Words cannot express how excited I am to be putting pen to virtual paper for this blog post. No really, they can’t… so I’ll save you the endless (and annoying) exclamation marks and instead just point you to the photo over to the right.

That cute little lady over there (h/t to sidkid for the awesome photo!) comes close to describing what I feel about this new role. Related: I may or may not have done the same thing when I found out I got the job.

As the title says, I’ve recently accepted a role at Billboard (yes, THAT Billboard) to be their Social Marketing Manager. This is the opportunity of a lifetime and I’m beyond stoked to see what I can jump in and accomplish.

So – what will I be doing in this beyond amazing job of a job? Here’s the highlights version!

I’ll be…

• One of the voices behind Billboard’s Twitter (@billboarddotcom) and their Facebook page (as well as the other social outposts like Instagram, YouTube, etc.)
• Working with the events marketing team to market Billboard events
• Helping to drive traffic to Billboard.com
• Doing a lot of Community Manager-type stuff, including community development and engagement, as well as outreach
• Working on a lot of the contests/sweepstakes you see on Billboard.com
• Measuring everything I do (would you expect anything else?)

I could wax poetic about how this role is made of sheer awesomeness and unicorns and I could go on practically forever with my ideas for things to do, especially as I’ve got a list already that takes up quite a few pages…

But I won’t, as that would be annoying. Instead I’ll let YOU imagine just how excited I am to be able to join the already beyond awesome team(s) at Billboard and have the unbelievable chance to do what I’m passionate about doing on my nights/weekends for a full-time job.

As far as what this means for this blog? TBD for the nitty-gritty, but I do know that this blog will be sticking around and still be talking about the same topic I currently talk about – digital marketing for musicians. That being said, from time to time I might mention something I’m working on/have worked on at Billboard, so expect some cross-pollination at points.

This post was pushed to the back burner this month in the midst of the craziness that is my life.  Over the course of the month it became “that thing” that all writers (or bloggers, in this case) think about. That Post That Must Be Written, to be specific.

First off, I do want to send a huge public thanks to a friend and a very talented web developer, Caroline Keim.  I wouldn’t have been able to go to this event had she not invited me, as I’m really just not cool enough to be invited on my own (really, I’m not).

On to the main event…. the event!

This event was put on by Billboard Live, and the concert (Alicia Keys & Friends) was livestreamed on their site and later archived.  The event was mainly “& Friends”, as I believe that Miss Keys played three songs (at most) the entire night.

Alicia opened up the evening with a moving performance of Empire State of Mind – Part II. In a venue as rich in history as The Apollo and in her very own neighborhood, this song really took on extra meaning. Plus, I have a big sentimental side, so there’s that.

Thanks to NYPOST.COM, I figured out who the other artists (“and friends”) were. Billboard – in the future a list of the “& friends” would be handy!

Raheem DeVaughn, Hope, Elle Varner, Marsha Ambrosious, Jermaine Paul and Melanie Fiona all performed a few songs each, with Alicia popping on and off the stage throughout the performances to either perform duets with the acts, or perform her own songs as transitions between the guests.

Two acts really stood out – Melanie Fiona and Elle Varner.

Elle Varner was up first, and I wasn’t quite sure what to expect when she stepped on stage.  It took about 30 seconds for me to figure out that while Elle may be young, and perhaps new to performing on a stage like The Apollo’s, she is mega-talented.  She’s on Twitter and was tweeting about the event before and after, and I went to her YouTube page to see what she had up there when I read through her stream.  Take a look at what I found below:

I wish she used YouTube more, but she does use MySpace, and keeps a bit info there.

Melody Fiona, the other standout of the night, on top of having a KILLER dress (seriously, I want to own that dress), also brought plenty of sass with a healthy serving of “Holy cow, that girl has PIPES” to the stage.

She was just nominated for a Grammy, and also performed on Jimmy Kimmel live shortly after her show at The Apollo.

At the risk of overwhelming this post with videos, I’ll leave my favorite song off of the video list – Ay Yo.  Click the link to go listen to her performance on Carson Daly’s Last Call.

In true Alicia fashion, she closed out the night with All Right – still one of my favorite songs so no complaints from me!

