Live Music Blog

The reality of depression and suicide has inspired artists to take part in the PICK UP THE PHONE TOUR, a music tour committed to reducing the stigma associated with mental health as well as making the access to help and hope for all safe and without fear.

Houston-based art rockers Blue October will headline the inaugural PICK UP THE PHONE TOUR–where impassioned artists join together to raise awareness and funds for depression and suicide prevention–and Atlanta-based hip-hop artist and producer B.o.B will open on the trek.

The PICK UP THE PHONE TOUR marks the first-ever tour solely benefiting suicide prevention in history. The month-long trek will launch Thursday, October 22nd at the Music Farm in Charleston, SC and wrap up with a two-night stand at Stubbs in Austin, TX November 20 and 21. See the full PUTP tour itinerary below; tickets are on sale now. To purchase, visit: http://www.putp.org and http://www.blueoctoberfan.com/pickupthephone/.

The PICK UP THE PHONE TOUR will launch with a press conference on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC Wednesday, October 21 at 10:00 AM. Justin Furstenfeld, the lead singer of Blue October, will be on hand to speak and perform an acoustic set before members of Congress as well as supporters of the tour partners 1-800 SUICIDE, PostSecret and TWLOHA.

Justin–who has struggled with bi-polar disorder most of his life–will be calling on Congress to fund both creative writing and art therapy programs as alternative options for mental health. The press conference will also urge Congress to fully fund the Garrett Lee Smith Memorial Act which provides the funding behind the majority of the suicide prevention programs in the United States today. The press conference is open to all on a first-come first-served basis, to RSVP, email TWLOHA: PUTP@TWLOHA.com.

The PICK UP THE PHONE TOUR is created through a partnership between the non-profit organization To Write Love on Her Arms (TWLOHA), the largest charity on MySpace and Facebook: Postsecret.com; Synclive.com; and 1-800 SUICIDE The National Hopeline Network.

Through 1-800 SUICIDE–which provides a life-saving service that is private and confidential for people in need–callers are routed directly to the closest crisis center in their immediate area so that quick referrals to behavioral health services and other supports can be offered. Since 1998, 1-800-SUICIDE has received over 3.6 million calls and rescued more than 4,000 individuals who had already initiated suicide plans.

The spokesperson for the PICK UP THE PHONE TOUR 2009, Justin Furstenfeld personally understands the struggles those who are affected by mental health issues face on a daily basis. “It has taken 20 years to have the chance to do a tour focusing on mental health issues which have been a daily battle for me for most of my life,” explains Justin.

“It’s great to finally be a part of a positive, progressive-thinking tour for an important cause which will make a direct impact and help people in desperate situations that need it the most.” In a strange turn of events in his own life, Justin worked at a mental hospital one day and, after suffering a breakdown, became a patient in a hospital the next.

Justin–who has taken medication for the condition since he was a teenager–now teaches creative writing at a mental hospital to young adults affected by mental health issues, self-abuse issues and sexual abuse. Through personal experiences and music, Justin challenges young minds to channel their emotions and anger into creative writing and art versus taking their frustrations out on themselves or the world around them.

He performs his art around the world, sending a message of hope to thousands who know and trust his message because he fights the same battles they fight every day. Justin is living proof that if you reach out and allow yourself to be helped you can lead a beautiful life filled with love, family and career.

“In moments of bravery and confusion and honesty, people turn to 1-800-SUICIDE–over three million of them,” points out Jamie Tworkowski, founder of To Write Love on Her Arms (TWLOHA).

“The folks at the Hopeline Centers have been answering those calls for ten years, picking up the phone when it’s mattered most. Now to help those who will not pick up the phone, together with 1-800-SUICIDE we are launching the first 24×7 online emotional support network called AliveIM!, which will soon be available at www.suicide.net.”

To Write Love on Her Arms (TWLOHA)–a non-profit movement dedicated to presenting hope and finding help for people struggling with depression, addiction, self-injury and suicide–exists to encourage, inform and inspire and also to invest directly into treatment and recovery.

Since 2006, TWLOHA has responded to over 100,000 messages from people in over 40 different countries and have invested over half a million dollars directly into treatment and recovery, including $50,000 to help fund the AliveIM! support network.

In another innovative move, the tour has partnered with Synclive.com to air live performances from the artists via the Internet as well as provide an immediate online confidential connection for fans in need. Synclive.com will create an essential connection for concertgoers in crisis who are unable to approach a booth at the show in-person either for direct help or to volunteer for the online counseling program.

