At one time ARMA was a pin trading haven. What better way to meet a stranger than by giving them a gift of a pin as you shake their hand and learn their name? It was an effective calling card and for the more seasoned vets, a reason to seek out old friends who routinely brought the most dazzling assortment of pins that were a “must have” for your collection. If you were fortunate enough to have a coveted pin of that given year, it was all about bartering which often was a true test of negotiating skill! It never ceased to amaze me how much thought and effort attendees would invest into being prepared with their collections to display and traders to share. Iron Mountain engaged as well and brought a signature pin to many conferences.

It wasn’t unusual for an attendee to tell me that they were missing a particular year from our collection and inquire as to whether they could get one. I did quite a bit of pin mailing post Conference and was happy to share from the Iron Mountain inventory I had stashed over the years. Actually, I’ve given so many of them away, I realized in gathering them to take this picture, I don’t even have the whole collection any longer…but above are a few of my favorites.

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Now, media distribution can be a piece of cake. You just have to digitize. It might sound complicated, but don’t worry, film conversion specialists are always ready to help. When you do, there are plenty of benefits, but three stick out above all others.

1. Cost of Shipping

Sending traditional analog hard copies through the mail can get prohibitively expensive . With the U.S. Postal Service in its own fit of troubles, shipping isn’t going to get much cheaper either. When you migrate all of your media to digital copies, however, sending becomes easy. Ready to distribute? If you have a good setup in place, the next step is just the click of a button and a quick file transfer. No packaging. Not special storage. No postage required.

2. Speed of Delivery

Beyond the cumbersome nature of old fashioned snail mail, it also takes forever. When you distribute digitally, the speed of many file transfers is fast, you can essentially provide the customer with their media on demand. Whenever they want it, your service is just a few clicks away. As long as you and the customer have enough available bandwidth, even the largest files will take only minutes. It even beats next-day air shipping.

3. Security of Assets

You might not think of traditional distribution as a particularly dangerous way to send things. Overall, it’s probably not. But when you realize that there is so little backup for those hard copies, it becomes a much scarier situation. When you digitize your media, you not only ensure that backups are on hand, but you are also more in control of the situation. Instead of relying on someone else to deliver your product, you can install all the security facets that you desire for the best distribution you can provide your customers.

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Iron Mountain Entertainment Services Rocking at SXSW

Dozens of the nation’s best up-and-coming musical acts have traveled to Austin, Texas, to partake in the annual South by Southwest (SXSW) Festival — and so did Iron Mountain.

At the event, you’re just as likely to hear the next great band as you are to experiencing some of the best, cutting edge technology as the event melds the best of both worlds.

For the artists in attendance, SXSW gives them a chance to introduce themselves and their sound to potentially legions of new fans. These independent musicians form the foundation of the industry. That’s why it’s important they give the proper consideration to data archiving.

Preserving their master tapes, CDs, digital copies and other music media for the long haul isn’t likely to be their top priority in Austin this week – they’re probably more concerned about getting the word out about their work. Still, future-proofing this content is important for every musician from the Rock Gods on down to the garage band looking for its big break.

After all, it’s better to preserve music properly than have it thrown in the trunk of a car or left to collect dust in a basement. Just because you live out of a tour van doesn’t mean your work has to as well.

Many of your favorite bands that have landed commercial success almost certainly have a massive archive of their music somewhere, whether it’s maintained by the studio or some other organization. With these archives in place, musicians and studios can know that catalogs will be protected and preserved  for the long term.

Bands on major labels shouldn’t be the only one’s thinking about the archiving of their work. Indie acts also produce music that should be preserved, backed up and retained.

For many such groups, data management is certainly not an area of expertise. That’s why it’s advised that bands stick to rocking and allow the professionals of an information management company handle the rest.

With Iron Mountain Entertainment Services, professionals have the tools and expertise at their disposal that are necessary for maintaining an archive of music content. That way, even small-time bands with big dreams can ensure that media won’t deteriorate over time and they’ll always have access to songs and albums they produce.

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It’s funny how memories that should be wonderful are often overshadowed by the little things that occur.  I haven’t been back in Washington since 1990.  I was President of ARMA International that year and a small group of us were going to the White House to meet with one of President Bush’s legislative aides regarding the Paperwork Reduction Act.  Imagine just how excited we were… ARMA at the White House!   As we went through security I was made aware that no, they don’t let prunes (or any food for that matter) into the White House!  Now I don’t know about you, but my opinion is that prunes are a great thing to have at the ready when you travel.  There were only a few in the bag so I stuck them in my purse.  My colleague who accompanied me is still laughing, more than 20 years later, so you can only imagine how embarrassed I was and the ribbing I received at the time they confiscated my dried fruit.  I can’t tell you what I saw in DC that week or even what we discussed in that meeting for my only memory is that of the prunes!

As I celebrate my 30 years with Iron Mountain and 28 years as an ARMA Conference attendee, I think back to what this event has meant to me over the years.  Education, marketing and networking are certainly its focus, but one should also acknowledge that at its core, it’s also a reunion.  I learned many years ago that when greeting someone at a conference, never to say “nice to meet you.”  Chances are that somewhere, sometime, your paths may have crossed thus “nice to see you again” has become a much safer alternative!  With a simple smile across a crowded session or a wave on the escalators going in different directions – each year for three short days we reconnect with our ARMA family members.  Much like those occasional reunions we have with our blood relatives, we pick up right where we left off and it feeds our hearts and feeds our souls.  Hugs abound and talk of family, jobs and old friends can be overheard when this reunion is underway.  It’s always amazing to me that I can speak with someone I consider a “friend” for 5 minutes once every year and feel such a strong connection with them.  Occasionally, we’re fortunate enough to steal away for a quick lunch or cup of coffee together but given the amount of activities crammed into three days, that’s a luxury we don’t often experience.

At this reunion there is also a subculture comprised of various factions who recruit members into their fold enabling that circle of friends to grow larger and larger.  The Clancy’s, La Arma Nostra and even the Canadian Members with their “goosing” ceremony all have one very important thing in common: they do not discriminate who gets inducted into their group.  New members, old members, those bearing prunes……..you never know who is going to be called upon to say the pledge and receive the symbolic pins.  Those pins become a part of the ritual and once a year we’ll polish our silver goose and check our luggage to be sure all of the appropriate designations are with us for display on our lapels.  We have personal rituals outside of the scheduled events as well including showing our face at the Houston Hospitality suite, Listserv Party, Clancy Party, FOD Dinner or even that special friend who never fails to bring us handmade gifts, year after year after year.  There are surely more stories of kindness and community than can ever be told and each one rooted in the history of this important gathering.

So as I tuck away my pins (including my newly acquired La Arma Nostra pin), toss the leftover prunes and reflect on all those friends who’s faces I’ve seen even if for only a moment, my spirits are uplifted and my bucket full for yet another year.

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