Metal Bands Setting a New Trend in Music and Social Media
I wrote a blog a few weeks ago about Megadeth’s recent set at the Revolver Gods award show. Megadeth gave fans an opportunity to pick their set list. Following in the trend, are fellow thrash legends Testament. Could this be the new trend in resurrecting the concert business?
I was intrigued when I first saw Megadeth do this. There is nothing worse than getting a horrible set list from your favorite band. Iron Maiden did this a few years ago when they played mostly new songs with a few classics on tour. It can be a tricky thing when you talk about bands with deep catalogs. One of my all-time favorite bands, Testament is taking this to a whole new level for their upcoming North American tour.
Testament have embraced the Internet and social media like no other band that I know of. Testament posted three different set lists for their upcoming tour on their My Space page. To make things even more interactive, Testament are allowing fans to pick lists per city. This goes way beyond Megadeth and other bands who have dabbled in this but only allowed fans to pick one set list for the entire tour. I think this is brilliant.
On a marketing level alone, it is pure genius and I am surprised other bands haven’t done this. Testament have a loyal fan following going back over twenty years. For those fans, these polls allow fans to pick their favorite songs that may not have heard since they were teenagers. At the same time, this gives fans an incentive to see the band more than once on tour. If you know you will see two completely different set lists, why not travel an extra hour or two to check out your favorite band?
I remember seeing Metallica a few times when they came around on the Black tour. The incentive was the buzz that they would change their set lists if they played the same city twice. It was cool, but nothing really changed much other than one or two songs. If I knew I was going to see a completely different set list, I would have gladly went to see them numerous times. I did, but I didn’t get the promised variety that I had expected.
The music business is a dying business. The only way for these bands (especially the older ones) to make money anymore is by touring. Unfortunately most bands become stuck in the same rut and play the same five classics every tour. Metal fans are incredibly loyal to their favorite bands. As long as the bands give a little something back, metal fans will keep on coming and spread the word. I have a strong feeling that this is only the beginning of a new trend in social media and the music business.
Check out Testament’s newest CD, the Formation of Damnation by clicking here.
Order Testament – The New Order on CD by clicking here.
Order Testament – The Legacy on CD by clicking here.
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