How to create a better experience for fans

Since DICE launched in France in 2018, we’ve been exploring everything that Paris has to offer – nightlife, culture, venues and emerging artists – and it’s safe to say that the city has one of the best electronic music scenes in the world, with artists including Jean-Michel Jarre, Air, Laurent Garnier, Chloé Thévenin, Rone, Agoria and Jennifer Cardini.

In honour of this, Paris Electronic Week brought the French live music industry together to share knowledge and discuss plans for the future over four days in September. As part of the event, DICE hosted a panel on market evolution and challenges, as well as how to adapt to new fan behaviours. The panel was made up of music industry experts with experience in everything from clubs to festivals:

• Anaïs Condado, Head of Programming at La Machine du Moulin Rouge
• Alba Gautier, Director of Music Partnerships at DICE
• Benjamin Gibson, Marketing Executive at Boiler Room
• Vincent Frédéric Colombo and Fanny Viguier, both founders of LA CREOLE
• Marc Rodriguez Coma, Digital Marketing Manager for Sónar festival

Here, we reflect on some key takeaways and recommendations from the panellists.

Post-pandemic, demand for events was exceptionally high but there were complications that made it difficult for venues to reopen. Cancellations and postponements were still rife, leading to uncertainty among fans, and trust needed to be built back. Anaïs Condado highlighted how safety became more important than ever due to ongoing Covid concerns, and how fans began to prioritise a sense of community and a need to feel taken care of by venues on their nights out. She also spoke on the importance of creating safe club environments with active overdose prevention.

The team behind LA CREOLE added that events should be safe spaces for the fans you’re attracting. Everything from the security you hire to the language you use in your event descriptions should reflect your values and be respectful of your fans.

When it comes to keeping things fresh, Vincent Frédéric Colombo and Fanny Viguier spoke about the importance of unusual and exciting styles of events. As LA CREOLE plans for their new residency at La Machine this year, they’ll be changing up the format of their parties while continuing to attract fans with their established reputation as a safe place to celebrate Creole culture. You can find out more LA CREOLE’s plans in a recent interview, part of a series between The Face and DICE.

Condado added that event programmers shouldn’t be afraid to try new formats, promote new types of music, and focus on new fans. It’s also important to highlight local talent and find a balance between local and international lineups.

New audiences also come with high expectations, and Marc Rodriguez Coma discussed ways to generate desire, not just sales, when it comes to attracting fans. Keeping loyal fans and finding new ones means hosting performances that cater to both (Sónar is 30 years old, and 10% of festival goers have attended more than 10 times). Coma’s recommendations are to maintain the originality of artist proposals; build an equilibrium between headliners and underground artists; include new platforms and strategies such as TikTok to generate demand among younger audiences; and host special shows and collaborations to elevate your brand and create unique experiences.

Benjamin Gibson noted that one of the most prominent changes to fan behaviour post-Covid is a dramatic increase in last-minute ticket purchases. Many London clubs saw record final day sales, with fabric selling more than 1,000 tickets in a day. However, semi-regular buying patterns have been revived, with Boiler Room Bristol, Printworks, and The Warehouse Projects all seeing strong early sales again. 

Gibson was keen to highlight that while last-minute purchasing isn’t guaranteed for every event, it’s a noticeable change to fan behaviour. It’s been detrimental to festivals, in particular, as a lack of consistent cash flow has left promoters unable to build and support the festival – community-driven festivals including Brainchild and Twisted were unable to go ahead this year. So it’s important to get as much lead time as possible and create an announcement schedule based on the local market. Coma echoed this by explaining that Sónar’s local audience is more active now than before the pandemic, so creating a lineup of local talent to attract them is key.

Boiler Room has become one of the world’s best known online music experiences in the last 12 years, so Gibson had a lot of sage advice for new brands. He recommended that it will take between three to five years to build a brand and core audience (who are the fans that buy into your ethos and narrative). Fans need to be able to relate to your brand and know what you stand for, and honing your tone of voice is just one way you can start to build trust and consistency with your audience.

In times where both demand and supply are exceptionally high, fans can be overwhelmed by choice: they want highly personalised recommendations and they want to be able to easily share events with friends. Gautier went into detail about DICE’s Discovery feature, tailored recommendations, and the fact fans can sync their Spotify and Apple Music libraries, which have all been key to helping them find the right events based on their in-app behaviour and what they’re listening to.

Selective communications make all the difference, too – the right message at the right time gives fans the option to save events for later purchase. The three main desired outcomes? Trust, engagement and repeat purchases.

DICE has been adapting to changing fan behaviour and demand by focusing on the curation and quality of our events. When we sign partners, we look for those who care about the fan experience, with a particular interest in community-based experiences. Gautier notes that it’s crucial to sign partners from every genre and social background, and in turn to help new promoters grow in their scene.  

The team behind LA CREOLE seconds this, highlighting that event runners must prioritise value sharing: sharing resources and contacts within your community and network to create a better ecosystem for everyone. 

We’re thrilled to have been able to bring together so many experts in one place, and also to be able to share their insights on our blog. There’s a lot to think about – have you got any questions you’d like to ask the DICE team? Get in touch with us.