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The Muse's News |
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Issue 9.8 - November 2006
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
@-- Music Reviews - Chip Withrow, JJ Biener, Gian Fiero,
Francesco Emmanuel & Jon Stewart
@-- New Artist Spotlight Additions
@-- Songwriting Book Review - by Ed Teja
@-- 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 - Five Paths To $100,000 Per Year - Part 4:
Randy's Way by Sean Farrington
@-- 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 1998-2006 - Jodi Krangle.
For more contact information, see end of issue.
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MUSE'S MUSE T-SHIRTS, MUGS, MOUSEPADS AND MORE
Remind yourself of your committment to songwriting every time you
use one of these special items. There are even black t-shirts!
See http://www.cafepress.com/musesmuse for details.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
S p o n s o r M e s s a g e :
(Many thanks to the sponsors that help support this newsletter!)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
ONLINE SONGWRITING AND MUSIC PRODUCTION COURSES FROM BERKLEE
COLLEGE OF MUSIC
The best way to learn about writing it to write - and what better
way to learn than under the mentorship of Berklee College of
Music's songwriting instructors? Berkleemusic.com, the online
extension school of Berklee College of Music, offers a number of
instructor-led online songwriting courses that provide the tools,
the support, and the practice environment you'll need to express
yourself more effectively in words and music.
Berkleemusic also offers online courses and certificate programs
in music production. Learn to create, produce, mix, remix and
record professional-sounding arrangements using the software and
sequencers in Reason, Ableton Live, Digital Performer, Logic,
Sonar, and Pro Tools.
Enrollment is also now open for their winter semester starting
January 8, 2007.
For more information visit: http://www.berkleemusic.com/?pid=1321
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E d i t o r ' s M u s i n g s :
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Hi folks. I hope you're having a very productive Autumn. Lots
of new stuff on the website and in this newsletter. Some great
new reviews of very talented artists that I hope you'll check
out.
Just as a reminder, there's a new Radio Muse show (#14) now
online too at http://www.musesmuse.com/radiomuse-14.html so I
hope you'll check that out. The show will continue, just in case
you were wondering. It might have only one host, but there will
definitely be a Radio Muse #15. I hope you'll send in your music
for consideration! More information on that can be found at
http://www.musesmuse.com/radiomuse.html .
And now, the raffle winners for this month. :)
* Jeffrey O. Kasbohm from St. Louis Park, MN, has won a copy of
Virtual Studio Systems' Lyricist software
(http://www.musesmuse.com/vss-review.html).
* Bradley Weaver from Denver, CO, has won a 6 month subscription
to the Onlinegigs (http://www.onlinegigs.com/) service. This
valuable service is a powerful tool for musicians, agents, record
companies and managers designed to virtually automate the
administration of booking and promoting a band or bands.
* Trenell Ladd from Hyattsville, MD, has won a copy of
Indie-Music.com's Musician's Toolkit CD
(http://www.musicianstoolkit.com/muse/)
I wish you all the very best of inspiration!
--Jodi
Back to Menu
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S p o n s o r M e s s a g e :
(Many thanks to the sponsors that help support this newsletter!)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
CUSTOMFLIX - SELL YOUR CDS ON AMAZON.COM
The CustomFlix CD on Demand service helps independent musicians
like you easily and affordably reach a worldwide audience by
making your audio CDs available to millions of Amazon.com
customers. The CustomFlix CD on Demand program is:
-- Easy to use
-- Affordable, with no start-up costs
-- Requires no inventory
More Info: http://www.customflix.com/musemuse
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M u s i c R e v i e w s : Chip Withrow, JJ Biener, Gian Fiero,
Francesco Emmanuel & Jon Stewart
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NEW MUSIC REVIEWS SINCE LAST MONTH INCLUDE:
Jon Stewart:
* Jade
http://musesmuse.com/columnistsgreylogs/archives/00001206.html
* Ebony Evans
http://musesmuse.com/columnistsgreylogs/archives/00001197.html
Gian Fiero:
* Eoin Harrington
http://musesmuse.com/columnistsgreylogs/archives/00001202.html
* Shakti
http://musesmuse.com/columnistsgreylogs/archives/00001199.html
* Kevin Wong
http://musesmuse.com/columnistsgreylogs/archives/00001198.html
* YMP (Young Mississippi Pimpin)
http://musesmuse.com/columnistsgreylogs/archives/00001201.html
Francesco Emmanuel:
* Emma Cook
http://musesmuse.com/columnistsgreylogs/archives/00001205.html
* Arvel Bird
http://musesmuse.com/columnistsgreylogs/archives/00001196.html
* Lukas Vesely
http://musesmuse.com/columnistsgreylogs/archives/00001193.html
Chip Withrow:
* Second Movement
http://musesmuse.com/columnistsgreylogs/archives/00001194.html
* The Hideaways
http://musesmuse.com/columnistsgreylogs/archives/00001204.html
JJ Biener:
* David Alstead
http://musesmuse.com/columnistsgreylogs/archives/00001203.html
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******
For bios on each of the reviewers, see
http://www.musesmuse.com/musicreviews.html . If you're considering
sending in your own CD for review, you can also view that page to
find out which reviewer reviews your genre. Thanks!
