The Future of Music Policy Summit is coming to Montreal October 5-7, 2006. Now in its 6th year, the organisers claim that:

the Future of Music Policy Summit promises to bring together a spectacular international mixture of technologists, attorneys, musicians, managers and industry leaders for discussions about the issues that are emerging as music distribution moves to a global, digital platform.

Over the course of three days, we’ll be exploring such issues as international copyright reform, digital music licensing, DRM/interoperability, the effect of government funding on artists’ careers, how orchestras are navigating change, and the Quebecois music industry.

Full details can be found at their website at www.futureofmusic.org.

Later.

Share This

To Tour Or Not To Tour…That Is The Question!
by Sheena Metal,

MusicDish Network Sponsor

It’s every musician’s fantasy: The tour bus rolls up to the arena (full of groupies, beer and pizza). Fans are crowded out front hoping to catch a glimpse of America’s hottest band. The group is escorted to their dressing room (full of more groupies, beer and pizza). They enjoy the various pleasures of stardom while roadies set up the stage. It’s show time. The artists take the stage. The crowd is screaming. The lights are glaring. The amps are humming. The drummer clicks off the first song and…

You wake up in the back of your PT Cruiser. Your bass player’s elbow is in your ear and the drummer’s asleep on your foot. You’ve eaten nothing for the last week but corn dogs and frozen burritos. This is not the tour you imagined. This is not your Lilith Faire. This is not your Lollapalooza. This is not your Warped Tour. This…sucks.

Every musician dreams of touring. Getting out of their same boring town. Trying their tunes out on new crowds, in new areas, for fresh faces. Bonding on road, writing new tunes in the motel room, free food, free drinks, getting paid, getting laid…living the life.

But the music biz is full of touring horror stories. Bands stuck on the road with no money to come home. Musicians not eating for days. Clubs canceling gigs the night of with no warning. Negative reactions from bar patrons and local bands. The list goes on.

So, how do you make sure that your touring experience is a positive one? What can you, as musicians do, to eliminate potentially negative experiences and create positive ones.

The following are a few tips that add success to your touring experience:

1.) Don’t Plan A Tour Because You’re Unhappy At Home—Just as an affair will not fix the problems in a marriage, a tour is not the cure for: problems within the band, problems in the band members’ lives, or a general malaise for your local scene. A tour is strain and stress and loads of work. You should be excited, and enthusiastic and positive when planning.

2.) Over Prepare Before You Leave — You can never plan too much or take too many precautions. At home is the time to rethink ever scenario and arrange accordingly. Get the van tuned up. Pack extra emergency money. Bring a list of additional clubs in the area in case your gigs fall through. Pack extra strings and sticks. Bring a backup guitar. Pack extra merchandise. Bring emergency food/water. Pack extra batteries and power cords. Bring cell phones.

3.) Be Humble And Thankful — You’re in a strange town and a new club, act like a guest. Nothing ticks off a club owner/promoter who’s taken a chance on an unknown band more than out-of-towners swaggering into a club like Paris Hilton in an episode of "The Simple Life." No matter how cool you are in your own town, this is unproven ground and your first impression is important. Ask, don’t demand. Set up quickly. Play at an appropriate volume. Clean up after yourselves. Be friendly and courteous. Say "please" and "thank you". Unless you’re booking in Jerkville USA, this positive attitude could set you well on your way to a repeat booking with better perks and more local support.

4.) Seize Every Opportunity—If you’re going to take the time away from work, family, and the buzz you’ve built in your own music community to head out into the great beyond and conquer unknown lands…you might as well come back with something other than lovely memories and an out-of-state parking ticket. You’re in a new place and the possibilities are endless. Sell CDs. Sell T-shirts. Get new names on your mailing list. Solicit local reviews, interviews, and radio. Introduce yourself to other club owners for future bookings. Find out who books local festivals. Play an impromptu house party after your gig. Make new friends that can street team for you next time. Think of something I haven’t even written here and do it!

Don’t Expect To Conquer The World In One Tour—Rome wasn’t built in a day and neither will your touring empire be. Have fun. Enjoy each trip and using it as a building block to make each tour to that particular place better and more elaborate. Play your cards right, and after a few trips you may be making terrific money, have secured lodging (either new friends let you crash or a club pays for a motel), get food and drinks comped, and guaranteed press and radio coverage.

In short, touring can be the best thing that ever happened to your band if you work hard, play it smart, and follow through correctly. But no matter how much you love to tour, always remember to keep your foot in the door locally. It’s the great work that you do at home that makes other clubs excited about you bringing your show to their town.

Sheena Metal is a radio host, producer, promoter, music supervisor, consultant, columnist, journalist and musician. Her syndicated radio program, Music Highway Radio, airs on over 700 affiliates to more than 126 million listeners. Her musicians’ assistance program, Music Highway, boasts over 10,000 members. She currently promotes numerous live shows weekly in the Los Angeles Area, where she resides. For more info: http://www.sheena-metal.com.

Provided by the MusicDish Network. Copyright © MusicDish LLC 2006 - Republished with Permission

Share This

INDIE NEWS BEAT

August 16, 2006 Edition

* MusicDish Partners With “Save Our Sounds” To Help Preserve America’s Recorded Heritage

* Miko Marks Wins Showdown Competition

* Mashed Buddha Taps MusicDish Network For Saturated Marketing Campaign

* Globally Acclaimed Dj-Producer Paul Van Dyk Will Host New Weekly Sirius Satellite Radio Show

* AirSpun To Launch Music Industry’s First Web-Based Radio Airtime Booking System

* Big Fish Media Announces New Content Acquisition Deals

* Web 2.0 Agency, ROKKAN, Breaks Through With BreakThru Radio

* Roots Music Report Announces Recipients Of Its 2006 Radio Stations Of The Year Award

MusicDish Partners With “Save Our Sounds” To Help Preserve America’s Recorded Heritage

Just imagine it… thousands of rare and one-of-a-kind recordings of American folklife from around the country… including songs, stories, poems, speeches… from coal miners to ex-slaves, from presidents to gypsies, from Blues to Native American ceremonial songs… all… slowly… deteriorating …

MusicDish, an Internet music magazine publisher and artist marketing/development firm, is pleased to announce that it is joining forces with the American Folklife Center to support the preservation of America’s wonderful musical heritage. MusicDish will feature recordings and other music-related documents, selected by the American Folklife Center, that are threatened by deterioration. The selected recordings and documents will be presented through MusicDish.com as well as its syndication network, representing the breadth of the music community, to raise awareness of their historical value and help raise funds to help preserve the featured recordings and documents.

“America’s rich musical heritage is under threat of disappearing right before our eyes, all the while that we possess the technology to save it,” noted MusicDish founder Eric de Fontenay. “As a member of the music industry, we fell it is our duty to inform and empower the broader community to safeguard this treasure for future generations of musicians and listeners.”

“We know that our readers will want to become partners with MusicDish in helping to preserve the wonderful musical heritage that we all share,” commented MusicDish Editor-in-Chief Anne Freeman. “We are very excited about this partnership!”

Source:

Miko Marks Wins Showdown Competition

Mirrome Records recording artist, Miko Marks has won the local level of the Colgate Country Showdown in her home state of California. She goes on to compete at the state level on August 13 at the San Mateo County Fair.

This is the 25th Anniversary of the Colgate Country Showdown, which has grown into the largest country music talent search in America with over 450 local radio stations participating, 50,000 artists competing annually and over $300,000 in cash prizes awarded throughout the 4-level competition. Nearly every major country music entertainer of the past 2 decades has participated in the Showdown.

Just a few weeks later, Marks will perform 2 shows daily at the Black Family Reunion Celebration on the National Mall in Washington, DC., September 9 and 10. The celebration is a two-day cultural event that is recognized as the largest, most significant family event in the nation, attracting more than 500,000 people each year. In the late 1980’s, the black family was under attack in the media. In response to significant negative projections of a “disappearing” and “disintegrating” black family, Dorothy I. Height, Chair of the National Council of Negro Women, developed an idea for a positive culturally based event that would celebrate African Americans’ historic strengths and traditional values. The festival celebrates the enduring strengths and traditional values of the African American family.

