Greetings,
So, in addition to being a great collaboration and production tool (allowing private workspaces with timed comments on high resolution files) it also provides a 128 MP3 to stream in widgets - which they provide shortcuts for, so I can embed a wav image with a play button on Facebook.** It also allows those that play the track to virally share as well - in email and on social sites - quite friction free.
So this is all well and good, and not entirely revolutionary. I sent the email with the link around to my closest friends, check. I posted it in a MySpace bulletin - check. I pasted it into Facebook, as a link and embedded with its own app, check. So, you can track play count (and chronology), and I've gotten into the two digit figures of distribution. Check. Another fizzly little distribution method.
But then this morning - BANG. I had a realization and it's making me shake a little bit.
Some context of my current analysis of the social networking space:
1. LinkedIn is backstage - limited access, trusted insiders only.
2. Facebook is the stage - this is where we interact with our true friends, patronizing and keeping our patrons up to date with current status and ideas.
3. MySpace is the audience. Take on all reasonable comers, and regularly delete kitty porn. BUT - this is the large audience, a subset of them read their bulletins. (I do religiously).
Here is the epiphany - One of the share methods from the Soundcloud file is an HTML string which beautifully embeds in a MySpace comment field. Wow. Now instead of me waiting for the audience to come to me, I can embed a pretty wave with a play button directly in front of highly targeted markets. Wow. If Weedshare had worked out, these could be Weed files and I could potentially start revenue streams - but those days are not with us anymore, so the track is promotional for producer Christian Heilman and for my band as brand. Wow.
Also, I have flagged the track to be downloadable as a full lossless .wav file - 52 megs. I believe this inhibits low bit rate downloading, because you can always have the player available for that - with the branding intact! And if you are serious about the track, you can get the real thing.
I now have a super-high traction promotion entry to a friction free world. Rock.
As a side note - I got an Android Google Phone last week, and, hesitantly, it is changing everything as well. Specifically, there is an app called ShopSavvy that reads bar codes from products and lets you know who carries it locally, on the web, and at what price.***
I figured out its true value last night in my library. I have been actively collecting music and books for over thirty years and have a few gems. I scanned them and have an instant, no BS appraisal. Some art books that are going for $200 at a dozen sites are going for $45 at one site. Wow. This changes everything...
With warmest regards,
...Steve>>>
http://www.arsdivina.com/
*I might as well have some fresh personal knowledge of what I advise others on - where are your tracks?
**If you are on this list, and not already my Facebook connection - please feel free to connect.
***As well as Shazam, iMeem and a Bubble Level...
