Myspace India’s Country Manager Hari V Krishnan recently was quoted as stating that in India Myspace strategy was to take online social networking offline and following the same and in a quest to capture a bigger slice of Indian Social networking pie they have announced the launch of ‘MySpace Secret Shows’ in India. This comes on the heel of ongoing Black Curtain Screenings initiative in India, where users are given free passes for premiere movie shows.
Offline To Online – An Innovative Model?
The Myspace Secret Shows organizes concert shows where real identity of the performer is kept under raps until the last moment. This platform has become synonymous with launching several leading names in the global music scene.
The Myspace secret shows has been held across 10 countries with more than 150 Secret Shows since 3 years.The Free concert shows in India will groove to alternative music genres, including rock, metal, folk, sufi, electronica etc.
Hence the model of taking online social networking offline isn’t an innovative one and has been done globally. Though secret shows globally has enjoyed a cult status its difficult to say it would have a similar impact in India. Internationally renowned artistes like U2, Lily Allen, Neil Diamond, Pink, Moby, Fall Out Boy, Duffy, Gnarls Barkley, Slayer and Faithless have participated.
Offline events used to increase signups
The first Secret Show concert in India will be held in Mumbai May 29.This concert will be completely free and users could get free passes on the first come first serve basis.
To get free tickets to concert, sign in/signup to Myspace and add MySpace Secret Shows as a friend to get Free passes to the first show and receive advanced notices of the concerts.
This Franchise of “Secret Shows” along with “Black Curtains” is a way for myspace to add physical value to users life rather than just virtual value via social networking.
But.. Does It Work?
It might help Myspace in re-aligning their Indian Play and attract more audiences through these initiative but will it increase engagement on the online platform besides for making friends with these initiatives and signing up purely for getting free passes to events is difficult to say.
We have attended one of Myspace events in Mumbai and realized that few others who attended were active users of the site and many couldn’t even explain what myspace was! So if events is the marketing strategy then it may be long before the one’s who attend the events actually convert as online users.
Myspace, is definitely adapting to the Indian market, the hybrid model works and is definitely worth exploring.. way to go Hari.. Kaps.