SEATTLE — Mobile phones and their impact on the music business and fans was the topic du jour at EMP’s Pop Conference on Friday, April 16, 2010, in Seattle.  Of the three lecturers, two were decidedly academic and one was, well, involved…

Wendy Fonarow

Cultural anthropologist, author of Empire of Dirt, and 90s indie music maven Wendy Fonarow was first off, and had the most insightful and salient lecture.  She has been observing audiences at indie rock shows since the early 90s in the UK and US, so brought forward a chronological impact of mobile phones at shows.  Some of her observations on the impact of social behaviors at shows by mobile usage:

• Audience users who first brought (non 2-3G) phones to shows would call friend to allow person on the other end of the line to hear the show, in a shared experience.
• Early on, it was the media elite who brought in Blackberries; the moniker of ‘Blue Faces’ referred to the media elite at shows, in back, with faces illuminated by phones.
• 2-3G phones allowed for other activities at gigs, even allowing them to experience shows through The devices.
• Photo phones hasted deregulation of rock photographers.
• Dancing is now muted or intermittent; instead of audience during dancing or participating in taking in the best song, everyone filters it through devices or documents experience via phone.
• Posited the notion of “Future Interior Tense” (present and not present simultaneously), by disengaging constantly during show to deal with device, focusing on creating a moment in the future to appreciate the moment instead of living in it.
• Posterity or online personae/cyber existence is important in documentation process (I AM AT THIS SHOW, instead of I WAS AT THIS SHOW)
• Broadcasting self out of venue is a recent phenomena
• Acceleration of intolerance for boredom at shows, due to fragmented focus; audience polled still wants REAL experience, despite disengagement.
• If you’re documenting the show, you’re not dancing.
• One of the top iPhone apps was the lighter.

Noriko Manabe — Princeton University

An academic (with business background in Japan), she drew differentiation between mobile music markets in Japan and the US; the growth of music on phones via access to broadband and device improvement/online streaming via phones.

Pandora Music Service (US):

• Pandora has opened up new music exposure via online streaming –double that of iTunes
• Curators in Genome Service (Pandora), selected based on audience preferences, not individual
• Most popular attributes among listeners:
  • tempo is highest
  • rhythm important
  • melody less important
  • harmony least important
  • People want objective similar music to what they like, as opposed to tastes of others; can help refine and introduce users to their own likes and dislikes.
  • Critics say that Pandora stations are stagnant; not customizable enough.
  • Revenue model is almost all advertising.  Royalties paid according to streaming time.

Slacker (US):

• User base mostly blackberries.  Adopts techniques from traditional radio.
• Business model is obtaining licenses from record labels (differs from statutory licenses at Pandora).
• Gearing business model toward subscription.

Japan:

• Global tech leader with mobile device and 3G proliferations.
• Radio not as compelling in society; no experience with genre specific radio (not as many stations, no differentiation amongst stations).
• Carriers discouraged online streaming.
• Online radio supported in US, not in Japan — devices more attuned to radio in US, with streaming open and radio culturally present.
• Mobile internet perceived as diff in Japan than PC internet
• Online radio is enhancing music sales, overall, not cannibalizing

Loren Glass/Kembrew McLeod (“Killer Apps”-performance, using mobile app mixed media)

Recounting History of Music and Telephones

This team took an unorthodox approach to the lecture, with a multimedia message in real time execution.  Very bold approach, but with frenetic results.

• Musak is covered (service through telephones lines).
• Reference to phones as topics within popular music though the century.

Largely editorial and indulgent: entertaining, but not academic.  Very fragmented and layered — more documentary film than lecture — and wide scope of subject with lack of focus.  I found the underlying score of pop songs and generated real-time mobile instrument noodling made it impossible to focus on message.

The crowd was fairly engaged with the topic and speakers.  Having not attended any prior EMP Pop Conference, I found the target audience not to be quite business to business, but geared more toward the fan as well as the enthusiastic blogger and lower tiered industry participant.

It’s about conversation. It’s about communicating a fear, a love, a secret, a fantasy, a philosophy—in essence, a story. What’s the one thing music is not about? A label. Or is it?

That being said, let’s start a dialogue—or more accurately, continue one.

With a steady supply of raw and delicious tunes, the music industry is now, more than ever, thriving in a place of uncertainty. Music has reached an incomparable level of diversity, vision and interpretation. Artists are connecting directly with their listeners while still managing to supply them with a steady diet of the music they crave. And they’re doing this without the help of a label. So while the industry finds itself in the midst of an evolution—or perhaps a revolution—major labels are winding up on life support. I wonder, is it time to pull that fateful plug?

