So this blog entry came from a bit of a personal experience with a band. I won't go in to who the band is, but they're an up and coming band. I had found them on Twitter and watched a video of theirs and listened to their music on Itunes. I really liked them. They reminded me of 90's Britpop music. I had tweeted them a few times and we had talked back and forth a bit. Our interaction wasn't like a band stalker style, but just a new fan who wanted to show appreciation for their music. So I bought their album on Itunes and had tweeted about it. Probably about a week later I was going to tweet that I was listening to their music and found out I had been blocked. Now I'm not going to cry like a little girl about it, but it got me thinking. Has social media affected the fan experience? Back in the day to reach your favorite artist you had to join a fan club or write to them; and in writing I mean by hand with pen and paper. Even writing to them wouldn't necessarily mean you would hear from them or if you did hear from them it would be a generic form letter. I remember writing a few artists and only hearing back from Henry Rollins and Jello Biafra. When I received something back from them I felt so excited and thought how great it was that they read my letter and took the time to write back. Nowadays you can achieve that feeling instantly through Twitter and Facebook. Sometimes the band's accounts will be ran by someone else, but at times band members get on social media to chat with fans. I've had a few Twitter interactions with some famous bands and it really makes you feel closer to them. You get to see photos while they're on tour, see the setlists, and sometimes they'll answer your questions. I remember earlier this year the band Future Islands were on tour and their van broke down. They took to Twitter to see if anyone could help them get to their next gig. I was amazed at the outpouring of help from fans and it really shows you that your fans are your bread and butter. Saying that, I sometimes wonder if the bands or artists that gain instant popularity through social media truly appreciate the fans that they do gain? It use to take bands years to gain a proper fan base, but now it can take only a million hits on YouTube. Is it all just numbers to them or do they still feel that the fans are important? Of course, on the other hand, are fans expecting too much? When bands share so much of their day and their personal life, do fans take advantage of that and possibly push that intimacy to the limits? Are they expecting too much? There's that saying never meet your idols because they will disappoint you, but does that also fall in line with social media? Do fans expect every tweet or message to be answered and if not, do they feel jilted? I was wanting to ask someone who has been in the music business for quite some time, so I turned to Gerald Casale of DEVO. A: My next entry was going to be about bands of today possibly not appreciating their fan base like bands back in the day did because of the instant stardom that the internet & music streaming have given them. I wanted to know if you would give me your opinion on this? G: The hypothesis seems sound but what is the empirical data to support your claim? Fan complaints? Fans may be too demanding in narcissistic society where everyone is a "star" and selfies abound and stalkers run wild and delusional people have 10 thousand "friends". A: You make a good point and bring a different approach of this question to mind: You have experienced so many phases of existence in regards to the music industry. Considering all you have seen what would you say have been the most significant changes brought about by the digital explosion and accompanying social media? My question would be how has this sort of "artificial closeness" between artists and fans affected you as a creator and as a human being? How different are the dynamics now as opposed to back then? G: We don't register on the new digital radar of fan/artist psychosis. Our fans are old school loyal devotees that are harmlessly addicted. A: I'd have to disagree with you on that, my 9yr old son's favorite band is Devo. He is so excited when we find Devo on vinyl. I think you guys were the most underrated bands, but with the digital age younger fans can discover you and appreciate the music just as old school devotees. G: OK. I concede there is a lot of that happening now. So, Jerry does bring up a good point about our narcissistic society that is always craving more and sharing more. How many times has someone shared nonsense about their day or taken twenty selfies that bogs up your newsfeed? It's happened so much for me that I am rarely on Facebook anymore. I know what you look like so please stop taking the same pose of yourself over and over! I find Twitter to be more appealing because you are only given 140 characters to express what you want and it's really what you make it. I usually only follow people I may know, comedians, bands, etc. So my Twitter feed is free of annoying videos and loads of selfies. Social media can help an artist achieve fame faster than ever, but with that bands should never lose the notion that fame is fleeting. With the music business barely scraping by, touring and merchandise is where the profits are. If you keep your fans at an even keel then they will keep shelling out money to see you live and buying your merchandise. Oh and fans...go out there and support your favorite bands and don't put them up on a pedestal. They are human too. Buy their music legally, buy some merch, tell your friends about them, and go see them live! I will always be a fan girl and will always support the music that has helped me through so much. -Thank you Gerald Casale from DEVO for the impromptu Q&A and fan girl experience!
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AuthorAngela Marie. I like writing. I like music. I have thoughts falling from my head. Archives
July 2018
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