You’ve Built a Social Network, Now What?
Austin Convention Center, Wednesday, March 16Many of us use social-networking platforms like Facebook and Twitter to keep tabs on our favorite bands, especially when there’s a new album or tour on the horizon. This panel looked at the social media phenomenon from the band’s and the publicist’s perspectives: How do you make your social network work for you? Moderator Bill Werde, editorial director of Billboard, queried his panelists, a collection of publicists and Hannah Hooper of L.A. indie rockers Grouplove. The primary concern was the bottom line – namely, how do artists use social media to make money? Michael Fiebach of digital marketing firm Fame House warned against getting trigger-happy on Twitter and Facebook; rather, artists should have a central strategy, and all social media emissions should be in service to that plan. Paul Sinclair, head of digital media at Atlantic Records, agreed, saying that there needs to be a hub – specifically a dedicated website – for that strategy and that artists should create hype that drives traffic (and dollars) to that central hub. Dan Scheinman of Cisco Media Solutions argued that the key to generating revenue is to consolidate the audience and create experiences, saying, “Having the tools to be able to do that will get people paid.”
This article appears in March 18 • 2011.