2nd Annual Metal Insider Summit- 4/17/09
My day started at 6am in Syracuse, NY. Got up, showered, was in the car with some Starbucks and on the NYS Thruway by 7:38am. Exactly. Yes, I remember the exact time. Drove all the way to Woosta and parked my car in the garage next to the Hilton Garden Inn at 11:58am. Surprisingly, I was in a good mood the whole way. Probably cause I love it when I sing at the top of my lungs for hours at a time with no one hearing me…
ANYWHO… I felt a little awkward for a while because I was one of the first people there. Typical. But once the actual panel started I felt much better. To make a long story short, both panels were really informative and interesting and even though I wish they were longer, I was glad that I took the day and drove all the way there. Some highlights though…
During the first panel-Metal During A Recession- I learned:
- Metal is actually doing alright (except for maybe ticket sales, but thats all across the board really, not just metal)
- Bands are doing pretty well, records and merch aren’t having a problem selling.
- Radio is DEFINITELY in trouble. NOT GOOD.
- … but podcasts are huge.
- MySpace is really not such a bad promo tool. It gets the job done!
And my favorite: “Ozzy is pretty recession proof” -Blasko
Moving on to Panel 2- Breaking Into The Industry:
- Bands: If you want to get signed and make lots of money you have to be driven and self-motivated. No one is going to do the work for you, so suck it up.
- “Metal fans are smarter, they can sense whether or not something is real” -Mike Martin, guitarist All That Remains
- NETWORK NETWORK NETWORK. Work for what you want. Be HUNGRY
And my favorite: “‘Sellout’ has no bearing on reality” -Amy Sciarretto, Roadrunner Records
I didn’t get to do much else, I went to the show for a little bit but I had a long drive ahead so I couldn’t stay long. Overall, it was well worth the trip and I definitely learned A LOT from being there. For more about my experience, email reigninblonde@gmail.com!
-Julia
