On being genuine...
On being a musician and being genuine...
Disingenuous "fanning," "liking," and "commenting" - it's a tactic used by enough musicians to be considered excessive by my standards. I don't just mean following on generic social networking sites either. I mean vague, false comments about music and songs or "fanning" on music/sound-specific sites (Reverbnation, SoundCloud, etc).
I get mostly real and genuine comments and "likes" on my music and some fantastic fans that I wouldn't trade for the world. But I also get some comments and "likes" and "fans" that I know have not listened - and have absolutely no intention of listening - to my music. For example... I can tell if a song has been "liked" more times than it has been listened to recently (this often happens upon first uploading a song on SoundCloud - no listens yet and 2 likes within the first minute). I often can see which users listened. And yes it's possible that some listen and not sign in, and a few have premium accounts on certain sites so they can listen incognito. But really, how feasible is it that someone can give music a fair shake and still make comments on multiple songs a minute or "like" fifty-to-a-hundred songs in thirty minutes? Especially when those song "likes" disappear in a couple of days.
If you didn't listen to a song, don't "like" it! If you are not even bothering to give the music a chance, please do not comment on it or message an artist to say how much you enjoyed it. That isn't anything more than lying - especially when posting on their wall the exact same thing (typo included) they posted on several other artists' pages within a short time frame. Honestly, I would rather have 5 real fans who really listen to my music, comment truthfully their opinion of it, and share it with their friends than 50 fake fans who "like" it only to try to boost their own numbers. If I'm not gaining real fans, I'm not really gaining anything. I have more respect for an artist who contacts me directly and asks me to listen to their music than one that claims my music is super awesome when they never listened.
So a big thank you to all of my real and active fans. If it weren't for you, I wouldn't bother with those sites.
To the artists who are so into the numbers game that they feel the need to lie to other artists: I hope it's worth it, because it's costing you your integrity. Perhaps you think you're being bold and clever, that everyone else is doing it, or that it's just advertising and networking. Maybe you are hoping to find real fans in the clouded water of "fan-backs." But would you write a review about a restaurant you have not eaten at only to turn around and advertise your own? If you're more interested in "fan-backs" than genuine fans, perhaps you need to go spend more time on your music, play for an audience, and remember what this is about.
To other new artists just getting into these sites: Learn who your true fans are and never stop interacting with them. And don't let these few, selfish artists bring you down. Yes they are likely polluting your fan-base, but if you're good, those real fans will surface.
Stay tuned, Loves!
- Sarah Schonert (The Lyrical Physicist)
Disingenuous "fanning," "liking," and "commenting" - it's a tactic used by enough musicians to be considered excessive by my standards. I don't just mean following on generic social networking sites either. I mean vague, false comments about music and songs or "fanning" on music/sound-specific sites (Reverbnation, SoundCloud, etc).
I get mostly real and genuine comments and "likes" on my music and some fantastic fans that I wouldn't trade for the world. But I also get some comments and "likes" and "fans" that I know have not listened - and have absolutely no intention of listening - to my music. For example... I can tell if a song has been "liked" more times than it has been listened to recently (this often happens upon first uploading a song on SoundCloud - no listens yet and 2 likes within the first minute). I often can see which users listened. And yes it's possible that some listen and not sign in, and a few have premium accounts on certain sites so they can listen incognito. But really, how feasible is it that someone can give music a fair shake and still make comments on multiple songs a minute or "like" fifty-to-a-hundred songs in thirty minutes? Especially when those song "likes" disappear in a couple of days.
If you didn't listen to a song, don't "like" it! If you are not even bothering to give the music a chance, please do not comment on it or message an artist to say how much you enjoyed it. That isn't anything more than lying - especially when posting on their wall the exact same thing (typo included) they posted on several other artists' pages within a short time frame. Honestly, I would rather have 5 real fans who really listen to my music, comment truthfully their opinion of it, and share it with their friends than 50 fake fans who "like" it only to try to boost their own numbers. If I'm not gaining real fans, I'm not really gaining anything. I have more respect for an artist who contacts me directly and asks me to listen to their music than one that claims my music is super awesome when they never listened.
So a big thank you to all of my real and active fans. If it weren't for you, I wouldn't bother with those sites.
To the artists who are so into the numbers game that they feel the need to lie to other artists: I hope it's worth it, because it's costing you your integrity. Perhaps you think you're being bold and clever, that everyone else is doing it, or that it's just advertising and networking. Maybe you are hoping to find real fans in the clouded water of "fan-backs." But would you write a review about a restaurant you have not eaten at only to turn around and advertise your own? If you're more interested in "fan-backs" than genuine fans, perhaps you need to go spend more time on your music, play for an audience, and remember what this is about.
To other new artists just getting into these sites: Learn who your true fans are and never stop interacting with them. And don't let these few, selfish artists bring you down. Yes they are likely polluting your fan-base, but if you're good, those real fans will surface.
Stay tuned, Loves!
- Sarah Schonert (The Lyrical Physicist)
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