Musician turned IT Specialist, David Bolton says there is a difference between followers and fans, and that converting a follower of an artiste into a true fan takes a lot of work.

Speaking on the topic ‘Numbers do lie’ on Daybreak Hitz on Hitz FM, he confirmed that some artistes do subscribe to services that offer sales of fake music streaming numbers.

Others get fake followers, likes and comments on social media to build their brand, Mr Bolton added.

However, he believes it is not a brilliant idea because one would be required to repeat the act every time to match up the impression created. Meanwhile, in actuality, their output would be broadcast to a non-existing fan base.

David Bolton, who doubles as an IT Specialist explained that boosting a post on social media is different from buying likes and followers, as the former is a legal form of advertisement.

He also threw more light on why some artistes are unable to make revenue from their art, even though they might have the numbers on social media.

He said followers are different from true fans. “It’s very easy for me to tap twice on a photo of any artiste. But for me to actually convert from being just someone who likes your pictures to somebody who streams your music and then buy tickets to your concert, it takes a lot of work”.

David said there are processes involved in converting interested followers into true fans who would subscribe to and support one's merchandise or shows.

He mentioned that artistes have to go through marketing strategies to be able to have an impressive representation of their true fans in revenue making.