Another milestone will be the development of a new kind of intermediary who works with bands, managers and labels to help them understand and participate in social media effectively. We’re seeing a few of these people and agencies popping up, but it’s a long way from being the norm. We can’t expect artists to spend all their time online cultivating audiences or being experts in social media, just as we didn’t expect them to act as their own managers.

I’m currently filling this role as part of my managerial duties for Blitzen Trapper, and really enjoying it. The internet has created some amazing new ways to engage and cultivate a fanbase — it’s a fun time to be playing around with this stuff. That, and I’ve pretty much always been into geeking out with other geeks who really like the same bands as I do. And in case it’s not obvious, I really, really like Blitzen Trapper. Anyway, I recommend reading the whole interview. Nancy is a smart lady.