tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-47398274652282832562024-03-12T17:30:22.411-07:00* The Reverse Thread BlogOne man's view from the Lower East Side.pauldalenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15901701986672324557noreply@blogger.comBlogger27125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4739827465228283256.post-46252292358052424842010-09-03T09:08:00.000-07:002010-09-03T09:21:31.043-07:00BetrayedTo coincide with the repost of Seth Godin's insightful comments about personal contact and filters (see below) I read a facebook post today from a person that I consider a trusted source of music recommendations. We have similar but not fully overlapping tastes in music. Again: he's proven to be on point in his suggestions.<br />
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The music he suggested today, however, is weak and utterly forgettable. What happened? I know that this fellow is, like me, in the music business but he's never seemed like a shill for his clients. If anything he's always appeared to be someone who accepts work based on his love for a particular artist or band.<br />
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For me, the idea in recommending music to others is 3 fold.<br />
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First, I want to share something I love with others. Some people do this often, some rarely. Some broadcast broadly, others more selectively. To have the most impact I choose to be selective. What's the point of telling EVERYONE that they're going to love the new Cardigan's record when I know that the music isn't for all? The pleasure of sharing successfully is enriching. It's also about building and strengthening bonds with others.<br />
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Secondly I hope to benefit from getting something in return from those I share with. In the wikipedia definition of "gift economy" (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gift_economy) there are examples of the non-linear / asymmetrical nature of this give and take. I trust that at some point I will benefit from the knowledge of others whether it's directly related to music or not.<br />
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Thirdly I want to be thought of as trustworthy, knowledgable and altruistic. These notions are, in the least flattering light, self serving and self aggrandizing. In the best light they're common and understandable and make me feel that I am of value to others.<br />
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So my friend, in posting about this particular new band seems to have missed the mark. In fairness he did give a "RIYL" list, but this too seemed random and sadly inaccurate, making matters even worse.<br />
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I'm entrigued by how rattled I am by this tiny experience of feeling "betrayed" by a trusted source.pauldalenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15901701986672324557noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4739827465228283256.post-73665832219831305432010-08-29T12:08:00.000-07:002010-08-29T12:08:03.826-07:00Ich Bin Ein Berliner<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande'; font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 11px;"><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande'; font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 11px;"></span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande'; font-size: small;"><div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: medium; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">I've been waiting to use that quote for years! The week of September 6th I'll be in Berlin for the all2gethernow 2010 Conference. I'll be in great company with the likes of Dr. Nancy Baym, Mike Masnick, Jill Sobule and a host of others.</div><div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: medium; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: medium; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">The programs I'm participating in are:</div><div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: medium; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: medium; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><b>How Do Technologies And Social Media Influence Music Culture?</b></div><div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: medium; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">Tuesday, September 7, 2010, at 4.30pm </div><div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: medium; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: medium; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><b>Smart Artist Management</b></div><div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: medium; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">Thursday, September 9, 2010 at 1.30pm</div><div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: medium; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: medium; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">Lots of other great stuff to see. If you're there please come say hello.</div><div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: medium; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
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</div></span>pauldalenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15901701986672324557noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4739827465228283256.post-51659771625947858572010-08-29T11:53:00.000-07:002010-08-29T11:53:16.664-07:00Seth Godin Says It All.So much of what Seth says in this blog has been on my mind. As I've struggled to articulate it he hits the nail on the head:<br />
