New Music Seminar 2012 Conference Announced for June 17-19, 2012 in NYC

The New Music Seminar (NMS) has announced its return to New York City. The event, held last year in Los Angeles, will take place June 17-19, 2012.

The goal of NMS is it to inform attendees on the rapidly evolving and diversifying new music industry. Clear Channel CEO Bob Pittman will present the keynote speech to preface the Opening Night Party at Webster Hall on June 17th. Mr. Pittman was instrumental in working with the team that developed Clear Channel’s new iHeartRadio digital radio platform.

The location for the subsequent two days of music industry-specific seminars and networking will be announced soon.

New this years is The SoundExchange Digital Broadcasting Summit, which will highlight growth opportunities in digital music broadcasting, bringing together minds from across the digital music streaming landscape including iHeartRadio, Pandora, Spotify, hundreds of webcasters and myriad on-line music and video exposure vehicles.  Participants will discuss business models, challenges and innovative solutions in developing, monetizing, and promoting their platforms. The summit will connect this exploding new media with the artists, managers and labels that are fueling this “streaming” revolution.

The BMI Creative Conclave is also new, featuring artists, songwriters and producers who are breaking music and careers through innovative approaches, practices and partnerships in this challenging new music environment.

NMS brings together key music, technology, radio, venture capital, advertising agency, brand executives, artists, managers, producers, songwriters, booking agents, venues, and promoters. In addition to the above, the event will offer high-level industry keynotes, discussions “Movements”, NMS 18-minute intensives, workshops, closed-door meetings and networking opportunities.

An early-bird registration of $299 ($200 savings) is available now on the site. For more information and to register, visit www.NewMusicSeminar.com.

Beat 360: Much More than Just a Music Studio for Mark Saunders

HELL’S KITCHEN: Dig Art Deco? Most definitely, and we could always do worse than to be in the majestic polychromed lobby of The Film Center Building on Ninth Avenue – especially if we’re visiting Beat360.

Evolution is the solution at this extra-comfy facility founded by the busy English music producer Mark Saunders in 1997. He was in town then to produce Cyndi Lauper’s Sisters of Avalon, and never really left. With a production/mixing/programming discography that includes The Cure, Neneh Cherry, Shiny Toy Guns, David Byrne, Tricky, and A-Ha, Manhattan has been more than happy to take him.

The addition of Ollie Hammett as Director came in 2007, and Beat360 has grown out beyond just being a great place to track and mix. Today, this flexible sound concern takes on everything that touches artists and producers – management, synch, publishing, distribution and more. Corporate clients have been attracted too, including Nike, Reebok, L’Oreal, Chevy, Motorola and Microsoft.

With all that going on, they seem as eager as any of us to see what’s next, as Hammett made abundantly clear in a recent convo.

What kind of group are you and Mark working with at Beat360?
It’s essentially just the two of us, and we have a pool of assistants who help with the day-to-day running of projects. As a small team we cover as much as we can in-house and for larger projects we outsource to additional engineers as and when needed.

Mark came up in the industry as an engineer, producer and mixer. Recently he has been establishing a name for himself as an exceptional co-writer working with artists/writers such as Teddy Geiger, Cathy Dennis and PNAU (production duo behind Empire Of The Sun).

My time is equally split between studio work as an engineer/mixer and project management/business development. Projects I’ve worked on include Idris Elba’s High Class problems v1 (engineer/mixed), The Sounds’ Crossing the Rubicon (engineer), A-Ha’s upcoming Farewell single (engineer & additional production), and So So Glos‘ self-titled debut album (mix engineer).

That’s a small but diversified and accomplished core team. From there, how would you explain Beat360 as a business today? Is it a recording facility? Mix facility? Producer/songwriter haven? All of the above, or is it something else entirely?
I would say we’re all of the above. We market ourselves as a “full service music and audio solutions company.” It was originally established as a private recording, production and mixing facility for Mark’s projects. We now work with a whole array of different clients – bands, brands, digital interactive agencies, management companies, record labels — less and less — and independent artists more and more.

