Paul Weller isn’t a fan of social media. He states that its an opiate in a sense shutting people down and reducing them to watching life on a screen.
Quoted from NME: “I think it’s a way of distracting people from what’s really happening. I do think there’s an element of that. I think it’s the new opium of the masses, personally. All the things that I don’t like about that… I would have thought that would be enough for any new generation to kick against.”
I agree.
I think social media is over the top and I’m pretty surprised at the way its evolving.
Musicians such as Andy Six of Black Veil Brides, or David from Every Avenue accept fans as friends.
So now you can see that David was drunk last night or that Any is eating McDonalds. As Iman wrote of Amanda Palmer, you can be fooled into feeling part of their life. You’re ‘friends’.
If you stalk well you can go through their links and friends and see the almost incestuous way these bands live and the girls that seem to show up in all their pictures.
The new breed… hmmmm
But in the case of Facebook rarely will the musician speak back.
Enter Oli Sykes of Bring me The Horizon.
If this facebook is in fact legit (and I have a few doubts) he goes so far as to post on other girls walls, tell stories of family and airplanes (though why was he flying to the UK and playing NYC the same day?) respond to his wall inquiries and join in conversation. Andy Six does on occasion as well. These fans are squealing with joy. They’re hanging with the band at a safe clean distance.
What I’m getting at here is Mr Weller is wise to think that social media really isn’t all that its cracked up to be but it is also vital to any sort of musical success.
We don’t really have ‘college radio’ anymore. You have to start a ‘myspace band’ and grow your fans that way.
I would love for Paul Weller to reintroduce The Jam, The Style Council and his own work but without succumbing to the social media Gods hes pretty screwed.
You can fool the fans into thinking you’re their pal or you can fool the fans into thinking you’re who you say you are but most of all you can self promote to an over saturated market.
Shelf the ‘feelings’ on it and get up there.