An aspiring musician always has free promotional tools at his or her fingertips through social media websites. However, it takes practice and familiarity with the websites to promote an artist’s career in a beneficial manner. Beyond an online presence, an artist must keep fans informed in order to build and maintain a strong fan base. If anyone has been able to achieve the perfect balance between social media and a career in the music industry, it’s 20 year-old singer-songwriter, Veronica Ballestrini.

Ballestrini began singing and songwriting when she was eight years old. Surrounded by supportive and encouraging people, her dream of becoming a recording artist was formed. As a teenager, she began to use websites such as MySpace and YouTube to share her music.

Over the past few years, as the popularity of social networks has grown and more have popped up, Ballestrini has continued to stay in touch with her fans. “You have to go where the crowd is. Now it’s Facebook and Twitter. I’ve noticed that fans love communication with the artist, they love to feel in the loop. That’s why I always post pictures of what I’m doing in the recording studio or at music video shoots. It’s all about communicating with the fans and giving them something they want to see,” Ballestrini explained.

Ballestrini’s music and huge online following has attracted the attention of major record labels. However, since she enjoys her freedom as an artist she decided to sign with an independent label. In 2009, Ballestrini, Glenn Sweitzer, and teams in Connecticut and Rhode Island created the independent label, Timbob Records.

Ballestrini’s album “What I’m All About” was released in August of 2009, with the release of “Amazing,” “Out There Somewhere,” and “Don’t Say” as singles. She’s currently working on her second album and recently shot two music videos for “Guys Like You” and “Don’t Give Up On Me” in Los Angeles, one of which will be released through Country Music Television (CMT) within the next couple of months.

As someone who first debuted on social media websites such as Myspace and YouTube, an independent label is ideal for Ballestrini. “When you’re independent you can really choose what you want and there’s not a huge corporation behind it. When you have an idea you just talk to a couple people and they’re always supportive about it. Being able to post YouTube videos whenever I want and do what I want is really cool. When I write a song some I post it online and with a major label they won’t always let you do that… It’s cool to be able to do what I want to and to get music out there” she said.

Although Ballestrini spends a lot of time in Nashville, she also travels home to Connecticut, which is a great benefit of being an independent artist who is prevalent online. “It’s been great because back in the day you had to go to where the fans were to play a show and get your music heard. I’ve never been to England or the Philippines and people can hear my music and it’s getting out there because of being online… It’s awesome to be able to connect with people all over the world through Facebook, YouTube, and Twitter” she said.

In fact, in Ballestrini’s recent “Temporary Fix” cover contest on YouTube, Ballestrini received entries from not only the United Sates but the Philippines, England, and Singapore. “I was expecting entries from just the United States, but it was all over and it was awesome” she said.

Ballestrini’s strong online fan base has had a major hand in many of the opportunities she’s been presented with. She thankfully said, “There was a MEAD Five Star Music Insider contest… and fans would vote for their favorite artists and the winner won $25,000 toward their career and because of my amazing fans, I won first place and they actually found me through MySpace. It was cool to be a part of that.” In addition to the MEAD Five Star Music Insider contest, she also was a member of the If I Can Dream reality web series, and is currently in a contest on TopBlip.com to win a spot as the opening act for Andy Grammer.

Social media has had a huge impact on Ballestrini’s career, however; when asked which social networking website was her favorite, she couldn’t choose between Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube. She credited them all for their specific attributes, but then chose YouTube as being the best for sharing her music. “People love going to YouTube to look up videos and it’s more of a visual thing,” she described, “They’re not just hearing my music, but they’re also seeing who I am.”

Just as fans put a face to her music through YouTube, Ballestrini’s favorite event to attend is CMA Fest so she can meet the fans she communicates with online. “A lot of the people that come up to the booths (at CMA Fest) are like ‘I know you on MySpace and Twitter,’ which is cool because you can put a face to a name.” CMA Fest is one of the many events Ballestrini attends outside of promoting her music online. She also attends Country Radio Seminar (CRS) and country music festivals such as Country Thunder.

The opportunities Ballestrini has earned demonstrate that she recognizes the importance of communication with fans and has mastered the appropriate usage of social media to maintain and continue advancing her career.

Visit Veronica Ballestrini’s website and social media sites for more information:
http://www.veronicaballestrini.net
http://www.facebook.com/veronicaballestrinimusic
http://www.twitter.com/veronicabal
http://www.youtube.com/user/veronicaballestrini