Music @ #140conf: Day 1, pt. 13

Heading from there to three back-to-back-to-back music panels! I’m mostly getting off the laptop for these (even though I absorb better while I’m on it). Just seems like the ones I should be most intellectually present for, even at the risk of losing some of the play-by-play.

Below are summaries of Social Communications & Radio, MC Hammer, and Real Time Web & Music.

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Social Communications & Radio – Packed with interesting people, but it’s moving too slow – they’re gonna get cut off before they say anything interesting!

No recap for this one right now, but maybe a response later.

Major takeaway: Radio thrives on being personal for listeners, and calling in was a bottleneck. Interacting on Twitter gives people the 1:1, but also gives the station an aggregate view of its most vocal supporters.

Also, for musicians, let the fans feel like they have a stake in interacting with you and sometimes even driving your behavior – without it begin invasive. Let them call to request your song, let them suggest what you should make for dinner, ask them to bring things to your show.

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M.C. Hammer

He’s a punchline, but he also really freaking knows what he’s talking about. Talking about wanting to monetize himself – his own music, his own location – rather than letting other people monetize for him. “Visited Apple when a 14yr old was writing Quicktime; YouTube when they were above a pizza parlor. I stay ahead of the curve by engaging” … finding companies early.

Here’s someone who has already risen and fallen from success. He really sees the underlying value in social media, and how not to squander it.

Great audience question about how legacy artists can use these platforms. Hammer goes directly to his friend Neil Young (!), maintaining ownership of his content and then packaging it in a way that’s being demanded by fans.

Another great question – how do decide where to interact with a crowd of thousands or millions of followers? Kinda dances around this, but makes the point that every interaction counts – just talk to individuals who are saying non-negative things. (Not that you can’t be critiqued, but that you shouldn’t descend into the nastiness of the internet.)

Another Haiti theme – talking about companies having a charitable base, and how to deploy that effectively. Again, showing how Twitter allows people to galvanize the people/brands who have the resources to deploy.

Another great question: how to make artists want/need to do more than make art, but also engage? Hammer points out that some artists shouldn’t engage – it dissolves the mystery of who they are/were. “It is a fine line. I would encourage anyone who currently engages [to engage more] – they understand the nuances” – they should continue to do it themselves. “Let’s take the trivial part of twitter – ‘I’m going to buy new shoes’ – you can’t [tweet] that yourself? You have to run it by your agent and your manager?”

“This shapes a behavior. When we started with email we saw the efficiency increase. That moment, conversation ended, and we could do email. Twitter, 140 characters, teaches you a new language of efficiency, and that’s great for artists.”

(I transcribed more as the panel went on, Hammer is a smart guy.)

And, another!

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The Real Time Web and Music: Exploring the Effects of Real Time Web in the Music Industry., as moderated by Leslie Hall, the president of ICED Media (@dollyhall)

Heavy hitters on this panel.

Xavier Jernigan, Senior Director at Motown (@xavierjernigan). Create demand at the source of your art/artist – don’t give away your leads to other websites. Talking about strategy behind the Erykah Badu release, centering all of the digital releases of content/videos around “3,” making something out of WHEN the releases would happen – dealing in demand directly with the fans without a middle person of a blog or news site.

(Also hit the example of Erykah’s Wings sample again, which was touched upon earlier. Hilarious recount of the chain of Twitter people it took to reach Paul McCartney.)

Ryan Leslie, Artist & Producer (@ryanleslie). Uses Twitter to create moments for fans to connect, and to find a way to reward the most avid followers – backstage passes, chances to go out to dinner, and – in one instance – treating them to a trip to the 24hr Apple store in NYC!

Jim Jones, indie artist/label (@jimjonescapo). Went from 500k followers last year to 1.5 million this year! “One of the most instrumental things I’ve been using [Twitter] for this year, is asking for people’s job applications [for jobs] that were open.” Unexpected turn from the music panel, turning into how you can use social media for innovation in HR! Jim clearly understands how to leverage social media not only to create a groundswell but find dedicated remote staff – PR, street teams, even producers!

Lot of good Q&A from this group. I was prevented from transcribing by thrusting my hand in the air in an insistent, Hermoine-like fashion. Sadly, my neighbor (and a long-time follow of mine) @nwjerseyliz beat me to the last question.