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No Cameras Allowed Trailer-The Music Industries’ Best or Worst Nightmare?

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I’m very intrigued by this trailer; talented photographer sneaks into some of the the biggest festivals in the world and captures some amazing raw footage of our favorite artists. Not only that but this documentary on MTV will give me a reason to watch the channel for the first time in years.

Accomplishing sneaking in and getting access to the photo pit at one of the these festivals is no small feat. One of my very first intern assignments was media relations at Ozzfest. I was assigned several press people to “watch” and make sure they obeyed all the rules. Some of them were: 1. Don’t photograph Ozzy, 2. You can only shoot the first three songs, 3. You can not shoot pictures from the crowd (pit). I got my exercise that day in 100 plus heat chasing the press out of the pit.

You can’t really be any old photographer to get a press pass. You have to go through the publicist and sign a waiver to make sure you won’t sell the images. They will want to know how you plan to use the images and if you have a blog what your following is like.

One my friends Jason Miller takes amazing pictures of bands and showcases his work on his blog.

He recently had a interesting encounter with a band using a image he shot without asking permission. Read here to find out more about additional guidelines you need to know about sharing copyrighted images.

With all that being said it looks like this guy captured the trust of Mumford & Sons enough so they invited him on tour to capture content for their own use. I’m very interested to see what exactly he captured and how it is being used.

 

SXSW Braindump 2013

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SXSW2013

I should have posted a recap awhile ago, but I just booked flight and hotel for the next SXSW so it’s still top of mind! Keep reading for a quick braindump on SXSW 2013.

So here we go:

Day 1-Bastille at the British Music Club

Bastille

Day 2-Band Of Bitches-these dudes are crazy fun.

bandofbitches Bandofbitches2

Day 3-Day-Little Green Cars, Wind-Up 15th Anniversary Party-Civil Twilight  Night-Daptone Soul Review

LittleGreencars

CivilTwillightIce cream sandwiches are always a good idea!

IceCream

I have seen Sharon Jones before-always puts on a great show with so much energy! This show was at the legendary Austin City Limits venue, which was a WALK from where I was earlier but well worth it! Not crowded smoky or smelly either!

SharonJones

Day 4-Day Bacon and The Robert Glasper Experiment, Night-Soul Rebels

BaconBecause you gotta eat and bacon + cookies is a great idea!

Robert Glasper with Erykah Badu, beautiful and mellow show!

RobertGlasperExperience

ErykahBadu

Soul Rebels-almost did not make it  inside the venue it was completely packed by the time I got there! I stuck it out and watched the last part of the set inside! Great energy and a lot of fun!

Hot8

It always nice to come back home!

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Newbie’s First SXSW 2012

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You may recall last year I wrote a post about SXSW with tips from friends about how to make the most of your SXSW experience having never been I was eager to learn. I’m happy to report that this year I was able to attend for work! I’m so very appreciative as I had a amazing experience and sending someone to Southby (as people in the know call it) is nothing to shake a stick at.. it’s pricey but I believe very worth it.

Highlights of my 1st SXSW: Music

Let’s start with the most important aspect of this conference, the music. What I loved the most about Austin was from very corner of this city music was performed. From city coffee houses, large venues to even my hotel, you couldn’t miss it. In no particular order here were my favorite performances:

Lee Field and the Expressions at Red 7:

I’m a huge fan of soul music and Lee Fields is another classic story like Charles Bradley of an artist beating the odds and releasing a record at age 60ish. It’s simply amazing.

Thee Oh See’s with Carson Daly

Also at the Red 7 venue was Carson Daly’s Music Unlimited’s showcase. Daly being a huge fan picked a amazing showcase with Lee Field and the Expressions, Tennis, Cults, and the Thee Oh Sees. Thee Oh Sees is a rock back from SF and apparently Carson is such a fan he jumped on stage with the band! I love the unexpected and this was certainly was a surprise!

A$AP Rocky at The Spotify Show-This rapper has amazing stage presence as you might be able to make out he brought his whole crew on stage with him; throwing bottles and jumping around. It was a sight to behold.

Delta Spirit was playing Stubb’s on the last evening I would be in Austin. After standing on my feet all day for three days my dogs were barking but I dragged myself to this show. I loved the vibe of the venue; open air and amazing bbq and Delta Spirit fit right in!

The Food

One of the best meals I had at SXSW was at Papi Tino’s. I enjoyed amazing guacamole, refreshing mineral water (yes it’s hot and I was thirsty!) as well as enchiladas. But my favorite part of this meal  was the hand-made churros with homemade ice cream. Delish! The restaurant faces 6th street and has a quaint porch that features live music. My group was seated out side and with the breeze it was a enjoyable spot.

