by Greg Nisbet
The social lubricant may have been six-dollar pints and club soda instead of lines of coke and cone-rolled spliffs, and the commercial currency Twitter usernames instead of business cards, but, make no mistake, Wednesday’s OpenMusicMedia meet-up in a Yorkville bar was a portrait of the new face of the music business [picture link here].
For those unfamiliar with the OpenMusicMedia concept, or the concept of open meetings in general, the group is open to anyone, with no vested interests, no closed doors and no agendas other than to bring like-minded individuals together. Music’s answer to this popular general tech trend is the OpenMusicMedia meet-up. The first was convened in London by Last.fm’s Jonas Woost and Soundcloud’s Dave Haynes, with the aim of fomenting discussion about the present and future intersection of music, media and digital culture.
“It was great to see a wide variety of people from different backgrounds checking out the conversation and connecting with each other,” said the Toronto event’s co-organizer, Backfed co-founder Josh Newman. “By keeping this event as open as possible, we’re encouraging anyone with an interest in music and new media to participate and engage in the conversation.”
Music’s old guard might have trouble imagining a bunch of potential competitors just sitting around talking about new developments in music and technology, and even sharing trade secrets, but that wouldn’t have surprised any of the attendees. The theme for the evening was set as the “Direct Artist to Fan (D2F) relationship”, and there was plenty of enlightened discussion on that, but it could just as easily have been “How the musical establishment can’t seem to ‘get’ technology and the Internet, no matter how many times it is explained”. Could it be then, that seeds were being sown on Wednesday that might one day grow into the music establishment of the future?
“I think there were a lot of synergies in that room.” said Gabriel Nijmeh, manager of the popular “Musicians on Twitter” list and the event’s other organizer, “We may have witnessed the potential for the next one or two or more multi-million dollar ideas.”
Just as listening to a music recording is nothing like the live music experience, the live experience of meeting people face to face is something that even digital natives know will never quite be captured online, so, for a bunch of people who spend lots of time in front of their computers, this chance to press some actual flesh was a big deal. But rather than heated discussions about arcane programming languages and motherboards, this one was all about the wide-eyed passion for great music, and finding as many ways as possible to share it widely while also ensuring that artists get a real shot at making a decent living. Given the obvious love for music among the attendees, it’s hardly surprising it was a hotbed for ideas. After all, how can you not completely ‘get’ the fan experience and the musician experience when all you do is listen to music and go to live shows?
The music digerati are sometimes portrayed as spoiled kids who steal music, but, judging from the buzz emanating from this meetup, the reality, at least here in Canada, is rather different. This is an entirely more grown-up generation than the Alan McGee and Elliot Roberts style music-execs-in-training of the past.
Being the subject of more than a few colourful stories myself, many not fit for public consumption, it was with some wistful resignation that I listened to stories not of sneaking drugs on a transcontinental flight to satiate the whim of an indulgent artist international borders to satiate the whim of an indulgent artist but of sipping club soda with a popular band’s designated driver. My just-turned-60 neighbour boasted to me the other day that 60 is the new 50, but I’m beginning to think that, when you go down the age scale, that reverses. From what I saw the other night, 20 is the new 30, and 30 is the new 40. At 43, I’m pretty sure I was the oldest person in the room, which would have been fine, except that I wasn’t even close to being the most responsible adult.
I showed both my age and corresponding cynicism at one point during the evening, in perhaps the closest I came to disagreeing with anyone in principle. I was having a discussion with someone who knows radio up here quite intimately and, at the risk of making an ass of myself, I brought up the role of independent promotion companies in the US, and their alleged absence in Canada.
For those who don’t know about these companies, they are the modern-day face of what used to be so fondly referred to as payola, and exist (still) as middlemen between the major record labels and much of commercial radio in the US. We are much more strict about that kind of thing here in Canada, thank goodness, but I’m not convinced we don’t still fall victim to many of its effects. Arms may not be heads, but arms still have reach and the hands on the end of them can not only sculpt but also hold and turn keys. A colleague of mine who’s a veteran in the biz referred to Canada’s music market as a “eunuch economy”, which made me laugh quite heartily, but if I had shared my mirth at that remark on Wednesday evening, I’d have come across as a cynical dinosaur.
And therein lies the beauty of the evening. I was moving among the new music establishment, and that was no place for cynical dinosaurs. While they may not be quite as colourful as the old establishment in terms of their back stories, they know an awful lot about music, and they have one quality that is very positive. I’m not speaking of idealism, because I’m pretty sure the old music establishment had that too when they were young and bright-eyed. I’m speaking of openness. Music to them is not only a democratic right, but an entire democracy.
Which means that, if you’re a major label A&R rep, an intellectual property lawyer, a long-time producer who curses the very existence of the shared file, or any other self-described “cynical dinosaur”, you’re still welcome to head down to the next such meetup and put in your two cents.
As Newman says, “There are a lot of great meetups in Toronto, however hopefully OpenMusicMedia Toronto will thrive by maintaining a common thread among music fans and observers.”
Hope to see you at the next one.
Greg Nisbet
http://www.mediazoic.com
http://twitter.com/mediazoic
http://www.linkedin.com/in/gregnisbet
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