3 Examples of How Musicians Are Using Tumblr
April 11 2011 by Stephanie Ryska ~ 0 CommentsTumblr is hot. I mean BOOM hot. Tumblr is a microblogging platform that allows users to post text, images, videos, links, quotes and audio to their tumblelogs, or short-form blogs. The fashion industry has dove in headfirst in using this platform. About 180 of the top 1,000 Tumblr blogs are fashion-related, most likely due to visually rich nature of the blogging platform. Large brands like Kate Spade, Vogue and The Cut, smaller independent publications like Matchbook and other lovers of fashion have fully embraced Tumblr.
The microblogging platform is not known for its serous nature, which is why some were surprised that the US State Department created an account last week. FastCompany recently offered some lighthearted suggestions on how our diplomats can enter the world of LOLcats and fansites.
But joking aside, Tumblr might be the next answer for the music industry to fill the deep hole left by MySpace, which used to be the place to “discover new bands and artists, watch music videos, get tour dates, music, news, other fans, and more.” Some in the music business have turned to Tumblr because users can easily aggregate content from other sources, create a community feel and let users easily share (mainly reblog) content. Plus it’s more customizable than a Facebook Page, displays more visual media than Twitter and the includes much of the functionality of a traditional blog.
Here are three examples of how musicians are using Tumblr:
Beastie Boys Make Some Noise on Tumblr
Beastie Boys are prefect for Tumblr because they have put a lot of personal touches on the site that make it resonate with their identity. If you are a fan, you can see their blog reeks of one of the band members, Mike D. In the past, rock bands and music artists released songs early on MySpace or YouTube. The Beastie Boys released their track from their upcoming album on Tumblr. The Beastie Boys official site redirects to Tumblr and even their Facebook page points to the Tumblr post. They also released the trailer for their short film about “a super fresh, old school, thrown down dance contest from the future” on their tumblelog.
Jay-Z picks Tumblr for His New Endeavor
While he is mostly known for his music, Jay-Z has branched out into owning a restaurant, owning part of a basketball team (the Nets) and writing music and a memoir. His latest venture is lunching a lifestyle website on Tumblr. Content is based on style, leisure, technology, music and sports. All the content is focused on ultra-cool and up-and-coming people, places, and things. This probably explains why Tumblr was chosen platform, because it’s also up-and-coming, and, as for now, really cool.
Up to this point you can make the case that the Beastie Boys use Tumblr because they have always been part of counter culture. You may also say that Jay-Z is using Tumblr to test other entrepreneurial interests that might not be ready for the mainstream. But you can’t argue with my next case in point..
That’s right, pop princess Britney Spears is now on Tumblr! She didn’t release her latest song or music video on Tumblr, she when the traditional route and debuted her new song on MTV. But her tumblelog has a mix of music videos, remixed audio, taped performances, deleted scenes and personal notes/quotes from Britney herself.
The fact that Ms. Spears is using Tumblr, combined with the success fashion has had with the site, means more musicians are likely to follow and start using Tumblr as well. What do you think about how musicians are using Tumblr, and how they could be using the platform?
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