Bob Baker's Indie Music Promotion Blog

Music marketing ideas for DIY artists, managers, promoters and music biz pros

January 20, 2010

'Pants on the Ground' & the American Idol Meme

Just got back home from an amazing week in Southern California where I attended the NAMM Show, spoke to an enthusiastic songwriters group in San Diego, and sat in with the Agape Choir to back up Chaka Khan and other wonderful singers during a benefit for Haiti.

While I was there the latest season of American Idol started. Even if you don't watch it and don't care, you may have heard the latest viral buzz about 62-year-old "General" Larry Platt. He auditioned for the show with a hilarious original hip-hop song called "Pants on the Ground."

If you missed it, watch it here.

The thing about pop culture memes like this (see this Wikipedia page for a definition) is that they provide great opportunities for smart artists to jump on them and get a temporary exposure boost.

Jimmy Fallon saw the light and did a spoof of Neil Young singing "Pants on the Ground." Funny stuff. See it here.

But what about indie acts? The best example I've found so far was created by DeStorm, who does a great video and audio remix version of "Pants on the Ground" on this page.

He even offers a free download of the track. I'm sure there are others doing this too, but it illustrates the point ...

Keep your eyes and ears open to new trends and hot topics. If there's a way to create something that's funny or amusing or that reinforces your musical identity to new fans ... jump on it while it's hot and buzz-worthy!

-Bob

P.S. Don't forget to wear a belt and ... keep your pants off the ground!


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posted by Bob Baker @ 2:52 PM   1 comments

1 Comments:

At Feb 6, 2010, 12:10:00 AM, Blogger Clay said...

Great stuff, as always, Bob! What's most interesting to me is how, when something goes viral, everyone seems to try to piggyback some success (or at least some profit) from the original idea. It does pose a question of the legality of some of those who try to profit from the ideas of others.

Moreover, though, it does teach a valuable lesson about the benefit of "going viral" for indie artists or creators. If we could put that kind of buzz to work for us as musicians, the sky is the limit!

I recently posted an article on MusicIsMyBiz.com Blog in regards to "Pants on the Ground" and going viral, "Going Viral with your Pants on the Ground"

--Clay Butler
www.MusicIsMyBiz.com - Put your music to work for you!

 

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