Music is the Soundtrack of Our Lives

One of my most vivid memories as a child was exploring the shelves that housed my parents’ 8 tracks and records.  Every item was a brand new world to explore, in sound, sight, and even smell.  I remember 1^st feeling like I alone had discovered these artists.  Elvis.  ABBA. Joan Baez. Marty Robbins.  Through this discovery I was exposed not just to new (to me) artists, but to ideas and attitudes I might never have come to without them.

Exploring my parents’ music collection gave me a connection to my parents outside the traditional parent/child bond.  If I liked what they liked it solidified my feeling of belonging to the family.  We like the same – we are the same.  My family has a past and I am now part of it.  And if I didn’t like what I heard, that helped me realize that my parents were not just my parents. They were individuals; Actual people beyond “Mom & Dad” with distinct tastes and preferences. 

Some records belonged just to my mother.  Peter, Paul, & Mary.  The 5^th Dimension. Some were just my father’s.  Johnny Cash.  Patsy Cline.  A third section was the music they had bought together. Soundtracks like West Side Story and Jesus Christ Superstar.  Looking through their music collection taught me they had pasts as individuals, a future together, and in letting me listen in, I was meant to be a part of it.  They even made space for my music which at the time consisted of Golden Books stories on .45.

Now, I’m not saying that old mediums of music are better or should be preserved for nostalgia. Although, digital recordings can’t give the listener the warmth of silence between notes.  I eventually bought my favorites from their collection on cassette and CD. I ripped those to my external hard drive where I add on to my collection with digital downloads. I access my music from any room in the house with my Apple TV. But I am in possession of my music and put it on various mediums – TV, computer, iPod, etc.  If someone had an interest, they could still go through my music collection and get the same experience as I did as a child minus the dust smell. 

Whenever I hear Herb Alpert & the Tijuana Brass I hear my dad playing along on his trumpet and teaching me to play.  My mom pulls out the old music to remind her of the good times when we were all together and smiling.  

Music is the soundtrack of our lives.  When we think back on our childhood and youth there is a song that goes with it. What I put in the tape deck when I took the family car for the 1^st time as a licensed driver (Steppenwolf); what was playing during a car accident (Blue Suede);  the first time I got all the way naked with someone like those diagrams in health class (Dépêche Mode); and the list goes on.  1^st dances, 1^st kisses, break-ups, and make-ups.

With the passage of time, we can forget our life’s playlist.  Nostalgia may lead us to spend more time scrolling through out collections but if we did not physically posses our music (even digitally) then we’d have to remember the song or event and seek it out, which bypasses the discovery/rediscovery experience. 

That discovery/rediscovery experience is not available if we buy into (literally) subscription streaming.  People pay a monthly fee to be able to stream any song they want.  On the surface it’s a great idea but the benefit is not worth the price.  Hot today. Gone tomorrow.  Subscription streamers live in the moment.  They are the Zen monks of music fans. Music is non permanence. But the subscription model does not take our musical past into account.  To go down memory lane we are required to remember and it is the music that triggers the memory in the first place. 

Subscription streaming does not consider that music fans might want to share that music in the future.  How will our children discover the great artists of our time if they can’t stumble on it like we once did with our parents’ music collections?  With subscription streaming there is one less way for children to get to know their parents outside the child/parent dynamic.  

Subscription streaming assumes music is disposable.  If you took the time to read this, you know music is never disposable.  Music is the ultimate green product.  It can be recycled for new listeners or remixed.  It can keep entertaining long after the original writers and performers have passed.  Even old pop music by one hit wonders can be our own personal time capsules.  But if we don’t possess the music in hard copy or digital format those moments of rediscovery will be few and far between.  There might be huge gaps in our memories if the soundtrack that triggers them is considered disposable and forgettable.

There is great value in possessing music in whatever format. It is not a disposable product.  The songs aren’t.  The performers aren’t.  The listener’s aren’t either.  The music cheers us up, helps us celebrate, and gets us through life’s sadder moments.  It reminds us of our past and makes the present tolerable.  If subscription streaming is the future it will prevent us from easily accessing our past.

