Digital Transformation: Snakes on a Plane - How to pitch an Innovation: Over the last month I have been working with a tech start up team looking at how best to bring a new product to market. This has meant getting deeply involved with the team who have sweated blood and tears to build a product that has masses of potential. Listening to them and getting right under the covers of the product has been a lot of fun and very energising. However, what has been really interesting has been the debate and discussion we have had about how best to bring the product to market .....
What a fabulous week in Amsterdam last week at the annual Amsterdam Dance Event (ADE). Along with the Bimbo Jones crew we talked, filmed, blogged, tweeted, created new content, DJ-ed, partied and met old friends and created new ones.
What's there not to like about Amsterdam? Small, intimate, beautiful, with the world's best DJ's, song writers and producers all in one place for a few days in the beautiful autumnal sun (and a little rain). ADE is split into three broad categories, The Festival, The Playground and The Conference. I spent most of my time in and around the conference, listening, thinking and networking outside Felix Meritis. And by night dancing to the best DJ's and Divas in the world. Picture here - Fun and laughter with Marc JB, Alister Jamieson, Lee Dagger and Phil Lorraine.
The part of the conference that I found particularly inspiring was "Music and Bits". Music and Bits focused on trends and opportunities in the online world of music. The program featured some of the most creative and original minds in the entertainment industry. Of particular note was Billy O'Connell's US non profit model - CASH Music. Their mission is to help the increasing number of D.I.Y non-signed artists with a platform to sell and promote their music. Aritsts will be able to sell, promote, manage fan bases, mailing lists and contacts all in one place for FREE! I wondered what the catch was and if there was a big corporate lurking in the depths of the platform code but apparently not. Their strap line " What Wordpress did for bloggers, we're doing for musicians. We're building a free and open platform that’s available to all artists, designed in partnership with artists and labels." World look out, this looks great and could revolutionise how musicians monetise their music. Check out what Billy is doing here - Cashmusic.org website
Talking of Revolutions and D.I.Y., it was good to meet up with Hessel Van Oorschott who is MD of Tribe of Noise. Tribe of Noise connects musicians online with businesses around the globe in need of original, all rights included, music. They help Musicians to benefit from free promotion and licensing opportunities and erase the burden of media professionals/buyers who are seeking all rights included music for their business. It's a great model and very challenging to the music business. Anything that monetises Musicians' Music interests me and I think the Tribe of Noise Gang have a great business model - check out their review of ADE and their panel on creating a D.I.Y. Gameplan for your music here - Tribe of Noise ADE review
Other highlights included BUMA hosting the "Secret sauce of the Youtube Platform" with Jelle-Jan Bruinsma from Youtube NL, Meindert Kennis from Spinnin Records and Jorrit Eringa. They looked at how to get max leverage from your tunes on Youtube and how to increase revenue streams - essential stuff for the musician. Tim Van de Rijdt from Google NL gave helpful tips about using Google Plus and streamlining all your on line activity. Also in the mix was Shamal Ranasighne from Topspin USA - a real honour to meet Shamal, I love his work.
The other stand out group of techies and creatives from ADE were the 365 Mag teampictured to the right. Marc JB and I visited these lovely people and in a basement in Amsterdam and managed to set up the new Soul Delux page on their platform site with video/social media links, do an interview, photoshoot, film Marc DJing, have a cup of tea, beer and food all in an hour! They have a fabulous team of creatives, writing, editing, filming, laughing and enjoying what they do all in a small Amsterdam basement. Thank you 365 Mag -My kind of Digital Marketing!
These are a few conference highlights of many at ADE 2012. I loved the emphasis on Tech matching the music and facilitating it's promotion - an essential process to monetise it. I would have loved to have seen more women in the tech seminars. If I missed any of you, leave a message or get in contact with me through my twitter account - @LoveLiveMusicUK. It was great to meet old friends and new and big shout outs go to my dear friend DJ Ron Slomowicz who interviewed DJ's tirelessly, the gang of Divas especially great to meet the wonderful Victoria Aitken, gorgeous Inaya Day and creative Ashleigh K and the other divas I had met in Miami last year, Crystal Waters, Barbara Tucker and all at the DEF party. Great to meet Darude and Randy Boyer again at the 7stars and Enmass Label showcase. We also had a lovely meal with the wonderful Lainie Copicotto and super talented Ineabell from NYC having fun talking about English Christmas puddings and lighting them each year with Brandy - a strange tradition we have! Lainie yours is in the post minus the flames!
