thinglets: How to use "new" media for an old purpose

I've been a fan of the band Phish for well over a decade. They're a band whose popularity was the end result of social media even before the phrase became de rigeur. By allowing free recording of their shows and never repeating setlists, BBS news would spread every night of songs played, and within 24 hours, entire shows for free download would appear on FTP sites. The Phish newsgroups sometimes had 1000 posts a day and people used the web to arrange cassette and eventually CD trading vines.

After hundreds of shows and over 25 years, the band still has not lost its sense of humor or its ability to gravitate to an internet crowd. That they appreciate the need to advertise an upcoming tour on the web is, I suppose, expected. That they can find a way to do it that makes me smile and glad that I've already got tickets is a bonus.

Here's to a band that is willing to put money out for a fan base that is committed and will follow the band wherever they go. A band that's never had a song on the charts or a music video of note.

I applaud the effort. I love the cheekiness. I know that as long as a quarter-century old band can continue to be this creative, they will keep drawing new fans to shows. And isn't that a big part of what social and new media are all about?