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<h3 class="entry-header" style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; color: black; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: medium; font-weight: bold; line-height: 19px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 1px; text-align: left;">"<a href="http://sethgodin.typepad.com/seths_blog/2010/08/the-blizzard-of-noise-and-the-good-news.html" style="color: black; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none;">The blizzard of noise (and the good news)</a></h3><div class="entry-content" style="clear: both; color: #333333; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small; line-height: 19px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 10px; position: static;"><div class="entry-body" style="clear: both;"><div style="margin-bottom: 10px; margin-top: 10px; text-align: left;">As the amount of inputs go up, as the number of people and ideas that clamor for attention continue to increase, we do what people always do: we rely on the familiar, the trusted and the personal.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 10px; margin-top: 10px; text-align: left;">The experience I have with you as a customer or a friend is far more important than a few random bits flying by on the screen. The incredible surplus of digital data means that human actions, generosity and sacrifice are more important than they ever were before."</div></div></div>pauldalenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15901701986672324557noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4739827465228283256.post-61806300733138100662010-03-21T00:41:00.000-07:002010-03-21T20:14:40.104-07:00That's technology. You just have to roll with it.<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Helvetica;"></span><br />
<div class="AppleOriginalContents"><div style="text-align: auto;"><div class="AppleOriginalContents"><div style="-webkit-line-break: after-white-space; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; word-wrap: break-word;"><div><div><div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande'; font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 11px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: medium;"></span></span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande'; font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 11px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: medium;"><div style="-webkit-line-break: after-white-space; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; word-wrap: break-word;"><div><div><div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">SxSW 2010 is over and I'm on my way back to NYC. I arrived in Austin after a scant 12 hours at home after the last show of of a 14 day tour with Joe Henry and Co. (I used to mix FOH for a living and once a year or so return to to venues across the land to have some fun.)</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span> </span></div></div></div></div></div><div><div class="AppleOriginalContents"><div style="-webkit-line-break: after-white-space; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; word-wrap: break-word;"><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">I didn't have a great deal of time to pre-plan for Austin yet it was a great trip: my favorite SxSW so far; no long list of bands that I wanted to see, and only had 2 artists that I manage in town, consecutively rather than concurrently. That being the case I was able to spend solid and focused blocks of time with John Doe and Jim White, and none of my meetings (Professor Nancy Baym, Jordy from IODA, Karina Paje from ROCKU who is a force to be reckoned with, Adam from Fleming Artists, the Ashley Capps crew, etc.) were rushed. </span></span></div><div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span> </span></div><div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Mike King and Dave Kusik from Berklee interviewed me on camera for an upcoming segment that they're producing for BerkleeMusic.com. At this point in my life I very much enjoy discussing all facets of music and society / culture at large. It's challenging for me to be called upon to answer great questions so between the Berklee taping, robust discussions with Nancy, Jordy, Jake Guralnick, John Doe, Ana Egge, etc. plus the panel I was on, it was a great couple of days to challenge my ideas, notions and beliefs.</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span> </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">A bit about the panel, which was titled "The Cultural Significance of Direct-to-Fan Marketing". It was moderated by Ian Rogers from Topspin who was captivated by something Rodney Crowell said to him recently, which was more or less "In the old music business I wrote songs for radio. In the new music business I write for the fans."</span></span></div></div></div></div><div style="-webkit-line-break: after-white-space; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; word-wrap: break-word;"><div><div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Ian's idea (a good one) was to forego the usual and possibly tired discussion of business matters and focus on how *music* is changed by DTF, as well as the lives of musicians and those that are charged to help musicians reach their goals. Hence the strong weighing towards managers on the panel. </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span> </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">David Whitehead, my mentor from Maine Road Management, made some great points about older artists being a bit reluctant to make less constructed records (ie shorter time lines and tighter budgets) and engage with their fans in such an unfiltered and potentially chaotic way. They come from another era and for some it's not an easy transition for some.