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The Muse's News |
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Issue 5.2 - May 2002
ISSN 1480-6975
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This issue sponsored by: 
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I n T h i s I s s u e :
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@-- Editor's Musings
@-- Copyright & Publishing Q&A with Nancy A. Reece from Carpe Diem
Copyright Management
@-- Music Reviews - by Ben Ohmart & Eliot Popkin
@-- Songwriting Book Review - by James Linderman
@-- Musical Notes - Songwriting Contests & Market Info.
@-- Muse's Clues - Songwriting Web sites that inspire - brought
to you by singer/songwriter & teacher, Irene Jackson.
@-- Featured Article - VOCAL FITNESS By Diana Yampolsky
@-- Columnist In Spotlight - (New!) Cheryl Mullen's "Sounding Off"
@-- On Site Featured Article - An article already online for your
viewing pleasure.
@-- Classifieds & Useful Services
@-- Contact information
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ISSN 1480-6975. Copyright 1998 - 2002, Jodi Krangle. For more
contact information, see end of issue.
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S p o n s o r M e s s a g e :
(Please support the sponsors that support this newsletter! Thanks!)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
THE USA SONGWRITING COMPETITION IS NOW OPEN:
Enter the 2002 USA Songwriting Competition now! Win a grand prize
of over US$50,000 in cash and merchandise and exposure, making this
the largest prize package in any annual songwriting competition!
Winning songs get radio airplay. Judges include record labels such
as Warner/Reprise Records, SONY Music, Epic Records, etc. EARLY
ENTRY BONUS: First 1,000 entries will receive a free gift.
Info: http://www.songwriting.net/mm.html
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E d i t o r ' s M u s i n g s :
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Well folks, the response to my inquiry about a get-together in the
summer was a bit underwhelming. Ah well. I think it's
probably a bit short notice, actually, so I'd like to try for
something for next year. I'll keep you all posted on developments.
If you have suggestions for a Muse's Muse gathering in Toronto next
year, please do feel free to write to me about it. Your
opinions would be most welcome. --> musecon@musesmuse.com
The new Muse's News Special Announcements E-list received a timely
offer on a discount to The National Association of Record Industry
Professionals' panel discussion on "HIT RECORDS and BLOCKBUSTER
MOVIES: A Match Made in Heaven", taking place on May 7th. I put
offers like that in that separate newsletter because the regular
Muse's News newsletter only comes out once a month and these sorts
of announcements can't usually wait that long. There will be more
such offerings through the Special Announcements newsletter, so if
you're interested in hearing about them see
http://www.musesmuse.com/musenews-specials.html . :)
I'm very pleased to announce that there's another new columnist
this month. Cheryl Mullen has joined us to talk about bands and
artists we should know more about. You can find out all about her
new column by reading the "Columnist Spotlight" section further
down in this newsletter. I invite you all to check it out and
read her (very entertaining) first article!
The raffle winners for this month are Penny Coventry from Duffy,
ACT (Australia), who has won a copy of VSS's extremly useful
Lyricist product, ( for a review of Lyricist, see
http://www.musesmuse.com/vss-review.html ) and Branislav Vrbaski
from New Westminster BC (Canada)who has won a copy of SONG SHEETS
TO SOFTWARE by Elizabeth Axford (also reviewed later on in this
newsletter).
Have a wonderful month, everyone!
All the best,
--Jodi
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C o p y r i g h t & P u b l i s h i n g Q & A :
With Licensing executive Nancy A. Reece
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Q: Is there a web source which will tell who owns the rights to
specific works? Is there a list of titles such as childrens fairy
tales which are in the public domain and can be published if
rewritten for your own publication. - Gary F.
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A: For music,
www.bmi.com
www.ascap.com
www.sesac.com
www.songfile.com
...are all on the list to search for information. Book publishing
is not my field, but I suppose the Internet is the best place to
search. Look by title and by author. Find a copy in print and
you'll find the copyright information.
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Q: Hello Nancy. I have been subscribing to The Muse's News for a
couple of years now and have enjoyed reading your
insights/contributions on the music industry. I placed by original
music on MP3 back in December 2001 and also submitted my CD to the
Copyright Office in November 2001. Supposedly, the copyright
office is STILL not receiving any mail (since Oct 17). Is there
another alternative to submitting your material to the copyright
office in Wash. DC? Are there any risks in distributing my music
without the copyright? It seems as though it's going to be a long
wait. Thank you. - Dennis A.
