TargetSpot is a company that will allow advertisers, even very small ones, to buy ads for online radio. The ability to create a drop in an ad to a specific group at the very last minute has its appeal, though it is likely that mobile ads will be pitched in exactly the same way. (For example, if you work downtown, you can get a cellphone ad for special deals from nearby restaurants."
The advantage of any of these concepts for local music is the opportunity for music venues to reach people making last-minute plans for something to do.
A Virtual Ad Agency for Online Radio - New York Times: "'A restaurant near Times Square could realize at 11 a.m. on a Tuesday that it had seven open tables for lunch,' he said, 'and then the owner or manager could go online and target people in the 10036 ZIP code who make more than $75,000 a year.'...
“[A chocolate maker] would be able to advertise to men in certain locales he identified, and select placement next to love songs rather than heavy-metal music,” said [David Goodman, president of marketing for CBS Radio], 'because those listening to love songs are much likelier to buy his product.'...
TargetSpot’s Web site will offer advertisers the ability to record ads by microphone, telephone, prerecorded audio files, computer-generated speech or voice professionals. Sound effects and jingles will be available on the site, as well as images or logos."
Monday, April 30, 2007
Denver indie labels
Denver has seen an explosion of talented indie bands in recent years and this article mentions some of the local labels working with them
The Denver Post - Local bands in tune with indie spirit
The Denver Post - Local bands in tune with indie spirit
Sunday, April 29, 2007
Musical innovation clusters
The author of this piece hopes to explore creativity in contemporary music.
The Creativity Exchange: It's Only Rock and Roll...: "But musical creativity occurs in sharp bursts, there are cycles of it. Sure, people are developing musical talent all along, but for a variety of reasons due to the social character of innovations, major outbursts of creativity occur in bunches or clusters. Major innovations in jazz for example occurred in the period from roughly 1920 through the 1950s, roughly. In rock and roll, innovation starts in the late 1940s, with upticks in the mid-1960s, and mid-to-late 70s, according to rock critic and social theorist Simon Fricke ....
But these concentrated bursts of transformative energy are not evenly spread across geography. They occur in space as well as in time. In other words, they cluster, concentrate and pull talent into tight spaces or scenes. Just think about the San Francisco Bay Area in the 1960s and 1970s, producing a series of stunning innovations in semiconductors, computing, software and the like, all the while informing a much broader process of cultural change and musical innovation, from its vibrant music scene to its advances in commerce and distribution especially with the invention of large music festivals."
The Creativity Exchange: It's Only Rock and Roll...: "But musical creativity occurs in sharp bursts, there are cycles of it. Sure, people are developing musical talent all along, but for a variety of reasons due to the social character of innovations, major outbursts of creativity occur in bunches or clusters. Major innovations in jazz for example occurred in the period from roughly 1920 through the 1950s, roughly. In rock and roll, innovation starts in the late 1940s, with upticks in the mid-1960s, and mid-to-late 70s, according to rock critic and social theorist Simon Fricke ....
But these concentrated bursts of transformative energy are not evenly spread across geography. They occur in space as well as in time. In other words, they cluster, concentrate and pull talent into tight spaces or scenes. Just think about the San Francisco Bay Area in the 1960s and 1970s, producing a series of stunning innovations in semiconductors, computing, software and the like, all the while informing a much broader process of cultural change and musical innovation, from its vibrant music scene to its advances in commerce and distribution especially with the invention of large music festivals."
Saturday, April 28, 2007
Best live music club in Kyiv
You can find a "Best of" list for many cities, including Kyiv, Ukraine
Kyiv Post. Best live music club
Kyiv Post. Best live music club
The Toronto Scene
This email was sent to
Bob Lefsetz He emailed it out to his subscriber list. I don't know that it is posted online, so I am putting it here. I'm going to guess that neither Bob nor its author will mind.
The email touches upon something that I think will come to shape live music, and perhaps our perception of who is successful and who isn't.
Given the increased costs of touring, and the shrinking number of label deals, I think a lot of bands probably will never move beyond their local scenes, but that is fine. It's about creativity and community. So the definition of "the next big thing" may change from who has a national impact to who has a local impact.
___
I've been meaning to write you for a while but only found some time today. I'm at work and everybody else is in meetings so I'm stealing time to do what I want. I'm a musician living in Toronto, trying to balance a full-time job with an obsession with music. This is pretty common practice for me and a lot of folks I know. We all spend 40 hours a week doing jobs that we don't care too much about, dreaming of the whistle at the end of the day when we can go home and create. Nobody I know considers working a day job to be a hold-over before we get rich and famous (as I'm sure a lot of musicians do); most of us have come to terms with the fact that this is the way its going to be for the rest of our lives. And I think, for the most part, we're all okay with that.
I would never assume that we were the only ones who felt this way but I can say that I feel Toronto has a pretty unique thing going on. Let me give you a little background on what it's like to play music here...
This city has experienced a cultural renaissance over the last few years and, even though I only moved here in 1999 and am by no means an authority, it's generally agreed that Toronto's music scene has never been as healthy as it is now. I'm not talking about Nu-Metal bands playing for a line of teenagers at the Reverb. I'm not talking about shined-up rockers who brag about the A&R reps that were at their Friday night showcase at the Horseshoe. I'm not talking about buzz bands that swing through town for a one-off at the Phoenix. I'm talking about the real homegrown community that exists here, that peculates below the surface, sustained entirely by the people who create, contribute to and take part in it.
My introduction to this world came thanks to the Wavelength music series. As a freshly minted Torontonian, the weekly series gave me a window into what was really going on in the city. You could always count on unique and interesting bands on Sunday nights and, as time wore on, I could see what it was doing to help plant the seeds for a vibrant climate for independent music in Toronto. Partly inspired by Jonny Dovercourt and the other folks who helped kick off Wavelength, it seemed that every forward-thinking guitar player or show-goer started to try their hand at putting on shows, putting out records and generally throwing their two cents in the pile. It's continued exponentially since then and now there's almost too much to see or do in the city every week.
Labels like Blocks Recording Club and Fig Records have made it possible to work with like-minded people that live where you live, venues like Sneaky Dee's, the Boat and the Tranzac have opened their doors to the weird and wonderful underbelly, promoters/booking agents like Eric Warner, Keith Hamilton and Steve Himmelfarb have ensured that good bills are happening all the time and new series like the All Caps all-ages shows (booked by Ryan McLaren) and the Poor Pilgrim experimental weekly (booked by Matt Cully) have provided a consistent supply of amazing live music. Surrounding cities like Hamilton and Brantford have come on board too, building strong communities of their own and providing more outlets for people just like us to play.
The masses don't know about this stuff and the weekly papers only just scratch the surface of it but the people who are surrounded by it rarely think of anything else... and I think you'd be surprised how many of us there are. Shows by local bands are constantly sold-out, hand-crafted CDs are flying off the shelves at Soundscapes and Rotate This and people who just live down the street are responsible for the most important pieces in our record collections. Records by Glissandro 70, the Constantines, Rockets Red Glare, Les Mouches and many more are far more important to us then what would normally be considered a "classic" record.
Aspirations for the big-time just don't come into play. Truthfully, the real big-time seems pretty ugly to most of us. In Toronto, we aspire to impress our peers. We set up shows with our favourite local bands and try to out-do one another. Most of the people who show up in the audience are other musicians and the mutual enthusiasm for each other's work is what keeps us coming back. If we do look outside of Toronto, we look to similar communities and people around the world (something like this exists, to varying visibility, in ever city) to latch onto what we're doing and visa versa.
There's been a lot of international attention put on people like Feist, Broken Social Scene, and Final Fantasy lately but I don't think that would have happened if those people didn't get their hands dirty in this community first. Sure, a couple favourable write-ups in Eye can give way to some coverage on CBC, which can give way to a Pitchfork review (and from there, world adoration), but all of those musicians would tell you that it was the local support that truly launched them. And that's why you still see Kevin Drew or Leslie Feist or Owen Pallett at the Boat on a Friday night or watching some new band at Sneaky Dee's on a Wednesday. They know the terrain and, I think, they're just as eager to boost up Toronto as anybody still operating within it. And the cycle will continue... when the world starts talking about Jon-Rae and the River, Oh Bijou, Great Lake Swimmers or any number of local bands poised to take things to that next level, those bands aren't going to forget where they came from. In fact, they're gonna try their hardest to bring their friend's bands along for the ride.
