Monthly Archives: October 2014

Social media and the explosive, international growth of electronic dance music

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Electronic music has been around for quite some time, but more recently in the past few years it has seemingly taken off. What is causing this meteoric rise in popularity/trend of electronic dance music (often referred to as “EDM”), and why now? Although I dislike using that term to refer to the fans and listeners (myself included), I will be using it for ease in this post.

As with many industries and technologies, much of the growth and exposure can in part be attributed due to the advent of the internet and social media. Eventbrite, “the leading online ticketing and registration platform popular for electronic dance music (EDM) events, released their new EDM Fan Social Media Listening Study at SXSW 2014″ and it found that social media and the “live experience” were key drivers in the new-found popularity. The study found that EDM fans tweeted 11 times a day versus 1.85 times a day compared to the average twitter user and that EDM fans are “visual consumers”, meaning that fans of this large-encompassing-genre are much more engaged, and more likely to be engaged as well. With the introduction of the “Our Story” feature on Snapchat, fans are given yet another avenue to share their love for the music and the lifestyle. What is unique about this is that Our Story allows for a collaborative live-stream, giving fans who aren’t present to share the experience in real time. YouTube also offers live-stream of events so that fans who are not able to go to events are able to join in on the experience, to an extent, from behind a screen.

134000 fans gather per day over 3 days for the Electronic Dance Carnival (EDC) 2014. Source: http://askmediaproductions.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/EDC-Vegas-ASK-Media-Productions-86.jpg

134000 fans gather per day over 3 days for the Electronic Daisy Carnival (EDC) 2014.
Source: http://askmediaproductions.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/EDC-Vegas-ASK-Media-Productions-86.jpg

However, social media doesn’t just benefit the listeners. DJ’s now can also share their tracks and sets online now, helping them to generate a presence nationwide or worldwide much quicker than in the past. Without outlets such as YouTube and SoundCloud, artists are able to release full songs or demos for the world to hear, helping them to promote their album. This is further backed up by “the highest paid DJ on the Forbes list, Tiesto, who brought in a whopping $22 million last year, [and] attributes the much of electronic music’s growth to social media.” More now than ever before, the DJs and producers are able to take advantage of the EDM culture/lifestyle and social media to boost their fan base; a relatively unknown artists could go from a hopeful, regular Joe posting on Youtube/Facebook/SoundCloud/Twitter and reach international fame within a year or two, maybe even less. Such was the case for DJs/Producers Martin Garrix and Aiden Judge.

In an effort to keep to this brief – it is the combination of social media and the behaviours and attitudes of the EDM fan produce a synergistic effect that drove and continue to drive the ever-growing scene of electronic dance music.

To read more in depth about this:

The Economics of Electronic Dance Music Festivals

The study released by Eventbrite

Press release by Eventbrite about the study

Further thoughts: With the EDM industry, lifestyle, and genre expanding and commercializing at such a fast pace, is there a bubble?

 

 

Barbershops Need To Get on Social Media Right Away

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Barbershops. I went to go get a haircut the other day at a barbershop and it turned out fantastic, but the problem was that it was nearly impossible to find good, credible barbers online, especially in my area. My usual barber was out of town so I was forced to find somewhere new this time and I did what I always do before I make a decision to buy or try something:

  1. I Google “the topic + my general location or city”,
  2. Click on the first few search results,
  3. Check their reviews on Yelp, their Facebook, and maybe Instagram if there is a link.

To my disappointment, I found that a lot of the barbershops in my area don’t have a website, only a number and address provided by 411, yellow pages, or Yelp – and most of them had no reviews. This frustrated me because it made my decision much harder than it should have been and longer than it should have taken – and they’re missing a huge opportunity that could be capitalized on at any given time just by not being present online in any form. The use of social media has proven to garner significant results in many businesses and industries, especially ones that offer a very aesthetic/visual aspect to it, such as fashion. But even without using pictures, just by being online and interacting with customers, providing content and responding to feedback, companies (barbershops in this case) can increase their exposure and that exposure to viewers can be leveraged and turned into customers.

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Dog Pound Barbershop in Surrey, BC https://www.facebook.com/dogpoundbarbershop

 

As John Burton points out in this article, you could get your customers to like or follow you on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram or some other platform, and then message them with something like ‘Hey,” it’s Wednesday, 10:00 am. Business is slow. No line/wait right now. Come in today and save $3.” ‘ I know for one, if I got that message/received that tweet/saw the update, and I was not at work or in class, I would go into the shop and get that haircut, and really who wouldn’t? It would be at a discount and with no wait time! Plus, with Instagram being the leading platforms for marketers to receive engagement now, barbers can now post pictures of: their work, before-afters, pose with their customers, promote products and contests, and a whole bunch of things to promote their own brand and differentiate themselves through the app. They can build trust before the customer even sets foot in their doors, they can tailor their Instagram portfolio to certain people and areas with specific hashtags, and most importantly, they can build a presence and reputation. It is also important for barbers, that once their on social media, to engage and respond to their customers as well. Nothing annoys me (and possibly other people), like a page that just shamelessly promotes its own brand constantly without responding to customer reviews. If barbers do this on all their platforms AND Yelp, then they can really interact with their customers in a human way and provide a positive experience both online and offline, giving them reason to come back and also spread the word about your barbershop – giving you a huge edge over other barbers in the area.

In conclusion, the online activity that barbers have can greatly affect business and improve their bottom line. The more active they are online – to a certain extent, to post pictures, respond to customer reviews and inquiries, and provide useful information – the better.