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A: It does take a long time. There is no way around that.
Keep in mind, once the work was in a fixed format, it held the
copyright. Your registration is pending, but the date of copyright
is the date you first put it on paper or on tape. If you feel
there is an infringement taking place prior to your registration
coming back, contact an attorney right away for assistance.
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Q: I'm collaborating with another musican and we are trying to
determine how to settle who gets what percentage of publishing. I
came to the table with the music/arrangement completed and he added
the melody and lyrics. He believes melody and lyrics make up two
thirds (66%) of the publishing. I believe music is 50% and
lyrics/melody is the other half. Can you help us settle this
dispute? Thanks, L.G.
--------
A: No I can't.
You both must come to that conclusion on your own. Typically,
however, the lyric and the melody are the song, the arrangement is
not part of the underlying copyright. If he is willing to give you
credit for 50% of the music therefore creating a 25/75 split, I'd
take it! The important thing is that you both keep writing
together.
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TO VIEW OTHER QUESTIONS AND RESPONSES, SEE NANCY'S "COPYRIGHT &
PUBLISHING Q&A" ONLINE AT http://www.musesmuse.com/pubq-a.html
Please note: She receives a *lot* of e-mail in a month. If you
sent in a question but have not heard a reply, it's very likely it
already *has* an answer online. It's always a good idea to
thoroughly look through the Q&A's online to see if your question
has already been asked before you send in a request. Thanks!
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*****
ABOUT NANCY A. REECE:
Carpe Diem Copyright Management's owner and president, Nancy A. Reece has
been involved in the music business since 1983. She was the president of an
independent advertising agency for eight years as well as a successful
personal artist manager for nine years. She represented the careers of
several recording artists and songwriters including those with EMI, Zomba
and Liberty Records as well as Benson, Starsong, WoodBridge, Temple Hall and
N'Soul Records. She also represented, for a number of years, a Grammy and
Dove nominated record producer. Reece has won awards of excellence in print
magazine advertising and has been named as one of 2,000 Notable American
Women (1995) as well as being listed in the International Who's Who of
Professional and Business Women (1993). She was also named Cashbox
Magazine's Promoter of the Year (1989). In addition to her work at Carpe
Diem Copyright Management, Reece works at a performing rights organization
in the United States and is an accomplished contemporary artist working in
abstract and multimedia on canvas and wood.
**If you would like to ask Nancy a question, you can send your
e-mail to Nancy at nreece@musesmuse.com . She can't guarantee
she'll get to all of the questions, but she'll certainly try.**
Back to Menu
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M u s i c R e v i e w s : by Ben Ohmart & Eliot Popkin
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Clark Yost On the Ball (by Ben Ohmart)
Clark Yost's 9 tracks are on the ball, and filled with the night
eyes of jazz. Smooth vocal jazz, you might call it, and definitely
some of the smoothest from an unknown. Well. He's certainly not a
novice to the world of lite guitar jazz. He’s been playing since he
bought his first acoustic guitar in 1965.
Yost's element is in the field of melody and laying down a hot bed
of underlying sound onto which the leads can ease themselves. Great
bass and snappy drums make this a small but tight sounding band.
But ya know what? It's not a band, it's Yost doing all sounds. Of
special importance are the 1st and last tracks, instrumentals that
show off Yost's subtle and almost new age style approach to the
guitar as an echoey chamber of charm.
Perhaps one of the best melodies comes from 'Here Comes That Ending
Again.' Yost's ghost vocals bleed over the deepness of the
midnight. The guy knows how to construct Cool. You don't do it with
hammer, nails and tongs, you buy yourself some strong fingers, a
little heartbreak, some synth, a bottle of rye and enough skill to
last 30 years. That's all you need.
