SXSW 2010 Panel Picks – Working The Press: Intellectual Intercourse and Interviews
With so many panels to choose from during the SXSW Music and Media Conference, it can be hard to decide which to attend. We’ve gone through the list and will be bringing to your attention the ones that we thought would best help the independent musicians. Starting off with our first pick, Working The Press: Intellectual Intercourse and Interviews.
Ali MacLean knows her stuff. It’s as simple as that. With the entertainment industry constantly plagued with a flood of “self-described experts” that amount to nothing more than smoke and mirrors, individuals that have the actual experience to back up the talk are few and far between. Maclean possesses an enviable resume that would make those of her colleagues appear anorexic and lacking in comparison.
Vast experience as an on-air talent, writer, producer (MTV, VH-1, ABC, Fox, Indie 103.1 FM, Little Radio, Vlaze TV, Sirius Radio, Kathy Griffin’s So Called Reality, Celebrity Death Match) as well as a background in stand-up and sketch comedy (HBO’s Mr. Show, VH-1’s Ill-Ustrated) have allowed MacLean to learn the ins and outs of the entertainment industry from being both in front of the camera and behind it. All of this combined with her journalistic talents (Urb TV, Antiquiet TV, Huffington Post) and her passion for good music (expressed via her occasional dj sets and radio shows) lead her to be a logical choice to bring a Music Panel focusing on teaching the “best interview techniques and ways to use press attention to your advantage,” titled Working The Press: Intellectual Intercourse and Interviews to the 2010 SXSW Music and Media Conference.
Fresh from directing a film short called ‘DJ Intervention,‘ starring Arabian Prince from NWA, Adam 12 from She Wants Revenge, Ken Jordan from Crystal Method, and Rhettmatic from the Beat Junkies (Part One can be found on Funny or Die.com where you can vote funny for it, and Part Two will soon follow), Ali MacLean took some time to answer some of our questions regarding her upcoming panel (set to take place Wednesday, March 17th at 2:00 pm in Austin Convention Center Room 11B) as well as why she decided to bring this topic to this years SXSW attendees.
TRAffIK: What prompted you to want to bring such a topic to SXSW?
AM: A lot of people ask me questions about how they can get press or get their demos to the right people. That paired with some disastrous interviews and really bad behavior during interviews I conducted or interviews I’ve seen, I figured it would be very useful to the musicians and the publicists attending the festival.
TRAffIK: What should those in attendance of your Panel/Discussion expect to come away with?
AM: Hopefully they will have a better sense of how to get press for themselves or how to approach a press campaign, get a publicist or journalist to notice them… and definitely how to behave when they are on a TV show or radio show.
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25 TIPS FOR SXSW (PART 4 OF 5)
As most of you know the SXSW Music + Film + Interactive Festivals and Conferences are fast approaching. This week, I have provided you with 5 different daily tips in various areas (lodging, driving, getting around Austin, etc.) that will hopefully help you maximize your trip based on my own personal experiences.
My focus has been mainly be on the Music and Media Conferences (March 17-21), but many of my tips and advice have been general enough that you can apply them towards any part of SXSW.
For Monday’s 5 Tips on Lodging click here
For Tuesday’s 5 Tips on Driving to Austin click here
For Wednesday’s 5 Tips on Getting Around Austin click here
Today’s tips are 5 General Tips for Your Trip to SXSW
Ok, so now that I’ve shared with you some personal experiences and tips from my own arsenal for SXSW in the areas of lodging, driving to Austin, and getting around Austin the time has come to give some advice that would probably be in line with the kind of advice that a parental figure might bestow upon you. However, since I am still in my 20’s, I hope it will be better received by you than if issued by someone who appears to be more far removed from the experiences you are currently encountering and making a part of your own personal trajectory.
These next 5 tips essentially stem from the one quality that I for better or worse possess an atypically high level of, common sense. It is this quality that has probably kept me out of trouble and drama free for most of my life. I, like the rest of you, may not always put it to good use, but it’s always there if I need to fall back on it.
With that said, here are 5 General Tips for Your Trip to SXSW
1. Carry Business Cards – Don’t forget to pack your business cards. If you don’t have any, you might want to consider printing some out on your own (you still have some time) or if you have some time (time is running out) use cheap printers like Vista Print or Got Print (they are located in Burbank where you can pick up your order personally) They don’t have to be fancy, they just have to have your current contact information. It’s not the best feeling in the world to have someone ask you for your card and you have to make up some excuse every time. This is one time in your life when you really should have them, as you will meet lots of people and you’ll want them to be able to locate you once you are all back in the “real post-SXSW world.” Most people won’t be bothered with searching for pens and paper to write down your number, and being as how you just met (and you might be one of tens, twenties, or hundreds) they probably won’t want to plug your info into their phone just yet (you’d be surprised how many people have never made it into my phone). The information on the business card is also what they’ll probably use to not only contact you with, but also research you with. So make sure that you provide the info (tools if you will) for what you actually want found on you.