Understanding 3rd Screen Promotion: Because No One Plans to Get a Cupcake.

1^st there was Television. Then there was the home computer. At first marketers saw the home computer as just another way to send junk mail or buy ad space. But once the power of the internet was realized, marketers began to understand that the home computer user needed to be marketed to differently than the television watcher.  Now most people carry with them a mobile device or smart phone, known as the 3^rd screen.  Many marketers still see these 3^rd screen devices as an extension of the internet and home computer but savvy promoters are beginning to understand such devices have their own unique place in promoting and marketing to customers and fans.

Usually we like to showcase local talent in this blog and several bands, venues, and promoters were contacted to speak on the topic.  But the most common response when asked if and how they use 3^rd screen to promote was, “Do you mean Facebook? We have a page. People can ‘like’ us.” One popular venue said, “I don’t know what they is but we leave promotion up to the bands.”  If my bottom line depended on the getting a crowd buying drinks I would not leave everything up to people who have no stake in my business. The most bizarre response though, “We book on a national level. We don’t promote local shows.” The word ‘local’ was said with a sneer. When asked where these national shows took place there was silence and finally, “Well, we just book.”

EVERYONE who has anything to market or promote should be aware of the 3^rd screen concept.  It should be used more than just another way to send the same message.  Multiple reminders are now seen as spam. Many don’t even read facebook invites because most artists send invites to shows halfway across the country.  Those who plan their weekend activities are becoming more rare. Instead, and to cope with the bombardment of invites, many choose not to commit to any one thing and ‘wait and see’ what will be their best option. 

Here’s How: For the Technically Inclined

Many artists reach out to fans directly thru their mobile devices (smart phones, tablets etc) via Apps. Oren Barak of Long Island’s rock band, Finespun said, “We have apps for both iPhone and Android. We’re trying to reach fans where they are, wherever they are.”  These apps have both free content and subscriber content for those who pay for more access. “People see computers for work and phones for fun so we reach out to then on their phones and invite then to have fun.” 

Bands can create their own apps but phone makers often change their code or displays with every upgrade, making it difficult to keep up. Hiring someone to write an app can be as costly as a website.  Luckily, the leading provider of marketing, promotion, and social media for musicians and industry professionals has a solution and its cost is little to nothing.

Reverb Nation has recently announced Promote It, a Facebook Advertising platform tailored specifically to those in the music business. It helps to promote songs, pages, shows for artists, venues, and promoters, or CD releases. Reverb Nation recognizes that concert going is a social event. Bootlegs were, in a sense, an early social network – allowing fans to share and connect with their favorite band and each other.  Even venues got in on the bootleg craze.  Now Reverb Nation acquired tech provider GigMaven and created a new Venue App to help artists and venues book, sell tickets, and promote their shows through social media. 

It takes some effort to set up but Finespun says it’s well worth it. “We love the push notifications; it shows up like a text message.  We were second in an online band battle and using that app quickly got us the 47 votes we needed to get to the next round. That would not have been possible if we had to wait for people to sit down at their computers.” 

Here’s How: With Just a Phone

The search for those in Central Florida who use 3^rd screen promotions effectively did reveal an entirely new brand of rock star: Food Trucks.  Food trucks like The Yum Yum Cupcake Truck use 3^rd screen promotion almost exclusively.  Websites can get expensive and a pain to update.  Owner and marketing Director of The Yum Yum Truck, Joey Conicella said, “We try to put our schedule online but it can change.  It’s just more convenient for everyone to tweet to people’s phones.”  They use 3^rd screen to capitalize on people’s indecisiveness.  “We want them to make that immediate decision.  No one plans to get a cupcake.”

A cupcake, like going out to an indie music show, can be a special treat or reward.  With so many ways to spend dwindling entertainment budgets, people are waiting to make sure they get the best treat for themselves. They may say No on Monday and delete the evite but a text or tweet on a Friday afternoon may be just the incentive to say ‘Yes, I’m going out tonite! I deserve it.”

