By Brent Hopkins
Daily Bruin Senior Staff
Securing a recording contract is no easy task. For every hot new
band that snags one, there’s 10 that will never get a
chance.
That’s where AngelCiti comes in.
“We’re looking to be a channel from the cutting edge
independent artists to the music industry,” said Adam
Zoblotsky, president of the newly formed music showcase.
Everyone’s heard the story about that little, unsigned
band who slaves away playing every dingy bar and bad house party in
the hopes that some generous record executive will grace them with
a deal. AngelCiti Music Market hopes to speed that process up a
bit.
The Music Market was envisioned along the lines of other large
music festivals like South By Southwest and the Emerging Artists
and Talent Festival in Las Vegas. In these huge gatherings, scores
of bands turn out to publicize themselves in both convention-style
format and through concerts. By doing so, they are able to sell
themselves to both industry personnel and fans in attendance.
For Jonathan Grossman, guitarist and singer of Dogwood Moon, one
of the 180 bands participating in AngelCiti, selling an image is a
crucial part of getting ahead in the music world.
“Dogwood Moon is just a product that needs to be marketed
and sold to people, just like Coke or Pepsi or a Honda
Civic,” Grossman said in a phone interview. “You or I
don’t know that the Volkswagen is a better car, but we know
that we love the ad. It’s all about the promotion.”
Most of this promotion will be going on today at the Hollywood
Roosevelt Hotel from noon until 5 p.m.
All 180 acts will be out in full force, trying to get an edge in
introducing their music. Some bands are taking the traditional
route.
“I’m going to be handing out thousands of postcards
and selling our records,” said Pat Walton, guitarist of local
rock trio The Syrups.
Dogwood Moon, on the other hand, will be featuring provocative
posters of bassist Laurie Gunning posing nude behind a sign that
reads “Been Mooned?” This aggressive marketing approach
is one that the band has honed at other similar festivals, such as
the Folk Alliance. Eye-grabbing spectacles are necessary to stand
out from the rest of the pack.
“It’s like guerrilla warfare, because there are all
these bands vying for the attention of record execs, booking agents
and DJs,” Grossman said. “It’s all about trying
to market yourself and make yourself as visible as
possible.”
Both Walton and Grossman pointed out that AngelCiti is
especially competitive, given its location and length. Where other
festivals are located further from the record industry centers and
last multiple days, AngelCiti is right at music’s epicenter,
and has only one hectic day of convention.
“The competition is so stiff here, everyone comes from all
over the world,” Walton said.
While the relatively short day of marketing makes for an
intensely focused promotional blitz, the five nights of music,
spread out at a variety of local clubs, allow bands more time to
fully profile themselves.
“It’s more competitive, because there’s only
one day to show yourself, although there are five nights of
music,” Grossman said.
Zoblotsky explained that while the event is designed primarily
to aid artists in securing recording contracts, AngelCiti goes
beyond just product delivery. In addition to the convention, bands
are also able to attend seminars from industry personnel on
contract negotiations, artist development and other tools that they
will need in their hunt to obtain a record deal.
“It’s an educational process for everyone,” he
said.
The participants encompass a wide sampling of musical genres,
from Latin pop to alternative rock. They hail from 24 different
cities in all, traveling from as far away as New York and as close
as Hollywood. The one thing they have in common: an intense desire
to make it big.
Zoblotsky is quick to highlight the breakout potential of the
performers. Though they haven’t hit it big yet, this festival
may be the chance to catch these bands before they catch on.
“It’s like when you see an independent film before
it breaks big, you feel special. It’s the same thing with
music. A lot of people like to say “˜I saw these guys when
“¦’ Give them a couple years, and I guarantee that they
will be playing those big arenas.”
MUSIC: AngelCiti Music Market will be held from noon to 5 p.m.
today at the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel, with concerts being
conducted at various venues until May 25. Admission is $5, or free
for bands with independently produced CDs. For more information,
visit www.angelciti.com for
a full list of
concerts and showtimes, or call (323) 461-4248.