Tackling ASMR INDUSTRY

[MILIANARD134]

AUTONOMOUS SENSORY MERIDIAN RESPONSE: i'm sure you read this word on internet. This is a huge trend today, people are using it to relax and feel good, and also to sleep.

There is a lot of people who launch their asmr youtube channel today,and as a listener of it my self, i feel this community.
This niche is untapped and for me has a lot of potential in every sales channel, also asmr artist (thats the name they use), are really genuine and good people. I pick 40 email of these folks and send them each a personal email about an interview to help them to create a new microphone.
Because yeah, that's my goal, no tabou or something like that. I want to create a new microphone for ASMR artist.

Basically it's a huge goal because:

• I have absolutely 0 idea on how to make a microphone
• I can't remember the last time i tried to do something with electronics
• It may take a lot of time.

And that's why I chose it, the hardway always.
The email I got are pure gold, and I see they really need a new microphone with new technology, and more affordable
Actually there are 3 top microphones that almost every asmr rtist use:
Blue Yeti
3dio
Tascam digital portable recorder.
They are the most commons microphone. And their price point is almost 200.

I will document my process, currently working as an artistic director for rappers, I have access to some knowledge about microphone, so maybe i could get some little nuggets.

• My number 1 task is to... Make a microphone, i mean a simple one with no technology, to understand the mechanics, i just have to follow iteration after that.

Well let's pute some noise in that industry.

 

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[JAJT]

Sounds like you want to reinvent the wheel.

I think a better approach would be to reach out to sound designers / engineers, perhaps especially for movie sound effects, and ask them what types of microphones work best to record the types of sounds you are trying to capture.

Sound isn't a subject you pick up in a weekend. It's a LOT more complex than you perhaps think it is. Especially if you want to get into the art of actually creating a sound capture device from scratch.

If you could find the type of microphones that work best for those sounds, you can likely try to find a company to white label a pair under your own brand, or at least pass the design specs of a similar microphone to a factory who can run with the idea and produce something similar for you quickly.

ASMR comes off to me as a fad (and one that has a LOT of creepy child exploitation going on in some circles which I totally don't support at all). I wouldn't spend a ton of time or money to cater to a fad that may be here today, gone tomorrow. This feels like a branding play - find something that exists today that works ideally to solve these streamers specific needs, brand it and sell it.

 

[Lex DeVille]

If I were going anywhere near the ASMR market, it wouldn't be in the direction of a microphone. The 3Dio is the only microphone I would consider for ASMR. It looks like a pair of ears for god's sake!

What about a marketplace for ASMR? Does that exist? Could there be a platform where people could go and browse ASMR artists? Buy their individual soundtracks or recordings or perhaps even request custom recordings? Then you could just take a cut off the top, or charge the artist a fee per listing.

Would take a lot less years of your life to get it going.

 

[MILIANARD134]

You both have interesting opinions @JAJT, yeah I know it's a lot more complex than I think, for me it almost sounds impossible, but that's why I want to do it. To be honest, when I approached these folk, i ask them 2 main questions: If you have a magic wand, what do you want as a microphone ?
And the other is more straight; my first idea was a suscribe box for asmr rtist, but the problem is the market size, even if it's becoming huge.. It will only be for asmr artist, so no scale.
I don't think this trend will go off, because for me it has to do with wellness and self help industry. Every youtuber that I have interviewed have the same interests (yoga,meditation,self help...).
So I think it's part of the trend "healthy".
The market size for a microphone is a lot bigger because I can sell it to voiceovers... Anyway, I Consider your opinion @MattR82 . Thank you for your time.

@Lex DeVille A marketplace like that don't exist because I think there is tons of asmr rtist, and I don't think people are willing to pay for listening a voice. The barrier of entry is so low, so everyone is doing it. As a customer I don't imagine myself giving money for a listening of 20 minutes for exemple. But maybe I should be openminded and consider some people are willing to pay for this.
Something I should consider is there is a platform named Tingle, basically, it's an youtube for asmr, and people can suscribe to asmr artist and get new video before youtube... Maybe should i just aim for an adjustment of this..
Thank you lex, great information would definitely consider this path

 

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[Lex DeVille]

@Lex DeVille A marketplace like that don't exist because I think there is tons of asmr rtist, and I don't think people are willing to pay for listening a voice. The barrier of entry is so low, so everyone is doing it. As a customer I don't imagine myself giving money for a listening of 20 minutes for exemple. But maybe I should be openminded and consider some people are willing to pay for this.
Something I should consider is there is a platform named Tingle, basically, it's an youtube for asmr, and people can suscribe to asmr artist and get new video before youtube... Maybe should i just aim for an adjustment of this..
Thank you lex, great information would definitely consider this path

People are already paying for ASMR in a variety of ways. If they weren't, we wouldn't see ASMR artists buying $1,000 microphones!

