Research

Social media plays an important role in an artist’s cross-media branding. The multimedia nature of social media allows artists to establish branding, promote music and interact with fans through a singular medium, which is achieved through a combination of multiple elements

The first and most eye-catching element on an artist’s social media page is the profile picture. The profile picture typically presents the artist and/or their logo, which is important in terms of creating immediate artist recognition and establishing the artist’s identity through stylistic choices presented by the image. Social media accounts on platforms such as Twitter also incorporate a cover photo, which takes up a larger proportion on the social media bio page and can therefore be more eye-catching for followers. Typically, cover photos serve either to further the identity and recognition effects of the artist, or to promote the artist’s newest artist album or live tour.

The next component is the bio text. This contains the artist’s name and overview, including the artist’s musical style and newest information on albums releases or live tours, as well as links to the artist’s personal website and other social media accounts. In addition, bio texts often include a self-introductory quote that expresses the artist’s outlook on life.

Scrolling down, the artist’s most recent posts are displayed in reverse chronological order. Contents of social media posts can vary greatly according to the artist’s personal style, however they all serve the broader effect of engaging with the audience and establishing the public personality of the artist. Posts on Instagram tend to be more image-oriented, whereas posts on Twitter tend to be more text-oriented. Due to the photo gallery layout on Instagram account pages, artists put more consideration into designing the layout and presentation of images on Instagram. For example, an album cover artwork can be split into a 3*3 image cube that is gradually revealed during the promotion process. Platforms such as Twitter allow artists to have a pinned post, which usually showcases an important moment in the artist’s career or contains newest information on the artist’s upcoming release or tour.

An important element in artist’s social media posts is fan interaction. Fans can comment on artist’s posts, increasing the exposure on these posts and providing other audiences with contextual information regarding the artist’s posts. Moreover, artists may regularly reply to comments under their posts, which increases both artist exposure and fanbase loyalty through encouraging fans to actively engage with the artist’s social media account. The frequency at which artists interact with audiences depends on the public persona which this artist is trying to establish. For example, not replying to fan comments can build a sense of distance which maintains the artist’s mysterious image.

Artist’s social media account can also be used for promotional purposes. Direct promotions usually promote the artist’s live performances/tours or merchandise such as albums and apparel. Other promotions include collaborations with other artists or brands, which increases exposure for both partners in the collaboration and helps artists increase their fanbase.

A further purpose of social media platforms is to showcase the artist’s latest song releases, music videos and live performances, typically through instantly recognisable or memorable snippets which links audiences to streaming platforms such as Spotify in order for artists to generate revenue from audience streams. Other audio/video content may include interviews, podcasts and behind-the-scenes videos.

Case Study

I analysed Drake, a hip-hop artist who has worldwide popularity, as an example for how artists use social media to engage with audiences and create branding. Drake’s profile picture features a fellow hip-hip artist who strongly represents hip-hop genre conventions. Champagnepapi has been Drake’s his social account nickname since 2011. His bio text includes an advertisement for the gambling website Stake, links to his personal merchandise brands and a link to stream his latest music release on major platforms. Mosts of his posts feature pictures of himself from latest tour locations. Example posts which I have screenshot tend include a repost from his newest tour location, A life commentary that engages with his audience, a collaboration with Nike, and a track list for his new album.

Drake’s posts create a clear association with the hip-hop genre through elements such as hairstyle, jewellery and accessories. A consistent artist image is created using a constant style and tone in photography. Drake also uses his social account as a promotional platform with a primary audience of 135 million followers. Promotional content includes collaborations with named brands, supporting fellow artists and creating hype for new releases.

Design

Homepage

Our artist name Ar.C is a spinoff of my name initials. ‘Go big or go home’ is the slogan of our promotion campaign, corresponding with the gambling scene in the music video. Featured in the centre is a 3*3 split of the album cover posted across 9 days, designed to create hype around the new album.

Posts

Our specific posts include a collaborative interview, a MV preview, the digipak back cover and a livestream announcement. The text contents in the posts include key dates for the album & MV release, prompts for engaging with the audience, and lines taken from the lyrics of ‘Write This Down’.

Highlights

The highlight posts include a promotional deal with Jim Beam Whiskey, a preview for the gambling scene, an MV teaser and the CD art. Branding is created through a brand sponsored post, creating hype around the MV and the music collaboration with B.H, as well as a promotion of the physical album release.