The music scene online is a crowded place. There are so many bands and artists vying for our attention, and along with that there are plenty of music industry experts telling them how to use social media to attract and engage new fans. I wanted to speak with a band who I think are doing things right to find out what impact social media has had (and continues to have) on their career.
Rigo Asencio, KTF
Killed The Fixtion is a metal band based in Hillside/Newark, New Jersey. I’ve been following KTF online for the past couple of years and have always been impressed by the personal approach the band has taken to communicating with its fans. I spoke with Rigo Asencio about the relationship the band has developed with its audience and what advice they would offer to others who may be struggling with their digital strategy.
How important has social media been to KTF in building a local audience?
Social media has been the most important facet in growing a local audience for Killed the Fixtion. So I can further emphasize on how important it has been to our growth as a band, I would like to give insight to one of the aspects of KTF that we lack. KTF has not played a show since 2010 & we are now in 2014. Even without playing shows, we have been able to grow our family every year, gain accolades from our local music scene, earn endorsements, be featured on a national level, & build a real emotional connection with our family. It really goes without question that without social media, we would not be the band we are today.
There’s a lot of talk about content marketing at the moment. What type of content do you find gets the most engagement on your pages?
In terms of content, it varies depending on what the content is & how well you know your community. Personally with us, it’s all about pictures. Everyone love pictures in our community as opposed to videos & blog posts. The funny thing is sometimes all you need to do is write a post on Facebook or Twitter that comes straight from the heart. When you write something that is sincere, it always gets the most engagement in my experience. You can’t beat that!
Killed The Fixtion
You guys always have a great deal of interaction and engagement on your social profiles; how do you keep up, and what do you think are the benefits of having such a buzzing social presence online?
Thank you so much for noticing our interaction & engagement with our family. You know a lot of bands on all levels look at interacting with “fans” as they like to call it as a chore. In our opinion, it is an honor & a privilege to get a chance to build real relationships & friendships with people who decided to give a fuck about your music. One of my favorite lessons came from Martin Atkins when he said that nobody is going to give a fuck about your music except yourself. This is truly the God honest truth when it comes to all artists & bands involved in the music business. When you do meet actual people who take interest in your art, cherish & honor them. We don’t know where everyone else comes from, but where we’re from nobody cares about your dreams & ambitions. You either end up dead, in jail, or just another product of the system. You know how amazing it was for us when somebody told us that they love our music & they want to support us?! It’s one of the most beautiful things in the world to be loved & appreciated, but our family knows that they can’t beat us. In the end, we’re their biggest fans not the other way around.
Killed The Fixtion often publicly thank their fans individually for their support.
When we have this type of mentality, keeping up with everyone isn’t hard at all. You have no idea how much fun we have talking to them, busting chops, making jokes, & talking about their lives. You make time for them no matter what. As the band continues to grow, it does get a little more time consuming but it doesn’t matter. The famz understands, but they always love when you send them a message even if its late. We do it all here especially since its 4 of us currently working the Youtube, Facebook, Website Blog, Twitter, & our mailing list. At the heart of it, time flies by when you have fun. It’s never supposed to be a chore.
With the benefits, the proof is in the pudding. Our social presence with our famz has attracted more people to our music, brought us interest from instrument companies, gig offers, & so much more.. It’s like they say in New York, “If there’s a line, Jump in!” People want to be where there is life & fun! This isn’t a band, but a community of like minded individuals that want to get away from the negativity of this world. Who doesn’t want that?!
Your fanbase really does seem like a family, and that’s something that i think is one of your band’s greatest strengths (alongside your music, of course!) – how involved is the extended KTF family in any decisions you make in terms of touring, merchandise etc?
Those are our two pillars of success for our band right there! It’s all about the music & the family. You know it is pretty insane that we consult with a few of them before we make decisions. We may show them shirt designs to see if they like it or not. A few of our family have helped us with artwork, getting the word out about our band, shipping merchandise, advice on moving forward, & just a pep talk when we’re losing our motivation. They truly are the foundation of the band.
