Is It Too Risky For Your Fans To Try Your Music?

Thing Thrift Shop in Greenpoint. Rows and rows of vinyl.

Photo Credit: Keeeem

Human beings do not like risk. Most people where possible wont stray outside their comfort zone. When it comes to money, avoiding risk is not only desirable it can have massive rewards.

What Is Risk?

For example, if you were to purchase a car you would not risk a large investment just on the word of the salesperson. For to buy the car on his word alone is risking a very substantial sum of your hard earned money (not to mention your time and emotional investment).

If you can present your fans with enough value (that is, if they like it) to consider purchasing, then all you need to do is reduce the risk to a level they are comfortable with.

To spend $25 on an album, without knowing whether you like it is risky.

Car salespeople know this. That is why you have the option to test drive. Its also why car salespeople speak the way they do. When someone tries to sell you something they do everything possible to remove the idea of risk in your head.

The reason risk is so important to us, is that everyone has been burnt by a sale at some stage in their life. Be it spending you allowance as a kid on a fantastic new ice cream that tasted horrible, or buying a computer which causes you nothing but grief when the salesperson said it would be the end to all your computer problems.

We grow up a sense of what we believe is a risky and a risk free investment. To spend $25 on an album, without knowing whether you like it is risky. Back before the internet, the music industry helped disperse this risk by gaining radio play, and then later with MTV. People also shared music with mix tapes, the ability to try before you buy and the testimonial power of a friends recommendation also help significantly lower the risk of purchase.

The internet, as usual, changed everything. For the tech savvy consumers the risk of purchasing music could be almost completely erased. This is still happening today. It’s not surprising either, if you let people evaluate the goods beforehand they can assess the risk. There is also the power of free, but thats another post.

The less risk involved for the consumer the more willing they will be to invest in you and your music. Assuming of course, you provide them with value which can be reinterpreted as “if they like your music”.

By providing a method to essential let your prospective fans try your music before they buy it , not only do you keep fans from more nefarious sources, you can keep them on your website where you can present them with an opportunity to purchase.

Which leads onto the a future post, of removing the barriers to purchase.