Catch a Cannonball

Hey Neil Young! My iPod already plays full uncompressed WAV files.

2012-02-04T15:08:00.000-08:00

This week Neil Young mentioned that he is working on a digital audio player that will play back high resolution files. At the Dive into Media Conference he said that he had spoken with Steve Jobs about the concept before Jobs died in Oct. 2011. I guess Jobs forgot to tell him that iPods and iPhones already support High Resolution files. I'd suggest that Young should be building an iTunes competitor that sells full resolution WAV files with a download manager to assist in downloading the larger data overnight.

Attention smart people, I just gave you a great idea for a start-up

Aderra worked hard in 2011 to bring new Media to the Masses

2012-01-17T20:53:00.000-08:00

Doing a quick yearend wrap up and I am amazed at what we did that worked at concerts this year. Aderra Media teams delivered concert recordings to hundreds of thousands of fans and they simply worked hard to make the best experience possible. While other download scam companies ripoff artists, Aderra makes them money on the road.

2011Recap

2012-01-06T07:10:00.000-08:00

I didn't post much during the last half of 2011 as I got a little too busy at Aderra. I finished the year even more strongly convinced that DIY Direct to Fan is a limited route to success for most artists. Performers, producers and songwriters put their 10,000 hours into honing their craft NOT becoming marketing experts. So why take on a bunch tasks you're not skilled at?
Spend 2012 working on this:

Write great songs
Practice performing those tunes live
TOUR
Make friends with other acts
CDs are for old people, don't waste your time and money making them
Forget about record labels, they'll find you when you're ready
TOUR MORE

Zoe Keating explains how Spotify treats Indie artists unfairly

2011-09-23T08:43:00.000-07:00

This speaks for itself. Zoe Keating, independent avant garde cellist, writes about the disparities between how Spotify deals with major labels and independents.
Read Here

Help Family of the Year retrieve their stolen gear!

2011-06-25T13:29:00.001-07:00

Family of the Year's van was stolen in L.A. with all of their gear and merch. They posted pics and details on their blog, hopefully some one will spot some of this stuff.
Details HERE

Berklee Today Article - The Demise of the Music Business?

2011-04-23T07:40:00.000-07:00

Berklee Today, a magazine published by the Berklee College of Music in Boston, ran an article about the current state of the music business in 2011. A big thank you to Eric jensen for including me in his overview! Also interviewed was Eric Garland from Big Champagne.
Read the article HERE.

Ok, So Maybe "The Cloud" Does Suck.

2011-04-21T19:01:00.000-07:00

Read how a simple data center glitch brought several prominent websites to their knees: HERE.

Free eBook for Touring Musicians

2011-02-15T08:19:00.001-08:00

BEYOND D.I.Y. - Artist Interview, Alex Pfender from yOya

2011-01-24T10:36:00.000-08:00

1) At what point did you know you needed help with your career?

When we realized that the more people we have working with us, who know where we're coming from, where we're going, and how we want to get there, the more effective our efforts will be. Randomly bringing people on board would slow things down, but when everyone has the same mindset, it makes everything easier and faster (and more fun!) I wouldn't recommend teaming up with anyone before you know you want to, though.

2) What mistakes should artists avoid when they start touring?

Only book shows where you think a successful show is a possibility. Focus on areas where you know people, have family, where you have friends in bands or friends who like coming to shows, and cater directly to them. Playing shows for "crowds" of 3 disinterested people is tiring and disheartening, so why book a string of shows in cities you've never been to and know nobody? It drags down your morale and your performance. The only exception to this is if you can find a venue that has a built-in crowd (they do exist). If you're thinking to yourself "I don't know anybody anywhere, so what do I do?" then touring really isn't going to be what you imagine it to be. It will be hours and hours of work adding up to a pretty blah experience. Travel around. Take a road trip. Reconnect with old friends and family members, and your network will start to emerge. Also, if you do tour, always have a merch person actively selling your stuff. It makes all the difference in the world.

3) Have you placed any songs in film, TV or commercials?

Not yet, we have music with several agencies though. Fingers crossed.

4) Do you collect email addresses from fans? What's the best way to do this?

We do. The way to do this is to put on the best possible show you can. Be heartfelt and genuine, expose yourself (figuratively speaking), and then you really don't have to do much talking in order to get the audience to connect with you. Then, encourage people to come talk to you after the show. Go around and meet them face to face. Have conversations with them. Don't just walk up with the clipboard extended, looking like a nosy door-to-door solicitor, because wouldn't you hate that, too? Remind them that the mailing list is primarily so that they can know how to see another show when you come around again (always tell them you're coming back), and so they can get free stuff (have an incentive program in place, free downloads, etc) and not so they can "get updates on the band," because seriously, who wants every little asinine "update" from a band? Our target audience knows all the different stripes of spam and they will avoid anything that sounds like it.

5) What tasks are you glad to offload (shipping merch orders, social media etc.)?

Order fulfillment, booking (if we had an agent, but we don't), scheduling interviews and/or press meetings... the most business-y stuff. I feel sorta weird about PR firms and labels who employ interns to pretend to be the band, and contact people and post things saying "hi it's ___ from ____ and we're doing this and that" because that just seems unnecessary and weird. I don't think a band should ever short change itself when it comes to connecting with other bands, fans, potential fans, etc. People like talking with other people, not companies, and it seems lame to fake that.

Here is yOya's latest music video:

"Click Here" more effective for email signups.

2011-01-17T08:09:00.001-08:00

A very interesting experiment conducted by Amp Music Marketing. They tested 5 different versions of an email sign up button and found the text "Click Here" to be substantially more effective.
Read the full article HERE.

Emily White of Whitesmith Entertainment on what to watch for in 2011

2010-12-21T07:47:00.000-08:00

At the Aderra office we often talk about "who gets it" and who doesn't.

Emily White gets it.

Read what the head of Whitesmith Entertainment has to say about the coming year for the music business HERE

Quoted in the Wall Street Journal

2010-12-17T06:05:00.000-08:00

Damian Kulash, lead singer of the rock band Ok Go, wrote a piece for the Wall Street Journal about the current state of the music industry. He lays things out pretty brilliantly. And also included a quote from me.
The New Rockstar Paradigm

I sold 4000 records to a retail chain and had to beg a major label to take the money from me.

2010-12-07T06:01:00.000-08:00

Much has been made of the plight of the 4 major record labels. I'd like to add a small bit of insight from a recent project we did at Aderra.

I had the fortune to be able to sell an exclusive USB flash drive to a national U.S. retail chain for one of our existing clients. The retailer was excited to have this USB in stores on the album release date an immediately placed an order for 4000 copies with an expected re-order before Christmas. Now I know that 4000 copies is not huge Taylor Swift style numbers but not a bad guarantee for first week sales (with no returns by the way...). Seemed like a "Win" for all involved, retailer had an exclusive, I got to help a great client and the label gets to move a few records, right?
Wrong.

The label didn't like the fact that we asked for some bonus content like a live show. Their response "We can't sell a live show!" Um, we've been on tour with this artist for two years and are currently selling live shows on the web at this very second. And sending checks to the label each quarter.

Then they objected saying that "fans won't buy music on USBs". Um, we've sold about $500,000 in USBs for this same artist alone this year.

So I cut a check for $26,000 and offered to give it to them. "We need more money for this deal".
Now anyone who happened to read the business section of a newspaper in the past couple of years may have noticed that these large record companies are teetering on the brink of bankruptcy. I am well aware that my little offer of $26k wasn't going to bring them back from the brink but they were willing to let the deal completely die unless I added another $1000 dollars. They preferred no money to some money.

That's a key indicator

.
I can only surmise that shareholders would rage if they knew that this was going on. And it is not an isolated incident. We continually are in conversation with record label folks as we launch tours with their artists. They can never seem to grasp that I am handing them fistfulls of cash that they would never have seen.

I am not sure how this particular deal I have described will play out.

And I want to be clear, not everyone at a record label is a bonehead. We work with great, inventive, intelligent folks who "get it". It's the few who are either oblivious, arrogant or ignorant that make those businesses no longer viable.

New Shareable widgets from PledgeMusic

2010-11-25T08:45:00.000-08:00

Our friends at PledgeMusic have released a new tool for artists to exchange a free track download for an email address, facebook "Like" or a Tweet.

Here is an example from Marwood:

Download a Free Live track from The Cult

2010-11-01T12:42:00.001-07:00

Download a preview of the upcoming Cult release "Capsule 2":

The Cloud sucks a lot less than I thought (Part 2)

2010-10-26T14:51:00.000-07:00

I am on the verge of completely recanting my opinion about accessing media from "The Cloud".
In a previous post I wrote about how we used Pandora to provide the soundtrack for a camping weekend. That weekend made me realize how easy and convenient Cloud accessed music could be. This week we set up Netflix through our Wii console. I have had a Netflix account for ten years. I first signed up in 2000. Like most people I was fed up with Blockbuster's late fees and jumped at the chance for a company that was focused on customer satisfaction rather than gouging every single time I rented a movie. For years we would have 3 movies in rotation. That changed after my son was born. It became harder and harder to find a 2 hour chunk of time where we could stay awake long enough to watch a movie. So we cut our account back to 1 movie at a time. The DVDs would often sit in a drawer for months on end. A few times when we did want to watch we'd decide that we weren't in the mood for the single DVD option we had on hand (Veronica Guerin! Sounds like a laugh riot!)

We considered closing the Netflix account all together until I saw a Tweet last week that you could connect directly via the Wii. It took about ten minutes to set up.
In the first week we watched 6 movies. Now granted 3 of them were classic Loonie Tunes collections that my son wanted to see but having the selection at the ready when we wanted it for a flat monthly fee? Perfect. This is how the Cloud can succeed.

That said there is still some stuff you might want to own and have access to permanently. (I have to attribute that thought to Eric Garland of Big Champagne)For me personally there are albums that I feel should be a whole, not just a collection of files on a hard drive ( I know that is romantic and a bit unrealistic given that the music I am thinking of is a collection of data on a shiny disc...).

