PCB2 - Podcasting and the Music Industry Panel - Melanie Van Orden

Moderated by Melanie Van Orden - PunchBuzz Online Music Marketing

On the panel - CC Chapman (Accident Hash & The Advance Guard), Fred (Select Records), Mathew Wilkening (What Are Records), Adam Lewis (The Planetary Group)

CC - It’s more then just the music - get yourself out there, use new media, share your music.

Melanie - Sometimes people get so worried that their music isn’t going to sound polished, raw can be even better, just jamming on the couch.

Adam - When a band is new then they’re all about giving out free stuff, to get out there. [But how will older, more established bands utilize it? That’s the question.]

CC - James Brown did it.

Adam - Yea but where is James Brown now?

CC - It’s more then just putting up music and getting it out there - its about being a part of the community

Adam - we were just talking about how bands don’t even have websites anymore - they just have a myspace page.

Melanie - If a band solely uses myspace as their main site they can’t control their traffic and are just giving away everything.

Audience Question (AQ) - What do you think about what Radiohead just did to get money?

Fred - I think it was great for radio head not necessarily the industry, and from the reports I’ve heard they’ve brought in a lot of money. It’s just another thing devaluing the industry.

Adam - maybe it makes sense for some. one thing that’s not cool about it, alright so now they’re asking fans to do the right thing and pay what you think is fair - but when they release the album the old school way in the store their going to put bonus tracks on that? so i get rewarded by having to buy it again?

Melanie - I’m so glad you brought this up - this is a perfect example of how the music industry is struggling - how are they going to make money with music? If they release the same album with bonus tracks they may kill themselves. What’s radiohead going to do next?

Fred - Reminds me of these cell phone companies, if you go over your minutes you get hammered, if you’re under you also get screwed because you paid too much.

Matthew - I wonder with radiohead how they’re going to stay on top. There is no marketing supporting it.

Melanie - it’ll be interesting to see what they do and if it works

CC - see i think they did more marketing and pr then anything else

Adam - everyone knows

CC - everyone is talking about it

Adam - but they went from being smart to doing something so stupid - that’s why we’re in a bad state right now - there is no trust between the industry and the consumer

AQ - it’s like the apple reduction on the iphone where they dropped from 600 -200 and the consumers bitch and get something back

AQ - How do you re-introduce an artist who may have been big in ‘95 ect through podcasting?

Fred - Maybe a podcast compilation

Matthew - show ppl how they’ve grown and what has transpired

Melanie - maybe video

CC - the two not using podcasts are hip hop and country. There is an under served market and die hard fans.

AQ - What is your take on the Madonna contract, with live nation where she is turning more digital right up front.

CC - I love the fact that all these major artists are trying new things. I think it’s going to be interesting to see what she does . I heard someone say they think she’s desperate for attention. I’m curious to see what she does with it. I’m watching to see what Trent does too.

Matthew - her biggest thing is the touring - so [she’s] using this to drive her revenue in other streams

CC - I think it’s funny that artist are realizing they can make more money without the labels. The labels need the artist way more. but if you’re going to go without the label you have to work your ass off. That’s why when I do buy a cd I hand the money directly to the artist if I can.

Melanie - that’s the thing this might be a better experience for the consumer

Fred - Madonna is the exception - so what she does may not apply to other artists. Some really need a label - there can be a good relationship made between artist and label.

AQ - radio stations are going to be expected to pay for licencing to play music on air, how could that affect podcasting.

Adam - (directed to CC) how many listeners would you need before you pay the $600 a year to play label artist?

CC - I’d rather play Indie artists - that have the full rights to their music

Fred - wouldn’t it be good to know that artists get paid for where ever they get played, though

CC - I’d rather pay the artist directly

Fred - the thing people have to remember that this is a frontier, its not laid down yet.

CC - it’s not figured out until someone get sued. I don’t know but I don’t want to be the first person. It’s not black and white.

AQ - webcasters.org has a pdf for download about all of this

AQ - does this count for someone playing live?

