Duran Duran stays up close and personal with fans

The 1980s pinup boys have stayed on the scene by connecting with millions of fans.

By Suzi Parker,?Correspondent / July 4, 2012

Duran Duran

Mike Blake/Reuters/File

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After more than 30 years in the music business, these 1980s pinup boys have long graduated from the covers of Tiger Beat and Bop. But the British band still has the golden touch when connecting with its millions of fans through vast channels of social media, contests, and the long-anticipated meet and greet.

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It's no surprise that Duran Duran has so engaged 21st-century technology.

The band was one of the first to shoot glossy music videos in the 1980s. Lead singer Simon Le Bon running through the jungle in "Hungry Like the Wolf" became an iconic image of the decade. In 1997, Duran Duran touted it was the first band to sell a single on the Internet.

Now they are poised again to ride out front, this time on the social media wave. In a move reminiscent of the '80s when Duranies waited breathlessly for MTV world premi?re videos, the band will sell "tickets" to a live concert via Facebook July 8. For $4.99, fans can watch a live stream of the concert. After the stream, the band will answer fan questions live from Istanbul, Turkey, where they will be on tour. A DVD of the concert will be available for purchase July 10.

Katy Krassner manages the band's popular website and various streams of social media, including Pinterest, the most recent Duranie addiction.

"I've been working with Duran Duran for over a decade, and the evolution of their social communities has truly been amazing," Ms. Krassner says.

Krassner snaps candid pictures of the band at rehearsals and tweets them to nearly 70,000 Twitter followers and 866,000 Facebook fans. She sends reminders about upcoming appearances and interacts with fans.

With Duran Duran releasing its first live DVD and CD, "A Diamond in the Mind," in nearly a decade in July, now is a busy time for Krassner. The band is also preparing for more dates on their current world tour and will headline a major concert on the opening night of the Olympic Games in London.

So much interaction has reignited Duranies who have never stopped loving their teen idols.

"The band's fans have been so supportive, and have literally followed them off magazine pages onto the Internet," Krassner says.

Source: http://rss.csmonitor.com/~r/feeds/csm/~3/VcyS1JHGGws/Duran-Duran-stays-up-close-and-personal-with-fans

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