Now for the social marketing comments…

From a social media perspective, I think this event could have been better executed. There was a MySpace contest for fans to win tickets, but I didn’t see a lot across other social media sites (including Facebook, where she debuted her new album a short month before the event).  Also, Billboard’s site doesn’t provide a lot of interaction, and it’s hard to find the event, let alone watch the recording. I’ve done the digging for you here, but even knowing where to go it took me a few minutes to find it.

I also wish it was easier to find out about the “& friends” part of the show, if you couldn’t tell by my comments above.  I was sitting next to Xilla from Global Grind and between him, myself and Caroline, we were hard pressed to find the correct names of the performers using our ears (and our iPhones).  I spent a chunk of the next day double-checking my work, and figured out that we still had some of the names wrong!

Photos and video weren’t allowed at the event. Since Billboard was live-streaming the event I can see the logic in this, but at the same time, I’d rather show you all the video I shot and photos I took rather than have to point you to YouTube and Billboard’s websites as the sole source of information.  I can play devil’s advocate both ways on this, but with things like events – I’m a firm believer in the fact that fans should be able to record the experiences for themselves through photo and video, as long as they appropriately credit the source.

Overall, I’m happy to see Billboard do something like this, but think that little thought was put into the entire picture by all of the involved groups. The event was great, and fulfilled a long-standing want of mine to see Alicia Keys perform, but I still believe that it fell flat in terms of overall impact.  If companies in the music business are suffering so much, why don’t they put their full efforts into making events like this a true success? How can they appropriately gauge the effects of social media marketing if they’re only doing part of the work?

So. Go check out Alicia Keys’ new album, go check out the guest performers, and go check out the Billboard Live recording of the night.  It was a fun night full of great acts, and I really hope to see more events happening like this in the future. A great start, but there is more to do!

I’ve been a fan of Alicia Keys since “Songs in A Minor” was released in 2001, and have continued to follow her career as my life, and the world, has evolved.

9 years later a hit new song with Jay-Z playing on radio stations and iPod’s everywhere, I’m now even more in love with her music.

Personal tastes aside, I have a lot of respect for the marketing going on around Alicia Key’s new album – “The Element of Freedom”.

She first debuted the album on Facebook, that’s right – Facebook.  To my knowledge – she’s the first major artist to do so (smart move!).

To do so, her marketing team got a company called Involver on board, which I admit is new to me (hey Involver, if you’re listening I’d love to pick your brain for a future post!).

You can check out her fan page here.

In addition to the Facebook album debut, Alicia and her team have also put together a “I think it’s going to be slightly insane in a great way” event happening tonight at the legendary Apollo Theatre. Actually, it’s happening now, and I’m there, and you can watch here. Full review coming tomorrow, of course!

Back on track…

That’s right – the entire concert is being livestreamed (thanks Billboard!), and straight from their article on the event, here are some juicy details:

The chart-topping singer/songwriter’s new album, “The Element of Freedom,” peaked at No. 2 on the Billboard 200 in December, but Keys has enjoyed a pair of long-running No. 1′s on the singles charts. Her New York centric duet with Jay-Z, “Empire State of Mind,” — which the duo performed to much acclaim at Yankee Stadium during the World Series in October — rode the top of the Hot 100 for five weeks in November and December. Meanwhile over on the Latin Pop Songs chart, Alejandro Sanz’s track featuring Keys, “Looking For Paradise,” has been No. 1 for the last nine consecutive weeks.

Click to watch the concert here.

If you’re more of the “I like to watch the interviews” type, I included Billboard’s interview below. It’s a good watch!

I’m looking forward to seeing more major labels jump on the “let’s innovate!” train.  If you’ve seen any examples then by all means, please share them in the comments!

Because I reference my parent company in this post, I’d like to point you to my disclaimer:

This blog expresses my personal opinions and not the opinions of anyone else… unless they’re being interviewed or I’m summarizing something they said – then it does. In any case, this blog is mine and mine alone. I reserve the right to be a “typical female” with regards to opinions and change them frequently and without logical explanation. If you disagree with my opinions you’re welcome to comment, but please do say something slightly intelligent (or positive, we all love a compliment!).

Bonus points if your comment is intelligent AND positive!

My blog may come across as slightly sarcastic at times. That’s because I’m slightly sarcastic at times. Again, this is me, not my employer, my family, my friends or my favorite cactus talking.

