Paul D. Miller/DJ Spooky is a NYC writer, artist and musician. He has performed in venues around the world, from Lincoln Center to Luanda, Angola to The Herod Atticus Theater at the Acropolis. Over the course of his career, Miller has collaborated with vast array of recording artists, ranging from Metallica to Chuck D; from Steve Reich to Yoko Ono. Miller’s latest book is The Book of Ice (Mark Batty Publisher) and it relates his journey into the sound of Antartica.
What is direct-to-fan?
“I think that the idea of remixing and sampling is already a direct relationship to the sounds of an artist. Getting more direct feedback, and creating a dialog about what music to present at concerts, crowd sourcing your concert playlist... things like that. That's direct-to-fan. In this case, the artist is a digital media file that is open to being remixed, transformed, re-purposed.”
What main advice would he give to an artist in today's biz?
“Always control your relationships to how people check out your social media. It's critical at this point. Your business needs to be focused on "social" capital - your relationships online mirror the value that people place in your work. Remember that.”
Why midem?
“I attend midem because it's one of the best places to catch up with what's going on with digital media, music, and "best practices" in European and global electronic music. Every time I've been to midem I come away with a rich trove of new information about almost everything relating to music in a contemporary context. It's a place where almost everything going on in techno, dubstep, hip hop, social media, and more can be seen in a high level of discourse.”
What?
Miller is the first speaker confirmed for midem 2013 ‘Artists Speak to Artists’ programme. Next January, the Direct2Fan Camp will be featuring successful artists everyday for open and lively conversations.
Discover the 2012 ‘Artists Speak to Artists’ videos here: