Benjamin Costantini is a conference manager at the midem music festival, an annual conference that takes place in Cannes, France where music makers, technology companies, a variety of brands and other talent come together to meet and share music and information about the industry. With many years’ experience in the Arts and technology, Benjamin got his start in music when he founded and managed the indie Spanish record label La Crème Records, a shareable CC-driven record label. He continues to manage several bands. He also founded Objectiv@rte, a company dedicated to educational research support services.

Benjamin took some time to talk to me during the festival – which I had the pleasure of attending earlier this week – about how he got involved with midem and its importance to the music industry, how artists can maximize the benefits of attending and participating in music festivals and where he sees the music world headed in the future.

Musician Coaching:

Thanks so much for taking some time to share your experience, Benjamin. How did you first get into the music business, and how did you get involved with midem?

BC:

I founded a pro-DIY record label in 2004, which happened to be identified in Spain as a grassroots movement for free culture advocacy. I’ve been managing several bands and even toured China in 2006 as a road manager. I was recruited by midem in 2011 as a conference manager.

Musician Coaching:

What is the concept behind the midem conference, and what sets it apart from other festivals and conferences throughout the world?

BC:

MIDEM is the largest global music conference and has been a must-attend event for labels, publishers, distributors and other professionals for decades. It is broadening its scope more and more to embrace the whole ecosystem of the new music business, with tech companies, start-ups and developers, brands and ad agencies, artists, managers, marketers, etc. What really sets MIDEM apart from other events is its size and how profitable it is for business, networking, learning and forecasting.

Musician Coaching:

What advice do you have for artists who wish to attend midem or industry events in general?

BC:

An artist should plan the trip well in advance to ensure a great return on investment. The best option would probably be to raise funds and perform live, get a great marketing campaign running prior to the event to raise awareness and never, never come alone. You need to know some people there to maximize connections. And if you don’t know anyone, travel with someone like your manager. Also, you need to carefully read the schedule of events, attend the conference and panels that matters to you most and jump in to connect with the speakers at the end of their talks. They love it!

Musician Coaching:

What are some of the things artists should be doing to promote themselves, get attention and build relationships before, during and after a music conference like MIDEM?

BC:

With the midem conference in particular, there is a great tool called midemconnect, an online database that enables to contact directly with other midem participants. The midem off programme is also a great opportunity to showcase your music in one of the many bars of Cannes. There are also different competitions where artists can submit their tracks for consideration such as the music pitch sessions or the midem off showcase competition, both powered by Sonicbids. And if you really want to create a buzz, bring your ukulele like Amanda Palmer did in 2011 and crash the conference!

Musician Coaching:

Are there artists or companies that you’ve noticed have been really successful at promoting themselves at the conference in past years? What would you say they did that separated them from others who did not do so well?

BC:

I wasn’t working for midem before the past couple years, but I feel that what the Pavilions do is great. Some countries are also starting to invest a lot to sponsor young talent so they can come to the festival.

Musician Coaching:

Do you have any specific guidelines for artists when approaching music industry people at conferences and festivals?

BC:

Be professional. Think of yourself as an entrepreneur first, then an artist. Don’t be ashamed to talk to people outside your network. Make sure when you get back home, you have hundreds of business cards. And schedule your time well. Set up a daily to-do list and book as many meetings as possible.

Also, remember that you no longer need to bring CDs with you. They are useless for a DIY artist at conferences. Bring your PR materials or your manager, or even your tech guy/girl. It’s worth it!

Musician Coaching:

From your vantage point, are there areas of the music business that you think are going to be more successful than others in the future? Are there any parts of the industry that really need improvement or growth?

BC:

Midem in particular is betting strongly on direct-to-fan (D2F) as a real strategy both for emerging bands and for established artists. There’s still a lot to learn, explore and invent in this field, and many labels really need to embrace this business model beyond the pure marketing dimension of D2F.

Also, you can see with SOPA for example or HADOPI in France that there is still a lot to do in the fields of copyright, rights management and the business of sharing, so that will be something to keep an eye on.

Musician Coaching:

Do you have any parting words of advice for musicians or music start-ups trying to succeed in the current industry?

BC:

If you’re a musician, you are lucky, because this is the best time ever. You will get the opportunity to record awesome tracks in professional studios and get played and reviewed by people from across the globe. Your market is the world.

If you are a music start-up, don’t pay for the rights upfront – unless your home market is Sweden.

To learn more about the work Benjamin Costantini does and check out details about the annual midem conference (and prepare for next year!), visit the official midem website. Next year’s festival is scheduled for January 26-29, 2013.

The two clips below are taken from an interview with renowned singer-songwriter, spoken-word artist, writer, comedian, publisher, actor and radio DJ Hentry Rollins.

Rollins shares  some insights about why the internet is such an essential tool for artists – at all stages in their careers – that want to develop close relationships with their fans and build a strong following:

I was able to ask my friend Howie Schnee the Co-Owner of Creative Entertainment Group and Co-Owner of Sullivan Hall and Sullivan Room in New York a few questions about what his job is like and what helps influence his decisions in booking bands into his clubs.  I have known Howie since the early 90s when Sullivan Hall was called the Lion’s Den.  He was in fact the first club owner to take a risk on a band I played with in college many years ago.

Howie has been responsible for building more acts on a local or regional level than any three people I know.  The Lion’s Den  (now Sullivan Hall) was one of the stepping stone clubs that most bands who wound up on Bonnaroo or  the H.O.R.D.E. tour played before becoming big regional or national acts.

Howie's Venue- Sulivan Hall

Musician Coaching:

How has the process of band /artist selection changed at the clubs in the last 10-15 years both for established artists and for the audition nights or slow nights when you are trying out new local talent. (online vs offline, more or less competition for slots etc…)

Howie:

It’s changed significantly. The immediacy of the web is mind-boggling. Almost all bands post samples of their music online. The old way was for bands to make initial contact over the phone and follow up with a press kit. By the time we received that press kit, details of that initial conversation were fuzzy at best. Besides music being immediate, there are many clues online that give a good idea as to whether or not a band has their act together so to speak such as having a robust website. Also, whether or not there’s some buzz and awareness about them like having a lot of Myspace plays, Facebook friends, Twitter followers for example. I’ll occasionally do random searches to see if there’s any interesting press about the act.

Musician Coaching:

How do you prefer to be approached by an unknown artist trying to get a
show at the clubs you book? (referral, cold calling, how materials should be
presented and where i.e. Sonicbids, myspace etc)

Howie:

It’s really best for bands to include links for all of their sites they have EPKs on – MySpace, Sonicbids, Reverb Nation, etc. Just depending upon the buyer’s preference of site(s) they like to review bands on. A band should state the basics that talent buyers would like to know: where they’re from, what genre(s) they consider themselves to be in, when and where they’ve played the market before and how it went. If a band has friends, family or any roots to New York City that will insure a decent draw, that’s a good thing to mention. Also, anything noteworthy that may garner attention – album release show, TV or radio appearances, notable press, etc.

Musician Coaching:

For a new band with few or no references that you can call to get a feel
for their following – how is the best way to approach you and how often so
as to be heard but not to annoy the hell out of you?

Howie:

References aren’t necessarily important, but professionalism and a good attitude go a long way. The other day I booked an out-of-town people who drew only 20 people to a show, on a Wednesday. Their manager followed up with a great email of thanks, but also noting how he felt strongly if we gave them a chance on a weekend night, he knew they could do 50 people at minimum. Then he followed that up with something to the effect of ‘I understand if you’d like to keep us to a week night and we’ll work hard to get to a weekend night eventually.’ His non-demanding positive attitude implored me to give him a weekend show despite the smaller draw. It also helped that their music was really good.

Musician Coaching:

Describe the volume of submissions you get on a daily or weekly basis for
artist who want to play shows at Sullivan Hall and what percentage of those
actually get in the door to play?

Howie:

There are three of us that book the club so it’s hard to say exactly. I’d estimate we probably get around 20-25 submissions a day on average. Unless a band’s music or attitude is really terrible, we give most bands a shot. First time in though, it may be on a Monday or Tuesday.

Musician Coaching:

What traits in a band member or manager make you feel like this is
someone who is serious about their business and makes you want to help them
build their following (both for you and the club)

Howie:

I alluded to it earlier. Positive attitude, non-demanding, carrying themselves professionally, strong work ethic all go a long way with me. That hard work ethic is essential if a band wants to take it to the next level. Nothing should be beneath them. I love walking out of a show and seeing a musician handing out hand bills or CDs or MP3 cards promoting their band. If I see that, and its 30 degrees and snowing, no matter what they sound like, I’ll book that band.

Musician Coaching:

Describe some of the frustrations you have with they way musicians
approach you for a gig and things that people should avoid saying / doing.

Howie:

One of the most frustrating things is when you book an act, and discover afterwards they have multiple gigs lined up in town, and they’ve never bothered to mention it. I can understand a band wanting to get out there and play a lot (although I don’t feel that’s the right approach), but they should mention it during the booking process. I think acts should be more focused on the quality of shows they do versus quantity.  Acts should be thinking in a reciprocal manor – not just ‘what can I get out of this?’

Let’s say your band can draw 50 people on a week night in New York. Your draw may be predominantly friends and fans at that point. Which is fine. Almost all bands start with friends and family. If your band starts booking 2 or more times per month, you’ll start to have diminishing returns. Now we book you after you’ve played a number of shows in town in a short period of time, and we put you on a good night on a good show, and almost no one comes out. You’ve benefited from the exposure but have offered nothing in return. You’ve spoiled your relationship with us. Bands should be thinking in reciprocal terms. Not only ‘what can we get out of this?’ but ‘what can we do for the club, or promoter, or the other bands on the bill for that matter?’

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Part two of my interview with Howie is available here.  You can also check out his management and marketing company Creative Entertainment Group.