First Annual FlashFwd Event

I’m on a connecting flight from Dallas to Philadelphia and trying to recap SoundCtrl’s first SXSW experience as an organization while it’s still fresh in my mind.  Looking back, it’s hard to believe we’ve been around for less than a year and we have been able to grow by leaps and bounds from Internet Week to SXSW.

Jesse and Emily with Chiddy Bang

While we waited for people to arrive at The Phoenix, it was great to finally meet all the winners after emailing them for the past couple weeks.

Jared, Jesse, Anthony, Michael, Shannon, and Jimmy

Jesse from Indaba was the first one at the venue, which is very telling of his personality on whole.  Indaba is great because it not only allows people to collaborate together from across the globe, but it also allows them access all the individual stems of songs by popular artists such as Matisyahu and Weezer to remix (and win $$$).

Next to arrive was Michael from Big Live who was the tallest guy in the room, but had the most down to earth personality of anyone I’ve met in a long time.  Big Live is innovative because they’re authentically recreating the concert experience online.  They can expose you to artists you’ve never heard of, allow you to relive a concert you went to, and connect you with other fans of your favorite artist.  They launch in spring, so be on the lookout for Big Live.

I’m extremely into the analytics space, so I had a great time talking to Shannon and Jimmy from RockDex.  It’s extremely helpful for musicians, managers, A&R reps, booking agents, and even venue talent buyers who can gain insight from analytics on anything from geographical data to what people are saying in specific tweets.  Check out their recap of the evening here.

Hype Machine rolled deep bringing along Anthony, Taylor, and Arkadiy.  Hype Machine is innovative because they have the most effective and inclusive music discovery vehicle on the web grabbing songs posted on thousands of blogs around the world.  With traditional magazines and terrestrial radio diminishing in influence, Hype Machine steps up to share new music with the world and allow the fans to determine what’s popular.

Jared from Jingle Punks was the last to arrive, but his entrance did not go unnoticed.  His eccentric personality and wild, curly hair was reminiscent of Wayne Coyne from Flaming Lips…he even wore a vintage three-piece and had an alien-looking mascot with him, which only intensified the comparison.  Jingle Punks is a licensing company that allows indie artists to pre-clear their music for placement in movies, commercials, and TV shows.  In an age where album sales are down, artists need to depend on alternative revenues such as synch licenses, so JP fills a void that allows indie artists a shot at placements in legit media.

Once we got the show rolling around 7:30, Jesse Kirshbaum addressed the audience and then rolled the introductory video that Tiffany Hardin masterfully put together (view below).

Then we gave the stage to our sponsors.  Pepsico presented a video with LL Cool J talking about their joint venture called Boomdizzle.  Paul Farkas from Dot Music spoke about their initiative to create .music as a gTLD (that’s general Top-Level-Domain for all the non-techy folks out there)…davidchaitt.music has a nice ring to it.  Then Eventbrite hit the stage and addressed the fact that their service fees are only 99 CENTS, which is A LOT cheaper than Ticketmaster.

All in all, I think the event went extremely well.  The award ceremony was short and sweet.

Michael from Big Live accepting his award

Everyone had plenty of time to chat, network, talk shop, and relax over a few drinks.

As an added bonus, Jesse booked up-and-comers 2AM Club and Chiddy Bang (who were recently signed to EMI) to perform abbreviated sets to end the night.  Jingle Guy had a great time too posing in pics with everyone and dancing on stage for Chiddy’s set.

Chiddy Bang with Jingle Guy, Jared (Jingle Punks), and Vanessa (Green Owl Records)

I would like to go out of my way to thank rockstar board members Emily Gannett and Tiffany for all their extra effort in making sure this event went smoothly and for dealing with all of us guys.  And a huge shout out to Emily’s sister Erica for taking such amazing pics all night (check out the rest of the pics here).

Emily, Jesse, Tiffany

More importantly, I’d like to thank our sponsors Pepsico, Dot Music, and Eventbrite once again for the resources and creative freedom to throw an awesome event to showcase our Flashfwd winners.

SoundCtrl board with FlashFwd Winners and Sponsors

Our first FlashFwd is over, but something tells me it isn’t the last.  All I know is that I’m tired and ready for bed.