Why Musicians With Small Followings Fill Venues (While Big Accounts Play to Empty Rooms)

As a sound engineer, I've worked on hundreds of shows over the past 21 years. And I've seen the same thing happen again and again. (If you're wondering who I am and why I care so much about this, here's my story .)

Great musicians post about their gig on Instagram. I mean, they're posting everywhere—stories, feed posts, reels, the whole thing. Tags every band member. Uses all the right hashtags. Creates stories. Does everything the “experts” say to do.

At the same time, I’ve seen musicians with just 300 or 500 followers consistently fill those same venues.

So what's the difference?

The musicians who filled rooms stopped renting their audience from Instagram. They started owning it.

They built an email list.

What surprised me most is that it wasn’t complicated. You don’t need a marketing degree or expensive ads. They just used a simple system at every show.

In this article, I’m going to show you exactly how they did it—including the exact words to say on stage (without feeling awkward), what to send in your first email, and real proof that this actually works.

Because the truth is, you’re not failing at social media. Social media is failing you.

There’s a different way to fill shows. And it starts with building an audience you actually own.

Why Email Lists Work When Social Media Doesn’t

The Algorithm Problem

Ok, so we know that social media is driven by algorithms. But here’s what most people don’t realize: it wasn’t always this bad.

In the beginning, Facebook showed you everything from your friends and everyone you followed. It was chronological. Simple. If someone posted, you saw it.

But as the years went by, they started showing you less and less from the people you actually follow—and more and more from influencers and people creating viral videos. It got more and more impersonal.

The Ownership Problem

But here’s the bigger issue: you don’t own your Instagram followers.

You don’t own any of your social media followers.

If Meta decides you’ve broken their rules, whether you did or not, they can shut down your account. It’s gone, just like that.

I’ve seen this happen to so many people.

Sometimes, of course, it’s fair. They should shut down accounts that break the rules.

But other times? It’s just some random algorithm that says, “This thing doesn’t follow the rules,” even when a human would look at it and say, “What? There’s nothing wrong here.”

I had an ad account that Facebook—sorry, Meta—told me I couldn’t use anymore. They said I’d broken their rules on my page, so I couldn’t run ads for 30 days.

I requested that a human review it. They looked at it and said, “We can’t find anything wrong.”

But guess what? I still couldn’t advertise for those 30 days. Even though the humans said the page was fine.

That can happen to anybody. Facebook, Meta, Instagram, TikTok—whatever platform it is.

Why Email is Different

Email? That’s a different story.

When someone gives you their email address and says, “Hey, I want to hear from you,” that’s yours to keep.

You can send those people an email over and over again. No algorithm decides if they see it. It goes straight to their inbox.

Here’s the best part: even if you use a service like Mailchimp or ConvertKit, you can download your email addresses whenever you want. You can save them on your computer, in a spreadsheet, or even print them out if you like.

They’re yours.

Those are your people. The people who said they want to hear from you.

No one can take that away.

The Email That Still Worked After 8 Years

Here’s a story that proves this.

Ten years ago, I was a sound engineer on a documentary. I kept hearing the same composer’s music in different films. My curiosity got the better of me, so I looked him up.

His website was simple: “Here’s my music. Use it royalty-free. Just give me credit and your email.”

I thought, “Sure, why not?” and signed up.

Then I didn’t hear from him for eight years.

Eight years.

Most people would’ve forgotten who he was. Most people would’ve unsubscribed or marked him as spam.

But when his email finally arrived, I didn’t delete it. I clicked immediately.

He was announcing a new album with limited edition signed CDs. A few months later, another email about a 10th anniversary edition. Sold out.

Here’s the amazing part: giving away his music helped him build his whole career as a film composer.

More and more filmmakers discovered him through those royalty-free tracks. They used his music in their projects, heard what he could do, then hired him to compose original scores.

He gave away music to build an audience. That audience became his career.

And that email list? It still worked after eight years of silence.

Try doing that with Instagram.

Social media platforms own their algorithms and their audiences. But an email address? That belongs to you.

