Social Media will be the answer in this world and the labels can pick up the slack in updating those many profiles they will have. Their are so many places to be on, so many technologies that require conversions (I’m sure any reverb artist needing to convert their files to Mp3 understand the struggle).

Labels will have to work with artists educating them on how social media is to be  used and simultaneously brand themselves along with artists. Labels will have to tweet updates out to followers, set up facebook pages, and update all that concert footage. They will also have to update song players on places like Myspace and Reverbnation as well as keep  blogs that promote the artist and the industry. Even beyond that they have to become curators of the music world and show everyone they still have a place to exist in this new direct marketing world.

I outlined a paper for my Social Media class that discussed all the tools my indie label will use and believe me it will be a ton of work. We will have to push artists to do some of the work themselves on top of all the work we will have to do. We will have to Tweet and blipp; along with updating facebook, ReverbNation and Myspace profiles. Each site will have to push forward useful content and promote the artist in a current manner to engage their fans in a personal way. The road will be long and tedious but as long as labels get back to the people that support them they can push forward in the music world and find importance once again.

Chris Anderson’s “The long tail” has shown us that there is a market down the long tail of supply and demand. This tail is a two way street in which consumers are lead down the long tail and producers can be brought up it just as easily. Not only does it make lesser known titles more profitable it can also create hits out of them in itself. With this new model many fear that storefronts will be put out to pasture but I beg to differ. When it comes to actual physical product people will not way for the delivery of it so for your hits people will always run to the Barnes and Nobles to buy it rather than to wait and let it be shipped by amazon. Our impatience wont allow it. However the model will change what products end up at our local retailers. Our future is in a more bottom up approach in which the market will decide the hits and major companies will no longer tell us what we will watch and listen to. In a sense we will retake control of our culture and return it back to the masses.

As long as we continue our approach to free it will no longer be possible for record companies to turn a song into a hit through advertising when we the consumers can simply find the things we like ourselves. Why force a hit when you can simply pick something up that people are already drawn too as well? While consumers are paying less also they will begin to consume more and more making more and more possibilities of what to read watch and listen too. We will tap into the abundance of media and use it to our advantage causing a better quality of content and a more loyal fan base to it.

Sorry for the terrible hand drawing

I got to thinking about how many times I have gotten off work or been sitting around on a saturday night and thought to myself “I should go out.” There is always one problem. Seeing as going out was unplanned you have no idea what’s going on and if you did where would it be? Thats why when my Social Media class was assigned to design an iphone app I thought of my app called iVents. This concept would be attached to a social media site in which users could search for events nearby them using the GPS in their iPhone.

It starts out where users will import their events from either facebook, myspace, or manually input them. The iphone will show events nearby them based on their position(this part will use the geotracking in the phone)  and tell them how many of their friends said they will be attending. The app will also allow you to add or cancel events as well as read comments on what people are saying about it.

Too bad it’s all just and idea. I think musicians could use the App as well as the social media sight itself

2/23 8:00pm  Ben Tyler Johnson on KTSW

2/23 9:00pm Dual Ep Release Party for Club/Newlywed @ Triple Crown ($5 cover)

2/24 6:00pm Joel Hoffman Band @ Triple Crown (not sure about this band but the show is free so I thought I would throw it on)

2/24 Rave Wednesday’s at Bar One41 (Free with your Texas State I.D.)

2/25 Throwback Thursdays at Bar One41(Free with your Texas State I.D.)

2/26 8:00 Band of Heathens @ Cheatham Street Warehouse (Tickets available on the Cheatham Street website)

2/26 9:30 Spank w/ Jabarvy @ Tantra (For those of you who are under 21 this is about all I could find for you. $5 cover)

2/27 10:00o  The Couch, Cactus Ranch, and Blind Pets @ Triple Crown

2/27 10:30 The Stand Outs @ Gray Horse Saloon (Another free one here!)

I have not personally been to see any of the shows for these bands but I did listen to their music before I recommended them. As for Bar One41 it’s a pretty exciting place located above Barfish and both are great places. Don’t forget to send me suggestions for next week @ Will.Burney@hotmail.com

I had the pleasure of making it in right as the Bright Light Social Hour was setting up to play. I was originally discouraged by the gigantic mustache of their bassist but was quickly made a believer once I heard their music. As for The Zlam Dunk set the crowd was definitely very responsive. The Bright Light Social hour definitely did a very good job of setting the tone for Zlam’s performance and Zlam couldn’t have done a better job at taking the crowd to the next level.

My apologies to the Electric Courage Machine for not being able to put your set in the review for the fact that I showed up late but I do have to say you must have done something right because the crowd was already pretty pumped about the time I arrived.

