Show Recap: alt-J & Lord Huron at Stubb's, 09/28/13

Photo Credit: Emma Swan

Last night I was lucky enough to get the chance to attend the sold out alt-J and Lord Huron show at Stubb's Austin. I had seen both bands this summer when they played Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival but a festival set is so different from seeing a full live show that is just about those particular bands. Additionally, alt-J's performance was so packed full of people that I could barely tell what was going on. 

Lord Huron is a five-piece indie folk band who just released their first LP last year on IAMSOUND Records entitled Lonesome Dreams. It's an absolutely incredible feel-good album that, for me, has become a road trip staple soundtrack. Although their sound is incredibly different from alt-J it was a great way to start off the night. They were as upbeat and toe-tap inducing as I remembered them to be at Bonnaroo. Their set was about 45 minutes and they played all of the big hits from their record including "Ends Of The Earth," "Time To Run," and "The Man Who Lives Forever." They are the type of band to have everyone in the audience singing along and dancing around. 

After Lord Huron wrapped, English quartet alt-J took to the stage to headline the night. The one other time I'd seen them was at ACL Festival last year when they were just starting to pick up steam. They had an 11am set time which is typically the slot reserved for the up-and-coming acts and there weren't that many people in the park yet. Low and behold a year later and they're one of the biggest indie rock acts out there right now, having just won the Barclaycard Mercury Prize for their debut, An Awesome Wave. They have a much darker musical sound than their opener but it is very hypnotizing and I found myself in a trance several times! I had recently found an article and video on NME that was of them performing a new song and Reading and Leeds Festivals entitled "Warm Foothills" that I was really hoping to hear last night but unfortunately they did not play it. Their set was only an hour long as their LP is only 14 tracks long, one of those being and intro and another being an interlude. Regardless, it was a great performance and their lighting and fog machines really add to their presence. 

I absolutely look forward to sophomore albums from the both of these groups and to seeing them again at some point soon hopefully.

Photo Credit: witness-this.com

Show Recap: Omar Souleyman at Red 7, 08/29/13

Photo Courtesy of http://airwaves.grapevine.is/

I first discovered Syrian musician Omar Souleyman earlier this year when one of my colleagues at SXSW booked him to perform at our 2013 event. He performed for our Red Cross benefit show called "Our Hearts Ache for Syria" at Austin's Long Center for Performing Arts for which all of the proceeds went to aid the 80,000+ refugees of the Syrian crisis. The showcase had quite the impressive lineup, also including Black Lips, Deer Tick, and White Lung. However most people had absolutely no idea about the insanity that Souleyman went through to even get to Austin for his performance. I remember being back in the Music Festival Headquarters room at the Austin Convention Center and my colleague who had booked them panicking over the fact that he was stuck in the Middle East and might not even make it over. You can read all about the tribulations he experienced in The FADER's article, "Omar Souleyman takes the long road to SXSW." It is quite the fascinating story!

However, God willing, he did make it here just in time to perform. I unfortunately am not really able to get the chance to see any showcases during SXSW as I am running around working and checking on my own shows, and this was one I also had to miss out on. However, I had already been intrigued by Souleyman's music and his interesting background and hoped that he would eventually come back again. He had only been to Austin one other time to perform during the Chaos in Tejas festival in 2011, but at the time I wasn't living in Austin. Lucky for me, Transmission Events snagged him for a show on August 29th, one of his only three US tour dates. The only other two shows he played was for LA's FYF Fest and Pioneer Works 10 Year Anniversary show in New York. 

I suppose I should back up for a minute here and explain that Souleyman first started his career as a wedding performer in Syria in 1994. His traditional Middle Eastern folk music is performed in Kurdish and Arabic. Several years ago he was picked up by Seattle based label Sublime Frequencies who primarily focus on exposing international and world music artists. He released five albums on the label and through that has gained more prominent recognition in The States. He also did some absolutely amazing remixes of several Bjork tracks off her 2011 album, Biophilia. He is now on London's Ribbon Music/Domino Recordings label who are releasing his most recent album, Wenu Wenu.