Formed in Houston in 1995, the rock five–piece Blue October have released five studio albums and sold over 2 million albums. The group released their fifth studio album Approaching Normal (Universal Motown), the follow-up to their 1.3 million-selling Foiled album; it spawned the hit “Hate Me,” which reached #2 on the Modern Rock Tracks chart, followed by “Into the Ocean,” a # 1 video on VH1 about a the metaphorical contemplation of suicide itself.

Approaching Normal debuted at # 13 on the Billboard Top 200 Albums chart in March 2009 and produced two top singles: “Dirt Room,” which rocketed to #6 on the Modern Rock Tracks chart marking the group’s third Top Ten singl, and “Say It.”

Blue October is Justin Furstenfeld (lead vocals, rhythm guitar), Jeremy Furstenfeld (drums, percussion), Ryan Delahoussaye (violin/viola, mandolin, piano, backing vocals), C.B. Hudson (lead guitar, backing vocals) and Matt Noveskey (bass guitar, backing vocals). Due to their hard-won and loyal fanbase, the group now tours all over the world. Check out www.blueoctober.com and www.myspace.com/blueoctober.

Hailing from Atlanta, B.o.B. also known as Bobby Ray is a hotly-tipped hip-hop artist and producer who will release his debut album The Adventures of Bobby Ray via T.I.’s label Grand Hustle (Atlantic Records) in 2009. B.o.B. appeared on the covers of XXL and Vibe magazines as was hailed as part of “Hip-Hop’s class of ‘09” (XXL, 12/08). B.o.B describes his music as a fusion of influences ranging from 80’s, techno, rock, funk and du-wop. Check out www.bobatl.com and www.myspace.com/bobatl.

Recently, acclaimed actor James Earl Jones recorded a Public Service announcement for the PICK UP THE PHONE TOUR; click here to view: http://www.preventsuicide.us/hopeline-new/index.html.

Following are the confirmed dates for the PICK UP THE PHONE TOUR 2009:

DATE CITY VENUE

10/21 Washington, DC Capitol Hill – PUTP Press Conference

10/22 Charleston, SC Music Farm (no B.o.B.)

10/23 Charlotte, NC Fillmore

10/24 Hilton Head, SC Shoreline Ballroom

10/25 Atlanta, GA 99X (Blue October radio show)

10/27 Jacksonville, FL Freebird Live

10/28 Ft. Lauderdale, FL Revolution

10/30 Orlando, FL House of Blues

10/31 Tampa, FL The Ritz (Ybor City)

11/01 Columbia, SC Headliners

11/02 WASHINGTON, DC 9:30 Club

11/05 Rochester, NY Water Street

11/06 Boston , MA Reason to Live Tenth Anniversary Concert

11/07 Napa, CA Hot AC (Blue October radio show)

11/10 Columbus, OH LC Pavilion

11/12 Chicago, IL House of Blues

11/13 Detroit, MI Royal Oak

11/14 Kalamazoo, MI State Theater

11/15 Cleveland, OH House of Blues

11/17 COLUMBIA, MO Blue Note

11/18 Tulsa, OK Cain’s

11/20 Austin, TX Stubb’s

11/21 Austin, TX Stubb’s

Partners for the first-ever PICK UP THE PHONE TOUR 2009 include:

1-800-SUICIDE – National Hopeline Network

About the National Hopeline Network 1-800 SUICIDE (784-2433) and the Kristin Brooks Hope Center (KBHC):
After losing his wife, Kristin Brooks to suicide in 1998, Reese Butler founded the Kristin Brooks Hope Center (KBHC), which created the National Hopeline Network 1-800 SUICIDE.

In 2000, Reese gained the support of the late Senator Paul Wellstone (D-MN), Senator Edward Kennedy (D-MA) and Senator Harry Reid (D-NV) and obtained more than seven million dollars to expand and support the National Hopeline Network which is comprised of 200 community crisis centers in 48 states.

Callers in crisis to 1800-SUICIDE are routed to the closest crisis center in their immediate area so that quick referrals to behavioral health services and other supports can be offered. Since 1998, 1-800-SUICIDE has received more than 3 million calls and rescued more than 4,000 individuals who had already initiated suicide plans. www.hopeline.com

About To Write Love On Her Arms (TWLOHA):

In 2006, Jamie Tworkowski wrote a story, a glimpse into a friend’s life and her first steps to recovery from drug addiction, self-injury, and depression. The story, titled To Write Love On Her Arms (TWLOHA), and t-shirts Tworkowski printed to help pay for his friend’s recovery, started a movement, not only within his local Orlando, FL community, but one that was swiftly embraced by people everywhere.

