Online publicity gives DIY pop stars first No.1
A reluctant rock band leapt straight to the top of the charts yesterday, propelled to unexpected stardom by a DIY marketing campaign on the internet.To music promoters they are the proof of two troubling new phenomena — acts successfully promoting themselves to the big time via a website and fans swapping their songs on internet forums.
This morning music PRs were adjusting themselves to a brave new world where emerging bands can market their product successfully before choosing a record label.
Interestingly a community of fans grew around the band
The Arctic Monkeys began their accidental trip to the top when they decided to put their songs on their website. “It wasn’t for political reasons,” Turner said. “There was no masterplan.”The tracks were copied and shared by a burgeoning fan base on websites such as MySpace.com. By one estimate, there were 142 versions of their songs, some recorded by fans at concerts, being distributed on the web.
Band members kept up a dialogue with fans via their website.
Business models ripe for innovation, people redefining media, people redefining communications. The supremacy of the community over exisiting orthodoxies, technology and media is so clearly evident.
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