Social Media: do's, don'ts and some expectations

It seems like social media tips are all the rage this week, so I thought I would throw in my two cents -

I know I have spoken before about the true value of using all the social media available, Twitter, Myspace, Facebook etc...and some of you are on it and some of your are still non-believers, but what I want to focus on is some of the etiquette and expectation in the music industry, and well anywhere really, and for anyone using social media, especially as a business or marketing tool.

At the end I'll link to a great little blurb from Derek about being polite, but now I just want to try and decipher how maybe some of this etiquette got missed....maybe that can help find a way to remedy a bit of the rudeness that goes on out there in Internet land.

First of all, I should state what I am talking about in terms of 'etiquette'. It means 'good manners' people. And as it relates to social media as - returning emails, saying thank you to compliments and favors, finishing what you start....etc etc I am sure I can think of more, but these are the ones that really get me.

All I can come up with, is that maybe people are not aware that these are skills people in general should posess. Possibly there is some deficiency out there in the teaching of communication skills? Perhaps someone who has never had to work face to face with people has never had the chance to develop these skills? I am not making excuses, just trying to justify these behaviors in my mind and give people the benefit of the doubt..

Imagine you have a store on the corner of the street. Lots of people want to shop at your store, but you just keep the door locked and only let your friends in. Your business licence says you are open to the public, but you only like dealing with people you know. Hmmmm...

Or -

Imagine you are in an important business meeting, people are relying on you for work, or important input, and you suddenly get up, walk out and disappear, never to be heard from again. Hmmm...

Or -

Imagine someone goes to the trouble of helping you out. At any time, for any reason, you take what they have to offer, but never say thanks and just walk away. Hmmm.....


These are ongoing events in the music business, venues never responding, people setting things up and then never following through, people taking what you kindly offer, but never giving a word of thanks, even the most simple thing of never responding to an email....

If this was in the real world people, given the examples, it would seem terribly rude, would it not?


Anyway, I can understand if you are busy, if so, put an email responder on your mail program. It's easy to add something that says ' Hey -I got your mail, I'm busy but will get back to you soon!', and then you know, do it! Get back to someone soon!

And maybe emails are going into your spam folder, that's even easier, check it out once in a while!

And you know, if you decide not to follow through on a project or idea, it's not a difficult thing to let the other people know, no hard feelings, just own up to it, otherwise it's bad business and it's not doing much for your image.

And lastly, a really basic one, remember your Ps and Qs. Easy peasy - say please and thank you. Just because you are on-line and people can't look in your eyes, does not make this little gesture any less important.

If you want to get ahead in this business, or any business, every little thing you do goes a long way.


And here goes my two cents about using social media:

~ do not post your gig dates up on twitter during the playoffs, Olympics or other major events - they will probably get missed.

~ do not use a world wide tragedy as a time to post info about your band just because there are lots of people on reading news and updates, same thing, probably nobody will look, and if they do see you there, it seems like you may be taking advantage - uncool.

~ on FB, it's good to try not to post up questionable photos when you are just starting out...it makes pr a lot more difficult.

It's common sense.

Ok Derek's link - such a good one - pass it on - Here it is.

Please and thank you for reading this......

People always laugh at me..

...because I generally use the same few chords when I am jotting down a song...my comeback is always something about Johnny Cash..but now I can go a step further - just goes to show you..you don't need to know anything fancy to write a hit!

Thanks @katypegg!

Time enough to ask...

I have been so busy this week, with John's show, EarthRun coming on the 25th, and everything else...I know it's nothing new, we're all busy in our lives.

But, last week I had the idea while talking to a friend, to interview a bunch of people, friends and colleagues in the music industry. I wrote to a dozen of my peeps and asked them their thoughts on the new music business and some related topics.

I was really grateful that nearly everybody had time for me, and so 'The Acid House Interviews' were born.

I have 6 together already, and tonight wondered, given some of the answers I received to my questions, if we actually take enough time in our lives to talk to people any more, ask them about themselves...just to check in?


Might be a good time to get interested in someone and ask some questions!


Will post a links when interviews are finished - and thanks to those of you who helped out!

(pic by cbcastro)

We Love Mike Norman - Pass it On!

April Update

Well it's that time of year again, the garden needs turning, the birds are singing, and I have Christmas thoughts jangling in my head!

Watch for news on our 5th Anniversary Very Vancouver Christmas CD - I can't believe it's been 5 years since we began the project! I know it's early but all indications are that it is going to be a doozy ~

We've also got some exciting studio news coming up in the next week or so, don't want to spill it early, but I will no longer have to turn people away!

Let's see, we've been so busy and have had two album releases so far this week alone; MRDC's 'Radio' Featuring Skulastic, and Balligomingo's 'Under An Endless Sky'!

We've got The John Jorgenson Quartet coming up to play on the 18th for the Gypsy Jazz Fest at St James - do go if you're around!

The David Suzuki EarthRun is also this month and coming up very quickly now(!) on the 25th at Jericho, with a great musical line-up (Ranj Singh and the Discriminators, Gillian Hobbs and Matt Stanley and the Decoys!).

We're also solidifying some plans for the year; we'll be working with a talented animator to get the Donkey Otey project on it's way, and finishing up some songs for Piper McKinnon and Danielle Kurant. And if we have the time, I hope to work with Sheldon Witt and get some recording done with Matt Stanley.

I'll get some good stuff posted soon as well, I found some great tips I've been saving for you!

Hmm and oh yes the garden...I am looking forward to that this year, as last year at this time I was laid up and on crutches for over 3 months! Feels like a long time ago....

~Happy Easter From Rave On~

I feel like we should also dedicate this to the SPCA/UVic bunny problem. Good luck with that dilemma!