Back to Menu
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N e w A r t i s t S p o t l i g h t A d d i t i o n s :
Great music is only a click away!
Here are just some of the great CDs highlighted in the
Artist Spotlight section of The Muse's Muse at
http://www.musesmuse.com/artistspotlights.html
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Mark DuBerry - Genre: ELECTRONIC
The music on 'Head Room' is rich and complex and is mostly
instrumental, with some atmospheric vocals. Acoustic and electric
guitars feature throughout along with electronic instruments and
strong rhythms. World flavours come together with dance,
progressive rock, jazz and ambient influences to produce a lush,
vibrant and powerful sound.
http://www.markduberry.com/
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Mark Evans - Genre: COUNTRY
Mark Evans is a truly gifted songwriter in the mold of Billy Joe
Shaver and Kris Kristofferson. He nailed a publishing deal on his
first trip to Nashville and completed his forthcoming CD on his
second trip. Titled I Crawl Out, Mark Evans' debut disc will be
released in England and America.
http://www.markevansmusic.co.uk/
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Doug Spears - Genre: FOLK
Thoughtful, intelligent lyrics in the style of Gordon Lightfoot
and John Prine, memorable melodies, a warm, engaging acoustic
guitar style and smooth, rich vocals reminiscent of John Denver.
That’s acoustic folk artist, Doug Spears. Doug's songs tell
engaging stories mixing musical elements of Americana, bluegrass
and acoustic folk. Turn off the TV and the cell phone and enjoy.
http://www.dougspearsmusic.com/
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Shannon Chase - Genre: POP
With a voice that's been compared to 'golden pipes' Shannon Chase
breathes new life into todays pop music. Combining her interests
in adult contemporary, Top 40, and rock this debut album appeals
to a large number of people with its catchy hooks and haunting
melodies.
http://www.shannonchase.com/
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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 Ed Teja
Million Dollar Mistakes by Moses Avalon
http://www.backbeatbooks.com/
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Although this book focuses more on industry games that directly
affect performers, producers and business people than on the
world of songwriters, songwriters also need a clear-eyed picture
of the industry. If you harbor romantic images of the music
industry, this book will help you confine them to your lyrics.
The author, Moses Avalon, is a record producer turned
artist's-rights activist; a professional dispeller of the
industry's illusions and myths, who gives seminars, consults on
legislation affecting music, and has even given expert testimony
in courtrooms. To add to his own experience, in researching this
book he interviewed a cross section of industry experts
(including entertainment lawyers, engineers, producers, and label
executives) getting them to identify the myriad ways it is
possible for us to go wrong, based on their own experiences. He
summarizes these in the back of the book, in a section aptly
titled: "The Top Reasons Why Artists Fail."
While hearing about failures, even from those who recover and go
on to success, is not exactly inspiring (or even always fun
reading) it does serve a purpose. It points out pitfalls and
traps that lie in the path to musical goals. Everyone makes
mistakes, and the author intends that you profit from other
people's errors. You don't have to bother making these particular
mistakes, which leaves you free to make your own.
There is, of course, no one path to success, no single "business
model" that suits everyone aspiring to music industry success. A
band, he points out, is not a business. In fact, many extremely
successful bands are run anything but like a business. That
leaves us asking: If there isn't a business model, if you
shouldn't run a band like a business, then how do you get
anywhere?
Moses Avalon believes that part of the answer is this insider
collection of mistakes, of dangerous steps to avoid. Thus the
book talks about the costly mistakes made by pros. And not just
the mistakes themselves. One of the book's important themes is
that actions have consequences. Not returning phone calls leads
to losing work. Not sharing writing credits with nonwriting band
members (a point that will strike home with songwriters in bands)
offers a perfect example of how the obvious or logical (even
honest) approach can often make no sense whatsoever in the rather
twisted world of record labels.
