Buzz in the Biz - Right On The Radar
Buzz In The Bizz by Benny White
Black Mountain Productions is creating a new global community for artists, songwriters and musicians. Black Mountain and CDPulse.com are currently assembling an array of professional indie organizations: indie record labels, music publishers, promoters, radio stations, recording studios, marketing & media partners and much
All will encompass over 36 countries, by the end of 2008 in a happy community called Indie World. Artists who sign up will be plugging into a hand picked group of artist-friendly organizations.
Indie World plans to offer artists mini websites with downloadable music clips, images, fan mail, music reviews, and the ability to promote and sell music. Artists will be able to track their sales, downloads, and traffic. And, best of all, artists will finally be able to monitor their own success and consult with professionals who will guide them through the opportunities offered by the world market. At this moment, production on this community is still in progress. To stay informed on the developments of the community, keep your browser cued up with indieworld as it continues to find its new home.
* Former record producer and A&R exec for Columbia Records, Dr. Daniel J. Levitin is the author of the New York Times bestseller This is Your Brain on Music: The Science of a Human Obsession. If you’ve ever wondered why a particular song can move you to tears, give you goose bumps, or get stuck in your head all day, this book will help explain the phenomenon. It illuminates how the human brain and music interact on a chemical and psychological level. Dr. Levitin currently runs the Laboratory for Musical Perception, Cognition and Expertise at McGill University. His experience and knowledge on the subject of music and how it impacts our experiences is fascinating. The book can be purchased at Amazon.com.
* GET SMART!: This book is the follow up to Kerner’s bestseller, Going Pro.
In Get Smart, Kerner compiles tips where producers, journalists and the Director of the Music Business Program at Musician’s Institute (in Hollywood, CA), all convey insightful advice regarding what it takes to succeed in the music business. His words are entertaining, easy to follow and informative. Most interesting are the tips and check lists he gives about playing live shows and new venues. It’s invaluable information for new artists, as well as those whose careers may not be advancing at the pace they would like. From beginning to end, Kerner gives you the inside scoop with a variety of reality checks, making this book the real deal.
* LaunchALabel.com will bring together 50,000 music fans to start their own record label. These fans will choose the label’s name and the first five bands to sign to record contracts worth $200,000 each. From there they will have input into every aspect of marketing and promotion for the label and its artists.
Right now, joining LaunchA Label is free. Once the 50,000-member threshold is reached, each of those members will be required to pay $25 for access to the nomination and voting process. That will raise $1.25 million to sign bands and to pay for overhead expenses including office space and staff. Founder Karol Gajda says, “Music is for fans, not corporations. And, fans should be a major part of the music selection and marketing processes from the very beginning.” If you’re interested in this intriguing experiment, visit launchalabel.com
* ASCAP will hold its third annual “I Create Music” EXPO from Apr. 10-12, 2008, at the Renaissance Hollywood Hotel in Los Angeles. By bringing together the world community of leading songwriters, composers, music publishers and professionals with emerging music creators, the ASCAP “I Create Music” EXPO offers participants the opportunity to engage in the entire music creation process while acquiring valuable information, skills and insight to strengthen their craft and careers. All songwriters, composers, producers, publishers and other music industry professionals, regardless of affiliation, will benefit from this unique creative experience, which will be presented in a format designed to facilitate personal interaction, education and networking. The EXPO covers all genres of music and includes panels, workshops, master classes, one-on-one sessions, song critiquing, performances, and more. For additional information, visit www.ascap.com.
* Amazon.com is taking a bite out of the Apple. Amazon’s new download store has become the third largest digital-music retailer in the U.S. according to Rolling Stone. It was reported that while iTunes dominates the market (with eMusic second), Amazon is gaining on them fast. Amazon MP3 offers more than two million songs, including the catalogs of EMI, Universal and about 20,000 indie labels.
* Choosing Names for the Hall of Fame
Ballots are out to the voting membership of the Songwriters Hall of Fame to choose the class of 2008. SHOF voters will have their work cut out for them. Nominees in the performer songwriter category include Elvis Costello, Peter Gabriel and David Gates, along with such teams as Robert Lamm/James Pankow (of Chicago fame), and John Densmore/ Robby Krieger/Ray Manzarek/ Jim Morrison (the Doors). Tom Petty and John Sebastian are in the running along with Yusuf Islam (formerly Cat Stevens), the Jon Bon Jovi/Richie Sambora team and Steve Winwood.
Voters must also choose inductees from the non-performer category, containing some of the most respected and successful songwriters of our times. They include Desmond Child (“Livin’ La Vida Loca”), Chip Taylor (“Wild Thing”), Mark James (“Suspicious Minds”), and the teams of Tommy Boyce/Bobby Hart (“Come A Little Bit Closer”) and Roger Cook/ Roger Greenaway (“Long Cool Woman in a Black Dress”) who add their substantial catalogs to the ring.
To get a sampling of each nominee’s catalog and find out more about the Songwriters Hall of Fame, log on to the site at www.songhall.org.