Ascension Recommendations | Non-PRO

Congratulations! 

Your survey results indicate that you are an
Ascension Artist

If you feel you're in the wrong tier or have moved on from this one, click here to take the survey again!

As an Ascension-level artistyou're no stranger to growing your audience by multiples and generating meaningful revenue. You've got a fan base, an email list, a customer list - what more could you possibly want?

At this point, working on your business is less about setting up what you haven't and more about turning "good" into "great". This is also the level at which our agency works - finding inefficiencies in well-established music businesses that can mean large increases in yearly revenue.

So, that's what were going to do! In no time at all, you'll be identifying the leaks in your business and patching them up for consistent 10-20% gains in revenue and growth throughout the year.

By implementing these recommended strategies and processes, you'll have a well-oiled machine of a music business that doesn't leave any value or opportunity on the table. And, with no leaks in your Fan Journey, you can focus on simply generating more fans on the front-end and watch as it turns into ever-increasing revenue on the back-end!

Scroll down to review your recommended goals, campaigns, and consults from our IndiesLIVE! consult vault that focus on your exact starting point!

Your Recommended Goals

Below, you can review a set of realistic goals for the next 3 months, 6 months, and 1 year of your music career. These goals are directly correlated to the recommended trainings, campaigns, and projects listed in the lower half of this page. 

First 3 Months

  • Create and order products
    (merch, vinyl, CDs, etc.)
  • Implement website tracking and analytics (Google Analytics, Meta Pixel)
  • Learn the Buddy System and complete the workbook
  • Build and install email automation sequences and workflows
  • Grow email subscribers over 15%
  • Grow customer list/sales over 15%
  • Reach over 20% email open rate
  • Reach over 5% email click rate

3-6 Months

  • Create and run a Free + S&H Funnel campaign to your email subscribers
  • Create and implement a sales promotion calendar
  • Grow email subscribers over 30%
  • Grow customer list/sales over 30%

6-12 Months

  • Build and execute a Product or Album Launch Funnel campaign
  • Grow email subscribers over 50%
  • Grow customer list/sales over 50%

= "...within the time frame"

= "...if you haven't already"

= "...depending on your budget"

= "...within the time frame"

= "...if you haven't already"

= "...depending on your budget"


Recommended Campaigns/Projects

Below is a list of projects and campaigns you can work on and implement in order to progress in your career and grow your fan base.

These projects and campaigns are listed in the order in which you should complete them.

Once you've completed these campaigns, projects, and trainings, you can re-take the placement survey to determine which tier you have progressed to.

Each of these projects/campaigns correspond to a training available in the IndiePRO Training Vault. If you are not an IndiePRO member, you can access the trainings through our 14-day Free IndiePRO Trial or purchase the trainings standalone through our Products page.

Add sales funnel and checkout functionality to your artist website

Unfortunately, most artist websites are glorified business cards. All too often, artist websites simply fail to capitalize on the power of digital marketing. This is especially tragic when you consider the mindset of the average person who makes it all the way to an artist's website...

We spend so much of our time on social media sites, Google, and Amazon that its rare for anyone to visit any other type of website. When someone makes it to your artist website, it's not by accident - they sought you out! So, we want to make the most out of every website visit by creating a website with high-powered email marketing and e-commerce features that translate into long-term fans and sales.

Relevant Trainings

Build Your Artist Website

Learn how to be your own webmaster and build the perfect website for growing your fan base and customer list!

Implement website tracking and analytics

"That which is measured, improves. That which is measured and tracked, improves exponentially."

As an online artist in the digital age, you will likely use your website for many high-value purposes - including to host landing pages that entice users to sign up for your email list, purchase a product, or register for an event.

But, not all landing pages are created equally - some of them suck - and a sub-optimal landing page will yield sub-optimal results. By implementing tracking and analytics on your website, you will be able to identify when a landing page is underperforming and make steps to improve it. And, you will know exactly how much those changes improve that performance - down to the percent!

Relevant Trainings

Ones & Zeros 101

Learn how to track, measure, and optimize your entire digital fan base using the Facebook Pixel and Google Analytics

Get Free Access | 14-day IndiePRO Trial

Learn The Buddy System and ideate your Fan Journey

Every marketing and business strategy taught and practiced in our community plugs into an overall framework: The Buddy System. This system describes the journey that your audience takes from stranger to listener to fan. It also describes the “areas” of your business that you will have to set up by building and deploying campaigns and projects.

By learning The Buddy System first, you will be able to understand which part of the relationship each campaign facilitates and how the campaigns you construct fit together to form a complete business.

Relevant Trainings

The Buddy System

Learn the psychology-based step-by-step process for turning random strangers into raving, promoting fans.

Configure your email list and email automations/workflows

Email marketing is the cornerstone of almost every online business - even in the 2020s. Email marketing performs better than any other form of online marketing, generating an average of $30-40 for every $1 spent.

Because you've already built a respectable email list, implementing this training will be mostly about fine-tuning and automating your email marketing efforts. 

Email automations and workflows taught in this training will ensure that every fan who joins your list, signs up for/purchases an offer, or grows cold and stops opening emails is taken care of automatically. In turn, this will ensure that you grow more rapidly, keep your subscribers entertained and engaged for longer, perform less manual work, and generate a lot more sales!

Relevant Trainings

Email Marketing for Musicians

Build an end-to-end automated fan-building sales-generating machine with the power of Email Marketing - and put your list to work!

Get Free Access | 14-day IndiePRO Trial

Build and run a Free + S&H Funnel campaign

While there are many trainings and strategies we implement for sustained sales and revenue throughout the calendar year, we want you to be able to bootstrap your sales with a large influx of subscribers and customers - to show yourself that your fans will support you and that you can generate sales.

The Free + S&H Funnel Strategy can significantly reduce the time it takes for a die-hard fan to support your music by making a purchase - it's a cant-resist offer that will make it easy for you to grow your customer base. In fact, Indies who implement this strategy can usually generate dozens of customers with a simple, 9-word email, activating would-be customers you didn't even know you had!

Relevant Trainings

Free + S&H Funnel Strategy

Learn how to generate an avalanche of new customers by giving away back inventory for free... and still making a profit!

Get Free Access | 14-day IndiePRO Trial

Create a sales promotion calendar and run your first sales promotion

For online businesses, every month brings a new opportunity (and excuse) to convert email subscribers and followers into supporting customers. Typically, the lifecycle of an online customer ends with a final stage of "deal-seeking". This means that, when you have developed enough of a relationship and given enough value to a fan, they may just need any reason to finally support you by making a purchase...

By creating and implementing a sales promotion calendar, you can ensure that you consistently make high value offers to your audience that serve as a "good reason" to support your music - whenever they are ready to do so. This will also give your existing customers a good reason to make a follow-up purchase.

Relevant Trainings

How To Generate Sales Year Round

Learn how to use a promotional campaign calendar to generate sales year-round with promo campaigns!

Get Free Access | 14-day IndiePRO Trial

Build and execute a Product or Album Launch Funnel campaign

Sales funnels and product launches are responsible for a lion's share of the revenue generated online through digital marketing. For start-ups and established businesses alike, there is no better tool in the digital marketing toolbox for creating customers at a profit.

For this reason, it's necessary for you to learn how to create funnels and launch products from beginning to end. Not only will these skills bootstrap your customer base and help you generate profitable sales, they will have the added benefit of growing your email list and larger warm audience while giving you the confidence to maintain complete control over your business.

Relevant Trainings

How To Profit From A Launch Campaign

Learn how to actually profit from releasing a new album or product while growing fans, subscribers, and customers!

Get Free Access | 14-day IndiePRO Trial