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Table of Contents 1. Introduction 2. Sites Where You Can Get Your Music Reviewed 3. Radio Shows that will Play Your Music 4. Online Services that will Help to Sell Your Music 5. Sites Where You Can Upload Your Band's MP3s or Videos 6. Helpful Music Resources 7. "S-U-R-V-I-V-A-L is all you need to know" by author Jeffrey P. Fisher 8. "Four Ways to Attract More Music Fans Faster - PART I" by author Bob Baker ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Weedfiles.com --- New Digital Music Label Seeks Hot Indie Artists! Weedfiles.com uses a revolutionary new digital music file sharing technology to empower independent artists to earn money with their music on the web. We're currently seeking to sign hundreds of Indie Artists to the label. Click over to the site and check out the details. What are you waiting for? The revolution has already begun... http://www.weedfiles.com/ib ----------------------------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------------------------------------------------ IndiePerformer.com - The Innovative Indie Webzine -- promotes and supports the independent artist community with a dedicated platform to enable artists to be recognized and to be heard in a venue for worldwide exposure. We feature enormously talented independent artists, songwriters and producers who are underexposed, or on private, hard to find record labels. Additionally, IndiePerformer.com offers many creative, promotional, and strategic marketing ideas/opportunities. We invite artists of ALL musical styles and genres to submit their projects for showcase consideration on IndiePerformer.com For submissions, inquiries, and additional information please visit: http://www.IndiePerformer.com ------------------------------------------------------------------------ ------------------------------------------------------------------------ THIS MONTH'S PRIZE WINNERS This month's winner of the Sennheiser E835 microphone (visit http://www.sennheiserusa.com ) - Leigh Crizoe, New York, NY This month's winner of a pair of Sennheiser HD280Pro headphones (visit http://www.sennheiserusa.com ) - Abbey Road, Toronto, ON This month's winners of the A&R Directory (for more information visit http://www.musicregistry.com ) are: - Rhonda Kist, Santa Barbara, CA - Antwane Smith, Capitol Heights, MD - Roger Ritchie Jr., Fairdale, WV This month's winners of the Publisher's Directory (for more information visit http://www.musicregistry.com ) are: - Sarah White-Crane, Fort Collins, CO - Carmen Cholette, North York, ON - Sabry Elkoshairy, Soerendonk, The Netherlands The winner of the Musician's ToolKit CD (for more information visit https://www.bookingagentsdirectory.com ) is: - Justin Roberts, Locust Grove, OK - Aylyffe Hines, Plano, TX The winner of "100 Miles to a Record Deal" by Bronson Herrmuth (for more information on this book, visit http://www.songrepair.com ) - Gary Latendresse, Gatineau, QC The winners of The Indie Band Manager (for more information on this program, visit http://www.indiebandmanager.com) are: - Mike Flinn, El Cerrito, CA - Kirk Bryson, Chapel Hill, NC The winner of "How To Successfully Promote Your Music on the Internet" e-book by David Nevue (for more information on this book, visit http://www.promoteyourmusic.com ) is: - Hunter Robertson, Crete, Greece The winner of the Sumadek (for more information visit http://www.sumadek.com/indiebible.html ) is: - Jim Loftus, Green Lane, PA The winner of a press release distributed by musicSUBMIT (for more information visit http://www.musicsubmit.com ) is: - Bre Loughlin, Seattle, WA The winner of "The Guerrilla Music Marketing Handbook" e-book by Bob Baker (for more info visit http://www.thebuzzfactor.com) is: - Andrew Prall, Hamilton, OH The winner of the Galaris Musician's Directory (for more information visit http://www.galaris.com/GMD.html?icb ) is: - Daniel Hagman, Umeå, Sweden The winner of a 3-month subscription to the Bandit Newsletter (for more information visit http://www.banditnewsletter.com ) is: - Juan Cabrer, San Juan, Puerto Rico The winner of the CD Trophy Clock (for more information visit http://www.cdstands.com/index.shtml?icn ) is: - Andile, Bloemfontein, South Africa The winner of a free entry into The Rock Solid Pressure Radio Show competition (for more info visit http://RockSolidPressure.com ) is: - Tom Thumb Records, Surry Hills, Australia This month's winners of a one year subscriptions to Electronic Musician Magazine (visit http://www.emusician.com) are: - Chris Gorcik, Chicago, IL - Emerald