Realizing a strong need to bring these mental health issues to light, Jamie created TWLOHA–a non-profit movement dedicated to presenting hope and finding help for people struggling with depression, addiction, self-injury and suicide–and enlisted bands such as Paramore, Thrice, Anberlin, Switchfoot, Bayside, The Almost to spread TWLOHA’s message.

Jamie and TWLOHA joined national and international touring bands spreading their message of hope before bands took the stage each night. In August 2007, MySpace awarded TWLOHA the winner of their “Impact Award” for “Community Building,” TWLOHA garnered the most votes in the history of the Impact Awards.

To Write Love on Her Arms began with one broken girl, one painful night; addiction, depression, self-injury. It is the realization of what life can be when people commit to meeting a need. “A friend of mine told me there is no such thing as suicide prevention. This is an attempt to prove him wrong, to say that love can change a life. We can hold back the darkness. Rescue is possible,” says Tworkowski. www.twloha.com

About Synclive.Com:

Synclive.com is a highly interactive music and entertainment Internet community that allows users to broadcast their live performances, as they happen, over the Internet to a worldwide audience. Synclive.com is currently reaching 127 countries with over 1 million video views a month. Shows can be broadcast from anywhere, at anytime. Synclive.com offers artists a tremendous promotional platform for worldwide exposure.

It is a great way to promote new music, a new tour, new merchandise, and stay intimately connected with your fans. Shows are streamed live, recorded and stored at the artist’s discretion for future on demand viewing. Our most used tool is the embedded player which allows an artist’s live and on demand shows to be placed on all of their websites so fans can watch the show in the artist’s environment. Synclive.com is free for artists, fans, and venues to use and is open to all genres of music and live entertainment. www.synclive.com

About PostSecret.com:

Called “the most trusted stranger in America,” Frank Warren is the sole founder and curator of the PostSecret Project: A collection of nearly 500,000 highly personal and artfully decorated postcards mailed anonymously from around the world, displaying the soulful secrets we never voice.

The PostSecret.com site now receives more than 1,000,000 visitors every week. In 2005, the All-American Rejects approached Warren about using images of actual PostSecret images in their “Dirty Little Secret” music video. They offered Warren $1,000, but Warren instead asked them to donate $2,000 to 1800-SUICIDE where Warren is a volunteer.

The donation was made and the music video became one of the most requested on MTV. The National Mental Health Association presented Warren with an award for his work in raising public awareness of Suicide. The PostSecret project has now raised over $210,000 for 1800-SUICIDE. PostSecret was awarded the December 2008 “Myspace Impact Award” and donated 100% of the proceeds to 1-800 SUICIDE. Look for the new PostScret book titled Confessions on Life, Death and God due out October 6. www.postsecret.com

For more information about the PUTP tour, visit:

• www.putp.org
• www.hopeline.com
• ww.twloha.com
• www.synclive.com
• www.postsecret.com

While you could hear many negative comments towards the music industry over illegal On-line music distribution, they do have cause for concern. Since the coming of Napster and other file sharing communities, the record industry has lost hundreds of millions of dollars in sales. Some of blame can be placed on their conservative approach to promoting musicians, opting for the “American Idol” instead of the avant-garde musicians who could excite the next generation like the Beatles or Van Halen in decades past. They likewise failed to use the Internet to give out music before the rampant distribution began. But one thing is undeniable, the CD is on the way out.

Over the final a few years the Compact Disc has experienced negative growth in the market. In fact the Vinyl LP has actually remained selling while the compact disc is lowing steam. A couple reasons for this are Web distribution, and the fact that many consumers now use the compact disc as a medium to rip music from to their iPod or similar portable music device.

While I lament the fact that nobody sits down and listens to an album anymore, instead using music as a soundtrack to their own lives, there are still ways to give out your next album. You’ve to use a little creativity and think outside the box, but you can make it work

USB Flash Drive

Do not think you would be the 1st to do this. You would simply be in the company of established performers such as Matchbox Twenty who final year released a full length album on a USB bracelet. The great thing about the USB drive is you can include extra features readily such as videos, liner notes, or even alternative file categories such as lossless FLAC or multi-channel audio. The price of USB drives has dropped to dollars each, so it’s not too much more than compact disc replication. Plus, the USB drive can be used for other things (such as storing individual files for work or school) after your fan has moved it to their iPod.

There are a few services provide ing USB drives in bulk loaded with your content and even printed with your name or logo. Call around for the perfect price.

