Final Research Project - Macklemore and Social Media

It is hard to deny the independent hustle of Macklemore and Ryan Lewis, a rapper/producer duo who have had explosive success over their popular single “Thrift Shop,” as well as having moderate success with other socially conscious singles such as “Same Love” and “Wing$.” Macklemore, also known as Ben Haggerty, is a Seattle, Washington based emcee who has been recording music ever since the turn of the new millennium. He released his first EP, Open Your Eyes, in 2000 while releasing his first album, The Language of My World, in 2005. After a substance abuse issue that put him on hiatus, he and Ryan Lewis started linking up and making music together in 2008, gaining a local loyal fanbase in Seattle.  They released an EP in 2009 with a rereleased version releasing in 2010 that topped the iTunes Hip-Hop chart at number 7. Along with releasing numerous singles from 2011-2012, as well as their debut album, The Heist, they managed to reach number 2 on the Billboard Top 100 charts. Since then, “Thrift Shop” has been viewed over 200 million times on YouTube and has peaked all the way to number 1 on the charts, making the duo mildly successful without a record deal.

AN OVERVIEW OF EACH SOCIAL MEDIA BRANCH ASSOCIATED WITH THEIR BRAND

According to this article, 83% of The Heist’s first week sales were all from digital purchases, indicating the power of the online community to skyrocket a musician to success with an overwhelmingly online presence. The article credits four major social media outlets that Macklemore uses to promote his work and to interact with fans: a website/blog, Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube. Macklemore’s and Ryan Lewis’ own website is a place where fans can view a wealth of photographs from touring, read a blog with details about the pictures, buy the album, find merchandise, and other various information while making it extremely accessible with quick loading times. Macklemore has his own Facebook page that, according to the article, he updates everyday. He interacts with his fans by announcing when and where free performances are, sending his thanks to them, and using the website as a cross-promotion platform. He also uses that outlet to post various pictures as well while also having pictures that fans tagged him in show up on the page. Wilson sees this as “an important aspect of building loyal and excited online communities” by “letting them see what he does outside of music and connecting them from outside of music.” Just as with Facebook, Macklemore uses Twitter to communicate primarily with fans, retweeting their tweets, responding to questions, and giving announcements. However, it can feel more personal because the short messages allow Macklemore to effectively keep in touch with fans and more frequently. Also, with the ability to retweet, Macklemore can let fans know that he is personally acknowledging that person, expressing to that person that their message was relevant and that their words matter.

Below is a screencast I did showing each social media outlet Macklemore and Ryan Lewis utilize:

YOUTUBE SUCCESS

This article credits a loyal fanbase and a large following on social network sites as the key to Macklemore’s independent success, particularly YouTube. Thanks to many fans supporting Macklemore on the Internet and how his music is being spread through word of mouth, “Thrift Shop” has become an instant cultural sensation. At the time the article was written in January, the music video for “Thrift Shop,” released in August of last year, was around 70 million views on the popular video sharing website YouTube. Three months later, the number of views have tripled, which shows just how essential word of mouth caused a video to go viral in such a small amount of time. This was all, of course, without the backing of a record label, a minimal amount of recognition in hip-hop, and without any notable producers. Rothe writes, “’"Thrift Shop’ will make music labels reevaluate how they go about promoting artists and how their control over new artists could change the artists’ creativity and self-expression.”

Below is a screencast I made showing how to upload a basic video for YouTube for those who want to get started with showing the world your talents:

UTILIZING TUMBLR FOR THE WEBSITE

In an interview with Macklemore’s and Ryan Lewis’ manager Zach Quillen and Peter Schwartz, the vice president of their booking agency, The Agency Group, Zach Quillen explained which social media sites were essential for the success of the duo. While he mentioned both Twitter and Facebook as two of the primary outlets, the one that he touched upon the most is what their website is operated on: Tumblr. Every time a video or photo is posted on the site, it is placed through the Tumblr circuit and is able to be shared. He stressed how Tumblr is very convenient for mobile devices that utilize applications such as Instagram in which Macklemore and Ryan Lewis are able to instantly post something while continuously being on the go. Confirming that Macklemore is the one that directly posts material, Schwartz emphasizes the accessibility that is associated with such simple applications, and how that allows them to easily connect with fans directly. 