Music Industry + Publishing Industry = Same Fundamental Problem

Someone from my company explicitly pointed this out last week, and the sentiment was reinforced by Bill at the Clive Davis SoundCTRL event, as well as post-event discussions with David E. Beats.

The music industry is trying to get their consumers to pay for something that the consumer now believes should be free. Music.

The publishing industry is trying to get their consumers to pay for something that the consumer now believes should be free. Content.

It’s the same problem.

Now, each industry has resorted to increasing focus on their main revenue streams, or capitalizing on the “safest” revenue streams. Things like subscriptions, ad sales, 360 degree record deals, etc.

The real crux of the problem though, is that these are the “old school” ways of making money.

I’m not saying they’re wrong, but I am saying that they can be improved upon.

The disconnect is this: if people fundamentally believe that the product you’re selling should be 100% free, you need to take that into consideration. Their perception isn’t very likely to change with regards to content or music at any point soon, and if anything, MORE of the public are waking up to this “it should be free” idea.

So. You’re a large music or publishing company (in Bill’s case, you’re both – JOY!) and you wake up one day and decide to tackle the problem of “How can I update my business model so that it not only fulfills the needs of my customers, but also makes me money in the short and long-term?”

What do you do?

If I had the answer to that I certainly wouldn’t be writing this blog… I’d be making millions consulting.

In all seriousness, that IS the question. What do these companies do in the midst of not only “the current economic climate”, but also the seismic shifts in their respective industries.

One option is what they’re doing – going back to what works and sticking with that until they figure things out.

Another option is innovation. Otherwise known as “the stuff businesses do when the market changes and they want to keep existing”.

My company is owned by a major publisher. Our clients are publishers and marketers, and I get that it’s difficult for everyone. On top of that, I write this blog and am active in the NYC music/tech “scene”. So, I get that it’s difficult from all sides there too.

Even still, what successful exective have you ever seen throw up their hands and go “We can’t, it’s difficult” when faced with a complex business challenge?

Answer? The one that isn’t around anymore.

The answer for the publishing industry isn’t subscription revenue, and advertisers are re-thinking their spend, so it’s probably not ad revenue either.

The answer for the music industry isn’t signing every single “potentially mediocre or big smash hit” to 360 degree deals.

Both of those are limiting for the consumers, and short-term tactics for the businesses involved.

What is absolutely needed – no, required – is innovation.

So musicians – wake up and smell the publishing industry. Dig around a bit, see what struggles they face. Are they analagous to struggles you face? Can you use any of their tactics to fix your problems; can you experiment a bit?

Publishers – do the same. Go talk to a musician, or a record label exec and see what struggles they’re facing. What creative ways have they come up with to solve their problems?

Bob Lefsetz said something similar in his newsletter today (emphasis mine):

People are always looking for the answer. Usually, the answer comes after the start. You’ve got to begin in order to find out where you’re going. But if you never begin, you never get to the destination.

This is what has been lacking in the music business. It has historically been run by the labels, by the RIAA. Which are about protection of their present business model as opposed to any kind of vision, any kind of leadership. I wouldn’t follow Mitch Bainwol anywhere. Nor the heads of any label. Because they’ve got their heads up their asses. Does Daniel Ek at Spotify have the answers? I’m not sure. But he’s trying to lead in this uncertain world. Even Irving Azoff and Michael Rapino too. They’re in search of answers.

When things are bad, we need to be led out of the wilderness. We’ve got to get behind somebody. Funny, in the music industry, the acts used to be the leaders. Some still are. Trent Reznor is a prime example. He’s trying to do it without sacrificing his integrity, without selling out to the man, because music, when done right, must be pure. Shawn Fanning created a platform where all people could have all music. Was it economically flawed? Of course. But if you think restricting access to copyrighted material is the answer, you’re unaware of how many sites hosting copyrighted material have sprung up since the crackdown on the Pirate Bay. They’re multiplying like crazy.

Get angry, tell me your business model isn’t screwed, promise me that you’re innovating, or tell me i’m 150% right and you’re happy to see this post. Either way, leave it in the comments…

I had the immense pleasure of attending another great @SoundCTRL event, starring none other than the music business legend Clive Davis.

Like the nerdy blogger I am, I sat in the front row (after standing in the massive line – I almost didn’t get in!), took notes on my iPhone and managed to snap a few photos on my digital camera. The format was simple. Clive and Bill Werde (Editorial Director at Billboard) sat in the front of the room on a small stage and talked for close to an hour about all things Clive.

