Touring and performing live may be incredible experiences.
On fantastic evenings, when everything is going well, you get to enjoy the rush of singing your music in front of an appreciative audience.
Yes, outstanding concerts may result in new fans, merchandise sales, more gigs, and positive publicity.
But, no matter how prepared you are, there are always SOME parts of performing live that are beyond your control. What if THOSE things don't go as planned?
Here are 8 challenges most touring artists will face:
Sound Issues
Perhaps the PA is malfunctioning. Maybe you arrive and learn you have to run sound yourself. There are insufficient inputs. There is just one monitor available. The microphones are gone. Perhaps the sound engineer is simply dialing it in.
On tour, you will experience sound problems at some time.
Can you persevere and yet put on an excellent show?
Venue Problems
Staff who are rude. Regulars who are hostile. The acoustics are terrible. There is no green room. "You can't obtain your drink tickets until after your show ends at 1 am," says the bartender.
Every musician has experienced walking into a new setting and instantly thinking, "Oh, this isn't good." Can you still put on a good show?
Tiredness and grumpiness
Touring is physically and mentally demanding. Long days on the road. Sleep deprivation due to late nights. Every day, for weeks on end, I'm in close quarters with the same folks.
Can you find space, rest, and maintain communication clear and healthy in the meantime?
Outdoor concerts take place... outside
Excessive heat or humidity. Frozen fingers. Computers and effects that do not function. You can't see the LEDs. Listeners might be found in a park or plaza. The sound is leaking into the outside air.
Outdoor performances are terrible. Can you get through it without sucking?
Wildcard performers on the bill
The other act might be critical and cliquish. If you want to impress them, you may feel intimidated. After the first set, all of their supporters were free to depart. The band may rage at each other onstage, scold the crowd, and then split up in the parking lot (true story).
The other performers might have a significant influence on the overall vibe of your performance. Can you still deliver?
Gear failure
Your in-ear monitors do not pick up on the click. A beloved synth fails in the middle of the concert. During a solo, your guitar string snaps.
Your tools will fail. Can you continue with the show?
Vehicle failures
It's not just about your instruments. Your car or van may also fail you. Your flight or train may be delayed or canceled. Anyone who has traveled knows that you can't always get from one place to another on time. If you break down in a small town on Sunday, you'll be much more delayed.
Can you keep your cool and solve the challenge as soon as possible?
The "stage" does not exist
Of course, this is part of the venue issues, but it deserves its own area. When you arrive, you see the stage is an 8x8 piece of plywood. The band will not fit. The performing space is partially obscured by a massive pillar.
Worse, there is no stage at all. You're in the corner of the room, and some drunk is certain to knock the mike into your teeth.
Can you handle it?
These are just a few of the things that are guaranteed to go wrong on tour. You won't always be able to "fix" these problems, but you should be prepared to work around them.
Know that if you put on a terrific show, the audience will have a great time.
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Posted on August 25, 2022
The First Chart-Eligible NFT Album in the World is Being Released by Muse
By Shawn Spence
Napster and Limewire weren't the first, as it turned out. In the last 20 years, the music business has experienced enormous change, yet it still exists today as a mostly digital one. Since Warner Records U.K. and the music NFT marketplace, Serenade have joined, it is possible that this trend will spread.
They have together introduced a brand-new music format called Digital Pressing.
This will be the first of its kind – chart-eligible music NFT specifically targeted the most devoted of fans.
The goal of the new chart-eligible music format known as "Digital Pressing" is to provide typical digital download convenience with all the benefits of a physical release to music enthusiasts worldwide.
And it follows Billboard's process for building music rankings that faithfully reflect the mood, which included incorporating digital downloads and streaming.
A new format for music
According to a press statement by Serenade founder Max Shand, this new music style may have an influence that “Digital Pressings will be a game changer on the global stage,” expressing that this new format allows artists to “offer their international audiences something truly unique and engaging,” Shand said.