Along the way the author also takes issue with a certain amount
of "common sense" often heard in the industry. For instance,
should your demo be radio ready? Do you have to be nice to nasty
people because it is such a small industry? The author gives you
some new perspectives on these questions and many more.
To his credit, the author recognizes that some of his positions
are not definitive, and in those cases he lets interviewees who
disagree with him completely speak their piece. On the issue of
radio-ready song demos, for instance, you are treated to an
interesting debate, and in his dialogs with lawyers, it becomes
clear that the music business remains a bit murky even to the
industry experts. Don't expect that to change.
******
ABOUT THE REVIEWER:
Ed Teja lives in New Mexico, USA, writing songs and
instrumentals, and trying to find them loving homes. Performing
since the early 60s, he has appeared at strange venues in Hong
Kong, Canada, St. Martin, Bequia, Venezuela, Grenada and
Trinidad, as well as the Silver City (New Mexico) Blues festival
in 2003, and the Tucson (Arizona) Folk Festival in 2006. Working
as a magazine editor and freelance writer, his articles appeared
in magazines ranging from Pro Sound News, BYTE magazine, to
Import/Export, and with book reviews in THE SOUTH CHINA MORNING
POST, and The Midwest Review of Books.
Find out more about Ed at: http://www.geocities.com/edtejaBack to Menu
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S p o n s o r M e s s a g e :
(Many thanks to the sponsors that help support this newsletter!)
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IAMA (International Acoustic Music Awards) DEADLINE APPROACHING
Enter the 3rd Annual IAMA now! Win awards in Best Male Artist,
Best Female Artist, Best Group/Duo, Folk, Alternative, etc.
Overall Grand Prize worth over US$10,000, which includes radio
promotion to over 250 radio stations in US and Canada. Winners
will be heard on radio show: Acoustic Cafe and XM Radio and
featured on our CD compilation.
Last Chance to enter this year! All entries must be postmarked by
November 9 2006 or earlier, Hurry to:
http://www.inacoustic.com/mm.html
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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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GREAT AMERICAN SONG CONTEST Deadline Is Coming Soon!
Submissions to the 8th Annual Great American Song Contest will be
accepted through Nov. 17. Songs, lyrics and instrumental
compositions are welcome. This year's event features awards for
45 winners in 9 categories and provides over $10,000 in prizes.
Music-industry judges include prominent publishers, recording
artists, producers and Grammy-nominated songwriters. Entrants
receive written evaluations of their songs from the contest
judges. This annual International event is sponsored by
Songwriters Resource Network, a trusted news and education
resource for songwriters everywhere.
Submission deadline is Nov. 17, 2006. For details, visit:
http://www.greatamericansong.com/ or e-mail info@GreatAmericanSong.com
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CATAWBA COLLEGE OFFERS SONGWRITING SCHOLARSHIPS
Catawba College announces the availability of songwriting
scholarships for the 2007-8 school year. Qualifying freshmen and
transfer students can receive up to $2,500 for study at the
Salisbury, North Carolina school (the renewable scholarship could
total $10,000 over four years). Scholarships are also offered to
instrumentalists and singers of rock, alternative, gospel, and
other forms of popular music. The Catawba degree concentration in
music business/popular music attracts talented musicians from
across the country and enjoys a growing reputation through the
success of its students and recent graduates. They include Dennis
Reed, who beat out nearly 1300 college entrants to win the 9th
BMI John Lennon Songwriting Scholarship. For application details,
contact Dr. David Lee Fish at dlfish@catawba.edu or call
704-637-4280.
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NSAI TORONTO FRIDAY NIGHT OPEN STAGE AT NOW LOUNGE - ONE FRIDAY A
MONTH
Come out to one of the city's only Friday night open stages at
the fabulous Now Lounge, 189 Church (just south of Dundas) Host
is Laura Ranieri. Sign up is 7:30. Upcoming dates: Friday October
20; Friday November 24; Friday December 15; Friday January 12,
Friday February 16; Friday March 16; Friday April 20. For more
information please visit http://www.nsaitoronto.com/.
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THE 2006 SINGER/SONGWRITER AWARDS (ROUND II)
We Are Listening, in association with Berklee College of Music
and in partnership with Sonicbids.com, is currently accepting
entries for Round II of The 2006 Singer/Songwriter Awards. Enter
now for a chance to win an all-inclusive trip to London to record
your song with the UK's finest music professionals (or prize of
comparable value). Visit: http://www.wearelistening.org/ for more
details.
Deadline: 31st Dec 2006
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THE TIPPERARY INTERNATIONAL SONG OF PEACE CONTEST
The Tipperary International Song of Peace Contest will take place
in Tipperary Town, Ireland in April 2007. What kind of song is
Tipperary Peace Convention looking for? A song of Peace, Love and
Harmony, about people, places or things, in fact anything that
one feels constitutes a 'Sense of Peace'. The organisers are most
anxious that the contest embrace all musical tastes. Entries must
be submitted on a compact disc or cassette tape with one copy of
the type-written lyric. The entry fee is €25 (euro) and the
closing date for entries is February 1st, 2007. From the entries
received, 10 songs will be chosen to compete 'live' in the Grand
Final in Tipperary Town, Ireland on April 28th, 2007. The winning
song will receive a cheque for €1,500 (euro) and a specially
commissioned Waterford Crystal Trophy.
Entry Forms are now available and can be downloaded from the
organisers website: http://www.tipperarypeace.ie/ or by contacting the
Contest Secretary, Martin Quinn by e-mail to
martinquinns@eircom.net
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INTERNATIONAL MUSIC AWARDS - BEST SONGWRITER
A unique opportunity to represent your country and win an
international songwriting award from The Music Aid Organization
(the United Nations music partner at www.musicaid.org). The best
entries will receive Gold Disc Awards and the top songs will be
on the desks of the world's music executives and record
companies. There are also categories for bands, solo artists,
producers and instrumental composers. The top entries will have
their songs sold as downloads on the Music Aid International
website and the international media spotlight will be turned on
when a United Nations UNV specialist PR team promotes national
and international winners and finalists in a campaign of
worldwide press releases and media announcements. Visit:
http://www.musicaidawards.com/ - Deadline: November 17, 2006
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THE 2007 GREAT LAKES SONGWRITING CONTEST
Now with a bigger Grand Prize and 13 winners, the 2007 Great
Lakes Songwriting Contest is open for entries. The contest is
open to songwriters currently living in the eight Great Lakes
states and the Province of Ontario. Grand Prize is $1,500 US
cash, with 12 additional prizes of gift certificates,
subscriptions to the Songbridge songwriters' pitch sheet,
discounts on songwriting retreats, and publicity opportunities.
Entries must be postmarked by April 14, 2007. Now sponsored by
Elderly Instruments, Lamb's Retreat for Songwriters, and
Songbridge. More about the 2006 winners, judges, concert, and
prizes at http://www.greatlakessongs.com/.
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FREE TICKETS TO THE CONFESSIONS WORKSHOP On November 18-19, 2006.
Do you want to go to the next Confessions of a Record Producer
Workshop for FREE?
Who wouldn't? Here's what you'll learn:
-- How Record Deals Really Work and How To Get One.
-- How To Avoid Leaches And Meet The Right People Who Can Really
Help.
-- Where to Find the New Opportunities Since Majors Laid Off 1200
People Last Year.
-- New Ways To Make Money That Few People In The Music Biz Know
About Yet.
If cash has been your obstacle, now that barrier is GONE.
A sponsor has purchased tickets for several lucky applicants. We
are holding a raffle to give them away. Names are put into a hat
and then chosen at random.
Awards will be distributed as follows:
* 3 First prizes of a full scholarship (Valued at $290)
* 3 Second prizes of a "matching funds" scholarship, where the
applicant pays half and the fund pays the balance.
Simple enough? Want to get your name in the hat? Here's how:
A click on the link below takes you right to the page where you
can enter. http://www.mosesavalon.com/seminar.htm
Look on the left side of the page for the raffle link.
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DOWNLOAD YOUR FREE COPYRIGHT KIT
Download Indie-Music.com's free and easy Copyright Kit. Print
Copyright forms, Copyright submission process, handy tips &
tricks, choosing the right form, and more.
http://www.indie-music.com/freemuse.php
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FREE SUBMISSIONS FOR FILM, TV AND VIDEO GAMES AT
MUSICGORILLA.COM!
Music Gorilla works with Bands, Musicians, Artists and
Songwriters to get their original material into the eyes and ears
of industry members who have the ability to take their careers to
the next level. We work with Reps from Major Labels, Indie Labels
and Film Studios. Our artists get access to free submissions for
film, TV and video games, they are eligible for free live label
showcases, digital distribution with MSN and Loudeye and more. We
don’t take any piece of any deals made on our site, and have had
many successes including placement, songwriting and publishing
deals.
