eQB NOW: FMQB Triple A Conference 2010

This year’s Triple A Conference returned to Boulder, CO for another very special gathering of a community that continues to lead the league in solidarity and camaraderie. Over 225 professionals from all Triple A fields enjoyed three and a half days of wonderful music, spirited panel sessions and the extraordinary ambience that is Boulder. This week’s eQB merely taps the surface of the Boulder activities. Full session podcasts will be available in our Triple A Format room as of 4:00 p.m.EST today…and keep an eye on that ever-growing Photo Wall!

By Fred Deane

FMQB Triple A Conference 2010
The Triple A Conference 2010 was a huge success by all measures. Attendance this year was as spirited as it was numerous with over 225 attendees from all fields of the Triple A world. This very special community continues to support its moral fiber principles of engaging discussions, warm camaraderie, genre loyalty and most of all passion for music. The latter was exhibited in fine form as thirty-six artist performances were on display with the depth and diversity that Boulder hasn’t seen in many years.  Stimulating panel sessions were vibrant and thought provoking and the environment that is Boulder, CO is a rare match in August…it’s simply beautiful this time of year!

There are several lessons to be learned from this time honored event. Among them is the fact that the music and radio industries are not over as we knew them. They are alive and well, unfortunately for most other formats some basics have merely been forgotten.  Many of us came up and developed our careers in this industry on the backs of the multitude of conferences and conventions that were so readily accessible and easily attend-able each year. They afforded people in both industries the opportunities to network, share ideas, discuss issues and have fun in a business that is predicated on relationships. Budgets, economy and general company tendencies have diminished conventions in our business for most sectors of the industry, and it’s such a counterproductive phenomenon.  Younger programmers and label reps desperately need the guidance and interface ops that such gatherings present. The radio and music industries need to continue to challenge and educate each other “up close and personal,” with stimulating discussion and constructive debate.

We all need to take a few tips from our brethren in the Triple A community. Format solidarity and progress can be met with more interaction among larger groups of professionals. We need not isolate ourselves and restrict our movement and exposure to the horizontal features of our industries. Music and radio companies alike need to re-evaluate the merits, advantages and productive aspects of industry gatherings and enact change for the improved morale, disposition and education of their employees. It’s really a simple exercise that will refresh and recharge the engines and minds of employees who are bound to return to their respective markets with a renewed energy and appreciation for what they do as professionals in their fields.

FMQB Triple A Conference 2010: A Recipe For Success
By Mandy Feingold

The 2^nd Annual FMQB Triple A Conference concluded at the St. Julien Hotel & Spa in Boulder, CO on Saturday, August 14, and all of us at FMQB cannot thank the Triple A community enough for making it an extremely successful and fun event. It is truly the artists, radio stations and record labels who make the Conference possible, and it was their passion and support that brought us another great week in Boulder this year. More than 225 attendees came out to enjoy the beautiful weather and see a great roster of talent, which included performances by Alpha Rev, Bascom Hill,Blue Giant, Carney, Dawes, Delta Spirit, Donavon Frankenreiter, Dr. Dog, Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros, Everest, Gogol Bordello, Grace Potter & The Nocturnals, Guster, Iron & Wine, Isaac Russell, Josh Charles, Katie Melua, Keane, Lauren Pritchard, Malea McGuinness,Margo Valiante, Matt White, Nathaniel Rateliff, One eskimO, Robert Francis, Robert Randolph & The Family Band, Ry Cuming, Sahara Smith, Shawn Mullins, The Doobie Brothers, The Rescues, Tift Merritt, Trevor Hall Band and Truth & Salvage Co.

The grand event kicked off on Wednesday with the keynote interview session featuring Gold Village Entertainment President & Owner Danny Goldberg and FMQB CEO Fred Deane. Goldberg’s fascinating and storied career of five decades was on display as was Bumping Into Geniuses, his published music industry memoir which was released in September 2008. The two industry veterans discussed a myriad of issues including: Goldberg’s extensive and intensive career path, his most influential professional experiences, the multitude of artists he’s advised over the years, the current state of the music business, his admiration for the Triple A community, and the motivation behind his return to his greatest passion of all, artist management. 

Thursday morning began with Triple A: What Is The Format and Where Do We Find It?, moderated by Mike Henry of Paragon Media Strategies. The panelists discussed topics such as PPM vs. non-PPM markets, the controversies of programming tendencies in a PPM world, the musical diversity of the Triple A format and how it defines the sound of each station, and how Triple A maintains a sense of unity among stations on various missions with music.

The afternoon discussion was World In Changes: Breaking Artists and Building Cume in Music’s New Age, and Media Mechanics’ PaulMarszalek moderated the conversation about new business models for breaking new artists. The panel addressed the radio/label relationship, what has worked in maintaining that partnership, the challenges that changing business models have caused and how we can work to make the partnership more productive in the future. After that, some people headed to the Boulder Theater for an E-Town show taping with Ray LaMontagne & The Pariah Dogs and JJ Grey & Mofro, and later it was back to the intimate Fox Theatre for another great night of music.

 

As the gorgeous Boulder weather continued on Friday, we offered another panel called Embracing The Enemy: Maximizing New Media To Grow Listeners. The session, with moderators John Bradley andDave Rahn of SBR Creative Media, took a look at where new media is outpacing radio in reaching music aficionados and how to use its techniques to turn those people into P1s. Audio from all four of the panels can be heard on the SBR website athttp://www.sbrcreative.com/boulder2010.php, and the audio is also available on FMQB.com.

Finally in the afternoon it was time for the Pro.qb Music Meeting, hosted by KGSR‘s Mark Abuzzahab, where members of the industry and KBCO listeners had a chance to listen to and rate a sampling of new music. The results can be seen at this link:http://www.fmqb.com/Article.asp?id=1920736

The event came to a close on Saturday morning with a lovely outdoor brunch and very special performances from ALO andJack Johnson. However, before those two acts took the stage, FMQB handed out its Triple A Awards to the following distinguished winners: