Myspace Is (Still) Not Dead and Facebook Rocks!
by Madalyn Sklar
There are two social network sites that are a must for indie artists: Myspace and Facebook. I'm a believer in using these sites to push your buzz, build relationships and increase your fanbase.
Myspace Is (Still) Not Dead!
For some time now I've heard people (mostly musicians and a few industry peeps) say, "Myspace is Dead". Okay I do agree that Myspace is not the same as it was say two or three years ago during its peak. However, I'm here to say that I completely disagree with the statement that Myspace is Dead. Myspace has been and is still the number one music site for emerging indie artists and bands.
I recently spoke about this at the Folk Alliance International Conference in Memphis, TN. I moderated the "Building A Social Network" panel. There were seven of us panelists, which included a venue, a festival, several promoters and an artist. I asked everyone if they thought Myspace was dead and they all resounded with a NO. We all agreed that having a Myspace presence was important for indie artists and bands. All but one of us said that Myspace is the first place we go when checking out a band. Most of us agreed too that if we are directed to an artist or band's web site (their dot com) we are looking for their Myspace link on their homepage because that is where we want to start. Interesting I know! Many musicians in the room looked aghast. I'm sure some were thinking, "why did I delete (or stop using) my Myspace site?"
Now I do want to be clear that I'm also a big fan and advocate for Facebook and Twitter as well. Social networks should be an integral part of your online marketing strategy. I strongly believe that all indie artists should take advantage of these sites and maximize their presence. By doing so you will no doubt strengthen and build a great relationship with your fans. I also highly suggest utilizing ReverbNation (great widgets!) and Fanbridge (great mailing list program).
We know that everyone has shifted their attention to Facebook in the last year or so. I love Facebook and am not discounting its value for indie artists. But let's face it, Myspace was designed to be a music site. Facebook and Twitter were not.
Here are some recent stats on how Myspace, Facebook and Twitter are faring in 2010 (courtesy of Inside Facebook, 2-24-10).
Facebook is growing dramatically. We all know that. But what's interesting is that Myspace is growing again. This shows you that it's not dead. I firmly believe your fans and soon-to-be fans are checking you out here. Because as I've said before, it's designed as a music site.
One of the things I talked about passionately in the social networks panel at Folk Alliance was to utilize all these sites to your advantage. At minimum, log into your Myspace regularly and keep your content up-to-date and fresh. Post bulletins and blogs. Add photos. Update your upcoming shows in the calendar. If you don't have time to manage all your social networks, use free sites like Ping.fm or ArtistData. If you spend a great deal of time on Facebook, you can have your status updates automatically post on your Twitter. ReverbNation and Fanbridge will also update your status on your social networks.
Facebook Rocks!
So now let's talk about Facebook for a moment. I love Facebook! I think it's amazing that there are over 472 million active users. Your fans are on Facebook. Let me say that again... your fans are on Facebook! If you do not have a presence there, you are missing the boat. You should be actively working Facebook with a personal profile and a Fan page. I spend a great deal of my time counseling people on how to best use Facebook. I also do a lot of Fan page customization for artists and bands as well as businesses. Click here to see some examples.
Below are recent Facebook stats. It's mind blowing!
I'm wow'd by the fact that 20 million people become fans of pages every day. That speaks volumes! If you have a Fan page, you need to beef it up with the ReverbNation application, a welcome page, buy music page, import your YouTube videos and Twitter posts, etc. There is so much you can do to boost your traffic and increase your content.
If you need any help with these sites or need one-on-one counseling, feel free to get in touch with me.
Copyright © 2010 Madalyn Sklar
Madalyn Sklar is a music business coach & consultant, blogger, social networks expert and author. She has spent over 14 years helping independent musicians and music business professionals achieve greater success in the biz. Her motto is: working smarter not harder. She also founded GoGirlsMusic.com, the oldest + largest online community of indie women musicians.
You can reach Madalyn at MadalynSklar.com or madalynsklar AT gmail.com
There are two social network sites that are a must for indie artists: Myspace and Facebook. I'm a believer in using these sites to push your buzz, build relationships and increase your fanbase.
Myspace Is (Still) Not Dead!
For some time now I've heard people (mostly musicians and a few industry peeps) say, "Myspace is Dead". Okay I do agree that Myspace is not the same as it was say two or three years ago during its peak. However, I'm here to say that I completely disagree with the statement that Myspace is Dead. Myspace has been and is still the number one music site for emerging indie artists and bands.
