#157 - Guest Post: Changing the Music Industry One Click at a Time

By Brittany Jeter

Music is an integral part of society. It’s the one language that transcends all barriers. In the last several years, however, it has become the subject of scandalous publicity. First, we had the Napster fiasco, and then came file-sharing software and musicians complaining about lack of revenue
and poor album sales.

For musicians to make money today, they have to hit the road as often as possible. Ticket sales and merchandise sales…these are what allow musicians to actually succeed financially. Don’t get me wrong. iTunes is a good thing, but it’s been overshadowed by file-sharing through Frostwire and Limewire, among others.

It is predicted that within 3-5 years the CD will be obsolete. That's why so many artists are turning to social media, with their pages on Facebook, profiles on Tumblr and millions of personal websites where they can sell or allow downloads of their art. These sites have become the more cost-effective means of selling music. And, at these sites, you don’t have to worry about paying graphic designers for cover designs or printing and producing CD copies.

 It’s quite simple today to upload music. One click and there you have it. Your fans can download your music from their choice of sites. The money then goes either directly to the artist or to a third party who keeps tracks of it. In fact, more and more managers and artists are choosing to become part of an independent, rather than a major, label. They prefer the financial arrangements because they are much easier to track.

Look at the band, Foreigner, for example. Right now, it’s using this technique for VIP photos. The process uses a small card (about the size of an iTunes card) and on the back each purchaser gets a site address and code for downloading pictures. It’s more cost-effective in the long term.

Most artists today’s world are actually being “discovered” through social media.  Reverb-nation is just one of the social sites for musicians and managers. By simply uploading a biography, contact information and an artist’s music, any manager looking for a potential new act may find gold. Yes, the act has to possess real talent but it’s the representative’s job to check out that live show. My point is that it all started with social media.

Social media has come a long way from just someplace to connect with old friends. It’s growing daily and it’s helping the music industry get back on its feet. I hope it brings it back to the top of its game.

If you’re a consumer of music, then this affects you, too. Do you feel that using social media is helping the music industry regain its once illustrious status? Please let us hear from you in the comments section below.           

Brittany Jeter is a Senior Public Relations major in the Journalism & Mass Communications Department at Murray State University. Jeter is passionate about music, film, the arts and how social media affects the entertainment industry. She plans to graduate in spring 2013 and pursue a career in Music Business/Public Relations. For more information contact: bjeter1@murraystate.edu.

#134 - Where to find all the news that's "fit to print"

Social media is the talk of the town...and the blogosphere...and my grocery store checkout lane. I can't seem to escape it anywhere these days. I am often reminded of the famous line by Marshall McLuhan: "The medium is the message." Never have the words rung so true as they are for these times and this new "socially engaged" world. From Facebook to Twitter to LinkedIn to The New York Times, Mashable, and far beyond, there is so much information out there on social media - possibly more on the medium itself than anything else. Hard news is getting harder to find while reality TV, meaningless gossip and talk of the blogosphere is all over the place. I fear the medium is becoming the only message.

As I work on developing a series of workshops to help teach journalism students the importance of and techniques for leveraging social media into effective advertising, public relations and news campaigns, I find myself devouring hundreds of pages, sites and articles. I'm learning more every day about just how much there is to learn about the medium. Where would the average non-journalist even begin? I have some advice on that. You start by reading and you only read the best. Toward this end, here's a handy link to the current Top 10 Social Media Blogs, as published by one of the best - the Social Media Examiner (http://www.socialmediaexaminer.com), and reprinted with permission.

Take it from me, if you want to learn what's going on in social media today, then these are the online sources you should be following. Just click the link!

http://www.socialmediaexaminer.com/top-10-social-media-blogs-of-2010/

Life Lesson: To be better, start studying the best!

#127- How do you define Social Media?

If you’ve ever had a hard time explaining “Social Media” to your family (or your colleagues), here's a quick overview to illustrate the differences between Social News, User-Generated Content, and Networking sites.

Categories of Social Media:

• Social News sites allow people to post and vote upon news or other content they consider noteworthy.
• Social Networks connect friends to each other with pictures, status updates, and other applications.
• User-Generated Content is found on sites where users can upload content and make it public. UGC also includes formats like comments, ratings and reviews, and other feedback mechanisms.

Here are the places these things overlap:

• Blogs have strong characteristics of all three of these categories. Their content is generated by users; they can have news value, and they are often viewed by a network of followers (something I'm working very hard to build here, for example).
• Twitter is a collection of networks that follow each other's brief status updates, to whom the news is considered noteworthy.
• RSS (Really Simple Syndication), allows a network of subscribers to receive new or updated content.
  

