Writer Cassie Davidson and photographer Daniel Bray headed down to Austin to represent Canadian Musician at this year’s edition of the South By Southwest (SXSW) Music, Film + Interactive festival. Here’s the wrap-up from the last day of the festival.

The last day of SXSW was rather slow-paced for me, as I was really starting to feel the exhausting effects of festival life, so I headed back over to the Austin Convention Center to browse the Music Gear Expo with my friend Mark. The usual suspects were all there: a lot of high-end guitars, amps, and fancy pedals to covet. Mark was particularly impressed with the VAX 77 keyboard controller from Infinite Response, which boasts weighted keys, a colour touch screen, seamless integration with Apple’s MainStage, and polyphonic aftertouch. It also folds up into its own luggage case, a great feature for a touring musicians. Apparently Stevie Wonder is a big fan…

Meanwhile, I was keeping myself entertained with the Jasperbridge percussion guitar. A strange contraption that’s played on a stand, it’s made up of a standard guitar neck that brings the strings from the front of the instrument through a “tunnel” to the back of the

guitar body to then be played with a drumstick or mallet. It features modified pickups that allow for each note of a chord to be heard simultaneously, rather than successively. I’d be interested to actually see someone perform with it, as it looks somewhat awkward and unwieldy.

With the recent prevalence of so many musicians using new forms of electronics to create and record their work, the iPB-10 Guitar Pedalboard for the iPad was a big hit. Made by DigiTech, it features a digital library of 87 pedals, 54 amps, and 26 cabinets. The iPad’s touchscreen and the straightforward drag-and-drop layout of the program made it really easy to use, even for someone who has no idea what they’re doing with it (ahem).

Before I knew it, several hours had passed so we headed back out into the fray to catch some shows. I closed out the night with some more Canadian music lovin’ at Trinity Hall for the Halifax Pop Explosion showcase. I hadn’t seen Wintersleep (Halifax) in ages, and it felt pretty good to be reunited in Austin. They played a lot of their newer material, which was great, but it’s their older stuff that still really does it for me so I was happy to hear a few songs from Untitled and Welcome to the Night Sky.

Overall I’d say my first time at SXSW was a great success. It was awesome to see so many bands representing Canada and connecting with tons of new fans. Between all the showcases and day parties, there are countless opportunities for musicians to reach out to broader audiences and gain a lot of exposure for themselves. Add all the industry reps and the strong media presence into the mix and you’ve got yourself one heck of a festival. SXSW 2013 will be here in no time and I can’t wait!

Canadian Musician‘s Mike Raine is in Toronto as CMW takes over the city and will be checking in daily with reports on the conference programming, the bands showcasing around the city, and more. See below for thoughts from Mike’s final day at the festival.

On the fourth and final day of the conference portion of Canadian Music Week the focus shifted back to the artists and, in particular, songwriters.

I started the day by catching some of the “Hello Halo: Getting Your Music in Games” panel, which had a bit of a misleading title since much of the discussion was about how videogame companies use songs and the related royalty deals and less about how unknown bands can get their songs in games; however, the panelists, including Activision Publishing/Blizzard’s VP of Music Affairs Tim Riley, agreed that you don’t have to be Jay-Z or Coldplay to get your song in a game. They’re solely interested in songs that match the mood of the game, regardless of

whose song it is. Because each company can operate differently, panelists warned, do your homework first. Go online or make some calls and find out who’s in charge of sourcing songs for the company’s products and contact that person directly. When you do, said Alex Hackford of Sony Computer Entertainment, know that most of them prefer hearing potential songs through streaming services because audio file attachments fill up an inbox and CDs become clutter. The less you annoy them, the more receptive they are to what you’re offering.