Just because customers can get the sound of nails scraping on a chalkboard from me doesn't mean they want it from me. If they want it from you, but you charge for it, then they will pay you.

I've listened to free meditation music, and spent thousands having my own custom music created. I've listened to free hypnotherapy recordings, and bought hypnotherapy recordings. I've listened to free songs on YouTube, and purchased the license to the same song for the rights to use it.

I don't know if a marketplace is the right answer. It's just an idea. But I know thousands and thousands of people are subscribing for pay on Twitch to ASMR channels, so there is at least a hungry audience, trend or not.

My thoughts would gravitate toward, "Here's this huge growing market of people who want to make money doing ASMR but they don't know how to get traction, get in front of people, or grow their own audience. They also probably don't know much about marketing. How can I help them solve those problems and how can I help them achieve their goal/dream?"

If the answer is truly a better microphone, then go for it. If there's a faster, smarter and more scalable way, then consider that too. I'm definitely not saying your idea is wrong.

 

[Lex DeVille]

A few other thoughts:

Marketplace
Artists will naturally feel compelled to do things which will help them stand apart from their competition. That means you will have opportunities in the following areas:

- Blog with affiliate links to the best of the best products
- Paid advertising within your platform
- Premium listings to help artists get found on the platform
- Brand your own products later on and sell to the artists
- Subscription/membership options
- Other affiliate or referral opportunities to help artists make money and spread the word
- Courses to help artists learn, grow and improve

Udemy
I just checked Udemy and it doesn't have any courses on ASMR. No courses on which microphones are best or how to get started or how to grow an audience or how to build a personal brand for ASMR. If you just wanted to test the waters, this would be a good way to get going, start building a targeted audience from scratch for free, and make money while doing it.

 

[QFP]

I love ASMR not scratching tapping role play types, more into rich textures in higher frequencies sanding scraping mortar and pestle etc.
the best ASMR artists understand rhythm and pace for example some one who mindlessly sanding a piece of wood compared to a craftsman honing a piece of work, scribbling v drawing etc.
Sound quality is paramount this is an audiophile pursuit.
So I get the mic thing ,years ago i designed and made my own ribbon transducer headphones,
Not a 5 minute process.
Hi quality audio is a technically complex subject and as JAJT says why re invent the wheel?
If i were going do my own channel I would team up with a pretty girl who was a master craftsmen at some fascinating great sounding skill ,much nicer on the eye than me!
SAS-ASMR has over 7 million subscribers so..

 

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[bibbysoka]

I'm surprised you think it would be too competitive to make an ASMR platform. You really think you'd be better off inventing your own microphone, competing against companies that have sound engineers working for them?

 

[MILIANARD134]

Ok, so little update, of this thread. I checked on the internet if there are any platforms that could sell asmr song to folks. The concept that comes closest is tingle(not tinder !!). Tingle is an application where people can suscribe to their artist, and watch exclusive videos, also, they can download the video if they have no internet.
The idea of a marketplace is really the best thing to do I think, i interviewed several others asmr artist from foreign countries, and the microphone sounds too hard to do at my point, and will take a lot of time.
I have to start from what i have. IT skills, good communication, some design skills, and actually money. Because I just signed a deal with my label for 2 albums of our artist. Actually pretty huge deal for my age.
I deep my foot on google and tried a lot of things : asmr money, sell asmr money, asmr and millenials... and bingo.. here is the problem to solve.

Today, brand are heavily trying to attract millenials with asmr videos, and yes lex i was blinded, i totally accord you if brands are giving money then there must be an ROI.
Here is my idea, and actually not my idea but what i did.
My idea is to base myself on websites that basicaly links brand and influenceurs. And good fact: i know how to build a website like this. So for the technical part it isn't a problem.
Then my idea is to propose brand buy asmr voice over.

The problem to solve ? Do brand wanna spend money on asmr voiceover for their product like they are doing for normal voiceovers. I need to discover it.
That's why i'm building the mvp version. Will update screens tomorrow of the building phase.

