The quotes used in this blogpost come from the following online resource:
Setting the world all a-Twitter – BizTech – Technology – theage.com.au ”
“THINK Twitter,” says Rob Levy. “Immediate, quick, interaction between hundreds of people: ‘Hey! what? Yes?’. One dot, two dots . . . a line. Twitter. Enough said.“
I’ve posted before about how in large firms one of the main problems is is that those who make strategic decisions are shielded from the good ideas by layers of management reports. Well it seems that it is not only the management reports that are getting in the way – it’s the middle-ware and the structures of the organisations themselves that are problems.
Web 2.0 is all about collaboration, but how do we take the hottest trend of the last couple of years and turn it into something useful for our (music) businesses? Should we even care?
The answer to the second question is: ”Yes”.
In the same way that people are using Twitter to keep in touch with friends, find out about the latest party information, or just disseminate useless trivia, the Music Industry could use the Twittersphere to keep people in touch with their favourite artists.
Imagine if during the day you got (ir)regular updates in real time from your favourite artist.
Imagine: ”I’m very excited about the upcoming concert in NYC…“
Imagine: ”I’ve just completed sound check – the acoustics are awesome!“
Imagine: ”Hello friends – I’m going to do a ’secret’ gig @ <clubname> after the concert.“
The idea of a record company (or the artist themselves!) using the Twitterface to manage the community of loyal followers. It would work: As long as it wasn’t spam.
The Music Industry and record companies might get concerned that the are losing control of the music distribution and retailing game due to digital downloads and piracy. Well, there is one thing that you can’t copy: The Live Experience. People want to be part of a community – they want to be surrounded by others who love the same thing that they do. The record companies should be giving it to them.
“But the collision between Web 2.0 and the enterprise has re-invigorated middle-ware, Mr Levy says. As the power and potential of large-scale collaboration, sharing and social networking becomes clearer, “speaking the same language” is no longer just a way to get into the game, it is the game. ”
And that’s it. What the record companies need to do is change the way that they see themselves. They used to be boring (but all-controlling) middle-ware. Now they need to reinvent themselves as helpers, not blockers, of the interface between the artist and the fans. Couple the idea of record companies becoming enablers – spreading the word about the artists that they represent – and the new 360 contracts where the artist signs over nearly everything to the record company to manage and you have a bright, shiny new business model for the Music Industry.
The best thing about this model? It lets the musos get on and do what they do best: make beautiful music.
