First, let me say that it snowed. Yes, it snowed in London in October (got the photos to prove it; see above). I guess I brought the Boston weather with me.

We hosted the Member Dinner at Halepi, which is by far one of the best Greek Restaurants I’ve been to outside of Greece and Cyprus. Excellent food, authentic, great people (from Cyprus of course) and apparently the usual hang of locals like Richard Branson. Highly recommend it if you’re around town.

This is the first member event we hosted in London and it was a good eye-opener for me when it comes to the local indie scene. It seems that just like New York, London is so vast that it’s easy to get lost as an artist (unlike, say, Manchester where there is much more of a true integrated independent scene). And, unlike CMJ in New York, London lacks one big, seminal showcase event that can act as a true anchor for the local bands.

I’m continuously amazed how similar artists’ lives and issues are around the world. I got some great input about Sonicbids from the six members that came, with, I think the most insightful one (shared by all in attendance) that Sonicbids needs to do a better job educating you as a member, where you are relative to the others in the community. Sort of a success map for how to best use the service. This is spot on as I realize that you can be doing really well but not really knowing what the next step ought to be.

Our member get-togethers have been great so far as they not only yielded good insights about the local scenes and Sonicbids but have also produced tangible results: The new Submission Tracker and the new Gig Listings that we are launching in the next few weeks are direct byproducts of input we got from these dinners.

As far as the rest of the conference, not sure to be honest. I like coming to these events as they give me the chance to get together with people that I know in a more casual setting, see some good music, have a new insight or two about the business, and of course get to know some new folks (I find that contrary to popular perception, people in the music business are generally nice people who share a positive passion).

I would rate Musexpo Europe’s ability to help you meet and hang out with folks top shelf; Sat does a great job with organization (only conference in the world where all your meals are covered); and the intimacy of the event is refereshing. But man, the panels are boring. There’s a lot of opportunity in our business but people (especially those who’ve been around for ever) like to talk about the problems. There’s a lot of excitement in what’s going on today in our business, but the old boy and girl network likes cynicism. I also find that too many panelsists just spoil the chance to have a meaningful dialogue.

Off to Seville next, but not before I catch the Arsenal vs. Spurs match later tonight and then some showcases. We beat West Ham 2-0 by the way on Sunday. (And can you believe that someone that I know randomly in the US, who had no idea I’m in London, saw me on TV at the game?)

Panos

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