Sojournstar Music

Almost time for a new computer!

2011-08-01T19:23:00.005-04:00

You know the lifespan of a computer is about 5 years they say, between programs and software going obsolete, to crashes due to who knows what, not to mention viruses, apps that inject all kinds of nasties, etc out there, it is like a drive by shooting sometimes.

My pc has very fast connections, but lately has slowed down to a crawl. I have looked at the new models of pc's, everything from Sony brands to an
asus laptop and there are some pretty good bargains out there. Hopefully it will be a painless search lol!

One thing is for sure, I was lucky enough to get one of the last XP's when I got this one, I will NOT be buying any product with the name Vista on it.
If you all have any suggestions or advice, please do make a comment on this subject.

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The Bakery Truck

2011-05-21T20:10:00.002-04:00

Thanks for the post, Vernon Lowe

Waiting tables was getting really old, but I wasn’t sure what I wanted to do with my life other than be in food. I’d always been really good at baking, so I started exploring the idea of starting a bakery truck, you know, like those food trucks that are all the rage right now? The concept was that my truck would be like a moving bake sale…who doesn’t love cookies and cupcakes? To get started, I knew I needed to buy a domain name and get a website up so my brother Ken volunteered to help me with all the computer stuff. I also had to get a payment system together and also find a truck. That would be a pretty crucial part of the business! I found the perfect, shiny truck at a nearby used car lot and a few thousand dollars later, it was mine. One hand painted sign and a few dozen pounds of baked goods and I was ready to roll! Business has been booming and I’d say that my bakery truck was a raving success!

*************************************** Be sure to sign up for the new Sojournstar Music Network! If your on the East Coast, be sure to sign up for MusicRVA Social Network! and if you want to make money while having fun and promoting your band, music or business, then you must Join me at Weblo Virtual World for Fun & Profit!

Tutoring made easy- means No Excuses Left!

2010-09-27T16:26:00.000-04:00

Today more and more people are wanting to either finish school after several years, or need more help than what can be offered in schools. One of my family members was quite disillusioned when he decided to take classes in the middle of his life, and found the teachers and professors were too busy to give any student the extra attention they need.

This may be a reason so many people who would like to learn more, hesitate, feeling they may be "too old", amoung some of the reasons.
Maybe Algebra 2 or any form of math is a problem for you, I certainly know it was for both my aforementioned friend, and myself. There is help available for those who would like to further their studies, whether it be 4th grade math or Adding fractions you can get affordable tutoring online in your own home. This is the way of the world today, you can find all the help and answers you need at your fingertips, and at your convenience.

My biggest mental block in school happened to be math, and most other studies that were not music or art. If you ask me to tell you the volume of any particular shape or container, I will probably figure it out eventually, much the same as a 4th or 5th grade math student might, which is why it was so amazing to me that I could understand and construct Astrology Charts, because subjects like the Formula for volume or even trying to understand things like Graphing linear equations are beyond my comprehension at times. There were no affordable online Universities, or schools when I was growing up, I think the internet has made it so there is not any excuse left why people can not get the help they need to educate themselves.

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Roger Waters, Usher and More on Tour!!

2010-09-24T17:56:00.001-04:00

Roger Waters has toured extensively as a solo act since 1999 and played The Dark Side of the Moon in its entirety for his world tours of 2006–2008. In April 2010, Waters announced The Wall Live tour, which began in Toronto on September 15 2010, and will tentatively end in Europe in June 2011. If you would like to get Roger Waters Tickets there are still tickets available!

Another artist on tour now is Usher. On March 30, 2010, Usher released his sixth studio album Raymond v. Raymond, which became his third consecutive album to debut at number one on the US Billboard 200 chart. You can get Usher Concert tickets

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Michael Jackson Final Researsal Footage

2009-07-02T16:51:00.002-04:00

Watch CBS Videos Online

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The REAL Michael Jackson as known by his real friends

2009-07-01T17:33:00.006-04:00

For those of you who loved Michael Jackson, and for those of you who did not, this was in the latest issue of the Earth Rainbow Network Thought I would share it, as in my humble oppinion, it shows those that thought ill of MJ that maybe they did not know the real MJ, only the hyped up circus freak the media made him out to be. This post from a true friend shows the real MJ!

Deepak Chopra: Michael Jackson -- June 26, 2009

Michael Jackson will be remembered, most likely, as a shattered icon, a pop genius who wound up a mutant of fame. That's not who I will remember, however. His mixture of mystery, isolation, indulgence, overwhelming global fame, and personal loneliness was intimately known to me. For twenty years I observed every aspect, and as easy as it was to love Michael -- and to want to protect him -- his sudden death yesterday seemed almost fated.

Two days previously he had called me in an upbeat, excited mood. The voice message said, "I've got some really good news to share with you." He was writing a song about the environment, and he wanted me to help informally with the lyrics, as we had done several times before. When I tried to return his call, however, the number was disconnected. (Terminally spooked by his treatment in the press, he changed his phone number often.) So I never got to talk to him, and the music demo he sent me lies on my bedside table as a poignant symbol of an unfinished life.

When we first met, around 1988, I was struck by the combination of charisma and woundedness that surrounded Michael. He would be swarmed by crowds at an airport, perform an exhausting show for three hours, and then sit backstage afterward, as we did one night in Bucharest, drinking bottled water, glancing over some Sufi poetry as I walked into the room, and wanting to meditate.

That person, whom I considered (at the risk of ridicule) very pure, still survived -- he was reading the poems of Rabindranath Tagore when we talked the last time, two weeks ago. Michael exemplified the paradox of many famous performers, being essentially shy, an introvert who would come to my house and spend most of the evening sitting by himself in a corner with his small children. I never saw less than a loving father when they were together (and wonder now, as anyone close to him would, what will happen to them in the aftermath).

Michael's reluctance to grow up was another part of the paradox. My children adored him, and in return he responded in a childlike way. He declared often, as former child stars do, that he was robbed of his childhood. Considering the monstrously exaggerated value our society places on celebrity, which was showered on Michael without stint, the public was callous to his very real personal pain. It became another tawdry piece of the tabloid Jacko, pictured as a weird changeling and as something far more sinister.

It's not my place to comment on the troubles Michael fell heir to from the past and then amplified by his misguided choices in life. He was surrounded by enablers, including a shameful plethora of M.D.s in Los Angeles and elsewhere who supplied him with prescription drugs. As many times as he would candidly confess that he had a problem, the conversation always ended with a deflection and denial. As I write this paragraph, the reports of drug abuse are spreading across the cable news channels. The instant I heard of his death this afternoon, I had a sinking feeling that prescription drugs would play a key part.

The closest we ever became, perhaps, was when Michael needed a book to sell primarily as a concert souvenir. It would contain pictures for his fans but there would also be a text consisting of short fables. I sat with him for hours while he dreamily wove Aesop-like tales about animals, mixed with words about music and his love of all things musical. This project became Dancing the Dream after I pulled the text together for him, acting strictly as a friend. It was this time together that convinced me of the modus vivendi Michael had devised for himself: to counter the tidal wave of stress that accompanies mega-stardom, he built a private retreat in a fantasy world where pink clouds veiled inner anguish and Peter Pan was a hero, not a pathology.

This compromise with reality gradually became unsustainable. He went to strange lengths to preserve it. Unbounded privilege became another toxic force in his undoing. What began as idiosyncrasy, shyness, and vulnerability was ravaged by obsessions over health, paranoia over security, and an isolation that grew more and more unhealthy. When Michael passed me the music for that last song, the one sitting by my bedside waiting for the right words, the procedure for getting the CD to me rivaled a CIA covert operation in its secrecy.

My memory of Michael Jackson will be as complex and confused as anyone's. His closest friends will close ranks and try to do everything in their power to insure that the good lives after him. Will we be successful in rescuing him after so many years of media distortion? No one can say. I only wanted to put some details on the record in his behalf. My son Gotham traveled with Michael as a roadie on his "Dangerous" tour when he was seventeen. Will it matter that Michael behaved with discipline and impeccable manners around my son? (It sends a shiver to recall something he told Gotham: "I don't want to go out like Marlon Brando. I want to go out like Elvis." Both icons were obsessions of this icon.)

His children's nanny and surrogate mother, Grace Rwaramba , is like another daughter to me. I introduced her to Michael when she was eighteen, a beautiful, heartwarming girl from Rwanda who is now grown up. She kept an eye on him for me and would call me whenever he was down or running too close to the edge. How heartbreaking for Grace that no one's protective instincts and genuine love could avert this tragic day. An hour ago she was sobbing on the telephone from London. As a result, I couldn't help but write this brief remembrance in sadness. But when the shock subsides and a thousand public voices recount Michael's brilliant, joyous, embattled, enigmatic, bizarre trajectory, I hope the word "joyous" is the one that will rise from the ashes and shine as he once did.

*** Bless passionate, beloved Michael Jackson. He will be with us again! We are One. Bless us all.

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Rock Army Music: Rock Army is Coming to Your City!

2009-06-27T13:58:00.001-04:00

Rock Army Music: Rock Army is Coming to Your City!

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Rock Army Music - Local Vision * Local Music * Local Scene * Support Local Music In Your Region!

2009-06-19T18:44:00.001-04:00

Rock Army Music - Local Vision * Local Music * Local Scene * Support Local Music In Your Region!

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June National Guitar Workshop

2009-06-17T15:02:00.002-04:00

Artist Corner:
David Wilcox

The ability to match words to music is a skill that requires just as much dedication as learning an Eddie Van Halen solo note for note. There are very few masters of this craft and this year we are lucky to feature one of them. David Wilcox first came to prominence in the late 80's when his first A&M record, How Did You Find Me Here? was released to critical acclaim. Combining a voice that is a cross between James Taylor and Nick Drake while his guitar skills rely on altered tunings and partial capos. This gives the music an organic feel while keep a level of sophisication throughout.

At our 2009 Songwriting Summit David will giving an afternoon masterclass on his approach to crafting songs. David's latest release, Open Hand, is an excerise in economy. The whole album was recorded over the course of one week during this past December. All the tracks were recorded live with a band that included Dan Phelps on guitar and keyboard, Jon Evans on bass and James McAlister on drums. A simple concept of creating some great music and recording it live as it happens.

As a guitarist, David blends incredibly complicated fingerpicking patterns with beautiful melodies. In my opinion, it is the goal of every great guitarist to make the difficult sound effortless and very few singer/songwriters do this as well as David Wilcox. His command of altered tunings is on par with Joni Mitchell, which gives his harmonies an incredible open feel.

Don't miss this chance to get up close with one of the greatest songwriters around. Register for our 2009 Songwriting Summit in Purchase, NY from August 9th through 14th.

http://www.davidwilcox.com

Benedetto Guitars CEO Howard Paul Coming to NGW!

Howard Paul, CEO/President of Benedetto Guitars will be visiting our McLean, VA and our Jazz Summit in Purchase. Howard will be bringing some of the latest Benedetto Guitars for our students to try out.

There will also be a presentation by Howard on the history of archtop guitars.

Jazz Guitars - The Perspective of a Manufacturer/Player

Archtop guitars have defined the voice of jazz since Lloyd Loar's 1922 Gibson L5. The metamorphosis from the 16" acoustic carved guitars without cutaways to chambered solid body electrics and laminated archtops impacted players, manufactures, retailers, and certainly music itself. Howard Paul, a gigging guitarist and President/CEO of Benedetto Guitars will discuss Bob Benedetto's philosophies, the application of architectural principals and difference materials, and the practical aspects of modern jazz guitar making. This is a unique prospective from the premier jazz guitar manufacturer today. Bob Benedetto's business partner since 2006, Howard has performed extensively with guitar greats including Bucky Pizzarelli, Howard Alden, Jack Wilkins, Joe Beck, Frank Vignola, Dan Faehnle, Jimmy Bruno, and many others. He performs regularly in his trio with bassist Ben Tucker. In addition to his music, he spent ten years as an Army logistics officer, and as a steel company executive.

http://www.benedettoguitars.com

Teacher Spotlight
Veteran Faculty Share in the Strength of NGW

In the 26 years of the NGW's existence, the strength of the program lies in the talent and expertise of the teachers. Matt Smith, Kim Perlak, and Dennis McCumber have been vital assets to the NGW program and are continuing to bring their knowledge and passion to the students.

Matt Smith is one very busy New York City based musician. On any given day, Matt can be found wandering the globe spreading the love, performing, producing, writing, teaching, recording, or giving up the secrets of playing guitar at one of his "Chop Shop" concert/clinics for Ovation and Hamer guitars. Matt is a self-taught singer-songwriter and guitarist who plays a bunch of crazy stringed instruments in just about any style, and has a simple, friendly way of sharing his knowledge with others. Matt has performed with, opened for, or recorded with many artists including, B.B. King, Sheryl Crow, Trey Anastasio, Buddy Guy, Greg Allman, and many others. Recently, Matt has performed at the NYC Blue Note as well as Carnegie Hall, Central Park, and Eisenhower Park with the NY Pops Orchestra. Matt continues to perform at numerous international guitar festivals. Matt has an extensive discography, including a recent release from his latest project, Meet the Monstas, and a plethora of books from the Workshop Arts/Alfred Publishing Company.

"This is my 20th year teaching at NGW. I've become lifelong friends with the staff and faculty, and have seen so many students grow into great musicians. I've structured my Chop Shop and Bluesblaster classes to be entertaining, inspiring and filled with enough real world information to keep you busy for years! NGW is the first and BEST in its field!!!"

http://www.mattsmtihsworld.com

Kim Perlak is a guitarist and American music scholar and has been on the NGW faculty since 1999. In December, she received her doctorate in Guitar Performance at the University of Texas at Austin. Kim completed a Master of Music degree at Yale School of Music and received her BM, Magna Cum Laude, at Stetson University. As a soloist and collaborator with classical, jazz, and folk musicians, she has been featured in university concert halls across the country, on NPR and CBS Sunday Morning, and at Austin's famous club, Ruta Maya. Kim is on the faculty of Concordia University-TX, Austin Community College, and Austin Guitar School. Her lecture-concerts on American musical culture have been funded by the Carolina Institute for Leadership and Engagement in Music. Her recording with guitar, flute, and cello - Yong, Kim, and Cathy at Yale - is available at cdbaby.com.

At NGW, Kim teaches Classical and Beginner Intensive Core, and is the Coordinator of the Intern Program. "The Classical Core is a lot of fun for me to teach because I was once a classical student at NGW. I'm always amazed at the amount of progress each student makes in one week through this kind of intensive curriculum and collaboration with the other students. Beginner Intensive Core is another favorite of mine - and a class I helped to develop in 2000. This class is truly amazing. Every year, brave individuals who are new to the guitar come for an intensive jump-start and get farther than they ever imagined in one week."

http://www.myspace.com/kimperlak

Dennis McCumber has been a guitar instructor and performer for more than 20 years. He holds a Bachelor's degree in music education from The College of Saint Rose. Dennis performs regularly in the New York City area with various rock, blues, and funk bands, and occasionally as a classical soloist. Dennis has shared the stage with such greats as Robben Ford, Eric Krasno, and Big Bill Morganfield, son of the late great Muddy Waters. Dennis has performed at the Chicago Blues festival, as well as the Hard Rock Café on Beal St. in Memphis, TN. His trio, The MG3's, is a featured act at Club Groove in New York City, where they are advertised as a "3 piece slamming funk band." He also performs with the soul jazz/funk band, The Ex-Caminos. In addition to performing, Dennis has been a middle school music teacher in the Bronx for the past 10 years. While teaching in the Bronx, he was given a guitar lab by VH1 Save the Music and a keyboard lab from the radio station Hot97 Hip Hop Symphony. Dennis has been an instructor at the National Guitar Workshop since 1996, where he teaches blues, funk, and rock. He resides in Westchester County, NY.

Dennis is very excited to be part of four different summits this summer. He will be teaching his course, "The Total Blues Guitarist, by with his book of the same title, at the Blues Summits in Chicago and Purchase, NY. Dennis is also involved in the very exciting Jam Summit in Purchase. "To be able to spend time with Jimmy Herring and Oteil Burbridge can only be filled with life changing inspiration." Dennis' personal favorite is the Funk Summit in Purchase. "This is a dream come true for me! I have always enjoyed teaching the Funk Improv classes at the workshop and now I get to dedicate an entire week to my favorite style of music." Dennis will get to share all the cool tricks and licks he has developed over the many years of playing funk music.

http://www.dennismccumber.com

Beatles Boot Camp with Lou Manzi

Focus on the timeless music of the Fab Four in the "Beatles Boot Camp" seminar. Over the week, students will learn a wide variety of Beatles tunes, from the early days through their last recordings. In addition to learning to play several songs each day, students will analyze each song's chord progressions, strums, and licks.

According to the seminar's teacher, Lou Manzi, "It's a real blast to hear all those parts together. Just think of the great opening riff to 'Day Tripper'. You're in the class and you start it off, then the bass part kicks in, then a couple of people come in with the accompanying chords. Then we all start singing and play through the entire song, while somebody plays the solo (we learn many of the solos from the recordings). Now that's a fun experience, and it's what we do with each song we cover."

Lou's love of the Beatles and enthusiasm for this class comes across clearly in his description: "I love to teach this class because I love the music so much, and I love to see and hear the students have a great time with the music and each other. There is very little theory or scale practice involved with this one. It's pretty much play, play, and play some more."

Beatles Boot Camp will run at our SUNY Purchase, NY location from July 19th to 24th.

You can find out all about these events at the National Guitar Workshop

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Stevie Vai to be Guest at National Guitar Workshop

2009-06-10T14:25:00.006-04:00

Just Announced!
STEVE VAI

Rock Summit
Purchase, NY July 19-24

Limited Spots Available
Register Today!

Steve Vai

This will marks Vai's first time with NGW on the East Coast, and is Vai's only summer East Coast Appearance.

As a Grammy award-winning guitar virtuoso, Steve Vai's sheer breathtaking facility on the guitar is acclaimed in the rock world and beyond. Starting with his groundbreaking "Passion and Warfare" album in 1990, and throughout the years since, Vai has consistently used music as a microscope peering into the human spirit, with equal attention paid to both the darkest obsessions and the most exalted impulses contained there. While Vai clearly had what was needed to make indelible impressions during his stays with Frank Zappa, David Lee Roth and Whitesnake, it's as a solo artist that he's made his most precious contributions. Each of his solo releases are unique, varied, compelling and, even when the music is looking darkness square in the face, genuinely uplifting. His most recent studio album, "Real Illusions," is a major achievement from a musical alchemist of the highest order. In addition to his recording career, Steve is involved with many worthwhile organizations. He is a former Trustee for NARAS (National Academy of the Recording Arts and Sciences), a board member for Hollywood Arts, and works closely with his own Make a Noise Foundation, raising money for music education. Steve has just finished a live concert DVD entitled "Where the Wild Things Are." The two hour and forty minute concert film, which was filmed in Minneapolis, will be released in August.

Register for the workshop HERE

National Guitar Workshop
(800) 234-6479
P.O. Box 222
Lakeside, CT 06758
Fax: 860-567-0374

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MusicRVA: MusicRVA Blasts Into CyberSpace!

2009-06-08T01:19:00.001-04:00

MusicRVA: MusicRVA Blasts Into CyberSpace!

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Music and Spiritual Practice - An Overview of Poligraf (Part 4)

2009-05-22T17:13:00.002-04:00

Part 4 of of the article by Christopher Stewart has just been added to the Sojournstar Music Network.
Free Registration required.

Read the article here!

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Music and Spiritual Practice - An Overview of Poligraf (part 3)

2009-05-20T19:38:00.002-04:00

Christopher Stewart has just added part 3 of his article to the Sojournstar Music Network.
Free Registration required.

Read it here Sojournstar Music Network!