It's this support system and overall good vibration in the city that makes it easier to play music without making tons of money. Nobody really makes any significant dollars around here, a lot of people lose some with every show, but the reaction that we receive from the crowds or the encouragement we get when somebody says "Hey, I want to help you put out a record" is more than enough.
I guess I just wanted to give you a glimpse of what's going on here, if for nothing else than the fact that it's a pretty remarkable model of where I think things could go in the music "industry". We buy locally, we go out and support our friends, we don't wait for somebody else to put things together for us, we just try it out for ourselves...
Without that, I'm sure we'd all be left wondering why we spend 40 hours at our jobs and another 40 at home recording or practicing every week. With it though, there's really no other way to live. I could work a shitty job for the rest of my life, just as long as I got to play for friends and peers in the city every few weeks.
I don't doubt that this phenomenon is happening in cities all over the world - an alternate music industry that never wanted much to do with the old model. The more that this localization and collaboration spreads, the less relevant big time marketing and publicity stunts seem to matter. I could avoid ever listening to a mainstream pop act again if I wanted to and I couldn't be more thrilled about that. I'm interested in seeing what this community and other like-minded people in suburbs and cities elsewhere have to offer and I spend my time scouring the Internet for the chance. I haven't been into an HMV in 4 or 5 years and I haven't paid $50 for a ticket to a show or a t-shirt since I was 15. It's going to stay that way and I know that there are a lot of people who have made a similar vow.
Anybody that thinks they need marketing dollars and radio plays to feel successful is missing the point entirely. To really feel like you made it, all you need is some supportive people around you and a local community that cherishes its own.
Best regards,
Neil Haverty (of Bruce Peninsula, www.bruce-peninsula.com)
PS - if I've piqued your interest about Toronto, check out these links...
Wavelength Toronto - http://www.wavelengthtoronto.com - weekly music series still going strong
Stillepost.ca - http://www.stillepost.ca - local message board, responsible for a lot of community bonding/bickering
Poor Pilgrim - http://www.myspace.com/poorpilgrim - local avant-garde music series
All Caps - http://www.allcaps.ca - all-ages show promoter Ryan McLaren
Aperture Enzyme - http://www.apertureenzyme.com - local photo galleries
Over the Top - http://www.overthetopfest.com - Eric Warner's annual music festival
Fig Records - http://www.figrecords.com - new label with lots of local releases coming up
Blocks Recording Club - http://www.blocksblocksblocks.com - well-known Toronto-loving label
The Ford Plant - http://www.thefp.ca - amazing all-ages venue in Brantford, ON
Oh Bijou - http://www.ohbijou.ca
Great Lake Swimmers - http://www.greatlakeswimmers.com
Jon-Rae and the River - http://www.theriversings.com
Bob Lefsetz He emailed it out to his subscriber list. I don't know that it is posted online, so I am putting it here. I'm going to guess that neither Bob nor its author will mind.
The email touches upon something that I think will come to shape live music, and perhaps our perception of who is successful and who isn't.
Given the increased costs of touring, and the shrinking number of label deals, I think a lot of bands probably will never move beyond their local scenes, but that is fine. It's about creativity and community. So the definition of "the next big thing" may change from who has a national impact to who has a local impact.
___
I've been meaning to write you for a while but only found some time today. I'm at work and everybody else is in meetings so I'm stealing time to do what I want. I'm a musician living in Toronto, trying to balance a full-time job with an obsession with music. This is pretty common practice for me and a lot of folks I know. We all spend 40 hours a week doing jobs that we don't care too much about, dreaming of the whistle at the end of the day when we can go home and create. Nobody I know considers working a day job to be a hold-over before we get rich and famous (as I'm sure a lot of musicians do); most of us have come to terms with the fact that this is the way its going to be for the rest of our lives. And I think, for the most part, we're all okay with that.
I would never assume that we were the only ones who felt this way but I can say that I feel Toronto has a pretty unique thing going on. Let me give you a little background on what it's like to play music here...
This city has experienced a cultural renaissance over the last few years and, even though I only moved here in 1999 and am by no means an authority, it's generally agreed that Toronto's music scene has never been as healthy as it is now. I'm not talking about Nu-Metal bands playing for a line of teenagers at the Reverb. I'm not talking about shined-up rockers who brag about the A&R reps that were at their Friday night showcase at the Horseshoe. I'm not talking about buzz bands that swing through town for a one-off at the Phoenix. I'm talking about the real homegrown community that exists here, that peculates below the surface, sustained entirely by the people who create, contribute to and take part in it.
My introduction to this world came thanks to the Wavelength music series. As a freshly minted Torontonian, the weekly series gave me a window into what was really going on in the city. You could always count on unique and interesting bands on Sunday nights and, as time wore on, I could see what it was doing to help plant the seeds for a vibrant climate for independent music in Toronto. Partly inspired by Jonny Dovercourt and the other folks who helped kick off Wavelength, it seemed that every forward-thinking guitar player or show-goer started to try their hand at putting on shows, putting out records and generally throwing their two cents in the pile. It's continued exponentially since then and now there's almost too much to see or do in the city every week.
Labels like Blocks Recording Club and Fig Records have made it possible to work with like-minded people that live where you live, venues like Sneaky Dee's, the Boat and the Tranzac have opened their doors to the weird and wonderful underbelly, promoters/booking agents like Eric Warner, Keith Hamilton and Steve Himmelfarb have ensured that good bills are happening all the time and new series like the All Caps all-ages shows (booked by Ryan McLaren) and the Poor Pilgrim experimental weekly (booked by Matt Cully) have provided a consistent supply of amazing live music. Surrounding cities like Hamilton and Brantford have come on board too, building strong communities of their own and providing more outlets for people just like us to play.
The masses don't know about this stuff and the weekly papers only just scratch the surface of it but the people who are surrounded by it rarely think of anything else... and I think you'd be surprised how many of us there are. Shows by local bands are constantly sold-out, hand-crafted CDs are flying off the shelves at Soundscapes and Rotate This and people who just live down the street are responsible for the most important pieces in our record collections. Records by Glissandro 70, the Constantines, Rockets Red Glare, Les Mouches and many more are far more important to us then what would normally be considered a "classic" record.
Aspirations for the big-time just don't come into play. Truthfully, the real big-time seems pretty ugly to most of us. In Toronto, we aspire to impress our peers. We set up shows with our favourite local bands and try to out-do one another. Most of the people who show up in the audience are other musicians and the mutual enthusiasm for each other's work is what keeps us coming back. If we do look outside of Toronto, we look to similar communities and people around the world (something like this exists, to varying visibility, in ever city) to latch onto what we're doing and visa versa.
There's been a lot of international attention put on people like Feist, Broken Social Scene, and Final Fantasy lately but I don't think that would have happened if those people didn't get their hands dirty in this community first. Sure, a couple favourable write-ups in Eye can give way to some coverage on CBC, which can give way to a Pitchfork review (and from there, world adoration), but all of those musicians would tell you that it was the local support that truly launched them. And that's why you still see Kevin Drew or Leslie Feist or Owen Pallett at the Boat on a Friday night or watching some new band at Sneaky Dee's on a Wednesday. They know the terrain and, I think, they're just as eager to boost up Toronto as anybody still operating within it. And the cycle will continue... when the world starts talking about Jon-Rae and the River, Oh Bijou, Great Lake Swimmers or any number of local bands poised to take things to that next level, those bands aren't going to forget where they came from. In fact, they're gonna try their hardest to bring their friend's bands along for the ride.
It's this support system and overall good vibration in the city that makes it easier to play music without making tons of money. Nobody really makes any significant dollars around here, a lot of people lose some with every show, but the reaction that we receive from the crowds or the encouragement we get when somebody says "Hey, I want to help you put out a record" is more than enough.
I guess I just wanted to give you a glimpse of what's going on here, if for nothing else than the fact that it's a pretty remarkable model of where I think things could go in the music "industry". We buy locally, we go out and support our friends, we don't wait for somebody else to put things together for us, we just try it out for ourselves...
Without that, I'm sure we'd all be left wondering why we spend 40 hours at our jobs and another 40 at home recording or practicing every week. With it though, there's really no other way to live. I could work a shitty job for the rest of my life, just as long as I got to play for friends and peers in the city every few weeks.
