I’m humbled and excited to be writing this post on the opening night of the 2013 Sundance Film Festival. Right now, nearly two hundred hopeful and talented filmmakers are lacing up their boots, aspirations and dreams and heading out into Park City in search of creative and commercial acceptance for their films.

Last year, Stacy Peralta was one of those filmmakers, headed to Utah with his film Bones Brigade: An Autobiography, perhaps to realize the Sundance Dream for the fourth time. You know the Sundance Dream, right? Make a film, get into the festival, then do an all-rights acquisition deal in your cabin after a standing ovation premiere? 

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You can now sell your music with Topspin GoDirect! Starting today, we’re going to be rolling out a bunch of new features in GoDirect — all of which help you earn money from direct sales of music.

Up First: Track Sales
Our goal was to make it as easy as possible to sell a track for $0.99.

Here’s How it Works:
1. Upload a track
2. On the Download/Sell dropdown, choose “For Money”

That’s it. Your track immediately has an offer page and is on sale for .99. Want to change the price or the sales copy? Hit the gear and adjust the price or change the product description. Want to promote that track’s on sale? Hit the promote button and send a tweet or post it to your facebook page.

Easy, right?
That’s our goal; make GoDirect the easiest tool online for growing your audience and making money. Hit us on Twitter (@topspinmedia) and share your feedback. We’ll have more news and more features for making money next week!

Wow.  Thanks sincerely for supporting artists by buying direct on Cyber Monday.  Thanks to you, Monday, November 26th, 2012 was among the biggest sales day in Topspin’s history, and 93% larger than Cyber Monday 2011.  Considering Cyber Monday sales were up about 30%, it’s incredibly encouraging to see direct-to-consumer sales out-pacing by 3x!  We’re long-time believers in direct-to-consumer as a growing retail channel and it was exciting to see this played out on the biggest online shopping day of the year.

To celebrate, we wanted to share some staff picks for our favorite holiday gifts of the year from Topspin artists.

Bones Brigade Limited Edition Signed VCJ Poster ($100)

“Great example of how a brand with an established cult following can leverage their fan-base.  And a great example of how the direct-to-consumer concept can work for film.” - Greg Ipp

“I’ve been involved with some cool projects in my career, but none is as personal as this film and all of the incredible stuff surrounding it. My first job was working at a skate shop in Overland Park, Kansas. I watched the Bones Brigade videos over and over while I assembled decks. Tony, Lance, Mike, Cab, Rodney, Tommy and of course George and Stacy were my heroes.” - Brad Barrish

How To Destroy Angels “An omen” EP + T-Shirt ($25)

“2012 has been the year that I’ve finally embraced the genius of Trent Reznor. ‘With Teeth’ by Nine Inch Nails and the Social Network soundtrack have been staples in my Spotify library, but recently, I’ve been really digging the latest How to Destroy Angels project, An omen EP.  How To Destroy Angels is Trent Reznor, Atticus Ross, Rob Sheriden and Reznor’s wife, Mariqueen Maandig, and let me tell you, it’s incredible. I’d recommend this gift to anyone that’s into any of these musicians or to someone who is trying to dig into Rock/Electronic Music. Reznor has really pioneered the sound and absolutely everyone will enjoy this.  Still not convinced? Take a peak at this video.” - Miranda Degnan

Kid Rock Silver Eagle Pendant ($300)

“I’ve been a Kid Rock apologist since my 1996 Grand Royal article on him.  Like any two people, there are a few things we don’t see eye-to-eye on but at his heart he’s a talented, hard-working, music-loving, young dad from the midwest.  On a good day I’d describe myself the same way.  I’ll wear the Kid Rock Silver Eagle pendant with pride and absolutely no irony.  They’re really cool and super limited.  Grab one for the hard-working shit-kicker on your list this year.” - Ian Rogers

Kirk Whalum, A Gospel According to Jazz Christmas Gift Pack ($199)

“Here’s a little something for the serious fan of Gospel Jazz and Memphis Soul.  Grammy Award winning Saxophonist and Composer, Kirk Whalum, is offering the ‘Gospel According To Jazz’ Christmas Gift Pack, which includes the JAMBOX by Jawbone wireless hi-fi speaker system, Grammy nominated recordings: Romance Language, a live record digitally mastered for the JAMBOX, A Christmas Message and Hymns in the Garden and (2) tickets to any of the GATJC shows.” - Wayne Leeloy

