For those that don’t know, I’ve been a big fan of electronic music since my teenage years. My tastes have evolved over the years, starting with trance but quickly migrating to the “darker” side of things including drum n bass and dubstep.
Through the years I’ve been fortunate to meet some amazing people involved in the music business.
A not-so-recent conversation with Headhunter, a dubstep producer and DJ visiting from the UK, has remained in my mind for over a year. The conversation happened in the parking garage of a Charlotte Uptown establishment, en route to a gig after leaving a social media meetup.
The group at the meetup had been talking about the usual suspects – Facebook, Twitter, Blogging, WordPress and how “MySpace is dying”. Throughout the conversation, Headhunter remained fairly silent, seemingly content with watching the game on TV and chatting with those around him as most were doing.
When we left to go to the car, we got into a conversation about “What is social media?”.
BINGO. A lightbulb went off.
To many electronic artists, the things they do to market themselves are just that, “just what I do”. It’s not about a new hot term, or this new thing. It’s how things have been done for years – way before big business started getting the picture.
If you’re into electronic music, check out your favorite artist and see how active they are.
I’ll use Headhunter as my example, not only because I’ve already mentioned him, but also because he’s a very talented producer and DJ and I’m always happy to point people in the direction of his music. Really, I am.
He blogs
He has a page on MySpace
He’s on Facebook
He’s on YouTube
He posts on message boards
He gets social media. He knows the norms, he interacts with his fans, and he maintains his presence in the social web throughout his travels.
To people in the social media world, this is a case study. It’s something to be explored, dissected, and asked “So, what’s the ROI?”.
To DJ’s, producers, and others involved in the electronic music scene, it’s the way they market themselves. It’s how they get their gigs, and it’s how they make their living. What’s the ROI? Their life is the ROI.
“It’s just what I do.”