Accessing the Heatmap
- Click Fans in the left sidebar.
- Click the Heatmaps tab at the top of the Fans page.
How It Works
Location Data Collection
Fanaura collects fan location data from multiple sources:- Signup forms: When fans enter their city and state on a smart link or RSVP page.
- IP geolocation: When fans click a smart link, their approximate location is inferred from their IP address.
- Shopify addresses: When fans make a purchase, their shipping address is captured.
- Manual entry: When you add a fan by hand with location data.
- CSV import: Location columns from your import file.
Density Visualization
The Heatmap uses a color-coded gradient to show fan density:| Color | Density |
|---|---|
| Dark purple | Low fan density — a few fans scattered in the area |
| Blue | Moderate density — a noticeable cluster |
| Bright pink / magenta | High density — a major fan hotspot |
| White / bright core | Extremely high density — your biggest concentration of fans |
Feathered Glow Layers
At higher zoom levels, the heatmap switches to a feathered glow effect so you can see individual clusters within a city. Zoom into Nashville, for example, and you might see distinct hotspots in East Nashville, Music Row, and Germantown.Interacting with the Map
Zooming
- Scroll wheel: Zoom in and out
- Pinch gesture: On trackpad or touch devices
- Plus/minus buttons: In the bottom-right corner of the map
- Double-click: Zoom into a specific area
Panning
Click and drag the map to move around. On mobile, swipe to pan.Clicking a City Cluster
When you click on a visible cluster (a colored area on the heatmap), a popup appears showing:- City name and state/country
- Total fan count in that area
- VIP breakdown — how many Bronze, Silver, Gold, Platinum, and Diamond fans are in that city
- Top sources — where those fans came from (pre-save, SMS, Shopify, etc.)
- Save as List button — create a fan list from everyone in that city with one click
Filters
The filter bar above the map lets you change which fans are shown on the heatmap. Filtered results update the map in real-time.Fan Type Filters
| Filter | What It Shows |
|---|---|
| All Fans | Every fan with location data (default) |
| Pre-Savers | Only fans who pre-saved a release |
| RSVP’d Fans | Only fans who RSVP’d to an event |
| Merch Purchasers | Only fans who bought merch via Shopify |
| SMS Subscribers | Only fans who opted in to SMS |
| Email Subscribers | Only fans who opted in to email |
VIP Status Filter
Show only fans at a specific tier:- Bronze
- Silver
- Gold
- Platinum
- Diamond
Date Range Filter
Narrow the map to fans added within a specific time period:- Last 7 days
- Last 30 days
- Last 90 days
- Last year
- Custom range
Tour Overlay
The Tour Overlay is where the Heatmap goes from “cool data viz” to “essential business tool.”Enabling the Tour Overlay
- Toggle on Show Tour Dates at the top of the heatmap.
- Your upcoming tour dates (from the Events section or MasterTour integration) appear as pin markers on the map.
- Each pin shows the venue name, city, and date.
What You Can Learn
With tour dates overlaid on your fan heatmap, you can instantly answer critical questions:- Am I touring where my fans are? If you have a massive fan cluster in Atlanta but no shows within 300 miles, that is a missed opportunity.
- Are there markets I am ignoring? Look for bright hotspots with no tour pins nearby. Those are cities hungry for a show.
- Am I playing to empty rooms? If you have a tour date in a city with almost no fan presence on the heatmap, your ticket sales might struggle — or you need to ramp up marketing in that market before the show.
Sharing with Your Team
The tour overlay view can be screenshotted or shared with your booking agent, manager, or label. It makes a compelling visual argument when discussing routing decisions.Pro Tip: Before your next routing conversation with your booking agent, pull up the Heatmap with Tour Overlay enabled. Nothing makes the case for adding or dropping a market better than seeing the actual fan data on a map.
