Live Music Archive

I have met many performers 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 industry and it goes a bit like this.

I don’t 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 did not have a plan, did not have a clue and did not have any idea of what I has been 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 getting prepared ahead.

It’s extraordinarily 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. The questions may 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 performance in a band?

3. Am I going to sing, performance 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 a person else?

I think you’re getting the idea of where I am going with this.

You might be thinking that these questions might seem very easy and straightforward and in essence you are right however, I am never ending ly surprised how a easy question such as “am I going to be a solo performer or performance in a band” might distract someone from actually moving forward.

I’ve seen it happen to many artists 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 categories of really easy 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 meaningful effect on their lives. The 1st sounds, other than speech, were might produced by hitting something; wood, stone or hide; and ancient individualss 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 is something deep within our psyche, which reacts and ‘ remember s’ music. It is 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’re lucky, humming might soothe the the majority fractious child and even send them to sleep! Music, in the form of rhythm was used by a lot of individualss 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 we don’t necessarily absorb the content of what we repeat over and over again. But, as an support to memory, music still has its uses. tunes we 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 support but additionally 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 often ‘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 produce 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  encourage  and celebrate their culture; a lucky offshoot has been 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 might make the time go faster.

When we think about it music is not just a pleasant pastime that’s either passively listened to or actively produced. It has a much deeper, more fundamental purpose. Our reactions to outside get togethers can be completely altered by music. It could make us happy, sad, frightened, elated, thoughtful . . . the list of feelings it engenders are as long as their number. And words are not important to produce this ambience; for instance, how would silent movies have worked in the absence of the music? Those Keystone Cops in the absence of the frenetic piano plinkity plonk; the doe eyed heroines in the absence of the sobbing strings; the very large sweeping epics in the absence of full orchestral back up? They just would not have worked. Nowadays, with the proliferation of world music, we listen to and enjoy music in many disparate languages, in the absence of necessarily understanding a word the singers say; much as opera has been once listened to as the fashionable ‘world’ music of its day; just another example of the emotive power of music.

Now,it’s fair to say that music has an innate basis in our evolutionary makeup. all of us have could 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 find pleasure in making melody out of sound. We’ve utilised every viable tool, from the human voice to electronic tones, to establish 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 mobile telephone  ringtone!

Creating a loyal fan base on MySpace.com will endorse your music career in many ways. If you generate enough fan enthusiasm, record labels will check out your page to see what all the buzz is about. Still another reason audiences are important is that they’re the ones who pay to see your shows. If you have a loyal following, more invites for gigs will start rolling in – record labels will definitely take notice then.

While you have could done all of the usual MySpace marketing like register your profile page and uploaded music, if you’re not taking advantage of other tools on the website, then you may not be creating that buzz you’re looking for. Sure, some listeners will find you through their friends, other artists, 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 individuals so they’ll be able to share not only your music, but part of your musical life.

There are a lot of ways to produce a loyal fan base on MySpace.com including:

Forums and Blogs – These are places where you might speak directly to audiences. Participating in forums and writing a blog will enable audiences to find your profile page much easier than doing a genre search or other keyword search. Earning the friends hip of audiences will make them loyal to your music.

Cross-marketing - If you have other musician friends who are using MySpace.com to get noticed by fans and record labels, partner up with them. You may swap profile page links, information about upcoming events, and mention them in blogs and forums.

This is a wonderful way to increase exposure in the absence of having to do too much. If a record label visits one of the profile pages, they may want to check out other performers listed.

Fans will also want to see who their preferred artist 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 preferred performers because it makes them feel closer to them. Candid photos and video footage of rehearsals, behind the scenes at get togethers, and personal photos of you writing songs or playing the guitar are what fans want to see.

Upload Covers of Other songs – In addition to adding your own songs, why not cover a few classics? This will demonstrate for you r listeners that you’re diverse and willing to take risks. If possible, record a song that is out of your usual genre. Reach new listeners this way and endorse record labels see just how skill ed you really are.

As you might see, creating a loyal fan base is not c hall enging. The tips above are wonderfully easy to in corporate into your profile page. Getting the word out there will be your toughest challenge since MySpace.com continues to grow each day. Word of mouth is still one of the perfect ways to get noticed, but uploading new material, showing audiences more of your personal ity, and making connections with others will advocate you stand out from the rest and advocate you find even more audiences.

