Thursday, November 28, 2019

Podcast - Interview with Alice goes to Motherland

An interview I did during Waves Vienna with the Russian band Alice foes to Motherland. This is the pod version from Cashbox Radio. Here you will find out how the Russian music scene is moving and how you stay sane on a Siberian tour.




Wednesday, November 27, 2019

Interview with Grace Puluczek and David Silbaugh

This interview I think as many bands and mangers should listen to! We have a talent buyer from one of the bigger festivals in the world talking with managers what to do and not do. How they care about social media numbers, how to get their attention. Also how to network on showcases and why they work in the industry.

On Thursday 28 of November 16:00 Swedish time (10:00am Toronto/NYC time) my interview with David Silbaugh from Summerfest and Grace Puluczek from 3 Notes ( also Balcony TV and # Notes introduce).

The program goes on re-run Saturday 30 of nov 13:00 Swedish time (7:00 am Toronto/NYC time) and on Sunday 1 of dec 11:00 Swedish time (5:00 am Toronto/NYC time). You find it on www.Cashboxradio.ca

The pod version will be released 5 of November on both Spotify and Youtube.


Tuesday, November 26, 2019

Yes you are a failure!

You have every right to fail. I don’t know why failure is such a high thing in the music industry? Okay, it’s high in the rest of the market but still, I just find it very present that you must succeed. Inside the startup world in some cases, it’s a plus that you have done some failure missions. In the music industry, it’s that you changed the style and didn’t want to be a sellout.

It seems in the music industry or at least in artist sections it seems like a taboo. Things like artists think it’s bad that they post videos when it’s not much audience. It looks like failure to them that is was no audience. That can also be a lack of marketing or other things. Same when their lasts single didn’t go as planned, then they did this artistic thing to not be a sellout. If you have any critic against a song, well then you don’t get it, but my 25 000 spins on Spotify prove you wrong. In the music industry, you never fail. That is so wrong, this industry is a big failure in all. So, come and join the party.

In many cases, it seems like at first failure the artist gives up. Seen many bands split up after just some small hiccups. Just because everything is not going totally straight to the top doesn’t mean you should quit.

Even worse is when they become totally paralyzed doing nothing because failure is not an option it seems better to wait until everything is perfect. Then the perfect opportunities never arrive, and they just wait and wait until it just all fades away.

Also not take the risk or a chance in the chance to become a failure clouds the judgment many times. Ask for too many assurances before talking the risk usually ends is doing nothing and ends in the fading sections.

So, what are you risking? You do a small shitty show in the sticks. Is that a failure? At least you played, at least you got out and got booked. Not so much audience. Not the best sound system or lightning? Still, if you converted the few who were there it was a success. I get a feeling that many artists look at it as a failure.

But even if it was a complete failure it's ok. You learned something around it. And that knowledge is good. I guess there is nothing that is a failure if it doesn’t kill you and you learn something.

I have done many failures and I actually have talked about them in panels. In fact, those panels are the most successful ones. So, if you think about it the failures were just the road to success. Stop thinking everything must be perfect. That is the way that your mental health can get deteriorate. Just shake it off, learn from it. I admit that yes that was not the best choice, but I learned from it and now I move on. Turn the failure to a strength.





Thursday, November 21, 2019

New podcast Interview with Tommy Rehn

And here goes the first Podcast live on Spotify and Youtube. I do an interview with Tommy Rehn in Barcelona discussing his career and his son's career to be a manager to your child and comparison how DIY in the 90:s is not that far from DIY now and what is needed. Yes you can listen straight her on the site.




Or use the Spotify link https://open.spotify.com/playlist/2s4BnoxvQ1uFWyT4Q6m1wY?si=Z4YgCLdSRXu2wVUj_ejb9w

On Youtube, it's here and here you can also see the video Tommy is telling about in the Pod.




Here is the link to the playlist https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLohVBexE8_ckGJp5nmF_PQQ7cKWtdeeD2

Wednesday, November 20, 2019

Interview with Alice goes to Motherland

I'm excited finally the first artist interview of mine is airing on Cashbox Radio. I did this interview in September so it has been a while to get everything in order.