Yost's got all that, and you might want to check yourself for a 2nd
opinion.
http://www.mapleislandrecords.com/clark
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OTHER NEW MUSIC REVIEWS SINCE LAST MONTH INCLUDE:
Gold Coast - (by Ben Ohmart)
http://musesmuse.com/columnistsgreylogs/archives/00000173.html
The Jazz Police - (by Ben Ohmart)
http://musesmuse.com/columnistsgreylogs/archives/00000172.html
The Residents (by Ben Ohmart)
http://musesmuse.com/columnistsgreylogs/archives/00000171.html
Kari Tieger (by Ben Ohmart)
http://musesmuse.com/columnistsgreylogs/archives/00000170.html
Carltonfisk - (by Ben Ohmart)
http://musesmuse.com/columnistsgreylogs/archives/00000177.html
Ed Hale and Transcendence - (by Ben Ohmart)
http://musesmuse.com/columnistsgreylogs/archives/00000179.html
Reed Dickinson - (by Ben Ohmart)
http://musesmuse.com/columnistsgreylogs/archives/00000180.html
dial M - (by Eliot Popkin)
http://musesmuse.com/columnistsgreylogs/archives/00000181.html
Firebug - (by Eliot Popkin)
http://musesmuse.com/columnistsgreylogs/archives/00000182.html
Judith - (by Eliot Popkin)
http://musesmuse.com/columnistsgreylogs/archives/00000183.html
Kiki Ebsen - (by Eliot Popkin)
http://musesmuse.com/columnistsgreylogs/archives/00000184.html
Unisex Salon - (by Eliot Popkin)
http://musesmuse.com/columnistsgreylogs/archives/00000185.html
Ramones Forever - (by Ben Ohmart)
http://musesmuse.com/columnistsgreylogs/archives/00000187.html
Honey Barbara - (by Ben Ohmart)
http://musesmuse.com/columnistsgreylogs/archives/00000188.html
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******
Ben lives in Boalsburg, PA where greedy people want to put up
condos in place of a nature preserve. He spends his off hours
listening to radio comedy - especially British - loves reading and
watching horror, and hates trying to make ends meet. Send him money
and gifts. While waiting for bribes, he's currently writing the
official biographies of The Bickersons, Paul Frees and Daws Butler.
His latest bit of immortality? The text for bickersons.com.
Contact him at: ohmart@musesmuse.com.
Eliot is a Boston born singer/songwriter who saw his debut album
"Down Along This Road" have 3 songs find their way into movies,
radio airplay on more than 100 stations across the country as well
as countless wonderful reviews and feature stories. He currently is
writing songs for various major label and film projects, and is in
the studio working on his follow up album. He lives in Los Angeles,
enjoying a nice view of the Hollywood sign. To hear his music, drop
by his web site at http://www.mp3.com/eliotpopkin .
Contact him at: eliotpopkin@musesmail.com
If you're considering sending in your own CD for review, please
drop by http://www.musesmuse.com/musicreviews.html to find out
which reviewer reviews which genre. Thanks!
Back to Menu
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S o n g w r i t i n g B o o k R e v i e w : by James Linderman
Song Sheets to Software - by Elizabeth Axford
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0810840723/themusesmuse
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If there had been only a concept for this book and no author to
write it, I do believe that at least 4 out of 5 publishers would
have picked Elizabeth Axford for the job.
She is a musicologist, a teacher, a songwriter, an accomplished
musician, an historian, a computer whiz and a very good writer. She
therefore was able to write a very comprehensive, historical to
contemporary collection of music related information that is...very
cool.
So what's in the book that you might want to check out?
It's divided into 5 main parts, with chapter 1 detailing the
history of printed music, really, really interesting actually. It
also offers a primer to all kinds of early American music. Tons of
stuff I didn't know...but should have.
Chapter 2 explains present day print music royalties and copyrights
and explores the forms and terms of music's legal side. Good to
read if you think that The Harry Fox Agency is a taxidermist or
that Reproduction Rights mean... oh never mind…you get the idea!
Chapter 3 is a massive listing of current software for musicians
with a brief description and some source information. Since I'm in
the process of upgrading my studio I found this section invaluable.
Chapter 4 is another very large listing, featuring websites for
musicians' needs. I tried out about 40 random e-addresses and found
them to be accurate, legitimate, and interesting.
Chapter 5 offers up all the tech talk and Internet language you
never wanted to be geeky enough to know but, of course, need to
know to make most of the music being made in this millennium.
