76fanclubs

What is 76fanclubs all about?

76fanclubs has built a better, simpler economy that lets bands and fans exchange music and money without muss or fuss. Music flows downstream from bands to fans. Money flows upstream from fans to bands. And the love flows both ways. It's simpler, it's better, and it works.

How does 76fanclubs work?

First you set up your online fanclub at 76fanclubs. Next you encourage your fans to join your fanclub, giving them a free 3-month trial if you choose. Then you send music, photos, messages and more using 76fanclubs' simple publishing tools. Finally, your fans send money directly to you, using 76fanclubs' simple payment interface, in exchange for being a part of your musical world. And throughout this process you keep track of your members, your music and your revenues using our simple fanclub admin tools. 76fanclubs transparently tracks and manages all your transactions, and pays out your earned revenues quarterly.

How do I make money from my fanclub?

Fans get a free 3-month trial membership in your fanclub. When their 3 months are up they pay an annual membership fee (set by you, probably somewhere around 20-30 bucks) to keep getting all your music, pix, stories and more. We take an administrative fee of 15%. The rest - 85% - is yours. You can also choose to override the 3-month trial option and make fans pay as soon as they sign up for your fanclub.

What does it cost to create my fanclub?

Nothing. There are NO upfront or hidden costs. We only get paid if and when you do, as a percentage (15%) of your 76fanclub revenues.

How long does it take to get my fanclub up and running

It takes about 2 minutes to register. Once you have registered it takes only 10-20 minutes or so to upload a handful of mp3s and pictures, and to write a short welcome note to your fans. It's a small investment of time to try out an entirely new economy.

Who is my fanclub for?

This is an easy one. Your fans. Anyone anywhere who likes your music should be a member of your fanclub. Anyone who has ever bought a CD of yours, cheered at a concert, made a song request, asked for an autograph or otherwise demonstrated an interest in supporting your work should be in your fanclub.

What makes 76fanclubs different from Facebook or MySpace?

Those sites are great for promoting your music and gigs but, they don't give you any direct economic benefits. 76fanclubs gives you similar social networking tools but also lets you turn all your friends and fans into real sustinable revenue. You can continue to share your music and creative work with your fans, but at 76fanclubs, they share their money directly with you. Unlike those other spites, 76fanclubs is designed first and foremost as a musician-centred economy.

Is 76fanclubs only for bands?

No. Solo artists can join, like singer-songwriters, DJs and rappers. Even comedians and spoken word poets are welcome.

When do I get paid?

76fanclubs pays artists on a quarterly basis. Click on the Finances tab to see your completely up-to-date financial report.

What does it cost for fans to join my fanclub?

You get to set the fee for your annual fanclub membership. We recommend keeping it fairly affordable. Maybe 20 or 25 dollars. You want to get as many fans as possible to join, so you can keep renewing them year after year.

Why should my fans pay to be in my fanclub?

Because they like your music, your stories, your photos. Because they like you. Also because people are tired of paying for overpriced CDs from giant retail chains. And although they may be very willing to share digital music files, they also understand that musicians deserve to be paid. With 76fanclubs they now have an opportunity to give theior favourite artists direct financial support in exchange for being part of their musical universe.

How much time do I have to put into my fanclub to make it successful?

That’s up to you, but like anything else, the more you put into it the more you’ll get out of it. If you can post once a week or so, your fans will be well fed. If you can do more, they may just get addicted. It’s up to you.

What kinds of stuff should I publish?

Audio: interview clips, live recordings, demos, unreleased tracks, remixes, home recordings ,jam sessions, rare tracks, collaborations, experiments, etc.
Text: lyrics, blog entries, gig descriptions, road stories, memories, portraits of other bands or players, book or concert or movie reviews, poems, rants, raves, reflections, interviews, etc.
Photos: stage shots, studio shots, press shots, road shots, candid band shots, shots of fans, backstage shots, art shots, anything else...

Can I delete content I have already published?

Yes.

Who owns the content that I post to 76fanclubs?

You do. We don’t. Neither do your fans. It is as simple as that. Additionally, when you upload audio to your fanclub you have the option of enabling users to listen to it as a stream only, or allowing them to download the song as an mp3. At the same time, keep in mind that 76fanclubs values musical relationships more than musical products. We think the more people who hear your music the more fans you are likely to gain.

How much technical knowledge do I need to have to use 76fanclubs?

If you can surf the web you can learn to use 76fanclubs. It is very, very simple.

Can I have more than one fanclub?

Yes, if you have more than one band.

What is an Alpha release?

This is our Alpha version of the 76fanclubs platform. That means that we welcome you to try it out, but we also anticipate making adjustments based on your feedback. Where we go from here will depend in large measure on your suggestions and criticisms. So please let us know how 76fanclubs is working for you.

Are you going to be adding more features to 76fanclubs?

You betcha. Lots of them. Maybe you can tell us what features you’d like to see on 76fanclubs? Send your suggestions to feedback@76fanclubs.com

What is a private alpha release?

We are opening 76fanclubs to a few lucky users - mostly showing it to bands - before we throw the doors wide open in the new year. If you’d like to be part of our private alpha release then register for a VIP Pass and we’ll add you to the exclusive queue.