Groucho Marx famously said that he would never be a member of a club that accepted him as a member. So I guess I’m conflicted about Berklee giving me a distinguished alumnus award at this Sunday’s entering student Convocation Ceremony (feels like mine was just yesterday).

OK, really, it’s an honor — and I am also excited to give the speech to the new kids entering the college. I love Berklee and going there changed my life.

I’m really looking forward to the event.

Panos

So on Tuesday we loaded a (party) bus full of Sonicbids folks and went to see the Rhode Island band Resin open for one of the 13 Creed shows that were posted on Sonicbids through our relationship with Live Nation. This one was at Comcast Center in Mansfield MA, about 20,000 seats and 40 miles from the office.

You know, I live for moments like this. Going and checking out a Sonicbids band playing somewhere in this world and realizing “yeah, this is why I do my job”.

Panos

P.S. Would 18 Sonicbids people go to a Creed show normally? Probably not. But that’s the power of putting indie music on these stages. They attract a wholly new audience – and visa versa.

About six months ago, I met someone who was good friends with Les Paul. He came to the office, we talked a bit about his business, and then he said: “Hey, next week I’m going down to New Jersey to visit Les and have him autograph some guitars, wanna come with me?”

I grew up playing guitar and listening to jazz, so of course I had a deep respect for who Les Paul was. I mean, no other guy (other than maybe Leo Fender) has had such an impact on modern music as Les, who died last week at age 94.

Would there be a Beatles, a Hendrix, a Led Zeppelin, a Guns & Roses, or even rock music without Les Paul? I doubt it. I am not just talking about the fact that he practically invented the electric guitar, but also about all his innovations in sound and recording.

Well, unfortunately I over-thought the whole thing about taking a day trip to go and visit Les at his home in Jersey and turned it down. Too busy, too long of a trip, too much time out of the office, I’ll get to it later, etc. Talk about logic getting in the way of doing what’s a no-brainer.

Les, I never met you, but you were the man.

Panos

I know, I know. You would expect a guy like me to make a comment like this.

On my way back from grabbing lunch with Jeff here, we started talking about a type of personality that’s become extinct in the record business: the swashbuckling entrepreneur, the big personality, the brash young trailblazer that’s loved and feared at the same time. You know, David Geffen. Clive Davis. Chris Blackwell. Richard Branson. Berry Gordy. Sam Phillips. Irving Azoff. Brian Epstein. The people that gave the world the modern record business.

Here’s a list of artists and music that, had it not been for these guys, most of us may have never heard of: Elvis Presley, the Sex Pistols, Bruce Springsteen, Michael Jackson, The Eagles, The Beatles, Stevie Wonder, Neil Young, U2, Bob Marley, and the list goes on and on.

Like in sports, you need personalities for people to care (one reason why soccer in the States has not taken off). Big personalities attract attention, money, other creative types, and yes, they help bolster innovation and growth. Look at any business out there. The oil business had Rockefeller. The car business had Ford. The personal computer business had Steve Jobs and Bill Gates. The search business has the Google Guys. And so on.

The famous management guru, Peter Drucker, says that if you want to gauge the prospects of an industry, take look at its ability to attract top-notch young talent. When I was a kid, everyone wanted to work for a record label. Can you honestly name one person under 20 that genuinely dreams of going into the record business?

If there is to be a record business in the next 10 years (heck, the next 5 years for that matter) the industry needs to desperately work to attract the very kinds of personalities that made it such a fun (and lucrative, and innovative) business for such a long time. We can talk about all the negatives of the industry but can anyone argue with the fact that our shared cultural history would be poorer had Sam Phillips not recorded Elvis, or Chris Blackwell passed on U2, or Berry Gordy ignored a young Michael Jackson that danced for him by his pool?

But I am not taking about the major label world. I am talking about the ability for artists tomorrow to make a living through recorded music. And for that to happen we need innovation. We need entrepreneurship. We need capital. We need risk takers. We need the next generation of big personalities.

Panos

Over the past year, especially over the member dinners that I’ve hosted, I’ve heard from many indie artists that the thing they want the most are opening slots for major artists.

These are of course not always easy to get as opening slots, especially for artists with big draws are coveted by just about everyone: the headlining bands themselves who want to get someone they like on the bill (Peter Bjorn and John opening for Depeche Mode); the manager of the headliner who wants to promote a new band they signed (U2 and PJ Harvey back in the day); the agent who wants to bundle two bands for one price (I did that many a time in my past life) and of course the promoter, the sponsor, and just about everyone else.

I am happy to announce that today we launched a pilot program with Live Nation that will enable Sonicbids bands to open for Creed in 13 different markets:

Aug 6 Pittsburgh, PA Post Gazette Pavilion
Aug 8 Buffalo, NY Darien Lake PAC
Aug 9 Hershey, PA Hershey Park Pavilion
Aug 11 Saratoga Springs, NY (Albany) Saratoga PAC
Aug 13 Philadelphia, PA Susquehanna Bank Center
Aug 15 Wantagh, NY(Long Island) Nikon@Jones Beach Theatre
Aug 16 Holmdel, NJ (New York City) PNC Bank Arts Center
Aug 18 Boston, MA Comcast Center
Aug 20 Hartford, CT Comcast Theatre
Aug 21 Washington, DC Nissan Pavilion
Aug 22 Virginia Beach, VA Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre
Aug 25 Detroit, MI DTE Energy Music Theatre
Aug 26 Cleveland, OH Blossom Music Center

Our goal from the relationship is to open as many opening slots, for all kinds of shows, and for all kinds of genres (mainstream and not) over the coming year. (We also don’t plan to act as taste  editors of which headliners “deserve” Sonicbids opening slots; that’s not our job.)

This of course follows a number of recent listings where we’ve had bands open for artists like Motley Crue (Scarlet Sins); Kings of Leon (The Jakes), and a listing that’s still open where Keith Lockhart, conductor of the Boston Pops, will select an opening act for the Ben Folds show.

We work hard to make sure that selected bands get paid (opening bands for Creed will get $500 each; $1,000 for Ben Folds); and of course are given within reason the amenities that any opener would get: sound, lights, PA, catering, etc.

Ultimately we see these relationships as a win for everyone involved. Indie bands get to play on stages and in front of crowds that normally they would have had no chance of doing. The headliner gets and the promoter get to reach and embrace an audience (the indie band’s fan base) that normally may have shyed away from more “mainstream” shows.

More to follow.

Panos