While diversifying, it’s really important for us to continue to try and bridge the artist development gap we now see in the music industry, so I think this is something that’s integral to everything we do. We’re always looking for opportunities for the artists we work with through our network of contacts and relationships.

I’ve had a couple visits to your studio HQ in the landmark Film Center Building, and it seems like a very productive place to work. Can you fill us in on the design philosophy, plus the hardware and software goodies?

Beat360 is a 2000 sq. ft. facility with two mix/production suites, one live room, a kitchen, lounge and chill out area. Our philosophy is for artists/clients to feel as comfortable and creative as possible.

Our main production/suite is a hybrid system – no mixing board in sight. The main DAW is an Apple Quad Core/Logic/Apogee symphony system with X series converters, and a Mackie Control. We have a Dangerous 2-Bus summer and a selection of outboard gear that can be integrated into Logic sessions as insert plugins. We both use Pro Tools but prefer Logic so we have a Pro Tools LE system for converting projects that come to us in that format.

We have software, hardware and musical instrument toys in serious supply. See the full list here. But here’s a taste: Logic 9, Waves Platinum v7 bundles, Sonnox plugins, Arturia Collection, a Ludwig 1968 Drumkit, Soundelux U95S, Neumann U67 (1960’s), Telefunken SM2 stereo (1960’s), Urei 1176, Manley ELOP leveling amp/compressor, Night Nt3 mastering EQ, Telefunken V72 (2 channels) racked by Dave Marquette, John Hardy M-1 (4 channels), Neve 33122 (2 channels), Neve 33115 (2 channels) and API 312 (5 channels) racked by Brent Averill.

Ooooo, tasty. So what niche does Beat360 fill in the NYC spectrum of facilities? And globally for that matter, since you’re doing international services like FTP mixing.
I would characterize our studio as a full-service professional recording, production and mixing facility. In addition to the hiring the studio and services out to NYC clients, we also offer remote mixing and mastering solutions for independent artists all over the world through www.beat360-master-mixing.com.

Clients upload sessions to our server and we mix/master the tracks working closely with them on revisions to make sure they’re 100% happy with the end results. More than just an online service, it’s an artist development vehicle. A number of these artists we have gone on to help find management, legal representation, sync placements, TV show appearances, etc…

Our niche is that we are centrally-NYC-located with a great-sized space by today’s standards, have a diverse client base and work with both high-profile established clients, as well as helping to build the careers of indie artists.

I think that sounds like a real indication of where “music companies” are going. The model is comprehensive but light on its feet. But would you say you’ve been high-profile or under the radar? Is this by accident, by design, or a little bit of both?

I would say we’re in the process of establishing ourselves. As of September, I will be managing a small producer/writer management division of a new international music group, rocketmusic.com. The starting roster in the US is Mark Saunders, Dan Romer and a couple of others to be determined — if you’re the next Quincy Jones feel free to get in touch! This exciting new venture will be integrally linked to BEAT360 and will no doubt help to put us more on the radar. I think the next few years should see our business become a more visible part of the New York studio facility and music production landscape.

Ambitious – we LIKE. Can you tell us a few projects you’ve got in the hopper right now?

We have been working with phenomenal talent Teddy Geiger for the last few months, Mark is producing his new album. I can’t tell you how excited I get when I hear his work. It reminds me why I followed a career in music. He really is a prodigious talent.

Mark is in the process of mixing music in surround sound for a forthcoming Luc Besson film. We’re beginning production of French singer/songwriter Emilie Gassin’s debut E.P this month. We’ve been recording Idris Elba’s features for several UK artists including Ty and recent XL signing Giggs. Also, we’ve been producing/recording audio assets for a multinational brand website.

That sounds like a solid spread. Would you agree you have to be a constant innovator in this business today?
Yes, I think you have to be creative with how you approach business and you have to pay attention to the market forces/technological advances that affect us all and try to stay one step ahead. Technology aside I think there’s something to be said for consistency: If you do something consistently really well, people will hopefully pay attention.

