Cities are reconnecting the dots and getting back to supporting music as part of community and technology.

So any readers of this blog know full well that I don't think we're doing enough to support USMadeMusic and the over simplification of it down to only being a service is a disservice to artists, music companies and our economy.  

Now I have to say that I'm please to blog about two cities that are turning their backs on the music is dead myth (hint VC and various leaders Local/State/Fed in Washington think it is)  and embracing what I and many others have been saying: Namely, Music and Technology are birds of a feather and now there's two more conferences with them together.  (sorry couldn't resist)

So who are the cities and what's the conferences?

The 1st one that came across my radar was one happening in San Jose aka Silicon Valley and it's called C2SV here's the Facebook link

And, for the looks of it this conference is going to be a very good mix of music and Tech and certainly an indication to other want-to-be tech capitals that they need to step up their inclusion of music and what it thinks makes up the economy.

C2SV is Silicon Valley’s showcase for technology and music. We're activating #dwntwnSJ for four days in September — more than a dozen venues, 70+ performers and a gathering of some of the smartest people in technology.

The other recent addition to the whole music and tech thingy is Boston and it's Boston TechJam
which is described as:  

"the block party for Boston-area companies, entrepreneurs, venture capitalists, and students taking place on Thursday, October 3, today announced finalists for its live "Startup Pitch Heard 'Round the World" contest for startups, entrepreneurs, and student teams to test their company pitches and ideas. >>>"The bands picked for the first annual Boston TechJam are tight, diverse and are going to rock the Innovation District like never before. The level of musical talent working within the innovation economy here in Boston is unparalleled and I'm honored to be a part of showcasing it to the greater Boston community. All the bands performing have at least one member working at a local tech company," said Ben Maitland-Lewis, CEO, Presskit.to and Music Director for the Boston TechJam. "Narrowing the selection to just five live acts was extremely difficult based on the amount of submissions we got, but it illustrated how rockin' the Boston tech scene really is and I look forward to many more TechJams to come!"   Click for more info.

So adding San Jose, Boston to Toronto and of course Austin - some of us are old enough to have gone to SXSW when tech was the afterthought instead of music gotta love that wheel of karma, shows me that we are now after almost two decades starting to get a handle on what is the cart and what is the horse when it comes to TechTainment.   Which of course readers of this blog will rightfully concluded that I believe it's the music first and then the shinny new technology.

BTW I love how both of these events are focused on the independent artists (Buy Indie Support Locals ) that are part of the community and it shows that being on a Major Record labels is not the end all be all theres life yet in music.

PS.   An announcement will be forth coming about a mini DCTECHTAIMENT event.

Music increases US GDP and some still debating if it's a viable industry?

Gotta give a huge shout out to Glenn Peoples and  +Billboard for putting out this article about something that I've been saying for years.  Music has value. 

To me music has always been the why not the how.  Something along the lines being the medium.. well without the intent to communicate there is no need for a medium.  And! it now seems that the  U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA) agrees with me on this and decided to give the US Gross Domestic Product a 3% boost and a HUGE win for those of us in the music world. 


Or in Glenn's words 

"TAKEAWAY: The music industry has always punched above it's weight in profile, but didn't always have the influence that matters. this GDP shift could help fix that disconnect. 

According to Bloomberg's Peter Coy   this rise of the Intangible economy is for real and a couple of quotes from his article got my attention: 

"The effect of the revision will be immediate. Measured GDP will get a one-time boost of about 2.7 percent when the government starts counting R&D and artistic creation as investments. (New Mexico and Maryland will get the biggest lifts.) The future growth rate will probably be fractionally higher, too. With R&D treated as an investment, measured economic growth from 1959 to 2007 would have been 3.39 percent annually instead of 3.32 percent, the BEA estimates." 

 "If all forms of intangible investment were officially recorded, they would exceed investment in bricks, mortar, and machines, according to estimates by economists Carol Corrado of the Conference Board and Charles Hulten of the University of Maryland."   Link 

The Rise of the Intangible Economy: U.S. GDP Counts R&D, Artistic Creation

It also seems that the Secretary Pritzker, from the Commerce Department is getting in on the act too by touring Music making facility and promoting USMADEMUSIC  on the Sec's blog.  which also points this fact out. 
"In fact, entertainment, literary and artistic originals contributed $74 billion to the U.S. economy last year, according to the Department of Commerce’s Bureau of Economic Analysis."








So will these new “intellectual property products.” ( which is a now how cost of new music and other artistic endeavors are to be categorized) bring in the investors that are seeking sustainable returns like the double digits one I' recently blogged about as well as those that want to be part of something more. IMHO music has always been more than most of us can put a handle on and this new way of our economist looking at it helps others start to see the more too.

Terrance and I Capital Hill~ Grammy On the Hill 2013