Our third digital press conference took place on July 15, 2008 and it was a smashing success. Dozens of bloggers, podcasters and Internet radio DJs dropped in to hang out, eat, and drink with over 20 artists. Radio stations were set up and streaming live from the Blog Talk Radio and on Bumpskey Internet Radio and artists lined up in the hallways to be interviewed on tape and on camera by new media makers posted around the apartment.
Special Thanks To Our Sponsors:
Reverb Nation
Rive Video Promotion
Rock Ridge Music
New Media Makers & Friends Who Attended & Interviewed Artists At The Event:
The Amsterdam News
Blog Talk Radio – On The Road With John & Rick
Both Sides Of The Surface Podcast
Bumpsky Internet Radio
Digital Freedom Campaign
Friggin Fabulous Radio
The Gigometer
Hit Records Nightlife Video Show
Mikeypod Podcast
New York Sun Podcast
Ning.com
Queens Artists Podcasts
Radio Crystal Blue
Rubyfruit Radio Podcast
I asked the staff and the summer ‘08 interns to each write a synopsis of their impressions of the DPC and here is what they said:
Christina & Ariel
Our 3rd annual Digital Press Conference turned out to be a HIT! With artists and tons of social media continuing to bustle into the doors all afternoon and into the evening in a stead stream. Everyone was greeted with drinks (note to self: buy more beer next year) and appetizers and all wore big SMILING faces. Rive Video had their cameras set up and all ready to go with artists in out for interviews till after 9 PM. We had the wonderful Eddie Muentes as the host of Rive’s tapings and he kept the energy through the roof throughout the night. Artists were able to go through a circuit of about 6-7 interviewers each. First stop for most of the artists were On the Road with Rick and John LIVE . John and Rick interviewed everyone and broadcasted live onto Blog Talk Radio. Bumpskey Internet Radio also phoned in and stayed on the line for almost five hours (he would have talked all night but his cable dropped out) interviewing most of the artists in attendance.
All artists also had the pleasure of interviewing with Friggin; Fabulous Radio host Nick Ciavatta. Nick also interviewed Rock Ridge Music artist Lauren Ianuzzi. The sultry singer made her rounds in the circuit of interviews. Lou with Reverb Nation beamed with happiness and walked around greeting everyone and Lou thanks for being a great sport about the lack of wifi in the main room.
Dan Herman with Radio Crystal Blue was stationed in the Kitchen recording his interviews and he also got the privilege of recordig some live impromptu jams from the artists who brought their guitars along.
Rubyfruit Radio, and MikeyPod Podcast, had pole position in front of the air conditioner and they interviewed a steady stream of artists in between station ID takes with Eddie.
Stefan and Scott from our team were also on hand to interview artists on camera (watch for testimonials coming to the site soon).
Artists were able to connect with social media face to face in a special way that makes us proud to do our jobs and it was extra special for us because we got to meet some people who only exsist for us virtually.
We are looking forward to Digital Press Conference edition 4 at CMJ 2008!
Sara
Ariel Publicity’s Digital Press Conference on July 15th was an event no one should have missed out on. The combination of Ariel Publicity, Rive Video Promotions, Rock Ridge Music, and Reverb Nation proved to be a great success.
I had the opportunity to attend and work this event due to the fact that I am one of Ariel’s interns. As if being an intern for Ariel isn’t amazing enough, being at the Press Conference made it over the top. I had the opportunity to go around and interact with all different types of people from rockers to podcasters.
One of my favorite moments during the entire event was when I was preparing hors d’oeuvres in the kitchen. Dan from Radio Crystal Blue was doing interviews for a select few artists in the kitchen while I was there. I got to listen to Kati Mac’s interview and I felt like I was getting my own personal concert without her knowing it. She has a beautiful voice and listening to her sing while playing the guitar is something I will always think about when the Press Conference comes to mind.
If you missed out on Ariel Publicity’s Digital Press Conference this year, make sure to cancel everything to go to it next year. You would be crazy not to.
Ariel Publicity’s Digital Press Conference was a chance for musicians to connect with podcasters and bloggers face to face. In each room there were different stations set up. The musicians moved from room to room doing interviews and broadcasts with each station. If they were not at one of the stations, they were enjoying some of the appetizers and drinks while socializing with others attending the event. The Press Conference was a way to give back to musicians and podcasters and new media makers, and a chance for everyone to kick back and have some fun. Anyone that was at the event would agree.
Joanne
Ariel Publicity’s Digital Press Conference was immensely successful and demonstrated clearly how an innovative and clever approach to PR allows for stellar results within the changing music industry.
Over 20 of Ariel’s 90+ clients attended the event along with dozens of representatives from various New Media outlets–bloggers, podcasters, and internet radio DJ’s, among others. As internet-based press mediums continue to rapidly gain both popularity and credibility, artists are presented with new ways to promote themselves and their music. The Digital Press Conference gave several of the artists that Ariel Publicity represents a uniquely personal chance at interacting with many of the best people involved in New Media outlets.
The result was a marathon of networking and promotion which, based on my observation, put smiles on everyone’s faces. In fact, witnessing the enthusiasm displayed by both the press and artists was arguably the highlight of the event. Everyone involved appeared to be thoroughly thrilled the goings-on at the conference.
Additionally, the artists were given the opportunity to be interviewed by several of the New Media representatives that attended. Through the interviews, the press gained material for articles, podcasts, and blogs, while the artists gained further exposure. All in all, the Digital Press Conference was a truly fantastic occasion, having brought artists and New Media press together in an environment where they were able to truly take advantage of what each other had to offer.
Paige
The digital press conference was a great experience for me as an intern at Ariel Publicity! Despite the large guest list we managed to keep things organized and the artists all got a lot of great press. Rive Video Promotions was a great sponsor and gave all artists in attendance great press opportunities and were so generous with their time. My favorite thing about the press conference was that I felt I was really part of the team and helped to make things happen and accomplish the goal of the event. Everyone had a great time and that was amazing to see.
The artists seemed to really connect with one another and it was a great forum to establish relationships between independent musicians in the business. I also loved being able to meet everyone and put faces to the names that I see so often on emails as well as in our database. Everyone at the event was incredibly friendly as well as patient and understanding of the need for all artists to talk to the press one at a time. The guests helped to make the event run very smoothly by being so understanding. All in all I felt that it was a great event that went off without a hitch! So much hard work from Ariel, Christina as well as our sponsors went into this event and it was great to see this hard work put into action and realized.
Nicole
The Ariel’s Publicity Digital Press Conference was a huge success! Having as many artists and people of the press present in the amazing upper west side apartment was surprisingly very fun and not as chaotic as it would sound. All the musicians were great, friendly, and very grateful. The best part of the evening for me was being personally thanked by all the artists for assisting in circulating them around to the different digital media people. Knowing that my hard work was actually appreciated felt good. Another great thing about the night was actually meeting the artists face-to-face after getting to know them through their music and bios on our website. Shaking their hands and putting faces to
names was very cool. And lastly the biggest highlight of the night was when I became Rick’s co-host for three segments on his Blog Talk Radio show, On the Road with John & Rick. I would like to give a special thanks for Rive Video Productions, Reverb Nation, and Rock Ridge Music for sponsoring the event.
Keith
Imagine being in a Upper West Side penthouse where the 70’s never died, and when you entered the living room you wonder if someone murdered Kermit the Frog or if your just on an acid trip. Now imagine being in such a psychedelic place with dozens of musical artists, podcasters, internet radio stations, and writers all there for one thing, to hear, create, and promote great music.
Everything I just described to you is exactly where I was just this past Tuesday. While the Philharmonic played along in Central Park I was mingling among some of the most amazing Indie artists I’ve ever had the privilege to meet. From the soothing Soft Rock of Deni Bonet to the hard Hip Hop of Michael Lynche, these are just a few of the artists I got to meet and only the tip of the iceberg of the genres of music I got to hear.
The highlight of my evening was truly getting to know the musical artists. I’ve been working for Ariel Publicity for two months now and the only problem with Cyber Publicity is that you never actually get to see the people you are working for, and I remembered how thrilled I was when I meet Carla Lynne Hall and could finally put a face to the music I had been listening to, not to mention that she is a completely amazing person! Or receiving a t-shirt from the quirky Lena and hearing her story about the time she spent a month in prison. It was so gratifying to meet the artists and see just how happy they were with Ariel and all the work we put together for them, and it was humbling to know that what we do is appreciated and needed.
The only downside to the whole event was the heat! With over 100 people in one New York penthouse things are bound to get hot, and indeed it did. But on the upside, “God it’s hot in here!” became a perfect opener to getting to know the artists and press. That was second only to, “What the hell is up with these troll sculptures?!” which if you’ve ever been to Ariel’s parent’s apartment you’d know just what I was talking about.
All in all, I had a blast and loved getting to know the artists and finding out the most amazing things. Such as why Lena named her CD, “Thank You For Your Sex,” or why Jay Della Valle wrote a book on
mustaches. It was a night a small town Indiana boy like me will never forget, and an occasion I was so grateful to attend.
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just got back from the New Music Seminar in Chicago, where I participated as a player.
A few weeks ago I spoke at Bob Baker’s Indie Buzz Bootcamp with 5 other music industry vets: Derek Sivers, Nancy Moran, Bob Baker, Tom Jackson and John Taglieri. We all delivered same message: Make great music that is a full expression of your creative self, then go out and connect your expression to people using technology and with a little learned marketing knowledge and discipline you will earn money. John Taglieri delivered an inspiring talk about what he did to go from full time day job to full time musician
). A mastermind meeting is a place for goals and a place for action and a place where you can really focus on yourself and your career.
The Indie Maximum Exposure List is Ariel Hyatt’s manifesto on how indie musicians can realistically profit from Web 2.0 & social media.