CC - yes.

AQ - do you have any best practices for independent artist

Melanie - use your e-mail contact wisely, you have to learn to cultivate your fan relationships

CC - find those rabid fans who love to talk about you, then give them everything they need to get you out there. Be in as many channels as possible. Record your rehearsals and get those out there. try something new if it doesn’t work then don’t do it again.

Melanie - make it easy, click click, the easier it is the more people will do it

AQ - I’m curious about facebook - what would be good ways to use it? Any applications you recommend?

CC - Encourage your friends to use ilike - get’s you out there through itunes. facebook insists that you are a human - but you can create a group. That’s an easy way to reach out to your friends and fans. Maybe one of your fans is a programmer, the possibilities are endless.

AQ - One thing i caution about facebook is they own all rights to everything posted - so be careful

Melanie - you have to get creative off your back end too, you can’t live off album sales.

Fred - The money is shifting to merchandising and live shows.

Fred - Offering the album for $7.99 on iTunes but not selling any singles - is a great idea.

Melanie - [Ok we’re out of time.]

*The End*

PCB2 - Lessons of a Serial Entrepreneur - Jeff Pulver

[This write-up is very choppy.  I thought about not posting it, but I feel there is really some great stuff in here.  This was probably one of the best sessions for me this weekend.  So I wanted to share it with yall.]

“Back in early 95 I was asked is it possible to interconnect the technology of the telephone and the computer, I said sure”

All this time I had a day job - but also had a night job.  The night job was way more fun.  On the day after Thanksgiving of 95 I was on the back of a London paper with Free World Dialup. 

-March of ‘96 a bunch traditional phone execs got together in DC and petitioned the FCC that this software be banned.  Within 3 days created a coalition to prevent the unnecessary ban of voice over ip.   

May ‘96 started planning my own conference for December.  I soon after got pushed out of my day job - which happened to save my life.  Since the office was in the world trade center - over 700 of my friends and coworkers perished on Sept. 11. 

VOIP saved my life.  I was on the edge - my burn rate was high.  When you don’t know what is going to happen - you just push.  So for me to make a little money I was hoping 50 people would come to the conference.  Turns out 200+ people showed up from all over the world.  All just from marketing on the net. 

April ‘97 I changed the name of the conference name to VON.  Few things happened.  Global voice of ip was formed, many people have grown their own spins out of these since. 

Jeff Citron who invested in minot called one day (good product, but it could be better) - then he changed the name to vonage.  If you don’t stay on the edge with things nothing will happen.  You gotta have that push.  When you get yourself to a certain point - many things start to happen.  Many people have dreams - I place the seed in those dreams.  I find that to be the real sweet spot.  When I meet these dreamers I pick the one who have had past failures over the rest.  Many times I’m asked to speak with companies about re-evaluating, re-direction etc.  If you go to your friends with a hot idea and they don’t like it - go get new friends. 

One thing I’ve learned through this whole process is the power of one.  One person can really make a difference. 

Sept 10 ‘01 I sold the VON conferences (the company later went bankrupt and I bought it back). Which I’m pretty sure they would not have bought if it was post 9-11. 

After the telecom crashed and the dot com crashed - I realized that voice over ip really had something.  I went to the FCC and filed my own petition.  “to put out the idea of voip not being considered telecom as long as it stays on the net”.  10 days later the FCC put the petition out for public comment.  So for 30 days the public has the right to attack.  And they did.  Mostly from the phone company execs - ripping into me from many different angles. 

Feb 12 ‘04 the law was passed in dc. Friends call me the Forest Gump of telecom.  Maybe all these things happen because I was a little too focused on it.  So many of you may be asking why did I host that party last night - and open up the bar? I take having fun seriously.  Maybe I never grew up, but I want to share this energy with other people. 

If there is something you want to do that drives you - do it.  The next thing I see coming is tv over ip.  Everything has changed because of the Internet.  And we’re a very small piece of it.  I rally in DC because I don’t want to see the government take away these opportunities. 

