R5 Productions has been putting on some of Philly's best DIY shows for nearly 15 years. In keeping with modern times they just launched what we see as a fantastic idea. An App for the iPhone that will alert you to upcoming R5 events, another new way to connect with fans and strengthen a scene.
We previously told you that CASH Music offers a free code to install a TweetForATrack software to spread the word about your music. If you are not a web geek doing anything involving code can be pretty intimidating, thankfully this video will show any lament how to get the job done so you can start getting the word out about your music to more people!
In case you haven't heard the world is freaking out about a supposed leaked demo of Britney Spears singing "Telephone" after Lady GaGa penned it for her. While we will not know till someone comes forth with the truth of this story, much of the discourse on this leak is missing the knowledge of a common studio practice.
Often times when a songwriter is penning a song for a star they will have a session vocalist sing a imitation of the way that star sings. I have done countless sessions that have done this and seen talented singers go from Rhianna to Mariah in the time it takes to open a different session file. This is a common practice in trying to show an artist how easy it would be for them to make it a hit. I have even heard some imitations so dead on you would swear it was the artist they were demoing for.
To go even further, it is common practice to leave the imitation vocal in as a double for layering in the final mix. It has happened many times in many successful songs. So before we all go around having our minds blown over this whole Brit/GaGa thing, let's remember if GaGa wrote the song for Britney, odds are she had someone sing it just like her (if not herself) and that is what we are hearing, not actually the "real" Britney Spears.
- Tim Ferriss On How To Deal With Haters
- Interview With A Blogger - Laurent Hrybyk From Pasta Primavera
- Apple Is Shutting Down Lala To Make Room For New Service
- Running A Successful College Radio Campaign
- Aviary Is A Free Online Image, Audio And Vector Editor
- Play:MPE Hacked Causing Multiple Album Leaks
- CD Baby Rolls Out $9 Single Aggregation Service
- RIAA Now Wants Performance Royalties From Traditional Radio
- Some Esoteric Ways To Use Dropbox That You Probably Don't Know
- SliceThePie Is A Fan Funding Site To Help Promote Your Music
- While Spotify May Not Be In The US Yet, Sharing Is Another Reason Why It Will Be Important Here
Golden Days is a documentary on the group The Damnwells who signed to Epic records and did not have the best time. It shows the stupidity of the majors and that is probably not the route you want to go. It is available now on Netflix and for sale on Amazon.
- Madina Lake are no longer on Roadrunner Records
- a-ha are calling it a day
- Century Media Signs Iced Earth
- Strike First Records has signed As Hell Retreats.
- Jason Damato signs to UNI Motown
- Paper + Plastick Signs Restorations
- Sleeping with Sirens have signed to The Artery Foundation
If you achieve any type of success you will inevitably have to deal with haters. Yes people love to go on the net and just talk trash and as annoying as it is, it usually means you are doing something right. The always wise Tim Ferriss has some great advice on this subject that can help you "win" these altercations. Check it here.
The infamous Walter Sear of NY's Sear Sound passed way yesterday at the age of 79. Any diehard synth or recording nerd knew of Sear's love of analog gear be it synths or his famous Sony Tube console. He was always a great voice in the discourse of recording and will be missed. More here.
In our newest interview series, Interview With A Blogger,
Musformation attempts to get in the minds of music bloggers to find out
what makes them tick, how they look at music and how artists and
bloggers can better communicate.Charm City (aka Baltimore) has long been known for it's thriving music scene and it's not suprising that it's supported by one amazing blog. Pasta Primavera is a tour deforce of relevant music and is also run by one of the nicest in the biz, Laurent Hrybyk. This week we sat down with Laurent and got an ear full on blogging, the local Baltimore scene and the Pasta Primavera perspective on the static music today.
According to their own website, Lala (now owned by Apple) is shutting down May 31st and is no longer accepting new members. But why would Apple buy Lala, a seemingly successful site bought for around $80 million, only to come in quickly and shut it down? Many suspect it is simply preparation of a subscription based site of their own that would be a sort of iTunes upgrade or extension. With the power and market leverage that Apple maintains, expect the subscription version of iTunes to be epic and most likely game-changing in the industry. It is very likely that Apple senses the rapid growth of Spotify (which hasn't even launched in the US yet but still has 7 million users) and Rhapsody and is planning accordingly. Digital sales showed sluggish numbers in 2009 and Apple has yet to get its feet wet in the cloud services arena of music. More insight on the story here.
CD Baby has up a fantastic article on how to run a successful college radio campaign. One of the keys to many bands success can still be found in the buzz that a massive college radio campaign can bring to a band. Check it out here.