1/ Today we announced Serenade’s newest offering, the Digital Pressing. I thought I’d share what a Digital Pressing is, and our vision for its future 🧵
In a Twitter thread, Shand elaborated on his goals for the Digital Pressing format and described it as a way to further decentralize the idea of the album release cycle for musicians all across the world.
Digital Pressings are promoted as giving musicians the chance to package their work in a way that is comparable to how they would do it through a traditional vinyl release but without any of the drawbacks.
In addition to boasting a two-week lead time rather than the six to nine months needed for a vinyl release, Digital Pressings may also be far more ecologically friendly. “one average 12[-inch] vinyl has the equivalent carbon footprint of 197,100 Digital Pressings.”
The English rock band Muse is leading the way in the introduction of this format and is slated to do so on August 26 with the release of their ninth studio album, Will of the People.
For lifelong Muse fans, this decision may draw an interesting comparison to Radiohead, a fellow English rock band that famously defied tradition by releasing the eagerly anticipated 2007 album In Rainbows as a "pay what you want" digital download.
For the purposes of the charts, each digital pressing of Will of the People and any following albums issued in this format will be equivalent to one physical album sale. Sales information for this trial launch will appear on music charts in the Australian and United Kingdom music marketplaces.
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Posted on August 23, 2022
5 NFT Record Labels That Are Redefining The Music Industry
By Yvonne Martin
A web3 music business that is healthier and more artist-friendly is emerging as more artists use NFT technology to reconquer. Emerging and mid-tier musicians are supporting themselves, creating communities, and escaping a traditional music industry that benefits a few through music NFTs and NFT record labels.
Additionally, NFTs are repeatedly demonstrated as the best option for unsigned artists to generate money.
What is an NFT record label?
It's critical to define record labels in order to comprehend what an NFT record label is. A record label is a business that discovers new artists, nurtures them, and organizes the recording, manufacturing, marketing, and distribution of records.
In the past, record companies were the exclusive source of music releases and career development for artists.
Even while record companies still have a lot of power in the music business, many musicians are choosing to go independent. Record companies may have the right to permanently own an artist's music, depending on the terms of the deal.
High-profile incidents have further illuminated how certain established companies might take advantage of emerging artists, such as the Taylor Swift masters controversy.
An NFT record label, on the other hand, ensures that the artist has complete ownership of their song. An NFT record label makes sure that their connection with the artist is mutually beneficial by giving them a certificate of ownership.
NFTs, which are kept on the blockchain, are the primary music format for NFT record labels. NFT record labels also assist musicians in creating fan bases and promoting music using web3 tools like NFT markets.
How do NFT record labels operate?
The NFT record label business is continually developing. Therefore, the specifics of an NFT record label rely greatly on the people who are creating them. NFTs are a format for music that is available alongside more conventional forms like vinyl, CDs, MP3s, and so on.
Music enthusiasts may anticipate various digital assets, such as digital goods and artwork to accompany the launches, as well as metaverse events and music videos, in addition to music NFTs.
NFT record labels can act as DAOs or collectives where the fan community is prioritized and the artist-fan interaction is more highly appreciated. This might imply that album songs and single artwork are chosen by fans through voting.
However, the establishment of NFT record labels is not free. Founders must take into account operational expenses, the price of developing and promoting NFTs, and gas expenditures.
Additionally, it is necessary to factor in the expenses associated with registering transactions on the blockchain.
Now let’s get to it.
What are the top 5 NFT record labels changing the future of music?
Death Row Records
Earlier this year, Snoop Dogg acquired the storied Death Row Records. He declared that Death Row Records will be an NFT label after the purchase. Death Row will be an NFT label, he revealed during a discussion on Clubhouse:
“Death Row will be an NFT label. We will be putting our artists through the metaverse and through a whole other chain of music. Just like how we broke the industry when we was the first independent [label] to be major.”
The fact that a musician like Snoop Dogg oversees and supports an NFT music label only serves to emphasize the sector's expanding significance.
