Live Music Archive

Here is might the most important music business tip you will ever receive:
“Join up and subscribe to every indie music business and DIY performer promotion email list, newsletter and source that you could get your hands on and read everything that you receive”.
I mean it when I say that too much information is much better than not enough, if what you have joined up or subscribed to is not giving you the information that you need then you could just opt out and un-subscribe.
Most web sites that offer these things have the integrity to do as you ask.
Read what you receive, make notes, ask yourself if it’s relavent for you and the place you are living in, integrate the information into your knowledge base.
The only way to capture this knowledge is by research, and the Web is the best place to research anything.
Researching on the Web though will only give you general (but  nonetheless  truly important ) indie music business knowledge. The real power comes from knowing your local/regional scene and becoming active in it.
Here are some ways that you could do this:
1. Establish reading the music magazines in your area. local/regional street press is an invaluable tool in letting you know what is going on in the local/regional industry. Generally these magazines have features/interviews with local/regional bands, a performance  guide ( amazing for targeting where to play), industry news and so on.
2. Go and see some local/regional bands. Check out your competition (I mean that as a figure of speech the most important thing about a heal thy indie music business is the community that builds from the music and the people who play it), introduce yourself, get out there amongst it all and immerse yourself in the vibe. Get familiar with the places these artists play at and know who to talk to when it’s your turn to play there.
3. If the re are music associations where you live, join them. Anything that aids indie music on an association level seek it out and join up. If it costs money to do that then do it (generally its not an expensive exercise). Joining these types of associations instantly gives you a sense of community and solidarity. furthermore the amount of information you will capture about your local/regional area will be huge.
4. If the se local/regional organizations have web sites then bookmark them.
Need I say more on this topic. Most web sites for offline organizations offer more to On-line users of their services. It pays to be an active On-line user. One advantage that comes to mind is the fact that you are able to participate in forums and messageboards which, in time will become influential DIY marketing tools for you.
You got to start somewhere and the best place to start is with your own local/regional area. As you expand your knowledge base you will work out ways to further your career and hopefully a snowball effect will start.
Once it stars, HANG ON!

Sometimes find a great an inexpensive date idea is simply a matter of doing a little bit of research or noticing certain

things in your surrounding.

For instance, did you know that during certain times of year many parks and community centers hold free or really inexpensive

concerts that make for a great date?

Of course, for the most part you aren’t going to know about these free concerts unless you read your local newspaper or check

out some of your local community centers and read up on the daily, weekly, and monthly activities that they have planned.

As a first date, assuming that you are going to the concert either way this makes for a great first date because it fits

under the things you were already planning on doing anyway section of getting to know her.

Plus, concerts always make for a great time because good or bad you will always have something to talk about.

For those of you in the transitional phase of dating the freeness of it as well as the music makes it a great idea as you and

she are probably getting along well enough where it really isn’t that big a deal if the music isn’t all that great.

Of course, for those of you in long term and more committed type relationships this will give you a reason to get out of the

house and expand your minds.

In the end, going to a free concert makes for a great date anytime because the only thing it really cost is your time which

is something that you were looking to use any way

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He has a daily newsletter that will provide you with a wealth of information on how to be more successful with women.

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Also to discover many more great date ideas to take women on check out and subscribe to Teddy Shabba’s Date Ideas and Reviews

Today

Having a lot of people that know who you are is always a value and not a hindrance.
Just the other day I got a call from an individual who wanted to find out if I was available to play bass with their band. I declined due to not having the room to take on another project but I gave them the number of an individual else I knew that would fit the bill perfectly.
That day, that performer found a new bass player and so the story goes.
That experience got me thinking that pretty much everything that I do in my dealings with the music business is based on who I know.
people like working with others whom they trust will do the job they want them to do or like recommending others for jobs that they cannot tackle themselves for one reason or another. I understand that when this particular performer that was looking for a bassist finally found one through my network I was proud of myself. I was glad to endorse an individual out.
That’s what networkings really all about though is not it? Helping people?
For everybody who is just starting out my recommenndation is to find as a lot of people and go to as a lot of functions and performances as you can.
Immerse yourself in your local/regional scene.
The more that people know who you are, the more opportunities that will open up for the taking. Become the squeaky wheel that gets all of the oil. Have that belief in yourself that you are value knowing and do not be afraid of knowledge.
One thing that you do not do nonetheless is to get to know people for what they could do for you. Get to know them for who they’re as a individual. Others could spot your insincerity a mile away (especially us cynical musos) and that is a real turn-off.
Personally I’m chuffed when an individual asks me for recommenndation or just wants to have a chat about how things are going for them, but only If the y are genuine about it.
A amazing place to start networking would be at open mic evenings.
Get yourself involved in an open mic and just walk up to an individual and say “hi”. Everyone is there for the same reason so there is some common ground. You could perhaps ask them If the y are going to be performing on that night and go from there.
Do not forget, the more you network the more you will be known and the more you are known the more work you will get.
In time your ‘little black book’ of names will become your  greatest  asset.