Next up was the “Elements of a Hit Song” presentation by Ralph Murphy and Jay Frank, who are both industry veterans and authors of books on how to write hit songs. I know many songwriters scoff at the idea of deliberately writing hit songs because music is supposed to come from the heart and soul, and in a way, I agree. Nonetheless, this was the most fascinating session of the day and, let’s be honest, it’d be cool to have a hit song. So if you’re in the market for a hit song, or just want some insight into the psychology of the modern listener, here are five tips:

1. You have seven seconds to impress your audience. In the age of the internet, where a different song is a click away, research shows that listeners, on average, will give a new song seven seconds to hook them before they move on. In fact, 25 per cent of all songs sold in the U.S. last year had an intro of exactly zero seconds.

2. Get to the vocals. Interestingly, whether it’s speech or song, vocals are something people inherently don’t want to interrupt, so they’re less likely to changes stations or click away in the middle of a lyric, as Frank explained. As such, if the vocals kick in within the first seven seconds of a song, a listener’s more likely to listen to the whole tune, or at least more of it. That’s why first verses are often longer than the others. Who says manners are dead?

3. Beware the “two minute fatigue wall.” If a song follows the same pattern and sound for two minutes, subconsciously listeners feel nothing’s going to change and they’ve essentially heard the whole thing, so throw in a something different around the two minute mark to regain the listener’s attention.

4. Be a winner. Whether the song is about a breakup or a street fight, very few hit songs portray the singer as the loser. As Murphy said, many songwriters have a tendency to whine, preach, or vent, but the listener doesn’t care.

5. The chorus should kick in around the 45 second mark. Interestingly, this isn’t a psychological tip but a practical one. The reason is that the 45 second mark is the default sample start time for any song sold on iTunes. Do you want people to only hear the chorus or part of a verse?

Moving on, I also attended the “Ask the Artist” panel, which was supposed to be a chance for unknown artists in the audience to ask questions of other young musicians that have graduated beyond the local bar scene. I expected this to be the most informative session of the day but no one asked questions and it transformed into a regular discussion panel. If you have the privilege of attending such a panel in the future, I’d suggest asking questions, because it felt like this was a bit of a wasted opportunity for many artists in attendance. The one point the panelists did drive home was to take advantage of the various government grants available to unsigned Canadian artists. Few countries offer artists so many opportunities to get some money to further their career.

On a more positive note, freshly-minted Canadian citizen Paul Rodgers, former singer of the classic ‘60s and ‘70s groups Free and Bad Company, gave a very entertaining interview and performance. In between amusing stories about how his advice made Robert Plant a lot of money and how he almost became the singer for The Doors, Rodgers did advise singers that one of the keys to preserving your voice as you age is knowing how to properly warm up. He must be onto something because his voice is as strong as ever. The same certainly can’t be said for a lot of aging rock singers I’ve seen live.

As well, Jeff Price, CEO and Founder of TuneCore, a company that works with artists to ensure they’re getting all the royalties they’re owed, gave a very animated and well received presentation on the terribly complicated, unfair, and inefficient world of songwriter royalties in the age of the internet. The good news? There’s loads of money out there for anyone with an original song that’s available to the public. The bad news is that getting all the money you’re owed is nearly impossible.It’s also impossible for me to get into it all here –Price barely scratched the surface of it in an hour-long presentation, but songwriters might want to check out more from TuneCore here.

Lastly, here’s an interesting anecdote from the songwriter’s circle that has completely changed the way I hear a classic ‘90s tune. According to the song’s writer, Dan Wilson, the Semisonic tune “Closing Time,” the cap to just about any night out at the bar, isn’t actually about closing time at a bar; or at least not entirely. As Wilson explained, he went through a period where he was obsessed with making every song about two different subjects simultaneously. As such, “Closing Time” is partly about closing time at a bar, but it’s more about the impending birth of his child. But no one got the second part. Now go and listen to the song’s lyrics again, keeping in mind the part about the baby, and it seems so obvious that it’s hard to understand how anyone missed it in the first place. Funny how these things work.

Anyway, that’s all for this year folks. It’s been truly fun and interesting few days with far more useful information than I can pass along here. I would definitely recommend to anyone in the music industry that they attend in the future. Until next year, take care.

