OC Music Authorities To Follow On Twitter
Without social media, the music industry would be pretty stale. With album sales dropping, artists have figured out a way to stay in direct contact with their fans across the globe, and media outlets use the same power to keep music fans in the know. Some bring exclusive content over the web, while others provide direct conversations or insights into the world of music. These feeds are some of the most consistently helpful and entertaining in the Twittersphere.
KROQ is a world-famous radio station with more than 50,000 followers on twitter. While sometimes skewing to the Los Angeles crowd, the station hosts its annual Weenie Roast in Irvine and gives Orange County plenty of love. This is the top destination for breaking news, artist interviews, in-studio performances, and other nuggets of musical information that competing companies just do not get. KROQ's jockeys are some of the best and never fail to entertain, so be sure to follow them to expand the conversation. Keep a look out for exclusive ticket giveaways and other promotions.
OC Weekly Music
www.twitter.com/OCWeeklyMusic
While sometimes crass and often eyebrow-raising, OC Weekly is the best publication when it comes to Orange County music. Nearly every big band makes time to talk to them during the West Coast leg of their tours, the paper offers quality reviews of almost every show and has some excellent photographers to boot. Be careful, as some of their tweets are meant to inspire hatred and vitriol, as jabbing people into reading their site is one way to get traffic. Fans with strong opinions often get retweets, so make sure to add your opinion and maybe earn some followers of your own.
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Party Panda
www.twitter.com/PartyPanda
If you have been to any electronic dance show in Orange County in the past few years, you have no doubt seen a large man wearing an even larger panda bear head. This is Party Panda, and he has gone from local favorite to EDM regular to hanging out with the stars backstage at shows. While Party Panda is neither a musician nor a paid actor, he is living a lot of people's dreams of being themselves (if you were a panda) and meeting some of the icons in the music industry. His feed is often filled with tips on upcoming shows, ticket sale discounts, and banter between his panda self and the crew of young EDM princes that he has met during his travels.
Jason Bentley
www.twitter.com/jason_bentley
If you've ever turned on the radio during the morning hours and heard some amazing live band performing a studio session, chances are you were listening to Jason Bentley's program "Morning Becomes Eclectic." His Twitter account is filled with tons of info about his guests, small snippets from their time with him, and candid photos with world-famous artists. Being the music director at KCRW, he often goes on awesome musical adventures to various concerts, festivals, and cruises, giving us insight that can't be duplicated by larger corporate entities. Follow him for daily affirmations that music in Southern California and Orange County is a blessing.
OC Music Awards
www.twitter.com/OCMusicAwards
The OC Music Awards have been launching careers for what feels like forever. Every year, the boost given to fledging bands is palpable and their consistent live performances from top-tier acts have been important to the region's musical growth. Beyond music curation, the feed sometimes offers coupons and deals on local music gear, or sales on tickets and music in the area. The official awards show is in March, but the weeks leading up to it are filled with showcases from competing bands, making the OC Music Awards Twitter account even more important.
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Jesse Seilhan is a writer, editor and photographer from the California Bay Area. After moving to Long Beach, Jesse continues his passion for writing and music by covering concerts, interviewing top artists, and giving a dose of wisdom in a crazy, mixed-up musical world. His work can be found at Examiner.com.