I find that I can pick up Elizabeth Axford's Song Sheets to
Software, open it to any page, and have a really hard time putting
it down.
******
James Linderman lives and works at theharmonyhouse, a music lesson,
songwriting and music pre-production facility in Newmarket,
Ontario, Canada. He has worked as a collaborating songwriter and
consultant for The Toronto Office of Catholic Youth and leads a
music workshop program for Life 100.3 Christian radio. James writes
songwriting articles for The Muse's News web magazine, Canadian
Musician Magazine and Professional Musician Magazine.
Contact James at: theharmonyhouse@rogers.com
Back to Menu
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S p o n s o r M e s s a g e :
(Please support the sponsors that support this newsletter! Thanks!)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
THINK YOU HAVE WHAT IT TAKES TO SIGN A MUSIC PUBLISHING DEAL?
Brought to you by Universal Music Group, Songwriting and Publishing
is an instructional video that teaches you everything you need to
know to write a successful song and sign a lucrative publishing
deal. Purchase the video and we GUARANTEE a Universal A&R executive
will review your lyrics and send you WRITTEN FEEDBACK. We'll even
give you the chance to win a $1,000 publishing deal with Universal
Music Publishing Group.
http://www.insidesessions.com/products/songwriting/?rid=1051
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M u s i c a l N o t e s : Songwriting Contests & Market Info.
In the interest of conserving space, I will only be including
changes to this listing in this newsletter. All other contests
and market information that have already been listed here, are
displayed at http://www.musesmuse.com/contests.html &
http://www.musesmuse.com/markets.html . Please check there
regularly for updates!
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'RADIO MUSE' WEBCAST FOR INDEPENDENT SONGWRITERS - SEEKING MUSIC!
The Muse's Muse & Host, Jan Best of Independent Songwriter
Web-Magazine, are putting together a series of shows, one every
month, featuring the songs of independent songwriters just like
you! See http://www.musesmuse.com/radiomuse.html for details on how
you can send in your own music for consideration.
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NEW MAJOR LABEL ARTISTS LOOKING FOR POP SONGS!
Tonos hosts many songwriting contests and Industry Opportunities
specifically for songwriters every month. March contests include:
* New Major Label Artist Looking For Pop Songs! - We are looking
for some groundbreaking Pop/R&B songs for Stacie Orrico. Stacie is
18 years old and is signed to Forefront Records. Her debut album is
approaching gold status, plus she was on Destiny's Child's last
tour. With that success a major label has picked her sophomore
album and they need some fresh songs!
* Top Song Plugger Is Looking For Great Songs! - A leading
L.A.-based song plugger is looking for R&B and pop songs to place
on upcoming albums. His company reps the industry's top writers and
they have placed songs on albums by Christina Aguilera, Usher and
LeAnn Rimes over the years.
* Linkin Park Attorney Looking to Shop New Rock Acts! - Veteran
music attorney Daniel Hayes, partner in an elite law firm, has
negotiated hundreds of contracts and has successfully shopped many
artists, including Linkin Park, Tantric and Phantom Planet. Daniel
is the best in the business at shopping bands for deals, but he
doesn't accept unsolicited material! Your only chance is through
Tonos.
http://www.qksrv.net/click-793658-4194776?url=http%3A%2F%2F
www.tonos.com%2Fapp2%2Fopportunities%2Fjsp%2Findex.jsp
(It's a bit long, I know - but if it doesn't work as a clickable
link in your email, just copy and past the link into your browser.)
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SONGLOUNGE.COM -THE WEB'S FIRST QUARTERLY SONG CONTEST SITE
awarding over $4,000 in cash and prizes every three months to the
best three songs- $1,000/1st, $500/2nd, $250/3rd plus products from
AKG, Cakewalk, Ernie Ball, certificates, web sites and more.
Come and visit us at www.songlounge.com
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The National Association of Record Industry Professionals presents:
"HIT RECORDS and BLOCKBUSTER MOVIES: A Match Made in Heaven"
To be discussed:
Their symbiotic effect on both record sales and box office; Artist
development vehicles for new and developing acts; Label and studio
economics; International impact; Cross promotion and merchandising
opportunities; Soundtrack market share; and Talent leveraging.