Seeing as the RIAA's major label buddies don't exactly have the cash coming in by the truckload anymore, they need to find some new sources of income. In this desperation they have turned towards traditional radio outlets and decided they now must pay the labels and performers (good news for us musicians!!!) performance royalties, despite the fact that they were traditionally considered promotional. While it is easy to frown on the RIAA for every step they make, radio has been looked at it in a new way in the modern era as streaming Internet services become the norm. Perhaps it is time to reevaluate how artists are paid in the medium. More at Consumerist.
Dropbox is a indispensable tool for any musician or recordist. Whether you use it to share files with collaborators or just store files in the cloud it is one of the coolest tools ever. Lifehacker has up a great article on some ways you can use the service that most people do not know. Check it out here and make life easier.
Epitaph Records is one of the biggest indie labels in the business and one of the few labels that rarely follows and always leads in it's business practices. The BBC has up an awesome hour long look at the label for the next 7 days. A great listen on a subject that can be inspiring to anyone looking to try to make it on their own. Check it here.
Many artists enjoy the new opportunities fan funding sites can bring to them. Add SliceThePie to the list of sites out there that can help you get fans to finance your next project. The site takes on the role of giving fans money they can put towards artists they like in exchange for listening to new up and coming artists and reviewing their material. The site enables feedback for artists as well as the ability to get investors. Another great option for groups looking to get empowered through fan dollars.
The above video shows Spotify's powerful new sharing tool that will help fans show what they are liking (and not show what they are ashamed of or disliking) as they listen to the service. If you have not gotten you music on Spotify, ReverbNation recently unveiled a cheap way to get it there. Do it so you are ready for the near future when they launch in America.
If you are a musician not only do you need to edit audio, but odds are you are going to need to do some graphic work as well. Thankfully the website Aviary allows you to edit both in a free online interface. Check out their details in the above video and see what they can do for you.
Play:MPE is a service designed to put record company minds at ease in preventing leaks while allowing writers to listen to streams of records, was hacked last week causing a few high profile releases to leak. Unfortunately, a hacker got into their system and decided to brag and release a few releases to the world which has now compromised the service's reputation. Play:MPE claims to have the hacker's identity and are looking to prosecute the offender, though it seems the service's integrity is forever tainted by this event. Another nail in the coffin of ever being able to keep a record from leaking. More on the story here.
CD Baby has long been a great way to get your music to iTunes and other digital stores. They have now rolled out a new service that will get your song on not only their service but iTunes as well for just $9 and 9% of your net royalties. Another great option for getting your music out to the world. Find out more here.
- Being Your Own Publicist: Maintaining Relationships With Bloggers/Press
- CASH Music Releases Facebook Connect Code
- All Pop Songs Are The Same And Use 4 Chords (NSFW)
- MP32Tube IS A Site That Will Make A Fast Easy YouTube Of Your Song
- Interview With A Blogger - Jasper Gape From Nerdy Frames
- The A&R Channel Is A Social Network That Will Get Your Music Video Syndicated
- Improving Your SEO - Never Type In Your Name
- Why Fans Buy Your Merch
- Nimbit Unveils Nimbit Pro With Many More Features!
- Never Assume All Of Your Equipment Is In Phase
- Music Industry Scam Alert - Beware Of Caleb Morgan
- Bandcamp Gets Buttons!
- Pandora Becomes Facebook Music Sharing Platform
- Due To Recent Hacks We Advise Changing Your Gmail Password
- American Idol Michael Lynche Discusses Music Business + Publicity
ReverbNation's blog has up a fantastic post on a subject that every group should be concerned with - why fans buy your merch. It takes a great look and breaks down the elements of what goes into good merch and is a great think-piece that can help inspire you to do bigger and better things. Check it out here. 
What exactly is a publicist and how does what they do differ from what you do? A publicist is someone who has an established relationship with individuals in the press and can nearly guarantee that certain people will give your band a chance because of this established relationship. So if you follow our advice on getting the attention of bloggers and people in the press there is a good chance they will find your music, write about you and then you will have established a relationship yourself. So now that this relationship has been started, it is important to nurture it so that it will continue. When individuals write about my band I will do any number of things. First, I always send them a sincere thank you note saying something nice about what they do on their blog or how well they write(most of them are shocked and very happy when I do this). I will also try to find and friend them on Facebook (this makes the relationship even more personal and allows them to get to know me even outside of my band member persona). Then I will pay attention and find out more about them, what music they're into, what else they do, what matters to them. I'll also frequently offer to get them into shows free if they are local or when we press a new band shirt I will offer them a free one to show my appreciation. The biggest difference between you and a label or a publicist is that they are usually using the company credit card to buy drinks, dinners and schmooze press people. In this instance (and with a limited budget) it helps to use whatever resources you can. Just remember that just because someone writes about your band doesn't mean they'll do it again - there are a lot of people vying for their attention and you have to separate yourself somehow. The more you can build genuine friendships with people in power to promote your band the more you'll be functioning as a publicist and the better off your band will be.
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