Guest
Jack McCarthy
Jack McCarthy is Co-founder at Indiepreneur, as introduced on the show.
Episodes (1)
Jack McCarthy, co-founder of Indiepreneur, explains how artists with a fan base leave e-commerce revenue on the table and how Indie X helps them capture it.
Questions these episodes answer
Why do artists with a big fan base still leave money on the table?
McCarthy says most artists with a sizable following never set up e-commerce basics such as retargeting ads, pixel tracking or automated email flows, tools that are standard in other online businesses but rarely used in music, especially by labels.
What order should an artist follow when launching e-commerce?
Indie X starts by building an email and text list through a simple opt-in offer tied to an upcoming release, uses that list to run a sales promotion, then adds paid traffic once the audience is warmed up, mostly running ads on Meta because McCarthy calls it still the most stable platform.
Why does owning the merch channel matter for an artist's margin?
McCarthy says third-party licensing deals for merch can crush an artist's margin, so owning the e-commerce channel directly lets the artist keep more of what a sale generates instead of handing a cut to a licensing partner.
How does building a customer journey change an artist's business?
McCarthy argues most artists only think of fans and superfans, but treating the business like any other lets an artist track subscribers, first-time buyers, repeat customers and high lifetime value fans, then speak differently to each group and bring that data into touring and partnership conversations.
What does Jack McCarthy think is next for how fans buy from artists?
He expects fans to keep wanting closer connection with the artists they follow, a pattern that intensified during the pandemic when touring stopped and continued after touring returned, showing fans want a tangible way to commemorate their connection to an artist, whatever form that takes.