I was in San Francisco last weekend and had the chance to experience (and run) the 98th annual Bay To Breakers 12K road race. Well, calling it a road race would be a bit like calling Elvis a “singer” – it just doesn’t do it justice.

Anyway, though this blog post is really a lame excuse to post the picture above of me and the Elvis dudes (really, click on it), I was also struck by all the places that featured live music: at the starting line; all along the course; at a festival following the race called “Footstock”.

My point is, everyone talks about the crisis the music business is in but all you have to do is look around you and you’ll see that indie music is performed at more places than ever before. I call this a renaissance not a crisis.

Like Malcolm Gladwell says, to beat Goliath you just have to fight the battle using unconventional means. Like getting paid to perform at road races for thousands of captive spectators.

Panos

I love this city. Great music, nice people, awesome food, views to die for.

Last night we hosted our San Francisco member dinner at Mezes, which if you’re in the Bay Area, you should absolutely check out. I like hosting our member dinners at Greek restaurants for two reasons: I know what to order; I know that Greek food makes the conversations flow.

We had a great turnout, and as usual, I loved getting to know everyone and getting feedback. Nothing beats meeting people in person, getting sincere input, understanding local music scenes better and ultimately, realizing that no matter the city or country, music and Sonicbids is the common language.

Here’s some of the feedback that I got:

•    Rejections suck. I know that. I got some great ideas about ways that we can at least assist in easing the blow, especially when you pay your hard earned money;

•    Feedback rocks. Everyone at the dinner agreed that it’s important that bands get better feedback about how to improve, even when they are turned down. Perhaps easier tools for promoters can accomplish this;

•    More Stats. Again, everyone was in agreement that it would be good to know when you, as a Sonicbids member, ranks relatively to your peers in the community.

•    More Video. Artists have more than one video, especially now with YouTube. Give more video options and also make it bigger (full screen).

•    Make it Local. There’s a need for more local gigs and gig swapping.

•    Great stuff, I had no idea. I am continuously amazed at how little even power users know about features that we have on Sonicbids. This tells me that we are not doing a great job telling people how to get the most out of Sonicbids.

I like to be open about the feedback that I get from members because I want to get more of it. I also believe that by making it all public, I am walking the walk.

Thanks again to everyone that came: Ashley, Philip, Danny, both Melissas, Kate, Chris, Brent, David and Stacy. And thanks as well for your follow up emails and tweets.

Panos

This is a great event. It’s my first time at SanFan MusicTech summit but I wished that more events were like this one: small, informal, great attendance, jammed with people you want to meet, thought-provoking panels, one day and done.

I was on a paneled called “Reaching Fans” about how new societal trends are changing the way that artists connect with fans. Other participants on the panel were Jeremy Welt (Warner Bros.); Dave Devore (FanMail); Aaron Clarke (Mozes); Dave Champine (Local Music Vibe); and Sean O’Connell (Music Allies: also moderator).

Some interesting key themes (you can also check out the following tweet for an audience member’s perspective – scroll down a page or so):

• It’s a Conversation. The old broadcast media (radio, TV, cable) were only a one-way communication channel. The Internet is all about a conversation. Are you conversing with your fans? Are you engaging them and listening or are you doing all the talking?

• Your Fans are Individuals. Tools today enable us to understand more and more about customers. Do you know who your fans are? Are you targeting them in bland mass messages or are you segmenting them and talking to them in different ways.

• Know your Superfans. Similar to the above, do you know who your best fans are? Are you treating them as a one-size fits all or are you offering them something special?

• Have a “Chief Communications Officer.” In an increasingly complex environment, who controls your message? Do you have a consistent message across all platforms or are you letting all kinds of stakeholders (manager; label; etc,) splinter your messaging. Take cue from political campaigns.

• Participate and Engage – on an ongoing basis. Jeremy from Warner Bros. talked about Ashley Tisdale commenting on fans’ YouTube videos about her and joining in the conversation. Fans today expect you to be engaged – on an ongoing basis.

• Invite your fans into the process. I talked about DeadMau5 and how he engaged fans by using an iPhone app that enables users to remix his album. Do you have a strategy for tapping into your fans’ desire to participate in the process with you?

Clearly, same old, same old no longer works. Time to put your creativity to use to build your fan-base relationships.

Panos

I guess I’m getting addicted to the Virgin America wi-fi thing (hence the writing of this post is occurring at 30,000 feet above ground).

I am en route to San Francisco to attend and speak at the SanFran MusicTech Summit on Monday. I’m on a panel titled “Reaching Fans” which kicks off bright and early at 9:20 AM.  Hope you can attend – and if you are, by all means come up and say hi.

We are also hosting a member dinner on Tuesday for artists from the Bay Area (Kimberly is also joining me). I really look forward to it, it’s been a few months since I’ve had the chance to host one of these -– and they’re  always insightful. Many of the features that we launched these past few months are a direct result of these dinners and feedback from members.

This is the ninth one we’ve hosted following Toronto, New York, Seattle, Berlin, London, Seville, Groningen and Cannes (I kinda sound like James Bond, but trust me, it’s all work). Curiously, I have not hosted one in Boston which makes me think that I should soon.

Panos

I’m a big fan of Malcolm Gladwell’s writing, even though every once in a while his points tend to be a bit fuzzy (I thought Blink was so-so). That said, he never stops being thought-provoking all the while being entertaining.