MoonwalkerFM
One of the early NFT record labels was Moonwalker FM. On streaming services, a lo-fi song is matched with each NFT minted. As a result, NFT owners are eligible to receive different prizes equal to about 30% of the streaming revenues.
Additionally, MoonwalkerFM developed an industry-first DApp that allows NFT holders to see the songs that are associated with their NFTs. Events, special contests, products, space docking, early access to drops, and other things are also planned.
Hume
Hume is a group of hybrid virtual-physical performers on the NFT record label. The creation of metastars with a background is the core objective, around which the digital label and entertainment studio are built. The NFT record label debuted Angelbaby as its first metastar in November 2021. They released their debut single, "NFT," and gave a performance at FLUF House at Art Basel Miami.
World Has You Records
Web3 is a tool that World Has You Records utilizes to bring people together via their shared love of music. World Has You Records, founded by AlmaD and Kristen, intends to release “high-quality exclusive music and art for the community” and “create memorable experiences” while “discovering and developing new talents.”
Space Yacht
In Los Angeles, a group of underground partygoers founded the NFT record label Space Yacht. Henry Lu and Rami Perlman, the company's co-founders, have organized over 100 events in several nations and are currently attempting to break into the web3 market. Space Yacht distributes music NFTs as a label in stages that build upon one another. Iconography Volume 1, 2, and 3 from their NFT collections provide music listeners a preview of what to anticipate from Space Yacht as it expands.
How NFTs are shaking up the music industry
We can safely claim that web3 and NFTs are upending the music business as we know it. In the second wave of the internet, musicians relied on labels, streaming platforms, and touring to make money. They also had to deal with several intermediaries that take a sizable chunk of the royalties that musicians receive.
Artists may generate money with NFTs by selling their music directly to fans without the aid of middlemen like streaming services, labels, and distributors. Furthermore, anybody may release music and earn money as an unsigned musician because of the web3 music industry's low entrance barrier.
Since most NFTs cost more than one Spotify stream, which costs between $0.003 and $0.005, artists may make a respectable living without having millions of streams. Because it all depends on having a tiny group that supports what they do, they don't need to sell or commercialize their music.
It's also crucial to note that the smart contracts underlying music NFTs prevent artists from being defrauded of their earnings. Smart contracts provide musicians the ability to keep track of who is holding their music NFTs, keep tabs on secondary market transactions, and be paid a portion of the royalties each time the holder resells the NFT.
Final Thoughts
Without a doubt, NFTs are laying the foundation for a music business that is more democratic and equitable. NFT record labels are among the key figures driving this transformation. Traditional labels will probably not go out of business, but they will need to adapt by embracing web3 ideals and finally placing artists in the spotlight.
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Posted on August 18, 2022
The Ultimate Guide to the Ethereum Merge
By John Reynolds
Many Twitter users believe that the upcoming Ethereum Merge will be one of the biggest developments in cryptocurrency. There is a lot of information available, and it will undoubtedly result in a significant change when Ethereum switches from Proof of Work to Proof of Stake.
Explaining The Ethereum Merge
The Ethereum merging was easily presented in a Twitter thread by @twofivedev, complete with beaver illustrations and diagrams.
1/ The #merge has never been this close and will undoubtedly be one of the biggest events for #Ethereum to date.
Still don't know what all of this really means but feel like it's too late to ask?
Simply said, as a result of the merger, the Ethereum ecosystem will go from PoW (Proof of Work) to PoS. (Proof of Stake). On Ethereum, the decentralized network can now agree on things like account balances and the sequence of transactions thanks to the PoW method.
The underlying algorithm is what determines the rules and level of difficulty for the task that miners undertake. The "work" itself is mining. It involves adding legitimate blocks to the chain. Ethereum is harmful to the environment because of this method, which has previously resulted in a lot of concerns from environmentalists.
Ethereum will adopt PoS as its consensus algorithm following the merger, on the other hand. Blockchains employ a particular consensus technique called proof-of-stake to establish distributed consensus.
