Roxy 2.0: How Social Media Brought the Club Back

ANNOUNCEMENT: Tonight we're going to have a very special guest presenting to the class. Kyra Reed, top social media consultant, will talk about reviving the famous Roxy on Sunset brand. AND, if we're lucky, Nic Adler, the owner of the club, will join Kyra to talk about how Social Media helped save the brand and the club.

You can follow The Roxy on Twitter here.

From LAist June 2008:

...Adler realized that radical change was needed as the venue could no longer rely on reputation alone. It was no longer “cool” to play at The Roxy, unless you were a hair metal band. It was getting harder and harder for The Roxy to be competitive.

The final straw came in October 2006. Adler was driving up Doheny on his way to the club when a sign-flipper tapped on his windshield with a big GOING OUT OF BUSINESS sign, for Tower Records. He had grown up with Tower Records right down the street from The Roxy. He knew that if he didn’t do something to turn things around…The Roxy, and the rest of the Strip would be next to go.

Adler turned to the Internet. He created a MySpace profile for the club. Within three weeks he saw an impact on the club. Earlier that year he had hired Megan Jacobs, former talent buyer for Temple Bar, in attempt to bring in some new talent to the venue. Jacobs introduced Adler to online media specialist Kyra Reed in November of 2006, and Reed brought the change he was looking for.

Reed convinced Adler that the future was online and it was time to be bold. The Roxy website ditched their old-school site and moved to a blog format. Furthermore, Adler took the spirit of community and transparency a step further by including listings for other businesses and venues on the Strip. This radical departure from the competitive nature of the industry has made an impact, although few -- if any -- venues have followed suit with their internet presence. Adler is admittedly hooked on social media now and it's apparent -- The Roxy, which only years ago went after camera-wielding patrons, now has a massive presence on the web and even hosts user-generated photos and videos on the site. The Roxy is also one of four nominees for Best Rock Site for this month's VH1 Rock Honors.

The staff at The Roxy embraced the blog and the blogosphere at large. They've expanded their horizons beyond the rock staple that had become synonymous with The Roxy and began booking more “eastside” bands like Peter, Bjorn,and John and started a three-month partnership with Filter magazine.