Honorable Mention: Mike Portnoy on Twitter and his own website

Mike Portnoy has been at the forefront of interaction with fans via social media for years now. He was pretty much the mouthpiece of Dream Theater until he left the band. He has over 235,000 followers on Twitter, which is probably more than everyone else on this list combined. And while he definitely uses the medium to help promote his many projects, he’ll also show his personal side by giving his opinion on the Black Sabbath album or geeking out about meeting Paul McCartney. In addition to interacting with fans on Twitter and Facebook, he also drops in frequently on the forum of his own website.