So it’s official, I am going to Cali. The Urban Network is putting me on the “Digital New Media – Penetrating the Social Networks” panel.
As I look at the list of my fellow panelists, I see nothing but representatives from social media platforms (MySpace, Ning, Beta Records), and it’s ok. After all, it is a social media panel. I do, however, think that there is much more to social media than just the “tools”. The creation of sites such as Ning, Twitter, Facebook and others enable anyone to create their network of friends, customers and fans. And while everyone is jumping on the social bandwagon, not too many people trully understand what they are getting into. I mean, it’s easy to setup a free account on Facebook and start acquiring friends. It’s easy to follow everyone on Twitter. But it’s hard to form personal and genuine relationships with your core fan base.
I lied (somewhat). This post is not about social marketing, it’s about what you do before you start the actual marketing (or more precisely – using the tools). As I see it, there are two main reasons of why musicians don’t succeed in effectively using social media. One is, they don’t do it long enough. They try it out, it doesn’t work well (at least immediately) and they quickly try something else – different tactics, different tools. And two (and this is the most important), they don’t have the right foundation. In one of his recent books, Meatball Sundae, Seth Godin talks about how you need the right sort of company (one that is calibrated for social marketing) to effectively utilize social media. Well, not only do you need a social media ready company, but you also need to be someone who is trully exceptional. And this is what I want to talk about today.
First off, I don’t know much about urban music. In fact, the last time I listened to rap was when I was 17 years old and had 2Pac playing on my Walkman. This doesn’t matter. Music business, whether urban or alternative is still a business. And an artist (rapper, rocker, or tenor) is still an employee of they system, no matter how free-spirited he is.
A business can not survive without its customers. Artist’s customers are his fans.
In order for you to stay in business for a long time, you have to be honest, caring, and authentic. Same goes for the music industry. Be real, care about your fans (not just yourself), and provide an experience – on stage and off (don’t just sell tracks).
While we’re at it, let’s establish a few more things.
Your business is a brand. An artist is a brand. Your fans (true and loyal fans) don’t care about the tracks, they care about you and how believing in you makes them feel.
The place we go to for lunch (Eggshell Cafe in Deerfield, IL) is a medium sized diner not far from our office. The food is great and soccer is regular TV programming. We’re there at least twice a week, hence we know the owner pretty well. Just the other day, he purchased a new Mercedes CLK and spent the entire lunch hour talking about it and showing us videos of it on one of his large screen TVs. Talk about brand loyalty.
Same with you (artist or band). Your fans talk about you, they buy your t-shirts, they even get tattoos of your symbols.
When you go out drinking, what do you get? Why? Is it because you like the taste or because you like to associate yourself with a specific brand? Ok, I’m sure you a sophisticated connoisseur and you actually like Francis Coppola Director’s Cut Chardonnay. But most people out there do it on impulse. Their brain is on autopilot and when they order a drink, they remember that Blue Label ad they saw in the Robb Report.
Same goes for music. A brand of a musician (or a band) stands for something. And your fans like it specifically for that reason.
Moving right along.
Many musicians think (and I witnessed this at the last year’s Urban Network Summit) that all they need to do to “make it” is release a hit. Just one song, played over and over on radio stations and on MTV will make them rich and famous. Far from it. Historically, the best and the most known people in the music industry have been the ones that constantly released (and still release) good music. Think Madonna or the Rolling Stones.
I like Armani Exchange. Had I liked them if they only made one type of shirt? I don’ know, but lucky for me (or I guess, them) all of their clothes are made with style and quality and every season they come out with something new and different (and outstanding).
Reminds me of a saying I read, “greatness isn’t just talent, it’s talent applied consistently.”
The next part is probably the most important.
Each brand needs a story and the story has to be true. On top of true, it has to be authentic. If you are from Alaska, you better not be singing gangster rap (although in this case, there might me a niche market for you out there).There are too many Jay-Z wanabees out there for each of them to be noticed. Just as there are too many teen-pop-queens. BE DIFFERENT.
At the last Urban Network Summit, I was lucky enough to be at the Ruthless Records 20th Anniversary luncheon where they presented their upcomming artists. This guy is the only one I remember, and talk about (and I don’t even listen to rap).
A similar story, I’m Russian (funny how we were Jews in Russian and becasse Russian when we came to US) and I somewhat follow Russian entertainment media. A few years back a new artist appeared. He’s white, he’s from Belarus and he sings gangster rap. His music can be heard on millions of cell phone ringtones all over the world. He was nominated for two MTV Russian Music Awards. And he’s on the soundtrack and trailer of the new Grand Theft Auto IV. By the way, Russia is one of the most profitable countries for touring and selling music. Are you wondering what’s going on? Well, how many Belorussian gangster rappers can you name? Precisely.
And finally, your music will not be for everyone, but it has to be for someone. Don’t try to water down the content or the style, just focus on being yourself (given that you are talented) and your fans will find you. After all, that’s what social media is about. You would much rather have one loyal fan, than 100 fake friends. Trust me.
Eddie
/ February 17, 2009Talk about brand loyalty. You know me, I wear Adidas, and has been a big fan of the brand going back lets say 10 years ago? Over the past few years, the quality of the clothes they make (specifically track suits) has worsened. What I mean by that, try washing it a few times, and see if it loses color or starts ripping, I threw out at least a dozen by now. So why do I still buy it? I like the look, I like the image and most of all it represents me as who I am. How? People that know me, when they see me, they always ask, “where is the adidas suit? come on Eddie, that’s not like you”. I think by now, I should have became an ambassador to the brand. Brand loyalty, it’s an interesting thing!