How a Direct-To-Fan Rollout Secured a Billboard Top 10
About this episode
Ari interviews Dee Diaz about innovative marketing strategies that led to Lecrae's album debuting in the Billboard Top 10.
This week on the New Music Business podcast, Ari sits down with Dee Diaz, Vice President of Marketing at Reach Records. At Indie Week 2026, Dee shares the innovative marketing strategies behind Lecrae’s Reconstruction album campaign, which helped propel the project to a Billboard Top 10 debut. From sending exclusive mailers to the label’s most loyal fans. To building a gamified direct-to-fan platform called The Workshop, Dee reveals how Reach Records prioritized community, superfans, and authentic artist engagement over chasing algorithms. Find Dee Diaz: https://www.instagram.com/deediaz_/ https://www.instagram.com/reachrecords/ Check out Ari’s Take: https://aristake.com 05:06 - Meet Dee Diaz and Reach Records 08:47 - The History of Reach Records and Lecrae 12:31 - Building the Reconstruction Campaign 15:07 - The 1,000 Fan Mailer Strategy 16:19 - Creating The Workshop Fan Community 19:37 - Turning Superfans Into Brand Ambassadors 29:09 - Community Service as Music Marketing 37:39 - The Story Behind “Coming In Hot” 43:29 - Why TikTok Doesn't Convert Like It Used To 46:17 - What It Means to Make It in the New Music Business 47:00 - Audience Q&A Edited and mixed by Ruben Zarate…
People in this episode
Host: Ari Herstand
Guest: Dee Diaz
Topics covered
- direct-to-fan marketing
- music industry strategies
- community engagement
- superfans
- album promotion
- Lecrae
- Reach Records
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: Reach Records, Ari's Take
Books & works: Reconstruction, How to Make It in the New Music Business
More episodes of The New Music Business with Ari Herstand
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- How Hopeless Records Approaches Influencer and UGC Music Marketing
- How CD Baby Is Changing With The Times
- The Unauthorized AI Remix Became a Global Hit, How This Label Dealt With It
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