Recording - April 2015 - 46

A crash course on 2015's hottest social networks for music professionals

By Katy Krassner

A social network is any site that provides people with a place to make connections. When you're navigating the wild west of social networking, it helps to
know what to expect and what type of audience you, as a music industry professional, will reach. You don't want to spread yourself too thin on social media,
so it's better to do really well on a few networks than do poorly on several.
Here's a "cheat sheet" that could be very useful when you're planning for your
online media assault!

Facebook
WHAT IS IT?: Facebook needs no explanation! There are a lot of pundits who
say the kids have left Facebook, which may be true-who wants to be where
their parents are? But it's still the biggest network out there.
While organic reach is barely possible any more on Facebook, when you do pay
to boost your posts, you get your money's worth. The key to any social network is
engagement, not how many followers you have (remember that!). You can target whom
you want to reach when you boost posts, so if you'd like your music to fall into the hands
of women over 25 who watch soap operas, you can pretty much choose that.
WORTH IT?: Totally. Every musician should have a Facebook artist page.

Twitter
WHAT IS IT?: When Twitter first came on the scene, I am not sure anyone thought
that 140-character missives would be the first place people went to look for breaking
news, but it is now. Twitter's demographic is very different from Facebook's (younger,
urbane) and most people on Twitter are loyal, using it as their main social network.
It's an interesting time for Twitter, which is trying hard to broaden its reach
beyond its 284 million monthly active users. Twitter has just struck a deal with
Google for Tweets to appear in searches, which is a big deal. They've also made
inroads with brand advertising, and while 'regular folks' can't boost tweets like
you can with Facebook, I wouldn't be surprised if that happens soon.
WORTH IT?: Yes. As an artist Twitter is a great way to communicate with your
audience in real time.

Instagram
WHAT IS IT?: If you're looking for a younger crowd, this is where you're
going to find it. Instagram, probably the fastest growing social network right
now, allows you to post photos with written content you create. You can tag
other artists or brands with each photo you post, and there's also a third party
app that allows you to "re-gram" someone else's photo upload, but it has to be
a person that you are already following.
Advertisers like Instagram because it skews so young, and is racially diverse for
a social network; it also allows short videos (15 seconds) that repeat in a loop on
a User's feed. One thing many people don't love is that all access is through an
app on a smartphone; you cannot update your Instagram from a computer.
WORTH IT?: Maybe. It's important to be both clever and consistent on
Instagram. People love visuals and short videos, so if you can create compelling
content, it's worth it. If your Instagram account is going to be boring, it's not worth
your time to start one.
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RECORDING April 2015

VINE
WHAT IS IT?: Vine allows users to post 6.5
second videos that play in a loop. You read that
correctly-six and a half seconds. Think it's
hard to be creative in 6 seconds? You're right,
it is, but Vine has created some actual online
superstars with enormous followings.
The videos on Vine tend to take it up a notch
creatively, and you can watch some incredible
(and yes, short) videos by animators, celebrities, musicians, etc. Vine has also recently
added "Vine Kids," where all the content has
been filtered to make it age-appropriate.
WORTH IT?: Like Instagram, Vine is only
worth it if you are consistent and clever about
your posts. But if you're a hit on Vine, it could
even help you score a record deal! See
http://goo.gl/9UCJXz for the remarkable story
of the duet Us, who got signed based on a very
creative use of Vine.

LINKEDIN
WHAT IS IT?: LinkedIn is a business oriented
social network. It may seem odd being on this
list, but it is actually a great networking tool.
LinkedIn isn't somewhere you'd announce an
engagement or post a photo of your new baby,
but it is a good place to join groups within your
field, or post information about a new single
you may have produced or engineered.
LinkedIn has changed the way people recruit
in business as well, and the same would hold
true for someone in the arts field. It's a great
place to tout your professional accomplishments
and keep up with your like-minded peers.
WORTH IT?: Yes. While it gives you a place
to provide status updates, it doesn't require the
same constant commitment as other social networks. It's also a place to put your professional
resume and network with people you want to
work with or be introduced to.

Google+
WHAT IS IT?: This is Google's foray into social
networking. I would call it a mixed success,
which is probably being kind. I don't know anyone who uses Google+ exclusively, and even all
those rumors about younger people moving over

http://www.goo.gl/9UCJXz

Recording - April 2015

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