A Look Forward...

I began this blog over a year ago as an assignment for school. With this post, I will finish my last assignment, and will be completing my Master's Degree. Over the last year, I have covered a number of topics, largely centered around Social Media as a marketing tool, and now I feel it's time to take a look forward.  What is going to happen to the industry as we move forward and technology continues to improve? Will there still be CD's in five years?  Will artists continue to become more accessible? What role will Social Media play in all of this?  The answers to these last two questions will play a vital role in whether or not the industry will thrive or die. The technological progress of the industry has allowed fans to form a stronger connection with artists than ever before.  Celebrities make themselves available via Twitter and Facebook, and allow fans sneak peaks of new music, videos, and the latest news.  If artists continue to keep Social Media as a central part of their marketing tactics, I think we will continue to see the industry survive the downward slope of physical album sales.  Digital music is cheap to obtain, and can cheaply be promoted, especially with Facebook's new "Promote" feature, which allows users to pay to have their statuses featured and promoted. At the end of the day, the connection between the artist and the fan, whether in concert or via a Facebook "like", is what really drives the industry.

Mark Tremonti's Social Media Success.

By now, you are probably expecting me to talk about how much of a social media genius I think Dave Grohl is.  Well, I'm going to give you a short break this time. While there are a lot of new things happening with him and his Sound City Movie, I have someone else I want to talk about today.  Mark Tremonti, best known as guitarist for Mega-Rock band Creed, has become increasingly present in the social media world.  For a man with a net worth of $25 million, this is somewhat surprising.  It seems that a general rule has been that the more famous you become, the less accessible you are. Mark has somewhat managed to fly below the radar of celebrity outside of the music industry, and this may play to the advantage of his fans. Mark has a history of taking time to visit with fans before and after shows, and from personal experience I have never seen him rush off to the bus like so many others.  He is always willing to stay and chat, regardless of time.  This is a quality that he has taken over to the social media world as he is constantly updating fans via his Facebook.  He kept fans updated throughout the recording of his solo album, and has been quick to provide photos of himself and his Alter Bridge bandmates. He also frequently provides guitar tutorial videos to the Fret 12 website to teach his technique and show fans how to play songs he has written.  Mark's utilization of Social Media helped to launch the debut single off his solo album to win many radio station "Cage Matches" vs other artists who are more popular on mainstream radio. I think that Mark's willingness to seek out a connection to his fans has proved to help him achieve a great deal of success, and with a new Alter Bridge album in the works, and a Tremonti Project tour scheduled, I see no signs that Mark plans to slow down any time soon.

Tremonti "You Waste Your Time" Video

Alter Bridge "Blackbird" (voted in a fan poll as best guitar solo against greats such as Slash and Jimmy Page, further proof that social media promotion gets results!)

Creed "Higher"