Concept Albums

Web distribution has increasingly made the single popular again. Now that you may chose which songs you want and which songs are junk, many individuals will download their like red songs and leave the rest alone. I’m going to assume you put all of your endeavor into every song already to not produce filler, but what some artists are trying is the concept album.

Concept albums center around an idea or theme. Thrice recently released the 1st part of a two-part idea collection. Each box includes two EPs, so the set will have four discs, one for each element: fire, water, earth, and air. Similarly, Sufjan Stephens has produced several popular idea albums. Don’t forget, even artists prefer Led Zeppelin and Pink Floyd did idea albums.

These are fun albums to produce, but they’re likewise fun to collect. They are not something you want for one song.

Creative Packaging

This can be the the majority costly tip, but it’s also many fun. businesses such as Invisible Creature specialize in creating one-of-a-kind packaging for albums. Many people prefer creative packaging, and love to collect it. Think about what Apple did with their iPod packaging, it’s an adventure just opportunity up the box. Project 86’s latest album, Rival Factions, used a blue jewel case to hides and revels divergent elements in the liner notes, much prefer what you used to find in cereal boxes.

With the right packaging, listeners will need to own your album, not just download several tunes.

Digital Distribution

We all want to sell complete albums, but we cannot afford to ignore digital delivery. Services such as TuneCore may get your album sold through iTunes, Rhapsody, Amazon, eMusic and more while you get 100 percent of the sales. This is the future of music sales. Radiohead most famously provide d their album for sale on their web site independently. Some individuals aren’t collectors and do not really care about a single experience, they just want several songs. Indulge them.

High-quality Multi-channel Audio

Not everybody has access to high-quality recording equipment, but those that do should consider releasing their albums on master-quality for those who really love their music. Blu-ray Disc is the newest audio disc format which allows uncompressed audio in up to 7.1 multi-channel surround sound. More and more homes are including surround sound systems and Blu-ray is exploding on the market, thanks to the Playstation 3. Even two-channel audio sounds better in high-quality.

Additional features may be added to Blu-ray releases, such as live footage, documentaries and whatever else you may fit on the 50GB space provide d. performers who have released on Blu-ray include Nine Inch Nails, Dave Matthews, John Legend, and Shakira, amongst a lot of others.

But don’t think you are stuck to Blu-ray. Record businesses such as Linn Records are providing master quality downloads on their website. On-line music stores prefer MusicGiants are additionally providing lossless audio downloads and multi-channel audio downloads.

Get Started

This is only the beginning. Get creative and try new things. Music and art are going to have coalesce to keep it in the physical realm, so think prefer an performer and a businessman. This is your time to shine.

With the escalating progression of music technology in the final decade, mainland CD stores are continuing to decline in popularity, as the trendy demand for digital music downloads continues to crush them further into the archives of history. Claiming more than half of the globes music buying listeners, Digital Music Distribution is the predominant method of music marketing the world offers us today.

More and more artists are appearing on the scene with highly polished albums, mostly produced entirely under their own steam. They have become resource ful singular empires, holding sole rights and authenticity as unconstrained producers and marketing agents of their own products. These artists are ready to take the world by storm by hooking themselves up with one of the a lot of distribution companies currently available.

But as an independent musician, what are you really signing up to in a distribution deal?

many digital distributors offer musicians the opening to have their music available on many of the popular and esteemed music selling outfits; Apple iTunes being one of the most popular playgrounds for current music consumers. But whilst they might promise to get your music on the right path, how is it going to be found amongst the billion other musicians competing for sales? Consider that most primary stream musicians have many more dollars poured into their advertising and marketing person a’s than the unsigned musician might ever afford. Major acts are funded by major pockets ensuring the optimum opening of sales.

One answer to this is that many unsigned artists feel that by simply having their music made available alongside mainstream artists is a promote to their credibility, affording them and their music a much higher distinction. It’s certain that a good deal could grant your music a triumphant victory if you manage to populate vintage music selling website s. Your only subsequent aim is to actually make sales on them. Otherwise what is the purpose following all?

Deals, terms and conditions change from business to business, so it is value looking around and researching which type of distribution method is right for you. There are many worthy deals, and might just as many scams, circulating the information highway.

If you are thinking of accepting a distribution deal, before signing the dotted line it is necessary to ask questions such as:

• Does the deal include any publicity or promotional advantages to the artist?

• Are there any payments I must make, statutory, collective or otherwise?

• What percentage of royalties will I receive, and how are payments handled?

• might I be offer d with an estimation of how profitable your distributive methods are?

• What are my rights in terminating the contract?

• Am I solely responsible for tax declarations on my net income?

