“Panos’ Brew” is Sonicbids founder/CEO Panos Panay’s weekly (or more) post about whatever happens to be on his mind. Look for musings and observations on entrepreneurship, the state of the music business, his experiences with members, interesting things he’s seen in his travels, or just about anything else.
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This is a great event. It’s my first time at SanFan MusicTech summit but I wished that more events were like this one: small, informal, great attendance, jammed with people you want to meet, thought-provoking panels, one day and done.
I was on a paneled called “Reaching Fans” about how new societal trends are changing the way that artists connect with fans. Other participants on the panel were Jeremy Welt (Warner Bros.); Dave Devore (FanMail); Aaron Clarke (Mozes); Dave Champine (Local Music Vibe); and Sean O’Connell (Music Allies: also moderator). 
Some interesting key themes (you can also check out the following tweet for an audience member’s perspective – scroll down a page or so):
• It’s a Conversation. The old broadcast media (radio, TV, cable) were only a one-way communication channel. The Internet is all about a conversation. Are you conversing with your fans? Are you engaging them and listening or are you doing all the talking?
• Your Fans are Individuals. Tools today enable us to understand more and more about customers. Do you know who your fans are? Are you targeting them in bland mass messages or are you segmenting them and talking to them in different ways.
• Know your Superfans. Similar to the above, do you know who your best fans are? Are you treating them as a one-size fits all or are you offering them something special?
• Have a “Chief Communications Officer.” In an increasingly complex environment, who controls your message? Do you have a consistent message across all platforms or are you letting all kinds of stakeholders (manager; label; etc,) splinter your messaging. Take cue from political campaigns.
• Participate and Engage – on an ongoing basis. Jeremy from Warner Bros. talked about Ashley Tisdale commenting on fans’ YouTube videos about her and joining in the conversation. Fans today expect you to be engaged – on an ongoing basis.
• Invite your fans into the process. I talked about DeadMau5 and how he engaged fans by using an iPhone app that enables users to remix his album. Do you have a strategy for tapping into your fans’ desire to participate in the process with you?
Clearly, same old, same old no longer works. Time to put your creativity to use to build your fan-base relationships.
Panos
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