It appears that the rumors about Facebook and Google are true. They really don’t like each other. In fact recently:

Facebook hired a prominent public relations firm to try to plant stories harshly criticizing Google’s privacy practices in leading news outlets. The efforts backfired when the firm approached a blogger who not only declined the assignment, but also went public with the offer. (Via Billboard)

This is just another reminder that you should be converting Facebook fans into email subscribers as quickly as you can. Although Facebook is the dominante player in the social game these days, it’s obvious that these cats can’t be trusted and won’t be around for that long (bait?). Having the email addresses of your fans is a critical step if you want to be in control of your future.

The future of the music industry is the direct to fan relationship. When you have your fans’ email you can establish and nurture those relationships without a middle man. It used to be that record labels were the middle men, now social networks are in the middle. You don’t need a middle man. Gather fans with social network tools, but get fans to cross over to the email list asap.

So how do you do that? Special offers and incentives.

Email lists should have exclusive music, merch, and media (photos, video). It is a good place to start to see what your fans enjoy. Every audience will be different so try different offers. This way access to your fans will be in your hands rather than some dubious internet behemoth.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YuOAVPfxOfE

Music Consciousness
Voyno