Instagram and other social media stuff

[uk_lefty]

A few years back I was given the idea to put stuff on Instagram. Keeping it music related it was just photos of basses. More recently I've done more photos of basses and tried to advertise gigs but realistically I don't think any of my 90ish followers actually care or attend the gigs, they're just there cos I once put up a nice photo of a bass. 

 

Does anyone use Instagram for music stuff? What are you doing with it, keeping a personal record of things, advertising gigs or dep services... Something else? How much effort do you put into it if any?

 

I'm thinking of changing mine up a bit. I had the idea a few weeks back where after feeling like a rock-demi-God post gig getting home at 2am I was brought back to reality by being woken by my kids at 6am and later that day getting excited after buying some tree loppers in Wickes. The juxtaposition of this felt far more real than anything that usually goes on social media. I've thought of doing some kind of semi tongue-in-cheek self deprecating posts that highlight my life as a bassist in a rock band where we can have photos and videos that make us look like superstars... Then actually I get into my Volvo estate and do the tedious stuff everyone does, like taking stuff to the tip... But, who would care enough to read it? 

[Gasman]

Alas, probably not many bass-players on this site - most of us (although not all) could write virtually identical blogs, only difference being the make of car full of rubbish going to the dump (mine's a Jeep)...

[Silvia Bluejay]

Like with all social media, you need to decide if you have the time and inclination to interact or only that to broadcast.

 

Taking the example of our rock 'n' roll band, we have a very active Facebook page where fans comment, tag each other, and talk to the band, and we interact fully by replying, publishing videos, advertising gigs etc. Then we have Youtube where comments are disallowed, so we only publish videos but don't get into any sort of exchange, and Instagram where we publish a customised poster for each gig (one or two a week) and occasionally upload a video. We follow back bands who follow us and accounts belonging to rock 'n' roll radios and DJs, and rock 'n' roll fans, but other than that we rarely interact - usually it's a matter of responding to some direct messages from venues and similar, and that's it.

 

If @uk_lefty feels he has more than one or two blog posts in him, and is likely to want to keep writing, I'd do it. If it looks like it's only going to last a week or two and then life takes over, I wouldn't bother.

Edited July 12, 2023 by Silvia Bluejay

[markbunney]

The above sounds very similar to my last few gig days - gardening, tip, gig!

[Leonard Smalls]

We discovered recently that the kids use Instagram and/or TikTok, not Facebook.

We did a battle of the bands, which we were told had judges to decide who'd won. Turned out it was voting on Instagram, which we've barely had a presence on. One of the bands on was truly terrible, but still only lost after a last minute flurry of support for the eventual winners. Since then we've started Instagram posts as well, as it's not just oldfarts who go to gigs!

[meterman]

I use Instagram but only post once or twice a month. I generally keep things music related so I’ll do a post when my radio show is going to go on, or if I’ve got a record coming out or something. It’s  definitely handy for for that kind of thing. Occasionally I’ll post something non-music related but that’s rare. I mainly like seeing pictures of cats or rare records or instruments or architecture, or egg and chips or whatever, I’m pretty mundane like that.

 

I have my account set to ‘private’ as I got fed up with the crypto spam friend requests and religious / political stuff, so only 350 or so people will see anything I post but I’m okay with that. It’s more for my mates really and it still keeps the radio station and label happy in terms of promotion.

 

I did have another Instagram account where I posted every day for a year, pictures of numbers 1 to 365 in chronological order from buildings, vehicles, vintage packaging, etc, which was more therapeutic than anything else but I found there was a lot of other folks doing the same thing.  There’s nutters everywhere.
 

If I wasn’t still doing radio shows or making records I probably wouldn’t post much at all, or even bother having an account.

 

Egg and chips tho 😎

Edited July 13, 2023 by meterman

[uk_lefty]

16 minutes ago, meterman said:

I use Instagram but only post once or twice a month. I generally keep things music related so I’ll do a post when my radio show is going to go on, or if I’ve got a record coming out or something. It’s  definitely handy for for that kind of thing. Occasionally I’ll post something non-music related but that’s rare. I mainly like seeing pictures of cats or rare records or instruments or architecture, or egg and chips or whatever, I’m pretty mundane like that.

Hey would love to connect on there, what's the radio show all about? Egg and chips too!!!!

[meterman]

1 minute ago, uk_lefty said:

Hey would love to connect on there, what's the radio show all about? Egg and chips too!!!!

Ha, the show is on Soho Radio. I’m usually on the same day as Dennis Bovell and Norman Jay. Harry Shearer and Simone from Primal Scream both have shows on the same station but I’m not sure if there’s any other bass player-related shows in the schedule. I’m probably only in there due to an admin error or something.

