Ask young people what the are passionate about, and music will come up across the board. It’s a universal language, the sort of “water cooler topic” that the weather is for older people. A song can speak for them at a time when they can’t speak for themselves. But this doesn’t mean they are collecting CDs, to “own” is to have “access” anytime. It’s more about discovery and experience, which are both inherently social.
Since phones are the ultimate social enablers, mobile can sit at the center of these experiences. A number of “music community tools” bring music to life beyond just ringtones and downloads. These new services and strategies are creating social experiences and fostering more sustained interactions with audiences.
- Take for example Nellymoser’s Music Companion, a great tool for the true diehard or the just curious. Leveraging selected artists and locations, the Music Companion MAP presents news, charts, tour information and new tracks of interest for fans, or just lets you browse through and sample music. The MAP also allows you to rate artists, vote on issues, and participate in polls, joining the larger fan community.
- Another tool, PocketFuzz, creates value for both fans and bands. For one, it lets any artist create and sell a ringtone, giving them control of the pricing and a percentage of each individual sale. Beyond ringtones, PocketFuzz connects fans with artists through text-to-screen campaigns, artist-to-fan texts and in-venue messaging.
- Touchtunes teamed with Locamoda to make music social in local bars and retaurants. It’s digital jukebox technology lets you ask it what song is playing or cue of the next track, all with your cell. Universal tapped Touchtunes for a unique way to launch Beck’s latest album, Modern Guilt: pre-release listening parties. These were held at places with TouchTunes jukeboxes across the country. Beck fans could just text their location to a shortcode to find the nearest venue. The campaign drummed up excitement among fans online, then extended the conversation and engaged fans in their own world.
These are just a few possible answers to the equation “mobile + music + community.” It’s an incredibly powerful trifecta–each one is a key passion point for youth. As the old-school music industry struggles, we’re going to see incredible innovation in this space as a result.
