The Nashville Feed

Usually people take the last days of a previous year to reflect and make predictions for the coming year. I prefer to make my predictions a few days into the New Year after all the commotion has settled. So here are my predictions for 2009 when it comes to Music technology and New/Social Media:

Social Networks/New Media

MySpace Will Finally Become Irrelevant:
The downward slide of MySpace began at the beginning of 2008 and some would say even earlier. People have social network overload or burn out and keeping up with the next greatest trend will end. Accounts will be abandoned in record numbers but News Corp (MySpace owner) will not report that slide. They will either sell it or try merging content from other properties in order to keep users engaged. MySpace will become the next Friendster.com ever trying to gain back it's glory.

Facebook Will Cement Itself as the Standard Social Network:
Facebook has made all the right moves barring a stumble here and there but overall it will be the main social networking site that everybody has an account. Kind of like Yahoo! back in the day. Will Facebook become profitable? The direction the economy is going I'd say no in 2009 but the pressure to generate revenue will be emence with the tight credit market. Will Facebook become the next Friendster MySpace I can't predict either but the trend looks like someday it will.

Twitter Will Go Mainstream but with Problems
2008 was the year of the tweet but 2009 is where businesses want in on the action. Many will try but few will get it right. They don't understand the way it works and how to utilize the site to it's fullest potential. See my previous post: Twitter is Not Like Any Other Social Network

What about the rest? Other websites will pop up and hit like at cat 5 hurricane while others will fizzle due to the economy and credit market. 2009 will be the year of creating revenue and trying to attain profitibility. All the VC firms are getting impatent and are wanting to see the end in the long tunnel of funding startups. Also 2009 will be the year of many adverstising based sites will go black or sold while many are going to try the "Freemium" model some will work but many will fail.

Music Industry

This is pretty easy almost to easy. The Music Industry still won't get it and revenue will continue to drop. The CD plastic disc model is dead and been that way for a long time. The revenue from downloads doesn't match and won't. They've tried download cards of albums (only place I've seen them is Target) but the fact is people are not going to pay what they used to for physical media plain and simple. I get buy a Blu-ray music with hours of extras for $14.99 why would I pay for 40 minutes of music for $12.99. I won't. So the big 3 labels have built this huge infrastructure the plastic disc which now can't be supported with the changing enviroment. Feels like this is the same as last year because it is. The industry won't collapse but that would be the best thing for it. The prediction for 2009 is down again but in all areas music sales, touring, merch basically everywhere. It's going to be a gloomy year for the industry.

That's it for my predictions. Hope everybody has a great 2009!

Twitter is not like any other social network. Plain and simple. Unlike other social networks like MySpace or Facebook if you "add" aka "follow" someone on Twitter it will not result in that person following you in turning growing your reach.

Twitter is pure interaction where if you just post crap nobody will follow you nor will they care about your brand. The only exception I can think of is a news service like CNN or New York Times. They post information that people interests people hence creating value. The key to Twitter is creating value to the people that follow you. Why did Obama have over 50,000 people following him? Because he posted information that people wanted to know or follow. A good example of a brand utilizing Twitter to the fullest while creating dialoge and community is Griffin Technology (the maker of iTrip & other goodies). Check out the Griffen Tech Twitter feed and notice how they do it. One thing to consider is they have a dedicated person that works the social network 5 days a

Of all the social networks Twitter is hardest to maintain because it's so real time. If your a music artist consider two or more twitter accounts. First start just with band news this is something you would update when you have specific updates, information you are pushing out where people don't expect conversation. Then a second that you would use for personal conversation with daily trivial stuff. Create the conversion with your fans of each member of your group then fans will have a more intimate connection.

One caution with having twitter feed for each member of the group is if there is problems or issues it will be very public. While your official artist Twitter feed is saying everything is fine the personal feeds may say something very different.

Overview:

Pros: Real-time feedback, easy, quick & creates a bond with fans if done correctly.

Cons: Time consuming (even though easy), risk of private matters aired public

Other Reading:

• Grow Your Social Networks Organcially, Start with Twitter

Something I've been saying for years. Make note, if you're not using the web to promote your brand as an artist then your late to the game.

• I Want My MTV? Not Anymore, Music Promotion Moves to Web
  It's clear now that the Web has once and for all replaced TV's role in the music business.     
  

