Music & Marketing: URBANIZED!

50 dropped over 50 pounds for his starring role in the upcoming movie Things Fall Apart. In the film adaptation of Chinua Achebe’s classic, 50 plays a football player who’s been diagnosed with cancer. This man is the epitome of dedication.


from therapup.net

Listen to Kanye West's new track featuring Dwele called "Power" from the upcoming album 'Good Ass Job'.

from AZCentral.com

Zack de la Rocha has issued a statement on behalf of an organization called the Sound Strike urging music fans and fellow artists to boycott Arizona "to stop SB 1070," which he labels an "odious" law.

Among those artists joining de la Rocha's boycott are Conor Oberst, Kanye West, Rage Against the Machine, Rise Against, Cypress Hill, Serj Tankian, Joe Satriani, Sonic Youth, Tenacious D, Street Sweeper Social Club and Michael Moore.

In de la Rocha's words, the new law "sanctions racial profiling, straight up," forcing "cops to hunt down and target anyone they 'reasonably suspect' that may be undocumented. And if the people they harass don't have proof that they were born in the U.S., they can be detained and arrested."

He goes on to note that "Some of us grew up dealing with racial profiling, but this law (SB 1070) takes it to a whole new low. If other states follow the direction of the Arizona government, we could be headed towards a pre-civil rights era reality. This unjust law was set into motion by the same Arizona government that refused to acknowledge Martin Luther King Jr. day as a national holiday. When Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat, they arrested her. As a result, people got together and said we are not going to ride the bus until they change the law. It was this courageous action that sparked the Montgomery bus boycott. What if we got together, signed a collective letter saying, 'We're not going to ride the bus?' "

The website includes a petition urging President Barack Obama to take action.

"Arizona's new law is an assault on the US Constitution and an affront to the civil rights that were earned by generations who came before us," the petition reads. "When states disregard the Constitution, when they sanction mistreatment of communities, it is the imperative of the Executive Branch to take the lead in defending the U.S. Constitution."

The Sound Strike's call to boycott follows recent protest cancellations by Cuban-American rapper Pitbull and Latino rappers Cypress Hill. A Phoenix New Times blog says this latest development feels like it's "only the tip of the iceberg," while AEG Live president/CEO Randy Phillips told Billboard he believes "the economic impact on the state from losing even a couple of tours might be enough for the legislature and the governor to realize that there is still a political concept called the tyranny of the majority which is just as dangerous to our democracy as illegal immigration, maybe more so."

The goal of recruiting is to find the right person at the right time. Logically, that means one source is never enough. You’ll want to tap into diverse mediums to find the best candidates. Social media is no exception. Each platform has its own unique demographic. You’ll want to consider that audience when making the decision about which applications to use for your recruiting efforts.

Regardless of the application, there are some common elements to using social media for recruiting. Here are six things to consider when using any social media application for recruiting.
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1. Create an Online Presence That Reflects Who You Are
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Having a nice avatar, succinct bio and current contact information will make people want to connect with you. Be sure to organize your social media profiles to provide potential contacts with a better idea of who you are so they have a reason to communicate with you and form a relationship.

“It’s about being human”, explains Bill Boorman, author of the Recruiting Unblog. “People connect with people, not brands. Connect with everyone because you never know who will make that referral or connection for you.”

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2. Make the Most of Your Time
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A large part of any success with social media is involvement. This is especially true if you want to use social media for recruiting. While mobile applications can help with this, Boorman agrees, “It takes a big investment of time to build a talent community.” To target your efforts, he suggests asking people directly which channels they use and looking at what your competitors are doing. “Consider directing your messages to a single point, like a relevant blog or company website.”

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3. Individualize Your Approach
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At some point, you have to connect with people you don’t know and become a part of their conversations. “I actually find it easy,” says Chris Havrilla national recruiting manager for Hitachi Consulting, a global leader in delivering business and IT strategies. “I have found if you communicate with people in a meaningful and thoughtful manner, you can never go wrong.”

Havrilla’s approach is to connect with people who have a genuine interest in his business and industry. “I follow or connect with people related to that space, ‘listen’ to and learn from the conversations, and participate when appropriate. If you are connecting with someone directly, be ‘individualized’ in your approach — take the time to understand who you are reaching out to and be respectful of their time and attention.”

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4. Be Authentic
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Recruiters always want to see the ‘real candidate’ and in order to do that, they have to be real as well. Amanda Hite, founder and CEO of Talent Revolution Inc., says when it comes to social media: “Remember it’s NOT about the tools it’s ALL about the relationships.”

So don’t be afraid to be yourself. Hite adds, “Being the authentic, unapologetic you is totally on trend. But more importantly when you embrace your own authenticity and stay committed to ‘being you’ no matter what, you’ll attract the kind of clients and employees that do the same and are the best match for you.”

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5. Share Interesting Stuff
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All work and no play is boring. So sharing news, tidbits, etc. of general interest can create what might be the equivalent of “social media small talk,” which leads to bigger conversations. Sylvia Dahlby works for SmartSearch, a leading talent acquisition system and recruiting business software solution firm. She works from home and lives in Hawaii. “Before social network sites like Twitter() and LinkedIn(), I belonged to dozens of old-style online newsgroups. Now, I leverage the new social networks much in the same way,” Sylvia explains it’s still important to interact with others.