I don't doubt that this phenomenon is happening in cities all over the world - an alternate music industry that never wanted much to do with the old model. The more that this localization and collaboration spreads, the less relevant big time marketing and publicity stunts seem to matter. I could avoid ever listening to a mainstream pop act again if I wanted to and I couldn't be more thrilled about that. I'm interested in seeing what this community and other like-minded people in suburbs and cities elsewhere have to offer and I spend my time scouring the Internet for the chance. I haven't been into an HMV in 4 or 5 years and I haven't paid $50 for a ticket to a show or a t-shirt since I was 15. It's going to stay that way and I know that there are a lot of people who have made a similar vow.
Anybody that thinks they need marketing dollars and radio plays to feel successful is missing the point entirely. To really feel like you made it, all you need is some supportive people around you and a local community that cherishes its own.
Best regards,
Neil Haverty (of Bruce Peninsula, www.bruce-peninsula.com)
PS - if I've piqued your interest about Toronto, check out these links...
Wavelength Toronto - http://www.wavelengthtoronto.com - weekly music series still going strong
Stillepost.ca - http://www.stillepost.ca - local message board, responsible for a lot of community bonding/bickering
Poor Pilgrim - http://www.myspace.com/poorpilgrim - local avant-garde music series
All Caps - http://www.allcaps.ca - all-ages show promoter Ryan McLaren
Aperture Enzyme - http://www.apertureenzyme.com - local photo galleries
Over the Top - http://www.overthetopfest.com - Eric Warner's annual music festival
Fig Records - http://www.figrecords.com - new label with lots of local releases coming up
Blocks Recording Club - http://www.blocksblocksblocks.com - well-known Toronto-loving label
The Ford Plant - http://www.thefp.ca - amazing all-ages venue in Brantford, ON
Oh Bijou - http://www.ohbijou.ca
Great Lake Swimmers - http://www.greatlakeswimmers.com
Jon-Rae and the River - http://www.theriversings.com
The high-risk, high-energy concert promotion business.
C3 knows concerts: "Charlie Jones, Charlie Walker and Charles Attal, nicknamed "the three Charlies" in the industry, are gearing up for the outdoor concert season, presenting Lollapalooza in Chicago in August, the Austin City Limits Music Festival in September and the new Big State Festival, with Tim McGraw headlining, in College Station in October. They're also producing shows at the new House of Blues in Dallas, five Harrah's Casinos and at Austin venues ranging from Stubb's Bar-B-Que to the Erwin Center. ...
Jones says his mentor, O'Connor, once said that if Jones wasn't prepared to put half his money in a suitcase and throw it off the tallest building in town, he didn't have the stomach to be a concert promoter. Attal likens the job to playing blackjack 12 hours a day. Sometimes you lose big. But on that recent Tuesday, the three Charlies were on a roll.
Long popular in Europe, festivals are a hot trend in the U.S. concert industry, and C3 owns two of the four most prominent pop music festivals. California's Coachella and Tennessee's Bonnaroo are the other two.
'People are busy,' Walker said of festivals' appeal. 'To go to, say, five concerts in the summer, it takes a lot of time and effort and expense. But with a festival, fans can can block off three days and see tons of great bands.'
A knock on festivals is that they can be at hot, uncomfortable, dusty fields where fans are treated like herds of cattle, a perception Walker said C3 is working hard to change.
"
Jones says his mentor, O'Connor, once said that if Jones wasn't prepared to put half his money in a suitcase and throw it off the tallest building in town, he didn't have the stomach to be a concert promoter. Attal likens the job to playing blackjack 12 hours a day. Sometimes you lose big. But on that recent Tuesday, the three Charlies were on a roll.
Long popular in Europe, festivals are a hot trend in the U.S. concert industry, and C3 owns two of the four most prominent pop music festivals. California's Coachella and Tennessee's Bonnaroo are the other two.
'People are busy,' Walker said of festivals' appeal. 'To go to, say, five concerts in the summer, it takes a lot of time and effort and expense. But with a festival, fans can can block off three days and see tons of great bands.'
A knock on festivals is that they can be at hot, uncomfortable, dusty fields where fans are treated like herds of cattle, a perception Walker said C3 is working hard to change.
"
Music festival crowd control
Over the next few months I will be researching problems in running music festivals. Here's something I found in referene to last year's Austin City Limits festival.
Music Editor Survives Austin City Limits Music Festival!:
Pluses & Minuses
Pluses: An amazing lineup each day, a mix of stars, known, unknown, cult and locals, remarkably consistent in quality though lacking somewhat in breadth of genres, made possible by the promoters’ good judgment and reportedly a performer payroll of nearly a million dollars (reduced dramatically by paying Willie in weed). Really low ticket prices – hard to pin down after the fact, but it seems it was about $100 for a three-day pass, less for an entire day than you’d pay for one show by one of the bands in a club, maybe even that night in town. Few scheduling conflicts, indicating a real effort to put bands that might draw similar crowds on at different times. Sets that started amazingly on time, though some ended before their scheduled finish time, leaving you to walk up expecting to hear a good 20-30 minutes and instead catching only part of the last song. Nearly perfect placement of stages and monitoring of sound levels, so you only heard who you wanted to hear, yet at sufficient volume. I don’t think I witnessed a single equipment malfunction, except maybe the sound for TV on the Radio. Even more startling – not a single altercation did I see, not even a discouraging word did I hear, with sardine crowds and 200,000 hot tired sweating mostly-under-30s sucking down colossal quantities of beer (think it would be that peaceful in other cities?). It was an overwhelmingly white crowd, so no racial tensions to speak of, and the rowdy youth factor may have been missing because, well, Austin’s just a very laid back place where people, at least at this huge gathering, seemed to respect each other and just be looking for good music and a good time. The vibe was exceptional.
One more kudo for the organizers: they had interpreters for the deaf for at least three quarters of the performances, and they were a smiling, dancing, hip-shaking bunch who added to the good feeling. I spoke to a couple of them, who said it was pretty fast-paced as they scooted from stage to stage to start or relieve in 20-minute shifts, that they had to listen very carefully to catch lyrics (though the Flaming Lips seemed to provide a notebook), and that, yes, they did almost feel like they were part of the band. The best moment I saw was when Terri Hendrix went into a low-growled scat that sent the surprised interpreter into a finger-bending flurry.
Minuses: Besides the few minor points already mentioned, only one other Big Bad Thing stood out: the buses. There was no parking at the grounds, so everyone who didn’t bike (a bit of a ride in nasty traffic) or hike (a very healthy hike, especially considering that’s all you’d be doing for the next 10 hours) or take a taxi, had to come on shuttle buses which all left from one point downtown – not so bad, because people showed up at various times. But they also returned from only one … one … one little curb at Zilker Park, where about 64,850 people were in one line, trying to leave at about the same time. Friday night I did the turtle shuffle for an hour and a half before joyously plopping down in a gloriously chilled bus. Saturday I thought I’d get smart and skip the bus death march for a quick jump into a taxi – what could it be, five bucks for a shared ride back to downtown? – well worth avoiding the infinite line … only to discover that no one else had that bright idea and I was the only one going back to Republic Square. I had to pay the full 15-dollar fare for a solo ride (with a driver with a non-Texas accent who had no clue where the center-of-Austin landmark square was – I gave him directions) – after an hour-plus wait in the taxi line. Sunday it was back to the bus brigade, thankfully not nearly so long because I did the smart thing and … skipped festival closer Tom Petty.
Music Editor Survives Austin City Limits Music Festival!:
Pluses & Minuses
Pluses: An amazing lineup each day, a mix of stars, known, unknown, cult and locals, remarkably consistent in quality though lacking somewhat in breadth of genres, made possible by the promoters’ good judgment and reportedly a performer payroll of nearly a million dollars (reduced dramatically by paying Willie in weed). Really low ticket prices – hard to pin down after the fact, but it seems it was about $100 for a three-day pass, less for an entire day than you’d pay for one show by one of the bands in a club, maybe even that night in town. Few scheduling conflicts, indicating a real effort to put bands that might draw similar crowds on at different times. Sets that started amazingly on time, though some ended before their scheduled finish time, leaving you to walk up expecting to hear a good 20-30 minutes and instead catching only part of the last song. Nearly perfect placement of stages and monitoring of sound levels, so you only heard who you wanted to hear, yet at sufficient volume. I don’t think I witnessed a single equipment malfunction, except maybe the sound for TV on the Radio. Even more startling – not a single altercation did I see, not even a discouraging word did I hear, with sardine crowds and 200,000 hot tired sweating mostly-under-30s sucking down colossal quantities of beer (think it would be that peaceful in other cities?). It was an overwhelmingly white crowd, so no racial tensions to speak of, and the rowdy youth factor may have been missing because, well, Austin’s just a very laid back place where people, at least at this huge gathering, seemed to respect each other and just be looking for good music and a good time. The vibe was exceptional.