</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span> </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">John Doe said that feels like he's rolling with it (to paraphrase Gail Marowitz's great quote about new technologies, see note at bottom) and adjusting to the realities on the ground just like he always has. He's seen it all and understands that you have to grow and adapt to survive and prosper.</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span> </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Brian Kline manages Joe Purdy amongst others and had some great and inspiring real-world stories about the liberating effects of DTF. Apparently Purdy records EP's while on tour and releases them often, usually digital only, sometimes only a couple of days after mastering. They have abandoned the construct of the 18 month release cycle, the 5 month setup cycle and 12 song package. This is something I'm encouraging all my artists to consider and experiment with. First for me will be a series of themed EP's by Jill Sobule released digitally only using Topspin / Tunecore.</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span> </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Back to the panel though. I took my cue since the others had done a great job of covering so much territory to try to point out that what we were discussing was part of a much much larger, culturally significant shift that included participatory culture, fan engagement, convergence culture, social capitol, and for some, the inclusion of audiences as valuable contributors to the process. It's been said so many time but it really IS a time of profound change in music. </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span> </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">I tired to point out that it was not only in music where "content owners now need to understand what motivates their behavior and decide if and how they will recognize audiences as both consumers and collaborators." (Ana Domb Krauskopf if her paper "Tacky and Proud: Exploring Tecnobrega's Value Network"). All segments of the lives of those that are plugged into the 'net are being changed and often disrupted by new technology. With such fundamental changes comes opportunity, confusion, anxiety and a thousand other things best left to explore elsewhere. </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span> </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">It's a great time to be alive and working in music.</span></span></div></div></div></div><div class="AppleOriginalContents" style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span> </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Thanks for reading.</span></span></div><div style="-webkit-line-break: after-white-space; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; word-wrap: break-word;"><div><div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span> </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">"That's technology. You just have to roll with it." </span></b></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Gail Marowitz in her New York Times interview regarding Art Direction for CD packaging.</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div></div></div></div></div></div></div></span></span></span></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div>pauldalenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15901701986672324557noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4739827465228283256.post-1413863601700453152010-01-21T12:09:00.001-08:002010-01-21T12:09:49.078-08:00A picture is worth.....<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUGZB-A8N4Yc5K9wnppg0e3Wu_pZdk64-OznBG-36Zd_hyXMtJUYE5AZ4Swkrn1hn2uiB4YiRdmCLqa4vTeSiyInKGcNq7LnqPpom0mBvyyCYDCZ15bHEClBYMVBJfnL_u7961kUbCfT0/s1600-h/TMI.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUGZB-A8N4Yc5K9wnppg0e3Wu_pZdk64-OznBG-36Zd_hyXMtJUYE5AZ4Swkrn1hn2uiB4YiRdmCLqa4vTeSiyInKGcNq7LnqPpom0mBvyyCYDCZ15bHEClBYMVBJfnL_u7961kUbCfT0/s320/TMI.jpg" /></a><br />
</div>pauldalenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15901701986672324557noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4739827465228283256.post-17130349470231196812009-11-11T18:24:00.000-08:002009-11-11T18:26:31.405-08:00Divergence Of Opinion (or how to not tow the company line)<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Helvetica;">It seems that some dissenting opinions are beginning to crop up (or at least I'm becoming aware of them) in regards to the dialogue about core fans / true fans / direct to fan. As I mentioned in a previous post the singularity of opinion was making me nervous. I found myself saying things more or less verbatim that I'd heard from others with very little empirical evidence on my part to support those ideas.</span><br />
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</div><div>It sure *sounded* reassuring to say "Direct To Fan is the future!" "Custom bundling is the future!" "Analytics will save us!" It is still about great music, community, contextualization of shared experiences and FUN. Oh... that and one more little thing: finding your audience.<br />
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</div><div>The links below will take you to a couple of long-ish posts, but both are very rich as are the comment sections.<br />
