Will Benham

The Continuing Adventures of a Record Company President

Mon, 26 Nov 2007 15:40:18 -0800

Last Monday, the Passionistas headlined a free "Locals Only Night" at Cafe du Nord in San Francisco. I hopped between camera duties by the sound guy and the merch table. A number of friends were there, as well as some "industry" acquaintances, so it was fun to talk business for much of the evening. It would appear the band has settled into a comfortable and upbeat setlist, though there is a song or two I might like to see return. Still somewhat new drummer Tina Liao seems to be fitting in perfectly and her presence tends to be one of the first things audience members note when I ask them their thoughts of the show.

The Passionistas have also been getting outside of San Francisco recently, playing a house party in San Jose, and a dance club night in Sacramento.

Last Wednesday (on Thanksgiving eve), Aaron (of the Passionistas) and I ventured over to the Knockout for one of Rademacher's residency shows. It was a late evening, but we got to meet some new people and chat it up with friends, so it was a pretty productive night as far as I'm concerned. Undoubtedly, my advice to any aspiring record company president is to get out and network as much as possible. Soon, it will simply spiral - you bump into people you know who introduce you to more people, and that, frankly, is how a lot of deals get done. I should mention that Rademacher sounded great - the best of the three times I've seen them thus far.

As for the holiday weekend - when I wasn't spending time with family, I was trying to take care of the little things. I sent out some emails to bloggers, organized my office, and continued building on to the 2008 marketing strategy. I've been thinking about 2008 quite a bit, and my plan is to go in as focused and prepared as possible. I've set some very specific goals, and have a plan evolving to make them happen.

The Lil Wayne Business Model

Sun, 18 Nov 2007 20:25:50 -0800

The only recording artist I can think to compare Lil Wayne to is Bright Eyes - for Conor Oberst is the only other artist whose entire musical development has been documented. Both artists have been releasing records for the majority of their young lives. Wayne himself has progressed so far beyond the typical novelty burnout of kid rappers that he's able to proclaim himself "the best rapper alive" - and no one's really arguing. An MTV roundtable debating the Hottest MCs in the Game picked Wayne (aka Weezy F. Baby) as number one. Most interesting about this decision - Wayne's inclusion had virtually nothing to do with any of his solo albums, for he has not dropped one of those for some time. This decision was based on his abundant guest appearances and now legendary mixtape freestyles.

DJ Drama's Dedication 2 mixtape (released last year) was a complete Weezy showcase that - like the Clipse a year prior - found itself on numerous "best of" lists. If Dedication 2 put the spotlight on Wayne, it was an awe-inspiring freestyle over "Show Me What You Got" from December's Lilweeziana mixtape that pushed him over the top. Since that time, hundreds of Wayne's flows have landed on official mixtapes as well as an endless number of bootlegs. In fact, his forthcoming The Carter 3 has been bootlegged in so many incarnations that who knows which the official will resemble.

And so Wayne has built his own brand. But unlike pretty much every other rapper who must retain additional business entities to brand themselves, Wayne's is based solely on the music. The music - or rather the abundance of it - sells the lifestyle; a lifestyle of hustle and continued success. Wayne's freestyles have become the anthems for anyone wishing to fancy themselves the best at what they do.

The Lil Wayne business model goes against everything you've been taught. Industry logic says, "keep them waiting," whereas Wayne saturates the market. Fans continue to desire more while starting to wonder why his counterparts can't keep up. Label execs worry that giving away outtakes or showing backstage footage will destroy artist mystique - but by allowing you to hear everything Wayne builds his own mystique.

The Lil Wayne Mixtape Business Model does not follow the industry's outdated standard plan. Listen to any Weezy flow and you realize this artist has no problems financially, however.

Following Radiohead's Lead: Consequences of a New Business Model

Tue, 13 Nov 2007 12:36:03 -0800

Last month, everyone was ga-ga over Radiohead's bold move to raise a mighty middle finger to the major labels and independently release In Rainbows. Even more bold - the band's decision to allow fans to set their own price. Because news travels fast, and business models adapt faster than ever, it didn't take long before others followed suit. Trent Reznor announced his plans to stay a free agent, while a record he produced will receive a release treatment similar to Radiohead's. Out now, Saul Williams The Inevitable Rise and Liberation of NiggyTardust! is available for free or a $5 "contribution." As Pitchfork reported last week, those who pay have "their choice of DRM-free 192kbps or 320kbps mp3s, or the giant, uncompressed FLAC (Free Lossless Audio Codec) format. If you're a bit light at the moment, Saul's got you, though you cheapskates will have to settle for 192kbps mp3s."