One of the things Sylvia mentioned was her Twitter account because she mixes her recruiting knowledge with Hawaii tidbits. “My Twitter() account is for personal branding and making connections. I mostly tweet about my work, my product and the recruiting industry during business hours, chat with friends and business associates throughout the day, and throw in a mix of my hobbies and certain interests (such as Hawaiiana). I treat Twitter as my office ‘water cooler’ or after-hours ‘cocktail party’ where I can catch the news and buzz from people in various online communities around the world.”

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6. Focus on Substance
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If someone directs a question at you via social media, find a way to respond, even if it’s to take the conversation offline. “The key is substance,” says Steve Browne, executive director of human resources for LaRosa’s Inc., a Cincinnati based regional pizzeria with 63 locations. “I’d recommend people using social media for recruiting [focused] on substance and not just resume information. Look at how the candidate is connected in the social media arena, and are they contributing to their profession, or just lurking. If they’re engaged online, chances are they would be engaged working for your company.”

Many recruiters realize that when it comes to recruiting, social media tools are just that – tools. The real value is in how the tools are used. Havrilla explains, “Social media can give you a great and efficient way to engage with your community – candidates, clients, customers, partners, prospects, etc. – on a very level playing field with the companies you are competing with for talent (or business). The key is to make sure you have the time to invest in to it. At a very basic level this is all about networking. The use of social media tools has greatly enhanced my ability to build, grow, and nurture my network. These tools are not a magic bullet though — to get value from your network, you have to add value to it.”

I've been asked about this topic quite a few times, so I decided to post a tutorial to help out my fellow producers. This tutorial from www.winksound.com shows you how to use Reason in Protools with Rewire. This is great if you ever wanted to incorporate the sounds from Reason with live instrumentation recorded in Protools, and/or any other music software you may use for production. Check it out!

These 5 things are the components of a word I hear over and over again from Supervisors in describing the type of music and artists they are looking for… “sync-able.” Sync-able doesn’t just refer to lyrics and melodies. There is a nuts and bolts element to it as well. Before you can even think about hearing your music in Grey’s Anatomy, you need to check these off the list. Let’s jump in, shall we!

1. Master Quality Recordings

No demos allowed. (Step up onto soapbox) Do demos even exist anymore? Considering how easy and economical it is to record high quality stuff now days, why would anyone limit that recordings’ opportunities by making it a demo. (Step off of soapbox)

If you’re confused about how to define “master quality recordings,” the easiest thing to do is listen to recordings and artists that have been successful in the TV/Film world already. I recommend you go listen to a few friends of mine like Perrin Lamb and Lee Hester. Of course, you can go listen to my stuff as well. We’ve all been lucky to have some successes with placements, and it’s partly because of our high quality product. Some other indie artists that get used a lot are Tim Myers, Katie Herzig, and Matthew Perryman Jones.

2. 100% Ownership

If you’ve got a major pub or record deal, you’re reading the wrong blog. There is a reason why Supervisors use indie artists. Because they don’t have to deal with slow, haggling publishers and record labels.

A lot of times (especially in TV) a Supervisor doesn’t have time to get 5 people to sign off on a license. And they might not have flexibility in a budget to negotiate for 200 more dollars. These are all things that are avoided when a single artist can sign off on a use.

3. General Themed Lyrics

In TV and Film, music compliments the dialogue and visual. As oppose to driving it. With that said, lyrics should be general or metaphorical enough to be interpreted in as many ways as there are viewers. The song should fit into the story that the viewer is seeing. What the viewer is seeing CAN’T be forced to fit the song they are hearing. It doesn’t work like that.

In other words, if you are detailed story teller, then you are going to have a hard time in the TV/Film world.

4. Feel Good and Break Up Style Production

Obviously, there are a million different music needs out there. But, in my experience, a good 80% of the uses fall into two musical production styles. I call them “Feel Good” and “Break Up.”

Feel Goods are uplifting, anthemic, mid-tempos. Usually with positive, universal lyrics. They do exactly what their title says… make you feel good. Think U2 and Coldplay. Here’s an example of a Feel Good. It’s my song, “Not Today,” and it’s been used in Grey’s Anatomy and The Real World.

The other style, Break Ups, are broken down, acoustic or piano, relationship-themed ballads. Here’s another one of my songs as an example. It’s called “Step Outside,” and it’s been used in The Hills.

5. Instrumentals

If you don’t have instrumentals for all of your songs… get them now. Sometimes Music Editors need to work around dialogue. Or, maybe they love a track, but lyrically it doesn’t it work. You want to give them that flexibility. They will love you for it. Not to mention it will give you a ton more opportunities.


All of the things I’ve listed here will make you and your music more sync-able. But, more importantly, it builds a foundation of something that is essential in a relationship with a Supervisor… Trust.

The chart on the left comes from marketing guru Seth Godin's blog from a post entitled, The Circles. Seth relates the chart more to customer acquisition, but I want to use it as it's related to an artist's fanbase in regards to sales.

