Crowd Factory has increasingly become THE social media company to go to if you are in the music business.  In the last 4 months we have been contacted from everything from billion dollar artists to those that are just trying to get their name out there.   It has also come to our attention that those in a specific genres of music are finding their way to us, including hip hop.  We have been helping artists like Big Sean and Pitbull Music build their fan bases.  Then again, at the same time have also been pleasantly surprised to see how these tools that are at our finger tips creates a level playing field.  We asked our extremely insightful intern Forrest Greene to give us his thoughts on this topic….read on!

Once upon a time artist were able to walk into an Executive’s office and walk out with a record deal. Things are a little different now. You probably can’t walk into your own boss’s office without having a meeting scheduled. So how can a new artist get discovered? If you’re reading this article you are probably looking at the answer right now. And No, new artists are not discovered inside a tall sized Starbucks frappuccino.

The internet is not just used for checking email anymore. According to the U.S. census report over 85% of American households have at least one computer with internet access. Artists everywhere are using this to their advantage. With interactive websites such as YouTube, Facebook, Twitter, and countless amounts blogs, artists are able to get their once unheard and unnoticed music onto the World Wide Web. These websites make it possible for just about anybody to build up a not only strong but also loyal fan base. Most of these websites are known for producing internet stars. How many times have you overheard somebody talking about a video they saw on YouTube and how it already has 100,000 views? Then after spending your entire lunch break watching the same video and adding 20 more views becoming an instant fan. Some of these internet stars are even able to turn this online fame into something that pays a little more, a major record deal. Let’s not forget about American Idol reject, William Hung. After YouTube videos surfaced of Hung’s singing ability, Hung was able to sign a record deal and has since made appearances in television shows, movies, and commercials.

Even the more talented artists used YouTube and social networks to build their fan base. Big Sean, who recently released his debut album, knows all about going this route. After shooting a music video for one of his first songs “Get’cha Some” and posting it on his YouTube page, Big Sean started to gain a fan base outside of his hometown of Detroit. His used this hype and continued to post songs on his YouTube and Facebook page. Word continued to spread about the new Detroit based artist, and then in 2007 Sean released his first mixtape titled Finally Famous: The Mixtape. Sean was able to use the fan based that started from a YouTube video to help him get signed to Kanye West’s music label G.O.O.D. Music.

The internet and social media has changed the way things are done. People don’t listen to music unless it’s been retweed by a certain celebrity. You can find new songs on YouTube before Albums have even been released. Albums are rarely purchased because you are able to download them instantly to your computer. I don’t even go to the movies before watching an extended preview on YouTube to make sure it’s worth it. Social media is still something new, who knows what we will be doing on our computers next.

Our marketing research group recently came across this very interesting video related to how Social Media has influenced and will continue to change the Hip Hop industry – very accurate for almost any industry.