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Music and Spiritual Practice - An Overview of Poligraf (part 2)

2009-05-19T19:46:00.002-04:00

Christopher Stewart on May 19, 2009

Check out part 2 of this article now published on Sojournstar Music Industry Network. Free Registration required.

Read it here Sojournstar Music Network!

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Music and Spiritual Practice - An Overview of Poligraf (part 1)

2009-05-17T18:48:00.001-04:00

Christopher Stewart on May 17, 2009

Check out part 1 of this article on Sojournstar Music Industry Network. Christopher has some great insight. Free Registration required.

Sojournstar Music Network!

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Find Sojournstar Music on ReverbNation

2009-04-09T16:18:00.000-04:00

Join me there!

Join me at ReverbNation

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MusicRVA: Get on Our Top List - New Fun Ways To Link

2009-03-28T15:27:00.000-04:00

MusicRVA: Get on Our Top List - New Fun Ways To Link

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Top 10 Things To Watch For When Replicating Your CD or DVD

2009-03-25T17:27:00.000-04:00

Top 10 Things To Watch For When Replicating Your CD or DVD
by: Rashi Singh

You hear about it all the time. You are throwing your first ever CD release party, at which you’re planning on selling the first available copies of your debut album. You’ve worked for years for this night – your dream is finally coming true. Everything is all set: the venue is booked, the invites have been sent, the dj is ready to go, and the drinks and décor are all exactly how you imagined.

But there’s one problem. Your replicator hasn’t delivered on time, and you’ve just been told that your CD’s won’t arrive until the day after the party.

Believe it or not, this happens more often than you might think! Here are the top ten surefire ways to avoid this and other similar nightmares:

1) Provide the replicator with clean artwork. All replicators’ turn times depend on receiving flawless files. If you have any questions, don’t be afraid to call on customer support for help;

2) Plan ahead of time. Plan for your delivery date to be at least a week before your absolute deadline; this gives you and the replicator enough time to make sure everything goes smoothly;

3) Dealing directly with the manufacturer can reduce the lag time (and often also the price!), versus dealing with a broker;

4) Choose a replicator who is accessible. Are they always there when you need them? Can you trust your project in their hands? Do they care about your project?

5) Test and re-test your master for errors. There’s nothing more time-consuming and frustrating than sending a replicator a faulty master. Always supply a back-up disc;

6) Make sure you own the rights to the content. Replicators are legally obligated to ensure that you are the rightful owner of what’s being replicated;

7) Know exactly what it is that you are paying for before you choose your supplier. Understand the costs and the jargon behind your quotation;

8) Choose a replicator that has a team in place to deal with problems and frustrations as they occur;

9) Choose a replication partner who has interest in growing with you as you grow;

10) Is there a hidden agenda? Is the sales rep more interested in his or her quota than working as your partner?

Choosing the right replicator can make all the difference. Choose smart and let the journey to your success be a whole lot easier!

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The Luke Mulholland Band, “Further” CD Review

2009-03-21T18:33:00.002-04:00

It’s very rare that the first impression of an album consists of the following running script: “Wait a second… where the hell did all this soul come from?” “Man, this is what David Cook wishes he sounded like.” “Are you sure that I’m listening to the right person?” At the age of 19, Luke Mulholland is of exceptional ear-bending talent that isn’t to be determined by staring upon one creamy-complexioned, fresh-faced exterior. “Further”, his fourth CD release, pretty much serves as encouragement for listeners to refrain from judging an album simply by its jacket. Leaving flash and competition with the next best thing at the door, the Luke Mulholland Band (also known as Mulholland Drive) comes to the studio mic with a core of plain and simple talent that oddly enough couldn’t be farther away from the description if it tried.

With a musical history as early as the age of 13, garnering the attention of such greats as Bon Jovi’s Richie Sambora and the late Jeff Healey, Luke Mulholland’s world-wise vocals and arranging skills are such that they are bound to result in one wondering what blues veteran died and possessed his young, willing body. “Further”’s highlights include such tracks as “The Last Verse”: a going-off on an instrumental tangent that for all intents and purposes mourns the loss of classic rockin the way of losing a close friend and companion (rather fitting considering that Big Bad Mainstream might as well be dancing on the poor girl’s grave); “Cold Night”: seamlessly switching tempos from blues-y toe-tapper to a two-quarter time interlude; and “Go”: far from being the red-headed stepchild as the album’s sole lyric-less track, allowing enough platform for Mulholland’s guitar to wail in harmony as much as its electric owner, if not more. Consisting of eight case-sensitive episodic tracks, “Further” is molded from all-too-familiar core qualities (friendship, love, and/or the lack thereof), and is coupled with enough metaphors and similes makes it effortless for listeners to relate to.

Simply put, if you can envision the audible possibility of a more soul-infused Huey Lewis circa 1985, whose overproduction and domineering horn section is substituted with equal parts Ray Charles and Michael McDonald of the Doobie Brothers, then you’ve got the Luke Mulholland Band - and hopefully, you’ve got their latest work in tow.

Check more out at http://www.LukeMulholland.com

By Lindsey Darden

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Rock Band Takes the Music Industry Into Their Own Hands

2009-03-21T17:58:00.001-04:00

Is This the Future for the Music Industry?

RENSSELAER, N.Y., Nov. 18 /PRNewswire/ -- For the past year, indie rock band, Ten Year Vamp has been asking their fans to become actual owners of the record label that will release their first full length album early next year. In a ground-breaking

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move to bypass the music industry, the band will be distributing their profits to their "shareholders" who have funded the album. Already, Ten Year Vamp fans have invested over $25,000. "Each owner will receive their fair percentage of the CD sales based on how much they invested," says Mark Rose, co-founder and rhythm guitar player. "But that's not all they get," says Debbie Gabrione, co-founder and lead singer. "Ten Year Vamp shareholders also get to listen to all the demo songs, vote on the songs that go on the album, free t-shirts, free passes ... and lots of other cool perks." The Ten Year Vamp Album Project invites anyone to become an owner for as little as $25 -- the more someone contributes, the more "benefits" they receive as an owner.

"Record labels are signing more performance packages than creative acts, but we're not letting that stop us. All we need are the funds to get started," says Gabrione. "Thanks to the Internet, the music scene has evolved from large commercial conglomerations that did everything a band needed, to small specialized and independent companies that each help with specific aspects of a band's career. Each of these companies, from radio promoters to distributors, tour managers to public relations firms, can be easily found on the web and each are hungry for bands that can afford their services. By securing the necessary investments, we can do everything ourselves that a record label would have normally done for us."

Under Ten Year Vamp's plan, shareholders will receive shares of the CD sales, as well as the chance to vote on many band decisions as the album is being created. This plan also benefits the band in that they also receive their share of the sales ... not only for the money they have also invested, but also for their time and hard work. This plan is very fair towards the band, unlike many of the contracts record labels are notorious for, where the bands are always the last ones to ever see payment for their work.

Ten Year Vamp has been performing for over 5 years throughout the Northeastern U.S. They have opened for such national acts as Lifehouse, Gin Blossoms, Fuel, Finger Eleven, Natasha Beddingfield, and many more.

Ten Year Vamp is currently looking for a producer and sponsors for their album project and are performing regularly in New York and New England.

Please see http://www.tenyearvamp.com/ for show dates and more information about the Album Project.

Contact:
Mark Rose
Ten Year Vamp
7309 Oak Hill Circle
Rensselaer NY 12144
Cell: 518-369-8510
mark@tenyearvamp.com

CONTACT: Mark Rose of Ten Year Vamp, Cell: +1-518-369-8510, mark@tenyearvamp.com

Web site: http://www.tenyearvamp.com/

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Songwriters Festival Ramps Up For June Performances

2009-03-21T17:39:00.002-04:00

Songwriters of every genre, from the novice to the professional will converge on Music Row for The Nashville SongWriters Festival held every third weekend of June. The 2009 Song Fest is many happenings in one. It's part live music festival, part teaching conference, part business networking opportunity and part gathering of old friends. Tune smiths share their original music on multiple outdoor stages and Open Sing Rings. The jamboree is hosted by SongWritersFestival.com this June 19-21 and registration to attend is now officially open.
There will be featured writers strumming their hits and undiscovered songwriters playing new ones. Last year Sony/BMG staff writers, a gang from Warner-Chappell/Ash Street Music and many others you hear every day on the radio, shared their songs. The fest represents the past, present and future of songwriting, we welcome all forms of music. Composers are encouraged to come as they are and find their place in the mix.

There are several open air stages with scheduled performances and impromptu areas for unscheduled Sing Rings. Everyone who comes to the fest has an opportunity to share their original lyrics, song or music. Last year at the Curb Music Parking Lot stage, Tom T. Hall, Stella Parton and many others jumped in to lend their talents. On the Artist Building Partners Video Stage, managed by Red Starr, live videos of player performances were provided. Sure Fire Music, one of Nashville's oldest publishers along with Second Life sponsored the Web Cast Stage. Studio 33 hosted the Alley Cat Stage and more.

Running concurrently with the live performances the festival also has classes hosted by hit writers to Grammy winners. Writers can attend all or parts of the Pro Instruction while at the fest. The tutoring was held outdoors between Crystal Gayle's Building and SESAC on the grass near a shady oak tree. pros who have "been there done that" gathered to impart their secrets, personal experiences, offer song critiques and other tidbits of the music biz.

The celebration also host an Open House on Music Row where participating music related businesses have an "open door" policy to take questions, exchange samples and discuss what part they play in the industry. Recording Studios, Publishers, Song Pluggers, Duplicators, Distributors, Instrument Makers and many other aspects of the music business will be represented. The Open House is a whirlwind of unscheduled meet and greets and an opportunity to run the Row.

Non Performing songwriters are also encouraged to come and collaborate with other writers. Networking and Co-writing is a crucial key to getting cuts. There will be a writers table where registered attendees can display their CD's. There will also be informational booths and a collaboration tent hosted by "Keeli".

There are no set pre qualifications to attend all or parts of the Fest. The festival is not a contest or competition, which makes for a more relaxing atmosphere. The efforts of caring volunteers and many "Fest Heads" makes this event different. We have feel! The pros were once novices and one day some novices will be pros. Together we inspire and grow in the business of music.

"The event does not let money get in the way of people expressing their craft." says festival founder Cornelius "Popcorn" Robertson. "There is no set registration fee to attend the fest. Participants determine their "Writers Share" by their ability to help be a part of the phenomenon. Some have, some have not, we all just do the best we can and that's what makes this music magic happen. This year, the festival has added the Tune Shop to the web site and also offers Fest Heads a way to express their support. The Tune Shop has festival related items and other memorabilia for the discriminating songwriter."

Registration is now officially open. Performing and Non performing songwriters, music related business, volunteers and the general public wishing to participate in the June 19-21-2009 activities can visit the website at http://www.SongWritersFestival.com or call 615-424-1491 or 931-296-4067 for more info.

The Role of Major Record Labels in Music

2009-03-21T17:21:00.002-04:00

by: Morgan Hamilton

Have you ever thought how important music has become for us? I cannot remember a day when I didn’t hear any music at all. I love the stuff. You might have a collection of CDs, or albums, or you simply turn on the radio while commuting to work. Have you ever considered how the music gets to you and who makes the decision about what music gets played? Maybe you have wondered why only certain artists get played and have their music sold in major retail stores. Have you thought about what trends are going to take over music next? I suppose you will find the answer to all your questions in major record labels.

When you love or hate an artist is it because you like or dislike their record label? The major record labels take on new artists and promote their music, they might also assist other companies in planning tour promotions and other public events.

Generally a recording company takes on an artist for a certain period of time or a certain number of recordings. Take a look at your CD and DVD collection. Do you see that nearly 90 % of them come from one of the five major record labels?

The big five are Universal Music Group, Sony Music Entertainment, EMI Group, Warner Brothers and BMG entertainment. They make up the five major record labels. They deal with millions of artists, videos and movies. In case you would like to work in the music industries you should turn to any of the big five record labels.

Are you looking at your CD covers to find information about the record labels? In case you see a name different than one of the big five, don’t worry. Your CD is not necessarily duplicated.

It is more likely that you have purchased a CD from one of the major record labels subsidiary companies. They all own subsidiary companies.

For instance, do you remember the once great Motown record label? Now it is a subsidiary of Universal Music Group, while Capital Records is a member of EMI’s subsidiaries. There are hundreds of other companies, too.

What we listen today is mainly determined by the major music labels. But I suppose you don’t really care about the big fine when you are enjoying this new hip hop hit or singing along number one country song. What is undoubtedly true is that with the help of major record labels music plays a large part in our lives.

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Musicians and Performance Anxiety

2009-03-21T16:34:00.002-04:00

by: Kevin Sinclair

Have you ever faced your time to shine, and felt overcome with an intense hesitation or worry about an upcoming performance? As the time nears for you to address your audience, do you suffer from sweaty palms? Is there a lump in your throat? Do you experience tremors, tension, stuttering, upset stomach or loss of focus? All of these symptoms are a sign that you may suffer from performance anxiety, which is a common problem that requires a little mental rewiring to get you on the right track.

Music performance anxiety develops from the thoughts, feelings and habits of a musician. The level of anxiety that one has will affect a musician’s desire to perform, as well as their ability. In order to deliver a high-quality performance, a musician must overcome the mental obstacles that create a barrier between wanting to perform and actually completing the act. When you feel anxious, pressure begins to build up that makes it impossible to pick up an instrument or sing a song.

Main Types of Performance Anxiety

There are three main kinds of performance anxiety that musicians encounter. The first occurs before a performance date is even mentioned. Fear of rejection or self-doubt regarding their abilities may hinder a musicians attempt to arrange a showing of their talents. The anxiety sometimes mounts to the point where a musician never feels they are truly ready to perform in front of others.

The second type of anxiety occurs during an actual performance. Gripped by fear of what the audience thinks of them, a musician’s body might tremble. Sweat may form on their forehead, nose, neck or hands. These bodily reactions may also impact the way an instrument is played. Voices become tight or locked, emitting cracked, flat or quivering notes. The anxiety of a musician might be so high that they may actually self-sabotage their performance without even knowing it.

Anxious musicians often become quite distracted by the slightest movement or noise during a performance. They might take this opportunity to blame their inability to complete their set because of outside interruptions. This is just an excuse. Within themselves, they do not feel completely adequate to continue their performance. Musicians with performance anxiety often exhibit poor concentration, as well as loss of focus.

After a performance, the anxiety madness continues, which is seen through a harsh, unforgiving critique of their presentation. The musician will nit-pick every aspect of their set and despite positive encouragement and comments, they will continue to downplay and dismantle their ability.

Tips On Managing Performance Anxiety

When it comes to getting over the hump of performance anxiety, there are numerous ways to combat the fears and doubt that come with presentation. Below are five aspects of performing that a musician suffering from anxiety should take into consideration:

1) Self-Assessment

When you get to know the ins and outs of yourself as an individual, as well as a musician, you are inching your way towards overcoming performance anxiety. Knowing what makes you tick both inside and outside musical circles will help you to better deal with the problems you face before, during and after a performance. A musician should analyze their performance goals, personal capabilities and limitations.

Musicians should also know that everyone has to start somewhere with infinite room for improvement. It is quite important for a musician to perform to the best of their abilities, as well as learn from mistakes and peer criticism.

2) Exposure: Baby Steps

Musicians should take the opportunity to gradually expose themselves to varying levels of performing. One moment a full-length mirror becomes a suitable audience, while the next could be a crowd of five friends. Testing low, medium and high levels of stressful performance situations will help musicians slowly overcome the issues faced in regards to performing. Additional suggestions include practice performances in an empty theater, dress rehearsals with friends and taping acts, then viewing them with family and friends.

3) Preparation

In anything that we do, preparation is an important component for achieving success. A good performance is one that has been thought out, thoroughly visualized and played over and over again in the mind. Once the mental preparation is complete, the physical part of the process involves sufficient practice and specific rehearsing for the particular venue you may perform at. Before a performance, a musician should enter this moment with a clear head. Meditation, yoga and other muscle relaxation techniques can create the right state of mind.

4) During a Performance

Every musician at some point in their lives will feel the flutter of butterflies before, during or after a performance. This is a normal occurrence that just takes some longer to get over. When it comes to the audience, you shouldn’t focus on blocking them out, but instead embrace them as support. If you go into a performance thinking that no one likes you or during a presentation focus on scowling faces, you will surely surrender to your flight or fight performance anxiety tactics.

Try to put anxiety in the backseat and attempt to stay calm. If you make a mistake, such as tickle the wrong piano keys, simply move on and do not dwell on small imperfections that pale in comparison to the overall scheme of things. Sometimes, if you don’t wear your disappointment or errors on your face, the audience is less apt to remember or care about mistakes. Breathing techniques will also come in handy once you get into the thick of performing and feel a touch of anxiety.

5) After the Performance

After each performance, take the time to assess yourself before relying on the approval or criticism of others. No one but you truly knows all of the hard work and preparation that went into your performance. Take the time to give yourself a mental pat on the back. Next, combine outside comments with your gut feeling to decide on what you can do next time. Regardless if you had the performance of your life or tanked on your first break, there are always aspects of your musical craft that you can still shape and mold for the future.

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Agent or Manager?

2009-03-21T16:29:00.001-04:00

How To Get An Agent Or Manager
by: Sacreeta Veneficus

What is the difference between a manager, and an agent?

Glad you asked. It’s quite simple really.

A manager offers a service to you that entails zoning in on your strengths and weaknesses. They can direct you to the type of acting classes you need, according to your current skill level. They can help you rehearse, support you in your goal setting and point you in the right direction, especially when you are so overwhelmed you aren’t sure where to start.

An agent finds and books you auditions. They hunt down casting calls, make bookings, negotiate the contracts, and basically do the leg work for your career. They normally charge 10% of what you are paid, and at the end of the day, that’s fair. If you have both a manager and an agent, it’s OK for them to know about each other. Having them develop a relationship centered on your career actually strengthens your chances at success.

One neat trick in obtaining a good manager or agent is to send out invitations to one of your productions. In standup comedy or theater, you’d be surprised how well that works. It’s also good to have agents hear about you through referrals. If you are in a production, or have done some good work for a casting director, networking with those contacts might be another great way to go.

An agent-client relationship is mutual. They require something from you, in the form of marketable talent, and you require something from them: marketing your talent. Having an agent speak your language, meaning that you both have the same goals for your career, is prudent. Just try to keep it in perspective: you are the hirer, who enlisted them to fulfill the duties necessary to handle your career, and they work hard, and get paid when you do.

Getting an interview with an agent or talent manager doesn’t necessarily mean they will take your career in their capable hands. You have a window of opportunity to convince them that if they find you work, you won’t let them down. Be punctual and polite, keep any "artist attitude" in check, have an 8x10 head shot, and don’t forget to have your resume, with the list of credits, if any, in hand ready to be discussed.

Before walking in there, have a mental note of what it is you are looking for in an agent, and in your career. Have realistic expectations. If you have no experience, don’t walk in their office feeling disappointed they haven’t told you they will make you a star. That is something a dishonest agent would tell you, and you need honesty. Always remember that if you are starting out, expect to be treated as a rookie. It's not disrespect, it’s honesty. And hiring someone honest is far better than someone who will leave your portfolio filed under D, for dust collector.

Don’t forget to consider if you are ready for union or non-union work. It’s important to be clear on that aspect. Newcomers who try to work into the union too soon often have a difficult time, as they can no longer have the luxury of taking on non-union jobs to build up credits. Union workers get jobs based on credits mostly, and taking the plunge is a great idea after you have become established.

Gaining agent or manager representation is something not to be rushed into. Taking on the first agent who comes along could be as risky as buying the first second-hand car you were offered. While an agent isn't a used car, the hunt is very similar. You want to kick the tires, see how many miles are on it, what its performance is like. Agents are pretty much the same. It PAYS to check them out before you make any deals with them. Here are a few links where you can find an agent and check their credentials.

