ACRIP
1,000 True Fans
Article

1,000 True Fans

Kevin Kelly
Technium, 2008
Read the article

Read or listen offline

Amazon Kindle
  • 0.5×
  • 0.75×
  • 1×
  • 1.25×
  • 1.5×
  • 1.75×
1×

Editorial Rating

8

Qualities

  • Innovative
  • Applicable

Recommendation

Author Lawrence Watt-Evans, musician Jill Sobule and game designer Greg Stolze are all “microcelebrities” who aren’t making a smash, but have enough fans to make a living. The “True Fan model” helps a number of artists achieve small-scale success and avoid vanishing in the obscurity of the “long tail.” This blog entry by Wired editor Kevin Kelly provides recommendations to artists on how to survive in a competitive industry and showcases examples of artists who grew a large-enough following to support themselves. getAbstract recommends Kelly’s text to budding artists, entrepreneurs and brand managers.

Summary

Selling small quantities of products to a huge market of consumers – the “long tail” – benefits consumers and big companies like Netflix and Amazon. Yet for artists – unless they produce a bestseller or a hit – the long-tail curve is a challenge: It brings down prices and doesn’t significantly increase sales. While not every artist can deliver a bestseller, you can support yourself as an artist if you have “1000 True Fans.” These committed fans drive long distances to attend concerts, collect memorabilia and spend money to support your creation. To escape the obscurity of the...

About the Author

Kevin Kelly is founding executive editor of Wired magazine. The Technium is his blog.

Comment on this summary