Jul 11
What the tweet is Twitter?
by Lou in Lou Paniccia, Marketing & Networking
10 Comments »

I subscribe to a bunch of geeky tech podcasts like TWIT and Diggnation that have been raving about Twitter, a “mini-blogging tool” that basically lets you publish short 140 character updates about whatever’s on your mind.  Think Facebook status updates that you send from a cellphone.  Here’s a generic “Newbie’s Guide to Twitter” if you want to get some details on how it works.

Twitter seems like a great way for bands to interact with their fans while on tour. 

Barack Obama has a Twitter feed that is updated with info on what he’s doing on the campaign trail.  Going to a town a giving a speech isn’t much different than playing a show, in both cases you want to engage your fans/supporters and get them to show up.

I found a couple good articles with tips specifically for bands who want to use Twitter:

Twitter For Musicians and Bands: A How-To Guide

How Musicians Can Use Twitter to Get More People to Gigs

However, I haven’t been able to find too many bands that are actively using it.  If your band is on Twitter, post your link in the comments so I can follow your band.

I’ve been tweeting a bit myself from http://www.twitter.com/SonicbidsLou.  Mostly just posting about music I’m listening to, shows I’m going to, and cool Sonicbids artists I’ve discovered.  Feel free to follow if you’re interested.

Tweet on,

Lou

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10 Responses to “What the tweet is Twitter?”
 

I like your info. I’m having my official website set up and I wanted to ask you how to make it possible for people to buy my mp3’s…or what’s the best way to do that? I wanted advice from a pro! Thanks!

Neil wrote on July 14th, 2008 at 12:37 pm

 

Hey Neil,

I’d suggest taking a look at TuneCore. You can get your songs into a bunch of digital music stores (iTunes, Rhapsody, Amazon) all at once. Just pick the online store you like most (like iTunes for example) and put a link on your website to buy your album/songs. Your fans will be able to buy your music through a trusted merchant and you don’t need to fuss with setting up a shopping cart or processing payments on your own website.

Lou wrote on July 14th, 2008 at 9:16 pm

 

I’ve just started a Twitter page going too:

http://twitter.com/brandonlovesepk

Brandon Green wrote on July 16th, 2008 at 10:51 am

 

I’d second a recommendation to look at Tunecore. There are a bunch of widgety type things that can be placed on Myspace or Facebook for retail options, though for independent artists I think you’ll hear overwhelmingly positive things about CDBaby.com, who does have a partnership of some kind with iTunes. CDBaby makes it simple for you to set something up with them as far as selling hard-copy CDs or MP3s. Check out this note from CDBaby’s founder, Derek Sivers, from March of this year, for more info: http://cdbaby.org/stories/08/03/07/4462853.html

That being said, once you have your MP3s available for sale, actually getting people to buy them will be a different battle.

Benjy wrote on July 16th, 2008 at 11:14 am

 

I just got a Twitter account too! Check me out: http://twitter.com/SonicbidsTess

Tess wrote on July 16th, 2008 at 4:56 pm

 

Hi Lou, thanks for the twitter ideas.

And for you Neil, you can try setting up a paypal micropayment account and put some shopping carts on your site, with little play buttons linked to your mp3’s. You’ll then have you’re own store.
http://twitter.com/RussAimz

Russ wrote on July 16th, 2008 at 9:32 pm

 

I’ve recently started up on Twitter, too. I’m planning on keeping brief updates on the Business Development stuff I’m working on for Sonicbids. If you’re interested, come “follow” at http://twitter.com/SonicbidsBenjy

Benjy wrote on July 20th, 2008 at 10:45 pm

 

we loves us some twitter. http://twitter.com/tellingontrixie

Derek from Telling on Trixie wrote on August 2nd, 2008 at 5:34 pm

 

Hi,
Our Twitter (updated frequently and not so frequently depending…):
http://www.twitter.com/inhim
Enjoy the Tweetin’, and thanks for the tips!

Andy and Miranda – In Him

In Him wrote on August 14th, 2008 at 1:03 am

 

Just started a twitter account
http://twitter.com/jonbrooksmusic

Jon wrote on December 9th, 2008 at 4:53 pm

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