One more kudo for the organizers: they had interpreters for the deaf for at least three quarters of the performances, and they were a smiling, dancing, hip-shaking bunch who added to the good feeling. I spoke to a couple of them, who said it was pretty fast-paced as they scooted from stage to stage to start or relieve in 20-minute shifts, that they had to listen very carefully to catch lyrics (though the Flaming Lips seemed to provide a notebook), and that, yes, they did almost feel like they were part of the band. The best moment I saw was when Terri Hendrix went into a low-growled scat that sent the surprised interpreter into a finger-bending flurry.
Minuses: Besides the few minor points already mentioned, only one other Big Bad Thing stood out: the buses. There was no parking at the grounds, so everyone who didn’t bike (a bit of a ride in nasty traffic) or hike (a very healthy hike, especially considering that’s all you’d be doing for the next 10 hours) or take a taxi, had to come on shuttle buses which all left from one point downtown – not so bad, because people showed up at various times. But they also returned from only one … one … one little curb at Zilker Park, where about 64,850 people were in one line, trying to leave at about the same time. Friday night I did the turtle shuffle for an hour and a half before joyously plopping down in a gloriously chilled bus. Saturday I thought I’d get smart and skip the bus death march for a quick jump into a taxi – what could it be, five bucks for a shared ride back to downtown? – well worth avoiding the infinite line … only to discover that no one else had that bright idea and I was the only one going back to Republic Square. I had to pay the full 15-dollar fare for a solo ride (with a driver with a non-Texas accent who had no clue where the center-of-Austin landmark square was – I gave him directions) – after an hour-plus wait in the taxi line. Sunday it was back to the bus brigade, thankfully not nearly so long because I did the smart thing and … skipped festival closer Tom Petty.
Friday, April 27, 2007
New Orleans Jazz Fest shows off local music scene
New Orleans Jazz Fest: A celebration of a city reborn - USATODAY.com: "Though shuttered hotels and fewer conventions have hurt musicians, particularly jazz players, the club scene has bounced back full force, with more live venues per capita than any U.S. city....
The 2006 fest crowd was 70% regional. Outsiders hesitated, Davis suspects, because they were uncertain clubs and restaurants were functioning and because media images of Katrina horrors scarred memories....
A recent Mount Auburn Associates study commissioned by Louisiana Lt. Gov. Mitch Landrieu estimates that close to two-thirds of the city's musicians have returned [to live there]. "
The 2006 fest crowd was 70% regional. Outsiders hesitated, Davis suspects, because they were uncertain clubs and restaurants were functioning and because media images of Katrina horrors scarred memories....
A recent Mount Auburn Associates study commissioned by Louisiana Lt. Gov. Mitch Landrieu estimates that close to two-thirds of the city's musicians have returned [to live there]. "
Using San Diego Music to Lure Tourists
Local music as part of the San Diego Convention and Visitors Bureau campaign.
SignOnSanDiego.com > News > Business -- Plugging the music: "As part of the promotion, ConVis created a two-CD set of music featuring San Diego artists who were recruited and licensed through partner Insomnia Radio, a distribution network of podcasts, online publications and alternative media Web sites in major U.S. markets.
The compilation features 22 tracks by local bands and artists such as Burnt and The Shambles, and aims to lure reasonably well-heeled Gen-X males with young families who might want to create a vacation that includes catching a band between family forays to the beach or zoo. ...
Along with national “ahhhhhhh” cable television spots that are now airing, ConVis is working with radio stations in major markets such as New York and Chicago to promote San Diego's music scene.
In conjunction with the promotion on Insomnia Radio, ConVis is also advertising on VH1, the cable music video channel, and its affiliated soul and classical music VH1 channels. In return, VH1 is promoting San Diego through cable spots on its Save the Music Foundation, a nonprofit organization that donates money to enhance or restore music education programs in U.S. public schools....
David Peckinpaugh, president and chief executive officer of ConVis, said the music scene promotion has the dual virtue of novelty and affordability. The bureau is spending about $1.1 million on this year's national marketing campaign, which includes television spots and the Insomnia Radio/VH1 promotion.
'It's groundbreaking, innovative – and relatively affordable,' said Peckinpaugh, whose agency has seen its budget – now at $8.8 million – slashed by 37 percent since fiscal 2003. 'We are trying to maximize our marketing dollars through creativity.'
ConVis has created sandiego.org/music, where music lovers can learn about select bands and San Diego's music venues, purchase music-related travel packages and enter a sweepstakes to win a trip to San Diego.
It is still too early to tell whether the music promotion will lure the coveted Gen-X visitor, and statistics about which advertising might move a potential tourist are fuzzy at best. One minor indicator: So far, more than 3,000 Web site visitors have entered the Soundscape sweepstakes contest.
Some local music-industry experts were skeptical that the campaign would generate much additional tourism, but they lauded the idea anyway.
Harlan Schiffman, president of San Diego's Fineline Entertainment, which provides talent to local music clubs such as Brick By Brick and The Casbah, said that when people travel to San Diego to hear music, it is usually a well-known, national act that draws them.
'Our local music is worthy of mention by all means,' Schiffman said. 'Unfortunately, our proximity to Los Angeles has overshadowed the music scene in San Diego – a lot of bands may start off here, but to get notoriety or exposure they go to L.A. and play the clubs up there.'
Some San Diego musicians who contributed to the Soundscape CD said they have benefited from the exposure and predict San Diego will too.
Bart Mendoza, whose band The Shambles performs its song 'Change' on the CD, said that in recent weeks his group has received 'phenomenal' airplay, signed with San Francisco's Zip Records label, and landed a European tour.
Mendoza has also received e-mails from people in Japan who indicated they were coming soon to visit San Diego and wanted to know where he was playing. He credits exposure from the Soundscape CD for the queries.
SignOnSanDiego.com > News > Business -- Plugging the music: "As part of the promotion, ConVis created a two-CD set of music featuring San Diego artists who were recruited and licensed through partner Insomnia Radio, a distribution network of podcasts, online publications and alternative media Web sites in major U.S. markets.
The compilation features 22 tracks by local bands and artists such as Burnt and The Shambles, and aims to lure reasonably well-heeled Gen-X males with young families who might want to create a vacation that includes catching a band between family forays to the beach or zoo. ...
Along with national “ahhhhhhh” cable television spots that are now airing, ConVis is working with radio stations in major markets such as New York and Chicago to promote San Diego's music scene.
In conjunction with the promotion on Insomnia Radio, ConVis is also advertising on VH1, the cable music video channel, and its affiliated soul and classical music VH1 channels. In return, VH1 is promoting San Diego through cable spots on its Save the Music Foundation, a nonprofit organization that donates money to enhance or restore music education programs in U.S. public schools....
David Peckinpaugh, president and chief executive officer of ConVis, said the music scene promotion has the dual virtue of novelty and affordability. The bureau is spending about $1.1 million on this year's national marketing campaign, which includes television spots and the Insomnia Radio/VH1 promotion.
'It's groundbreaking, innovative – and relatively affordable,' said Peckinpaugh, whose agency has seen its budget – now at $8.8 million – slashed by 37 percent since fiscal 2003. 'We are trying to maximize our marketing dollars through creativity.'
ConVis has created sandiego.org/music, where music lovers can learn about select bands and San Diego's music venues, purchase music-related travel packages and enter a sweepstakes to win a trip to San Diego.
It is still too early to tell whether the music promotion will lure the coveted Gen-X visitor, and statistics about which advertising might move a potential tourist are fuzzy at best. One minor indicator: So far, more than 3,000 Web site visitors have entered the Soundscape sweepstakes contest.
Some local music-industry experts were skeptical that the campaign would generate much additional tourism, but they lauded the idea anyway.
Harlan Schiffman, president of San Diego's Fineline Entertainment, which provides talent to local music clubs such as Brick By Brick and The Casbah, said that when people travel to San Diego to hear music, it is usually a well-known, national act that draws them.
'Our local music is worthy of mention by all means,' Schiffman said. 'Unfortunately, our proximity to Los Angeles has overshadowed the music scene in San Diego – a lot of bands may start off here, but to get notoriety or exposure they go to L.A. and play the clubs up there.'
Some San Diego musicians who contributed to the Soundscape CD said they have benefited from the exposure and predict San Diego will too.