Bonus Tip: When it comes to business cards, you actually may already have some from a company that you are employed by. You may be fine with using these, not wanting to take on the additional expense of getting new ones printed. However, take a minute to think if you will want all of those people that you meet randomly on the streets of Austin (some of who may not be legitimately in the business they say they are) contacting you at your place of employment. For example, I tend to constantly embark upon and take on new projects that allow me full control and the ability to exercise my creativity. However, I usually try to keep my personal endeavors separate from my professional ones as typically I have been employed by big
name entertainment companies that sometimes make people see stars (or at least think they will be getting closer to fulfilling some dreams by getting to know me better…or stalking me). For the most part, I would not want random people contacting me on my direct line while I am in the midst of a time crunch trying to make deadlines or seeing projects through.
For this reason, I always have business cards for my creative projects (front and back of my TRAffIK business card pictured left–sorry, had to blackout my cell phone number), so that I can be selective about whom I give which to. For most LA residents that attend SXSW this is their world as well. So I would suggest that you think twice before you hand out your professional business card to every person you meet.
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25 TIPS FOR SXSW (PART 3 OF 5)
As most of you know the SXSW Music + Film + Interactive Festivals and Conferences are fast approaching. This week, I’m providing you with 5 different daily tips in various areas (lodging, driving, getting around Austin, etc.) that will hopefully help you maximize your trip based on my own personal experiences.
My focus will mainly be on the Music and Media Conferences (March 17-21), but many of my tips and advice will be general enough that you can apply them towards any part of SXSW.
For Monday’s 5 Tips on Lodging click here
For Tuesday’s 5 Tips on Driving to Austin click here
Todays 5 Tips are about Getting Around Austin:
Based on my experiences in Austin, I still think taking cabs is the best way to go (unless you have a personal driver). Taking cabs and not driving around let you avoid the headaches of having to find parking (not to mention having to remember where you parked) and avoiding the possible fender benders that sometimes happen. Here are some tips for getting around:
1. Share Cabs – This is easiest to do when heading to the 6th St. vicinity from your hotel. You will soon learn that most people waiting for a cab have the same destination as you do. If you don’t have a large group of people with you already, you should consider asking some of the other people in the hotel lobby or that are waiting outside if they are heading to 6th St. and might want to share a cab. It’ll save all of you some money and also you might make some new friends or learn of new interesting parties to go to (we definitely did).
2. Get Digits – A good practice to get into is to get the number of the Cab drivers and Ricksha guys if they offer or even if they don’t and you trust them. It’s kind of amazing how much you can learn about a cab driver or rickshaw driver (cyclist?) in a 10 – 15 min. ride. I’m not talking about making a romantic connection, but they might come in handy. Many of these drivers/cyclists work all day and night taking on this job of cab driver only during the weeks of SXSW trying to make as much money as possible in this time frame. You never know, but you may get stuck at a party way out in the middle of nowhere and they could possibly bail you out and get you back to your hotel saving you hours of waiting around for a cab to be sent or one to drive by. As always trust your judgement on whom you ask for this info from.
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25 TIPS FOR SXSW (PART 2 OF 5)
As most of you know the SXSW Music + Film + Interactive Festivals and Conferences are fast approaching. Over the next five days, I’ll provide you with 5 different daily tips in various areas (lodging, driving, getting around Austin, etc.) that will hopefully help you maximize your trip based on my own personal experiences.
As I said yesterday in my first 5 tips, my focus will mainly be on the Music and Media Conferences (March 17-21), but many of my tips and advice will be general enough that you can apply them towards any part of SXSW.
Todays 5 Tips are for those Driving to Austin
For some the drive to Texas has been planned for quite some time. Others may have procrastinated and may decide in the next few days that they are going to head down there without much of a game plan.
I think everyone should make the drive through Texas at least once. It should be a mandatory rite of passage necessary prior to being allowed to proceed with any further road trips. 80% percent of the drive you’ll have that “glazed over” look with no hope of distractions from your barren country route. However, Texas has some of the best cities (in my opinion) to make a quick getaway to at least once every few years, and Austin tops the list (I’ve always said that if I ever decided to move away from LA and Orange Counties, Austin would probably be my top choice of new city to reside in).
I’ve made this specific drive to Austin, specifically for SXSW twice as an adult (ok, ok …I’ll confess not by myself and one time I didn’t even drive but you get the point, right?), and a few other times on family trips as a child/teenager.
