‘Tis the season for giving, and the season for convincing your fans to give your music to people.

It’s easy to look at the year-end holidays as opportunities for profit, but in the indie music business, it’s probably better to look at them in terms of outreach. Sure, it’s a good chance to make money, but this is also one of the best times of year to get your music heard.

Clever fan interaction during the holidays can bring you plenty of new fans for the new year.

Seasonal Fan Interaction Spreads Joy And Listener-ship

1 – Get In The Spirit Onstage

Everyone loves a singalong, so give it to them! Even a couple Christmas tunes in the middle of a set will do a lot to spread the holiday cheer among your fans… as well as encourage them to circulate videos of your special holiday performances.

2 – Make Video Cards

Holiday songs might seem cheesy, but a lot of otherwise mainstream artists have moved a lot of tracks that way and video is a great way to do it!

(Fun fact: Mariah Carey’s “All I Want For Christmas Is You” was her all-time biggest international hit.)

Since video editing software is cheap and easy to use at this point, a visual card is a great goodie to give the fans. Or, use a site like JibJab to create easy e-cards for fans to trade!

3 – Try A Twofer Deal

This trick works for games on Steam, and should work just as well in online music sales: Run a holiday promotion where someone buying a track or album digitally gets a second download code to give away.

As a limited-time seasonal deal, it’s great. They get music for themselves and a free present as part of package. Or, design a digital video card to accompany the freebie, if you really want to go all out.

Get The Fans On Board For The Holidays!

This is one of your best opportunities for fan outreach in the year, so make the most of it. Giving a little now will bring big returns next year!