It is a common love! A common passion!  Music touches all of us.  But how does it get to the young minds of teenagers and twenty-odd year olds?   Most of us no longer watch television, few of us listen to the radio, but we all do listen to music.  So how do we decide what to listen to?  And where do we hear about it?

Social media is changing the way music is discovered and shared.  As a great lover of music, the way I stay updated is through Facebook and Twitter.  By liking all of my favourite bands on Facebook, I receive updates on upcoming concerts.  Many musicians also recommend fellow artists that they are interested in, thus my music network grows and these bands gain more fans through a cheap form of marketing.

Many bands stay connected with fans through twitter.  And you may say, “well Erin, many people don’t use twitter!  They think it is silly!’.  This can be true.  However we must consider the type of person who uses twitter.  A dedicated twitter user is often also a frequented facebooker and they may also use tumblr or pinterest.  They may be a guru of the social media world.   These people are connected to many

individuals not only in cyberspace, but in the real world.  This makes this individuals influential, potential trend setters.  By connecting to these individuals through social media, the music industry branches out to numerous social circles.

Just today, my roommate linked me a music video contest put on by Macklemore offering free tickets to the Sasquatch Music festival as a prize.  She found out about this contest through twitter.   Macklemore is generating interest around his music by using social media to reach an influential fan base.

Marketing through social media has allowed the individual to stay connect with their favourite bands.  It has also allowed smaller local bands reach a larger audience in a very cost effective manner.  It does not cost a thing to write a peppy twitter post, but it could help a band develop a fan base.