Bart Mendoza, whose band The Shambles performs its song 'Change' on the CD, said that in recent weeks his group has received 'phenomenal' airplay, signed with San Francisco's Zip Records label, and landed a European tour.
Mendoza has also received e-mails from people in Japan who indicated they were coming soon to visit San Diego and wanted to know where he was playing. He credits exposure from the Soundscape CD for the queries.
A look at the potential impact of the Coachella and Stagecoach music festivals
thedesertsun.com | Marquee weekends: Local economy could get a $24 million boost "With 29 hotels and motels and 2,000-plus hotel rooms in Indio, many visitors must seek accommodations on west side of the valley."
Thursday, April 26, 2007
Classical music in non-traditional venues
The pioneer cellist - baltimoresun.com: "The first time Matt Haimovitz took the stage at the late and lamented New York club CBGB, where the Talking Heads and the Ramones got their first big boosts, he didn't feel entirely welcome.
'I was sandwiched between four or five punk bands, and I could feel a little resistance,' the Israeli-born, Montreal-based Haimovitz says of that night in 2002. 'I think the audience came to see if I would survive.'
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The unease wasn't surprising -- CBGB hadn't ever presented a classical cellist.
'I played one Bach suite,' Haimovitz says, 'and I could tell the bands were like, 'OK, kid, get lost,' But I wanted to stay as long as I could. I played another Bach suite, and then another.'
Haimovitz kept on going, even throwing in the world premiere of a piece written for him, before launching into his grand finale, his own arrangement of the legendary Jimi Hendrix version of the national anthem. The cellist won the day.
It has been like that most of the time since Haimovitz, 36, decided to branch out from the more traditional environs of classical music about seven years ago. ...
'...300 people were crammed in a room while there was a battle of the bands, heavy metal version, on the floor below. It was louder than anything I ever heard, but the people just focused in on my cello. It really showed the power of this music to withstand anything.'"
'I was sandwiched between four or five punk bands, and I could feel a little resistance,' the Israeli-born, Montreal-based Haimovitz says of that night in 2002. 'I think the audience came to see if I would survive.'
Advertisement
The unease wasn't surprising -- CBGB hadn't ever presented a classical cellist.
'I played one Bach suite,' Haimovitz says, 'and I could tell the bands were like, 'OK, kid, get lost,' But I wanted to stay as long as I could. I played another Bach suite, and then another.'
Haimovitz kept on going, even throwing in the world premiere of a piece written for him, before launching into his grand finale, his own arrangement of the legendary Jimi Hendrix version of the national anthem. The cellist won the day.
It has been like that most of the time since Haimovitz, 36, decided to branch out from the more traditional environs of classical music about seven years ago. ...
'...300 people were crammed in a room while there was a battle of the bands, heavy metal version, on the floor below. It was louder than anything I ever heard, but the people just focused in on my cello. It really showed the power of this music to withstand anything.'"
Tuesday, April 24, 2007
Mobile Phone Marketing
Sooner or later people will do this to market music clubs.
Product Tips You Can Use, by Way of Cellphone - New York Times, 4/24/07:Philips Simplicity Concierge, lets people send text messages to seek information about popular destinations in major cities — restaurants in Boston, for instance, or spas in London — and get a Yellow Pages-style listing of five options, including phone numbers for making reservations.
The recommendations made by the service, which will be available on the Internet and by cellphone through the end of the year, are being drawn from the content of Condé Nast Web sites. Under the arrangement, Philips is paying $5 million to the Condé Nast Media Group, a unit of Condé Nast Publications that handles marketing and sales for the company’s magazines and Web sites."
Product Tips You Can Use, by Way of Cellphone - New York Times, 4/24/07:Philips Simplicity Concierge, lets people send text messages to seek information about popular destinations in major cities — restaurants in Boston, for instance, or spas in London — and get a Yellow Pages-style listing of five options, including phone numbers for making reservations.
The recommendations made by the service, which will be available on the Internet and by cellphone through the end of the year, are being drawn from the content of Condé Nast Web sites. Under the arrangement, Philips is paying $5 million to the Condé Nast Media Group, a unit of Condé Nast Publications that handles marketing and sales for the company’s magazines and Web sites."
Saturday, April 21, 2007
Music and the environment
This a lengthy, but comprehensive look at what bands and other members of the music community are doing to reduce their environmental impact.
Among the tactics:
Using biodiesel in vehicles.
Buying renewable-energy credits.
Using solar generators.
Recycling materials and reducing the use of non-recyclables.
Encouraging more urban music festivals where fans can reach venues using public transportation.
The Austin Chronicle: News: How Green Is the Music?: Festivals, bands, and musicians seek environmental harmony: "[Una] Johnston took part in an internationally representative dais for the key panel discussion Greening the Music Industry. She was joined by moderator Neal Turley, an Austin local who improves the environmental profile of musical events with his company, Sustainable Waves, and operates three all-solar-powered stages that he helped design; Perry Farrell of Jane's Addiction and Porno for Pyros and the founder of the legendary Lollapalooza; Frank Mauceri, president of Chicago's Smog Veil Records, which is soon to be completely powered by on-site wind, solar, and geothermal energy; Rick Farman of Superfly Productions, which organizes the massive, jam-band-laden Bonnaroo Music & Arts Festival in rural Tennessee; Arnt Olaf Andersen, head of marketing for Oslo, Norway's biodiesel-powered, heavy-recycling Øya Festival; and Paul Diaz, owner of Atlanta's Tree Sound Studio, which has gone carbon-neutral in addition to helping bands produce albums in recycled and recyclable packaging.
'Science and technology are in a place now for the world to go though a major overhaul. What's lacking is a change of culture,' Farrell said. 'What I think the music community can do more than anybody else is inform people, act as a catalyst to change the culture,' all while making it 'fashionable, fun, and sexy.' Diaz noted that 'music has the unique ability to transcend cultural and political boundaries.' Added Turley, 'If music can get kids to wear their pants around their ankles, it can get them to clean up their lifestyles.' Turley and others are leading by example with their own increasingly eco-savvy events to create a new green standard in music – one they hope fans will take home from shows and replay throughout their everyday lives."
Among the tactics:
Using biodiesel in vehicles.
Buying renewable-energy credits.
Using solar generators.
Recycling materials and reducing the use of non-recyclables.
Encouraging more urban music festivals where fans can reach venues using public transportation.
The Austin Chronicle: News: How Green Is the Music?: Festivals, bands, and musicians seek environmental harmony: "[Una] Johnston took part in an internationally representative dais for the key panel discussion Greening the Music Industry. She was joined by moderator Neal Turley, an Austin local who improves the environmental profile of musical events with his company, Sustainable Waves, and operates three all-solar-powered stages that he helped design; Perry Farrell of Jane's Addiction and Porno for Pyros and the founder of the legendary Lollapalooza; Frank Mauceri, president of Chicago's Smog Veil Records, which is soon to be completely powered by on-site wind, solar, and geothermal energy; Rick Farman of Superfly Productions, which organizes the massive, jam-band-laden Bonnaroo Music & Arts Festival in rural Tennessee; Arnt Olaf Andersen, head of marketing for Oslo, Norway's biodiesel-powered, heavy-recycling Øya Festival; and Paul Diaz, owner of Atlanta's Tree Sound Studio, which has gone carbon-neutral in addition to helping bands produce albums in recycled and recyclable packaging.
'Science and technology are in a place now for the world to go though a major overhaul. What's lacking is a change of culture,' Farrell said. 'What I think the music community can do more than anybody else is inform people, act as a catalyst to change the culture,' all while making it 'fashionable, fun, and sexy.' Diaz noted that 'music has the unique ability to transcend cultural and political boundaries.' Added Turley, 'If music can get kids to wear their pants around their ankles, it can get them to clean up their lifestyles.' Turley and others are leading by example with their own increasingly eco-savvy events to create a new green standard in music – one they hope fans will take home from shows and replay throughout their everyday lives."
Highlighting local jazz in Boston
This article talks about a jazz festival in Boston and gives an overview of Boston's history as a jazz town from the 1950s to the present.
Scene & heard - The Boston Globe: "Jazz Week offers more than 150 events -- concerts, lectures, discussions, and family events -- at 50 venues in the city and suburbs....
The Jazz Week calendar confirms this in abundance: churches, high schools, community centers, bookstores, restaurants, and bars and cafes are all in the mix. Pauline Bilsky, JazzBoston's executive director, points out that many events are ones that would be taking place in a regular week; it's simply taken Jazz Week to highlight them under a common banner.