Writer Cassie Davidson and photographer Daniel Bray headed down to Austin to represent Canadian Musician at this year’s edition of the South By Southwest (SXSW) Music, Film + Interactive festival. Their adventures from Day 3…

One of my favourite parts of the festival was Flatstock 33, presented by SXSW and the American Poster Institute. It was a great opportunity to check out the work of over 80 poster artists from around the world and see samples of their art. Gig posters are such great pieces of memorabilia and an attractive, effective way to advertise your band.

The two exhibitors I was most interested in seeing were Sonnenzimmer and Crosshair, both based in Chicago. The collaborative duo behind Sonnenzimmer,

Nadine Nakanishi and Nick Butcher, frequently pairs up with different artists to produce some beautiful pieces that are quite different from the posters you usually find at a show. With an emphasis on form over content, their delicate, detailed pieces have featured the likes of Yeasayer, Owen Pallett, Broken Social Scene, and The National.

Crosshair’s Dan MacAdam creates insanely detailed, photorealistic silkscreened posters, sometimes with as many as 17 different colours and layers. MacAdam uses the imagery of industrial landscapes and abandoned buildings to promote events for The Black Keys, Wilco, Blitzen Trapper, and Sonic Youth, among others. Both companies are definitely worth checking out.

In between Flatstock and the evening’s shows, I took a break at my hotel and had the pleasure of meeting the one and only Reggie Watts, who was wonderful and a pleasure to talk to.

Day 3 was dubbed Canada Day for me, as my night was all about celebrating the homeland. I started out in the best way possible, with an intimate performance at the Rooftop Bar by one of my favourite songwriters, Montreal’s Charlotte Cornfield. Most of my night was spent at the Canadian Music Week showcase with Toronto bands The Balconies, Cuff

the Duke, Arkells, and Young Empires, as well as my top show of the day, Current Swell (from Victoria). It was just one amazing band after the other and it was definitely the place to be that night.

SXSW was almost over but wasn’t slowing down. Get ready for Day 4!

Canadian Musician‘s Mike Raine is in Toronto as CMW takes over the city and will be checking in daily with reports on the conference programming, the bands showcasing around the city, and more. Here’s the scoop from Friday, March 23rd.

First, I’d just like to say that Toronto’s own The Balconies played a hell of a show on Thursday night at Cabin 5. Check out a (very) recent interview with CM right here.

Now down to business. Compared to the artist-centric day two, day three of Canadian Music Week was certainly more focused on business. But even among all the sessions for agents, managers, radio executives, and promoters, there were a few valuable discussion panels directed at the people that fuel the music industry: the artists.

Among them was “How to Get Booked on a Festival: Even if Nobody Knows Who You Are,” which included panelists from such esteemed events has England’s Glastonbury Festival, Iceland Airwaves Festival, Van’s Warped Tour, and Australia’s Big Sound showcase. The lesson that kept being repeated by the panelists was that landing a festival slot is all about two things: good songs and buzz.

Warped Tour founder Kevin Lyman explained that festival organizers talk to promoters, listen to fans, and search the web, so the bands that generate the most buzz and word of mouth reaction, even if it’s just in their own city, have a far better chance of getting booked. Lyman added: “Build a great story in your local market and we can’t ignore it.” Generally, the lesson was festivals are in the business of generating crowds and every band has to prove they can grab an audience’s attention.

As well, as Glastonbury co-promoter Martin Elbourne said if you want to make it to the bigger festivals, start with local festivals and showcases. Each of the 15 Canadian bands playing this year’s Great Escape Festival, he explained, was scouted at another smaller event, including Nova Scotia Music Week. Osheaga

Festival’s Nick Farkas added that if a lesser-known band does approach a larger festival, they need to have realistic expectations. They may have to play an early afternoon set on a side stage, but it could likely be a stepping stone toward a higher-profile set the following year.