On Thursday 21 of November 16:00 Swedish time (10:00am Toronto/NYC time) my interview with Alice goes to Motherland a Russian band. We are talking about the Russian music industry and about new music and how to survive a tourn in Siberia.

The program goes on re-run Saturday 23 of nov 13:00 Swedish time (7:00 am Toronto/NYC time) and on Sunday 24 of nov 11:00 Swedish time (5:00 am Toronto/NYC time). You find it on www.Cashboxradio.ca

The pod version will be released 28 of November on both Spotify and Youtube.




Tuesday, November 19, 2019

How to curate something if you do not see anything?

When I'm invited to a festival as the booker of my festival I feel obligated to see as much as possible of the lineup that is presented. They actually make my job as a curator of my lineup easier. Suddenly I get a lot of artists straight in front of me. I get to see the live show and easier can judge if they would fit my new lineup. What I can't really get is the people who don't go on the shows? They just show up for their panel the rest of the time they just do tourist stuff. 

You see me often write that I need the doer. I want the decision-maker. I don't need the CEO of a festival if that person does not book any artists. Even if they can affect the process,  if they need to go to someone else for permission, well then its that person that gives the permission I need to invite. So my other observation is why does a festival just invite people that okay have some political power but really just reports back what is happening in the industry, not leading it.

The third mistake is that they take on decision makes that are just buyers. The reason why the bigger festivals right now have very bad lineups is because of this. You can see how most of these festivals have paid entrances not curated. A lot built up with hype number then no sense of discovering new things. Getting a festival just because they are big, but not book anything without your export office paying a large fee is just contra-productive.

Just because a festival is big doesn't automatically make it important. Same with people. Too many have the perception that just uses they get the owner of the country's biggest festival you have achieved something. Sorry, too many times I find these persons just jaded to see new artists. They just treat it as a free holiday. More interested to find a good restaurant to have a nice dinner then see new music. 

Yes, it not easy finding the new good stuff. Sometimes I just wish everything was just over. I rather would have been down at the local pub with a beer. Then the band that is special just appar and you are excited again. When you don't have the strength to stay until the interest comes up you can just stop working with it. 

Also, a reason I like shorter showcases like 20 minutes. If it sucks a new artist comes along pretty fast. Also that the showcase end before midnight. Trying to see a band 3 in the morning when your panel is 10 a clock is just bad.

No, it's really not easy to create a good showcase festival. It's not just to bring people and set up good bands. There are things you need to think of both once and twice. A big problem is also how to get things done and also discover how is important and who is not. At the same time showcases now seem to be a standard and a phenomenon that is on the big rise.










Thursday, November 14, 2019

Music Showcase Greece and others

Okay, I'm on my way to quite many festivals in the next weeks. First Swiss music in Bern tomorrow where I'm the judge of their competition, will be great.

The week after that is Monkey week in Spain and we will see some cool rock music.

Then we are checking the status of turbo-folk in northern Macedonia.

and finally, in December I'm going to Greece on Music Showcase Greece witch asked for a video. I got them in my normal style.


Wednesday, November 13, 2019

New interview going live on Cashbox

I'm excited finally the first episode of interviews is airing on Cashbox Radio. I did this interview in September so it has been a while to get everything in order.

On Thursday 14 of November 16:00 Swedish time (10:00am Toronto/NYC time) my interview with Tommy Rehn is on how to deal with the new music industry, how to be a dad and a manger and various tricks to get noticed. And of course a lot of new and old music.

The program goes on re-run Saturday 13:00 Swedish time (7:00 am Toronto/NYC time) and on Sunday 11:00 Swedish time (5:00 am Toronto/NYC time). You find it on www.Cashboxradio.ca

The pod version will be released 21 of November on both Spotify and Youtube.

And I'm aiming to publish a new episode a week....yay.


Tuesday, November 12, 2019

Sorry USA you ain't cool any longer!

Have you ever gone to a high school reunion? If you have I bet you have experienced that the cool kid suddenly has become an average Joe and the geek or the silent kid is doing amazing stuff. The worst part is when the cool kid still thinks they are cool and try to get everyone back in their old roles. It's just pathetic.