On the heels of her debut album, Freeway Bound, Miko has appeared at CMA MusicFest, opened for Warner Records artist, Ray Scott and has toured nationally as a featured performer with the Bill Pickett Invitational Rodeo. With the release of her 3rd single, “Mama”, Marks has released her first music video, featuring R & B songstress, Erykah Badu, in the title role.

The video is being promoted by Visual Image Marketing of Nashville, TN and may be viewed at several online video sources including cmt.com, vh1.com, bet.com, mtv.com and on Miko’s site at www.mikomarks.com

Source:

Mashed Buddha Taps MusicDish Network For Saturated Marketing Campaign

MusicDish, an Internet music magazine publisher and artist marketing/development firm, announced the addition of Massachussets-based electronica act Mashed Buddha to the MusicDish Network roster. A mixture of downtempo grooves, hypnotic electronica melodies, and jungle beats, Mashed Buddha’s drum&bass debut “Subdue Your Mind” () is an unexpected foray for creator & keyboard player John Corda who has performed jazz, funk, and rock for the last decade.

“John Corda set about to craft jungle and drum&bass beats and rhythms as the backdrop to an electrifying ambient and symphonic journey,” noted Smother.net. “The result is a compelling and inspiring joint that works its way into your head analyzing your Zen status and applying a bit of a karmic good rub on your soul.”

Mashed Buddha joins an eclectic roster of artists on MusicDish Network’s marketing/artist development program, including Jazz chanteuse Mellani Day, African American Country artist Miko Marks and Astrella Celeste, daughter of the ‘British Bob Dylan’ Donovan. MusicDish Network will conduct an extensive saturated marketing campaign in support of “Subdue Your Mind”, combining PR/brand development, syndicated marketing and online street teaming. In addition, Mashed Buddha will be aggressively pushed on social networking sites such as MySpace, YouTube and TagWorld (to name a few), while conducting a viral distribution campaign of selected tracks and videos on major file sharing networks such as eDonkey.

Source:

Globally Acclaimed Dj-Producer Paul Van Dyk Will Host New Weekly Sirius Satellite Radio Show

One of the world’s premiere DJs and a GRAMMY nominated producer, Paul van Dyk, will launch his own weekly show on SIRIUS Satellite Radio, called Paul van Dyk’s Vonyc Sessions, on August 31. On August 25, SIRIUS will also broadcast concerts by van Dyk from New York’s Central Park.

Paul van Dyk, a native of Germany, is currently ranked the world’s No. 1 DJ by DJ Magazine. His new SIRIUS show, Paul van Dyk’s Vonyc Sessions, will launch on August 31 and will be heard each Thursday from 6 pm to 8 pm ET on SIRIUS’ commercial-free trance and progressive house music channel, Area 33 (channel 33). Each week’s program will be re-broadcast on Saturdays from 8 to 10 pm ET, and Tuesdays from 12 midnight to 2 am ET.

On August 25, SIRIUS will broadcast van Dyk’s concerts taking place August 18 and 19 in Central Park, New York City, as part of a special ten-hour broadcast on Area 33, Paul van Dyk Live at Central Park NYC. van Dyk’s Central Park shows will be special live performances using laptop computers, studio software and real-time remixing, enhanced with additional keyboards, sequencers and a drummer.

Said van Dyk, “I am thrilled to be joining SIRIUS Satellite Radio and Area 33. Broadcasting my live appearance at Central Park is the perfect way to kick off this new endeavor and I’m excited to have the SIRIUS listeners enjoy such an exciting event.”

Paul van Dyk received a GRAMMY nomination for Best Dance/Electronic Album for his 2003 original album Reflections. Top-charting singles van Dyk has produced include “Nothing But You,” “Crush,” “Connected” and “The Other Side.” Earlier this year, he won four International Dance Music Awards (IDMAs) for his latest compilation The Politics of Dancing 2 at the Winter Music Conference in Miami.

Source:

AirSpun To Launch Music Industry’s First Web-Based Radio Airtime Booking System

AirSpun, Inc., a Silicon Valley start-up with an e-commerce approach to marketing digital music through commercial radio promotion, announced plans to launch www.airspun.com in an effort to democratize the music hitmaking process and provide independent artists with unprecedented power over their creative futures. AirSpun.com features a patent-pending online airtime booking system for affordable commercial radio exposure along with promotional opportunities that give independent recording artists a chance to sell their music directly to a global fan base. At launch, the company is offering commercial airtime in Nashville, San Jose/San Francisco, Seattle, and Austin on select Clear Channel Communications and Entercom network radio stations.

AirSpun proposes to rock the foundations of the music business by allowing every original recording artist?with or without a record deal?an affordable way to be heard on commercial radio.

“The internet has done a great job of leveling the distribution playing field for bands and artists, but so far, no one has used the power of the internet to democratize music marketing and promotion,” explains AirSpun Founder Heidi Elgaard. “AirSpun is well-positioned to fill a void for a new generation of digitally-savvy independent recording artists, as well as radio stations seeking financially viable ways to support them.”

AirSpun is currently working with its radio station affiliates to offer reasonably-priced 60-second spots for AirSpun’s Artist Showcases. Each spot features a brief announcement of the song and band/artist name, followed by about 45 seconds of the showcased song, and a required AirSpun end-tag asking listeners to visit the airspun.com site to find the featured artist and vote or provide feedback on the music.

Source:

Big Fish Media Announces New Content Acquisition Deals

Big Fish Media, a leading digital distributor of independent music labels, today announces the acquisition of several strategic content distribution agreements. Under the terms of these agreements, Big Fish Media will distribute these labels to all major online music stores and mobile services.

Highlighting these recent deals are:

1) Laughing Hyena Records: Laughing Hyena Records is the home for dozens of great, blue-collar comedy from such great performers such as Ron White (featured in the Blue Collar Comedy tour), Larry Reeb (”Uncle Lar’”), The Unknown Comic (”The Gong Show”) and Ollie Joe Prater.

2) Valentino Production Music: In addition to being one of the leading production music and sound effects providers for hundreds of feature film and television shows, Valentino also has the entire catalog of famed, disco-era star, Walter Murphy. He is perhaps most famous for his hit song “A Fifth of Beethoven” which was featured in the eponymous film “Saturday Night Fever” is one of three albums represented by Big Fish Media.

3) Spirit Voyage Records: One of the most successful Yoga, Healing and New Age labels, Spirit Voyage has a worldwide iimpact in the Yoga community. With hundreds of albums in its catalog, Big Fish Media has just released the first group of nearly 50 CDs.

4) Hip-Hop/R&B Artist “Ahmir” - His new single, “Welcome To My Party” is climbing the charts at Billboard. BFM has this release along with two other EPs.

5) Imperativa Records’ new release “Epicon” by Globus represents a breakthrough in pop music. Currently in the top 20 of iTunes UK pop albums, “Epicon” is a ground breaking album.

6) Caravan Records: This is a new label from well-known indie rock label Hollywood Music Center/PEKO Records. Their first two releases “Essential Bellydance” and “Naked Rhythm” are critical hits and making the circuits on both the world and dance genres.

“Here at Big Fish Media, we strive to bring only the best labels and the finest music to our digital music services. We feel that these new labels are consistent with that philosophy and we are extremely proud to be associated with such top-notch content providers, ” co-founder Steven Weber says. He adds, “”we consider ourselves to be an extension of the traditional A&R function to ensure that only marketable content ends up in our catalog.”

Source:

Web 2.0 Agency, ROKKAN, Breaks Through With BreakThru Radio

Leading independent interactive agency ROKKAN has collaborated with BreakThru Radio to create a revolutionary Web 2.0 website, using technologies such as AJAX (XHTML, CSS, XML, JavaScript, XMLHttpRequest) and Flash, that offers a feature rich and enhanced interactive experience.

The term Web 2.0 refers to the ongoing transition of the Web from a collection of Websites with static content and endless page loads to Websites with richness and responsiveness typically associated with desktop applications. Web 2.0 technologies are one of the primary factors in the recent surge of sites offering blogs, podcasts, wikis, and social networking. These sites have created a more dynamic Web that encourages flexibility for users, eliminates static content, and offers increased support of multimedia functions.

