1,000 True Fans

Kevin Kelly's article about having 1,000 True Fans is incredibly insightful. His idea is a thought-provoking one that is a healthy middle in between the two extremes: "hitting it big" or living in poverty. Obviously, the dream of every artist is to "hit it big," get their product(s) out their to the masses and share what they have to offer with the world. However, everyone knows this only happens to a select few people. Kelly's proposition of living off your 1,000 True Fans is a feasible alternative that will allow for the talent of the artist to not go unnoticed.

Marketing specifically to one's 1000 True Fans will eventually, in my opinion, gain that particular artist more and more fans over time. Word spreads quickly about something good, whether it be music or art or whatever, especially today with all of the available resources. With 1000 or so people telling everyone they know, and even people they don't know, about this great thing that they found, the "True Fans" base will continue to grow. And who knows, it the fan base is big enough, that artist just might get the "big break" they were always hoping for. But I think until this happens, it is very smart to concentrate the efforts on gaining 1,000 True Fans because, even if you do get a "big break," they will be the one's who continue to support you.