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<div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><a href="http://brandsplusmusic.blogspot.com/2009/11/involving-fans-at-many-levels.html"><b>Brands Plus Music Blog</b></a><b> (click to read the post)</b><br />
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</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><a href="http://fingertipsmusic.blogspot.com/2009/11/new-fingertips-commentary-farewell-to.html"><b>Fingertips Music Blog</b></a><b> (click to read the post)</b><br />
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</div>pauldalenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15901701986672324557noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4739827465228283256.post-41000593413241456302009-11-11T18:17:00.000-08:002009-11-11T18:17:16.100-08:00The Long Tail Of Fandom<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvSKEp4EVQxuu1rDkQvOl8cAcpkSgR0dBWslXXySfedE8iMos9cDYaCRThZ2-qx4L8MWTuf2ueATnIM3q87u0zcvPRzFgdwOSrAhY7-PRXtjpndCzKslx6NVGNrqMtO1FbXWRbsieOjbA/s1600-h/3814052537_5da7d5a738_o.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvSKEp4EVQxuu1rDkQvOl8cAcpkSgR0dBWslXXySfedE8iMos9cDYaCRThZ2-qx4L8MWTuf2ueATnIM3q87u0zcvPRzFgdwOSrAhY7-PRXtjpndCzKslx6NVGNrqMtO1FbXWRbsieOjbA/s640/3814052537_5da7d5a738_o.png" /></a><br />
</div>pauldalenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15901701986672324557noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4739827465228283256.post-52426922381738518532009-10-03T12:36:00.000-07:002009-10-03T12:38:18.920-07:00The New WayEveryone that's paying attention knows that the old mode of selling music is gone. Long gone. This is old news. It's about word of mouth, recommendations from trusted sources and authentic relationships between artists and fans.<br /><br />What concerns me is that many very thoughtful people who are genuinely concerned with the state of the music industry (as opposed to the record industry) all seem to be headed in the same direction. <div><br />We study and listen and talk. We read Seth Godin and what his disruptive notion of permission marketing has inspired. We study the latest trends in D2F (direct to fan) platforms and the financial advantages produced by product bundling (Nine Inch Nails, Metric, etc..) There are some very smart people leading conversations and some innovative platforms in the market or coming to the market place shortly.<br /><br />But if the smartest and brightest amongst us are all traversing the same path (more or less) will we all arrive at the same place at the same time only to realize there's a finite amount of everything sans bandwidth? Does it matter to be an early adopter when the time line in The Everett Rogers Diffusion of innovations theory / rate of diffusion is now so compressed.<br /><br />The thought that keeps rising to the top of my mind is this: if most everyone is focused on genuine relationships, direct to fan sales, permission marketing, web metrics and the like how will anyone differentiate themselves from anyone else? The music lover only has so many hours in each day, only so much disposable income although some would argue that getting the fans attention is far more important than getting their money, or that the former leads to the latter.<br /><br />Perhaps I'm missing the point, and the tools that I mention above will serve the smartest few with additional tools to achieve what we currently see as the real way forward: genuine contact, life long fans, true fans. Fans for life. 1,000 (or 10,000) true fans.<br /><br />Everyone has access to twitter and facebook but only a few use those tools effectively.<br /></div>pauldalenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15901701986672324557noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4739827465228283256.post-72349974917551231782008-09-04T13:05:00.000-07:002008-09-04T13:06:47.838-07:00This Week: Sept. 1, 2008Summer is officially over and regardless of our mortal delineations of the seasons you can really tell that it's so here in Upstate NY. Of course those that live REALLY Upstate laugh when I call Ulster County "Upstate", but it's relative I suppose. <br /><br />The tomatoes from the Farmers Market are amazing, as are all the odd looking squashes (?) that I've never previously seen. The days are getting shorter, the sun is hanging lower in the sky. The nights are getting nearly cold and it's a great relief. <br /><br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">LISTENING:</span><br />Mike Doughty's Haughty Melodic<br />Jill Sobule / Underdog Victorious<br />Rough mixes of the upcoming "Country Classics" record by John Doe and The Sadies<br />Meredit Bragg record, courtesy of M. Lockwood<br />Terri Binion<br />Sea Wolf / Get to the River Before It Runs Too Low - EP<br />Jim Campilongo (live at The Living Room) <br />Dean and Britta live<br />Chris Isaak Live (don't ask)<br /><br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">WATCHING</span>:<br />the septic guy suck out our tank.... uggh<br />Family Guy! Family Guy! Family Guy!<br />Presidential contest stuff / debates<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">READING</span>: <br />NYTimes via my iPhone App. Excellent interface.<br />Salty by Mark Haskell Smith<br />blogs and more blogs: music blogs, science blogs, political blogs, celebrity blogs<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">PONDERING</span>:<br />The sad and unexpected deaths of JH's 15 year old neice, and "Papa" Guardado, President of Hells Angels SF and a very nice guy.<br />How happy I am to have my new, super simple, one speed beach cruiser bicycle.