--- title: "1000 True Fans" description: "For any artist who has been told the only choice is selling out or starving." author: "Rahim Rasul" type: "Podcast episode" series: "Halftime Talks" episode: 105 published: "2016-09-12" duration: "16 min" theme: "Work and mentors" tags: "audience, true fans, niche, creative business" audio: "https://traffic.libsyn.com/secure/rahimrasul/HTT105_1000TrueFans.mp3?dest-id=175061" url: "https://iloveprocess.com/halftime/1000-true-fans/" site: "I Love Process" --- # 1000 True Fans _For any artist who has been told the only choice is selling out or starving._ **The question:** Who are your 1000 true fans? Listen: https://traffic.libsyn.com/secure/rahimrasul/HTT105_1000TrueFans.mp3?dest-id=175061 ## Before you listen Kevin Kelly, the founder of Wired magazine, first put this idea in an article on his website: a thousand fully engaged fans can give an artist a year's income, well beyond the starving artist's lot. These are fans who find extreme value in everything you do. They buy every product and go to every show. What is that worth, and how do we build that kind of loyalty? Artists often feel they have to be martyrs to the art, either selling out or starving. That paradox does not have to exist. A thousand CDs at $10 is $10,000, and a $100 product sold to the same thousand is a healthy year's income. Seth Godin pre-sold his last book on Kickstarter to the list he builds every day. Nipsey Hussle priced his CD at $100 and sold 1,100. Listen for the close, where a thousand shrinks to a place to start, maybe 50 fans or even 10, and the real work is becoming the leader they would follow. ## From the talk > It's not all things for everybody, it is one thing for that one person. > > These 1000 true fans are the well that you can continue to return to because you know beyond a shadow of a doubt that you offer value to the space. > > You don't have to try to fit yourself in a cookie cutter mold for other people. You don't have to try to be somebody you're not. ## Sit with this - What will it take to begin to craft that message, to craft that strategy? - Can you create 50 true fans in the next six months? - Who do you need to become in order for that to be not only sustainable, but achievable? ## Transcript To begin this episode, I want to give a little backstory on the individual who has term 1000 true fans. It was a guy by the name of Kevin Kelly. Kevin Kelley is the founder of a magazine known as wired he, in the times that I've seen him interviewed and listened to his his words, he is a futurists, he has a very optimistic view of the future. And he loves bringing the conversation around what is next. And this notion of 1000 true fans originated as an article on his website. So if you go K k.org 1000 true fans, you can find his original article. It was a conversation piece of felt like to a musician of how they can make a living. Now one of the things that artists creatives feel that they have to do is they have to be martyrs to the art. It is either make money or starve. You either sell out or you do authentic work. And that paradox between the two of those things do not have to exist. So when there are starving artists. It's sad to say but it's almost a choice. It's a choice because they're not necessarily readily available options that they can See, and take the path toward finding that abundance, finding that sustainable income finding those sustainable fans. And so with the 1000 true fans that Kevin Kelley, he wrote, It is not about being all things to everybody. Apple tries to be the device for as many people as possible, Burger King tries to make the burger for as many people as possible, we're not going to ruffle any feathers. And at the same time, we are not necessarily going to dive into the ultra, ultra niche, and I see he niche individual. So what Misha is, is a, you can continue to dial down on a specific type of person. It's not all things for everybody, it is one thing for that one person. And one thing that 1000 true fans is is understanding. After you have that mass adoption, where those products are all things to all people, there are still pockets of people out there for you. What if you established 1000 true fans 1000 raving individuals who will follow you on any path that you take? Interesting. And this 1000 true fans says if you once a year, once a quarter, once a month, have 1000 true fans who are willing to purchase anything that you do who are willing to support you, we're willing to be evangelists for you, then there's perpetual income in that. So 1000 true fans only finding that 1000 As a musician, if you sell 1000 CDs at $10 a pop. That's 10. What is it? 1000 times 10. That's $10,000. If you have a show with that CD, and you charge $30 A ticket, and you knew this 1000 true fans, which show up? You know that's $40,000 Total now. Now you can think beyond these very elementary ideas. What if you had $100 product? With 1000? True fans? That is a year's income? That is a