As part of the new Web 2.0 trend, ROKKAN has created a ground-breaking multimedia Website for BreakThru Radio, a company that is committed to providing an outlet for talented independent artists to be heard.

“People come to our Website for a real radio experience without repetitive playlists and for DJs who are musicologists offering independent music that they can’t get anywhere else,” says Cal Rifkin, President of BreakThru Radio, “working with ROKKAN to create a new site using Web 2.0 technologies has given us the ability to offer features to our users that can’t be found anywhere else.”

The innovative new Website, www.breakthruradio.com, allows users to watch videos, listen to music, and search the Website without missing a beat, literally. “We used AJAX technologies to develop functionality that wasn’t possible before,” says Jim Blackwelder, Director of Technology at ROKKAN. “Now, no matter where you click, the site’s most important feature - streaming media - isn’t interrupted. We are able to offer a continuous audio / video stream while users browse the site without using HTML frames or an annoying pop-up window.” Web 2.0 Rich Internet Applications and AJAX technologies allows the browser to continuously request content from the server without the traditional HTTP server request and page reload. The Website also features Yahoo! Maps Web Services and Action Script Flash API allowing users to track concerts and bands around the globe.

“It’s encouraging to see businesses and production quality sites starting to request feature rich Web 2.0 applications - and there’s no reason not to - the technology is sound, the cost is minimal, and the opportunities are abundant,” says Blackwelder.

Source:

Roots Music Report Announces Recipients Of Its 2006 Radio Stations Of The Year Award

Roots Music Report is pleased to announce its selections for radio stations of the year. Recipients were selected by staff of RMR after carefully listening to the programming first hand and were selected based on their format and variety of music played. This year’s list of honors signifies the first acknowledgements in what is planned to be an annual event.

The award serves to recognize the stations commitment to and support of its roots based genre. “These stations seem to give all artist a chance to be heard,” says RMR owner/operator Robert Bartosh.”They are all consistent reporting stations to our charts and contribute immensely to the roots music movement.”

Designated honors for 2006 were presented to the following stations:

Bluegrass - WTCR - Huntington, West Virginia

Roots/Americana - KRVL - Kerville, Texas

Roots/Rock - XCountry - Satellite

True Country - KMCO - McAlester, Oklahoma

Western Swing - KBEC - Waxahachie, Texas

Folk - KCLC - St. Charles, Missouri

Blues - Blues Deluxe - Arlington, Texas

Jazz - WFDU - Teaneck, New Jersey

Source:

Provided by the MusicDish Network. Copyright © MusicDish LLC 2006 - Republished with Permission

Share This

INDIE NEWS BEAT

August 9, 2006 Edition

* A Band From Delaware Is Releasing Their Debut CD, “Reason For Being”

* Jazz Chanteuse Mellani Day Releases Genre-Breaking CD ‘Mostly True’

* AirPlay Direct Launches FREE Electronic Press Kit / EPK Service

* Dualtone Records To Release Debut Solo Album From Carey Ott

* Jodi Jett To Perform At Midpoint Music Festival On September 22

* Indie-Music Wants Your CBGB Stories!

* Findaway World Redefines Easy Listening, Launches New, Pre-Loaded Music Playaway

* Miles Davis At The Blackhawk, Now On Your Squeezebox

* A New Type Of Record Label-Indie Label Meets Ad Agency

With A Sound That Goes Straight To Your Heart, A Band From Delaware Is Releasing Their Debut CD, “Reason For Being”

OldScool, a Delaware-based recording band, is releasing their debut CD, “Reason For Being” (). What started out as a recording project, with seasoned, musician friends, soon morphed into the realization that a very refreshing sound was developing, and, it needed to be heard. Right from the beginning, the recordings had reflected a signature style of a band who had been playing together for many more years than what was actually the case. And, the sound was infectious.

Founded by songwriter, Lionel de Bernard, OldScool is an association of select, seasoned, rock musicians from the Delaware area. Lionel says, “Destiny enabled me to connect with friends who are currently playing or have played with some notable bands, such as Chubby Checker, and, Tommy Conwell and The Young Rumblers.”

OldScool’s retro-rock influences help create a sound (think of REM, Toots and The Maytals, The Clash meet David Byrne} that is uniquely dynamic, original, with an old school charm, and, is yet, very much contemporary. “They don’t sound like any other band…OldScool is truly unique and refreshing,” said one New Jersey fan attending the 28th Annual June Jam Festival, in Houston, Delaware on June 17, 2006.

A CD album of original songs written by Lionel de Bernard, and recorded by OldScool, “Reason For Being” is a mix of styles. According to Lionel, “Reason For Being” is raw edge, old school rock with ska-reggae elements, straightforward intensity, that melds retro, rock-rattling guitar rhythms, skillfully blended harmonies and huge, highly infectious melodies.

So, if you find yourself searching for rock music, packed with catchy grooves that does not insult you with adolescent lyrics and bombard you with urban, headache-producing, drone-like, drum machine beats, then, “Reason For Being” by OldScool may be just what you need.

Source:

Jazz Chanteuse Mellani Day Releases Genre-Breaking CD ‘Mostly True’ on August 8, 2006

Colorado-based Jazz chanteuse Mellani Day announced the release of first full-length, genre-breaking album ‘Mostly True’, co-produced by renowed jazz pianist Eric Gunnison. The original vocal jazz-centric tunes feature a rich mix of genres from smooth jazz & blues to reggae & calypso, as well as two Billboard honorable mentions, “True Love” and “Progress,” and a bluesy version of Huey Lewis’ hit, “I Want a New Drug!”

Mellani and her band The Dazed will be introducing her album to fans this August 25 at The Millinneum Harvest Hotel in Boulder, CO as a part of the 99.5 The Mountain Radio FAC (Friday Afternoon Club) series. Fans can also check out a review of the album in the October issue of Jazz Times’ Vox CD review column.

“Mellani’s sultry voice flows over the jazzy blues rock and Eric Gunnison’s lush piano. Lyrically she tells us intimate tales of what’s on her mind the night she penned them…” J-Sin, Editor at Smother.net

Mellani previous three song EP, ‘Shy to Sure,” was welcomed with rave reviews, with two of the songs - “Shy to Sure” and “Jade to Sapphire” - winning honorable mentions in the 2004 Billboard World Songwriting Competition.

Track Listing

1) “If They Only Knew,” a blues rock rager

2) “Something to Swear By” — call it spy jazz

3) “Progress,” a reggae jazz romp (with a bit of R&B thrown in) which received a Billboard Song Competition Honorable Mention

4) “I Want a New Drug,” a fresh and jazzy take on the hit song by Huey Lewis

5) “You Can Get There,” encouragement that could be a TV show soundtrack

6) “Yesterday’s Lei” - say it out loud and you’ll know what this reggae song’s about

7) “So Much of Nothing,” a calypso dream of time in warmer places reminiscent of a Jimmy Buffet classic

“My Heart,” is written about the sweetness and sadness of living with someone who has a long term illness

9) “Power Struggle,” blues for poor Atlas, who has a job to do but wants to enjoy life a bit

10) “Joy Tonight,” reggae again - Lord knows, I don’t have enough…,

11) “Don’t You Hate It?,” a cynical question in jazz clothing, and finally

12) “True Love,” Celtic-style wedding song as the bonus track and another Billboard Song Competition Honorable Mention!

Source:

AirPlay Direct Launches FREE Electronic Press Kit / EPK Service

AirPlay Direct is pleased to announce the launch of our new Electronic Press Kit / EPK service. This exciting new tool will allow artists and labels to send their artist press kits out electronically to the professional music community and media outlets worldwide… FREE. No more mailing expensive hard copy press kits, or even paying for expensive EPK services any longer.

Now when you register with AirPlay Direct our FREE service offerings will include:

An AirPlay Direct artist web site to promote your music to radio programmers around the world

3 - “broadcast-quality” tracks uploaded and made available to radio stations globally for one year

Real-time Download Tracking Reports that allow you to track which stations have received / downloaded your songs for airplay; and the date and time of download

New Electronic Press Kit / EPK that contains, photo, bio, music, contact information, etc. Use your EPK to promote your music to industry professionals such as radio programmers, print media outlets, live venue / concert promoters, managers, agents, etc.

