Music. Marketing. Social Media.

I could apologize for not posting in a few weeks. But I won’t.

Instead, i’m going to share some things I’ve learned, some over the last month, and some way before.

When I started this blog I wrote so that I didn’t bother my friends with my ramblings and thoughts about music and marketing. Quite frankly, it had gotten to the point of annoying.

As it happens, around the time that Christmas hit, I hit a blogging rut. So, instead of writing, I started thinking. Here’s what I came up with.

• Blog posts don’t have to be master essays. They can be, but there’s nothing wrong with a short blog post.
• I’m not great at writing when I’m not inspired. I’m absolutely certain that I’d rather write less, but write when I feel I actually have something to say.
• My new job is wonderful. This includes being wonderfully busy. Interestingly enough it’s given me lots of ideas for posts I’d like to write, as a lot of what I do is applicable to the music business.
• Video is cool. I like video. Expect to see more of it here soon, including an interview with Juakali and a short clip of Walt Riberio, talking about his newest project, For Orchestra.
• I don’t want to cover the news. As much as I love knowing what’s going on, I don’t want this blog to become just another blog covering information you can easily find elsewhere.

Above all, I’ve learned that this outlet is a great way for me to express longer form thoughts, which I miss doing.

So no, I’m not apoloizing. It’s OK to take a step back and it’s OK to re-evaluate. Some would even say it’s necessary.

Photo provided by MightyBoyBrian

Break out the horn section and tell the drumline “drumroll, please!” – we’re starting and I have news to share!

As the title says, I’m joining Radian6 as a Community Manager!!  Much like my co-worker Teresa Basich, I’m excited to announce this news and I’m looking forward to getting started.

As David Alston recently put it, I’m “joining a jazz trio for daily jam sessions.”

Allow me to get a bit sappy for a moment…

For those that may know me personally or professionally, you may know that 2009 was a year of change.

My professional life changed as I transitioned from a marketing role with a B2B telecommunications company to a marketing role with a B2B community platform vendor called Ripple6.

My personal life changed as I dealt with cancer in the family and moving to New York City, seemingly all at once.  2009 was the year that my little sister graduated from college, the year that two of my best friends got married, and the year that I truly realized I felt at home for the first time in my life. Thanks, New York!

The year wasn’t always easy, but it was always rewarding.  I was happy to wake up and go to work with my very talented colleagues at Ripple6. I was excited to start this blog, and I was excited to meet new people and form new friendships in New York and around the US.

When the year changed from 2009 to 2010, I was celebrating the New Year near Times Square with a few hundred of my closest friends. With the sounds of “Happy New Year!” and “To new beginnings!” ringing in my ears I realized that while 2009 had been full of change, 2010 would be the year to change them all.

There’s a saying in New York City that “your first year is the toughest.” Going by that saying the next few years should be smooth sailing, as this very day is my 1-year anniversary in New York, and my first day on the job with Radian6.

To say that I’m excited to join the Radian6 team is a complete understatement.  I’ve paid close attention to them for awhile now and have always thought the world of the company, the culture, and the team.  I feel honored to be joining a team I so respect and admire as a Community Manager, and I’m looking forward to the steps we’ll be taking together as the year unfolds.

In my new role you’ll see me take a more active part in the Radian6 conversations happening across the web on places like Twitter and blogs. I’ll be helping the existing Community team to grow the Radian6 community as well as contributing content on topics relevant to my role and the company. The “never met a stranger” in me loves that I’ll be  acting as a first point of contact, and my inner travel bug is excited about the chance to attend industry events and put handles and URLs with faces and names.

I’ve never been one to have a “dream job” in mind, simply because I know that my criteria for that job will change as my career progresses.  Saying that, this role is analogous to having your first record go Platinum – you know you’ve worked hard to get here, and you can’t wait to see what comes next.

Memories are powerful. Some songs play a leading role in certain memories, while others appear as a backup role.

I recently posted a question on my Twitter account (@misskatiemo) asking people what songs they associated with certain memories.  Their answers are below.

Carla Lynne Hall: “Crystal Blue Persuasion” by Tommy James and The Shondells because it reminds me of growing up in Miami, with its blue skies and sunny days. Whenever I hear it, I think of carefree days of being a kid, with all of the time in the world to just dream and play. Ahhh….

Prescott Perez-Fox:  When I hear “Here Comes the Sun” by The Beatles, I am wandering through a church yard in North London on my way to work.

Amy Garland:  Footloose – This was my favorite movie growing up (still is), and I always loved dancing to the end (prom scene). Whenever the song plays at a wedding, my sister and/or I try to get everyone to form two lines and take turns dancing down the middle (like the movie). This song always brings great memories from weddings, etc to mind!

Andrew Stugots:  New Years day 1999 my cousin and best friend in the world passed away after a life long battle with brain cancer. He was found laying in the parking lot of his job.  Phillip lived life as if it was his last day on earth and pushed others to do the same. A year later I met a seer, Jennifer. I never believed in this type of stuff but take it for what you will. Over dinner with others she leaned over to me and said “Phillip said to tell you “Don’t Dream It’s Over“. I sat there with my mouth agape, she continued “Yeah, he is just singing that song over and over again ‘Hey now, hey now, dont dream its over. There is freedom within, there is freedom without….” and then she said, he waved and walked away. The song still gives me goosebumps and will make me get teary eyed.

My own memory is along the line of Andrew’s.  Whenever I hear “When Irish Eyes Are Smiling” or “Amazing Grace” I think of my Grandmother playing the piano as childhood versions of me and my younger sister bound up the stairs to her house.

Chris Brogan recently wrote about “Emotions At A Distance” – or, in other words, remembering that the people we connect and deal with from behind computer screens are just that – people.

It’s easy to get caught up in the nuances of your work from inside a practice room or behind a computer monitor. Not so easy when you’re performing your music in front of a crowd, or get recognized by a fan on the street.  Music connects people across age differences, language barriers, and continents.  Always remember that people have a choice to listen to your music, and that the music you create forms a very real part of the soundtrack of their lives.

What memories do you associated with music?

I bought my domain a full seven months before launching this blog.  You see, I had a slight dilemma to solve before putting pen to paper, digitally speaking.

At first I thought I should pick a topic to blog about and create a niche for myself.  The trouble with that arose when I thought about how many other, more well-established (ok, established… at all) blogs were already out there on almost every topic imaginable.

I did a few searches on topics I thought I could create enough content to blog about, and quickly came to the conclusion that my assumption was completely correct, there were tons of blogs already created.

So then I started thinking that the blog should be about me.  This topic had a few attractions.

1. I was really interested in me
2. I would always have something to write about without the limits of a “niche”
3. Did I mention the blog would be about me?
4. I’m a pretty interesting person, so the blog would surely be entertaining

It was settled.  Screw a “niche”. The blog would be about me, me and more me.

That, naturally, brought up the easiest of easy questions to answer…. Who Am I?

Well.. I am…

Hm.

I’m……

Hmm…

I’m a girl – slightly shorter than average – whose world tends to revolve around music, family and friends, traveling, digital marketing, sleeping in and devouring books like the world is running out of paper.

About that whole music and digital marketing thing… see, the funny thing was, is that those were the topics I originally wanted to write about in this very blog.

It seems I’ve come full circle.

Officially, this blog is about music and digital marketing. More specifically, how digital marketing has influenced music, and how the industry is (or isn’t) adapting to the new landscape. Unofficially it will feature many posts about music and digital marketing, and a few more about random topics.

Please a comment and introduce yourself.  I’d like to get to know my readers!