•At the bottom in white we have the "True Fans," sometimes described as "superfans," 'uber-fans,' or as Seth calls them, your "tribe." These fans love you and everything you do, and as a result, will purchase the most obscure product that is of no interest to virtually anyone else, even the artist himself. Think rehearsal recordings, studio out-takes, sound check jamming and stained undershirts of the artist. The True Fan wants it and will pay for it.

•"Fans" are a bit more casual about it. They like you but don't love you. They'll buy certain items but could care less about anything obscure. They can be turned into True Fans, but it will happen either over time or the release of that one song that puts you over the edge.
We'll skip "Sneezers" and "Customers" because they don't apply to our model and go right to "Listeners."

•"Listeners" are the next down the totem pole of sales. These are people who have heard of you and maybe even heard some of your songs. They neither like nor dislike you. They may turn into fans at some point, but just as likely might not.

•Next comes "Friends." Notice how low in influence circles that your friends are at. Don't ever rely on them for sales or spreading the word. They're your friends. Like know you and hopefully like you, but it doesn't mean they like your music. In fact, most of them probably don't but will still support you because of your friendship. You probably don't have enough of them to make any significant sales impact anyway.

•Last comes "Strangers." They've never heard of you before. Maybe they like your kind of music, must most likely not. They are blissfully unaware of your existence as an artist.

Here's what we can gain from this chart:

1) Don't waste your time trying to convert friends to fans. It's such a long shot that it's not worth the time or effort, and can even be detrimental to keeping your True Fans happy.

2) Don't waste time on your friends. You don't have enough of them to worry about, and they're probably only being polite anyway.

3) Be aware of your listeners, but don't try to convert them to fans. The chances are it won't happen.

4) Fans are important. They already like you and have told you so, probably by buying product, signing up to your email list or friending you on a social media site. They can be turned into True fans, but at this point, you can't count on it so you can't spend a lot of effort trying.

5) Your True Fans love you. They will walk to the ends of the earth to tell others about you. They are your evangelists and will covert others into Fans and True Fans for you. They are to be embraced, coddled and cultivated because they are your future.


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Follow me on Twitter @dxvidbeatz for daily news and updates on production, music business, and marketing.

Check out my blog for discussion on marketing music, production tips and tricks.

Licensing is a great way to make money by placing your songs in film, TV, commercials and video games. This article explains what licensing is and how it works so that you can join the legions of music artists who are enjoying additional income from having their music licensed.

What is licensing?

Licensing means granting permission for the use of one’s music to which you own the copyright.

Certainly the goal of an artist who writes their own music (a la the copyright owner) is to maximize the revenues generated by the musical composition.

When you license the use of your song, say in a TV show, you not only get a fee for the use of the license, but it gives the song and the artist greater exposure to the listening public, which can increase one’s fame and fortune. The use of music in the TV program, “The OC,” has launched the careers of several previously unknown independent artists, Rooney, in particular.

Before we dive into how to get your music licensed, we need to go over some terms that are commonly used with licensing.

Copyrights

Be sure to file a completed copyright form along with a copy of the music with the US Copyright office before attempting to license your songs.

You can find the forms and instructions at www.copyright.gov. There are two copyrights for a song; a copyright for the sound recording (Form SR) and a copyright for the underlying song (Form PA). For our purposes here, let’s clarify that we are talking about licensing original music of an Independent Artist who is not signed to a label or a publishing company and who owns both these copyrights.

Publishing

Publishing is one of the most complex parts of the music business and yet it can be the most lucrative area of income for musicians. Music publishing is the owning and exploiting of musical copyrights. A song is made up of two equal shares: the writer’s share and the publisher’s share. Songwriters affiliate with Publishers because their main job is to commercially exploit (increase use and value of) songs. Most independent artists/musicians are their own publisher, and therefore own 100% share of the song. If that is you, then this is why you want to get educated on how to pursue licensing for your music.

Licenses

The license for use of the sound recording is called theMaster Use License. The license for the underlying song is called the Synchronization License (aka synch license), used when a musical work is synchronized in time with visual images, either background, theme or feature use in TV shows and Film.

Now we know the basic terms…time to learn what to do next.

Do your research by watching existing TV programs and write down every show you think your songs would fit into. From TV programs including reality TV, types of scenes in movies, video games, and commercials. Learn to think and listen visually; everything visual has a potential sound accompaniment.

Music & Presentation

What you will send will be a CD of your music with the track listing and contact information on both the CD case and the CD label, and a great cover letter indicating the genre, maybe who you sound similar to and which production would fit the music. Do not send a bio, reviews, photo or any extraneous paper because the music is what is being considered, so the rest will just be thrown away and not strengthen your case.

Research & Relationships (DIY licensing)

This side of the business is like all the others, driven by relationships. Start networking and reaching out with purposeful letters, calls or emails to those in the film and TV industry.

A really good start for the Independent Artist is to work with college students who are working on independent films. Although there will most likely be too low of a budget to pay you, you can begin building your resume/reel of having your music placed.