So the most practical thing seems to be that access via the Cloud will be coupled with ownership of some specific titles. One thing that cannot be discounted is the inherent human need for ownership and the emotional resonance that art has. Humans like to own stuff, not just access it.

testing the TopSpin Streaming Widget

2010-10-15T10:37:00.001-07:00

THE CULT - New Music Released in Partnership with Aderra

2010-09-14T14:41:00.000-07:00

I always start posts about Aderra by apologizing. This blog is supposed to be about my personal thoughts not just boosterism for my company. But This project has loomed large for the past couple of months. September 14, 2010 was the official drop date for The Cult's new "Capsule 1" release at http://cultcapsulestore.com. Singer Ian Astbury envisioned a constant stream of mixed media content being delivered to fans. He and fellow band founder Billy Duffy made a decision to stay independent and to step outside of the usual long form CD cycle. Today was the day we set it in motion. The band partnered with Aderra to deliver their new music straight to fans. The package includes: The Cult Capsule 1 CD/DVD Dualdisc featuring two new songs, to classic live tracks and a short film by Ian Astbury and Rick Rogers, a Limited Edition 12 Inch Vinyl Single of the Cult's two new tracks, "Every Man and Woman is a Star" (we released this previously as an exclusive at iTunes)and "Siberia". Also included were MP3 and FLAC format downloads and USB "Dog Tag Capsules" of live shows from the current US Tour.

Back on August 1, we had "Every Man and Woman is a Star" debut on iTunes simultaneously as the band debuted the song live at Knebworth. To commenorate the occasion we gave out 500 limited edition "THE CULT DESTROY KNEBWORTH" t-shirts to fans right in front of the stage.
That day the song went to number one inSpain, Number 5 in Holland and top 40 on the iTunes Alternative chart. I am guessing we were the only tech company to have a song on the charts that day.

Now six weeks later we flipped the switch on cultcapsulestore.com and we start their US tour tonight in San Diego.

5 Ways Music Acts Can Make Money

2010-09-05T01:49:00.000-07:00

One of our lead investors planted a seed: How many ways do musical acts make money? I sat down and was able to distill it into 5 specific categories. Each revenue stream can be subdivided in hundreds or thousands of ways but at the end of the day the 5 ways musicians make money are:

1) Recorded Music - Hard to believe right? But even in the age of file sharing, recorded music is still a fundamental part of an artist's income. There are 2 types of fans: those who will pay for your music and those who won't. Make it as easy as possible for the fans who want to pay to buy your music.

Don't ever, ever alienate your fans who don't want to pay for music.

Because they might want to pay for something else, like a ticket or merchandise.

2) Performing - Guarantees, a piece of the door, pass the hat for tips. You get paid to play. Some times a little, some times a lot but this is A) What you love doing. B)A great way to find and retain fans and C) money.

3)Merchandise - This includes tour merch, online sales of merch and retail distribution of our stuff. Think hard about what fans will actually want and be sure to include a range of items from inexpensive to premium.

4) Licensing - Placement in TV, Film or commercials is a payday. And a great way to get new listeners, especially now that FM radio is essentially a wasteland. The massive proliferation of programming on cable television as well as the web has created a need for licensed music that has never been seen before.

5) Sponsorships - "Sell Out" - Get over it again, but don't be stupid with your brand. Sponsor money from small affiliate links on your web widgets to full blown tour support is a godsend. The thing to avoid is being associated with a sponsor that doesn't make sense for your fans.

Those are the five critical channels for artists to make revenue. Depending on the current state of your career one or more of these may hold more weight than the others but they all contribute to your ability to generate revenue.

So maybe the Cloud for music streaming won't suck so bad after all.

2010-08-16T22:50:00.000-07:00

Two weeks ago Aderra recorded the 2nd Annual SESAC bootcamp in Los Angeles at the Skirball Center. The leadoff key note was by Ted Cohen of TAG Strategic

Now I have made it clear that overall I think the unlimited Cloud access concept for music SUCKS for a few specific reasons: 1) Access is inherently limited by licensing, 2) Access is inherently limited by technology (can't call from my iPhone in most places let alone stream music) and 3)Psychology. People LIKE TO OWN STUFF. Access does NOT = OWNERSHIP.

BUT, Access does = CONVENIENCE.

We have recorded Ted 5 or 6 times in panel discussions but this was the first time I personally watched as he laid out his take on the history of digital music and the impending future. I have to say he made a very, very compelling case for the Cloud. You can gloss over connectivity as a barrier by assuming that technology will improve in the near future to allow of unlimited access but you cannot escape the psychology of ownership.

We have seen this in Aderra's business, downloads seem ephemeral to fans but a flash drive with the files is more than solid, it is in fact "real".

So after listening to Ted's insights I started to be swayed that the Cloud might be an exciting idea even if I had some misgivings about the primal instinct for ownership of something so emotionally resonant as music. But then I went camping.

Yes, camping with 23 of my neighbors and 22 of their kids.

Some interesting initial observations: 23 Adults aged 35-45, people brought 3 BOSE Sounddocks for their iPods/iPhones, 1 brought a similar JBL dock. NO ONE brought a CD player. No one brought CDs, no one brought a radio, boombox or other way to access, playback or stream music.

Next interesting observation: Music was playing loudly for the majority of the trip.
Powered mostly buy iTunes playlists.

The campground provided free broadband wifi access

Which meant constant access to Pandora.
Whether it was blues tinged evenings by the campfire or a dance party for the kids, it was all powered by Pandora. So at one point my neighbor Josh (who I have complained about his barking dog in my podcast...) asks me,

"Damn Ed, how many songs do you have on your iPod? Uh, not many, we've been listening to Pandora."

At that moment sitting in front of a campfire 20 minutes north of Santa Barbara I suddenly realized just how cool the Cloud could be. I have tried Spotify, Rhapsody, Rdio in Beta and even Waltzo but I have never been satisfied. But Pandora has always been cool. I have to say I miss the good old days in 2004 or so when I could type in my friends indie acts and create a station around them (Joe and Tim, please open up your submission policy once again to create a TRUE discovery experience for those of us who do not rely on labels to filter for us.)

Tweet for free music

2010-08-04T04:49:00.000-07:00

This is pretty cool. CashMusic has created a couple of open source tools to promote your new release. We are using them as part of the campaign for The Cult's "Capsule" release.

Fans who Tweet from THIS page about The Cult get a free download of their classic hit, LOVE REMOVAL MACHINE that Aderra recorded last year on the LOVE LIVE tour. In addition any fan that convinces 25 friends to Tweet gets a free, unreleased full concert recording of The Cult.

You can try it yourself at http://emawias.com/Tweet/

The CULT's new single Available exclusively at iTunes

2010-07-28T10:05:00.000-07:00

The Cult - New Single Released by New Wilderness/ Aderra

The Cult return with their first studio recording in three years, “Everyman and Woman is a Star”. Produced by Chris Goss (Masters of Reality, Queens of the Stone Age), the track captures the thunder of their live show and the fire of their classic hits such as “She Sells Sanctuary” and “Wildflower”.

Location, Los Angeles, CA – As fans anticipate The Cult’s upcoming performance at The Sonisphere Festival at Knebworth on August 1, 2010, the band has announced the release of their first new studio recording since 2007, “Everyman and Woman is a Star”. The new single is being released as a two-week exclusive through the iTunes store.

Rock fans worldwide will immediately recognize Billy Duffy’s blistering guitars and Ian Astbury’s powerful vocals soaring over a relentless beat. This is the lead off track of a four song “Capsule” scheduled to be released in fall of 2010. As a thank you to fans for their support, limited edition “Cult Destroy Knebworth” shirts will be distributed as the band take the stage at Sonisphere on August 1st.
http://thecult.us

"The latest recordings from The Cult, guided by Legendary producer Chris Goss, are a mixture of violent guitars, emotive vocal performances with high melody and driving beats. Textured metaphysical rock music for the contemporary music head.” - Ian Astbury, Singer, The Cult

Rather than revisit the traditional method of releasing a long form CD, The Cult is getting new material to fans in the form of a “Capsule” a collection of not just new music, but film, art and fashion. The “Capsule” will span across multiple media formats including vinyl, digital, USB, CD and DVD formats. The first opportunity fans will get to hear “Everyman and Woman is a Star”, outside of seeing the band live, is through an exclusive distribution through Apple’s iTunes store.

This new release is a partnership between the band’s New Wilderness label and media pioneers Aderra. In 2009, Aderra recorded several live shows on the band’s U.S. and European tours including a sold out appearance at The Royal Albert Hall in London. The live recordings were released exclusively through a USB flash drive housed in a dog tag necklace. The success of this initial project lead to this partnership to release the new Capsule material on multiple formats. http://aderra.net

For More About The Cult

http://thecult.us

About Aderra
Aderra Inc. provides an innovative way to capture the "once in a lifetime" experience of live shows and immediately deliver it to fans or attendees after the event. Aderra is on the cutting edge of content delivery with the use of their "All you need is Live”® USB technology. For more information, visit http://www.aderra.net.

So that went pretty well.

2010-07-24T11:28:00.000-07:00

This past Thursday evening my company, Aderra, and our friends, Killola, made a little bit of history.

The Aderra office in Los Angeles, prepping for a live video stream direct to USB thumb drive using PushOvr™

Last December I posted about how I thought the folks in Killola were doing exactly all the right things that a new band should be doing. Since then they have released a new record, gone on a national tour, appeared on TV in Dallas and Salt Lake City, completed filming of a new feature length movie, opened an online store and released the K)) USB Dog Tag. Here a video that explains what fans get when they buy a K)) USB.

The USB is enabled with our new PushOvr™ Technology. PushOvr™ allows us to update content on the USB, provides a gateway to send downloads, exclusive streams, merch offers and live video streaming to inside the USB. And this is where the history part comes in. For the first time EVER we streamed a live video performance to the inside of an album.

