Luce – a new song every week

a new mp3 every week from Luce. At the time of this posting, the song is Jessica – simple & beautiful.

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Electronic Music Industry Enters Music-Tech Foray With Flux Summit in SF

I will be covering Flux Summit, the first music tech conference for the electronic music industry in San Francisco. Flux recently announced discussion leaders from IODA, Om Records, and Terrorbird Media – leading industry innovators who will surely inspire higher learning for a genre largely ignored by self proclaimed music-tech experts. Most music tech conferences  tend to focus on indie rock. Let’s face it: the electronic industry is different. There are different moving parts and different legal issues. Different applicable technologies, and different audiences. Different live music experiences and different digital marketing efforts.  Whether you’re simply interested in the genre and how it is adapting, or are interested in how to help it adapt – if you are an engineer, producer, dj, label owner or aspiring to be one or all of the above, come to Flux….it’s free with RSVP and marks the beginning of a true San Franciscan effort to loop in the electronic genre into our foray of music-tech innovation and thinking.  Here is the press release – see you thursday! Highlights include demos from PreSonus, demonstrating its new Studio One Pro and Studio One Artist DAW software for Mac OS X and Windows XP/Vista as well as Test Press, where musicians submit a piece and get reviewed on stage by a panel of expert judges/ musicians/ artists/ producers. you can RSVP (it’s free!) right here.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
press contact: Ryan Romana at 415-385-1784
ryan@pressjunkiepr.com

FLUX. SUMMIT @ PYRAMIND ON OCTOBER 1st
832 Folsom Street, San Francisco, CA
$Free with RSVP/ Doors at 5:00 PM
www.fluxsummit.com

SAN FRANCISCO, CA Flux represents the ever-evolving landscape the electronic music industry faces today.  On October 1st, the Flux Summit, a single evening event featuring a discussion of the most timely “it” topic combined with a mixer and a music review session, debuts its first event at Pyramind in San Francisco.  This free event (with RSVP) is a first of its kind on the West Coast, combining DJs, producers, music industry professionals, record labels, gear & software companies, and electronic music enthusiasts together under one roof to discuss topics affecting them today and shaping tomorrow. 

We are pleased to announce the discussion topic for our first Flux Summit will be “21st Century PR & Marketing for Independent Labels and Artists.”  The topic will be moderated by Tomas Palermo (ForwardEver Media, Managing Editor WireTapMag.org, DJ on KUSF), and will be a Q&A discussion with experts examining the best ways to promote artists and labels. The discussion will cover effective marketing and promotion campaigns, online tools, how to engage media outlets, what methods are relevant these days, and what a decent campaign should cost. The discussion will also touch on digital promo servicing, web presence, social networks as well as the differences between doing PR independently and using professional services.

The Flux Summit has partnered with some of the Bay Area’s premier electronic brands including LovEvolution (formerly known as LoveFest), TestPress SF, and Pyramind.  In addition to the discussion and mixer, an integral part of the summit is the TestPress music review session. Started in 2005, TestPress is a music review session that enables DJs, producers and artists to gain instant feedback on their music from top industry experts. Play your tracks for the audience, get critiqued by the panel of reviewers and let the audience vote on their favorites. Tracks reviewed from each TestPress are eligible for inclusion in the annual year end TestPress compilation released on Epiphyte Records.  It’s also no coincidence that the Flux Summit falls a few days before SF’s heralded LovEvolution.  This is so attendees heading up early can join the conversation of the electronic music industry before they let loose in the music.

If that wasn’t enough, the summit has added software demonstrations by audio electronics company PreSonus (www.presonus.com) to the agenda – you can catch the demos anytime between 6:00pm – 7:30pm in the HD Studio at Pyramind.  PreSonus will be demonstrating its new Studio One Pro and Studio One Artist DAW software for Mac OS X and Windows XP/Vista.  Demonstrations will take place throughout the evening so you can check out the discussion, mingle at the mixer and still catch up on the latest PreSonus software at anytime during the night.  There is truly something for everyone in the electronic music industry at the debut Flux Summit.

