Well, spring is creeping around the bend and that can only mean one thing: SXSW IS HERE!

That’s right, once again the FanMail team has made the long, arduous journey to the center of the Lone-Star State for that one of kind event that brings the best brightest minds in interactive marketing, film, and (of course) music together for ten days of learning, drinking, and fun in the gorgeous city of Austin.

Throughout the event, David, Josh, and I will be keeping you up-to-date on all the new technologies and ideas we find intriguing (not to mention all the trouble we will inevitably get ourselves into–I’m looking at you Josh–I swear, we really can’t ourselves anywhere without having a good time).

Also, if you are in Austin and have a party you’d like to invite us to or know of a show/film/panel that cannot be missed, simply tweet the details and include the #fancentric hash-tag. Oh, and speaking of Twitter, be sure to follow us, @fancentric, to get the dirty on what we are getting into as it happens.

Just a heads up that today is the last day to use the SXSW panel picker to choose which panels you might want to see. Take 2 seconds and give the FanCentric Future panel a vote: http://tinyurl.com/lec5mh

For those who missed it last year... check out the overview and the slide deck.

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On October 14th we will be joined by our client Road Runner Records in the Media & Entertainment Solutions Showcase at ExactTarget Connections 09 in Indianapolis. This is the largest direct marketing conference in the world and is a super valuable and insightful event for any direct or interactive marketer. If you are going be there, hit us up so that we can hang out.

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On October 19th, The A2IM will be presenting a Tech Day for their members prior to CMJ. We have been asked to participate on the panel discussing direct and email marketing. If you are an A2IM member and going to be in NYC for CMJ, check out this event and hit me up to hang out.

In their words:

Hosted by the A2IM New Media Committee, this Tech Day will feature presentations and question & answer sessions on the topics of Email Marketing and Direct-to-Consumer (D2C) Marketing.  It will be our 3rd such event and the two previous have been very informative and no doubt benefited the members who attended.

Following Tech Day, A2IM will host a Cocktail Party starting at 6pm and open to all members.  Last February’s pre-Digital Music Forum: East and last October’s pre-CMJ Tech Day and Cocktail Party were both great successes with over 70 attendees at each Tech Day and over 130 attendees at each Cocktail Party.

Thanks so much for those who attended our Fan-Centric Future presentation during SXSW and to Jeff Rohrs, Josh York, Josiah Kaiser, SuzAnn Brantner, Ian Rogers, Sarah McGoldrick, Jeff Kreinik and Jeremy Rosen who all contributed to helping make it a success. H

Here is the PPT slides from the event. Even without the audio from the presentation these slides tell a great story.

Saturday of SXSW, 3:00

Fan interaction is a core resource for musicians. Artists’ efforts from the studio to the stage are aimed at creating new fans and serving the overall base of support. Which services dedicated to this idea are most effective?

Moderator: Brian Zisk Creator/Owner/Exec Producer, SanFran MusicTech Summit

http://www.sxsw.com/music/talks/schedule?action=show&id=MP060519

David DeVore

Well we made it.  The FanMail team has officially arrived on the scene in Austin for SXSW.  David has been down here for a couple days already, but Josh and I just got in last night.

We took it easy yesterday evening. We got dinner at Threadgills WHQ, the site of our Fan-Centric Future event Thursday, then dropped by the PureVolume party for a little while just to say “Hi” to the city.

Josh is playing golf right-now in the charity four-ball tournement while David and I are putting the finishing touches on the last little bit of work that we need to attend to before heading out to after noon meetings (events and parties).

Be sure to check back here through-out the week for updates from all three of us. Also, follow our wanderings on our personal Twitter feeds(David, Josiah, and Josh).  After our event, we will be posting video of the presentations here.

In the mean time, here is a calender of some the music that we are tracking this week. I know, I know, our job sucks.
Anyway, I am off to register. Have fun, wish you were here (if you are, contact me and let’s get a drink).

This time next week I will be in sunny Austin, Texas at South by South-West with a couple thousand of my closest friends from independent artists to record company moguls.  I know, my life is hard, but don’t worry about me.  I put myself through such suffering for you.  Fan marketing and FRM (fan relationship management) are not spectator sports. No, sir. In order for me to keep all of you up to date, I must be relentless in my quest to find out what people all over the music industry are up to, and how successful they are. Then, and only then, can I return triumphantly to you with the secrets that I have distilled from my tireless efforts. Besides, I hear there is going to be music there too.

Anyway, while I am away, I wanted to leave you with a little food for thought. The ESPC (Email Sender & Provider Coalition) has a Best Practices Guide available on there website that is a must read for anyone in music media marketing and digital marketing in general.  In addition to the Best Practices Guide, their website is full of interesting articles and documents that are worth a good look.

So, while you are patiently waiting for the last of the cold weather to go on back north and for spring to come, why not snuggle up close to your special someone with a bottle of wine and the latest in Best Practices? Ah, it’s like a scene right out of Shakespeare.

Oh, and before I forget, if you happen to be attending SXSW, check out our lunch symposium on the Fan-Centric Future.

Yup, it is SXSW time and we are thrilled to be returning to Austin for the music industry’s biggest party. Over the past year, I have had the fortune of hanging out in Austin quite a bit. Four trips in all to work with our friends at Front Gate Tickets and C3 Presents. These visits to Austin coupled with support from my friends Jeff Rohrs and Jeff Kreinik inspired me to do something a little bit different this year. On Thursday, March 19th we will be gathering some of the most progressive direct-to-fan marketers we know to talk about the work they are doing. The event will take place at Threadgill’s World Headquarters (which is where Janis Joplin was discovered by Chet Helms, fyi) and will include lunch and drinks. The program will be dished up in three acts from 11am-2pm: Act 1 will present the”fan’s rule” philosophy. Act 2 (this is the juicy stuff) will present case studies and interviews with:

Act 3 is general discussion and questions. We will be digging in and looking at the real challenges and progress music marketers are making in Fan CRM, direct-to-fan marketing, social networking and message channels. For example, our friend Jeremy Rosen will be talking about how Roadrunner Records is driving their new label model with social networking and fan-focused marketing automation. Ian Rogers will talk about Topspin and the enormous success they are seeing by helping artists connect directly with their fans. Jeff from Front Gate Tickets will show off the tools they are building for their clients that help them understand and target live music fans and Sarah from C3 Presents will detail the work she has been doing for Stubb’s, Emo’s and the other venues they work with. To top it all off, our friend SuzAnn Brantner from William Morris Agency will be laying out the future of direct-to-fan marketing for artists and managers. Below is more information and a way to RSVP. People who RSVP will receive a final confirmation email a couple of day before the event. We hope to see you there! If you can’t make it by Threadgills on Thursday but still want to catch up follow me on twitter, send me an email (david@fanmailmarketing.com) or come by the panel “Fan Based Marketing” on Saturday 3:00pm which I will be a part of. Thanks,

David DeVore FMGM