I know we've talked in other topics about how certain artist really utilize the internet to connect with fans or introduce their work to new fans and promote themselves and how others absolutely loathe the web.
The reason I started this thread is because I absolutely love artist that do that, I feel like they really care about their fans. I can think of several artists that do this either thru their own websites, Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, etc... I have several on FB, but wonder about any that others here might know of. Plus I have a fantastic story of one who is really doing something special for his fans, via a message board, for Christmas. I'll get to that story in a second.
Some of the artist I follow and really involve their fans on Facebook:
Jonny Lang -- he's always posting his pictures or fan pictures from his shows and post something from every town he shows up in.
Slash-- he's hysterical!!! Reports about anything he happens to be recording, tells stories about his wife Perla, etc. Thanks his fans the morning after every show and tells what's next.
John Waite -- Always thanking fans, posting pics, etc.
Sammy Hagar- Very funny guy also. Runs all kinds of contest for concert tickets, albums, etc.
Robert Cray- Whenever he's on the road, lets everyone know where he is or will be. Post pictures from the road. Pretty quiet when he's not touring tho.
Now for my (and about 100 others) special Christmas present from an artist I LOVE!!! As some here know, I'm also a member of a message board for the band Sweet. Well Andy Scott, the original guitarist, who still tours with his own version of Sweet, announced ON A BLOG that he links to us ON THE BOARD that he had a special treat for all the members on the board for Christmas and he'd let us know what it was, beginning of December and that it would be a month long endeavor to show his appreciation for all their fans.
Come the first of December, true to his word, he gave us a link and told us that every 2 days he would give us a free download of a song from a live concert that we could download ourselves and make our own cd. How freaking cool is THAT!?!?!? He leaves the song up to download for 48 hours each, so if you don't get it, you don't get it. It's been very fun getting all of them. Today was our 8th song, (Love Is Like Oxygen). They are very good quality downloads and something that only us members would know about or ever get.
This comes from a guy who, when told by a friend of his who is also on the board, about a woman in the US who has been a huge fan for years but has never gotten much on the band because not much about them in the us, made sure that she not only got a new cd and concert program, but made sure that they were both autographed by the whole band. Yeah---that was ME. In that package, I also received an autographed Sweet hat, bumper sticker, guitar pick and several pictures.
Now that's the way artist should treat their fans, in my opinion!!!