First on June 24th then again on July 22nd we shot Killola performing and streamed it directly to the USB. This video was not viewable on the internet, it went directly to flash drive dog tags. Here is a screen shot a fan took during the performance.

And you can read more about it HERE.
So while making claims about "making history" may seem a bit cheeky, this is a tech development I have been working on for three years now and it is personally rewarding to see it grow from idea to actuality. back in mid-2007 I began developing the idea of a User Interface that could be embedded on the USB drives we were selling at concerts.

First Major concert we recorded was Big Head Todd at Red Rocks.

At the time we loaded a single, continuous MP3 of a concert onto thumb drives at the end of a show. We were rapidly building first generation of the CapApp™ software platform for real-time encode, edit, meta-tag and burn and I wanted to find a way to make not just edited separate tracks available but also a cool way to present them to the fan. I began working on code for a stand alone desktop application and pretty quickly got discouraged by the daunting task of making something simple that would be easy to install and use for fans as well as work cross platform. I began to explore other options and looked into a browser based solution. The first UI that we built was for an artist named Kim Kline It was fairly rudimentary compared to what we are doing now but I hid my first attempt at content Pushing in the code. There was a static image on the background that had a server call to the exact same image. This way no one would notice if my experiment didn't work because the image was "missing". It worked but it was a bit clunky.

So fast forward 3 years, we're now able to create a secure tunnel directly to the browser or flash player based UI. The pinnacle of which is streaming video in real-time directly to the jump drive.

Next up: a two way portal system we call Wurmhole™.

DRM - We're still talking about this in 2010? (Geek Challenge below)

2010-06-27T19:18:00.000-07:00

Just got off the phone with a manager that we are working with on an upcoming tour. He wanted to know what Aderra does to "Lock Down" the music we record at live concerts. I told him we use the same exact thing that Universal (the artist's label) uses for DRM on their CDs. This mollified him for a moment until he caught on that I meant "nothing". Then is mind reeled. He hadn't ever considered before that DRM on digital music files was ridiculous given that CDs are wide open to be ripped and shared.

So then I told him about Rhapsody. I have a friend with Rhapsody who was annoyed with the restrictions on where and how he could listen to the tracks they supplied by subscription. I sent him to Radio Shack to pick up an 1/8" stereo to 1/8" stereo cable (I'm, guessing that ran him less than $5). Then I told him to run from his mp3 player out to a laptop and record everything he wanted to unlock into garageband. Ta da. Unlocked music.

Then I told him about the iTunes trick. Make a playlist of locked AAC files in iTunes. Burn it to an audio CD then rip the tracks from the CD as MP3s. Ta da. Unlocked music.

Then I told him about "secure" streams on NPR and other sites. Same old 1/8" stereo cable trick.

There is no way to create a file that you can listen to or watch and not have it vulnerable to being copied. (Here is my challenge, I'll provide 100 USBs, custom imprinted and loaded for anyone that can send me a digital media file that I cannot make shareable.)(and yes, your content will be on torrent sites) This is not about what a wicked hacker I am or or implied support of sites like the Pirate Bay, the point is that "locking" digital media content is senseless.

So as the manager I was speaking with began to realize that the fight against file sharing is futile he asked what why they had been wasting time on it for so many years.

The reality is that the people who will pay for your music will and those who won't, won't.

So really the only thing to do is make music people will invest themselves in both emotionally and financially. Worry about file sharing is a waste of time and energy. Finding a way to use file sharing to further awareness of your artist's music is well worth some thought.

Shooter Jennings - Black Ribbons The Living Album

2010-06-16T04:29:00.000-07:00

So I try not to post too much about what my company Aderra is doing but seeing as it pretty much has taken over my life its hard not to include some of the overflow here. But this isn't a post about something the company is doing per se but is about my personal experience while working on a recent project with Shooter Jennings and his band Hierophant.

Last year Tom Morello hired us to record the Axis of Justice benefit show in Los Angeles. As we were setting up the multitrack gear Shooter showed up for soundcheck to run through a song. He got about half way through the first verse and I exchanged glances with the guys who work with me; holy shit this guy is the real deal. The voice booming out of him was soulful and yet very southern. He was singing Bob Dylan's "Isis" with Tom Morello on guitar. Really cool.

So we had a good night at the show, Corey Taylor from Slipknot (a complete revelation when he steps out from under the fright mask), Sen Dog (Singing Paradise City!), Brother Wayne Kramer, Jerry Cantrell singing "Wish You were Here", Eugene Hutz, Lemmy and more. I walked away pretty amazed by everyone but most of all by Shooter. Spoke with him for a few minutes after the concert. Didn't realize he had a radio show on Sirius until he mentioned it (I am woefully unaware of most of what is happening in subscription driven media platforms..)

Fast forward a year. I had seen a brief glimpse of Shooter in Streetsweeper Social Club's "100 Little Curses" video but heard nothing since the Morello show. Then I read an L.A. Times review review of Shooter's new "Black Ribbons" album featuring Stephen King. The album sounded ominous an imposing, a concept on par with The Wall or the challenging theories of David Icke I had recorded back in October of 2008 when he had appeared live in downtown L.A.(The man spoke on stage alone for four hours o an overflow capacity house with only a 3 minute break .)

I made a note and bought the album on Amazon the day it was released. Whoa. This was a mix of Heavy Soundgarden-esque riffs, Floydian-Rick Wright style Moog solos, Wall/Operation Mind Crime narrative, and more than just a touch of the South. And some GREAT songs, "Black Ribbons", "God Bless Alabama" leaped out of the speakers.

A few weeks later we ended up out on the road multi-tracking several of Shooter's shows in the south. Reports from our folks on the road were that everything went smoothly and the crew and band were cool.

Then I got the hard drive with the first show on it.

The first thing that I noticed was the organ. An honest to god B-3 through a smokin' Leslie speaker. Not just a nice emulation but the real deal. (Found out later it a Hammond Spinet model not a B-3 but still spinning tone wheels). Then I started to notice how the band, Hierophant had taken the textures of the album and made them their own. And the songs while strong on the record, are amazing live; the guitar tone "Triskaidekaphobia" is stunning, the groove of "Summer of Rage", the sorrow of "All of this could have been yours", the Allmanesque"The Breaking Point" and the opening salvo of "Wake Up!"; all mind blowing.

Now granted, I have spent a lot of time in the studio mixing these shows and have heard these songs dozens of times each (if not more). But I have to testify that this band, with Bobby Emmett on keyboards, The Schreffman on lead guitar, with Ted Russell Kamp and Bryan Keeling on drums is one of the best on stage these days. And if you are in any way a fan of sophisticated yet soulful classic rock you must get Black Ribbons, go see this band live and be sure to listen to "Black Ribbons: The Living Album" the collection of live show recordings Shooter has released on USB drive. (Yes, that sounds like a plug to buy a product we produced but it was really meant as the most sincere endorsement of these songs, this band and this album I could make.)

Album Sales Plummet To Lowest Total In Decades

2010-06-04T13:26:00.000-07:00

Is this really a surprise to anyone?

Album Sales Plummet To Lowest Total In Decades

The EIY Handbook - Meetup and Workshop on the Warped Tour

2010-05-19T18:03:00.000-07:00

Back in March I profiled Sarah Saturday, Founder of Earnityourself.com and touring artist with Gardening Not Architecture. For several years she has headed up booking the Kevin Says Stage on The Warped Tour. This year she will be hosting the EIY Workshop at each stop on The Warped Tour.

Each EIY Workshop on the 2010 Warped Tour will feature a presentation by Sarah, covering topics such as cultivating a thriving local music scene, how and when to take your show on the road, building a nationwide underground network, the roles of fans in the success of bands, developing your personal philosophy in work/life, and more. The Workshops and Scene Meetups will include "roll call" for attendees to meet each other and exchange contact info for future networking within their local scene; a Q&A session with a panel of people from the tour including the founder of the Warped Tour, Kevin Lyman; and distribution of the FREE "EIY Handbook" which includes 50+ questions asked by members of the EIY community and answered not only by Sarah, but also dozens of well-known artists and individuals in the music industry, including:

Warped Tour founder Kevin Lyman
Vincent Fiorello from Paper + Plastick / Less Than Jake
Steve Choi from Rx Bandits
Riley Breckenridge from Thrice
Dave Shapiro from The Agency Group / Velocity Records
Michael Todd from Coheed and Cambria
Photographer Bryan Sheffield
Joshua Cain and Tony Thaxton from Motion City Soundtrack
Valient Himself from Valient Thorr
Promoter Stephen Chilton (Psyko Steve)
Venue owner / promoter Middagh Goodwin
Krist Krueger from Southerly / Self Group
Star Business Management's (and ex-Toasters bassist) Matt Malles
Aderra founder Ed Donnelly
Entrepreneur / event producer John Oakes
Promoter / venue owner Steve Harm
Creative Artist Agency's Darryl Eaton
Mike Ski from The A.K.A.s
Writer / MTV Buzzworthy blogger Leslie Simon
Promoter Eddy Numbskull

You can read more about it HERE.

Aderra Concert USB Flash Drives featured in MIX Magazine

2010-05-01T11:49:00.000-07:00

I was interviewed by MIX Magazine for an article they did on the current state of the art for Live Concerts Delivered Directly to Fans.
Here is a link to the article in the May issue of MIX.

While it is usually kind of fun to see your name in print, this was especially cool because we were recognized by one of the preeminent publications that specializes in Audio and recording. Even though Aderra is a tech start-up we built the company on a foundation of great recordings.

Is the CD Dead or just demoted? Part 5 with Adam Hoffman

2010-04-21T06:42:00.000-07:00

Adam Hoffman from the Adam Hoffman Revival chimes as part of this on-going series:

1) Do you think it is important to have your music available to fans on Compact Disc?

I think that having music available on CD is fading. I do think it is important to have some tangible media available at shows. But with download cards and USB recording -- I think CDs are fading.
2) What are the reasons you do or don't make CDs?