“Major labels are not what they used to be…If you are a very hardcore DIY artist, a major label may not be necessary,” says Sterling Selover of the band Scraping For Change, who self released their EP, Breaking the Silence in January 2010.

Masses of DIY startups are claiming their place in the industry and providing all of the tools necessary for any musician to record, promote, distribute, analyze and share their music. Rather than getting worked over by major labels and dreadful contracts, artists are implementing business models that allow them to do away with the middle-man while still achieving stellar results. And while the vast array of resources can seem overwhelming, the industry will begin to see clear leaders over the next few years.

Just to name a few amidst the many:

1. Band Metrics bandmetrics.com
2. Topspin topspinmedia.com
3. Bandize bandize.com
4. CD Baby cdbaby.com
5. Nimbit nimbit.com
6. Kickstarter kickstarter.com
7. Instinctiv instinctiv.com
8. Jamendo jamendo.com
9. Tune Core tunecore.com
10. 100000Fans 100000fans.com

“People can produce music and get it out there without the help of major labels,” says Eusabius Burgard, bass player for The Krims who recently self released their album Lusk. But when asked about his feelings towards major labels, the conversation took an unexpected turn.

“You hear horror stories from a lot of major label bands, but bottom line, if the conditions were right, I’d give it a try.”

I found this last statement intriguing. Curious about how other artists felt, I asked soon-to-be breakout artist, KATYA, (who’s self released debut album Rock Lives comes out later this year) how she felt about major labels.

“I would love to be signed to a major label,” says Katya. “It would be great to put out an album every year and then go out on tour for the remainder of the year. The album [Rock Lives] took three years and eight months because I have no backing, management or label…If you put an album out yourself you are setting up every recording session, paying your musicians and making sure everybody signs your contracts for your project. You have to be very business like and then be able to be creative in the studio at the same time. It is a lot of Rock and Roll left and right brain switching!”

So it seems that although the major label may very well be in the doghouse, these musicians aren’t ready to give up on them just yet. Nevertheless, all three bands wouldn’t hesitate to self-release an album again.

“A record deal doesn’t mean you struck gold,” says Selover. “It should not be any artist’s ultimate goal. If you don’t believe you can do it on your own, and just expect a label to pick you up…odds are you won’t be.”

From OK Go’s website:

Big news.

OK Go has struck out on its own. The band has left the EMI family of corporations to form their own enterprise, a homemade upstart called Paracadute. In addition to being humanity’s second most fun word to say (”pamplemousse” was taken), Paracadute is really just a way for the boys to continue doing what they’ve always done. Which is whatever they want. Being OK Go just got a little bit easier.

So please join me in welcoming Paracadute into the world. As yet, there’s no building, no logo, no employee manual. Just the band, some paperwork, and a bunch of insane ideas. Plus two dogs in suits. Exciting stuff.

A word on Capitol/EMI: Neither our lawyers nor their lawyers have any hard feelings and, in fact, the split has been remarkably friendly. There are many wonderful people at the company who have worked very hard on our behalf, and we’ve become very close with them over the years. Even if the band hadn’t signed a non-disparagement clause as part of the deal, we would have nothing bad to say. All joking aside, we’re very thankful, and we wish them all the best.

So, pop a cork and blast Of The Blue Colour Of The Sky. Today is a big, exciting, incredible day, the latest lovely moment in a big, exciting, incredible week.

More news soon.

Jorge

PS… Oh, fine. More news now: If you can’t get to one of the thirty-plus shows on the upcoming tour, fear not: the boys will be on your TV. In the next month they’ll visit Carson Daly (4/16), David Letterman (4/28), Steven Colbert (4/29), and Jimmies Kimmel (4/1) and Fallon (5/4). They’ll also be at Bamboozle, Bonnaroo and Sasquatch. Some busy months ahead.

Click here to view the embedded video.

We've got hurt feelings. Courtesy of Sub Pop.

They’ve decided to go out on top.  The comical/musical duo of Bret and Jemaine have officially announced that they will not be returning for a 3rd season of their hit HBO show “Flight  of the Conchords.” While that’s certainly sad news for the many fans of the show, we’re excited to see where the real Bret and Jemaine take their comical and musical talents next.

