Module 6.2-- The Arkells

1. The Arkells
Ashleigh Kasoian

2. Background
Members: Max Kerman, Anthony Carone, Mike
DeAngelis, Nick Dika, Tim Oxford
Origin: Hamilton, ON
Albums: Jackson Square, and Michigan Left
Record Companies: Universal Music Group, and Dine
Alone Records
Genre: Indie Rock
Very proud Canadian band which signed with Dine Alone
Records in 2006 with their first album release in 2008
(Jackson Square)
They do many different kinds of free concerts like their
Family Day concerts, and Burlington Sound of Music
They have also performed at Brock University in 2013,
along with many other Canadian Universities

3. Music Samples
Arkells— Michigan Left
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UfL2U_Dqx6o
Arkells— Book Club
http://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=5su3AJpuxC4&list=TLzfiPcegJhDhnGhwNEBjVJm4vgxju
Uy7z
Arkells— Tracks of My Tears
Background Music on slide

4. Arkell’s Social Media Sites
Websites:
Twitter: www.twitter.com/arkellsmusic
Official Website: www.arkells.ca
Myspace: https://myspace.com/arkellsmusic
Youtube:
http://www.youtube.com/arkellsofficial
Instagram: Maxkerman1, the lead of the Arkell’s
tends to communicate the most via Instagram
than the other artists in the band

5. Arkells Official Website
The Arkells use their official website to promote tours, merchandise, their music, and their contests to their fans
This is the main source, and where fans go to get the most recent information
They use this the most frequently especially with tour dates, and feature links on where to buy their tickets
The website is supposed to be very interactive, and make fans want to follow them!
For dedicated fans, their twitter is the next best source for quick information about what the band is currently doing

6. Social Media Presence
The Arkell’s are engaged with their fans on numerous social media
websites previously listed
Not only do they reply to their fans tweets but they are known to give
away concert tickets to desperate fans
They are a very “authentic” band and remind their fans how much they
mean to them via contests, give aways, and extras
This is the 2nd year that they gave away Christmas Post Cards to fans
who signed up to the email
Only 500 fans get a postcard signed by all the members; on a first come,
first serve basis
This year I was lucky enough to receive one of these post cards, and for
anyone who signed up on Christmas Day they released a new song
They also tweeted at their fans to post their picture with the post card
and so many of us did!
This song was a free download for the dedicated fans who keep up with
them
The fans who sign up for newsletters also receive emails regarding
information about concerts before others do

7. Online Communities
The Arkells have an online community of fans who follow all their updates on their
Twitter, Facebook, Website, Instagram and Youtube
The Arkells really try to involve themselves with their fans and get them excited
They do this by posting things on their social network that will make the dedicated
followers happy
This includes replying to personal tweets and messages, and this tends to happen
more often when they have a show that day or if they are releasing information
The picture shows the Arkells retweeted a fans tweet, and for any fan this is a big deal
However, they do this kind of thing all the time to keep their fans engaged and
participating on their social networking sites
The whole band uses their Twitter account but again like Instagram Max Kerman
spends a lot of time on it
It is more authentic that the band actually maintains their own Twitter accounts
because it is an actual connection to the band oppose to a third party

8. The Arkells on Tour
The Arkells are a band that is often on tour around Canada and recently the
world
They are known to do events at University’s and I’ve had the pleasure of
seeing them live at Brock in 2013… Here’s a link to a video of the show on
my personal Instagram
http://instagram.com/p/ei83uwzELh/
They also do benefit concerts like The Family Day show where the profits go
to a charity
2013— Hosted in Hamilton, ON
2014— Hosted in London, ON
Also… Burlington’s Free Sound of Music Festival (on several occasions)
They are very approachable guys after concerts and will sign anything!
This helps them keep and maintain their fan base… It is clear that they are
passionate about what they do, and appreciate their fans

9. Arkells Target Audience
The Arkells have found their target audience, which can vary from different
individuals
If Indie Rock music is your favourite genre: then you should enjoy the Arkells
The Arkells are not trying to change their music, and have stayed true to their roots
even with more success
They have played at the 2011 CFL GreyCup, which is a big deal for a Canadian
band
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2M3Asgra9iA
Somehow, their performances tend to be very intimate even in a bigger stadium
They are proud of where they came from, and always pay tribute to Hamilton
throughout their songs, and they have even made a song for the Hamilton Football
team titled Ticats are Hummin’
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JC4wcCOKIlo

10. Debra Eckerling suggests that “You want to find that smaller group that is going to be proactively
engaging you and your music, sharing it, and actively participating in your community”
The Arkells fan base is very interactive, and the band will often reply to tweets, wishing people a
happy birthday or answering their questions
Arkells fans broke down the website when they released the emailing centre for post cards because
so many people wanted one (seen in picture above)

11. Arkells Posts/Content
As highlighted before, the Arkells are constantly posting new music
(free download/streaming) for their fans which of course they
appreciate
They are also posting many different kinds of shows/contests to keep
their fans engaged with their content!
Debra Eckerling suggests that bands answer questions and to keep
conversation flowing about the band to their fans
The Arkells participate in this by answering questions, replying to
their fans, keeping an honest relationship with the fans especially over
twitter
They even ask their fans to post pictures of themselves at the show, or
in response to the Post Card Give-aways

12. Engage Current Fans
The Arkells have mastered their social media, and
included their fans at every step
They are constantly posting contests, putting on shows
(for charity/free), giving away tickets when a fans in
need, and touring across the world to get their content
out there for new fans
They include unique ways of getting fans involved in
the contests by giving them something they want (like
a post card, or free download)
They post often enough, and discuss things other than
there music
During the Grammys, they were tweeting and making
their fans laugh with the commentary

13. What are the Arkells not doing for
their fans?
The Arkells could be having more local concerts
Now that they are a bigger band, they travel the world
Some fans miss when they would be in Ontario all the
time— with many surprise shows at a moments notice
The picture is from a show that they did in Port
Dalhousie, St. Catharines on a deck
Otherwise, they are constantly engaging with their fan
base. It would be unrealistic to assume the Arkells
could reply to more of their fans on Twitter
Since they control what they post, they have to put in a
lot of extra time to keep involved with every fan but
they do their best job!

14. Social Push IRL
The Arkells post all of their print posters online too so that it reaches every one of their fans
When they have an event, the venue will distribute these kinds of posters
For the Brock Concert, this photo was plastered everywhere on campus
They post the content twice, but if there is not a print copy of the poster; it is always offered online
They sell their merchandise at most shows, and on their website post links to new merchandise which can be ordered online
Their actual music is also posted online to buy, or download at the convenience of the consumer
Debra Eckerling states that “social media is about immediacy, so make that connection while you have fans in front of you”
The Arkells always do this, they post more after a show and reply directly to the fans

15. Post Consistently
As stated throughout the slides, the Arkells are constantly
engaging and posting with their fans consistently
They post almost every other day
Not only do they post about their musical endeavours, they
also post about what’s going on culturally
They are constantly trying to get their fans out to the
numerous shows they hold
They engage fans through contests on a regular basis
They email fans, post related blog posts about the band,
Tweet, Facebook message fans on a regular basis to show
how much they care
They will post new unique covers along with their own
music
Their Youtube features Live performances which they have
set out to do for the fans
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b3Ps-fytO1Q

16. Summary
The Arkells are dedicated to their fans and prove this via
their social media presence
They show their fans that they care for them by replying to
their tweets, messages, and comments
They give their fans exclusives to concerts, and songs if they
subscribe to their email
Essentially, the Arkells are a down to earth Canadian indie
rock band who cares about their fans and the music that
they produce!