With the music industry rapidly changing and so much uncertainty surrounding the ability to operate a successful business, Flux was created to encourage interaction and open up discussion on emerging trends.  Although the Flux Summit is a free event, RSVP is required. Capacity is limited.  Don’t miss this opportunity to get involved on October 1st. 

 

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A Fire, A Burglary, A Future, A Corner, A Show

The greatest benefit of working with LUCE (other than the music) is getting to know Tom Luce.  Working with artists is always an enlightening experience – but Tom and I have a unique story.  I first met LUCE in 2001 when they had a brief one-off distribution deal with What Are Records, prior to getting signed by Nettwerk. I was still greener than i knew. i was hungry. eager. My job at that time was to manage the band’s field staff, send posters to venues, signed cds to fans and promotional materials to promotional outlets.  I was a bad ass. Loved to interact with the fans. Each day of the week i would focus on a different band – i had the rotation of my work hours down to a science, and every Wednesday was LUCE day: and it was a good day. One day the band visited our office in boulder and i geeked out, blaring While My Guitar Gently Weeps so they’d think i was cool.

Flash forward about 8 years later, I’m still not cool, but at least my phone rings and I pick it up: It’s Count. Will I come over for wine, and hang out with his new client Tom? We’re in the studio, maybe we’ll play some of it for you.

Corner of the WorldLuce
“Corner of the World” (mp3)
from “Corner of the World”
(Luce)

within 5 minutes of my arrival, it all made sense.

Oh Emm Gee, you’re Tom LUCE! I’m Corey from W.A.R
….and within seconds our relationship re established itself. Too good to be pre written. No deity could think it up. It’s poetry.

And as we re-connected,  I learned of the blockades that LUCE endured before going into the studio with Count.

Tom’s house burnt down, but it didn’t throw him or the band off course – he went on tour the following week anyway. And then the band’s gear was stolen on the road. WHAT? yeah. everything was stolen.

You must have chaos within you to give birth to a dancing star. -Nietzsche

Tom wrote a blogpost about the band’s experiences which lead them to their new release Corner Of The World. After all this time the reward of finding an artist i respect cannot help but remain an artist, forever evolving and creating as he is meant to be, making music as is meant to be – well, it surpasses the pleasure any financial success. Kudos, Tom Luce.

On the lighter and A W E S O M E side, the band has been shooting video on the road and they are f*ing fantastic, short, amusing. In addition the CD Release party for Corner Of The World is July 11, 2009 at Great American Hall in San Francisco (get tickets)

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That’s Just How That Bird Sings

digging up an old favorite. hope you like it.

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Client News: SonicLiving Provides Concert Listings for Pandora iPhone App

Very *very* excited to announce news for one of my clients, SonicLiving.  Woo hoo!
SonicLiving is pleased to provide personalized concert listings for the nation’s number 1 music application for the iPhone (number 2 on blackberry).  If you live in San Francisco, a q&a and SonicLiving demo from CEO Gabe Benveniste will take place at the city’s best monthly music-tech industry gathering, musicatecnomica – Thursday June 11, 2009. Hit me up with questions and see you there!


SONICLIVING ANNOUNCES IPHONE IMPLEMENTATION WITH PANDORA

 

SonicLiving Provides Personalized Concert Listings for
Pandora’s iPhone Application

EMERYVILLE, Calif. – June 3, 2009 – SonicLiving, the Internet’s leading concert discovery service, today announced another integrative agreement with Pandora, the Internet radio service, that will bring SonicLiving’s personalized concert calendars to everyone who uses Pandora’s iPhone application. SonicLiving is the only service of its kind to integrate with Pandora, and will now be exposed to over 500,000 iPhone users per day via the Pandora iPhone application. SonicLiving (sonicliving.com) connects music fans online and in-person through communities created around the live shows their favorite bands play. Users can purchase concert tickets as well as connect and communicate with friends and other members of the SonicLiving community. Amstel Light is sponsoring this feature. The addition of tour dates to the Pandora iPhone application provides listeners with localized tour date information matching artists they’ve identified as favorites on their Pandora radio stations, have given a “Thumbs Up” to or bookmarked, and creatively displays popular shows nearby. In addition to Pandora, SonicLiving works seamlessly with several other platforms and as a standalone service.