Of course when I found out I had the opportunity to see Souleyman I jumped at the chance, having no idea when I'll even be able to see him again as he typically only performs overseas. Unfortunately the show was more sparsely attended than I would have liked to have seen, but I suppose he does cater to a niche market. Regardless, I was absolutely thrilled to have been there. Souleyman performs on stage with a DJ of sorts who runs his futuristic sounding tracks with the use of high-powered synthesizers. His style of music definitely has it's traditional roots but can appeal to a more mass audience because of his relatively heavy electronic sound. It's great dancing music and I can absolutely understand why he made such a name for himself in Syria through his performances at weddings and parties. He wears traditional Syrian garb and dark sunglasses, evoking a sense of mystery; I personally found myself entranced by his stage presence. 

Holding nothing but his microphone, Souleyman chanted out his lyrics and clapped his hands, encouraging the crowd to move and shake. Honestly the show was nothing like what I'd ever experienced before, and I have been to hundreds of shows. People who didn't even know each other grabbed hands and started a large dancing circle. Every single person in the venue seemed to be completely enthralled by this unique experience. And unlike so many musicians I've seen before, Souleyman had such a humble and thankful attitude toward his fans. He really didn't speak much, granted his English is sparse, but continually put his hands together and bowed his head toward the crowd to show his gratitude. 

Overall this show was one of the most mind-blowing I've ever seen. I truly hope that I have the opportunity to see him perform again in the future. World music is a genre that I don't know a ton about, however, Souleyman definitely encouraged me to open my horizons to what else is out there from an international standpoint. I strongly urge anyone who has the chance to see him to take to the occasion and go get your Syrian dance pants on! 

Applying Expert Advice to My Personal Business Plan

In my last post I discussed a couple of entertainment industry professionals and their impacts within their specific niches. One being Jon Taffer, a nightlife concept developer and host of Spike TV's Bar Rescue, and the other being award winning film producer and consultant, Kathryn Arnold. Through this research I have now recognized how important it is to review expert advice and some of their work before finalizing your own business plan. I would like to incorporate what I have learned from these two experts, as well as others, to ensure that my plan is strong, impeccable, and that it embodies a uniqueness that makes me stand apart from the rest. 

Before recently watching Bar Rescue for the first time, I honestly had never considered the idea of hiring a nightlife expert and his or her team of consultants to assist in the building of my future venue. To be entirely upfront, I really wasn't even aware that such a career position as Taffer's even existed. After seeing how positively a business and their employees can be impacted by the advice of such professionals, I will indeed factor this into my upstart budget. Firstly, I would like to sit down with a bar/venue consultant to review my overall proposal so that I may receive critiques and suggestions before moving forward with anything solid. Secondly, I hope to receive recommendations from this individual for other consultants that could benefit my business as well. Examples of this would include an interior designer, a mixologist, and a nightlife staff trainer. I want to do absolutely everything in my power to ensure that my venue is hip and trendy, and also that it offers my clientele a wonderful, one-of-a-kind experience. 

From what I read of Arnold's work, I truly came to the realization of how important it will be for me to have a strong legal and financial team standing behind my endeavor. Although I have become much better over the years in managing money, I am still awful and number crunching, so it was always my plan to hire a trusted accountant and financial advisor to handle my money. I recognized, however, that it will be necessary for me to have a legal team to review all of my contracts with my employees, purchasing the space, as well as assisting me in finalizing my general talent buying contracts. I also took away from her work that if I ever decide to do some sort of expansion or to create a spin-off space that I will need to consult a project developer. I believe all of these things will ensure that I have the best possible financial outcome and successes related to my venue profits. 

For what I am doing specifically, which is opening a live entertainment venue, I believe that it is most important for my investor to see how strategically I chose the location, with regards to both the city and space itself. Without having individuals around who could attend my venue or would even have interest in going to see live entertainment, my entire plan is futile. I also believe that my financial plan will be the number one priority for enticing a silent investor to come on board with my project. Lastly, I believe my promotions and marketing strategies will be a top priority so that potential investors actually believe I know what I'm doing. I hope with my team of aforementioned consultants and professionals that I am truly able to deliver an outstanding business plan in the future so that I can obtain some great investment backing. 

Experts Views on the Value of Business Plans

My ultimate goal is to one day open my own live entertainment venue and one of the first things I am interested in doing when I meet a professional in my chosen field or in a related field is picking their brain apart so that I can attempt to have as few mistakes when my business comes to fruition. Expert interviews can be some of the most exciting moments for a young entrepreneur such as myself and it is incredibly important, in my opinion, to learn and take advice from others so that I can be the best that I can be. I know that when my goal is more in sight that I will absolutely set up meetings with experts in my field who can help me write, review and finalize my business plan so that I can be prepared for anything that may arise.

