1. Transparency via using social media channels like Twitvideo, Instagram and many others. Allow fans to “travel” or “participate” in the journey of the making of the music, favorite places to visit and other activities that are dear to the artists heart or life. Tell a story.

2. Create unique experiences and use social media technologies that will gain the attention of the media and new fans.

3. Authenticity – find something cool and real to be known for with fans. Fans want to connect with a real person and they want a REASON to connect with bands and artists. Campaigns that tie in with a non-profit organization or a brand go a long way but lyrics to music also reach fans in a genuine way. From there, fans will take the lyrics and music out there and introduce your music to their friends because of their passion for the music or even something the artist is passion about.

4. Hire the right team – artists can tweet and update social media channels all they want but at the end of the day, at some point, artists must hire the right team to help market them and position them with a targeted fan base and the utilization of the right technologies and services.

5. Be unique – use common social media tools but also come up with creative contests, use technologies that no one else is using, stand out, do something different and cool that will gain attention and respect.

6. Spotlight your music in unique ways – videos, covers, official videos. 

7. Reward the early adopters – reward them with merch, exclusive chats and experiences. Maybe lunch or dinner or even a private concert at their residence. Overall, always reward fans no matter how small or large your business is…

In conclusion, here’s a few simple social/digital tools to get started with…note, this is just a start. Most of these are no-brainers but it’s worth noting.

1. Flickr

2. Instagram - use it on smart phones and get funky!

3. Facebook – of course!

4. Twitter – of course!

5. Google + – not now but later!

6. Your website – create a simple WordPress site that drives social interaction. You know the drill… but point people here and make it easy to see your videos and listen/purchase your music.

7. Find that “wow” technology or tactic to generate buzz…

What connects you to a new artist or musician? Share your ideas below in the comment section.

Over the past few months, I have been working to build my music marketing client base.  My goal since joining Sugarland was to learn as much as I could about the music industry and then move on to build a solid “boutique agency” focused on optimizing the fan experience and relationship for musicians and artists. With this said, I am pleased to introduce four new clients:

1. Mama Jan Smith (@ATLVox) – Jan, otherwise known as “Mama Jan” in the new movie, Never Say Never with Justin Bieber is an Atlanta native and a voice coach for artists such as The Band Perry, Sugarland, Justin Bieber, Drake, Usher, Jill Scott and others.  She is fabulous and I am stoked to be working with her.

2. Andi Silvas (@Iam_ASilvas) Andi Silvas is an agressive and upcoming country/folk/rock artist from Phoenix, AZ. Her style is unique and she has a beautiful voice.  We’re building a solid fan base for her (along with her talent of course) and engaging with her fan base like never before.  She is an angel! You can catch a recent video of her work here on NBC’s upcoming artist website HERE.

3. Mandy Gawley (@MandyGawley) is a brand new client for us.  Mandy is known for her song “Biscuits and Chicken” and it has been on ATL’s 94.9 The Bull’s Backyard Country for the past seven weeks and counting receiving radio play.  She is talented, so down to earth and very genuine.  We’re stoked to have her and eager to get started.  Watch out for some serious fan engagement with this one! 

4. Radiator Music (@RadiatorMusic) is a brand new company based in ATL, Ga.  They focus on bringing books to life via partnering with authors and publishers. Their technology is utilized via the iPad, etc.  Very cool, innovative and talented company.  

In addition, the talented @KylieBriant has joined me from New Zealand for the summer and she will be bringing her social media and marketing knowledge to the solutions as well.  Major win for me because she is so darn creative! 

Alright, time for bed but more updates and marketing insight soon…. stay tuned. Above all, thanks for stopping by.

This isn’t my usual music marketing or social media post. I’ve been swamped with great things like new clients and enjoying life. I have a few blog posts in the queue I believe you will enjoy.  I’ll post very soon.  Just wanted to touch base and let you know I am still here and active.

Hope all of you are well.

Until then follow me @ShaniSammons

Shani

With this said, fans have satisfied various contests, technologies, rules, new ideas, etc to stay connected to the brand to be rewarded. But, fans and customers want more. This week, I presented a new plan to my team at Bamsmash that I believe (along with my team) will transform the way fans interact and engage with brands, bands, sports teams and even non-profit organizations.  Over the next few weeks, you will get updates from me as well as I’d like you to become my feedback channel.  When we complete the concept and prototype, I’d like your feedback. 

Stay tuned as we move forward on this journey.  I am excited about what lies ahead and I believe you are going to love it.

Shani

SXSW was well done this year with so many great panels, classes and performing artists. I attended the interactive session last year, however, I thought I’d give the music session a try this year.  As a result, I made a smart decision (imagine that ).

I’m sharing what I learned and heard with you because I have an audience of “new music marketers” who visit my blog as well as those who are more “experienced”. I selected two of my favorite panels. Some of this info won’t be news to my experienced audience but for others, it will be great information for you to take and execute.

