Interesting scenario this morning. Katie sends me a link to a Youtube video. It’s a cool version of a song I had never heard before (so technically it was a cover but since I didn’t know the original, eh)…being played by 5 people on 1 guitar. I see a TON of content every day, and hundreds of videos float through my Facebook and Twitter streams and I never pay attention. This one sucked me in, and I watched the whole thing. Then I followed the link at the bottom of the video to their fan page. Then I watched another cover video by the band. Then I “fanned” them on Facebook, but not after thinking about it. Then I bought the single for a dollar on iTunes.

I have currency. This is why I paused before becoming a fan. Do I want to spend my mental energy on a new band? Do I want this band in my stream every day? Do I want to see what they’re up to and find out more about them? I decided that yes I do, but only because their content has already proved dynamic and interesting and creative. Had anything in that process of link to Youtube to Facebook broken down, I wouldn’t have given them my $.99 and a promise of future attention. That’s how right on you have to be with putting your music out there.

What were the components that worked so well?

– Reference from a friend…I trust Katie’s taste. She said “check this out” – so I did.
– Well-made video. It’s not fancy. It’s one shot, but it looks good and sounds good.
– Link to more info…in this case, to Facebook.
– Website in place (I checked out their home base, too…to make sure they really existed).
– Invitation to buy – a link to iTunes? Sure. I have a dollar.

That’s what makes something viral, step one being the most important, but the other steps have to be there to keep step one happening over and over again.

The band? Walk Off The Earth – here’s their Facebook page. Enjoy.