While the Arctic Monkeys have been credited (on this blog and elsewhere) with leveraging the web and social sites to launch their music career, they're not the only ones to have done so.
Next week, one of my favorite new performers, Lily Allen, will have her CD released in the United States. Lily Allen's ska-influenced alt-hip-hop has gained her a strong audience in the UK and I expect her to see similar success in the U.S. markets. Her music is tinged with sarcasm, humor and a bit of pretentiousness as might come from a 21-year old who seems wise beyond her years. While the song Smile was her first big UK hit, I prefer the darker LDN and humorous Knock em Out.
What makes the Lily Allen story unique is how she leverage social networks not only for publicity, but as an online focus group to shape her first CD, Alright Still. According to this Billboard article, Allen posted new tunes to her MySpace page, then gauged the feedback from her fans. In fact, that process helped her validate some of the songs against the advice of her record label. To reach that success, Allen apparently spent hours each night online, chatting with fans and reading their comments. While much was made last week of the new blog launched by 73-year old Marriott CEO Bill Marriott, that seems like just an online press release by someone who admittedly cannot type.
To really engage your audience using social software requires a significant commitment. Clearly, Lily Allen is an early success story of that process. For those who haven't heard her music yet, I'd suggest you give a listen at her website. For those looking at how to leverage technology to launch a new brand, you might learn a few things by following her path.
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