These days, the digital music world is so packed with noise that it’s tempting to believe your follower count defines your success. Way too many artists get caught chasing shiny stats, stopping there and wondering why none of them stick around. 

Follows don’t guarantee someone cares about your music. They won’t guarantee that people will buy your merch or show up at your gigs.

In other words, followers are passive. Fans are invested. One looks good on paper, and the other builds your career. 

In this post, we’re breaking down the illusion of vanity metrics, digging into why cultivating a core audience beats chasing numbers every time, and mapping out how you can grow a career that stands the test of time. 

• How Can I Get More Followers?
• Why Aren’t My Followers Engaging With My Music?
• How Do I Convert Followers Into Fans?
• Should I Focus More on TikTok or YouTube?
• How Do I Go Viral?
• Why Musicians Chase Followers (and What It Costs Them)
• The ROI of Committed Supporters
• Shifting Your Mindset: From Metrics to Meaningful Connections
• What If I Lose Reach by Focusing on Fans?
• Advanced Fan-Building Tactics Most Indie Artists Overlook
• Building a Career That Lasts

How Can I Get More Followers?

Almost every artist has Googled “how can I get more followers” at some point. It’s natural to want to expand your audience. But here’s the hard truth: followers don’t always equal engagement.

The big platforms (Spotify, TikTok, Instagram) all reward you for those big, shiny numbers. And sure, they can get your foot in the door with industry professionals. 

But so many of those followers are passive listeners. They don’t know your deal. Heck, some of them don’t even know your name.

Vanity metrics shine, but they rarely convert. They’re just inflating your ego, or worse, leading you down a path that doesn’t pay off in the long run. If you’re wondering about how to build a fanbase for music, you have to change your mindset from getting numbers to getting connections.

Why Aren’t My Followers Engaging With My Music?

Followers are not invested in you or your music. They might’ve discovered you through a viral TikTok or a Spotify playlist, but if that’s the only touchpoint, how much do they actually help your career? Did they save the track? Share it? Or did they just scroll past your video or skip to the next song after that 30 seconds of exposure?

A study of 107 artists on Spotify found that on average, only 24% of their listeners were actual fans. That same study found that smaller indie artists had just 11% of their listeners convert to followers, with bigger artists like Dua Lipa having a 26% fan conversion. Of course, this conversion goes up if you’re on multiple platforms.  

And those are artists who are nurturing relationships with their fans. If you don’t actively make those connections, most of your followers won’t be engaging with your music at all.

This is why you need to dig deeper into public stats like Spotify monthly listeners, instead of taking them at face value or using them as your only metric for success. 

For example:

• If artist A has 14 million monthly listeners with 6 streams per listener, that’s a healthy sign of fan engagement because people are seeking out their tracks.
• If artist B also has 14 million monthly listeners, but only 1 stream per listener, that’s surface-level success. People aren’t sticking around to explore the catalogue, engage with the artist, or join the journey.
  

See the difference? 

If you’re playing for keeps when growing a music audience, don’t just aim for more listeners. Focus on the methods that get fans to stick with you as well. That means being where you can find fans, not just getting on random playlists where you might get a blip of fame and then fade out again. 

How Do I Convert Followers Into Fans?

Now we’re getting to the good stuff. If you want to transform followers into superfans, here’s the basics of where you should start:

Personalized Engagement on Social Media

Reach out to followers who comment on your posts. Send a quick DM, or even better, a voice note. Make it personal. It’s the reason followers become fans. This may seem awkward at first, but remember, people appreciate being appreciated.  

Just look at Doja Cat, Ariana, Lady Gaga, and BTS, who engage with their fans on a personal level all the time (especially before they became megafamous).  

Email & SMS Lists 

These lists are gold because you own that connection, and the algorithm isn’t going to tamper with your outreach. You can’t say the same thing for social media.

Artists like The Weeknd, Lana Del Rey, Run The Jewels, Billie Eilish, Ed Sheeran, and Dua Lipa know the power of a good newsletter. They share news and exclusive content to keep their subscribers engaged. 

SMS is also a direct way to engage fans and get around the din of social media. Krewella set up a “text to play” campaign where if fans signed up, they’d get a sneak peek at their new single. The electronic duo sent a mix of automated messages and personal, one-on-one responses to their fans.   

Using both is a smart, strategic way to put a connection with fans front and center. 

