By Milton Santiago
The Challenges Live Musicians Face
I just got back from vacation and of the different joys we got to experience, the live music was up there. Not all renditions of “Somewhere Over The Rainbow” were equally moving but it was a fun time all the same. As I listened to the performers, I couldn’t help but notice the logistical hurdles they had to overcome song after song.
Hurdles like having to remind the audience of the tip jar which can feel awkward. Or spelling out of their social media handles. God forbid they had a common name with an uncommon spelling. Many of the musicians I saw on my trip were still selling CDs. I asked one of them about it and while they acknowledged that they’re outdated, it’s all they really had to offer fans with an immediate revenue.
Playing for a nicer hotel, these artists had an affluent audience with disposable income and a higher likelihood of tipping and buying goods and other tchotchkes. Essentially, they had money and were happy to give. The problem is what follows.
No Return Value On A One-Time Tip
Sure, mobile payment apps like Venmo have made it easier for musicians and live performers to receive tips in a time when people carry less cash and mobile apps are relied on for increasing convenience. But what then?
These payment solutions are just that. What about tipping someone using a mobile payment app feels personal? For an artist looking to build a following, this is a real problem. These musicians playing at these hotels have it even harder as they have a transient audience who they’ll likely never see at that venue again.
From the audience perspective, if you’re enjoying a musician, you need to find them via venmo or Apple Pay to tip, Instagram or Facebook for content releases, and join a mailing list to stay up to date with them. That’s a lot of work for a musician to get those all set up and a lot of platforms for fans to stay engaged.
Payment Is Only The Beginning
What if audience members were driven to a place to tip that was built with lead generation in mind? Not only would they be able to easily tip the performer but then they could follow them and stay up to date with their content releases. The same app they use to buy content and merchandise from an artist is where they could directly message them and share content with their friends.
All the times we come back from vacation and want to tell a story about this amazing artist we saw on stage? Now you can just pull up your phone and share them directly with friends and family.
There’s a core theme here of connectivity. This connectivity has the potential for a recurring revenue model that artists just are not seeing from their current hustle.
Built to Build Loyalty
My career has been centered around how to make technological processes more human. I was drawn to StaksPay because I see its great potential for bringing artists and fans closer than ever.
It’s that feeling of going to your favorite restaurant where you’re known as a good tipper and everyone recognizes you and is happy to have you. By offering a platform that makes it easy for an audience to show their appreciation and interest in a musician, the latter has greater access than ever to a stream of revenue that is all too frequently lost.
I can picture an artist getting on stage to perform with their usual tip jar and next to it a stand with a QR code. The audience can easily scan that code and it downloads the StaksPay app onto their phones and pulls up the musician’s profile. The audience is having a good time and feeling generous. They can follow that artist, see what merchandise they have for sale, maybe pick up a shirt or hat, and directly message them to show their appreciation.
It’s natural to want to show our appreciation to a great musician. With StaksPay, it’s also effortless.
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