Why Google +1 will be good for musicians

You've heard about Google +1?

Google's answer to the Facebook 'like' button which appear in search results in the next few days as they roll it out and later on third party websites. Including yours if you have any sense!

You know how it works, as you're used to clicking the 'like' button already, but I think that this will be great for musicians as people will get social proof about a band right in the Google search results.

So what does this mean for artists, record labels, promoters and ticketing companies? First of all, Google's +1 gives artists and music companies added incentive to integrate social media into their online projects and properties. Think about it: If your competitor has added +1s and has facilitated the discovery of their artists amongst fans' social networks, you would be giving up an advantage if you ignored these social features. Think of music as a zero-sum game. Awareness and sales for one artist takes away from another artist's potential. And by allowing people to +1 an item, you're creating a popularity measure that can be seen by all viewers of Google search results.

Read the full lowdown in Billboard.

And get the mega detail here.

Failing that, and if you couldn't care less, watch the chatting babies discuss it here.