Thanks to everyone to open my mind with their pure value post, even if that's fail. I'm learning everyday.

Here is the website i'm taking inspiration of : Showreels | VoiceArchive - Your voice-over partner!.
Absolutely awesome

 

[Lex DeVille]

Ok, so little update, of this thread. I checked on the internet if there are any platforms that could sell asmr song to folks. The concept that comes closest is tingle(not tinder !!). Tingle is an application where people can suscribe to their artist, and watch exclusive videos, also, they can download the video if they have no internet.
The idea of a marketplace is really the best thing to do I think, i interviewed several others asmr artist from foreign countries, and the microphone sounds too hard to do at my point, and will take a lot of time.
I have to start from what i have. IT skills, good communication, some design skills, and actually money. Because I just signed a deal with my label for 2 albums of our artist. Actually pretty huge deal for my age.
I deep my foot on google and tried a lot of things : asmr money, sell asmr money, asmr and millenials... and bingo.. here is the problem to solve.

Today, brand are heavily trying to attract millenials with asmr videos, and yes lex i was blinded, i totally accord you if brands are giving money then there must be an ROI.
Here is my idea, and actually not my idea but what i did.
My idea is to base myself on websites that basicaly links brand and influenceurs. And good fact: i know how to build a website like this. So for the technical part it isn't a problem.
Then my idea is to propose brand buy asmr voice over.

The problem to solve ? Do brand wanna spend money on asmr voiceover for their product like they are doing for normal voiceovers. I need to discover it.
That's why i'm building the mvp version. Will update screens tomorrow of the building phase.

Thanks to everyone to open my mind with their pure value post, even if that's fail. I'm learning everyday.

Here is the website i'm taking inspiration of : Showreels | VoiceArchive - Your voice-over partner!.
Absolutely awesome

Are you saying you want to create a voiceover marketplace where people can hire ASMR talent for voice over? Not sure if I'm understanding correctly.

People pay to listen to ASMR for relaxation and pleasure right now. That's one market for sure.

If you can bring ASMR influencers together with sponsors, then that's another market.

For example, I'm hardly an influencer on YouTube with just under 3k subs. But last week I got an email from a sponsor who wanted to pay for in-video ads on my channel. They offered 50/50 revenue share on sales of their products or a one-time payment.

There are a bunch of marketplaces that bring influencers together with sponsors for that exact purpose, but probably none that specifically focus on ASMR (although that may be too niche).

For that I would probably expand the market to all voice talent, whether they're on YouTube, Twitch, Soundcloud or some other place. Bring the people together so you help ASMR artists make money, and help sponsors gain exposure. Take your cut off the top. Just a thought.

 

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[Sindelya]

Hello hello !
I've been doing ASMR for years with a crappy mic (the one of my smartphone), and I plan to buy soon a better mic (probably blue yeti), to come back with my channel, that I left alone since 2017, because of this crappy mic and of the crappy quality of my videos. Today, my channel has a little less than 3000 subscribers and I already had (in the past when I made videos) some brands that asked me to make sponsored videos. Even if I had this crappy mic and less than 3k followers. I bet I could reach more brands with more followers and, above all, quality recording sound.
I also have an ericksonian hypnosis diploma (master practitioner) and I plan to record hypnosis videos. In french, because it's my main language.
My main ideas are:
- record with a better sound quality, make more videos, and improve my social media, to earn more followers, whom I will be able to help relaxing with my ASMR and hypnosis videos.
- reach brands that will pay me for sponsored videos and/or social media posts (but for this, it really depends on the time I spend on my videos and that's not very fastlane)
- create a website where I will sell packs of videos to relax/help solve problems/personalized videos
- once I will get enough followers and "credibility", create a website where I explain how to really monetize an ASMR channel and related social media (and maybe sell some courses) and/or create an udemy course for it (thanks for the idea, Lex, but don't worry, I will make it in French, not in English !)
- create in France a place where ASMR artists can practice ASMR "for real", directly on people. I know people will be ready to pay for it (I would be ready to pay for it ^^)

I'm still searching ideas for it to be more scalable, and I would do it in French to begin (I know it's not the most scalable language but for now I can't see myself making videos 100% in english).
What do you think about those ideas ? I'm still searching for a way to make it work "for me", even when I'm sleeping. To me, it's the better way to know if it's fastlane or not. If it works for me, and earns money for me even if I'm not currently working on it, then I'm taking the right path. Hope I'm not wrong x)