Using 3^rd screen to reach fans on the go can allow fans to venue hop.  Bands should text from the venue when they arrive and invite fans to hang out. A Last minute blast saying ‘We go on in an hour’ might get a few extra fans to get up off the couch instead of expecting them to come at 8pm when doors open only to find the band doesn’t get there till 10 and doesn’t play till midnight.  Indecisive fans are more likely to come when they know they will be instantly gratified rather than plan ahead and then wait around when they coulda had a cupcake. 

What Indie Music Can Learn From Food Trucks

Food trucks are often sole proprietors and the owner can often be found making food or taking orders. People don’t see them as faceless businesses.  They see them as the little guy and they want their favorite truck to succeed.  The same can be said for the independent musician.  Joey Conicella of the Yum Yum Cupcake truck noted several parallels between food trucks and musicians.  “Like bands, trucks also use fundraising site like Kickstarter to get fans to fund repairs so we can get back on the road.” 

Food Trucks use 3^rd screen marketing to alert their foodie fans to their location.  The word fan is appropriate.  Several area trucks get applause when they drive up to a location.  A recent food truck gathering in Winter Park could have been rained out but last minute reminders brought dedicated foodies out of their homes and offices lest they leave their favorite alone in the rain. Without that kind of promotion, many would just see the rain and decide to stay in.

Besides 3^rd screen promotion, food trucks don’t see other trucks as competition. They know fans belong to no one.  “We found out quickly that we can all make more money when we stick together.”  They work to build a community and include both their supporters and fellow food truckers. Marketing fads come and go. Technology rises and falls. It’s that community that makes new promotion ideas work so well. 

MAKING FRIENDS THROUGH MUSIC

The scene: Austin’s Coffee Shop, open mic night.  An acoustic guitar player singing in the corner. And tables filled with solitary patrons.  I go outside to smoke and overhear a woman in her late twenties venting to her fellow smoker, “Why is it so hard to make friends in this city?!”  Their conversation scored by the music being played on the other side of the glass.

Making friends in any new location can be a challenge.  It’s easier to get a stranger to go on a date with than to find a friend go to a Magic game. Maybe it’s because many who move to Central Florida never expect to stay for long.  The sheer number of hospitality jobs that new residents often take can also lead to difficulty in making new friends.  The job becomes their world.  They hang out with the people they work with and can even become clannish – identifying themselves with a certain company, a particular theme park, even going so far as to only circulate with others in their area (performers, servers, attractions hosts etc).  Limiting and excluding are both things that music is not about. Music is about freedom, collective experiences, and reaching across classifications of every kind. 

I moved to Orlando in 1999 and outside of the folks I knew from where I worked I didn’t know a soul despite going out a few times a week. (Shout out the old Innoventions East Crew! ßSee?)  When I started Q’s House Radio, research for my interview subjects took me to venues I had never been before. Until then I had stuck to bars and clubs. Downtown Orlando meant Wall St and Zuma Beach. I could go to dance clubs and not meet anyone new despite a packed dance floor. But I’ve never gone to a local music show without at least having a conversation with someone new. 

There’s something about local music shows that make meeting new friends more probable than any other type of entertainment. Go to a packed movie and you simply sit alone in the dark. Go to a local music show and the collective vibes remind you – you are not alone.  By the third time you see someone out at a venue you find yourself hugging hello. Then there are post show trips to diners and the feeling has always been the more the merrier. 

Leigh Caldwell shared her experience: “When I left working at theme parks, the friends I had sort of disappeared. The club scene gets old but I still wanted to go out. I can’t tell you the number of fantastically rad people I met by going to see local bands. I don’t know why that is but I love it.”  And she is not alone in the experience.  

“The nature of the music scene is to include others;” said Sarah Conness, Talent Director of Monster Nature booking agency. “Certain genres of music often attract certain types of people. So those who go out to a music show often have more in common with each other than those who in the same bar, or dance club.  Live music speaks to people mind, emotion, and soul.”  It’s connection on such a level that makes making new friends possible.

Our civic leaders make the rules but our musicians and artists create community.  A local music scene helps people connect with each other and that in turn builds community. Sean Sedita, drummer for pop rock band, Orange Avenue, said, “Making people feel connected is important to us. After every show we make sure we are spending time with those who came to see us and meeting new people.  It’s more than just good promotion. We want fans to meet each other and make new friends at our shows.” 