Munroe, N.Hollywood, CA - Angelia Bell, Port St. Lucie, FL - Rob Snyder, Middleburg Heights, OH ------------------------------------------------------------------------ HAS YOUR MUSIC BEEN FEATURED IN NEW YORK TIMES? Beat Wire will deliver your press release directly to the desk tops of over 5000 music editors at daily newspapers, magazines, news agencies, top Web sites, radio stations--every place you need to be promoted. Whether it's a new CD, upcoming tour, charity concert, or any other music-associated event you want to announce, there is hardly anything more potentially rewarding than a positive response to a well-written press release. Our clients have had their music featured in major media outlets like New York Times, CNN, Entertainment Weekly and USA Today to name just a few. In addition to press release distribution, Beat Wire can also write a press release for you. For more information, please got to http://www.beatwire.com ------------------------------------------------------------------------ ------------------------------------------------------------------------ THE ROCK HOUSE METHOD - Creating Musicians One Lesson at a Time! Rock House instruction products teach how to play today's music using easy-to-understand methods. Every DVD comes with a FREE lesson book and membership to Rock House's lesson support site at http://www.rockhousemethod.com This exclusive feature offers supplementary support for the lessons on the DVD. On the support site, students interact with the community, utilize the additional learning tools and access special features such as "ask the teacher"; "take quizzes"; download "backing tracks"; get "tab music" and much more to make learning fun and complete. http://www.rockhousemethod.com ------------------------------------------------------------------------ 2. INTRODUCTION Welcome to the February Indie Contact Newsletter. Our first article this month is by author Jeffrey P. Fisher. Jeffrey has a vast stable of great books and articles he's written on music and promotion, including "Moneymaking Music". Jeffrey's article this month covers eight key points when it comes to creating a solid foundation on which to build your career upon. Our second article is by another very popular author in the music business. Guerrilla Marketing expert Bob Baker presents an insightful article that looks at four ways that can you to attract more fans to your music. I would like to mention that my distributor has asked me to change the style of the next cover of the Indie Bible. What I will need for the cover is a picture of a band performing live. Please keep in mind that the band MUST be performing. They must be in an ANIMATED, HIGH ENERGY posture. It's a plus if there are both male and female members (but not absolutely necessary). Note that it can NOT be a still shot, a close up, a head shot or a publicity shot (a non- performance shot). The photograph has to represent something that an Independent artist picking up the book can identify with (so it can't be anything too extreme). Please send sample photos (50k or less) to Jane Denny at: jdenny@nyc.rr.com Thanks!! We have another new sponsor this month! ROCK SOLID PRESSURE (the hit internet gameshow for the Indie Community) has been kind enough to offer a free entry into their competition each month. You can listen to the show Wednesday nights at 8:00pm EST time exclusively on Cyberstation USA http://Cyberstationusa.com E-mail RockSolidPressure@yahoo.com for details on the show. As is the case every month, there is a large group of new contacts listed that can help you to gain more exposure for your music. So dig in, and enjoy the February issue of The Indie Contact Newsletter! David Wimble Editor The Indie Contact Newsletter newsletter@indiebible.com ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ Below are the contacts that were submitted to me in January. The contacts listed are sorted into FIVE sections. 