Topspin™

Photo by Owart on Flickr

I’ll be honest with you, the difference between throwing a “meetup” and throwing a party is, when you’re throwing a party you spend money and when you’re throwing a “meetup” you trick a huge group of people into sharing the cost. Maybe it’s cheap, maybe it’s clever, but when you’re a startup and the recession is official, it’s what you do.

Which is why Topspin ain’t goin’ out like Qtrax at last year’s MIDEM and is instead hosting a “meetup” at a bar frequented by “rockers” according to our friends who know the city well. We’ll be at Bar Amstel in Cannes, France on January 17th from 7-10pm, and already have confirmed attendance from a veritable who’s who of digital media, a group of people who can (for the most part, thankfully) afford to buy their own drinks, even with today’s exchange rate. If you can come, please RSVP on Facebook so we can get an accurate count, and alert you with any changes.

So if you’re attending MidemNet this year, your attendance is required at Bar Amstel at 7pm on the 17th. The place isn’t huge and they don’t (yet) know we’re coming (despite multiple phone calls and messages in broken French by Mr. Steve Patch), so don’t be late. Dust off that mullet wig (or hurry up and grow/cut a mullet) and come on down.

Oh and if you’re attending the conference, you can come see us showcase a bit of Topspin at the panel, Connecting artists & fans - A showcase of services or spend some special 1:1 time with me in Sunday’s mentoring sessions (I promise to try to refrain from El Duce references).

See you there,
ian c rogers
Topspin

ps - don’t forget our CES meetup is Wednesday night in Vegas, and we are representing on a panel at both CES and the Billboard Digital Media Live conference. see you next week!

I promise we build software between all these meet-ups.

This Thursday we’ll be doing our somewhat regular gig at Bar Chloe (1449 Second St., Santa Monica, CA 90401), but with a special guest appearance by our good friend Ian Hogarth of Songkick (all the way from London, and in dire need of rocket fuel).

Travis Keller (Buddyhead and photographer of the picture above) We will be kickin the jams as usual, and the discussions on music and technology (ask Ian H. about his machine learning background or his obsession with Dizzee Rascal) will flow like wine. Come on out!

Update: Travis is ditching us for Oasis, so we’re ditching Bar Chloe to party on our own turf. We’re moving the meet-up to our offices, spinning our own tracks, playing some Rock Band 2, and maybe even jamming on real instruments. Want the details? RSVP below via Facebook to get the update.

Topspin Offices
December 4th
8:00 PM

RSVP Here

If you’re attending CES this year, please join us Weds Jan 7th, 2009, 8pm at the new restaurant our friend Craig Gilbert just helped open called T&T (Tacos and Tequila) at The Luxor. RSVP YES right now, here, on Facebook. We’re a startup so its not a free food/open bar sort of party but there will be a room full of like-minded people eating, drinking, chatting, and collectively wishing we were anywhere but Las Vegas, Nevada. Come spend the evening with us.

Also, come heckle me as I join in two panel discussions:

• Music 2.0, as part of Billboard’s Digital Media Live
• Technology and Independent Musicians, as part of CES proper

I’ve got my $135 room at the Luxor booked and ready to rock. Let’s do this. See you there.

ian c rogers
Topspin

Flickr foto by awcole72

For some reason we have had many a public social gathering in LA (and even NYC and London) but rarely in SF. This Tuesday, the corrective measures begin. We’ll be at Cassanova, 527 Valencia in San Francisco’s Mission District from 8:30 until we can’t stand up Tuesday night, November 18th.

Join us at a club to which we have no affiliation and who has no idea we’re coming. Lets descend upon them en masse and exchange money for bottles. And if you’re so inclined, there will be dancing, and you can dance like no one is looking. No RSVP needed, come on by and introduce yourself.

See you there.

ian c rogers
Topspin

Not just any bar, THE Bar. We’re moving our weekly meetup at Bar Chloe in Santa Monica to The Bar (5851 Sunset Blvd) this Wednesday at 9:30 pm. Just like at Bar Chloe, Travis Keller (Buddyhead) will be spinning some tunes and others from music and tech industries will be joining us for drinks and discussion. Will you be one of them?