Other points repeated throughout the panel: we’re in 2012, not 1995, so a pleasant looking website with videos and quality audio files has a better chance of getting a look than a press kit. Be persistent but don’t be a pest and have your pitch and/or story in order before you approach because organizers want to know why you’re right for their festival.

Next up, the “Agent vs. Manager: Who’s Got Your Back” panel was certainly the most boisterous of the day, with each high-profile manager and agent on the panel battling to get a word in. Tom Wilson of Blackie and the Rodeo Kings – who played artist’s advocate and was often equal parts thoughtful, hilarious, and nonsensical – made the point that, ultimately, it’s all about the artist’s vision and the agent and manager are simply there to work out the details. Nothing good can happen when an artist loses control of their own career trajectory. This point was seconded by former Tragically Hip manager Jake Gold, who explained that tour partnerships and collaborations between artists often happen a lot easier if the artists approach each other instead of having an agents and/or managers approach another artist’s agent and/or manager. After that, the agents and managers can work out the details.

Panel moderator Ron Burman, VP of A&R at Roadrunner Records, made an interesting point while answering an audience member’s question. If an artist is actively seeking out an agent, it’s sign that they’re probably not ready for one. The point being, if you’re at the stage of your career where you’re ready to hire an agent, agents will approach you. Otherwise it’s a waste of money. Frank Riley of High Road Touring added to Burman’s point, saying that when an artist approaches an agent, the power is now in the agent’s hands. The agent gets to ask the questions and set the parameters of the business relationship whereas when an agent approaches an artist, the artist is now the one in control, and that’s the better and more productive arrangement in the long run.

Moving on, the day ended with the “Club Tours: Small Rooms, Big Dreams” panel, consisting of venue owners, concert promoters, and band managers. One of the big lessons was that no venue or audience is too small for a band to make a lasting impression. Owners and promoters talk to each and to their staff so even an impressed bartender can lead to future opportunities.

As well, similar to the lesson easier in the day that small bands need to be prepared to play lesser time slots at festivals, they also have to be willing to play a Monday night at a tiny club. It’s not unusual for bands to have to work their way through the week, starting with an 8 p.m. Monday slot and building toward the 10 p.m. Friday headlining gig. Clubs are where word of mouth begins and if you can impress a small crowd, next time they’re bringing their friends.

Jason Grant, promoter at Live Nation, made a point that is particularly important in the age of internet hype. Just because a band can sell a 1,000 tickets in a particular city doesn’t mean they should. If a band plays a large show before they’ve honed their live performance, the negative reviews and audience reaction could actually set their career back.

And of course there was the Q&A with the legendary Slash, who stills looks like he just stepped out of a Guns n’ Roses promo photo from 1989. Unfortunately a ban on any questions about his former band means fans still have to wait and see if the real Guns n’ Roses will perform at their Hall of Fame induction.

All in all a very interesting day with far more to talk about than I can write about here, so I guess it’ll have to wait. See you tomorrow.

Canadian Musician‘s Mike Raine is in Toronto as CMW takes over the city and will be checking in daily with reports on the conference programming, the bands showcasing around the city, and more. Here’s his take on Thursday, March 22nd’s happenings.

Branding and social media. Those topics and their respective roles in the music industry were top of mind at day two of Canadian Music Week and also the subject of multiple speeches and panels.

Of the multiple panels discussing endorsements – by this we mean the mutually beneficial relationships between companies/corporations and artists/tours – one of the best was certainly the “Bands, Brands, and Fans” session moderated by Dave Videka, CEO of Rooftop Agency/Jägermeister. The panelists’ main message to both signed and unsigned artists was that the days of being scared to “sell out” are in the past. Smart artists in the modern music industry see the practical benefits of teaming up with a company or corporation to receive funding for a project and a promotional boost.

As Videka pointed out, Jägermeister funded tours for nine unsigned bands in Canada last year . As well, the company funded the studio time for Swollen Members’ 2011 album “Dagger Mouth,” which is nominated for a JUNO, despite many fans not evening knowing about it. “There a misconception that brands don’t care about music,” added Virgin Mobile’s director of brand experience and marketing Kevin Campbell.

