As of yet, Google has not rolled out profiles for `brands` which invariably cover musicians. How they`l let you customise your page is still under wraps. But having been on googe+ for awhile I`ve noticed something..
It`s less shouty than facebook.
What do I mean? Well right now, I follow a few bands on facebook, as well as clubnights and gigs from live promoters, Mixes from DJ`s and producers and other creatives. Problem is, you follow more than a few of these people and your in box get flooded with invites to that night, or to album launch parties, another mixtape, and another gig listing ... it all becomes noise to the point of when I do want to go on facebook to check my messges I mostly ignore those kind of messages.
Some acts have taken to grabbing your attention by tagging `you` in a photo that is actually a flyer for a night/MP3 so it crops up on your wall. this constant plugging (not by the same people... just the accumulative effect of several) wears you out - and as a consquence - facebook is generally not the place to find new music. Everyone is shouting to be heard ... when all I want to do is see how my friends are doing.
Imagine, that you could check your messages, see what your friends are doing in their stream, then check another stream to find out what good music there is about.
Since it was my choice to put say, 30 bands/acts/remixers/illustrators etc into what I call my creative stream i know I`ll mostly like what`s in it (just like facebook) but now I`m checking from my pool of the `who making good stuff today` (which you can`t do on Facebook)
When someone is trying to sell you something (even when it`s free) when you`ve got your mind set on something else, it becomes a bore. One of the people I follow on twitter described twitter being full of " social marketeers and desperate musicians" which broke my heart a little, because he was right. Even the word `FREE` in CAPITAL LETTERS connected to music doesn`t attract attention, but that`s the language that all of us making it in music have had to use.
I tweet links to Mixtapes and MP3`s of bands/acts that I think are making good music, but I`m always having to be mindful that repeatedly beating the drum drives people away.
I`m hoping that Google+ and their circles could take the heat out of it. Twitter has it`s uses in breaking news i.e. new gig confirmed, or new single out .. but as for breaking talent, it really isn`t the right medium .. again, you follow too many bands, rappers, singer songwriters and your timeline is full of "listen to my new album" ..
... but I want to follow as many bands as I can....I want to hear whats happening in one town in the US, then maybe the capitals of a few countries or maybe 5 cities in the UK simultaneously..
Now I can with the `circles` feature. One circle each for manchester, sheffield, Leeds, Glasgow, Cardiff bands, another for bands/acts from California, Nebraska, illnois... One for Hip Hop in Amsterdam ...
Lutz BeyerNow, do you see the picture? It may change the way us musicians promote ourselves, it may not - that`s something I don`t know. But, it will at least, give people who love Facebook, Twitter and music, a break from being messaged all the time and the ease of finding and supporting good music, from around the world .. and on our doorstep.
Will it kill off Facebooks bandpages? No. Facebook`s fan/like pages serves a function (just as Myspace does) as a musicians directory .. but that`s about it.
So come on Google, get coding! As soon as more bands get onto google+ the better.
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