USING INSTAGRAM FOR CONTESTS

As a special promotion for the video for “Thrift Shop,” Macklemore utilized Instagram to set up a contest for fans. For this contest, according to Todd Olmstead, he asked people to submit photos that showed off some of their finds at a thrift shop, and the winner was flown out to Seattle, Washington to attend the video premiere.  With 32,000 followers at the time the article was written, it was reported that there were over 400 entries. Macklemore, himself, praised the winner by posting the winning picture on his blog with a message of commendation. It is an effective method of promotion that allows fans to get involved and become recognized for it.

FACEBOOK AND DIRECT COMMUNICATION

Part of what makes Macklemore so appealing to fans is how humble he is in his approach to ensuring that he has contact with his fans, particularly on Facebook. Chris Cannon puts it simply: “Allowing your record label to take control of your Facebook page is missing the point, this is about talking to your fans not at them.” One of the ways Macklemore does this is by posting pictures of not only him on tour or him with fans, but he uses his Facebook page to post more personal photographs, such as his family. For example, according to Cannon’s article, when Macklemore made a post proposing to his girlfriend, it received over 100,000 likes. Other ways of interacting with his fans on Facebook include the following:

•     Rewarding those who show up early to his shows with shout-outs
•     Creating a sense of belonging by referring to his fans as the “Shark Face gang”
•     Asking for constructive criticisms and feedback for videos and song
•     Constantly praising his fans for getting him to where he is now
•     Hosting Q&As

As Cannon says, “If you take your fans with you they will be happy to share you.”

For being independent artists without a major record deal, Macklemore and Ryan Lewis have achieved a lot, and continue to be a hot act to seek out. Record labels have become intrigued with Macklemore’s business model. Commercials have used their songs. And they have proven that no matter who you are, you don’t have to depend on music executives in order for your voice to be heard. As long as you are savvy with promotion and stick to what you do best, it could be possible for anybody to achieve. Macklemore and Ryan Lewis have definitely set that example for future talent.

REFERENCES:

Cannon, Chris. “How Macklemore Stuck It to the Music Industry.” The Huffington Post. 11 Mar. 2013. 19 Apr. 2013. http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/chris-cannon/how-macklemore-stuck-it-to-the-music-industry_b_2852300.html.

Franco, Chris. “Macklemore’s Manager On Music Marketing and Social Media.” Hypebot.com. 6 Dec. 2012. 19 Apr. 2013. http://www.hypebot.com/hypebot/2012/12/macklemores-manager-on-music-marketing-and-social-media.html.

Rothe, Adam. “Macklemore shatters music industry standard.” Collegiate Times. 20 Jan. 2013. 19 Apr. 2013. http://www.collegiatetimes.com/stories/21248/macklemore-shatters-music-industry-standard.

Wilson, Zoe. “How Social Media Made Indie Hip-Hop Artist Macklemore #1 on iTunes.” Confluence. 29 Oct. 2013. 19 Apr. 2013. http://info.confluencedigital.com/blog/bid/162826/How-Social-Media-Made-Indie-Hip-Hop-Artist-Macklemore-1-on-iTunes.

Olmstead, Todd. “Macklemore Runs Instagram Contest to Launch New Single [VIDEO PREMIERE].” Mashable. 29 Aug. 2012. 20 Apr. 2013. http://mashable.com/2012/08/29/macklemore-thrift-shop-video/.

