My Digital Artefact concept was about connecting with like minded music fans, through instagram and blog posts, to create a community of fans of emerging local artists. This video explains the evolution of my concept and prototype. Digital Artefact Beta Presentation - YouTube.
My artefact (“The Loop” by Abby McCredie) is based on the idea that there were users out there, like me, who enjoy the way that a fan could connect with musicians over social media, but also connect with them in person at gigs, especially at small venues. For example, the first musician/artist I had reached out to was Nick Ward, a 20 year old musician from Sydney who I’ve followed on Instagram, and who I got to meet after one of his gigs.
A lot of new musicians these days launch their own music independently, using instagram and other social media apps, to get themselves out there. This creates a unique access for me to users who follow the kinds of artists I want to showcase on my blog site.
Initially, my viewers and engagement came from posting links to my blog on my main instagram and then linking to the instagram page that I created for my Digital Artefact. By using my personal account to promote my blog I was able to reach a larger audience through my personal friends who are music fans. I was also able to reach out to more local and artists who I’ve been following and connecting with on instagram.
I planned to feature upcoming gigs for the artists in blogs, to promote the connection between the virtual following, and the live experience. COVID lockdowns put that on hold and I changed my focus to interviews and bios.
My first few blog posts received a high engagement on my page from people that had already followed me on my personal instagram page, my peers on twitter as well as from the artists themselves. But I began to notice that after my third upload my engagement on my page decreased, with gaps in activity. I realised that I needed to to fix this by uploading more content on a more consistent and productive schedule, but also more variety in my blog content.
I also need to increase the engagement and generate more comments from my users. I could be using social media marketing tools such as using hashtags that relate to my blog and instagram posts which would increase engagement and reach from an audience interested in local Australian musicians and music news.
So my next iteration is to return to part of my original concept, and talk about upcoming gigs. These haven’t restarted yet but they will soon and a lot of fans will be itching to get back into live music. I think I can generate some engagement by getting ahead of this to see when artists are getting back into venues, and showcasing what they’ve been working on during lock down.
Another idea for content on my blog is how Coronavirus is affecting the music industry (specific aspects such as gigs, creativity and funding).
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