My unending thanks to 103.7 Lite FM for sharing these outstanding videos with all of us Michael Johns Fans. In an article I wrote yesterday, I posted the video of Michael Johns they filmed while he was in their studio playing his debut single "Heart On My Sleeve" from his new album Hold Back My Heart. Lite FM was thoughtful enough to turn on the video cameras and shared that video at their site. Stay tuned to that radio station to hear Michael Johns and this song on a regular basis! Michael Johns - "Heart On My Sleeve" (In-studio @ 103.7 Lite FM)
I cannot even begin to tell you how thankful I was to find the video above, so you can imagine my surprise when I returned to their site and found they went the extra mile for their listeners. The Lite FM radio station hosted Lite Nite at The Glass Cactus in Dallas on June 17th, as you already know if you read this blog very often.
They made videos of Michael Johns set as he performed the songs below. It's almost as good as being there...almost. 103.7 Lite FM in Dallas are now my heroes. Cheers and best wishes to them!
If you missed the interview before the song, you can listen to that fabulous Aussie wit in that beautiful accent below. Lite FM most graciously shared their mp3 of the interview and the song in a Podcast from the Gene and Julie Morning Show, airing weekdays on 103.7 Lite FM from 5am - 10am.
You can purchase the album Hold Back My Heart in stores everywhere on June 23rd. Michael's first single "Heart On My Sleeve" is available for download at iTunes and Amazon.com now!
Here's an extra special treat for 103.7 Lite FM listeners and Michael Johns Fans. As previously reported, Michael Johns was in their studio to play his debut single "Heart On My Sleeve" from his new album Hold Back My Heart. You can purchase the album in stores everywhere on June 23rd, or download it digitally from iTunes and Amazon.com. Lite FM turned on the video cameras and shared that video at their site. Stay tuned to that radio station to hear the song on a regular basis!
If you missed the interview before the song, you can listen to that fabulous Aussie wit in that beautiful accent below. Lite FM most graciously shared their mp3 of the interview and the song in a Podcast from the Gene and Julie Morning Show, airing weekdays on 103.7 Lite FM from 5am - 10am.
NARM (National Association of Recording Merchandisers) held their 2009 Convention last week and was host to some of the best known names in the music business. NARM is a non-profit organization devoted to advancing music by bringing together all aspects of the industry. For deatiled information on what they do, please visit their site.
Michael Johns and Brooke White provided entertainment for the finale event and headlined individual sets as well as joining to perform their duet "Life Is Okay" for the first time since it was recorded for the soundtrack album Don't Look Down. In addition to their performances last week, Daryl Hall and Johns Oates played at the Awards Dinner Finale, held on Wednesday, June 10th. Here's the convention news of Michael Johns and Brooke White as it was published at the NARM website:
These two American Idol alums teamed up recently for the hit single “Life is Okay” for the “Don’t Look Down” soundtrack and will meet again on the NARM stage for the Awards Dinner Finale.
Brooke White turned heads during last season’s “Idol” by delivering breathtaking renditions of songs by the Beatles, Dolly Parton and Neil Diamond. After she sang Carly Simon’s “You’re So Vain,” Simon proclaimed White to be her favorite “Idol” vocalist. Her new album, “High Hopes and Heartbreak,” will be released this summer. Randy Jackson plays Executive Producer on the album.
Michael Johns delivers blue-eyed Soul as it’s meant to be heard. His new album, “Heart On My Sleeve,” due in stores June 16, is devoid of the typical glossy veneer applied to most modern albums, but heavy on vibe. It has a Blues-Country feel, with swelling strings accenting the delectable Pop of the album’s first single of the same title.
Okay, big gig, but not so big on accurate journalism. Michael Johns' new album is titled Hold Back My Heartand it's due out on June 23rd. I'll give them credit for getting the name of the single right. "Heart On My Sleeve" from his debut album is available on iTunes and Amazon.com now!
To hear 30 second clips of all 12 song titles on the album, go to Amazon.com and listen today! If you can't wait to say you own the very best in music, you can pre-order the full CD at Amazon.com!
I was hoping for full videos of their performances last week, but this is what was posted on YouTube. Here's a collection of video clips from the June 10th performance. This video does give you a taste of what to expect from both artists.
