audience email collection?

[sleeplessknight]

So, question for the masses. In bands that I've been in before, I've always found it acceptable and even worthwhile to "work the crowd" between sets, chatting with them a bit and finally asking "So, did you like the band? Could I interest you in signing up for our email newsletter?" I'd regularly get 10-20 email addresses a night. The "newsletters" (really just pimping out our upcoming next show) would definitely have explicit instructions at the top as far as unsubscribing ("Reply with "unsubscribe", and you're out!", or something equally simple), and certainly while a large number of people wouldn't spontaneously turn up, we were regularly getting 10-20 "extra" fans showing up at each show. Talking with them, they always cited the mailings as the reason why they turned up.

Now, with this latest band I'm in, I talked with the bandleader about doing the same thing, i.e. actively soliciting email addresses directly from the crowd between sets. He was pretty much set against it, citing that people would write down fake email addresses, work email addresses that would never get to the person, and that the whole process was generally a waste of time and tended to annoy people, to the detriment of the band. His preferred method is to just leave the signup sheet in some easily-accessible place, and exhort the audience to sign up "on their own", that way our list gets more "interested" people who would be more likely to come to shows.

My question(s) for the group is, do you think his concerns are valid? Won't my method, while it may net more "uninterested" people, get more butts-in-seats for our shows just purely by statistical aggregation? I always justified my "direct" method with "Well, there's always explicit instructions on unsubscribing if it's *really* a bother to them", so I never really worried about it too much. What's worked best for you guys in the past?

[AdlerAugen]

Well that sounds like a really good idea to get email and stuff like that. Sounds like something I'll use once my band gets gigging or I make a new one (probably september-october I'll make another one if I can find a job to fund equipment while I'm at college)

[IanStephenson]

There's got to be a good balance - hassling people is obviously counterproductive, but people won't sign up unless you nudge them a little. I'm naturally not good at approaching people, but i know from experience that self promotion is generally best done without a hint of self-consciousness - those that ask get.

I'm pretty conservative, and only push our (new - just starting to collect adresses the last few gigs) email list on people who express some interest in the band (chatting to us, taking a flyer or whatever), so usually get 90% sign up for those I ask. On the other hand no one ever comes looking for us to sign up.

I don't see any harm in asking people - if they say no-thanks, then leave it at that.

Ian

[MysticMichael]

Originally Posted by sleeplessknight

Won't my method, while it may net more "uninterested" people, get more butts-in-seats for our shows just purely by statistical aggregation?

Seems to me that you've already demonstrated the success of your approach. If someone has given you his/her email address with the explicit understanding that you'll be using it to promote your band, then it is by definition a valid "opt-in" from someone who's at least mildly interested in your music.

Don't second-guess yourself on this. Consider it a viable email address (and possible new fan) and continue to use it - until/unless the person opts out - or the email address starts to hard bounce.

MM

[SirCanealot]

Originally Posted by sleeplessknight

Now, with this latest band I'm in, I talked with the bandleader about doing the same thing, i.e. actively soliciting email addresses directly from the crowd between sets. He was pretty much set against it, citing that people would write down fake email addresses, work email addresses that would never get to the person, and that the whole process was generally a waste of time and tended to annoy people, to the detriment of the band. His preferred method is to just leave the signup sheet in some easily-accessible place, and exhort the audience to sign up "on their own", that way our list gets more "interested" people who would be more likely to come to shows.

Oh god, I have a friend like that. Baseless and pessismistic paranoia. Why on earth are people going to sign if they don't want to sign? Why would they sign with a fake email? Who cares if they do?

The problem with people like that is if you do it back to them they say something like "Naw, I don't think so..." or something like that.

Good luck. The person I know who does that is my best friend of 7-8 years whom is very dear to me (not in a gay way :P), but it still makes me want to strangle him sometimes, haha.