Ryan Leslie is one of the smartest people in the music business. He’s the co-founder of NextSelection Lifestyle Group and has produced hit songs for himself as well as other artists. With his massive talent as a singer, producer and rapper one would expect that Ryan would be much “bigger” than he currently is. But from the look of things he’s doing better than the vast majority of musicians out there. This is because Ryan is someone who understands the importance of being in control of your music, your finances, your interaction with your fans, and the overall information surrounding your business.
Ryan is one of those musicians whose music you’ll not find on streaming sites such as Spotify. The main reason for this is access to data. He was on Ebro in the Morning in 2014 and participated in an interview that every aspiring musician ought to watch. He discussed the importance of data to his business. He likes to know who’s buying his music, where they’re from, when they bought it, etc. This data allows him to create a customized experience for his supporters and also gives him a clear indication on who he can promote his future projects, merchandise and shows to.
Recently it seems he has taken this concept further. He (with the help of others) has developed a platform called SuperPhone. This platform allows him to stay in touch with thousands of people via SMS (on his real phone number) and gives him access to a crazy amount of data. It enables him direct access to each follower and allows him to build personal relationships with his consumers. For instance he’s able to see who he talked to the most the previous week among other things. He can automate responses. The platform has reached the level of sophistication whereby he can allow only specific people to reach him directly via phone call. Currently he’s in direct contact with over 38,000 people!
I won’t go into too much detail because Ryan explains a lot about the platform in the video below. He needs to be commended for making strides in further bridging the gap between public figures and their followers. This is going to be a great platform for musicians when it goes into full production; it’s currently in the beta stage. Independent artists in particular will benefit from this platform and I can’t wait.
