Providing the most accurate evaluation and identification of new American music talent

New Music Seminar announces a new partnership with BigChampagne and their Ultimate Chart technology in support of New Music Seminar’s Artist on the Verge Project (AOV Project) to help identify the top artists on the verge of breaking. The NMS Artist on the Verge Project occurs twice at year during New Music Seminar NYC in July and New Music Seminar LA in February. The NMS and BigChampagne partnership will provide the most accurate evaluation and identification of new American music talent ever achieved.

BigChampagne Ultimate Chart technology will help NMS quantify the online awareness, exposure and general buzz of the top 500 acts nominated by selected music associations, technologies, tastemakers as well as other talent contests. NMS Director/Producer Dave Lory and Co-founder Tom Silverman will work with additional technologies and companies to further refine the results and, along with BigChampagne, the NMS Music Committee will make a final evaluation of the artists most likely to break.
The three finalists chosen by the NMS Music Committee are then invited to perform at NMS. The winner will be selected at each New Music Seminar by live audience voting and will win over $50,000 in promotional opportunities, goods and services. Selected artists cannot be signed to a major or major independent label or have yet shown significant sales success.

“We are excited to announce this relationship with BigChampagne and see them as the new standard-bearers in artist measurement and metrics for the new music business” says Tom Silverman, NMS co-founder. “Big Champagne’s Ultimate Chart supports the mission of the New Music Seminar and the AOV Project in identifying deserving artists and helping them break through the glut of releases to success.”

Eric Garland says, “In the data and analysis that go into the Ultimate Chart, we see so many real achievements by standout artists who have not been recognized in the past. We’re honored to support the New Music Seminar in bringing attention to and making investments in the future of the business.”
The first two winners of The Artist on the Verge Project were “Loomis and the Lust” in Los Angeles (February 2010) and “Hotspur” in New York (July 2010). The next winner will be announced at the New Music Seminar in Los Angeles, February 14 – 16, 2011, one day after the Grammys.
For more information on NMS and BigChampagne’s Ultimate Chart go to www.NewMusicSeminar.com and www.bigchampagne.com

About New Music Seminar
From the co-founder and director of the original legendary New Music Seminar comes a conference for the Next Music Business. Artists have never had so much power to control their own careers and build their success. This affordable, future of music conference provides artists and their representatives the knowledge, tools and connections to step into the tomorrow’s music business today. Delegates get an intense program including keynote, five Movements, NMS 18 Minute Intensives and mentoring sessions with an incisive curriculum redefining the music business from the artists’ perspective. Delegates all receive the New Music Business Guidebook filled with important dos and don’ts by the experts, tips, information, forms and essential websites and blogs. The NMS exhibit area will provide additional resources for those in attendance, in addition to the ongoing networking opportunities. For more information go to www.NewMusicSeminar.com.

About Big Champagne
BigChampagne Media Measurement (http://www.bigchampagne.com) is a leading provider of information about media consumption and analytic tools for measuring the impact of marketing impressions online and off. Since the company’s launch in 2000, BigChampagne has become a nexus for intelligence about media consumption. The company aggregates and analyzes information about media of all types, in partnership with a wide variety of third parties that include retailers and distributors, online and traditional broadcasters (radio and television), major content companies, subscription services, social networks, and mobile providers.

In short, the company collects information about how and where people enjoy popular music, movies and other media, and then analyzes the information to tell customers what titles are most popular, who is interested, and why.

BigChampagne’s customers and subscribers include Viacom/MTV, Premiere Radio Networks (a subsidiary of Clear Channel Communications), major brands and their agencies, Wall Street analysts, major recorded music companies, music publishers, commercial radio stations, artists, managers and other music industry professionals. BigChampagne has offices in Beverly Hills, CA and Atlanta, GA.

This year’s New Music Seminar in New York wrapped today after a series of panels which included “The Creative Conundrum – Increasing Your Odds With Radical Differentiation,” a 90-minute no-bull look at how new artists can break their careers wide open.

Yes, that’s easier said than done, as the discussion’s moderator, Billboard’s editorial director Bill Werde, pointed out that 94,000 albums were released last year. So, how does one rise above the clutter of the thousands of other releases? A round-up of tips from the panel:

Make A Personal Connection With Fans
Artists must create “religious” moments with fans – it can be on a record, it can be live, it can be online, etc. – but to truly break through and expect fans to come back for more more, artists must make an emotional connection. “If you can create a special experience in front of 30 people in a club,” said panelist Tom Jackson from OnStageSuccess.com, “and you change a life at a show, you have a shot at this.”

Whatever You Do, Make Yourself Stand Out
Hip-hop producer Just Blaze received 300 demos the last time he went to a conference, he said. The two he remembers? One that he received on an iPod Shuffle (a brilliant move, albeit incredibly expensive) and the artist who took an candy-themed approach to the CD packaging, complete with Kool-Aid and Fun Dip artwork. “That made a difference. Things like that grab my attention and I thought ‘this person’s presentation was so different that maybe their music will be just as different.’”

Artists Must Be Marketers and Entrepreneurs
Too many artists are waiting for a lucky chance meeting with Jimmy Iovine, said reality TV personality and People’s Revolution PR founder Kelly Cutrone. “Madonna is an average singer but a brilliant marketer,” said Cutrone, adding that Lady Gaga showed up in her office in 105 degree weather dressed as Kiss’ Ace Frehley. “That stood out.”

Find Your Lane
“If people want Southern rap they’ll go to T.I., if they want East Coast they’ll go to Jay-Z, if they want West Coast they’ll go to Snoop or Dre. Those slots are already taken,” said Just Blaze. The point? Find your niche and stick to it. “Make your mark in one spot then branch out.”

Work On Your Craft
At the end of the day, if you have everyone’s attention, the music has to deliver the goods. “Learn your craft,” said the E Street Band’s Little Steven. His comment that artists must first go back to the beginnings of their genre and “learn the roots,” drew the panel’s biggest applause.

This week’s New Music Seminar was an absolute overload of information for attendees, a large percentage of whom were aspiring artists. The tips were flowing strong, and those taking notes probably have a year’s worth of information to sift through. In some ways, “you had to be there,” but there were some important themes that should not be missed – by artists, labels, marketing teams, managers, and everyone in-between.

Here are five to ponder…

(1) DIY is not DTF, and DIY has its limitations.
DIY – or ‘do it yourself’ marketing for the uninitiated – was widely viewed as an early startup approach during the sessions. ReverbNation CEO Mike Doernberg called pure DIY “crap,” though at the earliest stages it can help an artist get some initial traction. “The DIY problem is that people think it’s DIY for life – it’s not… you cannot do it yourself,” said Steven Van Zandt. “All the best records ever made were made by an army of people.”

By contrast, DTF, or direct-to-fan, is highly related but ultimately something different. The marketing team surrounding Amanda Palmer, for example, is going direct-to-fan. But Amanda is not doing it all by herself.

(2) Consider Consolidation.
When looking for a direct-to-fan partner, consider the advantages of putting multiple services under one roof. The reason is that different platforms and initiatives are frequently interrelated, and harder to analyze independently. For example, a package that includes analytics, store distribution and email management can provide lots of coordinated intelligence that would be harder to understand independently.

So, the one-off widget can be isolating. Then again, more developed teams and labels can easily ‘roll their own’ and do the analysis and strategy by themselves. But someone is coordinating and analyzing the bigger picture, not swimming in the flotsam and jetsam of disparate partners and services.

(3) Control Is Good: Think More Data, Better Cuts, More Flexible Pricing.
Artists have more control than ever over transactions with their fans. But, the preferred transactions are ones that give artists the most data, the best percentages and the greatest pricing flexibility. So, while artists are wise to put their content on iTunes, the better sale happens on the artist site.

(4) Quality Is the Beginning of the Conversation…
You’ve heard this one before, though it was the source of considerable discussion at the event. Amidst all the marketing tips, platforms, and strategies, the assumption throughout is that the music is something people really want to listen to.

There was a wide range of opinion on the matter. The definition of quality is incredibly subjective, though the real judges are fans. Either fans are reacting and nodding their heads, or they are not. And once the judgement is made that the music is great, fans become evangelists as a rule.

But what resonates? Just Blaze urged artists to focus on originality, while making sure all the creative juices are still accessible to audiences. He also urged artists to “focus on one lane,” and build on their strongest genres or styles.