“This agreement confirms SonicLiving’s place as the Internet’s leading concert discovery service,” says Gabe Benveniste, president, CEO and founder of SonicLiving, Inc. “Users will find SonicLiving to be a useful feature that complements and enhances their Pandora experience.”

“Pandora is dedicated to providing the best music experience possible, whether recorded or live, which is why we’ve chosen SonicLiving to power our sponsored concert listings,” says Tom Conrad, chief technical officer for Pandora. “SonicLiving has made it much easier for  our listeners to find out where and when their favorite bands are playing  and now  we’re thrilled to be able to offer this to our iPhone listeners as  well.”

SonicLiving’s API, which powers Pandora’s concert calendar, is available for commercial and non-commercial use. To find local concerts matching Pandora stations and bookmarks, users can go to www.pandora.com and follow the concerts link, or www.sonicliving.com for more information. SonicLiving, founded by former Pixar Animation Studios employee Gabe Benveniste in 2006, was started to provide music lovers with a better way of finding out in advance when their favorite artists were touring, a convenient way to purchase tickets to those shows, and a place to meet up with friends attending those shows. SonicLiving has quickly become an indispensable resource for live music nationwide, providing music fans with a unique online destination that offers locally tailored listings, access to tickets and a community comprised of users’ friends and other concertgoers.

About SonicLiving

SonicLiving is the Internet’s leading concert discovery service, connecting music fans online and in-person through communities created around live shows of their favorite bands. Through the SonicLiving Wishlist, which seamlessly integrates with iTunes, Pandora, Facebook, Last.fm, and Lala, fans can track bands, receive automatic concert alerts and purchase tickets to shows when they’re announced.

The SonicLiving API enables music sites and other online services to bring the live music discovery experience to their users. SonicLiving also offers musicians, music labels and promoters the ability to reach fans through special promotions, presales and packages, resulting in increased visibility and ticket sales. SonicLiving derives revenue through ticket sales, on-site advertising and partnerships.

SonicLiving was founded in 2006 by Gabe Benveniste, formerly of Pixar Animation Studios, and is headquartered in Emeryville, California, and on the Internet at www.sonicliving.com

# # #

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So Many Shows in May – and Sasquatch!

I go to shows. It’s what i do. I love music, i love live music and i love the way it feels to experience music in a live setting. May and June are turning out to be 2 months full of music in SF and I couldn’t be more thrilled. Here’s a list of just a few of the bands I look forward to seeing this next month (note: sasquatch & left coast live are festivals and listed with their festival names)

My Music Life, May 2009 -  I am going to see these bands (and festivals) in May. Don’t Miss These Shows!!! (click on any band for more info) – hope to see you there!

Posted in: Events, General, Music & Music Services, Resources | Leave a comment »

SonicLiving Announces License Agreement With Pandora

SONICLIVING ANNOUNCES LICENSE AGREEMENT WITH PANDORA
SonicLiving to Provide Personalized Concert Listings for Pandora Listeners’ Favorite Music Artists

EMERYVILLE, Calif. – March 31, 2009 – SonicLiving, the Internet’s leading concert discovery service, today announced a licensing agreement with Pandora, the Internet radio service, that will bring SonicLiving’s personalized concert calendars to each of Pandora’s 20 million-plus registered listeners. SonicLiving is the only service of its kind to integrate with Pandora.

SonicLiving (sonicliving.com) connects music fans online and in-person through communities created around the live shows their favorite bands play. Users can purchase concert tickets as well as connect and communicate with friends and other members of the SonicLiving community. The powerful SonicLiving API provides Pandora (pandora.com) listeners with localized alerts about upcoming live performances that match the artists they’ve identified in their favorite Pandora radio stations, have given a “Thumbs Up” to or bookmarked. In addition to Pandora, SonicLiving works seamlessly with several other platforms and as a standalone service.