I released my most recent album on CD for two reasons: 1) It was inexpensive to do so and easy to mail CDs 2) Ignorance. Well, ignorance is a little harsh, but I wasn't aware of all my options. If I could do it again -- I'd release on USB to provide more content for fans. Maybe include a rad AHR game.

3) If you have CDs available, what price do you sell them at?
The CDs I have are for sale for $10 -- but catch me at a show and I'll give it to you.

4) Have you seen the iTunes LP yet? What did you think?
I haven't seen the iTunes LP -- although I'm about to google it!!!

5) Do you offer FLAC downloads? Can you play a FLAC file on your system?
I don't currently offer a FLAC download. I run my own website -- so gotta keep it rather basic. The trouble with the Indie musician movement is being your own manager, promoter, booker, agent, PR, web designer -- and on and on. Too many hats, I guess -- so I'm not sure how to work a set up for downloadable FLACs.

6) Does your act participate in any carbon credits or green programs to offset the environmental impact of CDs?
Currently, we do not as an act. Personally, I do for my home -- and I am interested in purchasing Renewable Energy Credits for the Adam Hofmann Revival. Not only would it offset the impact of CDs, but it would also promote global cooling since we do enough global warming running electricity for gigs and driving around.

7) Why has there been a resurgence of interest in vinyl records?
For me, vinyl is the perfect vehicle for music. You can have a nice big artwork heavy recording. The package itself is substantial and just plain old feels good to hold. The sound is warm -- I believe it is more of a collectors piece. If you love the music, love the band, and want to really be involved and invested in the music -- vinyl is the way to go.

Artists! -Don't take an advance, here's why.

2010-04-19T22:44:00.000-07:00

Your manager will push you to take an advance from anyone and everyone who will pay it, Record label, publisher, merch co. etc. Why? They look like a champ for getting you an easy fat paycheck and they barely needed to do any work to get it. So you think, "Wow" this person is really looking out for me!" but in reality they just lost you a lot of money.
How?

When someone pays you an advance they will do everything and anything possible to be sure you never see another penny...even if you deserve hundreds of thousands of dollars.
How do I know this? I almost fell into the trap of doing this to someone this week.

We were contacted by an artist manager this week who was looking for Aderra to record every show on their next tour. The artist is a heritage act that draws about 2500-4000 a night, a pretty good size tour.
We made what I think was a pretty good offer. It would have amounted to about $1,000,000 to the artist by the end of the tour in December. But the manager wouldn't do the deal without an advance of $75,000. We went back and forth, back and forth but at the end of the day he wanted $75k for his artist.

So I started thinking, "I can pay this idiot $75,000, do some tricky accounting and pocket nearly a million bucks!"

Because it would be easy to do. I could suddenly inflate the cost of being on the road and come up with a bunch of excuses why we "weren't making money". But then my conscience got the best of me (as always). I've never fucked anyone over and I am not about to start now. You can call me a sucker or whatever, but I know what I am doing. No way I am going to let that karma swing back on me.

So here is how I would have screwed them...

Simple, make sure my expenses are always almost exceeding sales revenue plus the advance. Target= $1,000,000 minus $75,000. I would have found large expenditures on labor, transportation or cost of goods, let alone for administration costs to fulfill online orders and manage publishing royalties. We would have negotiated away origination fees at venues but quoted book rates back and of course we could always play fast and loose with cash payments from fans.

Have I discovered a truly evil and immoral way to take money out of the pockets of fans and Artists?!

No, nothing that exciting. This is just the way that things have been done since the "advance" has become customary. It is a bit like the relationship between the United Auto Workers Union(UAW) and the big three automakers in Detroit (weird analogy but stick with me): The entire relationship is built on a foundation of animosity and the supposition that either side will take no quarter to screw the other folks over. What does that lead to? Screwing each other over to prevent being screwed themselves. So everyone loses. To the extreme that 2 of the big three auto companies faced bankruptcy without the grace of the U.S. taxpayers after the finacial meltdown in 2008-2009.

If the relationship is built on the belief that "the other guy is going to fuck you." No one wins.

Oh, there may be some short term gains but long term both sides never make as much as if they had collaborated to some degree.

So really, the manger who called me wasn't an idiot at all. After decades in the business he just assumes that I am going to do all of the tricks necessary to screw him and his artist out of money so

of course he demands an advance. That at least ensures he'll gets a few thousand. Even if he loses $1,000,000 in exchange for it

.
My advice to artists is think once, think twice and then figure out how much money you can make long term without an advance.

Is the CD Dead or just Demoted? Part 4 Johnny from Killola Responds

2010-04-10T09:41:00.000-07:00

Here is Johnny from Killola discussing their take on CDs:

1) Do you think it is important to have your music available to fans on Compact Disc?

I do. We're not quite out of the CD woods yet, media wise. It's still a comfort to hold a CD in your hands and read a booklet. As long as CD players are the standard dash-imterface in cars, people will probably want CDs.

2) What are the reasons you do or don't make CDs?

We still make them because it's a reliable and tangible music item. You can leave 20 CDs at a radio station after you do an interview... And those discs are a physical reminder of your music/visit. It's an item that a DJ can look at, and remember to play you, and give away to listeners, etc. That element, combined with the fact that people still want it.... Pushes us to still make em.

3) If you have CDs available, what price do you sell them at?

$5 for anything not new... $10 for a new release.

4) Have you seen the iTunes LP yet? What did you think?

Huh?

5) Do you offer FLAC downloads? Can you play a FLAC file on your system?

If someone wants a wav/aif ... I'll get it to em somehow. I haven't messed with FLAC much.

6) Does your act participate in any carbon credits or green programs to offset the environmental impact of CDs?

Nah.

7) Why has there been a resurgence of interest in vinyl records?

They're classicly cool. Music is a ritual when the playback is a process... Just like coffee making. A French press takes a while to make the coffee, and it's not simple... But some people fiend that process. I know I do. The coffee tastes better to me when I make it slowly and mind the process. That's my vinyl analogy. Vinyl=coffee press. Mp3=redbull. Both work and both have merit. Its just: what are ya feelin?

Is the CD Dead or just demoted? Part Three Alex Pfender from Yoya responds

2010-04-05T17:59:00.000-07:00

I spent the morning today listening to the mixes of the new yOya album, "nothing to die". Great songs, great recording. As the band gets ready to unleash this acoustic/electronic masterpiece on the world I thought Alex might have an interesting take on the current status of the Compact Disc.
1) Do you think it is important to have your music available to fans on Compact Disc?
Yes, because people are still very used to it. The ipod might be the most common way for people to listen to their music collections, but they're used to putting music that they've stolen or ripped or borrowed or whatever on there. It's not like bands are going out selling ipods. The CD, for most people, is still the most current physical representation of music that you buy.

2) What are the reasons you do or don't make CDs?
We make em because that's all we've ever made so, we're not sure if other stuff will work better but we know that our fans have bought CDs in the past. And because practically all releases, major or indie or self, are released on CD

3) If you have CDs available, what price do you sell them at?
$10

4) Have you seen the iTunes LP yet? What did you think?
I saw it briefly about 5 months ago or something, when they did a big press release for it. It seems cool, at first I thought it'd be lame to sit on a computer and look at the art for an album but the more I thought about it the more I thought it'd be cool to check out my favorite new releases that way. I think it's cool. isn't it super expensive though?

5) Do you offer FLAC downloads? Can you play a FLAC file on your system?
No and no. I'm not sure there are enough people that really want it. One of my friends that's got huge online presence says he was hesitant to offer them even after many people requested it, because it was just too much work. I'm not sure if he ever did it.

6) Does your act participate in any carbon credits or green programs to offset the environmental impact of CDs?
Nope. I'd like to learn more about that. I'd also like to just buy non-plastic CD stuff but it's way more expensive to do.

7) Why has there been a resurgence of interest in vinyl records?
There's also been a resurgence of interest in cassette tapes, and I think it's just because there's a lot of confusion about what format is best, or whether formats are any good at all (i.e. should everything just be files). I've also gathered that many people think vinyl sounds better no matter what (this confuses me), and as far as cassettes i think they just have some sort of kitsch value, both in just buying and holding a cassette tape, and in the poor sound quality. A friend of mine that's really into recording onto cassette does so because he thinks modern recordings are too homogenized in their sound due to DAWs and stuff. I also think that because they are linked to classic music in people's minds, that increases their perceived value.

Click Here for some pictures of yOya tracking harmonium and autoharp in my studio.
And you can preview the new tracks on Garageband.com

Is the CD Dead or Just Demoted? Part Two - Mike Madill from MadSound/NPFC Responds

2010-04-04T16:28:00.000-07:00

Mike Madill from MadSound and Nineteen Point Five Collective responds to my questions about the current and future status of the Compact Disc.

1) Do you think it is important to have your music available to fans
on Compact Disc?

no.

2) What are the reasons you do or don't make CDs?

cd's are expensive to make and hard to distribute and involve
several-to-many different steps/vendors/shippers, whereas something like
tunecore can allow one person to distribute their music globally for $50
without leaving their bedroom. (i love tunecore)

3) If you have CDs available, what price do you sell them at?

$10

4) Have you seen the iTunes LP yet? What did you think?

yes. about time.

5) Do you offer FLAC downloads? Can you play a FLAC file on your
system?

no, just mp3. FLAC is the digital equivalent of the audiophile system. it's
a niche. yes i can play FLAC files.

6) Does your act participate in any carbon credits or green programs
to offset the environmental impact of CDs?

i haven't manufactured any cd's for many years now. and no i don't purchase
green credits.

7) Why has there been a resurgence of interest in vinyl records?

vinyl is unique. it represents the best of analog quality, and sounds better
in many instances than digital formats. there's also a huge DJ culture who
still want to spin real vinyl, not to mention DJ hero video games. vinyl has
a cult of personality all its own.

Here's the MadSound reel:

VH1 - "Titanic" from Madsound on Vimeo.

Is the Compact Disc Dead or just Demoted? Part One

2010-04-04T09:58:00.000-07:00

I sent out this brief survey to a dozen indie artists to see whether they still plan on releasing music on CD.

