How Emma McGann took music promotion to the next level with Discord
Emma McGann discusses how she built a virtual world around her music called “The Monsterverse” and how gamifying her music promotion on Dischord has helped drive her success.
by CHRIS ROBLEY of DIY Musician
Bring your listeners on a journey with a Discord Bot.
Are you tired of making the same kinds of bonus content for fans? Want to send your listeners on an adventure that goes much deeper than “behind the music?”
Maybe it’s time for a multi-player role-playing game your fans can tackle together on Discord.
Wait, what?
Emma McGann invites her fans into “The Monsterverse.”
This is exactly what celebrated songwriter and Twitch livestreamer Emma McGann did with her newest album The Monsterverse.
She created an immersive experience for her most engaged fans, putting them at the center of the action. The project combines recordings, videos and 3D graphics, plus an RPG that runs via a bot on her Discord server.
The Monsterverse takes “music promo” to a whole new level. It’s fun, creative, impressive, effective, and memorable. Like all great marketing.
But how does it work? Why should musicians spend time on Discord? What even is Discord, and how is the platform related to Twitch, gaming, and fan communities?
In this episode of the DIY Musician Podcast, Emma McGann tells us how and why she constructed a whole world around her music.
During the interview, Emma McGann talks about:
- 3:49 “Cutting my teeth as an artist… proved to be a struggle”
- 5:00 The early days of music live-streaming
- 6:22 Live-streaming’s unique powers for audience growth
- 7:54 Tips for live-streaming beginners
- 9:52 “How my live-streaming habits changed over the past 5 years”
- 12:24 Incorporating other interests into music livestreams
- 13:36 Twitch basics for musicians
- 16:52 How Twitch broadcasts are shaped by the viewer
- 17:38 Discord 101 for musicians
- 19:36 Discord as a destination for diehard fans
- 22:00 A glossary of basic Discord terms
- 23:58 What is the “Monsterverse?”
- 25:31 Music promotion inspired by multi-player gameplay
- 27:15 “Choose Your Own Adventure” for music fans
- 28:42 How the game’s plot runs alongside the music
- 32:04 Making music videos using 3D modeling
- 34:59 How much did you spend to make 3D video content?
- 35:56 Spinning the Monsterverse into shorter social content
- 40:30 Collaborating with fans to design the final monster
- 41:35 The “survival kit” merch bundle
- 42:35 Game testing & troubleshooting the Discord bot
- 45:27 Empowering your fans to moderate your Discord
- 46:33 Discord roles & ranking for your online “street team”
- 47:59 Launching a “Monsterverse” TikTok filter
- 49:52 A daily voice-activated backstage experience
- 51:37 The Virtual Tour Pass
- 54:04 “Is this all a gimmick?”
- 58:18 Emma’s music plans for 2023
Chris Robley is the Editor of CD Baby’s DIY Musician Blog. I write Beatlesque indie-pop songsthat’ve been praised by No Depression, KCRW, The LA Times, & others. My poems have appeared in Poetry Magazine, Prairie Schooner, The Poetry Review, & more. I live in Maine and like peanut butter chocolate chip cookies, a little too much.
