SEO copywriter: Musicians should turn to a variety of social networks for promotion

For a plurality of users, MySpace is all but dead. But for musicians, the social networking site remains crucial for maintaining connections with fans and venue owners, according to a lecture by local SEO copywriter Ron Sansone.
Before a modest crowd of a dozen-and-a-half on hand to hear Sansone’s talk on social media and music, organized by the Philadelphia Standards Organization, he presented a case study observing new media marketing practices implemented for his own local band.
According to the speech by Sansone, whose day job is with the Philadelphia branch of global digital branding company Razorfish, MySpace can be a powerful central hub for promotion when flanked with a multitude of additional social networking sites.
Sansone illustrated the fractured, niche nature of social networks created by their sheer abundance but offered advice for musicians hoping to score gigs and impress fans on the Web. Promote your band on as many networks as you can, he said, and you will reap the benefits of each network’s “highly targeted, captive audience.”
Formed in 2007, Sansone’s alt-rock band Super Consumers began as many do: with zero fans and an aspiration to play bigger and better shows. By connecting with their audience, club owners, promoters, and other musicians online, the band has lead a successful promotional campaign.
Two years and a lot of log-in passwords later, Super Consumers has gained an online fan base of more than 2,000. They book one to two shows each month, including gigs at the Trocadero Balcony and Main Stage. The band has been featured in Philadelphia Weekly, and they have an upcoming live performance on Radio 104.5 FM.
Sansone eschewed the need for owning a branded domain name such as SuperConsumers.com which they don’t. Instead, he insisted that musicians create a well-woven network around a central hub, in this band’s case, MySpace. Why MySpace? Account figures have been dropping since Facebook became king, but as Sansone argues, the antiquated networking site still rules club owners and promoters simply because it’s too much work to leave.
Sansone recommended taking advantage of networking sites’ best features. Facebook, TheSixtyOne, and ReverbNation were important for fan interaction. PureVolume, last.fm, Virb, Sonicbids, and CD Baby helped get the band’s music in its audience’s hands. Last, SonicBids and EIY assisted MySpace in making crucial contacts at venues.
Considering that like the music industry, many industries are being turned on their head by online models, Sansone’s lecture offered an important universal takeaway: It’s a great time to be D.I.Y.