Kenny, You're not wrong that social media is much more critical to artist promotion now than when GPN started but the Shakes has more going for it than Facebook.  Apparently Patterson Hood from Drive By Truckers liked them and the Shakes were signed to ATO. ATO is the reason they have a nice little machine helping them get the word out and broker decent gigs.  Things were a little different for GPN.  I remember when GPN took the stage at Mt Jam in 04 and there were but a handful of people watching them on the side stage.  I was one of those people.  I've written about and posted info about GPN in certain music circles from the beginning. Sure it was no Facebook, but GPN's touring with Gov't Mule helped them move from a Vermont State act to the beginnings of a national act status and gave the people in the band encouragement and support to help them go the next step (and even more steps after that, right). Why GPN and ATO never made a deal is not of concern really.  There's a lot of different paths in the field of music today.  Grace Potter is much more able to garner mass appeal than the Shakes' Brittany Howard and I can see how ATO would not have been the right label for her and the band.  (Grace probably knew this at some level.)  And anyway, Grace and Brittany are two very different singers as well, though both have great voices.  Grace's voice can transcend the rock/blues/soul arena.  How far Brittany and the Shakes can go remains to be seen.  I saw them at the Bowery Ballroom the other night and really loved them.  I have some ideas about how they can improve (being the bit of a critic that I am) but I want to listen to the cd before I say anything.  I liked them a lot so I will be bumping them up in the social media stream when I can.  LOL.  I do however think that most artists can do a better job as they interface with the social media world, but alas, that is a different topic.  Ang