When I was a kid, Vangelis captivated my heart with his beautiful soundscapes in the Chariots of Fire soundtrack. Ever since, I've been chasing that bittersweet longing in my own music. But as my skills grew, so did my desire to reach my target audience − superfans that would buy into my music and culture.
This is the story of how I invented a new sub genre of music and connected with like minded listeners.
Each Delta-S album communicates a dark fantasy/sci-fi story. All the tracks of an album blend seemlessly together, forming one long sonic journey from track to track. Some genres will morph into others as the story unfolds.
Many different electronic genres are borrowed in order to communicate a story, but the true golden thread are the cinematic elements and transitions that bind the songs together.
01 Discovering the Microniche
"What do I call this music anyway?"
I asked fans to participate in a survey in exchange for a free track. I wanted to get to know them − what music they liked and some of their interests. Then I moved into specific questions about my music project.
Turns out I have two main audiences - those that like industrial rock & metal, and those that appreciate the more electronic sounds I do. Both groups intersect with the trance and synthpop elements woven throughout.
The music speaks to a pain point.
I asked listeners to tell me about their mood before listening to selected music, and then afterward. Many listeners who sought after the music reported being in a dark, depressive, somber, and contemplative mood beforehand. After listening, fans felt better, hopeful, alive, and calm.
I developed a hypothesis that this niche wasn't aiming to feel "better" through the experience - instead, I theorized that they became "converted" by the music's unexpected hopeful themes which confronts and healing their pain. For example, one fan rated the music 4 stars. A week later, he revised his rating to 5 stars, remarking that it had "filled his soul" after it had sunk in.
“It makes me FEEL... I struggle with depression and apathy, and turn to music as a way to feel and process emotion, a catharsis.”
“It goes deep and touches the dark places in my soul with the hope of God. Some songs provide intimate encounters with God.”
Not wanting to stop there, I shot out a Facebook Live and asked "What band does Delta-S sound like?" There were a couple of bands mentioned that I hadn't even heard of, but after researching, I made the connections right away.
And I started writing down these recurring themes: Synthpop, Dark Synthpop, Indie Electronica, Alternative Rock, Industrial Rock, Progressive Rock, Electronica
I researched every band mentioned on major platforms like Google, YouTube, Amazon, and Wikipedia − still taking note of the sub-genres or niche genres given for each one.
With this new arsenal, the brainstorming became pretty easy. I analyzed my albums and compared them to my contemporaries. I used the genre term "Dark Fantasy Electro" as a launch pad to market from. These would be key terms to look for in fans on Facebook.
Remember that survey in the beginning? Well, I also asked fans which social media sites they visited the most. Turns out Facebook is where the party is at for this older fan base. So I went all in with pixel based marketing on Facebook, target superfans.
Video ads typically perform better on mobile platforms. I took my most liked and watched video on Facebook at the time and turned it into an ad.
Ages: 23-47 from the big four (US, UK, Australia, Canada)
After some considerable (and frustrating) A/B testing on Facebook, this ad began to crush it, at around 5 cents a like. Yay!
I knew I was close to finding the microniche audience, since I was targeting under 200k people and still hitting the jackpot.
I connected pixels to lead pages from Facebook and ran some A/B tests... making small comparisons in color, texts, backgrounds, and formats. Below are the top performers.
For following up with fans, I put them on an automated email drip system, utilizing AIDA marketing principles to engage newcomers.
For every promotional email I send out, I send three non music emails about things I love (my artwork, bands I listen to, etc.) to create a sense of culture and connection with fans.
My sub-genre would be called "Dark Fantasy Electro".
I wanted to legitimizing the term by hiring wikipedia writers to describe the genre and link to these non affiliated external sources about the new genre and its connection to Delta-S:
“With the new sub-subgenre of “dark fantasy electronica”, Coven draws on sci-fi, fantasy books and movies and 20 years’ worth of electronic music influence and experience to create a highly diverse sonic journey.”
— Brutal Resonance
02 Designing the Brand
Putting the "Dark Fantasy" into the Electronica
After much research and experimentation, I've intricately developed my sound, brand, and culture. I want to share with you some of the beautiful creations and projects that came out of this amazing adventure.
Mission Statement
"Delta-S communicates themes of grief, sorrow, and longing through dark fantasy narratives that seduce the listener into a journey to find life. Intricately designed soundscapes draw from electronic genres like industrial, synthpop, and trance − all woven together with cinematic elements to the chapters in each story. Delta-S provides comfort and guidance through the darkness, revealing beauty just beyond the shadows."
I put together inspiration boards of popular Delta-S posts on facebook, along with imagery that inspired me − pieces of 80s film culture, dark fantasy things, and sci-fi artwork. I used this to reinvent my logo.