Please join us for our panel discussion with special guest
speakers:
ROBERT KRAFT, President, Twentieth Century Fox Music Division; JOHN
KIRKPATRICK, Vice President of A&R / Soundtracks, Elektra
Entertainment Group; DARREN HIGMAN, Vice President of Soundtracks,
Atlantic Records; JOHN HOULIHAN, Soundtrack Music Associates; and
TESS TAYLOR, Moderator and President, National Association of
Record Industry Professionals
* Tuesday, May 7th, 2002 *
For more info, please go to www.narip.com.
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HOW CAN SONGWRITERS, SIDE-PLAYERS, ARTISTS AND PRODUCERS PROTECT
THEIR RIGHTS AND THEIR MONEY?
In October of 1998, the book, Confessions of a Record Producer: How
To Survive the Scams and Shams of the Music Business hit the
streets and the industry has not been the same. For the first time
real numbers of what everybody in the music business earns, how
artists are ripped off with clever accounting and common methods of
copyright fraud were exposed.
Now, on June 22 and 23, 2002 / 9:00am - 5:00pm at the Davidson
Conference Center - Downtown, Los Angeles, Confession's author,
multi platinum record producer, Music Business Consultant and
Industry Activist Moses Avalon, speaks live in an in-depth workshop
that will leave you feeling empowered.
See http://www.mosesavalon.com/seminar_confess.htm for details on
how to attend.
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THE ROYANS SPRING VOICE AND MOVEMENT WORKSHOP AND PERFORMANCE
Date: Sunday, May 26, 2002
Location: Holiday Inn Hotel, Ellesmere West Room
7095 Woodbine Ave., Markham, Ontario
· Singing Workshop presented by Master Vocal Coach Diana Yampolsky
· Dance/Hip-Hop Movement Workshop
· Singing Performances by Royans School students
· Italian Buffet Dinner
For more info: http://www.vocalscience.com/seminars/
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2001 GREAT AMERICAN SONG CONTEST WINNERS ANNOUNCED
Songwriter Devon Copley of New York City is the Grand Prize award
winner of the Great American Song Contest 2001. He earned the
prestigious top award for his song "The Wreck Of You and Me."
Nashville songwriter Jen Foster won the First-Place award in the
Pop category for her song "She" and Mark Lightcap of Chico, Calif.,
won First-Place in the Country category with his song "You See the
Rose." Jason Atkinson of Van Nuys, Calif., was top winner in the
Rock/Alt category with "What Girls Say" and New York songwriter
Rachael Sage triumphed in the Contemporary Acoustic category with
her song "Satellite." Donna Lee of San Diego won the First-Place
award in the Contemporary Christian category with "I Will Worship
You" and Russian composer Anna G. Nazaruk won the Special Music
category with "Agnus Dei (Lamb Of God)." Jim Robitaille of New
Bedford, Mass., topped the Instrumental category with his
composition "Miro" and John Dantona of Simi Valley, Calif., won top
honors in the Lyrics Only category with "Shut Down the Night." For
more details or to hear these winning songs, please visit:
www.GreatAmericanSong.com
2002 GREAT AMERICAN SONG CONTEST NOW ACCEPTING ENTRIES!
Featuring multiple awards and prizes for 40 winners in 8 different
style categories. Top music-industry judges include publishers,
producers, recording artists and hit songwriters. Everyone who
participates receives a written evaluation of their work. The Great
American Song Contest is sponsored each year by Songwriters
Resource Network, a free online news and education resource for
songwriters and lyricists everywhere. This year's contest is open
through November 7, 2002. Information is available at:
www.GreatAmericanSong.com or by visiting Songwriters Resource
Network at: www.SongwritersResourceNetwork.com . Contest brochures
are also available by email at: info@GreatAmericanSong.com
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SONGWRITERS,
Steve Gillette and Cindy Mangsen will present a Songwriting
Workshop June 17-21, 2002 at the Nemo Guest Ranch in the Black
Hills of South Dakota. Steve and Cindy's website is
http://www.sover.net/~gillette/index.html . The five day workshop
will cost $200 if paid by 6-1-02 and $250 after that date. Various
accomodations are available.