If you read this blog you’ll soon realize that I’m a huge fan of social networking. I believe in it, especially for anyone in business, but even more so for small businesses. Social networking is a tremendous way to stay on top of a niche and build connections. But there are appropriate times when you can take a break.

Just as with anything else in life, you’ve got to know when to walk away. Sometimes, a planned break can energize you. You come back stronger and ready to run some more. That’s true in a workout, business, relationships, and a lot of things - including social networking.

But how much time should you take off and when?
Just do what is right for you. Obviously, holidays are days most standard businesses take off – Christmas, New Year’s, etc. It is reasonable to take off recognized national holidays

Site/community managers, bloggers, and others must not disappear for too long, however. Taking an entire month off from social networking will cause a loss of momentum. A week off here and there is probably not a problem. A day off is perfectly acceptable for a blogger or citizen journalist. Days off can give you back the energy you need. But, if you run a social community or even a fan page or web site for a small business, it's important to try and find someone to fill your shoes when you need time off - someone who knows your company or product and who can represent your business well.

So, if your batteries need re-charging, by all means, take a break, just don't be gone for too long.

#115 - Do you know what cyberspace is saying about you?

The days of content disappearing into the ether are over. Everything we do online is being tracked, recorded, and often displayed somewhere. Each of us is tweeting, face-booking, blogging, and you-tubing a legacy that our families, our great grandchildren, will be able to read. The real question is: will we be proud of this online legacy?

The cautionary moral is obvious. Our true personality, and more importantly our character, is coming through loud and clear for the world to see in each of our social networks. Now that this is called to our attention, let’s make sure that anything we publish, openly or privately, is something we wouldn’t mind our children and grandchildren seeing.

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# 106 - Bulding effective networks: Social media and the LinkedIn resurgence

LinkedIn is experiencing a resurgence... finally. Since it added a few new applications (mimicking Facebook), the grandaddy of the social networks is now becoming relevant. For those who are new to social media or about to enter the job market, this is the social network you really need to be participating in.

LinkedIn has different demographics than Facebook, MySpace and all the other social media networks. LinkedIn skews older (68% are 35+), wealthier (66% make $60/year+), and better educated (72% are college grads), which makes it a perfect vehicle for new grads, job seekers, and anyone who wants to start building a strong referral network. In the digital age, networking has changed. It's not just a matter of attending a few business card exchanges anymore.

The Good News
For people who enjoy social network connectivity but don't want to live and breathe it, LinkedIn is the ideal option. It’s safe and it’s strictly business. You'll have very few interactivity options there, so you will never be faced with the “wow, I wish my client/boss/mom didn’t see that picture” dilemma, something that is all too common on Facebook these days.

LinkedIn works because it purposefully does less than Facebook and MySpace. Your connections are controlled. It's genuinely easy to use. There is virtually no layout control and only minimal advertising. You don't have to worry about being tech-savvy or multi-media capable. The site is organized like a regular address book, something everyone knows and understands.

The Bad News
The only trouble with LinkedIn is that the address book approach also makes it easy to treat it as nothing more than an old Outlook contact file with your personal profile on it. The reality is LinkedIn offers amazing opportunities to grow a network, a reputation, a business or a career – whatever you need. Because it’s much less flashy and "in your face" than the other social networks, you have to dig a little to find the best stuff.

Why Network?
Networking is still one of the best ways for young adults to find a job. But did you know it's also equally valuable for older grads? Resumes from referrals still land on top of the stack of applications and are reviewed first. If you are finding your way into or returning to the working world, consider these quick tips:

• Be clear. Get to the point of what you are looking for. What kind of job opportunity do you want? Make sure you know the answer and keep it short and sweet so you can communicate it easily.

• Rehearse. Have a 10-minute speech ready at a moment’s notice. You never know when or where the opportunity will arise; when you will meet someone and need to get into the details regarding your qualifications. Stumbling over words leaves a bad impression.

• Tell everyone that you are looking and available. Leave no stone unturned. Tell friends, family, fellow or former classmates – even current or past professors. You never know who might know someone in the field.

• Don’t be shy. Now is not the time to be reserved about asking for help. Ask for job referrals. If people you speak with enjoy what they are doing, they are usually more than happy to lend a helping hand and offer suggestions or recommendations. Keep your messages short and concise. Again, go for it. The worst that can happen is you get a no - this time. Nothing ventured, nothing gained.

• Follow-up. Always follow up on a referral offered and the person who provided it. Then, follow up again. People are busy and may need a few reminders before getting back to you. Be careful not to bombard anyone with constant messages. And, always send a hand-written thank you note to a person who has helped.

• Hang in there. This can be a lengthy process. Maintain that positive attitude and be true to yourself!

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