Right now USA is that old cool kid that desperately tries to tell us that their old coolness still matters. Sorry, it's just pathetic.

Austin is not weird any longer. It has become just a suite and ties. Not talking music just startups. NYC has no studios in Manhattan any longer since no one can afford the rent. LA put down gig places for condos. CBGB is now a cloth store. 

So if you think that USA is your gateway to a career or move to LA or NYC to get closer to the happenings you are on a totally wrong road.

USA is losing much right now. Mainly because they don't have support systems for artists or professionals. Right now even the smallest and poorest countries have it. And it makes a remark in the industry. Suddenly these countries take places on showcases and get cool collaborations with the hottest bookers. Connections to the best industry professionals. Suddenly the new cool sound will come from Asia, Africa or some other place.

You can also see this in the evolution of showcases. The rest of the world these are booming. But in USA they are disappearing. 

Another big issue is the visa rules in USA. They are just so imbecile that I rather send bands to Russia because its less BUACRACY! And its costly and to no point. Sorry, just this could put USA in The losing team. Now there is much more to consider that is just bad in USA. 

What happened to put yourself in a van and tour USA to success? Ohh that what is over twenty years ago. Can't be done now. Mainly because media is so scattered. Another reason is that the gig places around USA are in very bad shape. You have a bigger chance of getting good updated sound and light in eastern europé. Much because USA bought in equipment in The 80/90:s and since then had few updates especially in smaller places in the countryside. 

Also, tickets are harder. USA has a big share of poverty and soon you get out of the big cities the money is not exactly flowing.

Still, USA acts like we need them. With new markets opening up with millions of people to be number one market is soon gone and acting like to cool kid when your tupé is not matching and hanging on the side, well you probably have to do something before you can get honky-tonk back on the chart. The American dream has become middle-aged.


Wednesday, November 6, 2019

Nice or mean?

It is a focus on the hate on the internet. Yes, the algorithms are the focus. They are designed to bring topics that make us react. Since we mainly just react with a thumb up or a heart to things we like and it takes us to be angry to write something the algorithms just give us cute cats and bad decisions made by politicians.

And the same here in my blog. Most of the posts are things I write about are things that I react around. Things that annoy me or I want to change. The opposite is the post where I just celebrate something like it was the best thing since sliced bread. It's never anything in between. Why? Easy it won't get my readers to react. Yes, I'm stuck in the algorithm trap where I have become a react junkie?

I guess I'm not so much a react junkie. I seldom look at my numbers or how many likes or so. Still, back in my head, I feel I'm just here nagging. You can hear me say on panels that I'm an old grumpy guy wrting negative things. I would like to experiment with the things I create. So can I write three positive posts in the blog? Just leave the old grumpy person for awhile?

Shouldn't be that hard? I guess it can. In my feed, I see just incredibly stupid things. So much stupidity that I'm reading the book "Ten good reasons to leave social media". I just tried to make five nice posts on Facebook, thinking that if I made five positive posts I can make someone happy. Not hard to do the posts, but to really mean them? So if that is hard, doing three positive posts will be even harder. and would I lose readers if I started to just write ordinary things?

Maybe because a lot of the posts on social media are just a celebration of stupidity. Like one I saw a singer telling the newspaper that he is a rockstar and a boss in a cultural institution. Reality is that if he really was a rockstar he would not have time to work as a grey suit on an institution. The rockstar myth was that he got a friend to release his songs online in USA and went over and did three free gigs!

Yes, I can expose the cracks in that story or I can celebrate it.

I can just write, good work as a comment on the post. Or just like an old grumpy guy just write that he is nothing in reality. Or like I do right now just pass it and think how much stupidity it is and then comment it in a totally different area.

I guess all this leads to my next project. I guess the interviews in the pod will be more positive. In interview situations, it's so much harder to be mean to people taht sit straight in front of you. At the same time will the lack of reaction material stop people to listen to the pod? To be able to listen to something you need to have an interest and the conversation should lead you somewhere.

I guess we have to wait and see. Like always I have some ideas to try out. And like always nine out of ten will fail. And to play around with formats can be kind of tricky.