So here at musicMOJO we've been doing some form of "Direct To Fan Marketing" (DTF for short) for over five years now. As in any industry you need to stay informed and educated on new technologies and learnings to best serve your clients. The last two years in particular have seen a plethora of back-end services to help musicians connect with fans. I had planned on spending some time this summer evaluating the current releases of a few services and writing about my experiences when I ran into <a href="http://www.hypebot.com/hypebot/2010/05/the-nimbit-vs-topspin-smackdown.html">this post over at Hypebot</a> in which Scott Feldman, Director of Marketing at <a href="http://www.nimbit.com/">Nimbit</a>, professes to run a similar experiment. 

The comments on the site quickly devolve into a he-said/he-said mashup of what you "should" be measuring and "how" you should be measuring it. You've got the <a href="http://www.topspinmedia.com/">TopSpin</a> CEO in a virtual throw down with the guys from Nimbit with everyone shooting for their own angle in the argument. The fact that you've got an employee of Nimbit comparing his tools to those of a competitor makes the whole thing smell a bit funny even if you believe (as I do) in the integrity of the guy doing the work. 

 While I find it entertaining and education as all hell to read I'm more of a hands on guy myself so . . . 

My job is to work with artists to help craft strategies and techniques to further their careers. While the best set of tools in the world is no substitute for musicianship or pure marketing skills it's my job to execute campaigns using these tools so I want the best at my disposal. In the upcoming weeks I'll be analyzing the offerings of three major players in the game. The aforementioned TopSpin and Nimbit as well as another favorite of mine, <a href="http://www.bandcamp.com/">Bandcamp</a>. I'll be discussing the strengths/weaknesses/quirks of the tools from the perspective of folks like me - relatively savvy tech folks who know a thing or two about music marketing. I <strong>won't</strong> be looking at campaign success / failure unless I think that the tool itself is an influencer in the outcome. 

Can I predict the outcome? I'm going to guess that each of the three tools has it's core strengths and a few holes and that each could be a valid choice <strong>depending on the needs of the artist</strong>. We shall see.

Disclaimer: Unlike <a href="http://www.scottfeldman.net/">Scott Feldman</a> I don't have to say I'm an employee of any of the three firms mentioned here but for pure transparency here you go. 

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<strong>TopSpin</strong> - I'll soon be finished with the TopSpin Berklee course. I paid for it with my own money. I am getting good grades. My mother will be proud. I'm actively using TopSpin on a few current projects. I know no one at TopSpin personally although Ty White once wrote me a nice e-mail.

<strong>Nimbit</strong> - A few years back I traveled to the Nimbit offices and met with Patrick and Phil for something like an interview/discover session. We had a fantastic conversation and shared a lot of great information. We thought it might be fun to work together. It never happened. I exchanged an e-mail or two with both but nothing in the last two years.

<strong>Bandcamp</strong> - Sometimes when I go to one of my local coffee shops (where I live "local" means within 20 miles) I see one of the chief developers at Bandcamp. We say hi, we're friendly. We don't talk about Bandcamp. About six months ago I spoke to Ethan D . on the phone about using Bandcamp in interesting ways for an artist I was working with. Ethan was very nice on the phone but no project ever happened.

Handicapping - The guys at Bandcamp have an absurd sense of humor that speaks to me. I'll try not to let that sway my judgment but please keep me honest. 