Tom Jackson, a live producer from Nashville and President of Onstage Success, said at the session that in 20 years of working with bands, helping them fund tours and studio time through brand partnerships, “I’ve never seen a downside to this process.” Jackson added that bands he’s worked with, both signed and unsigned, often earn anywhere from $500 to $2,000 per night on tour because of brand partnerships.

Giving some practical advice for artists, Nelson Phillips, Director of Marketing for Monster Energy Canada, said companies look for bands that match their brand and bands have to do the same. He advised bands looking for a partnership to start by asking themselves what companies they already support – through things like clothes they wear, gear they use, etc. – and approaching those companies. Additionally, Cathy Cutz of 145 Live Solutions told young bands to team up with charities because it is a great way for two entities with a common cause to boost each other’s promotional reach.

So the branding lesson of the day was that commercial companies are now filling the funding gap left behind by increasingly risk-averse record labels and young bands need to take advantage of it. There are lots of promotional opportunities and money out there for artists, but they have to start looking outside the music industry.

On the social media side, there was an excellent panel entitled “The Fanbase Phenomenon: Engaging the Online Music Community,” moderated by Canada’s best-known music geek, Alan Cross. Panelists including eOne Music’s Eric Alper and Fiona Bloom, President of The Bloom Effect, made three key points about the way artists use social media.

1. “Retweets are the new autograph” – This phrase, said by Alper and continually repeated by Cross, is essentially a catchy way of saying that in the age of social media, bands are winning people over one person at a time and the best way to do this is interaction –retweeting or responding directly to individual fans’ comments via Twitter or Facebook. This makes the fan’s day and encourages them to spread the word; an engaged fan can be your best advocate.

2. “Only your homepage is permanent” – Bloom told a story of an unnamed artist she represented who had 9 million followers on the now-defunct social media site imeem. When the site was terminated, so were her nine million followers. The lesson: Facebook and Twitter complement your homepage; they don’t replace it. Social networking sites come and go but your homepage (could be) forever.

3. “Feelings, not facts” – In short, when communicating via social media, don’t just make statements; instead, start conversations with fans. In practice, this means instead of tweeting “Playing a show tonight in Toronto at Lee’s Palace,” try “Pumped for tonight’s show in TO. What songs you wanna hear?”

This last point ties in with something the day’s keynote speaker, Huffington Post Founder Arianna Huffington, said during her speech on social media: “Using social media as a press release doesn’t work; you have to be authentic.” Though Ms. Huffington hasn’t lived in the music industry like past keynotes such as Ted Nugent and David Crosby, few people understand social media like her, and this lesson is very relevant to bands promoting themselves online. As she said, social media is part of an online community where both listening and commenting are important. Bands should understand that social media is part of a two-way conversation with their fans.

All this doesn’t even include the great Q&As and performances by Joel Plaskett and Burton Cummings. These guys really showed that Canada has a great history that continues to this day of producing songwriters with intelligence and soul.

A lot of food for thought, and now I’m off for a long night of great music. See you tomorrow.

Writer Cassie Davidson and photographer Daniel Bray headed down to Austin to represent Canadian Musician at this year’s edition of the South By Southwest (SXSW) Music, Film + Interactive festival. Here’s the rundown of day 2.

In addition to showcasing scores of musical acts, SXSW also hosts a slew of interesting and informative panels and seminars covering a range of topics, from how to connect with festivals and venues to how to treat performance-related pain.  It’s a great place for anyone curious about the many different facets of the music industry to pick up a lot of insider info. I spent a good chunk of Day 2 at the Austin Convention Centre exploring the conference and checking out some different discussions.

I sat in on “Advertising is the New Radio!”, a great panel moderated by Grey Group’s Director of Music Josh Rabinowitz. The speakers explored the recent phenomenon that’s seen more and more artists seek song placements in TV and film and put less of a focus on achieving radio airplay. They offered many helpful tips for musicians on the ins and outs of licensing, royalties, and back end fees.

