It seems like only yesterday that Facebook and I had a functional, loving relationship. As a musician, the platform is a huge marketing tool and has been extremely helpful over the years. But, like all great relationships, the honeymoon phase is starting to fade and I find myself questioning just how useful it is to continue on like this.
I can't even begin to count the number of hours I've spent marketing my music on Facebook to all my "friends" I've acquired throughout my life of travels. With around 1,400 Facebook friends, you would think that this would be a perfect opportunity for spreading music like wildfire. Despite my countless efforts, however, not a whole lot seemed to change with the status of my music and its slow spread to new ears. People just simply were not paying much attention.
And I can't say that I blame them. The music market online is FLOODED with too many new artists to keep track of and they all have one thing in common: they would like to spread their music to the masses and become known. And guess what? Facebook is the go-to marketing platform for almost ALL of them. Imagine standing in a crowded subway station yelling at the top of your lungs about your particular product while 300 other individuals do the exact same. Needless to say, not a lot of progress will be made when marketing in this manner.
Luckily for me, and many other musicians, we have discovered Steemit. As a relatively new platform with a significantly smaller number of users, steemit is the perfect place for aspiring musicians to gain new fans and reach audiences that were previously unreachable. The weirdest part? It is wildly effective! After three short weeks on steemit, I have developed a new sense of drive and confidence with my music that Facebook just wasn't seeming to nurture for me. Absolute strangers within this community have embraced many artists with open arms and gave them a place to feel validated, unlike the world of Facebook where "likes" are made while madly scrolling through to the next gossip.
I don't know what the future of steemit may hold, but for the time being, it is a dream come true for musicians, artists, and every other form of creative individuals who are reaping the rewards that it is currently offering. For the first time in awhile, it feels good to be sharing music online. People seem to be taking interest organically and I don't feel nearly as much like I am "spamming", but rather simply sharing my creations. I think I speak for everyone when I say that steemit has truly opened up the doors for aspiring artists in every form. Steem on my friends, and enjoy this wonderful ride we are all currently cruising through.
This is by far the now platform for musicians like you and I, openmic has really grown, cheers!
Agreed 100% and the open mic community has been a fantastic source of exposure for musicians here
Likewise... I'm on FB less and less. Best of luck to you on this journey!!
I think you are spot on with this. Most of the time my facebooking consists of scrolling through mindless crap that I probably miss great musicians and other things of value. Keep on rocking out dude :)
Ps I just saw you are from Springfield. I went to HS in Nixa and lived in Springfield for a while. Small world :)
Haha nice! There are actually quite a large number of people on here from Springfield and the surrounding areas which is awesome
I agree with you, sir. The "devil's network" as i have heard the term recently, is great and all, but as musicians where is it getting us? I dont know how many show flyers and videos of new songs i have posted just to recieve this few likes and "Hey, you wanna play X event? There is no pay but the exposure is great!", and then get $4 in tips with zero leads to the next gig. Steemit, at least the way I see it, has a LOT of potential for musicians today.
My experiences are pretty much identical to yours in that regard. It seems like everyone is just sort of "over" Facebook at this point. Even if you do post good quality content it seems to just camoflauge itself against the millions of other posts crowding the newsfeed.