One of the cool listings we had on Sonicbids the past few weeks resulted in  Family of the Year opening for Ben Folds and the Boston Pops last night.

I did not have the chance to attend the concert but I saw this awesome clip of the band on the local news channel NECN. We are committed to keep bringing more open slot listings on Sonicbids.

Panos

P.S. Update:  Just got this awesome photo from Tess who went to the show.

I am presenting a free webinar today, hosted by Billboard Magazine and BrandWeek, and sponsored by Sonicbids, titled “Matching Independent Musicians to Your Brand: How to Choose a Musical Act to Promote your Brand and Boost Sales”. Other speakers are Cortney Harding, who covers Independent Music for Billboard, and Steve Knill, president of Banshee Music.

I’ll be talking about how the Artistic Middle Class is changing the rules of branded marketing, and offering examples of major consumer brands that are using independent music successfully for their marketing campaigns.

You can read more about the webinar and register free here.

Panos

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

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

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

I am happy to announce that even in this economy, we have our priorities straight here at Sonicbids.

Just this week we extended by another three years, our commitment to be a major sponsor (and submission platform) of South By Southwest Music, a relationship that we started back in 2004 and plan to extend all the way to 2012 at least. (Be on the lookout for submissions opening for the music festival around the end of the month.)

SXSW, along with CMJ (another event that we have been supporting since 2004) is one of a handful of events that manage to elevate the indie music scene on the world stage.  With well over 1,800 bands paying the festival each year, I can hardly name another event that has done more for bringing new music to the fore than SXSW.

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