Dear Bandcamp,

I woke up this morning to an email in my inbox inviting me to be part of the first beta-testers for Bandcamp‘s new fan accounts. (Bandcamp is a music site that has previously just allowed artists to host music there, sell merch, list their upcoming shows via songkick, and make recommendations.) Fan accounts are (what appear to be) your attempt to make the site more two-way communication.

I’ve been using Bandcamp for a few years now, and to be honest it is a site I never really considered a “social” future for. Sure, I have wanted time and time again to be able to have my own account to bookmark the great stuff I come across and keep a history to come back to, but if I am looking for music recommendations, I go to my friends first, and then to record labels or blogs that I respect. You seem to be placing a heavy emphasis on being able to follow bands and other fans. Following bands… Are Facebook,Tumblr, and Twitter not enough? What’s new, Bandcamp???

As far as how it works goes, my fan account only hosts the collection of music I’ve paid for–a whopping total of 8 albums. Before you come after me with accusations of illegal downloading, please rest assured that I am one of the few (are we really that low in number anymore??) who buy physical records. Many of the bands I listen to are on labels that make pressing albums to vinyl their main priority and main source of income, and I am completely happy to support them in continuing this practice.

Back to the point, though, 8 albums is my entire collection? What about the countless albums I’ve downloaded for free, Bandcamp? Listening to music, downloading it, and sharing it with pals is supporting the artist, too. I understood your undertones in that invitation email…

But why the passive aggressive hate on free downloading? Bandcamp, I’ve only loved you. You make high quality streaming a cinch, which is a huge help for my radio show on WLUW. You give artists a chance to share what they like in an unobtrusive and organized way via recommendations. But these services are not unique to you. Spotify, 8tracks, YouTube, artists themselves, and even (dare I say it) New Myspace make it easy to function without you If you want to really compete, here are my suggestions:

• Fan accounts = special privileges and ability to add ALL downloads to collection
• Bookmarking/likes/hearts/etc for songs, not just artists, so we can create a library of songs. If I want to like an artist, I’ll probably still just do it on Facebook. For now.
• Make playlists featuring music on Bandcamp with collaboration and sharing features
• For heaven’s sake, a better homepage. I know this is a transition period for you but NO ONE appreciates confusing hierarchy and such blatant sales pitching (you sound p desperate).

Bandcamp, I appreciate the effort. I really do. And thanks for making me feel important by inviting me. But for now, all I can really give you is this:

Due to an overwhelming culmination of projects, designs, work, volunteering, and papers, I wasn’t able to make it to a Social Media Week presentation in person. However, due to the integration of Livestream with many of the events around the world, I was able to catch a few of the presentations. One of the most interesting was a feature that Alphabird presented called “Is Viral Really Viral? A Youtube Campaign Case Study.” Their approach to dissecting what makes the best viral videos consisted of three “ingredients:” content, contact, and context. The most successful viral videos have strong representation in all of these factors.

The content aspect of a viral video is usually comprised of striking visuals with a clear purpose. Oftentimes they create or play off of a strong emotional attachment in the viewers, whether that be by relating to the subjects or in a universal human theme. The most important part of this ingredient is creating engagement, which in turn leads to people wanting to share the video.

Contact in a viral video works exactly as one would think: there has to be a high level of sharing among viewers. Eventually there is high visibility with a real audience, to the point where the video or its subject is unavoidable. I’m sure this will be out of date in a month or so, but “Gangnam Style” is a perfect example for the time being. It seems as though I can’t go a day without hearing the song, a parody, a cover, or seeing someone try to do the dance. Gangnam Style is unavoidable in daily life.

Finally, the context is an extremely important ingredient for a viral video. This is where content and contact come together. There’s a high level of social visibility for the video, people are talking in real life about the video, and more and more people get added into the conversation as the “early adopters” spread the video through network upon network.

If you’re interested in seeing more examples of this approach, Alphabird’s presentation on “Is Viral Really Viral?” is available for streaming.