LINKS
AGENTS:
http://www.Agentassociation.com/
http://www.sag.org/sagWebApp/index.jsp

MANAGERS
http://www.talentManagers.org/
http://www.ncopm.com/

Don’t be afraid to compromise with an agent. They are in the business to help you, as helping you at the end of the day helps them. If they suggest you get a better headshot or take some acting classes that's fine, as long as they aren’t dictating which photographer/school you must attend. If they try to specify, be careful. They could be scamming you. A good agent could suggest a few reputable schools, or YOU could suggest to them that the Kamitic Acting System is one they should be suggesting.

Take their advice seriously. If they want you to take a job you feel is beneath you, and your wonderful talent, try to see it from their point of view. If you are new, they have actors more qualified than you, and there’s a reason they are more qualified. Keep doing the work offered, and soon you will be one the more qualified actors with plenty of credits to your name.

Before, during and after obtaining an agent, do one thing: work. Take all the work you can get! It doesn’t matter if it’s a student film, theater, commercials, videos, non-union (if you are not union yourself), or anything else. Attend acting classes, hone your special skills, like dancing, singing and projecting, and grow your image by nurturing your resume.

Don’t constantly bother your agent! Don’t call them several times a day to check in to see if anything new has popped up. They aren’t going to have time to find you work if you keep them busy telling you that they are trying to get you off the phone to find you work.

Next, be sure to have a set time when you can meet with your agent by phone or in person. Keep them updated with the NEW things you have been adding to your resume, as you work and take classes. They will be impressed by how hard you work, and how dedicated you are, and will be excited enough to keep up the good work on your behalf.

Lastly, a reminder that in this business, not everything or everyone is as they seem. There are scammers not only online, but in offices and on movie sets. Always remember to be alert. If you are in an office that has its walls filled with photos of famous people, and it is in a run-down building that ought to be condemned, chances are it’s too good to be true, and it’s time to keep looking. If they ask you for upfront fees, thank them so much for their kindness, leave, and throw their business card in the nearest trash can. If they guarantee they can make you a star, toss that card, too.

And lastly, and I cannot say this enough, always check them out. Look on the links provided above, do runs on their names, go on actors' blogs and ask if anyone has worked with them. Check out their credentials. You do not want to sign a contract with them, to make you sit on your hands for 2 years or more, when they don’t intend to move your career.

Peace and Love,

Sacreeta

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Recording The Guitar to a Computer

2009-03-21T16:19:00.001-04:00

by: Brian Murphy

You want to record your guitar, make your own riffs, music, etc. You want to plug my guitar into my computer? How to connect the guitar to the computer the right and best way? What software? Which audio interface? What about my favorites guitar effects? What computer? Where to start? It can be overwhelming.

The recording guitarist's computer setup should be something like this:

* Guitar (*GTR with 13 pin connection recommended) * Microphone for recording Acoustic guitar, vocals etc. * Quality guitar cable * Audio Interface-Firewire (recommended) or USB * Guitar/midi interface * USB/Firewire cables * Computer (Mac recommended or PC) * Extra external/internal Hard Drive (recommended) * Audio recording/sequencer software * Plug-ins: effects- reverb, compressor, delay, chorus, etc o Dedicated guitar effects/amp simulation o Sampler/synths (for 13 pin guitarists or guitarist who can play keyboards) * Quality cables to speakers * Powered Speakers * Headphones (so you do not disturb the wife an kids at those late weekend sessions).

Some recording setups:

-Setting up your whole live rig and putting a microphone in front of the your cabinet, playing at loud volumes so you get the amp to sound right, push the speaker enough, putting your speaker in a closet, using a blanket to damping volume, etc. -You could use a load on you speaker and record direct.

-Use a preamp that is compensated for direct recording as the front end. You can plug this into outboard effects or add plug-ins

-You could record from your pedal board or any outboard multi-effects you might own. You probably end up with a direct type sound. Some multi-effects have amp simulation that might take the edge off the direct sound.

With any of these scenarios you are committing yourself to the recorded track. If you record with effects, you can't change it later. You would have to re-record! And if you do not re-record on the same day or you have to come back and have to set up the rig again, hopefully the knobs setting were written down, place the speaker in the same place etc, etc.... If you get into the recording other instruments or mixing the song and you want to change the guitar sound, tone, effects, etc, -- you have to re-record!

With a guitar with a 13 pin connection, either internally or a pickup installed on the body, you get 100% use of your software. You can record your guitar sound and get access to any software synths or samplers that come with the software or as a plug-in add-on.

With a software computer base system, you can change almost everything after you have recorded--amps, effects, mics, mic placement and more. You do this with plug-ins. You can save all your presets, sounds, etc. You could have multi-guitar tracks with different settings all from recording one track. The flexibility is there! Yes, there are purists out there- "software can't sound like tubes". Well, the software is getting pretty close!!!!

There is a lot of software out there. You do not have to spend a lot of money AND it is always improving. You buy a box. (i.e.hard disk recorders, and others mentioned above), you have bought a box. You usually can't upgrade without buying a new box.

People use computers every day at work or home- Microsoft Office (Word, Excel Power Point, etc) Email, Internet. Use it to record your guitar and music!!

Hopefully, this helps and you can check out more at http://www.guitarhelper.net

Brian has 18 years experience in the Music Industry.

He can be contacted at Brian@guitarhelper.net.

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Bottle Rockets and Nikki Sixx

2009-03-07T22:12:00.003-05:00

Following an incident where a fan threw a water bottle back on the stage that Nikki had tossed to the crowd, Nikki was sent into a rage. When he saw the fan was a woman. "The fact that you're a f---ing whore just means you can suck my d--- a little more, you b----. Get the f--- out of here." Then she began crying and he mocked her tears

Watch this vid!

Nikki has apologized for reducing the fan to tears, admitting that the bottle the fan threw back at him was the very same one he threw to the audience.

Sixx was introducing the band's next song on stage when he threw a plastic bottle of water to the fans. The same bottle was then thrown back at the stage, almost hitting him.

He got angry and singled out the female fan for throwing the bottle, not realizing that it was the same one he threw seconds ago. He called the fan obscene names and began to mock her when she started crying.

Sixx writes his apology on his MySpace blog, "There was a recent event at one of our shows where someone threw a bottle at me during my speech and I got pretty pissed. The way it happened is, I threw a bottle of water to some fans and didn't realize the very bottle I threw to the fans was thrown back at me."

"I have to admit, Bands get pretty pissed when people throw sh*t at you onstage. I didn't even think it was the same bottle, so with that being said, id like to say im sorry to the fan who threw the bottle back at me [sic]."

"These damn clichés seem to be true, like 'two wrongs don't make a right..... Rock n roll, and temper tantums..."

"PS. These self-help books are really helping. Ha-Ha"

Just for the record, when a performer is on stage, he may do a number of things that strike him at the moment, including throwing stuff into the audience, but most people would have kept a water bottle that had been touched and used by Nikki. If an artist throws something from the stage at a concert you attend, don't be stupid, keep the item as memorabilia, but under no circumstances, throw it, or anything else at an artist on stage. There are numberous things that could go wrong, in this case alone, the bottle still contained water, and could have easily cracked after hitting an amp or other item, and caused an electrical meltdown, or worse, an electricution.

So next time Nikki throws something at you, keep it, cherish it, and thank your lucky stars, (in this case Nikki Sixx LOL)

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Free Screensavers for You

2009-03-07T16:04:00.000-05:00

Get a free trial download of some of Digital Minds Software's Best Screensavers! Check out these links below!

Aqua 3D Screensaver

Future City 3D Screensaver

Living Dolphins 3D Screensaver

SeaStorm 3D Screensaver

The Pyramids of Egypt 3D Screensaver

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Lamb of God Tour Schedule

2009-02-24T00:51:00.001-05:00

I have begun posting tour schedules for some of our local and regional bands. I originally placed Lamb of God here, but have now moved it to the sidebar, and made it smaller.

I will post any other tours in the sidebars also, until further notice.
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I Now Own Nikki Sixx

2008-09-23T20:27:00.003-04:00

Join me on Weblo for something Awesome!

I have been having the most fun lately. I found an incredible place where you can not only have fun and relieve some of the daily tension, but you CAN make money, even earn a living. The Weblo site is an online replica of the real world, and it is amazing.

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I am at this time the proud owner of:

Real Estate: Sony Pictures Imageworks, Klipsch Soundworks

Domains: Fox TV, Harry Potter, MySpaceBands

and get this,

I OWN NIKKI SIXX

No sense in trying to explain this awesome concept, you all just need to see it for yourselves.

How about some videos:

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please join under me using the link in my signature below! You will be glad you did, if nothing more you will have a load of fun!

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Weekly Free Gift for Visiting My Blog

2008-06-17T19:04:00.001-04:00

I have gone software crazy. Thats right!

Not only am I working on my new software stores, and giving out free software for joining my forum, among other things, but now I am giving away tons of freebies just for visiting my blog.

You will want to check back every week as I will be adding a brand new download for you to grab each week. Please leave comments or reviews on the products after you have used them. I would love to hear your thoughts.

Our first gifts is:
The Alexa Booster Script

A Great Review of Nikki Sixx's "The Heroin Diaries" Album

2008-06-13T16:50:00.003-04:00

I'm not sure I've ever heard a concept album like this before. Sixx: A.M. is a group founded by former Motley Crue bassist Nikki Sixx for the sole purpose of releasing this album as a soundtrack to the book, The Heroin Diaries, which is an autobiography by Sixx. It delves deep into his addiction, is incredibly blunt, often harsh at times, and is also absolutely brilliant.

This album was the collaborative effort of Nikki Sixx, vocalist James Michael, and guitarist DJ Ashba. Each song is a reference to a different chapter in the book, which is something I don't think has been done before. I might add that you do NOT have to buy the book to enjoy this album, but I'm sure it's a nice compliment.

The Heroin Diaries begins with X-Mas in Hell, a brutally honest and shocking diary entry spoken by Sixx himself as he is backed by soft acoustic guitars:

I didn't speak to a single person today.
I thought, "Why should I ruin their f***ing Christmas?"

A rock rendition of Carol of the Bells accompanies the spoken words and somehow gives it an even more somber atmosphere. You can practically see Sixx's loneliness and desperation oozing from your headphones.

A soft piano opens Van Nuys where vocalist James Michael makes his first appearance. The lyrics here are so brutally honest that despite the fact that very few of the listeners have experienced anything even close to as awful as a heroin addiction, the listener can still somehow relate. The song keeps a simple rhythmic beat, but it is the chorus where a high pitched choir backs Michael joyously singing Everybody gets high / Everybody gets low where this song triumphs most.

Lead single Life is Beautiful is a masterpiece. It begins with some nifty acoustic guitar picking before a typical catchy guitar riff and it is the huge soaring chorus which will grab the listener's attention. Michael's wails in the chorus are almost reminiscent of Jared Leto from 30 Seconds to Mars.

While Pray for Me begins with a slight 80's sound, Michael shows he can be a true chameleon as the verses sound very similar to Mr. Brightside by The Killers. This song showcases many influences blending 80's and modern rock into something new altogether. This is a very moving song about Sixx rejecting the help of people who cared about him:

She wants to save me, but I'm barely alive.
My soul is thirsty. I just wanna get high.

Tomorrow is probably the closest this album gets to modern rock cliche, with its soaring chorus and simplistic drum beat. I wouldn't be surprised if they released it as their second single however. The pain returns with Accidents Can Happen, which appears to be a comforting letter written to Sixx by a friend in a time of need. This song is beautiful, and when Michael gets a few seconds to himself, he really shines with an amazing falsetto. He does a great job of channeling the pain Sixx went through into each and every word he sings.

Intermission is another spoken word section, this time with a circus feel to it. It is almost entirely instrumental, there are bells, whistles, chimes and a kooky little guitar solo tossed in for added effect.

Dead Man's Ballet showcases Sixx's incredible songwriting ability. At first only backed by soft piano keys and Michael's soft crooning of Oh no / how could this happen to me?, it picks up considerably with some heavier electric and bass guitar strumming all while Michael never changes his tone and the chorus has a gospel choir feel to it.

Helicopter blades begin Heart Failure which starts with some more of Sixx's spoken lyrics before shifting styles into a bouncy/funky groove. The chorus shifts gears again with an almost power metal vibe as Michael screeches:

I'm face down on the tracks
The train is coming fast
And it's not derailing
It's not the first time
And this won't be the last
That my heart is failing

This song mixes Michael's superb vocals excellently with Sixx's tortured diary excerpts. Sixx also provides some inspired gloomy bass to help this song along even more.

Quite possibly the least blunt of any song on the album, Girl with Golden Eyes, which is a metaphor for heroin, is a touching ballad about addiction. The line I wish I'd never kissed her / now I can't resist her is harrowing indeed. The backup vocals in the chorus give the song an even more desperate feel to it. That is not the end of the song however, at the 3/4 mark, Sixx chimes in with his best diary entry yet. It chronicles the first ten days after he quit heroin for good. Simply pasting the entry here would never do it justice. You need to hear it for yourself.

The styles switch again in Courtesy Call, where Michael's vocals sound like Myles Kennedy from Alter Bridge. The chorus catches the listener by surprise with its power after they'd nearly been lulled to sleep by the verses. Permission switches styles once again adding some country to the mix as Michael croons

All of my devils are free at last
And all my secrets revealed
Your permission is all I need to heal

This song has a much more upbeat feel to it, the back end of it you can literally feel Sixx's happiness with his new-found freedom from addiction. They toss in a gospel choir to back up the final chorus for good measure.

The final track Life After Death begins with a full minute instrumental. Sixx comes in with his concluding words from his diaries, you can actually feel the difference in his demeanor despite the fact that his tone never changes throughout the album. The guitar almost has a Tom Morello vibe to it and a childrens choir hops in to close this album as upbeat as possible.

I would first like to say this is not the type of album you put on shuffle, is can not be fully appreciated unless listened to in the order the band carefully placed each song. Sixx says it best in his concluding diary when he states, "But you know addicts, we think everything's about us, don't we?" I came in fully expecting a pity party which would have a rehash of recycled Motley Crue guitar licks and song stylings. I came away bedazzled, blown off my feet literally. This album is all over the place with so many different styles and moods, all tracing the life of a drug addict searching for salvation. Each style stands for some particular point in Nikki's life where he felt vulnerable and wanted to relay it to the listener, and nothing was ever the same.

This album is the product of a true artistic vision. Its open-wound honesty is the paintbrush and we are the mural. It is an experimental rock confessional unlike anything Nikki Sixx, or anyone else for that matter, has ever done before. I'm flabbergasted to say the least, and hopefully, my words here are enough for you to take this baby for a spin. A word of warning however, don't come in expecting a new rendition of Motley Crue, this is something completely different, and much, much more powerful. If you ever feel overwhelmed, this story of living on both ends of the spectrum might pick you right up off the ground.

Tracks in Order: (A+) = Excellent

1. X-Mas in Hell
2. Van Nuys
3. Life Is Beautiful (A+)
4. Pray for Me
5. Tomorrow
6. Accidents Can Happen (A+)
7. Intermission
8. Dead Man's Ballet
9. Heart Failure (A+)
10. Girl with Golden Eyes (A+)
11. Courtesy Call
12. Permission
13. Life After Death

Final Grade: 5 stars

Read more of this reviewers opinions HERE

Downloadable Version of "How To Read Tabs"

2008-06-12T18:53:00.001-04:00

I am placing a new ebook about How To Read Tabs here.
The earlier version did not give you the download to PDF option, only to print, so I have added a downloadable vertion here.