Next, begin researching who the music supervisors are on the programs you seek. Check credits in TV shows and movies. Go to film festivals and conventions such as The Film & TV Music Conference that music supervisors attend and meet them. Other sources to locate them are “The Film & Television Music Guide” (www.musicregistry.com) where you can find contact information for Music Supervisors and Music Publishers specializing in film and TV placement. You can also get leads by reading trade magazines like “Hollywood Reporter” and “Variety.”

The Music Supervisor

Music Supervisors are constantly looking for music of independent artists who release their own CDs. Independent artists are willing to negotiate for a lesser amount (with the risk that a TV show may not even survive the season, music supervisors try to keep costs down) and can create new music without having to get permission from a label or have a label delay the time sensitive process.

If you are a fan of a particular show and your music seems to you that it would be perfect, send a letter to the musical supervisor and let them know you are a fan and you have a song that you believe will work for the show & tell them which situation/ mood it would be best for.

The better you know the business of licensing and the terms used, the more likelihood for establishing a relationship with a music supervisor who finds you easy to work with and that, along with your obvious talent, can build a lasting alliance. An insider tip from a music supervisor told me if you
write “all sync & master controlled” or “pre-cleared” on the CD label and CD case, that they will know immediately your music is ready for use which is invaluable to them when time is an issue and that alone can help your song beat out another’s.

Negotiation & Getting paid

They want your song! Now what? A good idea when first licensing your music is to have a manager or attorney or someone who really understands licensing to help you evaluate the deal for use of your music. Things to be considered are intent of use, scope, and fee. Once there is a verbal agreement, make sure to get it in writing as well.

It is important not to devalue the song by licensing it for whatever a user offers. But also be aware that music supervisors may let you know their budget constraints give them no room for negotiation; that’s when you determine if the exposure is going to make the deal worthwhile. Think of unknown group, A3, placing their song “Got Yourself a Gun” in the then un-known HBO pilot, “The Sopranos.”

Walk away from any deal that asks for 1. your publishing 2. exclusive rights to your songs 3. your music in any way they want and for any length they want.

Good Songs in the Right place

There will always be a demand for good songs and music is used in every visual platform, so you, the artist/musician/ songwriter, have a great opportunity to make money in this business through licensing. Continue to educate yourself about publishing & licensing, continue to nurture relationships with people who place music, and continue to write and record fantastic songs.

Kerry Fiero is an Artist Manager, Director of the San Francisco Chapter of NARIP (National Association of Record Industry Professionals) and an adjunct professor at San Francisco State University teaching Music Artist Management and Music Marketing. Her company is Strive Management.

Author: Kerry Fiero
Article Source: ezinearticles.com

An example of some of the music available for licensing on audio jungle!



You can also check out some other loops, sound effects, idents, jingles and more here... http://audiojungle.net/user/dxvid/portfolio

Being a musician seems glamorous to the outsider. The truth is, there is paperwork to be done and legal precautions to take, just like in any other business—whether you’re selling millions of tracks on iTunes every week, or you’re losing money.

Here are five forms and contracts that every musician needs; some you should have ready and printed, on hand around the office (or studio or bedroom…) and others aren’t used so frequently but you should have a document ready to be printed and put into use.



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1. Licensing Agreement
While licensing in general is one of the business practices prevalent in the industry that is actually quite profitable for artists, what I’m talking about here is not necessarily about licensing you or your band’s material to others. For that, you want to perform negotiations with professionals involved.

Band members and collaborators come and go all the time, so when your guitarist decides it’s time cross the country, it’s a good idea to have an agreement that will license from that individual the right to negotiate and make decisions for the intellectual property on behalf of that person.

The only other option is to demand they assign you their rights in full, and that’s the kind of chicanery that should be left to the rotting mainstream music industry.

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2. Non-disclosure Agreement
Non-disclosure agreements give you the freedom to share your plans with others without fear of that information getting out to the public. While it could still happen, at least with an NDA in place you can get some monetary compensation from the individual through legal channels.

You don’t need to have people sign an NDA just to hear your demos, unless you’re fighting Axl Rose for the World’s Most Paranoid Artist title, but when it comes to topics like your campaign strategy, it’s certainly important if there’s something unique about your campaign. Also, if you’re making a deal with another party, you may want to consider their wishes for confidentiality before informing someone without an NDA.

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3. Assignment of Copyright
You won’t usually need the Assignment of Copyright to assign music into or out of your name, but mostly for paramusical elements such as your band logo. When you get that baby designed, you don’t want to take any risks and rely on the subtleties of work-for-hire law; you want to make sure that you own the rights to your logo in black and white.

If you have a copyright foul-up with a song, that’s not so bad. That’s one album or digital release to worry about. Your logo, on the other hand, will be on all your albums, all your posters, t-shirts, mugs and beer holders, and if retroactive royalties are charged, you’re screwed. Get an Assignment of Copyright ready and use it!

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4. Live Performance Contract
When you or your booking agent secures a gig, whether it’s at a big venue or just the local bar where they never clean the toilets, always ensure a live performance contract is signed, and make sure that you or your agent can whip out your form before the venue produces one out that favors them.

