A great discussion took place during the Digital Explosion session at the annual Arts Presenters conference. In the spirit of Wiki, attendees were asked to jot down some notes to share with those who could not attend. Radio programmer and concert producer Charles Blass of WKCR FM (NYC), Lovevolv, Inc., and Brooklyn Sugar captured three quotes:
1. "The computer is the first real world-folk instrument" -- Derek Beres, Global Beat Fusion
2. "Joe's Pub is a niche aggregator"--Bill Bragin (interesting to hear a venue directly using a tech term like this to refer to their own offline/real-live programming)
3. "The greatest threat to independent musicians is obscurity." -- Erich Ludwig, CalabashMusic.com (in reference to concerns that artists lose control of their music in the online world)
When asked what other areas Blass hopes to explore in the coming year, he responded with:
1. TV-radio-web-home entertainment center convergence
2. Venues-programming-technology-education
As usual, during the session I brought up the concept of The Long Tail and how it applies to the world music field. I continue to be surprised that the concept is still new to many. After the session, Fabian Alsultany of Globesonic Entertainment, forwarded a very intresting link to The Long Tail: Why Aggregation & Context and Not (Necessarily) Content are King in Entertainment. It's a quick but compelling read demonstrating the Long Tail shift in TV broadcasting as a case study preceding what is emerging in the music industry.
Mike Orlove of the Chicago World Music Festival sent links to some very interesting articles in advance of the session:
* Radio Ga Ga (emerging custom radio streams services)
* Keeping the Music Alive: How Will the Venerated Record Shop Survive Music's Vanishing Act?
* Still waiting: record labels long for digital to rescue dwindling sales
* Where to Download Music Legally
I still owe DubMC a post on the emerging DISCOVERY tools online and their implications for world music...