<br />The joy of riding a bike in NYC when Park Avenue is closed to motorized vehicles.pauldalenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15901701986672324557noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4739827465228283256.post-58884183752345557572008-04-19T06:15:00.000-07:002008-04-19T06:16:39.829-07:00The Week Ending April 18th 2008LISTENING:<br />Cass McCoombs<br />Juana Molina demos<br />Unreleased Aimee Mann record. (courtesy of Gail)<br />Lots of support act submissions for the upcoming Jim White Tour<br />Thom Monahans and Andy Cabics re-mix of John Doe's GOLDEN STATE.<br />Eduardo Mateo / Solo Bien Se Lame<br />Unreleasede Loudon Wainwright record (Courtesy of Joe H)<br />Mahalia Jackson<br /><br /><br />WATCHING:<br />The stunning white flowering buds on the trees near my house<br />Otto, the dog that we are taking care of<br />HGTV<br />Presidential contest stuff / debates, op-eds, etc.<br />StSanders "Shreds" videos (yes... STILL)<br /><br /><br />READING: <br />Endgame by Derrick Jensen (depressing)<br />Here Comes Everyone by Clay Shirky<br />The New Yorker<br />poems by Borges<br /><br />PONDERING:<br />Sustainability<br />If major labels will EVER pull their collective heads out of their asses<br />the stupidity in spades that I seem to be encountering lately<br />subscription music business models<br />the root of self loathing<br />becoming a vegetarian again<br /><br />TASTING:<br />home made fish tacos<br />extremely salty mixed nuts from Whole Foods<br />super dark chocolate<br />Chipotle Burrito Bowlspauldalenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15901701986672324557noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4739827465228283256.post-33388393285052000792008-04-11T09:29:00.001-07:002008-04-11T09:29:51.129-07:00SxSW 2008: Who I SawTrilobite<br />Ra Ra Riot<br />Zambri<br />David Dondero<br />AA Bondy<br />Deer Tick<br />Jeremy Fisher<br />Bowerbirds<br />Peter And The Wolf<br />Kevin Devine<br />Martha Wainwright<br />The Brother Kite<br />Sonya Kitchell<br />Money Mark<br />Jay Reatard<br />Clare & The Reasons (3 times)<br />Alan Hampton<br />The Watson Twins<br />Langhorne Slim<br />X<br />The Radishes<br />Vampire Weekend<br />Golden Dogs<br />Yellow Fever<br />Doveman<br />Portastatic<br />John Doe<br />Sons and Daughters<br />Nicole Atkinspauldalenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15901701986672324557noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4739827465228283256.post-44052129121152442672008-01-21T17:45:00.000-08:002008-01-21T18:10:00.030-08:00Clare & The Reasons<span style="font-weight:bold;">Death, Taxes and Lousy Weather.</span><br />It was cold out. And windy. I don't mind the cold <span style="font-style:italic;">or</span> the wind, but it's a terrible combination, especially at night. Complaining about the weather in New York, however ubiquitous, is predictable and pointless. <br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Trash Compactor.</span><br />One of the reasons that I enjoy living in New York (unlike the lousy weather, see previous para) is that it's all so compact. I live about a mile from my office and depending on which route I choose to walk between the two I come within a block of Bowery Ballroom, Tonic (now closed), Mercury Lounge, Pianos, The Cake Shop, Arlene Grocery and The Living Room. If I want to hear music on a given night I'm lousy with choices. And most nights lately I <span style="font-style:italic;">have</span> wanted to hear music. I'm on a roll.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">What's in a name?</span><br />I was still nearly a mile away from my destination for the night: a Jam Session being put on by an old friend at Kenny's Castaways. I know, right? It sounds terrible but he's an old friend and an amazing bass player. So off I went to traipse through the cold. As I walked past The Mercury Lounge one name on the little sandwich board looked familiar. "Clare & The Reasons". Ugggh! Who came up with that name? Whatever. I remembered something good about the music on their MySpace. They were on in 15 minutes.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;"><br />Luck Be A Lady</span><br />I thought that I'd peek my head in the door. I saw a few familiar faces and I like The Merc so I went it. It's friendly by NY standards and has a decent selection of beer. The sound is typically good to great, most often when the house sound guys are mixing. I don't know where they find these FOH folks, but man... they know their room and they know music!<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Hype Machine.</span><br />The people I knew in the crowd were all pretty excited about seeing the show. They weren't over the top, or blabbering on like they'd had their fondness for the music validated by Pitchfork or BV or something. There was no "next big thing" vibe, the room wasn't full of industry people (like me)... they were just genuinely excited about what they knew was going to happen next.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">The Proof Is In The Pudding.</span><br />And happen IT DID! It was that rare, beautiful and transcendent experience you get when you see the right band on the right night in the right room in the right mood. Great songs, amazing singing. Gorgeous string arrangements, inventive parts and on and on. You could hear the influences... LOTS of influences but nothing that came off that stage was derivative or pandering or even calculated. The songs have been called “cinematic love songs for a modern world” and “old fashioned”. Not a bad stab… I couldn’t do any better I suppose but there's way more to the musical story. <br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Prognostications.</span><br />I believe that beginning at SxSW 2008 much is going to be made of Clare & The Reasons. No one is doing what they do.. and what they do is awesome.