Of the approach, Reznor said, "There are obvious similarities in how Radiohead just released their new record and the way we've chosen to. After thinking about this way too much, I feel we've improved upon their idea in a few profound ways that benefit the consumer."

First, what I like about this model is the "trust factor." In the heyday of file-sharing (which I believe we are still in) the popular defense for one's illegal downloading habits was the fact that the artist would probably not see much of the CD sales anyway. No, those would go to the evil major label - and who cares about stealing from them? With their absurb lawsuits against alleged file-shares, these major labels have done little to shed their red devil horn image. In contrast, Radiohead and Saul are clearly "not evil." By ensuring the availability of their music to virtually everyone, a level of trust is built between artist and fan, thus increasing the liklihood of a fan to, say, buy a t-shirt or an expensive concert ticket.

On the opposing side of the "trust factor" would be Billy Corgan. When Corgan "reunited" the Smashing Pumpkins, he cut deals with major chain stores (who sell CDs at a loss), giving each a copy of Zeitgeist with a different exclusive track. If fans wanted to obtain each song legally, they would in turn have to buy each copy of the album.

(It should be noted hear that the real loser in all of this is the independent record store - though that is cause for a separate essay).

All praise for these daring artists aside, such an action is not without consequences. What frightens me most about the current state of the music industry is not illegal downloading - but rather what appears to be the mirror image of the American economic structure. The musically rich are getting richer, the musical poor are getting poorer (and more abundant), while the musical middle class ceases to exist. Here is how I see it: Radiohead and Trent Reznor represent the upper upper class. They not only survive off their art, they no longer need actually CD sales to sustain their career. In fact, the CD is more of a means to an end - a promotional item for something larger, like a tour. In the lower upper class would be the bands who recently ascended from ranks of indie Gods (Death Cab For Cutie, Arcade Fire, the Shins, Spoon, the Decemberists, Modest Mouse) to serious major label support, Saturday Night Live appearances, television and movie soundtracks, and commercial placement.

Just a few years ago, these acts probably still maintained day jobs, and spread their name through rigorous touring schedules. Now, they've become mainstream. But if you were hoping for a bit of Reaganomics, the trickle has yet to make its way down to the next generation of indie would-be-stars. The aforementioned artists would receive a good deal of attention from Letterman, Rolling Stone, Pitchfork, Stereogum, college radio and corporate radio alike, leaving less space for the actual underplayed artist.

There was a time when bands left behind a model one could try and follow, but now that model has turned into "get your song on TV or bust." It's an exciting time for music, but also a painfully difficult one. The Radiohead model creates a template for other acts of the same caliber to adopt, but does not create a reasonable one for younger acts. On the otherhand, Saul Williams is nowhere near as recognizable a name as Radiohead, so what this model does for him may prove more interesting when discussing the future of our business.

Passionistas Win Music Video Award

Mon, 12 Nov 2007 08:58:19 -0800

Watch the Passionistas accepting the award for 'Most Likely to Get Injured While Filming' presented by the Owl Mag at the Video Made the Radio Star ceremony this past Saturday. The event was co-sponsored by Sonic Living and Live 105.

Passionistas in the Bay Guardian

Wed, 05 Sep 2007 09:36:31 -0700

In case you missed it - the Passionistas were featured in last week's San Francisco Bay Guardian in the "Class of 2007" article. They had a tiny little picture on the cover at the bottom, and a fantastic writeup courtesy of Johnny Ray Huston. You can read the story here.

Quite Possibly Our Best Show Yet

Tue, 04 Sep 2007 15:04:14 -0700

Last Thursday, when the Passionistas played the Make Out Room, I was able to step outside of the business aspect of New and Used Records and just become a fan. I really had a blast watching the Passionistas - they looked to be having so much fun; the set list was perfectly orchestrated and perfectly timed, complemented by a barrage of balloons onstage. Late in the set, the band broke out an old classic ("Push Hush") from Myles's early days (the song was featured in episode two of the video podcast). This was also my first opportunity to catch Tom on the drums, and he was absolutely phenomenal. The stage banter was also top notch and really, I'd have to say the Passionistas were in fine form, making me proud to be their label president.

