How can we get musicians to earn what they deserve?
Lessons from a free event that earned $36k
This post is about helping musicians get paid. I care about this because for two decades, I‘ve been a professional musician working hard to thrive. I created Viewcy to make it easier for me — and everyone else — to make money sharing their talents and gifts with the world.
With a front-row seat to thousands of events held on Viewcy, I take note of how the most successful ones prevail. Last month, for example, I watched a free event earn close to forty thousand dollars.
This blew me away. That’s more money than some performers make in a year.
I tried to get to the heart of their success. A few things stood out. These successful performers:
- activated the spirit of giving in their community
- rewarded generous patrons with recognition
- collaborated with multiple organizations
- were on a mission
In this post, we dive into how they achieved this. And we show you how you can do it too.
Activate the spirit of giving
Most events these days are either free with a recommended donation, or ticketed. At Viewcy, we tried out a third type of event by combining the two. In collaboration with our artists community, we started to create ticketed events that were also free, like this:
- General Admission, Free
- Bronze patron, $15
- Silver patron, $30
- Gold patron, $60
- Platinum patron, $100
What we observed was that people, seeing the options, were paying more for events than if they were either free or ticketed (at say $15 per ticket). It was as if the patrons were asking themselves, how much can I afford?
In August, I was advising an event creator to do this. She asked why not set the bar even higher? I was curious and encouraged her to follow her idea. She set the top price at $1000. To our delight, one person paid $1000 to enter her (optionally) free show.
Since last summer, I’ve been telling this story to different creators. Many chose to experiment with this pricing. For example, the event I mentioned that earned $36k had sold 13 tickets at $1000 each. At all events on Viewcy, we display a big “Donate” button making sure you know where to go to support the artist. This organizer had the brilliant idea of renaming their free ticket “Donate later.” This, again, put people in the mindset of giving.
Without the initial pressure to donate anything, people were given the space to evaluate what they were inspired to give on their own.
*Pro tip
We suggest you include both the credit card fees and Viewcy’s low ticket-platform fee in the price — instead of punting them to the buyer. By absorbing these costs, it keeps things simple and straightforward and easier for patrons to participate without additional friction.
Recognize people for their contribution
We think that If you want people to give, you must appeal to their heart. And if you want them to give even more, boost their social status as well. We tested this hypothesis at the beginning of the pandemic by recognizing patrons that give.
1. Every time someone gives money, either by getting a paid ticket on entry or by donating, we added them to a list of patrons.
2. We showcased the top patron by putting a crown over their head. Adding just a hint of gamification in this way can be fun for those who can afford to participate. In the end, the creators are getting paid, and that is what Viewcy is all about.
3. People who choose the “free” option are left out of the club of patrons.They can see others donating and joining the club of patrons. It’s a compelling incentive for them to donate as well.
*Pro tip
You can further reinforce the generous behavior with a “thank you” message in the comments section. Viewcy organizers that seize this opportunity get more donations than those that let it slip away.
Collaborate with other organizers
The most successful events are never done alone. People and organizations that work together well are able to reach a wider audience. For the audience that the organizations have in common, a reinforced message is a powerful motivator.
With Viewcy, there are a few ways we can help you broadcast to a bigger audience:
Add collaborators as either managers or promoters
With Viewcy, promoters can sell tickets and keep private the email addresses of the patrons who come in through their efforts. Each promoter builds their own list. There isn’t the bleeding of lists — everything stays separate. This is a great way to engage your entire team of artists, volunteers, and co-producers.
Recognize collaborators on the event page and in emails
People take more ownership of their role when they are celebrated for it. By adding collaborators to the event page, virtual event space, and key email communications, including the ticket email, you are showing your collaborators respect, and thus, helping motivate them to participate.
Sell bulk tickets to collaborators
With Viewcy, you can sell bulk tickets and distribute them to another organization or group. This is an effective way to pack your event. A collaborating organization can buy 100 tickets at a discount, and you can simply send them a spreadsheet of unique access links for them to distribute. Some of our most successful events took advantage of this feature. Episode 3 of Shanti, by Arati Foundation, is a great example of a producer packing their online event with patrons using this feature.
Be on a mission
Talk about the purpose of your work in the description, social posts, and other marketing materials. There is already a vast ocean of music on platforms like Youtube, Spotify, and Soundcloud. You need yours to feel unique and catch peoples’ attention.
What’s special about your event is that you stand for something, that your efforts represent something bigger than you. You’ve got to invoke the community to gather and be a part of what you are creating. You aren’t just asking them for support; you’re inviting them to join you in a shared cause.
The event that inspired this post was centered around the building of a temple for an entire community. By advertising this goal, people came out in droves to attend, give, and be a part of making something amazing happen.
Conclusion
A “free” option changes the ecosystem to compel a much wider range of donations; it makes people intrinsically motivated to donate what they can afford (and will feel rewarded to) rather than extrinsically pressured to give a specific amount. Reciprocate the giving by showing your gratitude and recognizing patrons. Make your events about something bigger than just you by collaborating with other organizations that all come together around a common mission.
If you are interested in hosting a virtual event, and want to talk it over, let’s meet! Here is my calendar: www.calendly.com/ehren1
