My favorite analogy for training a client in best-practice use of Twitter is to compare it to a cocktail party. There are conversations happening when you walk in the room, there’s an underlying social contract that governs interactions, and, unless it’s your birthday party, the conversation is probably not going to be about you. Direct messages may be considered whispered hints, hashtags can help you get caught up on the current topic of conversation among a cluster of friends you are joining, and @ mentions can be used to engage one or more guests in friendly banter, or, worse, insults. … Continue reading
Connectivity and Creativity
Working in the performing arts in San Francisco has given me a big, massive chip on my shoulder about NYC. Certain kinds of work can only happen in “the other city,” including local singers who audition for local companies on the other side of the country to be taken more seriously. I’ve wondered whether this has to do with the concentration of professional services in each market, because there is certainly a substantial amount of talent in the Bay Area. The irony is that even the most forward-thinking people in our field have some connection to NYC, whether they spend … Continue reading
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Opera is for Everyone
Opera is often labeled as elitist but I’ve seen people of all ages & of any income in the audience everywhere. So much for being elitist
— Erwin Schrott (@erwin_schrott) December 12, 2011
Posted in Audience engagement, Case for relevancy 3 Comments
Working with the PRess
I’ve written a bit (and spoke, and put on events with fancy speakers) about how to find the best PR/marketing consultants for your music project. What I haven’t talked much about, and some of my colleagues have raised recently, is what a client (artist, entrepreneur, etc) can do to make the project successful. I recently had to learn the hard way what happens when the elements needed for a successful campaign don’t line up, and I hope I can share some lessons learned to help you avoid putting money, effort and heartbreak into a project that doesn’t meet your expectations. … Continue reading
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Quality Control
Wednesday night, just as I was about to go to @ThatAmySloan‘s karaoke birthday, Twitter blew up with an epic debate about hiphop versus jazz/classical (academic?) musics. I feel like a little kid in kindergarten show ‘n’ tell – “Look, I made a Storify!” Enough folks asked for help following the thread or an archive. It ended up being way longer than I anticipated, but that’s what you get when you stir up debate between critics and musicians on the internet.
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Steve Jobs Made it OK For Me to Lose My Job
A couple weeks ago, I spoke to a colleague about using social media in the music industry, and was asked about the “democratization of the music industry.” I don’t know what that exactly means, or whether social media is the cause. What I do know is that the economy and the way that consumers choose their entertainment options have changed drastically over the last several years, and the number of creative people generating interesting, stimulating work has exploded. None of that would have been possible without Steve Jobs. Steve Jobs gave us the tools with which to create the social … Continue reading
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Protecting Your Message
I got an email on Friday from a friend I know through Twitter. Both an artist and an entrepreneur, she is in the early stage of getting her business off the ground, and building her reputation and brand awareness. She’s been hesitant of PR and working with consultants up until now, and has taken some baby steps with a new consultant. What should one realistically expect in terms of results, especially in the area of media placement? In other words, is there a point where the client should say “Surely by now, you should have been able to get something … Continue reading
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Concert Artist as Geisha
Have you read the excellent comments section on Amanda Ameer’s blog in response to her latest commentary on Yuja Wang’s skin-tight t-shirt of a dress? At least, that’s what she and Mark Swed and just about everyone else will have you think about the dress she chose to wear to Hollywood Bowl. I am in love with this line from Swed’s review: “The infernal helicopters that brazenly buzz the Bowl seemed, on this night, like long-necked paparazzi wanting a good look,” which reminds me of the camera dancers from Turnage’s Anna Nicole opera. Mitsuko Uchida and Hahn Bin get name-checked, which is … Continue reading
Posted in Audience engagement, Case for relevancy, Criticism 2 Comments
Artists are Entrepreneurs
Recently, I’ve received the dreaded emails from AF of M and the League of American Orchestras: Congress is planning to cut funding for the arts! Call your elected representatives and urge them to preserve our money! The situation is dire! Take action! I’ve already written a bit about ArtsWave, and the benefits that arts bring to a community, so I won’t get on the soapbox about reactionary advocacy, but instead, tell you why cutting arts funding is bad for jobs creation and the economy. Silicon Valley knows intimately that you can’t prevent creative people from doing something they love: whether … Continue reading
Posted in AFofM, Case for relevancy 6 Comments