But the Boston jazz scene also faces some peculiar challenges. One is how to retain some of the talent that leaves town each year. Another is how to properly value what Harvey calls 'the indigenous scene' -- Boston's many professional musicians who might or might not teach at the schools but belong as much to the tradition in which jazz is transmitted through apprenticeship and osmosis, not curricula.
Brown points out that it's hard for these musicians to compete for gigs. 'Some of us have been playing here for up to 40 years,' he says. 'But a lot of promoters will go for a developing musician' -- one who costs less to book. As a result, Brown says, many of Boston's finest musicians are known for having trained major stars but are themselves rarely heard in local venues."
Scene & heard - The Boston Globe: "Jazz Week offers more than 150 events -- concerts, lectures, discussions, and family events -- at 50 venues in the city and suburbs....
The Jazz Week calendar confirms this in abundance: churches, high schools, community centers, bookstores, restaurants, and bars and cafes are all in the mix. Pauline Bilsky, JazzBoston's executive director, points out that many events are ones that would be taking place in a regular week; it's simply taken Jazz Week to highlight them under a common banner.
But the Boston jazz scene also faces some peculiar challenges. One is how to retain some of the talent that leaves town each year. Another is how to properly value what Harvey calls 'the indigenous scene' -- Boston's many professional musicians who might or might not teach at the schools but belong as much to the tradition in which jazz is transmitted through apprenticeship and osmosis, not curricula.
Brown points out that it's hard for these musicians to compete for gigs. 'Some of us have been playing here for up to 40 years,' he says. 'But a lot of promoters will go for a developing musician' -- one who costs less to book. As a result, Brown says, many of Boston's finest musicians are known for having trained major stars but are themselves rarely heard in local venues."
More venue changes in NYC
Gothamist: New York's Venues Are Changing, Closing, Opening: "With that in mind, it seems New York has been losing venues left and right as of late."
A city-wide music festival
Make Music New York :: Home: "The first annual MAKE MUSIC NEW YORK is coming to New York this June 21!
For one day a year – the first day of summer – public spaces in all five boroughs will become informal musical stages for all New Yorkers, amateurs and professionals, to perform for friends, neighbors, and passers-by, turning the city into a festival of live music making.
More than 300 cities around the world, from Paris to Panama to Phnom Penh, celebrate their own 'Make Music' events each June 21st. Join us for the first year in New York!"
For one day a year – the first day of summer – public spaces in all five boroughs will become informal musical stages for all New Yorkers, amateurs and professionals, to perform for friends, neighbors, and passers-by, turning the city into a festival of live music making.
More than 300 cities around the world, from Paris to Panama to Phnom Penh, celebrate their own 'Make Music' events each June 21st. Join us for the first year in New York!"
Monday, April 16, 2007
How to turn a working man's bar into a long-standing music venue
Denver's Herman's Hideaway is something of a Denver music scene institution. Big Head Todd used to be regulars. The Dave Matthews Band has played there. Here's a bit of history. An interview with Mike Roth.
Herman's Hideaway "My father, Allan, owns it now. My grandfather bought the place in '62, and it was called Cunningham's Lounge. It used to be a steak and lobster place, and a lot of the old-school, professional boxers used to hang out down here. Denver, back in the '60s, had a lot of professional boxers. ...
There used to be pictures of boxers all over the walls. Then, my grandpa turned it into more of a shot-and-a-beer joint. We had Gates rubber company and Samsonite, all right down the street on Broadway and I-25. They had shifts of workers, that would work 24 hours a day. What they would do, when they'd get off their shift- whether it was seven o'clock in the morning, three in the afternoon or nine in the evening- they'd come down here, and get drinks and shots, and run kind of "tabs", all week long. Then, they'd come down here, and my grandfather would cash their paychecks for a small charge, pay off their bills. That's how it ran from '62 to '82. It was that kind of place.
In '82, I was four years old. My father came in, as a booking agent up in Boulder and around the country, helping bands tour through and around. He came in in '82, and turned it into a live music venue. He ran it for like a year, but my grandpa didn't like the way it was going, so he pulled the plug on him.
... Didn't like the way it was going. But my father convinced him to give him another shot, and it just took off after that. Then, my father remodeled the place three times between '82 and '94. There were expansions. Three expansions."
Herman's Hideaway "My father, Allan, owns it now. My grandfather bought the place in '62, and it was called Cunningham's Lounge. It used to be a steak and lobster place, and a lot of the old-school, professional boxers used to hang out down here. Denver, back in the '60s, had a lot of professional boxers. ...
There used to be pictures of boxers all over the walls. Then, my grandpa turned it into more of a shot-and-a-beer joint. We had Gates rubber company and Samsonite, all right down the street on Broadway and I-25. They had shifts of workers, that would work 24 hours a day. What they would do, when they'd get off their shift- whether it was seven o'clock in the morning, three in the afternoon or nine in the evening- they'd come down here, and get drinks and shots, and run kind of "tabs", all week long. Then, they'd come down here, and my grandfather would cash their paychecks for a small charge, pay off their bills. That's how it ran from '62 to '82. It was that kind of place.
In '82, I was four years old. My father came in, as a booking agent up in Boulder and around the country, helping bands tour through and around. He came in in '82, and turned it into a live music venue. He ran it for like a year, but my grandpa didn't like the way it was going, so he pulled the plug on him.
... Didn't like the way it was going. But my father convinced him to give him another shot, and it just took off after that. Then, my father remodeled the place three times between '82 and '94. There were expansions. Three expansions."
Friday, April 13, 2007
The New Music Scene in NYC
Combining classical influences with experimental music and even pop and rock, these music groups are probably more indie/hip/cool than can be found in most hipster clubs.
Club Acts: Musical Events: The New Yorker: "Forty years ago, New York had just two full-time new-music ensembles: the Contemporary Chamber Ensemble and the Group for Contemporary Music. Now there are more than forty such outfits, from Alarm Will Sound to Wet Ink. Although these groups sometimes play in the uptown concert halls, they more often appear downtown and in Brooklyn....
"An exceptionally vital group of young composers is driving the proliferation of new music. As they pontificate on blogs and Web sites such as Sequenza21 and NewMusicBox, distribute music via MySpace pages and Internet radio, and post flyers for their shows, they act for all the world like unsigned rockers trying to make it in the city.... Classifying their work becomes tricky; many composers of Tignor’s generation are erasing the line between classical and pop, dispensing with performers in favor of laptops, incorporating improvisation and world-music practices, or singing their own art songs in semi-pop style. Complicating the picture further is a new breed of pop artist who composes on the side....
"Sometimes the blurring of boundaries leads to overamplified mush. Just as often, though, it generates a new kind of interstitial music—one that makes a virtue of falling between the cracks....
"Since George Gershwin’s time, people have been talking about a total synthesis of pop and classical traditions. Such a fusion is probably as undesirable as it is unattainable: genre distinctions are part of what makes music comprehensible in the first place. Nonetheless, all music exists on a continuum, and it’s thrilling when a programmer decides to follow a common thread from one genre to another....
"Everyone has something to gain from this exercise. Classical types can expose their wares to a new crowd: the youthful-intellectual demographic that classical presenters often talk about but seldom attract. At the same time, the so-called “pop” artists—none of them remotely of the Top Forty variety—can enjoy an atmosphere free of background chatter and clinking beer bottles. Listeners benefit the most; they experience familiar repertory from new angles or discover music that they otherwise might have missed."
Club Acts: Musical Events: The New Yorker: "Forty years ago, New York had just two full-time new-music ensembles: the Contemporary Chamber Ensemble and the Group for Contemporary Music. Now there are more than forty such outfits, from Alarm Will Sound to Wet Ink. Although these groups sometimes play in the uptown concert halls, they more often appear downtown and in Brooklyn....
"An exceptionally vital group of young composers is driving the proliferation of new music. As they pontificate on blogs and Web sites such as Sequenza21 and NewMusicBox, distribute music via MySpace pages and Internet radio, and post flyers for their shows, they act for all the world like unsigned rockers trying to make it in the city.... Classifying their work becomes tricky; many composers of Tignor’s generation are erasing the line between classical and pop, dispensing with performers in favor of laptops, incorporating improvisation and world-music practices, or singing their own art songs in semi-pop style. Complicating the picture further is a new breed of pop artist who composes on the side....
"Sometimes the blurring of boundaries leads to overamplified mush. Just as often, though, it generates a new kind of interstitial music—one that makes a virtue of falling between the cracks....