My last picture is of the talented Chris Cox and I at the Mn2s's Def celebrations with David Morales, Frankie Knuckles and Hector Romero with the "Divas"! What a great night and my look of excitement pretty much sums it all up. Such incredible talent all in one room, all in one city. Thank you ADE 2012 until next year!
The international Dance industry assembles in Amsterdam next week More than 200.000 visitors expected at the record-breaking 17th edition of Amsterdam Dance Event.
From next week, Amsterdam will be the centre of the international Dance industry when for five days straight, the 17th edition of the Amsterdam Dance Event (ADE) takes place. For years, ADE has been the biggest international club festival and the world's most important music conference for Dance and Electronic Music. This record-breaking edition, which starts on Wednesday the 17th of October and lasts until Sunday the 21st of October, will expand even more with the biggest artists and special events for different target groups in the scene, attracting 200.000 festival visitors and more than 3500 music professionals from 65 countries.
Over the years, ADE has become the go-to festival for electronic music, on which many artists and music professionals plan their calendar around. Starting next week, Amsterdam will welcome over 1700 artists from the international Dance scene with names as big as Armin van Buuren (NL), David Guetta (FR), Laidback Luke (NL), Fatboy Slim (GB), Richie Hawtin (CA), Afrojack (NL), Paul van Dyk (DE), Junkie XL (NL) and Chase & Status (GB). In addition, some of the biggest promoters in the world will host spectacular events such as Headhunterz and Dirty Dutch in the Ziggo Dome, the threeday Awakenings at the Gashouder and the DJ Mag DJ Top 100 Awards at the Convention Factory. Furthermore, many of the scene's biggest artists will play at the most unexpected places, such as Afrojack hosting his night 'Jacked' at Pop temple Paradiso, a Junkie XL show at the world-famous Concert Hall, Solomun at Schram Studios, Hed Kandi at the 'Muziekgebouw aan 't IJ', and various label showcases at the CUE Bar. At nighttime, a total of 300 Dance events are scheduled in more than 75 clubs: a world record which again underlines the significance of this festival in the international Dance calendar. ADE is also proving to be forward-thinking and ambitious with their day program. Today, the Dance scene is at the forefront of the music industry, both culturally and economically, and as tradition will have it, ADE will prove yet again to be the most important business platform in the Dance music industry. At six different locations, the day program offers an array of conferences and networking opportunities focusing on music and technology, VJs and visuals, harder Dance styles, new talent, education for students and many other relevant topics. More than ever, ADE has specifically customized its program for the various target groups in this scene. There is the exclusive Hard Dance Event representing the harder styles; ADE University with a packed program in which artists and prominent professionals will give unique lectures, presentations and interviews to a select group of up-and -coming music professionals spanning a three-day period; the popular ADE Next for young musical talent and the Music and Bits program which focuses on the latest developments online. A brand new initiative is the promising ADE Playground which will connect the nighttime festival-goer, in possession of a special ADE CARD, to an exciting day program consisting of exhibitions, in-store showcases, pop-up stores, film screenings, goodies and surprises all interwoven with every facet of Dance culture.
For years now, the ADE Conference has proven to be one of the most important platforms for electronic music, where plans, connections and projects come into being which will then go on to dominate the year to come. The highly-acclaimed day program, which connects up-and-coming talent to the absolute top of the industry, students and start-ups to the superstar DJ and CEO, has, for the fifth year in a row, completely sold out. Like every year, ADE will yet again receive an enormous delegation of prominent guests from the international music industry. ADE offers them the opportunity to attend both huge and intimate workshops and masterclass sessions, interactive Q&As, panel discussions and other networking sessions, along with the possibility to discuss the latest developments and to establish important new business contacts. ADE takes place from the 17th of October till the 21st and is organized by The Amsterdam Dance Event Foundation, an initiative of Buma.
For more information go to The Amsterdam Dance Event Website Love Live Music will be present at ADE with our Associates and Artists and DJ's that we work with. If you would like to meet up please send us a message through the blog or a tweet @LoveLiveMusicUK Sally Jackson Freeman