08-20-2008, 05:00 PM
Found this over at Boogie and thought it to be VERY interesting.It makes a pile of sense to me and I don't know anything about the music business.Enjoy
Virtual fan connections on rise
Artists logging onto networking sites to get their music out
MIKE SNIDER • USA TODAY • MARCH 27, 2008
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Musical heavyweights such as 50 Cent and R.E.M. can't get by with just a MySpace page and a Web site any more.
They need a virtual fan connection.
Almost daily, the rapper sends new videos through his Kyte.tv channel to his own Thisis50.com site and to thousands of personal sites where listeners have embedded Kyte's player. Recent dispatches have included new videos with G-Unit and diatribes against rival Fat Joe.
R.E.M. this week lets fans listen to the new album, Accelerate, on the iLike social network a week before it goes on sale.
"We hope it will get a lot of exposure, and people will recommend it to their friends, and hopefully some of them will go out and buy the record as well," says band manager Bertis Downs.
For artists and labels, building word of mouth about an album or tour is paramount. They're tapping into the growing music-based social networking scene to spread the word. Magazine covers and TV and radio interviews don't carry the weight of the Web, and as features evolve, R.E.M.'s Web site and MySpace page were not enough, Downs says.
Since its beginnings in summer 2006 as a social network for finding and recommending music, iLike.com has grown to 23 million members, says CEO Ali Partovi.
As the community grew, iLike added features for artists to post videos and news. Meanwhile, Partovi began approaching artists and labels about providing content to iLike.
One mid-November discussion Partovi had with Bono turned into a video interview in which the U2 frontman sang a just-finished song, "Wave of Sorrow."
Once posted, it was viewed and forwarded by more than 1 million within a week. Then Keith Urban signed on to post weekly videos and to offer tour ticket presales and fan events.
"The Internet basically empowers consumers to get exactly what they want and artists to put out exactly what they want," Partovi says.
Social networks' clout is growing within the industry. In May, CBS purchased music recommendation site Last.fm. In July, Warner Music cemented a relationship with community Imeem after suing the site for letting users illegally share music.
R&B singer Raheem DeVaughn seemed a perfect talent to exploit Kyte's video network, says Dave Bell of Sony-owned Jive Records.
"He's a genuine person, and he's not shy," Bell says.
Using a cell phone, DeVaughn sent videos to his Kyte.tv channel from last month's Grammys — his song "Woman" was nominated for best R&B single — and from his current tour with Jill Scott.
"This is so user-friendly, and as an artist you can invite somebody into your world with a snap of the finger," DeVaughn says.
Virtual fan connections on rise
Artists logging onto networking sites to get their music out
MIKE SNIDER • USA TODAY • MARCH 27, 2008
Post a Comment Recommend Print this page E-mail this article
SHARE THIS ARTICLE: Del.icio.us Facebook Digg Reddit Newsvine What’s this?
Musical heavyweights such as 50 Cent and R.E.M. can't get by with just a MySpace page and a Web site any more.
They need a virtual fan connection.
Almost daily, the rapper sends new videos through his Kyte.tv channel to his own Thisis50.com site and to thousands of personal sites where listeners have embedded Kyte's player. Recent dispatches have included new videos with G-Unit and diatribes against rival Fat Joe.
R.E.M. this week lets fans listen to the new album, Accelerate, on the iLike social network a week before it goes on sale.
"We hope it will get a lot of exposure, and people will recommend it to their friends, and hopefully some of them will go out and buy the record as well," says band manager Bertis Downs.
For artists and labels, building word of mouth about an album or tour is paramount. They're tapping into the growing music-based social networking scene to spread the word. Magazine covers and TV and radio interviews don't carry the weight of the Web, and as features evolve, R.E.M.'s Web site and MySpace page were not enough, Downs says.
Since its beginnings in summer 2006 as a social network for finding and recommending music, iLike.com has grown to 23 million members, says CEO Ali Partovi.
As the community grew, iLike added features for artists to post videos and news. Meanwhile, Partovi began approaching artists and labels about providing content to iLike.
One mid-November discussion Partovi had with Bono turned into a video interview in which the U2 frontman sang a just-finished song, "Wave of Sorrow."
Once posted, it was viewed and forwarded by more than 1 million within a week. Then Keith Urban signed on to post weekly videos and to offer tour ticket presales and fan events.
"The Internet basically empowers consumers to get exactly what they want and artists to put out exactly what they want," Partovi says.
Social networks' clout is growing within the industry. In May, CBS purchased music recommendation site Last.fm. In July, Warner Music cemented a relationship with community Imeem after suing the site for letting users illegally share music.
R&B singer Raheem DeVaughn seemed a perfect talent to exploit Kyte's video network, says Dave Bell of Sony-owned Jive Records.
"He's a genuine person, and he's not shy," Bell says.
Using a cell phone, DeVaughn sent videos to his Kyte.tv channel from last month's Grammys — his song "Woman" was nominated for best R&B single — and from his current tour with Jill Scott.
"This is so user-friendly, and as an artist you can invite somebody into your world with a snap of the finger," DeVaughn says.