Building A Community Offline

Okay, so this post is a little bit overdue, but life happens, right?  And it’s Wednesday now, so time to get back on track.

When I wrote about building your community online by thinking like a fan, I mentioned that a similar philosophy can be applied to the offline world as well.  The same type of actions, getting involved in existing communities, asking questions, getting involved in discussions, frequenting sites, supporting other artists… it all works online and it all works offline.

Since you make a certain genre of music, and since that means you probably LIKE that genre of music, then you’ve already got everything you need.  You know the local nightclubs/bars that cater to that music, you know the local bands that already play similar music, and you probably know some of the other people in your town that like similar music.  So get out there, and have conversations.  Get involved in the existing community.  Support the other musicians making music in your scene, get to know the bar owners, bookers, and fans of the genre you make.

The key is to get out there and get involved BEFORE you need something from them.  The first time you talk to the local bar owner better not be when you want to perform in their establishment.  The first time you talk to the local band that’s filling that club better not be when you want to open for them.  And so on.  Get involved, be supportive, ask questions, get to know the fans, the bands, the bars, everyone you can.  Be a solid member of the existing community, and you’ll slowly build your own community.  People will know you, and you will know them.  And that will make them want to support you.

Start locally, in your own town.  Stay active, and stay involved.  And since you can’t play in your own town every week, that gives you lots of time to start getting involved in similar communities in the surrounding towns.  Before you know it, you’ll have a network of bands with which you can swap shows, a network of bar bookers that you have personal relationships with, and a network of fans who feel a strong connection to you and will be willing to support you.

That’s how it begins.  And it’s up to you to continue to nurture it, and make it grow.