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.myspace.com/claremuldaur">LISTEN NOW VIA MYSPACE.</a>pauldalenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15901701986672324557noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4739827465228283256.post-70946513412715893432008-01-17T20:20:00.000-08:002008-01-17T20:21:42.669-08:00The week of January 17th, 2008LISTENING:<br />My Brightest Diamond<br />Clare and The Reasons / The Movie, pretty much non-stop<br />Clare and The Reasons (live at Mercury Lounge)<br />Natalie Merchant (live at Hiro Ballroom)<br />Laura Marling (live at Maxwells)<br />"Sunday Bloody Sunday" video by Saul Williams<br />Keren Ann / Not Going Anywhere<br />Stew / Re-Hab<br />Lucinda Black Bear<br />Gary Go / The best demos of 2006<br />Eduardo Mateo<br />Simon Diaz<br /><br />PONDERING:<br />The stock market<br />SxSW... will I have time to eat enough Tex-Mex?<br />Peak Oil<br />permission marketing<br />Espresso: to drink, or not to drink<br /><br />TASTING:<br />Spicy Kale<br />Basmati Rice<br />SQUASH SQUASH SQUASH!<br />Guinness<br /><br />WATCHING:<br />Family Guy twice nightly<br />The Tom Cruise video about Scientology<br />Lucien Freud show at MoMApauldalenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15901701986672324557noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4739827465228283256.post-7961328435120285292008-01-09T05:42:00.000-08:002008-01-09T05:45:30.032-08:00The week of 09 JAN 2008<span style="font-weight:bold;">LISTENING:</span><br />Fireflies (live at Mercury Lounge)<br />Bess Rogers and Dan Romer (Live in Brooklyn)<br />Jenny Scheinman (Live at Banjo Jim's)<br />Juana Molina (unreleased sessions with special guests, and demos for the next record)<br />Eduardo Mateo / Solo Bien Se Lame<br />Danya Kurtz / Another Black Feather<br />AA Bondy / American Hearts<br />Sybarite / demos<br />Mathew Dear / Leave Luck To Heaven<br />David Byrne / UB Jesus remix by Mark Saunders<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">WATCHING:</span><br />Walk Hard (the movie, not that great)<br />There Will Be Blood (the movie, pretty great)<br />Jeremy Blakes show at the Corcoran in DC<br />the gorgeous winter light in New York<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;"><br />READING: </span><br />Endgame by Derrick Jensen (depressing)<br />a number of short stories by Jim White<br />Gloria Steinem Op Ed piece in the NYT about race / gender in the presidential election<br />my friends facebook pages<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">PONDERING:</span><br />Sustainability<br />Americas obsession w/ food<br />money matters<br />the snow upstate over the last 2 weeks in December<br />rebuilding the floor of the new wood shed upstate<br />Ingrid Michaelson: a blip or something more?<br />my good fortune<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">TASTING:</span><br />roasted chicken, unsplit breasts on the bone, per Cooks Illustrated<br />kale, kale, kale!<br />Indian Curry w/ bananna at "Rice" in Dumbo<br />home made yoghurt (courtesy of Kristine Larsen)<br />Artisans cheeses from a farm upstatepauldalenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15901701986672324557noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4739827465228283256.post-91686200289751224152007-12-13T10:13:00.000-08:002007-12-13T10:18:18.872-08:00A.A. Bondy @ The Mercury LoungeHave you heard the A.A. Bondy record "American Hearts"? A guy with a guitar and harmonica. You kind of expect it to sound a bit like Dylan. And it does, but only to a point. No disrespect to Fionn Regan, who seems dead set on imitating Dylan in song, dress, mannerism and even hair style, but A.A is his own man.<br /><br />He's original yet familiar. A great songwriter with a cool voice. His show last night at Mercury Lounge was inspiring. So much music from one skinny little guy. Great dynamics, too.pauldalenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15901701986672324557noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4739827465228283256.post-17795279295197102302007-12-13T09:58:00.000-08:002007-12-13T10:06:59.712-08:00WTF?What's happening in the music business? It's no secret that sales of CD's have plummeted and the major labels never miss an opportunity to MISS an opportunity. Every decision they make seems to insult the intelligence of the record buying public and stupidity abounds. (which is strange to me as there are some very clever folks at the majors. I deduce that they are powerless to make any significant changes.)<br /><br />Even as recently as 10 months ago I felt like I had a handle on how many / most serious bands might get a foothold. It seemed that word-of-mouth marketing in consort w/ direct contact with fans (and potential fans) via MySpace, YouTube and social networks in general was a great way to spread the word.<br /><br />Now MySpace has become a huge wank: bands selling themselves to other bands. Very little genuine contact between band and fan. There are exceptions to be sure, but the time required for an artist to personally manage their MySpace (and FaceBook, iMeem, etc.) is not practical for most artists.<br /><br />I'm full of optimism about the music business. The record business is another story. I'm impressed with Yep Roc and Merge as they meet the customer / fan / consumer just about every place that customer can be found which of course varies from act to act. This includes utilizing social networks, e-mail blasts, and fun + engaging promotional devices that feel.... real.<br /><br />For a start those 2 labels (and I imagine a few others) are adequately staffed with people that know and understand how their customers engage with music, which by the way is not the same for those 2 specific labels.