“As part of our on-going commitment to indie rock artists and labels, we will continue to create, develop and deploy exciting new ’smart tools’ aimed at helping to educate and empower the professional independent music community. If you are willing to work hard and smart, these resources will truly help to level the playing field for you. We are often asked the question, how can you afford to deliver these great services at no charge?” The answer is simple, AirPlay Direct’s revenue comes from advertising, sponsorships and repeat business. Robert Weingartz, CEO - AirPlay Direct

Source:

Dualtone Records To Release Debut Solo Album From Chicago Singer-Songwriter Carey Ott

Dualtone Records sets out on a new road with the release of Chicago based singer-songwriter Carey Ott’s debut release, Lucid Dream. In stores on October 31, 2006, the CD is now available digitally on iTunes and all major digital download sites. Notably Lucid Dream entered in the top 5 downloads on eMusic in its first several weeks out, is currently in the top 5 for the month and continues to hold its own alongside The Raconteurs, Sufjan Stevens, Dashboard Confessional, and Johnny Cash.

In its five short years as the indie rock label that could, Dualtone has become known for releasing roots oriented gems, including albums from June Carter Cash, Bobby Bare, Charlie Robison, Radney Foster, BR549 and a stellar line of vintage releases including The Silos, The Reivers and Townes Van Zandt. Nominated for nine Grammy awards, garnering three wins, Dualtone has quickly established a reputation for excellence amongst the industry. With that in mind, Dualtone is proud to announce the latest addition to their roster, Carey Ott. A singer-songwriter in the tradition of Jeff Tweedy and Damien Rice, Carey likens himself to a working class singer-songwriter aiming for substance over hype.

Performing Songwriter magazine has said, “If Radiohead went Americana, you might get Carey Ott. On his gem of a debut, the Chicago-based singer summons the Kinks’ trick of combining lilting vocals with punishing guitars, and the insightful ‘Daylight” sounds like a lost White Album track. However, Ott is already more than the sum of his influences.”

Dualtone Co-President Scott Robinson explains, “A lot of people might see this as a departure for us, but it has always been our intention to put out great music and not just from an Americana background. From the beginning we intended on fostering great singer-songwriters from a more indie rock background, we just hadn’t found the right one until now.” Dualtone found their decision to be a fruitful one from the start, as Carey’s song “Am I Just One” was picked up immediately for a featured slot on the edgy television drama, Grey’s Anatomy and was again featured in one of the closing episodes of the season. With a stamp of approval from A-list TV and stellar reviews out of the gate, Dualtone made the decision to move the retail release date from Summer to Fall in order to make sure that every opportunity was given Lucid Dream. Robinson furthers, “We truly believe this is a great record and we want to make sure we are taking all necessary steps to make sure it gets its heard.”

Source:

Jodi Jett To Perform At Midpoint Music Festival On September 22, 2006

Alt country rocker Jodi Jett will perform at the Midpoint Music Festival in Cincinnati, OH on September 22nd. Her set begins at 9 PM at Alchemize, located at 1120 Walnut Street.

MPMF is the biggest festival in the Midwest. It drew 50,000 music fans in 2005. This year, Cincinnati USA will host 300 artists from the US and abroad. There will also be three days of speakers, panels, workshops, mentor sessions, and exhibitors.

Jodi released her debut album, Revelations, this Spring through Love Rock Records in New York City. Revelations continues to receive significant airplay on non-commercial and college radio formats since.

Revelations showcases classic songwriting encased in Jett’s distinctly modern and sometimes sardonic storytelling style. Revelations was co-produced by Jodi and Phil Palazzolo (New Pornographers, Gordon Gano of Violent Femmes, Radio4).

Source:

Indie-Music Wants Your CBGB Stories!

As the legendary CBGBs in New York closes its doors on September 30, the staff at Indie-Music.com wants to send off this influential indie rock venue in style by sharing your stories. Share your favorite punk rock moments with us and let other musicians and fans in on the secret to this eponymous club. Stories from the stage, favorite shows, bizarre exchanges and magical musical moments are all welcome! Personal photos may also be featured (just send us a JPEG or GIF).

While CBGB is set to reopen in Las Vegas in the future, this Bowery mainstay will most definitely be missed. Many independent artists have gotten a running start because of the belief Hilly and the gang have in the musicians of the world. Tell us what CBGB means to you! All submissions should be sent to heidi@indie-music.com and those received prior to August 25 may be published for the September 9 issue online at Indie-Music.com.

Source:

Findaway World Redefines Easy Listening, Launches New, Pre-Loaded Music Playaway

Findaway World, a leading manufacturer of innovative digital audio formats, announced that it has launched the first music Playaway, adding to their existing product offerings aimed at solving the complexities of digital technology. The announcement was made at the National Association of Recording Merchandisers’ (NARM) annual convention held in Orlando, Florida.

Playaway’s music content comes from recent partnerships including, Rhino Entertainment and Razor & Tie. Music offerings available on Playaway through these partnerships include:

* KIDZ BOP To Go 1 & 2 ­ Over 40 tracks of hit songs sung by kids for kids. KIDZ BOP is the top selling children’s audio series in the U.S.

* The Definitive Collection ­ A collection of tracks from chart topping artists that defined music in the soul, rock and pop genres. Artists include, Aretha Franklin, Ray Charles, Grandmaster Flash and many more.

Not an MP3 or CD player and not software, Playaway is the first pre-loaded digital audio content player. Half the size of a deck of cards, Playaway is packaged with earphones, a lanyard and a standard AAA battery to allow for immediate listening. Additionally, Playaway has a universal headphone jack that works with almost any type of headphone or mobility accessory.

Because content is pre-loaded on an encoded chip, the music Playaway offers one of the most secure platforms for musical content. Using clearly marked buttons, specifically designed for musical functionality, including shuffle and equalizer settings, Playaway gives listeners the optimal music experience, with fidelity equal to or greater than most downloads.

“Technologically simple, Playaway offers consumers an alternative to complicated downloads, and comes with added player functionality to standard CDs,” said Blake Squires, Founder & Chief Development Officer, Findaway. “We launched an extensive collection of audio book content this past holiday and we are excited for our music content debut this holiday.”

Source:

Miles Davis At The Blackhawk, Now On Your Squeezebox

Slim Devices, makers of the affordable Squeezebox and audiophile Transporter wireless streaming audio players, announced the latest ŒSlim Showcase’. August sees the focus on Miles Davis at The Blackhawk, San Francisco in 1961. As part of the celebration, Slim Devices has partnered with Radioio, a leading provider of DJ driven internet radio station, to add special content and run competitions to win Squeezebox player. The webcaster’s radioioJazz station (http://www.radioio.com/radioiojazz.php) will be featured in Slim Devices collection of Internet radio services available free to every Squeezebox owner. Slim Devices and radioio will also jointly issue a t-shirt featuring artwork from the concert poster.

“When asked if I would be interested in a collaborative effort between radioIO and Slimdevices that would allow us to feature one of the most significant benchmark events in jazz - I jumped at the chance,” said Dr Mike Matheny, host of radioioJazz. “If you are a fan of Miles’ fusion efforts such as ‘Bitch’s Brew’ or ‘Amandla’, hearing him in the heat of the hard bop era will introduce you to another spectrum of his ability.

“Internet radio represents a great way to explore the world of music.” Said Patrick Cosson, VP sales and marketing at Slim Devices. “No matter where you live or how niche your tastes, you’re bound to find something new you like out there. That’s the beauty of Squeezebox and our new Transporter players. They bring the breadth of Internet Radio and the audio quality of your hifi system together.”

This month-long celebration of Miles Davis at the peak of his Hard Bop period is part of an ongoing series called ŒSlim Showcases’. Future months will feature the works and concerts of artists ranging from Jazz to Rock, from the 40’s to the 00’s. The aim is to use today’s technology to deliver the best of all music from all era’s regardless of location or age. Of course, such a classic gig from San Francisco’s famous Blackhawk club was an obvious choice for a company based in the Bay Area like Slim Devices.

Source:

A New Type Of Record Label-Indie Label Meets Ad Agency

The Romann Group announced today it will launch a new record label and music entertainment company, Romann Music Entertainment.

