Special thanks to Jason Kotarski for interviewing me for his Green Couch Blog. He asked insightful questions addressing my career change, thoughts on the three EPs, and my views on community collaboration in Michigan music. The interview was posted yesterday.
http://thegreencouch.wordpress.com/2011/11/04/shifting-sand-an-interview-with-mike-vial/
Here’s my criticism of Headliner.fm: It’s disingenuous, where talking about music becomes an ad campaign. And no one likes being advertised too. This is written especially for independent musicians.
If you aren’t familiar with Headliner.fm, it’s a platform where bands make campaigns to get others bands to share posts about them on Facebook, Twitter, [and Myspace; yes, really, Myspace]. Each band gets “band bucks” for their total number of followers on Twitter and fans on Facebook (and Myspace). They then use these “bucks” to get promotion space from other bands’ social networking posts.
They call it “artists helping artists…” But let’s call it what it is: Transforming an artist’s updates into advertising for others artists in hope of others doing the same.
An indie artist should avoid this. Your friends and circles will not appreciate their Twitter and Facebook feeds being filled with campaign posts done for disingenous reasons. Turning your status posts into advertising platforms taints music, clutters social networking. Kim Kardashian might accept money for her Twitter feed to mention you, but no one respects her for it. I also doubt that type of advertising creates lasting business either. Impressions for the sake of impressions is a waste.
But wait, you say. What about the testimonials? OK, the site brags how Rob Thomas used it, saying, “Headliner did an amazing job in promoting the Rob Thomas Artwork Contest on all of Rob’s social networks.” Indie artist beware: This has little relevance to you. If others promoted a major label act like Rob Thomas who has 10 years of name recognition, his name did the selling.
An indie artist attempting to do the same will have much less to gain, but I argue more to lose. In time, people will catch on to being advertised to through Facebook and Twitter posts. They aren’t going to like it, and they will leave your site.
I’m not saying you shouldn’t talk about other bands’ music. You should! That’s the point! Share what you love! Don’t do it because you want to earn ‘band bucks,’ because you want Rob Thomas to post about you on Twitter. Ryan Adams talks about metals bands all the time on Facebook. I love this because I assume he does it because of his passionate love of metal music! I’m a closet metal head too! But if I discovered those bands were paying him to talk about them, I’d feel cheated.
Music business is a business, but the act of making music is a social endeavor. It’s an art. It’s not selling tupperware in a pyramid scheme.
Ignore Headline.fm and invest your time in real relationships. Start small and regional. Get off your fricking computer*. Go meet people. Attend shows. Join an open mic. Share music that you like. Release some free music, sell other releases. Make more music that a niche of people will like. And be patient.
*PS: I’m guilty of spending too much time in front my laptop too. I spent time writing this blog when it’s 64 degrees outside in November in Michigan.
You can download the new EP Where the Sand Meets the Tide for free at mikevial.com/free! I had over 100 downloads in the first few hours of my Facebook announcement Tuesday, and I’m excited to get this music out there! There will be a few reviews popping up this month in the Michigan press outlets.
Also, Natalie’s blog (OK, OK, I’m participating too) about our plans to have an all Michigan-made wedding (My Mitten in Yours) is starting to get some press, too. She received a call from the Lansing State Journal and they had us do a little photo shoot at the Capital Market holding up Michigan-made products and toasting Uncle John’s Michigan wine last week. An article about the blog will be in the Sunday paper.
Lots of good stuff happening in November!
It has come to my attention that mustaches and beards have exploded as the trend. As my friend Brian Walker exclaimed on Facebook, “The beard fashion is out of control!”
I was playing at a bar in Kalamazoo and every male had a beard. I was the only clean shaven guy in the place.
This reminds me, my college friends are trying to continue an annual event called the Mustachular, an event created before the epidemic of facial hair fashion took off.
Of course, the mustachular–a month long mustache cultivation that ended at a local pub to display–would be planned the month I had Parent Teacher Conferences while I was teaching at HHS, so of course I would have to look like an odd idiot during conferences if I wanted to participate. (Which I did.)
Let’s revisit:
I think it’s time to host another mustachular. If anything, this creates a reason to get my friends together, which we don’t do enough.