The Lumineers Daytrotter Sessions Vinyl ($20)

“If Roots and Americana are more your flavor, you can’t go wrong with a host of Holiday offers from Denver’s own, The Lumineers.  I’m especially fond of the Daytrotter Sessions Vinyl which includes a now ‘rare’ recording of newly disbanded (sad face) duo, The Civil Wars as the B Side.” - Wayne Leeloy

Reconstructed: The Best of DJ Shadow ($12)

“DJ Shadow is one of my favorite DJs and I’m always excited to see the cool ways Shadow and his awesome web maestro Michael Fiebach use Topspin. They’ve used the platform since the early days.  Reconstructed - The Best of DJ Shadow compresses 20 years of brilliance into a greatest hits of sorts - an essential!  Give the gift of digital download, no need for wrapping or shipping, to anyone on your holiday list with an email address for $12. I promise you’ll get way more energy from this record than you’ll get from spending that cash on two Starbucks Cappuccinos.” - Nicole St. Jean

Eddie Izzard, Stripped - Tout En Français ($5)

“Parlez-vous Français? Not content with selling out Madison Square Garden and conquering Wembley Arena, British comedian Eddie Izzard transcended language barriers and performed ‘Stripped’ to a packed Paris theater completely in French. “Stripped - Tout En Français” is available as a HD download, and you can gift it to someone via email.”  -Brian Moore

Joshua James Deluxe Vinyl and Shirt ($35)

“I listened to this album after I saw a glowing recommendation pop up on Twitter from Civil Wars’ manager @nateyetton. Now I can’t stop listening to it. “Doctor, Oh Doctor” and “Ghost in the Town” are stunning songs from the album. The deluxe package includes the album on white vinyl. Swell!” - Elisabeth Kines

John Fruciante Limited Edition Catalog Reissues ($34.99 each)

“A selection of John Frusciante’s solo discography has been reissued on 180-gram vinyl. This will not last forever as a product, but the music itself will IMO. Lose yourself in masterful guitar layers and mesmerizing vocals.” - Chris Carlson

Dr. Andre Rieu’s Holiday CD & DVD  ($34.99)

“Andre is all about great experiences whether live at a concert or at home in front of your TV, and Home for the Holidays is no exception. The DVD comes with chocolate candies and hot chocolate, so if you can’t be home for the holidays have Andre as your guest! There’s only one packet of hot chocolate included however, so Andre will have to bring his own.” - Nic Chang

Borgore “Bitches Love Cake” T-Shirt ($19.99)

Via YouTube: http://youtu.be/jQd5OEl1W-Q

“I like how Topspin’s Creative Services is using Youtube Video Annotations to link to his pre-order in the actual video. This is a cool showcase of how artists can drive existing traffic from YouTube to their Topspin Store.  Everything about this song, including the merch we are selling, looks disgustingly awesome.” - Jonny Young

Paul Kalkbrenner, Guten Tag, VIP Access, LTD Ed Double CD, Hoody (38€)

“Wicksteed produced the album preorder for Paul Kalkbrenner’s sixth studio album, including gated discounts for purchasers of the album’s lead single.” - Jessie Scoullar, Wicksteed Works

Interpol - Turn on the Bright Lights - 10th Anniversary Edition Double LP/DVD ($29.98)

Turn on the Bright Lights was one of my favorite albums in 2002. 10 years later, it still remains one of my favorite albums of all time. Needless to say, I was so excited to hear that the band would be releasing a remastered version with bonus material. This isn’t just a gift that I would be psyched to find under the tree, it’s also the perfect gift to give to someone who hasn’t been introduced to Interpol yet. In fact, I think I’ll get a Double LP/DVD bundle for my 1 1/2 year old nephew. Dear, Logan - Merry Christmas. Please meet Interpol. Signed, Santa. - Steph Lo

Matisyahu - Happy Hanukkah T-shirt ($18)

I love him because he keeps it real.  His lyrics are inspiring and relateable.  I really appreciate any artist who can tell a story with such passion and believabilty that their words just suck you in..  when i listen to his albums its like reading a great book.  When it’s over you long to hear/read it again.  Not to mention he is amazing live in concert!  He really adds dimesion to his music with his beat boxing skills.  Who woul have thunk he could beat box!  My favorite songs are youth, time of your song and one day to name a few. - Lisa Papas