At age 3 I got my kids on the computer.  Their first website was pbs.org and within three days they were navigating around the net.  Then one day my son says I want to go to thomastankengine.com - that was all I needed to convince my kids that everything out there had a site.  Then the top things in the browser were McDonald’s, Wendy’s, etc.  So my boy just created his own website because he wanted a bigger allowance.  So I said start a blog, get google ads, and you can go from $40 to $500 maybe. 

When starting a new company - The Golden rule of success “never hire people who know what they’re doing”  If you’re starting voip don’t hire ppl who worked for the phone company.  This way the founding members will have a different way of doing it and dig harder to find a way to make it work. 

“There is no idea that is too small to be found”. 

Starting Startup To Do’s:

1. Get Fired

2. Believe in yourself

3.  Boot your friends

4.  Don’t let what you don’t know stop you

5. Take fun seriously

3 favorite words - Fear, Greed, Disruption - If you’re doing something that scares someone enough that they must buy it - you’ve won. 

PCB2 - Broken Toasters, William Shatner, and Podcaster Burnout - Neil Gorman

Podcasting Burnout - Podfade, flash in the pan, cancellation, etc. 

“Julien Smith is in the room and I more cool.” - Neil (LOL)

Covered in this presentation:

1.  How do broken toaster, burnout and William Shatner come together?

2.  What is the motivation to continue podcasting? 

3.  What makes a podcaster hungry? 

B.P.  Before Podcasting

- a bunch of idiots all about making money controlled the wires - to sell stuff 

- marketing to the big piece of the pie, ignoring those not interested

For instance - Studio 60 - GREAT SHOW - had the largest growth of viewers with 4 year degrees+ 100k+ salaries etc. so they have money right? to buy what is being advertised right?

Yes but they also can afford a TiVo and the show was cancelled. 

Podcasting is made! 

Slowly listeners grew, what were they saying? 

1.  Freedom - away from the idiots, away from the stupid content, to speak about what we enjoy, to innovate. 

  To create the show you always wanted to hear - “for me that was comics and for Julien that was HipHop”

2.  Explore - it’s a frontier, easy to try new things, to go where no one had gone before.

Shatner - is a symbol for star trek and the frontier, humans need a frontier to explore and keep themselves happy. 

Podcasters….they go out into this digital wilderness and talk.  i’m not trying to sell you something, i just have something to say, and people start listening.  You say it and people listen- then omg they talk back.  Forming *meaningful* relationships. 

Everything was GOOD - now the new became OLD “this is podcamp2″

Monetize your podcast?  Great for you, if that’s what you want. But despite great content it’s still getting old.  The frontier is becoming explored. 

A sense of quite desperation.  The frontier has been explored what to do next?  Getting despite to feel that excitement again.  So in turn you get PODCASTING BURNOUT - BOOOO!!

If you feel burnt out you need to explore - start a new podcast, change the flow of your current one, add a co-host, add video, whatever you want.  Remember burnout is nothing more then a state of mind, because you have FREEDOM. 

Shatner - is an example of a dude who is always trying new things.  Now he’s going into music (plays clip). 

“I can’t get behind that” which is Ben Folds + Henry Rollins + Shatner = This song (find it on iTunes)

Never stop exploring. 

Broken Toasters -

what do you do when your toaster breaks? throw it out!  why not try and repair it?  it’s been through a lot with you. 

Why?  toasters are cheap and it’s simple to replace with a new one. 

Julien - ”Your podcast is not a fucking toaster”.  You’ve invested time (over time), money, energy, and passion.  So it’s not a toaster. 

Except - sometimes it is a toaster, when you get burned out start a new show.  It’s cheap and easy not a lot of energy (at first). 

In conclusion.  Never forget you have FREEDOM.  Always EXPLORE, the frontier is a mindset. 

*lots of claps and woo’s*

*Audience*

If you get past 7 shows then pat yourself on the back - if you get past 25 you’re better then most. 

