Spend more than two minutes scrolling your social feeds as an artist and you'll be drowned in content about "getting more fans". When does fan base growth become a buzzphrase that doesn't serve your music career?   In this episode of Creative Juice, Jack and Circa explore why fan growth is just one leg of your music marketing strategy and why it's crucial to look beyond fan acquisition! Learn why artists often get stuck in the fan growth phase and fall for scams or ineffective strategies, and when to shift focus from fan growth to retention and value enhancement!   Don't let fan acquisition blind you to other aspects of growing your music business! This episode will give you a well-rounded approach to your music marketing strategy that leads to a sustainable fan base.   DISCOVER:   Why Artists Get Stuck in the Fan Growth Phase   The Pitfalls of Overemphasis on Fan Acquisition   Why Social Media Algorithm Hacks Don't Work   When to Focus Less on Fan Growth and More on Fan Retention and Value   How and When to Make an Offer - And When NOT To     RESOURCES: Learn Top Music Marketing Strategies Inside IndiePRO Looking to expand your team or need marketing help? Apply to work with IndieX! Join Us In The Indepreneur Discord Server!

EP303: Looking Beyond Fan Acquisition

Creative Juice, brought to you by Indepreneur, is a weekly 1-hour podcast dedicated to enabling you to pursue your creative passion. Each week we interview successful independent musicians, music industry professionals, and music marketers to give you an inside look at what it's like to treat your "dream" like your "fallback".

We also take you inside whats working now at the cutting edge of music marketing. You'll learn exactly how to gain control, clarity, and confidence in your music career.

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For artists trying to build their music careers by growing and monetizing a fan base, improving the music itself is not always the best starting point...   In this episode of Creative Juice, Jack and Circa discuss how to reverse engineer your music business growth by improving the processes that help you create, capture, and monetize your fans' attention! Learn why only focusing on developing your product might get you stuck at the starting line, how to set achievable goals to release music and content, and to structure offers and promotional cadences based on real fan feedback!   If you want to fine-tune the processes that will actually grow and scale your fan base and your career, the insights from this episode have you covered!   DISCOVER:   How Circa Started Indepreneur With Personal Conversations   Why Growth Isn't Solely About Creating Better Music   How To Set Realistic Goals For Long-term Success   How To Use A 9-word Email To Engage Your Audience Effectively   How To Build And Reverse Engineer A Promotional Cadence That Fits Your Strategy   What Artists Can Learn From Taylor Swift About Maximizing The Value Of A Release     RESOURCES: Learn Top Music Marketing Strategies Inside IndiePRO Looking to expand your team or need marketing help? Apply to work with IndieX! Join Us In The Indepreneur Discord Server!

EP322: Reverse Engineering Your Music Business Growth

Are you gearing up to release your next single? Don't pick your release date until you maximize your efforts in the stages before, during, and after the launch!   In this episode of Creative Juice, Jack and Circa pick apart the foundations of single releases so that you can plan your waterfall releases to have the biggest impact. Learn about the myth of fast releases, dive deep into what assets and content you should have ready for both pre-release and ongoing marketing efforts, and best practices for distribution and effective pitching to playlists!   Before dropping your next song, let this episode be your checklist with strategies and tips to make it your most successful release yet!   DISCOVER:   What Assets And Content You Need For An Impactful Pre-Release And Post-Marketing   Best Practices For Distribution And Timing   How To Utilize Spotify For Artists For Playlist Pitching   What Spotify's Audio Profiling Means For Your Tracks In The Recommendation Engine   When To Consider Pre-save Campaigns   Why Post-marketing Is The Most Critical Phase Of Your Release Strategy   When To Consider Using Paid Traffic To Boost Your Visibility     RESOURCES: Learn Top Music Marketing Strategies Inside IndiePRO How To Kick Start A Fanbase With Content Looking to expand your team or need marketing help? Apply to work with IndieX! Join Us In The Indepreneur Discord Server!