Don’t complain about the lack of scenery, instead take advantage of it. If you have co-pilots that will be sharing driving duties you can use this time to get some sleep, given the fact that you probably will not be getting any for the next 4 days (or however long you’re there for).
Anyhow before I start to ramble any more than I already have here are the 5 Tips for those you who have decided to drive (whether you are in a band or not)
1. Directions – If your car doesn’t have a navigation system (and even if it does) don’t forget to bring the directions, a Thomas Guide, or at least map (one that has (California, Arizona, New Mexico, and Texas would probably be more helpful than that decorative one you have of Paris that hangs on your wall). Don’t count on your phones to bail you out as sometimes those 3Gs and 4Gs aren’t as reliable as the OGs at the gas stations that give you directions.
Common sense right? Well let me just tell you, that one year due to printing of misc. last minute items (Party RSVPs, directions to hotels and parties, lists of shows we wanted to check out, etc) we completely forgot to bring directions to Austin from Los Angeles with us and if my memory serves me correctly we did not have maps with us. So we had to call a friend and ask her to send us directions to Austin via text/email. She of course was more than amused, finding it to be the most hilarious thing she’d ever heard. I wasn’t worried for one, as I have a photographic memory and had taken a quick glance at the directions and knew that we had to jump on the 10 East and drive for about 12-15 hours through Arizona, New Mexico, and into Texas on it. So we had plenty of time to get someone to give us directions, but after the 10 we had no idea what to do. So don’t start your trip with this stress and remember to take the directions or a map with you.
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25 TIPS FOR SXSW (PART 1 OF 5)
As most of you know the SXSW Music + Film + Interactive Festivals and Conferences are fast approaching. Over the next five days, I’ll provide you with 5 different daily tips in various areas (lodging, driving, getting around Austin, etc.) that will hopefully help you maximize your trip based on my own personal experiences.
My focus will mainly be on the Music and Media Conferences (March 17-21), but many of my tips and advice will be general enough that you can apply them towards any part of SXSW as I’ve learned a lot from what used to be my almost ritualistic annual escapades of drinking Shiner Bock (actually I prefer Blonde), eating not enough BBQ, and trying to make it to too many music shows and parties over the course of nearly a week in Austin.
Because many of you might be scrambling around trying to book last minute hotel rooms, I’ll start off with these 5 Lodging Tips.
1. Pick a hotel, Any hotel
You may want the Driskill, but realistically unless someone else is footing the bill and you pretty much have standing reservations you probably won’t be staying there. Sure the Gayot 4 key winning Intercontinental, Omni, and Hilton Hotels are where you might see some of the more established acts and keynote speakers staying, but you probably won’t end up there either. The 4th Street hotels (Four Seasons, Radisson, and the other Hilton) make up the rest of the prime walk to EVERYTHING located hotels however, if you wanted to stay there you should’ve booked your hotel rooms at least six months ago (and even then they might not have had the availability). (more…)
The Problem With Music by Steve Albini
For those of you that listened to last Sunday’s episode of Ammunition Radio, this is the Steve Albini article we were referring to (thank you to Andre for sending to me so that I didn’t have to go digging for it). We hope that by now all of you have come across this and read this, especially if you are in a band or a musical artist (whether signed or not). Some of the content is a little dated and some of the numbers need some tweaking as it was written a few years back, but the majority of it still applies and really this is one of the most accurate, informative pieces on the music industry you will ever read.
The Problem With Music
by Steve Albini
Whenever I talk to a band who are about to sign with a major label, I always end up thinking of them in a particular context. I imagine a trench, about four feet wide and five feet deep, maybe sixty yards long, filled with runny, decaying shit. I imagine these people, some of them good friends, some of them barely acquaintances, at one end of this trench. I also imagine a faceless industry lackey at the other end holding a fountain pen and a contract waiting to be signed. Nobody can see what’s printed on the contract. It’s too far away, and besides, the shit stench is making everybody’s eyes water. The lackey shouts to everybody that the first one to swim the trench gets to sign the contract. Everybody dives in the trench and they struggle furiously to get to the other end. Two people arrive simultaneously and begin wrestling furiously, clawing each other and dunking each other under the shit. Eventually, one of them capitulates, and there’s only one contestant left. He reaches for the pen, but the Lackey says “Actually, I think you need a little more development. Swim again, please. Backstroke”. And he does of course.
Every major label involved in the hunt for new bands now has on staff a high-profile point man, an “A & R” rep who can present a comfortable face to any prospective band. The initials stand for “Artist and Repertoire.” because historically, the A & R staff would select artists to record music that they had also selected, out of an available pool of each. This is still the case, though not openly. These guys are universally young [about the same age as the bands being wooed], and nowadays they always have some obvious underground rock credibility flag they can wave. (more…)