So many young bands were looking for their first break at In the City. Many paid their own way there to showcase their art, in the hope that some music industry person will spot the talent and sign them up. I have heard at recent panels on the future of the music industry, where someone who has been in the industry some time inevitably state that ‘well, it’s easier now to get your music out there…in my day…’. To get the music out is one thing, to get heard is another, to get a fair hearing is yet another. Yet at the A&R panel at In The City, a number of the panellists rightly suggested that sending in a CD and hoping is not enough for a band to get noticed. There is a responsibility for the artist to put the effort in too. And there was no artist more committed to making people aware of their music and name than the wonderfully named Red Star Rebels. If ever a name summed up the music it is this one. Pure unadulterated rock. Loud, fast, and tight…very tight. These guys performed on the last night at In The City to a packed audience mixed with hardcore fans who had travelled to see them along with music industry folk and quite frankly some who were trying to work out what they were witnessing! No band at In The City worked the stage like these guys. Complete entertainment, not just strong music. And this is from someone who is not known to be a fan of such music! For three days solid, you could not go anywhere in Manchester without seeing the Red Star Rebel flyers. The band were out morning afternon and night putting up their flyers. If not doing this, they were chatting to everyone they could at the event, sneaking into the hotel lobby and mingling non-stop. Plus some business contacts of mine received e-mail promotions from the band, quoting that I was a big fan - the cheek of the Rebels! The guys were non-stop. Whether it is a record company, a brand or a VC looking to invest in talent, you can’t ask for any more from a band than this. An immense live performance backed up with a 100% commitment to what they do. I salute the hardest working band in the business - the Red Star Rebels

Saw these guys at In The City. Beautiful sounds floated around the venue, almost cinematic. And they used an ironing board on stage too - great music and practical…what a mix!

On top of that a name that defies logic: Tim and Sam’s Tim and The Sam Band with Tim and Sam

Saint Jazzie of B was a highlight at In The City. He was interviewed by Lloyd Bradley (more in him later!) and talked about how Soul2Soul started out.

Two things struck me whilst he was talking. Firstly, that Soul2Soul was very much music of the community - created, produced, refined and promoted by the community. It was rooted in the live experience, not the product form of vinyl or CD. Very similar to folk music where musicians would test their songs in bars and social gatherings in the community. Music as social commentary, not music as product.

In itself, the roots of Soul2Soul came out of the sound systems where musician/music/listener were joined. The sound systems created their ’specials’ - a tune that for all connected to the sound system would define that sound system against others. In effect is was their sonic branding. Everyone would know that tune belonged to that sound system.

Yet Soul2Soul understood the power of branding in more ways than the power of the sonic logo. Their visual emblem is still one of the most recognised logos in music, whilst the collective delivered not just the music but also their merchandise (with their own retail outlet too).

Very much a music collective ahead of their times, balancing smart branding techniques with the need to keeping close to their community roots…and making great music too.

In these times of 360 business models, Soul2Soul is a model that others can learn from.

A great Keynote Panel at In the City, with Daniel Miller, founder of Mute Records. He was asked for his views on the future of the record industry given the recent news about Radiohead asking their fans to pay what they wish for their music and Madonna doing a deal with Live Nation. For Daniel, it felt like a return to the days of 30 years ago, when indie distribution was starting, giving an opportunity to those who had no industry background to put stuff out…be they artists or people like Tony Wilson (Factory) or Geoff Travis (Rough Trade). He stated that there has always been the opportunity for artists to do it themselves. For some reason though, he has seen many that decide not to go down the DIY route partly because

they want to have some money, have some support…international backup…they don’t want to run their own business.

With regards the record company, he stated that there will always be a role for some expertise such as A&R and marketing and promotion, whether it takes the form of a record company is another matter. Finally, he noted that the two key people in all of this are the artists making great music and the people who listen. This is the most important thing to focus on. Everything else is up for discussion.

Great night out with Nick where we took in a number of bands at In The City.

On Sunday night we accidently stumbled across one bar where some sweet sounds of trumpet were making their way out on to the street.

Inside we found The Rosie Taylor Collective, providing an enjoyable evening for all there. Have a listen yourselves here and enjoy the photos of them below.

Word had obviously got out that The Rosie Taylor Project was one to watch, as the camera was on this band. rightly so, as they have a great sound.

When they finished, the cameraman packed up and went on his way to film another act on his hitlist. Did he make a big big mistake though, as next up was a highlight of the week-end.

After enjoying The Rosie Taylor Project at In The City, Nick and I stayed behind to see this unassuming guy take the stage with a guitar and a box of tricks.

He was billed at The Chemical Brothers meets Nick Drake

We citizens at citizensound had to see this, as no-one can deliver on this, could they?

Up came this quiet young guy called James Yuill who said hi and suggested we stick around to hear the next artist as ‘he is really good’!

