SONG CONTEST BLOG

If content syndication and distribution is the hottest topic on this blog at the moment, then music metrics is a close second.  Over the weekend, I played with a new service I read about on Hypebot called RockDex.  More like Google Alerts than Google Analytics for measuring music buzz, the free point-and-shoot service leverages the API’s of several social networks to measure an artist’s volume of mentions on Twitter and Blip.fm, content on YouTube and Flickr, and fans and listens on Last.fm and iLike, producing a score out of one hundred for each category.  Third-party ‘how-to’ recommendations are placed strategically next to each score in an effort to help the artist raise his social buzz and, in turn, score on RockDex.  I am not quite sure how useful or even representative this service is.  I am guessing that it is intended as a snapshot of a broader service to come or marketing collateral for Music Arsenal, the company’s paid web-based CRM solution for artists and record labels, reminiscent of ArtistForce.

ArtistForce, an online CRM solution and marketplace for the entertainment industry, made a controversial appearance at SXSW with a racy promotional campaign involving a hot blonde in a liquid latex sheath passing out flyers with “Thousands of artists get screwed every day.  Protect yourself with ArtistForce.com” printed on them and attached with complimentary condoms.

Founded in 2006, ArtistForce provides an online environment for entertainment industry professionals and talent to conduct negotiations directly, manage their business administration, track activities, and more, through proprietary technology applications and consultation services.