There is no doubt that the best way to buy concert tickets these days is through the Internet. You know that when a big start

is in town, tickets are hard to find, unless you are willing to spend a lot of money and time. But fortunately, the Internet

has changed all that and now all you have to do is a simple search on Google to find available tickets for the given concert.

The two primary sources for tickets online are TicketMaster and TicketsNow.

Some websites actually work as a dealers that hire people just to stand in line for prime tickets and buy them, only to

resell them online. Now you might say that this is illegal, but even if it so in some states, it’s rarely prosecuted. But you

should know that although TicketMaster is a highly reputable company, it might not be the best choice, because of their high

fees. Of course, they are a really safe choice, due to their proven reputation of being one of the leading companies in this

business, and on their website you can often find promotions and special offers.

A really good trick is to visit eBay, click on eBay Stores menu and then on ‘Tickets’. This should give you a list of ticket

broker websites. eBay can be a great website for buying concert tickets online, because a lot of people who had bought

tickets in advance only to find later on that they are unable to go to the concert, end up selling their tickets at a very

good prices. Of course, you should be extremely careful who you are buying the tickets from. Beware of new eBay members, with

no history. On the bright side, all purchases from eBay are insured so if for some reason the ticket turns out to be

fraudulent, or it doesn’t come to you at all, there will be a way to get your money back.

BuySellTix is also a website where you can buy concert tickets online, has good reputation for customer service and provides

access to some of the top music events. You can search for tickets by artist name,city and concert type. But before you place

your order, make sure you are dealing with a reputable company. Look for signs of approval from the Better Business Bureau.

Check if they have an SSL certificate for secure credit card transactions, usually issued by Verisign. Buying tickets online

can safe you a lot of hustle, time and money as long as you find the right seller.

I have met a lot of musicians along my journey and some of those I have gotten to know pretty well. All of them have a similar story as to how they started in the music business and it goes a bit like this.
“I do not know how I started really, I just sort of fell into it and before I knew it I was in a band”
Sound familiar? It does to me. That’s how I got started.
I didn’t have a plan, didn’t have a clue and didn’t have any idea of what I was getting myself in for let alone what I wanted to get out of it.
I wanted to be a “rock star” so I could “meet girls”.
I was only fifteen when I made that decision and thinking back on it I cringe and laugh at the same time but it does show me the importance of preparing ahead.
It’s truly simple to get swept up in the hype of it all and before you know you are in the same place that you started but ten years have gone by and you are left wondering ‘where did it go’.
Before going any further you need to ask yourself some questions. These questions could be (in no particular order of importance):
1. Am I going to write tunes or not?
2. Am I going to be a solo artist or play in a band?
3. Am I going to sing, play an instrument or both?
4. Am I prepared to practise, drill and rehearse my craft?
5. Am I going to find my own work or do I leave that up to an individual else?
I think you are getting the idea of where I’m going with this.
You could be thinking that these questions could seem truly simple and straightforward and in essence you are right however, I’m constant ly surprised how a simple question such as “am I going to be a solo artist or play in a band” could distract an individual from actually moving forward.
I have seen it happen to a lot of musicians and have experienced it myself.
Before you start have a apparent knowledge of what you want to do and what you want to get out of it. Ask yourself these types of really simple questions and from those answers a series of paths will be presented to you.
All you need to do then is to pick which path you take.
Working to a plan will make your journey a lot easier to undertake.