We’ve all heard the stories of artists “making it on MySpace“. Well, while there are a few genuine success stories out there, I’m here to tell you that music marketing on the Internet 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 benefits for performers I would actually go as far as to say that MySpace doesn’t really matter. If you already have a excellent MySpace campaign going then great, keep doing what works. However, if you’re about to release an album or you’ve 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. Create 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 electronic book, 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 Don’t sell to your fans, communicate with them. Let them get to know you by sending out fun and valuable emails. Do this as generally as you may in the absence of being too annoying. Once they trust you it is ok to  encourage  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 tips to developing a successful music marketing campaign. With a little bit of know how resolution on your part you ought to start to see an increase in album sales in no time.

For the novice producer and creator of beats, marketing your sound is going to be one of the most c hall enging obstacles to overcome. This is mainly because the music business is an old beast where the new and unique are not always welcomed with open arms.

The Web has certainly advocate ed the new comers, however, providing a place for new blood to get the recognition they deserve. Still, marketing is tricky unless you may be as creative as you’re with your beats.

Whether you make your own beats from scratch or you download already made beats and customize them, finding a fan base and a potential record label to listen to the finished product will have the same problem. Back in the 1980s and 1990s, musicians had to rely on the coveted “Lucky Break”. You performed each show whether it was at a bar or venue as if a representative from a record label was out in the crowd waiting to see if you had what it takes. While this is still a possibility, musicians are now  promote d to be more proactive with their approach.

Social networking web sites prefer MySpace cater to artists of all forms understanding how hard it really is to make a name for oneself. Producers, hip hop artists, and really everybody is  promote d to use such arenas to its full advantage. It pays to use the Internet and flood every possible area with news about a new beat you just made along with other information prefer show dates and times.

often times, if you are downloading already made beats with the intention of customizing them later, these websites will have areas devoted to performers. In these areas members of the website will be able to post their beats and other songs. This is a amazing occasion to bring together performers in one place so labels could efficiently browse through the selection to find what they want. This is, perhaps, the biggest innovation in marketing of recent date; the notion of bringing together performers in one place so large wigs could find them.

Even though you live, eat, and breath the Digital Age never underestimate the power of the spoken word. Establishing a strong fan base both Internet and offline will stimulate legitimize your ability and talent. When you make it extensive it will be these first few fans that you may continue to rely on to stimulate your record sales. Word of mouth will continue to be a exceptional asset for the artist. When word of mouth spills over into the Internet it is called viral marketing and has proven to be highly effective. Even though you’ve your own website and are a presence on those websites that provide downloadable beats you’ll still need to join every forum, group, and any where else that guides your projected fan base and peers that also make beats.

By having a visible face and a loud voice you will rise to the top and be noticed by labels. Do not fool yourself into thinking that your 1st few beats will rocket you to stardom. It may take years for your sound to find a market.  A lot of artists, no matter how skill ed, will feel discouraged by this fact, some will even give up. Just because the marketing campaign isn’t going as you prefer does not mean that you’ve just reason to give up. Be persistent in marketing and you will find that niche group which will then deliver you to fame.

When marketing your beats, it will be important to use all of the sources you’ve at hand. Even if you think that a particular method will only reach five individuals ; do it. Five individuals are better then virtually nothing and no telling how a lot of individuals those five individuals will tell.

Publicity is a large driving force when you are considering success in the music industry. Although it’s definitely beneficial to retain a publicist once you’ve your music career in gear, you may still manage to establish a little buzz on your own in the meantime. Following are the top ten ideas for generating your own publicity as a music artist.

1. Make sure you’ve a press kit that includes a well-written bio, an 8X10 photo, CD  and contact info.

2. Go Local. Local press is by far the easiest press to get. Let them know your story and send in a compact disc. Shoot for the music editor or columnist and If they don’t have one assigned just, contact the entertainment editor.

3. Social networking websites are all about music these days. For example, Myspace’s reach is incredible for gaining new fans. Where else could you find individuals to listen to your music in the convenience of their own home? Ensure you’re updating your music, adding friends, keeping them all posted, and updating the tour dates. There are magazines on MySpace.com looking for music to feature all the time.

