It only makes sense.  MySpace’s most lasting cultural impact has been to change the way we interact with bands and more importantly, bands interact with us.  Piling on to iTunes’ neutering effect iTunes on record labels, MySpace and other social media have revolutionized how musicians build their fanbases and distribute their music (case in point, Jonathan Coulter from yesterday’s post).

So Billboard’s announcement yesterday that they were introducing the Social 50, a ranking of contemporary music artists based on their dominance of social network channels, is an innovation totally inline with the modern pop music experience.  MTV stopped airing videos long ago but YouTube more than filled in that gap.  Every band has a MySpace page, every artist has a website, every recognizable music personality Tweets, some perhaps more than they ought to (yes, that’s directed at you Pete Wentz).  Musicians and their work speak to deeply personal parts of our souls and these media further that sense of intimacy and connection.

Billboard is just the first to do the math.  This new chart should be a lot of fun to visit for a quick glimpse at who’s trending up or down.  But only after a few months.

Because as of now, it’s only week one.

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By Dennis Ryan, CCO, Element 79

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