Here’s what they had to say on their site:

Bret, Jemaine and James (co-creator/director) said “we’ve noticed the less we say about the future of the show, the more people want to talk about it, so in an effort to reverse this trend we are today announcing that we won’t be returning for a 3rd season. We’re very proud of the two seasons we made and we like the way the show ended. We’d like to thank everyone who helped make the show and also everyone who watched it. While the characters Bret and Jemaine will no longer be around, the real Bret and Jemaine will continue to exist.

In a move that takes Internet mash-up/remix success a step further, Jack White’s Third Man Records announced the 7-inch vinyl release of the incredible Carl Sagan remix, A Glorious Dawn.

When we featured this video in a post last month, we didn’t imagine at the time that it would end up getting a record release. While a handful of artists have been able to parlay YouTube success into record deals, this kind of direct success is usually the exception for an underground mash-up/YouTube sensation.

The 7-inch will be released on Nov. 9th, which, according to Third Man’s website, happens to be the 75th anniversary of Carl Sagan’s birth. The details of the release get even better. From Third Man Records‘ website:

Also happening that day is a reception in United States’ Congress with speeches by senators, NASA officials and assorted scientists, all hosted by the Planetary Society, which was co-founded by Sagan.

Third Man Records, in conjunction with United Record Pressing, fabricated a special “Cosmos Colored Vinyl” of which 150 copies will be available…50 randomly inserted into mail orders for “A Glorious Dawn” and the remainder to be made available at the Third Man Records Nashville store front at noon on November 9th.

The one-sided single features a very special etching on the flipside. Reproduced from the original artwork, the etching copies the etching included with the Voyager Golden Record, set off into space in 1977 as the most elaborate message-in-a-bottle idea ever imagined. With its inclusion of Blind Willie Johnson’s “Dark Was The Night” it goes without saying that the Voyager Golden Record is one of Third Man’s favorite releases of all-time.

The actual Voyager Golden Record; a copy of which will be etched on the b-side of "A Glorious Dawn." Courtesy of NASA.

It still remains to be seen how this record will sell, especially when the video and digital download remain free on YouTube and creator John Boswell’s site. Third Man Records takes a smart approach to this release in offering the consumer a truly unique and tangible experience that can’t be replicated by simply downloading the track. By doing so, Third Man effectively changed what could have simply been an overpriced version of the free track (that very few people would have interest in purchasing) into a product that stands on its own or even enhances the free version.

Kudos to creator John Boswell and Third Man Records for making this happen. Hopefully, we’ll continue to see artists transition their online success into more than just exploded Internet chatter. Hopefully record labels will follow Third Man’s lead and craft more meaningful products for their fans. And hopefully, in the words of Carl Sagan, a still more glorious dawn awaits, not a sunrise, but a galaxy rise.

Click here to view the embedded video.

One lesson of this year’s Lollapalooza, held this past weekend at Grant Park here, is a confirmation rather than something new: Recorded music drives fans to live shows. Thus, it can seem like the recording industry exists to support the concert business.

“The music business is upside down,” said alt-country singer-songwriter Robert Earl Keen. “You don’t tour to support your record. You put out a record to support a tour.”

“Do you see people going record shopping? No,” said Perry Farrell of Jane’s Addiction. “Downloading free music. Yes. Going out for live music. Yes. I love recorded music, but the best bang for my buck is the night I go out.”

Mr. Farrell seemed to anticipate the changes in the music industry when he launched Lollapalooza as a multiact touring show in 1991. He helped it find a home here in 2003; the festival is committed to the city until 2018. Clearly, he doesn’t believe the yearning among fans for live music will soon disappear.

Nor does he think the audience for it has been thoroughly tapped. Bands whose principal appeal is to an older fan base are now regulars at the major festivals.

“Who went to the first Lollapalooza?” Mr. Farrell asked rhetorically. “People who have children now. So they come to see Lou Reed, Depeche Mode, us and Tool.

“I’m 50 now,” he said. “I love going to festivals. I want to go out to hear what music people are making.”

For artists such as Andrew Bird and Dan Deacon—two of the many musicians here who have, or should have, cross-generational appeal— appearances at major festivals are mandatory, if risky.

Mr. Bird, whose charming and very clever chamber pop made for one of the best sets here, told me: “These festivals are kind of a crapshoot. It’s hard to control the sound. It’s throw and go. You have to be a really good band. A record is kind of a moment in time. Maybe you nailed it, maybe you didn’t. It’s far more interesting to do it differently every night.”

