On Monday I attended the San Fran Music Tech Summit organized by my friend Brian Zisk and learned two things:

1. The bands I listen to are so two thousand and late; and,
2. Social media and community-building is at times perceived as a hindrance to the creative process.

I realized the latter point after several conference audience members questioned the authenticity of social media presence.

AUTHENTICITY
If a bass player lays down a track in the woods but no one tweets the YouTube video release, does it exist? With the need for independent distribution forms comes the need for networking and self-promotion. Music and art will always exist; however, if artists can’t get the resources they once had with traditional deals, then they’ve got to hustle even harder to stand out.

Look at the facts. Being exceptional is important, but nobody books a gig in a vacuum. It’s all about running with a crew. Networking is essential to artist success. Just look at the Bromley Contingent. The Sex Pistols, Siouxsie and the Banshees and Billy Idol - while they were considered some of the most jaded rockers, for the most part they still valued the need for a community. (Well, everyone but Sid Vicious)

In other words, if you make great music and you want people to hear it, you need to own it publicly. If you’re not willing to talk about your box of cds in the corner, you better get some friends that will.

IT’S NOT THE BAND I HATE, IT’S MY FANS
Fans are people, they aren’t puppies. If someone is nice enough to blog about you, tweet about you or pass your info on to their friends, you should be grateful. Maybe you’ve got hang ups about technology, but if your fans don’t, then by all means, encourage their positive participation in your career. Better yet, if you’re at all concerned about authenticity then it’d be good to participate in the community that loves you. They’d be thrilled that you’ve made the effort.