Why Fanklub is needed - a statement by the founders
The idea for Fanklub was born almost 1 ½ years ago, at the time of the first lockdown. The manager of the Latvian band Carnival Youth, Guna Zučika, told us about her plan to start an exclusive fan club for the band.
"There are so many loyal fans, the concerts were well sold. But now everything is canceled and without this income it will be hard for us."
Guna Zučika
We liked the direct-to-fan approach and started to think bigger about the concept: because Carnival Youth are not the only ones who have numerous fans and yet struggle to practice their art. There were many media reports that drew attention to the precarious situation of musicians in the pandemic and we also know through our years of work in the industry: It is already an effort to recoup the costs of a studio production, record production, PR and marketing, and then we have not even talked about earning a euro. The lack of concert income only pushes the problem to the top and thus many musicians to the edge of their existence.
But perhaps this lowest point holds the chance for change: many music fans have been sensitized in recent months to the fact that bands can't live on air and love. It is not a given to produce a new album and come on tour every two years. Most fans also know that streaming revenue has so far failed to compensate for the loss of recorded music sales.
That's why we believe that now is the right time for Fanklub. It is needed because musicians get back more than just a like. The social networks require a lot of financial investment from the bands to really reach all the followers. At Fanklub, the bands receive the well-deserved appreciation, also for the time consuming work they do besides the music. Every post that bands share on their profiles reaches every fan. And through Fanklub the bands earn money. 90% of the proceeds from fan contributions go directly to the bands. Every month. No matter if there's a pandemic that messes up the tour or not.
When the three of us finally get to see bands on stage again these days and cheer for them – even if at a distance - we wish that Fanklub would give them hope.
We wish that young musicians feel encouraged by Fanklub to live out their creativity without worry of not being able to make a living from it. Also, established bands should be given an ideal fanbase management tool.
If the three of us may issue an invitation, then it goes to all of you: All bands, DJs, musicians, starting with absolute newcomers up to the really big acts. You are all welcome at Fanklub! Genre, age and origin do not matter. Fanklub stands for openness, diversity and tolerance. Accordingly, sexist, racist, national socialist or homophobic content will not be tolerated.
We look forward to walking this path with you!
Sebastian, Arne and Andreas
About us:
The three founders of Fanklub - Andreas Jantsch, Arne Thamer and Sebastian Król - have been firmly anchored in the independent music scene for many years. Andreas founded the Viennese indie label LasVegas Records in 2005, which also rents out tour buses and rehearsal rooms. Arne and Sebastian currently run the music company Backseat in Hamburg, a PR agency and indie label. Backseat is also responsible for the music booking of the NORDEN Festival in Schleswig and for the activities of the Czech music export agency SoundCzech in Germany. Besides Andreas, Arne and Sebastian are more or less professionally active as musicians themselves.