Backstage Pass: Lifecycle of Your Concert Ticket Panel included: Chuck La Vallee (Stubhub), Dan Teree (Ticketfly), Tyler Petersen Eventbright), Tamara Conniff (The Comet)

Who sets the ticket prices? Ticking prices are based on the guarantee (artist pay) and discussed with artist management, promoters and marketing. Promoters then set the ticket price based on the guarantee with management. Artists/bands are usually involved in the ticket pricing as well for their shows and usually sign off on the final price, therefore, artists do know how much you paid for your ticket.  Also, they do influence the price, too. Pearl Jam was used as an example because they used to be extremely involved in their ticket pricing. With Pearl Jam being so engaged in their fan base and understanding who their fans actually were, they vowed to never price a ticket over $100.00 even if it was on the front row at the venue.

• When do fans get access to tickets and when? On the day tickets go on sale, fans get access to 50% of the tickets after the pre-sales and holds (for radio, marketing, management, etc) are taken.
• How do artists and promoters get butts in seats? Most promoters and artists use segmented data to market to their fans, radio is utilized and social media is taking on a major channel for ticket sales via viral campaigns with the “I’m going” or “RSVP” functionality from Facebook.  This isn’t the only way to market but it’s just a few of the practices mentioned on the panel.

Engaging in Live Streaming: Panel included: Brad Barrish (Topspin Media), Jeremy Holley (Warner Music Group), Mark Kates (Fenway Recording), Shannon Connolly (MTV), Eliot Van Buskirk (Evolver.fm)

The challenge with live streaming shows is that artists want a very professional and quality experience for their fans.  They expect the stream to be just as clear and dynamic as one you would watch on TV.  With that said, this creates a challenge because no one has figured out just how to do this yet.  There is software like Boinx that enables users to create live to internet and live to stage video, however, the quality of video isn’t quite clear and perfect yet.

• U2 and Arcade Fire have streamed live concerts and have been the most successful with it so far.
  
• Make the live streaming experience interactive and ensure you engage fans by using Twitter, Facebook, etc.  Ideas like adding chat functionality to the application will enhance the fan experience.
• One cool point mentioned was that even if you aren’t a well known artist quite yet and your show has 200 people in attendance,  you can stream it live and have an additional 500 people watch the show from all over the world. Broadens your reach!
• StageIt was mentioned during the panel where artists can broadcast their shows, backstage experiences, etc and then fans can purchase and tip the artist. Great concept – whether you are an artist or a fan, check it out.
• On-Demand – If you stream a show or give your fans a backstage experience via live streaming, ensure you have the content on-demand as well for those who missed it.
• Make it as real as possible – quality is important but making the fans feel like they’re right there in the same room with you is just as important.
• Idea – artists who stream live should add a “digital ticket” to their landing page so that fans have to enter their email address or other info to gain access to the content.  This increases artist databases.
• Additional cameras and angles are important if you can swing it.
• Live streams should be embedded within Twitter, Facebook, website, etc.  Ensure you place it where your fans go.

Overall, I encourage anyone who is in the music industry or thinking of getting into the music industry in whatever capacity to go to #SXSW 2011.

What artists do you think do a good job with live streaming shows or just streaming live from their tour bus, van or from backstage?

We’ve achieved a lot of success with the tool and I highly recommend it for any social media or marketing project.

Here’s how it works for “Submit: The Virtual Reality of Cyberbullying” (project I’m managing the social media for) and I also added behind the scenes episode #5 below for you to view as well.

PromoJam Example: Have you watched Episode #5 b/h the scenes footage yet? “A Youth’s Perspective on Cyberbullying”. http://bit.ly/gBsJrl Just tweet to watch!

The project titled, Submit: The Virtual Reality of Cyberbullying is a documentary about the growing issue of online bullying. The issue mainly affects young teens. As you have probably heard, many teens have killed or harmed themselves due to being bullied online. Over the past few weeks, our dedicated and passionate team has traveled all over the US to interview prominent figures within the cyberbullying world as well as kids, parents that have been affected or experienced bullying. As part of the project, my role and position has been focused around the social media strategy and workflow. Below I share the very high level social media approach.

The social media strategy has been two fold:
1. Create awareness about the documentary but more importantly, increase awareness about the issue in itself.
2. Create engagement with parents and children where we encourage them to share their stories and views on the negative issue.

Our strategy has been successful and we’re seeing over a 100% weekly increase in the engagement and awareness.

The project has been very rewarding to me and the team I am working with daily. Last, I’ll leave you with a few facts about the issue of cyberbullying and a few pictures. In addition, I’m listing the various places you can connect with and follow us to get involved.

Cyberbullying Facts (source: http://www.dosomething.org)

• Nearly 35% of kids have been threatened online and almost one in five have had it happen more than once.
  
