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[Mike Kirkpatrick]

Evan Kirkendall wrote on Fri, 15 August 2008 00:19

Myspace has been a pretty successful marketing place for me. Ive gotten a fair amount of work through it, and it works well for networking with other people/bands. Yeah, theres a lot of 14 year old girls on it, but theres also a lot of potential business. I dont use mine for anything besides promoting the company though. http://www.myspace.com/harfordsound Evan

+1

[_______]

The distinction has already been made, but let me just say that bands who list their MySpace page as their primary website (on flyers, posters, etc.) are the ones doing themselves a disservice.

Let me share with you the impetus for my original post.

I was surfing craigslist last night, and I see a post entitled "Variety band seeks booking agent".  I happen to work with several variety bands, and I am closely associated with a local booking agency.  I thought perhaps I could help this band out.

I click on the post title, and here comes the "Check us out on MySpace" crap.  I'm sorry, but that's a deal killer for me.  The private party/variety band market around here is a little more sophisticated than that.  If you want to play the big company parties, you've got elevate yourself above a networking site for teens.

Plus, I get a laugh out of looking at a death metal poster that reads at the bottom, for example: "Go to www.myspace.kittenkiller.com".  It just seems incongruous, kinda like having the Jonas Brothers on the cover of Rolling Stone.

[Dave Dermont]

Matthew Whitman wrote on Fri, 15 August 2008 10:20

I happen to work with several variety bands, and I am closely associated with a local booking agency.  I thought perhaps I could help this band out. I click on the post title, and here comes the "Check us out on MySpace" crap.  I'm sorry, but that's a deal killer for me.  The private party/variety band market around here is a little more sophisticated than that.  If you want to play the big company parties, you've got elevate yourself above a networking site for teens.

This seems a bit closed-minded to me, but if you choose to ignore the reality the cultural phenomenon that is MySpace, that's your choice.

It kinds of reminds me of the promoters who focus on the music they personally enjoy instead of what puts asses in seats.

I have clients (both venues and artists) who I communicate with mainly through MySpace messages, and have booked some really good gigs simply by being there. I use it. I don't have to like it.

I hope you don't miss too many opportunities because of your "too sophisticated" for MySpace.

[Rick Stansby]

I hate myspace as much as the next guy, but I think this is a generational thing.  If a band has an audience that is young then their audience will be comfortable with myspace.  

[Michael Prasuhn]

Tate Tullis wrote on Thu, 14 August 2008 21:49

[snip] I have all of these stupid 14 yr old girls who add you and then send off around 10 messages a day saying that there going to get off the computer and go get a sandwhich or something. Who cares?! ah..

Yeah..... Let me guess, you aren't into Twitter are you?

-Mikey P

[Josh Oswald]

The variety band I'm a member of has only one site and it's on Myspace. We have a few live recordings on the site, a few pics, our schedule and contact info. We get most of our club and bar gigs from word of mouth advertising, but most of our wedding, private party, and corporate party work is from a few booking agencies that use us. Not once has a corporate client not been interested because we have a Myspace page. Actually, we just(as in, contracted yesterday) got a gig in September for a large corporate client in Destin Florida. This individual was having a tough time deciding which band to go with and the booking agent said, "Hey, this band has a really diverse repertoire, check it out on Myspace.com/TheClintandkipband". He called back a few hours later and booked us.

I guess it's all personal preference. I really don't hate or love Myspace. It's a neat tool to keep in touch with age old friends from high school and college, but it can also be a tool of our trade.

To each his own.
Josh

[Tate_Tullis]

Mike Babcock wrote on Thu, 14 August 2008 23:55

Tate Tullis wrote on Thu, 14 August 2008 23:49 I have all of these stupid 14 yr old girls who add you and then send off around 10 messages a day saying that there going to get off the computer and go get a sandwhich or something. Who cares?! ah..   ok. im done Uhhhhh, it takes 2 to tango. Why are you approving 14 yr old girls? Like many things, you get out of it what you put into it. If you only add people you meet in real life, it's fine. If you add 14 yr old girls, you might as well go back to high school and play all those lovely freshman games again.