Steven Van Zandt told artists to focus a lot more on their creative process and musical chops. That means putting activities like arranging, composing, and performing before recording and instant-uploading. Little Steven also urged artists to dig into the roots of their music – 50s and 60s for rock n’ roll, early 80s for hip-hop – and to work out the kinks at a smaller venue. “The closer you get to the roots, the better your expression will be,” Van Zandt said.

(5) Consider “FQ,” or the “F*&k-ability Quotient”
So who won the NMS band competition? Hotspur, a group of great-looking guys with lots of sex appeal. Or, as Kelly Cutrone referred to it, “FQ” for or the “F*&k-ability Quotient”. “Hotspur has FQ in spades,” Cutrone quipped to the delight of the crowd.

Sounds hilarious, but Cutrone correctly noted that some of the most successful acts in history – from the Rolling Stones to the Jonas Brothers – appealed to girls based on great looks and on-stage charisma. So what was that about quality again?

Recap Part 1: The Ultimate Charts, and Fan Stats
Recap Part 2: Some Words of Advice from Martin Atkins
Recap Part 3: Tips For Artists On the Verge, On Stage
Recap Part 4: Words of Wisdom

This year’s New Music Seminar in New York wrapped after a series of panels which included “The Creative Conundrum,” about increasing your odds with radical differentiation with Just Blaze and “The Breaks” with Swizz Beatz and Vinnie “vin-Rock” Brown of Naughty By Nature. The original Seminars were staged from 1980 to 1995 and were revived by Silverman and partner Tom Lory after a hiatus and a LA version of the event earlier this year.

After the success of this years sold out seminar I think it’s certain that, Tom Silverman, founder of Tommy Boy Records, has most definitely brought his legendary New Music Seminar event back to New York City.

Watch some video clips from the seminar here.

New Music Seminar is taking place in full force today, here are just a few of the conversations happening on Twitter:

— Susan Boyle’s sales are 97% physical.

— Music has a 10/90 rule — 10% of your fans will provide 90% of your revenue.

— Actually email is like a river – fans dip in an out of the information stream.

— Engagement makes money for artists, awareness does not.

— It takes 14 clicks to download music from Amazon without an account (12 on iTunes) vs. 4 clicks for typical torrent site. Streams take 1.

— Basically the music business today is where it was in 1967.

— Artists need to make sure they are easily findable on search engines.

— Primary focus of new artists needs to be finding a core fan base.

— 81% of all albums sold last year sold under 100 copies. But… there were 5 tracks sold for every album.

— Even though it’s now a singles market, many labels are still album-centric.

— Odds of winning the lottery are as good as a record deal and a hit. Actually the lottery has better odds…

— Artists, you may not want to hear it, but you have to look at yourselves as businesses.
— High awareness with low engagement is a hobby, not a business.

Read the article here!

July 21, 2010 — With the release of her star-studded new album, Cho Dependent, comedienne Margaret Cho is adding “for-real musician” to her résumé. This is no half-assed attempt at crossing over — she enlisted the help of everyone from Tegan and Sara and Ani DiFranco to A.C. Newman and Andrew Bird to create some damn fine tunes for her damn fine voice. “In a lot of ways, on a lot of songs, I really handed it over to the musicians that I was working with,” says Cho. “I would come to the musician with, ‘Okay this is what I want the song to be like, what it should sound like,’ but I never brought any chord progressions or notes because I don’t know about that. All I know is what I like in music and what I wanted to accomplish emotionally in the song and they would try to interpret what I was telling them. It’s really a true collaboration.”

Seeing as how Cho’s now in the biz, the New Music Seminar (NMS) asked her to be part of its events, which take place through Wednesday. NMS aims to help musicians make a career out of doing what they love — and seeing as how the old business model based on record labels no longer holds up, artists need all the guidance they can get. Cho considers herself one of those artists. “I am also now a new musician, so in a sense I’m very much starting over in a lot of ways. I’m already established in one field and up-and-coming in another one,” she says. Cho is moderating Wednesday’s panel “The Breaks: Artists discuss mentors and miracles, how they first broke through, and life-changing moments.” When Vulture asked her to talk about the songs that marked turning points in her life, the funny lady got serious.

“Vacation,” the Go-Go’s: I think I was 14 when I first saw the Go-Go’s. They were so cool, and they could play, and they were great. It showed me that girls could do everything. I was so moved by that.