Free Stuff

I love free stuff, along with music it’s one of my favorite things. I was a little bummed I didn’t come home with armfuls of free stuff but I learned that there is more free stuff during the interactive week at SXSW. But I did come home with some pretty cool free AND useful things. The best thing I came home with was a dry-fit cotton Nike Fuel band exercise top. Nike had a huge basketball court/Skatepark/music venue at SXSW marketing their latest product the Nike Fuel band. After getting a free shirt and hanging out I really want a Fuel Band so their marketing ploy worked.

Social Media is Bringing Concerts Closer to Fans

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Social media has become the new “it” thing. It has revolutionized the way we interact with our friends and family. But can it bring fans closer to their favorite artists and shows?

One example I have seen firsthand of a band utilizing social media is The Script. They are a rock band from Dublin, Ireland. They are very active in social media; posting regularly on Facebook, Twitter, etc. I went to see them play last October at the Fillmore in San Francisco.  I started following them on Twitter and “liked” their page on Facebook. As I a fan I really appreciated that they regularly posted something from the road.  As you can see in the Facebook posting below the band posted a picture of what the view was like for them on stage:

This is a great way for fans to feel like they are an apart of the action whether they went to the show or not. Even after the show the band asked fans “Where was the best place for a drink in San Francisco?”

They are keeping their followers and fans engaged by regularly updating with new and relevant content. An important thing to note is that you can tell that the band members (or someone very close to the band members) are updating their own social channels and their tone of voice is authentic. Young people are very savvy and an unauthentic voice will turn them off.  People use social media to get closer to their favorite artists because it allows for two-way communication. The only thing I think the band could improve on their current strategy would be to respond to some of the questions their fans pose on these various channels.

Beyond interacting with fans using platforms like Twitter and Facebook bands can now sell concert tickets directly to fans.  Utilizing an application from the direct to fan digital company called Topspin, the band The Pixes did just that. According to Hypebot the band within a year grew an email list from nothing to over six-figures.  In May/June of 2010 the band booked themselves at the Troxy in London and put up 6,000 tickets just to sell directly to their fans. Within a week they had sold every single ticket directly to their fans! They utilized their social media channels to get the word out along with the Topspin platform. Something else amazing to note is that at the venue management was able to scan tickets using a Topspin iPhone App!

There are also venues that are utilizing social media to help concert goers engage during concerts. A great example of that is the venue The Roxy in Los Angeles.  Unlike some venues that do not allow cameras in, The Roxy encourages social sharing from shows by providing free Wi-Fi to encourage livestreaming and taking and sharing pictures to their various personal social networks. According to Mashable @TheRoxy with 56,000 followers has become the #1 venue on Twitter.  By welcoming social media technology the venue effectively removed the “velvet rope” and made it possible have fans have direct conversation with the venue.

5 Tips On Getting a Job In The Music Industry

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I loved the post Tye White started and Hypebot picked up on advice for those wanting to work in the Music Business. I thought I would continue the conversation below:

1. Read Music Law in the Digital Age-The best book I have seen on the ever changing digital music industry.

2. Research. Whether you go into the concert industry or the digital music side of the business do research and make sure you understand how your company makes money. The music industry, especially the digital side is made up of very small margins. Try to think of ways to help your company grow and be proactive on how exactly you can help.

3. Attend conferences and mixers. Even if you are new and don’t have a job in the music industry yet you can still attend these. In the bay area there is a great conference called SF Music Tech and there are also SXSW mixers where you can mingle with people in the industry. Come prepared by making your own business cards, researching the speakers and attendees. Be sure to follow up after with thank you notes.

4. Find the people willing to spend time/talk with you and seek those people out. There a lot of people in the industry who guard their knowledge closely to the chest whereas there are folks who LOVE to talk. As an intern or someone looking to find out more information seek out the talkers and become close to them. Informational interviews are great way to learn more about how someone got the job they did. In these interviews focus all your energy and question on this person, they may give you great advice. This advice was borrowed from my interview with Andrew Prince, VP at the Venue Coalition.

5. Find a trusted group of colleagues/friends in the business. Whether you work with them, meet them at a conference or on twitter try to assemble a few trusted people to put in your corner. Whether they send you job postings, or you help them with your cover letter, someone in your industry around your level can be a great way to support each other to achieve your goals. Having someone to support each other during the difficult job impasses over a few drinks can also do wonders for the soul. Always make sure your giving as much as you are receiving.

Does anyone have any advice to add?

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