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I usually stray away from interviews because I’m most often asked to divulge information about artists and labels I’m working with or they ask for specific details about projects I’m involved with.
I obviously can’t discuss that type of information, but when Cyber PR Urban reached out to me about discussing social media and how artists today can use social networks to their benefit, I happily agreed.
Here’s an excerpt from our discussion:
With the music industry shift into the digital world, what would be the best advice to give an artist looking to start a social networking strategy?
I’d suggest for artists to first figure out what their goals are. A lot of people (artists, DJs, producers, managers, labels, etc) jump into things without first understanding the medium, the purpose or even themselves.
What I mean by that is; what do you wish to achieve by starting an online strategy? Do you want to sell music, concert tickets, merchandise, or are you just focused on raising your brand awareness at the moment?
Most people will say they want to do it all, and that’s fine, but you need to have a strategy.
One of the most useful pieces of advice I can offer anyone is to draw it out. Go get a big whiteboard and write down each of your goals on the board in a circle. Then figure out if there’s a way of connecting each of those goals to one another. You’re basically playing “connect the dots”. If there is something on the board that cannot be connected to anything else, then you either have to find a way to make it connect, or push it to the side for the time being. What this does is it allows you to understand your overall strategy and how each of your goals interacts with one another.
Too many people try to do too much at the same time but never figure out how to take full advantage or make the most use of all their avenues. How many times do we see startup record labels that also claim to have a fashion line, a sports agency, an energy drink and 18 other products or services? These people don’t have a strategy. They have a bunch of dots on the whiteboard that don’t connect. Connect your dots – that’s the first step in creating a real strategy; for your brand and for your career.
Once you have this in place, then coordinate how you will execute each phase of your promotional plan. If you have a team of multiple people helping to update all of your sites and networks, then make sure you’re all in sync with one another. There’s nothing worse than an artist whose MySpace page conflicts with information on their website and their Facebook group.
First coordinate then execute. If you don’t handle yourself like a professional, nobody will take you seriously and you’ll be left complaining about how hard it is to break into the industry with the rest of the procrastinators and unorganized artists.
What benefits have you received as a music industry professional by starting a blog?
I’d definitely say exposure. When you work behind-the-scenes, it’s your job to put others in the spotlight, but that doesn’t necessarily put your name out there unless you make a point to do so yourself. The problem is, a lot of people who attempt to put their names out there, do so in a very pretentious way. I call those people Diddy 2.0s. They suffer from the same complex as many confused artists who watch too much TV and don’t realize that there’s so much more to it. They see people like Diddy or Jay-Z who are making major business moves, and then fantasize about doing the same without first realizing just how much work goes into it.
For me, starting a blog was my way of putting my name out there without doing so in a pretentious way. If you read my blog, you’ll notice I don’t really discuss what projects I’m working on or whom I affiliate with that much. Once in a while, of course; but I generally only mention names when relevant. I prefer keep the subject focused on issues and opinions. My blog is about sharing information. Someone might learn something on my blog, and I also learn a lot from my readers. I’ve been very surprised to find out who reads my blog, but just through the comments, emails and channels like Twitter, I’m able to interact with others and converse casually. So we all learn from each other. I’d rather do that and have my name associated with being a source of information through my blog, rather than participate in the circus of Diddy 2.0s who just want attention.
Also, being in Montreal, Canada, the blog has helped expand my reach. A lot of my clients are US-based and I make it a point to reach out to different cities and go to conferences, events, etc to network, but I only have so much budget and time. The blog helps me keep my presence relevant at all times and helps me connect with people in cities I’ve yet to visit.
Even when I’m sitting on my couch at home in Montreal eating dinner & watching a movie – my blog is actively working on spreading my name and turning the handle on the doors I plan to open.
Click here to read the rest of the interview discussing the top 5 social networks for artists, why I started MakingTheMogul.com & why bloggers are the new A&R
I’d like to know what you think. What do you agree with? What do you disagree with?
Leave a comment below and let me know.
**UPDATE: In the comments section below, xplosive made a great point and asked why I stated that bloggers are the new A&R when I didn’t quite make the case for it during this interview. I’ve responded to this below.
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{ 12 comments… read them below or add one }
Nice interview and nice post. You need to hit me up so I can put you on friendfeed. It combines all what you are doing and hits a large audience. Good work.
Very informative, puts my thoughts on the subject into words.
Great information!! Thanks
GOOD STUFF,VERY NECESSARY
true stuff fam!
LMFAO @ “Diddy 2.0s”. Lol. I couldn’t agree more! Good read, thanks.
I respect what you said, but am confused how you drew the conclusion “Bloggers are the new A&R.” In the paragraph above that you’re talking about bloggers getting exclusives from labels, but there was no mention of blogs influencing the A&R divisions at those labels. I think right now the labels take advantage of a lot of bloggers by giving them these records, telling them to post them up and then having no control over the situation if the RIAA decides they don’t like what they see.
Moe,
Very interesting article. Like the way you simplified the process a bit and drew upon the necessity to research and jot down goals. That’s the first mistake a lot of aspiring artist make. One can not be aspiring to do anything if they have not plan, plotted, and strategically laid out their path to success. The internet has a huge impact on an artist or presidential candidate (Go Obama!)…It’s proven. I can now solicit funds for charity via Twitter now. It’s bananas. Thanks for the inspiration again. Much success in your endeavors.
Peace,
MarcusFromPhilly AKA MrMarcusX
Great post here Moe….I’m a committed reader to your site now.
Thanks for your comments everyone! It was the first time I agreed to do something of this sort, so your positive feedback is reassuring. Definitely check out Cyber PR Urban. They have a great newsletter that always covers topics of this sort. Great resource!
@xplosive – You’re absolutely right, I should’ve gone into more detail with that point. What I wanted to say is not only are bloggers the tastemakers of what’s hot in music, but they’re also major gatekeepers who can influence what gets pushed and what gets shelved at labels.
The feedback of bloggers and their commenters are gaining more weight when it comes to release schedules, and the transition to an A&R role seems inevitable at this point; much like how labels have turned to DJs for A&R. DJs are an outlet for labels, but as you gain popularity as an outlet, your opinion gains more power. That power is something that labels and nearly any other business thirst for. You end up converting your promotional outlet into something that can control what’s being created, thus promoting something you truly believe in and that your audience is more likely to accept and support. The bigger your audience, the bigger your influence on what’s hot & what sells.
That’s essentially the point I wanted to make, but looking back at it, you are absolutely right; I should have stressed that more. I didn’t want to babble too much for that interview as I felt I might have been already, so I guess I skipped over that. But that’s the great thing about the net; I can easily append to my point like I did here.
Thanks for pointing that out! Much appreciated.
Great insight. Geographically speaking, how important is it for bloggers to rep their scene as well as the music that may be popping from scenes with more national exposure?