Professional Training Webinar Course

ONLINE PROMOTION & MARKETINGInstructor: Jay Moonah

Webinar #2 Social Tools for Music

SuccessWhat's going on here? I'm

so bulgy.

First of all…

• … any questions from last session?

???

What is “Social Media”?

• Synonymous with “Web 2.0”• Any web technology that allows interaction

between people could be considered social media

• Can be thought of in two main categories:– Social Networks: 3rd party sites such as

Myspace, Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, Flickr, etc.

– User created/maintained: blogs, podcasts, forums

Myspace – Does it still matter?

• YES!– Myspace is a “noisy” place but still has

importance for music artists– Still has a great deal of traffic– Still has extremely easy to use tools for

creating a useful web presence– Even if you don’t have a huge friend list, it can

still be a useful tool• BUT it’s no longer the only game in town…

Myspace – The Good

• Some bands have had amazing success using myspace

• Super-easy to set-up initially, just about anyone can do it

• Still has BIG user numbers even though it has lost ground to Facebook and others

Myspace – The Bad

• Adding friends and other activities time consuming

• Site is often slow or down

• Just ‘cus you have 6000 “friends” doesn’t mean they really like you!

Myspace – The Ugly

• ‘Nuff said

Facebook

• Profiles are based on your personal identity, but you can set-up a “page” as a fan club profile

• Events are generally easier to set-up and promote than Myspace

Favourite Music in Facebook

• Add yourself to your “Favourite Music” on Facebook

• Encourage others to do the same

Myspace vs. Facebook

• Myspace is better IF you want an extremely easy-to-setup profile that will be easily found by Google– Also, if you’ve already put a bunch of time into it!

• Facebook is better IF your focus is on creating events and connecting to people you know in “real-life” – they are ordinarily much easier to find on FB

• If you have the time & energy, do both!

Media Sites

• YouTube– For many, YouTube is the new Napster

– Look at options such as http://animoto.com/ as ways to create videos simply

• Flickr– A great place to share photos (along with Facebook)

– Tag them with your band name, let fans and others know they are there

Twitter

• Interesting, but still frankly pretty nerdy

• Can be used to provide real-time updates from events via mobile

Creating an Artist Blog

• A great way to connect with fans

• Regular, shorter entries better than occasional long ones

• Entries from band members preferable to managers, roadies, etc.– but having BOTH is great!

• Try to integrate with existing site rather than a separate site

Review Blogs & Sites

• Find ones that are appropriate to the bands you are working with

• ALWAYS take reviews and comments with a grain of salt

What’s a Podcast?Blog

(with RSS feed)+

MP3s (or other media file)

=Podcast!

A rough translation from the original Geek:An audio feed anyone can subscribe to through iTunes or other software that downloads each new episode automatically when comes out

Get on Podcasts!

• Get music on the Podsafe Music Network– music.podshow.com

• Like review blogs, look for ones that are appropriate– Check out

podcastpickle.com

• Dave Jackson’s free guide at promotingwithpodcasting.com

Creating your own podcast?

• Great, BUT:– It’s lots of work– It does require some technical knowledge,

especially to set-up at first– It’s not for everyone

• Bands or labels could join together and share the effort

Internet Radio

• Different than podcast because it usually a live stream as opposed to a download

• Live365.com probably the best known site

• Like podcasts, best bet is to find stations that play your style and promote to them directly

Also..• Look for online communities that support

the kind of music you are promoting

• Look for local sites with community forums

• Find out where the fans of the genre hang out online, make yourself part of the community

Live from Your Basement!

• Virtual concerts from anywhere via streaming audio, video or even virtual worlds such as Second Life

• Advanced stuff, but could be the wave of the future…

Final Thoughts• Be selective &

understand what you’re doing!– Work on the things

that make sense for the kind of music you’re promoting and your skills

– Don’t bite off more than you can chew!

Lisa: Wow, Dad, you're surfing like a pro!Homer: Oh, yeah! I'm betting on Jai-alai in the Cayman Islands, I invested in something called "News Corp"...Lisa: Dad, that's Fox!Homer: Aaah! Undo! Undo!

Thanks!

Questions?