Since I have been following the musical career of Clay Aiken, I have read many articles on the music business. When I read some of them, I think about how the information might affect Clay’s career. Being that Clay is an intelligent young man who has surrounded himself with business experts, I realize that he knows all about these topics. However, I can’t help but be interested in what is going on in the music industry these days and try to keep up with the latest news.
Digital Music News published an interesting article on Monday about music marketing in today’s world. They reported on a speech by Bob Moczydlowsky, the Vice President of Product & Marketing at TopSpin. Bob was one of the featured speakers at the Music & Entertainment Industry Educators Association (MEIEA) conference in Los Angeles. Bob said the top three marketing platforms are:
1. E-mail
2. Twitter
3. Facebook
According to Bob:
“We see about 30 percent of direct sales from artists coming from email.”
Some people at the conference were surprised that Twitter was listed at number 2. Bob backed up his choice by saying:
“Twitter is an extremely efficient platform meaning that it’s very easy to retweet. If I send a message out with a url that links back to my product offering or my free giveaway or my marketing message, it’s very easy for people with just a couple of clicks to spread that and create more impressions.”
Bob didn’t list YouTube in his top three marketing strategies. He feels YouTube is valuable, but the site does not drive people to any other place besides YouTube. Bob said that it’s hard to sell stuff on YouTube.
Moczydlowsky ended his talk with a suggestion to musicians:
“If you’re an artist, just spend all of the time on the art that you create. Find a partner that you trust that understands the way the web works and the way people interact with your artwork and can run that relationship with your fans.”
It certainly sounds like good advice. The desire to try and do everything must be very difficult to pull away from.
Is Bob Moczydlowsky a credible expert to speak on this subject? Well, he works for TopSpin………
Topspin is a technology-focused direct-to-fan marketing, management and distribution platform. They help artists manage their catalogs, connect with fans, and generate demand for music.
Founded in June 2007, Topspin is a leading-edge provider of marketing software and services that help artists and their partners build strong businesses and brands. In 2008, Billboard Magazine named Topspin Indie Visionary of the Year.
According to their site, Topspin provides a comprehensive tool kit to help musicians promote their art, connect with fans, and build a business.
- Topspin media players stream high-quality audio and video, and can be played & shared anywhere – from websites and blogs to Facebook feeds and mobile phones.
- Connect with fans via email, Facebook, or Twitter in exchange for free downloads. Analyze fan data and send targeted email blasts.
- Customize a pro-grade store with a few clicks, and distribute offers across the web. Sell digital and physical media, merchandise, tickets, fan club memberships, or anything else the artist can dream up. Topspin’s built-in fulfillment can ship orders around the world.
- Sell tickets directly to fans. Offer VIP ticket packages, meet-and-greets, and backstage access. Sell tickets for a flat retail price, and save customers from extra fees and charges.
Topspin serves over three thousand artists including musicians, filmmakers, and authors, including Paul McCartney, Eminem, Paul Simon, Steve Martin and Carole King/James Taylor
Click the following links for more information about TopSpin and Digital Music News.
That you for a very interesting article. The music business is changing so fast. Who knew that twitter would be so important. I'm following Clay on twitter! 🙂
This sounds great, how do we get Clay involved in this or can we?
Great information. It would be great if Team Clay would get someone to run with all the social media links out there. It would be so beneficial for Clay. Things have changed, and I guess you have to keep up with what is going on in this ever changing world. It would be a great idea to let someone handle all the social stuff for Clay.
OK, Clay – It is time to bite the bullet! Tweet already! LOL
I sure wish he would!!
Interesting and informative. I'd like Clay to read this blog.
Clay does have people handling his twitter and his facebook accounts – maybe, what they need to do, is rethink their strategy. Not that I know nothin' bout nothin', but maybe they should be interacting more – tweeting more, facebooking more, have special contests, etc. Of course it would be helpful if Clay would actually do the tweeting – I believe he'd have more followers and would be able to spread information about not only his music and appearances, but also those causes that are so close to his heart. Twitter is a wonderful platform to spread the word (of course you are limited to 140 characters…… )
Well, I know he does at least one of those suggestions: He sells tickets to his concerts (and might I add at a good price?) on his Fan Club. But, those are interesting articles. Thanks for putting them on here.
I wonder if the company that runs Clay's fan club is a competitor of TopSpin.
Very good information this morning. Thanks. I know that OFC offers tickets, M&Gs, but it would be great for NJU or people who are not members to be able to get tickets for his concerts through something like TopSpin. That would leave out the middleman aspect which is a good thing. No more Ticket Master, LiveNation, etc.
I, too, wish that TC would utilize Twitter and FaceBook more effectively for Clay. He doesn't seem to gaining many NJU at this point through these Social Media devises.
Thank you for all this information. It is always interesting to see what the "experts" say about social networking.
I know that if Clay actually used twitter, he would have lots more followers. However, wit the push in the last week, Clay has gained about 200 new followers.
Now…….why are there so many Clay fans who refuse to sign up for twitter and FaceBook? What can we do to help them to understand the importance?
Thanks again for all the news. It is nice to wake up every day and read here.
Great article, thanks so much. Interesting to see how important twitter has become. Hopefully Clay's people will use social networking more effectively in the future. It would be great if you guys could get Clay to follow your blog.
I am following Clay Aiken on twitter even though I really don't know what I am doing there.
I wish Clay would personally do some tweets like Ruben does.
I really appreciate articles like this that shed a light on how the music business works. I wish Clay would quit being so stubborn about Twitter since I hear over and over of how important it can be to an artist.