Social media catapults local music industry
As interactive media design students, we are only on the cusp of what is to come. We have seen and comprehended that social media isn’t just used for social communication. It is used for professional collaboration, in citizen review of services, branding and marketing, up-to-date news, and education. Of course, the list goes on. There are even industries out there which rely heavily if not entirely on social media. Take the Las Vegas band scene, for instance. One such band, Sin City Sinners, owes a large part of their success to social media. Sin City Sinners’ manager, Jason Green, granted an interview to Rebecca’s World to speak about the importance of social media in local music and in his budding company.
Jason Green and K-Fed
JASON : I googled “social media” to figure out what it was. I was a media major drop-out in college and it turns out I didn’t need to graduate. I know all about this stuff.
REBECCA: Don’t worry. I just figured it out, too. I don’t even know why I’m trying to finish school.
JASON: Does that mean this interview is over?
REBECCA: Absolutely not! Let’s get to it. As a manager for a local band, how important is the use of social media for promotion?
JASON: The band I manage, Sin City Sinners, was basically built through Myspace and it is still our number one method of promotion. It is a great way to target an audience. Many fans come to shows because they read a Myspace bulletin or blog. Youtube and Twitter have also been very useful for promotion.Youtube is good if you have a good product, because everyone can actually see your band. If the band is just all hype people will figure it out and not bother going to the shows.
REBECCA: When did you begin using social media for the purpose of promotion?
JASON: Two years ago and I would say that was getting onboard late. But, as soon as we started, we just took off.
REBECCA: Which tools do you use to network the band? Is word of mouth as important as it used
to be?
JASON: We find Myspace and Reverbnation.com to be the most useful, in addition to press releases. For a local band, word of mouth is still huge, but many people spread that word of mouth through social media.
REBECCA: Do you use social media to land the band gigs? Do you communicate this way with professionals in charge of venues?
JASON: In the beginning many gigs were booked and communicated though Myspace. Nowadays the band is playing four solid gigs a week, so we are not looking. But there are still gigs to be found for bands on Myspace.
REBECCA: Myspace is supposed to be music-oriented. Is social media something you use in your personal life
JASON: I keep a personal account to try and talk with friends, but I spend more time on my band and other business accounts that I don’t check it very often.
REBECCA: When you’re not busy dealing with band stuff, you also run a business with a partner. What is the name of your company and what do you do?
JASON: I am the co-owner of the classic film company Paradise Visuals. We release and distribute movies from the 1980’s to DVD for the first time.
REBECCA: Do you also use social media when dealing with your company?
JASON: I use all the same methods of social media that I also use with my band.
REBECCA: As a business-owner, would you pay someone savvy in search engine optimization to ensure your business tops google’s searches?
JASON: In the past I have done it, but it seems not to be necessary anymore. As most Myspace and Twitter posts already rank high in google searches, so do reviews.
REBECCA: This question pertains to the band: Do you live-stream images and video to any websites via your phone?
JASON: I put up photos on Myspace of the band with my iphone. At one particular show Britney Spears’ ex husband K-Fed got on stage and I was able to have the photos on myspace within minutes. Another time we had members of No Doubt on stage and I got photos up asap. It’s a great way to show people what they are missing. Some of those images were even used by the L.A. Times later on.
REBECCA: You know that makes you a citizen journalist, right?
JASON: Please. I don’t want to google any more terms today.
