Social Media Use

“Artists interact with their fans to the ways in which artists promote new music and gain new followers.” Tim Alan

Social media allowed there to be a large shift in how music and musicians were advertised. It allowed for the promotion to be in the hands of the artist instead of record labels, as it was in the past. Social media also allowed artists to be more visible on popular platforms and utilize it to advance their careers. Fans also play a big role in advertisement for artists because they encourage others to listen to their favorite artist. Therefore they are free advertisement. Tim Alan provides Justin Bieber as an example about how social media can change “a kid on YouTube to a worldwide sensation in a few short years” (Alan). As Alan states he became famous through “worldwide word of mouth”, therefore the fans are the ones that made him famous through the spread of social media (Alan). In his documentary Never Say Never, Justin Bieber discusses the impact the Internet had on his career and how he wouldn’t be anywhere without his fans. It is also important to understand that people spend a significant amount of time online, therefore it opens up different platforms that were previously unreachable.

"Fans feel like they have a voice with social media and that they are being heard. Artists use it to communicate with their fans by keeping them in the know-how of the latest news and upcoming releases. Successful artists are those that excel with their digital marketing strategy and reap the rewards of their creative approach." AJ Agrawal

Wolfgang Gartner states in his piece Hashtag Blessed: Music’s Unfortunate Social Media Side Hustle, that he thinks that the interaction between the musician and the fan began with Myspace. Myspace was once “a major factor in the promotion of music by artists and record labels”, especially since fans could “directly correspond with their favorite artists by writing on their public wall or sending them direct, private messages” (Gartner). Similarly, Facebook came about providing artists with a page where they could “connect with their fans in a very personal way” (Gartner). Facebook also introduced the sale of ads. Ads are now visible on various platforms paid by the artist to get more exposure. Nowadays Facebook has an understanding of what you like on Facebook so they target you with specific ads.