One of my favorite R.E.M. songs is Nightswimming. I think lead singer Michael Stipe may have been inspired by a similar experience :)

Live acoustic performance of Nightswimming: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qx9br5ISRpo

Thanks! We believe in the power of data to transform the music business and will be working on building the team and technology to get there.

Way to go!

If you ever need any beta testers, you know who to call!

Really awesome, Pete! Fully supported by the "small world phenomenon" written about by Duncan Watts et al. You should check out the book Six Degrees about network theory if you haven't already.

Thanks Richard, would love to hear more about your experiences and where you think things are headed. I can be reached at alex [at] nextbigsound [dot] com if you're interested.

Glad you like it! It is a custom WordPress installation we developed in-house. Unfortunately it's not available for download at this time.

Thanks Shane! Great meeting you back in 2009. All the best in the new year.

Thanks Ryan, that's a great point. I'm on the phone every day with managers complaining that their band doesn't care about contributing content and updating their pages. I've been yelled at by old school professionals wondering why they hell they should care about MySpace plays when they have SoundScan numbers?

I believe that the educational component of what NBS and 4Sq are doing (blogging, speaking, case studies, one-on-one conversations etc.) is great but ultimately the ground will fully shift and all that will be left are those that understand the new game (or can hire someone who does).

Quick aside: I do believe that artists should be artists first and foremost. They are all unique and their willingness/interest in the online music world is part of their assets (or liabilities). There also won't be a uniform strategy for all of them. If they are interested in photography they can keep a photoblog, if they like live conversations they can publicize their AIM screen names etc.

One example: I went out on the road with a band called Sing It Loud a year ago and, like most of us, were entirely skeptical on the value of Twitter. I downloaded the client on their phones and reminded them to tweet everyday. At first it was forced but now they each have thousands of followers, love the direct connection with the fans and can see the value to their careers.

Thanks Brenden,

That is a point well taken, especially given your pioneering role in allowing artists to "only enter data once." The bigger message, and I think a major reason for ArtistData's rapid growth, is that you never know where your potential fans are spending their time. If you get even one true fan who goes to your shows, promotes your band to their friends and buys your merchandise it might be well worth the time investment.

Determining which sites are relevant for which bands is the next logical step and there could be some nice overlap between ArtistData and Next Big Sound in this arena? Down the road...

Alex