Tag Archive for: indie music

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Photo by yisk on Flickr

Here are a few ideas for making the most out of HootSuite and managing social media as a band.  If you are going “DIY” on your promotional campaign, things like pre-scheduling important tweets in advance of hitting the road can be a big help.

The music industry has changed so much in the past decade, and now bands, musicians, promoters, and record labels have the ability to do their own promotions online. With the myriad of social media tools available for bands, it’s not easy to get started. Luckily, HootSuite offers a complete solution that allows bands to take social media into their own hands. This blog post will share a series of insider tips and tricks for bands in the music industry, and will show you how easy it is to use HootSuite to get the most out of your social media efforts.

1) Make a List. Make a List. Rinse, and Repeat

Bevis-1Twitter lists are your friend. Use them strategically and frequently. Whenever you have an interaction with someone over Twitter, add them to your “fans” list. Follow this list closely from within your Dashboard, and tweet your fans when you’re in their town. Let them know you have a show, and that you’d love to see them there. This simple move allows you to take something as simple as a tweet, and turn it into a ticket sale, and as a bonus, you start to cultivate a meaningful relationship with your fans.

If you find that your fans list is growing significantly (good job!) then create a fans list for each of the major cities that you visit. Filter this list by Klout score, and see which of your fans in that area have the most reach. Cozy up to these people and offer them a spot on your guest list, or schedule an in-person meet up. All of a sudden, you have a brand ambassador.

These influencers are invaluable: they’ll spread the word about your amazing live show, they’ll come back next time you’re in town, and if you play your cards right, they might even bring people with them.

Read the full story at HypeBot.com

Alex Day has proudly made his way in the music industry without the support of a major label by building his fanbase online.  Here he recounts a hilarious meeting with an A&R person and why he left the meeting unsatisfied.

He doesn’t tour either and doesn’t see the need to:

Typically I make around £3500 a month from YouTube (I’m on a network so they can sell the ad space higher) and at least £10,000 a month from music and merch sales. I’ve also done other projects – I co-created a card game with my cousin which we sell online, I have a business called Lifescouts I launched this year – which add a bit of extra cash to the pot also.

Read a full case study at TechDirt.com

The Atlantic published this awesome map, which plots the geographical origins of indie bands who played at SXSW last week.  The data is not perfect in the sense that it does not include unofficial showcases but it puts Austin in the lead, trailed by New York and Los Angeles.  Nashville and London just about tie for fourth place.

SXSW reflects the dual geographies of independent music. On the one hand, large well-established music scenes and centers like New York, L.A., London, and Nashville have the most acts. On the other, smaller college towns do very well in musical acts on a per capita basis. These college towns have two things going for them: They are magnets for musical talent and have lots of young people who enjoy and support live music. These two factors underpin their flourishing music scenes which have given rise to critically acclaimed indie bands.

Map by MPI's Zara Matheson

Map by MPI’s Zara Matheson

See the full story and how this year’s data compares to 2012 at The Atlantic Cities