<br /><br />Regardless, It's challanging and rewarding to navigate the course, one artist at a time, what might work, what will work, in achieving their goals. There never has been (now more than ever) no single plan, no silver bullet, no fast track to success. Not with genuine artists at least.pauldalenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15901701986672324557noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4739827465228283256.post-91883207678242946982007-11-10T20:10:00.000-08:002007-11-10T20:14:13.500-08:00Music, the week ending November 9th, 2007Arthur and Yu<div>Red Hot and Lisbon</div><div>Luaka Bop / All Our Bunnies In A Row</div><div>Thao Nguyen / Brave Be Stings And All</div><div>Battles / Mirrored</div><div>Live: Mary Gauthier at Joe's Pub</div><div>Live: John Doe at Joe's Pub</div><div>Live: Music from "I'm Not There" at Beacon Theater</div><div>Chris Garneau / myspace songs</div><div>namelessnumberheadman / wires reply</div><div>Cass McCombs</div><div><br /></div><div><br /><div><br /></div></div>pauldalenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15901701986672324557noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4739827465228283256.post-40205565608185149722007-10-04T15:45:00.000-07:002007-10-04T15:46:58.545-07:00Music, the week of October 31, 2007Album Leaf / In A Safe Place.<br />Console / Mono<br />Ollabelle / Riverside Battle Songs<br />Floratone / Floratone<br />Joan As Police Woman / Real Life<br />IVY MAIRI / WELL YOU<br />Loudon Wainwright III / Strange Weirdos<br />Gig: Lucinda Williams Live at Town Hall<br />Jim White / Transnormal Skiperoopauldalenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15901701986672324557noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4739827465228283256.post-41939161232949774322007-09-20T12:10:00.001-07:002007-09-20T12:10:48.902-07:00Music from last week (Sept 14, '07)Marvin Gaye / "What's Goin' On" Detroit Mixes<br />Mahavishnu Orchestra / Inner Mounting Flame<br />Blackbright Morning Light / Self Titled (Thom Monahan rocks)<br />Best Of The Staple Singers<br />Floratone / Floratonepauldalenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15901701986672324557noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4739827465228283256.post-8905281299020825552007-09-20T12:07:00.000-07:002007-09-20T12:09:55.067-07:00Less = MoreRichard and I went to see a free outdoor show at the WFC last night. The line-up was Ollabelle, The Holmes Brothers and Nick Lowe. I guess that we got the times wrong as Nick (the headliner) was already on stage when we arrived. <br /><br />It was a wonderful shock to see how much drama, impact and effect could be created by one 60 year old man with a single acoustic guitar. (and a few effects on his voice from time to time). Nick still has a strong, gorgeous unaffected voice without a hint of irony, tremendous dynamics and world class songs. <br /><br />He made nothing of the fact, but hearing him sing "Peace, Love and Understanding" a stone's throw from the WTC site was sad and inspiring at the same time.pauldalenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15901701986672324557noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4739827465228283256.post-46842027763728056122007-09-08T16:13:00.001-07:002007-09-08T16:13:52.487-07:00Music from the past week: Sept 8, 2007Martha Wainwright<br />Loudon Wainwright<br />Corenelious<br />Mary Gauthier / unreleased<br />Hellwood / Chainsaw Of Life<br />The Rosebuds / Birds Make Good Neighbors<br />Gillain Welch / Time (The Revelator)<br />Ryan Adams / Easy Tiger<br />Eliane Elias/ Eliane Elias Plays Jobim<br />Matmos / The Civil War<br />Daft Punk / the one from 2001pauldalenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15901701986672324557noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4739827465228283256.post-38086460032337806012007-09-04T18:19:00.000-07:002007-09-08T16:22:15.668-07:00This from the always thoughtful Seth Godin<a href="http://sethgodin.typepad.com/">Labor Day by Seth Godin.</a> (click to view Seth's Blog)<br /><br />I'm working today. In fact, if I'm conscious, I'm working. That's largely because it doesn't seem like 'work' today. I'd write this blog even if no one read it.<br /><br />More and more people are lucky enough to have a gig like mine... work you'd do even if you didn't have to, even if you didn't get paid to do it. This is a bigger idea than it seems, because it changes the posture of what you do. Different motivations ought to lead to different results.<br /><br />My version goes like this: If I'm doing this for fun (and I am) then I might as well doing something remarkable/great/worth doing. Otherwise, why bother?<br /><br />Here's something I wrote in 2003, shortly before Purple Cow came out. I reference it a lot, I guess I think it's good:<br /><br />Your great-grandfather knew what it meant to work hard. He hauled hay all day long, making sure that the cows got fed. In Fast Food Nation, Eric Schlosser writes about a worker who ruptured his vertebrae, wrecked his hands, burned his lungs, and was eventually hit by a train as part of his 15-year career at a slaughterhouse. Now that's hard work.<br /><br />The meaning of hard work in a manual economy is clear. Without the leverage of machines and organizations, working hard meant producing more. Producing more, of course, was the best way to feed your family.