Validators expressly stake money in the form of ether into an Ethereum smart contract when using proof-of-stake.
Before being fully implemented, the new method will be tested. At the end of July, Ethereum engineers verified this last test. They stated that it will take place from August 6 to August 12. They are almost ready to start this fusion now that the time is ended.
According to Watcher.guru, the integration should be finished between September 15 and 16. The merger is just the first step in a multi-year strategy that will eventually result in the release of ETH 2.0.
Beaver-Speaking Explanation
Beavers were utilized in the thread to highlight the distinctions between Proof of Work and Proof of Stake. The beavers that were utilizing PoW were worn out since it took all of the time and effort to figure out how to cross a river with their logs, and only one got rewarded.
However, only the beavers who had laid their log down were squandering their energy; the rest of the beavers in the PoS scenario were lying down and being lazy.
The Merge of Ethereum and Its Environment
With Ethereum switching to PoS, the environment will benefit greatly. Using the Proof of Stake algorithm, Ethereum now uses around 112 TWh of energy annually. This amount is comparable to the population of the Netherlands, which has around 17 million people.
How does the community feel?
Overall, everyone is enthusiastic about the idea of the combine and energy conservation. Some people are thrilled about the prospect of a significant increase in Ethereum's price. However, this is obviously not a guarantee.
Lark Davis, an investor with 1 million Twitter followers said: “The Ethereum merge is a bigger and more important event than the Bitcoin halving.”
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Posted on August 16, 2022
Top NFT Music Moments in 2022 So Far
By Barbara Drews
The COVID-19 pandemic virtually eliminated all artists' major sources of income in 2020. Live performances came to an end, sales of items drew to a halt, and the money stopped flowing.
Months passed by without much improvement.
But as a new kind of music art emerged, it was inevitable that the music business will use non-fungible tokens (NFTs) in 2021.
And so it was in 2021 that both established and upcoming musicians began to use a brand-new kind of music known as NFTs.
NFTs are a novel class of digital assets. They provide new channels for content producers to promote and monetize their works, broadening the potential audiences for literature, music, and other forms of media.
The term "music NFT" means precisely what it says. Musical composition is included in this NFT. A single song, a whole album, or even a music video might qualify.
Musicians discovered that they could offer exclusive, tokenized copies of their artwork to their audience directly using this technology, which would ultimately result in much bigger earnings.
January 2022:
Royal and Nas’ first-ever NFT sells in minutes
In January 2022, the hip-hop legend Nas received eternal life on the blockchain. Nas and 3LAU collaborated to present his first-ever NFT collection on the aforementioned platform, Royal, of the legendary DJ in a two-part drop.
1,870 NFTs were included in the collection, which was the first live sale of NFTs on Royal.io.
Both drops sold out quite quickly. And the whole revenue was more than $560,000.
Without further ado.. we're honored to announce Hip Hop legend, innovator and entrepreneur @Nas will be the first artist to drop his music on royal on January 11th! https://t.co/TkyWvOJOvYpic.twitter.com/hQGGXVuPhz
Coachella’s NFT collection offers lifetime festival passes
In an effort to embrace NFTs, Coachella, one of the biggest and most well-known events in the world, released a variety of digital collectibles. They made a big splash with their NFT offering in February 2022.
Why? Coachella announced plans for a multi-part NFT drop that month in collaboration with the massive cryptocurrency exchange FTX, part of which included lifelong festival passes.
Coachella Collectibles provides fans the chance to buy lifelong festival passes, unlock special on-site experiences, physical items, and more. It has a total of 11,010 NFTs spread over three collections.
Introducing Coachella Collectibles NFTs 🎡 Lifetime festival passes, digital collectibles redeemable for physical items & more available Friday at 10am PT at https://t.co/D8v4cD04wc
Dillon Francis signs residency deal for Bored Ape NFT
Electronic artist Dillon Francis has received several honors. The platinum-selling DJ and producer garnered Latin Grammy and Latin American Music Award nominations for "Sexo" in 2018; in March 2022, he added a historic deal to his resume.
