CMJ Gets Down(town) To Business

We all know that the recorded album is dying. We’re all learning that live music is the next best revenue stream. Given that insight, the CMJ (College Media Journal) Music Marathon couldn’t have returned to New York City at a better time.

Expect a sea of asymetrical haircuts and undersized t-shirts to flood downtown this week. The annual Music Marathon begins tomorrow and will showcase more than 1,000 indie bands at over 50 venues in Brooklyn, Manhattan and Hoboken, NJ.

The New York Times reports:

The marathon also includes dozens of panels on topics ranging from environmentally conscious touring to the legal ramifications of user-generated content to “the state of the hip-hop address.”…The panels, previously held at Lincoln Center, have moved to several sites at New York University and the Puck Building in SoHo; the screenings are mostly at the IFC Center and Tribeca Cinemas.

Venues sell individual tickets to shows. However, CMJ attendees can purchase $495 badges that allow unlimited entry to events. The NYT reports an estimated 11,000 badge holders this week. That’s a ten percent increase from last year’s marathon.

The New York Times continues:

Though it once had a reputation as an event to make or break major deals, now CMJ is more about networking and building awareness and community, said Adam Shore, the general manager of Vice Records. “Whereas maybe the focus before was to get record labels to notice you, now it’s to get management and booking agents and other areas” like television licensing and marketing ventures, he said.

("Building awareness and community" is a subtle way of saying trying to make it in the industry.)

Many independent labels have become increasingly involved with their bands’ merchandising and touring revenues. Two weeks ago, I spoke with Michael Dutcher, GM/COO, for Dim Mak Records in Hollywood. He said sync licensing – when a song becomes affiliated with another media production, such as commercials or television shows – has become an increasingly popular venture for independent labels.

“We have bands whose sync revenue has far outweighed touring and merchandising,” Dutcher said.

The CMJ Music Marathon seems the perfect opportunity for indie bands to experiment with these new revenue streams. If a band can attract the attention of a booking agent at CMJ, then odds are shows, and dollars, will follow. It’s almost as though bands come for business under the guise of performing for pleasure. So, be kind to those indie kids wandering around the Village (Yes, there’s more than usual) this week. Regardless whether or not they’re aware, they’re here to advance their careers, kind of like you.