How To Read Tabs - Upload a Document to Scribd

How To Read Tabs & Play Your Favourite Songs Tablature is a way of indicating the positioning of notes and fingering on the guitar fret board. If you can read tabs, you will be able to play any of your favorites songs. Aside from traditional music theory, tabs are among the easiest methods to playing your favorite songs... quickly! Basic Tab Lines There are 6 tab lines representing 6 strings on the guitar. (The 1st string is the thinnest, and the 6th string is the thickest). E----------------------------B----------------------------G----------------------------D----------------------------A----------------------------E----------------------------• • String String String String String String 1 Thinnest 2 3 4 5 6 Thickest The string at the top is the thickest - 6th string The string at the bottom is the thinnest - 1st string (as shown in diagram below) Number is placed with examples When a number is placed on one of the lines, it indicates the fret location of note. Example 1: E----------------------------- String 1 B------4---------------------- String 2 G----------------------------D----------------------------A----------------------------E----------------------------- String String String String 3 4 5 6 (This means to play the 4th Fret on the 2nd string) Example 2: E----------------------------B----------------------------G----------------------------D----------------------------A------0---------------------E----------------------------(This indicates an open 5th string) String String String String String String 1 2 3 4 5 6 Example 3: E----------------------------B-----------6----------------G-------5--------------------D----------------0-----------A----------------------------E----------------------------This indicates: 5th Fret, 3rd string, then 6th Fret, 2nd string, then an open 4th string. String String String String String String 1 2 3 4 5 6 Example 4: E---1------------------------B-----------8----------------G-------7--------------------D---------------2------------A----------------------------E------------------------12--This indicates: 1st Fret, 1st string then 7th Fret, 3rd string, then 8th Fret, 2nd string, then 2nd Fret, 4th string, then 12th Fret, 6th string. String String String String String String 1 2 3 4 5 6 Tab Symbols There are tab symbols that you need to know before you want to learn a song in tab format. They are: h - hammer on p - pull off b - bend string up r - release bend / - slide up \ - slide down v - vibrato (sometimes written as ~) t - right hand tap x - play 'note' with heavy damping When you see all numbers in a line one after another E---3------------------------B---3------------------------G---4------------------------D---5------------------------A---5------------------------E---3------------------------String String String String String String 1 2 3 4 5 6 ...it means you play the entire chord using all fingers. When you see tabs that have "h" E--------------------------------String B--------------------------------String G--------------------------------String D--------------------------------String A---------7h9-----------10h12----String E---0--0----------0--0-----------String 1 2 3 4 5 6 ....it means to do a "Hammer On" from the 7th fret to the 9th fret and again for the 10th fret to the 12th fret. When you see other tabs that have "pO" E--------------------------------String B--------------------------------String G--------------------------------String D--------------------------------String A---------9pO7-----------12pO10--String E---0--0----------0--0-----------String 1 2 3 4 5 6 ....it means to do a "Pull Off" from the 9th fret to the 7th fret and again for the 12th fret to the 10th fret. When you see other tabs that have "b" E--------------------------------String B--------------------------------String G--------------------------------String D--------------------------------String A---------7b9-----------10b12----String E--------------------------------String 1 2 3 4 5 6 ...it means strike the string 5 on the 7th fret, then bend the note up so that it sounds the same as the note played on the 9th fret. ADDITIONAL TIP Tabs are mainly a few lines with numbers on them. Once you know the basic positioning of where your fingers go, you are able to get a good feel for the song. Tabs are an easy way to read music and play a particular song. Proper music notation is more detailed and requires more study into it, however if all you want to do is play your favorite song, tabs are just as easy in the end. GLOSSARY h Hammer On is produced by hitting a note first, before sliding your finger to another fret while the string is still ringing out. p Pull off is the same as a hammer on - but instead of placing our fingers onto the string, we are TAKING OUR FINGERS OFF the string, after striking it. b Bends are relatively easy to perform. Bends are shown in many different symbols. The b and ^ are common symbols used for bends. The ( ) usually contain a number in between and tell the player to bend to that note. Notes without ( ) usually have the note to be bent to next to the original note. A bend is carried out by bending the string up on the guitar to produce a sound similar to that of the fret noted on the tab. r A release is done by picking the note in its bent position, but letting go of the string so that it can return to its normal pitch. / or \ The symbol \ signifies a slide down the neck, while / signifies a slide up the neck. The notes are picked in the order in which they appear from left to right. v or ~ If you continue to hold the fret down after the slide, or even after picking any random note, it will cause the note to ring. This effect is called vibrato which is fluctuating the pitch of a note. t Tapping is where you tap the string repeatedly. x Gently rest a finger of your left hand over the indicated string or strings, and then strum. This will produce a dull, almost scratchy sound. How To Hold Chords A, B & C There are 7 main chords you must learn in order to play the guitar. They are A, B, C, D, E, F & G. Today we'll just cover A, B and C. Later on we'll cover D, E F & G. Let's represent each finger with a number. So in the following diagrams of chords, place each number on the appropriate strings as shown below. Once you place your fingers in the spots as shown, brush down on the strings near the sound hole or the body. Can you hear every string? Are they ringing clearly or are they are muffled mess? If it sounds jumbled, adjust your fingers so they press down correctly. Side Note: The "o" represented in the diagram means that the string is to be played OPEN. Whereas the "x" means not to play the string at all. I.e. mute it, or try not to strike it when you are strumming the chord. CHORD A MAJOR left handed players right handed players CHORD B MAJOR left handed players right handed players CHORD C MAJOR left handed players right handed players How To Hold Chords D, E, F & G Continuing on from the previous lesson, today we'll cover the final chords of D, E F & G. As usual, let's represent each finger with a number. So in the following diagrams of chords, place each number on the appropriate strings as shown below. Once you place your fingers in the spots as shown, brush down on the strings near the sound hole or the body. Can you hear every string? Are they ringing clearly or are they are muffled mess? If it sounds jumbled, adjust your fingers so they press down correctly. Side Note: The "o" represented in the diagram means that the string is to be played OPEN. Whereas the "x" means not to play the string at all. I.e. mute it, or try not to strike it when you are strumming the chord. CHORD D MAJOR left handed players right handed players CHORD E MAJOR left handed players right handed players CHORD F MAJOR left handed players right handed players CHORD G MAJOR left handed players right handed players What Is A Note? This lesson will cover some basic music theory. Before we begin to dig into the heart of music theory and reading music, it is essential for us to first understand where all of these "notes" come from and how they are represented. This will be the foundation for more complicated lessons to follow. What is a Note? A note is simply a way of representing a musical sound. Symbols are used to represent these notes which tells us the duration (length) that the given note is held for and when placed on a staff, it will tell us the pitch of that sound. Pitch is a way of describing how high or how low something sounds. A great example of this is a high pitched scream a horror movie. It hurts our ears because it sounds extremely high. An example of a low pitch would be a truck rumbling along on your street. Notes can be compared to the road signs you see when driving along in your community. They tell you what to do, or in this case play, and they will give you directions. Notes have various shapes and stems coming from them but generally look like little round/oval dots. How is a note named? Notes are named after the first seven letters of the alphabet and are as follows: A-B-C-D-E-F-G ..After the G, you will start again at A. The cycle will then begin to repeat itself from the beginning: A - B - C - D - E - F - G - A - B - C - D - E - F - G - A... .. You may be wondering why we have two notes that are named A. The reason that they are both named A is that they sound alike, even though they are higher and lower than one another. All of these notes have different pitches, meaning that some sound higher, while others sound lower. This is the glue that makes music work. What Is A Staff & What Is Its Use? Here's a quick lesson on Music Theory. It is important to know because when you start getting into sheet music, writing your own music or simply learning a popular song by book - having a thorough understanding makes it a whole lot easier! For now, let's cover some basics... What Is A Staff? A staff is not unlike a bulletin board in a police station that tells the officers who the criminals are. It holds all of the critical information that is needed for you to play music on your instrument. Consider it the notepad of the music world where all of our ideas are written down. Literally everything you need to do to play music will involve using the staff in some form. The staff (also known as stave) consists of five lines and four spaces. In its simplest form, it looks like the following: The staff also has a few more key features that stand out. First off, you will observe a number of lines running vertically through the staff throughout a piece of music. They can be viewed as the walls that separate the music into smaller chunks. These "Walls" are called bar lines. Bar lines help us keep our rhythm and make the music easier to read and understand. The space between two bar lines is called a measure. When the music ends, it will tell you by showing a thick double bar line. If there is a thin double bar line, it simply marks the end of a section, so you continue to play. Here is an image that illustrates the different parts of the staff: What Is A Clef? Instruments are amazing tools to play notes with, but rarely will any be able to play all of the notes that exists on the staff. The exception is the piano, which has the largest range. The biggest problem is that some notes are simply to low in pitch to fit on the staff! The lower the note, the lower it sits when placed on the staff. The opposite happens for higher pitched notes and they move higher up on the staff. With all of these notes available to us, we have a problem... we run out of space. Clefs were formed to separate music into the low notes and the high notes. These two clefs are called treble clef and bass clef. Treble clef, also known as G clef, caters to the higher pitched instruments. Electric and acoustic players always play in treble clef because it fits in all of their notes. Bass clef, also known as F clef, is used for all of the really low notes. Bass guitarists play with this clef. The piano uses both treble clef and bass clef so it can play its full range of notes. This is the exception because instruments pick one clef based on how low or high the notes sound. There are other clefs used in music but they don't apply to us Interested In Music Theory? Learn more about music theory at a brand new Guitar Theory site over at www.GuitarTheory.com.au where the lessons in this PDF are courtesy of. You'll go behind the scenes and find out what makes up music and the theory behind it all, including • • • • • • • • Sharps Flats Dynamics Rests Beats Tempo's Modes Transposition ... and a whole lot more. Also, don’t forget to visit our websites for lots of resources and info: MusicRVA.com MusicRVA Blog MusicRVA Forum MusicRVA Writers Blog Sojournstar Music Blog Get Awesome MRVA "SUPPORT LOCAL MUSIC" Merchandise here!

How to Get Popular on YouTube Without Any Talent

2008-06-09T15:30:00.003-04:00

We all know YouTube is a fabulous way to get noticed, whether you are a band, actor, or simply an attention hog LOL. Here is a little ebook written to help you get You Tube traffic, even if you have no talent.

Kevin Nalts is one of YouTubeʹs least talented ʺweblebrities,ʺ with some 20 million views of his more than 550 online videos. He is one of the most‐subscribed comedians on YouTube, and his videos routinely rank in the top ʺhighest ratedʺ and ʺmost discussedʺ lists. You need only watch several of his videos to know these rankings are not due to his video‐making abilities alone. Here, the career marketer reveals some ʺinsider secretsʺ to developing a following on YouTube (and other online‐video sites), and getting your videos widely viewed globally. The techniques he shares do not include ʺtricksʺ that ultimately undermine a video, but proven strategies that are often not intuitive. To subscribe to Naltsʹ videos, please click here. To subscribe to his blog, WillVideoForFood, click here. Version 1.3. January 2008. This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution‐No Derivative Works 3.0 Unported License by Kevin Nalts, WillVideoForFood, LLC. You may distribute or post as you wish, but please credit http://www.willvideoforfood.com or repurpose it for financial gain. Nalts is not affiliated with YouTube or Google, and may have to change the title of this book if YouTube objects. But, candidly, the title ʺHow to Be Popular in Online Videoʺ just didnʹt sound as interesting. Kevin Nalts (WillVideoForFood, LLC), January 2008. Page 1 About This Book After languishing in online video for nine months, Kevin Nalts was advised by doctors that his viral‐video career would be dead within weeks. But he persevered, and now reveals some easy‐to‐apply techniques that can help you become popular on YouTube. In 30 fun‐filled pages – packed with real experience, examples and video links – the video creator and marketer shares proven methods to develop a global audience via YouTube. The techniques are built on experience, and will help you avoid some of the many pitfalls, and help keep you from violating ʺunwritten rulesʺ of the YouTube community. They also will save you from wasting time with ineffective approaches. The book offers basic – but sometimes counterintuitive – advice on how to become a more welcome participant of YouTube, build friends, develop a loyal following, promote yourself (or other causes), and have a blast along the way. Should You Read This Book? If youʹre asking yourself the following questions, this book may be for you: • How do I gain YouTube popularity without cheating or appearing desperate? What works and what might create a backlash? • What can I do to get my videos more views without spending an inordinate amount of time promoting them to people? • How can I help make my videos ʺviralʺ (get them passed along)? • How can I use my YouTube fame to promote myself, friends, advertising sponsors or worthy causes? Kevin Nalts (WillVideoForFood, LLC), January 2008. Page 2 Testimonials ʺI canʹt believe youʹre putting testimonials in a book youʹre giving out for free. Isnʹt that a little weird.ʺ – Jo Nalts (aka WifeofNalts) “Promoting a product or service or even yourself on YouTube is utterly different than the message‐driven advertising‐centric approach to marketing. With tons of example videos, ‘Nalts’ shows everything you need to know about creating YouTube videos. His insider tips on etiquette and smart promotional ideas are worth thousands of dollars. This compelling guide has taught me a great deal. Now you can learn how to have fun with this terrific media and promote your ideas too.” – David Meerman Scott, bestselling author of The New Rules of Marketing and PR “Online video is one crowded space right now and if all you do is upload your video and hope for the best, don’t have high expectations. You have to be an active participant. Kevinʹs book on the subject is an eBook, so youʹll have to print it out yourself (preferably not on good paper).” – Paul Kontonis, For Your Imagination ʺI read Kevinʹs eBook after I had already become popular and after reading it, I am still popular. Thanks Kevin!ʺ – Michael Buckley, What The Buck Show ʺHis book summarizes two years of useless knowledge. It wasnʹt really as strong as my Viral Video Fever DVDs, but it certainly was a value for its price.ʺ –‐ Charles Trippy, YouTube Heartthrob and Producer of Viral Video Fever Kevin Nalts (WillVideoForFood, LLC), January 2008. Page 3 Table of Contents I. Foreword ....................................................................................................................... 5 II. Do You Really Want to Be a YouTube Star?....................................................... 10 III. Understanding The Core of YouTube................................................................ 12 IV. How To Make Videos That Donʹt Suck ............................................................. 14 V. Tips for Getting Your Videos Seen ...................................................................... 19 VI. Avoid These Tricks ................................................................................................ 25 VII. YouTube and Profit .............................................................................................. 29 VIII. Big Finish .............................................................................................................. 31 IX. Additional Resources............................................................................................. 32 Kevin Nalts (WillVideoForFood, LLC), January 2008. Page 4 I. Foreword Thank You I appreciate the time you are taking to read this book and I hope you find it helpful and inspiring. Keep an eye out for my soon‐to‐be published book, The Prophet of Online Video (download a free 2‐page synopsis here). Unlike the eBook youʹre reading, ʺThe Prophet of Online Videoʺ will be geared toward marketers and agencies interested in capitalizing on the convergence of online video and advertising. And itʹs going to be wicked expensive. Moo haaa haaa. I am so grateful to the people that view my videos and participate on my blog (WillVideoForFood). These are the people who have paved the way, making a reality of a long and precious dream. These are also the people who have given me the popularity I have today. Thank you all! Of course, there also happens to be a slight faction of people that despises me, they label me a ʺsellout,ʺ one who feeds and promotes the commercialization of the You Tube Community. This eBook will probably piss them off. So much so, that in a small part, writing this and making it available to the public for free is more worthwhile than any profit I could potentially realize. I want to give my wife, Jo (aka WifeofNalts) a special thanks for her continued support; her patience is more than tremendous! More than anyone, she knows just how time‐consuming online video is and has been. She continues to tolerate my neglect of basic tasks around the house, not to mention sleep. I’m a very fortunate man. I also want to thank my children, Kate, Patrick, Grant and Kevin Nalts (WillVideoForFood, LLC), January 2008. Page 5 Charlie. My fathering is not nearly as flawless as it appears on video, and they are patient and keep me from taking it all too seriously. I would also like to thank Jan Ischinger and Tom (formerly known as ʺTrippleHelixʺ on YouTube) for helping me launch the WillVideoForFood Forum along with so many of my other ʺpeeps.ʺ There are more who have been there through thick and thin, diligently supporting me over these past two years. When I was initially passed over for a YouTubeʹs revenue sharing program, I created a video called NAPPY which was met with such a supportive voice from the community and remains listed as one of YouTubeʹs ʺmost responded toʺ videos of all time. When I have grown frustrated with YouTube, the community welcomed me back. And I am constantly tickled by the creative variations of ʺ___ofNaltsʺ that people have created as YouTube user names. I wish I could list all of them by name. You have watched my videos, provided me with positive and constructive feedback, collaborated, participated in my blog, and told your friends about my crazy antics. Youʹve even driven to my house to take me out for pizza and beer when I was ready to throw in the towel. A great thanks to you all! Iʹd also like to thank a few people for their help with this book. Itʹs a free book, so I clearly will share all proceeds with the following people. • Thanks to David Meerman Scott, who encouraged me to publish this book for free (I canʹt remember his rationale but it was really compelling), and for reviewing a draft. David is an accomplished author and online‐video expert, and has tolerated an endless barrage of questions from me (whose Kevin Nalts (WillVideoForFood, LLC), January 2008. Page 6 closest venture to print publishing was a weekly newspaper that went bankrupt just six months after I started working there). • Jan Ischinger has not only helped with this book, but is the driving force behind the WillVideoforFood Forum. She also sends notes like this: ʺTake care of your health. Viral Video Making can be dangerous… The stress is exhilarating, but it is also debilitating. Melt downs really, really happen, almost over night.ʺ And sheʹs right. • Paul Kontonis of For Your Imagination not only broadened my knowledge of online‐video promotion beyond YouTube, but reviewed a draft and taught me the difference between the word ʺMikeʺ and ʺmic.ʺ • Ben Relles of Barely Political provided some important tips he learned while promoting one of YouTubeʹs most popular videos of 2007. Until I met him recently I didnʹt know there was another MBA who moonlighted in online video. • There a few others that invested time proofing my earlier drafts, and oddly wouldnʹt take me up my offer for credit (like the nice mysterious lady behind The Cult of Nalts, who saved me from quite a few grammatical errors). The Apologies My ʺsorryʺ section is as important as my ʺthanks.ʺ Invariably, when you make yourself this accessible online you end up entertaining many, but also offending a few. I take this to heart when it comes to ignoring a fair chunk of my e‐mail and You Tube messages. Honestly, itʹs really hard to be diligent about this sort of communication while keeping a full‐time job and caring for a family of six. I Kevin Nalts (WillVideoForFood, LLC), January 2008. Page 7 really do try, but canʹt find the hours it takes to read and reply to all the messages I receive. I often think this may be interpreted as arrogance by people who donʹt know what itʹs like to get hundreds of e‐mails and messages every day. As a result, Iʹve become fairly haphazard about my personal communication. Rather than sort and prioritize, I’ve found that I impulsively check messages when Iʹm in a more social mood and ignore everything when my plate is full with pressing matters at work and home. If you feel like Iʹm ʺblowing you off,ʺ I hope you will understand my circumstances and please, I beg you not to take it personally. Welcome, And the Brass Tactics! I hope you realize that the title of this book was meant as self‐deprecating humor and not a warranty. When making videos for online entertainment you have to have some talent. Contrary to conventional wisdom, however, talent is not the only ingredient for success. Admittedly, there are people far more talented than I on YouTube who deserve my incredible audience. The stumbling block often is that they do not know how to attract an audience and are relegated to endless obscurity, lost in a sea of garbage. Unfortunately, when this happens these talented people start to think that maybe they aren’t so talented. They begin to lose interest when all they really needed were a few basic marketing tools. Here is an important take‐away (you might want to highlight this point). YouTube fame (f) is a function of your talent (t) multiplied by your marketing (m). f = t times m. Kevin Nalts (WillVideoForFood, LLC), January 2008. Page 8 If youʹre “9 out of 10 “in talent and this book takes you to a “5 out of 10” in marketing yourself, then youʹve achieved a healthy 45, congratulations! However, if youʹre lacking in talent (say a 2 out of 10) then this book may not help. Sorry. I will touch briefly on how to make your videos not suck, but let me say this, I’ve seen some really, really talentless people on You Tube. I shudder to think that one of them is turning to this book for salvation. Not to be Simon Cowles or the like, but if your friends and family find your videos lame you may want to think about taking up pottery or basket weaving. Still reading? Great! If you take nothing else with you from this book, please remember this: The act of ʺuploadingʺ is only one tiny step on your Great You Tube Adventure, and if you stop there, youʹre not going to get very far. Glossary of Terms Iʹm going to be using some terms in this book that are worth defining. • Collab Videos: Making a collaboration video with someone else on YouTube. This is an important way to introduce yourself to the YouTube community. Itʹs time consuming but fun. Pipistrello taught me this. • Subscribers: You know how your magazines magically show up in your mailbox? Hard core YouTubers wake up each day and check their ʺsubscriptions.ʺ If theyʹve subscribed to you, theyʹll know each time you post a new videos. You want quality not just quantity of subscribers because theyʹre the ones who will rate your videos. If they like what they see, your video will get ʺhonoredʺ and appear on some of the ʺmost viewedʺ or ʺmost discussedʺ lists, which brings you a secondary audience. Kevin Nalts (WillVideoForFood, LLC), January 2008. Page 9 • Honors: These are a temporary status a video garners if itʹs the most viewed, most discussed or highest rated within a certain time period. A video receiving these honors will, temporarily, be placed on lists and be more likely to surface on a YouTube search. • Partner: YouTube shares advertising revenue with ʺpartners.ʺ To learn more, see YouTubeʹs partner page. If youʹre thinking youʹre going to retire on YouTube partner income youʹre in for a shock. But itʹs still nice to receive income based on the advertising that appears around your videos. II. Do You Really Want to Be a YouTube Star? Letʹs evaluate YouTube ʺfameʺ for a moment, and make sure you really want what youʹre apparently after. I find most people in pursuit of YouTube ʺweblebrityʺ status are looking for one of four things: 1) Theyʹre a performer looking for a stage. 2) Theyʹre looking to sell a product or service. 3) Theyʹre trying to fill a self‐esteem void with positive feedback, ratings and views (therapy is cheaper in the long run). 4) Theyʹre hoping to connect with similar people and share experiences. Iʹm going to start by tempering your desire. You see, if you enter YouTube with desperation for fame, people are going to find you really annoying. Youʹll give off a scent like those people selling Amway at neighborhood picnics. You might even annoy people more than I do. YouTube popularity is not all itʹs cracked up to be. Youʹll find yourself spending inordinate amounts of time on YouTube, youʹll lose a great deal of your privacy, Kevin Nalts (WillVideoForFood, LLC), January 2008. Page 10 and youʹll get insulted in ways youʹve never imagined (someone once commented on a video that he wants to defecate in my mouth). Each day youʹll feel guilty because youʹre ignoring someoneʹs cry for help ‐‐ watch my video, mention my sick friend, be in my ʺcollaborationʺ video, tell me what you think of my sonʹs video. Sometimes e‐mail will feel like a portal to hell – with desperate and thirsty souls screaming for just a drop of water. In some ways YouTube fame brings all of the negative side of real stardom without the money and perks. Youʹll almost certainly become addicted, and sometimes will fail to differentiate – between your own view of yourself and the opinions of your viewers. The first time you get featured or have a video that goes viral will create a mad rush of adrenaline followed by a sugar crash. But, enough psychobabble. I just wanted to make sure you realize there are some downsides. Now letʹs explore the fun things youʹre going to experience if you have some talent and deploy the techniques youʹre going to learn here. There are some fantastic things about having an established audience for your videos. First, youʹll meet some terrific people. I started online video in December 2005 with naïve hopes of supplementing my income. I certainly wasnʹt in pursuit of meeting virtual friends. Iʹm busy enough with my day job and my family, and Iʹm proficient enough at neglecting my ʺfleshʺ (non‐virtual) friends – much less forgetting the birthdays of my virtual ones. But Iʹve met some really amazingly creative and interesting people on YouTube. Some are passing relationships where we e‐mail or mention each other in an occasional video. And others Iʹve met in person to shoot videos, grab a drink, or huddle together at various YouTube gatherings that make Star Trek conventions look cool. Kevin Nalts (WillVideoForFood, LLC), January 2008. Page 11 Iʹve been brought to tears by videos by my friends, and gained new perspectives from individuals – from all over the planet – with which Iʹd otherwise have no contact. And Iʹve laughed until I could barely breathe. Lately Iʹve leveraged my YouTube experiences to help marketers benefit from online video, and thatʹs been helpful in eliminating the mound of debt weʹve accumulated along the way. But most gratifying is the joy of interacting with other creators, and getting instant feedback whenever I experiment with a new approach. Where I used to burden dinner guests with my videos, I now can post a video, go upstairs and shower, and return to find hundreds of comments that tell me if the idea sank or sailed. III. Understanding The Core of YouTube Did you know YouTube is more than a search engine for videos? Itʹs actually a lively community, and until you understand and respect that community, youʹre not likely to be widely seen. Certainly, there are exceptions ‐‐ I call them ʺone hit wonders.ʺ Sometimes a video is so darned remarkable that it goes viral on its own merit. But please donʹt bet on that, because you have a greater chance of getting killed by a llama. Many of the most popular videos on YouTube never help the creator generate a regular following. If youʹre new to YouTube, you may want to imagine yourself walking into the high school cafeteria. Whatʹs your body language saying? • Sit with me because Iʹm afraid to sit alone. • I came to eat, so stay away or Iʹll eat you. • Hi. Iʹm a cheerleader. Want to sit with me and be popular? • Whereʹs the table for the people who hate everyone else here? Kevin Nalts (WillVideoForFood, LLC), January 2008. Page 12 Because YouTube is a visceral medium with two‐way interaction, you canʹt simply post your video and return a few days later to see if youʹre the next Numa Numa kid. People are going to talk back to you eventually. If you listen and respond, they might stick around and watch more. They may even tell their friends about you. But if youʹre posting to YouTube like youʹre sending out mass holiday letters, your community ʺreputationʺ will be poor. There is a core group of YouTubers that hang out on Stickam (a live video site) each night and interact with each other. You can learn a lot from this group, and theyʹll influence your YouTube reputation. If I had more time and didnʹt derive social anxiety from live video, Iʹd be on Stickam ʺhanging outʺ with these people regularly. As with any community, there are countless unwritten rules. To ʺfit inʺ youʹll have to watch a lot of videos and get a sense for these yourself. But Iʹll give you the quick guide. I outline some of these in a video called ʺYouTube Etiquette.ʺ Nobody wants to admit this, but thereʹs a subtle social ladder based on how many subscribers you have. Itʹs rather repulsive, and I try not to look at the numbers. I find that a creatorʹs ego can unjustly enlarge as their subscribers grow, and I often prefer to ʺhangʺ with the less popular, more interesting people. But this social ladder is important. For example, I get a lot of requests to collaborate with people that have no videos or subscribers, and it is a lot easier to ignore them than someone who has talent and a following. I know some famous YouTubers that simply wonʹt collaborate with someone who obviously doesnʹt watch their videos. If you try to do a ʺcollaborationʺ video with HappySlip before you know her – and have developed your own following – sheʹs likely to ignore you (she ignores me most of the time too, but thatʹs survival when youʹre blasted with 100 e‐mails a day). Kevin Nalts (WillVideoForFood, LLC), January 2008. Page 13 So initially interact with people who have as many subscribers as you, and find your own ʺpodʺ within YouTube. There are countless subcultures built around people and their friends, and this group stays with you like your freshman roommates (or the stink of garlic). Some YouTubers leverage their talent (in music or graphic design) to create custom material that popular YouTubers can use. This makes us far more interested in helping these creators find their way to the top. IV. How To Make Videos That Donʹt Suck This chapter sounds arrogant, and itʹs somewhat hypocritical. Because I make so many videos, many of them suck. If anyone should have the ʺmagic recipeʺ for a decent online video, it should be me. But Iʹm still learning each day, and thatʹs part of what makes it so fun to create videos. People often ask me why I donʹt focus on creating fewer quality videos instead of posting routinely. There are two reasons for that. First, if I stop creating for more than a few days, I generally donʹt feel like posting anymore. Second, I have no Earthly idea which of my video ideas will resonate and which will become popular. There are a lot of factors involved, so I play the odds with volume and frequency. That said, there are a number of things Iʹd advise to help you make better videos. Technically, the barriers to entry are extremely low (access to the web, a computer, and an inexpensive camera). But here are some tips to making your videos interesting and more likely to be shared and, therefore, become ʺviral.ʺ Kevin Nalts (WillVideoForFood, LLC), January 2008. Page 14 A. Stick To Your Brand I know that my videos would be more popular if I made them more edgy and sexy. But itʹs not consistent with my style, and so I forgo that upside. Itʹs not sustainable to create content that doesnʹt reflect your personality, and it will confuse your audience. Find a unique style and stay with it. That doesnʹt mean you shouldnʹt experiment. Some of the best YouTube creators have a very specific and ʺownableʺ style: What The Buck does daily celebrity gossip. Smosh does sketch comedy. HappySlip does clever comedies about her family, and expresses her musical talent. These creators arenʹt just talented, they know their audience and consistently provide for them. Some, of course, participate more extensively with the YouTube community, and others have their eyes toward larger media opportunities. To see other popular YouTubers, visit the ʺmost subscribed of all timeʺ YouTube section and get a feel for whatʹs popular. Just resist the temptation to imitate these styles too closely. Find your own niche. I tend to prefer variety in my videos – from simple vlogs (talking to the camera) and real family moments to sketch comedy and ʺcandid cameraʺ style videos. Iʹve even done suspense/thriller style, but usually with a comedic element. When ʺFarting in Publicʺ was featured, I picked up thousands of new subscribers, and some of those people stuck around, while others left disappointed that all of my videos werenʹt in the same candid style. B. Short, Fast and Big Finish There are no hard rules of online video, but popular videos tend to be short, fast‐ paced and offer a ʺbig finish.ʺ People generally want two or three minutes, and Kevin Nalts (WillVideoForFood, LLC), January 2008. Page 15 90 seconds is maybe ideal. That said, the historically most popular video ever on YouTube, (Evolution of Dance) is six minutes long. It takes me much longer to edit a video into 30‐90 seconds, but itʹs almost always better that way. When youʹre editing, you sometimes canʹt resist keeping some of your favorite moments. But when I return to the video weeks later, I become infuriated by my undisciplined editing. Trust me, the viewers will never miss the gag that took a video from 3 to 5 minutes, and youʹll find your views are inversely related to the length of your video. If you must tell the story in more than 3‐5 minutes, consider breaking it into a 3‐part series. I sometimes forget about the power of the ʺbig finish,ʺ but itʹs the magical moment. Certainly itʹs as important as captivating them in the first 20 seconds. If people lose interest, they wonʹt forward the video on. However, if thereʹs a great ending weʹll forgive some of the dips in the middle. Weʹll also rate it higher and share it with others. Surprise us at the end, or at least return to a previous gag so the story doesnʹt taper away. Google Butt Crack is an example. I try to close my videos with my URL, then return to one final gag. Thereʹs nothing I enjoy more about video production than finalizing the editing, and adding music. It also helps to have someone watch your video with you, and note when they look bored. Iʹve chopped my videos down by watching my wifeʹs blank stare when I make her watch them. Youʹll get a quick sense of what you can lose. Sometimes the best part of the video is what you decide to leave out. C. Topicality Drives Views Topical celebrity humor brought Michael Buckley, host of ʺWhat the Buck Showʺ from obscurity to top YouTuber status within months. Comedian Mark Day is Kevin Nalts (WillVideoForFood, LLC), January 2008. Page 16 one of a few comedians who have translated their timely wit into videos people watch. And Ben Relles, founder of Barely Political, discovered the magical mix of timely political content, attractive women, and music videos (Ben reminded me recently that many of the top videos are musicals). He produced ʺObama Girl,ʺ one of the most popular videos of 2007. He also parodied an SNL short (ʺDick in a Boxʺ) with ʺBox in a Box,ʺ which has been viewed more than 5 million times. Typically a major news event will spawn countless parodies, and timing is everything. Chris Crockerʹs ʺLeave Britney Aloneʺ was well timed, and spawned a barrage of parodies. Good luck finding that video without its URL. D. Respect Basic Production Guidelines Want to know a secret? Many top creators have lousy equipment. For instance, this GooTube Conspiracy trailer was shot on a low‐end camera using a very antiquated computer processor. A mediocre video can become much more appealing if the creator worries less about fancy equipment, and puts time into the lighting, camera shots, editing and sound. Many people gravitate to online video because theyʹre tired of overproduced television and film. So youʹre allowed to have a wobbly camera and some rough editing. But there are some basic tips, and countless websites, that can help you improve your production (see ʺLose 10 Pounds in 20 Minutesʺ). • Light your subject softly with lights on two sides (not ceiling lights that produce a shadow). Natural light (overcast) produces the best quality. • When possible, use an external microphone and avoid public places with ambient sound or horrible acoustics. Most YouTube creators use the mic on the camera, which is usually poor. And thereʹs nothing that screams ʺamateurʺ louder than the echo of an empty room. Kevin Nalts (WillVideoForFood, LLC), January 2008. Page 17 • Edit tight so most shots last fewer than five seconds. The best movies have rapid‐fire editing, and short‐form entertainment needs it too. E. Package Your Video Your video is more than just the video. Your thumbnail, description, title and even keyword tags are part of the package. If these elements arenʹt consistent with your video idea, it wonʹt have the same impact. Some creators work hard for a powerful ʺthumbnail,ʺ which is the image that represents the video. YouTube initially draws this image from the exact center frame of the video (so a 2:00 minute video will use the image thatʹs at exactly 1:00). Brotherhood2.0 has a nice tool for calculating this image, and the other two possible thumbnails based on the duration of the video. Ideally your center frame is strong because changing to one of the other two is brutally slow and unpredictable. If you use a still image, youʹll want to have some movement (a pan) because a static image may be interpreted as manipulation. This picture is vital, and I spend time in editing to ensure that itʹs a representative image. Some YouTubers have been penalized by using a photo of an attractive woman in this thumbnail, which certainly works in the short term. But many of the curiosity clicks will result in frustrated viewers that were expecting something else, and give you a false sense of the videoʹs popularity. Titles play another significant role in the decision of a subscriber to watch your video. For example, the video I posted recently features Spencer, the boy from my most popular video (ʺFarting in Publicʺ) beating up his friends with a 4‐foot inflatable ball. The title, ʺSpencer Has Big Balls,ʺ should rouse some curiosity. Kevin Nalts (WillVideoForFood, LLC), January 2008. Page 18 V. Tips for Getting Your Videos Seen If youʹre a scanner, here comes the important part. I like lists because they simplify things, and lead to action. So let me jump right into some of the techniques that have helped me on YouTube. Iʹd also encourage you to watch a few of my videos and read blog posts Iʹve done on this subject: • YouTube Etiquette: This is meant to be humorous, but it has some serious tips about posting, watching, interacting, collaborating, and meeting other YouTubers. • How to Promote Your Video: This is playfully titled ʺHow to Cheat on YouTube,ʺ but it has some decent basic tips like engaging titles, attractive thumbnails, compelling content, short videos and a ʺbig finish.ʺ More importantly, it touches on the subject of quality not just quantity of subscribers. I speak about frequency of posting; my unofficial tagline is ʺNalts posts a video every time you poop.ʺ I also warn about the ineffectiveness of some techniques, like tag whoring and desperate ʺwatch meʺ requests. It outlines the power of making collaboration videos or those that invite responses, such as contests. • How to Promote Your YouTube Videos (this is one of many WillVideoForFood blog posts that provides some additional specifics on promoting your videos). A. Collaborate With Other YouTubers Thereʹs probably nothing you can do on YouTube that has more impact than collaborating. I spent nine months uploading my videos, only to find 20‐50 Kevin Nalts (WillVideoForFood, LLC), January 2008. Page 19 people had viewed each. Quite by accident, I began interacting with people and collaborating with other YouTube creators. That is when things began to change. Collaborations are a fun experience, and also introduce you to the audience of the person with whom you collaborate. For example, when popular YouTuber, Renetto, shaved my head, I got some exposure to his rabid fans. When I stalked HappySlipʹs NYC apartment, she was kind enough to post my video on her blog, and suddenly some of her subscribers subscribed to me. If you collaborate with someone whose content is similar to yours, the audience is more likely to subscribe and, more importantly, keep watching your videos. I just launched a new online‐video show, titled ʺBubblegum Tree Show,ʺ to feature 50 of the most interesting online‐video creators in 2008. People enjoy seeing their online‐video ʺweblebritiesʺ out of context, and this show will be fun to produce, but also a nice way to meet creators and find new audiences. B. Pursue Quality Subscribers (Not Quantity) This time last year I had about 200 hundred people subscribed to my videos and now I have more than 25,000. Of course many of these people subscribed and donʹt check their subscriber page, or perhaps lost interest in YouTube. But among these subscribers are people who share my sense of humor. Only a small portion of people who frequent YouTube actually subscribe to videos and check them routinely. This core audience is vital, however, because they are the ones that will watch your videos, give you feedback, and rate you favorably. Iʹm able to post a video, and have it appear in YouTubeʹs ʺmost highly rated videos of the dayʺ because I have a group of subscribers that generally like my stuff (donʹt ask why). Then, when other YouTube ʺbrowsersʺ search for the highest rated videos of the day, theyʹre finding my videos – thanks to my subscribers. Kevin Nalts (WillVideoForFood, LLC), January 2008. Page 20 There are a few of us whose videos frequently make the ʺmost watchedʺ and ʺmost discussedʺ pages, and many of us arenʹt very talented. But our subscribers like us, and that propels us to ʺhonors,ʺ which give us access to a secondary audience. My videos almost always get ʺhonorsʺ because I have a quality base of subscribers. But if I suddenly inherited all of the subscribers of Smosh (which features young sketch comedians), Iʹd probably get destroyed. Some of them would like me, but many of them would not be amused by an old, balding guy who drinks out of a coffee mug bearing his YouTube name. So itʹs quality, not just quantity, you want. C. Be Patient Creators who posted on YouTube early on (in 2005) have a powerful advantage over the rest of us. Their early arrival helped them develop a regular fan base when the pickings were slim. Renetto and MrSafety are good examples. Theyʹre almost as talentless as me (I say in jest), but they have established an audience that really enjoys their content. Itʹs very hard for a newcomer to rank initially. Please remember itʹs a marathon not a race, so save energy and pace yourself. D. Interact The YouTube audience is watching less television and becoming enthralled with online video because itʹs mostly real and amateur. Weʹre all tired of scripted television, or worse yet, the faux reality television. We want to see real people who are accessible and authentic, and with whom we can connect. This means you should try to read and reply to as many comments on each video as possible, and not just your own. This is easy at first, but becomes overwhelming as time goes on. Still, my favorite part of YouTube is the discussion that takes place on Kevin Nalts (WillVideoForFood, LLC), January 2008. Page 21 the video within the first 24 hours. I almost never check comments from old videos, but I tend to jump online to my most recent video and read and reply to interesting comments. If you ever want to catch the attention of a YouTuber, try commenting on their most recent video. The more popular they are the less likely they read YouTube messages or e‐mail. E. Watch Other Peopleʹs Videos I read once that a new blogger spends time on his own blog. An old blogger spends time on other peopleʹs blogs. The same is true for online video, and yet Iʹm pretty bad at this. I tend to subscribe to anyone, and as a result my subscription page is bloated with garbage. So I donʹt visit it with great frequency, and sometimes miss that my favorite creators have posted a new video. Nevertheless, do as I say… not as I do. Watch videos. Loads of them. There are several reasons for this: • First, people like to see your name on the comment section of their video. It makes them feel appreciated, especially if you have a lot of subscribers and still take the time to watch their videos. • Watching videos gives you greater insight into what works and doesnʹt, and will keep you topical on YouTube trends. • Itʹs hard to connect with people if you donʹt watch their videos. And itʹs awfully embarrassing when you meet a prominent YouTuber and ask a question that reveals you havenʹt watched their videos. Take this from someone who knows. Iʹm almost afraid to talk to prominent YouTubers because Iʹll invariably ask a question that reveals I donʹt watch their videos. I can almost count down to when theyʹre going to say, ʺyou donʹt watch Kevin Nalts (WillVideoForFood, LLC), January 2008. Page 22 my videos, do you?ʺ I had one famous YouTuber get so annoyed he sat me down and showed me some of his videos. They get less angry when I tell them Iʹve watched them all but canʹt remember anything for more than 5 minutes. Then I call them MrSafety if theyʹre a guy, and Brookers if theyʹre a girl. That usually calms them down. I vowed to myself when I meet people I would never assume they have watched even one of my videos. Join me at the next YouTube gathering, and you could ask me if I have any children. I wouldnʹt hold it against you. F. Go Beyond YouTube Remember that YouTube is the most popular video site, but only one place where YouTube videos are seen. When you post your video you may want to market it on niche sites, blogs, and discussion groups. I tend to avoid this because itʹs time consuming and often a violation of the community around that particular topic. For instance, when I did a video about my obsession with NBCʹs ʺThe Office,ʺ I resisted the temptation to send the link to those blogging about the show. Unless you devote the time to personalizing your note (a sample format below) and familiarizing yourself with their blog, then youʹre probably going to look like a spammer. Hereʹs an example of an e‐mail Iʹm happy to get: Dear Kevin: Iʹve been reading WillVideoForFood.com for quite some time, and particularly enjoyed your recent post on (insert topic). I work for a company that does (insert company), and I would imagine this would be of some interest to your readers. Do you agree? Could I send you information for the possibility of being mentioned in a future post? Kevin Nalts (WillVideoForFood, LLC), January 2008. Page 23 Now contrast that with a random comment (including a link) on my blog from a promoter or public relations flack. Or worse, a form letter from a company thatʹs simply interested in pushing its message. These feel like junk mail – at best youʹll get some moderate uptake and at worst youʹll get smarmy comments from their readers. There are countless social media vehicles that can help you promote your videos (MySpace, Friendster, FaceBook, Digg, StumbleUpon). I find these overwhelming and not nearly as productive as my other techniques, but other YouTubers swear by the power of these. A helpful resource on this subject is CharlesTrippyʹs ʺViral Video Fever.ʺ Marketing your videos to blogs and social media sites has helped many popular creators. If youʹre making a video that spoofs Hillary Clinton, look no further than bloggers who have trashed her. Some chose to send their video URL anonymously, and others are forthright and personalize the message. G. Merge Public Relations and Social Media There are currently countless interactive agencies and public relations firms, but very few have merged these competencies to promote effectively via social media. This will be an evolving discipline, and a few companies are emerging with this valuable expertise. In the meanwhile, some of the most popular creators are partnering with public‐relations experts to promote their video content. One of my favorites is Paul Kontonis from For Your Imagination. Paulʹs online video network has a variety of shows, which helps him amortize the cost of promotion. Heʹs taught me about how to get seen beyond YouTube, and has a knack for getting his videos seen via blogs and other social media venues. Kevin Nalts (WillVideoForFood, LLC), January 2008. Page 24 VI. Avoid These Tricks There are ways to artificially drive the views and ratings of your videos, and ʺtricksʺ you can use to spam your videos to others. Ultimately these wonʹt help much because youʹll lose credibility and annoy people. Itʹs cheap, tacky and – at best ‐‐ may give you a short‐term boost, but itʹs just not worth the effort. Here are some other mistakes Iʹve seen people make as they try to popularize their videos. Save yourself some time and humiliation by avoiding these: A. Blatant Self Promotion I often get accused of blatant self promotion because YouTube began as a community site for open dialogue, and Iʹm a marketer. So I canʹt resist a logo, a token hat, and a Nalts logo mug that sneaks into frame with all the subtlety of a migraine. Perhaps subconsciously some of my self‐promotional behavior is driven by a desperate attempt to gain popularity to fortify my self worth. In fairness, a lot of what I do is meant as self‐deprecating humor. Itʹs also fun to annoy people. But self promotion can go terribly wrong. I wish I could show you some of the desperate e‐mails I get asking me to gratuitously mention someone else so they can get ʺfamous.ʺ I get many requests to be in collaboration videos when the creator has no audience of his own, or any idea of what they are trying to do ‐‐ other than to borrow some fame. Itʹs awkward and embarrassing. Most of the popular YouTubers are insecure people with no experience in fame, so many of Kevin Nalts (WillVideoForFood, LLC), January 2008. Page 25 us are inconsistent about what collaborations we join. Nonetheless, fame desperation is a general turnoff, and something to avoid at all costs. B. Spamming Unless thereʹs a reason to send someone a video, itʹs best to let them finds it on their own. For instance, I rarely send someone a link to my recent video unless theyʹre mentioned or in it. Itʹs good for the ego to watch a video in which you make a cameo or youʹre referenced. However, I stopped reading my YouTube mail because 90% of the messages were: • What type of equipment do you use? (Never mind that I explained that on my profile page). • Will you watch my video and tell me what you think? (No specific reason‐ just a desire to be seen by a popular stranger?). • You are so incredibly sexy (okay‐ thatʹs not one Iʹve received before, but I wanted to make sure youʹre still awake). There are other forms of spamming videos through social networks and ʺfriendsʺ lists, and candidly, I donʹt even understand most of these. LisaNova, one of the most popular YouTubers, faced severe backlash for spamming people with her videos (see example of parody). She made a public apology on the subject, as well as a parody that has more than 2 million views. The bottom line is that your videos should go viral based on the content and some promotion, but not through lazy and automated ways that will annoy people. Stay away from any promotional tool thatʹs done by a ʺbotʺ (automated tool). Kevin Nalts (WillVideoForFood, LLC), January 2008. Page 26 C. Keyword Bloating Many people have a naïve belief that if they bloat their ʺkeywordsʺ with terms like funny, humor, comedy and even other YouTuberʹs names, it will propel the video to the top of a related search. Indeed, this myth is not without some basis of truth. Keywords not only help people find the video, but they can propel it to the top of Google and ensure it appears beside related content on YouTube. When I was first featured on YouTube I noticed that people were posting their videos as replies, and mimicking my video keywords. This is misleading and annoying, and will eventually penalize a videoʹs performance. Remember‐ YouTube is now owned by the master of defying search engine manipulation. A better approach is to use relevant keywords in hopes that your video appears beside related videos. Itʹs not a bad idea to misspell either. For example, sellers of Heelys shoes are spending massive advertising budgets to have their sites appear on the common misspelling, ʺHealies.ʺ Meanwhile, my video (called ʺPoor Manʹs Healiesʺ) is one of the top results… because I canʹt spell. D. Abusing ʺVideo Responsesʺ YouTube allows you to reply to another video, and unfortunately this is a functionality thatʹs often abused. Many people tack their videos onto popular videos, knowing that bored people will click them out of curiosity. Some video creators police this by not allowing people to post replies without their approval (they do this by selecting a YouTube option that moderates videos instead of permitting them automatically). I donʹt have time to groom the video replies, so I sometimes let anything get posted. However I become very annoyed by people posting videos that have no relationship to mine, and will occasionally ʺblockʺ Kevin Nalts (WillVideoForFood, LLC), January 2008. Page 27 them, thus preventing them from interacting with me. On the other hand, a relevant video response that riffs off the original video in a fun or surprising way can win you lots of affection from the original creatorʹs subscription base. E. Ask Someone to Help Get You Featured YouTube editors have one of the most powerful jobs in modern media, and they can literally turn obscure talent into overnight fame by simply featuring a video. Naturally, when youʹve been around YouTube for a while, you occasionally interact with these editors. I rarely send them a video to feature. Donʹt ask someone to do this for you even if you know them fairly well. Selectively send someone a video link and let them to decide to forward it on their own. Iʹve been featured twice on YouTubeʹs homepage. Once a YouTube community manager (BigJoeSmith) brought me to the homepage with Viral Video Genius, but the video was only moderately well received. The second time was my ʺbreak outʺ video, and it was called ʺFarting in Public.ʺ There are three critical things to remember about the homepage feature: 1. Donʹt bank on it. Your odds are very low, and if you consistently produce appealing content it may happen without you trying. 2. The homepage of any site attracts ʺhaters,ʺ so youʹll be lambasted with negative comments if you land on the homepage. Newly featured creators are usually shocked by this, but itʹs sadly inevitable. 3. Not every video featured results in people subscribing to that creator. Many viewers will visit the profile page of the featured creator, but then decide thereʹs not enough there to subscribe. Look at the profile page of popular creators and imitate some of the things they do. Kevin Nalts (WillVideoForFood, LLC), January 2008. Page 28 VII. YouTube and Profit As I mentioned, I am working on a book devoted specifically to the topic of marketing via video and monetizing creation, and itʹs tentatively titled The Prophet of Online Video (download a free 2‐page synopsis of the book here). Itʹs worth noting that my blog, WillVideoForFood, is designed for creators, marketers and agencies. Hereʹs a recent article I wrote for Advertising Age (a leading trade publication for marketers and agencies). Since itʹs archived now on the site, you can see the full article here: ʺTen Things a Marketer Should Know About Online Video.ʺ Coincidentally, my Advertising Age article ran days after a controversial TechCrunch article that revealed ʺsecretʺ strategies behind clandestine marketing approaches. ʺI have run clandestine marketing campaigns meant to ensure that promotional videos become truly viral,ʺ said TechCrunch contributor Dan Ackerman Greenberg. We were characterized by one blogger as Glenda the Good Witch and The Wicked Witch of the West. I was flattered in a way, but would secretly prefer an army of flying monkeys to a white dress and a bubble. Again, I started in online video with the hope of entertaining people and supplementing my income, and initially I made a few thousand dollars through sites (like Revver and Metacafe, which share advertising revenue). I found this to be very slow and conservative money. YouTube offers a Partners Program, and unfortunately Iʹm not allowed to disclose my earnings… but rest assured I wonʹt soon be retiring to live on advertising revenue generated by my videos. If making money is your goal, there are far, far more productive uses of your time. Kevin Nalts (WillVideoForFood, LLC), January 2008. Page 29 For example, find a topic you like that has a high Google cost‐per‐click (litigation, mortgage, diet, digital cameras), and start a blog about, then sprinkle Google Adsense ads all about. But donʹt post videos expecting quick money. If I divided the revenue Iʹve made from online video by the time Iʹve invested, my payback would be less than minimum wage. As marketers plunge deeper into online video, itʹs possible that advertising premiums (which are shared with some creators) will become significant. In the meantime, Iʹve found custom sponsored videos to be far more profitable for myself and my sponsors. Iʹm careful not to make these over promotional, and I turn down more clients than I accept. But itʹs fun to make a video for a large brand, and help them engage with the online community with far more relevance than an online advertisement. I especially like being able to merge my day job (marketing) with my night job (online video), and I currently make between $3,000 and $10,000 for these. Before you get too excited, recognize that my marketing experience and fixed audience is part of what I offer, and the going rate for a simple sponsored video appears to be around $2,000. If you have a day job and keep your costs down, this is possible. But a small production house will charge more, and Iʹve seen agencies charge hundreds of thousands of dollars for a few ʺviralʺ videos that are generally over produced and under promoted. If you are seeking YouTube popularity to market yourself or your own products, Iʹd recommend putting that goal aside until you develop a following. The community will welcome you more if they donʹt see you as a walking advertisement. There are subtle ways to profit from your talents without looking like a commercial whore (thatʹs my job, okay?), whether youʹre a musician, painter or voice‐over professional. For instance, Iʹve done several collaborations Kevin Nalts (WillVideoForFood, LLC), January 2008. Page 30 with Brett Slater (slatersgarage.com), and he uses his increasing online popularity to promote his services – without appearing overly self promoting. Another good example is Vals Art Diary, where you can watch the artist paint each week and bid on her art via a silent auction. If youʹre an artist, you might find someone you like on YouTube and offer them a free song, logo, painting, etc. Theyʹll typically mention you in a video, and that can help you expand your audience. VIII. Big Finish If you began this book to propel yourself to fame, I hope youʹve realized that there are effective strategies and some hidden pitfalls. More importantly, I hope you realize that there is tremendous gratification that comes along the way. I hope youʹll focus on the fun journey and not just on the destination of fame. Youʹll be criticized like never before, but youʹll also get wonderful feedback and meet fantastic people. And occasionally you find out youʹve made someone elseʹs life better, or at least a bit more interesting. There are other important video sites, but Iʹve focused mostly on YouTube because itʹs the ʺlow hanging fruit,ʺ and currently where the vast majority of videos are seen. If you can crack the YouTube code, you can always explore other sites. The audiences among these various online‐video sites overlap less than youʹd think. I use TubeMogul to upload my videos to a dozen sites, but few get anywhere near the views I get on YouTube. Kevin Nalts (WillVideoForFood, LLC), January 2008. Page 31 Iʹd really appreciate your feedback about this book, as youʹre reading a first draft. Did it meet your expectations? Were you hoping for the magic bullet and feel let down? Let me know. Please send me an e‐mail at kevinnalts@gmail.com with the subject heading ʺBook Feedbackʺ so I can revise this. Thanks for reading, and as the public relations folks at YouTube say, ʺKeep Tubing.ʺ IX. Additional Resources • Inside Online Video by Mike Abundo: Often the first to report on new trends and site features. • • • OnlineVideoWatch (a great source). ReelPop by Steve Bryant, a columnist and editor living in New York, NY. Cinematech by Scott Kirsner, who wrote “The Future of Online Video.” CinemaTech focuses on how new technologies are changing cinema. • • • • Usertainment Blog, written by a veteran technology‐business journalist. NewTeeVee‐ an ʺEntertainment Tonightʺ of online video. The Daily Reel has had good coverage on the space (not lately). Fred Graver Blog, written by the guy that once helped ABC/Disney to explore “Telefusion.” • • • Mashable, a site for social networking news. Web Video Doctor, for tips and tricks to help make better web videos. ViralBlog, collaborative team of bloggers haunt the globe for great virals. Kevin Nalts (WillVideoForFood, LLC), January 2008. Page 32 • • • System Video Blog by Ken McCarthy StreamingMedia Blog is a bit “techie” for me, but has some nice info. Xlntads is a website that connects marketers, advertisers and amateurs, and has a nice relatively new blog written by Mark Schoneveld. • • • • • • • • • • • • • WebVideoZone is a terrific resource (includes “members onlyʺ content). Less of a blog, but this “Online Video Industry Index” has a nice links. NewsVideographer for journalists looking to leverage online video. ReelSEO‐ how to optimize your videos for SEO. Gadget News: Lots of topics, including online video. Ronamok, by Ron the New Media Evangelist Hot Air, by a new media conservative named Michelle Malkin. Web Video Report: The bizzzness of online video Politics YouTube In Review: I contribute occasionally to this one. MathewWingram: The intersection between web and media. PandemicLabs: Viral video and social media. Camcorder Info: More than you’d expect from a camcorder site. Viral Video Wannabe: FallofAutumnDistro is one of YouTube’s more clever self marketers, and also helped me clean this book up. • • Web Jungle: Advertising, digital marketing & web culture. Viral Video Fever: The Charles Trippy DVD collection that will give you a comprehensive video tutorial of this space (and Iʹm in it, okay?) Kevin Nalts (WillVideoForFood, LLC), January 2008. Page 33 My Shameless Plugs • • • • • WillVideoForFood.com: My blog. Go RSS it immediately. Nalts on YouTube: My videos. Go subscribe. KevinNalts.com: My lame attempt at a personal site. Hire Nalts: Information about my services for brands. The BubbleGum Tree Show: A new channel featuring viral video weblebrities. Only 10 subscribers as of this writing. Thanks to Gage for the design, Sean for the theme song, and Trevor for the animation! • Contact me: kevinnalts@gmail.com (but Iʹm not great at checking it so please be persistent). How could I not end with the cool logo that Gage (cosmic‐flight) made me! Kevin Nalts (WillVideoForFood, LLC), January 2008. Page 34