It’s a safe bet that, since the arrival of cognitive human beings on this earth, music has, in some form had a serious effect on their lives. The 1st sounds, other than speech, were might produced by hitting something; wood, stone or hide; and ancient peoples must have appreciated the sounds of the world around them; of water, weather and animals; and were the sounds of a rippling stream or a gushing waterfall music to their ears? And when they stood at the seashore did the crashing waves and the suck of the tides move them in some way?
There’s something deep within our psyche, which reacts and ‘ recall s’ music. It’s more than probable that sounds relating to music and rhythm came long before sounds relating to communication and speech. Today, this theory may be tested by noting a baby’s reaction to a lullaby as compared to speech. If you are lucky, humming could soothe the most fractious child and even send them to sleep! Music, in the form of rhythm was used by a lot of peoples as a way of sending messages to out of sight recipients; contemplate the jungle drums of Africa or the Alpine horn, the Aboriginal didgeridoo or the use of bells as a warning of attack.
The days of learning our lessons by rote have, mostly, disappeared. This is because it has, rightly, been recognised that  all of us  don’t necessarily absorb the content of what  all of us  repeat over and over again. But, as an aid to memory, music still has its uses. tunes  all of us  have learnt in childhood may be recalled far later in life than mere words. Music is a well known and much used therapy in illnesses that involve memory loss; Stroke, Alzheimers etc; and not only as a recall aid but furthermore as a re-learning tool. Speech therapists use music extensively when trying to teach stroke victims how to speak again. The rhythm and melody of a familiar tune will again and again ‘trigger’ a positive response, when no amount of visual stimuli has an effect.
And then there is the cohesive quality of music; from the singing of a country’s National Anthem to a football crowds chant; from carol singers to brass bands. Musical participation has been used in every walk of life. The chain gangs of America’s Deep South would use music to get through the day and create a rhythm to mundane physical labour. Sailors would pull a hawser or ’sheet’ in unison while singing a familiar ‘hornpipe’ or reel; The amazing gospel sounds that poured from the wooden churches of the Southern states black population were a potent community tool to  promote  and celebrate their culture; a lucky offshoot was the inspiration of much of our modern rhythm and blues. Nowadays factories all over the world use ‘piped’ music to soothe the workers; if you are doing a humdrum task music could make the time go faster.
When  all of us  think about it music is not just a pleasant pastime that is either passively listened to or actively produced. It has a much deeper, more fundamental purpose. Our reactions to outside events may be completely altered by music. It could make us happy, sad, frightened, elated, thoughtful . . . the list of emotions it engenders are as long as their number. And words are not important to create this ambience; for instance, how would silent movies have worked without the music? Those Keystone Cops without the frenetic piano plinkity plonk; the doe eyed heroines without the sobbing strings; the huge sweeping epics without full orchestral back up? They just would not have worked. Nowadays, with the proliferation of world music,  all of us  listen to and enjoy music in a lot of diverse languages, without necessarily understanding a word the singers say; much as opera was once listened to as the fashionable ‘world’ music of its day; just another example of the emotive power of music.
So, it’s fair to say that music has an innate basis in our evolutionary makeup.  all of us  have might used it since homo sapiens 1st walked the earth. Other animals do use sounds in their day to day living (frogs croak, dogs howl, sheep bleat etc.) but, with the possible exception of birds,  all of us  are the only species to enjoy making melody out of sound. We’ve utilised every viable tool, from the human voice to electronic tones, to create ever more varied compositions. Wouldn’t it be intriguing to discover how soon into our evolution the power and beauty of the human voice was appreciated? As the centuries have passed musicians have been, rightly, feted for their skill to move us with song, melody and rhythm. Once musicians were revered as priests, interpreting the sounds of the gods. Nowadays  all of us  are more pragmatic; but  all of us  still need that harmony in our lives; even if it’s only our cell telephone  ringtone!

A hand shot up out of the audience and waved emphatically, attempting to catch the celebrity’s attention. The spotlit fiddler

peered out into the darkness and candidly asked, “Do I know you? Am I related to you?”

The whole room burst into laughter and I felt like I was right there with Natalie MacMaster in her kitchen enjoying a

homespun “ceilidh,” (pronounced “kay-lee”) Celtic dance.

This “kitchen” had a world-famous celebrity, a top-notch symphony orchestra and over 450 paying guests at $40 each, but

that’s beside the point. It was still Natalie’s kitchen.

She went on to tune her violin patiently, though hundreds of eyes watched anxiously. Perhaps she sensed the urgency when she

joked that her tuning was, “Close enough for Celtic,” and the room chuckled again. Then this sweet, down-to-earth gal from

Cape Breton Island picked up her fiddle and the “kitchen” went up in flames! There wasn’t a foot within earshot that could

resist tapping to her phenomenal playing and dancing.

Earshot, but not eyeshot. Unfortunately, most of the audience could only see the virtuoso from the waist-up due to the level

seating arrangement of the hall. Natalie’s legendary clicks and clacks of tap shoes on the hollow stage stirred me to leave

my seat and watch the entire concert from the side aisle. Soon after standing, I ran back to my aisle to fetch my young

violin students, who were too short to catch the fancy footwork from their seats.