"Since George Gershwin’s time, people have been talking about a total synthesis of pop and classical traditions. Such a fusion is probably as undesirable as it is unattainable: genre distinctions are part of what makes music comprehensible in the first place. Nonetheless, all music exists on a continuum, and it’s thrilling when a programmer decides to follow a common thread from one genre to another....
"Everyone has something to gain from this exercise. Classical types can expose their wares to a new crowd: the youthful-intellectual demographic that classical presenters often talk about but seldom attract. At the same time, the so-called “pop” artists—none of them remotely of the Top Forty variety—can enjoy an atmosphere free of background chatter and clinking beer bottles. Listeners benefit the most; they experience familiar repertory from new angles or discover music that they otherwise might have missed."
How Ticket Prices Are Set
This article gives some background on how concert ticket prices are set. Essentially the act says how much it needs in guarantees, and then the venue has to work backward from that to determine how many tickets at what price it will need to sell to pay the artist and make a profit.
Why your concert ticket costs what it does: "The ticket price formula involves many factors, including the size of a venue, the artist's asking price, how much it will cost to produce the show in that venue and how much local fans are willing to pay. "
Why your concert ticket costs what it does: "The ticket price formula involves many factors, including the size of a venue, the artist's asking price, how much it will cost to produce the show in that venue and how much local fans are willing to pay. "
Tips for Hyper-Local Websites
This article has suggestions about hyper-local websites, essentially community news sites written by volunteer citizen journalists. Some of the ideas may be applicaable to local music sites as well.
Hyper-Local Citizen Media Sites Learn How to Serve Small Communities
Hyper-Local Citizen Media Sites Learn How to Serve Small Communities
Thursday, April 05, 2007
What the club owner really thinks of your band
"Shhhh-it!": Introducing Idolator's AnonIMous Music-Biz Interview Series - Idolator: "VivSavage1984: okay, so first question: do you actually read/care about music blogs?
RockClubBigWig: I do read them, every day, when I get to work. Just the major ones--Idolator, of course, Pitchfork, Brooklyn Vegan, Stereogum, Product Shop NYC, etc.
VivSavage1984: well, thanks for the plug. So, do the blogs have any big impact on what bands you guys book?
RockClubBigWig: Sometimes. I would say that more often, we book the bands first and then the blogs write about them. Blogs are more useful for finding out about shows going on at other venues.
VivSavage1984: really! interesting. well, what do you think about when blogs take credit for helping to 'break' a band? is there any merit to that? so what's the day-to-day of your job like?
RockClubBigWig: go over the schedule for the evening. listen to a lot of cd's and visit a bunch of myspace pages. respond (or don't respond) to a couple hundred e-mails. answer the phone. bullshit with colleagues. talk shit about shitty bands. and praise good ones. ... There are a lot of new venues. But there's a big market out there. I mean, I wish I could say that there's cutthroat competition in the New York live music scene. But it's kind of like, Clear Channel/Live Nation, whatever, they're on one side, and everyone else is on the other. And the balance seems to be tilting towards the independents. Irving Plaza, Nokia Theater, BB Kings: their booking has really gone downhill in the last couple years."
clubs
New York
Brooklyn
Williamsburg
RockClubBigWig: I do read them, every day, when I get to work. Just the major ones--Idolator, of course, Pitchfork, Brooklyn Vegan, Stereogum, Product Shop NYC, etc.
VivSavage1984: well, thanks for the plug. So, do the blogs have any big impact on what bands you guys book?
RockClubBigWig: Sometimes. I would say that more often, we book the bands first and then the blogs write about them. Blogs are more useful for finding out about shows going on at other venues.
VivSavage1984: really! interesting. well, what do you think about when blogs take credit for helping to 'break' a band? is there any merit to that? so what's the day-to-day of your job like?
RockClubBigWig: go over the schedule for the evening. listen to a lot of cd's and visit a bunch of myspace pages. respond (or don't respond) to a couple hundred e-mails. answer the phone. bullshit with colleagues. talk shit about shitty bands. and praise good ones. ... There are a lot of new venues. But there's a big market out there. I mean, I wish I could say that there's cutthroat competition in the New York live music scene. But it's kind of like, Clear Channel/Live Nation, whatever, they're on one side, and everyone else is on the other. And the balance seems to be tilting towards the independents. Irving Plaza, Nokia Theater, BB Kings: their booking has really gone downhill in the last couple years."
clubs
New York
Brooklyn
Williamsburg
Sunday, April 01, 2007
Festivals and sponsors
Although SXSW is arguing that they are trying to limit day parties so that the best acts don't just play corporate parties, that's not a very viable argument. SXSW has already gone on record saying this is an event for industry people, not fans, so having corporate day parties pitched to fans shouldn't be an issue.
Rather, SXSW, like the Olympics and other sponsored events, is trying to maximize the value it provides to paid sponsors and to limit ambush marketing.
However, as this blog entry points out, eliminating the unofficial day parties will likely eliminate opportunities for many bands to play. And a free-for-all, like Burning Man, may be more in keeping with indie music.
South by Southwest Festival - Reviews From the Music Festival in Austin, Texas - New York Times: "MAR. 18 | 5:40 PM
The Fort By JEFF LEEDS
... the Fort isn't affiliated with SxSW, officially. It's a project of the Fader magazine and other corporate sponsors: the big one is Levi's, but there is also signage for Microsoft, which kindly left out free stacks of Zune coasters to replace those shiny plastic discs people have been using. Anyway, the Fort is a leading example of what might be called the "shadow" SxSW, a sprawling array of private advertiser-backed parties that run day and night here in bars, clubs and temporary spaces built alongside the festival's official showcases. There are so many of these events -- sponsored by magazines, record labels, blogs and digital-music companies -- that a visitor to Austin last week could see many of the festival's major attractions, including performers like Amy Winehouse, without registering for the convention at all.
It's a tricky situation. The parties, collectively, give more bands chances to be seen (at least by whomever the advertisers choose to put on their guest lists). But SxSW has built a huge, reputable convention and festival, winnowing down its official performers from thousands of applicants -- maybe a modest imprimatur, but a genuine one. So does that mean the advertiser parties are parasitical, diluting the convention? Or do they create a symbiosis that lets more artists be seen and heard by more people?
It's a tension that hangs over all manner of arts events, from the Sundance film festival Park City, Utah, to the electronic/dance-centric Winter Music Conference in Miami.
But this year SxSW's annoyance with the proliferation of advertiser events has turned into a quiet crackdown. In particular, festival veterans point to a little-noticed lawsuit SxSW filed in a Texas court last November against Jelly NYC and LIVEstyle Entertainment, two New York event promoters who had planned to stage an day party or similar event at a downtown club called Speakeasy, a bit more than a block away from Sixth Street, the strip of bars and clubs at the heart of the festival. According to the lawsuit, the promoters were pitching advertisers on the idea of creating an event there called the "Concert Series at SxSW" and seeking a main sponsor who would pay $200,000 to be part of it.
SxSW sued the promoters for alleged trademark infringement. But the legal papers indicate the festival organizers want to do more than simply keep such corporate-backed events at arm's length. SxSW did not only ask for a court order preventing Jelly NYC and LIVEstyle from mentioning the festival by name in their marketing materials; organizers asked the court to block the promoters of "sponsoring, producing or participating in" any music event at all in the entire county during the running of the official SxSW. (The promoters pulled the event).
Critics suggest that SxSW is being overly protective and is actually reducing opportunities for artists to attend the festival, since the advertisers sometimes pay the way for bands to come; SxSW doesn't.
Roland Swenson, one of SxSW's three principals and its managing director, said he finds it odd that advertisers would accuse him of heavy-handedness. "We have these billion-dollar corporations that come in and cast themselves as the young rebels," he said. "They're not really willing to acknowledge that we created this environment that they're here to use for their own purposes."
Mr. Swenson said the advertisers ˜ many of which hold invitation-only events ˜ run counter to the "egalitarian" spirit of SxSW, where anyone who pays the registration fee has access to its events. An even bigger concern is the festival's continuing ability to book the best performers for its own official showcases.
'Frequently, the big fight for us is over the talent,' he said. 'What we are worried about is South by Southwest turning into an event where the acts that are most in demand only play these private corporate parties. If it turns into that, then why would anyone sign up for our event?'"
SXSW
music festival
indie
Rather, SXSW, like the Olympics and other sponsored events, is trying to maximize the value it provides to paid sponsors and to limit ambush marketing.
