February 28, 2020
In addition to radio, what other consumer-driven platforms are most important to the artist development process and why?
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Todd Shannon, WAPE: Instagram is still king. TikTok is also good but still just bubbling up. As far as mass consumers, the kids aren’t on Facebook, but Instagram is still THE place to be. IGTV in its current form is probably going to go away in some shape or form, but Instagram is still the best way to get information out there. We had a young, new artist in last week and we posted him on IG and other social platforms and we instantly received thousands of responses and inquiries about the artist. Jammer, WEZB: All digital and social media platforms are vital in exposing any artist’s brand. Heather Deluca, WSJO: I think YouTube and really any video platform. Behind-the-scenes footage like in-studio, appearances, life on the road, all those things help me get to know someone better as an artist and a person. I personally hear someone differently when I’m able to see their process and what they’re journey in the industry is like, and I think fans feel the same way.
Toby Knapp, WASH: YouTube… I’d say SoundCloud, and I’d also say Spotify / Pandora / Apple Music… and… Twitter / Instagram / Snapchat. Artists have the ability to go directly to their fans now for feedback on everything from new songs, to lyric ideas… that ability to cut through the clutter and connect with passionate fans is priceless… #RIPJR |
Mike “OD” O’Donnell, WKRZ: Based on my observations of Gen Zer’s and their habits, it would by YouTube. I think it’s huge for artist development. You get both the audio and the visual components of artists and their songs, and today more and more the visual element is practically essential in developing new artists. Streaming is good to pick up trends, but for our market, some of those trends don’t really apply. I don’t use these other platforms for just music, I like to search cultural trends in general as well.
Java Joel, WAKS: TikTok is definitely having a moment right now. Who knows how long it will be a “thing”, but… it’s launching real hits! Rod Phillips, iHeartMedia: Anything and everything that builds a brand. All the legacy social platforms plus TikTok, plus whatever is next. But Facebook is still king, can’t forget about that enormous scale. Jordan, KSLZ: All forms of social media are valuable gauges of what’s trending and what people are consuming. The big one right now is TikTok, but I also still refer to the tried and true like Instagram, Facebook and Twitter. I also pick the brains of those around me who are in that millennial demo and listening to a lot of trending music.
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Sassy, WKXJ: Currently I think we can all agree that TikTok is it, it’s the other number one platform for music discovery. All these celebrities and talk show hosts refer to TikTok. I saw members of the Today Show doing the TikTok dance to “Roxanne.” The one’s I refer to for Urban is DubSmack and Triller. They aren’t used as much as TikTok, but a lot of black influencers start out on those platforms. When it comes to Urban music, that’s where I go to find out if something happening or starting to break out. Bob Patrick, WXLK: Strong social media platforms, TikTok, YouTube etc. Kobe, @kobeontheradio: As a new artist I think the one thing you want as much as you can get is attention. Having your song in a popular vlog, YouTube video, or video game can be other ways of breaking your song. Radio isn’t the only way to break an artist anymore, there are several forms of attention. Josh Wolff, WAEB: TikTok is always a good source to turn to. It reflects the shorter attention spans that are audiences often have. Streaming charts to a lesser degree. It certainly has it place for what we do but in a more limited sense for our purposes.
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Jonathan Shuford, WRVW: Streaming and Instagram. We all know that streaming is becoming more of an indicator of what the big radio hits are going to be and how long they can sustain in the marketplace in general. With Instagram, Pop has become an increasingly more visual genre and you have to have some kind of an engagement and relationship with your listeners on a deeper level beyond them just hearing your song.
Jagger, WKSS: Apple Music, Spotify, YouTube and TikTok, are all key contributors. Personally, I find myself going to Apple Music and YouTube mostly.
Drew Heyman, Y100: TikTok. That’s where the young end of the audience is right now.
Valentine, WBHT: I think on-demand streaming is a strong indicator and consumers who stream are certainly trendsetters. They’re making spontaneous choices that turn into preferred choices. I also feel that prominent music placement in a TV commercial or TV show that gets repetitive impressions and mass exposure is definitely a key component.
Rick Vaughn, KENZ: Definitely Instagram is the biggest one, and YouTube. TikTok also plays a big role.
Chris Michaels, FM100: Streaming services are important for artist development. Both the labels and radio look at streaming and consumption every week when making decisions to work a record, as well as play a record.Next Week’s Question Of The Week:
With Spring around the corner, what lifestyle changes are you more likely to transition to and look forward to when Spring is in the air?
e-Mail your responses to: jodorisio@deanemediasolutions.com or bburke@deanemediasolutions.com