“This agreement confirms SonicLiving’s place as the Internet’s leading concert discovery service,” says Gabe Benveniste, president, CEO and founder of SonicLiving, Inc. “Users will find SonicLiving to be a useful feature that complements and enhances their Pandora experience.”

“Pandora is dedicated to providing the best music experience possible, whether recorded or live, which is why we’ve chosen SonicLiving to power our concerts mini-site,” says Tom Conrad, chief technical officer for Pandora.  “SonicLiving has made it much easier for our listeners to find out where and when their favorite bands are playing.”

SonicLiving’s API, which powers Pandora’s concert calendar, is available for commercial and non-commercial use. To find local concerts matching Pandora stations and bookmarks, users can go to www.pandora.com and follow the concerts link, or www.sonicliving.com for more information.

SonicLiving, founded by former Pixar Animation Studios employee Gabe Benveniste in 2006, was started to provide music lovers with a better way of finding out in advance when their favorite artists were touring, a convenient way to purchase tickets to those shows, and a place to meet up with friends attending those shows. SonicLiving has quickly become an indispensable resource for live music nationwide, providing music fans with a unique online destination that offers locally tailored listings, access to tickets and a community comprised of users’ friends and other concertgoers.

About SonicLiving

SonicLiving is the Internet’s leading concert discovery service, connecting music fans online and in-person through communities created around live shows of their favorite bands. Through the SonicLiving Wishlist, which seamlessly integrates with iTunes, Pandora, Facebook, Last.fm, and Lala, fans can track bands, receive automatic concert alerts and purchase tickets to shows when they’re announced.

The SonicLiving API enables music sites and other online services to bring the live music discovery experience to their users. SonicLiving also offers musicians, music labels and promoters the ability to reach fans through special promotions, presales and packages, resulting in increased visibility and ticket sales. SonicLiving derives revenue through ticket sales, on-site advertising and partnerships.

SonicLiving was founded in 2006 by Gabe Benveniste, formerly of Pixar Animation Studios, and is headquartered in Emeryville, California, and on the Internet at www.sonicliving.com

 

 

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Saint Saens, Symphony #3 in C Minor

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Interactive vs Non Interactive: in a cute little nutshell, and SXSW 2009

Right now, somewhere in the bay area, is a music-tech company you know and love having a bad morning. Right this minute. And the true core of the issue lies at the chasm between technology and policy.  I only have a few minutes to blog today, so I’ll explain this quickly:

If a music service requires your participation, it is considered  to be “Interactive.” The cost of using copyrighted material to develop  an interactive product is different (higher) than developing a non-interactive product.
BUT…There’s no stipulation in any IP law or digital millenium copyright act for the reality of technology such that a user may actually interact with a product versus directly with the music (aka on demand.)  There’s no clause for a case where the music is not interactive (internet radio) but interaction with the product enhances the listening experience.  There’s no clause for the human and product transaction. Only the human-music interaction is covered. Which means the product is, according to the law, operating illegally if paying fees as “non interactive” when it has (even if unfairly) been determined to be interactive.

Unfortunately for everyone involved, there’s no verbage, no legalese, no written word to address any music product with this type of user experience.  Interaction with a product is not on-demand music.  The experience is enhanced by interacting with the product. How can policy measure the value of experience?

IDEA: Interactive though it may be, interaction with a product to enhance the experience of art is a different level of interactivity.

Perhaps the conflicts and legal battles within the music industry (roaring as i type) will seek to adjust according to progress and user experience.

Til then, there’s Rusty Hodge at SxSW 2009: Rewriting the DMCA
see you there.

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Playlist Of The Day: Letter to my Constant

as desmond is to daniel so is my constant to me, and yours to you.
4 8 15 16 23 42

Posted in: Just For Fun, Music & Music Services, Resources | Leave a comment »