Tips on Social Networking for musicians & bands
I am not a social media expert. I actually hate that term. It's bogus & self-created & anyone can claim to be one. I do have a degree in PR and am a member of several social networks and have some insights on how to help bands & musicians best utilize these sites to promote their music.
MySpace
I don't care if Facebook is #1, MySpace is still a great site for bands to promote themselves. Anyone can visit your myspace page and listen to full-length songs, read your blogs and bios, add your banners to their pages and see how popular you are. I have almost 800 MySpace friends, 99% are bands. While I only check out MySpace occasionally I do use it to keep up with all my friends.
Facebook
Here's something I don't like about Facebook. A band should not just have a fan page. Just like MySpace, you can and should have a personal page where your fans can be friends with you. It's much more interactive and you'll show up in their friend feeds. Jill Sobule and Ben Kweller are 2 of my Facebook friends and they really have a nice rapport with their fans. Jill's CD California Years was completely fan-funded and she has contests on Facebook for free downloads. It's important to be accessible.
Twitter
Every band should have a twitter page. It's another great way to announce gigs and offer free downloads and keep in touch with your fans. It's so low maintenance and it's the newest social networking site and has a ton of potential.
Digg
I recently joined Digg and it's another great way to promote your music. You can encourage your fans to Digg your music videos. That's just another great tool & way to gain new fans.
Thanks for reading! I hope these tips were helpful. Please comment if you think I've missed something or have additional advice to share.
MySpace
I don't care if Facebook is #1, MySpace is still a great site for bands to promote themselves. Anyone can visit your myspace page and listen to full-length songs, read your blogs and bios, add your banners to their pages and see how popular you are. I have almost 800 MySpace friends, 99% are bands. While I only check out MySpace occasionally I do use it to keep up with all my friends.
Here's something I don't like about Facebook. A band should not just have a fan page. Just like MySpace, you can and should have a personal page where your fans can be friends with you. It's much more interactive and you'll show up in their friend feeds. Jill Sobule and Ben Kweller are 2 of my Facebook friends and they really have a nice rapport with their fans. Jill's CD California Years was completely fan-funded and she has contests on Facebook for free downloads. It's important to be accessible.
Every band should have a twitter page. It's another great way to announce gigs and offer free downloads and keep in touch with your fans. It's so low maintenance and it's the newest social networking site and has a ton of potential.
Digg
I recently joined Digg and it's another great way to promote your music. You can encourage your fans to Digg your music videos. That's just another great tool & way to gain new fans.
Thanks for reading! I hope these tips were helpful. Please comment if you think I've missed something or have additional advice to share.
Posted by Jill Pallack at 6/16/2009 5:51 AM 
Categories: music
Tags: facebook public relations friends twitter digg myspace fans
Categories: music
Tags: facebook public relations friends twitter digg myspace fans
Great tips, Jill! I'd also add YouTube to the list. For bands and musicians who are not yet well known, posting on YouTube is one way to really get yourself out there--especially to a non-US audience. Behold the power of the Re-Tweet!
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Yes, Famin, I forgot to mention YouTube. A lot of the bands I'm going to write about are not from the U.S. and you're right about its worldwide presence. Bands should always have their own page their where their fans can subscribe to their videos. I can't tell you how much time I've spent looking up videos on bands I like - it really is fun! Thanks so much for your comment!
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very informative - I never thought to promote on digg.com - imma join and tag my music sites
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Purple Chrome - may sure you don't post your own stuff. Digg looks negatively up that - someone else has to submit your video or site, for example.
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