Introducing a New Product
Music: An Industry Disrupted
Fandom and Audience Engagement:
The Tragically Hip
Who Are They?
Also known as The Hip
Canadian rock band from Kingston Ontario
Created in 1983 and discovered by MCA
12 studio albums, 2 live albums, 1 EP, and 54 singles; 9 of
their albums have reached number 1 in Canada
Lead Singer
Gordon Downie
Success
They did not achieve significant international success with
their first 2 albums
The first single from one of their newer albums was premiered
during Hockey Night in Canada
They have currently received numerous awards, including 14
Juno's
Social Media Sensitivity...
Downie became recognized for ranting and telling fictional
stories during songs (New Orleans is Sinking one of my
favourites!)
In October of 2005, several radio station temporarily stopped
playing New Orleans is Sinking; due to the victims of Hurricane
Katrina in September of that year
In January of 2010, they performed Fiddlers Green at the Canada
for Haiti telethon to aid earthquake victims in that country this
was broadcast nationally on Canadas main networks; CBC, Global and
CTV
Online/Social Media Presence
Main Site: www.thehip.comFacebook, Twitter, YouTube, Flickr,
Share This, LinkedIn, Instagram, Pinterest, Vine, MySpaceIm sure
there are plenty more!
Online Communities
The band embraces their inner-social media guru, with plenty of
opportunities to get discovered
The band is part of various online communities as well as social
networking sites in order to maintain a connection with their
fans
Their main website (www.thehip.com) is a central location for
the band which includes pictures and video, as well as information
about albums, concerts/shows, contests, e-mail sign-ups, links,
merchandise, etc. This site also allows the band to connect with
music bloggers, potential venues and booking agents.
Find Your Audience
The band has definitely found their audience
Whether it is about the massive numbers, or having an audience
that is passionate about their music, The Tragically Hip definitely
fulfills both of these
The band has found the smaller group of individuals that have
chosen to proactively engage with their music and expanded into a
nation-wide fan base
Meaningful & Sharable Content
The band does not use social media as simply a means to promote
themselves and their music/shows, rather, the band has utilized
various sites in order to develop an online community in which they
interact with fans in many different ways
The band often posts meaningful content, while also sharing
their music and important information for their audience
Meaningful Content Via Twitter
Fan Engagement
The band utilizes online communities, such as Twitter for
example, in order to gain the attention of their audience, with
various incentives
The bands engagement in social media has allowed them to spread
meaningful content related to their music, as well as supported
causes, events, etc.
The band provides their audience with many tools they can use to
spread their content, while developing and increasing the bands
social media following simultaneously
Merchandise
http://www.thehip.com/gift-shop/
Continue the Social Push IRL
The band converges online and physical spaces quite
effectively
Whether it is sharing during a show, or immediately after a
show, this allows the band to actively engage and connect with
their fans
Post Consistently
The band does well in keeping up with meaningful, current and
varying information while holding a very positive image, keeping
the audience informed about what is currently going on
Conclusion
The Tragically Hip uses social media and various online
communities successfully to promote their music and causes in which
they support. The band has definitely found their audience and
engages/connects with them quite frequently.