Do you think it is important to have your music available to fans on Compact Disc?
What are the reasons you do or don't make CDs?
If you have CDs available, what price do you sell them at?
Have you seen the iTunes LP yet? What did you think?
Do you offer FLAC downloads? Can you play a FLAC file on your system?
Does your act participate in any carbon credits or green programs to offset the environmental impact of CDs?
Why has there been a resurgence of interest in vinyl records?

I'll post responses as they come in.

Interview: Sarah Saturday - Founder of Earnityourself.com Resource Website for Indie Artists

2010-03-11T16:01:00.000-08:00

Sarah Saturday opens up about earnityourself.com and the E.I.Y. philosophy.

CAC: What goals do you have for EIY?

SS: There is one main goal for the EIY movement, under which is an endless number of smaller goals, and that is: to offer a moral alternative to the mainstream, morally corrupt way of life that has become the "norm" in our society. It's a movement that I've attached to the music industry, because the music industry is a manageable microcosm where the philosophy can be applied in a practical manner, and can produce successful results quickly; but really, once you learn the EIY tenets and approach, you immediately understand how it can be applied to all areas of one's life.

The basic tenets are:

(1) You don't have to cheat, lie, steal, or compromise with evil in order to reach your goals. There is another, alternative route. It may take a bit longer, but your conscience will be clean, and therefore the things you earn will be rightfully yours, and will bring you true joy. Aim to reach your goals by being honest, truthful, hardworking, and steadfast.

(2) Always be developing a clear idea of what you believe, and what you stand for, by constantly asking yourself why you want the things you want, do the things you do, think the things you think, etc. Continue to ask yourself "why?" for each answer you give yourself, until you can't answer "why?" anymore. These "end of the line" answers are, in essence, your "values."

(3) Never go against your "values" in the face of temptation, or in order to get something you think you want. If you do go against your values in order to skip a step, you will not have truly earned the thing, and therefore you will lose it (because it was never really yours), or you will only receive unhappiness and a feeling of unsettledness from it.

(4) Strive to bring meaning to whatever you do, in your daily effort to achieve your goals. At the end of your life, the most important thing is that you were honest in your attempts (your means) to reach your goals -- NOT whether or not you reached the goals (the end). The end does not justify the means; the means justify the end.

The goal for the EIY movement is to show by application in the world of independent music that the "earn it yourself" philosophy is the right way to live your life, and the only way to be truly happy in your life.

CAC: What artists will benefit most from what you are offering?

SS: As it applies to the life of a band, the EIY philosophy, movement, and website helps independent bands at every level, from bands that are just getting started, to bands that tour and release their own music on a regular basis. Bands can learn everything from how to start a band, to a fans' point of view of what constitutes a good show or proper band-to-fan interaction, to booking tours, to doing your own taxes as a business. There are already so many tools, resources, and people on the site that can help bands -- all free and ever-growing.

Promoters, venues, and booking agents can also benefit from the website, via the booking tools, databases, and show trading features. We have the biggest online community of active DIY, underground, and independent bands, promoters, and small venues -- plus our ever-growing venue database that outnumbers other sites' venue lists by the hundreds.

Fans of independent music, and anyone interested in getting more involved with the music industry from a non-artist perspective, can also benefit from the website. It's a way for kids to get involved with local and touring bands in a very tangible way: actively interacting with the bands, helping book shows, finding them places to stay, promoting shows, and actually working with the bands in a personal way that makes them feel more invested in a band's success than just adding them as a friend online and maybe going to a show. Bands and fans really connect on the EIY website, creating working relationships and friendships that will last a lifetime.

I think the thing that makes the EIY community so different from all these other websites that try to offer similar resources and functionality under the guise of "promoting independent music" is that you can take our website offline, and apply it to real life, and actually see real results from what we are talking about online. You will meet people on our website who are actually working hard in their daily lives, making things happen, and genuinely working on building their careers and working towards their goals. We're not just a bunch of "talkers" who are sitting online posting things because we are bored. We're producers. We're real people and we all have goals and ideas. So you can log off of the EIY website and still be actively involved in it. The movement has very deep roots, from our ties to the BYOFL community, to the accomplishments and personal experiences of the people who are behind the website, to the actual people who are on the site every day, using it and applying the philosophy to their lives. The people on the site are real, and it's all very honest and very human.

CAC: What new initiatives do you have in the works for 2010?

SS: The thing I'm most excited about - well one of them - is that we have decided to apply for non-profit status for Earn It Yourself. We (meaning: myself, Ernst, Wyatt, and Dean) have been working so hard, for years, to make this an amazing website. But we never really figured out what kind of company we wanted to be. I kept thinking we should push to incorporate the company and get investors and do the typical business-y stuff with it, but then it dawned on me: none of us are in this to make money. We have been pouring our time and energy into the site because we all love it, and we think it's a damn good idea, and we think we are offering something to the underground music community that nobody else is offering. Why complicate it? We're all artists and creative people ourselves; we are not old men in suits, or washed-up A&R guys trying to make a last grab at whatever money is left to be made in a dying industry. We're too busy trying to apply the EIY philosophy to our own lives, so we might as well just be part of the community we are building, rather than try to capitalize on it. So I'm hoping that we'll have non-profit status by next year sometime, and I feel really good about the decision to move the company in that direction.

Other really exciting stuff: our second year sponsoring the Kevin Says Stage on the Warped Tour, with the daily "EIY Spot" that will feature an EIY band in each city on the tour. (More info: http://earnityourself.com/kevinsaysstage)

Not only will we have EIY bands playing every day on Warped Tour, but Kevin Lyman has offered me an amazing opportunity to really spread the word about the Earn It Yourself philosophy and movement, by inviting me to run a daily EIY Workshop & Scene Meet-Up for local bands, promoters, venues, and kids in the scene in each city! I will be out on the tour all summer, running these awesome meet-ups backstage where a select group of active members in the community will get together, meet each other, talk about what's going on locally, learn more about the EIY movement and how they can get involved, and then have the opportunity to talk with bands, staff, crew, and other people who are out on the tour! I'm putting together an EIY Handbook to give out at these meet-ups as well, filled with interviews and profiles on people and artists who I consider to be good representatives of the EIY approach to building their careers. The idea here is to do something constructive, that will help to rebuild and kick-start local music scenes by bringing people face-to-face and really talking about the meaning and purpose behind what they're working on at a local level. If we can get the underground music scene active again, we can really start to build up a network that can support itself entirely outside of the mainstream -- like our DIY forefathers did it, 20 years ago.

CAC: What key experiences from your background do you draw on for EIY?

SS: I think it was a gradual evolution. Definitely being in my first band(s) from when I was 16 to 19, and all the things I learned during that time, had a huge impact on me. I had a short stint as a solo artist from about age 17-18 where I was hauling this embarrassing setup to a coffee shop 20 minutes from my house and performing outside every single day for an entire summer. I released my own three-song EP and learned a lot about recording, mixing, producing, etc, from that experience. Interning as an engineer (pre-ProTools) at a recording studio when I was only like 20 helped me develop a new understanding about sound and production that I've applied to writing and recording ever since.

Discovering the punk/DIY scene when I was 19 was a major turning point in my life, and unbeknownst to me was when I started to subconsciously develop my personal philosophy. Starting my band Saving Face -- and probably the entire 5 years that band was around -- was just one big lesson after another. It was during that time that I really finalized who I was as a musician and an entrepreneur in terms of being in a band.

But it was also during that time that I started reading a lot more, and rediscovered philosophy as an integral part of life, not just a subject taught in school. Once my mind was opened to seeing the world from the point of view of my values, my beliefs, my goals, and what I stood for, everything in my life got a lot clearer. So discovering and understanding the practice and purpose of philosophy in my daily life is probably the most important turn I've taken.

Of course, the six years I spent living in Los Angeles, touring and working only on the business side of the music industry, was the icing on the cake of experiences in my life that I draw on for EIY. I witnessed, heard about, learned, watched, and met everything and everyone that a person coming from the underground music scene could ever want or need to know. It was like going to college to get my masters or something.

So now, doing music again as Gardening, Not Architecture, is the easiest and most enjoyable thing I've done as an artist or an entrepreneur, simply because I have a full, objective understanding of what to do, how to do it, and the comfort of knowing what to expect, and what is realistic for me to achieve with it. It's like I've learned enough from other people, and I'm ready to just go through it myself, for my own enjoyment, and to learn what's left to learn by doing it myself. I'm my own student, now.

CAC: How was the business funded? Are you currently raising additional capital?

SS: We've paid for everything out of our own pockets. We've sold a tiny bit of advertising through Google. We're going to introduce the ability to donate on the site and become featured contributors, and once we get non-profit status, we'll be able to apply for grants, and allow people to write off their donations. We don't expect to make money on the site, but if we could get to a point where we have a small staff that we can pay for their time, and we could cover our overhead, and maybe put some real money into marketing efforts or promotional events for the community -- well, that would be amazing.

CAC: If funds and resources where unlimited what would be the first thing you would implement?

SS: An annual tour with amazing headliners that exemplify the EIY ethos in their careers; a team of programmers to help execute the rest of our amazing ideas and visions for the website; and EIY book that would be available at all bookstores; a ground-breaking record label (the business model for which is locked away safely in my brain, don't worry); a management company that would put all other management companies out of business; and a mandatory annual meet-up for everyone on the website, so we can sit around and talk about our ideas and all the things that drive us , and get all inspired and make a million plans with each other, and start a million companies and side projects, before passing out by a campfire somewhere, probably in a field, under an open sky filled with stars.

###

Learn more about the Earn It Yourself movement at www.earnityourself.com
Learn more about Gardening, Not Architecture at www.gardeningnotarchitecture.com

New record label, I am looking for Unsigned acts to go on tour.

2010-03-03T04:07:00.000-08:00

To start, please bust me if I use the words "platform", "paradigm", "suite of tools" or "Digital frontier" anywhere in this post.

