Be like Barack

In Monday’s issue of The New York Times, media columnist David Carr gave readers a great overview of the grass-roots machine president-elect Barack Obama built by harnessing the power of online social networking – a machine that not only delivered the White House to him by a huge margin, but one that will no doubt have a hand in shaping policy and the overall role of the federal government.

By leveraging social networks and permission marketing best practices, Obama amassed a base of millions of dedicated supporters, all of whom willingly entered into what will be long and meaningful two-way conversations. And it all started with an equitable exchange of information for something of real value. This massive and energized support base was given a direct connection to the candidate, with the results being record-breaking fund raising and voter registrations, and an empowered electorate that will have a voice in the Obama administration.

“All of the Obama supporters who traded their personal information for a ticket to a rally or an e-mail alert about the vice presidential choice, or opted in on Facebook or MyBarackObama can now be mass e-mailed at a cost of close to zero. And instead of the constant polling that has been a motor of presidential governance, an Obama White House can use the Web to measure voter attitudes.”

What does this have to do with the music business? Everything! It’s the direct relationship between artists and fans (with nothing in between but the tools facilitating the conversations) that will drive this industry forward. The conversations start with something as simple as trading a free song download for an email address, and will evolve into long-term relationships in which fans are motivated and empowered to support their favorite artists through evangelism, patronage, and even feedback in the creative process.

Gary Brotman
Topspin