There was an electricity in the air. Granted, it was somewhat bittersweet with this being one of the last weeknight concerts at the Make Out Room. But there was also a sense of celebration - with the Passionistas being featured in the Bay Guardian and the show being sponsored by Performer Magazine. Not to mention the two other great bands on the bill.

The Dont's kicked things off just after nine. Now, I've been bumping into guitarist Joe and bassist JJ at various places - the train, the laundromat, and a variety of shows - but I've had yet to actually catch the band live. The band's sound is pretyy unique and hard to peg. Clearly they're all skilled musicians with a good sense of pop music, but the sound they actually make seems to challenge that same pop structure. I also think these guys are a new breed of musician - the ones who know how o handle their business arrangements; I've learned quite a lot from talking to these guys.

And then the Happy Hollows hit the stage - a band I've been looking forward to seeing since first reading about them over at our friends Rewriteable Content. It was great to meet them and chat a little before and after the show, and the live show did not disappoint. Frontwoman and lead guitarist Sarah Negahdari tore up the stage with her frenetic energy, while the rhythm section of Charlie Mahoney (bass) and Chris Meanie (drums) kept up with ease. Mahoney also took on vocal duties for a few songs, perfectly complementing Negahdari's, which sounded trained, but also curious of the outer limits.

Needless to say, it was a blast - three great bands and several friends in attendance made for a truly memorable evening.

A Photoshoot Adventure and Meeting Greil Marcus

Thu, 30 Aug 2007 09:26:38 -0700

On Sunday, we ventured out to Oakland for a SF Bay Guardian photo shoot, with me meeting the band who was just coming back from LA. Apparently their LA show - at the White Slave Trade with Hard Place, Gangsta Queen and a Pompeii theme - was a total blast that included the band donning American flag togos. I really hope there is video footage. Tom from Hard Place is continuing to hold down duties on the skins. Back to the photoshoot ... we gathered in this really awesome warehouse artist space, where the guys were photographed in front of a red backdrop. They each were wearing dashes of red here and there, while some red props were thrown in for good measure.

Last Wednesday, Last night, I had the pleasure of meeting Greil Marcus who was speaking at Book Passage in Corte Madera in support of his latest book, The Shape of Things to Come. I read Lipstick Traces while I was in college and it really did change my life - or at least had a remarkably strong impact on my writing and what I wanted to accomplish as an artist. After he read a passage and answered some questions (including one from me), I took up a couple books to get signed, and thanked him for writing a book that made such a strong impact on my life. I also gave him a copy of God's Boat because I do believe it is the kind of album he would appreciate. In fact, the very first piece I ever wrote about the Passionistas was a bit Marcus-like, I think. We chatted for a few minutes, mostly about David Lynch and Mulholland Drive. It was wonderful to meet someone whose work I admire, and I found him to be a warm and intelligent individual (although I was already convinced of the latter).

Bandwidth Conference Day Two Re-Cap

Wed, 22 Aug 2007 08:35:08 -0700

I was a little tired when I woke up Saturday morning, but I still had to make it out for day two of Bandwidth. I arrived in time to hear a conversation with Alejandro Escovedo, who discussed his own musical history including tales of the sixties punk scene in San Francisco. The conversation was followed by a brilliant performance of two songs accompanied by a second acoustic guitarist and a violin player.

The social networking panel was up next, consisting of Maureen Herman from Fuzz (who also played in Babes In Toyland), Steve Jang from imeem, Rachel Masters from Ning, and Tim Stevens from Doppelganger, Inc. Essentially, this was a discussion on how social networking sites have impacted music marketing. In fact, it really seems like the "dot com" era of the past decade - numerous panelists made the joke that weekend of "every ten minutes, a new social networking site is born." Of course, that aside, social networking sites do have their advantages and do provide a number of great tools to connect with fans. As you've probably noticed, they've become a pretty important part of our marketing. At this point, MySpace has become a bit flooded with more users not accepting friend requests from bands, so it's really only a matter of time before another site becomes a stronger avenue for independent and unsigned musicians.

I am not going to lie - there was about half the crowd that had showed up on Friday, and there seemed to be a general "exhausted" vibe through the hall. I took a break to have lunch at Tommy's Joynt with Katznelson and some of the panelists. I ate a sausage sandwich and chatted it up with Tim and George from Terrorbird.