This week he has a great article in the New Yorker called “How David Beats Goliath” which I found absolutely fascinating. Basically, beat your opponent by competing on your terms, not his.  If you’re part of the indie music scene, be it as an artist, promoter or businessperson, give a read – and take heed.

His point is consistent with his new book “Outliers” which discusses how in many ways, the difference between people who are superstars in their fields and everyone else is sheer effort. Turns out, people like the Beatles, and Tiger Woods, and Bill Gates all put in at least 10,000 hours of “practice” before they mastered their respective subjects.

Practice does make perfect. And beats the opponent. I’m going back to work now.

Panos

I wrote the piece below as an op-ed for Mass High Tech.

When I started Sonicbids nearly eight years ago, the last place I expected I would get support from was City Hall. Granted, I was born and raised in Europe where government handouts are de rigueur; but as an entrepreneur in the early 2000’s it had never crossed my mind. (Obviously, today is another story.)

In the early days of Sonicbids I ran the company out of a place called Tech Space in the South End, and one day some City Hall people stopped by for (seemingly) one of those visits that civil servants tend to have: a lot of polite talking, attentive listening, smiling, etc. but of little tangible substance.

I remember saying to one of them “Here I am, taking all this risk to get a business going, working hard to employ people, paying Boston rents and Boston salaries, but what is City Hall doing for businesses like Sonicbids? I mean, if I have a barbershop, I can get assistance because I have a “storefront”; if I’m Gillette, I have everyone’s ear. Somehow Sonicbids, as an Internet business falls in no man’s land – but we are the future of this town”.

That forceful comment (along with, I guess, my persistent nature) ended up creating a chain of events that led to City Hall giving us a low-six-figure loan to help us hire three new people in 2005; and a few years later another loan that enabled us to build-out and move to our own 15,000 sq.ft. office space in the South End. (Sonicbids has grown from just about ten people in 2005 when we got the loan to nearly 50 today – with that early loan providing the critical tipping point.)

Just as importantly, it sparked a drive within me to engage and educate other entrepreneurs and public officials about the common sense and business-sense that public-private alliances make.

I’ve since co-founded a program, along with City Hall, called Boston Young Entrepreneurs to help young people make their business ideas a reality; I co-chaired a City-backed non-profit called CREATE Boston that helps bolster Boston’s creative economy; I am the chairman of the Presidential Advisory Council at my alma mater, Berklee College of Music; and I am also on the Board of Directors of a new initiative by Mayor Menino called Boston World Partnerships, that helps connect companies and professionals with Boston’s talent pool.

I do all this mostly because it’s my way of giving back to a city that I feel has given me a lot (To Whom Much is Given, Much is Expected). But I also do this because it just makes great business sense.

Through my involvement with these initiatives, I have gotten to meet all kinds of people that either directly or tangentially have helped Sonicbids grow in size and stature. I’ve met financiers and venture capitalists; journalists and writers; business partners and future employees; heck, even architects and furniture makers; all of which in one way or another have become part of the Sonicbids story and growth.

As tech entrepreneurs and business people we are trained to focus on the target – to keep the eye on the prize – and just go for it. We think of life outside of business and family as a distraction, a waste of time, something for someone else. We also tend to think that civic engagement is not suitable for people of our drive and ambition and capitalist leanings – it’s just a bit too mushy, too touchy feely, too darn lefty.

But the truth is that our businesses are only as good as the people they employ. And nothing shapes people more than the very communities they are a part of, the social systems that support them, the societies they form and sustain. And our businesses don’t function outside of these institutions  – they rather shape and are shaped by them and the quality of the people that govern and participate in them.

So go out there and get involved. It will not just make you feel great – it will also help you and you business grow.

Panos

I spent the day Saturday attending Stinkfest, a Family Music conference in Brooklyn. I spoke on a panel called “TV, Books & Beyond: What Drives A Family Music Brand?” and I found the discussion on the panel, which was about a genre of music that admittedly I’m just beginning to learn more about, absolutely fascinating.

Most people in our business tend to look down on children’s music artists. Don’t ask me why. Maybe it’s just the stereotypes that people tend to have about the genre: cheesy, over-simplified, dumbed-down music created by stunted-growth weirdos.

I gotta say, I was blown away by the whole experience of attending Stinkfest. I found the artists in attendance well informed, entrepreneurial and just as world savvy as their indie-music brethren.

The depth of the scene staggering: there’s music sold along with children’s books; music made for children’s TV; music made for educational video games; music sold along with children toys; children’s clothing brands that are looking to tap into music as a means of promotion; music festivals like Lollapalooza and Austin City Limits that have dedicated stages for kids’ music; there’s children’s music podcasts and blogs targeting young mothers; educational DVDs that feature — you guessed it — children’s music; and of course music played in Children’s Museums; family events; church gatherings, etc. And, interestingly, CD sales of family music are alive and kicking still. Why? Because kids are tactile.

Children’s music artists: you have my respect. I can assure you you’ll be seeing a lot more appropriate listings on Sonicbids in the near future.

Panos

P.S. Talk about creative. The entire Stinkfest took place in a cool theater called Jalopy. We need more music events that happen in music venues. Enough with the boring hotel decore.