Editor’s note: This article was first published in February 2011. Facebook’s figure of more than 600 million users and Herzio’s figures (over 3 million users, almost 6,000 musicians) date from then. Herzio may no longer operate.
Some time ago, the creators of this social network set out to carve out a place for themselves both in the music business and on the web, but they have clearly realized they wouldn’t manage it on their own. So they’ve decided to team up with the social networking giant Facebook and turn their idea into a tool there, bearing in mind that Facebook already has more than 600 million users worldwide.
Their bet targets what was once one of MySpace‘s strengths and is now one of Facebook‘s weakest points: the direct promotion of artists, especially musicians. Herzio comes in strong with three tools that let artists promote themselves and also earn income, with the aim of helping them make money from their passion.
It’s simple to use. Just go to Herzio.com and create your Facebook page with three tabs:
- The first (FanPage) introduces the band with photos, album covers and a music player, with the corresponding links for direct download and for purchase through iTunes or Spotify.
- The second (FanShows) lets you sell concert tickets.
- The third (FanStore) is for merchandising: each band, company, organization or individual can create a virtual catalog, and Herzio takes care of production as soon as a customer places an order and then ships it anywhere in the world.
That way, the artist doesn’t have to make any upfront investment and can collect the profits right away.
Herzio already has more than 3 million users, and almost 6,000 musicians use its services, including some names from today’s music scene, such as Carlos Baute.
Further reading
- Social networks focused on professionals and specific markets
- Twitter could be bought by Facebook or Google
Featured image: Rock & roll is not dead, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
