SXSWORLD

SXSW Music Conference Speakers Include Digital Visionaries and Industry Insiders Fight, a forward-thinking digital strategy firm that helps artists implement effective online marketing strategies. "For too long, advertising agencies have Dave Allen (left) with Hugo Burnham backstage during Gang of Four tour, May 2005. Dave Allen Co-founder, Fight, Gang of Four Dave Allen took an unconventional route from his original notoriety as a founding member of Gang of Four, the seminal British post-punk outfit, to his current niche at the cutting edge of online marketing. Now based in Portland, Oregon, Allen is co-founder of been struggling with the asymmetrical online world," Allen says. "It puzzles them because they consider the web like TV, as if it has mul- tiple channels. They see the web as packed with eyeballs all wanting to see their clients' mes- sages. That is totally untrue. Getting attention online is the key. One-way controlled mes- saging is not the answer. Fight approaches this problem by working with companies, setting realistic goals and targets, then moving ahead in iterative steps to see what is working." Allen (who also blogs at pampelmoose.com order to move beyond the traditional album- release model. "Merely releasing a CD in 2010 will be a bad idea," he declares. "Big thinking is required, and unfortunately the thinking still remains small and cloistered around the old way of releasing a CD, as part of the release/ reviews/tour campaign that is still the label mindset ... Labels will argue 'Oh, but we use the web by posting videos to YouTube and get- ting MP3s to music blogs.' But that is small potatoes, I think." He concludes: "I know it's a cliché, Such strategies, Allen asserts, are needed in and fightpdx.com) feels that musicians have largely failed to take advantage of the poten- tial of social-networking media. "Having a MySpace page or Facebook fan page is not a digital strategy for musicians," he states. "All those social network tools should simply be used as part of a strong digital/online strategy." but Radiohead and Nine Inch Nails gave everyone pointers to how it can be done. Embracing those ideas is now up to musicians. If they don't start to embrace bigger thinking, then musicians will definitely not make a living from their recorded works." - Scott Schinder Dave Allen will speak as part of the "Social Networks and the Future for Musicians" panel on Wednesday, March 17. In the '80s, MTV changed music forever by providing a platform where music was fueled by the power of moving images. Then in the '90s, it pioneered the birth of reality TV. Now in the digital age, the network is positioning itself to remain relevant with a target audience who has near limitless options when it comes to consuming music and entertainment. "We embrace the way our audience con- events and helms the music integration team and 360 Initiatives, the group charged with assuring that MTV artists get exposure across the digital spectrum. "There are so many music choices out there Amy Doyle Executive VP of Music and Talent, MTV 56 SXSW ORLD / F EBRUAR Y 2010 sumes music today," Amy Doyle, MTV's Executive Vice President of Music and Talent asserts. "They're not just watching videos - they're downloading clips, discovering music through on-air programming, like The Hills, which is why we ID songs on-air and direct fans where to find more info on artists online. Our goal is to use the MTV screen that has a reach of over 88 million people to push to MTV.com where our audience can engage with music content and have a music dialog around it." In her current role as Executive VP at MTV, Doyle oversees music and program- ming, heads the talent team that books MTV that it's impossible for our audience to know everything exciting," Doyle explains. "We have the resources to curate, cherry pick and push the music we think they'll like to them by taking a cue from their behavior online." So does MTV still reign as a pop culture giant in the world of music and entertain- ment? Absolutely, Doyle affirms. "Especially given everything that happened in the last year. Just look at the MTV Movie Awards with the Eminem/Bruno moment or the Kanye West/ Taylor Swift moment from the VMAs. In fact, the 2009 VMAs were digitally the most popular of all time. Plus there's no bigger pop culture reality show on-air right now than The Jersey Shore." - Lissette Corsa Amy Doyle will deliver her "Reaching Your Audience on Their Terms" presentation on Saturday, March 20.

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