Being only 18 years old probably has something to do with Travis McDaniel's ability to plaster himself across the Internet using social media. This jazz-influenced, very young singer-songwriter has a Twitter account, Facebook page, YouTube channel- he's also on ReverbNation, TwitTrax and SoundCloud and oh yes, MySpace. With the use of social media, this yet-to-be signed music artist is able to enchant an audience he wouldn't normally find, crossing traditional boundaries, making known his love for music for countless others (including VIPs in the music industry) to see and hear.
Never before has it been so ridiculously easy for music artists to be heard by thousands (no, millions) of curious listeners and potential fans. It doesn't seem to matter whether you're living in Boise, Idaho or New York City to get noticed. Social media has overturned all the scales of the music industry; technology making it possible to share everything and anything a human can experience.
Travis' YouTube channel is nothing flashy, but it's there with a bunch of videos from various performances for anyone to peruse.
I first heard Travis' music on TwiTrax where there's a sampling of his music (wait about 15 seconds for the audio to start). Social sharing buttons allow you can share any of his songs on Twitter or Facebook, and you can easily leave a comment for the music artist using your Twitter profile as a login.
ReverbNation is a great promotional tool for music artists- serving as a full-faceted e-commerce website. Fans can get a snapshot view of the artist with summary bio, schedule of upcoming tour dates, videos, photos and even how the song ranks on the music charts for the artist's home town (Boise, Idaho in this case). Sample, download and buy music right there without having to leave the site. ReverbNation makes it easy for music artists to connect with fans that sign-up for email updates. Also a social site, anyone can leave comments and share what they've discovered.
And Facebook is fully accomodating to the music artist as well, with apps that allow for a completely integrated experience for the fan.
But as savvy and as talented as this young music artist is, someone needs to manage the flood of incoming adoration. The nature of social media makes it an unending 24/7 ongoing labor of love. And if you don't have a committed, faithful fan or can't yet afford full-service management to respond to the fans, you might as well not use it at all. Social media requires, demands, social presence. All the time. Tweeting once or twice a week or when you have some down time can't and won't build a strong fan base, let alone grow one. It's one thing to get your work out there, and then quite another, to keep it fresh in the public's mind and generate even more interest.
Social media marketing is work, a lot of work- requiring time, creativity, ongoing discipline, discretion, professionalism. The tools, though, that social media has given can create opportunities that never before existed.
Can't afford full marketing management and representation? We're here to serve you. Let us help you get to the next level.
Travis McDaniel on YouTube
Travis McDaniel on TwiTrax
Travis McDaniel on ReverbNation
@Travis_McDaniel on Twitter