“If you get more then 15 downloads [pre episode] you’re doing very well” - Neil

If you change up your podcast do you risk alienating your listeners?

Depending on what you’re writing about eventually you may run out of content.  Say a calligraphy blog, there is only so much to talk about - rather then a technology blog, where new stuff comes out every day. 

Join national podcasting month - audience plug. 

It’s ok to take time off.  Absence makes the heart grow fonder.  So missing an episode or skipping a week is ok.  You leave the audience wanting more. 

Julien “with the assumption of podcasting coming from radio - the weekly routine feels needed - get outside of the box, do what you want and feel”.  

It’s better to take a break then loose listeners due to burnt out bad content.  Make sure you announce that you’re take a break. 

Do you get disturbing negative comments on your podcast as well?  “YES” But it’s conversation, feedback, and means people are listening.  Some people (who may be crazy or dangerous) are trying to create a reaction from you through negative angry feedback.  So rather then going silent or arguing with them by giving them a reaction, just go on and ignore them - don’t validate them. 

Reach out to your fellow podcasters if you need help or to discuss feedback and dangerous interactions.  Create little social contracts to help each other out. 

(Lunch Time)

PCB2 - Day Two & last nights party

It’s a little slow going today for most of the podcampers.  With Pulver offering up an open tab last night at a local Cambridge bar after the Seaport party (also open bar) - slow going is an understatement.  Live performances by Ebel and Grace Bruford were amazing as always. 

I’d give CC Chapman and his wife the “cutest couple” awarded - closely followed by Koz & Fiz.  The diversity opening up at these events is quite surprising.  Yes I lost the bet with Clarence - but I think our current number is close to 15.  When I first started attending these types of events years ago I was most commonly the only african american and one of maybe 2-3 girls.  The official figures on girly quota here is over 40% - astonishing.  This is truly social networking at it’s best. 

• who are the socialsistas? christina greene - carlie flossberg in sl & joyce bettencourt - rhiannon chatnoir in sl #
• Let’s crash Podcamp Boston2 #

PCB2 - Tools of the Social Media Trade - CC Chapman & Mitch Joel

(sorry guys this is a crappy synopsis at best - i was too busy actually paying attention)

GOOGLE

Reader - quick and easy way to watch all your regular blogs.

News Alerts - monitor your brand, clients brand, url? for track backs

Search - Google yourself. in “”

link: then url  also inurl:

Technorati - (boo from the crowd that they are behind the curve and only one search)

Del.icio.us - Social Bookmarking

“If you’re quit your job and all your favorites are stored on that computer you’re screwed” - Mitch

Claim your blog!

Then rank your favorites. 

Now has universal search - so blogs, podcast, photos, video - TAG EVERYTHING!!  Tag your content so that it comes up on search - which comes up before text in most cases.  Make it easy for people who are looking for you. 

“Create del.ico.us pages for your client, tag stuff, then it appears on their page.  They love watching the numbers go up.” - CC

Technorati

Specialty Tags - quick way to break out of the fish bowl and throw up on the hot list. 

Create a watch list to subscribe with then take back to your google reader. 

(Just a little side note - some camera dude just pulled up a floor panel in front of me for a hidden power outlet - how can I get in on that?) 

itunes - show others itunes “why is podcasting not more popular?” - Mitch

When itunes is more popular then podcasting will grow.  This is where people are discovering podcasting. 

Must categorize your podcasts! - Album Art - Descriptions

“blahblahblah” - Mitch (they really just skipped a bunch) LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, etc. etc.

How can we help you?

Write an iTunes review

Favorite on Technorati

Subscribe via Bloglines

Add the Bloroll - Podroll

Write a Linkedin recommendation

Introduce a freined to your Podcast - Blog

Asking the crowd for 3 quick tips.

use feedburner - smartcast

twitter - follow to meet more people and expand your network (for your client or yourself)

ppcpodcast

(the audience just voted on the best of those three audience ideas - twitter guy “Yanni” won a i home system)

PCB2 - Session #3 - The New Rules of PR - David Meerman Scott

Opens with quote…

Robert Scoble - It’s a new world you’re about to enter… If you understand how to use it you can drive buzz, new product feedback, sales, and more.  (Love Scoble)

PRSA - “public relations is the professional discipline that ethically fosters mutually beneficial relationships among social entities”.  Note there is no mention of media or SPAM.  Today it seems pr=media relations.  Unfortunately the pr business is associated with spam. 