Brooke performs her new single, "Radio, Radio" from her debut album High Hopes and Heartbreak. Michael performs "To Love Somebody" also on his debut album in addition to eleven original tunes, and finally the duet we've all been waiting to see. Michael and Brooke sing the duet "Life Is Okay" from the Don't Look Down soundtrack. (an independent album produced by Johns, Foxworth, and Randa).
For those of you who live in the Dallas area and are looking for something special to do tomorrow night, 103.7 Lite FM will be hosting Michael Johns to introduce his new CD. Michael will be performing five songs from his debut album Hold Back My Heart at The Glass Cactus tomorrow night (June 17th).
He's just recently started his promotional tour for his album, which is set for a June 23rd release. To hear 30 second samples of all 12 songs from the album, you can go to Amazon.com now! You'll be able to purchase the CD in stores everywhere next Tuesday, or you can pre-order the album today! Michael's new single "Heart On My Sleeve" was the #1 requested song at AOL Radio last week and it's available for download from iTunes and Amazon.com.
Don't miss seeing one of American Idol Season 7's Top finalist while you can! This up close and personal performance is sure to be one of a kind, and it's FREE. It's your chance to see him before he starts his actual Hold Back My Heart Tour in August 2009. The single "Heart On My Sleeve" can be downloaded at iTunes or Amazon.com today!
Take your video camera and then share your night by uploading it to YouTube for the rest of us that can't be there! The concert is free, but you must present them with a ticket to enter. You can visit the following stores to pick up your free ticket, or you can PRINT YOUR OWN TICKET HERE.
Videos from this event are just now being posted to YouTube. Here's one that was done on a cell phone. It was the first time she'd used the video feature on her phone and she apologizes for the quality of her video skills. No need to apologize! Thanks for sharing, believe me, we'll take it! I'll add more as they're put up on YouTube. Looks to be a full house last night!
If you missed his interview and gorgeous acoustic performance of "Heart On My Sleeve" on 103.7 Lite FM (June 17th) - have a listen below. Simply breathtaking.
Michael visited the set on Fox 4 - KDFW in Dallas today and played his new single "Heart On My Sleeve" from his debut album Hold Back My Heart, which will be released one week from today! On June 23rd, you'll be able to purchase the CD in stores everywhere, or you can pre-order the album from Amazon.com now!
For those of you who can make it to Dallas tomorrow night, Michael will be performing at The Glass Cactus. The concert is free, but you must present them with a ticket to enter. You can visit the following stores to pick one up, or you can print your own ticket from the source below. Directions to the store locations can also be found at their site. Enjoy!
We’ve arranged to have Top Ten American Idol Michael Johns debut his new CD for you…Live, in the intimate setting of The Glass Cactus night club at The Gaylord Texan on Wednesday, June 17th at 7pm. This 5 song acoustic and intimate performance with Michael Johns will be something that you'll be talking about for the rest of the year!
You can also stop by any of these locations to get your tickets!
Wednesday 6/10 12p-2p Southlake Town Square Directions
Thursday 6/11 2p-4p Grapevine Mills Food Court Directions
Friday 6/12 7a-9a Panera Bread Southlake Directions
Friday 6/12 4p-6p Verizon Wireless Preston Center Directions
Friday 6/12 6p-8p Dr Pepper Arena Directions
Saturday 6/13 10a-4p Stephanie's Day NorthPark Center Directions
Saturday 6/13 3p-5p Anna's Linens Dallas Directions
Sunday 6/14 11a-6p Dallas CityArts Celebration Directions
Monday 6/15 2p-4p Vista Ridge Mall Food Court Directions
Tuesday 6/16 2p-4p North East Mall Food Court Directions
Wednesday 6/17 11a-1p Dallas Museum of Art Directions
You must have a ticket to enter. Please arrive early. This event is on a first come, first served basis and is NOT guaranteed. Glass Cactus and Lite FM are not responsible for over capacity.
In a request from Michael Johns Central, those of us who are members there were asked to spread the news of an Exclusive pre-album release interview being done by American Idol Now with Michael Johns. Please consider any questions you might have for him and then submit them to the link found in the article below.
