Fans, Not Customers. A Conversation with Tai Anderson.

Tai Anderson is the bass player for Third Day, the Grammy winning band that has been part of the soundtrack of Christian music for thirty years. He is also a speaker, a teacher, and now the author of Market Like a Rockstar.

I got to sit down with him for the Called to Music podcast and I could not stop smiling the whole time. This man has lived what most of us are still trying to figure out, and he talks about it with humility and a lot of humor.

Fans, not customers

If you only take one thing from this conversation, take this one.

Tai said marketing should not be about advertising to strangers to get their money. The best marketing is fan creation. And then he asked who is better qualified to create fans than a musician. That is literally what we have been doing our whole lives.

That flipped something for me. When I think customer, I think transaction. When I think fan, I think about a real person I get to serve and connect with. And a fan will cheer you on in a way a customer never will.

Crossover dilutes. Spillover amplifies.

Early in Third Day's career, the label came to a meeting and basically said we love you, but this Jesus thing, you need to dial it down. Be a little more vague. A little more mainstream.

Their booking agent John Huey sat through the whole meeting without saying a word. Then he stood up and said, "I don't believe in crossover, I believe in spillover." And he walked out.

Tai said it took him most of his life to process that. The idea is simple. When you try to appeal to everybody, you water down who you are. But when you are fully yourself, other people want to be part of it. Dave Matthews did not cross over to the masses. The masses came to him.

And here is the proof. Their next record was the live album the label did not want to make, Offerings. It went on to sell over two million copies and changed the whole trajectory of their career.

Don't bury what God gave you

One of the questions I get the most is should a Christian even market their music? I always point to the parable of the talents. God gives us something, and He expects us to take it, invest it, share it with the world, and make more of it. The servant who buried his talent out of fear did not get a pat on the back.

Tai landed in the same place. When you know what you have made has real value and a purpose behind it, promoting it is not bragging. It is a responsibility. Not hiding your light under a bushel, like the song says.

He also said he feels the same discomfort we all do. He admitted he was uncomfortable posting about his own book. If a guy who has played for thousands of people still feels that, you are in good company.

Market the way that feels natural to you

I loved how many creative ideas Tai brought to the table. One of my favorites was the cassette tape giveaway Third Day did, handing out their music at Christian bookstores. That was giving first. It was a humble and generous way to let people experience the music before asking anything of them.

It reminded me that we do not have to copy what everyone else is doing. When we lean into the way God has wired us, marketing just becomes an extension of our music. It is not some extra thing we bolt on at the end.

Build with the people in front of you

Tai talked about what he calls the bouncer principle. Who is not in your band? Who are you not for? And being okay with that.

If you try to reach everyone, you reach no one. But when you know exactly who you are serving and what problem you are helping them with, even people outside that group feel it and say, maybe they can help me too.

So my encouragement is the same as Tai's. Do not try to reach the masses. Connect with the people God has already put in front of you, and build with what you already have.

One practical thing he shared that I put to use right away. He said the best marketing automation is a calendar reminder to do the next human thing. After reading the book, I took a few DMs I had unintentionally neglected and instead of typing back, I sent a quick audio reply. It took no more time and it meant more.

Critics or fans

Tai ended with a story from when he was nineteen. Third Day played for twenty thousand people at a festival in Holland and felt on top of the world. The next morning a review said, "Third Day, please stay in America."

A friend took him for a walk and said you have to decide right now if you are doing this for the critics or the fans, because you will never please them both.

That stuck with me. And so did what he said about the journey. If you cannot enjoy this season because you are so stressed about the future, are you really trusting that the God who put the feathers on the sparrow will take care of you? Faith means enjoying exactly where God has you.

Don't resent the journey. That is where the best stories get made.

Watch the full episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/mG3rl7KEWIw

Get Tai's book Market Like a Rockstar: https://marketlikearockstar.com/book

Find it on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0HCZHWXXV

Follow Tai on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/taianderson3d

Join the Called to Music community on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/calledtomusic