How many PRSA individuals does it take to screw in a light bulb?  what’s your budget (LOL)

Old Rules: 

1.  You can buy your way into advertising

2.  Beg your way into media.

New Rule:

1.  Publish your way in.  via google, facebook, yahoo news, blogs, podcast, etc.

- On the web the lines separating pr and marketing don’t exist, unlearn everything you’ve learned. 

PR to the long tail rather then the head (he had a cute diagram I obviously can’t post here - but the gist is the head is mainstream media with the long tail being the Internet - niche markets)

Find your buyer personas.  What do you want your buyers to believe?

What does this company do? (he throws a long winded company bio up on the board - that couldn’t be understood if you were paid to translate it).  They obviously don’t know what their buyer persona is. 

Speak to personas in their language not theirs!!!

E-Books = The hip and stylish younger sister to the nerdy white paper. 

1.  Marketing Apple - first week 17k downloads

2.  The Gobbledygook Manifesto - 200k downloads so far, won a viral marketing award

3.  The New Rules of PR - 300k downloads, generated half a million dollars and cost nothing to produce

Check out Landing manifestos - sends out e-books to their readers for free if you’re accepted. 

The evolution of the press release

Media  - newspapers, magazines, trade publications, tv, and radio

financial - dowjones, reuters, bloomberg 

corporate - Lexus, factiva, thomas dialog

consumer - google, yahoo news, topic.net, technorati 

With the old rules - the only way you know someone read it was if it hit the paper.  New rules have actual trackable proof of consumers.  You dictate the content the consumer reads rather then being media dictated. 

You don’t have to bed the media to write about you - the media finds the cool things going on.  If you publish interesting consumer information - they will find you.  Use a press release distribution service (marketwire, business wire, etc.)

Simultaneously publish the news release to your own site.  After 28 days it is no longer indexed to the distribution sites.  Keywords with links to landing pages.  Point/anchor those keywords to your site - backdoor search engine marketing. 

Develop an editorial calendar. 

On the web you are what you PUBLISH.  

Try new things - you can add content at any time.

Constantly improve - don’t try to make things perfect

Taking Questions….

How did you work with bloggers for the book? 

“Actually it was pretty cool - no author has done this before.  For a year before publishing the book I kept a running list of bloggers who I was interested in and quite literally helped me write my book.  I did a post linking to everyone on the list, thanking them, and sent them a free book.  120 of 163 I wrote to sent back for a book and 100 posted on their blog.”

Is the E-book as long as the physical book

“The E-book is about 23 pages vs. the actual book is over 200 pages”

20 press releases a month? How you afford doing that?

“In some cases it’s a company who has a budget, in other cases there are free distribution companies.  Either way you can get your news out there.”

Is there a difference between how well the release will be picked up depending on the service you use (paid or free)?

“Google picks them all up - it may differ with the niche industry portals.  So you kinda get what you pay for, but getting it out there is better then nothing.”

If I do a bunch of news releases, is it going to be like spamming the market?

“I have never once in 5 years written about an unsolicited spam release sent to me.  But I go out to look for those I’m interested in directly.  Reporters will go out and find what they want.  i got a call from a big reporter doing a cover story on viral marketing who found me through google - how cool is it I don’t have to pitch for that sorta stuff.”

How do you now incorporate myspace and facebook?

“Raise your hand if you’re on facebook. (about half the room) That’s the biggest number I’ve seen yet.  Every time I ask that question it gets bigger.  Facebook has taken off like crazy.  So I did a blog post recently…Forester misleads professionals by confusing advertising with marketing.  Forester is saying facebook is a good advertising tool, but it’s really a cool way to market through groups etc.”