Share the goods your average listener won’t get, like:

• Behind-the-scenes footage
• Demo versions
• Personal stories
• Live Interactions

Another method to build connections is hosting livestreams. Metric answered questions and played acoustic versions of their songs during the pandemic, as did many artists who did “fireside concerts.” Later, Metric released the recordings from the livestream as vinyl singles, and most sold out in a week. It was a great way to connect with their fans in a time of mass isolation. 

You can also set up a hangout on Discord, like Sadie Jean did. She often engages with fans and gets their feedback on songs directly. Give the people what they want, right? Plus, you’re building a community that feels more like a group of friends than a fanbase. And that’s something people are looking for more and more these days.  

Some musicians have been throwing tiny backyard shows, which have been making a huge comeback. Just look at the way the All-American Rejects blew up for their surprise shows, which also helped get them back in the spotlight.  

Tell Your Story

It may sound harsh, but nobody cares about your music. They care about your story. 

Talk about what you’re going through in your career, and what inspired the song you’re going to release. 

Make sure it’s more than an antidote. You’ll want to tell it from your POV (and don’t be afraid to talk about your emotions, if it applies). Stories with feeling make you relatable. Polished content without heart makes you forgettable. 

Show Recognition

Shout out to your most loyal fans. Tag them in your posts. Let them know they matter.

As Hunter Scott says, “People will like the music, but they will love you.” And that is exactly what you’re aiming for.

If you’re looking for more ideas to show fans recognition based on where they are in the fan engagement pyramid, check out our post. 

Should I Focus More on TikTok or YouTube?

This is a common question, but it’s the wrong one because the platforms themselves aren’t the answer. 

The real thing you should ask is: Where can I connect with the people who truly care about my music?

Here’s a quick breakdown of platform roles:

Every platform serves a different purpose, but the goal is always the same. Use the right one to turn those surface-level followers into fans who share your work and show up for you.

How Do I Go Viral?

Going viral can be a huge win for visibility, but a flash without fuel fades fast. What you’re really after is loyalty.

Say an artist went viral on Spotify and gained 100,000 monthly listeners. That’s great! But if 80,000 of those streams came from random playlists, and only 20,000 were actual organic listeners, that’s a huge gap. 

This is yet another reason why getting on the right playlists with organic listeners (as opposed to ones populated by bots and fake streams) is so important. It may look great to get on a bunch of playlists and have that spike in your SFA profile, but you want to show up where your ride-or-dies are listening. 

Same goes for TikTok. It inflates your monthly listeners dramatically, but those numbers don’t always reflect loyalty. Viral TikTok songs had an average fan conversion rate of just 0.83%. That means for every 1,000 people who heard the song, fewer than 9 followed the artist on Spotify. People may know the song, but have no idea who made it. 

That’s why content that builds identity and connection is essential. Otherwise, your success disappears as fast as the trend.

If you’re lucky enough to catch that viral wave on TikTok or Instagram, you’ll still want to take control of it (of course!). Use it to introduce yourself. Build a narrative people can follow, reply to new followers, and guide them to your other platforms. Virality might open a door, but it’s up to you to invite people in and keep them around.

Back in 2021, Jason Derulo hadn’t had a hit in years, but after he went viral on TikTok, he gained 100K Spotify followers in a single month. Why? Because he used that attention to create visibility for himself as an artist, and not just the song.

Why Musicians Chase Followers (and What It Costs Them)

We all love the thrill of seeing our numbers shoot up. It’s validation. It’s proof that your work is resonating, right? Not always. Too often, the obsession with fans and followers comes at a real cost. For one, it can trap you in the Spotify-only mindset.

Yes, Spotify is important. It is THE platform for discoverability, and playlists are a huge part of that. But you wouldn’t only use Spotify for the same reason you wouldn’t build a stool with one leg. It’s not a sturdy strategy long-term, and you’ll want a few legs to prop you up. 

Try growing a real music audience by adding other platforms like Apple Music or Bandcamp. Putting all of your eggs in one basket could cost you money, momentum, and meaningful connections. You can outsource Spotify promotion and get that time back to diversify your strategy. 

The ROI of Committed Supporters

Quick reality check: real fans buy tickets, share your music, karaoke your lyrics at shows, and stick with you through the ups and downs. Here’s what building a fanbase brings:

• Crowdfunding support that can fund your next project.
• Merch and special releases.
• Organic promotion through word-of-mouth.

Not only that, but fans are really what labels, agents, and sync reps care about. Nobody’s signing an artist with fake followers. They’re after real engagement, and they want to know you’re a sure thing with real growth potential.

Shifting Your Mindset: From Metrics to Meaningful Connections

A lot of musicians are focused on hitting a magic number that lets them feel like they’ve “made it” instead of creating superfans. But if you’re ignoring the people who truly care about your music and stick with you for the long haul, it’s not a winning strategy.