How Musicians and Record Companies are Cheated on the Web

2008-06-07T19:24:00.000-04:00

How Musicians and Record Companies are Cheated on the Web - Upload a Document to Scribd

How Musicians and Record Companies are Cheated on the Web ---------It sounds like a great deal - most websites promise you: 50% of the income from the sale of your downloads a level playing field against the big stars (oops - they say "against the products of the big (bad) record companies") that you will be heard by record companies and/or big audiences worldwide Well, it sounds very good - actually it sounds so good that it most probably is not true. In reality this "win-win" business model is nothing new at all. It has been practiced by radio stations all over the world for most of the last century. Some radio broadcasters like WDR (a huge German radio broadcaster) or Jazz FM (a London-based smooth-jazz station) are almost exactly like this - they have their own record store/mail-order operations selling some albums of the music they play. In their case though, the record companies (or in the case of jazz FM, sometimes musicians selling directly to the radio station) usually get about 70% of the final sales price to the consumer and therefore a higher percentage. Actually, this is not the full story of the problem. These Internet music sites are really basically the same as radio stations, except that they are usually more convenient to the audience and give them even less of a reason to buy albums. The reality of the income structure of internet music sites is that they make between 80% and 90% of their income from advertising and hardly any money from sales of downloads. If you don#t believe this, have a look at some of the sites and check out the quarterly earning reports of mp3.com, which can be found among other places at the SEC website ( www.sec.gov). Of this income, the musicians get nothing. This is in contrast with radio, where they at least get something from advertising income, since radio stations have to pay between 2.5 and 6% of their advertising or mandatory (state radio) income for the use of music in most countries. The 50% of download income would be acceptable if a website does not sell advertising at all - or if it also pays a decent share of the advertising income (lets say about 30% to 90%) to all the musicians according to the percentage of their pageviews of the overall sites pageviews. Level playing field - ridiculous, since being somewhere even on a heavily trafficked website is about the same as sitting on a busy street corner and waiting until someone asks you to play a song. The real strengths of large record companies and big stars is partially quality, partially very good and often expensive marketing. The websites do not advertise for you - if anything, they advertise themselves, which they sometimes do with some illegal schemes, as mp3.com and Napster have shown recently. So what they really bring for a musician is that he does not have to have CDs manufactured. For this (and the very cheap webspace .. since you can usually get a free homepage almost everywhere) they charge 50% of the income from CD sales, should any occur. If you look at it from this side, it is an exorbitant amount of money to charge for saving a musician the trouble and about US-$ 1.500,- to have about 1.000 CDs manufactured (which he can sell at concerts - if he is able to perform live.) If you think record companies will check a musician out because he/she is on mp3.com or another such site - forget about it. Most record company people that I know would never go to such a site after their first visit, since there are usually thousands of tracks that just sound like bad copies of already successful bands. To find something like this, you do not have to go to a website - you go out to a hotel lobby , hotel bar or a neighborhood club to hear this. The normal audiences act very similar - the main search terms on the web are combinations of the words mp3, free and the name of a famous musician - no one just looks for mp3s by any musician.
http://www.musicrva.com

Internet Radio Stations

2008-06-07T19:22:00.000-04:00

Internet Radio Stations - Upload a Document to Scribd

Internet Radio Stations ---------First, our computers took over our fingers with a plethora of chat options to entertain us. Now, with the availability of MP3's, the internet is becoming our source for music as well. That means internet radio stations are taking over and unsigned/independent artists must not ignore this important vehicle. It used to be you made a demo and while A&R reps at major record companies were your main focus, you still needed to submit your demo to radio stations across the country to request airplay. While this is still a vital part of your demo submission package, there is now an added dimension. You MUST get your songs in MP3 format and get your music heard on the internet where you can reach the largest audience of all. Your website (and you should have one!) is vital but there are other outlets that can help as well. Internet radio stations are becoming a bigger chunk of the MP3 pie, in addition to sites like MP3.com and amp.com who chart independent music on the internet. More and more radio stations are launching on the internet to keep up with the competition. The best part about it is you can submit your music to most stations from the comfort of your own home and save a lot of money on postage! If you're not familiar with internet radio, it's simply websites that stream audio over the Internet. If you would like a more in-depth definition, here is a great site that explains every detail and lists several stations: About.com. Over 20% of internet users listen to internet radio stations every week and websites are a lot better at tracking audience numbers than the regular radio ratings tracking system, Arbitron. Arbitron also does webcast measuring, publishing the first ever Webcast ratings last December, but only a small fraction of webcasters are included. Arbitron measures total listeners and the time spent tuning specific channels, but internet radio websites have the added "visual" medium, making it possible to poll listeners as to their age, sex, household income, etc. Gathering this very specific information can be exactly what you need. Imagine an 80's cover band that's been trying to appeal to 30-somethings discovering that the majority of their listeners are people who aren't even old enough to remember the 80's, it could change their entire focus and marketing strategy. The largest internet radio networks are the Magnitude Network, RealBroadcast Network, Audioscape, and BroadcastAmerica.com. All four ranked in the top 25% for total listeners. OnRadio and NetRadio are their way up, as are thousands of others, check out MIT's list, they link to over 9,000 stations: http://wmbr.mit.edu/stations/list.html or http://www.internetradiolist.com/. Even search engines are getting into the game, Lycos.com and Yahoo.com both have radio networks. You'll also find a lot of "Radio Free" networks like RadioFreeOntario and RadioFreeRadio.com. According to Arbitron, the top ranked internet radio station is Virgin Radio (International) which drew 173,200 listeners in January, that's more than most major metropolitan on-air stations. KPLA scored the top spot for the average time spent tuning at 6 hours, 30 minutes. Web-only stations are reporting as many as 500,000 unique listeners per month. The submission policies for internet radio stations differ. Many are sticking to the old book, accepting CD submissions and press kits via snail mail while others are working completely online. For online submissions, you need to put your songs in MP3 format and attach them to e-mail. Gary Hustwit's book, Getting Radio Airplay is terrific for information about contacting on-air stations and I'm willing to bet it will soon be updated to included internet radio stations as well. Gary outlines every detail from the initial letter to the follow-up phone calls. A radio package is going to be very similar to your regular submission package that you would send to record companies or magazines. If you missed Shock Value's take on record company submissions, check it out: Submitting to Record Companies. If you're not familiar with radio lingo, check out Shock Value's radio lingo dictionary following this article. Your package should include: a cover letter, CD, bio, and bounce back card or in the case of online submissions, a cover e-mail, MP3's, a bio and an e-mail link back to you. The first step is the cover letter. Introduce yourself, tell the music director what song you would like aired, and make sure you mention the genre of music that best describes you, a lot of internet radio stations have different programs with different genres of music, i.e.: pop, rock, alternative, ska, metal, CHR, adult contemporary, etc. You may want to elaborate on why you fit in with that station's format/program, but keep it short. Your cover letter should always be personalized, do not put "MD" or "Music Director". Go to the website and get a name. Whether you send a full length CD or a library of MP3's, make sure your cover letter states the ONE song you'd like added to the play list. Your letter should be short and to the point: 'Dear Mr. So-and-so...My name is...I'd like my song, "Good Song" to be added to the playlist at radiostation.com...My style will add a lot of flair to your pop music format.' Be formal and polite. Your bio, which is also called a one-sheet, should also be short and to the point no matter how long you've been in the business. Here is a sample first paragraph: When she sings one of her trademark adult contemporary ballads, her voice is described as "angelic," but CHRISTYANNA has her feet planted firmly on the ground. "Voice lessons can teach almost anyone how to sing the teacher's way, but you have to feel the lyrics and the music in your heart to have a style all your own," she smiles. This fiery red head captivates listeners with her powerful delivery of heartfelt lyrics. She is right at home on stage, and makes the audience feel like welcome guests. In addition, you would add relevant experience and press clippings. If you include press clippings, perhaps a stunning review in Shock Value Music Webzine, don't include the entire article, take snippets and make them part of your bio. Do not send pages and pages of press. Remember, your bio is a brag sheet, not a book. Put the clippings together in a paragraph and make sure you mention the name of the publication. Be sure to include a picture that is incorporated on the page, do not paperclip a picture to your bio. Include a conclusion paragraph here is an example: CHRISTY pours her heart into her music, and her soul into her performance. Her voice is an explosion of power, harmony, and passion. Her phenomenal voice will dazzle you, her electric personality will floor you. Her name is memorable, her voice is unforgettable. This wraps things up in a nice tidy package and leaves the Music Director with a final thought on just how fabulous you are. Bounce back cards, or return e-mail links will save you money on long distance calls. A bounce back card is just a postcard addressed to you. On the back, you'll want to have yes or no questions, or statements with a blank space for a check mark like these: _____ Yes, I am adding your song to our playlist. _____ Yes, I like the CD. _____ Yes, I'd like to hear more in the future. In the case of a return e-mail link, you will have an e-mail link to you with an automatic subject input that says the same thing as a bounce back card would. To include an automatic subject, your html code in the e-mail would look like this: Yes, We're adding your song! (To steal that code, just copy that text and replace the e-mail address with your own.) You could also set up a webpage as part of your website that is a bounce back card. If you get back a link or card that says the station will be "adding" your song, you'll want to give it a little time, then call or e-mail and see what kind of "rotation" your song is getting. Heavy is the best rotation, light is the least amount of airplay. As always, be kind and courteous, these are not people you can afford to tick off. An enemy in this business will always come back to haunt you. If you don't hear back from them, contact them periodically but be sure not to cross the line between persistent and annoying The only noteworthy problem I am aware of is the lack of coverage of internet radio stations from the three big performing rights organizations, SESAC, ASCAP and BMI. I wouldn't expect residuals from internet radio airplay just yet, but that won't be a problem for long, all three are working on it and as quickly as internet radio is catching on, it won't be long before their coverage of on-air and internet radio are equal. Please contact the performing rights organization that you are registered with and ask them what they are doing to track internet radio airplay. Compared to over-the-air radio stations, internet radio still needs some work but it remains yet another medium for exposing your music. To find internet radio stations, check out these sites: ---------InternetRadio MIT List About.com Realguide TalkRadio.net Lycos.com GrooveRadio.com NetRadio.com GlobalMedia.com Real.com FamilyInternet AltaVista.com LimitedQuantities BroadcastAmerica

