Re: Twitter and Looping...

[Mech <mech@m3ch.net>]

At 11:02 PM +0000 12/12/09, Matt Stevens wrote:
>On 12 Dec 2009, at 23:00, david kirkdorffer wrote:
>>
>>Sorry if this is a subject that has alrady been broached (and 
>>beaten flat with your older brother's Ampeg SVT stack), but how are 
>>you finding TWITTER as a tool to serve your music promotion and 
>>sales needs?
>>
>>I've not had the best of luck from it so far...  and you?
>>
>>David
>>
>>Twitter = undude
>
>Very useful for spreading the word about  about Ustream gigs,]

These days, I spend as much (or more) time on Twitter as I do on LD. 
So it's one of my primary forms of online interaction.

I'll agree with Matt; Twitter is extremely useful for promoting or 
sending reminders about online performances.  I've tuned in to a 
couple of his that I wouldn't have known about otherwise.

Also, it's due to Twitter that I've jumped on to one or two of the 
MoinSound sessions that Rainer hosts.  If not for the Twitter 
reminder, I would've messed up the time (again!) and missed them.

Twitter has also been a fantastic source of information that I 
would've never come across otherwise.  In a single day, I usually 
collect more interesting links to resources than I'm able to sort 
through.  And I only save about a tenth of those that cross my 
Twitter feed.

Additionally, and more to the point of the original post: I've been 
able to hook up with a pretty good core group of people that I 
interact with regularly -- not unlike this list here.  And while it's 
never a guarantee for anything, I believe I can safely say that 
if/when I actually release something, I think I have the attention of 
quite a few people that will listen, help promote, and perhaps even 
buy it.  Some of these are also heavily involved with the Netlabel 
scene, so perhaps the chance might also exist to sign on to a 
bona-fide release.  Maybe....

IMNSO, the key to Twitter is the same as many new media outlets.  You 
can't just splattercast an announcement and then expect people to 
come.  You've got to work on building a community and interacting as 
part of it.

I think I've said it here previously, but I believe the key to 
surviving in this new and changing world is that you have to be aware 
of this fact: people are not buying your product any longer; they are 
buying you.  You don't promote an object for sale.  Instead, you 
promote yourself by interacting and connecting with your audience. 
Then, if your product dovetails with any interest to these online 
friends and acquaintances, they'll follow-up with their wallets.

Just the same as here on LD, there are lots of releases that I never 
would've been aware of (or acquired) had I not already had some sort 
of online relationship with the artist.

Twitter is no different.  However, it's not easy, either.  There are 
a lot of these online marketers that preach getting tons of followers 
as a way to promote success.  But if you look at all the followers 
these guys have, they're all other marketers that are only interested 
in bumping up their follow numbers.  That's nothing more than an 
online circle-jerk.

To be successful with Twitter, at least at the beginning, I believe 
you have to try to actually connect on a personal level with the 
people you follow.  And that can be a lot of work.

But I'm still at a reasonably low level of followers too.  So maybe 
Matt or Steve or Zoe can speak more to the challenges once you get 
past the 1000 follower mark.  :)

(BTW, my Twitter ID = Dust_Bunnies )

        --m.
-- 
_____
"bye-bye empire; empire, bye-bye"