I have been working hard with my partners at Aderra to develop a platform for emerging artists to begin to grow to the point where they have a sustainable career. I have studied a number of music tech companies by doing my own digging on the web, talking to fans and users of these sites as well as going to music conferences to take in what these companies are doing. The one key, overarching theme I hear from music companies is their struggle to monetize music in some way. Sometimes it is because they simply charge to little, sometimes their business model is too dependent on excessive licensing or royalty agreements with record labels (and sometimes they just have bad ideas.) Staring out at the new digital frontier I began to realize that we were doing something inherently different than most music tech startups. Almost all of the other companies were built on the premise that the internet was the be all/end all for music in the future. For us at Aderra the web plays a role in marketing and fan out reach but

the foundation of our business is built in the first row of a live show, side by side with sweaty fans. We're not trapped in cyberspace trying to find pieces of pennies.

We're trying to create a new paradigm outside of the traditional label-artist relationship with value placed on THE FANS, THE MUSIC and THE ARTIST and our top-notch world class service to all three. These three are the pillars of our buisness. So I try to view our decisions through the FANS, MUSIC, ARTIST prism.

The old record label system is broken because at every point it is ignoring or even working against one of the three pillars of FANS, MUSIC and ARTIST.

I could probably rail on at length about this but I will save it for another post.

Because as it says in the subject line, I am looking for Unsigned Acts to go on tour. Not only that:

We'll release your music, double your merch sales and triple your fan base.

But you have to meet a few criteria:

You have to be striving to create timeless music.
You have to put on great performances of your great songs.
I don't care how many plays you've had on MySpace.
I do care show many shows you played last year that were more than 100 miles from your house.
We won't release CDs. They are for dinosuars. Don't expect any shiny discs.
I will give your music away for free if it makes sense for your fans.
Work ethic - needless to say you have to be ridiculously committed to your own art if you expect me or anyone else to support it.
You have to be actively engaged in social networking to connect with your fans. (You do have all of their mobile phone numbers, right?).

If this sounds like you, send me a song or two. Make sure I know what your email address is. Don't send me pictures or bios or reviews or any other crap. I will find it on your website. If you are playing near L.A. any time soon invite me to a show.

We have created a suite of tools that we can use to help you reach these goals:

Find more fans. It is all about your fans.
No Day job. Music is a sustainable career for you.
Give you the time and resources to create great art.

Our music submission address is: sub@aderra.net

Putting my money where my mouth is: Why I partnered with an indie band for their next tour Part Two

2010-03-02T03:00:00.000-08:00

Continued from Part One

The top four goals for a new music act while on the road touring:

Goal 1: Great performances of great music.
Goal 2: Find new fans or let them find the act.
Goal 3: Be sure your fans know they are now part of the tribe.
Goal 4: Give the fans a range of things to own that will reinforce their membership in the tribe.

I covered Goals 1 & 2 in the first post, let's take a look at 3 & 4:

Goal 3: Be sure your fans know they are part of the tribe.

tribe
/traɪb/
–noun
1. any aggregate of people united by ties of a community of customs and traditions, adherence to the same leaders, etc.

cult
/kʌlt/
–noun

1.a group or sect bound together by veneration of the same thing, person, ideal, etc.

Call it "tribe", "cult", "family" whatever term suits you but the key idea here is that your fans are bound together by you, your music and their devotion to it.

I had a theology professor in college that used modern day cults as an analogy for the foundation of the world's popular religions. While he stretched a little to make the analogy fit the message was

Make people feel like they belong to something bigger than themselves but reinforce their individual value to the bigger cause.

What does that mean? Your fans will be way more loyal if you show that you value their fandom.

It is all about your fans.

This video with narration by Derek Sivers has been Tweeted and ReTweeted ad nauseum but if you haven't seen it yet, take a peek. It is of course the viral video that hit youtube last year of the lone geeky guy dancing on a hill at a concert who wins the hearts and minds of the other folks until the hill is overrun by fellow dancers. Sivers' is making a point about leadership by looking at why the followers follow. It is because they want to be included in something bigger than themselves. Always consider how to make your fans feel like they are a part of what you are doing and that you write and perform music for them.

Goal 4: Give the fans a range of things to own that will reinforce their membership in the tribe.

I learned about this while on the road with The Cult. (Talking about the band "The Cult" here, not trying to be confusing.)
I spent some time watching fans at the merch booth. The concert T-shirt is the typical totem worn by fans to identify that they are in "the tribe". At the end of the night not everyone has $40 to drop on a T-shirt or USB flash drive recording of the concert but they still want very badly to belong and display their identity as a tribe member. The Cult(the band) offered a $3 key chain with their logo on it. Watching fans scour the merch display for something, anything they could afford and then seeing their face light up over a keychain was a bit of a revelation for me. This was not a case of them deciding between a topshelf hoodie or DVD pack and low cost item. For some fans it is their only choice. Always, always, always give fans an option to be your fans. This includes low cost or free items that the fan will value greater than the seemingly low price.

Keeping these goals in mind when planning for a tour and actually hitting the road will take you a long way toward winning and keeping new fans. So who is the band we partnered with? Take a guess and Stay tuned.

Putting my money where my mouth is: Why I partnered with an indie band for their next tour Part One

2010-02-26T03:47:00.000-08:00

It is easy enough to pontificate and preach. Especially when you look at the missteps that have been made in he music industry over the last decade.

But...

it is an entirely different thing to put your money where your mouth is and actually do the things you tell others to do.

So I decided it was time to STFU and do what I have been saying other people should do engage music fans and make money on the road.

The first step was to look create a well rounded platform and then figure out how to implement it.

Goal number one is to make money on the road right? Wrong.

Goal 1: Great performances of great music.
Goal 2: Find new fans or let them find the act.
Goal 3: Be sure they know they are now part of the tribe (more on this below)
Goal 4: Give the fans a range of things to own that will reinforce their membership in the tribe

Let's take a closer look:

Goal 1: Great performances of great music.

This is a given. Great music first. Any artist that I am going to work with has to be striving to create something unique and in the words of Adam Miltenberger, "timeless" (ok, so that was a single word, not "words" but he still hit the nail on the head). Does that mean that every single note will be a new classic or that every show will be a mindbending revelation for the audience? Of course not but if that is what the act is working towards, I'm in.

Goal 2: Find new fans or let them find the act.

Attention artists: It's all about your fans.

without them you are nothing. We created a multi-level approach to get the attention of new fans and to reward the core fanbase for introducing new fans to the band.

How do fans discover new music that they like? They listen for free.

A fan will never come to your show, buy a T-shirt let alone get a tattoo of your logo if they never hear your music. We have created a streaming web widget, mobile phone app and a song a day giveaway to allow every chance for fans to discover the music. While the fans get the tunes for free we have built this on a platform of sponsorship that allows the band to monetize the music without blocking a fan from the joy of listening.

I will dive into goals 3 and 4 in the next post.

The 3 Main Lessons for new artists from the New Music Seminar L.A.

2010-02-05T06:42:00.000-08:00

There were a few overarching themes at the New Music Seminar this week in Los Angeles:

1) You need help to "Do It Yourself"

After a decade or more of promises about how the internet would un-tether musicians and unlock immediate access to fans the reality has set in: It's just not that easy.

Reality has set in: It's just not that easy.

To help artists with the constant grind of social netowrking and fan out reach several companies have stepped in to assist. There are great digital tools available for indie artists through folks like Earnityourself.com, Reverb Nation, Hello Music and more (including Aderra.)

2)The Music Business is still in transition.
Some things have become apparent, The CD is a dead format. Yes there are still millions of shiny discs selling each year but the total has plummeted. While it is easy to blame peer to peer sharing there is clearly a larger trend. What's next? The current consensus seems to be that we are headed for a splintered multi-niche market. In the short term this is certain, whether there is a new paradigm of mass market success is yet to be seen.

3) The most important thing a new music act can do: MAKE GREAT MUSIC.
Don't get distracted by tweeting or updating your Facebook status. Work hard to write great songs and put on great shows. If the music is great, the rest is simple.
Dan from Killola has a more detailed take on the New Music Seminar HERE.

Post Script - A HUGE thank you to Tom Silverman and Dave Lory for giving us open access to everything and every one at NMS. From Panel recordings, to photo opportunities and private interviews it was a great day. The USB recordings will be available online shortly.

L.A. Times calls Records Labels Irrelevant

2010-01-31T09:19:00.000-08:00

The L.A. Times published an article written by Geoff Boucher this morning titled The Path to Success is no longer labeled(Get it? Like a "Record label"?) Bad Puns aside, this is an insightful look into the current concerns and goals of local emerging artists. The tale is told mostly from the perspective of local indie act The Afternoons (who are actually now called Shadow Shadow Shade after they ran into a UK band that is also called "The Afternoons"

Flea from the Red Hot Chili Peppers supplies some wisdom that sums up what he sees as the current state of things

When I was young, it was about the magical record-label guy who tapped you on the shoulder and suddenly you're playing the Forum, riding around in a limo, getting that shiny tour bus. All of that doesn't exist anymore.

So what does exist? An opportunity for artists to operate outside of the label ecosystem. Any reasonable person would agree that no one has a bead on exactly what the next generation relationship between artist and fan is as of today. New hybrid models are being created and the internet plays a large role. Seems like it might be a lot of fun to figure it out.

Re-Mix Contest at layer23.com - get your remix released on a limited edition E.P.

2010-01-24T08:51:00.000-08:00

Layer23.com is hosting a remix contest for 2 Gardening, Not Architecture tracks.
The winners will have their tracks released on a limited edition USB flash drive that will be hand decorated by G,NA's Sarah Saturday.
The complete individual tracks for two songs are posted, "Stop, I get it" and "Proof". The EP will also feature a full live Gardening, Not Architecuture set.
You can enter the re-mix contest at www.layer23.com

10,000 Reasons you are not a successful music act.

