Indaba Music // Blog

The Indaba Music crew is officially back in New York having returned from Austin for this year's SXSW. We're missing the warm weather, the BBQ, and we're still wondering how long the hangover is going to last. We did the whole thing this year - Interactive straight through to the end of Music (about a week and a half), and we can say with certainty it was a big success on many fronts. We met a lot of great people, ate a lot of great food, and saw a ton of great bands. What follows is a brief overview of the themes that we thought defined the conference, and of course, a few of our favorite artists and parties.

A few big themes that we thought defined the conference:

Whether you're a website or an artist, more connections need to be forged with customers in more meaningful ways.

There was a progressive mindset about how to treat customers and fans throughout all of SXSW that we think is particularly important for artists. During Interactive, a lot of talk about community and customer service boiled down to a shift from thinking about "users" to thinking about "members" or "customers" - people who make meaningful contributions to online communities and actually use web-based products in meaningful ways. This distinction is important because it reflects a more personal, focused way of looking at the people who actually use internet companies' products. The same concept was evident throughout almost every discussion we participated in during the music festival, although it was manifested in a slightly different manner. As the music industry changes and certain revenue streams dissapear, it is increasingly important for artists to treat their listeners as customers with a lifecycle - not people who are motivated to do one single thing...buy an album. Even the greatest traditionalists of the music biz seemed to agree that artists of the future will need to forge closer, more meaningful connections with there fans, and figure out ways to offer them value over a greater spectrum of interactions, beyond just the CD store shelf or iTunes download store.

The music industry is more aware of what is happening to it than it was last year.

In 2007, we were troubled by the Music festival's general lack of excitement regarding new technologies and changing business models in the industry. The attitude overall was one of resistance to change and sometimes outright disgust over the use of new technologies. This year, we noticed a marked change. Although still not as innovative as the Interactive participants, it seemed that the music festival overall was more open to change - from the participants all the way up to the most well-known panelists. Many new websites were represented at the tradeshow, and across all discussions there seemed to be a focus on embracing change to create the best outcomes for artists rather than fighting it. One panel attempted to teach artists the best ways to use the web to their advantage, and another even embraced the free distribution of music online as an enabler of different revenue streams (not that this is the answer for everyone).

There can be a better dialogue between the music industry and new media.

From our vantage as a music company that utilizes technology to serve artists, we're still dissapointed at the lack of exchange between the traditional music businss and new media. This cuts both ways. There were panels at the Interactive festival on music, for example, one on piracy - but it had no artists represented. During the Music festival, a panel on the best ways for artists to use the web didn't present the best, newest, and most forward thinking web technologies and ideas (e.g. YouTube isn't anything new, and suggesting that artists should upload their videos isn't exactly revolutionary). Discussions of music in the interactive world could benefit from the perspective of artists, and discussions of the internet in the music world could benefit from the latest technology thinking. This is true beyond SXSW.

Artists need to think about themselves as businesses if they want to survive in the music industry.

This is a tough thing for a lot of artists to grasp, but it's getting harder for a lot of people to make money in the music business in the ways that they used to. Part of continued success is going to mean that artists need to conceive of themselves as businesses - with multiple revenue streams, customers, operations, marketing, brands, etc. Most everyone at SXSW seemed to understand this - the Interactive folks because it is natural thinking for business-minded individuals, and the Music folks because necessity demands it.

Our favorite shows:

N*E*R*D (@ Stubb's & Perez Hilton Party)

N*E*R*D never fails to impress with their reputation for great live performances. SXSW was no exception and, although it sounds funny for a largely independent rock festival, there was pretty wide agreement on our team that N*E*R*D were the best performers of the week. The first time the Indaba crew saw them play was at Stubb's, one of the larger indie venues in Austin, where they proved their ability to captivate and command a larger audience (probably about 1,200), something that is more of a challenge to artists that draw hip-hop crowds. But it was their 3am performance to a packed crowd of 300 people at the Perez Hilton "One Night in Austin" party that was arguably the best performance at SXSW 2008. Pharrell and Chad Hugo's energy and ability to engage the crowd was impressive and the tightness of the band (2 drummers, bass, guitar, keys/synth, 2 singer/MCs and one guy that just hangs out, dances, and makes sure everything goes smoothly) was nothing short of amazing.

Brazilian Girls (@ Red Bull Moontower)

About a 15 min cab ride away from 6th street (the musical center of Austin with an incomprehensible number of venues lining both sides of long street), there was what seemed to be a big parking lot. Except that this year during SXSW that parking lot was transformed into a large venue with professional lighting, sound, and stage, and a two story indoor lounge that was constructed especially for SXSW. Sponsored by Red Bull and Facebook this lesser known party had great bands play each night of the music festival from around 11 to 4am. One of the best shows Indaba caught at SXSW was the Brazilian Girls at this venue. While it seemed that many people in the crowd were not familiar with their music, by the end everyone became a fan as the whole crowd moved and grooved together. Our very own Mantis even exposed his manly figure to dance shirtless in front of one of the giant light screens. This particular show was unique as two of the four Brazilian Girls had other obligations and couldn't perform at the show. Instead we were treated to an unusual trio version with guest drummer Shawn Pelton (probably best known as the Saturday Night Live house band drummer) joining Didi Gutman to back up frontwoman Sciubba. We found it especially impressive that Didi was able to create such a full sound behind his keyboards when he was essentially holding down the bass, keyboard, synthesizer, and electronics part of the show - simultaneously.

Does It Offend You, Yeah? (@ Emo's Main Room)

When they walked out on stage Friday night, no one knew who they were, and no one had any idea what was about to happen. They did their best to get the crowd cheering to mixed results, but by the end of their set they had the entire room jumping with arms outstretched begging for more. A very dancy group from the UK that mixes punk and house with Daft Punk-esque vocoded lyrics.

Crytsal Castles (@ Emo's Main Room)

Easily the group exuding the most mystique. Everyone in the group was shrouded darkness except for a strobe light carried by the singer. They were a half hour late to the stage, but they asserted their authority and rocked the hell out of their set like nothing we've ever seen. An incredibly short set too - a half hour late and five songs later they were done - but still one of the most memorable shows of the entire festival. Like Does It Offend You, Yeah?, they're another electropunk group, but they have an intense and sharp edge to their sound. Reminded us of a screaming-girl version of Ghostland Observatory.

Bela Fleck (@ Maggie Mae's)

When we stumbled into a smaller bar that couldn't hold more than a few hundred people we were incredibly excited to peek over the crowd and see Bela sitting with his banjo plucking away just 10 feet in front of us. As he weaved in and out of Paganini, favorites like New South Africa, some more recent compositions, and pure improvisation, we were able to see up close just how much of a virtuoso he is. As this was just an hour or two before he premiered his film "Throw Down Your Heart", we were treated to a few sneak preview scenes. The film is a documentary tracing the roots of the banjo back to Africa where Bela collaborates with several different groups of musicians across four African countries. After the intimate performance we shot across the street to see the official film premiere and a Q&A with Bela and the film's director Sacha (also Bela's brother). The movie had eruptions of applause throughout and had the audience feeling the highs and lows of exuberance and sadness as Bela and his crew travelled throughout the continent. Oh, and the movie theatre serves pitchers of beer and food as you watch - amazing!Black Moth Super Rainbow - chosen based on their name and the fact that they're from Pittsburgh (another of my favorite groups, sadly no longer active, Don Caballero is from Pittsburgh as well). They have a dreamlike, slow-motion sound like the musical score to things you can barely remember from your childhood. I'd describe them as Boards of Canada meets Air. Good mixed-media performance as well - mash-up videos of track runners and other athletes on what looked like super-8 film were being projected over the stage, adding to the nostalgic, bittersweet ambiance of their set.

The Most Serene Republic (@ The Parish)

One of the many mind-blowing groups from Canada we got to experience. This group is overflowing with remarkable musicians. Perfectly blended vocal harmonies layer over odd-time rhythms and intricately developed textures. Their songs tend to escalate to moments of critical-mass tension and intensity leading into incredibly satisfying moments of release. Reminded us of Broken Social Scene and Dismemberment Plan.

The Acorn (@ Habana Calle 6 Patio)

Carefully crafted songs and tight vocal harmony with insightful lyrics. One of the only groups PJ made a point of seeing while at SXSW (as they were not a random band he'd never seen or heard before). They have a focused, positive energy on stage, possibly the exact opposite of Crystal Castle's stage presence - they were very open and seemed like they were having a great time on stage. We always love it when the band is into the show as much as the audience is. It makes the music so much more accessible and enjoyable.

Cryptacize! (@ Okay Mountain Gallery)

Another group PJ intended to see before getting to SXSW. They're a collaborative group consisting of a very talented songwriter, Nedelle, and former Deerhoof guitarist Chris Cohen. PJ discovered the group by following Chris Cohen's work (in Deerhoof and his other project The Curtains, also a favorite group). Their sound is extremely minimal yet perfectly so - there's nothing extra and nothing missing either. We saw them play at the Okay Mountain Gallery while sitting on the grass in the backyard on Saturday afternoon. Their warm melodies and presence made for a memorable and relaxing afternoon after the insanity of Friday night.

Jukebox the Ghost (@ Lovejoy's)

Jukebox is a favorite around Indaba, but it was extra special to see them play at SXSW to a crowd that for the most part hadn't heard them before. We usually see them rock the house with a large contingent of friends present, but this time, most people in the room had never heard of them. We can definitively say that even with a seated crowd of newbies, JTG doesn't dissapoint. Ben's keyboards were as sick as ever, and Jesse didn't miss a single tambourine toss!

Black Moth Super Rainbow (@ The Thirsty Nickel)

Chosen based on their name and the fact that they're from Pittsburgh (another of PJ's favorite groups, sadly no longer active, Don Caballero is from Pittsburgh as well). They have a dreamlike, slow-motion sound like the musical score to things you can barely remember from your childhood. We'd describe them as Boards of Canada meets Air. Good mixed-media performance as well - mash-up videos of track runners and other athletes on what looked like super-8 film were being projected over the stage, adding to the nostalgic, bittersweet ambiance of their set.

Back from SXSW, we want to return to the Copyright Royalty Board post we made last week, as the topic sparked a heated debate in one of our panel discussions down there. Last week we brought you news of the escalating royalty rates for streaming music over the web handed down by the CRB, a decision intended to provide greater revenue to copyright holders from an exploding online business. Streaming music services responded that the escalating rates will put them out of business. The panel discussion, Selling Music Digitally, including industry heavyweights Richard Gottehrer, Chairman and Founder of The Orchard and Tim Quirk, VP Music Content and Programming for Real Networks (Rhapsody). Discussion revolved around new opportunities in digital music sales and services, with itunes held up as the model for the former and Rhapsody for the latter. When asked (admittedly, by us) how the panel expected the recent CRB ruling would affect the future of digital music distribution, the panel became animated with debate. Tim Quick offered a particularly insightful view of the future with music becoming an on-demand service (read: Rhapsody). Based on streaming audio technology, this new service would provide music to any broadcast device from a limitless library of songs, all royalty rates apply. Quick explained that the industry would need to find revenue models to match the escalating rates. Others, particularly Dennis Mudd, CEO of Broadband Instruments Corp, countered that people will always want to feel ownership of music files, CDs, etc and that if any move to a subscription service comes, it will come far in the future. Music as an on-demand service? Beyond how this will affect music businesses online, how do artists feel about a future of singles on-demand, a future without the album? How might this change the way artists approach the creative process? Somewhat related, we stopped by the Amie Street showcase at Pianos in New York City last night and caught the last band, New Violators. It was the final night of a North American tour highlighted by a SXSW performance for this new-wave-redux Norwegian quintet, and they rocked. Amie Street is a great website started by a few recent college graduates last year that serves artists and music fans with a revolutionary new pricing model for digital downloads. Artists upload their music which people can download for free at first, then as demand for the song builds, the price rises and 70% of sales go into artists pockets. It's a great site for discovering new music and is leading an innovative charge in digital music sales. - David

Austin is a pretty incredible city if you are a music fan. There are small-mid sized outdoor venues all over the city and you can't walk 10 feet down 6th street without hearing live bands coming at you from both sides of the bar-lined streets. Austin during SXSW is particularly interesting because the 50,000 or so UT Austin students are all gone on spring break and the streets are taken over by thousands of bands, industry folk, and passionate fans. We've seen some great music here and I thought I'd give you a little insight into what the nights are like here in Austin. One of the nicest things about SXSW is you can stumble upon great music without intention. Last night on our way to see moe. - one of the best live bands on the Jam Band circuit - we went into the wrong room and found ourselves 20 feet from Pete Townshend and his partner Rachel Fuller playing an acoustic set. After, we left there and walked two rooms over to see moe. I was astonished by how few people were there. I've only seen moe with between 5,000-15,000 people, and While it was unfortunate for such an established band that there were only a few hundred people there, it made the experience for the crowd all that much better and the band certainly didn't hold back from giving a great show. After moe we headed over to the famous BBQ restaurant/music venue, Stubbs to see The Good, The Bad, and The Queen - a supergroup made up of Damon Albarn from The Gorillaz and Blur, former Clash bassist Paul Simonon, former Verve guitarist Simon Tong, and one of the Afrobeat founders, drummer Tony Allen. I was whelmed. The songs were fantastic and, from what I hear, the album is incredible, but I thought there was an untapped potential to have more energy with less afrobeat and more rock or R&B drumming. I certainly recognize how legendary Tony Allen is, I just didn't think it was the right fit. We've also been fortunate enough to see great bands like Bloc Party, Aqua Lung, Bello Ragazzo, and many others. Tonight we head to see Paolo Nutini, and then to roam the streets in search of something great we don't even know about. - Dan

We've been having an awesome time down here at SXSW, and this morning, panelists including Marybeth Peters (the US Register of Copyrights), Ali Aydar (the COO at Snocap), Rick Carnes (President, Songwriters Guild of America), Rebecca Greenberg (Nat'l Director, Recording Artists' Coalition), and Patrick Ross (The Progress and Freedom Foundation) gave an interesting (for more reasons than one) panel this morning called "Can Art Survive Google?" What was so interesting was that rather than attempt to answer this question, the panel focused more on simply ranting against Google - unfortunately in the process doing a great disservice to independent musicians (and the one poor girl from Google who was in the room). Although I don't agree with the approach of this particular panel (we'll be posting about some others that we attended tomorrow), it was incredibly valuable to be there for the discussion. Let me start by first saying that I have not been a supporter of Gootube's massive copyright infringement. That said however, a discussion of copyright law, emerging technologies, and music should include an examination of the enormous contributions new developments have made to art and culture - not just the negatives. Instead of looking at these things impartially, the panel divided nearly all of its time between arguing that copyright owners need a better "seat at the table" (we agree), that the DMCA's Safe Harbor provision provides inadequate protection of content creators (potentially, but hey, we're definitely not lawyers), and slinging derogatory comments at Google. Ms. Peters, who was one of the only panelists abstaining from the Google-bashing, made a simple but important point - people shouldn't break the law. She also said that "This country has to incentivise creators, and the way we do that is with the system we have." This type of support for the status quo in copyright law was pervasive - there was no mention at any point of Creative Commons or even DRM, to say nothing of the fact that copyright law hasn't exactly been progressive when it comes to the internet and digital music. Ali Aydar from Snocap even stated that the YouTube acquisition has incentivised young entrepreneurs in Silicon Valley to build businesses around copyright infringement. I'm not sure that's true on any scale worth mentioning in this context, but even if it is, what about all the wonderful new opportunities these entrepreneurs have created for independent artists? Copyright law clearly has to evolve, content creators clearly need better tools to help them control their own work, and new technologies are clearly changing the ways people not just consume, but also create content. I expected to hear a discussion of these kinds of questions: What will copyright law look like in the future? How will creators retain (and regain) control? What is the impact of technologies like Google on art and specifically music? Instead, all we heard was this: Google is breaking the law. Well, we already knew that. And the Indaba team was out way too late last night down here in Austin to get out of bed for an 11am panel to hear it again. In fact, the reason I think this panel is worth blogging about is because it underlines a pervasive problem in the music industry - many of the powers that be don't seem to be open to considering what's going on in media or technology. Rather than ask "Can Art Survive Google?" I'd therefore ask, "Can the internet (and all it's new ways of helping artists) survive the music industry?" given how committed they are on destroying it's innovation and new modes of operation. Independent artists won't benefit from an industry that is clinging to existing technology and law - they will (as they already are) benefit from adapting to new forms of content distribution. And OF COURSE, we need to figure out better ways to protect them along the way. How we will do that, and how the law will help them, is an interesting discussion to have. Going on a tirade against Google isn't. - Matt

Hello, Austin! We just touched down in Austin for SXSW Music Festival after a trip from New York that began for one of us at 3:30 this morning. The weather is perfect and the Texas Bar-b-q offering at the airport is more than filling. We'll be down here for the next 4 days, blogging more frequently than usual about the bands we see, the people we meet and the scene we take in. If you are down here for SXSW email us at events@indabamsuic.com and we'll try to meet up for a show or a chat. Much, much more to come! For SXSW coverage that makes a Ken Burns documentary look surface-level, check out: Donewaiting, the unofficial SXSW music blog. - David, Matt, Dan