1. Publications that will review your music 2. Radio stations/shows that will play your music 3. Services that will help you to sell your music 4. Sites where you can upload your band's MP3s or videos 5. Helpful resources and promotional sites for recording artists ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Q: HOW CAN I SELL MORE CDS? A: You NEED to get your music out to the people who help CONSUMERS decide which CDs to BUY (Music Reviewers, Radio DJs etc.) SOLUTION: The INDIE BIBLE lists 10,000 influential services that can help you to get the word out! "This book has been an AMAZING help. I'm getting a lot of response from people I never would have never found on my own." - Matthew, The Matthew Show "This thing is loaded with incredible sources to send your music to!" - Mike Perazzetti, RadioMike "It's helped me to get rave reviews and spins already!" - Genie from GenieSongs.com To purchase a copy go to http://www.indiebible2004.com or visit your local Guitar Center, Sam Ash, Borders or Barnes & Noble (in Canada at Long & McQuade). ----------------------------------------------------------------------- @@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@ 2. SITES/PUBLICATIONS WHERE YOU CAN GET YOUR MUSIC REVIEWED @@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@ AFunk Online Music Magazine Angharad Williams funky@afunk.co.uk http://www.afunk.co.uk One of the leading independent sources for hip hop, rap, soul, reggae, bashment, R&B, D&B and anything else which fits in the frame. The site incorporates interviews and reviews with Urban artists, an A&R section and a clubs section where people can access flyers. NeuFutur James McQuiston editor@neufutur.com http://www.neufutur.com An intensely personal zine, that focuses on the music that has changed my life, as well as GLBT and DIY focuses on things. I review anything that comes across my desk. The Daily Vault Jason Warburg dvmailbag@aol.com http://www.dailyvault.com Since January 1997, the Daily Vault has sought to serve the widest possible audience of music fanatics, reviewing music of all genres (from classical to death metal, from unknown indies to global superstars). Features include new reviews posted daily, an archive of past reviews numbering in the thousands, and regular features such as artists retrospectives, interviews and promotions. ALL MUSIC PROJECT Suzana Z. Brathwaite music@stmdesigning.com http://stmdesigning.com The site is aimed at helping 'up and coming' independent Slovenian international artists and bands, trying to market themselves within the American music industry and American Artist in EUROPE. Artists are welcome to get their CD/ demo reviewed by us and we will then post the review on our site and on our partner's web sites. The site also plans to feature interviews with the artists and other players in the music business. Halcyon Sounds Mike Deal mike@halcyonsounds.co.uk http://www.halcyonsounds.co.uk Christian Band promotion and listings. Site includes interviews and reviews. Women's Rising Cheryl Bruedigam cherylb@womensrising.com http://www.womensrising.com The Rising of Women in Music. A web community for indie women. Reviews, airplay and promotions. Rick's Cafe Rick Tvedt rick@rickscafe.org http://www.rickscafe.org A local music newspaper near Madison, Wisconsin. We print 7,000 - 10,000 copies monthly and distribute in a fifty mile radius around Madison. We specialize in in depth features on area artists and musicians, CD reviews, live show reviews with color photos, genre-specific columns and music business columns. We are also involved with creating an awards show in Madison (http://www.madisonareamusicawards.com). Note: My website is still under construction, but feel free to contact me. Elevation Station Pat Fagan pat@elevationstation.net http://www.elevationstation.net Dedicated to unsigned music in Scotland and abroad. We are currently looking for new artists & bands to be featured and reviewed on the site. Please send a bio, picture and demo to this address if you're interested. Elevation Productions, PO Box 8898, Coatbridge, North Lanarkshire, Scotland ML5 4YH ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Bands, Artists, Songwriters....YES - We're LIVE at Last! Get your original music placed directly onto dedicated pages we're built for representatives of: - RCA - Lava - Jive - Blackrose Productions - Hollywood Records and more! Sign up for Artist membership now at: http://www.musicgorilla.com where Artist's membership is guaranteed! info@musicgorilla.com ------------------------------------------------------------------------ ------------------------------------------------------------------------ DISC MAKERS Announces NEW LOWER PRICES - 1,000 CDs in jewel boxes as low as $1,390! Package includes: - a free UPC barcode - worldwide distribution through CD Baby - free digital audio distribution with Disc Makers' DAD program - a free review of your music by TAXI - 300 11"x17" posters for only $99 Learn more at http://www.discmakers.com/hl Also visit this site to get a FREE "Musician's Guide to the Web" http://www.discmakers.com/imbible ----------------------------------------------------------------------- @@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@ 