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1000 Fanz

Status: Concept

MVP: 1000 Fanz MVP

Overview​

1000 Fanz is a music streaming service built on the 1000 True Fans concept popularized by Kevin Kelly. The idea is simple yet revolutionary: an artist only needs 1000 dedicated fans who actively support their work to build a sustainable career.

Traditional streaming services prioritize mass distribution and passive listening. 1000 Fanz flips the model, placing artists' most dedicated supporters at the center. By fostering deep fan-artist relationships, 1000 Fanz helps musicians cultivate True Fans who are willing to subscribe and support them actively. True fans are the ones who will buy every album and go to every show when an artist comes to their town.

Kevin Kelly's initial concept was aimed at ALL artists. Musicians, authors, speakers, sculptors, comedians, etc. ALL artists. 1000 Fanz is NOT aimed so broadly. 1000 Fanz is 100% dedicated to music. Bands, singers, players... If they are streaming on Spotify and playing gigs, 1000 Fanz is something they should consider.

Goals​

  • Provide artists with a direct-to-fan platform for deeper engagement.
  • Enable fans to subscribe to their favorite artists for exclusive content & experiences.
  • Offer a sustainable revenue model for musicians, reducing reliance on low-paying streaming royalties.
  • Deliver an intuitive app experience that feels familiar yet prioritizes deeper artist-fan connections.

Challenges & Constraints​

  • Adoption & Awareness: Convincing artists and fans to engage with a new model.
  • Payment & Subscription Management: Ensuring seamless transactions and fair revenue distribution.
  • Content Curation: Encouraging artists to provide valuable exclusive content beyond what they already share.
  • Balancing Exclusivity vs. Reach: Positioning the service as a complement to traditional platforms rather than a replacement.

Proposed Solution​

For Artists:​

1000 Fanz provides a platform for artists to cultivate True Fans by offering:

  • Exclusive content: Early releases, behind-the-scenes footage, and unreleased tracks.
  • Personalized fan interactions: Private Q&As, virtual meetups, and special access events.
  • Flexible monetization: Artists set their own subscription fees, starting at $10 per year per fan.

For Fans:​

Fans subscribe to their favorite artists and gain access to:

  • Unique, curated content not available elsewhere.
  • A closer connection through artist-driven engagement.
  • An experience tailored to True Fans, not casual listeners.

Key Differentiators​

  1. True Fan-Centric Approach

    • Prioritizes dedicated supporters over passive listeners.
    • Artists have complete control over pricing & content.

  2. Exclusive Content & Access

    • Fans pay for personalized, meaningful experiences.
    • Artists can create tiers for deeper engagement.

  3. Complementary Model

    • Works alongside traditional streaming platforms.
    • Encourages artists to build a sustainable fanbase beyond Spotify royalties.

Business Model​

  • Fan Subscription Model:

    • Fans subscribe to artists annually (minimum $10/year).
    • 1000 Fanz retains $10 per fan per year.
    • Artists keep the remaining balance.

  • Custom Tiers:

    • Artists can introduce higher-tier subscriptions for premium content.
    • Option to subsidize fans by covering their subscription costs.

  • Discovery Feature:

    • Artists can offer a preview of select content before fans subscribe.

Example Scenarios​

ModelFan Pays1000 Fanz FeeArtist Earns
Standard Subscription$50/year$10$40
Exclusive Access$0 (artist-funded)$10 per fan$0 (but fan gets in for free)
Hybrid ModelFans choose between multiple tiers$10 per fanArtist sets custom pricing

Next Steps​

✅ Write up 1000 Fanz Narrative

✅ Create 1000 Fanz MVP Spec

  • Finalize technical requirements for payment & subscriptions.
  • Develop initial UX/UI for the fan & artist dashboard.
  • Recruit a test group of artists & fans for early adoption.
  • Build the first functional prototype for internal testing.

🎶 1000 Fanz empowers artists to connect, engage, and thrive. Welcome to a new era of music streaming—one that puts True Fans first. 🚀

  • Paul the COO: Primary focus is to make sure all projects align with our methodology, tech stack, and working style.
    • PM: New PM per project. Name TBA each time.

      • Abel: Front End development.

      • Bill: Back End development.

      • Chuck: Streaming and S3

      • Dan: Web Sockets

      • Mark: Marketing

        • Jenn: General marketing responsibilities. Tone and overall strategy. She also is responsible for making sure that all stakeholders are aware of the branding to be used. This includes hex colors for logo and branding elements. Artwork, size requirements/constraints of various visual media assets. File formats accepted for various marketing assets. Etc.
        • Scott: Social Media Coordinator
        • Marty: Email Coordinator - newsletters, new user drip campaigns, long form sales letters, etc.

      • Igor: iOS App Development

      • Gomer: Android (Google App Store) App Development

      • Dex: Documentation. Includes code documentation, user documentation resources, admin documentation (to be referred by my human team so that we know where everything is and how to keep all the systems up and running)

      • Neo: Data analyst. His role is to craft strategy, techniques, queries, reports, and other resources for analyzing our data. New user enrollment, user churn, user usage patterns, etc.