Panels about technology can sometimes get a little technical — or worse. But add in a few cutting-edge social media execs and some charismatic musical acts and you’re in for a pretty cool discussion –and a few laughs. (After all, one can’t complain when a rapper tells a story about how one of his semi-crazy fans directs messages him on Twitter saying she wants to tattoo his company’s name on her inner thigh. True story!) That was the scene at the Recording Academy’s Social Media Rock Stars Summit on Feb. 11 at the Conga Room in downtown Los Angeles. With discussion ranging from how social media has influenced the music industry to dealing with Twitter and Facebook stalkers, the panel featured insight from pop star Adam Lambert, rapper/tech geek Chamillionaire, Facebook director of platform product marketing Ethan Beard, Foursquare co-founder Naveen Selvadurai, Pandora founder/chief strategy officer Tim Westergren, and veteran broadcast music journalist John Norris, formerly of MTV. Check out the photos below for some of the highlights. And before you move on, one piece of advice from Lambert that every social media participant should follow: “Drunk Tweeting is not good.” Words to live by…
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 Rapper Chamillionaire was by far the ultimate social media “rock star” on this panel. The rapper got a lot of laughs from the packed house, telling stories about his social media stalkers and how he talks smack online about basketball legend Michael Jordan to stir up controversy on Twitter. But he also elaborated on how he has used platforms like Twitter and Facebook to engage with fans and learn what kind of music they want to hear from him. “Most companies that are successful listen to people and see what they want and they make that,” Chamillionaire said. “So when I used to make songs, I’d make mixtapes. The public would tell me what they like and then I would make songs based on what they like. That’s how I knew ‘Ridin’ Dirty’ was going to be big — they told me they liked this kind of music.” (Photo: Mitchell Peters) |
 John Norris and Adam Lambert discuss the pros and cons of Twitter. On one hand, the site can be a great way to communicate directly with fans and get word out quickly about new music. On the other hand, drunk Tweeting could lead to offensive comments. Nevertheless, Lambert says he loves to “troll” around on Twitter and see what others are saying. Aside from cautions against inebriated Tweets, the pop star pointed out that many media outlets love to directly quote artists’ 140-character thoughts. “You have to be careful,” he says, also noting that Twitter can be a great tool to clear the air about false rumors. (Photo: Mitchell Peters) |
 From left to right: Foursquare co-founder Naveen Selvadurai, Facebook director of platform product marketing Ethan Beard, Pandora founder/chief strategy officer Tim Westergren, Chamillionaire and Adam Lambert. News broke Friday that Pandora is tuning up for an IPO later this year, reportedly hoping to raise $100 million. “I’m not going to comment on it,” Westergren said with a laugh. And what does the Pandora founder think about the possibly imminent launch of Spotify in the United States? “I root for them,” he said. “There are two forms of listening, radio and on-demand. We actually view them as kind of symbiotic.” (Photo: Mitchell Peters) |
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