Moonalice Band, Twitter & the art of Subtraction
“We used to have a manager and we got rid of them. We use to have a PR person and we got rid of them. We used to have a [inaudible] and we got rid of them,” Moonalice guitarist Roger McNamee (aka Chubby Wombat) said on stage to the enthusiastic crowd below at the Great American Music Hall in San Francisco.
Sound serious? Sure — the art of subtraction is not an easy one.
McNamee continued “So we turned it all over to Facebook and Twitter and have shared thousands of downloads with you. Thank you for supporting us as we give away this music — and — we won’t be
undersold!”
Just got back from the concert. The experience of listening to Moonalice while also conversing with them and their fans all live, via twitter, was pretty cool. On the drive home, it hit me how interesting it was that Moonalice has subtracted so much from the infrastructure traditionally wrapped around a band or any entertainment entity. Not everyone can do this. But Team Moonalice has done it successfully because they feel that music is a collective experience. It’s clear that they place value on each voice in their audience/community. Leveraging the latest social media technology of today, Moonalice embodies the communal, open and collaborative values of the 60s, which gave birth to the music that they now carry into the future.
With over 85,000 Twitter followers, the music’s devoted audience/community makes a statement that you don’t need to be Miley Cyrus, or to have a PR agent, to have a massive following. This year they were also the first band in HISTORY to live twitter a concert –Immediately following each song during a show, Moonalice’s sound team takes the song, digitizes it, uploads it, and tweets it—all before finishing the next song. Broadcasting a concert in real-time on the Twitter platform? Cool!
What’s their secret? Not only does Moonalice have great listening skills on stage. They also have great listening skills in the twittersphere — paying close attention to their fans and taking the pulse of the community that supports them.
Our Takeaways?
Out: manager, publicist and [inaudible].
In: Twitter and social media. “Moonalice legend has it” that you can subtract the inessential from your business or life as well 
Moonalice lighting up the marquee of the historic Great American Music Hall.
Drue taking in the ambience before the concert
Svetlozar had a blast.
Chubby Wombat Moonalice (Roger McNamee) on bass guitar and vocals and Blue Moonalice (Ann McNamee) – bass, keyboards, percussion, vocals?
Great concert – really liked the guitar & bass duet improvisations.
Who needs an agent when you have twitter, indeed!