3. RADIO SHOWS THAT WILL PLAY YOUR MUSIC @@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@ American Music Showcase TV Show Becky Rhea americanmusicshowcase@comcast.net http://www.americanmusicshowcase.com Promote Your Music On Comcast 75 TV in Nashville, Tennessee to 600,000 cable subscribers! RadioMike Mike Perazzetti galahad@thefeveredbrainofradiomike.com http://www.thefeveredbrainofradiomike.com It's time that everyone realize what most musicians already embrace. All Music is the Same Song Reproduced into a Million Melodies. Even hip hop and Disney are a product of this Evolution. Enjoy the Similarities and the Contrasts as the Fevered Brain Welcomes You to His World. Send Us Your Music! RadioMike c/o Mike Perazzetti, P.O. Box 252 New York, NY 10116-0252 MWB Radio Mark mwbcontact@midwestbands.com http://www.mwbmusic.com/MWBRadio At the beginning of February, we removed many artists' music from MWB Radio, because we had not received their permission forms. We hated to do so, but had to as a necessity, so that we would not be violating any copyright laws. We are still accepting those Permission forms, though! If you would like your music to be considered for airplay, you may do so today! If you need to complete a permission form, go to: http://www.midwestbands.com/permissionform.htm "On The Horizon" Radio Show John Anderson aharvest@newartistradio.net http://www.newartistradio.net/On%20the%20Horizon.asp A weekly show that plays independent music, and interviews independent artists. Also uses off the wall comedy such as their award winning "Idiots of the week", and "What kids say"! WUSB's Local Show, Stony Brook NY Bill Frey Themusicneverstops@wusb.org http://community.webtv.net/musicnostop/THEMUSICNEVERSTOPS Radio show featuring Long Island (Suffolk & Nassau Counties) musicians in a live performance & interview format. Thursdays 7-8 pm. Blues Radio in West Australia Jayme Natasha Rhythmenblues@aol.com We are situated in Goznells, 20 minutes from our Capitol of Perth. We are a modern community based Radio playing different varieties of music. Contact me, or send your music to: Jayme Natasha (for Blues Radio), 107.3 FM, 6 Janda Court, Amradale, 6112 West Australia Reptor Productions Douglas Lacey douglaslacey@reptorproductions.co.uk http://www.reptorproductions.co.uk Most musicians just have no idea where to start when it comes to online promotion and distribution. Some get as far as putting up a web site, but stop there. They aren't sure what the next step should be. That's where we can help. The site officially launches in May 2004 and we are looking for artists of all genres to be included in our online playlists and radio shows. For more information visit our site or email us at: questions@reptorproductions.co.uk ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Get started selling your CDs at IndieGate.com for only $30.00 Have you wanted to get involved with the online indie pioneers at the InterMixx IndieGate, but those pesky $$$ were holding you back? Well, not any more! Sell your indie CD through the InterMixx IndieGate and get started right now for an all-time low set-up fee of only $30.00. It's never been this affordable to get involved with InterMixx, so let the company that's been helping the indie market grow for over 15 years help YOUR market to grow as well! Please visit http://www.IndieGate.com and become a Merchant Member right now! ----------------------------------------------------------------------- ----------------------------------------------------------------------- DAD (Digital Audio Distribution) http://www.discmakers.com/dad Launched by DISC MAKERS the DAD service gives independent bands and artists the opportunity to sell their songs online on sites like Apple's iTunes Music Store, Listen.com's Rhapsody, AOL's MusicNet, Emusic, and newcomer BuyMusic.com. The DAD service is FREE with all new CD orders with DISC MAKERS. The service is also available to artists who do not make their CDs with DISC MAKERS for only $75. