FanMail Case Study Series Part II: Jam Band Umphrey’s McGee

As we wrote a few days ago when posting the FanMail case study on Sci Fidelity Records, self-produced clearly have the point of the company authoring them.  But that doesn’t make them any less informative for those of us trying to find out what kind of marketing actually works in the New Music Industry. Here’s Part II of our series:

Since 1997, Umphrey’s McGee has been climbing their way to the top of the improvisation-rock scene with their contagious melodies, undeniable musicianship and mind-blowing grooves. Years of relentless national touring have helped the band create and maintain a fanatically devoted following. Appropriately known as ‘Umphreaks’ and ‘McGeeks’, these loyal fans trade and distribute lives shows and have been the foundation for Umphrey’s McGee’s highly active street team. The band performed over 150 times in 2005 alone, including high-profile stops at the Bonnaroo Music Festival, High Sierra Music Festival and South by Southwest.

Umphrey’s McGee wanted to increase the number of fans that signed up for its UmphDate Newsletter directly from the home page of the website. They also wanted to eliminate time wasted updating the list with unsubscribers, address changes and one off sign-ups. Most importantly, the band needed the email creative to reflect the high graphic standards fans had come to expect from Umphrey’s McGee.

Solution

To Quickly Implement a Strategic E-Marketing Campaign with Measurable Results

        Vince Iwinski has relied upon email for fan communications from the very beginning. Vince knew that building a dedicated fanbase was a critical part of growing the appeal of the band and increasing ticket sales to shows nationwide. In early 2004, the decision was made to upgrade their email service from a cheap, low-end solution provided by Lyris to FanMail by JamBase.

        Vince was able to effortlessly import the current list of thousands of names into his new FanMail account. Simultaneously, JamBase created a custom email template for Vince to be able to craft his own messages quickly and easily. Once the list was loaded and the template was created, the first email message was designed and delivered with complete results tracking provided by FanMail. Vince could see precisely how many and who opened his emails, clicked on links and purchased tickets or merchandise as a result of the email. The band was now able to communicate with its most important fans at low cost and hassle free.

Results

Considerable Growth of an Opt-in List Containing Just a Few Thousand Email Addresses

        FanMail has allowed Umphrey’s McGee to develop an emarketing strategy that has resulted in consistent list growth for over two years. The band has successfully created graphically stunning and informative emails for nearly 20,000 thousand fans and street team members. Hundreds of thousands of mails have been sent to date with an average 60% open rate.

Throughout 2004 and 2005, Umphrey’s McGee has utilized their FanMail account to:

·        Announce their new album ‘Anchor Drops’ to fans to create pre-release buzz

·        Allow fans to view a .mpeg movie about their appearance on WGN TV

·        Sell new merchandise directly from the email

·        Promote an online listening party and a chat session with the band members

·        Send emergency UmphDates about last minutes show changes

·        Maintain street team members contact information

·        List all upcoming shows with links to the venue and online tickets page

·        Drive live music downloads and albums from Disclogic.com

·        Sponsor a silent auction with autographed posters and donated 100% of their proceeds to the victims of Hurricane Katrina

·        Drive pre-orders the “Wrapped Around Chicago” DVD