(I wouldn’t recommend ignoring your email list for 8 years, though. )

How to Build Your Email List at Every Show

So, you’re convinced now. Email lists really work. Social media helps people find you, but email helps you keep them as fans.

But now you’re probably thinking, “Great. How do I actually get people’s email addresses?”

Good news: it’s way simpler than you think.

You don’t need to redesign your website, set up complicated tech, or spend money on ads.

You can literally start building your list tonight at your next show.

The System (In a Nutshell)

Here’s what it looks like:

The Part Most Musicians Get Wrong

Here’s where most musicians mess up: they either don’t ask at all (because they’re nervous), or they ask once and never follow up.

The asking is easy once you have the right words.

The follow-up is what turns a list of emails into an actual audience.

And that’s exactly what I’m going to show you how to do.

Real Results from Real People Who Owned Their Audience

I know you’ve heard a lot of marketing advice before. “Do this, it’ll change everything.” And then… nothing changes.

Here’s some real stories from real people about what happens when you own your audience instead of renting it from Instagram.

The Email That Still Worked After 8 Years

Eight years.

That’s how long I stayed on his email list without hearing a word.

And when his email finally landed in my inbox, I didn’t delete it. I didn’t mark it as spam. I didn’t think, “Who is this guy?”

I clicked immediately.

Here’s what he did...

The Documentaries That Kept Using The Same Music

About ten years ago, I was working as a sound engineer on a documentary.

Five or six pieces of music in that film—all from the same composer.

That’s unusual. Most documentaries pull music from different sources. But this gave the whole thing a connected feel. I noticed it.

Then the next documentary landed on my desk.

Same music. Same composer.

Then another one.

I started wondering: What’s going on here?

So I searched for this composer. This music producer.

His name was Magnus. He recorded under the name Philter.

And I found his website.

The Simplest Landing Page I’ve Ever Seen

I don’t even remember if there were pictures on the page.

It was just text. An offer. Dead simple.

“Here’s my music. Use it royalty-free in your projects. Just give me credit—and your email address.”

That was it.

One field. Enter your email. Get the music.

No long forms. No “tell us about your project.” No hoops to jump through.

Just: email for music.

In fact, he’d lost the original files, only had MP3s left. So he decided to give them away.

It turned out to be the smartest move he ever made.

What Happened Next

I started seeing his music everywhere.

Not just the free tracks. Custom compositions. Documentaries. Films.

Norway’s film community is small, so word travels fast.

Filmmakers used his free music. Heard what he could do. Then they came back and hired him for original scores.

He built his entire career on that straightforward exchange: email for music.

But here’s the part that matters most. Eight Years Later

I got an email from him.

Eight years after I’d downloaded that free music.

The subject line was simple: “The Lionheart Legacy” is out now!

Here’s what he wrote:

"At long last, my new album “The Lionheart Legacy” is finally out! I really hope you like it. Stream it on Spotify. Buy the limited edition signed CD. Download MP3 or studio quality Wave. You can also download it on Bandcamp. Thank you so much for listening and supporting, it means a lot! All the best, Magnus // Philter"

I didn’t hesitate. I went straight to Tidal and listened.

Then a few months later, another email: The Legend Of Iya - 10th Anniversary Edition.

“Today marks 10 years since the LOI soundtrack was released. 10 years and 10 million streams. The Legend Of Iya - 10th Anniversary Edition is out now. It comes signed, with a detachable OBI strip, wrapped in custom Philter tissue paper.”

He sold out.

Pre-orders. Pre-paid. No risk.

Think about that for a second. This guy gave away "broken" MP3 files eight years ago. And now people were paying him before he even printed the product. That's the power of an email list.

How a Broke Radio Station Raised $20,000 in 48 Hours

17 years ago, I worked at a local radio station that changed how I think about making money as a creative.

We were a non-commercial station with no ads or sponsors. It was just us, the airwaves, and our listeners.

And somehow, we survived entirely on donations.

We didn't just broadcast into the void. We kept a two-way relationship with our listeners. They could call or text us, and we'd answer on air. We knew their names. We celebrated their birthdays. We made them feel like part of something.