4. Radio is a exceptional way to share your music with the masses. You don’t have to approach the large ones-you may see success with air performance on smaller stations as well. Send in your CD  to Local/Regional DJs and look up college radio shows nationally and see Assuming that the y’ll spin your music. On-line radio is choose ing up these days too… USA4Real.com is a exceptional option… it does not fee much and it gets your music heard.

5. Music licensing is a wonderful way to make resources and get publicity. Try contacting some music supervisors on television shows for a start. Send them an inquiry with your information and a link to your music. If you get placed, you could use it for press-and it becomes a story!

6. Music websites and e-zines are always looking for music to review. Look up their websites and send emails to their editors. Tell them why you’re a fit for their magazine and ask if you could send in a CD. Don’t forget, try to make contact first… sending in a random package can be useless.

7. Youtube.com and Stickam.com are excellent outlets to share your music. When done right, you can really start gaining a fan base. Try to do something charismatic and original. Reaching out to people On-line can do wonders. Start a music video, a video blog, sing an acoustic  set, take a stab at some comedy– anything… Just remember, 1st impressions are everything.

8. Be philanthropic. Charity does wonders for publicity outreach. Locate something you believe in and offer to play at their party or donate proceeds to their cause. Not only does it get you out there and give you a story angle… but it feels good to help out.

9. Send your compact discs to appropriate magazines for your music’s type of. Make sure you call ahead and find out the right contact, unsolicited packages get lost in the shuffle. A nice rule of thumb is to look up specific writers you feel would find pleasure in your music and find out how to reach them.

10. Try to book shows in diverse towns, that way you could simply label the cluster of shows as a tour and contact Local newspapers and radio stations and offer them merch in ex vary for promotions/articles.

Note that Public Relations (PR) is about being smart and creative. It is about finding a reason for people to care about you and your music. Sure, exceptional music and a good look are stimulate ful, but you likewise need to reach out to the public and come up with stories. Think outside of the box and you will really worth from the results in no time. Good luck!

Hip-hop took birth as American street culture. Hip-hop culture emerged from 1970s block get togethers (large outdoor get togethers, thrown by owners of expensive stereo equipment) in New York(NY) City, especially South Bronx. Pioneered by Black Americans, it includes rap music, break dancing, ‘b-boy’ fashion, and a defiant stance.

Amid predictions it wouldn’t outlive a season, hip-hop music managed to create its own race. Anyone who dismisses Hip-hop as rap music does not understand its history and the influence hip-hop has on youth culture. True audiences appreciate that hip-hop is not just about music; it’s a way of life, a language, and a unique perspective that uses music to address racism, oppression, and poverty issues, and transforms the music into a political movement. The aim is to motivate young adults to get active in ways reminiscent of the civil rights movement. Hip-hop narrates the stories of inner city African-Americans trying to live the American dream from the bottom up. It’s about the youth culture of New York(NY) City taking over the world someday—about dance, art, hurt, love, racial discrimination, broken homes, overcoming adversity, and fulfillment.

Hip-hop includes four key forms of expression: mixing (combining sounds using turntables or other sources), “b-boying” (dancing), graffiti art, and emceeing (a individual who might control the crowd with his lyrics). This culture manifested itself throughout New York(NY) City around the mid-1970s. There’s a message passed down from the godfathers of hip-hop: to earn respect, you must be skilled on the mic, possess the ability to rock a crowd with sheer lyricism, and explain why you were better than the man next door.

Hip-hop has had a serious influence on several type ofs of music. R&B, in particular, was the the majority influenced as to necessitate a sub type of. The key difference was that the sub type of was coarse and contained less of an R&B influence.

Pop and R&B singers, including Mariah Carey and Destiny’s Child, appropriated hip-hop in order to relate to young, urban audiences s, thus creating a sub genre coined “”hip-hop Soul”". This genre features hip-hop backbeats, superimposed with vocals that were sung in the style of soul music; the lyrics, however, integrated street lingo and adult themes.

Impudence characterizes the styling of hip-hop soul. These hitherto conventional singers sported tattoos, wore leather, and wore a defiant look in the vein of hip-hop musicians. Pop singers, who were reluctant to change their images, began collaborating with a rapper to remix one of their tracks, and in corporate d the remix in their albums. These remixes were pegged as singles, and allowed the singers to retain their signature styles.