Freelancers use contractor agreements to ensure they get paid since so many clients will try and get out of it by using lousy excuses like, “We don’t like it.” In freelancing, the agreement ensures you can say tough luck, you ordered it, we made it, pay for it. Since musicians working multiple venues are essentially freelancers, it’s the same thing; make sure venues can’t weasel out of paying you with the old, “we just weren’t into it” line.

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5. Band Partnership Agreement
This doesn’t apply to solo artists, but if you’re in a band where all members are stakeholders (rather than a Nine Inch Nails style band-for-hire situation), the band partnership agreement is an essential part of your operation.

The agreement sorts out essential details that can avoid big fights and collapsing bands down the road, such as who has authority and over what, what the band rules are and grounds for dismissal are. It includes information about the rights and responsibilities of each band member, or legally speaking, each partner ( though you can have members who don’t have an interest in the business aspect of the band and essentially serve as contractors), the division of revenue, and the way decisions are made (usually through a voting process).

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If you don’t have all the above documents at the ready, set aside an afternoon sometime this week and get your hands on them. You can often find standard forms for free on the Internet, or you can pay for packages that include just about every legal agreement you need to run a band. Make sure you run your forms by a lawyer before betting your life on them, of course.

Revtwt is a form of advertising, It's one of the largest sites out there to monetize your twitter account, that's made just for twitter. Now when someone clicks on the link, people will see a short intermission ad before going to the link you actually want them to go to. If anyone clicks the ad, you earn. $20 minimum payout, most clicks are worth 2-10 cents. Both pay to paypal and allow international users.

Check out this video that goes more into detail..

Many people have been asking me if I have a pair of the Beats By Dre headphones. I don't, but I have tried them out in a few stores. Here is a product review that you can check out, and decide for yourself if you think the product is worth the price tag.



The good: The Monster Beats by Dr. Dre headphones offer a stylish and comfortable design as well as exceptionally crisp audio response. Sound quality is mostly balanced, with warm mids and thumping bass. Included are a nice carrying case and a music-phone-compatible cable.

The bad: The Monster Beats by Dr. Dre headphones cannot be used without batteries. Glossy black design is very smudge-prone, and a few songs sound harsh. Right earcup rattles while you walk.

The bottom line: The unique and stylish Monster Beats by Dr. Dre headphones offer solid audio, useful accessories, and a look that's anything but copycat. For fashion-forward folks with cash to spare, they're a great option.


Full Review Article: http://tinyurl.com/73mcme

A Frequency Analyzer gives you a visual representation of the frequencies within a specific audio signal. The frequency appears on the horizontal axis, and the amplitude is displayed on the vertical axis. This tutorial explains how to use Blue Cat Audio's free Frequency Analyzer plugin to help balance your final mix. Click the picture above to download the 'Blue Cat Audio's free Frequency Analyzer plugin'.

by Justin for winksound.com

Here are some tried-and-true tools and methods for keeping tabs of your own creations.

Name it. Labeling is key to developing a smooth studio routine. For instance, when you first boot up your digital recorder to begin a new piece of music, give the work a name or some kind of identifying tag, even if you don’t have a proper title. Unless, of course, you’d rather have everything stored as “Untitled Project” on your recorder’s song menu and then have to open each one to find out which is which.

Log it. A track log — a sheet of paper that lists each track and what’s on it — is an integral part of the organizational process. You can go online and download a track-log template, or you can simply create your own layout (such as setting up a series of columns, one for each track), which you can then keep right on your desktop. For a really easy what-goes-where solution when using a physical console, place a strip of masking tape directly below the channel faders and jot down the names of the instruments assigned to each fader, using a permanent marker (i.e., channel 1, bass; channel 2, guitar, etc).

Archive it. Being able to instantly retrieve all of your finished (and unfinished) music is a must. Select a dedicated space on your computer’s hard disc and then create folders and sub-folders to keep the material properly catalogued. Start by setting up a master folder for all of your existing material; from there you can create sub-folders for each project, where you can store early mixes, alternate mixes, as well as final versions of each song (and don’t forget to make back-ups of all of your folders as well).

Revive it. Got a good idea for a new song? By the time you hook up a microphone and turn on the recorder, it could be gone for good. On the other hand, a basic mp3 player, which comes with its own built-in microphone, is ideal for capturing spontaneous creations and can store hours of material. Best of all, you can easily transfer the song bits to a computer and then take it from there.

Cover it. In case you’ve never noticed, dust and electronics don’t work particularly well together. To prevent those nasty particles from mucking up your machinery in between sessions, keep a clean, lint-free (preferably plastic) covering over all of your essential recording equipment. On a weekly basis, vacuum out your studio area, clean glass and non-electronic metal surfaces with Windex, and remove stray dust particles from control surfaces using a small basting brush or dusting tool.

Mic kit. Microphones deserve the same kind of care that you would give to any of your instruments. Never leave a fragile mic lying on top of an amp or a table, where it can easily plunge a few feet to its possible death. Instead, when not in use store your mics in a clean, dry cabinet (preferably in their protective pouches); or, even better, use a durable padded carrying case capable of holding multiple mics (available for as low as $50 or less).

