99 thing needs to be the first taste of crack.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Step 1: don&#8217;t go off brand<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">All our projects need to be for some audience we&#8217;re willing to go long-term with. We want to love and nurture that fanbase because we either feel a connection with them, or we feel that they have a need we find <a href=\"https:\/\/www.scot.fun\/damentals\/tribe-to-fanbase\/\">fulfillment<\/a> in serving.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Step 2: communicate our brand<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">If our thing we&#8217;re selling has value to our dream fan, all we have to do is locate the dream fan and communicate it. We gotta communicate the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.scot.fun\/damentals\/branding-simple-difficult\/\">brand<\/a>, not just the product we&#8217;re selling. That&#8217;s what draws them in and helps them make a good, confident purchasing decision.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Step 3: figure out how to keep serving this fan<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">If our dream fan is into our folksiness, send them a hand written thank you note. If their into the security of our professionalism, send them a very organized receipt and follow up with customer service.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Step 4: keep track of them<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">My favorite is an email list that sends every email as a beautiful gift to its members. Somehow, we want to keep track of who our people are and give them new chances to learn about what&#8217;s next, so they don&#8217;t miss out on greatness made for them. If we don&#8217;t keep track and keep them abreast, we&#8217;ve just lowered their lifetime value as a customer and have done them a disservice.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Step 5: listen<\/h2>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Some things in entertainment aren&#8217;t worth a lot. Selling a book, or an album or a single download of a video game are some of these things. It is possible to make money by selling lots of albums, but when it comes to acquiring a single customer (which is how all customers are acquired) it&#8217;s [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":15,"featured_media":2310,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"rop_custom_images_group":[],"rop_custom_messages_group":[],"rop_publish_now":"initial","rop_publish_now_accounts":{"facebook_10158666434799935_26707174888":"","twitter_aToyMjM4MTQzMDs=_22381430":""},"rop_publish_now_history":[],"rop_publish_now_status":"pending","_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2308","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.scot.fun\/damentals\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/cofe.jpg?fit=2000%2C1240&ssl=1","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pc33gc-Be","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":3889,"url":"https:\/\/www.scot.fun\/damentals\/more-ticket-revenue\/","url_meta":{"origin":2308,"position":0},"title":"More Ticket Revenue","author":"scot","date":"December 20, 2023","format":false,"excerpt":"I\u2019ve been having a bunch of candid conversations with people who are trying to sell more tickets or get more attendance at things. I\u2019ve gained a lot of insight on what\u2019s working and what\u2019s not working in this new post-COVID, pre-AI world. The basic thing is that people are more\u2026","rel":"","context":"Similar post","block_context":{"text":"Similar post","link":""},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":4221,"url":"https:\/\/www.scot.fun\/damentals\/trust\/","url_meta":{"origin":2308,"position":1},"title":"Trust","author":"scot","date":"September 5, 2024","format":false,"excerpt":"Many creatives are super concerned with trust. This can work against us. Being confident and answering questions directly and honestly builds trust. Using \"salesy\" and subjective language doesn't build trust. To keep it simple, we make it simple. Making it simple for a customer is the complicated work that we\u2026","rel":"","context":"Similar post","block_context":{"text":"Similar post","link":""},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.scot.fun\/damentals\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/blog-4.jpg?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.scot.fun\/damentals\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/blog-4.jpg?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.scot.fun\/damentals\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/blog-4.jpg?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.scot.fun\/damentals\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/blog-4.jpg?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.scot.fun\/damentals\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/blog-4.jpg?