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Social Media Marketing, A Revolution

Posted on April 26, 2011

A couple of weeks ago I had the privilege of attending a seminar in Hollywood called “The Real Deal” presented by the Hollywood Music In Media Awards. Among many of the aspects covered, and one of the best for me was from 440 Artist Alignment Headed by Amy Houck. 440’s primary business is to help musicians manage and support their exposure on the internet, including social media.

It’s amazing to me that exposure online is now a part of the necessities for just about any company, but especially musicians. I was watching Ellen Degeneres when she introduced a couple of guys from Eastern Europe who call themselves Two Cellos, playing Smooth Criminal. They had 15,000 hits almost instantly, turned up on Ellen’s show, and are now going on tour with Elton John, all stemming from a You Tube video. If that doesn’t show the value and importance of grass roots online marketing, I don’t know what does.

What about those of us who sit in the studio dungeon mixing a music stew in the back kitchen? The truth is, if you are a professional musician on any scale you can play an instrument. If you can play an instrument, you can make a video, or place music to a video or montage. One of the keys seems to be attaching yourself to a popular song, performer, or band. Maybe I’ll have to put together a big orchestral piece of Lada Gaga… keep your ears peeled.

What I’ve found is that time and again the story of how people get work or discovered, depending on how you look at it, varies wildly. What it means to be a successful band and a composer are typically two very different paths. What I realized after hearing some of the advice from 440 Artist Alignment is that at the end of the day it’s all about exposure. Who’s to say that someone won’t hear you playing on the street corner, talking to a director, or showing yourself on You Tube hammering out an Adele track on a Dulcimer… don’t steel that idea it’s mine!

As if we don’t have enough to think about, there’s now a whole new industry of creative ways to get exposure online and we, as musicians have to find a way to tap into it. When someone is determined and focused in any industry, they are sure to be successful. So when there’s an aspect to an industry, even if it’s out of our box we find a way to utilize it. So as a part of my always evolving attempt for exposure, it’s my goal to take full advantage of the technology at hand and focus on social media marketing.

There is something significant to be said about the fact that the world has changed by social media. Wars have been pushed to the verge. Human rights and lack there of have been shown to the world. Grade school students have become mega stars, and even the president has a new way to communicate. For better or worse this is the world we now live in and when it comes to our business there’s no way to fight it. So jump on board and join the digital revolution.