Social Networks Make Friends out of Followers

Revised from 9/15
Sydney Slotkin

ATHENS, Ga. - Social networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter are increasing in popularity with musicians looking for a free and easy way to promote themselves. Twitter updates provide up-to-the-minute information about performances and Tumblr, a blogging community, allows fans to get a more intimate view of the lives of their favorite musicians via pictures and personal updates. Musicians can be personalities made accessible by the hyper-interaction of social networking sites.

Allison Weiss of Athens, Ga. uses more than ten social networking sites and music-sharing websites to promote herself as a solo musician. She maintains lively Twitter and Tumblr accounts that fans can follow and stay updated on her album releases as well as her personal experiences.

“[Social networks] are great tools because they allow me to directly interact with fans of my music,” said Weiss. “I think of myself as more than just music. I’m kind of my own brand.”

With over 2,000 followers on Twitter and Tumblr, Weiss says that her presence on the Internet is the main reason why she has acquired so many fans.

“If it weren't for MySpace and YouTube and Twitter and all that, nobody would know who I am,” said Weiss. “”I recently went to Los Angeles and played a show in a coffee shop, and there were probably 30-40 people there, even though it was my first time. I consider that a pretty awesome turnout. The majority of them said they had found me on social networking sites.”

Gerry Green, a solo performer from San Diego, Ca. plays about one show a month in Athens and makes a Facebook event for each formal show.

“I always see people who were confirmed on the event at my show,” said Green. “It doesn’t take much work and it’s an easy way to get people versus word of mouth.”

With relatively easy access to their fan bases, musicians can engage in a more give-and-take relationship with their fans, creating a more personalized experience for both listener and musician.

“I format my promotion efforts based on what I see people saying and doing. For instance, instead of just hoping people will like a t-shirt, I can ask them directly,” said Weiss.

Julian Dorio, drummer for Athens, Ga. band The Whigs favors posting music to MySpace because of the ease with which listeners can try out music before purchasing.

“For better or worse, it gives everyone a chance to be heard. Whether you are the biggest band in the world or completely unknown, you can have a Myspace page for people to listen to decide themselves,” said Dorio.

Recently, Weiss joined Livestream.com, a website similar to Youtube, but with the capacity to stream live content to viewers.

“A couple weekends ago I did a marathon show where I played for 4.5 hours, and I had about 150 people watching it the whole time,” said Weiss. “It was amazing. There were people from the UK, Australia, Germany... all over the place, really.”

Becoming “friends” with a musician on a social networking site may not be just a misnomer for being a fan.

“It's kind of mind blowing to know that I've got fans across the globe, and it's only because I'm really good at the internet," said Weiss. “Well, I mean, I guess they like my music too. Hah.”

Editor: Patrick Hooper