The Algonquin Times

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Tweet Yourself To Some Music

My first ever published piece of Journalism.
Published Feb. 3,2011 in The Algonquin Times
Innovations section front, top story 

In an attempt to bring music and the internet together in a positive way, local band Kalle Mattson is giving their music away for the low price of a Facebook status or tweet.

The band, formed in Sault Ste. Marie in 2008, has always enjoyed giving their fans music for the lowest price possible. They gave their second album, Whisper Bee away for free last year, a move that made the music scene scratch its head. Guitarist and music industry arts student Rory Lewis never understood their confusion. “Any way you can get your stuff out there is good,” said Lewis.

That mindset is what led Kalle Mattson to their decision to promote their upcoming album Anchors through the Pay with a Tweet campaign.

Pay with a Tweet is a social payment system. Through it, musicians, artists, even journalists can promote their work through their fans’ social network. In Kalle Mattson’s case, they are promoting the upcoming release of their new album by offering the first four singles exclusively through Facebook and Twitter. Fans click the link on the band’s profile page and are taken to a website where they connect to their own Facebook or Twitter accounts and pass the message of the singles release on to their friends. As a reward they are given a link to the song download. “It’s kind of like a street team,” said Lewis.

It’s also a guilt free form of promotion. “People are more likely to click a link that their best friend posted rather than a post a band makes once a week,” Lewis said. He likes that the band doesn’t have to resort to spamming their fan base.

Algonquin entertainment marketing teacher Michael Wood compares it to the “door crasher” technique. “If you open up the Wal-Mart flier and see that they have paper towels on sale, the hope is you’ll go in for that sale and leave with a hot ticket item as well,” Wood, who teaches in the Introduction to Music Industry Arts program, said.

The question that remains is: does it work? Kalle Mattson has experienced an impressive level of success so far. With two of their singles released through the Pay with a Tweet campaign they are happy with the turnout. The first single, “Thick as Thieves” garnered them 3,000 unique hits to their website and over 1,000 downloads of the song, according to the band’s website.

The campaign also gave them coverage from local media including Ottawa University’s radio station as well as attention from music blog Quick Before It Melts.

With two singles left to release through the campaign before the album drops in March, Lewis is happy with the way things are going so far. Having a new way to promote Kalle Mattson’s music is refreshing. “There are only so many people who will see posters,” he said.