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Expand Your Definition of a Live Performance
2007-08-01 11:51:00
Let me ask you ... What has to happen for a person to be converted into being a fan of your music? There are a number of possible answers, but at the most basic level, one thing has to happen: The person must hear your music.And there are only so many ways someone can hear your music: on the radio or on television, on the Internet, in a dance club or a retail store, from a friend on a home or car stereo or ... during a live performance.Let's focus on that last one, because even with all of the advancements in technology, live performance continues to be one of the best ways to connect with fans, sell CDs and prosper as an artist.Hopefully, your marketing plans include a heaping helping of live shows. But what type of live shows do you plan? The problem is, many musicians get stuck in live performance ruts and fail to think outside the box. For instance, most rock bands flock like lemmings to nightclubs. Most acoustic singer-songwriters obsess over coffee shops and folk venues. That...
More About: Performance , Live , Definition , Touring , Perform

Why Most Independent Artist Fail
2007-07-30 20:27:00
Why do most independent artists fail? This is a question that I am most commonly asked. The answer is pretty simple – most independent artist do not understand that concept of marketing let alone online marketing. Obviously I can not cover an entire marketing course in this article but I can however give you a few facts that will put you on the right road. The first thing that you MUST do is learn to put yourself in the shoes of your target audience or in this case your fans. That is a lot easier said than done. Without a fan base you do not have a music career. As a independent artist it is crucial that you own your own domain name. If you have MySpace as your primary internet presence you are making a huge mistake. Now before you go on a rant allow me to explain. If you are using MySpace as your Internet presence you are placing your entire career in the hands of another company. Lets say that you have spent your time and effort in promoting your MySpace page a...
More About: Artist , Independent , Epen , Dependent , Artis

Seven Steps To A Successful Audition
2007-07-30 20:24:00
I have been a musician since the tender age of 7 and in my career I've passed a larger number of auditions all of which have taught me something. These days, however, as the owner of a talent agency, I seem to be learning a disproportioned amount more about these same auditions. There is something to be said about looking at an issue from different perspectives. In this article, I want to shed some light on what an audition process looks like from the point of view of the "auditioner" rather than the "auditionee". I'll give you seven tips that hopefully provide some help. I should mention that my company, Oceanbound Entertainment Inc., hires musicians, bands, and variety acts for placement on cruise ships and thus the auditions I'll talk about will mostly relate to cruise line entertainment auditions. Let me quickly outline the various types of auditions you can encounter when applying for a job on a cruise ship. The most obvious type would...
More About: Audition , Steps

What Makes A Good Entertainer?
2007-07-30 20:22:00
NOTE: This article is written regarding performing magicians, but many of the principles discussed apply to the realm of music as well, so I felt it would be worth reading. I've always felt that bands should see themselves less as musicians and more as entertainers. I hope you enjoy the article and gain much from it!My name is Kim Wist and I’m a professional magician from Finland. Finland is a rather small country, and we have only about 10 professionals who make their living on performing magic. Despite this above mentioned fact, I do around 150 gigs per year, and that is about as much as I can handle. I have been around the world in many magic conventions and seen a lot of good performers and sleight of hand artists, but the big question remains; why do some make a living performing this art, and other don’t. Is it personality? To some extent I would say yes, definitely. You have to be an open person and you must find it easy to communicate with people. Let’s ...
More About: Good , Touring , Entertain

Musicians and Performance Anxiety
2007-07-30 20:17:00
Have you ever faced your time to shine, and felt overcome with an intense hesitation or worry about an upcoming performance? As the time nears for you to address your audience, do you suffer from sweaty palms? Is there a lump in your throat? Do you experience tremors, tension, stuttering, upset stomach or loss of focus? All of these symptoms are a sign that you may suffer from performance anxiety, which is a common problem that requires a little mental rewiring to get you on the right track. Music performance anxiety develops from the thoughts, feelings and habits of a musician. The level of anxiety that one has will affect a musician’s desire to perform, as well as their ability. In order to deliver a high-quality performance, a musician must overcome the mental obstacles that create a barrier between wanting to perform and actually completing the act. When you feel anxious, pressure begins to build up that makes it impossible to pick up an instrument or sing a song. Main...
More About: Performance , Anxiety , Musicians , Touring , Perform