EP321: Before You Released Your Next Single

Are bottlenecks in your creative business slowing down your progress? Identifying and removing these barriers can be the key to unlocking your creative output AND fan base growth...   In this special episode of Creative Juice, Jack is joined by Jonah McLean (aka DUX), a lead strategist and coach from our IndieFounder program, to dive into the most common bottlenecks he finds in artists' creative businesses! Learn from Jonah's experience consulting and coaching hundreds of artists and explore the three biggest bottlenecks he's observed in music marketing, from the challenges musicians face after an initial burst of audience growth to the paralysis caused by indecision and overthinking!   If you're stuck in your music career growth and not sure why, this episode covers it all. From simplifying your music business systems to managing your work and failing forward in your marketing, use these tips to get yourself back on track!   DISCOVER:   How To Tackle The Three Biggest Bottlenecks Jonah Sees Musicians Face   Where Artists Struggle After Initial Audience Growth   How To Handle Indecision And Overthinking To Keep Your Projects Moving   Why Failure Your Most Powerful Marketing Tool   How To Simplify Your Music Business Systems   What You Can Learn From Tim Ferriss and A Simple To Do List     RESOURCES: Learn Top Music Marketing Strategies Inside IndiePRO Work With An Indepreneur Coach To Build Your Music Career! How To Run Your Music Business and NOT Burn Out w/DUX Looking to expand your team or need marketing help? Apply to work with IndieX! Join Us In The Indepreneur Discord Server!

EP320: Removing The Bottlenecks from Your Music Business

Feeling stuck in your music career? Not sure what roadblock is holding you back? If you're at a standstill, diagnosing the root cause is the first step...   In this episode of Creative Juice, Jack and Circa dissect the major reasons why artist careers slow down and how to diagnose and avoid these pitfalls. Learn about maintaining a consistent release cadence, keeping your enthusiasm to engage your fans, navigating the honeymoon phase of music marketing, and the common breakdowns in artists’ traffic systems!   Don’t let your music career falter without a fight. This episode will give you a diagnostic approach to help you keep your career on a growth trajectory with strategy, tactics, and stories from our agency and coaching clients!   DISCOVER:   What It Takes To Maintain Momentum With Your Music Releases   How To Keep Your Engagement High And Your Fans Excited   Why Navigating Past Early Success Is Crucial For Sustainable Music Marketing   What Causes Most Music Career Stalls And How To Overcome Them   Where Email Marketing And Tour Marketing Collide   How To Overcome Revenue Slowdowns With Offers     RESOURCES: Learn Top Music Marketing Strategies Inside IndiePRO Looking to expand your team or need marketing help? Apply to work with IndieX! Join Us In The Indepreneur Discord Server!

EP319: 5 Reasons Your Music Career Has Stalled

For artists and bands looking to fuel their growth with effective music marketing strategies, there's a dizzying array of options constantly being advertised to you...how do you know what opportunities to focus your time, effort, energy, and budget on?   In this episode of Creative Juice, Jack and Circa break down opportunities in the industry for marketing your music so that you can choose the best vehicle for your growth! Learn about the differences between digital marketing, influencer campaigns, playlisting, and PR and the pros and cons of each strategy.   Whether you're looking to work on your own music marketing or build a team, this episode will help you you survey your options and choose the most effective ways for you to grow your fan base, revenue, and business from top to bottom!   DISCOVER:   Why Having a Large Fan Base Offers More Leverage for Monetization   How We Structured Our Agency to Seize Music Marketing Opportunities   How Email, SMS Marketing, and Paid Ads Can Predictably Grow Your Career   The Pros and Cons of Influencer Marketing   The Risks Associated With Playlisting and How to Navigate Them   Why PR Is Effective for Building Brand Authority     RESOURCES: Learn Top Music Marketing Strategies Inside IndiePRO Looking to expand your team or need marketing help? Apply to work with IndieX! Join Us In The Indepreneur Discord Server!

EP303: Looking Beyond Fan Acquisition

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