Austin City Limits: An Interview.

Megan McDiffitt, C3 Presents, does artist management for Ben Kweller, Heartless Bastards, What Made Milwaukee Famous and Black Joe Lewis. I decided in lieu of the Austin City Limits music festival I would ask her opinion on the importance of artist promotions at the fest. Enjoy...

Why are press interviews at ACL a big deal for bands?

Well it’s not so much that it’s press at ACL that’s a big deal; press anytime/anywhere is always beneficial, but at ACL all the press is combined into one location so it’s just easy to knock out several interviews in a short time. It’s also easier for us since we work with the media company, Fresh and Clean Media, that handles all the press for the fest. We get a helping hand from them if we need it.

What advice do you give smaller bands playing ACL in regard to getting press time?

Smaller bands just need to walk through the media area with many cd’s to give away and ask anyone that isn’t doing an interview if they’d like to do one or just want a cd to check out their music. It’s hard to catch the media off guard, I mean if they’ve never heard of you or are not familiar with you, they will most likely not want to interview you because they haven’t done their research. So the best advice I would give is to just spread the word about your band, drop off as many cd’s and contact cards to the press peeps as possible and hopefully at the next fest, they will be familiar with you and will want to speak with you.

What does playing at ACL mean for a smaller, unknown band?

It means a lot of attention that you would not normally get. Even if you’re opening the fest on a small stage, people that have not ever heard of you before will be there ready to listen so you should give your best performance, you’ve only got 45 minutes to win these people over. Hopefully some press will be at that stage and will take notice as well.

Do you see any direct results for WMMF, HB, BJL, BK after an appearance at Lolla or ACL? Merch sales? MySpace hits? Bookings? Stalkers? Etc...

Absolutely, there are always more MySpace hits, play counts and merch sales. There are more interview requests afterwards as well. It doesn’t necessarily bring in more bookings, but it does certainly help to get bookings later on. Saying that you’ve played a fest like ACL just looks good, ya know?

What would you recommend to a smaller, unknown band to do if they wish to play at ACL?

Ha, well, have a great booking agent for starters and great ticket sales.

What are your thoughts on artist rebellion at ACL - do you think the crazier/weirder they act the more press they may get? You may wish to discuss the Ben Kweller nosebleed of 2006.

Of course, press was all over BK’s nosebleed situation. Even the next year the press was still talking about it and wanted an interview to hear the details on it. If you’re outgoing and demand attention, you’ll get it, especially from the press. Juliette Lewis is one I always think of on this note. Lollapalooza 2007, she stormed into the media area with all her quirkiness and the press just flocked to her.

Austin City Limits: 2007 Recap.

I can feel it. The air in Austin is starting to become electric...or is it the glow coming from Zilker Park as the production folks set up the stages? Yes, folks, I'm talking about the ever-so-exciting Austin City Limits music festival! In five short days our little city will be filled with musicians and fans alike to see one of the best festivals around. And I'm pumped.

Let's recap ACL 2007 - I had just moved to the city to begin grad school at UT and I was ready for a festival! Jeff, my man, and I got one day passes for the Sunday shows - the three day passes sold out pretty quick. No bueno. But, we did get to see Bob Dylan, which was breathtaking and tearful at the same time. What a great feeling to be in the vicinity of a legend, but his voice was so scratchy from years of smoking and singing. We also got to see a few more favorites: Bloc Party, Ben Kweller, Regina Spektor, My Morning Jacket, etc. I was in heaven and it was just a reinforcement that this is the industry for me to work in. Some photos for you to check out.






In the upcoming posts you'll get to learn all about ACL 2008, which I'm going to actually be a part of. My summer internship with C3 Presents has led me to work with the bands I'm helping manage: What Made Milwaukee Famous, Black Joe Lewis and the Heartless Bastards. I'm going to go around with my boss, Megan, to make sure our bands make the press interviews they're scheduled for. Check back often - this year's show will be pretty amazing and I'm going to tell all about it!

Online: Play Increasing.

I ran across this site, Promo Plays, and learned more about the MySpace play increasing software that so many bands are eager to purchase. Read what they have to say about their product:

"Welcome
you have just found the website other artists & bands do not want you to know about! How would you like to login to your MySpace account and see hundreds of friend requests, comments, and more...?

How would you feel when you see your image on the Featured Profile section of My Space? ... I'm sure your on the right path. The law of attraction wouldnt bring you to our website for no reason. The time to act is now.

We can help you get that record deal you where aiming for. How you ask? Simple. By increasing your Total and Daily Plays on MySpace, along with profile views to thousands, ultimately making your band climb the MySpace music top artist charts FAST! Record Labels are constantly on the lookout for the next big star, you should already know this, the music business is not what it used to be. Before there was MySpace, Facebook, and CD store alternatives like iTunes and MySpace's own SnoCap. Label executives would have to invest a small fortune on independent artist development. Radio, Press, Media.. etc. and would take that risk in hopes of returning a nice profit. Heres how technology changed all that.

Now that technology has advanced to the point where your fans can instantly purchase and download their favorite albums and songs via online stores, and where your press kit can be viewed by millions. Labels don't take risks as often as they used to. Why? Because Artist Development is on the artist, in todays market, Basically you have to have a proven Fan Base, Sales patterns, Publicity, overall a good Press Kit before any label would take a serious look at you.

(if you didn't know this. your myspace profile is a big part of your press kit, Labels look at your Total Plays, Daily Plays, Profile Views, Friends and Comments)

So if you want to get things going, take the first step. Order our 5,000 Plays for only 99¢ and see for yourself what PromoPlays.com has to offer!"