Agent or Manager?
2007-07-30 20:14:00
What is the difference between a manager, and an agent? Glad you asked. It’s quite simple really. A manager offers a service to you that entails zoning in on your strengths and weaknesses. They can direct you to the type of acting classes you need, according to your current skill level. They can help you rehearse, support you in your goal setting and point you in the right direction, especially when you are so overwhelmed you aren’t sure where to start. An agent finds and books you auditions. They hunt down casting calls, make bookings, negotiate the contracts, and basically do the leg work for your career. They normally charge 10% of what you are paid, and at the end of the day, that’s fair. If you have both a manager and an agent, it’s OK for them to know about each other. Having them develop a relationship centered on your career actually strengthens your chances at success. One neat trick in obtaining a good manager or agent is to send out invitations to one ...
More About: Agent , Manager , Touring , Manage , Ager

Leave Your Drama At Home: More Rockin’ And Less Squawkin’!
2007-07-30 20:11:00
No matter how we, as human beings, live our lives…drama happens. And the average musician has more drama than the crazy cat lady down the block has bags of used litter on her porch. At every turn, your average wannabe rockstar has a crazy squeeze, a crazier ex, a harem of would-be lovers, and a gaggle of insane stalkers. Then there’s the band drama, manager drama, club drama, fan drama, gear drama, and let’s not even get started on the online drama potential. Before you know it, your band makes “Desperate Housewives” look like 60 Minutes. Certainly, no one ever said that music was going to be a safe, secure and solid profession to get into. Any industry that pays buckets of money to young, pretty people for jumping around and showing off is bound to inspire zaniness to some degree or another. And the creative process often brings with it a certain amount of tortured genius that fuels the seeds of drama like miracle grow on weeds. Plus, there are more than twenty million musicia...
More About: Drama , Home , Leave , Dram

What Is Music Copyright Law?
2007-07-30 20:07:00
With the popularity of the Internet, many people are violating music copyright law and do not even know it. Music copyright law can be very tricky. There are multiple music copyrights that you must keep in mind – lyrics, composition and the recording of the music by an artist. Using someone’s music may involve you acquiring many different licenses such as mechanical, synchronization, performance and publishing licenses. Music copyright law has separate copyrights for the vocal or instrumental recordings of a composition or performance and the copyright of the written lyrics and music. Standard music copyrighting practices usually entail that the writer of the song retains the rights to the right to the music composition which the studio that did the recording of the music holds the rights of the recording. Music copyright law can get very complicated. It can involve negotiations with the writers, producers, agents, heirs and more. Many artists and studios are upset with th...
More About: Recording , Copyright

Recording The Guitar to a Computer
2007-07-30 20:06:00
You want to record your guitar, make your own riffs, music, etc. You want to plug your guitar into your computer? How do you connect your guitar to the computer the right and best way? What software do you use? Which audio interface? What about my favorite guitar effects? Which computer? Where do I start? It can be overwhelming trying to answer all of these questions.The recording guitarist's computer setup should be something like this: * Guitar (*GTR with 13 pin connection recommended) * Microphone for recording Acoustic guitar, vocals etc. * Quality guitar cable * Audio Interface-Firewire (recommended) or USB * Guitar/midi interface * USB/Firewire cables * Computer (Mac recommended or PC) * Extra external/internal Hard Drive (recommended) * Audio recording/sequencer software * Plug-ins: effects- reverb, compressor, delay, chorus, etc o Dedicated guitar effects/amp simulation o Sampler/synths (for 13 pin guitarists or guitarist who can play keyboards) * Quality cables to spe...
More About: Recording , The G , Cord

How To Copyright Your Music To Protect Your Future Royalties
2007-07-30 20:02:00
Many musicians confuse copyrighting music with registering music; these are two different things. According to the law in the United States, once you have written or recorded your music in a permanent form, it is automatically copyrighted. Of course, it might help to first understand what it means to copyright music. A copyright is a certain legal protection that is offered to those who compose creative works, whether those works are art, music, or the written word. The U. S. Constitution states there are limits one can place on the amount of time the work is exclusively protected. If you copyright music, this means you (and you alone) have the right to use your work or allow others to use your work. You also have the right to distribute copies of your work. Whether those copies are in the form of written or sheet music or recorded music to the public as well as the right to perform your music for the public. There is something called Fair Use (more commonly known as ...
More About: Music , Recording , Future , Copyright , Prot

