#138 - Creating a Community for Fans & Artists to Engage One Another

Sarah Beth Perry is the Founder and CEO of With the Band, a fan engagement platform founded in 2017 that strives to develop a community for fans and artists to feel a part of something bigger than themselves. In only 3 years, Perry has grown With the Band from an idea in her dorm room to captivating packed out arenas with her creative and collaborative fan projects and meetups. Some of her most notable experiences include her fan engagement activations at the Jonas Brothers' highly-anticipated HAPPINESS BEGINS TOUR and Kacey Musgraves' OH WHAT A WORLD TOUR sold-out concert in Nashville, TN. After winning her first pitch competition in 2017, Perry saw the opportunity she had to further pursue her dream of kickstarting With the Band. Throughout college, she continued to win awards and grant money from multiple pitch competitions from organizations like Belmont University, Sigma Nu Tau, LaunchTN, and was a finalist for both AARP's Innovation Labs Pitch Competition and the Global Student EntrepreneurAwards. In October of 2019, less than a year after graduating from Belmont University with a double major in Entrepreneurship and Music Business, Perry was named one of Belmont's Top 100 Alumni Entrepreneurs. Upon seeing her concept come to fruition, Perry was encouraged to continue exploring other fan engagement avenues. Being a fangirl herself, she realized there was an opportunity to create better relationships between an artist and their fans. With the vision to be the premiere fan engagement company, With the Band will launch a new modern-day version of a fan called Fan Crews this fall. The Business Side of Music ™ © 2020 Beyond the Music Co-Produced & Hosted (by the guy who has a face for podcasting): Bob Bender  Co-Producer, Creator & Technical Advisor (the man behind the curtain): Tom Sabella Director of Video & Continuity (the brains of the entire operation): Deborah Halle Editor (the "ums' and "aahs' removal guy who makes us sound good): Mark Sabella Marketing & Social Media: Kaitlin Fritts Executive Assistant to Bob & Tom, and editor for the Blog: Meagan Droke All Around Problem Solver: Connie Ribas Recorded at: The Bunker in Franklin, TN (except during the Covid 19 pandemic, then it's pretty much done VIA Skype or over the phone, with the exception for those fearless enough to come to Bob Bender's living room… and there are a few). Mixed & Mastered at Music Dog Studios in Nashville, TN Production Sound Design: Keith Stark Voice Over & Promo: Lisa Fuson Website: businesssideofmusic.com  Stream or Download (free) businesssideofmusic.com  To submit to be interviewed: [email protected] Sponsorship information businesssideofmusic.com/sponsor-affiliate/ Join our mailing list for show announcements, career advice, industry discounts, free gifts, and more.  Like Free Special Thanks to Tom Sabella and Traci Snow for producing and hosting over 100 episodes of the original "Business Side of Music" podcast, and trusting us to carry on their legacy. For our disclaimer and all its details, please click on the applicable link on our website. The music provided for this episode is from: Artist: Lacy J Dalton Single: Life's About Now Album: Scarecrow (2019) Composer: Lacy J. Dalton Website: www.lacyjdalton.org