“Criminal,” Fiona Apple: I was probably in my early 30s and I think that was the first time I really understood the power of female sexuality and that we can kinda really control people with our own femininity as opposed to just brute strength. That it [femininity] was something that was so powerful, womanly. And that was just a very, very important song for me.

“So It Goes,” Nick Lowe: It was so important to me, I had to learn how to play it on the guitar. I love Nick Lowe. I love that kinda pop music. Nick Lowe is pop in a funny, eighties way. It helped me define myself as what kind of music I was gonna like. I was gonna like a kind of indie rock. It really defined me.

“Erotic City,” Prince: That was the first song that I understood was really about sex. It was a big deal because it was a dirty song, but you could still hear it on the radio. It was this idea that you could actually talk about things that people weren’t talking about. It just made a huge impact.

“Gigantic,” the Pixies: It helped me figure out that music didn’t have to be so easy to figure out, that it could be really amazingly complicated and made to be different and you could go to different levels — it could be loud and it could be soft. It was a song that really changed me.

Read the article here!

New Music Seminar, the future of music conference for artists, industry, entrepreneurs, technologists, labels, brands/agencies, investors and more concluded yesterday with a packed audience at the sold out New Music Seminar NYC 2010 at Webster Hall in New York City.

The three-day event featured five high-level NMS Movements focused on key industry issues, 18-minute NMS Intensives featuring new music services, technologies and solutions, all day NMS Mentoring sessions, the NMS Closed-Door Industry Summits (The New Deal, Brands & Music 2.1 and Technology), plus nightly live musical performances.

A number of companies attending NMS made key announcements during the conference including BigChampagne’s launch of the Ultimate Chart and Pandora’s milestone news in now reaching 60 million registered listeners.

Superstar producer and music executive Nile Rodgers; Swizz Beatz; Actress/Comedian Margaret Cho; Kelly Cutrone, Founder of People’s Revolution; Mega Producer Just Blaze; Little Steven Van Zandt, Vinnie Brown of Naughty by Nature, Jesse Malin and Alex Suarez from Cobra Starship were among the key artists/personalities speaking and participating this year’s NMS NYC event.

CEOs, Founders and heads of the most important music technologies were also in attendance at NMS including: Joe Kennedy, CEO/Pandora, Courtney Holt, President/MySpace Music; Mike Doernberg, CEO/ReverbNation, Eric Garland, CEO/Big Champagne; Tony Van Veen, CEO/Diskmakers; Ted Cohen, CEO/TAG Strategic; Bill Wilson of NARM; Josh Gertz and Brad Josling of HipDigital; Jay Frank, Senior VP/CMT; Richard Yaffa, CEO/Group M; David Goodman, President/CBS Interactive, Phil Antoniades and Bob Cramer, Nimbit; Martin Atkins, Author, Tour: Smart; Alex Cameron, SVP Marketing, Emmis NY; Jim Glancy, Bowery Presents and many more.

NMS is ground zero for the new architects of the next music business, whether you are an artist or industry executive. New Music Seminar laid out a vision for a new music business that forges a union between artists and their managers, labels and support teams along with web technologies to help artists achieve maximum exposure and maximum revenues, in service of their fans.

Live performances at New Music Seminar took place each night showcasing a cross section of established and new artists on the verge of breaking.

The NMS Opening Night Party on Monday night at Webster Hall kicked off with performances by Comedians Margaret Cho and Rob Cantrell, Hip-Hop Icons Naughty by Nature, R&B/Pop artist Kat DeLuna, Latin Star CuCu Diamantes, Singer/songwriter Matt White and Jive Hip-Hop phenom Mickey Factz. Tuesday night 101.9 RXP radio personalities, Leslie Fram, Matt Pinfield, Brian Phillips, Paul Cavalconte, and Rich Russo hosted the NMS Artist on the Verge Party at Santos Party House featured the NMS AOV finalists Comic Book Heroes, Yonas and the Grand Prize/Reflection Award Winner Hotspur. Indie artists Das Racist, Oxana, Six Volt, Creep and Hank & Cupcakes wrapped up the conference at the NMS After Party also at Santos Party House hosted by actor and fellow music fan, Josh Lucas.

Read the article here!