The Streaming Rates Panel woke anything up, as it was essentially a debate between Tim Westergren from Pandora, and John Simson from SoundExchange - a company which collects and distributes song royalties. The issue of royalties and internet radio has been a rather timely one as of late, and to be honest, I really can see both sides of the debate and bot Westergren and Simson framed their arguments well. I have to say, though, that as the head of an indie label, I place building a strong brand over financial benefit at this point. That is to not to say I would say yes to everything, but the complete dissolution of internet radio of this rates issue seems a bit silly. Westergren argued that the bottom line is that artists do not want internet radio to go away, and I'd have to say that is true.

The conference ended on a strong note with "Tomorrowland! The Crystal Ball Panel" featuring David Hyman from MOG, Nancy Miller from Wired, and musician Chuck Prophet. Moderated by Brian Zisk from the Future Music Coalition, the panel was asked just what is the future of music - and, well, the general conclusion seems to be that we cannot predict the future. The nature of music as a product has changed, and we just have to wait and see how it goes. Afterwards, I chatted a little bit with Hyman and Miller (both very nice) and slipped them each a Passionistas CD, shameless self-promoter that I am.

OK, so what did we learn this weekend - the nature of music as a commercial product has completely changed, while social networking sites play an essential role in how we market this new "product." The internet is great, but everyone is trying to figure out "how do we actually make money." Well, it would appear labels and artists need to work a bit more closely, sharing in concert and merchandise revenue. At the same time, the morals of the old should not be lost - touring is still essential, and branding (or having a "quality control") is everything for a label. The future of music is cloudy, but nonetheless pretty damn exciting.

Bandwidth Conference Day One Re-Cap

Mon, 20 Aug 2007 11:05:43 -0700

I spent a good chunk of this past weekend at San Francisco's Regency Center for the Bandwidth Music and Technology conference. I didn't get to fulfill my lifelong dream of sitting on a panel, but I did nonetheless walk away having learned something after two days of discussions. There were issues aplenty - everyone is rather concerned with the digital-ization of music and just how exactly anyone is supposed to make any money. Virtually everyone brought up 360 deals - with the label taking varying percentages of concert money, merch, and publishing. Streaming rates on internet radio were a big deal, while others foresaw the re-emergence of vinyl. Needless to say, who I met and what I heard over this past weekend has given me a new focus on just what I am trying to achieve, and how I plan to get there.

I arrived around 10:30 on Friday morning, fixed myself a cup of coffee and headed into the "lodge room" to hear the second half of a conversation with Jordan Kurland, founder/owner of Zeitgeist Artist Management, LTD. Zeitgeis's roster includes Death Cab for Cutie, Feist, Rogue Wave, Jimmy Tamborello and - according to the Bandwidth site - "a new yet-to-be-named project featuring M Ward and actress Zooey Deschanel." I love getting insight into the marketing process, but Kurland said one thing that really stuck with me. He asked if the "mystique of the artist" had been lost, with so much behind-the-scenes information available. Maybe learning that the artist is "not that much different from you" is a bad thing. This is a theme that would play out through much of the conference.

"E-Merging Labels: The Shape of Things to Come" was a panel I was seriously looking forward to. Speaking were Ted Kartzman from RealNetworks, Tim Mitchell from IODA, Lydia Popovich from Quannum Projects, and Jeff Yasuda from Fuzz. This panel was at the heart of what seemed to be the overriding theme of the weekend - music is changing almost solely in part to the internet; so how do labels plan to cope. Quannum Projects (home to Lyrics Born, DJ Shadow, Honeycut and others) is a label that existed long before this change. Popovich stressed one important point which was that there is a "quality control" - fans of the label's artists have a sense of what to look for when a new one drops. Essentially, putting out quality music has kept them afloat. When someone asked about the "death of the CD" in favor of cheaper MP3s, Popovich stated that they are printing less physical copies, yet putting a stronger emphasis on what goes inside. There are certainly fans out there who still want the physical copy and I think it's important to given them some incentive to do so. Fuzz - unlike Quannum - is a label/multimedia company born out of this new digital change in music. Their company consists of not just a record label, but a music-centric social networking site. I've been really interested in what Fuzz has been doing and their philosophy. They could be the new breed of record company - one which centers promotion, touring, etc all in one place. I got to meet Yasuda afterwards (I actually met and spoke with five different people from Fuzz over the course of the weekend) and he even gave me a hug when I told him I'd been devoting most of my time recently to updating our Fuzz site.