In return for an NFT from the Bored Ape Yacht Club collection, Francis agreed to a sole residency with Big Night.
Snoop Dogg releases first Death Row NFT mixtape
Snoop Dogg released an NFT mixtape on OpenSea little than a month after acquiring ownership of the storied Death Row Records, the company that saw his rise to fame.
The compilation, "Dogg on it: Death Row Mixtape Vol. 1," was released on the Polygon blockchain and includes entire songs, acapella, and rhythms that Snoop made in conjunction with musicians from all around the world.
"Dogg on it" was a fresh competitor in the expanding music NFT sector at the time. The collection was an alluring drop for the Hip-Hop audience within the NFT ecosystem since NFTs granted complete ownership rights to their owners.
Snoop would release "Death Row Mixtape Vol. 2" in April, containing an even larger lineup of Web3 musicians and artists.
April 2022:
NFTs take over the Grammys
The Grammy Awards, the most esteemed ceremony in the music business, included a representation of NFTs in April 2022. As part of a three-year effort to include NFTs into the entire Grammy experience, the Grammys unveiled an official NFT collection in partnership with Tezos-based NFT platform OneOf.
The critically regarded fine artist ThankYouX, the Emmy-winning Emonee LaRussa, and the 3D animator and contributor Andre Oshea were the highlights of the debut collection.
Coachella x ODESZA NFT breaks Solana 1/1 sales record
An exclusive NFT with a 360-degree immersive experience of the Antarctic Dome at Coachella sold for $145,000 on April 18, 2022, exceeding the previous record for a single NFT transaction on the Solana blockchain.
The NFT, which clocks in at little under six minutes yet provides an almost flawless visual representation of Coachella's REGEN's unique projection dome experience, contains work from nine prominent digital artists and a musical composition by ODESZA.
May 2022:
Pussy Riot and Salem Ilese Drop ‘Crypto Boy’ in support of reproductive rights
After their song "Crypto Boy" acquired popularity on social media in the spring of 2022, American singer-songwriter Salem Ilese became viral. Ilese decided to work with Nadya Tolokonnikova of Pussy Riot on an NFT release with a charitable goal in line with the tone of the song.
Ilese and Tolokonnikova recruited popular TikTokers Sad Alex, 30, and July for a music NFT collection, as opposed to women's reproductive rights, which grew quickly in the U.S.
They had the intention of donating 100% of the proceeds from the collection's primary sale to the Center for Reproductive Rights. The initiative, appropriately dubbed "Crypto Boy," served as another example of how NFTs may be utilized for good.
June 2022:
SongCamp launches Camp Chaos NFT collection
SongCamp, a collective Web3 lab exploring the frontiers of blockchain and music technology, embarked on one of the largest projects the music NFT industry has ever seen in March 2022. Chaos was founded as a 77-person "headless band" with the goal of writing 45 songs for publication as an NFT compilation costing over 20,000 unique tokens.
Chaos was the third project ever for SongCamp and its most daring undertaking to date. It was created by musicians, visual artists, engineers, and more. With Chaos, the SongCamp community developed a ground-breaking use-case for Web3 music collaborations and proposed fresh, original ideas for dividing money.
Pharrell Williams joins Doodles as Chief Brand Officer
One of the most significant statements Doodles made at NFT.NYC 2022 was that Pharrell Williams will be joining the team of the adored PFP project as Chief Brand Officer. Just over a month and a half had passed since Julian Holguin, a former president of Billboard, was appointed CEO of Doodles.
It was also announced at the same time that Doodles would be breaking into the music industry through Doodles Records, with a Volume 1 compilation to be released, featuring original music with executive production from Pharrell. However, it is still unknown exactly what the long-term plan is for Pharrell x Doodles.
