The Daily Q

… just got back from St Lucia! Fantastic NOBLE ROT wine...

Thu, 10 Dec 2009 11:23:58 -0500

… just got back from St Lucia! Fantastic NOBLE ROT wine event night: ITALY … some last minute openings just came up too!

If anyone wants to attend, please email: info@thenoblerot.com … we’re featuring all ITALIAN Wines (a White, Nero D’avola, Chianti, Chianti Classico, and Amarone) and serving risotto, as well! Let me know!

GPOYW … in St. Lucia. Heading home today.

Wed, 09 Dec 2009 12:56:51 -0500

GPOYW … in St. Lucia. Heading home today.

Looks kinda dreary out there today … guess I should sleep...

Sat, 05 Dec 2009 08:50:53 -0500

Looks kinda dreary out there today … guess I should sleep a little longer.

"Art washes away from the soul the dust of everyday life."

Fri, 04 Dec 2009 22:00:29 -0500

“Art washes away from the soul the dust of everyday life.”

- -Pablo Picasso (quoting the German novelist, Berthold Auerbach, who said “Music washes away from the soul the dust of everyday life.”)

—-

So true, and so needed.

Why I gave away my company to charity - Derek Sivers

Fri, 04 Dec 2009 21:39:27 -0500

Why I gave away my company to charity - Derek Sivers:

jakelodwick:

It’s refreshing and helpful to get such a clear and original perspective on one’s personal relationship with money.

via davemorin.

Refreshing indeed. I also enjoy his about section … a good guide for living:

Me in 10 seconds:

I’m an entrepreneur. I treat work as play.
I’m usually learning how to help people.
I live by “whatever scares you, go do it”.
I have a very short time between thinking and doing.
I’m very comfortable being the leader and being on stage.
This is my favorite fable.
I’m a minimalist. The less I own, the happier I am.
I never expect anyone to help me.
I like not knowing the future and challenging myself.
I’m straight, single, and enjoying both.

GPOYW. Upstate at Blue Hill.

Wed, 02 Dec 2009 14:46:00 -0500

GPOYW.

Upstate at Blue Hill.

Spinal Tap discusses Jazz

Tue, 01 Dec 2009 16:50:08 -0500

Spinal Tap discusses Jazz

Artist Managers Must Understand Their Role Is Now Business Development

Tue, 01 Dec 2009 11:29:41 -0500

artistshousemusic:

by George Howard

I had an interesting conversation with Lauren Markow, which helped me come to terms with something I’ve been wrestling with for a while.

Like everything else in the music business, the role of the artist manager is changing. In the good old days (you know, a year or so ago), artist managers largely concerned themselves with helping the artists with whom they worked get record deals, and then - post deal - acting as a liaison between the label and the band.

This is, of course, a radical oversimplification, and certainly neither getting an artist a deal or working with a label is an easy job. However, this was, for at least the majority of artist managers, their role.

Today, for the vast majority of managers, their principal role is different. No longer should they be concerning themselves with getting their artists signed. Rather, they should concern themselves with developing and unlocking value for their bands; i.e. business development.

If, as I think you should, you view your band as something for which you must develop brand equity, it’s no longer about leveraging that brand equity into a record deal. Rather, it’s about leveraging the brand equity to create direct revenue streams, as well as strategic partnerships where you, again, create visibility (thus increasing brand equity) and revenue.

All those hours spent mailing things out to A&R people at labels, taking meetings with A&R people at labels, and, generally, thinking about A&R people at labels, and all those hours fighting with those at the label over marketing budgets, and everything else, now must be hours spent doing - for lack of a better phrase - “business development.”

This, again, brings us to the problem that has plagued the industry for far too long: most managers are completely unprepared to do business development. Most have no proper business training, and, through no fault of their own, will flail around in a market that punishes those without the requisite skills. Thus, most will fail. Some, on the other hand, will take the time to learn business fundamentals, and will change the paradigm.

Certainly, as stated above, there’s a lot of generalities in this here post; many great artist managers have long thought of their role in terms of business development (I’m thinking specifically of people like REM’s Bertis Downs, Kristin Hersh’s Billy O’Connell, Phish’s John Paluska, Dirty Dozen’s Marc Allan, and Dead Confederate’s Dawson Morris - certainly, there are many others; leave me a list in the comments). I do think, though, that most haven’t thought in these terms, and I fear that too many are still thinking in terms that revolve around getting their band signed - sort of the anti business development.

So…go on, get educated, innovate, and start building something.

Fleet Foxes - Mykonos —- One of my favorite songs, but the...

Tue, 01 Dec 2009 11:20:45 -0500

Fleet Foxes - Mykonos

—-

One of my favorite songs, but the video is a bit challenging to enjoy. I think with music videos, I often expect the images to either directly relate to the music/lyrics … or be so visually mind-blowing that it doesn’t matter. This is neither, and while I respect the problem of having limited resources for bands to even make videos and that this stop motion movie probably took a tremendous amount of effort to create … the end result is somewhat lackluster for such an incredible song and beautiful melodies. That being said, I would have no clue where to even start if I had to make a music video for myself, so I guess I should shut up. Great song and video. Enjoy!

jakelodwick: A beautiful music video for a Saturday...

Sat, 28 Nov 2009 12:50:09 -0500

jakelodwick:

A beautiful music video for a Saturday morning.

—

I think I need to post a listing somewhere that says “WILL TRADE DRUM LESSONS FOR VIDEO EDITING LESSONS” … It’s such an incredible field to work in.

Marni Rice - Immigrant Songs —- We’re super excited...

Fri, 27 Nov 2009 13:16:25 -0500

Marni Rice - Immigrant Songs

—-

We’re super excited to have Marni join us for the next NOBLE ROT event on December 10th, which will feature some incredible Italian wines. Hope to see you there.

walkwhilereading: Ella Fitzgerald performing at the New York...

Fri, 27 Nov 2009 13:08:00 -0500

walkwhilereading:

Ella Fitzgerald performing at the New York nightclub Downbeat 1948. Watching are Duke Ellington, center, and Benny Goodman in glasses behind Ellington.

photo by Herman Leonard.

Love this photo and article in the NYTIMES today. Just bought and gifted this box set. It’s some of the most exciting Ella I’ve heard in a long time.

At the White House tonight for Obama’s first State Dinner....

Tue, 24 Nov 2009 17:45:00 -0500

At the White House tonight for Obama’s first State Dinner. While I will not be seated, it’s an honor just to witness this momentous event. More to come.

GPOYW … on Essex Street (and apparently looking more and...

Wed, 18 Nov 2009 15:02:07 -0500

GPOYW … on Essex Street (and apparently looking more and more like an LES hipster every day). Photo courtesy of Michael Cirino.

"Always do sober what you said you’d do drunk. That will teach you to keep your mouth shut."

Tue, 17 Nov 2009 10:19:22 -0500

““Always do sober what you said you’d do drunk. That will teach you to keep your mouth shut.””

- Ernest Hemingway

(via kari-shma deepr)

(via whiskeyandgoatsmilk)

Some friends and I had a little oyster/truffle party this past...

Mon, 16 Nov 2009 10:33:00 -0500

Some friends and I had a little oyster/truffle party this past Saturday … a little decadent perhaps, but worth every buck & shuck.

series-of-contradictions: It was a warm and delightful November...

Mon, 16 Nov 2009 10:14:24 -0500

Mayur and Nora's fantastic spread

Mayur and his meat

A balmy November evening?

The Insiders

Thanksgiving never comes too early

Katrin and Mayur's father

From the movie, "Mayur and Me"

series-of-contradictions:

It was a warm and delightful November evening when friends and strangers brought their best selection of sides to go along with our warm host’s wonderful turkey, gravy and stuffing for what would be a delightful preview to the holiday ahead.

N&M did an amazing job as hosts last eve. Many thanks to them, and hopefully today’s leftovers do not put me back into a turkey coma!

Looking forward to Monday’s meteor shower … (via)

Mon, 16 Nov 2009 02:48:00 -0500

Looking forward to Monday’s meteor shower … (via)

nedhepburn: Midnight Juggernauts “Ending Of An Era”

Mon, 16 Nov 2009 02:29:17 -0500

nedhepburn:

Midnight Juggernauts “Ending Of An Era”

"This is what we do, humans. We tinker, and change, and endlessly imagine a more perfect future. And..."

Fri, 13 Nov 2009 23:02:22 -0500

““This is what we do, humans. We tinker, and change, and endlessly imagine a more perfect future. And at the same time, we idealize the past. So we’re trapped. Progress’s constant companion is nostalgia for the way things used to be. … The thing we forget about progress: there is no master plan. It lurches forward, in the dark, accidentally, and you’re never sure where it’s taking you. There’s no going back, whether it wants to or not.””

- Ira Glass (speaking about factory farms) from s1e6 of This American Life, the television show. (via spaceminer)