Sample Screencast

           The video above demonstrates how to create a shape layer in Adobe After Effects. The person creating the screencast gives extensive information on different options a person can choose when creating a shape layer (such as manipulating fill and stroke options for each shape), shows the actual process of drawing shapes or masks of shapes, and the different ways somebody can manipulate an already created shape. Because the video is a demonstration about a video editing software, it makes sense to have a visual presentation because it allows a person to watch and follow along with just a click of the mouse as they are working in After Effects. The person watching the video can just imitate what the video creator is doing without having to skim through text. It is effective for demonstrating examples as well, which is the case in the video. Also hearing the person in the video speak while performing each action makes it easy for the person to follow along even if they are clicked away on a different screen.

Twitter Post: Trailer for Terrence Malick's New Film, "To the Wonder"

Here's the #newtrailer for Terrence Malick's #ToTheWonder w/ BenAffleck, OlgaKurylenko, JavierBardem & RachelMcAdams. imdb.to/Z9DpPD

— IMDb (@IMDb) March 9, 2013

My Custom Made Facebook Page

I have created a Facebook page in which the sole purpose is to promote some of the videos I make on YouTube. The page is named after my channel name, SuperColonelPork, in which I am aiming to upload the videos that I think are more creative and are the ones I hope to use to sway professionals to hire me. They consist of mostly school projects, from class assignments to skits for UTV-13 shows to promos. For example, I have a bunch of video game skits related to 1Up UWG and the various hosts on there. I also have a French silent video which my partner and I had to make for Intermediate French I, and won a competition that it was enter. I hope to also upload my own personal projects in the future as I create them. For a page like this, I hope to attract others to like my page and possibly spread the word about my work, gaining the attention of potential employers or clients that are interested.

My Favorite Video On Youtube

I've always been an avid visitor and user of YouTube, ever since I happened upon its existence in 2006. So much so, that I've encountered too many videos on there that I've loved and put into my "Favorites," that it is hard to find one that I could consider a definitive favorite of mine. Nonetheless, one video comes to mind in which I never get tired of watching:

Dad Cop 2 is a humorous parody of buddy cop movies created by SecretAgentBob, a channel that is notable for its immensely popular Charlie the Unicorn videos and other absurd animations. To me, Dad Cop 2 embodies everything that is great about YouTube and today's online culture. Because of the unlimited possibilities of what kind of content is created nowadays, there has been an overabundance of randomness on the Internet. You can literally find anything, and most likely be flabbergasted at what you find. Some of my favorite kind of humor is spontaneous, ridiculous, unorthodox randomness that would make a normal, sane person scratch their head in confusion. People on YouTube have popularized this kind of humor in the form of Internet memes videos, editing existing copyrighted shows/videos together to create abominations consisting of potentially inappropriate material known as "YouTube Poops," and just comedy generated from unexpected references or just plain stupid, but ironically clever writing. I would classify Dad Cop 2 as the latter, and I think videos like these are relevant because Internet culture allows people to generate content that you would never think of seeing on regular broadcast television in the past. It gives normal people the chance to create goofy videos to a dedicated niche audience that appreciates this kind of random humor. Today, this audience continues to grow. It is also a testament to just how much creativity and user-generated content are more encouraged today compared to many years ago. It proves that anybody who has a creative mind can upload anything on YouTube and potentially find a dedicated audience that appreciates the kind of message portrayed. In the case of Dad Cop 2, the absurdly idiotic dialogue between the characters ("Mr. Kill would always murder his victims...until they died."), every character in the diagetic world wearing mustaches, and using the same footage for establishing the location of "Miami, Florida" for "Beijing, China" are just some of the crazy examples as to what makes this video so hilariously stupid. And yet it's one of my favorites because the creators of the film had nothing riding on them the same way that television producers do, and they were able to go all-out with not only this video, but the rest of the videos on their channel. It's this freedom that makes YouTube and other video websites so special compared to broadcast television.

GamesRadar: Bringing Humor Into Video Game Journalism

As an avid gamer, I always like to be informed about what video games are coming out, how some of the newest games fare as far as being fantastic video game experiences, the latest gaming news, and more. GamesRadar is the website of my choice to go to in order to fulfill all of those needs..