LimeWire returns from the dead as a music NFT platform
LimeWire, a historical client for peer-to-peer file sharing, saw a chance to reinvent itself as an NFT and Web3-focused brand, much like other abandoned products and services. LimeWire debuted its marketplace in July with featured collections from Travis Barker, Soulja Boy, Dillon Francis, A$AP TyY, and other artists after concluding a $10.4 million private token sale in April.
Bored Ape-masked DJ takes over the main stage at Tomorrowland
At the next edition of the famed Belgian electronic dance music festival Tomorrowland in 2022, Ape Rave Club, a DJ, and production initiative reported to be supported by "some of the most exciting producers and creatives in dance music and NFTs," took the stage.
A single DJ made the Ape Rave Club live premiere, performing an hour-long set to a crowd of thousands while sporting BAYC merch and a complete wraparound Bored Ape-styled helmet.
NFTs have had a significant impact that is being felt throughout the digital, financial, and creative industries. But the most instructive litmus test for how blockchain technology can make it easier for people to co-create and co-own intellectual property seems to be the music industry alone!
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Posted on August 8, 2022
Ape Rave Club Performed At Tomorrowland Music Fest: What Does This Mean For Web3?
By Yvonne Martin
Tomorrowland; one of the biggest EDM festivals on the planet, welcomed the first-ever NFT artist to perform at this festival. Ape Rave Club captured the attention of the global dance-music community, which was seen by over half a million fans.
The exciting and groundbreaking performance was the first of its kind, and a one-of-a-kind visual spectacle as Ape Rave Club bridges the physical world with the metaverse.
Steve Aoki also made a presence! He wore a jacket with the image of a bored ape on the back.
nft now posted a picture on Instagram saying: “@aperaveclub made its debut today on the main stage of Belgium’s @tomorrowland, one of the biggest dance music festivals in the world. 🙌 Which festival will NFTs take over next?”
According to reports, the concert was headed by an "NFT Artist."
Ape Rave Club released photos of the performance on their Twitter account, showing an artist wearing a BAYC NFT mask performing music with the caption “A @BoredApeYC on the @tomorrowland main stage. We are just getting started! 🍌🔊”
Tomorrowland, a well-known music event, has been being held for the last 17 years. However, Tomorrowland is now entering the NFT arena with its Medallion of Memoria collection, which will grant unique admission to its events, according to a recent blog on its website.
So what does this mean for Web3?
Tomorrowland and Ape Rave Club collaborating might be seen as a minor step toward Web 3.0. It remains to be seen if this will signal a dramatic change in entertainment toward a "decentralized internet."
For the time being, the wider cryptocurrency and NFT industry are in a highly restrained phase, with asset values falling drastically.
Only time will tell if Ape Rave Club's NFT artist status will have a long-term impact.
About Ape Rave Club
Ape Rave Club is one of the world's first blockchain artists. The idea of Bored Ape Yacht Club, one of the most popular NFT communities in the world, with members including Steph Curry, Mark Cuban, Justin Beiber, and Paris Hilton. They join Wuki's Wobblebug as one of the world's first decentralized artists, with intentions to distribute original music via NFT platforms.
Ape Rave Club is here to introduce a new generation of musicians to the world of electronic music. They are delighted to define the future of music on web3 with the support of some of the most interesting producers and creatives in dance music and NFTs.
Tomorrowland's website indicates that Ape Rave Club is tied to the iconic BAYC (Bored Ape Yacht Club) NFT project, which is established on the Ethereum blockchain. According to Tomorrowland's blog, BAYC #9184 is also behind the Ape Rave Club. Ape Rave Club has made headlines following a recent performance on Tomorrowland's stage.
In other news…
Ape Rave Club also released a new single "Dance Alone"
Ape Rave Club showcases a clean-cut modern production approach with distorted vocals that create a mesmerizing trance while a rhythmic kick keeps a solid tech-house beat, as one would expect from a rising generation artist.
While the first intriguing build collapses into jackin' electronic bursts with strong basslines, Ape Rave Club surprises with vibrant keys that pay homage to early dance music traditions.