• Among this percentage, being ignored and disrespected were the most common forms of cyber bullying.
  
• About 75% have visited a Web site bashing another student.
• Four out of ten middle school students have had their password(s) stolen and changed by a bully who then locked them out of their own account or sent communications posing as them.
• The psychological and emotional outcomes of cyber-bullying are similar to real-life bullying outcomes, except for the reality that with cyber bullying there is often no escape. School ends at 3 p.m., while the Internet is available all the time.

The documentary is scheduled to be in theaters this Spring, 2011. I’ll keep everyone posted on where and when.  Thanks for your support and interest.

Oh and a favor?  You can get involved in the project and effort in one of the three ways below.  I would love to see you there.

• Become a Fan of our Facebook page here
• Follow us on Twitter here and here
• Share your Story with us

Leave me a comment and let me know what you think about the project and have you experienced online bullying in any way?  Curious and eager to get your feedback.

Details of project: Temporary/one-off project, lead and design front page and set up wordpress website for a musician. Need project completed in 2 weeks or less from start date.

Requirements: At least 2 years design and development experience, experience with WordPress, highly creative and outside the box thinker.

P.S. Feel free to share this posting as well.

Should bands allow fans to video record (using Iphones, Android, other smart phones) part of their shows or possibly all of their shows? I saw an article yesterday about this topic and thought I would share my opinion.

First, let’s get something straight. There is nothing like being at a real show, dancing to the music, sharing the night with your buddies and a few cold beverages. How could watching a few clips on YouTube ever compare to the true live show experience? It’s called NEVER, NO WAY.

Second, the sharing of content via Facebook, Twitter, a personal blog, Tumblr or etc is a music marketers dream come true. Allowing fans to take home video content or upload it live from a show and show their experience to their friends drives other fans to want to possibly see the show themselves or purchase music from the artist. With the easy user experience of video editing as well as flip cams, fans can now put together creative and well edited videos of bands and their experiences with bands to share with their friends.  Very powerful viral marketing.

Third, how can bands stop people from recording at shows?  I’m not even going to discuss this one.

Overall, if bands are smart, they’ll utilize every opportunity with their fans to drive the sharing of live performances via social media after a show.  For example, bands could ask fans to post clips from a live show and they pick the top 5 and spotlight them.  Or maybe organize a contest where the band selects a few fans that get to video the show for a night and then edit their own video content and win a grand prize.  The sky is the limit with this stuff.

Bands/musicians do not need to be afraid of the sharing of their content and music. They just need smart marketers on their teams to help them optimize the ideas and concepts to grow their fan base and engagement which translates into sales.

What are your thoughts? Should fans be able to record and share video content from shows? How do you think it helps or hurts the artist? Leave a comment below.  Thanks for stopping by.

1. Facebook - of course! I like Facebook a lot.  It allows artists to add tabs, applications to their pages, have a conversation with fans, build a strong following, advertise (if needed), sell music, integrate with other social media sites and on and on….

2. Twitter - artists need to Tweet and be present on Twitter as much as they can.  This is a great way to have a relationship with your fans.  I suggest having the social media guru manager tweet from the artists account as well as artist the too. (Everyone tweets from the same account) Just ensure the artist signs their name so that fans know the difference.

3. Reverbnation – (for the upcoming artist in my opinion). I really like this site and resource. Artists can directly email their fan base via their email tool, FanReach and sell merchandise directly through the site. I also like their tool, Gigfinder where artists can locate venues and distribute media packages.  Last, I like the stats made available to artists about fan demographics. Overall, it’s a great “hub” for an artist to manage a business.

4. YouTube - no explanation needed except I recommend branding the page as much as possible. Create a “Shani Sammons” page with your logo if you can afford it. U2 has an awesome page.

5. Webceleb - This is a clever idea and solution for the independent musician.  Both artists and fans can earn money each time a song is downloaded.  It isn’t as much “social” as it’s more of a money earning opportunity for those artists who are trying to earn money while launching their careers.

6. Fan Funding Sites- these aren’t necessarily hard core social media sites but I’ve included them because I think the concept is cool and a great resource for those who are trying to come up with enough money to produce a record. Try Kickstarter, Pledge Music or RocketHub. These sites are designed to help artists fund their own projects and allow their fans to follow the project status as it progresses.

7. UStream – Great way to engage with fans, make announcements, stream live shows, etc. and it integrates with Twitter.

For tracking artist/band online presence and stats (which I hope you do), I recommend:

1. Bandmetrics

2. Next Big Sound

3. MusicMetric

4. RockDex

Do you have other social media channels or stats solutions you would recommend? And what do you think about the one’s I mentioned above?  Leave me a comment.  I want to hear your thoughts.

P.S You can view the #blogchat transcript from last week here if you want more information about what we discussed.