2010-01-22T01:07:00.000-08:00

I wrote earlier about Tom Silverman's assessment that artists who sell less than 10,000 copies of an album are some how unsuccessful. After an interview at musiciancoaching.com was posted this week there has been a lot of grumbling about a) whether the seemingly arbitrary number of "10,000 albums" was anything less than well, arbitrary and b) are the number he quotes accurate?

Steve Lawson makes a few key points about this:

It’s ... based on ‘Soundscan’ statistics.

I hadn't considered that when originally reading Silverman's comments. His numbers may be accurate regarding sales tracked by Soundscan but

by their very nature, Independent artists operate outside of the Soundscan retail sales ecology.

At Aderra we often work with artists and labels that bundle a studio album on a MicroSd card or flash drive along with a live show we have recorded. While the studio album sales are always carefully tracked and reported to Nielsen the live tracks are not recognized by Soundscan at all. In 2008 our clients moved about 100,000 flash drives. Assuming there were 20 live tracks on each one

that is 2,000,000 digital track sales that were never once even whispered to the folks at Soundscan.

(This is a gross estimation, I'd have to go back and do an actual count but my math should be fairly close...)

So after I had this brilliant epiphany I came across Jeff Price from Tunecore's post in response to the musiciancoaching.com post. While he sounds a bit hurt by all of this he takes my little realization and blows it up to over 42,000,000 tracks sold by Tunecore artists, especially noting some such as MGMT, Drake and Soulja Boy who broke the 100,000 track mark before going on to success as signed label artists. (Disclosure, I have used Tunecore to distribute tracks for Eggfoot Records). (That is the first time I have worked a shoutout to Eggfoot Records into this blog so far. 2010 is our 20th Anniversary as an independent label.)

In the end Lawson makes probably the most important point in all of this debate:

10,000 listeners is a much more creatively inspiring target than 10,000 sales.

As I mentioned in this post, having fans discover a new artist is far more important than ensuring a per track sale.

I am sure that this will be discussed in great depth next week at the New Music Seminar in Los Angeles.

3 Reasons "The Cloud" Sucks

2010-01-20T09:14:00.000-08:00

MP3.com founder Michael Robertson wrote a guest post on TechCrunch yesterday about Apple's purchase of lala.com and their "secret" cloud strategy. He lays out a plan that sounds an awful lot like his strategy at MP3Tunes.com. While conventional wisdom shows many platforms headed to the cloud, there is a long way to go to make this a viable solution to distribute music. Here are 3 Reasons why the Cloud Sucks:

1) Connectivity - I can barely keep a phone call connected with AT&T, how am I supposed to reliably connect to data in the cloud? Until wireless broadband access is low cost, global and reliable the cloud will not function as anything more than a databack up.

2) Control - I have spent a bit of time exploring Spotify, the much heralded European music streaming service. It is a pretty good model for what music in the cloud will look like. The search feature is really, really fast and the catalog is fairly deep. I always search for "Yellow No. 5"(The alt country act not the punk one) and "L.A. Tight" as a test of how deep a streaming service's catalog is. (Found Yellow No. 5 but not L.A. Tight)Here are Spotify's major downfalls(and I am not considering their delayed launch in the U.S. as one of them): a)Essential tracks are not in the catalog, including a number of U.S. indie artists. b)I can't ADD any tracks, I am not in control of the cloud. c) back to my first point, what if I can't connect?

3) People Like to Own stuff - Possession imbues something whether it be a car, a shirt or a song, with value. The cloud devalues everything by stripping the emotional connection away from the owner. While it is cool, could be convenient, and is surely coming - right now the cloud sucks

Aderra - Best LIVE Dance, Trance and DJs 2009

2010-01-18T18:47:00.000-08:00

Tiesto, Deadmau5, Chicane, The Crystal Method, Daivd Guetta, Prodigy and more.

Music Discovery Engine - Waltzo.com

2010-01-17T11:11:00.000-08:00

The folks at waltzo asked me to be one of the first guest curators for their new music discovery service.
It is an interesting approach: Only one song available for listening at a time per visitor. Playlists are compiled by curators that select songs based on their own personal criteria. (The first person who guesses the theme of my list gets a free USB from the Aderra sample table). There are no user controls to select artist, genre etc.
They are accepting submissions for the consideration of the curator from independent artists as well as record labels.
Some stuff on my playlist:

Ray LaMontagne - Crazy (Gnarls Barkley cover)
Julia Albert - Can you Tell
Shotgun - Bound by the Sound
UB40 - Alum Rock Dub
L.A. Tight - Lieseplein
Roger LaPlant - The Reasons for Quittin
Killola - Cracks in the Armor
Maxfield Rabbit - Drunk
Bored - Untitled
Avett Brothers - Laundry Room Live in a Flash!
Her and Kings County - My Backyard
and a dozen more

waltzo.com

Aderra - Best LIVE Country, Folk, Gypsy and Bluegrass 2009

2010-01-10T06:51:00.000-08:00

Del McCoury, Green River Ordinance, Younder Mountain String Band, The Nightwatchman, Gogol Bordello, Devotchka, The Avett Brothers and more.

Aderra - Best of LIVE Rock and Metal 2009

2010-01-09T09:06:00.000-08:00

I went through all of our recordings from 2009 and picked some of the highlights.
This is the first podcast which highlights the best recordings Aderra did of Rock and Metal acts in 2009 including Slash, Metallica, Mastodon, Tom Morello, Static-X, The Cult, The Pixies, We the Living and the Legendary Wayne Kramer.

5 Essential Lessons for tech entrepreneurs - Digital Music Startup

2010-01-01T19:13:00.000-08:00

In late 2006 I started experimenting with delivering live recordings at concerts on USB sticks. By January 1 of 2007 I had done a bit of tech development prep, written the business plan and launched the company. Since then we have had many victories and our fair share of hardships as well. Here are 5 things I have learned so far about launching a tech startup:

Recruiting - If the candidate demands a lot of money, they are not worth a penny.

You are a start up. Your most important asset are the true believers you want working side by side with you. If a person TRULY believes in you and your business they will accept meager pay with the potential of reward later.
Anyone who wants a bunch of cash upfront is betting against you. They have no confidence that you will be around for the long run.

F&F - Be Focused and Flexible

It is a weird tightrope walk: You need to be doggedly persistent to bring your vision to life but at the same time you need to be able to adapt that vision to the actual conditions you encounter. I'm not one for throwing around a bunch of martial bluster but
the U.S Marine Corp. has an unofficial mantra that sounds like it came straight from Miles Davis' band stand: "Improvise, Adapt, Overcome."
Recognize when you need to change strategy or tactics but then bite down hard and chase the new vision just as persistently as when you first started. My first vision for Aderra was to build hardware and sell it to touring performers. In the first handful of sales meeting I had I listened and learned that what they really wanted was a service to provide everything I was describing turn-key (Thanks to John Ferrante for helping to realize this.) . This was a total 180 from what was in the business plan but it quickly lead to us landing our first major concert at the Red Rocks Amphitheater on June 2, 2007, a mere six months after starting the company.
Make Sure your spouse, partner, or whoever is 1000% onboard.

If they don't understand why you are killing yourself working so hard for so little return at first, they will withdraw their support and make your life difficult. After a punishing day in the trenches the last thing you need is grief on the home front. There is an entire universe of stress that goes along with running a start up, especially if you are bootstrapping. If your domestic situation is precarious to begin with, it will not survive the tumult. I watched a good friend's marriage crash and burn along with her new business.

Lawyers are the only Winners in a lawsuit
It is a hoary, old cliche but it is true. It does not matter how much evidence you have to support your case, it does not matter how "right" you are or how many lies the other side has told. The ONLY thing that matters is who has more money. The party with the fattest warchest will win a lawsuit every time. If you find yourself faced with an opponent that can easily out spend you on the suit, think carefully before entrenching yourself in the courts. And as a small startup, don't dream that you will find some fantasy attorney that will take your case on contingency. They won't. They know you or your opponent will most likely go bankrupt as a result of the lawsuit in which case they will never get paid. One strategy you may want to consider early on is to
invite an attorney at a practice that can handle both transactions and litigation to join your Board in exchange for a percentage of equity.
Your legal fees won't completely disappear but they may be significantly lower than if you simply hired a counselor.

Never Give Up.

You can credit my Dad with teaching me this one. There may be dark times in the early days. Funding is hard to come by, competition is fierce, there are a lot of people out there who just don't get what you do, sales are hard to come by. When you read business books or biographies of entrepreneurs they often gloss over this or mention it in passing "His first ten companies went bust before he hit on the trillion dollar idea..." but seldom do they ever describe in detail the gut wrenching feeling of not being sure how you will pay your employees (or your lawyers...). There is only one thing to do when things look gloomy, find the unnoticed opportunity that is presenting itself and chase it hard. (Thanks to Gus Ruelas for that bit of wisdom.)

CDs are for Old People

2009-12-23T05:43:00.001-08:00

2 Years ago as I was wrapping up Aderra's first full year I started to think about all of the dysfunction and confusion I was witnessing first hand as I spoke with artists. By 2007 the record industry had fallen into disarray and while far from dead one thing was certain:

The future of the recorded music business was going to be quite different than it had been in the past.

I sat down one night and typed up a one page manifesto (ok, so it was more like a bullet point list than "manifesto", but my blood was boiling with a manifesto-ish fervor...)about how I would tackle the difficult task of developing new artists to create sustainable careers in that late 00's.

A couple of days later I stumbled across an article that David Byrne had written for wired.com My first thought was "Dammit, this is way better than my manifesto." but upon reading further I realized that he had written a thoughtful, thorough assessment of the past, present and possibly future "recorded music business". His take on the present:

What is called the music business today, however, is not the business of producing music. At some point it became the business of selling CDs in plastic cases, and that business will soon be over.

Two years later and CDs are still selling. It hasn't been a crash as much as it has been a slow deflation but the words of the prophets are written on the studio wall: CDs are not long for this world. When Aderra was out on the road with O.A.R. one of their fans told us

"CDs are for old people!!"