All the bands that played did a great job of making the night a success and I have heard the next KTSW George’s event will be in march. I’ll be sure to double check and post the actual date. Be looking for it because I know I will.

Now you may ask what does that have to do with our little university on the hill top? The answer is: Everything! The article presents many similarities to Texas State and not only in its ratio. This same attitude of husband hunting exists and causes the same problem on our campus. However, don’t let the article mislead you. There behavior is problematic and counterproductive. For the more feminists readers don’t be upset just yet either, because the male behavior is just as deplorable. This post is not to bash women, the article just happened to have a female perspective. The problem is equally on both ends. In order to save my fellow San Martians from late night heartbreak, I’m prepared to give some tips that I like to call William’s Rules of Order for Late Night assemblies, based on the problems I see in this article.

1.Actions should match with your wants

First and foremost, girls never ever act like these women and men need steer clear of them. First off male or female it is a shallow thing to go out in “tight fitting tops” just to pick up men. Not to mention when you go out  just to pick someone up, whether you be male or female, you are terribly misguided. One women from the article, Jayne Dallas, threw out half the male population without giving any reasoning as to why she wouldn’t consider them. As well, the writer claims that these women are “paying a social price” by allowing men more control in relationships and “are being victimized.” This is a large misnomer ladies. In any relationship or encounter the control is always split 50/50. If a man doesn’t respect your boundaries or thoughts you are better off without him. You are no victim when you are allow him to do it to you. If you go around dressing in almost nothing, or take the lead of the one girl who decided to grind on a random stranger, then of course you wont be called the next morning. When you do these things you send men a message that says you will take almost anyone, and they will treat the situation as such. (side note: Women beware though of how much control you try and take as well. Make sure what you are expecting is reasonable)

2. Men this imbalance does not mean you will be like Antonio Banderas at a mommy and me club.

In fact according to Miss Dallas(which I know from first hand experience many San Marcos women would agree) you have to be in the top of the datable half of the male population. Chances are you don’t even qualify. Patrick Hopper explained it best when he was quoted saying “it still doesn’t change the fact of guys sitting around bemoaning their single status…it’ s just like highschool but the women are even more enchanting and beautiful.” When you go out don’t desperately try to pick up women in hopes that one out of the many will take the bait. It’s not a numbers game. At least be semi interested in the women you take home. If you do have the ability to do so, for the love of all that is holy do it responsibly otherwise you are just as shallow.

3. It is in the best interest of both genders to beware of who you take home.

Not just for the fact of rampant STDs in today’s society, but for the fact of who you are taking home may have different ideas in the direction the encounter will head in the morning. This is not exclusive to women either. Women are very capable of random hookups just as well as men. This could also lead to violation of rule 1 in that going home with someone on a random encounter shows them that you don’t take the encounter seriously. Do as you feel is necessary, but with consideration to your long term goals not just short term gain. Being so impulsive in order to gain long term benefits is short sighted to say the least

4. Don’t over analyze.

Sometimes a text is just a text. Do not analyze every character or word of a message from members of the opposite sex. Men you are not exempt you do it sometimes too. Whether you are male or female you should  avoid being like the women sitting around collaborating “trying to figure out what punctuation to use in a text message” its just plain scary. No one likes to be over analyzed and its simply a turn off for anyone.

5. You still have your life ahead of you.

Don’t be so focused on who you are with for the here and now. No one likes the person who sits around and bemoans being single. Be yourself and you’ll find that more people will be attracted to that rather than someone who feels the need to impress someone. Every rule leads to this simple fact: making this rule the most important. Put on all the tight fitting tops you want, or apply an unhealthy dose of Axe body spray, it doesn’t matter. It’s still a facade that people will always see through. Go out, have drinks with friends, and don’t worry until you see someone worth pursuing. Who knows maybe someone will persue you.

These rules will help just about anyone have a good time when they go out at night. Even if you aren’t convinced just try them out for a few months and see how it goes. Now that the rules are out of the way I’ll see ya’ll on the square!

]]> http://willburney.wordpress.com/2010/02/19/williams-rules-of-order-for-late-night-assemblies/feed/ 1 willburney http://willburney.wordpress.com/2010/02/01/hello-world/ http://willburney.wordpress.com/2010/02/01/hello-world/#comments Mon, 01 Feb 2010 23:04:17 +0000 willburney ]]> In the Social Mediat at Work class we were told to set up a blog. After some thinking about what it is I know best I finally decided on a concept. Being a musician I am constantly involved in the night life and visit many bars and attend all sorts of shows. This blog will be about the central Texas night life and will be reviewing musicians that play at various places as well as different bars and restaurants and quite possibly some opinion and stories of things I encounter. Stay tuned for the first review coming soon.