Caroline Hoste feat. "Amsterdam Dance Event"
How To Crack America
When it comes to breaking out from their home market, many electronic artists tend to consider the US in a very different way to rock and pop acts, for whom the huge territory represents a glittering prize of huge potential. For dance and electronic artists, however, this is often not the case. The US is widely perceived as being complex and largely indifferent to non-guitar-based acts.
It doesn’t have to be that way though, as Sten 'StoneBridge' Hallstrom reveals: “The US has become one of my main markets in recent years, and my Sirius XM show, The Flavour The Vibe has proven to be a very good way to promote music and my brand. I have toured North America for about ten years, and the fanbase is building even though I realize I still have a few years to go before I can say I've cracked it,” he says. “I think the main misconception by people outside North America is that they underestimate the size of the country. There is no national radio, even though satellite radio is growing, so you have to cover all states by touring or have local strategies. Working with an established top artist will of course help cross promote and that can be an effective short cut.”
Caroline Hoste, founder of US-based MUSIC2 management and music licensing agency, represents, several electronic acts. “We are based in North America, as are many of our artists, so breaking the local market is hugely important, as well as the fact North America is the biggest music market in the world at the moment,” she says. “I encourage European artists and managers to put the time into touring the States, which I feel is a crucial part in breaking an act over here because there are huge potential rewards. Making the most out of whatever dates are performed is key, touring to support a release and having press coverage around tour dates are the most obvious ways. The continent is huge, the distances are vast, and to make the most of an artist performing dates across the 24,709,000 square kilometers it inhabits, it only makes sense to extend the artists' performance further than the venue by writing blog posts, posting photographs and anything detailing their experiences and travels. This to me is key "glue" when tackling the behemoth of North America.”
Hoste also emphasizes that fact that electronic music is not played on most mainstream radio unlike Europe, and it is not used as much in visual media. “The cultures within the United States are varied - what works in San Antonio does not necessarily work in Chicago, unlike European countries which I find are reasonably consistent within their borders,” she adds.
Much more about this topic at the ‘How To Crack America’ panel at the ADE conference.
It doesn’t have to be that way though, as Sten 'StoneBridge' Hallstrom reveals: “The US has become one of my main markets in recent years, and my Sirius XM show, The Flavour The Vibe has proven to be a very good way to promote music and my brand. I have toured North America for about ten years, and the fanbase is building even though I realize I still have a few years to go before I can say I've cracked it,” he says. “I think the main misconception by people outside North America is that they underestimate the size of the country. There is no national radio, even though satellite radio is growing, so you have to cover all states by touring or have local strategies. Working with an established top artist will of course help cross promote and that can be an effective short cut.”
Caroline Hoste, founder of US-based MUSIC2 management and music licensing agency, represents, several electronic acts. “We are based in North America, as are many of our artists, so breaking the local market is hugely important, as well as the fact North America is the biggest music market in the world at the moment,” she says. “I encourage European artists and managers to put the time into touring the States, which I feel is a crucial part in breaking an act over here because there are huge potential rewards. Making the most out of whatever dates are performed is key, touring to support a release and having press coverage around tour dates are the most obvious ways. The continent is huge, the distances are vast, and to make the most of an artist performing dates across the 24,709,000 square kilometers it inhabits, it only makes sense to extend the artists' performance further than the venue by writing blog posts, posting photographs and anything detailing their experiences and travels. This to me is key "glue" when tackling the behemoth of North America.”Hoste also emphasizes that fact that electronic music is not played on most mainstream radio unlike Europe, and it is not used as much in visual media. “The cultures within the United States are varied - what works in San Antonio does not necessarily work in Chicago, unlike European countries which I find are reasonably consistent within their borders,” she adds.
Much more about this topic at the ‘How To Crack America’ panel at the ADE conference.
posted by Lisa Libutti at
8:41 AM
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