What makes GamesRadar stand out to me is the way the articles are written. Many gaming websites try to take themselves so seriously with their critiques and coverage of video games with the occasional witty and/or humorous article. Not GamesRadar. Their specialty is to spice things up and provide plenty of funny articles relating to gaming. Sure they still have reviews, previews, and news like many other sites, but they also have a wealth of humorous lists and a host of goofy articles exposing video game tropes, video game fallacies, making fun of video games, and/or just providing humorous commentary about video games. These lists aren't just the generic "Top First Person Shooters" or "Top Worst Games of 2009," either. They'll make top lists for just about any absurd, random aspect of a game, such as "20 gross misuses of the word 'extreme' in video game titles" or "The most mispronounced game names ever." GamesRadar has some of the most well-written, witty features of any video gaming website, such as this one about bad habits the staff has developed when playing shooting games. It's an example of the great satire the site provides in exposing some of the predictable aspects of video games. What I also like about the website is that they've always given credit to some of the lesser known or forgotten video games as well, particularly when making lists. Most of the time when making a list, they'll mention a few unexpected games that don't receive the same recognition as the Call of Duties or Halos. For example, in this out-of-the-ordinary, yet fascinating "113 Games that have got snow in them" feature, you'll see games such as Croc and D2 mentioned amongst more popular games such as Assassin's Creed III and Call of Duty: Black Ops 2. Admittedly, as of late, there has been a common complaint that the website has lost some of its touch and that it doesn't post nearly as many clever articles or features as it used to. While this may be true, I still can't get enough of it because 1.) it has some of the most honest video game journalism on the Internet; 2.) the writing is still impeccable; and 3.) even if the articles are more serious than ever, GamesRadar still provides some of the most informative articles and content out there relating to video gaming. Check it out if you're into gaming and clever writing. The interface is a little convoluted to navigate, but it's still worth it.

HI FOLKZ!!!! IT'S MY INTRO BLOG POST!!!!! HOORAY!!!!

Alright, so the title of this blog post may have been a little too enthusiastic, if you're able to detect that sort of thing through text. It should be obvious with the overabundance of capital letters and exclamation points. But listen to me ramble on about a pointless blog post title. Greetings and salutations, fellow online classmates! I may have introduced myself once before in the first discussion thread, but I shall do it again for the purposes of this blog so that random folks that stumble in here aren't confused. My name is Joshua Winters, and I like to make towering sculptures of former child stars out of lard and Elmer's glue. As if you couldn't tell, that last sentence was a questionable attempt at humor (minus me stating my name). I can hear the groans and moans already from the person reading this. On a more serious note, I am a senior majoring in mass communications concentrating in film and media arts with a minor in film studies. As if you couldn't already tell, I am an aspiring filmmaker. Right now I create videos for YouTube and I am going to try to volunteer more at the UTV studio on campus to become better at my craft. I hope to get an internship soon, particularly in the summer. I want to focus my career on video editing or editing films, but I wouldn't mind embarking in screenwriting or directorial endeavors as well.

Like with almost everybody in the U.S., I am a user of Facebook, one of the most common social media outlets available. I've been using it since 2008, and it was my first exposure to social networking (I never got into MySpace). These days I primarily use it to share articles and videos with friends and family and share my own videos with people as well. I try not to spend too much time on there, but for what I use it for, I think it serves its purpose. Another social media website I constantly use is, of course, YouTube. As I stated before, I upload videos on there and I have two channels (one that is my old channel for random and goofy videos that I've made since 2008, and another with more "professional" projects that are more current). Last.fm, if it counts, is another social media site I use and have used since 2010. It's essentially a website to "scrobble" music they've listened to on their computers or iPods, allowing users to communicate with other music lovers with similar tastes and to find recommendations for different kinds of music that would cater to a particular person's tastes. I haven't dipped my feet in Twitter yet, but I hope to in the future because the more social media applications I become familiar with, the more I can get my work out there for people to see and also to establish connections with people to work with.

And that.......is about the gist of it. Thanks for reading!