I’m a big believer in good old-fashioned customer service, the value of genuine win-win relationships and being proactive.

Aye! On the growth tip, how do you strive to publicize/promote Beat360, and successfully diversify your revenue streams?
A lot of our business is word of mouth and referrals. Luckily we get to work with some very cool talent that automatically creates visibility and awareness for what we’re doing in the right circles.

We promote our facility and services through various mediums, the obvious ones being Google/Facebook and relevant local business and directory listings. We normally attend events such as SXSW, NMS, Billboard and CMJ helping us keep up-to-date, hearing great new music and building relationships with potential partners and clients.

What or who is keeping you motivated right now?

I’m inspired that the music industry — as unstable and tough as it is seems to be – is moving towards a more transparent place where there is less room for monopolies. It’s more about passionate people doing stuff really well and building authentic relationships around it.

I’m inspired by independent artists doing it for themselves without record label backing. April Smith just made an awesome album independently and has had several significant TV placements after raising $13,000 through Kickstarter.com, and Jenny Owen Youngs has raised over $30,000 through the same platform to record her next album. Wow!!

I’m inspired by tech companies such as Pandora, Echospin and SoundExchange who create great digital services and platforms for artists and fans alike.

Some key influences for me are entrepreneurs such as Richard Branson, and Chris Blackwell who have managed to enrich lives through brilliant music and art-based ventures. Thought-provoking writers/bloggers such as Chris Anderson, Seth Godin and Bob Lefsetz help me get perspective and try to stay on top of what’s relevant to the ever-changing business we’re in.

How would you characterize the overall studio scene in NYC today? What’s making you determined to be a part of it?
It’s difficult for me to characterize the scene in NYC today, actually, but it’s certainly great to see a website like SonicScoop helping to build a community around the facilities and professionals who work in them. I just try to stay in the loop with people, companies, technologies and music that excites me.

Thanks for those props, Ollie! Last off, what makes Beat360 an only-in NYC story?
I think we’re probably one of the only 100%-British-run music studios in NYC – I could be wrong! — and as you would expect we make a killer cuppa tea!

The advantages of being in NYC surrounded by so much talent, ambition and competition is that it drives us to constantly better ourselves. The main disadvantage is that there are not enough hours in the day to stay on top of any reasonably sized to-do list.

We know how you feel, OLD CHAP.

– David Weiss

The New Music Seminar 2010: “Advertising, Marketing and Media Need to Co-Exist”

In a world already teeming with new (often free) music options, where artists are struggling to make a living and where so many names get lost in the throngs of new artists each year, how does a new artist break through?

Earlier this week, the New Music Seminar convened to answer this multifaceted question through seminars and interviews with music marketing, technology, business and production professionals. The Seminar, overall, lived up to its name in its focus on fresh, unknown artists and bands that still have not gotten their ‘break,’ the “new music” we have yet to hear. What are the emerging tools, techniques and channels for getting this music out there? And what can we learn from past success stories and are these examples even relevant anymore?

New Music Seminar was spread over three days, between July 19th-21st, and a program which included Meet the Author sessions, 18-minute intensive presentations and panel discussions, or “Movements” that featured big personalities squaring off on these big-picture topics.

The first day’s Movements got off to a rough start as the mics were not working properly and the musicians in the room were yelling out advice instead of the other way round. However, talks finally got under way for The First Movement — ‘The New Music Business Unveiled’ — with players Michael Doernberg, co-founder of ReverbNation, Jay Frank, Sr. Vice President of Music Strategy at Country Music Television, Eric Garland, Founder and CEO of BigChampagne, and Gwen Lipsky, Chief Strategist at SoundThinking NY. The discussion was led by Ariel Hyatt, founder of Ariel Publicity and Cyber PR.

