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Bands, Music Fans, and Social Media

English: Somali-Canadian musician Mocky groovi... So how important is social media for the musician today? Well, to be honest, many  musicians underestimate the power of social media while other musicians have a tendency to rely solely on the power of the Internet. However, the reality is that musicians need to balance their use of social media marketing and one on one interaction with their fans. For example, you might have the most amazing band on the face of the planet. But if your only audience member is your grandmother then there really is no point to your band other than making Nana happy (not a bad goal, but probably not what you are shooting for). 

The GarageBand application icon.Now what could a musician do to enhance his or her band web presence? 

One thing you could do is a simple GarageBand recording. Get a digital recorder or a laptop or a tablet, even your smartphone, and record the band playing. Then use one of many free web hosting sites to create a simple band page. Shoot a couple selfies of the band or put up a video of a rehearsal. Now you have something to work with. Sure, if your bands sound like animal from the Muppets on crack then you might not reach a real audience, but the reality is that pretty much any type of music out there has some sort of audience. You just need to find out who loves your music. 

Now how do you go about finding out who loves your music? First off, what kind of music do you like to listen to?  

Chances are, the music that you write is probably the 
same music that you choose to listen to. 

So where do you go to get your music? Do you check iTunes or online stores? Do you check out the local record store or chat with other music fans online? Do you go to concerts or coffee houses? Or is your kind of music the type that you might only find some sort of dance club? That's where you'll find your fans.

Meet your fans 1 on 1. Handout free CDs or mp3 download cards, or invite them to your next gig. Chat with them online or sell T shirts and cool merch that they want. After a concert don't rush off and put equipment away so happy that you're done with your concert. Instead go out to your fans. Chat with them, tell about your your vision for the band. Too many bands think that one magically viral video will win em start em. And true that has happened to a few bands. But overall it's the band that reaches its fans that gets the farthest. Combine real interaction with social media. And don't forget your fans.

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