Once a year, we held donation days. These were two full days that felt like a party.

It wasn't begging. It was a celebration.

Guests came into the studio. We had fun. We celebrated our listeners and this community we'd built together. And the money? It poured in. Two days. Over $20,000.

But here’s the best part: many of our listeners signed up for monthly donations. They didn’t just show up once; they supported us all year because they felt like part of something bigger than just a radio station.

We owned that connection.

We had their phone numbers, their emails, their names. We knew them. So when donation day came, they showed up because we already had a relationship with them.

Now, you might be thinking, "Okay, but that's a radio station. What does that have to do with me?"

That's what an email list does for you as a musician. It's your connection. Your relationship. Your audience that shows up when you need them.

The Swedish Band That Got Airplay Because They Relayed a Story

As music programmer at that station, I got dozens of CDs every week from artists hoping for airplay.

Most of them ended up in a drawer.

Then one day, a CD arrived from a Swedish group. But inside, there was a story.

They had gathered in an old house in the woods. They lived together for weeks, recording the entire album in that space.

I got curious. I put the CD on. And I could hear the house in the music. The creaking floors. The atmosphere. The intimacy.

Because they shared their story first, I listened differently. We played their music for months.

The lesson? Relationships lead to results. When you know your audience and they know you, they show up, support you, and care. $20,000 in 48 hours wasn’t because of a clever marketing trick. It was because we owned the relationship.

When 15 Million Views Led Nowhere

This one’s my favorite because it shows exactly why social media alone isn’t enough.

I consulted for a Norwegian company that makes wheelchairs. But these weren’t regular wheelchairs; they could climb mountains.

Their first viral video got 15 million views. Fifteen. Million.

We grew their social media to hundreds of thousands of followers. The comments section exploded. Thousands of people asked about prices, where to buy, how to get one.

Sounds amazing, right? Here’s the problem.

On Instagram and Facebook, you can only reply to messages for seven days. After that, the conversation closes. When you go viral, messages overwhelm you. You can’t keep up. And potential customers—real people who wanted to buy—disappeared with no way to reach them.

So we set up a ManyChat flow. When someone commented on the post, they got an automated message: “Want more info? Drop your email and we’ll send you the details.”

Simple. Automatic. Captured the interest while it was hot.

The company turned it off. They were worried about annoying people. Then they went viral again.

I got a late-evening text: “Can you turn that email flow back on?”

The lesson? Fifteen million views. Hundreds of thousands of followers. Thousands of interested buyers in the comments. And they couldn’t reach them because Facebook and Instagram owned that audience, not them.

Viral is great. Discovery is great. But if you can’t capture those people and keep them, the moment passes and they’re gone forever.

What This Means for Your Music Career

You don't need millions of followers. And you definitely don't need to go viral. What you need is an audience you actually own.

Those 200 email subscribers? They chose to hear from you. They gave you permission. So they're engaged. And you can send them multiple emails before your show. You don't need to send them just one. You can send them reminders and stories and funny things. You can even send them to Instagram to see your videos there.

But those 250 Instagram impressions? Most of them are people scrolling. They see your video or message for maybe 3 seconds. If that.

And here's the thing: you can email your people whenever you want. No algorithm decides if they see it.

But Instagram? They can decide tomorrow your posts will only reach 2%. And you have no idea when tomorrow is. They just stop showing your posts.

• An email list that worked after eight years of silence.
• A radio station that raised $20,000 in two days.
• Fifteen million views that vanished because the audience wasn’t owned.

When you own your audience, you control your future. When you rent it from social media, you’re one algorithm change away from starting over.

Start Building an Audience You Actually Own

Here’s what we know:

Social media is great for discovery. But you don’t own that audience. The algorithm does. An email list? That’s yours. No one can take it away.

Magnus gave away broken MP3 files and built a career. Eight years later, people still bought from him. A radio station raised $20,000 in 48 hours because they owned the relationship. Fifteen million views disappeared because the audience wasn’t captured.

You don’t need millions of followers. You don’t need to go viral. You need an audience you truly own. And you can start building it at your next show.