The Romann Group is a New York based advertising agency, which uses innovative advertising approaches for its clients like Verizon, BMW, Direct TV, The US Army and Benihana Restaurants. Romann Music Entertainment will be an integrated music and entertainment company, using the ad agency’s platforms, marketing experience and branding knowledge in the launching of its music company’s artists and songs.

Romann Music Entertainment has formed an alliance with Intent Media Works. Intent Media will serve as the music company’s Internet distribution system, using Intent Media’s new DRM and Avatar window technology to bring music and related merchandise directly to the consumer.

Romann Music Entertainment will be a singles record label, enabling its artists to deliver new songs to fans upon the immediate artistic completion of each song, without the constraints of the traditional album format. Songs will be available on-line through all normal Internet music sites such as iTunes, eMusic, Urge, and all major P2P sites. Additionally, Intent Media Works will enable the fan and consumer to buy direct through a Œone-click’ system via the company’s DRM and Avatar window technology.

Along with the music label’s traditional marketing and promotional efforts in launching it’s artists, the ad agency division will work closely and cohesively with the label, aiming to generate branding opportunities, cross-promotional opportunities and ad campaigns for the label’s artists. Artistic integrity will always be priority one, with ad integration occurring only when it is synergistic with the artist’s music and vision.

Success in music and launching singles has already been achieved by The Romann Group in its campaign for The Benihana Group’s restaurant, Haru. Bringing in a top Miami dance-house DJ / producer, the dance track, “Haru,” was created and serviced to clubs and radio programmers nationally in January 2004. Within weeks the song climbed the Billboard Hot 100 Dance Chart and achieved a top 5 position. Billboard Magazine featured an article about Gad Romann, praising the Romann Group’s pairing of great music and innovative advertising.

Source:

Provided by the MusicDish Network. Copyright © MusicDish LLC 2006 - Republished with Permission

Share This

What is happening at Warner Music Group these days? On the one hand I am cautiously impressed with the recent moves of label head honcho Edgar Bronfman Jr. who has re-integrated some legendary names from the past into the record group with Jac Holzman, Ahmet Ertegun, Seymour Stein and Mo Ostin all being welcomed back to the fold. But on the other hand I read about this Bands Under the Radar podcast of supposedly indie rock that isn’t. What gives?

Later.

Share This

CD Baby is once again getting ready to produce their annual CD Baby sampler that will go out with their first 5000 orders in November and December, 2006. If you are in a band and want to get in on it, this is what you must do according to the CD Baby FAQ:

Q: How do I get on it?
On September 2nd, we’ll tally the 100 best selling albums from August 1-31, and contact you for permission. We’re only going to count how many CDs were SHIPPED as of midnight on August 31st. The #1-10 will be audio tracks, and #11-100 will be MP3 files. Then we make 5000 CDs, and give them to the next 5000 customers in November and December.

Further info can be found here. If you have some cool new promotional ideas that you have always wanted to try out then this would probably be a good time to try them!

Later.

Share This

Apple Computer and Coca Cola have signed an agreement whereby they will be using iTunes in Europe to promote unsigned artists according to their press release. According to Apple:

The new www.Coca-Cola.com/music website is a Coke branded music destination launching next week that features iTunes integration throughout, providing fans with links to music and information focused on giving fresh talent new exposure. In the UK, Germany, Austria and Switzerland unsigned artists will have a venue to upload songs, giving them potential for broad exposure on the site through artist highlights, European podcasts available on iTunes, and invitations to play at Coke sponsored European festivals.

To me, this is a great idea but I am not clear if something similar already exists on iTunes in North America. Anybody know?

Later.

Share This

Bama Lama Records still has a few spots available for their upcoming compilation that they are putting together. Check out their website or their My Space site ASAP as time is running out!

Later.

Share This

INDIE NEWS BEAT

August 1, 2006 Edition

* Electronic/Dance Act Returns With New Projects

* Schizophrenology Downloaded Over 4,000 Times Since Releasing Last Week

* Matt O’Ree Wins Guitarmageddon

* The Brooklyn House And Trance Company Releases Their Debut Album “Carry US Through”

* Sonoma Wire Works Launches RiffWorks Standard

* Blue Scout Music Announces Online Music Catalog

* MyxerTags Enables Independent Musicians To Sell Ringtones Directly From Their Own Websites Or MySpace Pages

* Enter The 2006 Jeep Aventura New Artist Contest

Electronic/Dance Act Returns With New Projects

Dress Code, a one man electronic/dance music act of Derek Holley from Dayton, Ohio, has released a new CD, “Break It Down” (), and the title track of the disc is featured in the Thomas Ikimi-directed independent thriller film, “Limbo”.

“Dress Code is a hot mix of breaks, electro, and soulfulhouse-style dance music, cut with rock, funk and hip hop influences,” MusicDish.com writes.

Derek sees his music as an eclectic mix of influences he calls ‘funkyrocktronicdancemusic’. “It’s funky dance music with rock attitude. I’ve played shows with other dance music artists and I’ve also opened for rock bands. To me it’s all about the energy of the music and performance,” Derek explains.

Source:

Schizophrenology Downloaded Over 4,000 Times Since Releasing Last Week

Indie rock patron saints The Majestic Twelve’s second record, Schizophrenology, has been downloaded more than 4,000 times since quietly releasing for free last Tuesday.

“Giving the disc away has actually increased the pace of sales,”comments front-man and songwriter, Kenyata Sullivan.”Our last disc sold 5000 copies, but it took awhile. Now we’re on pace to eclipse that in weeks instead of years, and we’re already sold out of t-shirts. We’re scrambling to fill the demand.”

MySpace users have been a huge boost, pushing tracks like”Condoleezza Check My Posse”and”Break it and Breathe”­ which are both currently in heavy rotation on college radio around the country - from 10,000 plays to over 160,000 plays in only a week.

“We’ve always argued that downloading music doesn’t hurt artists,”continues Sullivan.”We feel this is an affirmation of that.”

Source:

Matt O’Ree Wins Guitarmageddon

Bitchin’ Label Ready Artist, Matt O’Ree was crowned Guitarmageddon’s “King of the Blues” 2006 on 6/8/06 at “The House of Blues” in Chicago hosted by BB King.

In addition to the title, he won a Toyota 2006 Scion, shopping sprees at Guitar Center and Levi’s, a trip to Los Angeles, and a one-year endorsement deal with Gibson guitars.

The judging was done by John Mayer, Rick Neilson of Cheap Trick as well as other prominent names in the music industry. The event was hosted by Cheech Marin.

The Holmdel, NJ native has been playing guitar since the age of 13 and has opened for music icons Buddy Guy, Kansas, Johnny Winter, Gretchen Wilson, Government Mule, Robin Trower, and others.

Matt hopes his new-found notoriety will present opportunities in the form of a record label and national tour.

Guitar World “New Music” CD Review Review declared, “New Jersey’s Matt O’Ree is quickly carving out a name for himself as 2006’s new guitar hero.”

Source:

The Brooklyn House And Trance Company Releases Their Debut Album “Carry US Through”

Dave Perez, New York DJ, has produced his latest compilation of House and Trance tracks under the executive production of the Brooklyn House and Trance Company (”BHTC Music”). One of the featured tracks, titled”HipHop Is Dead”, is a controversial one that is sure to get the listener’s attention. Starting out with a retro Hip-Hop sound, the tracks then turn into a hard-hitting Trance beat after the sounds of gunshots and an EKG flat-line.

Other tracks on this compilation include”Burning Temptress”,”Uprising Birth”and”Come Down (Flight Mix)”. Dave Perez explains:”I was on the flight coming back from Ibiza. I was listening to the sounds of the airplane and I started humming a baseline. The feeling of coming down from my state of euphoria while in Ibiza inspired me to produce Come Down (Flight Mix).”

Additional selections offer two versions of”Carry US Through”, the LP’s title track.”4Lao”is a dedication to the ancient eastern philosopher Lao Tzu. It brings an Asian sound with a militant beat.

