Abstract

The growth of online social networks has interested many marketing researchers. However, little research has compared multiple social networks and investigated the link between measures of network structure to commercial success. We make use of network information of online multimedia network platforms and analyze the network strategies of music artists for promoting music. Our analysis is based on 240 personal networks and relates well-established network measures to online success. Our results indicate that success is determined by the social network structure and networking activities rather than by outside popularity. The findings have implications for building successful networks for marketing purposes.