So, how do you shift from vanity metrics to real connection? Focus on these music marketing strategies:

• Conversations, not just comments. Instead of obsessing over how many likes your post gets, ask yourself: Are you actually engaging with your audience? For example, if someone comments on your music video saying it helped them through a breakup, don’t just hit “like.” Reply, start a conversation, make it personal. It’s these moments that turn casual listeners into superfans.
• Storytelling, not just promos. Instead of simply announcing “New single out now!” give context to your songs and the life behind them. Transparency draws people in.
• Long-term resonance over fleeting trends. Trends come and go, and chasing them can leave your art feeling hollow. Instead, focus on making music that feels authentic and timeless to you. Look at someone like Frank Ocean. He doesn’t hop on every trend, but he builds an emotional connection so strong that fans will wait years for his next move.

What If I Lose Reach by Focusing on Fans?

This is a worry a lot of artists have. If you stop chasing those big numbers and mass exposure, does that mean you’ll fall off? The short answer: no.

Shifting your focus to real, engaged fans is one of the smartest moves you can make. A niche audience gives you creative freedom and longevity, the kind of foundation that helps you build a career, not just a moment. 

Think about it: 1,000 dedicated fans who show up, stream your music, buy your merch, and spread the word are worth way more than 100,000 passive followers who barely notice your posts.

Industry pros know this, too. Labels, agents, and sync reps are more impressed by your fans than your reach. 

Yes, you want to focus on reach for exposure (especially in the beginning and when you’re trying to get exposure to a bigger audience), but you need to keep connection a top priority because it also amplifies your reach. 

Take Raye Zaragoza. She focused on her fans on Patreon, and they helped fund her career, which meant she could make more albums. She doesn’t have insane numbers on Spotify (she’s currently listed at 40K monthly followers), but her one-on-one relationships with her fans build sustainable recognition. And now she’s getting regular sync deals. 

So don’t be afraid to zoom in on your core audience. When you put your energy into cultivating a strong, loyal fanbase, you’ll bring them along as you rise in the charts.

Advanced Fan-Building Tactics Most Indie Artists Overlook

If you’re ready to level up, try these strategies:

Track Your Fans

Use a method to track your most engaged supporters, even if it’s a simple spreadsheet. Put in notes so you remember things about them, if that doesn’t come to you naturally. People appreciate it when you remember the little things (like if they have a goldendoodle named George, or if they went to one of your earlier sets at a music festival). Greet everyone like they’re an old friend instead of a stranger.

Geo-Targeted Promo

Dig into your streaming stats. If a certain city loves you, focus your efforts there. You may be able to set up a tour and sell more merch. 

This also prevents you from wearing yourself out by endlessly touring and playing to empty rooms. You don’t have to go on a national tour if you’re only big in Houston—play smart, not hard. 

Collaborative Moments

Let fans vote on setlists, artwork, or even lyrics. Fans (especially ones that don’t have the gift of artistry) love to contribute to the process if they can’t be directly involved. 

One of the reasons Taylor Swift’s 1989 went viral was that fans were brought into the process and got to help her shape it. She had a listening party and baked them cookies (and by that time, she was already pretty famous). 

Other artists have asked for feedback on their demos. Old Town Road was a demo that went viral before its actual release, giving the track momentum before it was even on Spotify. 

User-Generated Content

Encourage fans to make remixes, memes, or covers of your songs.

In 2023, Jain’s 2015 track “Makeba” exploded on TikTok, topping the US Top Tracks chart. Millions of meme videos paired it with Bill Hader’s SNL dance, syncing perfectly to the beat. It’s a reminder: a great song can find new life years later with the right spark and user-generated content.

Building a Career That Lasts

Your worth as an artist isn’t defined by public-facing stats like follower count or monthly listeners. It all comes down to one thing: loyalty. Music promotion for independent artists should always center on connection, not competition.

Ready to take action? Try these:

1. DM five followers this week and thank them for their support.
2. Write an email to your list that lets people in on your journey.
3. Go live and engage with your audience.
4. If you get a viral moment, follow it up with personal storytelling. Reintroduce yourself and let your audience know where they can find your music.

The best part is that most of the methods to build a fanbase are free. All they take is time and a little heart.

If you’d like to focus on building relationships with your fans and less time researching how to get on playlists that fit your song’s vibe, we can help. Contact us below if you have any questions or want to know how we can fit into your holistic music promotion strategy.