Hosting a music business radio show, scouting for labels, and writing for various music magazines and websites have given me more than a satisfying career path.  Being in the music scene has given me friends, the kind of friends that I invite into my home and go on vacations with. The kind of friends who invite me to their cook outs and introduce me to their families. Real friends. And while we vent to each other, have a few drinks, and a few laughs, always in the background is the music that brought us together.

http://www.austinscoffee.com/

http://www.monsternature.com/

http://orangeavenuemusic.com/

THE HEALING – HELPING POWER OF MUSIC

When there are people in need, the arts and entertainment industry has always been quick to help raise funds or to lend a hand. And when the world needs as escape, they turn to the arts. Like many arts, music, not only gives people an escape to a happier time but also gives people comfort and hope.

While major artists often donate their time and talent to those in need, emerging musicians are discovering the benefits of working with charities and the concept of ‘cause marketing.”  Cause marketing occurs when a for profit endeavor like a music group (yes, they are for profit despite their actual income) partners with a nonprofit for mutual benefit.  Both get name recognition, entertainment, and exposure which in turn can lead to more fans and more donations.  When the image of the artists and the charity fit together both brands are strengthened.

Cause marketing is not just a way to get more fans. It is a way to build relationships and show the artist in a whole new light.  It can establish an artist in certain locals and endear them to old and new fans alike.  When picking a charity to get involved with the term, “Think global, act local” comes to mind. Don’t just jump on whatever cause is hot at the moment.  An artist’s involvement should mean something aside from the hopes of gaining exposure.  Sure, they might be on a compilation CD sold to help the peoples of Malawi, but can they find it on the map? Musicians on Call is a nonprofit organization that achieves a global impact through local activism.

Since 1999, Musicians on Call has been bringing live and recorded music to the bedsides of patients in healthcare facilities.  It began in New York City when musician Kenli Mattus was asked to put on a show for Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center.  When one of the nurses suggested he play for those patients who were unable to attend because they could not leave their rooms, Musicians on Call was born.  Michelle Klinger, program director for the Miami, FL, chapter, said, “The intimate interaction between musician and patient was just so amazing. That’s how the idea came about.”

“Music is so powerful. It triggers a memory.  It triggers emotion and to play for people who are sad, who are having a rough day, who are not feeling well, it completely transforms the energy in the room,” said Klinger.  The opportunities to make a difference are not just reserved for big names like Daughtry and Lady Antebellum, who have each been a part of Musicians on Call.  “The heart of the organization are local musicians.”  

Kindhearted music fans will be happy to know that volunteer opportunities are not limited to musicians. Non musical guides escort the musicians.  “The way that it works, a guide goes in 1^st so the patient does not feel pressure to say yes.  In hospitals, patients never get to say no.  They are always told what to do, what to eat, ‘I’m gonna poke you!’ so when they [are asked their preference] it is very empowering.”  When the patients do say yes the musician enters and plays. Guides are trained by both Musicians on Call and the individual facilities.

Musicians on Call has chapters in New York, Miami, Nashville, and Philadelphia. While not yet in Orlando, they hope to create awareness and have had the help of local radio promotion and industry writers and professionals. Where bedside performances have yet to take place the organization provides CD Pharmacies: music libraries and players.  These CD Pharmacies are in all 50 states, Washington D.C., Puerto Rico, and Ireland and are tailored to each facility’s needs and interests.  They incorporate every genre of music.

Many local Central Florida bands have learned the value of attaching their name to a worthy cause and have benefited from it.  Shane Wooten walked across the state of Florida, raising money for and playing at several Ronald McDonald Houses. Of course he also played his new single.  Patrick Gibson has made a great habit partnering with cancer and children’s charities.  His partnering with the Ronald McDonald House led to his CD being sold in 25 local McDonalds.  Anyone’s Guess has had repeated success in their Rock for Blood events in getting music fans to donate blood. 

Helping yourself by helping others is the whole point.  The cause doesn’t have to be half a world away. In fact, the impact an artist can make may be bigger when they act locally.  Organizations like Musicians on Call help make it possible for local acts to have global impacts.