A few days I go, I mentioned Charlie Wilson's remix contest. Indie artist Shannon Hurley is doing something similar, but taking it to another level by releasing an entire album of the best remixes.
As previously mentioned, this is a good opportunity for upcoming producers, but it's also a great opportunity for bands and musicians. Think about it... And if you're doing one yourself, please let me know below.
Charlie Wilson, best known as lead singer of the Gap Band, is doing a remix contest. He's put the production elements of his new song, "Let It Out" featuring Snoop
Dogg, and is taking submissions from upcoming producers who think they have what it takes.
Every musician on here could get a lot of publicity by doing something similar.
Sample rules (borrowed from Charlie)...
Easy, right? Do it and I'll give you a plug to help you get started...
As many of you know, I host a talk radio show about the music business called Music Business Radio.
And, as many of you know, we take demo submissions from musicians who want their music played on the radio and feedback from our guests.
Here is the address to send a CD to:
Tuned In Broadcasting, Inc.
ATTN: Music Business Radio
1310 Clinton St. Suite 200
Nashville, TN 37203
Notice that it's a physical address. And notice that I asked for a CD.
Still, I get messages every week asking if people can send music via an email attachment...
No, you can't. If I were taking email attachments, I would have let you know.
"But you can burn a CD from the file I send..."
Yes, I could, but that's really your job. My job is to play your music on the air and get it in front of music industry people who will critique it for you, not get it in a format which they're able to play.
This is a radio station, folks. We play music on CD. That means you need to get us a CD, if you want your music played.
Yes, I realize that's a bit more work than sending me an email with a file attachment. Yes, I know there are more environmentally-friendly ways of distributing music. But right now, we play music on CD.
I write all of this because I think it's the sign of a much bigger problem...one that may very well be keeping you from being where you want to be in the music business.
Write it down.
This isn't about you, it's about them. People aren't going to jump through hoops to consume your music. They're lazy. Make it easy on them.
I could go on and on about how to do this, but to keep this short, here's one example...
"Making it easy" is especially important when it comes to selling your music. This means you need to do so via the currency your customers have in their pockets...which is usually a credit card. If you're "cash only" and they don't have cash, you might as well be asking them to pay in gold doubloons.
And if you're "no checks" and they only have checks, you're in the same spot.
Make it easy on people. Take checks, take credit cards, take cash. And if people start approaching you with gold doubloons, find a way to take those too.
And when folks in the industry tell you they want your music submitted in a certain way, give it to them in that way. There is usually a reason for it.
Send me your demo or album so I can play it on Music Business Radio and have it reviewed by guys like this...
Send CD to:
Tuned In Broadcasting, Inc.
ATTN: Music Business Radio
1310 Clinton St. Suite 200
Nashville, TN 37203
Disc Makers, the nation's leading independent CD manufacturer, is kicking off its 13th annual Independent Music World Series (IMWS), the biggest installment yet of the nation's longest running and most successful indie music showcase series. Over 5,000 bands are expected to enter the 2008 IMWS, and Disc Makers has sweetened this year's pot by elevating the total prize package to over $250,000 in cash and prizes.
The IMWS consists of four showcase events in four major U.S cities (2008 cities include New York, Los Angeles, Chicago and Atlanta). Each regional event features six acts selected as finalists by the editors of Billboard Magazine. The six finalists in each showcase compete for the grand prize in front of music industry professionals at some of the hottest live music venues in America, such as the Knitting Factory in Los Angeles and Crash Mansion in New York.
"The Independent Music World Series is all about helping artists make it on their own," commented Tony van Veen, President of Disc Makers. "We're looking for the best original artists in the U.S. Unlike other events that reward just a great voice or a good song, the IMWS is about the whole package: originality, great songwriting, and the artist's on-stage performance. Between the opportunity to network and be noticed by industry insiders and win enough gear to outfit their own home studio, the showcase slots at the IMWS offer independent artists' careers a shot in the arm like no other opportunity today."
The four regional IMWS winners will claim a grand prize package worth over $50,000 that includes world-class gear from leading manufacturers, recording time in select studios, and cash. Furthermore, each act chosen to perform at the four showcases (24 acts total) will receive $1,000 in cash and gear from selected sponsors.
This year's grand prize package features everything independent musicians need for a career boost including a complete CD manufacturing package, post-production sweetening, and promotional posters and T-shirts from Disc Makers, a Digital Studio Workstation from Zoom Audio, studio recording software from Cakewalk, professional Shure microphones, Ibanez guitars and basses, a drum kit from Tama, Electric Guitar and Electric Bass Strings from Dean Markley, Remo drumheads, a Sabian cymbal package, and a year-long membership to TAXI. Additional event partners include Samson Audio, Sonicbids, Billboard, Electronic Musician, Remix and Drum! magazine.