Muse's Muse artists get 10% off of memberships!
Just enter the promotional code "muse" during registration.
http://www.musicgorilla.com/
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THE HOME MADE HIT SHOW, PLAYING SONGS BY HOME RECORDING ARTISTS
Tony Butterworth, a home musician and advocate for home based
music, has released his new internet based program, The Home Made
Hit Show, featuring exciting and original rock, acoustic, blues
and pop music made by home based artists. The Home Made Hit Show
strives to deliver top quality, original, home based rock, pop,
blues and acoustic music to its listeners. "After years of being
disillusioned with popular music, I was ready for a change", said
Butterworth, "After taking up guitar and making a few of my own
songs, I discovered a huge online community of amateur musicians,
many of them producing songs of a quality that simply astounded
me."
Please listen in and http://www.homemadehitshow.com/ and send songs and
comments to homemadehitshow@gmail.com
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SONGWRITING CONSULTATION SPECIAL OFFER:
Pete & Pat Luboff will pay for the phone call for Muse's Muse
songwriters who use the Luboffs' songwriting consultation
service. The service provides detailed, constructive song
analysis, answers to all your creative and business questions and
references to contacts when appropriate. Visit
http://www.writesongs.com/consults.htm for more information.
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INTRODUCING A SPECIAL WEBSITE PROMOTION PACKAGE ESPECIALLY FOR
MUSICIANS/SONGWRITERS
It's important for your website to be found once it's created. We
all know this. But who can afford the promotion a website needs
to truly make its mark on the web? Now YOU can. This package is
offered exclusively to Muse's Muse visitors only - and now
includes an Artist Spotlight listing! Do you have a website that
no one knows about? Do you want it to stand out from the crowd?
Now you can get it promoted for a fraction of the price most
search engine optimization packages would cost you. Visit
http://www.internet-marketing-mm.com/musicianpackage.html
for more details.
Back to Menu
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M u s e ' s C l u e s : by Irene Jackson
©1998-2006 Moonstone Productions All Rights Reserved.
Used By Permission
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A few years back, I remember coming across a website called MSN
Music which had a list of just about every genre of song you
could imagine. I immediately wrote about it for this newsletter.
But a year or two later when I referred back to it, it had
disappeared! I always thought it was a shame, because one issue
that comes up again and again is that of genre. Most songwriters
want to know how others view their songs in terms of the style
that they write. Is it pop? Rock? Some kind of weird fusion of
acid rock and contemporary jazz?
Lucky for me (and now for you!), I recently came upon virtually
the same great online encyclopaedia of music and all of its
genres in a commercial website called "Allmusic.com"
(http://www.allmusic.com/). I don't always like to promote
commercial websites, but in this case, there's really a whole
whack of information at your fingertips at no cost.
What is great about it is that you can explore each and every
genre with all of the sub-genres and cross-overs you can possibly
imagine. The "top" artists and albums of each is listed,
including a link to an audio clip of them. The artists and bands
also have good bios, complete discographies, links to the artists
or bands that influenced them, and "followers"...those who were
influenced by them and followed in their footsteps. There is
chart information on each of the artist's songs, and just about
every connection with them that you can think of, including
multiple photos, session musicians, and even the "moods" that
each artist or band represents! In fact, if there's a music
video for that artist, you'll also be able to view it.
Another interesting aspect, to me, is getting a sense of which
artists and bands best represent each genre. As a songwriter,
you might want to write for a certain artist and want to research
what they've done in past. Allmusic's descriptions of the origins
of many of these genres is fascinating as well, some of the
history is pretty good reading.
If Allmusic.com doesn't satisfy all of your musical inquisitions,
try the Wikipedia music portal
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portal:Music). Wikipedia, if you've
never heard about it, is a kind of volunteer-based online
encyclopaedia. Anyone can sign up and submit information on just
about anything you can think of. The music portal includes
everything from articles on music genres to composers and
musicians, instruments and anything related. The Wikipedia music
portal goes a few steps further than Allmusic, in that it
includes genres such as "computer games music", categories such
as music-related occupations, a dictionary of terms (yes, even a
glossary of bagpipe terms!), and articles on theory and
techniques. There are links upon links... If you've never checked
Wikipedia out, you should definitely put aside a few hours to do
so!
******
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 a songwriter's messageboard.
Songwriting Tips: http://www.irenejackson.com/tips.html
Homepage: http://www.irenejackson.com/
Songs: http://www.soundclick.com/irenejackson
Back to Menu
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F e a t u r e d A r t i c l e : by Sean Farrington - © 2006
Five Paths To $100,000 Per Year
Part 4: Randy's Way
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Welcome back to my little documentary (or moc-umentary as I
prefer to call it). We are now on Part 4 of a 5 part series
exploring the lives of five fictional characters who are all
racing to a six-figure income with very different styles. Though
the cast of characters in this moc-mentary are indeed fictional,
the techniques are not. These are the same skills that artists -
just like you - use day in and day out to survive and thrive as
independents.
In this episode we'll visit Randy who is a self-proclaimed
recording nut. He records 2 CDs a year, plus all his live
performances, music videos and even behind the scenes
documentaries. We'll see how Randy's recording ready attitude
pushes his income to the six-figure mark...
RECORDING READY RANDY
[Act 4 Scene 1. Opens in a black and white childhood memory
sequence]
Since he was given his first Fisher Price™ cassette recorder
(with dual microphones!), Randy has been bitten with the
recording bug. His mom would often find him stuffing his brother
in a coat closet while trying to explain that it wasn't a closet
at all, but rather an isolation booth.
Today we find that Randy has found a way to turn his penchant for
recording into a fairly decent little enterprise for himself. He
takes his Prog-Rock inspired Zydeco music and manages to create
two well-crafted CDs per year.
Randy has gotten this process for recording down to a science.
For instance, he knows that if he gets all his band mates
together to rehearse their songs until they hate them, then he
will be able to get 10 songs recorded and mixed down in the
studio inside 40 hours.
Let's go ahead and dive into the grade school math. 40 hours of
recording at a rate of $35/hour costs all of $1,400 to record and
mix an album. Now Randy has been around this business enough to
know that a good recording isn't really done until a competent
professional has mastered it. So he splurges every single time
for a low-priced mastering session that he gets for $500. Again
doing the grade school level math we add $500 mastering to the
$1400 recording and we are now up to $1900.
Randy is a realist when it comes to selling his CDs. Even though
he wants to sell 10,000 copies of his masterful creations, he
shoots for a much more reasonable total of 3000 CDs. Randy has
shopped around on the internet and discovered that he can get
3000 CDs printed (with jewel cases and four page inserts) for
$3,900.
This means that Randy shells out a whopping $5,800 to get his
project in physical form. Randy prefers to say that each CD costs
$1.93 (which we'll round up to $2.00) per CD. This cost includes
the total to record, mix, master, and duplicate 3000 copies of
his next hit CD.
Now most people would go into sticker shock at seeing this
number, but not Randy. He knows the full profit potential of his
little gold mine. For instance, because Randy writes good music
and has become adept at marketing his CDs, he knows how to price
and move his merch. He will be selling those 3000 CDs at a very
reasonable $12/ per CD.
Doing our grade school level math again we see that selling 3000
CDs multiplied by $10 in profit for each CD brings us to a
$30,000 net profit for each of Randy's recording projects.
But that's not all; remember Randy does two CD's per year. The
costs are exactly the same, but since there is only six months
left in the year he only sells half as many before the year's
end. Though he has next year to sell the remaining 1500 CDs, we
will be lopsided and stack all of the costs into the first
half-year of sales. This raises his costs per CD to an
artificial $4, and lowers his return to $8 per CD.
Selling 1500 of these by years-end nets Randy an additional
$12,000, bringing his yearly total up to $42,000.
RANDY HAS A "BRAIN BLAST"
One day while watching "Making of the Chef," his favorite cooking
documentary show, Randy had a "brain blast." He fathomed that he
lives a fairly interesting life and decided that maybe he should
video some of it for his fans. As this idea rattled around his
mind, it began to snowball in a way that only self-absorbed ideas
do. When the snowball had gathered size and momentum, Randy
decided that a Music Video on DVD was in order.
Taking his discipline and organization skills from his music
productions Randy began to organize what he would put on the DVD.
All of this work produced a list of needs and their associated
costs.
Here's what he came up with:
$450 For 2 Mini DV camera rentals @ $225 per day for 2 days
$200 For Mini DV tape
$200 for desktop editing software such as Final Cut Express™
$0 for a borrowed home video camera for the documentary
$1950 For 750 DVDs with a full color cover and 3 color on disc
printing for $2.60 per unit.
