The past few weeks have been absolutely insane for me (so I apologize for the dearth of posts).

Amidst all this insanity, we found time to host a “tweetup” with Scott and Brent (the creative head in charge of all music programming) from South By Southwest this past Wednesday. I am sure many of you wonder what on earth is a tweetup and I will admit I had no idea myself until this week. You can read more here. (Basically, a party where folks are encouraged to tweet – go figure).

Seven tips that I picked up by talking with Brent about what they look for when booking artists:

1. Have Live Video. Yup, pretty obvious. Brent says that even a rough live video, shot with an iPhone tells him more about a band’s energy and audience rapport than say a sleek video. And it makes all the difference in the world.
2. Be creative with your EPK. Don’t use your Sonicbids EPK bio page to give folks a lengthy dissertation on you life’s story (“I was born in so-so in 1984 and always loved music”). Be witty, be creative, have fun with it. It tells a lot to the perspective booker.
3. Show you care. Don’t treat building your EPK and your submission as drudgery. Take time to pick cool photos (ideally live shots), put together the best songs you have, fill out your calendar shows, and in general, show you care.
4. Build your online presence. Now at Sonicbids, we offer promoters like the folks from SXSW access to things like number of MySpace friends, latest blog posts about a band, Last.fm listens, etc. Folks like SXSW don’t just want to know what you say about yourself – they want to know what others say about you too.
5. Get some bloggers to review you. Yes, reviews matter. And nowadays, getting some cool bloggers to talk about your music maybe even more important than a review in your local paper.
6. Show you can draw a crowd. Ultimately, the club that’s showcasing you at SXSW needs to sell beer to pay the bills. Make sure you communicate in your EPK (photos, video, calendar dates with capacities, reviews) that you know how to pull them in.
7. Build up your relationships. Old-school, right? Perhaps, but relationships matter. I can’t tell you how many times I meet bands that never bother following up, staying in touch etc. If you want to make a living playing your music, you will need to hone this skill. Yes, having your hometown alt-weekly writer, or some indie music blogger put in a word for you can make a difference. Business is, after all, all about relationships.

Panos

For those of you who did not have the chance to participate in the Billboard/BrandWeek Webinar that we sponsored, you can access the whole thing, on demand, from the Billboard site.

Some highlights:

• There is more demand than ever from brands for great music that resonates with consumers;

• There is a market shift, with independent music becoming highly desireable to marketers because of its authenticity, ease of procurement, and because it generally costs less than major label music (but not free);

• 78% of brands have visual guidelines but only about 24% have audio guidelines. Isn’t that amazing?

A couple of good questions that we did not have the chance to answer during the webinar:

Q: Are there any don’ts in conducting battle of the bands digitally?

A: Yes. Some of the ones that quickly come to mind are: 1) Make sure that you define your objectives upfront (if it’s meant to promote your brand, don’t send them to another site; if you want to capture consumer contact info, make sure that you have the right to contact them, etc.); 2) Do your best to prevent voting fraud (people find ways to circumvent the system); 3) make sure that what you offer the bands has real value to them, otherwise they won’t care (i.e. telling them that the grand prize is “worth $50,000” when it’s a bunch of junk is not acceptable) ; which leads me to 4) Treat bands with respect. You are trusting them, after all, to be viral carriers of your message.

Q: Is it wise to hold a contest for indie artists to be in a commercial or is it better to just hire someone?

A: I guess it depends on your objectives. Creative contests have the ability to raise viral awareness about a brand (through the bands to their fans) that can generate excitement and interest about a new product, well before a commercial is even aired. And you can usually accomplish that for a fraction of the cost of just what one major network-aired ad costs (and be more effective). On the other hand, if that’s not the objective and you are working on a coordinated marketing campaign that’s kicked off all at the same time, then perhaps hiring the artists without a whole lot of fan fair is best.

Happy to answer more questions. In the meantime, feel free to browse my personal power point below.

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.

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

The decline of what we now call “terrestrial” radio in the US started well over a decade ago. The reasons have been fairly well documented: obsession with strict “formats”, risk-averse corporations that killed all the personality DJs, gradual cultural irrelevance due to evolution of other media, etc.

The shocking news from Boston yesterday was the shutting of one of the city’s venerable rock stations, the 40-year old WBCN (in the US all radio stations are named using “callsigns”).

For those not from Boston, WBCN was the so-called “Rock of Boston”. The station was instrumental in introducing US audiences to bands from “across-the-pond” like The Police and U2; and Boston bands like Aerosmith and The Cars got their first national breaks through the station. (WBCN’s annual Rock & Roll Rumble, a 30-year old Battle of the Bands, was also a great vehicle for many young bands to get national exposure).

The truth is, radio lost its relevance to the current generation of listeners a while ago. The constraints of its business model (expensive to operate, more and more difficult to attract advertisers due to lack of audience targeting) make it seem like a business anachronism compared to say, the Internet, with its cost efficiencies, vast audiences, and ability to target to your heart’s content.

More critically, like old-school record shops, radio stopped being a place where you go to discover great new music since at least the turn of the decade. The broadcast model in order to be successful requires a very large but very targeted audience (hence, the format model). And to reach a large audience you need music that appeals to the lowest common denominator (Kelly Clarkson? Nickleback?). With a plethora of music discovery options out there (Internet stations; Pandora; iTunes; LastFM; podcasts; satellite radio; video games; MySpace; Twitter; Facebook; etc.) why resort to that?