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":1092,"url":"https:\/\/www.scot.fun\/damentals\/the-brand-is-not-the-entertainment\/","url_meta":{"origin":2308,"position":2},"title":"The Brand is not the Entertainment","author":"scot","date":"July 1, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"I work with a lot of small entertainment companies. Often, there are too few staff members to separate the brand from the product. Earlier I wrote that the brand is how people perceive the personality of what you're selling. So, even though you're selling the same thing, what that thing\u2026","rel":"","context":"Similar post","block_context":{"text":"Similar post","link":""},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.scot.fun\/damentals\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/collection-of-cloven-footed-animal-skulls-near-hillside-in-4328979.jpg?fit=1200%2C918&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.scot.fun\/damentals\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/collection-of-cloven-footed-animal-skulls-near-hillside-in-4328979.jpg?fit=1200%2C918&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.scot.fun\/damentals\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/collection-of-cloven-footed-animal-skulls-near-hillside-in-4328979.jpg?fit=1200%2C918&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.scot.fun\/damentals\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/collection-of-cloven-footed-animal-skulls-near-hillside-in-4328979.jpg?fit=1200%2C918&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.scot.fun\/damentals\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/collection-of-cloven-footed-animal-skulls-near-hillside-in-4328979.jpg?fit=1200%2C918&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":4574,"url":"https:\/\/www.scot.fun\/damentals\/selling-shirts-posters-merch-at-a-show\/","url_meta":{"origin":2308,"position":3},"title":"Selling shirts\/ posters\/ merch at a show","author":"scot","date":"April 5, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"Selling merch is not very rewarding unless we're doing a ton of shows. We buy merch for reasons. Occasionally the merch has value in itself\u2014disconnected from the performance or brand (like a comedy album). We usually buy merch because we want to remember an experience, to be part of something\u2026","rel":"","context":"Similar post","block_context":{"text":"Similar post","link":""},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":3344,"url":"https:\/\/www.scot.fun\/damentals\/mudwashing\/","url_meta":{"origin":2308,"position":4},"title":"Mudwashing","author":"scot","date":"June 30, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"I posted this question on Facebook and didn't get an adequate answer, so I'm making up a word. Here's the facebook post... I am an expert at making things complicated. I love complicated stories and people because they're a great escape that my brain continuously puzzles over. When I'm working\u2026","rel":"","context":"Similar post","block_context":{"text":"Similar post","link":""},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.scot.fun\/damentals\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/cozy-reading-in-bed-1.jpg?fit=1200%2C633&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.scot.fun\/damentals\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/cozy-reading-in-bed-1.jpg?fit=1200%2C633&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.scot.fun\/damentals\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/cozy-reading-in-bed-1.jpg?fit=1200%2C633&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.scot.fun\/damentals\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/cozy-reading-in-bed-1.jpg?fit=1200%2C633&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.scot.fun\/damentals\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/cozy-reading-in-bed-1.jpg?fit=1200%2C633&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":2204,"url":"https:\/\/www.scot.fun\/damentals\/entertainment-sales-feel-icky\/","url_meta":{"origin":2308,"position":5},"title":"Entertainment Sales Don&#8217;t Need to Feel Icky","author":"scot","date":"January 15, 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"Creators who can easily get in the zone of generosity, generation, and joy when creating say to me on the regular \"I don't like to sell my work, because it feels gross.\" We think we need to switch roles for these vastly different tasks. When I coach them thru the\u2026","rel":"","context":"Similar post","block_context":{"text":"Similar post","link":""},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.scot.fun\/damentals\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/fac.jpg?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.scot.fun\/damentals\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/fac.jpg?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.scot.fun\/damentals\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/fac.jpg?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.scot.fun\/damentals\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/fac.jpg?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.scot.fun\/damentals\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/fac.jpg?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.scot.fun\/damentals\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2308","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.scot.fun\/damentals\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.scot.fun\/damentals\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.scot.fun\/damentals\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/15"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.scot.fun\/damentals\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2308"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.scot.fun\/damentals\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2308\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2313,"href":"https:\/\/www.scot.fun\/damentals\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2308\/revisions\/2313"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.scot.fun\/damentals\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2310"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.scot.fun\/damentals\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2308"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.scot.fun\/damentals\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2308"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.scot.fun\/damentals\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2308"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}