______
$2,800 Total costs
Randy figured he could get his music video shooting done in 2
days because he chose a simple theme, picked simple sets and
locations and rehearsed everything like crazy before the cameras
were even rented. He even went so far as to create a "mock-up"
video using the borrowed home video camera that he used to shoot
his documentary titled, "A Day In The Life Of A Zydeco
ProgRocker." He was happy with the results and decided to move
forward.
Once the 2 days of shooting were done Randy got to work using his
desktop editing software to compile and edit all of the video. By
the end he had a full 1 hour Documentary, a music video and even
a, "making of the video" documentary.
Randy offers his Zydeco Prog Rocker Video Spectacular to his fans
for a very reasonable $15 each. Selling all of the DVDs at this
price gave Randy a gross profit of $11,200. When he backed out
the costs of $2800 he discovered a net profit of $8,450 for one
video product.
Friend, that's a %300 percent return on his investment of
$2140...
Not too shabby.
The best part is that after Randy sold out of this run, his costs
for the second run dropped by 30% because he didn't have to pay
for rentals or software again. But that is a topic for another
article.
So now Randy's yearly take is up to $50,450
The success of Randy's first video got him thinking about other
video projects. The next was a "live concert video." Of course
Randy did all of his planning in advance and decided that he
needed the following equipment to produce is full-scale concert
video:
$675 For 3 Mini DV cameras to get lots of angles during the
concert.
$50 For Mini DV tape for all three cameras.
$100 For a one-day rental of a 16-channel mixer and
miscellaneous cables.
$50 To rent a realtime CD-R recorder
$50 For a one-day rental of a 16-channel mic splitter to split
the signals from the front of house mixer to the recording
mixer.
$1,300 To replicate 500 DVDs at a price of 2.60 per unit.
______
$2,225 Total Costs
Here's how the whole thing went down. Randy had his friend Ross,
who is a music-production student, sit behind the stage during
the concert. Ross's job was to do a "live mix" of the concert
straight to the CD-R recorder so that the video would have nice
clean audio.
Randy placed two stationary cameras in the audience and one
operator with a handheld to roam around on stage. He threw all of
the footage into his desktop editing program - which was now paid
for from his last video shoot. When the recording was done, Randy
edited it down to the live audio recording that Ross made.
Now because of how late in the year Randy began this project he
only sold 500 copies, which at a $15 price point grosses him
$7,500. With production and replication costs of $2,225 his net
profits are $5,275.
This is a 237% return on his investment.
Just ask those who dabble in the stock market how many times
they've pulled off that kind of return and you'll start to think
Randy is a financial genius.
The running total for Randy's recording mania total is now up to
$55,725. A long way from 100k but hold on because we haven't
factored in gigs and other merch.
Randy does a "massive" 2 gigs per week with a paltry guarantee of
$300 per gig. This nets him $31,200 per year in revenue from
gigging alone (104 gigs per year times $300).
This brings the new running total up to $86,925
Now, Randy was in an Apple Computer users forum last year where
he met a rapper named MacDaddi from Philly. Mac advised Randy on
exactly how to make and sell a variety of merch. So at the
beginning of this year Randy's first t-shirt was officially for
sale, it's called the "Crazy Dancing Man" design, and his fans
love it. These sell for $15 each, which yields a $10 per shirt
profit. Randy sold an average of 13 shirts per gig, netting him
$260 per week in additional revenue (13 shirts x $10 profit x 2
gigs per week). When calculated out over an entire year, Randy's
t-shirt sales bring in an additional $13,520.
That's all it took. The final piece to Randy's profit puzzle is
in place, and the picture is a grand total of $100,445.
EDITOR'S NOTE: Last we heard from Randy he was in the throws of
recording a crazy compilation EP with five other local bands. He
created a mega-band by combining the performers from all five
bands for just one song. Then he added one cut from each band for
the remaining tracks. He figured they could all sell the CD at
their own gigs and thus increase each other's market by a factor
of five. Smart idea, Randy. You go!
Next, installment we'll visit Betty Balance, or "Steady Betty" as
her friends call her. Betty's music career is a thing of beauty.
She believes in balance in all areas of life and she'll show us
how a career can be put together to have "just the right mix" of
everything to safely and effectively arrive at $100,000 and
beyond.
*****
Sean Farrington is the founder of BandProfit.com and a band coach
to artists some of whom make well over $200k per year. Stop by
and learn more about how to turn your passion for music into a
full-time or even part-time music career. Plus get 21 FREE
Promotion Tools and your "Down and Dirty Promotion Guide" just
for visiting BandProfit.comBack to Menu
=================================================================
" O N S I T E " F E A T U R E D A R T I C L E :
-----------------------------------------------------------------
I thought this month, that I'd focus on some of the articles
already on the site that deal with "Creativity".
