Taylor’s Forbes #under30Summit Q&A

Chrissy W: Hey Taylor, welcome back to our fine city of Philadelphia! Have you heard any local music while you were here?
Taylor: I started off with music on the first night of the conference sitting in with the amazing LP. As far as philly music, I am excited to heard a bit of questlove tonight when he dj’s the #under30summit after party

Traci J: Do you see any improvement in the radio industry happening? Do you think it will ever be the type of force it used to be?
Taylor: There is more music purchased or exchanged than ever before. We do need to work to create more platforms that value content creators (to help make a sustainable future for all creators) but I think the future is bright.

Maria Clara F:Hi Taylor, i have more of a doubt than a question itself. Sometimes you and some other independent artists sound like the industry itself represents more damage than benefits to their signed cast. I definitely see your point but if going independent and articulate connected to your fans is so much better, i wonder why the artists won’t just rebel already and leave the industry behind.

Taylor: That is an interesting question. I think you have to look at any change of tide in a major industry and recognize that a movement requires extraordinary leadership to unify people, artists are told they should fear those that know more and that stops them from taking hold of their careers. I hope to see more artits willing to take hold of their career in the future (we will all benefit)

Melissa N: Have you and the band considered streaming live concertd live session with fans using online websites such as Vyrt.com?

Taylor: We have been kicking back into gear with livestreaming through our own site and livestream.com. you should join us for a stream on Nov 1st. #alivetonight go to Hanson.net. it includes live music and more

Laura D: HANSON was definitely a frontrunner when it came to digital presence in the 90s for bands (and my obsession with that turned into a career, so thank you for helping me be nerdy ). How do YOU stay on top of the trends vs the standards when it comes to digital promotions, communications, etc.? Or do you set your own?

Taylor: It is very difficult to stay on top of all social media trends..so we focus first on the content and our brand, and as new things arrise we use those tools as well as we can to surround that content and vision. You cannot chase trends.

Rebecca P: Why do you think the music industry has overlooked data or atleast qualitative data and what can they do to change that?
Taylor: The music industry does not have a history of learning from it’s mistakes or for that matter innovating from within. I think that is becuase it has not historically been veiwed as a business that people outside of entertainment would be able to invest in, but now with this more open business world that merges all creative sciences we have a better shot at making the music world a bit smarter

Suze R: How do you think the the music industries transition into the digital music age effects the songwriter?
Taylor: Songwriters need to be even more focused on knowing their business and protecting their content value.

Summer D: Taylor! When can we expect a new album and tour? Hope to see you back in New Orleans very soon
Taylor: We are focused on doing different projects (like taking the time to be at the Forbes #under30summit and you can expect a special tour next year. love new orleans!

Leonor D: This year is ending and I wonder What plans do you have to surprise your fans???

Taylor: It would not be a surprise if we told you!

Laura T: Best advice for an singer/songwriter looking to make a start in the industry? Since I started singing because of your music, figured who better to ask ps Hi from Adelaide, Australia!

Taylor: We love australia, we were just there. Advice. Start with knowing who you are as an artist. Get to know that and then get out and work. (also see the answer above regarding social media).

Brooklynn S: Do you think things like Spotify and Pandora are hurting or helping the music industry? I can see both positives and negatives. What are your thoughts?

Taylor: I think a concept is always valuable because even if you are releasing singles you still need to present a vision and a message to fans. I think of it more like being a designer and presenting a new line, or a season, it all ties together even though you have to buy one piece at a time.

Nikki S: Since starting 3CG Records, have you considered producing music for other musicians? HAve you already done this?

Taylor:   Yes producing other artists is something we are very excited to do more in the future. We have done some work as producers for outside artists, but that is one of the main focus’s for us now (between now and the next HANSON record). any artists in mind?

Ashley S: Hello Taylor do you have any new business adventures lined up?!?

Taylor: It is not a for profit business, but a non-profit venture I began earlier this year is called Food ON the MOve, which is a collaboration between food and hunger specialists in my hometown Tulsa Oklahoma, which focus’s on developing community partnership in areas designated as Food Deserts (areas without access to fresh produce of a grocery store). That is very exciting and I am hopeful it will help strengthen the dialog around hunger in my home state.

Megan P: How does Hanson continue to be successful in the music business after the many changes it’s seen over the years?

Taylor: We have amazing fans, and we always focus on putting our passion first. that does not mean every project is a hit but it means we keep the trust of those that matter most (we hope). We’ve also been very blessed.

Andre S: How does an unknown artist effectively market their music in this crazy time?

Taylor: Start with the basics. Start local with live performance. Use digital tools with focus (pick a key social media outlet that you connect with and make that your main platform). don’t try and please everyone, focus on knowing who YOU are and let others that love that come to you

Michael C: Taylor! hello front Portland- Music, merch, touring, brewing… what is your next vision?

Taylor:  HI Michael, glad that you are joining us. We have several great things in the works. I think our current vision within the music world is to begin generating more consistent content online through livestreaming and work toward some special collaborative projects with artists beyond the HANSON brand. I talked about it yesterday at the conference here #under30summit, that I believe in the concept of an ongoing flow of content from artists to keep the relationship strong.

Alex K: Have you been surprised by some of the successful business decisions you’ve been able to make thanks to the data analysis you discussed at the panel yesterday?

Taylor: Hi Alex, that is a great question. Yes the power of data in our new world is a valuable tool to empower our decisions. When you start with a mission you want to achieve that it is especially valuable to have data to back that up and help excecute it. The future is bright for the collaboration between content and great data

Julie P: Can you already tell us when we will get new music from Tinted Windows?

Taylor:  We are working on new songs now…release date TBD