Why should I focus on building a direct-to-collector business model instead of relying on galleries and shows?

The only stable, reliable business model is building a direct business where you market directly to your customers, own your lead list and customer list, and make the most money from your art. This is not unique to the art industry—it’s how every successful business in every industry operates. When you go through indirect sources with middlemen—galleries, publishers, art dealers, third-party platforms—the rug can always get pulled out from underneath you. You can get dropped from galleries, a publisher can stop working with you, or a pandemic can shut down all art shows. These are unstable income sources. If you look at the most successful artists and photographers, 100% of them operate directly. Maybe 5% of their sales are indirect at most, but more often it’s zero. They own their entire distribution channel. Right now, with the pandemic, the retail and gallery world has been blown up. You cannot rely on any third-party or retail channels. If you’ve been operating with a 100% indirect strategy and wondering why your world just changed, it’s because you had the wrong strategy from the start. Building a direct business is how you get consistent income and build something valuable that you control.

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Asked by general teaching · Answered by Nick Friend and Patrick Shanahan · art-marketing-podcast · 2020-07-03