This may sound slightly silly but about two weeks ago my roommate introduced me to the show Bar Rescue on Spike TV. I live in Austin and had heard of the show as they had revamped two bars in the downtown area. However I’d never actually sat down to watch an episode until it was brought to my attention and now I’m hooked! My business will be within the nightlife umbrella so there is actually a lot for me personally to take away from this show, not to mention they have had a few bar venues as clients.

The host of the show is Jon Taffer, who according to Examiner is “an internationally recognized, award winning, concept developer, the voice and guru in the bar and nightlife industry.” His credentials also include Chairman of Taffer Dynamics where he is a consultant and development adviser to nightclubs and bars, as well as being the President of Nightclubs and Bar Media Group. A Long Island native, Taffer’s passion developed during his first job as a bartender while in college in Denver. He began managing his first restaurant in 1978, LA’s Troubadour, then opened his first bar in 1989 in St. Louis.

Taffer strives to create a total package in a restaurant/bar/venue, focusing on everything from drink and food menu to the music to the overall flow of the room. The customer’s overall experience is what he works to ingrain in bar managers heads time and time again.

Another expiring expert in the entertainment field is award winning film producer and executive, Kathryn Arnold. She consults with “lawyers, financiers and other producers on both film development and production, as well as serve[s] as an expert witness on cases involving entertainment industry related issues.” Having spent time working at The Guber-Peters Entertainment Co.  and Cineville Films, Arnold has worked on box-office hits including Rain Man, Batman, and Bird on a Wire.

She offers her clients advisory and consulting services as well as project development, and specializes in particular in entertainment based economics and finances. She can truly assist her clients in creating and distributing the best possible film product that stays true to the original idea while maximizing profits.

From reviewing these two experts work, it seems to me that business investors are looking for a solid idea with the expertise and confidence to make that idea succeed. I find it difficult to pick out certain components as being more important than others because in all reality, investors are not looking for a half-finished business plan; they seek out a total package. However having the right team of individuals to make your idea work I believe is the most important asset to start with and one that can jeopardize the success if not all of the components are there. I would also say that investors are looking for those who pay attention to detail and who think on their feet and who can be a logistically thinking problem solver.

Overall, the importance of enlisting the services of an expert in your field when comprising your business plan is absolutely invaluable. These are the individuals who are trained to catch things that you may have overlooked and who can help you plan for problems that could arise. I am 100% certain that I will invest a lot of time with a business plan development expert before I ever move too far forward with creating my venue to ensure my best possible outcome.

Spotify: The Good, The Bad

Spotify is a commercial music streaming service that originally launched in Sweden in 2008. They provide their 20 million customers with digital rights management protected content from record labels.  However only a quarter of their consumers actually are subscribed to Spotify, of which pay a monthly fee that is determined by their location. As someone who works in the music industry and who has also become a Spotify convert over the last two years, I am both intrigued and torn in relation to all of the turmoil surrounding the service over the last few weeks.

Similar to Pandora’s current dilemma, the argument is whether the revenue paid to artists is a substantial one or not, especially for small artists. Rock music superstar Thom Yorke of Radiohead and Atoms for Peace, along with AFP collaborator Nigel Godrich, have been leading the crusade from the artist perspective, boycotting the service and pulling AFP records and Yorke’s solo material from their extensive library. They are just two out of a number of artists, however, to have spoken out against the popular music subscription service, “claiming that the ‘freemium’ streaming model simply doesn’t generate the revenue that indie artists are owed.”

SoundCtrl also stated that, “the record labels are really making the money in this new revenue model, not just because of the royalty deals they have in place with Spotify but also simply because they have large catalogues which are heavily streamed.”

The New Yorker recently reported, “… Streaming arrangements, like those made with Spotify, are institutionalizing a marginal role for the recordings that were once major income streams for working musicians.”

From the other end of the spectrum, Music Ally posted, “Streaming music cannibalizes piracy more than it does sales, and while the individual per-stream payouts are much less than for CD or download sales, paying out every time a track is played will add up in the long term.”

And for big name artists, this is true. But what about emerging acts?

Making your music available on Spotify could do wonderful things for your career; although it tends to be a gamble, just like any other marketing endeavor. There is a chance to increase your fans and listenership two-fold, which will inevitably bring in revenue. Increasing reach could bring bigger and better opportunities, especially if streaming services share more data with the artists on their fans. Music Ally reported that potentially the biggest way streaming services can help new artists will be through being a discovery tool that bridges the gap between potential fans/listeners and those bands they might not otherwise hear of.