Further reading:

• R.I.P T.R.L. - Why MTV's TRL was doomed anyways
  The loss of TRL is directly associated with the networks move AWAY from music. Music Television was after all the original name of the network before it reduced itself to MTV. Lets face it though... have any of us actually seen a music video on MTV in the recent past?         
  

The next two weeks will be one of the most busy times of the year for me so posts will be lite for the next two weeks. Some of the other bloggers on the site might have some posts including Jamies Nashville Weekend "It" List.

• Don't Call Me Ishmael by our own blogger Bungalow Bill
• Brand Tracks
• Nashvilest - Everything You wanted to Know about the Music City

If you like reading my new media marketing blog check some old content in Music Business or check back in 2 weeks.

- mdave

Today I'm attending BarCamp Nashville Event and will try to live blog the event. You can also follow on Twitter with Hash tags #bcn08 or #bcn.

Right now I'm sitting in on a technical session on Apple iPhone development and the Cell Journalist Application

The Content and Typography Session is beginning.

The day is just flying by. The last session "Where the Big Dogs Go" about what the corporate media is going with new media. I think the concept in theory was good but what I saw was corporate people explaning how they use new media to sell more adverstising. The only one that "got it" was Christian from WKRN's Nashville is Talking. He understands new media and how traditaionl media can embrace and extend their brand.

Branding by Pinky Gonzales rocked! Watch the video when they post it on BarcampNashville.com.

Make Google Your Bitch is presenting some new and interesting topics on SEO. They aren't recording it and it's something that you shouldn't have missed.

Barcamp is almost over and off to the pub crawl. All the presentations will be on BarcampNashville.com website in the next few days.

It's Columbus Day here in the US so that means a day off for me. If you read one article read "SonyBMG, You So Don't Get It" it's a good read with some information on what not to do.

Music Business & Sales

How the Music Business Spent the Summer Killing Itself… r.e.c.a.p.
from the "is it binding blog" by Randal Foster

Can the 'freemium' model weather the financial storm? - Cnet News
George Carlin said that when you live in the United States, you're guaranteed a front row seat to the freak show. Events of the last few weeks only reconfirm how right he was.

SonyBMG, You So Don't Get It.
Perhaps I woke up on the wrong side of the couch this morning. Maybe my coffee is too strong. Or maybe SonyBMG is so stupid about their online marketing efforts that they deserve to be ridiculed first thing the morning... every morning, until they stop damaging their own artist brands.

Walmart Phasing Out Music Sales...And That Revenue Isn't Coming Back
Coming soon to Wal-Mart: The new AC/DC album. Not coming to Wal-Mart for much longer: Most other music.

The Big Record Labels' Not-So-Big Future
With the Web decimating CD sales, the major labels are looking for new revenue streams, including ringtones, merchandise, tours—everything but music

Social Media

Net radio bill passes House - Cnet News
Web radio stations live to fight another day. The House of Representatives has unanimously passed a bill that Web radio stations have painted as life or death for their services.

State of the Blogosphere / 2008
Technorati’s State of the Blogosphere 2008 report, which will be released in five consecutive daily segments. Since 2004, our annual study has unearthed and analyzed the trends and themes of blogging, but for the 2008 study, we resolved to go beyond the numbers of the Technorati Index to deliver even deeper insights into the blogging mind.

Web 2.0: Making Friends / Web 3.0: Making Money
Web 2.0 is really at its core about user interface. Interface technologies such as Flash and AJAX have allowed web pages to be more active and engaging and to really become application-like. By and large, we have used this power to make social applications. But Web 3.0 is different. Web 3.0 is about the data.

David Byrne, Brian Eno and the viral album
Musicians David Byrne and Brian Eno, the historic duo who brought the world "My Life in the Bush of Ghosts" more than 20 years ago, have a new album out, "Everything That Happens Will Happen Today."

One Man's Piracy Is Another Man's Crowdsource
Say you own a record label, and one of your artists performs, causing fans to film the show and post their videos online. Do you: A) try to get all the videos deleted, B) do nothing or C) edit the best ones together to create a video of the concert from multiple camera angles, giving you another way to promote the artist and sell out shows?

Technorati Tags: linkfest, netradio, music business, social media

Interesting video on Web 2.0. Enjoy.