In true Celtic tradition, our quiet observation from the sidelines grew into louder foot stomping, which rapidly escalated

into energetic circle dancing and jigs. Natalie’s own dancing featured high kicks, quick spins and rhythmic tap dancing. As

the show progressed, her traditional Scottish step dancing morphed into groovy modern hip-hop and disco moves, including the

notorious and difficult “Moonwalk!”

Much to my surprise and delight, the music also went through a breathtaking metamorphosis. The concert started with

traditional Celtic melodies played by the silky string sections of the symphony. Next was a Cape Breton fiddle tune in A

major, what Natalie called the “Canadian key.”

After such traditional pieces, we learned that she was more multifaceted than imaginable. From a Latin mix to the gorgeous

jazz ballad, “Autumn Leaves,” we were all captivated by her versatility.

Concertmaster of the Okanagan Symphony, Denis Letourneau, was as mesmerized as the audience was! The classical virtuoso

beamed from ear to ear and repeatedly shook his head in awe and admiration of Natalie’s fiddling fireworks. Then he

contributed to the pyrotechnics when he joined Natalie for a musical goulash where “fiddling met violining.” Their duet

blended the popular fiddle tune “Devil’s Dream” with the intricate Bach Violin Partida in E!

“Denis, we have an expression back in Cape Breton,” said Natalie afterwards, “When we really dig in, we say we were ‘driving

‘er.’ Now you can go home and say last night you were really ‘driving ‘er!” Denis blushed. Natalie smiled. We all felt two

worlds converge and it felt wonderful.

As our cultures blend, I think we’ll be seeing a lot more “Traditional fusion” in music. Diverse forms of music, polar as

they may seem now, will soon merge and create new genres that people of all ages and walks of life can appreciate. Put a

symphony orchestra, a fiddler, a funk band and a bagpiper playing on stage at the same time and everyone from Grandma to the

teenager with the spiked hair will approve.

There will be growing pains, naturally. As in Natalie’s concert, there will be an obvious polarity in the audience in

deciding proper concert protocol. Some people at the concert didn’t know whether get up and dance in the aisles, or to be

content in sitting in quiet appreciation. Like any pioneers, we’ll find a middle ground that works for everyone. Heck, a

friend of mine once created “seated dancing” in such an awkward situation.

Natalie’s charm and talent, coupled with her obvious love of music, were enough to inspire me and several other violinists

present to explore new avenues of expression and technique. I couldn’t wait to get home to try some of the things she showed

us so flawlessly that night.

Natalie provided further inspiration when she agreed to sign fiddles my students had brought with them. Then she stood, weary

and tired, but smiling enthusiastically for group photographs with me and my fiddle students.

My students, young and old, talked about Natalie’s concert for weeks and have found a role model who will guide them into

wonderful new directions.

Thank you, Natalie. You are one amazing Canadian pioneer and we love you for it!

**Rhiannon Schmitt (nee Nachbaur) is a professional violinist and music teacher who has enjoyed creative writing for years.

She currently writes columns for two Canadian publications and has been featured in Australia’s “Music Teacher Magazine.”

Writing allows her to teach people that the world of music is as fun as you spin it to be!

Rhiannon, age 29, has worn the hats of businesswoman, performer, events promoter, classical music radio host and school

orchestra music arranger in rural British Columbia, Canada.

Creating a loyal fan base on MySpace will endorse your music career in a lot of ways. If you generate enough fan enthusiasm, record labels will check out your page to see what all the buzz is about. An additional reason fans are important is that they’re the ones who pay to see your shows. If you have a loyal following, more invites for performances will start rolling in – record labels will definitely take notice then.
While you have might done all of the usual MySpace marketing like register your profile page and uploaded music, if you are not taking advantage of other tools on the web site, then you could not be creating that buzz you are looking for. Sure, some fans will find you through their companions, other musician s, or from searching for music that resembles your, but to truly create a fan base that will stick with you, you need to connect with people so they will be able to share not only your music, but part of your musical life.
There are a lot of ways to create a loyal fan base on MySpace including:
Forums and Blogs – These are places where you could speak directly to fans. Participating in forums and writing a blog will enable fans to find your profile page much easier than doing a genre search or other keyword search. Earning the companions hip of fans will make them loyal to your music.
Cross-marketing – If you have other musician companions who are using MySpace to get noticed by fans and record labels, partner up with them. You could swap profile page links, information about upcoming events, and mention them in blogs and forums.
This is a amazing way to increase exposure without having to do too much. If a record label visits one of the profile pages, they could want to check out other artists listed.
Fans will furthermore want to see who their favorite musician listens to, which will generate more traffic for the both of you.
Upload Photos and Video – fans love to see photos, video, and more from their favorite musicians because it makes them feel closer to them. Candid photos and video footage of rehearsals, behind the scenes at events, and personal photos of you writing tunes or playing the guitar are what fans want to see.
Upload Covers of Other tunes – In addition to adding your own tunes, why not cover several classics? This will show you r fans that you are diverse and willing to take risks. If possible, record a song that is out of your usual genre. Reach new fans this way and endorse record labels see just how skill ed you really are.
As you could see, creating a loyal fan base is not c hall enging. The suggestions above are truly simple to in company into your profile page. Getting the word out there will be your toughest challenge since MySpace continues to grow each day. Word of mouth is still one of the best ways to get noticed, but uploading new material, showing fans more of your personal ity, and making connections with others will endorse you stand out from the rest and endorse you find even more fans.

