Growing His Roots
Is Eric Church setting the tone for other fan clubs in the music industry?
In 2006, Eric Church released his debut album, Sinners Like Me. Three months later, he was kicked off of Rascal Flatts’ tour for playing too long. This kick-started his new reputation, one that would force him to take a longer road to success on Music Row, into gear. Not that he was complaining.
It’s no secret that Church is the rebel of country music. And, to anybody who listens to his music or follows his social media, it is no secret that his only soft spots are his family and his fans.
At first glance, his rebel image jumps out at you. He sells merchandise with skulls and crossbones next to mottos such as, “Good Girls Never Miss Church,” which accompany his songs about Jack Daniels, smoking, and staying tough as hell. When you take a closer look, he’s writing protective and endearing lyrics about his son, singing love songs to his wife, and belting anthems to his fans.
Ever since his Outsiders tour in 2014, Church has been spending much of his time thinking about his fans, which are called the Church Choir. While digital tickets and fan pre-sales to prevent scalpers are commonplace today, he was already using that strategy for the Outsiders tour.
Fast forward to 2019 and the Church Choir has developed into something much greater. The pinnacle of this fan club is the brand new Eric Church App. The main website advertises the app as the only place to get pit tickets, seat upgrades, and exclusive merchandise, and says it is a way for fans to connect, receive instant notifications, and gain access to exclusive videos, photos, and music. The app turns the Fan Feed into a mobile forum where Church’s fans can discuss the tour, recent news regarding Church, and new music while acting as a medium for Church to share his thoughts and announcements directly to his fans.
In addition to the app, Church has created a whole culture for his fans through merchandise. He sells a wide range of official merch, including posters for each venue, vinyl records, and an exclusive Church Choir line. He also sells These Boots, a cowboy boot line named after his song, “These Boots,” with designs inspired and named after different songs. As if that wasn’t enough, Church sells a line of furniture as an ode to his family roots and runs a charity, titled Chief Cares, alongside his wife.
Church started with just the Church Choir website and free memberships but has developed it into a real community. Now, for $35 a year, anyone can become an official member with all of the exclusive benefits, including meet and greet lotteries. Arguably the best part about this membership is the choice to receive any of Church’s albums on CD or vinyl. Having hard copies of music included in the membership cost proves that Church is staying true to his roots despite the various new features.
A recent show of Church’s acknowledgment to his fans is his latest music video for “Desperate Man”. The video depicts a story with a plot comparable to the release of his fifth album, Mr. Misunderstood. Church had finished the album much shorter than he expected, and, without any announcement of its completion, snail-mailed CDs of the new music to each Church Choir member.
This music video pulls Church’s fans into his story. All of the Church Choir members who suddenly received Mr. Misunderstood in the mail will watch “Desperate Man” and think, “That was me!” The use of real-life events complements the lyrics, showcasing Church’s whole music sphere: himself, his non-conformist standards, his fans, and his label.
With music streaming accounting for 75% of music industry revenue and the competition for attention economy sky-rocketing, having loyalty from fans is more important than ever. Music lovers have access to any song they could ever want to listen to thanks to music streaming services, so what makes them want to listen to each artist more or less? Church has that answer figured out and continues to be a pioneer in this way.
Church has always claimed to play for the front row, not for Music Row. His passion for going outside of the box and continuous creativity have crossed paths once again on his Double Down Tour, which is currently halfway finished. Unlike anything before, he is doing doubling every aspect of his last tour. Six-hour shows. Two nights in each city. No openers. Just Church, his band, and a stadium full of fans having a hell of a time.
