As musicians look for ways to engage their fans and earn a living beyond the traditional touring model, musician web services provider Bandzoogle continues to expand their direct-to-fan offerings accordingly. The platform's most recent development sees an important update to their popular fan subscriptions feature as the company implements a pay-what-you-want option alongside standard pricing tiers.
In addition to offering set premiums per month, artists can offer specific rewards to listeners who make recurring payments at a price they choose, opening up support options to an even broader base.
Since its 2019 launch, the fan subscription feature has been one of Bandzoogle's most popular commission-free offerings. Some artists have cited it as their main reason for joining the platform. "It's recurring income for the musician and new, fresh content for superfans," explains Communications Manager Melanie Kealey. And, as in-person performances remain largely impossible, it has become even more crucial for artists to find creative ways to maintain connections with the audiences who keep them afloat. "Since the pandemic started, a lot of musicians are at home," Kealey continues. "They're able to create more content, hosting Q&A sessions or virtual concerts at home." Many artists also offer merch or special access to their recording catalogs as part of their subscription tiers.
This pay-what-you-want subscription feature is the latest in Bandzoogle's long history of flexible payment options. "We added pay-what-you-want music sales in 2007, so that's been a part of our e-commerce platform for a long time," says CEO Stacey Bedford. More recently, Bandzoogle has rolled out a Tip Jar feature that allows fans to donate directly on Bandzoogle artist websites, an initiative that has been wildly successful and netted over $200,000 for artists across the platform. An average tip of over $42 shows that, given the option to set their own price, fans are often willing to pay more than what artists charge. "The problem with earning viable revenue is not the value to the fans," Bedford continues. "This model is about allowing your community to support you as an artist directly."
For Bandzoogle, those direct connections between fans and artists are at the foundation of every move they make. Their constantly-evolving, commission-free toolkit for musicians is one based on the immediate needs of their clients looking to cultivate an ongoing online presence. With the help of Bandzoogle, artists can diversify revenue streams while democratizing fan support options no matter the circumstances.
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