Is Facebook killing music? How important are Facebook likes?

[King Lemon]

i feel stupid even writing it but it seems to me that unless you're popular on facebook it is really hard to be taken seriously......come on!

[kopper]

What do you mean by "taken seriously"? Are you having problems getting booked because you don't have enough Facebook fans or something? What's the root of your complaint?

[King Lemon]

by taken seriously i mean that for record labels to really be interested and also good venues do you need to have lots of facebook likes - to prove that you can pack out venues sell records etc,,,

personally I think it helps alot. either way this is not meant as a complaint full stop I posted it to see if other people experienced this as well

[Ken]

I dunno man, speaking as a guy who is constantly looking for coverage in a different but similar field, I'd say that social media like facebook and twitter are welcome additions to the tools in my marketing kit, even if I don't have thousands of "likes" on facebook or followers on twitter.  

I think it's more about the content of what you throw out on those sites than the sheer number of fans you can claim.

[Bibliodiscoteque]

Honestly, I only go to Facebook after I have heard the band.  I don't really rely on Facebook as a tool to market or gain followers for my podcast, but as a means of disseminating information and stuff for people already following. Facebook doesn't attract bands like Myspace used to, it is designed really to sell itself. DO you want to be on a label that is worried about Facebook likes?  

[kopper]

I would also argue that it's because of this new social-networking craze that makes it even less important to be on a label. The DIY ethic is a helluva lot easier in 2012 than it was 20 years ago when you HAD to rely on labels, flyering, and getting reviews or interviews in printed 'zines. People are now in control of and have all the tools they need right at their fingertips to do all of their own marketing and promotion.

That said, any band in 2012 should still have their own website, first and foremost. Don't put all of your eggs in just one basket (i.e., Facebook or MySpace). Buy a domain name for your band and set up a blog there. Then connect it with your social networking sites... Facebook, Twitter, Bandcamp, LastFm, Hideout page, etc. I didn't list MySpace because I don't even waste my time on that crappy site anymore. Then instead of linking to your Facebook page and being overly worried or concerned that you don't have enough "Likes" on it or whatever, just link to your band's personal website. The important thing is that you have all the goods there that booking agents will need in order to book your band, such as music (a no-brainer), videos, a bio, etc. I would personally NEVER send any label or promoter a link to my band's Facebook page. Let them find that on their own AFTER they visit your site.

[King Lemon]

thanks for the info - espiciallly the part about sending over just the bands own website - never thought of that before

kopper said:

I would also argue that it's because of this new social-networking craze that makes it even less important to be on a label. The DIY ethic is a helluva lot easier in 2012 than it was 20 years ago when you HAD to rely on labels, flyering, and getting reviews or interviews in printed 'zines. People are now in control of and have all the tools they need right at their fingertips to do all of their own marketing and promotion.

That said, any band in 2012 should still have their own website, first and foremost. Don't put all of your eggs in just one basket (i.e., Facebook or MySpace). Buy a domain name for your band and set up a blog there. Then connect it with your social networking sites... Facebook, Twitter, Bandcamp, LastFm, Hideout page, etc. I didn't list MySpace because I don't even waste my time on that crappy site anymore. Then instead of linking to your Facebook page and being overly worried or concerned that you don't have enough "Likes" on it or whatever, just link to your band's personal website. The important thing is that you have all the goods there that booking agents will need in order to book your band, such as music (a no-brainer), videos, a bio, etc. I would personally NEVER send any label or promoter a link to my band's Facebook page. Let them find that on their own AFTER they visit your site.

[Mole]

Definitely not killing music as far as I'm aware - but is ANYTHING killing music? If you bypass the dross that passes for music on most daytime radio shows (I'm talking UK specifically here) and ignore pretty much anything on 'normal' TV [esp. those 'talent' shows - Jesus, what a total scam], there's an extremely healthy underground scene. As Kopper mentions, the DIY thing is probably easier now than ever before, and in my experience and opinion, social networking sites [just like this one RIGHT HERE!!!] slot perfectly into that approach. As our man says, you don't NEED labels/promoters etc to be able to put out your own music - what you need is BELIEF.

[Mike Humsgreen]

Definately, I find it hard to believe that anyone could suggest these days that anything is killing music. Music is being made and shared now more than ever before in history. I was always dissapointed that Myspace (crap site now) wasn't around like 2 or 3 years earlier than it was because at the time I had nowhere to go to find out where gigs were happening in my boring, leafy suburbs.

I had no big brother to get me into good music and it's all thanks to the internet that I'm able to expand my music tastes without spending all my pocket money.

The only people who should be upset about the internet are those fat cats on major labels, which is why the governments are trying to clamp down on the usage.

Mole said:

Definitely not killing music as far as I'm aware - but is ANYTHING killing music? If you bypass the dross that passes for music on most daytime radio shows (I'm talking UK specifically here) and ignore pretty much anything on 'normal' TV [esp. those 'talent' shows - Jesus, what a total scam], there's an extremely healthy underground scene. As Kopper mentions, the DIY thing is probably easier now than ever before, and in my experience and opinion, social networking sites [just like this one RIGHT HERE!!!] slot perfectly into that approach. As our man says, you don't NEED labels/promoters etc to be able to put out your own music - what you need is BELIEF.

[Alison]

I often try to look up a band only to find that they just have facebook page and no website.  I then get frustrated because these band facebook pages usually don't have any music on them or even links to music, and have very little information about the band.  It completely bewilders me.  Social networking is great, but all bands should have a user friendly website with music, bio, discography with purchase links, and tour dates.

[dave]

I don't think it killing music by itself ;) but it's certainly helping. With all of the bad publicity that Facebook gets for aggressive business practices and all the data-mining it does, not too many cool people want anything to do with it. Speaking just for my own feelings, if anything I'm searching for gets a facebook URL, I don't even bother looking it up.

As for likes, they can be a barometer for something, but they aren't the end-all/be-all. I like to think that most punky types are fairly independent-minded.

[Mardy]

I personally think Facebook is a rubbish place for bands, I ignore it, I think Facebook is like a blue and white version of the pox as far as band pages go. Make your own site that reflects the style of your band and use the social networking for networking.

And seriously, do you really want to do business with someone who uses the amount of 'likes' something has to influence their business decisions? Sounds stupid to me.

[kopper]

Agreed, Mardy. The whole "like" thing is completely overblown/overrated has gone out of control. It was because Michael Kaiser's RadiOblivion podcast wasn't getting enough "likes" here on the Hideout that he decided to stop doing it and ditch the site entirely (I believe he also deleted his Facebook account, for what it's worth). He specifically told me that he stopped doing his show because not enough people here "liked" it. Amazing.