One thing I started to think about as the day went on ... was branding. When Fuzz or Quannum or many of these other sites were being discussed, the issue that seemed to emerge for me was not how to make money in this time of great change, but how to build a successful brand. Quannum is a brand that people know about and a clearly defined sound. Fuzz is quickly becoming well-known brand. My focus on New and Used Records has shifted to - how can we build this brand?

The day continued, and so did the issues. N&UR friend and Birdman Records president lamented how we had let music fan's standards drop in terms of sound quality, while predicting a return to vinyl. He even stated that at least two Birdman releases next year will be vinyl only. Katznelson was stating that we need to bring fans back - forcing them to buy the vinyl if they want to hear it. He certainly made a believer out of me.

One thing that I learned was that this issue of making an artist stand out when there is just such a wealth of music out there is one being discussed at all levels. Peter Standish, Senior VP of Marketing, Warner Bros. Records, discussed working with Linkin Park, as well as historically established artists like Neil Young and Mark Knophler. The current climate is such that it is a challenge promoting those artists these days, which was a little bit shocking to me. Yet, when you think about it, it does make sense. Standish mentioned the same thing about "mystique," but acknowledged that you need to give the fans what they want.

After day one, my head was swirling with thoughts and ideas, and more than ever, I wanted to be a part of this business - and I haven't even started on day two.

Weekend of Schmoozing

Tue, 14 Aug 2007 09:10:30 -0700

Please forgive my absence from the blog these past few days - it has been a rather busy time. Well, I've made sure to take some leisurely breaks (mostly reading Jose Canseco's Juiced, but much of my time has been spent editing the next episode of The Passionistas, getting the earlier episodes looking good and uploaded to MySpace, and going out to shows and networking events. On Thursday, I went and saw Furniture on Fire over at the Edinburgh Castle, which really is a nice, intimate place to see a show. They have a little stage area upstairs, set aside from the bar. Furniture on Fire played loud and they kind of remind me of early Radiohead - when they were a guitar band.

Saturday was my day to stick around the house - taking those leisurely breaks in between editing and upload sessions. As usual, the video started to take shape after I'd "slept on" the first draft, and all of a sudden it was clear what changes I needed to make and what my narration should say. On Sunday afternoon, I headed over to the Mariposa Hunter's Point Yacht Club for a party in honor of IODA, our digital distribution company. It was just an absolutely gorgeous day. I was using the occasion to debut my new "moo" business cards - they're about a third the size of regular business cards with a full color Passionistas picture on one side, and my info on the other. I was told they were cool.

Afterwards, I ventured out to the Make Out Room to see Rademacher, whom I'd been eager to hear again since we played with them in Sacramento back in June. We'd traded CDs around that time, and I've been playing their EP rather extensively. I showed up just in time and was impressed with the crowd they had brought out. The band sounded great as well, and I chatted with them a bit afterwards, and hopefully we can set up a show with them sometime in the near future.

MP3 - "You're Never Gonna Hear From Me," Rademacher (from Heart Machine EP)

I returned home just a little after midnight and quickly fell asleep. Schmoozing is exhausting.

Elton John Hates Bloggers

Fri, 10 Aug 2007 15:12:40 -0700

In the latest issue of Interview, Elton John tells Ingrid Sischy, "The Internet has stopped people from going out and being with each other, creating other stuff. Instead they sit at home and make their own records - which is sometimes okay, but it doesn't bode well for long-term artistic vision. It's just a means to an end. Here we're talking about things that are going to change the world and change the way people listen to music, and that's not going to happen with people blogging on the Internet. I mean, get out there. Communicate. Go be with people and talk to people. . . . Hopefully the next movement in music will tear down the Internet. Let's get out in the streets and march and protest instead of sitting at home blogging." Thoughts?

"The Ongoing Playlist"

Thu, 09 Aug 2007 10:55:39 -0700

So, I quite like this playlist function that Fuzz has, and for the time being, I think that I will just maintain one and post an entry for each new song that I add. Here's a look at what the mix has so far and why:

1). "Seattle," The Hot Toddies - Is it cliche now to describe an artist as putting a modern spin on the sixties girl group sound ... well that's what the Hot Toddies seem to do, although they're also a full-scale band. Their songs are all a bit tongue in cheek and undeniably catchy. "Seattle" is a lovely little number about missing your boyfriend when he's in Seattle because, well, you'd like to ride him like a horse without a saddle.

2). "Going Gay," The Passionistas - OK, this is the shameless self-promotion part of the mix, seeing as how the Passionistas are signed to my label (which you should become a fan of, BTW). However, I love this song and would put it on any mix CD.

3). "Fisher King," Greg Ashley - I've been following Greg Ashley's career since buddying up with Birdman Records. He may be young, but he's rather prolific with two solo albums, two albums with his current band (the Gris Gris), and three albums with other bands all under his belt. Not to mention all the records his produced. "Fisher King" is my favorite song of his.

4). "Virtually Happy," Holly Golightly - The first time I heard Holly, I had no idea what era the music was from or when it was recorded. Turns out, it was all pretty recent, but the sound is pretty timeless.

5). "Mother Knows Best," Crystal Castles - They built up a total cult following and I don't even think they were trying. Gotta respect that.

6). "Captain Sterling's Little Problem," The Coup - I love the Coup, and this is what political music should be - dark, violent, and makes you feel uncomfortable. The whole album is spectacular, but this is certainly a standout.

7). "You Prefer Cocaine," Vitalic - I just like the minimalist electronic sound. Sometimes, I am all about minimalism.

8). "Sailing with Bobby," Greg Ashley - Just another Greg tune that is hypnotic.

Managing the Digital Age

Wed, 08 Aug 2007 10:50:58 -0700

Some of the interesting discussions I've gotten into on FUZZ recently (thanks Capital Clinic) have lead me to re-post something I wrote last month about navigating the digital age in the era of CD decline:

An article in the most recent Rolling Stone sings the same tune we've been hearing for much of this decade - "the record business has plunged into a historic decline," and there's really no disputing this fact. (Read the complete article here). Everyone - indies and majors alike - are feeling the ramifications of this decline, and the task at hand is simply to deal with it. But how did we get here? One expert - and I'm inclined to agree with this at least partially - sees the industry's failure to manage the digital landscape as a major factor.

"They left billions and billions of dollars on the table by suing Napster -- that was the moment that the labels killed themselves," says Jeff Kwatinetz, CEO of management company the Firm. "The record business had an unbelievable opportunity there. They were all using the same service. It was as if everybody was listening to the same radio station. Then Napster shut down, and all those 30 or 40 million people went to other [file-sharing services]." Thankfully, major labels didn't make the same mistake last year, choosing to negotiate deals with YouTube, as opposed to fighting them.

The digital shift poses several challenges to our industry, but an interesting phenomenon has arisen at the same time. While less people seem to be buying CD's, "people are listening to at least as much music as ever. Consumers have bought more than 100 million iPods since their November 2001 introduction, and the touring business is thriving, earning a record $437 million last year." So, while the digital arena allows for fans to access everything for free, it also allows them the opportunity to find sounds they never would have been unable to a decade ago. Subsequently, our collective appetites for new music seem to have grown considerably, as had the quantity we feel capable of taking in. The challenge the industry is grappling with - as am I - is how to translate that into an actual product that can be bought and sold.

It's no secret that New and Used Records is investing its energy and resources into digital supplements. Our label blog and video podcasts are our strongest marketing tools. It is my hope that through these outlets, we will be able to build a stronger connection with our fans. Those who feel connected may be more likely to purchase a CD or attend a show as a sign of support. Being a small label, we cannot really afford an expensive promotional campaign. Thus, we rely on these fans to link to our site, embed our videos and so on, becoming our digital "street team" if you will.

I also see a great deal of potential in the world of digital downloads. Granted the profits to be gained our far greater than those of a physical product, but the costs are also significantly lower. Furthermore, the medium allows for the return of such lost art forms as the single and the EP. You can anticipate a number of digital only releases from our label in the near future, as a platform for remixes, covers, and alternate takes has opened up once more. Our friends Birdman Records launched a ditial only label (Birdman-a-phone) in 2005 to supplement releases with live recordings and b-sides. Listeners have no desire anymore to see their favorite bands disappear for three years in between albums (unless that band is Radiohead) and the digital platform allows for labels and artists to keep listeners constantly satisfied and interested.

I enter this industry knowing full well the challenges it presents, but I can't help but be more excited and worried. I like the see the digital age less as a hurdle, and more like an interesting challenge. Meanwhile, the industry certainly has a great deal of changes in store.

Thoughts on My Birthday

Tue, 07 Aug 2007 12:21:50 -0700

So, today I turn 25. If I were Rolling Stone, I'd be publishing several issues to celebrate my history. Or, as my brother says, if I were a band, we would be reuniting for an arena tour and issuing a greatest hits collection. Alas, I am neither of these things, but this is one birthday which does not fill me with a melancholy feeling. While I've never really dreaded my birthday, the thought of getting older is one that has troubled me in recent years. In fact, just about every birthday post-college has been a little difficult, feeling as though I'm getting older and not on the path I want to be on. It's hard reading about artists in their mid-20's directing music videos or landing gallery shows, and wondering why it's them and not me.

But this year, I'm quite ecstatic about turning 25. Really, my career and life are exactly where I would like them to be, and I feel like I am doing exactly what I am supposed to. Starting this label has really changed my life, and it's hard to think of something more rewarding. It's allowed me to free just about all of the envy I had for people my age who seemed to be landing "cool" jobs. It's thrilling to be doing this on my own, working to build it up every step of the way. Really, I'm working my dream job, getting to mix just about all of my interests, and I get to work alongside a truly phenomenal band. And that is certainly something worth celebrating I think.

Now, a few videos for my birthday ...

"The Universal," Blur

"Eight Miles High," The Byrds

"Touch the Sky," Kanye West

Birthday Observed and More

Mon, 06 Aug 2007 09:31:06 -0700

Yesterday, we observed my 25th birthday (just a few days earlier) when Hillary totally surprised me with a little party at a pizza joint down the street. The Passionistas were there, plus some other friends of ours. We had pizza, then returned back to our apartment for some amazing ice cream cake. We capped things off with a little Karaoke Revolution - I was a little rusty but still did my best on Incubus's "Drive," which has been one of my more successful numbers in the game.

Earlier in the day, I interviewed Myles for one of the upcoming episode of the video podcast. He also filled me in on some of the great shows they'd been offered recently, as well as the latest on the drummer situation. Tom for the band Hard Place will be filling in on drums for the next few shows, and it's a relief not to have to worry about that.

Right now, everything seems to be falling into place - shows are abundant, reviews keep popping up, and today we got another CD order ... from Germany. I seriously get excited about every CD sale - whenever someone purchases the album, I'm always curious how they find out about it, they're thoughts on it and whatnot. I just feel so determined about everything - like we're really going to make this label into something, and this band is really going to go somewhere. August has just been such a great month so far, and it's just getting started.

"God's Boat" Reviewed in East Bay Express

Fri, 03 Aug 2007 10:17:04 -0700

Nate Seltenrich says, "The Passionistas have their heads in the right place, but their hands don't follow. Jilted, jerky pop lacking tightness and polish sounds like the work of a high school garage band with great taste." And that's the whole review.

Oh my goodness...

Fri, 03 Aug 2007 10:12:59 -0700

... so much seems to be happening. It felt like July was kind of slow. In fact, there was a bit of a "what now?" feeling after the CD release party - at least on my part. But, as always, just when it seems like things have slowed down, they pick up faster than ever. I've been a little stressed the past couple of weeks, knowing there is just so much that I need to do, but feeling as though I didn't have enough time to do it. It's also tiring waiting to see if Pitchfork, Prefix or any of the bigger publications will be reviewing their album. If they do, it could really change anything, and if not, then we just need to keep plugging away.

I knew August would be a good month, at least with the Performer Presents show at the end of the month, not to mention our upcoming Amoeba Records promotion. Now it seems there is even more on the horizon. I'll reiterate my excitement for the Performer show, as its our first with some serious sponsorship and could bring us a lot of attention. There's also a great show in Oakland on August 17 with our pal Greg Ashley, and last time I talked to the band, it seemed like they had the rest of the year booked up locally. As for me, I've been exchanging some emails and phone calls that have me very excited about some possible opportunities.

There's some major events happening in San Francisco this month with lots of industry people in attendance - including the Bandwidth Conference on August 17 and 18 - which will give me a few opportunities to do some serious networking. Oh, and there's a bunch of shows I plan to hit up to, as we start thinking about setting up a tour. That's all that I can think of offhand, but I am sure there is more that I am neglecting to mention.

I seriously need to knuckle down and edit another episode of the video series - would kind of defeat the whole mission statement of this label thing if I put that on the backburner for too long.

SF Music Bloggers Attend a Ballgame; Giants Win

Sun, 29 Jul 2007 15:15:06 -0700

Adrian at ipickmynose - one of several great San Francisco music blogs - organized a get-together for the various music bloggers in the city, with all of us attending a Giants game earlier this evening. In attendance were Adrian, myself, Christian and Ben from the Bay Bridged, Avery and Emily from the Deli SF, and Oz from HearYa. Adrian live blogged the whole thing on his sidekick - kinda wish I coulda done that. It was a great time chatting it up with the bloggers, eating hot dogs, watching baseball. There was the possibility of Barry Bonds tying Hank Aaron on the all-time home run list, which did not happen. What did happen, however, was quite exciting. . .

I've been nursing a bit of a losing streak in Giants games I attend, and heading into the ninth down 3-2, it would appear my low-scoring team would suffer a nasty fate. But then leadoff man Dave Roberts drew a walk. Mark Sweeney launched a double and Roberts scored the tying run, just barely beating the throw home. A walk and a bunt later, Ray Durham launched one to deep left that landed just in front of the hall, scoring the winning run. A gathering of music bloggers and a Giants win - pretty tough to beat for a Saturday night. For those of you who care about baseball, read more about it here. For those who don't, look out for more label-related posts tomorrow.

Tour, Promotional Plans

Thu, 26 Jul 2007 14:54:02 -0700

I've returned from a brief weekend trip to Tahoe to clear my head a little, and spend some time with my family. I start the week prepared with a copy of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hollows and an iPod full of new music - Spoon, Interpol, Dizzee Rascal, Stereogum's OK Computer tribute, and Andre 3000.

I had lunch with Aaron (from the Passionistas) today. We've been discussing possibilities for a Passionistas tour - or at least more Passionistas shows outside of San Francisco. In the coming months you will certainly see the band playing the East Bay, Sacramento, and hopefully Los Angeles, Santa Cruz, Portland, Reno. We're in the beginning planning stage now, but making some progress. Booking and tours, in particular, are totally new to me - so this will certainly be a learning experience. The Passionistas have also not toured a great deal, with the exception being a Southern California tour prior to my meeting with them.

Last week, I met with the band and came armed with an outline of ideas for continued promotion. I want to keep doing more with the videos and even go beyond the current documentary series. I recently watched Tenacious D: The Pick of Destiny and have been enjoying Flight of the Conchords on HBO, so doing a comedic fictional series relating to myself and the band is something that interests me. Besides that, I want to ensure the record gets out there even if radio and magazines don't take notice of it. That is a real possibility, so I want to be sure and utilize several other options for getting our name out there. It may take quite a bit of self-made success before said radio and magazines get behind it. I'll share more about those options as we integrate them into our marketing.

While in Tahoe, my brother and I stuffed several more envelopes with a CD and press release and sent them off to more publications, including Vice, Bust, Bitch, Q, as well as several blogs.

Thinking About the Future

Wed, 18 Jul 2007 08:35:32 -0700

I've been thinking a bit about the future lately - not just the future of New and Used Records, but the future of my life. I'm basically trying to think out and kinda plan the next two years. If you watch episode four of the video podcast series, that showcases a few of the hurdles I've had to overcome in recent years. After going through that, being able to launch the record company felt like quite the achievement. Now I'm in an interesting situation where, to be honest, I've overcome those hurdles and I find myself sitting relatively comfortably. This allows me to really think about the future and set some real goals.

I have several goals for New and Used Records the company. I'm seeing it not so much as your average indie label, but more of a creative project involving all media. The next focus of N&UR may not be another band at all - it might be a documentary film or something. I've been asked quite a bit over the past couple of months if I am going to be signing other bands. The short answer to that is that I am not currently looking. I'm basically trying to go project to project and I'd like each to develop through networking and relationship building (much like mine with the Passionistas did), rather than through some sort of kneejerk response. Besides, promoting God's Boat is pretty much a full time job.

The next few weeks will be filled with continuous promotion, and the launching of a radio campaign. We'll all be meeting tomorrow to discuss some new ideas. There's the possibility that reviews in certain publications could lead to something, but I certainly don't want to wait around for that. I want to strategize about every possible crazy viral marketing idea. I'm really trying to get creative here. Any thoughts?