A festival, Mr. Deacon said, “is a great way to play for a bunch of people who otherwise wouldn’t see you. Digital media is so devalued. Real value is in live shows.” Here, he brought about 30 musicians on stage to play his kind of joyful, experimental electronica.

There was much of almost every genre on today’s rock and pop menu at Lollapalooza ’09, though we could have used a bigger dose of Chicago blues, given the festival’s location; maybe it was witnessing 10-year-old blues prodigy Quinn Sullivan jamming with Buddy Guy that made me hunger for more. Band of Horses, Blind Pilot, the Greencards and Mr. Keen represented alt-country and Americana. Thievery Corporation and Zap Mama were among the acts that blended world sounds to come up with a thing of their own. At least five bands featured trumpets, not a customary instrument in rock.

If you’ve attended festivals in the past year or so and turned up here, you would have seen how Alberta Cross, Delta Spirit, Fleet Foxes, Friendly Fires and the Heartless Bastards have continued to grow, the confidence that comes with acceptance adding muscle to their music. And you might have had the joy of stumbling upon a band you’ve never heard of. For me, Miike Snow was an unexpected treat, as singer Andrew Wyatt’s voice floated over its pop electronica. Another surprise was Carney, a talented group from L.A. that drops jazz inflections into its anthemic rock.

Many times the schedule offered the 75,000 attendees each day at least two interesting bands at the same hour. To see Portugal. The Man or Bat for Lashes? Mr. Bird or Of Montreal? Kaiser Chiefs or the Airborne Toxic Event? Glasvegas or Santigold? When I made a list that would allow me to hear continuous music, it seemed inevitable that the bands I picked were at opposite ends of the mile-long park, where it rained on Friday and was roasted by temperatures in the mid-90s for the rest of the event.

But what I saw satisfied, including Mr. Reed, who explored his 2000 masterpiece “Ecstasy,” and the Decemberists, who I’ve now witnessed perform their rock opera “The Hazards of Love” three times at festivals in the past five months. Depeche Mode played with panache and Tool with power. Mr. Farrell delivered his promised spectacle, but the Jane’s Addiction set was built on a platform of Stephen Perkins’s extraordinary drumming and Dave Navarro’s flashy guitar. I’ll not soon forget the rain-soaked audience singing along with Justin Vernon of Bon Iver, his falsetto matched by the sweet sound of the crowd. And I regret missing Ida Maria, but given the explosion in the number of similar events in the U.S., Canada and around the world, I have a feeling I’ll catch her soon.

There’s a trap for artists in the rapid growth in the number of festivals. Lollapalooza, All Points West in Jersey City, N.J., Denver’s Mile High Music Festival, the coming Austin City Limits Music Festival and others may be regional concerts, but they book like national events. Some bands feel they have to play every one to build an audience they might have found in the past with an album marketed well and wide by a major label.

“I like to do festivals in moderation,” Mr. Bird said. “I don’t want to become a band that writes music to fit that scene.” Too many bands can overload a music lover. “At worst, it can feel like a musical mall,” he said.

Moby starts an old school punk band with teenage craigslist recruits…and then gets kicked out of his own band. I guess the fact that I’ve listened to the bands he cites means that I’m getting old. Whether you love Moby or hate Moby, I think this video is pretty entertaining … and telling.

Maybe Axl should consider bringing back the biker shorts.

After 15 years and a reported $13 million in production costs, Billboard announced that Guns N’ Roses “Chinese Democracy” will be released before the end of the year, on Nov. 23. Click here to see the billboard article.

So I guess everyone really will get a Dr. Pepper! That’s if the album actually does see the light of day.

Rickrolling has entered a new stratosphere: the MTV Europe Music Awards!

Rick Astley has been nominated alongside Britney Spears, Christina Aguilera, Green Day, Tokio Hotel, and U2 in the “best act ever” award category. Ooh… Ahh… Behold, the power of the democratic, web 2.0 internet.

MTV Europe currently has a debate page about Astley’s place in the “best act ever” category. According to the poll on the MTV Europe site, 99.98% of the votes say that Astley deserves to be nominated for the category.

Personally, I find the moniker “best act EVER” a bit ridiculous, especially in light of the majority of the acts that are nominated. I am all for rickrolling this event and will do so with the giddiness of a little school girl.

To take part in the rickrolling, click here and vote for Rick Astley under the “best act ever” category. Help ensure Rickrolling’s proper space in the annals of pop-culture infamy!