Great write up. I agree that Last.fm is a "must" platform for bands...

However, I see a similar problem you guys may have in evangelizing the importance of these new sites/tech to bands. The gist, they don't give a f@#$ about tech. What are you guys doing to overcome these challenges?

This is a similar problem that a startup like Foursquare is having to convince bars/restaurants to run promotions on the platform. These brick and mortar businesses don't often see the value of emerging tech, it's a tough sell sometimes.

Nice work guys.

Scott-
I was hoping to lead a town holler type of event in Chicago and wanted to see who started it for SF, if you can advise that would be great! Thanks buddy.
Cheers,
Ryan

Is it foolish to think you won't need knives or sales? I'd like to focusing on increasing the "virality" of our product and talk about who, what, and why on our blog. Is this a recipe for a new tone of software company or a recipe for success?

Brad- On the whole I completely agree, however, I will say that looking back on the year past is a good exercise if you do it with the attitude of, "what can we learn from 2008". I always think its a good idea to look backward for lessons and forward for opportunities.

Saurabh I love the video...I've seen these videos of Matt before and you can't help but to smile when you see it! Good work. I found your blog via Fred Wilson's mybloglog and I'm glad I did...hope to see you around the web!

Jason Fried talks about building a solid mom&pop pizza shot vs. a Pizza Hut. You can run a successful business, make a lot of money, and have a lot of fun, without "hitting the home run".

Go mom & pop startups!

Thanks for the repost my friend!

What an awesome experience! Best of luck to EventVue!

Krista- Sounds like you guys had a blast with TechStars! I'd love to hear more about it in detail. Very jealous of your experience!

Also, thanks for checking out http://ryanagraves.com, what did ya think? Hope to chat more soon, I'm @ryangraves on Twitter. Cheers.

Southern California. It's over populated and difficult to differentiate yourself...transalation the competition is tough. That is where things will be most challenging and thus most rewarding. I'm headed to SD.