Music for Nothing and Your Tracks for Free
2007-07-30 20:00:00
Around the globe, the record industry has gone on the offensive and who can blame them? Faced with numerous peer-to-peer networks and bit torrent clients, it has never been easier for individuals to obtain music for free. Having given birth to the term “illegal downloading”, the record industry claims the activity seriously threatens the development of music and artists. But does this argument have any validity or is it a clever corporate spin? Whilst the record industry have not published any factual information to support this claim, there is certainly information to show that, those “illegally downloading” music actually spend, on average, some 27% more on music than those who exclusively confine their activity to the ‘legal’ download sites and pay for every track in advance. Recent research by the UK software house, Remlap Software, themselves a publisher of a music download application, suggests that, “illegal” downloaders are anything but the thieves the record ...
More About: Music , Recording , Free , Tracks , Trac

When Does Copyright Expire On My Music?
2007-07-30 19:56:00
The expiration date on your copyrighted music isn't something you have to worry about, at least not in your lifetime. The music that you've written is copyrighted the moment you've put it onto paper or recorded it. The reason you don't have to worry about expiration is because the music is protected until 70 years after the death of the author. In the case of your music, that author would be you. This rule about copyright music expiration was first put into place so that the families and heirs of an author could still earn royalties even after his or her death. Ultimately this means that if you've taken the steps to copyright your music and have registered the copyright, then your music will be protected throughout your lifetime until 70 years after you or the last surviving author (assuming a collaboration) is deceased. Copyright music expiration is not something you should make a primary concern unless you are having issues of someone respecting and/or honoring your...
More About: Music , Recording , My Music

The Musician's Guide On How To Copyright Music
2007-07-30 19:54:00
Music is copyrighted as soon as you present it in a fixed form. It doesn't matter whether that fixed form is written sheet music or a recording. Most people who copyright music do so for the extra legal protection. Even though a copyright is good to have, it is essentially worthless unless you've registered your copyright with the Library of Congress. You will need to fill out an application, pay a fee, and provide a copy of your music. As far as government dealings go, this is one of the least painful. Even the application fee is marginal when you consider the fact you are protecting potential future profits and royalties from your music. Even if you aren't a talented performer, it doesn't mean your music will never be seen or heard, nor does it mean you should not bother copyrighting your music. One day you might find yourself more in demand for your talents than you ever dreamed possible. It is important to protect your music now more than ever before in history due to w...
More About: Music , Recording , Guide , Copyright , Guid

Five Basic Ways To Market Your Music Online
2007-07-30 19:51:00
Many people have argued that there are no great piano composers in the modern world. They say that this art died fifty to one hundred years ago. Here are the facts – there are still many unbelievable piano composers in the modern world today. However, whilst one cannot argue with their creative skills, they lack basic modern marketing skills. And the world is missing out on this distinguished talent. The most affordable and convenient way to market your music today is through the internet. It is used by billions every single year. So why do many piano players fail to market their music online? Why do they go down the traditional route of taking it to a publisher? Market ing Method Number One – Creating Your Own Website with A List If you make the decision to market your music online, it is almost criminal to do so without a website. Your website must be where you send all of your prospective customers. Your website must contain details on how to purchase your music, bo...
More About: Music , Online , Basic , Five

Podcast #2: Successful Mailing List Management
2007-07-02 11:07:00
In this article Josiah discusses the best way to manage a successful mailing list. Click below to play the audio, click here to read the full article , and click here to subscribe to the podcast!{audio}mp3/2successfulmailinglist management.mp3{/audio}{enclose 2successfulmailinglistmanagement.mp3}
More About: Management , Podcast , List

Podcast #1: The Importance of Getting Mailing List Signups
2007-07-02 11:07:00
 In this article Josiah discusses the importance of promoting your mailing list at live events to grow your fanbase. Click below to play the audio, click here to read the full article , and click here to subscribe to the podcast!{enclose 1theimportanceofgettingmailinglistsignups .mp3}{audio}mp3/1theimportanceofgettingma ilinglistsignups.mp3{/audio}
More About: Podcast , List