Here are a few I highly recommend:
Linking Your Vocals and Guitar Through Parallel Melodies -
by Jon Anthony Collins
http://musesmuse.com/LinkingVocalsandGuitar.pdf
Jon has put together some very helpful suggestions to follow when
linking your vocals and your guitar playing. Note that you'll get
more out of this if you read music. (PDF).
------
The Creative Process of Songwriting - by Garrison Leykam
http://www.musesmuse.com/6.4-July03.html#article2
Garrison discusses "letting go" for a more creative you.
-------
Put Your Song To The Tests - by Pat & Pete Luboff
http://www.musesmuse.com/5.5-August02.html#article2
Pat & Pete Luboff discuss the common elements in great songs and
how some simple tests can help your songs really connect.
-------
Oysters & Other Muses - by Harriet Schock
http://www.musesmuse.com/art-harrietschock.html
Harriet provides advice on how to get that grain of sand
(inspiration) that may eventually turn into a pearl (a song).
=================================================================
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 :
-----------------------------------------------------------------
SONGWRITERS:
Get Your PreLaunch VIP Pass Now And Be The First In When THE #1
MELODY WRITING SITE FOR SONG WRITERS, Lyric Writers and Melody
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Reserve your FREE MEMBERSHIP before limited spots run out fast.
Click here for your free VIP Pass now:
http://www.MelodyWriters.com/?thankyou=musenews
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LYRICIST VERSION 3: THE SONGWRITER'S BEST FRIEND
Lyricist is the first-of-its-kind word processor designed
specifically for musicians, songwriters, and poets. The software
includes a Rhyming Dictionary, Thesaurus, Album Categorization,
Chord Charting, Chord Generator, Song Arrangement, and On-Line
Copyright Link.
The new version 3 release adds support for "Piano Style" chord
symbols, Nashville Number System, and Transposition features -
all in one easy-to-use package - and all for only $44.95! (That's
$5.00 off to all Muse's News readers who purchase from the review
link at www.musesmuse.com/vss-review.html!)
This tool will revolutionize the way you write and organize your
writing. Be the best songwriter you can be and purchase Lyricist
today! http://www.musesmuse.com/vss-review.html
-----------------------------------------------------------------
THE 7th EDITION OF THE INDIE BIBLE IS NOW AVAILABLE!
The Indie Bible shows you where to get your music reviewed, your
songs played, and your CDs sold. Now in its Seventh Edition, The
Indie Bible has 330 pages of valuable contacts and music-related
articles.
The 7th Edition of the Indie Bible contains:
4200 publications around the world that will REVIEW your CD!
3400 radio stations around the world that will PLAY your songs!
500 vendors and services that will help you to SELL your music!
200 sites where you can UPLOAD your band's MP3 files!
500 helpful resources and sites where you can PROMOTE your band!
52 articles that will help your career to MOVE forward rapidly!
Listings include web, e-mail and physical address, as well as
phone and fax numbers.
For details and to order online visit:
http://www.bigmeteor.com/muse
-----------------------------------------------------------------
REAL ANSWERS TO REAL QUESTIONS,
An eBook About Copyright & Publishing
If you want to know how to protect yourself as a songwriter in
this digital age, you need this book - EXCLUSIVELY offered
through The Muse's Muse. And it's now on sale for half price!
Visit http://www.musesmuse.com/realarealq.html to learn more!
-----------------------------------------------------------------
BUILD A BUZZ AT INDIE-MUSIC.COM FOR ONLY $5/MONTH
Artists: Why join Indie-Music.com? I-M has been spotlighting the
best in independent music since 1996, featuring Articles,
Interviews, Reviews, Charts, & Streaming Audio in all musical
styles. Member Artists receive generous promotion on the I-M
website (2.5 million+ hits per month) plus access to our famous
original DIY resources, which have helped numerous musicians book
thousands of dollars worth of work over the years. For a limited
time, new annual Members receive free Lyricist and TrackNotes
software value $69.95). There's never been a better time to join
I-M!
http://www.indie-music.com/join2.php
=================================================================
ADVERTISING RATES: For Classifieds: US$50 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 .
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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
-----------------------------------------------------------------
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:
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The Muse's News is part of The Muse's Muse, a web resource for
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