Back it up. Storage has never been more plentiful and cheaper than it is right now; therefore, make sure you have plenty of free disc space on your computer to accommodate all of your finished works, rough mixes and new song ideas. Most importantly, be sure to back up your projects after each session is complete. Start by burning copies of mixes to CDs or DVDs. Always keep an adequate supply of blank media on hand, not to mention CD sleeves to keep the discs clean and scratch-free, as well as some permanent markers for quick and easy labeling. If you haven’t done so already, consider adding an external hard drive to your arsenal (a 500GB standalone USB drive costs as little as $100 these days). Unfortunately, neither discs nor disc drives are infallible. To really play it safe, use multiple sources to make “redundant” backups, such as a second (or even third) computer. If you have a home network, you can accomplish this quickly and easily — there are even software programs that allow you to do this automatically, such as Fbackup (http://www.fbackup.com). There are also various online storage solutions that you can try out as well.

Hang it up. Leaving instrument/mic cables, patch cords or other wires lying around on the floor can result in busted connectors and unimaginable tangles. If you haven’t done so already, take a trip to the hardware store and pick up a handful of wall or coat hooks, and, after every session, carefully wrap all cables and hang them on the hooks to keep them clean and properly organized. While you’re at it, grab a couple of cheap tote boxes or portable draws for storing CDs, track sheets, audio adapters, power supplies, guitar picks and any other micro items.

by Dave Simons at BMI.com

On May 17, 2010, BMI moved its New York headquarters from its long-time location on West 57th Street to 7 World Trade Center.

The new state-of-the-art facility is conveniently located in the heart of downtown Manhattan near several transportation hubs served by multiple subway and surface transit lines.

All mail communications to BMI’s New York office should be sent to the address listed below; e-mail and Internet addresses will not change.

BMI
7 World Trade Center
250 Greenwich Street
New York, NY 10007-0030
Phone: (212) 220-3000

Six questions you should ask every artist before you start producing any music

1. What are your influences and what music styles do you listen to ?
2. Who are your favorite artists?(now...back then..)
3. How do you see yourself as being an artist?
4. How do you want to be seen by the public ( your music listeners..fans etc.) ?
5. What kind of music career do you wanna have in the future (your dreams plans etc.) ?
6. Do you have any special musical talents...do you play guitar, keys etc. ?

Only if you get some honest answers and can see through an artist if he's serious/professional enough or not you should proceed with making music...


In the past I've been loosing much time and energy by not asking all of those questions. There were singers/songwriters who took their work not seriously enough, didn't know their influences or didn't bring the passion I needed for a project.

from http://themusicproducerblog.blogspot.com/

I just want to share a quick tip with you. When you're in the studio recording tracks with the idea of pitching them to TV and Film licensing opportunities, make sure to also get an instrumental version of all of the tracks that you record. Sometimes libraries and publishers will only be interested in instrumental versions of your songs, even if they were originally recorded with vocals.

I recently pitched a group of songwriter's tracks to a prominent music publisher. All of the tracks I pitched were vocal tracks, but the publisher was primarily interested in signing instrumental versions of songs from several of the artists. Most of the artists in question had instrumental versions of their tracks on hand, but a couple didn't and so they missed out on signing with a great publisher who has placed numerous tracks in feature films and network television shows.

I also suggest having a couple different mixes on hand as well, one with the vocal more upfront and one with the vocal turned down. Sometimes supervisors will prefer that the vocal track of your songs are mixed very low so they don't distract with the scene the song is being used in. Other times supervisors will be looking for songs with more prominent vocals to support the plot of the show or film your song is being used in.

Basically, try to be as prepared as possible with several different mixes, so if one mix doesn't meet the needs of whoever you're pitching to, you'll have another one ready to go that does.

Aaron Davison is a Berklee College Of Music Alumnus who has been working in the music business for over ten years. His songs have been heard on a variety of television shows and he has performed live throughout the world. Visit Aaron's website, http://www.howtolicenseyourmusic.com, for more information on getting your songs placed in TV and Film.

Stoni with Winksound.com explains how to create individual sequence tracks for each instrument within the Combinator in Reason 4.0

Affiliate marketing is a fantastic way to make money online. Twitter is a great way to increase your sales. Just be careful so your Twitter experience is a pleasant (and profitable) one.

Here are 7 tips that affiliate marketers should keep in mind:

1. Be personal with your tweets. Don't send out the same tweet over and over or to different people. If people are tweeting about needing holiday presents, don't send, "Hey! Shop at my site www.blahblahblah.com" to everyone! Tweets should be personal, not canned.

2. Be genuine with tweets. Don't try to be something you are not.

3. If you do send a sales link, send it as a natural part of the conversation. If you chat with people, eventually they will ask what you do (or you can drop subtle hints) - then you can mention it.

4. Don't send a direct link to your product. Send a link to your blog or a general informational website. Don't be so blatant about trying to get a sale.

For example, if a Twitter mom complains about not doing well with potty training Junior, don't send her a link to your ebook on potty training; instead, send a link to your blog post that discusses potty training ideas (that can include your affiliate link to the ebook). You will get a much more favorable reception.

5. Be useful and helpful. Not every tweet has to be about "you, you, and you". Take time to tweet about others and be a helpful part of the community.

