What Data Should Musicians Collect?

The Internet has given today's musician the ability to collect mounds of data about her fans like never before, but the quality of that data is just as important as the quantity. Once again Jon Ostrow has hit the nail on the head with a great article called "What Data Should Musicians Be Concerned With" on the MicControl blog. Here are 5 data points that the article suggests you collect and why.

Location Data 
This is important so you know where to perform, and so you can better target your promotion.
  * Best way to collect: Make it a required field during mailing list registration.

Age
This allows you to choose the best venues to play. No use playing in a club if most of your audience can't get in.
  * Best way to collect: Once again, make it a field during mailing list registration, or check your blog, website and YouTube stats.

Social Media Use
To maximize your social promotion, you have to know how your fans are using social media.
  * Best way to collect: The article suggests following some related blogs and watching the comments, but another way is to design a survey and ask them.

Time Of Social Media Use
You have to know the best time of day to tweet or post to maximize your promotion.
  * Best way to collect: Hootsuite and Facebook analytics, but the article also suggests a new service (at least to me) called Timely that analyzes your tweets and suggests the best way. You can also try TweetWhen, but be aware that their suggestions differ.

Method Of Music Purchase
This is important because it not only tells you where your fans like to purchase music but how much they're willing to spend. This allows you to tailor your offerings to their spending habits.
  * Best way to collect: Once again, ask your fans with a survey from Polldaddy.com or SurveyMonkey.com.

Read Jon's fine article in its entirety for more great insights.

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How Location Apps Help Touring Bands

I read a great article by Jonathan Ostrow on Mashable called "10 Ways Touring Bands Can Leverage Location Apps." In it he discusses how geolocation services like Foursquare, Gowalla, and Facebook Places can be extremely helpful to any band on the road.

Here are a few of the items from the article that caught my eye.

1. Discover "Hidden Gem" Venues. Tap into your location network to unearth these hidden gem venues and reap all of the benefits that the local scene has to offer. If you find a great venue, be sure to leave a tip for your followers as well.


2. Get Venue Details Ahead Of Time. Location apps offer the perfect opportunity to test the waters and leave tips about bass boominess, the lack of sound check time, or how to get a particular audience really cranked up about a show. 

3. Sleep for Cheap. Use your network to discover and suggest the best deals in every the city — those comfortable, safe and cheap spots for a good night’s rest before the next gig.

4. Emergency Instrument Repair. Each potential store or repair shop has its own specialty, so use your network to quickly find the most recommended shops and get everything fixed before it’s time for the sound check.

5. Target You Audience. Before you book the gigs, use your network to learn which venues cater directly to your genre of music and your target audience. Which venues have paid off for other bands? Your geosocial connections should point the way.

6. Drum Up Local Support. Many businesses that support local artists may be willing to post a show flyer or let you perform outside or in the lobby. Each city or town has at least one hang-out with a supportive public that might be willing to endorse upcoming events.

8. Snag Good Cheap Food. By using a network of location-based tipsters, you can tap into that local knowledge and get fed better while on the road, without busting your budget.

9. Find Cheap Parking. There are many advertised parking lots that come at ridiculous prices, but city natives may know of some secrets — the parking space that a neighbor rents out for cheap, or an empty block that doesn’t charge. 

10. Find Auto Repair. Before you hit Google or the phone book, check your location networks for a recommendation.

There's somewhat of a backlash against geolocation services lately as some people DO NOT want others to know where they are, but I think that number is in the minority and decreasing every day. That being said, you can do some of the same things with Facebook if you have friends in the area that you're traveling, or Twitter if you know how to reach out or search.


Bottom line is that social networking apps have changed how musicians travel. Gone are the days when it was all too easy to be stuck in a town without the local knowledge to solve a problem (I have too many of those memories that I try to forget). We can all be thankful for that.

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