As you already know, Michael has a new single out called "Heart on my Sleeve" from his debut album Hold Back My Heart, which will be released next week on June 23rd. I would ask a favor of anyone reading this article as well. Do a quick copy and paste and post it to your blog as well. Thanks!
American Idol now has been granted an exclusive Q&A interview with Michael Johns prior to the release of his album ‘Hold Back My Heart’, on June 23. Herb Longs, the director of American Idol Now, has approached us with a request to advertise the interview and to ask fans to submit any Q&A’s they might have that may be used in the interview, and that he hopes to have Michael answer. All questions can be submitted by either posting a comment in reply to this article, which will then be collected by, or forwarded to Herb, or by clicking HERE. This is a wonderful opportunity to ask Michael those questions you’ve been dying to know the answers to, so get busy y’all, and do your thang!
For any artist that's new to the social media and technology scene, may I suggest that you take a few lessons from a band that totally "gets it"?
Just how important is it to stay in touch with all of your fans? Collective Soul would tell you it's very near the top of their list as being one of the golden (or should I say platinum?) keys to their huge success.
Of course, the absolute number one most important criteria for any artist to achieve success in the business, is in having exceptional talent and music - but even creating great music doesn't guarantee you'll break through to the top. Not if your fans don't know the first thing about you, or where they can find you on tour, or when they can buy your music.
Collective Soul understood that Platinum Rule from day one, and in using that knowledge, they've become one of the most successful groups anywhere. Having scored seven multi-platinum records in the US, they also boast seven #1 hits, and they've gone multi-platinum 18 times in Canada. Those numbers are impressive by anyone's standards, but they're nowhere near done adding to that set of accomplishments yet.
In the wake of a failing economy, now more than ever, it's critically essential to utilize every possible means of free advertising made available to every artist on the internet. Simply put, the ability to mass market yourself is quite literally at your fingertips.
What better way is there, than to have your loyal fans advertise every step of your career for you? Where and how do you find these most willing loyal fans? The answer is just as simple. You must first and foremost be loyal to them. Here's how Collective Soul shows that level of loyalty to their fans.
You can find and follow them on Twitter to interact with them directly. If you clicked on that link I provided you with to get to their Twitter page, you should immediately notice a difference between their profile and most "celebrity" sites. Collective Soul have over 18,000 followers so far, but that's not the surprising part.
These guys have taken the time to follow more than 20,000 other people, including (and most importantly), each and every one of the fans that follow them. They've used their Twitter account as a means of two-way communication, in order to answer questions and comments on a daily basis. That's right folks, they interact with their fans personally - and here's why.
In an article they shared with us recently, titled "A celebrity that gets social media? I know shocking…", the reasons for following fans were thoroughly explained. This article should be required reading for every music marketing agency in the world.
It shows just how quickly an artist (or anyone with a need for massive advertisement) can instantly share an announcement with their target audience, all at once. The example used in the article shows how one music celebrity increased her Twitter followers to over a million by returning the follow to her fans. Here's a quick excerpt from the article, but you should read it in its entirety to understand the full effect following fans in return can have.
With the competition brutal due to Twitter going mainstream, celebrities are starting to clamor for more follows to be ranked higher in the overall Twitter follower rankings. When looking at the column data it is from left to right: Date, Followers, Following.
You can see the incremental amounts that were increased from a mere 1,000 people that the Britney Spears account was following to three days later an additional 9,000. The action of following an additional 9,000 people resulted in a follower jump of 23,837. However, the biggest monumental jump was when an additional 58,000 people were followed which increased the people following the Britney Spears account by 581,000 additional followers.
Now that's impressive indeed. Can you imagine being able to Tweet the name of your new album, or single, or give your tour dates and venues to millions of people all at once? Not only can Collective Soul imagine doing all of that for their fans, they're well on their way to achieving that million mark goal for themselves.
Their claim to fame doesn't end with just using their Twitter account as a means to broadcast news of their newest releases and tour dates. Instead, they utilize that marketing tool by holding different contests between their fans. Offering prizes that range from free tickets and backstage passes to autographed guitars, makes for some stiff competition and brings out the absolute best in advertising from those fans who choose to compete.