Source:

Sonoma Wire Works Launches RiffWorks Standard

Sonoma Wire Works, developers of highly acclaimed RiffWorks recording software, have released RiffWorks Standard (version 2) offering increased compatibility, more features, integrated RiffCaster instant podcasting, and access to RiffLink online collaboration. RiffWorks Standard allows users to spontaneously record their musical ideas, create songs complete with drums and effects, jam online, and broadcast to an enthusiastic community.

RiffWorks Standard installs easily on Mac OS Universal with any CoreAudio device and on WinXP with any ASIO device, making it more accessible. RiffWorks still features the popular Riff-based workflow, and the new SongLayer tool allows for full song-length recording. In addition to the real-time effects users could add to each layer in v1, users can now add effects to each backup module including InstantDrummer, ReWire, and the REX player. Eight InstantDrummer sessions from top drum content providers (Drums on Demand, Discrete Drums, and Submersible Music) are included and dozens more have just been released, giving users more professional drum recordings for their songs.

RiffWorks Standard integrates the new RiffLink interface, which enables participation in online jamming. With the debut of RiffLink, RiffWorks is the only recording application with built-in online collaboration. RiffLink allows multiple users to record, mix and chat in a shared session in real-time or when they have time. Because Riffs are looped, users can be playing along with collaborators¹ tracks with no worries about latency. New tracks show up when they finish streaming and are always perfectly in sync. The RiffLink service is in public beta.

Source:

Blue Scout Music Announces Online Music Catalog

Blue Scout Music announces their Online Song Catalog, available now at www.blue-scout.com. Blue Scout offers music production, licensing, and supervision for film/tv/ad/media projects. Music is available for quick licensing without the hassles of membership fees or customer registration. With clients like ABC, the WB, Motorola, MTV, and others, Blue Scout Music specializes in providing tracks that are hip, relevant, and appealing to those who know quality music. Blue Scout produces custom tracks and represents the music of over 75 up-and-coming artists, like The Motion Sick, who were recently featured in Spin Magazine’s “Band of the Day,” and Judith de los Santos, who won Grand Prize in the 2005 Unisong International Song Writing Contest.

Source:

MyxerTags Enables Independent Musicians To Sell Ringtones Directly From Their Own Websites Or MySpace Pages

mVisible Technologies, Inc. today announced that the new version of its revolutionary technology MyxerTags enables independent musicians to sell their ringtones directly from their own websites or MySpace pages. For the first time, indie rock artists are able to sell their original music as ringtones across all mobile carriers in one simple step, using MyxerTags’ patent-pending technology.

The mobile ringtone market, while a growing revenue stream for major record labels and bigger independent labels, has been largely closed to unsigned artists and those on smaller indie rock labels.
Myk Willis, mVisible’s Chief Technology Officer, developed MyxerTags, drawing on his own experience as an independent musician to understand the best way to serve indie rock artists in the mobile space.

“MyxerTags helps level the playing field for indie rock artists in the digital age,”said Willis. “Mobile carriers do not have the time or the desire to deal with thousands of independent artists directly. Until now, these artists were shut out of the ringtone marketplace.”

It takes just minutes for a musician to generate a MyxerTag, place it on his or her own website or MySpace page and begin selling. It takes less than two minutes for fans to download these ringtones to their phones, regardless of which mobile carrier they are using. Artists set their own price for ringtone sales. There are no upfront costs and no monthly maintenance fees. mVisible takes a commission on ringtone sales.

“Thanks to MyxerTags, we had our ringtones live within minutes,”said Michael B, singer and guitarist for Suicide Stompbox (www.suicidestompbox.com), based in Santa Clarita, CA. “In three fast and easy steps our ringtones were available to everyone. Myxer has been a huge tool in our recent success. For indie rock artists, it’s a huge step to getting heard. And with major mobile companies not giving the chance to us indie rock artists, Myxer is, no doubt, one-of-a-kind for making it possible for us to be a part of the ringtone craze.”

Source:

Enter The 2006 Jeep Aventura New Artist Contest

The Jeep Aventura New Artist Contest kicks off its third year at Batanga.com. The contest accepts Spanish language song entries from amateur Latin musicians looking for that big break into the music industry.

The Grand Prize winner records an album quality track with producer Sebastian Krys, who has produced award-winning albums for artists like Gloria Estefan, Carlos Vives, Obie Bermúdez, and JD Natasha.

Over the course of the contest entry period from June 16, 2006 ­ October 16, 2006, audio clips of each entry, artist/band photos, biographies, and optional video will be available online for Batanga.com visitors to listen to and vote on. Visitors to www.Batanga.com will be required to register in order to vote for their favorite artist/band.

Source:

Provided by the MusicDish Network. Copyright © MusicDish LLC 2006 - Republished with Permission

Share This

(PRESS RELEASE) Drulz.com launches web community for independent artists providing the outlet they need to be heard globally via the internet. The site allows artists to upload music, videos, images, concert schedules, and more. Artists even have the ability to create their own online radio station.

When asked what the motivation behind the website was, (www.drulz.com, programming director) responded by saying that "There are a lot of unsigned artists out there who want to get their music exposed to the world, but there is currently no outlet on a worldwide scale for this. Via the internet, artists can upload their music and get it heard by millions, effectively giving them the much needed exposure."

Unlike other independent artist sites, drulz.com offers artists guestbook’s comments, private messages, online stores, online radio stations, all from the drulz.com portal. Plus, artists can have their own fan lists, which in turn they can send them messages on upcoming albums, shows, and events.

Share This

(PRESS RELEASE) Pump Audio, the leading provider of quality independent music to content creators globally, and CD Baby, the largest retailer of independent music on the web, announced a partnership today to make music from CD Baby artists available for licensing through Pump Audio. The deal will broaden Pump Audio’s catalog of music for professional customers in TV, advertising and interactive media, while giving more than 130,000 independent musicians from CD Baby a potential new revenue channel.

"We’re thrilled to be partnering with a company that shares our vision of exposing great, independent music to larger audiences, while ensuring that the independent artists get a fair deal," said Steve Ellis, founder and CEO of Pump Audio. "By working with CD Baby, we will be able to provide our clients with an even wider array of music to fit their production needs."

Pump Audio will be given access to the CD Baby catalog of over 600,000 original songs and will be able to offer these songs for licensing to clients in TV and advertising. This will make the licensing process much simpler for CD Baby artists and for Pump Audio clients looking to access an even broader cross section of music than that already offered by Pump.

(more…)

Share This

INDIE NEWS BEAT

July 26, 2006 Edition

* The Latest Technology To Be Used For Lollapalooza And Austin City Limits Music Festival

* Independents Call On EC To Act On Demerger Verdict In SonyBMG Case

* MusicDish Network Promotes 60’s Love Child Astrella-Celeste

* WorkshopLive Named As A 2006 Finalist For The Massachusetts Technology Leadership Awards

* The Bandwidth Music & Technology Conference Announces Speakers

* GoGirlsMusic.com Announces The Launch Of GoGirls Music Records

* The World Is Set To Fall In Mad, Mad Love With Aussie Folk-pop Gypsy Lisa Richards

* Florida Hot Boy Swordz Drops Official Mixtape For Exclusive Myspace Download

The Latest Technology To Be Used For Lollapalooza And Austin City Limits Music Festival

Front Gate Solutions of Austin, TX today announced the launch of its ScanOne Access Control Solution. The application will be at the core of an extensive gate control management system that will be used at the 2006 Lollapalooza Music Festival in Chicago’s Grant Park August 4-6. A similar setup will be implemented for the three-day Austin City Limits Music Festival in September­ an event that attracted over 200,000 music fans last year.

"Counterfeiters look for opportunities to beat the system," offers Mellie Price, President and founder of Front Gate Solutions. "We have a responsibility to provide the highest level of security to our clients, which is why we are constantly developing tools like ScanOne."

Access Control Systems are used to both prevent unauthorized access to events and to monitor trends in entry activity. ScanOne has been designed to work in tandem with Front Gate Solutions’ AdmitOne box office solution and Backstage event management application.

"Counterfeit tickets are a common problem in the festival business," notes Michelle Alldredge of Capital Sports & Entertainment, producers of Lollapalooza and Austin City Limits Music Festival. "We are excited to implement a solution for our upcoming festivals that will both give us real time attendance counts and keep holders of counterfeit tickets from entering our shows."

