Fan email lists for musicians and bands
Trade an unreleased track or a merch discount for an email, from the stage or the merch table, and own the list you tour to.
14-day free trial. Every feature on every plan.
- TRACK
- Here’s the track we played tonight. What’s your email for tour dates?
- jules@example.com
- You’re in. See you at the next show.
The room is full of fans you’ll never reach again.
Social reach is rented
A post reaches a slice of your followers. An email reaches everyone who asked to hear from you.
The clipboard gets ignored
A sign-up sheet on the merch table catches the few fans who stop, with handwriting you can’t read.
Tour dates go to the wrong people
Without knowing where fans live, every announcement goes to everyone.
How bands use Textiful
An unreleased track from the stage
Between songs, not at the very end: “Text TRACK to 33777 and the song we just played is yours.” Fans text it in the room, and the track arrives by email.
- TRACK
- Thanks for coming out! What email should we send the track to?
- jules@example.com
A merch discount at the table
A QR code on the merch table offers a discount for tonight in exchange for an email. The reply text is the code they show at the table.
- Scanned the QR code on the merch table
- Here’s 10% off tonight. Show this text at the table.
Tour dates by city
Ask one question: “What city should we tell you about?” Tag each fan with the answer, and announce the Denver show to the people in Denver.
- What city should we tell you about tour dates for?
- Denver
Win a meet and greet
A giveaway gets the whole room texting in. Each fan enters once, and you draw the winner from the stage.
- MEET
- You’re entered! We’ll draw the meet and greet winner before the encore.
The features musicians and bands use most
- Keywords
A word your audience can remember and say out loud, on short code 33777 or 55444. Easy to put on a slide and easy to announce from the stage.
- Giveaways
People enter by text, once each. Draw winners at random, reveal them on a live page, and text them how to claim the prize.
- Handouts
Upload your slides, guide, or recording once. Textiful sends it by text or email the moment someone finishes, and tracks every download.
- Capture data via text
Email, name, company, location, or any custom field, asked one question at a time. Start from a template and change the wording to sound like you.
Ready for the next show
- 1
Pick the offer
An unreleased track, a merch discount, or a giveaway. Upload a file to Handouts if you need one.
- 2
Pick a keyword
Short and easy to shout: TRACK, MERCH, or the band’s name. One keyword is included on your plan.
- 3
Connect your list
Mailchimp, Kit, or ActiveCampaign, with each fan tagged by city or by show.
Before and after
| Clipboard and social posts | With Textiful | |
|---|---|---|
| Who signs up | The few who stop at the table | Anyone in the room with a phone |
| Reaching fans | An algorithm decides | Every fan who asked, by email |
| Tour announcements | Everyone, everywhere | The fans in that city |
| Which shows grow the list | A guess | Sign-ups per show and per QR code |
Who it’s for
Bands, solo artists, DJs, and comedians touring or playing regularly in the US who want a fan list they own.
Who should skip it
Acts playing mostly outside the US, where fans can’t text the short codes. If you play one hometown show a year, a sign-up link in your bio may be enough.
Solutions for musicians and bands
How to get fan emails at shows
The simplest way to get fan emails at shows is to say a keyword from the stage, like "text TOUR to 33777," and put a QR code on the merch table. Textiful asks each fan for their email and zip code by text, sends what you promised, and adds them to your Mailchimp, Kit, or ActiveCampaign list with their city filled in.
ReadMerch table discounts that grow your fan list
To grow your fan list at the merch table, offer a discount for tonight in exchange for an email. Put a QR code and keyword on the table, ask for the fan's email and zip code by text, and send the discount code in the final reply. Textiful adds each fan to Mailchimp, Kit, or ActiveCampaign with their city, so you can announce shows to the fans who live near them.
ReadQuestions people ask
Between songs, after one that landed, while you're tuning or the drummer is resetting. Say it twice, slowly, and say what they get. Repeat it once near the end of the set.
A keyword is a regular text message, so it goes through wherever a phone can send a text. A QR code opens a short txtf.co link first, which needs a data connection, so in a basement club the spoken keyword is the safer bet.
Yes. One keyword is included on every plan. If you want each city to report separately, add a free QR code per show for the merch table and tag contacts with the city.
They join your email list in Mailchimp, Kit, or ActiveCampaign. Textiful starts the conversation, delivers what you promised, and hands the contact off to your email tool.
Yes. A live poll is a step inside a flow, so fans can vote and give an email in the same conversation, and you can put the results page on a screen if the venue has one.
Keep exploring
Event lead capture: a playbook for live audiences
How to turn a room into contacts you can follow up with: what to offer, how to ask from the stage or the booth, what to ask for, and what to do in the 24 hours after.
ReadText-to-join
Text-to-join is a way to sign up by text: a person texts a keyword to a short code, or scans a QR code that opens a pre-filled text, and answers a question or two to join a list, get a download, or register for something.
ReadShort code
A short code is a five- or six-digit number that organizations use to receive and send text messages at volume, most often for text-to-join sign-ups, voting, and requests for information. Mobile carriers review each short code program before it goes live.
ReadKeyword (texting)
In texting, a keyword is a word someone texts to a short code to start a specific program, such as SLIDES to get a slide deck or LIST to sign up for a list. On a shared short code, the keyword tells the system which organization and which program the message belongs to.
ReadEmail service provider (ESP)
An email service provider (ESP) is software that stores an email list and sends emails to it, such as newsletters, welcome emails, and automated follow-ups. ESPs also handle sign-up forms, unsubscribes, and delivery. Mailchimp, Kit, and ActiveCampaign are examples.
ReadGrow your audience list from the show, on podcasts and the radio
Podcasts and radio shows reach people whose hands are full, so the call to action has to be one word and one number. Listeners text a keyword to 33777 to vote in a live poll you read on air, get the show notes or a bonus, or enter an on-air contest, and every one of them can join your email list.
ReadNonprofit event lead capture at galas and fundraisers
Nonprofit event lead capture works best at the moments a gala already has: the table card at dinner, the emcee at the podium, the live poll before the paddle raise. Guests scan a QR code or text a keyword, give a name and email, and land in your donor list through your email tool, HubSpot, or Zapier, including the guests who came as someone's plus-one.
ReadReady for your next event?
Try Textiful free for 14 days. Set up a QR code or keyword in minutes and see who shows up.