We feel confident that you’ve never attended an event like this, so immerse yourself in the spectacle that is Sensation: The Ocean of White! This crazy water party is coming to SF and tickets just went on sale right here. They are flying off the internet shelves, so hurry up and cop some before you’re left high and dry.

30 years in the game. 16 studio albums. It’s safe to say They Might Be Giants are definitely legendary at this point. They’ll be at The Warfield this Friday, touring in support of their latest, Nanobots, with opener Moon Hooch. Click Do415 for a chance to get on the guest list and we’ll see you Friday.

This Saturday, The Dandy Warhols return to SF with a show that will surely be a testament to their greatness, as they play the classic album Thirteen Tales From Urban Bohemia IN ITS ENTIRETY!! The album is turning thirteen and we’re turning blue from holding our breath in excitement for too long. This is going to be a truly wonderful night with The Shivas opening, and you can win yourself a pair of tickets right here at Do415!

Last Friday, SF darlings Solwave headlined a fantastic show at The Independent along with The Sam Chase and Down & Outlaws. A truly wonderful night that was thankfully captured by photographer James Pawlish. Congrats, guys.

Tyler, the Creator and Earl Sweatshirt whipping the Regency Ballroom into a frenzy during their recent stop as part of Tyler’s Wolf tour. Bailey Greenwood crushing it with the pics.

Last week, Scottish trio Chvrches took the stage at The Mezzanine and delivered an electropop sermon that hit all the right notes. You can thank Bailey Greenwood for expertly capturing the beautiful evening.

This Friday, local luminaries Solwave will be headlining The Independent! As the above photo indicates, they will be joined by folk heroes The Sam Chase, as well as the Down and Outlaws! All that’s missing are the tickets, which is why we’re giving away a FREE PAIR right here!

In the buildup to this year’s SF MusicTech Summit, we had a chance to talk shop with the founder himself, Brian Zisk, and get his opinions on the things that matter most to us.

Noise Pop: First off, thanks Brian for taking the time to answer these questions, we are big fans of SF MusicTech here at Noise Pop. I wanted to get to know more about your opinions on the future of the San Francisco music industry and ask some general questions about SF MusicTech.

You hear a lot about cities like Seattle having a self sustaining music industry and Nashville in some ways as well, but what about San Francisco? First off, is our music industry in a good place right now? Are we on the up or on the way down?

Brian Zisk: I believe that it depends on how you define “music industry.” The Bay Area is the epicenter of music/technology entrepreneurship and development. From YouTube to Apple to Rdio to BandPage to Facebook to Twitter, no other region has nearly the depth of folks working to make the “music industry” a better place. With all of these companies here, locally based musicians and DJs have an advantage because of their proximity to these resources. There is a thriving live music scene, tons of promoters and some of the best festivals in the country, such as Noise Pop, Treasure Island Music Festival, Outside Lands, Hardly Strictly Bluegrass and more.

Overall, I’m not sure I’d say the music industry as a whole is in a good place. If you look at the growth of the technology side of the business however, I’d say we are certainly on the way up. There is really no better place than San Francisco to see this growth happening.

Noise Pop: I attended your last conference and was surprised to see how diverse the attendees were. There were of course, the young tech guys, but there were also the old industry experts. Who do you feel has the most to benefit from your summit? Is it the young guys working on a start up, or the more experienced, who might be able to find the newest addition to their tech team? Or maybe someone else?

Brian Zisk: Because of the width of attendees, there is really something at the Summit for everyone. There are opportunities to connect with customers, partners, press, investors, developers, musicians, potential employees and to make (or see) lifelong friends. It’s really the folks who put the most into the Summit, in terms of building these relationships, who benefit the most.

Noise Pop: At the last Summit, streaming services like Spotify, Rdio, etc, felt like the elephant in the room. Everyone wanted to duke it out over whether or not they are helping or hurting the industry. Have you been able to get a good grasp on the industry’s thoughts about streaming?

Brian Zisk: Streaming is a good thing. The many services including, Spotify, Rdio and Pandora, all allow you to listen to a steady stream of customized music almost anywhere, at almost any time. This is a huge advancement over the days of CDs, record players or the Walkman.

