MusicWeek Interview – Al Shux

27-year-old Al Shux has been producing music for almost a decade. In 2007 he worked on Lupe Fiasco’s ‘High Definition’ featuring Snoop Dogg. More recently he produced Jay-Z’s and Alicia Keys hit ‘New York’. He has also been working on Rox’s and I Blame Coco’s debut albums.

CISION: How important is the use of social media as a promotional tool when reaching out to your target audience?

AS: I personally don’t use social media very extensively to promote my work, but more as a way to stay in touch with friends and work colleagues. I am not interested in trying to promote myself as a celebrity and would prefer to be known for my music rather than my status updates. I feel like in the age of social media when everyone is constantly updated with the next person’s movements, there’s the danger of the artist losing those elements of mystery, magic and intrigue.

What are the pros and cons of using traditional media outlets and social media platforms when targeting and communicating to your audience? How do you think this will affect corporate label marketing?

Not everyone is hooked in to social media – it is more often younger generations that will be reached by it whereas the older market will be unaware. I expect that traditional media outlets, while a more expensive route, will still be used for some time to come.

What challenges do you face when positioning yourself as an artist now that social media plays such an influence in today’s media landscape? How do you feel about marketing becoming a skill required by artists?

I think it is great that there is a lot of potential power for everyone to promote themselves. You don’t have to rely on editors of music magazines or radio stations to get your music heard, instead you can get your stuff on the internet in just a few clicks. But because anyone can do it the internet is saturated with content, making it difficult for to sift through the rubbish in order to find something you like.

For that reason I think musicians/artists need to associate themselves with relevant online brands or create their own, so that their potential market will be able to find them. It is good that marketing is becoming a skill required by artists because they can have more control over their image, but it also sometimes distracts artists from concentrating on their music – and they end up with style over substance.

Which social media platforms do you currently use?

I use MySpace to put tracks up and check out other people’s music, and I read lots of different blogs every day, mainly on music, style, fashion and news. I also have a facebook account, but I don’t really use it.

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