In the digital age, bombardment is a key word. When a band is forming, they are bombarded
with options for connecting with listeners around the world, and, when they embrace
the majority of those options, they bombard their contacts with information about
their band. As Peter Parker says, “With
power comes great responsibility,” and new emerging bands should learn to use
their newfound options in a way that balances making their group known and pushing
away the very people they want to reach.
The way I find new music groups usually follows the
following pattern: I see a friend post a
Youtube video of a band’s song on Facebook and I like the song, so I’ll check
out their Youtube page. Then I’ll like
them on Facebook to support them. The
first few posts I see, I’m interested in learning about what the group is
doing, but after a while, their posts from all sorts of different websites begin
to clog my News Feed and I get tired of hearing from them, so I unlike their
page.
In effect, the band shot themselves in the foot by
communicating too much; they lost a fan in their effort to gain more fans. Now, some true diehard fans might put up with
the inundation of postings from SoundCloud, Youtube, Instagram, and many other
websites, but a new fan still testing the waters might be put off by the space
it takes up on their News Feed, in their inbox, or on whatever medium they
registered with the band.
This same idea can be applied to how a new band distributes
their music. Someone who is still
discovering the band or isn’t a devoted fan yet may be nervous about investing
real money to listen to a new track to band puts out. I know personally, if the only way I was
going to hear a new song by a new band was to pay a dollar, my response would
be, “Welp, looks like I’m not listening to the song then..” There is an answer
for bands in this situation, however. On sites like Bandcamp.com, listeners can
Share a post about the band, tweet, or input an email address to earn an mp3 of
the new song. This system still allows the listener to give the band a tangible
currency, albeit exposure as opposed to cold hard cash. The band can still make money off of concerts
and album sales, but, in order to draw more people in, I think digital exposure
is the way to go.
One band that started off by trading for exposure is
Northern Lights, a country band based out of Indiana. I first heard about the
band by meeting the lead singer on an airplane, who happens to be 2008 Olympic
diver Thomas Finchum. We've stayed in
contact and I’ve watched his band grow over the last two years. They initially offered their tracks on their
website in exchange for a Facebook post, and now they’ve successfully made the
move to releasing songs on iTunes and are working on an album.
As with Northern Lights, this marketing strategy works. I wasn’t scared away from listening because I had to pay real money, and the band does not “blow up” my News Feed with posts about the band. They are the Goldilocks of how a music act should handle themselves digitally, not too overwhelming, not too quiet, but just right.
“Welp” looks like I agree with Stephen. It is all about marketing in the digital age, how you can market your music through social network and still make money. I know I would not want to pay for new music that I have never heard before. However I believe if you subscribe to the bands webpage or email list you should get access to exclusive or free music for download. Traffic = Money, when you generate traffic through social media the artist makes money. I like the fact that you introduced me to a new artist somehow you and the lead singer met and you have been in contact ever since. THIS IS WHAT ARTIST NEED TO DO THEY NEED TO CONECT TO THEIR ON A PERSONAL LEVEL. Artist need to show their fans that they are human, many do this on INSTAGRAM. They post pictures of vacations and just hanging around the house that is what we do. The most important thing I would do to promote my music and make money as an artist is to do appearances.
ReplyDeleteI’m afraid I’m going to have to disagree with Stephen. I agree that some artists and bands may have to market themselves excessively on various social media sites, but it is their only means of surviving in an industry that is controlled by only four major record labels. Even popular bands struggle to even eat on the road. An article in the Alternative Press shows the hardships of various signed bands such as Haste The Day, who had to live off of peanut butter and jelly sandwiches as they toured. These artists have to put themselves out to the public as much as possible because independent labels cannot afford to market their bands on a larger stage. Fans are able to hide the slew of messages if they don’t prefer certain posts by bands. But you are only hurting them because, in most cases, bands with higher “likes” on social media sites have a better chance to headline tours and get more exposure. I think new means of advertising and fan interaction is needed in-line with social media activity for smaller artists to grow. An article by Music Coaching says bands with “experimental marketing” alongside of updated social media sites have the edge in creating this emotional connection. But I ask the question: will unique bands eventually start to fade away if surviving as a band becomes increasingly harder?
ReplyDeletehttp://www.altpress.com/features/entry/no_money_mo_problems/
http://musiciancoaching.com/executive-interviews/music-marketing-marc/
Very well put! I completely agree and have had the same thoughts on some bands that I follow via social networks. I am much more interested in a post about a band I follow on twitter or like on Facebook if they post meaningful things occasionally rather than loads of information that I am less interested in. I also am less likely to listen to new music that I have to pay for based on the sole fact that I am unfamiliar with it and it could possibly be a waste of my money. So finding a way to network via social networking and digitally is very smart with today's time and age. Although finding ways to do it to make a profit but not turn people away with costs and prices is a hard task to accomplish. By networking and reaching out to fans personally, just as you had with the experience on the plane, the band is more likely to start developing a devoted, loyal fan base which is where their revenue will come from, and then hopefully that fan base will spread and profits will increase.
ReplyDeleteI have also met a band on a personal level such as you had, but i met them through family friends. They started over posting videos on YouTube and due to the about of views their videos received, their internet video days turning into a record deal. I now follow the band, Say Chance, on twitter and like them on Facebook. They are from the Towson, Maryland area and have done fantastic job networking through schools in the area, using social media to a certain extent, utilizing resources in the area, and performing at any chance they had at any venue they could. Many of their first opening acts were done for little charge for free and now they are making a steady profit on iTunes and opening for big name artist up and down the east coast. I feel that they are proof that using the advantages of the digital age and catering to the publics needs is beneficial in the long run. Due to their smart social networking I am up-to-date on all of their performances and whereabouts but am not turned away since they use their networking skills the perfect amount.
http://saychancemusic.com
@SayChanceMusic