The mega festivals are over!

Another message from a tech firm that promises me that I can find the next artists by looking at different numbers on different outlets. Outlets, well they seem more just stats from social media and streaming platforms. As I have written before that is just 25% of the artist's career. It really doesn't give any accurate picture of what is really going on. 

Sure, you can get some sales figures from these numbers, at least some pinpoint, but not what is coming, just the past. When the numbers start to reach critical levels someone has already discovered this artist and that is why you have you have those numbers.

In another email, I got a tip-off about a new sing-songwriter that just got picked up by a bigger label. And the numbers were not that special, but they were in the range where a label would pick up and start to try to market a new good artist. Still, I need this inside information to know to have an eye on this artist. It will be another year before she will enter the numbers game and if it will light up on the tech firms list and by then it's too late for me as a whatever I work as a manager, booker, or recordable. the reason the number is there is because of the work someone else already did.

Another thing is how these numbers should go over to real fans? I just read about an artist I know pretty well. Hasn't done anything really bigger. Given out some songs on a major label where we can see that they have boosted some Spotify numbers with some kind of suspect major record labels playlists like Topsify. Around 16 000 followers on Facebook and 130 000 followers on Instagram. 

Ok numbers, but with a closer look, the average Instagram post har around 7000 likes her twitter has around 30 likes on each post. Then she has gone over to the big new thing TikTok where she has a staggering over 2 million viewers, each post is around 200 000 views. There are people watching this. My knowledge though as a booker knows that she wouldn't even draw 100 people inside Stockholm. she is not a name that the bookers fight around or even talk about. 

The tech company thinks then I can see this on their stats. But you can't. Yes, you can see on Spotify she has the most listeners still in Stockholm even tough the audience on TikTok is not from Sweden. Has she bought the numbers? Not really, maybe her label has put in some extra boost ( looks like it) for TikTok not so much buying instead getting her on different lists and asking people to follow.

Here comes the crucial thing. People that follow really don't convert to fans. that just click of a button that says it's it interesting for me. We know this from the live industry that these numbers seldom can be converted. In the Eurovision song contest, they have taken several YouTubers, Spotify phenomena, and such to try to break them. This is prime time TV in Sweden. Still, most just don't even make it to the final round. The staggering numbers on social media won't even vote for the artists even though it's free. It's to much work. Imagine then to get someone out of their home to be so terminated to see you live. Yes, a much harder work. at the some time a must if you are going to access the big money from your fans, the live industry is 51% of the money going around in the music industry.

Or wait, it was. We don't know what is going to happen after Corona. One vision I  see several times and is quite keen on is that the mega festivals time is over. These are not environmentally friendly (if it's not set one construction that is already there like Summerfest) and is not good for artists. One effect from the corona will probably be that smaller venues get together to get touring for the artists. Likely these venues have an audience that is regulars, and the booker of the venue will be the tastemaker. Then the numbers really don't count, it will still be a person that promotes the stuff to the audience on a small scale, the way it used to be.

No, I deleted the email about the help I could get help to see an artist's stats. The stats don't tell me if they are good live, or even can do a live show. Just singing in the camera on TikTok will not make a big career. And I think Covid 19 just killed most of the fake artists as well. Suddenly a network of real people not bots is the way you need.

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You won't be disappointed

Come by to our show! We have the best show ever! You won't be disappointed!

If I had a euro for every time I get this kind of promise I could buy a small country like Lichtenstein. Yes in most cases they disappoint me.

The reason why I get disappointed varies but I have a theory about it. On the panel I was participating in the last conference we discussed how important it was to get your local market and then work outward. I agree with that. The local market is great to lean back on. The problem is that you start to think that just because you are great in your home town you are God's gift to music. When you then move up a level you confronted with other bands that are best in their town. Suddenly your special show is not top-notch any longer. I see the same pattern in sports. A kid that is great in his home area will not be certain a spot in the country Olympic team.