Other things you must check before signing are the ‘exclusivity’ terms. These can greatly inhibit your freedom. Does a deal involve licensing your music digitally (via prefer red Online formats) or does the deal additionally include physical sales? Some are highly exclusive in nature whilst others give you rights to proceed with marketing your music via other channels.

Bear in mind that many reputable and authorised distributors, such as compact disc Baby for one, won’t allow an musician to exploit other distribution channels, as the two parties run the risk of putting your music on the exact same web site s. A hassle major retailers and distributors may do in the absence of, and an understandable clause too.

You must read the terms of an agreement in full. It’s absolutely essential that you fully understand what’s expected from you as well as what’s being provide ed!

Here is a cautionary example:

A music distribution web site currently provides a deal for both digital and physical music sales, (the terms of agreement are publicly available for download on the web site ).

The website appears to charge $99.99 as a one off payment. Upon checking their terms of agreement however, it states:

“After one year of promotion, all of us may archive, remove and/or su invest your Works from the Service in the absence of terminating this Agreement.”

What then Assuming that the agreement is still in place but your work is no longer made available on their web site?

“You may pay an annual fee, which is to be determined, to insure that your Materials are not archived, but displayed and offer ed for sale after the first year of Service.”

So if you refuse to pay this annual fee, the web site still holds all rights to license and sell your music as expressed in the agreement you already signed!

This is not necessarily wrong but is it what you want? Always check the small print and read any agreement thoroughly. As a general rule be wary of web sites that ask you to pay for distributing your music. On the basis that a web site’s marketing strategies were fruitful, and they believed that your music is good enough to reap a profit, why would they be asking you to pay them in advance? Suffice to say that not all web sites that request payment from an performer deliver an unsatisfactory service. Speak to other performers whose music is being distributed and see how the deal is working for them. If something doesn’t sound quite right in any deal, double check with the distributor. If you still receive an insufficient response, you might always seek a legal opinion. But if you are really in doubt, perhaps you are better off in the absence of !

If you are marketing your music through a label they should be sufficiently taking care of your interests. A reputable label with ensure that all terms in a distribution performance ting are obvious and fair to all get togethers involved. Being part of an honest label is often a wonderful way to relieve yourself from some of the finer pressures attached to direct schemes. They will of course additionally expect a cut of the profits but will often have a wonderful degree of interest in maintaining their personal performers’ affairs in an appropriate manner. If the musician is happy the label thrives upon its wonderful reputation, and its integrity towards its performers.

Despite the odds, sales margins have improved for thousands of unsigned artists, simply because of the greater variety of marketing mediums available. You could not only market your music yourself, but allow others to do it for you. The more places your music is available the higher your opening s are of achieving sales. But as with any enterprise, money and prof it is the primary goal, and and so you should proceed with caution before handing your individual work over to anyone.

There are a lot of reputable distributors, who promise to do the job and actually deliver what they stated. But, as with everything in life, there are those that you would rather not be involved with. So research as a lot of as possible, and ask as a lot of questions as you see fit. After all, a year is a long time to get stuck in a deal you later realised does not quite work for you! Not only would a bad deal cause you much frustration in its limitations, but could also undermine your confidence in participating in future marketing opportunities.

If you have been to a performance ever, you know that the memories will be with you for a long time to come; the atmosphere, side shows, beautiful people from all walks of life and cultural backgrounds. Not to mention the kaleidoscope of colors and, of course, the quicken pulse that you experience when you’re at a live performance. It’s al the majority surreal at times. You lose track of time, and indeed, for the majority of us, all inhibitions take leave of us.
Aside from the amazing feeling that one gets at a music performance, one additionally gets to temporarily su spend all worries and concerns that he or she can dealing with. It’s al the majority akin to taking a hall ucinogenic drug to escape them. in the absence of the side effects associated with. The rewards are similar.  we  all know how the shaky state of the economy is, and how it impacts our livelihood. Yes, your hard earned dollars can only go so far these days. Certainly not as far as it used to. I guess going to a performance will be one way of escaping this feeling of doom and gloom.
It’s why many the world renowned artists are having their gigs sold out! Yes. people somehow manage to spare $30 to $50 for a performance in spite of the financial hardships. Such is the magical power of live music. In all actuality, this has a twofold Benefit: It guides our artists (gone are the days of artists making money by having a hit going platinum) since the Internet began to enable people to download music, and  we  get entertainment which is therapeutic.
In case you think I’ve forgotten, many relationships, romantic and non-romantic have come about following a meeting at a performance. That indeed is the magical power of performance s. people get groovy and before you know it they get bold enough to approach strangers. Then one thing leads to another. That is how it goes. For those lucky souls to score, the end of a performance doesn’t bring about the sadness which comes with it. You know the reason is they are in cloud nine. All ecstatic and smitten! Is that not a amazing thing, or what?
Now there are dos and don’ts of performance going. The dos are:
• Make sure you get your performance ticket or tickets well in nice time
• Make sure you get your performance ticket or tickets from a legitimate seller
• Take advantage of the convenience of buying from a reputable Web ticket dealer
• Last but not least dress comfortably and grab some blanket and portable chairs
The don’ts are:
• Don’t wait until the decidedly last day or so to get your performance ticket, or you’ll risk getting scalped L
• Don’t be conned into buying your performance ticket from a shady source
• Ladies ought to avoid wearing high heeled shoes, like ably.