A number of different topics were raised but the discussion always seemed to wrap around the the theory of ‘1000 true fans.’ As Hyatt explained if an artist can accumulate 1,000 true fans, fans that not only buy music but also concert tickets and merchandise, and if each fan paid at least $100 a year then the artist or band should theoretically be able to support itself for that year. The conversation continued along the lines of obtaining “true fans” as Lipsky put it, although in the 20/80 marketing rule, where 20% of the consumers provide 80% of the revenue, she pointed out, “in music it’s less, it’s more like the 10/90 rule.”

Social media became a hot topic as Hyatt explained that Facebook, Twitter and MySpace were not enough. According to her pie chart (yes there were pie charts), e-mail (30%) and Google (14%) were in fact the best money-makers in terms of getting your name out there and selling music. The players preached regular communication with fans via newsletters or e-mail blasts to nurture a relationship with fans so that they became more than just a fan but rather a “true fan” or even a “superfan.”

Doernberg elaborated, mentioning artists who most of the room had never heard of yet who have been quite successful in financial terms due to their ability to “go deeper than a ‘friend’ relationship.” He said, “you don’t have to have tremendous reach to have high engagement.”

The seminar went on to discuss ‘Click to Content,’ and how artists should not only make their music available but also reduce the number of clicks it takes for a fan to download their music. Frank said, “People will give about 10 seconds to listen to a song,” therefore artists should find the fastest path to their fans even if that means going through different means of reaching different fans.”

Hyatt ended the discussion by answering a few questions from the audience. She added to her previous statement about reaching fans via e-mails saying “personalize the e-mails by splitting them into groups of fans,” but to only include “one call to action in each e-mail” because if there are too many, the fan is most likely to do nothing at all.

The Second Movement ‘The Future of Media’ led by Senior Editor of All Things Digital, Peter Kafka, included Alex Cameron, Senior VP of Market Manager Emmis NY, Courtney Holt, President of MySpace, Richard Yaffa, CEO and President of N. America Group M Entertainment, David Goodman, President of CBS Interactive Music Group, and Joe Kennedy CEO of Pandora.

Although this discussion was meant to focus on how the Internet changes who breaks and how, it seemed to veer into a debate between radio and Internet and which actually breaks artists and which leaves them lingering. When Cameron confessed that, “every medium has its place” and that, “new music is a major risk on radio,” the audience started to rustle and whispering filled the room. Kennedy came to her rescue claiming, “Radio is so essential to the discovery of music.”

The talk hit on some other points such as artist branding, bringing up names like Lady Gaga and her new venture with Polaroid and The Veronicas and their association with Yaz. Goodman explained that a lot of brands now want to affiliate themselves with new music as they earn credit for discovering new artists. In turn, this helps to build the brand’s reputation in the eyes of their consumers.

Cameron went on to say that “originally the currency was money and then time, but today’s currency is trust.” Trust amongst artists, labels and brands as well as fans. Goodman ended the talk on a positive note for all the new musicians in the audience, “stay true to the vision.”

On Day Two of the Seminar, a lively discussion broke out in the Movement titled, “The Creative Conundrum: Increasing Your Odds With Radical Differentiation.” Moderated by Bill Werde, with publicist/personality Kelly Cutrone, Little Steven, Just Blaze and Tom Jackson of OnStageSuccess.com, this panel spoke to the importance of finding one’s self as an artist, finding “your lane,” as Just Blaze put it, and putting 100% into being the best and brightest at that thing, whatever it is.

They all stressed the importance of the artist’s team, the production, presentation and management in honing and executing the artist’s vision. To the artists, producers and other creatives in the audience, Cutrone emphasized, “The team is really important but you have to believe in yourself. You have to live and breathe your brand.”

Swizz Beatz, Nile Rodgers, Little Steven & More Participate in This Week’s New Music Seminar

The New Music Seminar kicks off tonight with an opening night party and concert at conference HQ, Webster Hall.