I have personally not consciously turned on a radio station since 2007 (no joking, that’s the year that I got satellite radio in my car). I use my iPhone to listen to music (check out all the cool apps that exist) and I discover new artists all kinds of ways that have nothing to do with listening to a morning DJ on the way to work.

So does radio have a future as a cultural medium? Perhaps — if it fights back. Time to put new music discovery on the top of the corporate agenda.

Panos

Michael Jackson was world-famous because he was supremely talented. He sold 120 million records across the planet because, simply put, he made great music. He was by all accounts an exceptionally hard-working perfectionist; he wrote some of the best-known songs of all time; he was a shrewd businessman; and he pioneered moves that have changed the face of modern dance.

Michael Jackson was also the last superstar of his kind. He was the last in a lineage that can be traced all the way back to Bing Crosby and Frank Sinatra; then Elvis; The Beatles; and finally Michael. They are all entertainers that changed both the way that we listen to music but also pushed cultural and societal boundaries to a whole new level.

Michael Jackson single-handedly gave rise to the hit-driven, superstar-centric music business of the late-70’s and 80’s. If you think about it, when most of us think of the “music business” we think of the one that Michael Jackson created: mega-selling albums; lavish music videos that get played non-stop on MTV; consecutive Billboard Chart-topping singles; songs that get endlessly played on cross-format radio; stadium-filling tours with huge productions; superstars that collaborate with consumer brands to promote colas or cars or clothing. In other words, everything that I often declare as an anachronism on this blog.

In a funny way though, Michael Jackson also helped give rise to the concept of the modern, empowered artist. He was the first artist to really demand and get complete control of all aspects of his career: he wrote his own songs; he co-produced his own music; had complete oversight of the way he was marketed; chose his directors and had total creative control of his videos; negotiated by all accounts some of the most favorable recording deals ever; understood the value of owning your music publishing when Madonna was still a drummer in a New York underground band called “The Breakfast Club”; and knew that in the end, the only thing that matters, is your relationship with your fans (all this in a pre-Twitter, pre-Facebook era).

Michael Jackson’s death (on my birthday of all days) represents the formal passing of the Superstar era. There will never be another Michael Jackson just like there will never be another Beatles, not because great music is not created every single day today but because the era of the mass market is over. (Music today influences us as a collective force, rather than an individual one.)

It’s worth remembering though, that besides giving birth to the music business of the big, bloated budgets and hit-obsessed labels, Michael Jackson also helped create the concept of the artist as a proactive entrepreneur.

Here’s to you Michael, the world’s first empowered artist.

Panos

Just back from the first Billboard Music & Advertising Conference that took place in New York City last Thursday and Friday. I thought Billboard did a great job organizing the event and it seems that attendance exceeded their wildest expectations. Why? Because most of us in the industry know that in many ways, Madison Avenue represents the future of music discovery by the masses.

My biggest regret about the conference is that all panels seemed to talk too much about major label music (admittedly, my favorite: Cadbury’s Gorilla ad) and not enough attention was given to the shifting consumer trend towards independent music.

I gave a quick 8-minute speech on and why these brands should spend more on promoting themselves by using independent music. Here are my notes:

The internet has given rise to a new type of artist, what we call the Artistic Middle Class. They are different than every other group of artists that preceded them and here’s how:

•    Today’s independent artists are high quality. Costs of production and ability to get gigs have dropped to nearly nothing — giving the ability to artists to experiment and hone in their craft. There is no discernible difference between a major label produced album and a home produced one.

•    Independent artists are entrepreneurial. They take charge and make things happen, They know how to market themselves and connect with audiences using all available media, especially online (social, twitter, etc.).

•    They are pragmatic. Gone are the days when artists did not want to have anything to do with brands. This new breed of artist knows how to work and collaborate with brands to reach an audience. They realize that consumer brands are the new labels, the new arts patrons. And these artists are willing to get exposure in exchange for realistic fees.

• They are inexpensive – and easy to work with. Unlike major label artists with large entourages of managers and agents and publishers and pubicists, indie artists will cost less but give you a whole lot more.

•    Collectively, the artistic middle class reaches a lot of people. The mass market in music is dead; long live the mass of niches. The average artist on Sonicbids has a base of 1,000 fans that they to talk to daily. That’s 200 million people.

•    Independent artists know how to connect – and how to develop relationships. Today’s music world is all about having a conversation with your audience. There is no longer a barrier between artists and fans. Engagement and dialogue and collaboration with fan base is key (Twitter).

•    Indie music is authentic and uncompromising. Because of falling costs of production, distribution, and marketing, independent artists can make a living while staying true to who they are. There’s integrity in the Sound – and audiences crave authenticity.

•    Independent artists appeal to young consumers’ sense of individualism. It used to be that I got my sense of belonging by listening to music that all my peers listened to. Today, I get my sense of individualism by listening to music that expresses  me.  Why? It’s easier today to find and connect with music. They reject status quo. Independent music appeals to this sentiment.

My point: consumers are moving away from mass produced, mass consumed music. Time for Madison Ave. to follow suit.

Panos