February 14, 2013 25 Social Media Resources For Musicians
Social Media Resources For Musicians - At this point in time our society at large must have the “news” the instant it happens. With the evolution of social media this instant gratification is not only possible but prevalent. There are several forums available to the consumer at large the choice is all based on your wants, needs and who you are trying to reach.
You may be looking to use a particular type of medium to get your story across or perhaps you’d rather not be limited to 140 characters to say what you have to say. The social media phenomenon has had a profound effect on how businesses run. This change is most noticeable in the music industry where the record label role has drastically changed. They are no longer the middle man between the artists and their fans because the creation of music related social media sites enabled them to communicate directly.
Sites like Facebook, Twitter and MySpace bring people together, where sites like Spotify, LastFM and 8 tracks allow you to listen to your favorite band or artist free of charge.
Blog sites are considered to be another form of social media because they offer perspective on what others might be thinking about the topics you are interested in. Technology and social media have also altered they way in which music is created. You can now connect with others online and upload your tracks to a website where other artists can pair them with theirs and “tada” a song is made. Marketing is another area of focus in music social media which is why sites like Reverbnation, Fanbridge and Ourwave are popular.
If you think you have seen it all when it comes to social media, think again there are new and better forums on the horizon!
Connect With People
MySpace- Artists and or bands can link up with people in the industry or with people who love their music. This particular format allows the artist/band to post photos, upload their songs and keep all who are interested informed about upcoming shows.
Facebook- Whether you are a business, band or person Facebook has the formula to get you noticed. Fans can “like” their favorite band or artist which facilitates communication between the two whether it’s through messages or wall posts.
Twitter- You have 140 characters to tell the world what you’re about, what is on your mind or where your next show is going to be
Tumblr- Express yourself using your words, a picture, a video or your favorite quote
Twitmusic- An extension of Twitter specifically geared towards musical acts
MP3.com- discovering new music and bring people together who share an appreciation for this music
Connect To Music
Spotify- Personalize your page, create playlists, and decide whether you want to listen to the playlist you have created or choose from the playlists your friends have created
Last.fm- Expand your listening horizons when it comes to music, Last.fm will introduce you to an artist and recommend another 5+ artists in the same group that you might enjoy, review the artist or band via post or chat
MOG- Listen to music, organize your music and discuss how you feel about this music with other fans
8tracks- 8 tracks dares you to tell us what kind of mood you’re in using only 8 tracks.
Connect Using Other Mediums
YouTube- Share videos
SoundCloud- Share sounds
Instagram- Share pictures
Find Your Market
Reverbnation- A place where artists can communicate with other artists, talk with people in the industry and further their career using the tools provided.
OurStage- Share and promote music while networking with fans, other bands and people in the industry
OurWave- Each band and or artist gets their 15 minutes of fame with OurWave, they are able to use this site as a promotion tool by posting their music and announce upcoming shows
Fanbridge- Mailing list that connects bands with their fans and even offers them deals for being members
Artists.MTV- Want to know more about a specific artist? MTV has a database full of information, videos and pictures just waiting for you to view
Eventful- If you have an event, post it here and people will find you
Create Music
Kompoz- Team up with other musicians both on and offline
Dopetracks- Hip-Hop/Rap based forum where atrists can join forces musically
Write About It
Hypebot- Instant music “news” at your fingertips
SoSoActive- What’s hot in the digital age is what SoSo is all about
Hypem.com- All your music blogs in one convenient location
A New Band A Day- The title says it all
Resources:
http://mic.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/100-Social-Media-Resources-for-Musicians.pdf
http://mashable.com/2010/01/04/social-media-tools-bands/
http://www.techhive.com/article/2010615/music-social-networks-that-work.html
http://social-networking.findthebest.com/d/b/Music
http://top10listblog.blogspot.com/2009/07/top-ten-places-for-musicians-to-promote.html
http://www.flickr.com/photos/84372766@N05/7877083634/
Written by Sarah Oliver @SoSoActive
Reader Comments (9)
The social media is expanding like galaxies in the universe. Welcome to infinity in the music biz. There is so much to do as a musician/entrepreneur now with all these social media possibilities. It might feel overwhelming at times. I'm in one of those places now. I need a break. Every day something new pops up to try out. More change has happened to the music industry in the last 10 years than in the last 50 years and this accelerated pace is going to increase like all of technology. How fast can we go? remember folks in this music jungle called the music biz stay Healthy. Health is wealth. This is far more important than working your butt off to be famous and wealthy. good luck to you all, Mark
Another resource for musicians is CloudKillers. Artist receive real comments and likes on their tracks by making real comments on other's tracks.
www.cloudkillers.com/register.php?aff=22273
More is less and less is more in this universe - wide music -maze me thinks.
This is a great and very helpful article. I started 3 new (overlooked) services immediately upon reading it. Mark Punkus ^ - ^ you couldn't be more right..! The rat race is faster and more frenzied than it has ever been, and there are more options than any one person could possibly ever look at. The goal for some should be to pick a handful "core" services and focus on them, rather than spreading yourself out too thin. We're using a Google Docs spreadsheet to keep track of all of our various sites and service (up to 45 as of this posting). It really helps to know when we last posted to whichever site so we don't let any one site straggle behind. Hit us up if you'd like the list emailed to you.
Again, thanks Kelland, for putting this list together!
thanks everyone for actually taking the time to read the list. Although most of the information is already public knowledge, I thought it would be cool to compile a list of the most relevant social media sites for musicians. The last comprehensive list that I saw was a bit dated.
Kelly Barnard - I will def check out CloudKillers. If anyone can think of any more platforms, we will definitely make amends.
Regional Faction and Mark PInkus - thanks guys and you are absoultely right! focus, focus focus.
BTW using a Google Docs spreadsheet for tracking is awesome.
Kelland
Who has time to write songs and practice our instruments when we are soooo bogged down with all this online %^&*(!! Soo damn time consuming! Losing my mind! Fuckin' stupid! & Yet, very beneficial!
Joe of Elektrik Sunset
Prog Surf Punk
http://www.elektriksunset.com
Thank you so much for the comments!
Its crazy how many resources are available, but as Joe said it takes time and effort to keep up with them all.
But when you start seeing the benefits from your hard work, it seems to be worth it!
Good luck to you all!
What started as just myspace and a website has exploded to so many different social sites it's tough to chose which one. One of my favorites is Instagram and YouTube. I use hootsuite to post to my facebook, facebook page and twitter accounts all at once. Great program!
Also use IFTTT.com to push your updates to other sites.
In many countries only online presence is not going to help artists . What is required is a good mix of interent presence and also on ground opportunities. Also , when we talk about on ground opportunities focus starts getting narrower and many times it becomes country specific.
I have come across a new initiative www.songdew.com , it has many features which other sites have but the best thing is that it is providing on ground opportunities to perform to artists . I find the dashboard easy to use, and functionalities excellent. Worth a look !!