 

My last Instagram food post was when I found Tunnocks Caramel Wafers in a French supermarket. Maybe it was a pan of sausages before that. I’m dull as absolute f............. 😂

 

 

[Franticsmurf]

I once wrote a blog for our band website (now long gone) and I tried to keep it very light hearted, with references to pre-gig travel and post gig fast food preferences and the strange conversations we'd have - in other words mostly backstage/behind the scenes stuff. The website took care of the serious band and booking information. I saw it as an attempt to give the band a character over and above the business of playing music and it meant that the website was updated with new material several times a month. The blog developed a small following (maybe 20 views per post on average) but I can't say it boosted attendance at gigs. I wouldn't do it again as I don't think the return justifies the effort. 

[MichaelJR]

At least you've got some followers who appreciate your bass photos. I use Instagram for music stuff too. It's like a mix of keeping records and advertising gigs. I try to balance showing my music journey with just being real about everyday stuff. Your idea of tongue-in-cheek posts sounds cool. It could be a fun way to connect with your audience and show them the behind-the-scenes of being a rockstar. You can also Buy Reddit Accounts. Actually, being authentic and funny can really capture people's attention. Plus, you never know who might relate to your experiences as a bassist in a rock band. So go for it and have fun with it.

Edited July 31, 2023 by MichaelJR

[fretmeister]

I use it. I sometimes post vids of bass covers, but I'm mainly there to look at other music related stuff, and food, tattoos, magic.

[PaulWarning]

On 13/07/2023 at 09:26, Franticsmurf said:

I once wrote a blog for our band website (now long gone) and I tried to keep it very light hearted, with references to pre-gig travel and post gig fast food preferences and the strange conversations we'd have - in other words mostly backstage/behind the scenes stuff. The website took care of the serious band and booking information. I saw it as an attempt to give the band a character over and above the business of playing music and it meant that the website was updated with new material several times a month. The blog developed a small following (maybe 20 views per post on average) but I can't say it boosted attendance at gigs. I wouldn't do it again as I don't think the return justifies the effort. 

I used to do a blog, like you kept it light hearted, not many people were reading it, just friends really, so I stopped doing it.

 

Most of our fans are old farts like us, so we just stick to Facebook, it seems to cover all the bases, (no pun intended) where as Instagram and TikTok seem to attract a younger crowd and don't do any more than you can do on Facebook as far as I can see, but maybe I'm missing something

[BigRedX]

IME there are people who are ONLY on Instagram or TikTok. If you are not posting there you could be missing out on potential fans. It doesn't cost anything other than a few more minutes to tailor your content to the relevant platform, so why not?

[jimmyb625]

The band is on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter (although we're not overly active on there now)

I'm on those, plus Threads.

I mainly use Instagram and Threads for music/band related stuff, photos of my bass, hats, stage outfit. I have Instagram set to automatically post to Facebook as well, which saves a bit of time and effort. 

My twitter posts vary between band spam and arguments with flat-earthers, with the occasional reminder to Esther McVey that she's supposed to be an MP.

Video-wise, I have a YouTube channel, which is pretty poor, that I use to document the various gigs I do, either as a player in the band, or tech stuff for the electronic band. I use all of the platforms to spam that out as well.

[uk_lefty]

Thanks for the inputs. End of school year (I have two kids, I'm not a teacher thankfully!!) And busy work period has prevented me starting it up with any gusto. I find it so hit and miss, I post some poor quality photos of a not so special bass and get great response, a gig video or two, or I copy the more popular bass hashtags and get next to zilch. A recent video I put up had over 500 views allegedly but I think that's B.S.

 

Anyhow, if anyone fancies seeing some left handed basses occasionally or how many cabs fit in the boot of a Volvo estate feel free to look me up! RR_on_bass

[jimmyb625]

I've found with mine, it's the "shorts" that get the most views.

 

[KizaruMars]

Your idea of showing the behind-the-scenes and the everyday rockstar vs. reality moments sounds like a refreshing twist! The juxtaposition could be relatable and funny – who wouldn't smile at the thought of a rockstar bassist hitting the hardware store for tree loppers?

As for the concern about who would care – remember, social media can surprise you. Sometimes it's the genuine, slice-of-life stuff that resonates the most. And if you're thinking of spicing things up, just make sure you're doing it for yourself first – the likes and follows are just bonuses!

By the way, have you ever stumbled upon the world of Cheapest Followers, Likes & Views? It's like a shortcut to boosting your social media presence – although the real connections you make along the way are what truly count!

Edited August 24, 2023 by KizaruMars

[Rayman]

I have an Instagram page for my artwork, and don’t use it for anything else. It’s just an online portfolio I suppose. I was thinking about another page for just bass stuff, since I ditched my FB page, but I’m not sure I can be bothered.

[Woodwind]

Instagram is my primary means of promoting my live shows and releases.

 

Over the 9 years I've been using it it has proved to be incredibly useful. 

 

It has changed/evolved over that time and how people interact with my profile has also changed, but it has outclassed useful engagement on any other social network I've tried.

 

I don't think I'd relish starting from scratch now though.

[knirirr]

Mastodon is the one I use; no use for advertising gigs, but there do seem to be quite a few people discussing albums there. Unfortunately for me, these seem mostly to be metal albums.
The band with which I play most often uses Facebook and a local website (for local people only) to advertise gigs. But, the audience to seem to be on the mature side.