Another Blog About Songwriting

I wasn't going to write tonight because I'm a bit burnt (sorry for emails I have yet to answer) - but songwriting seems to be the theme of my day.

I'm fortunate and I know it, I find songwriting easy - but others struggle. I am not going to tell you how or show you any secrets here - only two items.

#1 Connor McGuire is writing a song a week, and so far his results are pretty cool - please check him out and support his project by leaving him some kind words and great feedback!

Connor's Cool Project

#2 This came in an email to me today and have never heard of this exercise but maybe if you are stuck it will help you out? Sorry for printing in it's entirely, I could not find a handy link to Molly-Ann's site!

Seven Easy Steps to Writing Hit Lyrics

by Molly-Ann Leikin, Songwriting Consultant

I've written poems and I've written lyrics. I've learned if you can do one, you can usually do the other. As a poet, I've enjoyed the pure creative process, and the occasional publication of my work.

But I've never made a dime writing a poem. Ever.

On the other hand, I live very comfortably on my lyric royalties. And it beats working.

In my practice as a songwriting consultant in California, I hear almost every other new client tell me he or she can't write lyrics. To help them, I've developed a seven-step system, and it works.

If you're a poet who's tired of being broke, and would like to occasionally use your gifts to write more commercially, this article can help you make that transition. It can also help lyricists who are stuck, composers who claim they write music only, plus the entire world of left-brain computer types who ache to create something romantic—like a song.

When writing one, be aware that melodies are open to interpretation - so when you write a tune, what you feel or intend is still safe in your heart.You don't have to reveal yourself or stand completely naked in front of the world. But once you put words to a tune, your feelings are totally out in the open and everyone knows what's in your heart. Therefore, it can be very inhibiting to write lyrics, which is often why writers get stuck.

But here is the process I use with my clients to make lyric writing simple. I suggest you use all seven steps. Cutting corners is usually why a lyric doesn't work.

Most poets and beginning songwriters make the mistake of writing acres of lines of iambic pentameter and then set out to look for someone who can turn that dreary rhythm into an exciting melody. Almost nobody can, no matter what the words are saying. So don't write your lyrics first. ]Get the tune, then write the words. So let's assume, for this exercise, that you have a melody but no idea of what to say in your lyric. Don't worry if you don't have a tune. I'll give you one.

STEP 1. Sing or play the tune of a nursery rhyme. Any of them will do: Baa Baa Black Sheep, Humpty Dumpty, Ring Around the Rosie - it doesn't matter which you choose. Use this melody for practice. As you listen to it, scribble down some non-rhyming prose. Ignore the exact notes, but listen to the feelings. Let your words be a stream-of-conscious exercise to warm up your imagination. Don't use rhymes or logic. Try to be visual, silly, playful and have fun with it.
Here's an example of some lines I scribbled down after listening to "Itsy Bitsy Spider":

A former tooth farmer from Fluffy, South Apricot, dug through Exxon's banana shoe hairbrush section for kangaroo lingerie, after the De La Hoya/Pope Potato wrist rake from Western Tire Cough Drops slid unnoticed into burping toenails.

STEP 2. Now please write a silly, visual non-rhyming lyric to your tune. Match each note with one syllable. Fill your non-rhyming lyric with ridiculous pictures. Again, don't be logical, don't make it make sense. Every line can be about something different. The first might concern shoe repair, the second, airport parking. In this draft, try to keep all the rhymes OUT. Here's an example of a nonsense lyric I wrote, to the tune of "Jack and Jill".
Lizards frying Jaguars
All hum Hawaiin shoe trees
Disneyland will hiccup in
The mayor's purple phone soup.

STEP 3. Now write an uncensored list of silly titles that will fit with the stresses of the first line of your nursery rhyme. No matter how many notes in that line, keep your title to seven syllables or less. Shoot for twenty or thirty possible titles. Don't write anything you've heard before. Let your imagination roll. Don't say, "Oh, that's dumb." Write it all down. You might find one of these nonsense titles could actually turn into a real one later. "I Love You" is fine, but Jewel's "Swallow The Moon" gets you in the gut. A good title will write the whole song for you. A mediocre one will leave you stranded in line two.
Here are some nonsense titles I wrote to the tune of
"Jack and Jill":

Santa knit a Hershey Bar
Orange dancing astronauts
Drinking bricks can make you skate

STEP 4. Write a few real titles with the same number of syllables as your silly ones. Here are some I wrote to
"Jack and Jill":
Sundays with the London Times
Do you ever think of me
Moonlight over Lake O'Hare

STEP 5. Choose one of your real titles. Write the story it tells in prose. Just a couple of sentences will do fine. Writing the story as a letter might be easier for you. If any lines come out rhyming, change them so they don't. That way, you'll be able to express yourself with complete freedom, and without the constraints of rhyme or meter.
When you finish this step, you'll know the beginning, middle and end of your story before you start to write the lyric. Most songs have two verses, a chorus and a bridge, so allow space for them in your story. By writing it first, you'll be able to see if you have enough information to fill a whole song, so you won't get stuck half-way through with nowhere to go. You can always cut out words and lines later.

STEP 6. Using the information from your story, write a non-rhyming lyric to the nursery rhyme melody you've chosen. Should rhymes mysteriously appear, delete them.

STEP 7. Now write the "real" lyric, with the story and the rhymes.


I suggest you do all seven steps. Not four, not two. Seven. My clients who don't are still claiming they can't write lyrics. But many of my songwriters who do are climbing the charts.
The more lyrics you write, the easier it gets. So please do this exercise five times, each with a different nursery rhyme. Once you learn how to map out a lyric, and write it to a melody, you're 90% there.
© 2010 Molly-Ann Leikin
www.songmd.com