Before the advent of social media, bands advertised their shows with posters and flyers. Today, bands are personally marketing their shows to fans with Facebook invitations.
We do an event invitation for every show
said David Young, keyboardist for The First Street Heat. It's the number-one way people find out about shows and it's important to take it on yourself as an artist to inform fans of your shows.
Social media gives musicians a new way to promote their music and shows, contact their fans and create a professional online presence, which is invaluable in the struggle to become a successful artist, said Jack Gould, saxophonist for The First Street Heat.
It's really critical for any band to be active in social media Gould said. It's a free way of marketing
and it lets you get in direct contact with fans.
An active social media presence allows musicians to share their new songs and albums with fans or online followers and inform them of where and when their next show will be while allowing the band to avoid the cost of traditional marketing.
Most marketing is expensive
Gould said. But social media is free and evens the playing field for all artists.
Social media not only gives bands the chance to easily invite people to their shows, it helps fans keep track of the bands they love, said Steve Warstler, the drummer for Mind Fish.
Social media really helps with connecting with fans
Warstler said. It keeps everyone on the same page. Fans are able to follow bands and read their statuses
and musicians are able to tell people when a song is coming out and do their own marketing.
Countless social media outlets are available for musicians today, and each one has a different purpose, Warstler said.
A band's MySpace is mostly for music labels to look at and use to listen to their music
Facebook keeps us connected to the fans
and ReverbNation links the two and has music hosting and event listings
Warstler said.
The First Street Heat is active on 12 different social media sites, including Facebook, MySpace, ReverbNation and more niche sites like PureVolume and Bandcamp. Every social media site offers musicians something different, and taking advantage of all those opportunities is important, Young said.
The more sites we can join
the better