Then came the aural onslaught of…well…Chemical Brothers meets Nick Drake really. If live music is about surprises, then this epitomises live music. Fabulous. When James dug into his box of 80s/90s box of digital tricks, the sounds he created were perfectly described by Nick as ‘dirty digital’. Bang on.

James absolutely had the audience with him. Huge reaction, and rightly so. He was one of the highlights for many. When he wrapped up, the cameraman came back to film the next act. If only he knew what he missed.

Take time out to go and see him. I have been listening to his CD a lot, but you must try and catch him live too. Find out more about him here

Maybe I’m a little bit behind, but I only recently heard about The Lake of Stars Festival in Malawi. Since 2004 the unique festival on the shores of Lake Malawi has raised money for charity and showcased the music of east and southern African artists and Western DJs (including this year’s line up featuring the likes of Gilles Peterson and Rob Da Bank). Fantastic. Given that sub-Saharan Africa is largely ‘off the map’ when it comes to global brand campaigns in entertainment/music I was interested to see who’s jumped on board. Particularly since the festival is also marketed to UK audiences. Looking at the website it seems brand involvement is rather small, and limited to traditional sponsorships from travel agencies, tour operators and an airline. If these sponsors add any value to the event in the form of ‘brand experiences’ I can’t tell. I can’t help but think that a festival like this, offering such an exceptional music experience, presents an incredible opportunity for a major brand to make its mark. Joy

I like innocent and so does Paul (see his blog posts on citizenbay) Yes, their fruit smoothies are tasty treats but beyond that I like the brand and how they’ve positioned themselves in the music space: effortlessly, playfully, hip and down-to-earth. Take the now defunct Fruitstock music festival. With its eclectic talent line-up, central London location, free entry and best of all, quirky on-brand experiences — ranging from a knitting corner to flower arranging workshops to a farmer’s market — innocent proved it understands its relationship to music. The brand didn’t force an unnatural association between itself and music, or try to establish itself in an area where it has no credibility (like music downloads or talent searches). Instead it offered a great summer music experience, which nicely underpinned innocent’s brand values: fun, natural, light, simple, easy and friendly.

In fact, the festival proved so popular last year that it actually lost some of its innocence (excuse the pun), and will be replaced this summer by the equally charming and folksy-sounding the innocent village fete, proving that a big, loud, look-at-me presence in music isn’t always better. Particularly when trying to establish authenticity in the music space. Described as being a “proper fete” with food stalls, games, and unplugged live music it sounds like innocent have got it right again.

Joy

Lucy from Diesel (on the right) joined Kate Williams of Columbus Media at the citizensound session at Venice.

In response to the panel urging brands to commit to more than just the short term when getting involved in music marketing, Lucy shared with the attendees the experience of Diesel.

The Diesel U-Music activity has been active for a number of years, slowly but surely building credibility with both the breaking acts and fans alike. Whilst these two groups seem to be have benefited from the investment from Diesel, how about the brand itself?

Lucy shared with the attendees a classic problem for a brand who gets involved in the music space with the band and fan at the forefront of their activities. How does the brand get recognition for the commitment they have made without coming over as too pushy?

Artists such as Mylo have come through the Diesel U-Music project, yet few people are aware of this. Since becoming an established artist, Mylo has come back to support the Diesel U Music events, so recognition from the artist is not in doubt.

It is the transference of this mutual respect into long term business results that is the tricky bit for Diesel. It reminds me of the conundrum that ethical brands face. Do you tell the world that you are ethical, thus placing yourself in the firing line for those to find any weaknesses in your argument (Memories of Anita Roddick in the early days of Body Shop) or do you just do your stuff and keep low key about it (Levi Strauss a good example)? It is the eternal debate. Shout about your good work or do it quietly.

If the marketing world believes in the power of word of mouth or Advocacy Marketing, then letting others do the talking for you has to be the way forward…

I was chairing a conference for MTV Europe and CSquared Communications. The aim has been to give an international perspective on youth trends to the Central and Eastern European markets, hence the conference being in Prague. Here is a quick summary of my quick opening to the conference: Kids on bus swapping home-made tunes via their mobile; the young Hotel staff uses Bearshare to download music for free; a young guy wants to download music for free, but also wants to be a musician; Won't pay for music, but ready to pay for mobile and World of Warcraft… Many brands wanting to connect with youth are confused by all of this, as are their agencies. Too often the response by brands and agencies is - Chase the latest thing with little understanding how youth use and create with what is available to them Meanwhile the creative industry (as opposed to many creators) clamp down on young people who try to access stuff for free. They even head for court for copyright infringements instead of questioning both the law and their own business models. Problem with youth conferences is that: 1 Few youth actually are present, let alone speak 2 Those who talk are sometimes distant from youth thoughts and actions 3 Lots of theory and very few really great examples 4 Little on what the key influences are on youth culture Thankfully this conference had a bunch of great speakers that overcame this. First up was Andy Davidson, Research Director at MTV Europe. I have posted a summary of his speech here over at the citizenbay blog