hypebot

Fancorps & Gydget Team For Fan Engagement

Two companies helping to power band to fan engagement come together as Fancorps integrates Gydgets into its street team management software.

The custom solution developed by Gydget dynamically generates fan widgets, or gydgets, for each street team, based on XML feeds already used by Fancorps. Street team leaders can further customize the gydgets and then drive the street team to adopt the widget by adding it to their personal pages.

Other services including Nimbit and ReverbNation also offer tools that empower fan engagement.  Every artist and labels needs to embrace viral tools. Fortunately with initiatives like Google's Open Social keeping info updated across a myriad of sites is getting easier.

Coldplay vs. Radiohead vs. NIN

DOES FREE MUSIC = MORE POPULAR?

How does "free music" effect a band's popularity?  An analysis by Hitwise (via DMW) showed that Radiohead's release was much more popular than either Coldplay's or either of the Nine Inch Nails releases, as measured by US Internet visits.  Radiohead also did a much better job of sustaining interest.

Why did Radiohead rule the net since Coldplay is a more popular band by most other measures? Was it because they were Radiohead was the first major band to go free?  Or was Coldplay's single song limited-time offering just not enough to grow and sustain fan interest?

Live Nation, AdBrite Launch eFan Finder

ONLINE TRACKING FOR CONCERT AD CAMPAIGNS

Live Nation  and AdBrite have launched eFan Finder, a new proprietary service that helps local Live Nation concert promoters, artist managers and agents track and view the performance of Live Nation's online advertising campaigns.

Research shows that more than a third of live music fans find out about concerts on the web, while traditional concert industry marketing devotes only a small fraction of advertising dollars online.  With Live Nation eFan Finder, Live Nation's local marketers are able to easily create and place tailored ad campaigns for the company's concerts, utilizing geo-targeting...

Universal/Buzznet Buys AbsolutePunk

Absolutepunk.net, arguably the most popular niche music site on the net, has been bought by Buzznet.  This follows recent acquisitions of Stereogum and Idolator as well as a major investment in Buzznet by Universal.

Responding to concerns that Universal can exercise control over AbsolutePunk editorial, AP.net founder Jason Tate  he claims that he remains totally in control:

"UMG doesn’t own Buzznet, they’ve made an investment in the company – those are 2 different things."

"UMG will not have any influence or input into anything AP.net is doing editorially – our editorial will stay true to how it’s always been – we cover what we want to cover and what the readers want to see. Period."

New Coldplay Explodes On Last.FM

1 PLAY EVERY TWO SECONDS SINCE RELEASE

UPDATE:  As of Wednesday AM  it has currently been listened to on Last.FM over 33,000 times, still around 1 play every 2 seconds.

Last.fm says the new Coldplay single ‘Violet Hill’ has been listened to 10,000 times in the 5 hours since it was released this morning. That’s 1 play every 2 seconds. The last time a track was listened to this much on Last.fm was ‘15 Step’ from In Rainbows, which clocked up close to 22,000 listens in 12 hours.

"It’s a pretty impressive listening figure for Violet Hill, suggesting you can’t go wrong giving people access to free music – something you know we approve of." says Last.fm PR manager Christian Ward. Coldplay are one of the most popular bands on Last.fm with 51 million listens.  The track is also being offered as a free download for a week on the band's web site and free NY and London concerts are said to be in the works.

N.I.N. - Serving The True Fan, Again

Yesterday Nine Inch Nails announced a unique concert pre-sale that offers registered fans the best seats, a ticket imprinted with their name, early venue access and more. Mastermind Trent Reznor even shares that he's not sure he can't do better:

"We've been working very hard to get the best tickets in the hands of the fans, bypassing scalpers, ticket resellers, and ticketing agencies... This has been a difficult process to bring together outside of The Spiral (NIN's fan club), and frankly, it's a work in progress."

Combine the pre-sale with the recent d.i.y. album release that offers everything from a free 9 track sampler to a $300 Ultra Deluxe Limited Edition, and you get a picture of a musician deeply concerned with serving fans.  Whether the motivation is morality or commerce really doesn't matter. Reznor gives all his fans - from the casual to the committed - what they want.

There's really nothing revolutionary here, he borrows many of his marketing concepts from others. But like any good artist that borrows from the past and present, he  combines concepts in unique ways that speak to his audience. In doing so, Reznor is paving the way for the next generation of musicians who control their content and thrive via a connection to fans. There's no reason that next-gen music execs can't follow Reznor's lead as well.

Starbucks Pushes Music To Back Burner

A year ago Starbucks moved more aggressively into music with releases by Paul McCartney and others that many saw as hopeful signs for a struggling industry. Now SVP Entertainment Ken Lombard is out and day to day control of the Hear Music label is moving to partner the Concord Music Group. The changes are  part of a company effort to re-focus on the core coffee business.

Chris Bruzzo, chief technology officer, has been promoted to senior vice president and will assume the leadership helm of the Entertainment category as part of his responsibilities.

Starbucks will continue its relationship with the William Morris Agency to identify book projects as well as the Apple and AT&T strategic relationships designed "to enhance the customer experience through the use of wi-fi and other in-store technology".

Economy Begins To Effect Entertainment Spending

The weak economy is beginning to have an effect on the entertainment industry. 37% of Americans believe they will spend less on entertainment products and devices in 2008 versus 2007, compared to just 18% who anticipate spending more according to a new NPD Group study.

46% of respondents to NPD’s survey thought they would spend about the same amount in 2008 as in the prior year. Teens were the only age group where spending tipped positive; 30% believed they would spend more than last year, versus 25% who thought they would spend less.

Mix in more indie releases than ever, an increasingly confusing and fractured media landscape and a summer touring season dominated by aging superstars demanding high priced tickets and the short term industry outlook appears bleak. 

Sonicbids Names Phoenix Media's Kingston VP Business Development

Sonicbids has hired 19-year broadcast industry veteran Andy Kingston for the newly created position of Vice President of New Business Development. Andy joins Sonicbids from Boston-based Phoenix Media/Communications Group where was SVP of  the company's 10 New England radio, print and web properties.

Kingston’s priority will be to generate new revenue streams including online advertising and sponsorships team in addition to building national/international marketing partnerships.

Sonicbids has enjoyed tremendous growth in recent years, expanding internationally into over 100 countries, while growing its membership to over 150,000 bands...

Music Magazine Ad Revenue Drops 28%

ARE MUSIC MAGAZINES DOOMED?

As the fans move online, ad revenue at the top three music magazines slid 28% in the first quarter of 2008.

• Blender $11 million (down 9% from first quarter 2007); 110 pages (down 20%)
• Rolling Stone $31 million (down 27%); 195 (down 33%)
• Spin $8 million (up 27% from 2007); 146 (up 22%)
• Vibe $18 million down 19% from 2007); 185 (down 22%)

Publishers Information Bureau via Crains.