Drafthouse Films - Wake In Fright Deluxe Collectors Edition ($39.99)

Drafthouse Films describes itself as “…a curated brand of provocative, visionary and artfully unusual films…”, which hits the nail on the head. These guys are some of the most innovative users we have on the platform, and it’s been a lot of fun working with them. Check out two of their classic gems, Miami Connection and The FP. - David Widaman

In early September, Topspin released a new product called GoDirect. Since then, thousands of you have signed up and taken control of your page on MTV. And a bunch of you have written in or hit me on Twitter to give us feedback, suggest features and generally ask, what else can I do? 

Today I have some good news for you. Based on your feedback, we’ve just released a ton of new features in GoDirect. We’ve rearranged the navigation, to put more direct links to the stuff you need on the left side of the app. We’ve added the ability to delete products, and we’ve given you an easy way to tweet out direct links to new songs, videos and your MTV page. 

But the coolest new feature by far is the ability to get more fans on Facebook, Twitter and email by giving away free downloads.

Here’s how it works:

1. Upload a new song or video (yes, you can upload MP3s now!)
2. Choose Facebook, Twitter or Email as the action fans have to to take in order to download.
3. Use the Theme Editor to style up a killer landing page for your download widget.
4. Promote the new song with a tweet to your followers — we’ll auto-generate a tracking link.

Want to see these steps in action in a short video?

With the recent launch of Topspin GoDirect comes an array of great artist pages. We’ve combed through hundreds of them and chosen a few below to highlight creative uses of the platform’s easy interface, providing ALL of the following:

• Get more fans with free downloads. Collect Emails, Twitter followers and Facebook Likes. The first 250 fans are FREE.
• Get more exposure with streaming audio & video players that work on Facebook, your site, blogs and all mobile devices. The first 250 plays are FREE.
• Get access to promotion across MTV. Get heard by music supervisors. Submit your video for on-air and online video rotation. Get considered for live performance series like Unplugged or Crossroads, and considered for selection for emerging artist franchises like Push (MTV), You Oughta Know (VH1), Listen Up (CMT), and First Take (Hive).

Check out all these pages with artists reaching new fans, publishing tracks and videos, replacing their bio, and uploading images for their Artists.MTV pages:

Amon Tobin

The Offspring

The Henry Millers

The Technicolors

The Mother Hips

Dangermaker

TRICIL

Otherness

Elena Faye

Vacant Windows

Topspin Creative Services can build your GoDirect page for you. Find out more here: http://labs.topspin.net/creativeservices/contact/

September 17 - Press Release

[The below is the text of my keynote from the Americana Music Conference, Nashville, TN, September 14th, 2012 - ian]

Hello. My name is Ian Rogers and I’m the CEO of a company called Topspin.  We build software to help you grow your fan base and make money.  I’ve been working with artists online since the early 90s both directly and via stints at Winamp, AOL, and Yahoo! Music.

I’m from Indiana and grew up listening to what we today call “Americana” — in my house it was just called “music” and was played by my parents alongside everything from Hendrix and Sam & Dave to Bob Seger and ZZ Top to Talking Heads and Husker Du.  Thankfully my parents schooled me in the fundamentals, from Hank Williams and Jimmy Rodgers to Townes Van Zandt and John Prine, and my love for roots american music has grown on its own.  I feel like the luckiest person on the planet to get to bring my two loves, music and technology, together professionally.  Thanks so much for listening to what I have to say.  I hope you find it interesting and useful.

Today I’d like to talk to you about:

1. Why the Internet should, can, and with your help will grow Americana’s audience
2. Why Direct to Fan is an important retail channel for Americana audiences
3. A new wave of tools coming which will deliver you exposure and distribution, not just homesteads (aka “places on the web to stick your music”)

There’s no question the Internet has disrupted the music business over the past 15 years.  Let’s be honest, there is much for the greater industry to lament as the CD has been unbundled and revenue has fallen.  But there are two key innovations the Internet has brought to music and I’d argue Americana should benefit from these innovations disproportionately, in particular much more than the “mainstream commercial country” category.

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