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ASSOCIATED CONTENT INTERVIEW
Topic Started: Jan 18 2010, 01:56 PM (234 Views)
mouser
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Cindy acknowledges being a Taylor Hicks fan, but this piece has incorporated an interesting theme with the responses of four different entertainers. This article is a good way of promoting Taylor's CD , his Grease shows and his web sites. Thanks Cindy. I was made aware of this interview by Gr8fulheart and I thank her for giving us, on Connections , a heads up .

This posting represents a part of Cindy's interview . Please go to the Associated Content Page to read the entire piece. Thanks
Music, Internet and Fan Promotion
January 18, 2010 by Cindy Wright


Artists Find that the Internet and Fan Promotion Brings a Boost to Their Music
Music, Internet and fan promotion, those words have more in common than most would think. The Internet has received a bad rap as just a way to steal the music of a hard working artist. While this does happen many musicians are finding that the Internet can help them in more ways than people would have once thought possible. Fans of an artist are often thought to be fanatics who follow an artist around giving them gifts, invading their personal space and in some cases stalking them. While this does happen, a fans dedication, support and promotion capabilities are actually much more than that. The ability of a fan base to support an artist is a great thing that can and does help the artist enormously.

Artists find that the Internet and fan promotion brings a boost to their music. The Internet allows them to create multiple websites such as Twitter, FaceBook and MySpace as ways for fans to keep up with the happenings of their favorite artist. Artists are able to also have more personal fan communication because of the Internet than ever before, building personal connections with the fans. This in turn creates a kind a friendship and the fans become emotionally invested in wanting to do all they can to help the artists achieve all that they can possibly attain.

When artists need some extra word of mouth for example, they can go straight to the fan bases which are more than willing to spread the word. You may ask what the fan gets in return. They get the enjoyment of hearing the artist's music and watching them soar to new heights. Many times they get to hear the music before the general public does and sometimes they get free stuff and meet and greets plus much more. It is win-win on both sides.

While some artists still shy away from the Internet and becoming more invested with their fans, many are discovering that the Internet and fan promotion is a blessing in several ways. These artists are creating a very special bond with their fans that cannot be broken and they are enjoying it as much as the fans, while reaping the many advantages.Jeff Timmons(98 Degrees, Independent Musician), Taylor Hicks (American Idol, Independent Musician, currently Teen Angel in Grease) Judd Starr ( Independent Musician)and Bucky Convington (American Idol Contestant, Country Music Artist)weighed in with their opinions on music, Internet and fan promotion.

I asked each artist their own view on using the Internet to promote their music and this is what they said.

Jeff Timmons - I think the Internet blows the doors wide open to promote your music. The traditional forms of marketing and promotion - radio, television, and print media are extremely expensive, and there is a log jam of artists trying to fill a small amount of slots. With the Internet the possibilities are limitless. Of course you have amazing social networks where people congregate, but you also have new ways to get to more and more people every day. The Internet puts the control in the consumer's hands, and allows them to provide you immediate feedback of their likes and dislikes. This enables you to customize you content to suit your demographic, and allows you to do things your way and ignore traditional rules and limitations.

Taylor Hicks - I think the doors are completely wide open for however you want to use the Internet. It is an enormous window to go through to be able to promote your music. Cyberspace is a lot like outer space. I think that the possibilities are endless.

Judd Starr - I think musicians have to really be proactive when promoting via the Internet. It's not enough anymore to just put up a MySpace, sit back and act "cool". The old days of being the mysterious, aloof musician are over. Promotion nowadays involves a lot of interaction and creativity. It's crucial now, more than ever, to invent new and creative ways to communicate with an audience.

Bucky Covington - "The way I see it there is 2 sides; everyone can get their music heard and everyone can get their music heard," Bucky laughs.

A lot of people feel that the Internet creates a means for others to steal the work of an artist. So I asked them if they feel the Internet has a negative effect on their ability to protect their creative works.

Taylor Hicks - To a certain degree I think it does. But I think just as much good comes with it, such as the endless possibilities of getting your work out there. There are negatives as well and one is the protection of your art.

Judd Starr - No. If anything, it's an added protection. Before posting music online, musicians would sit in their rooms and studios and create songs. But who knew about them? The only protection was to copyright. Otherwise, in the event another musician stole the music, what proof did that musician have to convince a court that he/she created the song first? Now, however, once a song is posted
online...there's documented and dated proof as to when that work of art was made and by whom. If another musician steals a song or idea, it's simply a matter of comparing when the songs in question were posted online. Nevertheless, I always copyright my songs as a protective measure, as I've always done and I'd highly recommend other musicians to continue to do so as well.

Bucky Covington - Without a doubt, nothing is safe on the Internet whether it is music, financial information, movies etc.

Jeff Timmons - The Internet does make it difficult to protect your works if you are glued to the old model of doing business. In the old paradigm, artists rarely made any money off of their record sales anyway. The labels found one way or another to get that. The music is a commercial. Music is culture first, and should be commerce second. If you give away your music, that means you're betting that it is good and fans will return to buy some later, or even better buy into you as an artist. They can come to your show, subscribe to your website, buy your merchandise. I don't see too many bad things about the music business and the Internet.

The Internet has created a means for promotion and fan interaction that wasn't there for artists before the development of the Internet. I asked them how this helps an artist and if there are instances when it can hurt an artist or cause problems?

Bucky Covington -The Internet helps you give your fans an instant glimpse into the everyday which makes the fans happy. On the down-side, you need to watch yourself at all times... No matter what job you have, whether an artist, banker, fireman etc there is always someone with a flip phone or camera ready to catch every move you make and upload to the Internet!

Jeff Timmons - I think it helps artists in many ways from touring, to getting opinions about the material, to sales, etc. I think it may begin to hurt if fans take it personally if you don't interact with every single one of them every day. It is nearly impossible for me to read every email, DM, IM, facebook message, MySpace message, and tweet every day, and respond to them all. Sometimes if you are hands on with the fans, they become so used to it, that they don't understand how difficult it is to keep up, and as quickly as the good words can spread about you, bad things can happen, too. 99% of my fans understand this, but there are always those that just can never be satisfied. I try my best though, and love the fans. They allow me to do what I love: music.

Taylor Hicks - I think every artist is different. For me I think the use of FaceBook, MySpace and Twitterand all of those basically allow a fan to receive information much more quickly than before. The interaction and information that can be exchanged has done a world of good for the fan and the artist.

Judd Starr - Like most things in life, there needs to be a balance I suppose. As I stated before, the days of lying back, being the mystery band that's too cool to talk to their fans is over. Conversely, that doesn't mean it's always a great idea to give out personal phone numbers, addresses, emails, etc. A good, healthy respect between the artist and fan should always be there.

Artists are starting to go to the fan base and get their views on many things such as what song off of a record should be the first single. After Taylor Hicks won American Idol his first CD was titled simply "Taylor Hicks" Taylor went to the fan base and asked them which song they like most and that they thought he should have as his first single. The song they chose was "Just to Feel that Way" and that was the first single off the CD. I asked Taylor what made him decide to include his fans in on this choice.

Taylor Hicks - Well ultimately your fans are what keep you afloat as an artist and an entertainer. I wanted to make sure that they had a say and it was kind of a cool way to figure out and get a good read on what their favorite over-all song was on the record.


http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/2596849/music_internet_and_fan_promotion.html?cat=2
Edited by mouser, Jan 19 2010, 11:59 AM.
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Gr8fulheart
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Wow! Took a while to read but there is some good information here.
Thanx, Cindy, for sharing your interview with us, & Thanx to mouser, for posting it. Well worth the read :thumbsup
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kaitlin45

Thanks, you guys. I saw this article elsewhere but was running to work & did not read it in its entirety. Just to Feel that Way a fan choice? I thought it was Clive's and that this topic was more or less discussed on stage, by Taylor, in several concerts, one of which I was blessed to attend (Glen Allen, VA, 7/7/07).
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mouser
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I am wondering also, just how much influence the SP had on his choice of JTFTW as his first single. I do remember the "POLL" where voting indicated that JTFT was the "winner".

I also heard that Clive wanted it...........

Maybe a little bit of truth in both. Clive wanted it and because the SP did too, Taylor found the song acceptable??????? Then , maybe not.
Edited by mouser, Jan 21 2010, 05:54 PM.
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Gr8fulheart
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I have a 'borgishschmourd' of thoughts on this. I remember a poll, where some favored 'JTFTW' because of its content; the feeling within the lyrics, however; I also understood that it was Clive's choice.

Correct me if I'm mistaken, but I think Taylor ~ somewhere ~ made a comment about it not being his choice. For me, it was not my favorite, since I felt other songs were much better suited for his vocals.

Anyone else?
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mouser
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I think Taylor did a "bang up" job with JTFTW, but I think a more "up" beat tune or one with more grit might have been a better choice for radio................ Unfortunately, at that time, radio time was paramount on our minds. I am not hung up on it any more , other than to have Taylor's voice heard . I don't know how much Taylor wants to compromise his values, instincts or vocal preferences in order to climb a "chart".

Since he has not called me for advise nor does he need it; I will continue to rely on his choices and support them.

Now , I am more interested in looking forward , to his future , than looking back , on his past. Sometimes I think we SP'ers wallow in whys . ( sigh) :crazy me.



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