Artists who refuse to interact with fans online risk losing record deals. Image courtesy www.kchristieh.com.
I find it amazing that even today some artists think that once they are signed with a label, they no longer have any marketing or business responsibilities. This article from CNet about labels who won’t sign bands who refuse to use social networking to promote themselves and their music hits home for me.
I’ve worked with artists who think that once they have a publicist or marketer, they don’t have to lift a finger. It doesn’t work that way. If you want to make a living as an artist (as opposed to just writing and singing for your enjoyment in your basement), then you must think of yourself as a business that interacts with its consumers. Social networking has taken different forms throughout the ages, from fan mail to meet and greets, and today the primary method of building relationships with fans is through digital outlets like Facebook, Twitter, and MySpace. Sure, you can have a marketing department or publicist do some of the heavy lifting, but you can’t expect a representative to show up for you on all fronts. Fans want to hear from the artist, not just the PR lackeys.
I interviewed indie singer/songwriter Ingrid Michaelson (whom I love as you may have noticed from my Pandora station!) a few years ago for Electronic Musician Magazine. She used MySpace to help build her career. Today, she and her folk/pop contemporaries like Allie Moss, Bess Rogers, and others are successfully using blogging, Twitter, MySpace and other social media avenues to build a relationship with fans. You can read the article here.
In the end, it’s NOT just about the music. It never has been, despite what some artists think (see the comments in the article). Maintain a healthy balance of time spent marketing yourself and creating music–both are your job. Invest in your fans and building a relationship and dialogue with them. Fans who like your music, and you, are fans that stick around and support you. Just ask Lil Kim.