Source:

Independents Call On EC To Act On Demerger Verdict In SonyBMG Case

Following an extra-ordinary IMPALA Board meeting earlier this week in London, the independents emphasise that the European court completely annulled the Commission’s 2004 approval of SonyBMG. In a categoric judgement last Thursday, the judges found on much more than simple technicalities. The court identified fundamental problems that go to the heart of the merger and can’t be readily fixed because the music market already suffers from collective dominance. The judgement vindicates the original findings of the Commission that it did indeed have the evidence to block SonyBMG. It is difficult to see how a re-application would be successful. IMPALA points out that mere fact that the SonyBMG house is already built doesn’t mean it won’t have to be pulled down.

The independents are also concerned that BMG publishing may be sold to another major. A trade sale of any major publisher to another would strengthen existing collective dominance in publishing and the functioning of the collective societies, online licensing and syncronisation markets. IMPALA takes the view that any such move would be unable to obtain regulatory approval.

IMPALA will put Sony, Bertlesmann and the European Commission on notice that prompt action is required and that they take the view that SonyBMG must now be demerged. The independents emphasise that this is a constructive move and offer to work with the Commission and the majors to create a viable and competitive music market.

Source:

MusicDish Network Promotes 60’s Love Child Astrella-Celeste

MusicDish, an Internet music magazine publisher and artist marketing/development firm, is proud to announce the addition of Pop/Jazz singer Astrella Celeste to the MusicDish Network roster. Combining a variety of online viral marketing strategies, the MusicDish Network will be coordinating a broad campaign in support of her debut album "Blue Star" (the Spanish translation of Astrella Celeste).

The ultimate 60’s love child, Astrella-Celeste is the daughter of the ‘British Bob Dylan’ Donovan, who wrote ‘Catch the Wind,’ ‘Mellow Yellow’ and ‘Hurdy Gurdy Man,’. Having recorded with her father and opened for him on his Beat Café tour, Astrella-Celeste is now entering the spotlight in her own right. On September 25th, she will be releasing her single ‘Dream’ to coincide with her debut EP "Blue Star" issued in the UK, Ireland & Internet on Donovan’s new label, Donovan Discs. Astrella-Celeste wrote the album with Kevin Hunter of Sheryl Crow fame and was produced by influential music producer Yoad Nevo.

"Astrella Celeste’s ‘Dream’ Combines a fusion of jazz, pop and country wearing such female icons as Liz Phair, Shania Twain and Natalie Merchant on her sleeves," noted June Caldwell with Bryan Farrish Radio Promotion.

The MusicDish Network will conduct an extensive saturated marketing campaign, combining PR/brand development, syndicated marketing and online street teaming. In addition, Astrella will be aggressively pushed on social networking sites such as MySpace, Live Digital and TagWorld, while promoting her single and video "Dream" through a viral distribution campaign on major file sharing networks such as eDonkey.

Having performed on stage since childhood (releasing a single in Italy aged 8 which led to the Pope asking to meet her), Astrella spent her youth in acting schools and dance troupes before working with her father providing backing vocals and touring with him. Her career has since been richly developed by working with other musicians in recording sessions, performances and/or home jams, amongst them David Gillmore, Brian Setzer, Donovan, Mark White, Happy Mondays, and Graham Nash to name but a few. 

Source:

WorkshopLive Named As A 2006 Finalist For The Massachusetts Technology Leadership Awards

WorkshopLive announced that the company has been named as a finalist for the Mass Technology Leadership Council’s 2006 Leadership Awards. WorkshopLive, which produces the most dynamic and engaging music instruction content on the Web, was named at an event held at the British Consulate last week.

The only awards program to recognize outstanding achievement in both the development and implementation of information technology, the Mass Technology Leadership Awards honor Massachusetts companies and individuals who best exemplify leadership and excellence in business and technology. The awards program builds on the traditions of the Massachusetts Software Council and the New England Business and Technology Association (NEBATA), the two organizations that merged last year to form the Massachusetts Technology Leadership Council.

Formally launched in December 2005, WorkshopLive provides any subscriber with a high-speed Internet connection with an ability to take guitar or keyboard lessons, whenever they want, 24/7. The student can choose from dozens of teachers, and the patent-pending student-teacher matching engine helps select the right educator and lesson plan to match the student’s ability and style of learning.

"Music is as borderless as the Internet, and so is the passion to learn" said David Smolover, founder and CEO. "WorkshopLive has attracted thousands of customers for online music lessons from the United States, England, Denmark, Vietnam, the Caribbean, and many other areas of the world. Being one of just three finalists in the Consumer/Education category is a tribute to the great team that we have assembled, and my hat is off to them."

WorkshopLive has dozens of the world’s top music instructors providing online guitar lessons, as well as other music lessons, which range from beginner to advanced. Hundreds of music lessons are offered in a wide variety of styles (acoustic, rock, jazz, classical, etc.).

"The Mass Technology Leadership Council is committed to fostering entrepreneurship and promoting the success of companies that develop and deploy technology across industry sectors. These awards are an important part of this effort," said Joyce Plotkin, president of the Mass Technology Leadership Council. "The finalists for this year’s honors represent the spirit of innovation, the history of accomplishment and the future promise that define the Massachusetts technology community."

Source:

The Bandwidth Music & Technology Conference Announces Speakers

The Bandwidth Conference, with a focus on the evolution and nexus of music and technology, has announced additional speakers. The conference takes place August 18 & 19, 2006 in San Francisco, and explores the evolving musical experience, with panels on marketing, fan behavior, trends and future forecasts, and an examination of the ways people discover, purchase, interact with, and are exposed to music.

The Bandwidth Conference has announced that Terry McBride, CEO of Nettwerk Music Group, will be a featured speaker. Other speakers include Tim Westergren, Founder, Pandora; Chris Anderson, Editor-In-Chief, Wired; Kevin Arnold, CEO, IODA; Maryrose Dunton, Director of Product Management, YouTube; Andrew Smith, Publisher, XLR8R; Jay Frank, Programming and Label Relations, Yahoo! Music; Jennifer Ferro, Asst. General Manager, KCRW; Andrew Jervis, A&R/Vice President, Ubiquity Records; Andy Gadiel, Founder & CEO, Jambase; Thomas Dolby, President, Lost Toy People; Tim Quirk, GM Music Content and Programming, RealNetworks; Ted Cohen, Managing Partner, TAG Strategic; Selina Lo, President & CEO, Ruckus Wireless; Marc Morgenstern, VP, Rights Holder Relations and Music, NAVIO and dozens of others.

Source:

GoGirlsMusic.com Announces The Launch Of GoGirls Music Records

GoGirlsMusic.com announces the launch of GoGirls Music Records, an independent digital music content provider, distributor and record label. The mission is simple, get great "women in music" heard without the artist giving up their ownership or paying big bucks.

Founders Madalyn Sklar and Georgia Moncrief feel strongly that indie rock artists deserve a break. "When it comes to artists and their music, we are on their side," says Sklar. "We want to help them get heard. We dont want to own their songs. We don’t want to screw them out of money. We offer a music download store where 50% all download sales go to the artist. It’s simple, you make great music and we help you distribute it online."

GoGirls Music Records uses Weedshare, a service that makes it possible for people to share files while respecting rightsholders’ rights. A weed file can be played up to three times for free on any PC. After three plays, youre asked to pay for the file. The artist always receives 50% each sale.

Source:

The World Is Set To Fall In Mad, Mad Love With Aussie Folk-pop Gypsy Lisa Richards

The Australian-born, Texas-based songstress Lisa Richards releases her fourth album Mad Mad Love, on 1st September.

The new album confronts love in all in its guises ­ as bringer of great joy along with intense pain, from the personal to the universal and the earthly to the planetary. Mad Mad Love contains two cover versions, a spellbinding rendition of Lou Reed’s Satellite of Love, and a riotous take on Rags and Old Iron, an Oscar Brown Jr song most famously performed by Nina Simone.