The most current contest is a for bloggers and ends on June 15th. Who knows? They might even find a professional writer or two willing to offer their praises in a blog. You can visit the article posted above for details on how to get in on the action. Just by offering ways for their fans to make even the smallest measure of difference toward their success, they now have over 18,000 followers currently vying for their attention by blogging their love of Collective Soul.
Marketing genius. (there's more to the story after this musical interlude)
These guys (or whoever represents them technologically speaking) are the quintessential definition of marketing professionalism. The Twitter account is just one example of how a tech savvy marketing team can advertise your goods, without spending anything more than some time. If you go to Collective Soul's Website for NEWS, or follow them via THEIR BLOG, you'll see what I mean.
Their website boasts different sections - all geared toward satisfying the fans need for news and merchandise, and all located at the same place. They have sections listing Tour Dates, a Media space for sharing their behind the scene (aka vlog) videos. That's just another way they add the personal touch to make fans feel like they're truly an important part of their lives.
There's a message board (aka fan forum) where fans can discuss the latest events and offer their opinions. You'll also find an online store where you can purchase their most recent merchandise, like Collective Soul Dog Tags, and T-shirts, and CD's, etc. Still more sections feature their Discography, Biography, Photos...and yes, they even have a special place reserved for their Fan Club.
To a certain degree, Collective Soul are collectors themselves. Right now, they're collecting fans, MySpace Friends, Twitter followers, Audioacrobat.com phone callers, and selling out tour dates by posting news of their tour far enough in advance that their fans can plan an entire vacation around seeing them live. I already know which concert I'll be attending. If you're not certain what cities and dates to reserve, let me give you a hint where to find that TOUR INFORMATION.
By the way, that neat little widget in the midst of the page that's playing Collective Soul music was also offered at their official website. You should visit there now to get yours. To do that, just click on their picture at the top of the widget. While you're visiting their website, you might also notice they have a new album called Rabbit coming out on August 25th of this year. The classic sound will still rock you down to your Collective Soul. Their new single "Staring Down" from that album was one of the most requested songs at AOL's Tweet Requests radio and rightfully so.
Collective Soul are collective geniuses as far as I'm concerned. If they're collecting fans that hold them in the highest esteem, now they've collected me.
When I first reported this story on Thursday (See the original June 11th story here) based on an AOL Blog from that morning, I was more than happy to give you the news that Michael Johns' first single "Heart On My Sleeve" was one of the Top 11 songs requested that day in a contest held by AOL Radio.
AOL asked its listeners to send Twitter requests so they could launch a new Tweet Requests radio station. What wasn't known at the time that I published the first report, were the exact number of requests for the the Top 11 artists and songs. We just knew Michael Johns had done well based on preliminary reports from AOL Radio's blog.
Today, I am most pleased to announce that Michael Johns was in fact THE #1 most requested artist that day. Here's the news as it was confirmed in this Tweet from AOLRADIO a few hours ago:
"aolradio Well the #'s are in: It looks like the Michael Johns fans won by a mile - Johns was the most requested artist by a mile on Wednesday.about 7 hours ago from TweetDeck"
I've followed their news on Twitter and at AOL Radio on a daily basis since the launch of their Tweet Request station, and I'm loving every minute of finally finding a station that truly listens to the fans. Not only is Michael's single in heavy rotation at the first ever (that I'm aware of) Tweet Request station, they've also added his new single to their New Pop First channel as well as their Pop Idols station.
AOL Radio has more than 350 Sports, News, Talk and Music stations from which you can choose your favorite genre. Personally, I plan on listening to every one of their stations where they put Michael Johns' music in the rotation. Michael's debut album Hold Back My Heart will be released on June 23rd, which will give me at least 11 more songs to requests from my AOL radio stations. :D
You can listen to 30 second snippets of all 12 songs from the Hold Back My Heart album HERE. Cheers, and to Michael Johns, congratulations on being the most requested.
Michael Johns was first introduced nationwide as a finalist on American Idol's Season 7. His shocking and unexpected elimination caused a nationwide uproar and catapulted him into instant celebrity status.
Stay tuned to this site for the most recent news, videos, tour dates, music releases, mp3's, and everything else Michael Johns, as we follow this shining star into his future.
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