I recently spoke about this at the Folk Alliance International Conference in Memphis, TN. I moderated the "Building A Social Network" panel. There were seven of us panelists, which included a venue, a festival, several promoters and an artist. I asked everyone if they thought Myspace was dead and they all resounded with a NO. We all agreed that having a Myspace presence was important for indie artists and bands. All but one of us said that Myspace is the first place we go when checking out a band. Most of us agreed too that if we are directed to an artist or band's web site (their dot com) we are looking for their Myspace link on their homepage because that is where we want to start. Interesting I know! Many musicians in the room looked aghast. I'm sure some were thinking, "why did I delete (or stop using) my Myspace site?" Now I do want to be clear that I'm also a big fan and advocate for Facebook and Twitter as well. Social networks should be an integral part of your online marketing strategy. I strongly believe that all indie artists should take advantage of these sites and maximize their presence. By doing so you will no doubt strengthen and build a great relationship with your fans. I also highly suggest utilizing ReverbNation (great widgets!) and Fanbridge (great mailing list program).
We know that everyone has shifted their attention to Facebook in the last year or so. I love Facebook and am not discounting its value for indie artists. But let's face it, Myspace was designed to be a music site. Facebook and Twitter were not.
Here are some recent stats on how Myspace, Facebook and Twitter are faring in 2010 (courtesy of Inside Facebook, 2-24-10).
Facebook is growing dramatically. We all know that. But what's interesting is that Myspace is growing again. This shows you that it's not dead. I firmly believe your fans and soon-to-be fans are checking you out here. Because as I've said before, it's designed as a music site.
One of the things I talked about passionately in the social networks panel at Folk Alliance was to utilize all these sites to your advantage. At minimum, log into your Myspace regularly and keep your content up-to-date and fresh. Post bulletins and blogs. Add photos. Update your upcoming shows in the calendar. If you don't have time to manage all your social networks, use free sites like Ping.fm or ArtistData. If you spend a great deal of time on Facebook, you can have your status updates automatically post on your Twitter. ReverbNation and Fanbridge will also update your status on your social networks.
Facebook Rocks!
So now let's talk about Facebook for a moment. I love Facebook! I think it's amazing that there are over 472 million active users. Your fans are on Facebook. Let me say that again... your fans are on Facebook! If you do not have a presence there, you are missing the boat. You should be actively working Facebook with a personal profile and a Fan page. I spend a great deal of my time counseling people on how to best use Facebook. I also do a lot of Fan page customization for artists and bands as well as businesses. Click here to see some examples.
Below are recent Facebook stats. It's mind blowing!
I'm wow'd by the fact that 20 million people become fans of pages every day. That speaks volumes! If you have a Fan page, you need to beef it up with the ReverbNation application, a welcome page, buy music page, import your YouTube videos and Twitter posts, etc. There is so much you can do to boost your traffic and increase your content.
If you need any help with these sites or need one-on-one counseling, feel free to get in touch with me.
Copyright © 2010 Madalyn Sklar
Madalyn Sklar is a music business coach & consultant, blogger, social networks expert and author. She has spent over 14 years helping independent musicians and music business professionals achieve greater success in the biz. Her motto is: working smarter not harder. She also founded GoGirlsMusic.com, the oldest + largest online community of indie women musicians.You can reach Madalyn at MadalynSklar.com or madalynsklar AT gmail.com
Madalyn Sklar is a music business coach & consultant, blogger, social networks expert and author. She has spent over 15 years helping independent musicians and music business professionals achieve greater success. Her motto is: working smarter not harder. She also founded GoGirlsMusic.com, the oldest + largest online community of indie women musicians.
"Madalyn not only gives me marketing strategies during our consultations, but she gets me thinking in a whole new direction."
"Madalyn’s high-energy, can-do attitude was the shot that I needed to get me going!"
"Madalyn has played a key role in helping me build a strong foundation for my music business."
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Nice post Madalyn! I think this is soon to be very topical as apparently Myspace are rolling out some big changes later this year to try and win back some of the lost users... I think Twitter will continue to dominate 2010 though!
Posted by
Marcus Taylor |
8:20 AM
Hey Marcus, thanks for your comment. I agree about Twitter for '10.
Posted by
Madalyn Sklar |
12:34 PM
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
Posted by
Robert |
3:48 AM
Facebook recently surpassed Google as the top visited site for the very first time.
Posted by
Unknown |
10:47 AM
Hey Madalyn, this is so true. I to have artist and music industry professionals walking away from Myspace. I think it's a mistake. Your article gives all the reasons why they should do everything in there power to stay active on Myspace.
I'm circulating your article around the Music Talks community in hopes of as many artists reading it as possible!
Keep doing your thing!
David
Posted by
David Knight |
12:31 PM
Thanks David. I appreciate your support!
Posted by
Madalyn Sklar |
9:42 PM