Top Cities Modal
Click the Top Cities button in the upper-right area of the heatmap to open a ranked breakdown of your fan geography.What It Shows
A sorted list of your top cities by fan count, including:| Column | Description |
|---|---|
| Rank | Position in the list (1 = most fans) |
| City | City name and state/country |
| Fan Count | Total number of fans in that city |
| VIP Breakdown | Visual bar showing the distribution of fans across VIP tiers |
| Top Source | The primary channel driving fans in that city |
| Growth | Percentage change in fan count over the last 30 days |
Using the Top Cities List
- Spot trends: If a city is growing fast (high growth percentage), something is working there — maybe a playlist placement, a local influencer, or a recent show.
- Prioritize markets: Your top 10 cities are your core markets. Make sure they are always included in tour routing and targeted marketing.
- Identify emerging markets: Cities ranked 11-30 with high growth rates are your emerging markets. These might be worth adding to the next tour cycle.
Save as List
One of the most actionable features of the Heatmap is the ability to turn a geographic cluster into a fan list.From a City Popup
- Click on a city cluster on the heatmap.
- In the popup, click Save as List.
- Name the list (e.g., “Nashville Fans” or “ATL Pre-Savers”).
- Click Create.
From the Top Cities Modal
- Open Top Cities.
- Click the Save as List icon next to any city.
- Name the list and confirm.
What You Can Do with Geographic Lists
Once you have a geographic list, you can:- Send a targeted blast — “Hey Nashville! We’re playing Exit/In on March 15. Grab your tickets before they sell out.”
- Trigger a flow — Enroll fans in a city-specific nurture sequence leading up to a show.
- Track growth — Monitor how your fan count in that city changes over time.
- Compare markets — Put geographic lists side by side to see which cities have the most engaged fans (by average engagement score or VIP tier distribution).
Use Cases
For Booking Agents
“My artist has 3,200 fans in Denver and 4,100 in Phoenix, but we’ve never played either market. Can we add a Southwest run to the spring tour?” The Heatmap gives you data-backed evidence for routing decisions instead of gut feelings.For Managers
“We’ve been spending ad money in Miami, but our organic fan growth is strongest in the Midwest. Should we shift our budget?” Use the Heatmap alongside the Top Cities growth data to see where your money is working and where organic momentum is building.For Marketing Teams
“The new single just dropped. Where are the pre-savers concentrated? Let’s run geo-targeted Instagram ads in those markets.” Filter the Heatmap to Pre-Savers and see exactly which cities responded to the new music. Then create lists from those cities for follow-up campaigns.For Artists
“I want to do a surprise pop-up show. Where should I do it?” Pull up the Heatmap filtered by Diamond and Platinum fans. Find the city with the highest concentration of your most dedicated fans. That is your pop-up city.Tips & Best Practices
- Check the Heatmap after every release. A new single or album drop often shifts your fan geography. New playlist placements can drive fans in specific regions.
- Compare filtered views. Switch between “All Fans” and “Pre-Savers Only” to see if your pre-save audience matches your overall audience. Differences might reveal where your streaming promo is strongest.
- Use date range filters for campaign analysis. After a marketing push, filter to “Last 7 days” to see where the new fans came from geographically.
- Save lists early and often. Whenever you spot an interesting cluster on the map, save it as a list. You can always merge or refine lists later, but you cannot go back and recreate a moment-in-time snapshot.
- Review before every tour cycle. Make the Heatmap part of your pre-tour planning process. Share it with your booking agent and manager so everyone is making decisions from the same data.
Troubleshooting
“Some of my fans don’t appear on the map.” Fans only appear on the Heatmap if they have location data (city and state at minimum). Fans with no location information will not be plotted. To improve coverage, make sure your smart link forms include location fields. “The map looks empty even though I have fans.” Check your filters. If you have a restrictive filter active (like “Diamond fans only” when you have no Diamond fans yet), the map will appear empty. Reset filters to “All Fans” and verify. “A city shows more fans than I expected.” Fanaura geocodes to the city level, so all fans in the Nashville metro area (including suburbs like Franklin, Brentwood, and Murfreesboro) may cluster under the “Nashville” pin depending on how specific their location data is.What’s Next
- Fan Lists — Turn geographic insights into targeted segments
- Fan Directory — View and filter your full fan table
- Blasts — Send messages to geographic fan lists