*note I don’t have time for serious editing before posting and moving to the next room*

PCB2 - Session 2 - Not so interesting

I won’t say where I am (find me if you want) but this speaker is really boring and people are walking out.  =(  However I’ve found a nice desk to sit my computer nicely placed next to a plug - so i’m going to call this home for at least the next 30 minutes. 

As Chris Penn said in the unkeynote - “the most interesting presentations and conversations happen in the hallway”. 

PCB2 - Session 1  Building Your Personal Brand - Mitch Joel

(I apologize if this comes across choppy)

Well the first session I’ve chosen to attend. 

Mitch Joel starts the presentation by having everyone stand up and scream at the top of our lungs.  (We’re a loud bunch of crazies).  

Three Stages

1. Internal Conversation

What do you think when you see the apple logo?  The room shouts out - innovation, steve jobs, expensive, etc.  Not logo, or marketing plan structure.  That’s branding. 

Brand is an emotion - a feeling not a logo, marketing, advertising, etc. 

Find the Real YOU! 

Start by writing out your story - not your about page or bio.  The true story has adventure, love romance, tragedy.  Write it out and connect to it - your unique ability will pop out, although this may be depressing because you don’t have time to truly focus on your ability.  But write it out, take the story, and give it to a friend or family member.  They’ll say “oh I didn’t know that” - how true is your branding? 

When Harley Davidson went to wall street they said we sell a lifestyle not just a motor cycle.  Wall street pushed back “no just a motorcycle”. 

Harley states NO - “What we sell is the ability for a 43-year old accountant to dress in black leather, ride through small towns and have people be afraid of him”.

2.  One on One Conversation

The elevator pitch - 30 seconds or less

1.  Be able to state what you do - CLEARLY

2.  Short

3.  Roll naturally off your tongue - like you just came up with it.

4.  Memorable

Afterwards you want the person to say “let’s have lunch”, “can we talk later”.  Start the conversation.  Get them to ask you questions back. 

Start the conversation and shut up.  Joel says “Podcasters have verbal diarrhea”.  LISTEN 

It’s all about who you know - actually no - It’s all about who knows you. 

Joel challenges the audience to attend 3 networking events in the next couple of days. 

“Would you like to sit next to you at dinner?”  - would you want to listen to your own podcast? 

Mentor - everyone needs a coach.  The community can be your mentor.

3.  One to Many Conversation

Being connected is everything - “being disconnected is the social equivalent of living in a cave and wiping your butt with a rock”.  Social Media is an interactive community environment - you want to find people like you. 

“Your brand isn’t what you say it is, it’s what google says it is.”  That’s the reality of it - if you like it or not. 

Build your channels. 

Six points of separation

!.  Establish yourself as an expert.  Get known - make it happen, be seen and known as a leader

2.  Be known as an innovator

3.  Separate yourself from the competition - don’t get stuck in the margin sucking maggots

4.  Gain professional stature

5.  Build your image

6.  What is your name tag going to say? 

The rules have not changed - make friends, play nice, take a bath and do your homework. 

WooT - THE END *lots of claps*

Sitting down waiting for the un-keynote, sipping on my tasty starbucks chai latte.  Scott Monty is on stage doing simpsons voice-overs and stumblied on Chrriiiissss Brogan’s name (too cute).  Considering 1300+ people signed up for podcamp, I’d guess about 300 are now in the room, so that leaves 1000 drunkurds stumbling lost through the streets of Boston. 

Chris Brogan and Chris Penn getting up to kick off the show.  Tags have been labled as podcamp, podcampboston, pcb2 - for you flickr and other content sharing friends. 

Announcements:  Room 204 is 207 wait no 206a - or something;  VON is now FREE to podcampers with a name tag - I wonder if I can steal a few of those and sell them on craigslist. 

Ok so it’s time get this puppy on the road.  WooHoo!!