6. Listen to your followers. Ask questions, and then help them out. You can get great feedback from tweets. (I get lots of ideas for info products and affiliate products from the feedback I receive from my followers.)

7. Use tweets in moderation. Don't tweet about every single thing you do. (Like "going to the store" - do people really care?) Don't send direct affiliate links. Don't toot your own horn all of the time. Let people hear from you, but don't be too chatty.

Used correctly, Twitter is a great way to add to your profits. Just make sure to use it wisely.

Okay, so our headline isn’t entirely truth-based. But, it’s no pipe dream, either. The reality is that new online music business models are changing the way artists sell their music and interact with fans. Social media sites like Twitter, Facebook, MySpace, and individual blogs are facilitating this in a big way.

Consumer buying patterns are changing, from those who have moved away from CDs and albums to picking up singles on iTunes, to those who circumvent the entire system altogether and buy directly from the artists.

Cutting out the Middleman

It started back in March of 2008, when industrial giant and former MTV-favorite Trent Reznor and Nine Inch Nails decided to offer the complete first volume of their latest album completely free for consumers to share (the album in its entirety was made available on the band’s website for a whopping $5 download). Not to be outdone, Radiohead then stepped up with their digital release of In Rainbows, allowing fans to pay whatever they felt like and download the record from their website.

But not every artist has the luxury of brand-like name recognition that Nine Inch Nails, Radiohead and their ilk enjoy. That’s why digital music shops like iTunes and CD Baby remain the go-to source for most music lovers. Yet it’s tough for indie artists to get the kind of promotion and attention their mainstream counterparts enjoy.

Digital Sales by the Numbers

The best selling digital song of all-time, so far, is the Black Eyed Peas’ “I Gotta Feeling”. The track earned this title in April of this year after knocking out the previous record holder, Flo Rida, with 5,561,000 million downloads. The Peas are, of course, a household name now, and enjoyed huge success before breaking the download record.

But what about indie artists, like Gagnez, a Los Angeles-based poet, speaker, hip hop artist and producer? His popular “La Da Da Da” track has accumulated over 50,000 YouTube views – but not entirely on its own. Thanks in part to a social media-made connection with YouTube-famous Israeli video maker Lilach Chen (whose videos of her talented fingers have racked up over 12,000,000 views), the track is featured in a quirky and fun video called “Fingers Breakdance 5”. The song also features Gina Rene, another artist with a strong social media presence.

It’s this kind of exposure and creative teaming up that’s going to give traditional music sales models and marketing a run for their money as artists take matters into their own hands. New ground is being forged when it comes to sharing and promoting creative material, and soon it won’t be any surprise to read a headline like “Gagnez Surpasses 20 Million Download Mark”, and find that he did it all with the support of social media self-promotion, fans, and creative collaboration. And isn’t that what it should all be about?

full article: http://bit.ly/9YQ2Gi

I loved this video and I wanted to make sure everyone else has had the chance to check it out! Support real music!

Whether you’re running a website, or a blog, you need to know about the most effective advertising methods. Advertising methods can make or break your website. Some methods are extremely expensive, while others are far more cost effective. In general, the cost of the advertisement does not dictate how effective the advertising is.

Pop Up Advertising

Some of the most expensive ads that you can purchase are pop-up ads. Not only are they expensive, but visitors also find them downright annoying. In fact, almost all people today have some form of pop-up blocker which prevents them from seeing these ads in the first place. This expensive marketing method is one you can easily live without. Don’t forget that fly ads are similar to pop-ups can do little more than provide a description and chase visitors to your site away.

Pod Casting

Podcasts are a very slick sophisticated Internet advertising method. However, since more and more people are utilizing them, they can be a very effective if somewhat expensive advertising method. It’s important to remember that podcasts are similar in nature to a television broadcast. In general, they will be worth the money that you spend for them.

Search Engine Advertising

Paid search engine advertising means that you pay the search engine a fixed amount that allows your URL to be included in the first page of top results. If you are considering purchasing these rights through Google or Yahoo search, it may be worth the investment. However, if you using lesser-known search engines or those that are not as heavily utilized as Google and Yahoo, it may not be worth your investment.

Blogging

One of the least expensive advertising methods is blogging. Sign up for a blogging account, which is oftentimes free, post to your blog on a regular basis, and utilize social bookmarking tools to drive traffic. Not only is this method inexpensive, but it almost always will result in additional traffic.

Small search engines

Another inexpensive advertising method is to submit your site to smaller search engines. Because the small search engines smaller, they tend to accept URLs more readily. This means that your site will not get overlooked by the giants that could dwarf your site on Yahoo and Google.



Text Links

Text links can be extremely effective, and in general they are free. You can contact other blog owners and ask for them to list you in their blogroll. You can easily as reciprocate and the end result is you’ve not only gained a back link, you’ve also effectively advertised on another site.

Summary

There are several ways that you can advertise your website inexpensively. Today, there is no reason to spend thousands of dollars marketing your site. Social networking sites such as Twitter or Redgage, other blogs, smaller search engines, and myriad other tools are available to you.