So, my problem is that some bands are getting the recognition from record labels and booking agents under false pretenses. What a crock that the bands are now cutting corners to increase the plays on the site. If a band has a genuinely unique and enjoyable sound, people will willingly check them out, thus increasing the page views and song plays - no need for some hack software to do the work for you. It just seems a bit lazy to me, that's all. I wonder if the crappy bands who use this software still get picked up by record companies - or do the companies see a live show that has about 32 people in the crowd and go, "Oh...looks like they don't have as many fans as their MySpace page says. They suck. No deal for them." I'd be interested in seeing the correlation between purchasing the software and record deals.

Online: The Beginning.

Ah, the ever-changing art of artist promotion. Back in the day, artists' shows were only advertised on the big three: radio, print and television, for large tours. Just take a look at the older concert posters - very stylized, but still informative. Can you imagine one of the current indie bands using only print for their promotion? Or can you imagine what Jimi Hendrix's MySpace page would look like? Exactly. The times have certainly changed and I'm here to explore what the changes and the implications are.



Now, artists can, sometimes solely, rely on the Internet for the promotion of their shows and music. While many musicians still use creative and eye-catching posters (we'll be exploring this in later posts) for the announcements of their information, arguably the most efficient and cost-effective way to bring warm bodies to the show is to use the net.

The MySpace phenomenon has reshaped the industry and how it can greatly help a band land a record deal or to get to the top of the charts. MySpace is a social networking site that artists can use to promote their band - here is Dave Matthews Band's page, so you can get a feel for what the site can offer. Bands can post songs, videos, links to merchandise, tour dates, fans, links to download music, band history, etc. so fans can get to know their favorite groups. Artists can often get a lot of notice by the amount of "plays" on the counter - there are even codes bands can pay for to increase the amount of plays per day. (Yes, bands will actually pay hundreds of dollars for something like this.) Anyway, the reason the play counter matters is that record executives and booking agents will often keep watch for upcoming bands - aka, bands who have high play counts, meaning a high amount of listeners, meaning a high fan base, meaning a good band to sign.

This week we'll continue to explore how MySpace and other social networking sites are shaping the new generation of groups coming through the radio waves. Or the MySpace plays.

Welcome to the Jungle.

Well, here I am. As a second year advertising graduate student at the University of Texas at Austin I decided I needed to tune my program a little more toward my liking, so I'm embarking on a magical journey to uncover some of the music industry's secrets, flaws and brilliance in the promotional aspect. I'm talking about concert, artist and festival promotions, Austin City Limits Festival, to be clear. I'll delve into many different formats for promotion, like online promotion (think MySpace, Facebook, etc.), traditional promotion (flyers, posters, etc.) and festival happenings. You'll get some history on artist promotion, new age ideas that work and don't work, ACL reports, video interviews with professionals, and lots of insight. What can I say? I live in one of the most vibrant musical cities in the U.S. and it all just gets me riled up. So, I'll be working on my independent study in a blog format so I can look back on it someday, sigh and relive all the excellence that is to ensue for the next 13 weeks. Prepare yourself.

I began my musical experience when I was a young tyke. My mother always sang me Beatles songs, always encouraged me to listen to new music and opened my eyes to the absolute joy of live music. I attended my first concert, The Beach Boys, at a baseball stadium in Tulsa, OK. And that was the beginning. My parents let me go to alternative rock concerts when I was in the 7th grade. They even ventured to let me attend EdgeFest, where I got to see hardcore bands like Slipknot, Disturbed, Korn, Kid Rock, etc. Wow. I won't post photos from that time in my life - let's just say that I had dinosaur teeth, round glasses, JNCO jeans, polyester shirts and chain necklaces. Classy.

I have attended many shows since my younger years, and the more I see the harder I fall in love with the whole shebang: the instruments, the lights, the atmosphere, the venue, the bands, the posters, the fans, the merch and the rat-tailed roadies. It's an experience to see someone live and I fully believe that at least 93 percent of bands are much better live. Therefore I have decided that a career somewhere in this industry is my true destiny. (The "I wanna grow up to be a mermaid" thing didn't really work out.)

While I was at Oklahoma State University working on my undergrad degree I got involved in a great organization called Orange Peel. Orange Peel is a student-run concert/pep rally that happens at the beginning of football season to get fans ready for the big year ahead. We bring in huge names and sell tickets at a VERY reasonable price, ensuring the student body can afford to attend the show. In 2005 I was the assistant marketing director for the show and we brought in Jason Mraz, LIT and comedian Pablo Francisco. The show sold around 5,600 tickets - the lowest number in OP's 10 year history. I can give details on that in person. In 2006 I got to take the roll of marketing director, and it was a make-or-break year for us. The Student Union (OP's funding house) let us know that we couldn't continue the tradition if we didn't break even this year. Lots of pressure, right? Well, we signed the glorious Alan Jackson, comedian Bill Engvall and a Tulsa-based band, The Hero Factor. We were very, very happy with the lineup and apparently so was the rest of Oklahoma. We sold about 17,900 tickets - a 400 percent increase from the year before! Needless to say, I was very proud of the turnout and the way the executive committee saved the OP tradition. And thus, I fell in love with the whole experience. This photo is me with Alan Jackson on stage right behind. Very cool.

I am now, as mentioned above, at the University of Texas in Austin working toward my master's degree in advertising. While I'm thoroughly enjoying the courses I'm taking, I feel this independent study will add more depth to my love and understanding of the music promotions industry. I've also gained an incredible learning experience from my summer internship with C3 Presents - the group who produces Lollapalooza and the Austin City Limits Festival, books many venues in Austin and manages an amazing lineup of artists. I'm getting to work with one of the best in the business and I plan to use lots of folks there to help me with my research.

Well, I'm ready if you are. Let's explore the ins and outs of music promotion, and in the wise words of the great Axl Rose, "welcome to the jungle."