Before getting into the meat of the evening, I’ll summarize and say that a few themes stuck out throughout the night:

Talent

Passion

Openmindedness

Ironically enough, I think that far too many “big business” entertainment and media companies forget to remember those things, and it’s the public that ultimately suffers.  Keep this in mind as you read through my notes on the evening, and I welcome your discussion in the comments.

On With The Night…

Clive was introduced by Bill, and a short video played which highlighted his truly illustrious career.  As a lifelong musician it was truly eye-opening to realize the huge impact that this man has had on pop culture and my life, even before my life began.

I’ll give credit where credit is absolutely due.  Bill asked the questions that the audience really wanted to hear, and dug deeper on quite a few that piqued my marketer interests as well. Kudos to Bill!

Some of the questions that stuck out are included below.

Bill: How do you pull out a hit? What do you listen for?

Clive: So much is how in you begin. Learn and try and let it permeate. Plus, I didn’t know I had an ear for music at all. You learn not to specialize.

Bill: Clive, what do you say when people see you with early Janis Joplin and you don’t look like her?

Clive: “It’s always best to be yourself” and once you lose your integrity, you lose the respect of the very people you’re trying to impress.

Bill: There’s talk about how artist development is dead. What is it and where do you think it is?

Clive: The business is changing, and changing with concern. Top 40 is concentrated with tempo and hip hop, and it’s breaking records. That’s why you see digital sales so high but no album sales. It looks as if it’s track oriented. Artists should still be developed. There’s certainly a role for artist development now.

Bill: Clive, where do you think your talents lie? What is your “sweet spot”?

Clive: Finding headliners and hit songs.

Clive is a great “soundbite” guy, as one would expect.  Some of the quotes that stuck in my mind are also below.

“There can never be too many singles on an album.”

“A lot of this (my success) was purely fate.”

“There was no grand vision for Arista -  you have to trust your instincts.”

“Where you don’t have your own ear or expertise, learn where to go and who to trust that does. Be aware.”

“You have to be on top of your game”

Now, on to the themes…

Throughout the night last night, the themes mentioned above kept coming back to the surface. Whether it was questions from the audience in the end (Clive answered about 5 of them), or his answers to questions throughout the discussion, it’s clear that Clive Davis looks for true talent (“headline potential”), passion and perfection in every act he signs, and with every business move he makes.

I clearly respect the work Clive has done over the years, and the ability he’s had to propel the music industry forward across genres and throughout the decades.  However, from a marketing standpoint, I do wish that more was covered about technology and the impact of technologies on the music industry as a whole.

An audience member asked a question about how independent labels and the “DIY Culture” has affected the music industry, and Clive responded with a very firm belief that a strong label still holds the keys to success for an emerging artist.

I’ve included a direct copy of my notes below.

Q: With the movement towards independence and the fragmented music industry, how is the record industry reacting? DIY culture and the development of artists.

A: Few and far between, established artists who aren’t dependent on airplay going independent.

There’s a serious underestimation of the role of a good record company, 99% are new artists are dependnt on record labels and the minds that work there.

Clive Davis doesn’t think you can do it yourself. He does think that new labels can come into existence and grow though. Radio is still king, very few can make it without. That stigma comes from journalists who don’t appreciate what a good label can do.

My thoughts on his answer are the subject of another upcoming post, so stay tuned.

As a slight side note, I found it interesting that while Clive doesn’t pay much attention to technology, but he has always assumed that technology will pay a major role in the music industry. He’s been proven right over and over throughout the years.

Cool Things

We’ve all heard the Santana song The Game of Love, feat. Michelle Branch. What Clive did last night which made everyone sitting around me feel a bit more “in the know”, was play the original demo of the song, the unreleased version with the 1st vocalist, as well as another unreleased version with a different vocalist.  All told the clips from The Game of Love were played 4 different times.  Who were the other two vocalists? Macy Gray and Tina Turner.  Insanity…

One question everyone must want to ask any rightful legend… “What are you most proud of?” Clive’s answer? “The long lasting nature of his artists.”

I’ll leave you with one final quote, which sums up the night perfectly for me.

Music is as important, if not more important, than it has ever been today.