Here are some really simple ways to increase your traffic serious ly.  Don’t forget, if you don’t market yourself, you’re really doing a disservice to yourself. You’re prefer an performer performing in the middle of a desolate desert! Someone can find you by accident, but what you need to do is build roads to yourself.
1. Youtube.com – Posting samples of your music on Youtube.com can bring many traffic to you. Pick an appropriate title for your video, and make sure you use lots of keywords so that people can find you. The people who find your videos will already be a part of your target audiences, because they searched the words that brought up your video, or were watching similar videos. Always leave your page URL so that they can visit and listen to the rest of your music.
2. Post on Relevant Web Communities – You can get heard decidedly simply by posting on music Web communities, or forums. many forums have sections dedicated to performer submissions and reviews. The reviews are usually blatantly honest as well, which is a plus because you can learn how to make your music better. Web communities are additionally a amazing way to build relationships with your clients and with other artist s.
3. Free Giveaways – people are magnetized to free provide ings. It can just be human nature – but use to your advantage! For instance if you make hip hop or rap beats, and you opportunity ally give some out for free, people will come to your page and seize the opportunity. They can prefer your music and buy a track, or can just tell their friends to go check you out. You can additionally have a contest, for free apparel or show tickets for example. The possibilities are unlimited.
4. Collaborate – Work with local artists or collaborate with someone Web ! Make sure they are nice, and that they will showcase your work well. You can additionally extend this idea and play shows with similar performers or artists live (when you do perform, hand out something that has your web site on so they can find you following wards). Many serious artists are decidedly happy to collaborate because of the mutual exposure.
5. Send Friend Requests to the Right people – Many applicable to MySpace.com – people get lazy, buy a friend blaster, and send requests to everyone!
Blind friend blasting is problematic because you can never find your target audiences. You can additionally have thousands of bots added, which will spam all over your page! make sure you add wisely and add the right people. When you find your audiences, they will find you. Another reason to make sure you’re adding humans because humans are able to  promote  you by word of mouth!
I hope this article helps you  promote  your music pages!

Have you ever pondered music? I don’t mean thinking about the notes or the beat or the even the instrumentation. I mean have you pondered it?
To ponder: to weigh carefully in the mind; contemplate thoughtfully: He pondered his next words thoroughly.
Think about what music is. It’s intangible. It’s really indefinable. It has no shape, yet it shapes thoughts. It has no function of its own, yet somehow helps us function
Music has the power to stir emotions…
…And of its own accord can’t fulfill any of them. It is not necessary to perform our daily duties, but how many places of business do you find with no music. I certainly don’t remember many. Music can’t comb your hair, brush your teeth, or tie your shoes, but it can ease you through those mundane tasks and make you forget about the time.
You don’t need words to enjoy music. You don’t need status. You don’t even need people around. It is not poured from a bottle, shaken from a cannister, or even dolloped from a 5 gallon bucket. Still; it may be as refreshing as champagne, spicy as cayenne, and rich and decadent as gold ring homemade vanilla ice cream. (you Texans will really know what I mean by that last reference)
Music appeals to fewer than our five senses, but it additionally appeals to more than our senses. When you study musical structure, it makes perfect logical sense. But when you try to explain why it “moved” you, decidedly usually you can’t quite convey it satisfactorily.
It has been n’t because it smelled, tasted, felt, sounded, or looked so nice. It has been what it did to your cerebral cortex. Or can be it hit you in the “gut”, but it didn’t actually hit you, and it has been n’t actually your “gut”. See what I mean? You can’t put your finger on it. In fact you can’t touch it at all. You just know. You know?
Why in the world am I going on and on about music? Thanks for asking.
Music is a form of creative copy, too. It’s an al the majority perfect way to ingrain an idea into the minds of your target market. Because in the absence of exception there has always been this common chord. ( prefer my musical metaphor?) people love music! No surprise… It’s extremely versatile, dependable, believable, and yet inexplicable.
I’m additionally a songwriter. I take the same octave countless other artists use and establish my little piece of semi-immortality to satisfy…what? Me? An audiences? A paycheck? All of the above? None of the above? The answer is yes to all the questions. I’ve written tunes for each of those purposes. And each one has been satisfying in its own way because each one involved the intangible little friend of mine. Music. I’m not sure why I’m so moved by this unseen companion, but I do know this:
Music is a gift from God. It, and your thoughts, can never be stolen from you, forced out of you, or driven away from you…as long as you want it; you have got it. How incredible is such a gift. Yeah,  we  can live in the absence of music, but
It would not be nearly as joyous an existence.
To your musical satisfaction…

Thanks to the Internet, it is easier than ever for new performers and artists to be located and to sell their music directly to audiences. How do you get started and what’s the perfect way to  promote  your band? Here are some tips:
One of the first places you’ll want to vis it is MySpace. By now, everyone has heard of it and millions and millions of people have their own accounts. But I bet you didn’t know that MySpace.com provides a special kind of account just for promoting a band or artist? It’s called MySpace.com Music and it is completely free to sign up. With this kind of account, you can add up to 4 full songs to your account for people to listen to while they are reading your MySpace.com page. This alone makes a MySpace.com Music page worthwhile to  set up, since getting people to listen to and discover your music is the central goal of the majority new artist s. Include a link to buy your CD  from your own web site, iTunes or other music store and you have got a amazing way to increase sales.
If someone prefers the music on your profile, they can add your band as a friend, which means they can get email notices when you add a blog or send out a bulletin. Blogging on MySpace.com is one of the perfect ways to communicate with your audiences (friends), when your band has a tour coming up, an appearance, is working on new music or has any news of any kind, you’ll want to post it to your blog and keep your audiences up to date. The more your communicate with audiences, the more they will feel prefer a part of your community.
In addition, you can take advantage of a multitude of other options, including listing your influences, adding a picture gallery, adding full videos, adding banners and many other options.
Just be sure to log in usually to approve new friends and to communicate with other members. There are additionally many MySpace.com Groups you can join where a message board is  set up for members to communicate. Joining an emerging performer type group would help you to network with other new artists and even to  promote  each other, discuss new ways to get new audiences, find someone to tour with or even to collaborate with.
Another essential step to promoting your music Web is to have your own web site. While MySpace.com is excellent, it is perfect to have as many a Clubs of promotion as possible. It may be simple, with just a bit about your band and links to buy your album or it may be a major presence loaded with content. The more content you add and the more usually you update your web site and your MySpace.com profile, the better, as people will keep coming back to see your fresh content and news. Some elements to contemplate adding to your band’s web site include biographies of the members, history of the band, news section, tour dates and appearance schedule, photos, music videos, sample songs to download, wallpapers, icons, ringtones, links to buy your album or merchandise, discography and anything else you want to let people know about. You’ll additionally want to link your web site to your MySpace.com and vice versa.

Promoting your music Web has never been as simple as it is now. In 2008. And for audiences and performers a prefer, this is incredibly inspiring.
Why is music promotion easier now for the average artist, band and songwriter? Why has been it hard before?
There are two key reasons why music promotion has been hard before.
first ly, music production and distribution has been largely the domain of five big record businesses.
Between them they controlled a catalogue of some 3.5 millions songs (2004). This catalogue of songs took over seven decades to compile. And they were only increasing their catalogue by a negligible 36,000 or so albums annually.
Secondly, their power has been based on controlling an offline based, bricks and mortar music business where audiences purchased expensive CD ’s from record shops.
How simple do you think it has been to get your songs noticed, produced blockbuster-marketed in those times?
Why is it easier now?
Mark Vidler, of Go Home Productions in the UK, summarizes the rewards of the new music environment.
“You don’t need a distributor, because your distribution is the Internet. You don’t need a record label, because it is your bedroom, and you don’t need a recording studio, because that’s your PC. You do it all yourself.
In just 37 words, a artist has just told you what things have change d.
Internet marketing pioneer, Mark Joyner, observes on his simple ology blog that “You don’t need a label. You don’t need an agent. You don’t even need a very big budget. Some people do this on a zero-dollar ad budget.
In just 27 words, a marketing maven has given you three success secrets for promoting your music Web.
Let’s put the experts aside for a second and bring it back to you, the songwriter, the artist, looking to make music to share with audiences.
In the beginning when you’re holding down a day job, scores and 100’s of audiences will make you feel famous.
When you have played to 100’s then you’ll want to play to thousands of audiences. When thousands have viewed your videos or downloaded your music, then it will feel normal to shoot for millions of video views, downloads and sales.
And you know what? In the Internet age, going for millions of audiences is just that: normal.
Let’s look at just one specific Internet development that underlines the new normal.
MySpace.com started in February 1999. In February 2008, MySpace.com has artist profiles numbering 13.4 millions. Musicians typically register for three profiles so 13.4 million profiles actually represents around 4.45 millions artists and bands.
That is quite a few.
Each profile provides their visitor an average three songs to listen to. Which means that on MySpace.com alone, there are about 13.4 million songs posted.
That is 13.4 million songs.
Did you notice what just happened? In nine years (less than one decade) MySpace.com has compiled more songs faster than the record businesses.
Virtually four times more songs seven times faster!
What a record company nightmare. Worse, this is only one Website that’s buried them. What about all the other music web site s?
iTunes for example, are up to a million paid music downloads. Daily.
Has the game change d or has the game change d?
Has promoting your music Web just got easier or has it just got easier?