If you find buying tickets to top shows and concerts a bit of a hassle, then you might consider using the services of a

ticket broker. These companies are most often very expert at getting hold of the best tickets to all the top gigs and events,

and if you want to impress a family member, friend or client, then there is nothing better than good seats at a top show to

do the trick.

Going through a good ticket broker means that you don’t have to bother with the likes of scalpers or ticket touts, who are a

little shady, and not at all professional or reliable. A ticket broker can assure good seats, even at the last minute, and

you can always be sure that the tickets are authentic and valid. Going through a ticket broker can also save you all the

bother of having to go online, or to the box office, the minute the tickets are released. You can go about your daily routine

as normal, and let the ticket broker do all the hard work for you.

So who are these ticket brokers? Ticket brokers are professional ticket dealers who buy tickets for concerts, plays,

musicals, and sporting events, and then sell them on to the general public through their office, over the phone, or through

their website. The ticket broker will then send your tickets to you by registered post, by courier, or you can collect them

from the broker’s office in person if that is more convenient. The ticket broker adds on a fee to the face value of the

ticket, in return for the service that they provide. However some ticket brokers, known as discount ticket brokers, actually

offer a discount on the cost of the ticket. Some ticket brokers do special deals for groups and families.

With a ticket broker, you can still make use of the various discounts that you might be entitled to, such as a student

discount, senior citizen discount, or military personnel discount. Ticket brokers also offer the advantage of allowing you to

reserve a ticket in advance, which means that you don’t have to get caught in the last minute rush for tickets. You will even

find that tickets for some events are not even sold on the open market, and are only available through the authorized ticket

broker.

Most ticket brokers offer a toll free number that you can call to to inquire about different events, or to make bookings and

purchases using your credit card. When booking by phone be sure to make a note of your seat numbers, confirmation number, and

any other important bits of information.

You can also buy tickets for trips and vacations through ticket brokers specializing in travel. In general, the earlier you

book, the better the discount. You can also find some travel ticket brokers who offer discounts to families and budget

travelers.

In general, buying tickets through a broker is a bit more expensive than buying them through the usual channels, but the

convenience offered by the ticket broker makes the extra charge well worth it.

We’ve all heard the stories of musicians “making it on MySpace”. Well, while there are several genuine success stories out there, I’m here to tell you that music marketing on the Web is in no way as simple as simply throwing up a MySpace page, adding a bunch of companions and calling it a career.
While MySpace has a lot of rewards for musicians I would actually go as far as to say that MySpace doesn’t really matter. If you already have a amazing MySpace campaign going then great, keep doing what works. However, if you are about to release an album or you have recently released one only to see disappointing results, then I’m going to suggest that you completely rethink your music marketing strategy.
In a nut shell, I have found these to be the components of a successful music marketing campaign.
1. The Mailing List: Focus on building your mailing list. Start a mailing list on every piece of Web real estate that you have.
2. Traffic: Do whatever it takes to send as much traffic as possible to that mailing list sign up form. Use MySpace, Fac ebook, post in forums, flyers, stickers, emails, pay if you have to, just do what ever it takes. The more traffic, the more sign ups, the more albums sold.
3. Communicate with your fans Do not sell to your fans, communicate with them. Let them get to know you by sending out fun and valuable emails. Do this as again and again as you could without being too annoying. Once they trust you it’s ok to  promote  your album but do so with respect for their time and intelligence.
Music marketing is an art form in its own right. These are just several simple suggestions to developing a successful music marketing campaign. With a little bit of know how resolution on your part you should start to see an increase in album sales in no time.