What advice would you give to other bands who are struggling to find and build their fanbase online?
The best advice that I can give bands & artists who are struggling in this area is to not take it too seriously. We have to understand that finding and building a “fanbase” online is not an overnight thing. We are in a marathon & not a sprint. This is going to take a lot of time & dedication. I believe that it takes a band or artist about 10 years before you really start seeing big changes in their world. So we have a lot of time on our hand. Remember we want to make this a fun experience for yourself & not a chore.
Once we get that out of the way, then we can start to really fix the problem. I believe these struggles really come more from internal factors than external factors with bands/artists. Who are you? What defines you? What is your message? What type of music do you really want to make? What are your beliefs? These are the questions that are going to help you find & build your “fanbase”. If all you have to offer people is your music, then we have a problem. The music is just an introduction in your world. Today being an artist/band is about being transparent & really connecting on a deeper level with your “fanbase” more than ever before. “Why should people stick around you after they hear your music?” is a question every artist/band should be asking themselves.
Along with that, are you really being honest with them about who you are portraying? I can tell you that with KTF what you see is what you get. You meet us in person after following us on our social media sites, it’s exactly like you have known us your whole life. People in this age can smell bullshit a million miles away & respect integrity. If you portray yourself as rock stars doing blow, then when I see you at a show that’s what I want to see. Don’t be there taking wheat grass shots. In the end, not everyone is going to like you. You have to accept that fact, but you will attract people who are just like you in the end.
Before I forget, please don’t be that band that buys Facebook likes, Twitter followers, & YouTube views. Remember this is all about being honest with your journey as an artist/band. You will only be making yourself look bad & people can tell when it’s not real. If I look on your page and see all your likes are coming from Indonesia & your band is in Kansas, that’s a clear hint of bullshit. One real “fan” is worth more than 100 fake likes. Stop playing the number games that Myspace left us with, & start connecting with one person at a time. It’s just like how the Great Wall was built … one brick at a time.
Killed the Fixtion on Twitter (@KTFNJ)
I love that you describe KTF as more than a band; you’re a community of like-minded individuals. Do you find that your fans have formed relationships with one another, also?
Oh thats for damn sure! It’s fun to see them on posts & tweets interacting, debating, & poking fun at us. It brings a lot of joy into our lives. I love seeing them get together at shows with their KTF shirts & sharing our music with all their friends. They all friend request each other as friends as well. It truly is a beautiful thing to see grow. People loving people.
What are your goals for KTF for the next couple of years? Are there live shows or a tour in the pipeline?
Our goals for the next couple of the years is to stay consistent on our path as we have been these past 5 years. We want to continue growing our family & becoming more self sufficient as a band. We are looking to make this more than just a band in the end as our brand grows. In terms of shows & tours, it all comes with demand. We’re having too much fun the way that we have been doing things as of lately. When the time is right, all of that will come in one big bang.
And lastly, is there anything else you’d like to add, or anyone you’d like to thank?
We would love to thank Tana & Eddy of Hellhound Studios for doing everything in their power to help us with our band & achieving our goals. They are a huge reason for us achieving the success we have today, & we own them the world. We would love to thank our producer/engineer Jerry Ramos of Mercury Recording Studio for all his effort in educating us & always giving us his 120% when recording our music. He is truly one of the best at what he does in New Jersey. Big shout out as well to our music companies that support us MTD Kingston Basses & La Bella Strings who believed in us enough to endorse us when nobody knew about us.
Finally as always mad love to our KTF Family! The real muscle of the band that keep us going. They are the lifeline of this band who continue to share & enjoy our music. We love them more than they will ever know! We still have a long way to go, but we’re not stopping because of them!
Find out more:
Website: killedthefixtion.com
Twitter: @KTFNJ
Facebook: facebook.com/KTFNJ