Gracenote is here at the MUSEXPO conference in Hollywood today, which bills itself as the “United Nations of Music & Media”. So far, it does not disappoint. Created by passionate music fans, the event brings together hundreds of music executives and companies, 32 artists from 14 countries, and delegates from three dozen countries on five continents.
Gracenote founder and CTO, Ty Roberts, kicked off the conference this morning on an impressive keynote panel along with folks from EA, Coco-Cola and Troy Carter, Founder, Chairman & CEO of Atom Factory, which acts as the Worldwide manager for Lady Gaga. Moderating was Nic Harcourt, President of SamLuna Media & Music Supervisor in Residence for MTV.
With all these heavy hitters doing so many innovative things in the music industry, you might have expected a lot of discussion about Cloud technology and social media. But surprisingly, the single most important thing out of this discussion was actually live concerts and touring.
According to the panelists there’s no substitute for touring, doing hundreds of shows around the globe, and getting to know the people and culture. Troy Carter added that Lady Gaga is on a two-and-a-half year tour that includes South America, India and China for the first time. Why? So that she can connect, personally, with her fans around the world.
Now, Gracenote is a technology company, so we clearly believe technology and new media is key to the music experience today. But, in Ty’s own words, it’s an important amplifier for it, but not a substitute for actually getting out on the road and creating a personal relationship with fans. What technology from Gracenote and music services such as iTunes, Pandora and Q Music Unlimited, does in a unique way is provide a channel to discover new music that you might never have heard on your own.
With that in mind, let’s revel in the fact that there are so many new and exciting advancements that have dramatically changed the way we can listen to music. (Think of how the move from the 78 to the vinyl record let fans listen longer, and how the cassette tape made music portable). Today’s technology might not be substitute for a live performance, but it might actually lead you to discovering a new artist and getting that ticket to the show as they perform their work for you.
For those in L.A., this week you can also catch Stephen White, Gracenote’s SVP of Product and Content Management, speak at Digital Hollywood on May 3 at 2:15 on “Video Anytime, Anywhere: Video Across Platforms – Television, Broadband and Mobile – understanding the Value Proposition”.
Tags: digital media, digital music, Gracenote, MUSEXPO, MUSEXPO keynote, musicians, Troy Carter, Ty Roberts