I also caught the panel on “Artist Revenue Streams,” presented by the Future of Music Coalition and moderated by Kristin Thomson. The ARS project collected a vast amount of data from US-based musicians in

an effort to examine the many different alternative revenue sources that artists have come to rely on, such as merchandise sales and crowd funding. There were many other panels at the festival this year that seemed to follow a similar theme of self-sufficiency, such as DIY merch solutions and planning and executing successful house shows.

My afternoon and evening were spent criss-crossing town to check out a number of different acts. I caught The Stanfields (Halifax) at the Nova Scotia party. (Check out Craig Harris from The Stanfields’ bass column in the March/April 2012 issue of CM.) They were great as usual and the Trinity Hall crowd was loving their boisterous east coast rock.  I closed out the night at Stubb’s, an incredible outdoor venue that made me forget I was in the middle of a city. Outdoor venues are not

usually described as “intimate”, but Stubb’s was just that. Great sound and ample space, but you weren’t left squinting at the stage if you were near the back.  Dry The River (London, UK) and Girls (San Francisco) put on a fantastic show for  AOL Music’s Spinner/High Road Touring showcase. Bonus: a super fun photobooth (complete with feather boas and fake pistols for props) was set up at the back of the space for free photoshoots and the Food Network’s panini truck was stationed down the street. Win!

Stay tuned for Day 3 and more coverage from SXSW, including Flatstock 33!

Writer Cassie Davidson and photographer Daniel Bray headed down to Austin to represent Canadian Musician at this year’s edition of the South By Southwest (SXSW) Music, Film + Interactive festival. Here’s their report from Day 1.

The iconic South by Southwest (SXSW) Music Festival kicked off this week in Austin, TX, and I arrived well-rested and excited to document the insanity for Canadian Musician.

I started the fest in true patriot style at the Canadian Blast BBQ, enjoying great food while watching an incredibly energetic set by Regina’s own Library Voices. Their enthusiasm was infectious and the crowd was enthralled, quickly filling the tent and rocking along. They were followed by Hamilton, ON-based duo Whitehorse, the recent endeavour of Luke Doucet and Melissa McClelland. Their gritty folk sound was impressive and undeniably sexy, and kept the growing crowd’s attention with little effort.

Next up was Alabama Shakes at the Austin Convention Centre’s Radio Day Stage. The quartet, hailing from Athens, AL, put on a thrilling show and their unassuming yet oh-so-powerful frontwoman Brittany Howard’s gravelly vocals were in strong command of the southern blues-y rock exploding from the stage. Definitely wish I had caught them a second time.

After a quick drive out into Texas hill country to visit the famous Salt Lick barbecue joint (best ever!), I snagged a front row seat at St. David’s Bethell Hall to watch Bahamas. The intimate venue was the perfect setting for Afie Jurvanen’s minimal set-up and charming love songs. Accompanied only by a pared-down drum kit and two gorgeous backup singers, the sound was incredible and showcased Jurvanen’s charismatic vocals and crunchy guitar perfectly. It was without a doubt my favourite set of the festival.

The night was closed out at Beauty Bar with San Francisco bands The Dirty Ghosts and Thee Oh Seesplaying the Panache showcase. The former blasted out some intense punk rock jams, with bassist Erin McDermott and lead singer and guitarist Allyson Baker completely owning the stage. As for the latter, I was pleasantly surprised by how much I loved

their set. I had been less than thrilled with Thee Oh Sees recorded material, but had never seen them live. After being coaxed by several friends, and reminded that they performed with two drum kits (a weak spot for me), I decided to go and I’m so glad I did. They played a fiercely sweaty, beer-soaked set, and it was refreshing to see the crowd get so into it. It was their third show of the day but you never would have guessed it, they played with such tireless intensity. I’m convinced that if they hadn’t been under a time limit, they would have just kept playing until everyone passed out from exhaustion.

SXSW was off to a great start, and it only got better from here! More posts to come!