Building a fan base takes time, endless effort and - perhaps most importantly - smart management. In fact, it's hard to imagine how artists today can thrive without a developed fan base management plan. But what does "management" mean? Is it sending out emails or postcards? Is it keeping your Web site up to date? Or does it involve making personal calls to get people out to shows? Well, it's all of the above, and so much more.

Of course, your success is tied to how many people like your music and want to know more about you. How you manage that relationship is key to growing and nurturing your career. Take the Dave Matthews Band, for example. I remember when these guys were plugging away at small nightclubs around Charlottesville, Va., some 15 years ago (A friend of mine who was friendly with Dave and the guys once invited me out there to see them in a small club and "hang out" with the band. I had never heard of them and had better things to do. Yes, I was an idiot). The bottom line is that the Dave Matthews Band always made a point of coddling their fans-even in the early days.

Now that the band is a global juggernaut, it still tries to make fans feel as if their part of something intimate. For example, people can pay $35 per year to join the band's "Warehouse" fan club, which includes special access to advance tickets, contests for travel packages and other swag, access to a members-only Web site and special recordings and, of course, opportunities to meet and hang out with the band. The band even grants "seniority status" to people who keep renewing their membership year after year, giving them priority seating at most shows. Sweet.

While nearly every band follows the basics - signing up fans at shows, maintaining a Web site, promoting the band on free sites such as MySpace or Yahoo! Group, etc. - many artists don't effectively build on the fan base they already have. And, let's face it: It takes a lot of work to keep people interested. You have to give them a reason to keep opening your emails and checking your Web site.

Your fans are your customers, and just as in the corporate world, it's all about customer service If you're uncomfortable thinking of your music as a product, get over it. If you sell something or take money for gigs, you're a capitalist, my friend. Your job, in addition to crafting great songs and putting on killer shows, is to develop and market the brand (You) and give your customer something they can’t wait to get their ears around.

Branding expert and media talking head, Rob Frankel advocates the concept of a "branded community," which he says works whether you're selling music or dog food. Either way, people who dig your "product" would love to get together and share their experiences (whether band lovers or cat lovers). "If you have a user, it's not enough to hope and pray that they get together," he says. "You have to actively manage people."

Your main goal may be to sell more music or show tickets, but your fans are concerned primarily with better ways to connect with you as an artist. "Your problem is selling records," Frankel says. "It's not their problem." In fact, why not ask your fans what exactly they want from you? What's their favorite song and why? Do they like going to clubs or would they rather see you at house concerts? What's their opinion of your stage presence? "If you show that you're open to listening, people will tell you what they want," he says.

And, once you've established a community of fans, you've got to reward them for their loyalty. As we covered in last month's UltraStar part 1 (don't miss part 2 in this issue), there are many ways for artists to develop deeper relationships with their fans, grow their fan base and make even more money by offering exclusive, value-added experiences and opportunities.

Jam bands are a good example of effective fan base management. These guys tour their butts off and create a "family of fans" in every market, often giving them lots of special offerings and freebies. Whether it's calculated marketing or merely a rewarding philosophy, bands like the Grateful Dead and Phish have made a fortune by allowing "pirated" live recordings and merch to spread among the faithful. Even mid-level jam bands have built strong followings doing the same thing.

One personal example: I’m friendly with the boys in Railroad Earth, a great "Jamgrass" band that has criss-crossed the country several times in the last few years. They started out playing to empty rooms and now typically play to hundreds whenever they cycle through a city. They have built a national fan base of thousands by letting people trade their live shows. It also helps that they are incredible live, but I digress. The point is that you can often build a great following by giving your fans what they want, even if it involves letting them bootleg your live shows!

Guitar legend and former Dire Straits front man, Mark Knopfler has added a twist to that model - fans can go directly to Knopfler's web site and download exclusive concert recordings (over 20 tracks per show) of select concert dates from his Shangri-La World Tour, for a $14.99 fee - thanks to the newly launched Crowfly Digital Entertainment and their tech partner, PassAlong Networks. Their combined technologies enable artists to electronically distribute music, videos and exclusive content such as live concert recordings within 24 hours of the event. This includes a music sharing system called Passing-And-Points that rewards fans for recommending songs and videos with links to clips sent via email an IM services from Yahoo!, AOL and MSN.