These remixed tracks soon became all the rage, and hip-hop soul crossed racial divides, earning its musicians mainstream recognition. Veteran Rythm & Blues musicians additionally generated interest among young, contemporary fanss through their association with hip-hop. Patti LaBelle has performed with Outkast; Chaka Khan granted permission to Kanye West to re-mix her tracks. By joining forces with hip-hop musicians, Rythm & Blues singers thus reached out to a new age group.

Hip-hop soul is considered more mature than contemporary Rythm & Blues (R&B), and targets an adult audiences. This is primarily due to the type of’s focus on the seamier facets of life; hip-hop soul singers also use adult language and themes, which has drawn censure from individuals who feel the genre of music, similar to hip-hop, glorifies negative stereotypes.

Although hip-hop soul witnessed a dull period with the emergence of Neo Soul, another Rythm & Blues (R&B) sub genre in the late 90s, it’s now experiencing a surge in popularity due to singers prefer Jaheim, Amerie, Keyshia Cole, and Anthony Hamilton.

Hip-hop music is the vehicle of hip-hop culture and contains “rapping” (superimposed with vocals) by emcees. Owing to this, hip-hop music is on occasion referred to as “rap music,” However, those who dismiss hip-hop as rap music do not comprehend its rich history and the influence this type of music has on youth culture.

Hip-hop music is a vehicle used by the singers to address racism, oppression, and poverty issues. It narrates tales of inner city African-Americans living the American dream (through hard work, courage and determination one may achieve prosperity) from the bottom up, and bitterly touches upon racial discrimination, broken homes, and overcoming adversity.

Invented by Jamaican migrant disc jockey Kool Herc in the early 70s in NY City, it has since then spread its tentacles across the world. Herc shifted from reggae records to funk, rock and disco. Owing to the short percussive breaks, he began extending them using an audio mixer and two records. As the unique style of music became a hit, performers (emcees) began superimposing the music with vocals; initially, they introduced themselves and others in the fans. Later, the rapping became more diverse, incorporating brief rhymes, generally with a sexual or violent theme, in an attempt to entertain the fans.

In the mid-1970s, hip-hop split into two groups. One focused on getting the crowd dancing, another highlighted rapid-fire rhymes. The 1980s witnessed further diversification in hip-hop; highly metaphoric lyrics rapping over multi-layered beats replaced simple vocals. In the 90s, gangsta rap (glorified outlaw lifestyle) became mainstream. Hip-hop was soon an integral part of mainstream music, and nearly all the pop tunes featured an underlying element of hip-hop.

In the 90s and into the following decade, elements of hip-hop were integrated into diverse type ofs of music: hip-hop soul combined hip-hop and soul music; in the Dominican Republic, a recording by Santi Y Sus Duendes and Lisa M was coined “Meren-rap,” a fusion of hip-hop and meringue. In Europe, Africa, and Asia, hip-hop has undergone a transition from an underground occurrence to the mainstream market.

Classical music, prefer other forms of classical art, has not as many takers as those of light music. Nonetheless, classical music has its listeners too and lots more are falling to its charms. Yet, those who turn to it regularly find it rather beyond their understanding and real appreciation. They are charmed by it, but they can’t critically explain why it appeals them. You can’t rationalize its appeal or beauty.

An additional reason why a large majority of individuals are not  surprisingly comfortable with classical music is its complexity and a sense of distance from the artist. Light music can be effortlessly sung by ordinary musicians with whom ordinary fans might identify easily. It expresses the feelings of ordinary persons in their personal language. Classical music, on the other hand, is rather mysterious and is rendered in diverse styles and it takes years, every now and then a life long time to understand .But its study has its rewards too. The more you study it, the more you find pleasure in it and the more you find it exceptional and benefit the endeavor and hard work to study it.

The study or appreciation of classical music depends upon your individual taste. A form of music that appeals to you could not appeal to another person. You could come across experts who could try to influence you by their judgments about the quality of music. You could listen to them, but you should not compel yourself to prefer the music that they prefer. Or if you come across a much-acclaimed piece of music that you can’t really appreciate, you do not have to blame yourself for not liking it. You could of course try to find out why the particular expert prefers a given piece of music. can be, you find some point to learn.

The the majority vital thing about classical music is to listen to it as much as you can. Classical music CDs are available from a lot of sources. If you are a student, your college library may have an abundant stock of classical music CD s. You may listen to radio, watch television, and go to shows and recitals. You may also get free downloads from the Web, if you do not want to spend resources.