Im usually not on there. We have another guy who usually is on the myspace stuff (keep in mind we are all 18 so its not as wierd as if we were like 40 haha) but I usually delete them when I get on.   And even though I dont like them, i have to admit that they are the ones who come to shows and since we put on a show here and there they are usually the ones that show up.

[_______]

Dave Dermont wrote on Fri, 15 August 2008 10:54

Matthew Whitman wrote on Fri, 15 August 2008 10:20   I happen to work with several variety bands, and I am closely associated with a local booking agency.  I thought perhaps I could help this band out. I click on the post title, and here comes the "Check us out on MySpace" crap.  I'm sorry, but that's a deal killer for me.  The private party/variety band market around here is a little more sophisticated than that.  If you want to play the big company parties, you've got elevate yourself above a networking site for teens. This seems a bit closed-minded to me, but if you choose to ignore the reality the cultural phenomenon that is MySpace, that's your choice. It kinds of reminds me of the promoters who focus on the music they personally enjoy instead of what puts asses in seats. I have clients (both venues and artists) who I communicate with mainly through MySpace messages, and have booked some really good gigs simply by being there. I use it. I don't have to like it. I hope you don't miss too many opportunities because of your "too sophisticated" for MySpace.

Well, I ate Whataburger for lunch and I have my wife's breastmilk all over me from feeding the baby a bottle.  I consider myself anything but sophisticated.

A considerable disparity exists between my jeans and hiking boots lifestyle and upscale Dallas.  I've watched said booking agency go from a suburban warehouse to a posh office in the middle of uptown.  I guess they could stay "open-minded" and work out of their garages, but it's easier to separate rich folks from their money when you purvey a certain image.

I don't have to say this, but I hate the plastic nature of the whole scene.  I'd much rather go up to Denton and listen to a good college band in some dingy basement.  The fact of the matter is, though, that the variety band market is very strong in Dallas.  It is also very competitive, which means you have to do something to stand out.  A mediocre band with nothing but a lame MySpace page does not stand out, at least in this neck of the woods.  Chances are a potential client will chose to spend his thousands on a better band with a slicker image.  These are the conditions of the market as I see them, and you're reading but one man's perspective.

I'm happy for anyone who gets a gig, by whatever means.  Put a sign on your car, attach a banner to an airplane, start a fire and make smoke signals, send direct mailers, pound the pavement.  Heck, I still see people putting up handwritten flyers at Guitar Center.  I doubt anyone is taking my opinions on marketing and promotion as Gospel.

-Matt

P.S. The sexual predators of the world have eight years to hone their techniques before my youngest becomes a teenager.  I'm definitely not ignoring MySpace, as much as I'd like to!

(edited to add P.S.)      

[Silas Pradetto]

I print my business cards on my Laserjet 4000TN   I ordered 1000 cards once, but then changed my company name and had to throw them all away.

[Derek Shawver]

Matthew Whitman wrote on Thu, 14 August 2008 21:50

Bands: If your website starts with "www.myspace" I am automatically dismissing you as a bunch of amateurs! If you're that serious about your band or your business, buck up and pay for a real website. It's like business cards with perforated edges printed from a home computer; it just doesn't come across as professional. In fact, it comes across as completely juvenile (and lazy, for that matter).

That's ridiculous. In fact I think the complete opposite. If you have a band, whether you are a shitty garage band or The Smashing Pumpkins, you should have a Myspace page. It's become to the point anymore that if you have a pulse, then you have a Myspace page....what better way to get known? What better way to get heard?   Most musicians would kill to have the opportunity to have millions of people come across their music...what better way than Myspace? It's world wide for crying out loud. What better publicity could you get? I've come across some excellent music on myspace out of sheer bordem of just browsing different bands on Myspace and honestly if it weren't for me browsing Myspace, I probably wouldn't have ever heard of these bands and bought their CD. I think Myspace is one of the best things to ever happen to bands. Tom, the creater of Myspace knows this and had that in mind when he first made Myspace as he himself is a musician too.