MUSIC INDUSTRY BLOG

As an artist, getting your ass on stage and performing to as many people as often as possible is key.  In the US, SXSW is arguably the largest draw of both music fans and artists, certainly independent artists.  Should you get on a SXSW stage?  Of course you should.  However, assuming that you are not yet well known, playing live at an over-crowded and super competitive event has its limitations.  Sometimes, you have to get off the stage in order to truly make an impact and, year after year, I’m seeing more independent artists attending music conferences, on their own behalf, and with their business hat on.  Although the largest of the lot, Midem in Cannes and Popkomm in Berlin, also offer a variety of live performance opportunities to acts big and small, the true event value is in the aimless wondering between the booths and random handshakes with industry professionals.  I’m not joking.  You’ll meet a lot more people on the floor than on stage.  If you meet someone who wants to hear you play, both Midem and Popkomm have listening rooms big enough for you to perform acoustically.  If nothing else, attending these events will teach you a lot about the current music market and provide you with the confidence to approach prospective partners who may [or may not] invest in your next recording, touring, licensing, or writing initiative.  You never know.

Related post: RedGorilla

Anyone who has randomly surfed through YouTube has eventually landed on a video of a teen guitar virtuoso with millions of accrued views.  Search a little further and a vast world of amateur instructional guitar ‘how-to’ clips will reveal themselves with tantamount popularity.  Guitar is a massive interest category on YouTube and, with it, a traditionally unrepresented musical niche has emerged to the fore: Guitar Virtuosos.  Steve Vai, Joe Satriani, Nuno Bettencourt, and alike, were popular long before YouTube unveiled itself as the premier video portal, however, a new breed of guitarists have caught the attention of the dotcom generation with unique styles that, until now, experienced only nook-and-cranny exposure.

Enter CandyRat Records, the most visible alternative acoustic guitar label on YouTube – or anywhere, for that matter.  The boutique-sized label, founded by Rob Poland, has capitulated extraordinary guitarists through a series of low-budget video clips of their music, the most successful of which include some form of tapping, odd tuning, or any other unconventional manner of playing their instrument.  Although CandyRat represents a whole slew of talented guitarists and singer/songwriters, the company’s most notorious roster of YouTube maestros includes the likes of Erik Mongrain, Antoine Dufour, and, of course, Andy McKee, who has garnered just under 20 million views for his video performance of “Drifting“, an original composition, and over 8 million views for an innovative version of “Africa” by Toto.  And then there’s Don Ross.

Don Ross was Rob Poland’s first signing, even though Don remained contractually independent.  In 2005, Don released an album through CandyRat which marked the label’s investiture as an acoustic aficionado.  In a recent communication with Jill Katona of Paperwork Media, Don’s booking agent and Andy McKee’s former rep, I learned that it was Don who brought Andy to Poland’s  attention, who later signed him and released two of his CDs under CandyRat.  Old friends, Don Ross and Andy McKee collaborated for the label and enjoyed mutual exposure online.  However, it was McKee’s video performance of “Drifting” that truly put CandyRat on the map and significant offshoot traffic in Don’s direction, as well as the other artists on the label’s growing roster.

Don Ross and Andy McKee’s styles are comparable.  The two masters of their trade govern the art of percussive, finger-picking, neck-hammering guitar techniques which make their solo guitar compositions sound as if there are multiple instruments omnipresent.  Considering Don Ross’ lengthy tenure as an acoustic guitar performer, I can only assume that he is one of the pioneers of this style – he has certainly become renowned for it.

Don is currently on tour with Brooke Miller, a 2007 finalist in We Are Listening’s Breaking the Band, and their aggregate talent should make for an excellent series of live show.

South by South West in Austin, Texas, is one of the largest music events in the world – and a truly fun weekend for fans and musicians alike.  For artists, access to Austin’s best venues is a career development must and Tinderbox Music, in association with RedGorilla, provides the means to get new acts on stage at a set-up cost that’s lower than the spectator entry fee into SXSW.  RedGorilla caters to the Austin venues that are not included in the SXSW line-up, mainly due to festival logistics issues.  Each year, these venues open their doors for artists to enjoy the SXSW reception and provide attending music fans with a free alternative.  Last year, RedGorilla hosted 300 acts at eight different venues.  In 2009, showcases will take place from Wednesday, March 18th, to Saturday, March 21st, on Austin’s 6th Street, right in the heart of the action.  Tinderbox Music has a number of slots open for interested parties.  RedGorilla is an unsanctioned event and not a part of SXSW.

For booking details, contact:
Jon Delange
jon[at]tinderboxmusic.com
 (612) 375 1113

In the point of view of the booking agent, you – the artist – must be in place in your career that you can attract enough paying gig-goers to your show, do so frequently, and with consistent growth to justify the booking agent’s efforts in exchange for his 10% (sometimes 15%) cut.  Unfortunately, most developing artists, even those with a small but loyal following, are not attractive enough for the reputable booking agents to pursue.  Much like talent scouts, booking agents will sometimes take a chance on an act that they believe will develop successfully and provide a handsome financial return in the future, but this is a relationship that is both difficult to pursue and cultivate and its terms will be strongly in the favor of the booking agent.

If you’re not a savvy manager yourself, find an artist manager before looking for a booking agent.  Keeping in mind that your manager sees a cut of everything you do whereas the booking agent only sees a cut of your live performances, statistically, a manager should be easier to sign with because he is spreading his risk on all of your musical assets.  Your manager should already have music industry connections and a way in to discuss tour scheduling opportunities face to face with an established booking agent, rather than making cold calls yourself.  However, if this is not the case, at least the booking agent can see that you were talented enough to attract an artist manager in the first place and, therefore, worth attending your next show.

The multi-national booking and management agencies such as The Agency Group and William Morris Agency prefer to see that you have financial backing, usually in the form of a label contract.  This, if nothing else, ensures that the label can afford to finance your tour and even take a loss for the privilege of ‘breaking’ you.

Whatever the arrangement may be, everyone involved wants to make money.  As such, it’s your responsibility (or, better yet, your manager’s responsibility) to show that you are a great investment.