Our first musicians meetup started off like the gig from hell, with a big mea culpa from me. Somehow the map link got reset to the wrong location, but being musicians everybody improvised brilliantly and most of us found Wow Cafe eventually! My deepest apologies to all.
I'll be listening to banjo opera all day as penance.
Lessons Learned:
. Double check *all* event details
. Have some bright signage outside to indicate the event is *HERE* as well.
Event Summary:
People got to have an extended chat while we waiting for everyone to dribble in. This wasn't a bad thing, so starting the main event at 8pm is ok.
A brief intro from everybody gave us some insight into where we all came from and where we're trying to go. [Takeaway: self intros then nominate the next person seems to be most efficient]
A very diverse group of musical influences and practices.
We had an interesting square table discussion (thanks Mattias for the suggestion), then broke up for free form chat.
The main discussion was really interesting and covered a few areas:
. Going indy vs getting shafted by a "record deal" that requires signing your soul over to the devil
. Developing an independent identity aka personal brand that is genuine and authentic
. Connecting with "true fans" who resonate with you - which might not necessarily be just about your music. People want a connection to something, and music in some ways is just a vehicle for that.
. Product development challenges - design, packaging, merchandising, connecting with target markets
. Music only events vs mixed media experiences using music as a core element
Some discussion links:
. DistroKid music distribution platform https://distrokid.com/plan/
. Steve Gardner's Miz Sally’s Yellow Cat Song Book & Dementia Drawings https://vimeo.com/189419227
. Hiroshi Mehata's Audio Visual Noum project http://www.mehatasentimentallegend.com/about
. http://www.bulletproofmusician.com/how-many-of-our-mistakes-do-audiences-and-other-musicians-actually-hear/
. Why Do People Sing - Music in Human Evolution https://joseph-jordania.selz.com/item/5674e67a6edca00e788f798f
Attendee links
. https://www.canvas.co.com/creatives/kumiko-mouri (singer/artist)
. https://www.canvas.co.com/creatives/derek-lee (great educational drum app!)
. https://www.facebook.com/sou.hatori (Drummer)
. https://www.canvas.co.com/creatives/odding-wang (electronic/various)
. https://www.canvas.co.com/creatives/robert-moreau (mandolin)
. http://www.ramblingsteve.info/
. https://www.canvas.co.com/creatives/bill-tribble
. https://www.canvas.co.com/creatives/fernando-gros
. https://www.canvas.co.com/creatives/mattias-husser (Death to synchro buttons!)
. https://www.canvas.co.com/creatives/mauro-arrighi (also does videos, looking for work connections)
. https://www.canvas.co.com/creatives/paul-cohen
. https://www.canvas.co.com/creatives/hiroshi-mehata
. https://www.canvas.co.com/creatives/junta-mitsugi
. http://binnskinni.com/ (Rob De Guzman)
Please let me know if I missed anyone and I'll add you in.
Thanks to Junta, Canvas, Doorkeeper, & Wow cafe for hosting.
Thanks to everyone for attending.
Finally, a shameless plug from me!
I'm working on a new product to help musicians practice better.
I'd really appreciate your feedback if you could take this short survey.
ty! https://survey.zohopublic.com/zs/GMy2Ul
Shall we do another Canvas Musician's meetup in a couple of months?
Let us know in the comments!