Lisa recorded the album in New York and Austin, Texas. Brooklyn-based studio whiz and multi-instrumentalist Tim Bright (who also co-wrote several songs with Lisa) brings out the unique richness of her voice and song writing, while providing complex musical textures, utilizing slide guitar, harmonica, violin and cello. In Austin, Craig Ross (producer of Spoon and Patty Griffin) and Lisa’s husband Jeff May offered stark, organic and hauntingly beautiful arrangements. Billy Masters - who toured with Suzanne Vega and Dar Williams ­ produced two tracks, using loops and atmospheric, multi-layered guitars.

It is a sign of Lisa’s growth as an artist and acceptance of diversity (a little clumsy I think) that she has surrounded herself with a number of esteemed musicians on this album. These include John Deley (Dido’s band), Tim Luntzel (Bright Eyes) and Dan Reiser (Norah Jones’ band, The Little Willies). The result is a rapturous and catchy collection of sublime love songs.

Source:

Florida Hot Boy Swordz Drops Official Mixtape For Exclusive Myspace Download

Duval County’s hottest rising hip-hop artist SWORDZ announces an exclusive MySpace download of his #1 selling Souljah Bwoy WRNR Mixtape hosted by Official Myspace DJ Bigga Rankin. For a limited time the mixtape which has sold over 6,000 copies to date will be available for a free download on SWORDZ MySpace site. The top selling mixtape includes SWORDZ signature tracks "Dope Bwoy" and "Too Florida" as well as the exclusive "Dope Bwoy" remix featuring Def Jam recording artist Rick Ross.

Also making guest appearances on the Souljah Bwoy WRNR Mixtape are Blood Raw, Shawn J of Field Mob, Louie Rankin, and Wayne Wonder and features production by D.V.US.

"I want as many people as possible to have this mixtape because it’s a perfect introduction to my music and the Souljah Bwoy movement that’s happening in the streets right now" said SWORDZ. "One listen and I know you’ll be hooked on the game we’re dropping for ya’ and then you’ll be ready to see the LIVE show!"

SWORDZ has been receiving increased exposure from hip-hop media lately appearing on the cover of Ozone Magazine, SOHH.com’s My Spot, and being named "Yo Raps! - NEXT 2 Blow!" However, heads really began to turn when SWORDZ became the first rap artist featured on www.Kingsofar.com homepage - a website almost exclusively focused on unsigned alternative artists. The feature became the #1 commented story on KOAR’s website ever!

Source:

Provided by the MusicDish Network. Copyright © MusicDish LLC 2006 - Republished with Permission

Share This

Music Resource Group has announced the first group of confirmed judges for the Sixth Annual Independent Music Awards (IMAs), an international program that helps Independent artists and releases achieve wider recognition among industry and fans.

The list comprised of renowned artists and industry decision makers includes Metal legend Ozzy Osbourne, guitar virtuosos Buddy Guy, Bill Frisell and Marc Ribot, country music star, Wynonna, pop icon and current Broadway sensation Cyndi Lauper, jazz great McCoy Tyner, pioneer  singer/songwriter Suzanne Vega, master DJs Paul Oakenfold and Norman Cook aka Fatboy Slim, the godfather of hip-hop, Afrika Bambaataa, soul great Howard Tate, country music great Patty Loveless, legendary bluegrass/newgrass mandolinist David Grisman, Brazilian Platinum recording artist Bebel Gilberto, reggae superstar Beenie Man, power pop sensation, Tim Pagnotta of Sugarcult and double bass pioneer Rob Wasserman will judge.

Joining these celebrated panelists will be industry vets such as ATO Records President Michael McDonald, Folk Alliance Executive Director Louis Meyers, Performing Songwriter Music Editor Abby White, Justice Through Music Director Brett Kimberlin, Merlefest Artistic Director Claire Armbruster, President of Music Management Forum U.S. Barry Bergman, A2IM President Don Rose and Billboard Magazine West Coast Bureau Chief Melinda Newman.

Adding to an already broad spectrum of categories spanning heavy metal to gospel, the sixth annual IMAs will feature a brand new category that is both unique and timely. “Sing Out For Social Action” was created explicitly to offer artists from every end of the political spectrum an opportunity to promote social change.

(more…)

Share This

INDIE NEWS BEAT

July 17, 2006 Edition

* CBGB To Close On September 30th

* European Court Annuls SONY/BMG Merger

* The MusicDish Network To Promote Mellani Day’s Sophomore Release "Mostly True"

* Salvation Army Comples First Term Of Free After-School Online Music Lessons

* IRMA Facing A Backlash Over Their New Charts In Ireland

* The Wave Celebrates It’s Second Anniversary

* Getting Ink & Working The ‘Net: Secrets, Tips & Tricks Of Publicity & PR

* Galaxy Girl Special Charity Event! New York City Fall 2006

CBGB To Close On September 30th

After over 30 years, the legendary rock club CBGB will be closing for good on September 30th, 2006.

CB’s, as it is universally and fondly known, opened its doors in 1973, making it NYC’s oldest continuously- operating rock venue. Owner Hilly Kristal originally intended the club to showcase country, bluegrass and blues (hence the acronym), but the lack of places for unsigned bands to perform in New York at the time made CB’s a magnet for the punk and art-rock scenes that were emerging downtown. Throughout the 70’s, such seminal artists as The Ramones, Talking Heads, Blondie, The Patti Smith Group, Television and Suicide performed at CB’s regularly, and the club served as an incubator for what would become the most influential music of the era.

When punk metamorphosed into hardcore in the 80’s, CB’s remained on the city’s cutting edge, offering a home for The Gorilla Biscuits, Agnostic Front, The Cro-Mags, Sick Of It All, H20, Murphy’s Law, Leeway and the other pillars of the NYHC movement.

As the New York nightlife industry grew bigger and more cutthroat in the 90’s, CB’s remained an endearingly stubborn throwback, sticking firm to the open-door booking policy that first welcomed its inaugural class of rebels - whoever you are, whatever you do, your band can play at CBGB. In a downtown scene increasingly governed by fashion and status, CB’s has zealously adhered to the formula that made it meaningful, by refusing to apply stylistic filters to its bookings, welcoming all comers to sink or swim on their own merits.

A much-publicized altercation with their landlord in mid-2005 led to an a star-studded benefit concert in Washington Square Park, and even Mayor Bloomberg vocally led his support to the little club that had developed, over the decades, into a globally-recognized cultural institution.

However, despite the universal outpouring of love, and numerous attempts to resolve the matter legally, Kristal has been unable to arrive at terms with the building’s owner, and a three-decade musical legacy will come to an end in just a few short months.

Source:

European Court Annuls SONY/BMG Merger

In a landmark ruling which will set important legal and political precedents, the European Union’s Court of First Instance has overturned the European Commission’s 2004 authorisation of the Sony/BMG music merger.

The Luxembourg Court pointed out that the Commission’s analysis of the Sony BMG case was left wanting in various fundamental respects. It contained a series of legal and economic errors which renders the decision null and void.

The Commission waved the merger through unconditionally in 2004, creating the world’s second largest music company and putting 80% of the worldwide music market into the hands of four media conglomerates. This was despite widespread industry objection and previous market assessments that further concentration could not be tolerated. The independents highlighted a catalogue of fundamental mistakes which left the Court in no doubt that it had to overturn the Commission’s approval. The Court also ordered the Commission to pay three quarters of IMPALA’s costs.

This is a victory for music and cultural diversity. It is the start of market recovery. The independents take the view that the judgement underlines the need for any assessment of mergers in creative sectors to take into account the economic, social and cultural specificities of markets. IMPALA also emphasises that a review of the merger process in terms of the rights of third party market operators is required. IMPALA had made the case to the Court that the merger clearance process is biased towards large corporations and lacks transparency. Third parties who oppose a merger have few rights compared to the notifying parties. They also have extremely limited access to the Commission’s file. This makes proper decision making is very difficult.

The parties will now have to consider their options. An appeal to the EU’s highest court, also in Luxembourg, would be difficult as it can only be made on grounds of law. The merger will go back to the Commission but the independents believe that the problems highlighted by the Court right across the music market are too fundamental to be repaired. Without competition clearance Sony/BMG would have to dismantle.

The Court’s ruling will also thwart any other attempts to merge such as between EMI and Warner. It now looks extremely unlikely that they would obtain the competition clearances necessary. IMPALA will continue to oppose any further concentration.

Source: