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> Date: Wed, 16 Dec 2009 16:31:04 -0800 > From: looppool@cruzio.com > To: Loopers-Delight@loopers-delight.com > Subject: The Branding of Live Looping was: looping and the public and categ....... > > AG asked about branding: > > */" @Rick - Why did you or what was the reasoning > for naming your Fest Y2K? I mean it's a cool name > and all. But, to continue branding the LL thing, would it not be better > to include the word > in the title of your Fest?" > > /*Hi AG, > > I don't know how long you've been in the community, but if you've been > on Loopers Delight for more than a > few years you probably would have noticed all the posts I made about the > > Y2K9 INTERNATIONAL LIVE LOOPING FESTIVAL > > which is the official name of the looping festival. The first of > this series of festivals was in > 2001 but I started calling it the Y2K2 LIVE LOOPING FESTIVAL in 2002 and > I believe > added the INTERNATIONAL part of the moniker in 2003 as people from other > countries started flying > in to perform from other countries. > > Next years 10th anniversary and last very large festival for me will be > called the > Y2K-X 10th ANNIVERSARY INTERNATIONAL LIVE LOOPING FESTIVAL > which is really a mouthful, but I want the nature of it (particularly > the fact that we made it to 10 years with > this festival) prominently in the first sentence of every press release. > > We decided for the website to shorten the festival name to > www.Y2Kloopfest.com for ease of memory when giving the URL > to someone but if you go to the website (have you ever been) it always > clearly states what the name of the festival > is each year. > > I have since day one, in point of fact since you mention branding, > really pushed the notion and the actual branding of Live Looping. > > I've done so, specifically, because this community of musicians that has > built up really do differ from the musicians (such as hip hop > and other eletronica forms) who use static loops in their production > and play them, pre-recorded in their performances. > > As a matter of course, I turn down artists who don't have a significant > amount of live looping in their content each year (much to the chagrin > of some artists who are dying for a gig). > > I've been a stickler for this 'branding' because it was the easiest way > in my area to sell the idea to both the press, radio, venues and the public. > > It was brand new so I had to really work hard to get that particular > branding out there. Now, I'm happy to say, it is completely accepted > where I live > (and the concept has spread to many different festivals that have > occurred around the world since I started trying to promote this notion). > > I've been successfully involved in the promotion of several different > musical movements in my long career as a professional musician > and community organizer where I live. What I've found is that a > brand has to be very simple and require the least > amount of explanation in order for it to be accepted. It's always best > whether selling a product or a notion of musical community, style or genre > to include what you are doing in your brand. Working with people with > no knowledge of something precludes you being able > to reach them within one sentence I have found. LIVE LOOPING as a > brand has worked well for me in this regard. > > That being said and done, we have a universal community and people > have different social customs and languages in their communities. > What works for me in my publicity or attempts to get this notion across > to the populace in Santa Cruz which is a very hip and sophisticated > town, musically speaking (hell, only 50,000 people and we've at various > times had Universal Audio, EMU Systems, Antares, Cycling 74, Creative > and many other innovative music companies located here) might not work, > as Gareth pointed out, in Wales where he lives. > > Having the egalitarian approach to the festival also is a notion that is > really accepted and favored where I live (close to the birthplace of the > original Hippy movement in Northern California). I"ve found, in my > travels and attempts at spreading this notion that a lot of Europeans > just don't resonate with this concept very much..............or the ones > that do seem to be in a minority from my limited experience. > > It's all good. It's good for me to do this festival in an > idiosyncratic way. It's good for Matthias to try and get his > livelooping.org and youtube live looping > sites off the ground and promote the way he wants to. It's good for > Sjaack to want a more exclusive and narrower stylistic focus for his > wonderful > Antwerp festival. Years ago, when I was more idealistic and > aggressive about spreading the Live Looping vibe, I think I completely > alienated one European promoter because I took him to task for not being > more inclusive for the really fantastic festival he produced. > I really regret that now, because I realize that one, I never wanted > to alienate a fellow comrade in this work and two, because I realized > that his > festival really galvanized the larger European live looping community > and set up , in time, all the wonderful coordinated activities that are > beginning to happen > in Belgium, Germany, Italy and the UK. > > It's all good. And quite, frankly, instead of spending so much time > talking about all of this stuff, > I would advise that everyone who feels passionately about it should get > out and produce a regional live looping concert themselves > and advertise it in WHATEVER way you want. > > The point is that we do something. As it was said in 'Field of > Dreams',. the American magical baseball movie, > "If you build it, they will come" > > So Check out the Y2K-X International Live Looping Festival. Check the > website out. Check out the many videos on youtube and remember that > Jim's touching tribute to the festival is > only one of many over the years and most of them were more thorough > single artist and shot in hi fidelity with hi fidelity sound. > > Hell, come perform at it. You'll be happy you did, I promise you. > > respectfully, Rick Walker > > ********** > ********** > Hotmail: Free, trusted and rich email service. Get it now. |