Hi everyone.  So as I mentioned before, I moderated a panel at SXSW 2010, called “Too Much Information – Is Interacting Killing Rockstar Mystique?”
The goal was to have an open conversation about the strategies and various ways that artists are using social networking tools, and how it affects their fanbase, and their perceptions.  Is there such a thing as too much sharing?
The panel ended up being a ton of fun, and I think we had …

On Dec. 9 of last year, the free (ad-supported) live-streaming site UStream.tv released a live video-broadcasting app for iPhone.  I’m sure the data-charges for using it could potentially get really out of hand if you used it over your 3G network, but if you’re within range of a free wifi network there are some really interesting things you could do with this.

broadcast live from backstage before a show, interact with the fans in the audience, …

A friend sent me the link to check out culturejam.com – after poking around on the site for a bit, it seems like they’re doing some interesting work in the twitter-world, with a specific eye toward music marketing.  One of the main things they seem to be doing is providing a twitter-app, that will back-end a download function.  Most of the examples they provide on the site seem to live on a sub-domain of the …

Myspace, Twitter, Facebook, LastFM, buzznet, Bebo, Xanga, Hi5, Youtube, Reverbnation, iLike, imeem, orkut, and the list goes on… there is seemingly a TON of different social networks that a band could potentially have a presence on.  The problem is, each one then requires updating and managing… which can become very time consuming.  The other problem is that these social networks seem to pop up all the time, there’s always new ones around the bend, and …

Don’t freak out… this post isn’t meant to make you more paranoid, it’s meant to try making you see the promotional potential in everything you do. Keep that in mind as you read the next bit, and if you’ve ever read any Seth Godin blogs or books, the themes in this post may be familiar to you, but hey… if you’re in a band and you’re reading Seth Godin, then you’re on the right …

When it comes to interacting with your fans and friends, and sharing information with them online, keep the subject heading of this post in mind.
Social networking is extremely useful for showcasing your personality, or posting “slice-of-life” information that’s designed to give readers/viewers/listeners an inside perspective into what you’re all about… They want to know who you are, and they want to be interested in you, so give them the information that’s going to be interesting …

There are a lot of bands registering for Twitter these days, and while the subject of this post is not specific to Twitter, it certainly was inspired by what I’ve seen a lot of while spending time using the service.  I know I’ve touched on this topic briefly in one of my previous posts, but I feel this particular behaviour needed a post of it’s own.  The behaviour I’m talking about, is “broadcasting.”  This is …

Back in February I published an article, “Building Fan-Band Relationships In 420 Characters Per Day” that put forward some tips on how bands could take better advantage of the Twitter platform, and utilize it to more effectively communicate with their fans.
Since then, I have seen a large growth in the number of bands who are using Twitter, and have seen many examples of good practices and some examples of not-so-good practices, some of which I’d …

Ping.fm calls itself “a simple service that makes updating your social networks a snap.”  It’s currently in beta mode, which means it ’s free to sign up, and try it out.
Post a message to the Ping.fm service, and Ping then takes that message and distributes it out to all your social networking sites for you… so you only have to send it once.
You tell Ping.fm which social-networks you belong to (they support probably every one …

There’s a lot of talk these days about community-building, and many look to that as a modern strategy for spreading a band’s music.  While I do believe that it is a great strategy, many bands tend to overthink or underthink this strategy – some are too selfish, and for some reason it seems all natural behaviour of interaction and human nature can go out the window when it comes to promoting a band.
To build a …