On the other side, it’s true that most artists make very little money from these services, and a lot of people (especially these artists) wish that they would make more. Ironically, most artists make more money from streaming and downloading than they would have under the previous system. But in most cases, they still do not make enough to sustain a career in music and it is much harder to become an outlier rich megastar such as Lady Gaga and the Rolling Stones. But for most artists (at least the adaptable ones who are business and tech savvy) the ability to reach fans directly due to the Internet, and to get paid through streaming services, more than makes up for the decline in physical sales.

I think that live video streaming will be a great source of revenue moving forward. Services like EVNTLive and Stage-It give artists the ability to make money from fans who remotely tune into their shows happening around the world. This allows artists to reach their fans directly and to be supported in their touring (by folks who can’t physically attend a concert) in a way which had never before been possible.

Noise Pop: What topic are you anticipating will be the “hot topic” at the Summit coming up on May 28th?

Brian Zisk: As always, how artists reach their fans more directly with the help of technology, will be both a “hot topic” and the overarching theme.

Noise Pop: For those of us attending the conference, what’s your best advice on ‘smoozing’ at an event like this. Is it a good old hand shake and hello that does the trick, or do you have some other strategies you use to market yourself at conferences?

Brian Zisk: Everyone has their own methods, but being friendly and accessible is one of the best. Make sure to have business cards or other small handouts, and don’t be shy. Practice your pitch, what you’re looking for and help to connect other folks; connectors always get connected. Get good rest before the show, caffeine up and be prepared for an intense day.

Noise Pop: Who is the one speaker you are most excited to hear on May 28th?

Brian Zisk: Like with musicians at any great festival, there are dozens of speakers who we are excited to hear. But what gets me even more excited than hearing speakers, is watching how everyone connects. I love when new speakers and attendees come to me and mention that they didn’t know what to expect, but that they had an awesome time, made great connections and did deals. And when I see conference attendees doing great things later on, and they mention that it wouldn’t have happened without having attended the SF MusicTech Summit. That is what really floats my boat!

Noise Pop: And last but not least, I read on Digitalmusicnews.com that they consider your event “one of the conferences that matters”. Why is that? What makes you guys stand out from all the other music/tech conferences out there?

Brian Zisk: Our conference focuses on amplifying the “up and coming,” the “new and exciting.” It does not focus on inevitable areas of decline. We focus on helping our participants move forward successfully, and by setting that intent, it is much more likely to happen.

Now this is exciting news! Goldenvoice presents the inaugural First City Festival, taking place at the Monterey County Fair and Event Center on Saturday, August 24th and Sunday, August 25th! Look at those bands! Modest Mouse, check. Passion Pit, check. MGMT, Beach House, Neko Case, check check check. Not to mention there will be a FULL CARNIVAL. It should be tons of fun, and two day GA and VIP tickets go on sale Friday, May 31st at 10am, so get yourself over to FirstCityFestival.com and add another great event to what is sure to be a Summer to remember.

The all day, all ages music and food festival — taking place on Saturday, July 13th at Potrero del Sol Park — will be headlined by SF’s unstoppable garage titans Thee Oh Sees and LA electro-pop virtuosos YACHT.

They’ll be joined on two stages by some of indie music’s most exciting bands, including LA’s garage pop duo Bleached, NYC-via-SF rapper K.Flay, guitar shredder Marnie Stern, and SF synth-pop duo Painted Palms, as well as Blouse, Social Studies, Cool Ghouls, Surf Club and B. Hamilton. In addition to all that great music, some of San Francisco’s finest food trucks will be selling their tasty creations all day long.

Tickets are on sale right now, with a limited number of discount six-packs available (save $5 per ticket by grabbing six for you and your friends). VIP tickets are also available, which include access to a shaded viewing area for the main stage, drink tickets, VIP bathrooms, and a tour of Tiny Telephone Recording led by John Vanderslice.

Do415 is also giving you a chance to win a pair of tickets! 

http://do415.com/event/2013/07/13/phono-del-sol-music-and-food-festival