The IMWS is open to all musicians not currently signed to a major record label. All styles and genres of music are welcome. Past winning genres and their winners include: Singer Songwriter (Amber deLaurentis, Chinua Hawk), Hard Rock (Dirty Power), Punk/Pop (Bang Sugar Bang), Pop Rock (Plain Jane Automobile, Rich Creamy Paint), Hip Hop (The Urban Sophisticates, BurnDown All-Stars, Dura Hale), Electronic Pop Rock (Brice Woodall), Jazz (Orbert Davis), Bluegrass Rock (Rose's Pawn Shop), Rock (Shipwreck Union), Salsa (Bio Ritmo), Country/American (Deadman), Jam (Gamble Brothers Band).
Registration is now open for this year's showcase series at www.discmakers.com/imws.
Submissions must be postmarked by May 14th, 2008. For more information, please contact Jessica Darrican at jessicadarrican@maxborgesagency.com or 305-576-1171 X16.
You've surely head of Pandora, a streaming radio service which creates a custom station for each individual user.
But what a lot of people don't know is that Pandora treats independent and major label music just the same. And that means, based on the company's 396 characteristics for analyzing music, you have as much opportunity to have your music played as anybody else.
I recently interviewed the founder of Pandora, Tim Westergren, on Music Business Radio. Below is a video we shot while taking Tim to his next appointment, which explains more about how users can submit music to Pandora and what they're looking for.
The full interview with Tim is currently being edited, but will be available to you via the Music Business Radio podcast shortly.
And more of my thoughts on how you can use Pandora to develop new material as well as a promotion strategy will be available shortly as well...
It's Halloween!!
And with Halloween comes a good opportunity for you to look at what scares you. Probably not the kids (and adults) running around in costumes.
There is a lot of "scary" stuff in the music business. One of those is actually having your music heard. Not as easy as you'd think...especially when it's being heard by the president of a record label of another music business executive. And especially when those people give comments on the music and tens of thousands of people from around the world here those comments.
That's exactly what happens every week on Music Business Radio. The biggest of the big check out music from our listeners and let the world know what they think about it. Sometimes it's brutal. Other times, they like it so much that they'll take that music home with them.
In the last month, here is who reviewed demos with us:
Rusty Harmon - Rusty was manager of Hootie and the Blowfish for 12 years, during which time they sold over 25,000,000 records. He's been president the the Atlantic imprint, Breaking Records and currently runs a music management, marketing, and sponsorship company, MTM Management.
Allen Butler - Allen was president of Sony Records for 10 years and was one of the two men who started Arista Nashville. His is currently CEO of Montage Music Group, a multi-genre record label, artist management company, and music publisher.
Allen signed the Dixie Chicks to Sony and has helped develop the careers of Waylon Jennings, Willie Nelson, Alabama, and the Judds. He has been instrumental in jumpstarting the careers of superstars such as Alan Jackson, Brooks & Dunn, Pam Tillis, and Diamond Rio, all of whom were unknown before signing with him at Arista.
Beau Hill - Producer for Ratt, Winger, Chaka Kahn, Bob Dylan, Eric Clapton, Kix, Warrant, and more, with over 50,000,000 units sold
Norm Winer - Program Director for WXRT and VP of Rock Programming for CBS Radio Networks
Lisa Hickey - Event Producer for Austin City Limits Festival, Lollapalooza, and Big State Music Festival
So if you want to do something really scary and get some good feedback, and maybe a chance at getting the attention of somebody who can do a lot for you, send a CD and press kit to:
Tuned In Broadcasting
ATTN: MBR Demo Derby
1310 Clinton St. Suite 200
Nashville, TN 37203
Music Business Radio needs music (of all styles) for our demo review segment.
In the last week, I've gotten demos in front of:
Norm Winer - VP of Rock Programming for CBS Radio Networks
Beau Hill - Producer for Ratt, Bob Dylan, Eric Clapton, Chaka Kahn
Lisa Hickey - Producer of Lollapalooza, Austin City Limits Fest
I can do the same for your music. We do this every week. See the link above for more info and send your music NOW to:
Tuned In Broadcasting
ATTN: MBR Demo Derby
1310 Clinton St. Suite 200
Nashville, TN 37203
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