However, as this blog entry points out, eliminating the unofficial day parties will likely eliminate opportunities for many bands to play. And a free-for-all, like Burning Man, may be more in keeping with indie music.
South by Southwest Festival - Reviews From the Music Festival in Austin, Texas - New York Times: "MAR. 18 | 5:40 PM
The Fort By JEFF LEEDS
... the Fort isn't affiliated with SxSW, officially. It's a project of the Fader magazine and other corporate sponsors: the big one is Levi's, but there is also signage for Microsoft, which kindly left out free stacks of Zune coasters to replace those shiny plastic discs people have been using. Anyway, the Fort is a leading example of what might be called the "shadow" SxSW, a sprawling array of private advertiser-backed parties that run day and night here in bars, clubs and temporary spaces built alongside the festival's official showcases. There are so many of these events -- sponsored by magazines, record labels, blogs and digital-music companies -- that a visitor to Austin last week could see many of the festival's major attractions, including performers like Amy Winehouse, without registering for the convention at all.
It's a tricky situation. The parties, collectively, give more bands chances to be seen (at least by whomever the advertisers choose to put on their guest lists). But SxSW has built a huge, reputable convention and festival, winnowing down its official performers from thousands of applicants -- maybe a modest imprimatur, but a genuine one. So does that mean the advertiser parties are parasitical, diluting the convention? Or do they create a symbiosis that lets more artists be seen and heard by more people?
It's a tension that hangs over all manner of arts events, from the Sundance film festival Park City, Utah, to the electronic/dance-centric Winter Music Conference in Miami.
But this year SxSW's annoyance with the proliferation of advertiser events has turned into a quiet crackdown. In particular, festival veterans point to a little-noticed lawsuit SxSW filed in a Texas court last November against Jelly NYC and LIVEstyle Entertainment, two New York event promoters who had planned to stage an day party or similar event at a downtown club called Speakeasy, a bit more than a block away from Sixth Street, the strip of bars and clubs at the heart of the festival. According to the lawsuit, the promoters were pitching advertisers on the idea of creating an event there called the "Concert Series at SxSW" and seeking a main sponsor who would pay $200,000 to be part of it.
SxSW sued the promoters for alleged trademark infringement. But the legal papers indicate the festival organizers want to do more than simply keep such corporate-backed events at arm's length. SxSW did not only ask for a court order preventing Jelly NYC and LIVEstyle from mentioning the festival by name in their marketing materials; organizers asked the court to block the promoters of "sponsoring, producing or participating in" any music event at all in the entire county during the running of the official SxSW. (The promoters pulled the event).
Critics suggest that SxSW is being overly protective and is actually reducing opportunities for artists to attend the festival, since the advertisers sometimes pay the way for bands to come; SxSW doesn't.
Roland Swenson, one of SxSW's three principals and its managing director, said he finds it odd that advertisers would accuse him of heavy-handedness. "We have these billion-dollar corporations that come in and cast themselves as the young rebels," he said. "They're not really willing to acknowledge that we created this environment that they're here to use for their own purposes."
Mr. Swenson said the advertisers ˜ many of which hold invitation-only events ˜ run counter to the "egalitarian" spirit of SxSW, where anyone who pays the registration fee has access to its events. An even bigger concern is the festival's continuing ability to book the best performers for its own official showcases.
'Frequently, the big fight for us is over the talent,' he said. 'What we are worried about is South by Southwest turning into an event where the acts that are most in demand only play these private corporate parties. If it turns into that, then why would anyone sign up for our event?'"
SXSW
music festival
indie
Another NYC venue gone
Sin-�, Lower East Side Club - New York Times: "Yes, another one bites the dust: Sin-� (pronounced shih-NAY), after a weekend of goodbye shows, will close for good on Sunday. Over two decades and three locations, the owner, Shane Doyle, maintained it as a cozy, unassuming place for up-and-coming musical acts, charting the perimeters of gentrifying areas as surely as Starbucks now defines them. But two months ago, as wealthy neighbors and city and state regulators encroached, he decided his low-key vision was out of step.
'I look at this block, and I know it’s over,' Mr. Doyle, 55, said in an interview in his club on Attorney Street near Stanton. Once an industrial stretch of liquor warehouses and auto-repair shops, that block is now within spitting distance of several million-dollar apartment complexes. When those buildings’ residents started calling to complain of noise and crowds, he knew. 'Then the obvious thing is, O.K., let me go somewhere else,' he said. 'But I can’t find somewhere else. And even if I could the lifespan would be too short.'"
New York
live music
clubs
'I look at this block, and I know it’s over,' Mr. Doyle, 55, said in an interview in his club on Attorney Street near Stanton. Once an industrial stretch of liquor warehouses and auto-repair shops, that block is now within spitting distance of several million-dollar apartment complexes. When those buildings’ residents started calling to complain of noise and crowds, he knew. 'Then the obvious thing is, O.K., let me go somewhere else,' he said. 'But I can’t find somewhere else. And even if I could the lifespan would be too short.'"
New York
live music
clubs
A great quote about SXSW
I saw this in the print edition of The Onion about their day party. It seems to sum up the reason there are so many of them.
"Throwing your own party means you automatically have someplace to go."
Also, there was this on the party shutdowns.
"A series of text confirms that the cops have broken up nearly every scheduled after-party already. We smell a conspiracy. Could the SXSW committee by colluding with the police to put a stop to every unofficial showcase? Or has the Austin PD really just had it with turning a blind eye to all the late-night partying? Staying up until the wee hours at Factory People is one of our favorite SXSW traditions, and this year, it's been taken from us."
SXSW
"Throwing your own party means you automatically have someplace to go."
Also, there was this on the party shutdowns.
"A series of text confirms that the cops have broken up nearly every scheduled after-party already. We smell a conspiracy. Could the SXSW committee by colluding with the police to put a stop to every unofficial showcase? Or has the Austin PD really just had it with turning a blind eye to all the late-night partying? Staying up until the wee hours at Factory People is one of our favorite SXSW traditions, and this year, it's been taken from us."
SXSW
More on the Crooked Road
Heritage music tourism at its finest.
ContraCostaTimes.com | 04/01/2007 | Fiddles, banjos, a beat: It's Virginia bluegrass: "As author Joe Wilson explains in 'A Guide to the Crooked Road,' bluegrass got its start on the eastern shores of Virginia when violins carried over by European settlers were first played alongside banjos brought by African slaves. This Colonial-era fiddle-and-banjo music eventually moved west to the Appalachians, mingling with the traditional songs of the Scots-Irish and Germans traveling through the Shenandoah Valley. Some of these travelers stuck around, and their descendants play songs passed down through the years, each generation keeping the sound fresh with modern interpretations...
What's so special about the Friday Night Jamboree [in Floyd, VA]? For starters, $3 gets you four bands in four hours -- a musical mix typically kicking off with a beat-the-devil gospel set that primes the mixed-age crowd for the dancing and instrumental wizardry to come. Then there's the quality of the music. Everyone in town seems to be a musician, the descendant of a musician or at least good friends with somebody who plays banjo. Finally, there's the crowd, which often spills out into the street. Since 'granny rules' are in place -- no drinking, smoking or abusive language -- everyone's here for the sheer love of bluegrass."
virginia
crooked road
tourism
bluegrass
ContraCostaTimes.com | 04/01/2007 | Fiddles, banjos, a beat: It's Virginia bluegrass: "As author Joe Wilson explains in 'A Guide to the Crooked Road,' bluegrass got its start on the eastern shores of Virginia when violins carried over by European settlers were first played alongside banjos brought by African slaves. This Colonial-era fiddle-and-banjo music eventually moved west to the Appalachians, mingling with the traditional songs of the Scots-Irish and Germans traveling through the Shenandoah Valley. Some of these travelers stuck around, and their descendants play songs passed down through the years, each generation keeping the sound fresh with modern interpretations...
What's so special about the Friday Night Jamboree [in Floyd, VA]? For starters, $3 gets you four bands in four hours -- a musical mix typically kicking off with a beat-the-devil gospel set that primes the mixed-age crowd for the dancing and instrumental wizardry to come. Then there's the quality of the music. Everyone in town seems to be a musician, the descendant of a musician or at least good friends with somebody who plays banjo. Finally, there's the crowd, which often spills out into the street. Since 'granny rules' are in place -- no drinking, smoking or abusive language -- everyone's here for the sheer love of bluegrass."
virginia
crooked road
tourism
bluegrass
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