insidemobileroadie:

Below is a guest post by Marcato Musician CEO Darren Gallop offering helpful tips on how musicians & bands can be safe on the road:

Forget stage diving. It’s safe to say that driving from gig to gig is one of the most dangerous things most artists are required to do throughout their…

Music Nova Scotia is going back to basics. We are going to the East Coast Music Awards to be your Nova Scotia street team. Need some help getting introduced to an international delegate? Ask us. Need more people at your gig? We’ll bring them by the arm. Want more information about how to navigate the ECMAs? We have an app for that (as well as a simple grid schedule, including no-cases).

We realize that it’s hard to get your voice and music heard at festivals. So we – Scott, Lisa, Lindsay-Bea, Serge and Laura – will endeavor to be your proverbial lighthouse and guide people your way.

We’ve already begun – posters were up in Moncton on Monday, promoting Nova Scotian artists at shows throughout the ECMAs. The QR code is readily available on the poster, online, on this blog, to access Nova Scotian artist set times and locations. We are handing out laminates with the QR code on it and a list of Nova Scotian artists to all VIP delegates.

Beyond shaking hands and kissing babies on your behalf, we will be tweeting, facebooking and issuing an ECMA version of the daily newsletter while we’re in Moncton. Stay tuned for photos, reviews and news.

So how can you help us help you? Give us your drop cards/pins/stickers to hand out. Make us aware of what show is most important to you. Tell us who you want to meet and what you hope to do at the ECMAs. Allow us to be your matchmaker, your mentor, your friend and your fan. We want to make sure you get the most out of the ECMAs and we are all here to be at your service. Find us at the Delta Beausejours lobby, handing out Music Nova Scotia water bottles!

Have a great ECMA, members. xo Music Nova Scotia 

halifaxpopexplosion:

This was my second year attending South by Southwest (SXSW) in Austin, Texas and what a year it was. It felt like the festival had doubled in size from the year before and was completely bursting at the seams with showcases, parties, conference sessions and more unofficial events than one…

The Tiki Lounge: Delta Hotels and Resorts Nova Scotia Showcase

Saturday, March 24 

5:00 PM

The Rivoli

halifaxpopexplosion:

This is my first post here and what better way to start than by looking back.

History is traditionally marked by two different kinds of people: the kind that work to make history and those who take the time to document it and unfortunately for this project I am not the latter. I have never…

sched:

Insights From 5 Million Emails

Boomerang is a Gmail plugin that allows you to schedule emails to be sent later and to “boomerang” emails to come back to your inbox. It’s one of my favorite browser plugins and they recently released this infographic.

I thought one of the more interesting…

Last day..

Well, it’s 10 am, the take out cup my coffee came in is not doing a great job keeping it warm. I’ll drink it anyways; I am never too picky about the temperature. The other office employees seem to be equally in love with their potentially cold caffeine fix, typical to any other office at this time of day I’m sure, but there is something different here. Throughout the office there is a slightly melodic tinge, you have to really listen to determine where the sound is coming from, and who is playing it. After a minor amount of auditory investigation, it is indeed Laura Simpson providing the musical undertone for 5516 Spring Garden Rd.  Since her desk is less than 4 meters away, it’s not hard to pry, and she doesn’t mind divulging what exactly it is creeping out of her speakers.  Today’s choice is Quiet Parade, all songs written by the amazing Trevor Murphy. Laura and I chat for 3mins about the album, nothing out of the ordinary, typical conversation.  Back to my desk, the screen is bright and the keys are waiting for attention. 

I’m thinking a lot about it being my last day, and wondering if I should finally write something down and throw it into cyber land.  I’ve decide I will, not because I feel like I have some incredible wisdom to impart, or that it would be a particularly entertaining story, but after my 8 months here I still have not written one single tweet or blogged one single word,  and it’s time (social media blah blah blah). So, I’m reflecting, members and meeting, RFPs, reports, and registration, contracts and contacts, tickets and tweets, musicians and Molson, HPX, AFF, and IDOW, late nights, early mornings, and what I hope is a never ending love affair with Microsoft excel (or is it Google docs?).   

All of these things have been such significant parts of my life over the past 8 months, so, it should be easy to write about how important they all are, how much I’ve learned and all that. Unfortunately, all I can think about is my 3 min earlier conversation. Upon revealing  what is was Laura was listening to, we chatted, and thinking about it now I have had countless conversations like that since I’ve started working here. This is a social environment, and we talk, not only in person but also in almost all imaginable techy ways, there is constant chatter. The last 8 months have undeniably been some of the most influential and educational of my adult life, and I feel like I have developed in a million different ways, but this is not about me, this is about the conversation. I have had so many amazing conversations, in emails, elevators, early mornings, and occasionally Scott Long’s warm and welcoming office.  I guess I’m writing about this because I have such a genuine love for this place, and it’s now or never, this is my time to finally deliver a message to the members. 

Be a part of the conversation. Take advantage of the wild fire spreading chatter, this place is a platform to grow, come in and plant the seed.  Take advantage of the people around you, everyone has something to say, and every conversation is a chance to learn. This place is an incredible collaboration of minds, and not only are these people amazing thinkers, they are working for you! You have to see it to believe it, it’s all about members, and anyone who thinks any differently doesn’t understand.  Come in, take advantage, learn, and talk. 

I would love to thank all of my colleagues for all of the amazing things I’ve learned, but that wouldn’t make sense, all of my gratitude is directed at the members and the constant challenges they presents us with.  Every single person who has ever paid a membership fee, you might never understand the influence you have had on me, or on the Industry as a whole, but you have, I promise you. You are a part of the machine, now come in, and be a part of the conversation! To every single Music Nova Scotia member, I’ll see you around,  cheers!

- Grace Russell