I agree with this wholeheartedly, as Spotify’s Discover page is the tool I use most often when utilizing the service and I have discovered countless amounts of new music through this. They even partnered with Songkick to alert the customer when a band they’ve been listening to is playing nearby. Continuing to promote artists this way and branching out even further by partnering with other music sites could very well be the kick start needed for a young band’s career. Exposure is ultimately what every artist seeks most.

Either way, this is a debate that is sure to not find resolution anytime soon. Being still such a startup company, Spotify will have to work hard to ultimately figure out a way to make both the artist and consumer as happy with their service as possible. However at this point in the game it will have to be trial and error in order to see what may work and what will not.

Mix CD Etiquette: Just a 'Thanks' or Something More?

Make the Perfect Mix

I read an article from NPR recently that I found to be very thought provoking, as up until right after I graduated high school, I was a “mix” kid; mix tapes and CDs that is. The article asked, “What is mix CD etiquette?” I never actually considered that even though growing up it was one of my favorite past times.

NPR nailed it; it’s “an art form like any other.” CD mixing was a task I did not take lightly and something I spent a large amount of time doing, usually when I should have been focusing on something else. Making mixes for my friends was enjoyable and rewarding. Every time I passed one of my mixes along I couldn’t wait to hear how my friend felt about it. Of course as I painstakingly spent time over each one, oftentimes I’d only get the, “it’s cool” response. This was difficult for me at times as I wanted it considered in the same way that I put it together. Alas, that just wasn’t feasible; I guess that’s a good sign as to why I work in the music industry and the majority of my friends do not.

NPR put it well, “It’s important, with mixes, to remember that you’re giving a gift and not a homework assignment.”

Which is very true. At some point you just have to hope that you give your perfect mix to that one person who will appreciate it the way you do. But if they don’t, they don’t, and there’s nothing you can really do to try to drive up their interest if it’s just not their thing or they honestly just don’t care very much.

However, there is a glimmer of hope at the end of the tunnel. Because what is even more awesome than giving a mix CD? Receiving one. I had a friend in college that typically made me a mix CD each month. At a time when I’d basically moved onto iPod and streaming playlists, it was exciting to have that feeling of nostalgia again. The physical aspect of having a mix CD really gives a reason to hold on to a piece of the past. Especially because PwC just reported that the CD is most likely dead to it’s sharp decrease and is most likely never coming back.

To answer NPR’s question, “When you make someone a mix, what do they owe you?” In my opinion, really nothing but a thank you… And hopefully to listen to it. It’s unlikely that the receiver will ever have the exact passion you had for the mix as you were putting it together. But if you’re lucky, they’ll appreciate not only the mix itself, but also the time and effort you took to put into it.

Twitter: A Potential Platform for Music Distribution?

At the end of April social media platform Twitter began offering a new service called #music which utilizes tweets and artist accounts to assist users in discovering new music. They did this in partnership with iTunes, which delivers the few second preview of a song and a link to purchase it. Twitter also paired up with streaming sites Spotify and Rdio so users can listen to the full track before purchasing it via iTunes. There is also a free Twitter #music iPhone app.

For nearly two months now the #music service has been available to users in the US, UK, Canada, Ireland, Australia and New Zealand. Tech junkies and avid Twitter users had high hopes for the new service, but unfortunately thus far it hasn’t been so successful.

According to Cyber PR, #music falls short in two major areas:

“The first is that its charts fail to offer anything unique by way of popular music or emerging music. Artists show up on these charts by being the most talked about on Twitter… In essence, Twitter is shining the spotlight on the cool kids table.”

“The second is that even though the platform has an ‘emerging’ tab, it still does absolutely nothing to better the marketing opportunities for the majority of independent musicians. This chart is an automated platform that doesn’t actually function as a tool for musicians to utilize. It just exists.”

Thus, it seems as though Twitter will have to work to readjust their service so that it can cater not only to the Billboard giants, but also more importantly to artists who could truly benefit from this form of marketing and distribution. We all know the name of the game with Twitter: the more popular you are, the more followers you have. But how can this social media king aid indie musicians the way other sites such as Facebook and MySpace have? It is most likely an attainable feat, but as with most emerging technologies, the kinks will need to be worked out first.