Written by Gary Ewer, author of six e-books for songwriters.
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MIDI stands for “Musical Instrument Digital Interface.” Many of you use MIDI to create instrumentations for your songs, and it’s a fantastic way to have synthesized versions of instruments literally at your fingertips. In short, MIDI is a way of controlling electronic instruments (usually synthesizers), and allowing those instruments to produce many different kinds of musical timbres. Used well, MIDI can make it sound as if you hired a full symphonic orchestra for your recording. Used poorly, MIDI can make your song sound cheap and amateur!

Whether you use MIDI simply to add a backing guitar, bass and drums, or use it to create a full orchestra, there are some basic problems that can arise. Here are some common problems and some solutions to help you solve them:

PROBLEM 1: In the MIDI orchestration, the instrument is being asked to play in a way that can’t be achieved by a real instrument.

THE SOLUTION: listen to a recording of the real instrument, or talk to a player of the real one. For example, if you are having your MIDI violin play pizzicato (i.e., plucking the string), remember that there is a physical limitation to how fast a violinist can repeat that action of plucking a string. This varies from player to player, but try not to exceed four notes per second.Going faster than this starts to make your MIDI violin sound fake.

PROBLEM 2: If the sound samples being used have not been properly panned, the orchestra can sound haphazard and disorganized.

THE SOLUTION: Look at pictures of real orchestras and (if necessary) pan your MIDI instruments so that it imitates their position on a real stage.



PROBLEM 3: You can just tell that the instrument is MIDI, and it sounds “electronic” more than real.

THE SOLUTION: If all the notes are coming out at the same volume, this will tend to make the instrument sound phony. There are many possible solutions, but try this as a general approach:

1.solo one of the tracks, and set a basic volume for that track (MIDI controller 7).
2.Then develop a general shape for the line by varying the velocity for each note, so that it sounds as natural as possible.
3.Then go to your Expression Controller (usually controller 11) and create a natural swell and diminishing for certain notes. (Good use of controller 11 is a major secret for good MIDI orchestration.) This will make your music “breathe,” and it will sound more as if a real person is playing. Keep in mind that a lot of the latest orchestral samples make use of the mod wheel to create some of the realism we are talking about here.

PROBLEM 4: The orchestration sounds uninteresting.

THE SOLUTION: Too often, MIDI orchestrators will double and triple instruments in a bid to create more volume. But the problem is that doubling and tripling the instruments on a part robs the various instruments of their own unique sound. If you want something to sound louder, increase the velocity and/or the track volume before simply doubling and tripling. For example, if you create a melody, and then always have it played by flutes, oboes, clarinets, and violins, the resulting sound is just thick, and you’ve robbed those instruments of the beautiful qualities they have individually. There are times when you will want the power of doubling and tripling, but use it sparingly.
That should get you started. There is so much that could be said about MIDI orchestration, and it’s impossible to deal with it all here. But if you want some good preliminary advice, here it is: Get familiar with a REAL orchestra before you start working with a MIDI one!

www.diddyblog.com from Diddy Blog on Vimeo.

Diddyblog is touted on the rapper's own Twitter page as "the most positive inspirational BLOG in the WORLD!!!" and the trailer shows a montage of historical figures who fit that description: from Martin Luther King, Jr. and Malcom X to Barack Obama and Muhammad Ali. Backing the footage is audio of motivational quotes by Diddy, Will Smith and George Clooney -- perhaps the most puzzling part of the clip is the inspirational soundbite about "destiny" that comes from Clooney's 2009 comedy, "Men Who Stare at Goats."



While many of the faces that fill the screen were -- and still are, no doubt -- influential, one question remains: how exactly do Diddy and his blog fit into all of this? Sure, the hip-hop mogul has always had a taste for the theatrical and ambitious, but it is possible to take a good thing too far. We'll reserve full judgment until the official launch, but all we can say for now is that this better be one hell of a blog.

from billboard.com

A study of over 4,200 online consumers in Europe has predicted digital music will have a majority stake (57%) in the recorded music market by 2013. Digital licensing is expected to generate another €1.2 billion ($1.6 million).

The report, entitled "How Digital Licensing Will Help Save the Music Industry", was released today by independent research company Forrester Research.

Its six-year forecast also states that online piracy remains a massive problem, particularly amongst 16 to 19-year olds, where it found file-sharing occurred four times more than legal downloading.

The popularity of social networking is expected to double to 78 million by 2014, prompting a surge of subsidized services offerings free music. Such a business model is also on trial via Nokia Comes With Music.

Mark Mulligan, VP and research director at Forrester Research, urges music companies to steer away from traditional methods of business and focus instead on "monetizing consumption."

"The music industry is moving away from the distribution paradigm to the consumption era," he said in a statement. "The core principles of the old music industry, such as units shipped and album sales revenues mean less in the on-demand digital world. Digital licensing revenue will be a cornerstone of the new businesses models that do that.

"The music industry is not dying but the way in which it does business is changing irrevocably. Every industry stakeholder -- the record companies, consumer electronics manufacturers, telcos, ISPs and retailers -- must get out of their comfort zone and change their strategy in order to grab a piece of a smaller, yet more complex European music industry."

By Jen Wilson, London for billboard.biz

"get in. get in the game. there should be no excuses."

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