This is a topic that I am going to be coming back to time and again, as it will take more than just one article to fully explain it. It has everything to do with the music, the role you play in being part of the Switchback Team, and finally the people out there who have heard of Switchback and consider themselves fans.
There is a theory that was put forth by Wired Magazine writer Kevin Kelly that an independent artist such as Switchback can make a living by acquiring a following of what he calls 1000 true fans. On his blog post Kelly describes a true fan as this:
A True Fan is defined as someone who will purchase anything and everything you produce. They will drive 200 miles to see you sing. They will buy the super deluxe re-issued hi-res box set of your stuff even though they have the low-res version. They have a Google Alert set for your name. They bookmark the eBay page where your out-of-print editions show up. They come to your openings. They have you sign their copies. They buy the t-shirt, and the mug, and the hat. They can't wait till you issue your next work. They are true fans.
So at some point, you became as a STeamer what I would consider a true fan. In the WayGood World, we may take that a step further and define our true fans (STeamers) as those who:
- actively promote
Switchback in their neighborhoods
- creates
opportunities in their neighborhoods for Switchback to perform
- allow Switchback
to stay at their homes, providing a comfortable atmosphere that hotels can
never duplicate
- actively pursue
radio stations in their neighborhoods to play Switchback
- actively recruit
others to become casual fans of Switchback
There are of course many more items that can be added to that list, but the concept can be summed up in a phrase: “A STeamer is a person who has decided to make Switchback a personal part of their lives.” You have a relationship with the band, on a level that goes beyond that of a person who may have heard Switchback at a festival and occasionally follows the posts on Facebook. That is a casual fan. And that is where we in the WayGood World have a problem.
According to our mailing list, we have fewer than 50 active STeamers. You are receiving this newsletter because at some point you identified yourself as a STeamer, had been asked to join the team, or were deemed someone of STeam timber. Just like Glinda in the Wizard of Oz, we agreed that you are good witch and worthy of the ruby slippers.
So, if we take Kevin Kelly’s theory to heart and say Switchback needs 1000 true fans to be successful, then we need 950 more STeamers to make Switchback a true success. My friends, we have work to do. Do you have the commitment to help us find and recruit people to become fans of the band? Do you have what it takes to be a true fan of Switchback, a STeamer? That’s a question we can’t answer. But we need your help, your time, and your involvement. Because getting 1000 true fans is only half the story...more on that later.
We encourage you to read the blog by Kevin Kelly and welcome feedback on this issue. If 2013 is to be the year Switchback breaks it big, we have to have more STeamers on board. Will you help to make that happen? Are you a good witch?
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