Trent Reznor’s New Media Tips
Jul 10th, 2009 | By James Lewin | Category: Audio Podcasting, Citizen Media, Internet TV, Making Money with Podcasts, Microblogging, Podcasting, Video, Vlogs 
Nine Inch Nail’s Trent Reznor posted an interesting article yesterday looking at ways artists could use the Internet to promote themselves, even if they are new or unknown.
In the article, Reznor shared these tips for how to use the Internet, new media and social media sites:
- Have your MySpace page, but get a site outside MySpace – it’s dying and reads as cheap / generic.
- Remove all Flash from your website.
- Remove all stupid intros and load-times.
- MAKE IT SIMPLE TO NAVIGATE AND EASY TO FIND AND HEAR MUSIC (but don’t autoplay).
- Constantly update your site with content – pictures, blogs, whatever.
- Give people a reason to return to your site all the time.
- Put up a bulletin board and start a community.
- Engage your fans (with caution!)
- Make cheap videos.
- Film yourself talking.
- Play shows.
- Make interesting things.
- Get a Twitter account.
- Be interesting.
- Be real.
- Submit your music to blogs that may be interested.
- NEVER CHASE TRENDS.
- Utilize the multitude of tools available to you for very little cost of any – Flickr / YouTube / Vimeo / SoundCloud / Twitter etc.
Reznor adds, “If you don’t know anything about new media or how people communicate these days, none of this will work. The role of an independent musician these days requires a mastery of first hand use of these tools. If you don’t get it – find someone who does to do this for you.”
These are great suggestions – and it’s information that doesn’t just apply to established artists like Reznor, but could apply to anyone.
If you want to dig Even Deeper, see the NIN site for Reznor’s full thoughts on ways musicians and artists can use the Internet.
And if you’ve got more thoughts or suggestions on this, leave a comment below!
I was sad to hear Trent had left twitter – understandable though. he has a legion of loyal fans and probably doesn’t need it. Although his fans will probably be upset. We are an independent band from Australia – completely different genre. These tips seem very on the money, we have recently engaged the full utility of the internet to engage fans and you may be interested to watch how it unfolds. We have are around 6 months into our commitment to the net. Let me go through trents points from an indie PoV
1. our myspace – http://www.myspace.com/damiencrippsband – disagree a little – myspace is a community of music lovers – a lot left for face book but still use their myspace for music. our myspace visits have trebled in the last 6 months
2. Agree on the flash – we have never had any and never will
3.Intros & lod times used to be acceptable but that is no longer the case. We are entertainers and as at a show people dont want to wait
4. Complicated web pages drive traffic away and potential friends or fans are lost – less is more
5. Agree on the constant up date – but make it worth seeing – we have recently decided to take the twitter widget out of other sites as you may look stupid when the tweets are viewed out of context
6. Giving people a reason to return – is super important – you have to engage them . once you have done all the hard work of getting them to your page – don’t let them become unengaged – contests – give a ways etc
7. We have only just started working on the community stuff – so will report back. This is easy to set up but can be hard to build
8. Engage your fans – at all costs get them to be part of the bands journey – so they get exited about any breakthroughs etc
9. recently we experimented with this. The angle we took was to interview other celbrities on general topics. The fans love it. this area needs to be managed – they wont return to these videos but it does let them have insight to the band
10. ou tube is your own tv station – treat it like rupert murdoch would. Entertaining content and regular uploads – treat it like your own MTV – i encourage bands to be wary of sound quality – your video skills are not expecetd to be great but your music has to be
11. play shows – well thats all well and good for trent to say travelling in first class – penthouse suites and full houses every where. We agree play shows but be very selective. Make sure that it is worth doing – that gig time may be better spent chatting with new fans on line. If you are going to play too 4 people etc
12. well making interesting things goes with out saying – i hope you didn’t need to be told that
13 – twitter – if you dont have twitter you should stop reading this and get it. Never has anything turned our career around so significantly
14. you are either interesting or your not – if you are not add a band member who is – un interesting is exactly what it is
15 be real – yes at all costs – you can still keep your life private but just be yourself . Our personalities have won us a lot of fans and friends
16. Music bolgs take time – but its your choice – keep your part time job pumping gas or take a risk and commit to your music. Sleep when you are dead. Example i just got home from a show to round 400 people – the rest of the band are out partying and i am working. We have a roster system and stick to it religiously.
17 trends are a crock of shite – how can we compete with Michael Jacksons death (rip) – its unlikely that we can, so chasing trends is pointless, your time is better spent fertilizing relationships with friends that have taken time to be engaged.
18. Utilize everything – friends – family and now the internet and its tools the ones that have worked for us are , Twitter, Myspace, Jango, Last FM, you Tube wordpress, Squidoo, blip, bandcamp there are heaps but there is a few.
Hope you have taken a little from my input. Take the time to drop by our blogs on squidoo or wordpress and say hello – tell us what you think
Good luck on your musical journey or your musical search
Damien Cripps
Damien Cripps Band
Great feedback!
It’s also important to note that Reznor addresses his comments to artists, not just musicians.
Most of his suggestions apply equally well to anyone doing creative work on the Internet.
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gah
trent looks fat in the photo
D: i used to have him as an ideal in looks