healthy year's income? And you can you continue to do this? Is that possible? Is that practical? Is that within the scope of reason? I think it is. So with 1000 true fans now we have to ask ourselves like what will it take for you for me going forward right now to create this level of fandom. And it doesn't all have to happen at once you can begin to gather momentum and build up a I don't want to say following but this 1000 true fan threshold. And the way that we do that is by being engaging with these 1000 true fans. Gary Vander Chuck had a book called Thank You Economy and he also had a book called Jab, Jab, Jab, uppercut or right hook. And you have to give you have to give you have to give you have to give you have to be relevant. You have to feed the niche. You have to speak to that 1000 true fans, you have to understand your audience you have to know the vision of what you're doing. And if you can answer all those questions and if you can become present to that level of engagement, your 1000 true fans will begin to pick up speed and pick up momentum it will begin to scale. There have been several people in pop culture who have adopted this one of the individuals that I brought up in a previous episode was Seth Godin. Seth Godin goes directly to his 1000 true fans when it's time to publish his book. He does not need a traditional publisher if he sells 1000 books, but he has way more than 1000 true fans because every day he writes a paragraph on some high level marketing concepts and builds up his own list builds up his own distribution channel filled with his 1000 true fans and more. So his last book he took directly to Kickstarter and pre sold the book got the income before there was even a product why While he didn't even have to go the traditional route, he didn't have to spend the hundreds of $1,000 on marketing. He didn't have to wonder if this idea will make money he went directly to his 1000 true fans, another individual who use the 1000 true fans to their benefit is a hip hop artist out of Crenshaw. By the name of Nipsey Hussle. He did a different kind of marketing campaign, he decided to see if he had 1000 true fans by pricing his CD at $1,000. And there were some other amenities that came along with with the CD if you bought it for $1,000. But as he quickly sold those 1000 CDs for $1,000 or $100, excuse me, it was $100. He sold 1100 Do the math, do the math, you don't have to try to fit yourself in a cookie cutter mold. For other people. You don't have to try to be somebody you're not. As soon as you identify your niche. As soon as you identify where your niche lives, you will be able to speak to that niche you will be able to directly communicate with that niche you will know the pulse you will be able to anticipate the needs by by feeling the pulse of a space. Another artist who understands his 1000 true fans is hip hop artists out of Kansas City, Missouri, by the name of Tec nine Tec nine is on the hip hop, Forbes, cash kings list every year. A lot of people haven't heard of this individual, but he owns everything from the production to the distribution side of his business. And he directly communicates to his 1000 true fans he makes music does concert sells merchandise to his 1000 true fans. He also has backstage events for his 1000 true fans and obviously has more than 1000 true fans. But it shows you the possibility of scaling that initial $10 CD with an experience with a connection with using the expertise, your your what you've accomplished in that space as leverage. And you can keep going to the well. These 1000 true fans are the well that you can continue to return to because you know beyond a shadow of a doubt that you offer value to the space, you offer value to your 1000 true fans, they are not there just because they want to be affiliated they are there because they identify with the product with the service with the idea with the language with the vision that you've set forth. It's a powerful idea to continue to look for information on 1000 true fans just Google it. There are some amazing videos. There's some podcasts where Kevin Kelley is interviewed. He is He is amazing. But I asked you in your niche in your space in your life. Who are your 1000 true fans? What will it take to begin to craft that message to craft that strategy? Like we don't have to start at 1000? Like can you create 50 true fans? In the next six months? Can you have 10 true fans? And who do you need to become in order for that to be not only sustainable, but achievable? To be able to bring a level of performance to the world where there are 1000 people who will who will be willing to follow you. You have to be that leader. And I challenge you halftime talks challenge you We challenge you to bring your best. Sometimes you got to break it down to rebuild it up. But I know what's possible because I know you guys I know this halftime talks audience wants the best for themselves and they want to explore and find their upper limits.