Ape Rave Club is an artist to keep an eye on, with the possibility of NFT drops with real-world utilities, extraordinary experiences, and an entirely new method to combine the music business with blockchain technology.
With Ape Rave Club’s appearance on Tomorrowland’s stage, he just made history, and many more will follow in the artist's footsteps as he raises the bar. Make sure you check our blog regularly and follow us on Instagram for more NFT and music marketing-related updates.
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Posted on January 20, 2020
Fake A Star: The Artificial Business Of Instagram Influencers
By Shawn Spence
MusicPromoToday takes a closer look at fake Instagram followers: we investigate how to spot them, why artists still strive to pay for bots, and what consequences getting fake followers can create.
There are many strategies to organically increase your social media engagement and grow the number of followers you have. Unfortunately, it’s time consuming and requires a lot of effort, creativity, and consistency.
Many Instagram users, including major artists and celebrities, decide to take a shortcut and simply buy followers or use bots to increase engagement. Bots become more advanced in an attempt to fool the social media network: with a profile picture, bio, and posts, they look like regular people. But don’t let them fool you.
Wired estimated that there are over 95 million near-perfect human bot-accounts available to be purchased at anytime. You can get them from thousands of available services online that provide you with followers within a few hours.
Celebrities And Fake Followers
It’s a common practice for celebrities and top artists to support themselves with fake followers. The recent research carried out by the Institute of Contemporary Music Performance (ICMP) proved that celebrities worldwide, including the Kardashian family members, top musicians, actors and models have a great amount of fake Instagram followers.
The queen of purchased fans is Ellen Degeneres with over 49% of fake Instagram followers! In this top 10 you can also find stars like Ariana Grande (46%), Miley Cyrus (45%) and Katy Perry (44%).
How to spot a fake Instagram account.
The profile is usually private and has no followers. Or a lot more following than followers. They usually do this to generate at least a few dozens or hundreds of followers in return.
If the profile has no profile picture, it’s almost 95% sure it’s a fake profile. On a visual platform as Instagram, having a profile picture is simply a must.
There are no posts or only a few images that are not real photos. Bots very often download images from a network and share them with no description, so once you spot a profile like that be sure it’s a fake one.
They leave spammy and meaningless comments. Fire, hearts, and thumbs-up emojis that can be spotted all over Instagram; stay tuned, these profiles are fake.
So once we know how a fake IG account looks like, can we spot accounts who use them to grow vanity metrics?
How to spot if someone buys followers
Look at the ratio between following and followers, and how it changes every day. Bots that follow and unfollow accounts are a real plague. If someone uses them, followers drops are easily noticeable: one day the profile will have 3,5k following users, and a few days later, it will have dropped to 2,4k. If the process repeats every day, it means that bots are active out there. You can also spot the following increasing and fluctuating everyday.
If one has many of the spammy comments we have already mentioned above, you can be sure they are followed by fake profiles. Generic comments like “Love this”, “Beautiful!”, “Awesome”, and many emojis are automatically posted. High-quality engagement is more honest and conversational.
As much as fake engagement is extremely easy to notice, users still spend a lot of money on purchasing it. You might ask why? Well, let’s review a few reasons.
Why people buy fake followers
Vanity metrics matter! Let’s be honest, numbers are critical to Instagram’s success. Brands and sponsors are attracted to quantities and want their product to be shown to the biggest possible audience, which is why many influencers decide to use bots, buy followers and fake engagement. It’s a shortcut to monetize your account basically.
In simple words: it’s also an investment. According to Hypebeast, celebrities like Kim Kardashian with millions of followers earn up to $300,000 for a single sponsored post, while other top fashion influencers are said to earn around $12,000 for each product placement. Meanwhile, influencers who want to increase their social presence need to spend only $16 for 1000 followers on Instagram.
Roberto Cavazos, a University of Baltimore professor and economist in the Business of Fashion report, admits that buying followers is an investment that brings revenue but is also dangerous for branding, “There are significant further indirect costs — notably erosion of trust and potential brand impact,” he explains.
Because of the algorithm, Instagram decides what to place at the top of the feeds. It means that if a post gets a lot of engagement within the first few hours, it will be shown to more people as it seems to be interesting and engaging. Bots step in and create fake engagement increases, so more real users can see the post in the feed. Spot influencers asking people to type words letter by letter or inviting followers to comment more than once on a post.
Last but not least: competition. Instagram’s influencer market has grown enormously in the past few years and reached over $2 billion industry in 2018. No surprise that many want to snatch a bit of it, become Insta famous and fake followers seem like a great start to some.
Instagram is obviously not OK with what is happening. Curators and developers are fighting with bots that create fake profiles and users who decide to purchase them.
What are the consequences of buying fake followers
It destroys your insights. Buying fake followers will screw up your metrics immediately and you will not be able to plan your organic growth activities, or even find out who your real audience is, or use it while setting up ads.
The Cut recently published a piece about a user who described experiences of supporting accounts with bought follows, “My follower demographic went from mostly women in Chicago, to being 60 percent foreign men between 18 and 24. It’s not a big deal, but if you’re trying to market yourself as having a certain niche, it could make a difference,” she confesses.
Once Instagram finds out that you buy likes, comments or followers they will be immediately removed from your profile. It will cost you losing the credibility that is essential for marketers who look for influencers to work with.
If you think that numbers drops are bad, imagine being shadowbanned, which means that your content won't appear on anyone's feed unless they intentionally go to your profile and view the post. It’s a punishment for using engagement bots.
In a more serious case, Instagram can permanently block your username with no possibility to recreate your account.
Wrap up
In the age of Instagram influencers, many think that having a bunch of followers is a must to succeed in marketing. A report by cybersecurity firm Cheq shows that fake fans will cost brands $1.3 billion in 2019 alone, and in 2020 this number is predicted to grow.
If you are a beginning influencer or a marketing specialist who runs your company’s social media, remember that by using bots you are sabotaging your own marketing strategy. Bought engagement never brings real results in business.
If you want to grow your audience organically, make sure to check out what we offer at MusicPromoToday. From customized Instagram Influencer Campaigns to content and visual creation, to execution with real results, everything to bring loyal fans and valuable engagement to your profile.
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Posted on November 27, 2019
What Impact Removing Instagram Following Activity Will Have On Music Marketing
By Barbara Drews
Instagram did what all stalkers all around the world feared — the feature of looking at what others like, comment, and follow, does not exist anymore. MusicPromoToday took a closer look at how the decision on ditching this feature can influence digital marketing and music promotion.
In the official announcement, the spokesperson of Instagram admits that the number of people who used Following Activity was low:
“We are removing it because only a small number of people use the Following tab regularly. Additionally, we’ve heard from people that they think the Following tab is a very hidden feature that they don’t find to be very useful, especially when compared to a similar feature like Explore.”
How does removing Following Activity influence marketing
Although liking forbidden photos and following ‘guilty-pleasure’ profiles will stay private, social media and digital marketing teams all around the world lost a free promotional tool.
Almost all beginning musicians, influencers, and artists loved Following Activity for an easy way to expose their feed and profiles.
If someone noticed that a friend liked eye-catching photos from a concert, followed a mysteriously looking band’s profile, or commented on a post that announced a new single or album, it was very likely that this person will visit or even follow the just-discovered musician. Then it’s a short way to click on the link in bio, open Spotify or YouTube, and become a fan.
How to get more exposure on Instagram without the Following Activity tab?
The following tab was a great way to reach a new audience and increase engagement, but fortunately, it wasn’t the only one.
Reaching fresh viewers and listeners may be more difficult, however, with unique and valuable content alongside a growth strategy, it’s possible and achievable.
If you need extra help on how to boost the number of your Instagram followers and increase your reach, check out the MusicPromoToday website, or follow us on Instagram, and connect with us — we’ll guide you through!
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