<br /><br />Those days are long gone. Most of us don't use our bodies as a replacement for a machine -- unless we're paying for the privilege and getting a workout at the gym. These days, 35% of the American workforce sits at a desk. Yes, we sit there a lot of hours, but the only heavy lifting that we're likely to do is restricted to putting a new water bottle on the cooler. So do you still think that you work hard?<br /><br />You could argue, "Hey, I work weekends and pull all-nighters. I start early and stay late. I'm always on, always connected with a BlackBerry. The FedEx guy knows which hotel to visit when I'm on vacation." Sorry. Even if you're a workaholic, you're not working very hard at all.<br /><br />Sure, you're working long, but "long" and "hard" are now two different things. In the old days, we could measure how much grain someone harvested or how many pieces of steel he made. Hard work meant more work. But the past doesn't lead to the future. The future is not about time at all. The future is about work that's really and truly hard, not time-consuming. It's about the kind of work that requires us to push ourselves, not just punch the clock. Hard work is where our job security, our financial profit, and our future joy lie.<br /><br />It's hard work to make difficult emotional decisions, such as quitting a job and setting out on your own. It's hard work to invent a new system, service, or process that's remarkable. It's hard work to tell your boss that he's being intellectually and emotionally lazy. It's easier to stand by and watch the company fade into oblivion. It's hard work to tell senior management to abandon something that it has been doing for a long time in favor of a new and apparently risky alternative. It's hard work to make good decisions with less than all of the data.<br /><br />Today, working hard is about taking apparent risk. Not a crazy risk like betting the entire company on an untested product. No, an apparent risk: something that the competition (and your coworkers) believe is unsafe but that you realize is far more conservative than sticking with the status quo.<br /><br />Richard Branson doesn't work more hours than you do. Neither does Steve Ballmer or Carly Fiorina. Robyn Waters, the woman who revolutionized what Target sells -- and helped the company trounce Kmart -- probably worked fewer hours than you do in an average week.<br /><br />None of the people who are racking up amazing success stories and creating cool stuff are doing it just by working more hours than you are. And I hate to say it, but they're not smarter than you either. They're succeeding by doing hard work.<br /><br />As the economy plods along, many of us are choosing to take the easy way out. We're going to work for the Man, letting him do the hard work while we work the long hours. We're going back to the future, to a definition of work that embraces the grindstone.<br /><br />Some people (a precious few, so far) are realizing that this temporary recession is the best opportunity that they've ever had. They're working harder than ever -- mentally -- and taking all sorts of emotional and personal risks that are bound to pay off.<br /><br />Hard work is about risk. It begins when you deal with the things that you'd rather not deal with: fear of failure, fear of standing out, fear of rejection. Hard work is about training yourself to leap over this barrier, tunnel under that barrier, drive through the other barrier. And, after you've done that, to do it again the next day.<br /><br />The big insight: The riskier your (smart) coworker's hard work appears to be, the safer it really is. It's the people having difficult conversations, inventing remarkable products, and pushing the envelope (and, perhaps, still going home at 5 PM) who are building a recession-proof future for themselves.<br /><br />So tomorrow, when you go to work, really sweat. Your time is worth the effort.pauldalenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15901701986672324557noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4739827465228283256.post-15312880261185295362007-08-30T19:55:00.001-07:002007-08-30T19:55:54.156-07:00Thurston Moore from Sonic Youth sez:"The Pixies reunion was a real success, and Dinosaur Jr. seems like a big success, and both those bands play as good as they ever did. Mission Of Burma blew my mind when they came back. But a band like us never did break up. Which was to our own detriment. What would have happened if we did break up after (classic 1988 double album) Daydream Nation - or even after (1990's) Dirty - and had gotten back together two years ago? You'd be interviewing me at the Chateau Marmont as I'm waiting for my limousine. We probably would have made so much money. This was our biggest career faux-pas - not breaking up."pauldalenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15901701986672324557noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4739827465228283256.post-56426259742448381062007-08-30T08:36:00.001-07:002007-08-30T08:36:39.275-07:00This Weeks Spins:Midlake (Still great!)<br />Junior Boys<br />Christina Courtin<br />Laura Veirs (as always)<br />Illinois (via MySpace)<br />Trespassers William / Having <br />Jenny Owen Youngs / Demos and "Batten The Hatches"<br />Danger Doompauldalenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15901701986672324557noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4739827465228283256.post-58320442121141957302007-08-24T08:50:00.001-07:002007-08-24T09:02:14.896-07:00This weeks top spins are....24 AUG 2007<br /><br />John Doe / A Year In The Wilderness<br />AA Bondy<br />Tim Fite<br />The National<br />Joe Henry / Civillians<br />Joan As Police Woman / Real Life<br />Sean Hayes / Flowering Spade<br />Cornelius / Sensuous<br />Trespassers William / Havingpauldalenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15901701986672324557noreply@blogger.com0