Beyond the Superfan

Special editions of a release don’t create new fans. They either divert a fan from buying from one place to another or make the keen superfan buy twice. New release sales are now more than ever about having an edge. “Indies only” isn’t good enough and the further addition of a print etc will be needed to entice more fans. I see this all the time now with week one sales figures massively skewed to the start of the week as online preorders are declared. Consequently there is no momentum and the album’s sales quickly fade. 

The album may then get another boost in sales as the artist tours and is sold at the gigs but the days of a great gig sending fans into shops is gone. It was clear that it was time for Avalanche to step back from this side of things. Creating new fans for a band these days is not impossible and as many will know is where the heart of Avalanche lies. So many of the kind comments I received when I anounced we were closing referenced artists that we had introduced customers to.

I still think there is a place for physical outlets promoting bands especially in conjunction with social media but I don’t think it is a commercial proposition to do so on a regular basis. At the same time there is still demand for a shop selling a wide range of Scottish bands beyond SOR local stock but again it would not be comercially sensible to do so. While my days standing behind the counter waiting to recommend a range of bands I think suit the customer are gone I’m well aware that Avalanche could still play a big part in introducing people to new music as part of maybe a bigger picture.

If the remit is simply to promote Scottish bands new and not so new then all the problems over new releases dissipate. In the crowded arena that now caters for the superfan, and indeed just the keen fan, positioning Avalanche outwith that arena in search of the new fans is a challenge that with support would appeal.