Retweets Replace Autographs, According To New Twitter Research

New York, NY (Top40 Charts) The study, conducted by Crowd DNA for the social network, found that 74 per cent of music fans on Twitter say that a retweet by their favourite artist is as desirable as a traditional autograph. The findings point to the value that fans place in getting recognition from their favourite artists and in seeing their tweet shared with other fans.

Ed Sheeran's recent shows at Wembley stadium offered another example of how musicians are utilising Twitter to their advantage with a selection of his fans' tweets displayed on the giant screen outside the stadium. As well as that, tweets were shown around the stadium itself and fans could tweet their selfies for all to see on the big screens at the shows.

Twitter is fast becoming the place where music fans come to follow artists. 71 per cent of users follow artists on Twitter, compared to just 41 per cent of fans using other social media platforms.

Part of that is about being in the know when there's new or announcements happen and 64 per cent of people agree that Twitter helps them be among the first to find out exclusive information about artists.

The social network is also becoming a key aspect of seeing music live, as many as 80 per cent of music fans on Twitter use it before, during or after a gig or a festival. And for music fans who can't make it to live events, 59 per cent said that Twitter enables them to feel involved, no matter where they are.