Music is the art of arranging sounds in periodic time so as to establish a continuous, unified, and evocative composition, as through melody, harmony, rhythm, and timbre.

It’s additionally the vocal or instrumental sounds possessing a degree of melody, harmony, or rhythm. Music can additionally be when an aesthetically pleasing or harmonious sound or combination of sounds are produced example the music of the water falling from a tap in a vessel.

Many of the time music is kept in memory and show only. If handed down orally, this music may be thought to be “traditional” or not thought to be composed by individuals. Different musical traditions have divergent attitudes towards how and where to make changes to the original source. If the music is written down, it is generally in some manner which attempts to gain both what ought to be heard by audiences, and what the artist ought to do to perform the music.

In the majority of the parts of the world music is a part of everyday life. Chanting and singing during religious rites and festivals are decidedly common. Music as a performing art is decidedly usual among Indians. It has been additionally among the seventeenth-century New England settlers who used music during their religious observances by chanting psalms in the meeting house as an necessary communal activity.

By the end of the century psalm singing had become dissonant since worshipers can no longer read the musical patterns in the religious book. The right rendering of tunes has been of lesser importance than religious passion so many ministers and musical refreshers, observed the teaching of musical notation to restore order in the community. Regular singing soon gave rise to the development of singing schools and the creation of music for secular entertainment.

The revolutionary war saw a flowering of musical creativity. Supporters of the American cause quite usually change d the words of British songs, such as “Yankee Doodle,” to taunt their adversaries. The immediate post revolutionary cultural climate has been one of optimism that Americans can establish their own culture free of English influence.

In the 1850s, the call for an independent American music has been heard again, this time from a composer whose New York lectures in the early fifties inspired an interest in the development of an American musical language. But the drive for cultural independence fell short.

With the wars came the marches and sentimental songs that spoke of home, wives, mothers and children became popular. Composers and entrepreneurs printed many of these. In the second half of the century, many successful American composers had studied in Europe and adopted the romantic style despite the ongoing arguments for an American music. many men who earned their livelihoods as professors achieved respectability with works that bore considerable resemblance to similar pieces being composed in Europe at the time.

In the end of the century, major orchestras came up in New York. Smaller communities observed gigs by local bands, which reflected the popular taste for dances, marches, and synchronizing excerpts. The troupes moving throughout the country, performed combined comedic episodes, scenes from Shakespeare’s plays, dancing, and minstrel songs performed in black face.

Try Some New Music!-Stuck in a music rut?

It happens. After listening to your favorite song 1,379,614 times, you will, eventually, get sick of it.

So you find a new favorite song, all too aware that you’ll soon grow as tired of it as your previous pick.

This is even more likely to happen when you only listen to one type of music, a habit I’ve never subscribed to and have a very hard time wrapping my mind around (my mind’s not big enough to stretch that far). With all of the wonderful types of music available, why limit yourself to one or two genres?

Do yourself a favor and start branching out. Sure, you love country music, but is it really going to kill you to listen to some R&B? Or maybe you’re all about hip-hop – who’s to say you won’t find a rock song you like just as well? I’m always so impressed when I hear someone list their favorite songs – and the songs actually cover several genres. Or decades! (Yes, oldies are goodies.)

Next time you hear your fave song come on the radio (you know, the one you’ve heard over a million times), consider actually turning away from it. Head over to the station you listen to the LEAST – your new favorite song might be waiting for you.