Music and Social Media Go Together Like Peanut Butter and Jelly

Let me start with a disclaimer by stating that the social media website I am about to blog about, is currently employing me, but with that being said, this is a really sweet site.

Social media has greatly affected the history of music. In the beginning of Napster (remember Napster?) days, bands and music started to be spread faster, further, and free-er than ever before. A small unsigned band in New Jersey could travel across the country for the first time to a city in California and have people who already know their songs because of peer to peer networks. Now, the effects of this have been good and bad. It is easier and easier for bands to get recognition and noticed these days, but record sales have continued to decline to an all time low. But I think overall the internet has opened more doors, and done more positive things for music than negative things. Bands like Panic at the Disco have gotten signed before even playing a show by posting music on Purevolume.com!

"So what?" you say, "I knew about Arcade Fire before they played their first song." This may be true, in fact many people know about bands before they get big believe it or not. But until now there has been little one can do in order to tell people about a particular band and help them out with publicity. But now, there is a new website called Stereofame which allows not only bands to benefit from the internet, but also fans to benefit from finding awesome music. Stereofame is like a game, it has points, rules, and prizes, but unlike most BORING games like chinese checkers and Chutes and Ladders, Stereofame combines music and social media into an exciting new experiment.

Here's how it works:
If you're an artist, it's all about your music and your reputation. If the fans are loving your music, then you deserve to get some respect in the form of promotion on the website, some sweet merch, and even opportunities to work with professional producers in a legit studio.

Once you've signed up (don't worry, it's painless), artists of all genres can upload their songs and invite fans to start listening. As other Stereofame visitors listen to your songs, you earn points. The more fans dig your music, the more stuff you can get with your points.

If you're a fan, it's all about your passion and your good taste. If you have a knack for knowing which band is going to be next year's Vampire Weekend, then you deserve props for helping to discover them. Once you've earned your cred, Stereofame will promote your choices on the site and give you gift certificates for free downloads and merch from your favorite places.

After you've signed up (it's easy, we promise), fans can set up virtual record labels on Stereofame, and then "sign" the bands that they like best. When the bands on your label earn points, your label earns points, too. The more popular your label becomes, the more stuff you can get with your points.

Stereofame just launched last weekend so it still has a few bugs here and there, but its really easy to sign up. Check it out, tell me what you think, what's cool about it, what sucks about it, and go make some bands big!