Facebook is not for (Music) Business

Hi there,

Of course I'm being contentious in my title so that you read on :). Facebook is fabulous for spreading the word about gigs and new releases, inviting people to events and much more. What I don't think it is good for, is business communication. 

I've heard two musicians I respect say in this last little while that they wouldn't take seriously any approaches for gigs that they received through Facebook. I personally have a policy of 'say yes until you have to pay money or sign something' when it comes to just about any offer because some of my best experiences have come out of the most unlikely places, BUT I do tend to agree that professional business approaches should be made the old-skool way, either on the telephone or via email. 

Even the humble txt message seems somehow more solid than Facebook. Maybe it's because these 'unsolicited' Facebook messages end up sitting alongside the ones from widowed men from the American Armed Forces who 'wish to has a nice and loveliness relationship with a woman who has a good sweetness and understanding' or strangers with names like Richardo Gustavo offering to build muscles in areas you didn't know existed.

Good old fashioned email is searchable, fileable, a lot more flexible when it comes to attaching large files and is less likely to be blocked by someone's workplace than Facebook. And if I'm knee deep in my work I won't even be logged in to FB - those funny cat videos are way too distracting. I also feel that Facebook is a bit like a rock tour: what happens on Facebook stays on Facebook. That seems to mean that what people say doesn't have to have the same element of truth that it does in other mediums. Yes yes they'll go to all those events you're inviting them too - but they don't actually mean it!

So, if you want to meet me at The Red Sea so we can swim with the dugongs on a trip that will ensure we 'get to know each other better', go ahead and ping me on my FB instant messaging, but Gmail for gigs please.

See you next time,
Amanda

Farts on Facebook

aka 'Over-Sharing'

Hi there,

If you were sitting on a bus and the stranger next to you told you about their fungal infection and how, in great detail, it curtailed their sexual exploits, you'd probably get off a few stops earlier than originally intended, wouldn't you?

I saw a cabaret show recently where the artist, within the 8 minutes that her show ran, told the audience about the great love of her life who had a long drawn-out battle with breast cancer and shared intimate and gory details about how she lost that battle. It was a heartfelt story and obviously deserved our great sympathy but don't you think it is all a little, well, too much information? At least for our first brief meeting with her?

I think nowadays many of us demand to know much more about the artists who create the music, movies and musings we love. We want the ins and outs of our favourite celebrities' every day lives from their underwear preferences to their spiritual beliefs. I understand why, but as a performer myself, I'd like to retain a modicum of mystery and like to think that people will take a bit of time to let my full story unfold.

Am I being old-fashioned or do you agree that the age of Twitter and Facebook is turning us into a community of over-sharers, where no bodily function is too inconsequential to require its own tweet or status update? 

Most of us have a 'story' to tell, whether it's a crime we've committed or a calamity we've confronted. I've got a doozie of the latter variety -  maybe I'll tell you about it over a glass of Shiraz one day. But I'm loathe to drop it onto an audience, who are probably just out for a night of entertainment to forget their own tragedies. Am I wrong - should I use everything I've got to 'make a connection' with people I'm performing to?

While tip-tapping on the keys to write this very blog, one of my best friends rang me to suggest that I did in fact become more public about my particular ordeal. I am trying to 'crowdfund' for my latest recording and with 8 days to go, am sorely under target. She believes that being more revealing could actually help my campaign and is, after all, simply sharing a saga that brought me to where I am today and could even prove inspirational. I respect her take on things but am still stewing on it...

Love to hear what you think.

Oh and by the way, here is the link to my crowdfunding project - your help is much appreciated: www.pozible.com/amandaeaston

Now one thing I don't mind sharing is my video - above - please pass it on - share share share!
Cheers,
Amanda