We have taken this drunken declaration to heart. But to be fair, my parents got an iPod Nano 2 years ago and have not bought a CD since. (Sorry Mom and Dad, didn't mean to lump you in with "Old People", I am just getting scientific with age demographics...)

Byrne goes on to make several keen observations including, "Touring is not just promotion. Live performances used to be seen as essentially a way to publicize a new release — a means to an end, not an end in itself. Bands would go into debt in order to tour, anticipating that they'd recover their losses later through increased record sales. This, to be blunt, is all wrong. It's backward. Performing is a thing in itself, a distinct skill, different from making recordings. And for those who can do it, it's a way to make a living." Word to that.

He also lays out six scenarios for recorded music distribution, from the trendy "360" deal to the other end of the continuum, completely independent distribution by the artist. You can read the full article and listen to accompanying interviews with Brian Eno and others about the state of the music biz HERE.
In 2008 Byrne followed some of the path he had laid out in the article and released and new collaboration with Eno, "Everything That Happens Will Happen Today" in conjunction with TopSpin. Following the TopSpin model, several tiers were offered for fans to engage. This included a free widget that could be embedded on any web page or Blog. Here it is:

On top of the free widget three price tiers were offered on everythingthathappens.com including a $69.99 Deluxe package.

It is not CDs in and of themselves that are old fashioned but the notion of selling music as product surely is.

New Artists - Killola's Top 5 Strategies for winning new fans

2009-12-19T07:34:00.000-08:00

Here are the top 5 Strategies that independent artists Killola are using to win over new fans:

1) HIT THE ROAD - Where are new fans to be found? Not in your hometown. If you are a musician your imperative is to play music for other people. Go on tour, play to new audiences. Take smaller gigs than you are used to. Use resources like E.I.Y. to find gigs, places to stay, other bands to book shows with.

2) GIVE IT AWAY FOR FREE - Killola released their "I am the Messer" album for free through True Anthem. Fans who supplied their email address were able to download the album tracks for free but the band got paid through a sponsorship set up by True Anthem. In addition they captured a database of new fans who were able to discover and explore their music with no "risk".

3) MAKE IT COOL FOR THE FANS - At first blush I would say any money or effort put toward the creation of a music video was a waste. MTV is dead and gone. BUT, in the YouTube era a music video created on the cheap is a great vehicle to introduce a new act to fans. Especially if the members of the band have compelling personalities. Check this out:

"Cracks in The Armor". Killola made this video on their own. While the production values are very high here. That is not entirely necessary, you need to let the fans get to know you. At the Aderra Studio we waited anxiously for each Friday so that we could watch a new episode in the build up to the release of the Blakroc album.

4) ENGAGE WITH SOCIAL MEDIA - Actively engane your fans through all of the FREE social media tools available at you fingertips. Just remember: You are having a conversation with fans, don't just shout your lame hype at them. They will quickly de-friend you and disengage.

Killola USB Wristband Video on Blip.tv

Killola Facebook

Killola MySpace

Killola Twitter

Killola Blog

Killola YouTube

Killola thestream.tv

Killola Livestream.com

5) WORK HARD ON THE MUSIC - With all of this "busy" work tweeting, youtubing, touring etc. it is easy to run out of time for the music. WRITE GREAT SONGS. Make every effort to always be working towards writing great songs. Get help with merch, touring, booking shows etc. but NEVER ignore the music.

So, are these strategies working for Killola? So far I'd say it seems good.

Without management or a record label they moved over 50,000 copies of their "I am the Messer" album,

8 songs have been placed in the new "Girltrash" feature film, they have toured the U.S. and UK and are headed back out on the road this March (See number 1 above). Which is all pretty cool.

But in my mind the biggest commitment a fan could make to an artist is to get a TATTOO of the band's logo on their skin. Forever(unless you use a laser to remove it). Not just one fan has a Killola tattoo, A LOT do. Check them out: K)) Tattoos.

If my benchmark for victory as an artist is "One engaged fan", A tattoo is probably the ultimate engagement.

New Artist Development - Words of Wisdom from an Old Pro

2009-12-17T08:29:00.000-08:00

One night back in 1995 I wandered into the Virgin Records store (Remember those?) on Sunset Blvd and heard a drummer warming up. As I moved into the aisles I stumbled on Dick Dale and his band about to play. This was after his Pulp Fiction fueled resurgence. When they lurched into their first song the sound of his guitar made the hair on the back of my neck stand up. It was the fattest guitar tone I had ever heard. Absolutely amazing. I have been trying to get that same sound out of my rig ever since. He had 2 black face Super Reverbs just roaring. The only thing I have ever heard that comes close is Rev. Horton Heat's Gretsch + Marshall. (Ironically when the two paired on a RHH track years later neither guitar seemed as big and bad as they should have).

So fast forward 15 years or so and as the music industry stumbles around trying to figure out what comes next after the fall of the major labels, guess who seems to have things figured out: Dick Dale. Watch this interview for some absolute wisdom about how to break a new artist:

Ted Cohen - "The World is Yours!"

2009-12-16T19:11:00.000-08:00

Ted Cohen from TAG Strategic has a new MIDEM Blog post: MIDEM Blog: Breaking Through The Noise

Great post but one thing caught my attention:

According to my friend, Tommy Silverman/Tommy Boy Records and the co-founder of the New Music Seminar recently pointed out to me that less than one tenth of one percent of music released last year sold over ten thousand units.

Off the top of my head I can think of a bunch of artists: 16 developing acts and 11 career artists(who have had a hit song or a career spanning more than 3 decades) That Aderra is working with that would love to sell an additional 9,9999 albums this year. (Or instant concert recordings on USB, MicroSD wristbands or album downloads on iTunes...)
I get Tommy's point, the vast majority of sales go to a small percentage of artists. I'd guess that this is nothing new. In fact, I am sure that most economists would confirm that this is the case across the board, most money is drawn in by a minority of any population.

There are a few problems with framing things in this manner:

1) Why is over 10k in sales a benchmark? This is an arbitrary number at best.

The benchmark should be "ONE new fan who will listen, share and evangelize for the artist".

(If this is the case Ray LaMontagne owes me about $1,000,000,000,00. I bought the "Trouble" CD for just about everyone I know of people and then ripped it and shared it with plenty more...)(and then emailed everyone I know the version of him singing Gnarls Barkley's "Crazy")

Sidenote: "Trouble" might have been the last CD I bought. It was 2004, a little before the death of the CD. Actually went to a Tower Records Store to get them. (You know, the building that is now a Walgreens drugstore on Lake Street in Pasadena.)

So I could dive into a few different directions here:

a) what does the artist make per track on those 10k+ sales??

b) what do they make gross on those 10k plus sales? Are they better off selling 1000 for a higher profit margin and a MUCH greater value to the fans who are able to participate?

c) Does it matter? What if Free is the right price point for most of your fans anyway? (Because they used to Discover you by listening to the radio or watching Music videos on TV for free??)
d) what if you're an artist with a message and getting it heard by as many people who will listen is the goal, not units sold?

I'd like to stop with the arbitrary benchmarks (a "gold" record? That is a cool wall hanging for your office, not an achievement in connecting with fans.) so let's say "1 more fan = victory: 9,999 more fans = victory+"

P.S. By coincidence, Aderra recorded Sara Haze's Set at the Dakota in Santa Monica this past Monday and she was awesome.

Case Study - Successful ad supported streaming on a mobile device

2009-12-14T15:13:00.000-08:00

In the late 70s and Early 80s, I remember my grandfather "Pop" Donnelly standing in his kitchen every morning, drinking instant coffee, smoking Kools and listening to a mobile music device that streamed his favorite songs all day long straight to him. When he loaded up and headed for work he had an in-dash version of the same device. He paid no fees, no subscription costs. The entire system was funded by sponsored advertisements. Record companies demanded no licensing fees or royalties from the providers of this mobile streaming service.
Of course I am being cheeky, it was his A.M. Radio beaming Frank Sinatra and Dean Martin straight to his kitchen, his car, and when he he got to work on the job site, a little transistor radio.

This is a proven business model, in place for 87 years. This is what the streaming service companies should be looking to as a way to move forward.

Of course with radio the labels demanded no payments or licensing. In fact they spent a tremendous amount of money on third party radio promoters to get their records placed on playlists (and of course in some cases resorted to straight bribery). This was the single best way for them to run up sales of their recorded releases. Make people aware of them so that they were compelled to purchase the recording after having it burned into their psyche through free streaming. Why the change in attitude by the record labels?
A few things: For one MTV. The sure fire way to success on the record charts in the 80s and into the 90s was through constant rotation on MTV. Then at the turn of the millennium the folks at MTV started to concentrate on reality programming instead constant music videos played 24/7. Their ad revenue spiked as people were drawn to the this new voyeuristic programming. Not too mention that by 1998 we had pretty much scene the music video drowning in its own cliches. So the record labels step back and somewhat rightfully say, "We spent Billions building your brand, supplying you with a free supply of pricey music videos and in exchange you change your format and cut off our supply to new fans".
This has caused them to look at any new opportunity with a wariness that they are not "exploited" this way again.
Another factor is fear. As revenues crashed downward there was an industrywide paranoia that any thing new and "digital" was robbing the labels of their proper place in the food chain.
So they start demanding upfront payments from new vendors that could help them find new fans for their artists. And of course they started suing music fans for sharing files. (This has been written about ad naseum so I won't spend time on how utterly stupid it is to take your most loyal customers to court...)

I think a look back to Pop crooning away with Frank might actually show us the path to the future.
• As an artist or Label (or whatever the new hybrid partnership develops is)use EVERY tool and EVERY Opportunity to introduce your music to new fans without expecting them to pay you first
• Look to sponsors to subsidize the cost of streaming. Keep ad rates reasonable.
• Publishing Royalties should be paid in accordance to a sliding scale depending on listenership, not number of plays. Or in the case of hobbyists that are playing music out of passion - no payments.
• Kill the subscription model. This is bad for fans, bad for labels and bad for the tech companies that have to pay exorbitant licensing fees to the labels.