Over the next two days, music and technology industry leaders will converge to speak out and share ideas during the conference, which will be presented in five “movements,” or focused discussions, 18-minute intensive talks, and mentoring sessions.

For the full New Music Seminar schedule, visit http://www.newmusicseminar.com/blog/event-details/schedule/.

Highlights include: Wednesday’s discussions on “The Breaks,” where artists will discuss the “mentors and miracles” involved in them first breaking through. Panelists will include Nile Rodgers, Swizz Beatz, Vinnie Brown (Naughty By Nature) and Alex Suarez (Cobra Starship). And “The Creative Conundrum — increasing your odds with radical differentiation” featuring Little Steven, Tom Jackson (OnStageSuccess.com) and Kelly Cutrone (People’s Revolution).

Tomorrow night will see the OurStage-powered “Artist on the Verge” Finals take place at Santo’s Party House, hosted by Matt Pinfield and Leslie Fram of 101.9 WRXP and John Clarke of Q104 FM. Performing finalists include Comic Book Heroes, Hotspur and Yonas. The Grand Prize Winner will receive the NMS Reflection Award Presented by Mountain Dew and Doritos, an award worth over $50,000 in prizes, at NMS on Wednesday, July 21.

For more information, visit www.newmusicseminar.com.

Win A Pass to the New Music Seminar, July 19-21, Webster Hall!

SonicScoop has 10 – count ‘em, 10 – passes to give away to SonicScoop readers! The New Music Seminar offers a wealth of information and inspiration to artists of every genre who are determined to take their careers to the next level.

Enter to win via Facebook or Twitter, by doing the following by midnight, Thursday, July 8!

- If you’re not already, follow us on Twitter @sonicscoop and Re-Tweet this message to be automatically entered to win:

RT @SonicScoop: Win one of 10 passes to the @NewMusicSeminar, NYC, July 19-21: http://bit.ly/d4UpWq #music #NYC #contest

- Fan/Like us on Facebook HERE and post a comment up on our “Win A New Music Seminar Pass” post to be entered. In this case, post “New Music Seminar”

Also, anyone who registers to attend the New Music Seminar in NYC will be automatically registered to win a Gibson SG Raw Power Guitar! Valued at over $1200, it will be given away at the NMS at 1:00 PM on Tuesday, July 20, 2010.

NMS is also offering a 2 for 1 Discount Code: Put Promo Code “NMSNY2010” in after entering your credit card details at www.newmusicseminar.com, and you will receive a 2 for 1 discount, and automatically be enrolled for a chance to win the Gibson Guitar.

Good luck on all fronts! See you at the New Music Seminar!

The New Music Seminar Announces NYC Conference Schedule & Speakers

The New Music Seminar (NMS) has announced the schedule and speaker line up for its NYC summer conference taking place July 19-21 at Webster Hall.

The conference includes five “movements” (focused discussions) over the course of two days, 8 TED-style presentations from key industry leaders, 22 mentoring sessions, nightly musical performances and ongoing networking opportunities. Additional speakers, musical performers and keynote speaker still TBA.

Featured lecturers, panelists and mentors will include: Eric Garland  (Big Champagne), Mike Doernberg  (Founder, ReverbNation), Tony Van Veen (CEO, Discmakers/CD Baby), Bob Cramer (CEO, Nimbit) and Phil Antoniadis (Co-founder, Nimbit), Martin Atkins (Author, Tour: Smart /CEO, Invisible Records), Ralph Simon (Founder, Mobilium), Joe Kennedy (CEO Pandora), David Goodman (President, CBS Interactive), Courtney Holt  (President, MySpace Music), Corrie Christopher (Agent, VP APA), Michael Donovan (Sr. Talent Buyer, AEG Northeast), Tom Jackson  (President, Tom Jackson Productions, onstagesuccess.com) and many more!

Featured artists and performances are still TBA.

Check out the current schedule of “movements,” presentations and mentoring sessions and register HERE!

And here, watch New Music Seminar video highlights of the re-Launch in NYC July 21, 2009: