If you are a frequent social networker, chances are you already know your Klout score which is measured on a scale of 1-100. The average score is 20, says the ratings site. New York Post writer Garett Sloane opines, “Having a higher Klout score than a rival is the latest form of business one-upmanship.”
Now about 2 years old, Klout monitors your Twitter, Facebook, Google Plus and other social networking accounts to see what kinds of reactions you get and how often people are engaged by what you are posting. “Adding more networks…can only increase your score,” claims the site’s online information which also explains, “Klout measures influence online using data from your social networks. Anywhere you have an online presence, you have the opportunity to influence people by creating or sharing content that inspires actions such as likes, retweets, comments and more. The more engagement your posts receive, the more influential you are. Klout uses this information to provide you a Klout Score that measures your overall influence.” Joe Fernandez, Klout CEO/Founder told the Post, “Ultimately, we look at things like how far does your message spread, what proportion of content you create gets acted upon and how influential are the people acting on your message.”
Recently Klout altered its methodology which resulted in the lowering of many individual scores and understandably upset many of those who were downgraded. Expected to soothe the ruffled feathers is a deeper, more transparent look from the company into exactly how the scores are created and tabulated slated to arrive in mid-January 2012.
TechCrunch contributor Semil Shah noted in a Klout editorial, “It’s worth remembering that Klout only claims to measure one’s online influence, and I tend to think that much of the backlash against the company is rooted in the misconception that one’s Klout score maps to the offline world. It’s easy to grandstand and take a publicly moral stance against what Klout is doing, but as it is with entrepreneurship and certainly the web, there are no rules. Companies and users are making the rules as they go, and that’s just the way it should be.”
Mashable’s Samantha Murphy playfully suggests that those with higher scores tend to be the ones most satisfied with the methodology. “It seems as though it’s those with lower Klout scores that detest the concept, while members with higher scores are reaping the benefits of the platform. Some have even gotten job offers, free products and gift certificates from companies that want to keep the Klout influencers on their radar,” she says. “Obtaining a high Klout score is becoming more of something to strive for, with some even highlighting their number on resumes.” Murphy has created a 7-point list of how to get more Klout. “Build a network and create meaningful content,” she advises. “If you keep focused on your network strategy and your content strategy, you’ll succeed.” (See her complete list here.)
Klout scores describe a very limited aspect of a person’s personality and/or lifestyle. However, it seems that marketers are beginning to realize that enlisting social networkers with high scores who broadcast their messages to a large audience can be extremely influential in promoting a brand or a product such as music.
Cavanaugh Exits Curb; Indie Publicists Work McGraw Projects
/by Sarah SkatesLiz Cavanaugh
Liz Cavanaugh has exited her post as VP Promotion/Media Relations for Curb Records. Her 20-year career includes oversight of publicity campaigns for the label’s artists including LeAnn Rimes, Clay Walker, Wynonnna, Rodney Atkins, and until recently, Tim McGraw. Cavanaugh plans to pursue freelance writing and media projects. She can be reached at 347-6001 or lcavanaugh7@gmail.com.
Following Cavanaugh’s exit, Curb Records has tapped Kirt Webster’s Webster and Associates to handle the publicity for the Jan. 24 launch of McGraw’s Emotional Traffic album.
In related news, McGraw plans to release music separately from his former label home and has hired Mary Hilliard Harrington’s The Greenroom to oversee those efforts.
Artist Roundup (1/03/12)
/by Caitlin Rantala“I support NRA Country because they share my love of the outdoors and my wish to safeguard America’s hunting heritage,” the country artist says.
In addition to the video, fans can register to win an NRA Country prize pack, including a hat and t-shirt of choice, from now until the end of January. Click here to register. Fans can also catch Adkins at the 2nd Annual NRA Country Jam on Apr. 13 during the NRA Annual Meeting in St. Louis. Tickets will be on sale soon. Check here for information.
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Craig Campbell and Alisyn Camerota
Over the holidays, Craig Campbell made his national TV debut Dec. 17 on Fox News Channel’s Fox & Friends Weekend. After an interview with co-host Alisyn Camerota, Campbell performed the holiday standard “I’ll Be Home For Christmas” followed by his latest single “When I Get It” and the autobiographical tune “Family Man.” His performance can be seen here.
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Jack & Diane
Nashville Unleashed, featuring Nashville’s performing songwriters Jack & Diane, is returning this month. Beginning Jan. 14, the show will be part of Loews Hotels’ signature music program, Live from Loews. The show is arranged to mimic the feel of the songwriters’ living room, allowing the audience an up close and personal perspective.
Joined by different artists for each show, Jack & Diane’s performances will be webcast live from 7:30 p.m. to 9 p.m. on the second and fourth Saturday of the month at http://nashvilleunleashed.com/home.cfm. Reservations and tickets are available by calling Loews at (615) 321-1990. Tickets are $10. Parking is complimentary with a $20 food and beverage minimum.
Dailey & Vincent Showcase “Gospel Side”
/by Freeman“Bluegrass, Country and Gospel are common threads of America and with Cracker Barrel, so their guests are the same folks we perform for and reach out to through radio, TV, and CDs,” explains Darrin Vincent.
Gospel Side is the second Cracker Barrel exclusive release for the Rounder Records duo, following 2010’s Dailey & Vincent Sing The Statler Brothers. That project debuted at No. 19 on Billboard’s Country Album Sales Chart and its song “Elizabeth” earned the group a Grammy nomination for Best Country Performance by a Duo or Group.
The Gospel Side of Dailey & Vincent tracklist:
1. Living in the Kingdom of God
2. Eternal Vacation
3. Peace That Covers All the Pain
4. Cast Aside
5. Noah Found Grace
6. Family Bible
7. The Fourth Man
8. Until At Last I’m Home
9. Cross Over to the Other Side of Jordan
10. Come Back to Me
11. Welcome Home
12. Daddy Sang Bass
SoundCloud Makes It Rain
/by FreemanYesterday, SoundCloud edged closer to Spotify territory by raising an undisclosed amount of funding rumored to be valued at $50 million. The round was led by Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers, and Kleiner partner Mary Meeker will become a board observer for the SoundCloud.
“SoundCloud has seen exponential growth this year in terms of users and greatly evolved our product offerings,” said founder & CEO, Alexander Ljung in a press release on the company’s website. “With Kleiner Perkins’ impeccable track record for recognizing and investing in companies with a long-term view, and their understanding and support for the potential of sound, we couldn’t be more excited about working together.”
Launched in 2008 by Ljung and Eric Wahlforss, SoundCloud enables its user base of 9 million to create, record, and share works through the web as well as receive feedback from community members. Sounds and works can be accessed virtually anywhere using the iPhone or Android apps. Just before the end of 2011, Hypebot listed some of the best and most creative SoundCloud campaigns to show how artists are using the site to engage with their fans.
Nashville Stars In “LA Times” Year-End Highlights
/by Sarah SkatesEven though he's married with a baby, Church's single-life lament was convincing enough for the "LA Times."
Pop & Hiss, The L.A. Times music blog, starts the new year with a recap of 2011‘s most memorable music moments, including a few Nashville highlights:
Eric Church earns the title “Best use of falsetto in a country song” for “Hung Over & Hard Up.” The LA Times reports, “no song was catchier and stickier than…this ode to the plight of the struggling bachelor. Captivating.”
Pistol Annie’s “Takin’ Pills” is named “Best response to the Rolling Stones’ “Mother’s Little Helper”” in what the blog calls an “unapologetic look at a cocktail of choice for more Americans than we care to admit.”
Taylor Swift scores the dubious honor of “Most played-out expression at an awards show.” Despite winning a gazillion trophies last year, The Times notes, “When she won the Teen Choice Award, she looked as though she’d just been awarded the title of the Queen of Heaven for All Eternity.”
Read more.
Odie Blackmon Offers Songwriting Course
/by Caitlin RantalaOdie Blackmon
Beginning Jan. 12, songwriter Odie Blackmon will teach The Nashville Number System for Songwriters & Performers at Vanderbilt’s Blair School of Music. Classes are part of the adult program and will be held Thursdays from 7 to 9 pm.
Blackmon, a Grammy nominee and winner of three ASCAP Awards, has songwriting credits including George Strait’s “She’ll Leave You With A Smile” and Gary Allan’s “Baby I Will.”
While students will not need to be able to read traditional music, Blackmon will explain music theory, notation and chords. The class will also explore the charting of original songs, classic hits and the Nashville Number System with some observation and discussion of studio work.
For more information, click here and then download the Spring 2012 Course Brochure, or contact trisha.johns@vanderbilt.edu.
Benefit Photos: St. Jude, WIL
/by FreemanLate in December 2011, The St. Jude Country Music Marathon & Half Marathon presented by Nissan hosted a holiday party for runners and guests at Nashville’s Red Rooster. Country singers Jo Dee Messina and Darren Warren performed a short set and Warren spoke about his experience with St. Jude, where he was treated for non-Hodgkins Lymphoma as a teenager. Attendees also heard the story of Ally Cameron, who was treated by St. Jude after being diagnosed with neuroblastoma at age 1. She is now eight years old and cancer free. This year’s Country Music Marathon will take place in Nashville April 28.
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Prior to the holiday break, WIL/St. Louis held its annual “Cornbread’s Kids Crusade” to benefit St. Louis Children’s Hospital and its Child Life Services. In just 28 hours, the event raised $214,718. The station has raised over $500,000 through the event in the last two years. WIL morning show host Cornbread notes, “I’m humbled by the generosity of the WIL listenership, who poured out their love for the kids of St. Louis Children’s Hospital.”
Sponsors drop off a check benefiting St. Louis Children’s Hospital during WIL’s Cornbread’s Kids Crusade.
Pandora Debuts Concert Series
/by Sarah SkatesThe first concert was held Dec. 13 in Portland, Ore. with emerging rockers Dawes (“Time Spent In Los Angeles”). As the official launch sponsor, Budweiser presented the inaugural concert free of charge to more than 230 fans, and is now bringing the experience online through a hub on Pandora.com.
All artists that participate in the live concert series will be showcased on the Pandora Presents hub. Behind-the-scenes video of Dawes includes interviews with the band and fans, and footage of the band hanging in Portland. The hub also features a curated “mixtape” of songs selected by Dawes and Pandora music analysts.
Pandora determines the artists and locations for the live concert series from spin and thumbs-up data. Listeners who have created stations and thumbed-up songs for a specific artist or similar artists are invited to attend the exclusive free shows.
Klout Creates New Class Of Brand Promoters
/by bossrossNow about 2 years old, Klout monitors your Twitter, Facebook, Google Plus and other social networking accounts to see what kinds of reactions you get and how often people are engaged by what you are posting. “Adding more networks…can only increase your score,” claims the site’s online information which also explains, “Klout measures influence online using data from your social networks. Anywhere you have an online presence, you have the opportunity to influence people by creating or sharing content that inspires actions such as likes, retweets, comments and more. The more engagement your posts receive, the more influential you are. Klout uses this information to provide you a Klout Score that measures your overall influence.” Joe Fernandez, Klout CEO/Founder told the Post, “Ultimately, we look at things like how far does your message spread, what proportion of content you create gets acted upon and how influential are the people acting on your message.”
TechCrunch contributor Semil Shah noted in a Klout editorial, “It’s worth remembering that Klout only claims to measure one’s online influence, and I tend to think that much of the backlash against the company is rooted in the misconception that one’s Klout score maps to the offline world. It’s easy to grandstand and take a publicly moral stance against what Klout is doing, but as it is with entrepreneurship and certainly the web, there are no rules. Companies and users are making the rules as they go, and that’s just the way it should be.”
Mashable’s Samantha Murphy playfully suggests that those with higher scores tend to be the ones most satisfied with the methodology. “It seems as though it’s those with lower Klout scores that detest the concept, while members with higher scores are reaping the benefits of the platform. Some have even gotten job offers, free products and gift certificates from companies that want to keep the Klout influencers on their radar,” she says. “Obtaining a high Klout score is becoming more of something to strive for, with some even highlighting their number on resumes.” Murphy has created a 7-point list of how to get more Klout. “Build a network and create meaningful content,” she advises. “If you keep focused on your network strategy and your content strategy, you’ll succeed.” (See her complete list here.)
Klout scores describe a very limited aspect of a person’s personality and/or lifestyle. However, it seems that marketers are beginning to realize that enlisting social networkers with high scores who broadcast their messages to a large audience can be extremely influential in promoting a brand or a product such as music.
Artists Tweet Holiday Happenings
/by Sarah SkatesArtists are hooked on Twitter. Here’s some of the biggest news and most re-Tweeted posts they shared with Followers over the recent holidays.
Don’t forget to keep track of who has the most Twitter Followers and Facebook Likes via MusicRow’s Twitter/Facebook Chart.