For more information e-mail us:
Hank and Marianne Fridell - spuddog@rapidnet.com
Cory Tompkins - rushmore.comtompkins@rushmore.com
Back to Menu
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M u s e ' s C l u e s : by Irene Jackson
©1998-2002 Moonstone Productions All Rights Reserved. Used By
Permission
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Were you ever in a basement band? I was :-) Most of the time we
were actually in an attic, but it was really the same thing. We
got together a couple of times a week and practised, and drove the
neighbours crazy (not to mention the guy who's parents' house we
were practising in!). The whole purpose I suppose, at the time,
was just to enjoy this wild and crazy thing called music.
I'm always interested in what the media observes in terms of what
is happening on the internet when it comes to musicians. In a
recent article online
(http://www.usatoday.com/life/music/2002/2002-04-02-music-tech.htm)
, USA Today tackles the topic of "Basement Bands". It isn't what
it used to be! In fact, you don't even have to be in the same room
anymore to jam or collaborate, or whatever.
The article discusses how the internet has given us all the
opportunity to literally be heard on a global level. It discusses
the fact that we can all, with very little start up money, create
our own recordings and put them "out there" for the world to
scrutinze. Does this simply mean a more level playing field in
terms of getting heard? Well, yes, and no. It also means that
just about anyone with the desire and dedication can throw their
music into the pool, which makes for a very crowded pool!
The article points to a number of websites that feature digital
recording and editing tools, many of them very affordable, but the
main intention of it is to highlight a couple of artists/bands who
have made use of these tools and created a web presence for
themselves.
Is a level playing field worth it? You be the judge!
******
Irene Jackson is a performing songwriter from Victoria, BC in
Canada. Aside from writing, recording and performing, she also
maintains a website for songwriters that includes tips, articles
and more links of interest. Her eagerly anticipated CD "Catnip" is
finally here, and her earlier recordings have had attention
everywhere from Japan to South America.
Songwriting Tips: http://www.irenejackson.com/tips.html
Homepage: http://www.irenejackson.com/
Songs on MP3:
http://www.mp3.com/artists/20/irene_jackson.html
Back to Menu
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S p o n s o r M e s s a g e :
(Please support the sponsors that support this newsletter! Thanks!)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
UNLEASH THE FULL POTENTIAL OF THE INTERNET WITH SONGSCOPE.COM!
SongScope is a valuable tool enabling you to build an on-line song
catalog, accessible only by proven industry professionals. Receive
FREE email informing you every time record producers and industry
professionals make requests. Song listings are only $29.95 per
year. An ecommerce enabled marketing/promotion page and tour
calendar are also available for performing songwriters to get
further artist exposure. See www.musesmuse.com/songscope.html for
details or contact: writerinfo@songscope.com ~ Tel: 770.754.4543
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F e a t u r e d A r t i c l e :
VOCAL FITNESS By Diana Yampolsky
© 2002 Diana Yampolsky. All Rights Reserved. Used By Permission
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"It's all about balance."
You will hear everyone from new age gurus to marriage counselors to
characters in beer commercials proclaim this statement. It's pretty
much a cliché but there is something of a universal truth in every
cliché. With respect to being a vocalist, balance is extremely
important. As I have said again and again successful singing
performances are the result of a combination of the correct
technical aspects, a healthy vocal anatomy and a willingness to
share your "spirit" with the audience. Ultimately then successful
singers must find the correct balance between the physical,
emotional and spiritual components of singing.
Another cliché that often gets repeated is that "your voice is your
instrument" and again it is so commonly stated because it really is
a fundamental truth. Your voice is your instrument and its
performance is a direct result of how well you take care of it. You
wouldn't dip your guitar in glue and then expect it to sound good,
would you? Unfortunately, this is akin to what many people often
do! To be able to deliver a correct technical singing performance
and prevent yourself from doing any damage to your vocal anatomy
and thus maintain a healthy voice, you really do need to be in good
physical condition.
So how should you exercise in order to be in the ideal physical
condition for a singer? Again, you guessed it, the answer is
balance. Not only should you be aiming for a balanced workout that
includes aerobic (cardio training), anaeorbic (weight training) and
flexibility exercises but you should be trying to achieve a
balanced physique. What exactly is a balanced physique, you may
ask? Essentially, it is when both the upper body and lower body are
in proportion. For example, if you go to any gym in your city you
will probably see some men that are so obsessed with having big
arms and chests that they exercise their upper bodies way more than
their lower bodies. They have huge upper bodies and skinny legs.
