@everyone you need to be on Discord.
Discord is a free chat app that allows you to create servers (or communities) where people can talk, share videos, pictures and just hang out.
Over 250 million people use Discord, which is nuts.
But Discord isn’t just for gamers anymore.
Discord has become an amazing tool for musicians, bands, record labels, and other kinds of communities to connect with fans.
As you may or may not know, I use Discord a lot to connect with NFT communities. Being immersed in Web3 I learned a lot, and 1 year later I am ready to spill the beans and let you know everything you need to know about Discord and how to leverage it as a musician.
Why musicians should use Discord
- You can build a true community.
Discord makes it easy to build an engaged community of your true fans. You can create different channels for general chat, sharing music, talking about video games or anime, and more. Not only that, but having a place for all your fans to hang and chat just seems like a good time. Music is all about community, and if you can foster that efficiently in a platform like Discord, then you are setting yourself up for success. - You can share exclusive content.
Tease your fans with snippets of new songs, share behind-the-scenes footage, or give them early access to upcoming music. Discord lets you share photos, audio messages, documents, and stream video on stages and voice channels, which are pretty rad to do. Your fans will feel special that they are able to get early access just by being in the Discord, and it translates off-platform too via comments like “man i remember u teasing this on discord!”, which will pique other fan’s interest in learning more. - You can get direct fan feedback.
Discord gives you the opportunity to get honest, real-time feedback from your fans. Share works-in-progress and ask what they like and don’t like. Run polls to determine which songs or styles they prefer. The feedback you get on Discord will help ensure your new releases are exactly what your fans want. You’d be surprised as to what your fans end up choosing! - You can drive engagement to your other social platforms.
You can promote your Discord server on all your other social media platforms, sure, but the nice thing about having a community in your backpocket like that is that by leveraging announcements, you can drive activity to other platforms. For example, on release day, you can @everyone on Discord to go engage with your Instagram post. This will drive more engagement, shares, and traffic on your other platforms, and bring some tribe-like vibes to your community. - You can monetize your community.
Once you’ve built up an active community on Discord, you can explore ways to generate revenue. Offer paid memberships (through a recurring membership via LaunchPass/Patreon, or an NFT) with extra perks like monthly Q&As, early access to tickets, or physical merch. The tight-knit community you build on Discord will be more open to supporting you financially since there is a stronger fan-to-artist relationship.
How Harry Styles Used Discord to Promote His Album
Harry Styles is a master of using social media to connect with his fans. He has over 37.8 million followers on Twitter and over 49.1 million followers on Instagram.
The rollout of his album Harry’s House heavily utilized Discord throughout the launch.
The server was released mysteriously and caused a storm across fans (in a good way)
How to Create a Discord Server for Musicians
Creating a Discord server for your music community is easy and free.
Here are the basic steps:
- Go to Discord.com and sign up for a Discord account if you don’t already have one.
- Click the “+” next to your server list and select “Create a server”.
- Choose a name for your server that includes your artist name or band name and select a region close to where most of your fans are located.
- Customize your server by adding an image and selecting notification options. You can always change these later.
- Create text and voice channels for different topics like #general, #music-feedback, #contests, #livestreams, etc. Start with the basics and add more channels as your community grows.
- Set the permissions for different channels and roles. You can make some channels private for certain members or limit who can post images and links.
- Share your Discord invite link on all your social media platforms and invite fans to join. Let them know what kind of exclusive access they’ll get for connecting with you on Discord.
- Engage with your fans in the different text and voice channels. Start discussions, share new music, behind-the-scenes clips, and polls. Build that personal connection.
- Explore Discord’s advanced options for roles, emojis, webhooks, and bots to enhance your server. Discord’s simple interface makes it easy to set up while still being robust enough for large music communities.
- Review Discord’s content policy and community guidelines to ensure your server remains inclusive, respectful, and lawful. Building a positive community should be a top priority.
Discord offers an amazing opportunity for musicians to build a devoted fan base, share exclusive content, gain valuable insights, and potentially generate revenue.
If you’re not on Discord yet, you’re missing out on a chance to create meaningful connections with your fans.
Ready to build your fan community on Discord but need help setting up your server?
We offer custom Discord setup services for musicians.
Our team will work with you to determine the right channel categories, permissions, and integrations to match your vision.
Discord provides an opportunity to create meaningful connections with your fans – let us help you make the most of it!
Discord Setup Services for Musicians
Our team of marketing and Discord experts can help you set up your server and configure it to match your vision. We’ll work with you to determine the right channel categories, permissions, and integrations to create a space where your fans can connect, collaborate, and share their love of your music.
We offer a variety of services, including:
- Server setup: We’ll create a custom Discord server for you and configure it to your specifications.
- Channel management: We’ll create and manage channels for your server, including channels for general discussion, music sharing, fan art, and more.
- Permissions management: We’ll set up permissions for your server so that your fans have the right level of access to different channels.
- Integrations: We’ll integrate your Discord server with other platforms, such as your website, socials, and relevant links
We’re here to help you every step of the way.
We’ll work with you to create a Discord server that your fans love to use.
Why use our Discord setup services?
There are many reasons why you should use our Discord setup services for musicians. Here are just a few:
- We have the expertise: Focus on your next album, not another marketing thing! We know what it takes to create a successful Discord server that engages your fans and helps you promote your music.
- We’ll work with you to understand your vision: We want to create a Discord server that reflects your unique vision for your music community. We’ll work with you to determine the right channel categories and integrations to create a safespace that your fans will love.
- We’ll save you time and hassle: Setting up a Discord server can be time-consuming and challenging. We’ll take care of all the technical aspects of setting up and managing your server, so you can focus on creating music.
What are the benefits of using Discord for musicians?
Discord offers a number of benefits for musicians, including:
- It’s a great way to connect with your fans: Discord is a chat app that allows you to connect with your fans in real time. You can use Discord to host live Q&As, share exclusive content, and build a community around your music.
- It’s a great way to promote your music: You can use Discord to promote your music by sharing new releases, announcing shows, and running contests and giveaways.
- It’s a great way to get feedback from your fans: You can use Discord to get feedback from your fans on your music, your live shows, and your overall brand.
If you’re ready to build your fan community on Discord, then contact us today to learn more about our Discord setup services for musicians.
