Dfest: Musician Andrew W.K. says marketing is vital in tough times
In addition to performances, Dfest spends time focusing on music industry
Buzz up!BY GEORGE LANG and JENNIFER CHANCELLOR
Published: July 25, 2009

TULSA — Most people attending the Eighth Annual Dfest Music Conference and Festival were there for the music wafting from nearly a dozen stages throughout downtown Tulsa in the evening. But during the day on Friday, guest lecturers focused on raising awareness about the changing economics and structure of the music business.

Before the music festival exploded in the July heat, the Dfest industry conference at the sold-out Crowne Plaza hotel in downtown Tulsa ignited passions on the business that is music — and its potential in Oklahoma.

Keynote speaker Andrew W.K., an eccentric, loud-and-fast musician who created an independent record company after recording for major labels, offered advice on powerful marketing for fledgling artists.

The singer, whose real name is Andrew Wilkes-Krier, said the majority of compact discs he receives from artists hoping to record for his company are labeled with permanent marker.

He said that it’s easy to get lost without a visual hook to catch a record executive’s attention. When he started marketing his debut disc, 2001’s "I Get Wet,” Andrew W.K. took the extreme route: he gave himself a bloody nose, and the resulting photo became his album cover.

Ultimately, the album cover was censored with a black sticker, but that was music to Andrew W.K.’s ears.

"This was my dream all along: I wanted an album cover that had to be censored,” he said. "Sure enough, a lot of people who bought the CD said they wanted to see what was behind the black sticker.”

The "do-it-yourself” motto is no longer the war cry of the underground or the punk scene or the ignored. It’s a way to survive in the dynamic music business, and it’s a mantra heard again and again by conference panelists, musicians, festival organizers, local businesses and music fans alike. Even longtime bands and headliners like the Black Crowes, Gogol Bordello and Cake have worked hard to establish themselves in a bumpy economic climate.

And, while Dfest’s biggest draw is the music being played by more than 160 acts on 11 stages throughout downtown Tulsa, the festival is often most valuable to participating bands when it gets down to business.


‘Austin is so inundated’
Ryan Hendrix, singer and guitarist for the Stillwater-based experimental guitar-pop band Colourmusic, said there are unique challenges for Oklahoma bands.
"Just in terms of connections, there’s a lot to be made at Dfest,” Hendrix said. "It’s very important for Oklahoma artists — it’s not like the East Coast, where you can tour Boston, New York and Philadelphia in a weekend. The closest we have is Austin, and Austin is so inundated.”

Colourmusic’s benefit from participating in Dfest is more tangible than most: They met their manager through the festival.

"We had a little bit of blood sucked out of us when we first started as a band,” Hendrix said. "But then we met Scott Booker here, so our connection with him started at Dfest.”

The business of music usually means working without the benefits such as health insurance.

The Music Cares Foundation, an organization partnering with the Grammy Foundation, provides a "safety net” of critical assistance to artists in need, Vice President Scott Goldman said.

"There is so much happening with the music industry, and we work hard to full the gaps, to make the picture of success complete,” Goldman said.

The organization does a lot of important work, including providing health care, counseling, treatment and other care to artists in need.

There are several other programs that the Grammy Foundation wants to establish in Oklahoma, he said. It also offers a "signature schools” grant program for high school music education excellence; "enterprise awards” to underprivileged school districts; and a recording academy, among other things.

"A cash grant of $5,000 could triple a school’s music budget,” Goldman said.

Here, teamwork at all levels is a vital part of the DIY ethos.

From emergency care to going the extra step to connect with the everyday aspects of working with a band, every step along the way is important.