Something that I have been involved in for a while now (more than likely because I spend a vast amount of time wading though the internets) is online communities – mainly social networking sites. Social networking sites are popping up all over the place these days, but some of the ‘older/more well known’ ones have made the press of late due to their ability to advertise for nothing. This article focuses primarily on MySpace as a tool for bands to promote their music and build a strong fan base even before they have released their first album!

The article describes the exciting and positive aspects of the social networking website MySpace for new and established musical groups. Gone are the days when traditionally bands had to tour to gain popularity, by touring they were able to advertise that they had a new cd coming out or that they had just released a new cd. Today it is all about MySpace – “According to MySpace, more than 240,000 artists of every kind — from unsigned amateurs to international rock stars — are using MySpace as a way to market themselves and build a fan base.” It goes further to state that “startup bands like My Chemical Romance have launched careers exclusively through MySpace, collecting more than 100,000 fans through the service.”

But what is MySpace? As the byline says – It’s a place for friends. Once you log in to the service you are able to add friends / bands to your buddy list. And this is in essence how bands are able to gain popularity. Friends of friends see the band, they are able to goto the band MySpace, hear the music and if they like it tell their friends.

I think the biggest thing the article mentions is that MySpace has the ability to create something out of nothing. With a fanbase of “15 million” (or so MySpace boasts..), the fans have the ability to create the buzz in a matter days as opposed to touring for weeks / months.

This isn’t only beneficial to bands either, fans also are able to enjoy the perks of MySpace. Now they don’t have to wait until their fav band releases a new cd, they just wait until it comes to MySpace in an effort to gauge responses. This also allows fans to expand their listening likes – many people don’t have limitless amounts of dollars and therefore can’t afford to purchase every cd that they ‘think’ they may like (no one pirates music… sure buddy). MySpace is a win win situation for both bands and fans.

The article also raises the point that by being buddies with a band(s) fans are able to keep up-to-date. “For fans, MySpace allows them to keep up-to-date on bands in an intimate way. Fans that have declared an allegiance, who are known as “buddies,” can leave comments on a band’s site, letting them know what they think of their music or how they performed at their last show.”

Something that the article talks about without explictly describing is that online communities like MySpace are an extremely low cost option to creating attention and hype for a band. This works for both new and established bands alike. Usually you would need to sign up to an agency and get them to advertise for you (at a fee of cause) or post flyers / spread the word yourself – but now, with the right fan base, these online communites are able to take out the middle man, effectivly cutting out your advertising costs totally, or even significantly decreasing them.

Is this the way of the future? Will we see an increase in band popularity based soley on online communites? I believe so, I believe that the prospect of advertising for free, and building a fanbase for free are things that bands just will not be able to pass up. It also gives fans an inside look into the music that is being created, and with music priacy being what it is today – fans will be able to taste the latest music as soon as it comes out. That should keep them happy……… for now.

Available from Bands Embrace Social Networking, written by David Cohn on the 18th of May, 2005.