Conversely, some people that are into activities such as skating or
soccer may develop large muscles in their legs while being
practically emaciated with respect to their upper body. In both
cases, the result is that they are not in balance.
Singers who are out of balance with very muscular legs and skinny
upper bodies tend slouch quite a bit and this type of posture is
very detrimental for singing. Their whole body is pointed downwards
towards the ground and this in direct opposition to what good
singers do - they tend lift their entire body upwards as a way of
lifting the sound off the vocal chords so that it can resonate
within their vocal chamber. A metaphor for a singer who slouches is
a plane that takes off but due to excessive weight cannot reach the
proper height and crashes to the ground.
Singers who are physically out of balance due to a big upper body
and skinny lower body are at an equal disadvantage. Again, while
most people assume that singing is purely the domain of the throat
and mouth, the truth is that most good singers use their legs to
support the required posture necessary to lift the body upwards
while singing. If the upper body is so heavy that the legs struggle
to lift it upwards then the sound will again not be lifted off the
vocal chords and into the vocal chamber. Furthermore, if the singer
tries to overcompensate for a weak lower body by flexing his chest
and neck, this overstressing of the upper body will result in weak,
shrill and unpleasant-sounding singing.
Therefore, the recipe for success is the right blend of a balanced
body, mind, and soul. The reward will be a great sounding voice!
******
Diana Yampolsky is a Toronto-based Vocal Coach/Consultant. She is
the creator of the Vocal Science Program, which has been designed
to achieve Accelerated Vocal Development and guarantees to turn a
beginner into a professional singer in a matter of hours. This
technique focuses on the idea that the voice is an expression of
the emotional, physical and spiritual state of the person singing
and Diana therefore works not just on the voice but on the
performer as a whole. The Royans School for the Musical Performing
Arts (http://www.vocalscience.com/) specializes in Accelerated Artist
Development, including Vocal Coaching/Consulting, In Studio Vocal
Production Expertise, Style Identification & Differentiation, Voice
Repair and Psychology of Performance.
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=================================================================
C o l u m n i s t I n S p o t l i g h t :
Sounding Off - by Cheryl Mullen
http://www.musesmuse.com/col-cherylmullen.html
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ABOUT THE COLUMN:
Cheryl Mullen seeks out cool and talented music-makers, then tells
us about them in the hopes of converting us into becoming fans of
these music makers. Looking for cool, different music? Check here
for Cheryl's picks.
ABOUT THE COLUMNISTS:
While Cheryl Mullen sang and played flute in high school and
college, she can't write music to save her life. This naturally
makes her eminently qualified to write about people who can. Her
close proximity to Manhattan gives her a multitude of opportunities
to hang out in dimly lit clubs and hear
phenomenally-talented-yet-toiling-in-obscurity artists. This
column's mission is to make those artists a little less obscure.
She is a professional groupie (having seen Rockapella more than 30
times), a World Trade Center survivor (not a joke), and an animal
lover (her favorite animal being Le Mew, her 14-lb. black cat).
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" O N S I T E " F E A T U R E D A R T I C L E :
CONVERGENCE AND CONTENT by Jerry Flattum
http://musesmuse.com/columnistsgreylogs/archives/00000169.html
Two buzzwords for the new millennium are Convergence and Content.
The convergence of technology and entertainment and the "morphing"
of content will prove critical to the future of entertainment in
the 21st century. For songwriters, filmmakers and artists of all
types, such change will open the doors for many new opportunities.
---
Make sure to also check out the newly updated Entertainment
Cyberscope at http://www.musesmuse.com/ec.html !
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C l a s s i f i e d s & U s e f u l S e r v i c e s :
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WINDRIFT MUSIC SONGWRITING COMPETITION 2002
Windrift Music and Sonic Foundry(Sound Forge/ACID),
are sponsoring the 2002 Songwriting Competition.
Fabulous Prizes * $1000 in cash * Sound Forge 5.0. * ACID PRO 3.0 *
Vegas Video 3.0 * Five loop libraries * Make Your own demo CD * 50
CDs courtesy of Windrift Music * Web Hosting of Your Song on
Windrift Music Site * Artist Home Page with download of music *
1000 promotional Flyers of CD * Free promotion of artist CD to
major labels. The deadline is June 30th, 2002. $10 entry fee.
Contest details are located on the Windrift Music web site:
http://windriftmusic.com/contest_2002.html
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LYRICIST! VERSION 2.1 HAS ARRIVED - INCLUDES CHORD CHARTING/WIZARD.
Virtual Studio Systems, Inc. is proud to announce Lyricist V2.1 -
The Songwriter's Best Friend: the first-of-its-kind word processor
designed for musicians, songwriters, and poets. The software
includes a rhyming dictionary, spell checker, thesaurus, album
categorization, chord charting, chord generator, song arrangement
and much much more - all in a user-friendly package. Check out the
review at http://www.musesmuse.com/vss-review.html . Muse's Muse
visitors can take home the product for $5.00 off the regular
selling price just for purchasing through the form provided off of
the review!
For more information, visit the review url above or call us at
888.732.1176 inside the U.S.A. or 603.726-4499 outside the U.S.A.
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CUSTOM DEMO ARRANGEMENTS FOR SONGWRITERS
Excellent quality at a reasonable price with quick turnaround
using the latest in synths and samplers with Pro Tools 5.1. Credits
include national commercials, album productions and demos. Visit
http://www.barclasionmusic.com/ for more information or contact Rick at
813-689-6066 or barclayr@flash.net.
References and demos available upon request
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GET YOUR COPY OF THE INDIE CONTACT BIBLE & START MAKING WAVES!
This is an absolutely priceless resource for indie musicians. If
you want your music reviewed, on the radio, *heard*, THIS is the
resource you need to have. It's not going to tell you "how" but it
will *certainly* tell you "who". I highly recommend you pick it up
in order to compliment your other music marketing techniques. Have
a look at this url and read through a few sample pages to see what
I mean: http://www.bigmeteor.com/muse
(Full review at http://www.musesmuse.com/3.4-July00.html#book)
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INTERESTED IN YOUR VERY OWN MUSE'S MUSE SHIRT, MUG OR MOUSEPAD?
WOULD YOU LIKE TO SELL YOUR OWN MERCHANDISE?
Drop by http://www.musesmuse.com/musemerchandise.html today!
And while you're at it, think about starting your *own* store. It
would be pretty cool to sell your own band's logo or design on
promo items, wouldn't it? And starting up a store requires no
investment of money on your part at all. Details on how to do that
are only a click away...
http://www.cafepress.com/cp/info/storeref.aspx?refby=musesmuse
=================================================================
ADVERTISING RATES: For Classifieds: US$25 Max. 8 lines, where
a line = 65 characters including spaces and punctuation. All
contracts must be prepaid. Write to: editor@musesmuse.com
For Newsletter Sponsorship rates and other advertising
opportunities, please see http://www.musesmuse.com/media.html .
Back to Menu
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C o n t a c t I n f o & C r e d i t s :
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Jodi Krangle ............................................. EDITOR
Kathryn Obenshain ...........................GRACIOUS PROOFREADER
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The Muse's News is a free monthly newsletter for and about
songwriters. Subscribers are welcome to recirculate or reprint
The Muse's News for nonprofit use as long as the appropriate
credit is given and the ENTIRE text of the newsletter is
included (including credits and information at the end of each
issue). Others should contact me at editor@musesmuse.com.
All articles copyrighted by their authors.
Back issues and other information will be available at:
http://www.musesmuse.com/musenews.html
The Muse's News is part of The Muse's Muse, a web resource for
songwriters: http://www.musesmuse.com/
For further information, send your e-mail to:
-----------------------------------------------------------------
adinfo@musesmuse.com - How to place a classified ad, pass
on market information or sponsor
The Muse's News.
info@musesmuse.com - How to subscribe, unsubscribe, etc.
editor@musesmuse.com - To submit articles,reviews,ideas,etc.
SNAILMAIL: Please contact me first at editor@musesmuse.com
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Back issues of the newsletter can be read at the National
Library of Canada ecollection:
http://collection.nlc-bnc.ca/100/201/300/muses_news/index.html
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
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