How To Read Tabs

2008-06-07T19:18:00.001-04:00

Grab this free lesson, follow the links and you can find the option to print it.

More FREE lessons on the way!

Music Lesson Anyone?

2008-06-06T20:11:00.001-04:00

musicrva music lesson - Upload a Document to Scribd

You can get a copy of this ebook by clicking the Scribd Logo or the musicrva music lesson link just below the booklet above. You may also embed this into your webpage for your visitors. Follow instructions after clicking link.

Another Way to Earn Free Cash

2008-04-06T00:23:00.001-04:00

I have found yet another free money site. This is also a search site, but unlike Moola, where you win money, here they pay you for each and every search. Upon research, it looks like the average is 6 cents per search. You can easily install a little app right in your search tool on your browser, and use this for your default search engine and watch the cash rack up.

By using this site

My Search Funds

along with daily use of Moola

Moola

and listening to internet radio

I Am Paid For

you can easily make free passive income.

Paid to Paypal.........

You Do These Things Anyway, Right????

2008-03-31T22:56:00.001-04:00

Then why not make some cash doing them?

Here is my personal invitation to make some cash every time
you make a search on the internet! Powered by Google search,
and sign up by invitation only, this is a fun and profitable site.

Click Here For An Invite!

I make money every time I listen to internet radio! Do YOU?
Click Below to find out how!

Earn Cash! Listen To Internet Radio

I love these 2 sites. The first pays me for doing what everyday on Google anyway, the only difference is that I go to this site instead of Google, and Google doesnt pay me

The second is fun, and has great music and tons of station all over the world. My fav is Virgin Radio London. The site is a little strange, and still in beta, but stick with it, you'll get paid, and there is nothing to download or mess with your pc, it,s safe and easy, and the music selections are awesome.

Support Your Local Music Scene!

2008-03-02T15:46:00.001-05:00

Now you can help support the effort of the SMLtd group of music sites and our writers by buying and displaying MRVA and SML merchandise. We have great fun stuff, from T-Shirts to Keychains, and more will come.

Some of the proceeds from the merchandise will eventually be used to bonus our writers for the hard work, and for givaways, in the future, in conjuction with some area merchants and businesses.

Either way, you will be helping to support the music scene in our area.!

You can find a panel at the bottom right of the page displaying some of the current designs. Here is a link to the shop!

MusicRVA Merch Shop

Blockbuster made me feel better!

2008-02-27T18:35:00.002-05:00

I have been feeling under the weather lately, and have been watching more
movies than ever the last few weeks. Did you know that
Blockbuster managed to get
our movies to us so fast that we have been able to see about 3 to 4 movies
a week.

When we first got into renting movies from Blockbuster Online
I wasn't sure we could watch that many movies in a month, but I was wrong LOL.
When your not feeling well, trust me, you can catch up on the latest flix. So the $17.99 a month is well worth it, especially when you consider the price of movie theatres for 2 people is more than that with popcorn and sodas for just 1 movie.

Stephen has also been utilizing the Online Game Rentals and we find that's a great way to try out tons of video games before you make a commitment to purchase them. I can't tell you how much he has spent on games that he has decided were not all that much fun,
and have left them collecting dust on the game shelf.

Anyway, whether you are into movies, or games, try renting your Online Movies
and games from Blockbuster, I guarentee you will save money, and time. The walk in store is great too, but I got sick of trying to beat the weekend crowd, to find some of the movies I wanted were out already, and between the cost of gas, time and aggravation, I am really glad we decided to go the
Blockbuster Online route.

You should really try it, its easy, and you even get one free instore rental a month. Shipping is free and never a late fee ever. I Love It!

Get Discovered By Epic Records

2008-02-11T14:51:00.000-05:00

There is a great new site called MusicNation on the rise, and I recommend every band or artist check this out. Your music needs all the exposure you can find when your trying to get noticed, and even after you have made a name for yourself, you still need to keep your music in the public ear.

Bands can create profile pages and upload videos from YouTube, share them with fans, and more.
MusicNation will also re-direct your
links to MySpace, your personal website, your blog, or
anything else you choose. their goal is to help you get ahead.

MusicNation has many awesome resources for you to use to help further your presence as a musician, band etc. Here are just some of them listed below:

Artist Profile

Selfless promotion is easy here, make friends, upload your music, send fans to your links elsewhere.

Tools

Pimp your profiles on MySpace or other sites and promote yourselves with MusicNation widgets and more.

Share Your Music

You can sell it, give it away, or send it out to key places, MusicNation will help you.

Launch Pad

A recommendation engine that helps bring you and new fans together.

Competitions

Earn prizes, media coverage, and recording contracts.
Enter your musical masterpiece in one of many competitions. Here are just a few:

The Chevrolet Song Search

Bebo OnStage February

Rhyme Time February

Tricks of the Trade

Spin Hot Pursuit ROCK PILE

Slash's Ultimate Guitar Showdown

Fight Klub - FK Anthem Competition

and many others.

This next resource is priceless because
bands that get a lot of play on the site have a chance at getting signed by MusicNation.com's
partner EPIC RECORDS!

You see why I say this is Priceless! So the sooner you join
MusicNation the sooner your chances of being discovered. Get a jump start today.

Snow Rehearsals Continue...

2008-01-21T12:28:00.000-05:00

Carlos Cavazo, Stephen Quadros and Tony Cavazo continue rehearsals and plans for the upcoming SNOW reunion.

In the meantime you can listen to some cuts of vintage SNOW on the music player on thier MySpace page Pure Uncut Rock

and I thought you might enjoy a vintage photo of Stephen Quadros and Nikki Sixx taken at a Starwood show in late 1980-81.

CHECK OUT SOME RARE VINTAGE PICS

Nikki Sixx

Nikki Sixx & Stephen Quadros

Eddie Van Halen

Did you know????????

2008-01-10T15:24:00.003-05:00

Did you know???????

That bands who have thier own radio stations get seen and heard more than ones that do not.

That googles spiders will find online radio stations fast and index them.

That you can add anything you want to your station.

That there are countless online station directories that will list your station.

So, what are you waiting for?

Start your own Radio Station!
Let your fans tune in anytime they want.
One time ridiculous low cost payment!

Click here for details now!

Did you know????
That you can get paid for listening to internet radio in the background while your doing other things????? This is a new company that will pay you for just that. No downloads, and nothing to lose. Click the link below to sign up free!

Get Paid To Listen!

Why does making money have to be work?

2007-12-28T22:09:00.000-05:00

IT DOESN'T!!
I joined a great fun site that allows you to play games and win money!
There is absolutely NO money to spend, only win. All free, all fun!

Altho this site has been around a little while, and I joined 6 months or more ago,
it was not till this week I was actually able to play those games. My old pc just would not cut it, and was so bulky and so much was blocked out that I don't know how I even did anything on the internet.

All that has changed, and I am happy to say I recieved an awesome new XP loaded pc for Xmas, and I am thrilled. Not only has my work become easier, especially in the music field, but I can now see videos on YouTube, play games online and more.

Anyhow, you really should join the site, here is a link to get an invite, as it is by invite only.

Join and we can play a match or 2 together. Hope to see you there.

Join Moola with me Now!

Gimmelink

2007-12-22T17:21:00.000-05:00

Great new Advertising platform.
Its free to join and will earn you a tidy little passive income.
Check it out now, click around on the promotion card below to see how it works and then sign up for your free affiliate account.

Shop Guitars at Shopping.com

2007-10-27T19:40:00.000-04:00

If you want quality guitars for a great price, you have to check out
Shopping.com for some of the best deals!

They have an awesome collection of Gibson, Fender, Ibanez and more. Whether you are just starting out, or are a seasoned professional
Shopping.com has everything you could ever want or need.
With over 3000 guitars available you will most likely find exactly the instrument you are looking for here.

Prices range from below $190 up to $2000, and Shopping.com does everything
possible to make your shopping experience a great one. Instead of searching countless sites for the product you want, they have it all in one convenient location,
making it very easy to search and find the perfect guitar. They also make it easy to compare prices with dozens of other shops so you can rest easy you are finding the best price,
and in some cases you will even recieve free shipping, a tremendous savings right off the bat!

You can also read reviews from other purchasers, making your decisions even easier. So do yourself a favor before searching the net endlessly, try
Shopping.com and make your shopping experience better than ever.

More Free Money Making Resources for Bands

2007-08-17T16:21:00.000-04:00

If you love posting and responding to dicussions in forums, social networking, and other types of sites where you can share and find information, let me introduce you to 2 that have been paying me.

First, you may have heard of MyLot, and if not, you are missing out on a very good and fun site that pays you for being an active member. There are some great people there to socialize and exchange ideas with, and MyLot rewards its member well.

To sign up for MyLot, I would appreciate you signing up with me, using this link:
Join me at myLot

You can view my profile page here:
myLot User Profile

But please use the previous link to sign up.

Next is Squidoo. This is an awesome place where you can create artistic looking "lenses" and earn money thru them. You can create several lenses on many different subjects.

To sign up for Squidoo, please use this link:
Join me at Squidoo

You can view my profile page here:
Squidoo User Profile

but again, please use the previous link to sign up.

Both sites will also help your ranking in the search engines, and deliver hits to your linked sites. They are valuable resources, even without the added benefit of being paid.

I encourage everyone to check out and join these sites, as in todays world, it is not wise to let money get lost by the wayside, especially when it is free, and you would be doing this kind of posting in unpaid forums and social networks anyway.

Besides, Bands and Musicians need all the exposure they can muster up, and, It's Fun!!

Carlos Cavazo, Tony Cavazo and Stephen Quadros Planning Reunion

2007-08-06T15:27:00.000-04:00

After years of playing in other musical projects and groups, Carlos Cavazo, Tony Cavazo and Stephen Quadros are planning on taking up where they left off musically when they were last together in Snow over 20 years ago.

"We're not sure if we will go under the name Snow or use a new name, but we are all excited about playing together again. The magic has never left..." states Snow drummer Stephen Quadros.

A DVD release of a rare, high quality concert of the band (Snow) in it's heyday is planned along with at least one new CD with tons of new material.

Some Band History:

Based out of Arcadia, CA, "SNOW" was a heavy metal/hard rock foursome who stirred things up on the Los Angeles music scene from 1978-1981.

Comprised of Carlos Cavazo on guitar, Tony Cavazo on bass, Doug Ellison on lead vocals and Stephen Quadros on drums, Snow performed regularly at The Whiskey, The Starwood and The Troubadour, along with headline shows at The Santa Monica Civic and The Pasadena Civic.

The group released a self-titled 5-song EP in 1980 that included popular Snow songs "Crack The Whip" and "No Way To Treat A Lady". Snow's music received radio airplay on KROQ and KLOS. The original Snow EP has become somewhat of a collectors item.

-Carlos Cavazo enjoyed platinum record selling success with "Quiet Riot" in the mid 1980s and now performs with "The Hollywood All Stars" and "Three Legged Dog."

-Tony Cavazo co-wrote the top 10 single "Bang Your Head" ("Quiet Riot"), recorded and toured with "Hurricane" and currently plays in "The Sacred Cowboys" and "MLC."

-Stephen Quadros has become internationally known as a television commentator in the mixed martial arts world for his work with Pride Fighting Championships, Cage Rage and the International Fight League, among others. Quadros currently performs and records with "Whipped Cream" as well as being a band member, along with Tony Cavazo, in "The Sacred Cowboys" and" MLC."

Here are some links to check out!

Carlos Cavazo
http://www.myspace.com/officialcarloscavazo
MySpace Profile - Carlos Cavazo, , California, US,

Stephen Quadros
http://www.myspace.com/stephenquadros
MySpace Profile - STEPHEN QUADROS - THE FIGHT PROFESSOR

Whipped Cream
http://www.myspace.com/whippedcreamband
MySpace Profile - Whipped Cream, Los Angeles, California, US, A Tribute to Cream

Hollywood Allstarz
http://www.myspace.com/hollywoodallstarz
MySpace Profile - Hollywood Allstarz, , , US, The Legendary Hollywood Allstarz

Collaberation via the World Wide Web

2007-08-06T14:58:00.000-04:00

I recently had a conversation with a songwriter/guitarist named Greg from Pittsburg Pa. who told me he was collaberating on a CD with a bass player and keyboardist from Cherry Hill, NJ.
Isn't that a rather long and time consuming commute for you guys, I asked. He laughed and said, isn't technology great, we are using video conferencing .

Altho I recently mention this type of modern tech in a previous post, I was amazed at how quickly it was becoming popular among all types of people. Musicians have already found video conferencing to be an extremely valuable tool for writing and connecting with other musicians.

I asked Greg how they had originally met and decided to do this over the internet, and he said that he had met these guys at a club in Philadelphia while helping some home town friends who were going there to do a gig, and that these 2 other fellows were out looking around the club scene that night, searching for a guitar player for a new project.

The three guys apparantly got to talking and found they had a ton of musical influences and skills in common, as well as the extra benefit of Greg being a songwriter also. The problem was that altho Greg said he would definately consider moving to Philly, that was not an option for quite a while. So the keyboardist said no problem, I already have the answer, video conferencing.

The keyboardist was also an IT tech major, and already had this great new gadgetry on his pc. So needless to say,Greg is now happily video conferencing away with the others, and says it is the wildest and best pc "toy" he has tried in years, and that he wished video conferencing had been around a long time ago.

Well Greg, we can't change the past, but we can sure embrace the future. I understand they will be recording thier first demo of all this new material in a Cherry Hill recording studio, so hopefully he will keep me posted on thier progress. Who knows, this might be the first album written while the players were miles away from one another. Good luck Guys!

Hosting Scams

2007-07-30T20:16:00.000-04:00

Well, I have had an interesting and aggravating week, due to a site that is now on my scam list, as well as a weeks worth of thunder and lightning which forces me to stay offline. I was going to place this in Authors Ramblings, but I think this deserves a section all its own.

The owner of this site owns both http://www.boomspeed.com/ and http://www.picbuddy.com/ and is also an ebay seller. Boomspeed and PicBuddy are image hosting services for the most part.

I had been with Boomspeed for about 5 years, and the service was always free. Altho I had been planning to purchase server space on a real server, at the time I had a great number of webpages and splash pages hosted here. Without warning, I tried to log in in early January, only to find out that my account had been locked, and if I wanted to access my files I had to pay them $25 for the next 6 months use, and the TOS states that I will be billed every 3 months thereafter at $18 per 3 months.

Against my better judgement, I paid them the $25 from my debit card, even tho the hosting I actually sell myself was only $36 a year for unlimited service hosting of several websites. I also wrote them around April, informing them, according to thier TOS, that I no longer wished to continue the service and to cancel the account, but never recieved a response.

On June 4th, I found a charge from Boomspeed on my statement for the $18, and once again contacted them according to thier TOS, with no response. On June 29th, they charged my card again for another $18 which I did not notice till the next statement arrived on July 20th, I again emailed them with no response. On Monday, July 23rd, I went to the bank and cancelled my card.

Today, Monday July 30th, I recieved an insufficient funds charge of $35, for another $25 charge on the same card I just cancelled.I am told that they had apparantly already placed a hold on my account for that money when I cancelled it, unaware to me, and the very next day on the 24th, that $25 and another $35 because they sent my account to the negative, was raken from my account. I now owe the bank $45.

I of course quickly transfered money from my main account to this one that I use only for the internet, and the bank manager gave me a phone number to call that was supposed to be Boomspeed customer service, but the only thing you get when you call that number is a message instructing you to contact the same non responding email support address I have been writing for almost 6 months now.

Anyhow, I did just a little searching and found out I am not the only one. I also read some comments that state this is a rather common problem with image hosting services. Below please find posts from the ebay forums and blogs that show others are having the exact same problem. Also take note that the very last post has also had the exact same experience as I have in the last 2 months also.

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boughtitxsoldit ( 1669) Visit Seller's Store11 commentsBOOMSPEED photo hosting don’t use them, thievesPosted Jan-19-07 22:29:44 PSTI tried there service and found I personally did not like there site setup so I wanted out before the free 30 day trial period was up and found out that there is no link or button to delete an account. I tried emailing with no response, I tried calling with only a recorded message to go online and email them with still no response. I ended up getting charged their fee when I had no photos on there website. Before I could get a dispute going on my credit card they charged me again. I received a refund on the 8th and then they charged me again on the 18th not once but twice. I ended up having to cancel my credit card so now I am stuck without a new card for one to two weeks. So the final result I want to let anybody know is if you want to use BOOMSPEED for photo hosting, don’t do it unless you want to be with them for life with no help or communication from them at all.