Because I think they are not over bragging when they tell me that they are gods gift to music. They probably are, but only in their area. Outside there they are just an ok band. What they forget is that just this year I have seen over 500 acts. And I visit a festival a week. With that I become picky. You need to be better than the whole country to start to be in level. 

It's not easy to explain to someone that belive their own press that sorry it's not good enough. You need more practice hours. You need to stand out, have more contact with the audience. The biggest problem you have to perform well without those screaming fans that you have locally.

All this mainly leads down to the acts that I usually find at a festival is not the acts from the country its in. Usually, it's the bands from abroad that shine. Mainly because they are picked among the best bands in their country. The local bands are picked more on connections and favors and they have more space for local acts.  And yes the bands that promise that they are great live tends to be local. Another reason is that they are usually on their first showcase and want it to be successful. The abroad bands already had their success by being chosen from abroad. 

For me personally, the promises usually are a marker of uncertainty. You don't need to add that you have a great show. If you have a great show you just explain the main features and I should be interested just by that. The warning sign is when I ask back what exactly is great about the show and you can't explain why just that its good.

Of course, it's a different story if its someone that has nothing to do with the band or gain from it tells me that a show is great. Then you don't have to explain, that is what you think. And your personal taste. I guess the best promotion is the get other people to talk great about your show.

Another tech startup, with no solution?

My friends were posting about another tech startup in the music business. This time on the live side called Gigital. The story is that they want to revolutionize the live industry.
Telling that the live industry is very closed and immature and not digital friendly (i can actually agree on this in certain points). Their solution building a site where booker can find bands to book, with a more approach to dating and more open numbers of what they artist cost.

I have seen this so many times before. One of my hobbies is to go on startup conferences and get shirts from companies that really will fail. I have a wardrobe full of this t-shirts. My favorite is Glomper, an Instagram with different filters, I wonder if they still exists?

Several companies had this idea, some of them actually with the same idea is already out there. In fact, the idea is around the same as Gigmit, Bandwagon, Bands in town, Gigsalad, Sonicbids, Music Glue, Artistivity, Bookmyartist and then I know at least four Swedish ones. And really no one of them works.

One of the features was that you could see the social numbers of the artist. Right now since several festivals going down after trusted that the social media numbers were good, it's not the right way to point.

They were complaining that it's all built on networks and emails and that the artist agencies is holding everything and gives out different price tags. It's true they really do. But sometimes in the artist's favor. This is a way to say no to gig you don't want. You get a gig that you really don't want. Okay, you are not booked but it won't be that nice. Still, if the price is good enough you do it gladly. Many times that is what it is you tell them to give me five times more and they say yes and you do it with a smile.

But they are up against a bunch of other real problems. Sure when I meet Spotify 2007 they were up against an even bigger problem. Same that it was several others on the market. I really hope they make it and that I can get a t-shirt that will have in the pile of the companies that actually went on. My Spotify T-shirt is kind of alone in there.

I'm skeptical but I hope for change even in the live area. and I hope they pick up the small things that need to change to get a revolution like Spotify did. Put Gigital on your mind. I think they have some new solutions inside it, not like many of my T-shirts that had no solution just an idea.

I will follow this project it will be interesting, despite mine negativity.

Disturbing things in the industry

Late the sinner will wake is a quote they use in Sweden and here is really written on the wall.
I got a really disturbing message from an agent asking “where are the kids going now a days?”. Well pal that is your job to know that. But the live industry seems to be sleeping quite much so I’m not surprised that the message was sent out.

Right now I know several record labels that build in their own network and platform to get the artist the live experience they need. Also they won’t share this with the booking departments. My guess is that the live stages will have serious problems in just two years. And they will cry in the public that it is so unfair to them. I will just referee to this blog post when they do it.

Even more disturbing is that some Swedish official teams are using these old methods when they are doing things. Got a mail that the government hired a firm that really is outnumbered and just famous for heavy cost and no results. The funny part is that the firm takes money from the government to do their shows. Then they ask for money from the artist as well. It’s nothing new and I thought everyone knew this, but yes like the bookers it seems like so many are so after in the Swedish industry right now.