Comments

Back to topftwwarnerve ( 102) View seller's items View BlogI also have Boomspeed and have been paying for it for nearly two years- they DO NOT answer emails about cancelling your account- there is NOTHING on the boomspeed website saying how to (you have to dig to find it, and even then, nothing happens)... I'm at the point where I'm going to report them to my credit card company and demand they pay me back for the past 8 months that they have charged me for using their site. FYI- last time I logged on was 9 months ago and it was to delete the account.
If I cannot get a refund, and they continue to charge me, I will hunt them down and sue the pants off of them for credit card theft and anything else I can pin on them. This is RIDICULOUS.
DO NOT USE BOOMSPEED- EVER!!!
Mar-02-07 14:06:21 PST Report this comment
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Boomspeed is ripping me off

rockiezz (1157 ) View Listings Report Jul-24-07 06:12 PDT Hello, Has anybody else noticed that Boomspeed is ripping them off? In the last two month Boomspeed has charged my account 3 times $18, $18, & $25 and I can not seam to get in touch with them. Has anyone else been able to get in touch with them if so please let me know how. Thanks in advance, John

vicsvues (833 ) View Listings Report Jul-27-07 15:07 PDT 3 of 4 Hi, I cancelled Boomspeed 4 years ago and see they are charging me again. How did you get in touch with greg?

letez (38 ) View Listings Report Jul-30-07 05:21 PDT 4 of 4 Yes, I was charged $18 on 6/28/07 and then $25 on 7/23/07. Please tell me how to contact Greg as well. I have sent 3 emails to their so called support and haven't received even an acknowledgement of my concern.
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If any of you reading this has been ripped off by this service, or has any other comments, please leave your comments here. I encourage it. I will also be posting this alert on my other blogs, and websites.

Sincerely,Cat

Web and Video Conferencing with MegaMeeting.com

2007-07-18T16:45:00.000-04:00

I want to share a wonderful new resource with you today. It is called MegaMeeting.com and it can save you a ton of money. Altho this blog is targetted to the music industry, MegaMeeting can be a valuable tool for a variety of different people and industries.

Let us take the music industry example first. Very few people or establishments are not connected by way of the internet today. In fact, most of my contact with clients and clubs are currently done on the net, and if you are in this industry, then most likely you are utilizing this marvel also. I currently have a band that is from here in Richmond, living in Los Angeles and thier touring is based from there. Imagine how difficult and time consuming it is to build and maintain a bands website, keep track of changes in touring schedules, and have important meetings about the business of touring and monies at this distance, not to mention the cost and limitations of phone calls.

This is where MegaMeeting comes in handy. MegaMeeting.com is a quality and afforable way to cut cost, while expanding your reach to the entire industry thru the use of web and video conferencing. This is a highly expanding technology which I encourage any music manager or other music industry pro to consider when they have several bands and artists to keep in contact with.

What about the non music industry?

Glad you asked. Anyone can use the services at MegaMeeting.com if you have an internet connection and can log on, everyone from individual webmasters, small companies, organizations, and companies wanting a private branded version for thier business. Returning to music for a moment, even teachers can use this technology while away with students on Band and Sports events. Internet marketers, business people, distributors or reps for a region of people, all can benefit from this technology.

MegaMeeting.com works on any operating system, Mac, Windows or Linux. There are absolutely no complicated software downloads or installations, and it is easy to use. MegaMeeting works thru desktop/browser based web conferencing services and webinar doesn't require any special installation on your pc. There is also the ability to communicate by voice, instant messaging chat, and you can see up to 16 individuals on video/videoconference at the same time. Users can talk and hear eachother using standard microphones and headsets, or you can use free, integrated teleconferencing for hearing audio in your webinars.

More options include the ability to share applications, open and examine common documents while online, and conference hosts can even show PowerPoint presentations visible to all attendees. Additionally you can use Webinar and other services for social and religious organizations, students, education, etc... Many people use the webinar hosting features to conduct virtual, web based meetings and seminars.

I encourage you to check out this great tool now, and see what uses you can find on your own.MegaMeeting.com

Selling More CD's

2007-07-14T22:55:00.000-04:00

Be very proactive when it comes to selling. While many bands will setup a table and tell people to "go to our table and buy our CDs", you should take it a step further by sending some of your pretty girlfriends and lady friends to do the selling to your fans. Does that sound exploitive, well maybe so, but it works, and the name of the game is to do what it takes, as long as it is ethical and legal.

When you begin playing music, have your sales team start by dancing to the music. They should then pick up their baskets of CDs, grab a couple, hold them high, while your band invites the audience to, "Go buy our CDs." Then they should walk through the aisles for the rest of the your performance.

This technique varies in different parts of the country, for instance in places like Texas or California, this direct approach works magic. Then again, in Florida or Georgia, an audience might get angry if sales people disturb their show. The key here is to realize that your sales team is a PART of the show!

Don't just stand up there silently holding up CDs, integrate your sales people into your show. Get them to dance in the isles, clap their hands, sing-a-long. If they do, the audience will follow their lead. This will help them to attract attention to the CDs, and you will sell more. Don't wait for your fans to come to you, or they may never, be proactive. If you go to them, you'll sell more CDs, and make more fans in the process.

When bands and artists play their music, it definitely is the biggest factor in their sales. When the music is exciting, and everyone is having a good time, the sales are usually pretty good. If the band is doing their job (making great music), it makes selling a lot easier. Your sales team have to be available and approachable to people and look like they are part of the show for people to feel comfortable.

Start from the very beginning employing the use of a roaming basket. It is very effective and other groups have successfully copied this approach. Sellers should walk around holding up the product so people can see them, and try to blend in with the show and not be pushy, just visible.

I personally enjoy interacting with the crowd, adlibbing from what is being said on the stage and telling jokes to make the audience laugh. And I will talk and be nice to everyone, even if they don't buy a CD simply because I enjoy people and I am trying to be an ambassador for the band. They may not buy today, but chances are they will think about it and buy a CD at another time.

A great performance and an interactive sales crew is just the start to selling more CDs at gigs. Some sellers work off of a commission, with bonuses built in when an individual's sales total reaches a certain amount. Giving a salesperson a commission motivates them to sell more than just giving them a flat rate. Have a minimum pay for a nights work when the sales arenot good. In that case the band can pay as an example $40 show, or a 10% commission of the sales total,whichever is greater.

At some venues, such as festivals, I have found that having a sales table is an extremely successful way to increase sales, especially in combination with a roaming salesperson, when using both are appropriate. At pub or bar gigs, you should probably only have a sales table. Having someone roam in a tight space like a bar might be seen as aggressive or invasive, which I do not encourage. Friendly competition between two or more sellers is fine as long as there is a feeling of team spirit. Sellers should help each other out when one needs change or more stock.

The larger the crowds, the more sales people are needed. The sheer size of the crowd has a tremendous impact on sales. When you get that many people standing or sitting that close together and they are all excited about the music, it is like a ripple effect--once the sales start flowing, everyone seems to jump on the buying wagon.

Where the crowd is huge, your sellers may not be able to maximize the full sales potential. A good indication of not being able to tap the sales potential is when you are standing in one spot and have not moved out of it the entire show, or can't move.

Try to find what is called a "sweet spot" when people come up to you already wanting to buy a CD. Just as soon as you finish one sale, another person comes up to buy a CD, that's Sweet! Always try to point out the fact that they can order more CDs through your website or mail order. You do have a website, Right????.

Your sales team should always be trying to promote the band, and ask them to take business cards from people who want to hire the band for potential gigs and direct them to the business manager.

So lets review what it takes to sell merchandise.

1. Great music
2. Great live performance
3. Roaming sales people with baskets of CDs
4. Sellers hold up product DURING the show
5. Sellers blend in an interact with the show
6. Reward sales people with commission
7. Set up sales table for venues
8. Encourage friendly sales competition
9. More people to sell for larger crowds, enjoy 'ripple effect'
10. Take business cards to gigs and hand out at every opportunity.

This is one approuch, later in this series I will talk about the use of schwag, you know that free stuff that is given away at shows. You will be surprised what free goodies can do to help your band become popular about town! Till then, Good Luck!

CHOOSING HOME STUDIO EQUIPTMENT

2007-07-12T19:23:00.000-04:00

Personal studio equipment is not meant as a means to record your demo, but rather to be used more like a notepad. You should really tune your sound before going into a studio and paying by the hour to make your demo. A great way to do this is to record and re-record over and over again until you know exactly the way you want it. It will save you big bucks in the studio.

Personal studio equipment is sometimes even used to lay down a few tracks before you get into the studio. You will lose a generation, and the sound isn't going to be as great, but for things like drums and bass that are laid into the background, it's sufficient. You can also keep track of your changing sound, and let's face it, we all love to hear ourselves. In addition, it's great practice if you have ideas of owning your own studio someday. Every not-so- rich-and-famous music maker should have a personal studio.

Four-tracks are the most common piece of personal studio equipment on the market today. If you are not familiar with them, they are called four-tracks because they record on just that, four tracks. A regular cassette tape contains four tracks all together, two for each "side", a four-track recorder utilizes all four for recording songs. A four-track is like a cassette recorder than can play and record at the same time (multi-tracking). A recording studio usually has between 16 and 48 tracks, so you have less to play with, but if you utilize your space wisely, you can get a terrific sound.

There is a common practice called sub-mixing, also referred to as "bouncing," that can free up some space for extra instruments or vocals. For instance, you could record the drums on track one, bass on track two, and guitar on track three, then transfer all three to track four, leaving three empty tracks. Again, you get into the generation loss, but since this isn't your actual demo, you should be fine. Just make sure you have your drums, bass and guitar exactly the way you want them because they cannot be changed once they are mixed together.

The big five companies in four-tracks are Fostex, Tascam, Sony, Yamaha, and Akai, with Fostex and Tascam being the most common. In this article, we're trying to make you aware of the latest equipment out there, we are not necessarily making any recommendations. The top of the line for Tascam is the 644 MIDIstudio. The 644 has sixteen inputs to eight channels, with MIDI and remote control. It also has a DBX noise reduction system, three band EQ, switchable tape speed, and a multi-function dual mix system. The Tascam 644 MIDIstudio is a great choice for computer geeks that know what they're doing.

For those not-so-in-the-know, there is the Yamaha MT120. The MT120 is great for first-time four-track owners. It contains a five-band Stereo Graphics Equalizer, dual speed controls, and DBX noise reduction system. It has the added bonus of being able to record on all four tracks at the same time. Not a lot of units have that feature. The EQ output also includes Aux send and return.

If you're looking for something more compact that you can take on the road with you, Tascam's Porta 05 or Porta 02 ministudios, or the Fostex X-14 Multitracker will be your best bets. The Tascam Porta 05 features a two-channel, two-band equalizer, four inputs, and built-in DBX system noise reduction. The Porta 05HS is also available, it contains high speed recording. The Porta 02 and X-14 have slightly less features. The Porta 02 has two inputs with adjustable Trim and operates at standard speed. The Fostex X-14 Multitracker has an internal omni-directional condenser microphone and LED meters, however, it has only one input and it also runs at normal speed.

The next size up in compact, portable four-tracks are the Fostex XR-3 Multitrack, and the Tascam 414 Portastudio. Though slightly larger than the compacts, they make up for their bulk in features. The XR-3 is easy to operate with two inputs, dual speeds, Dolby B noise reduction, auto bounce circuit, and tape out terminals. It also has the internal omni-directional condenser microphone like the X-14. The 414 has that terrific feature of being able to record on all four tracks at once, mic or line. It also has a sync out, linear faders, high and low EQ, and two stereo effects returns.

If you're looking for middle-of-the-road stuff that is still portable, but a bit larger than the others, there are a lot of options out there. Some of the best are the X-77, XR-5, and XR-7 from Fostex, and the Tascam 424. With a six channel mixer, two switchable aux sends per channel, and a bi-alternate mix mode, the X-77 is noted for it's diversity and quality. It also has an assignable parametric equalizer, alternative aux send, and a MIDI/tape multi-mix mode. Fostex's XR-5 and XR-7 both have two aux sends, and two stereo aux returns, plus their own unique features.

The XR-5, which I own and am very happy with, has a four channel input mixer, EQ on every channel, four direct tape outputs, and it records at high speed. The XR-7 is step up with six channel input mixer, rehearsal mode, logic control transport, and 2 and 3 band sweep EQ. The XR-5 has Dolby B® NR, while the XR-7 has Dolby C® NR. Both are great machines, as is the Tascam 424 with it's three-band EQ, auto punch in/out, and the return-to-zero feature that makes recording so much easier. This four input machine also has two additional stereo ins. All four of these machines are reasonably priced and will get the job done more than efficiently.

Finally, there are the big boys, as I mentioned before, the Tascam 644 MIDIstudio is top of the line in four tracks, however, in this age of technological advances, there are more options out there. The future of four-track technology is turning toward MiniDiscs®, or MDs. A mini-disc is a magneto-optical format that is rewritable. MiniDiscs® have many advantages over cassette four-tracks, in much the same way that CDs are superior to cassette tapes. Bouncing is a lot clearer with minidiscs, the editing process is a big step up, and the signal is much cleaner. MiniDiscs® are more expensive than most four-tracks, but new technology is always more expensive and will eventually lower in price.

Tascam's 564 Digital Portastudio, Sony's MDM-X4 Mark II, and Yamaha's MD4 are three good examples of this new technology. The 564 features an S/PDIF output, auto-punch overdubbing with rehearse, two stereo aux returns, and a top-of-the-line "bounce forward" feature. The bounce forward feature is used to cut, move, copy, and assemble your songs. The MDM-X4 has four mono mic/line ins, two aux sends, two stereo returns, and some great editing features including track and song based editing, allowing you to erase, copy, move, and exchange. Other editing features are Undo/Redo, Virtual Mix, and Mix Write. The Virtual Mix feature allows you to record up to 16 virtual tracks, which can be combined down to two or four tracks, and the Mix Write feature allows you to add a track to an already-recorded track. Yamaha's MD4 uses Sony's MiniDisc Data discs, it features an integrated four-channel analog mixer, 3-band EQ, search and locate functions, song and track editing and MIDI output. The MD4 also boasts "Lossless digital bouncing". This process allows you to bounce all four tracks down to one or two tracks as many times as is needed without losing fidelity.

The features I've highlighted here are not the only features on these machines, please contact Lentine's Music Inc., or another musical equipment vendor for more details on these products. Work with your vendor, take their suggestions to heart, but do your own research, and talk to people who own a four-track, get their opinion.

To a lot of us, the dollar amount involved is considerable and our decision on what to purchase should be made with care and consideration. Also keep in mind that we couldn't possibly cover every four-track on the market, there are a lot of machines to choose from. We would have liked to have included the Akai DR4d, and the Fostex X-55 and XR3, among others. Also keep in mind that a four-track needs a lot of accessories to complete your personal studio.

Most personal studios consist of a reverb unit, drum machine, microphone, headphones, and your various instruments, along with the four-track. A lot of people also prefer to purchase a DAT (Digital Audio Tape) recorder or CD recorder to record on rather than a cassette, and that adds to the bill considerably. It's no small change, but it also doesn't have to cost a small fortune. Make sure you really shop and compare, especially on the internet. With musical items, there can be a huge price difference from one vendor to another.

Two other tips: ALWAYS clean your heads before starting a new session, and NEVER use metal cassette tapes. Good luck, and happy hunting!

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RECORDING TIPS FOR THE STUDIO EXPERIENCE

2007-07-12T19:10:00.000-04:00

THESE TIPS ARE DESIGNED TO HELP MUSICIANS SAVE TIME, MONEY AND FRUSTRATION IN THE STUDIO BEFORE BOOKING STUDIO TIME

1. Record your songs during live gigs and pre-production rehearsals. Even a simple cassette recording on a boom box may reveal weak parts of songs that you would waste time finding out in the studio.

2. Have all musical and vocal parts worked out ahead of time. Know what guitar solos you want to use before experimenting at XX dollars an hour.

3. If you are using a computer or a sequencer, prepare all the material before the session.

4. If you need to use a click track at the session, be sure your drummer has gotten comfortable with it before hand if possible. He can get some light rehearsal by practicing with one at a very slow tempo.

5. Rehearse more songs than you plan to record. If you plan to make a 3 song demo at your session, prepare 5 songs just in case. You may decide midstream that one of the 3 that you originally chose does not as sound as strong on the final tape as one of your alternatives.

6. Take care of yourself before and during your session times. Be sure to eat well, get enough sleep (no partying till dawn) and keep your ears as rested and clear as possible.

NOW THAT YOU HAVE PREPARED YOURSELF IN ADVANCE, AND YOU HAVE BOOKED THE SESSION TIME, THESE TIPS WILL HELP YOU IN SETTING UP IN THE STUDIO

1. Be on time or early. You may be charged for the time booked whether you have gotten there or not.

2. Make your studio experience as relaxed and comfortable as possible. Bring snacks to keep your energy up, and beverages to keep you hydrated. If your not comfortable, this will show in the work that you do.

3. Go over your songs with the engineer before recording, be sure you both see the same goal.

4. Depending on the tracking capability of the studio you are using, plan out how you will leave room for the essential parts. This preparation will simplify the mix and eliminate the need for bouncing tracks later.

5. Equip yourself with new strings, drum sticks and heads, cords etc. Be sure to bring extras. Find out hours if operation for local music stores just in case.

6. Stick to using gear you are familiar with, and refrain from equipment you have not used before even if it is better than what you have. These kinds of surprises can cause problems for you in the session.

NOW LETS TALK A BIT ABOUT THE RECORDING PROCESS ITSELF.

1. Remember that it's emotion and feeling that make up a song, not necessarily the best technical rendition.

2. If you mess up a part during recording, don't stop and start over. That can cause burnout and frustration, not to mention wasting time. Have the enginerr punch in the corrections.

3. You don't have to fill up all the tracks on the tape. Don't try to force something that doesn't fit.

4. Keep the focus of your music in mind. If it's the vocals, plan to spend the most tome on them. Don't waste time on things that don't highlight the focal point.

5. Get the sound you want while recording. Never assume that you can fix it in the mix.

6. Record individual tracks clean, and add effects later.

7. Try to avoid double tracking everything. Doubling a lead vocal can hide subtleties that make a song personable and likable (although this can work well for a chorus).

8. Know when to quit for the day. If you are really tired, it will show in your work.

9. Keep guests to a limit or out altogether. Guests can distract you and may sway your opinion of how the music should sound.

10. Make back up copies after every recording session.

11. Tune your instruments often.

12. Singers should always bring water but stay away from ice. Ice constricts your vocal chords. Hot tea with lemon and honey works great.

13. Always get a track listing and accurate time log from the studio.

WHEN YOU ARE MONITORING THE MIX, LISTEN TO YOUR MUSIC AT MODERATE LEVELS IN YOUR CAR OR ON A BOOM BOX. THIS IS HOW MOST OF YOUR FANS WILL LISTEN TO IT, AND MIXING AT LOAD LEVELS WILL FATIGUE YOUR EARS AND DISTORT THE TRUE SOUND. SOMETIMES IT'S GOOD TO TAKE A DAY OFF AND COME BACK TO LISTEN. EARS DON'T LAST VERY LONG IN THE STUDIO. AS YOU REVIEW EACH MIX, MAKE SURE YOU CAN COMFORTABLY HEAR ALL THE INSTRUMENTS. TWEAK THE MIX ON A SMALL PAIR OF SPEAKERS AT AN EXTREMELY LOW VOLUME. YOU SHOULD BE ABLE TO PICK UP EACH INSTRUMENT EVEN AT THIS LEVEL. WHEN YOU GET TOO TIRED, THEN QUIT. YOUR ARE BETTER OFF QUITTING A SESSION EARLY THAN WASTING TIME MAKING A BAD MIX THAT WILL HAVE TO BE REDONE ANYWAY. NEXT TIME WE WILL TALK ABOUT THE ACTUAL MIXING PROCESS, BUT IN THE MEANTIME......GOOD LUCK!!!!!