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- @@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@ 4. ONLINE SERVICES/LABELS THAT WILL HELP SELL YOUR MUSIC @@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@ Freekshow Promotions ris Lowe freekshowpromotion@sbcglobal.net http://www.freekshowpromotions.com We are a professional national/international radio promotion agency that has specialized in "bringing music to the masses" for several years through extensive knowledge and know how as active members in the music and radio industry. If you are a serious band or artist seeking serious radio promotion please get in touch with us. We service to Loud Rock and Modern Rock. Slackin Brackin Productions Angel Bishop pstarbourne@cfl.rr.com http://www.slackinbrackin.com We are a CD label with little to no up front costs. Artists retain the copyright. We also run two internet radio stations of Indie and unsigned music. Mushroom Cloud Records Rob mushroomcloudrecords@yahoo.com http://www.mushroomcloudrecords.com An independent, non-profit record label based out of Des Moines, Iowa dedicated to providing an outlet for artists to have their music heard and seen, rather than making money. Cool Chill Tec Records Shawn Davis shawndavis22@hotmail.com http://www.cct-records.com We are a record store and label selling the finest cutting tunes from around the world in the electronica genre such as ambient, broken beat, nu tech jazz and all things futuristic sounding and progressive. We are one of the nu breed of labels looking to push this sound and create nu genres of electronica. We only want people who make deep intelligent music with emotion. MyGlobalSound.com Customer Service info@myglobalsound.com http://www.myglobalsound.com Our services range from selling your music to selling music related merchandise. Sell whole CDs or individual tracks. MyGlobalSound.com will handle the manufacturing of your cd if it is needed. As orders are placed, your cds are manufactured, so there is no back stock. Post you concerts and tour dates at mycity.myglobalsound.com where fans can get detailed information on your live shows. CDfuse.com Sal Silva III sal@cdfuse.com http://www.cdfuse.com We carry a great selection of independently released music. Browsing through our store you will find music from virtually all genres, such as Alternative, Blues, Hip-Hop and Rock. We get the inventory straight from the artists, they set the sale price and we get it out to you. CDfuse.com then pays the artists for their sales. We make it easy for you to buy independent releases and help to support the artists who are making it. Limehouse Entertainment Group, Inc. Mekey rastaboyz67@yahoo.ca http://www.rasta-boyz.com Indie Label promoting local and International reggae artists to the world. Promotion, management, booking and music production. BandMecca Cameron bands@bandmecca.com http://www.bandmecca.com Online Vendor that sells indie merchandise and CDs. We also have reviews of indie music and other promotional services available, such as email list management etc. Kabukikore Crayola fieldops@kabukikore.net http://www.kabukikore.net Record label specialising in tiny limited editions in hand made sleeves. Koala Bear Studios Kelly McTiernan kelly@kbearstudios.no-ip.biz http://www.kbearstudios.com The artist friendly label - we record, feature and promote new and extraordinary talent. We feature MP3's of your music and sell your CD's on our site! The music available on our site is 'hand-picked'. CD Revolucion Joe Montoya joemontoya@cdrevolucion.com http://www.cdrevolucion.com The "Indie" Artist Music Store. We sell music for unsigned artists and Indie record labels. BrownJungle Reno Ursal reno@brownjungle.com http://www.brownjungle.com An online music store dedicated to selling CDs and DVDs from today's top independent recording artists. Z Records A&R Mark Alger mark@zrecords.net http://www.zrecords.net Europe's premier melodic and classic hard rock label. DJ Chronicles Lucy Carr contact@djchronicles.co.uk http://www.djchronicles.co.uk Promotions include site profile listing, copy & distribution of demos, contacts in radio, labels, agencies & promotions and more. No booking fees or commissions. Small yearly fee. the Viper Label Paul viper@rapid.co.uk http://www.the-viper-label.co.uk An independent Liverpool based record label that releases the best underground, archive and contemporary music you will find, any side of the Mersey. Moron Labs Will contact@moronlabs.com http://www.moronlabs.com Odd Austin Microlabel supportting and selling independent music from Austin and around the globe. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- YOU NEED BETTER SALES AND DISTRIBUTION FOR YOUR CD. If your CD isn't for sale in CD Baby, you're losing sales! CD Baby has been featured in the NY Times, MSNBC, Wired, CNET and more. 10,000 CUSTOMERS A DAY go through cdbaby.com looking for CDs like yours. Such a popular online store, you HAVE to make sure your CD is there. They pay $20,000 a week to musicians like you (over $1 million so far!) ALL YOU HAVE TO DO TO START SELLING is go to http://www.cdbaby.net Takes 5 minutes. Send them a box of CDs. They'll sell them and pay you. Real cool people. Total first-class treatment. Great CD distribution. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- ----------------------------------------------------------------------- MECA Music Conference . May 12-15 . Chicago, USA Submit an application now to showcase at MECA 2004. Selected bands attend MECA Conf. FREE - $235 value! Late Showcase Applications accepted until 2/29/04 http://www.mecaconference.com ----------------------------------------------------------------------- @@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@ 5. SITES WHERE YOU CAN UPLOAD YOUR BAND'S MP3s OR VIDEOS @@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@ Weedfiles.com http://www.weedfiles.com/ib You get paid to listen to music and turn your friends on to hot new tunes by independent artists from around the world. What are you waiting for? The revolution has already begun.... MusicGorilla.com info@musicgorilla.com http://www.musicgorilla.com Finally, artists receive the access and exposure to the Music Industry (major labels, indie labels, film studios and publishers) that is necessary to take their career to the next level. No longer must artists find themselves in the right place at the right time. MusicGorilla.com is that place and time. Decibel.ca Bryan Hallam info@decibel.ca http://www.decibel.ca Canada's online retailer of CD's and MP3's from indie labels as well as unsigned artists. All artists are welcome. Decibel.ca is also a portal site to the Canadian Music Industry, with free resources for musicians and fans. Cantos Cadre Jon Sarpong jon@cantoscadre.com http://www.cantoscadre.com Canada's premiere website for promoting emerging artists. Members can create portfolios that feature biographical information, images, and MP3 sound clips. Cantos Cadre also has articles that helps connect musicians with producers and event coordinators. You can also request to sell your music in our online store. New Music Showcase http://www.new-music-showcase.com Clifford Bowdin bowdin1@cs.com A site where indie artists can upload their music, and gain vvaluableexposure worldwide. We have very close contact with industry executives. All artists are reviewed. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Check out the new InterMixx DIScPLAY! Now indies can sell more CDs at live events with this durable mobile listening station! Comes complete with integrated CD player. Easily portable, it closes to contain and protect all items neatly. Simple, quick and easy to use... just open it and set it on your merch table. Purchase price includes one set-up fee for IndieGate.com. http://www.DIScPLAY.net ----------------------------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------------------------------------------------ SELL THE INDIE BIBLE FROM YOUR WEBSITE AND MAKE SOME EXTRA CASH!! The Indie Bible is one of the most popular resource for Independent Recording Artists in the world. As an affiliate, you will receive $10 US for each sale of the Indie Bible generated through your site! Visit http://www.indiebible2003.com/whole.shtml for details. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- @@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@ 6. HELPFUL RESOURCES FOR YOUR BAND @@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@ Shady Grove Entertainment Gary Gaskin g@shadygrovemusic.net http://www.shadygrovemusic.net Local, regional and national tour booking for Bands and Musicians. Eskridge & Eskridge Law Firm Janelle Eskridge info@eskridgelaw.com http://www.eskridgelaw.com We provide a broad range of legal services for clients in the Entertainment Industry. Eskridge & Eskridge offers legal advice, counsel and services in all aspects of Entertainment Industry transactions, with an emphasis in the areas of contract negotiations, label deals, business transactions, trademarks, service marks, copyright, publishing, record label formations, artist management, touring matters and much more. Call today for a free consultation on how Eskridge & Eskridge may assist you. Sauteed Entertainment Jody Taylor sauteed77@hotmail.com http://sauteed.implode.com We provide information about the Texas/Louisiana music scene, as well as list a show calender for regional and national acts. We also handle the booking/managing of different area bands. We're doing all we can to promote Indie music. JADESTONE James Lewis illa8@netzero.com http://www.jadestone.biz A Philadelphia Production Company that promotes local artists that otherwise wouldn't have a chance. Classified Rock Michael Pringle editor@classifiedrock.com http://www.classifiedrock.com This website posts free classified ads for musicians. The Layout resembles a newspaper and the musicians are sorted by state. This site's navigation is very simple. Alternative Progression Michelle info@alternativeprogression.com http://www.alternativeprogression.com We provide free websites for bands. We offer a fully configurable website which allows artists to upload MP3's and photos. Hot New Bands Josh Hurley claytonsmith694@hotmail.com http://www.hotnewbands.co.uk A wonderfully crafted site that allows people of all creeds, races and cultures to view hot new bands in the Kent area. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- BOOST TRAFFIC TO YOUR WEBSITE WITH THE INDIE LINK EXCHANGE! The Indie Link Exchange is a list of music sites that wish to exchange links with other music related sites. With over 600 current listings, it's a great way to get some FREE exposure It's a simple one-to-one exchange of text links or banners. ALL styles of music sites are welcome! http://www.indielinkexchange.com/ile ---------------------------------------------------------------------- ----------------------------------------------------------------------- SONICBIDS is an online service that connects musicians and music promoters. Instead of mailing out traditional, bulky press kits, Sonicbids' members email Sonicbids Electronic Press Kits (EPKs). Soncbids EPKs - which contain the MP3 files, pictures, press reviews and contact information - can be easily emailed to anyone, anywhere! In addition, members can directly submit their EPKs to some of the world's biggest festivals, clubs, and conferences for free. Members are also eligible for exclusive Sonicbids spots at some of the hottest conferences around the world. Promote your band in a powerful new way, for only $49.95 a year. Go to http://www.sonicbids.com/default.asp?pID=1435 today! ----------------------------------------------------------------------- @@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@ 7. S-U-R-V-I-V-A-L IS ALL YOU NEED TO KNOW by Jeffrey P. Fisher author of "Moneymaking Music" © 2004 All Rights Reserved. Used By Permission @@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@ SURVIVAL. Remember this simple word and you understand a main strategy to use throughout your musical career. S -- Size up your situation. Take a long hard look at your talent, equipment, musical education, business knowledge, and capital available. It's easy to dream about what you wish you had, but it takes far more guts and creativity to make the best out of your current situation. What are your strengths? Weaknesses? What is available to you right now? How can you use your current resources to maximum advantage? U -- Unnecessarily rushing ahead can ruin the best intentions. Don't make a move without some kind of plan. You need to carefully consider all the consequences of your actions. And you need to prepare for many different situations. While I don't expect you to be ready for everything that may come your way, you do need to build a solid foundation that readies you for trying times. Don't mistake this planning for delaying your success. Taking small steps will lead you down the correct path as will taking the big leaps when needed. Start part-time, work from your home, keep your expenses low, and minimize any possible catastrophes. This lets you sharpen both your musical and business skills without undue pressure. R -- Remember where you are and where you want to go. Examine your current situation and study how it relates to your goal. And don't confuse small goals with the ultimate direction of your life. That kind of thinking can set you on a path to certain failure. For example, say you want to be the world's greatest synth player. Now that's a lofty goal, a statement of your life's work. But right now you've never given a concert in your life. Looking at this situation, the realistic step would be to work toward playing and being recognized first and then leveraging that initial success to bigger and better things. Don't lose sight of how things really are. And also don't lose sight of how you want things to be! V -- Vanquish both your fear of failure and success. No other problems scare people more than failure and success. What? Fear of success? Yes, indeed. Though fear of rejection and failure seem to be the predominant reasons people avoid taking action, success also frightens many. What if I fail? Or worse, what if I succeed? People will discover all my faults and that I can't live up to their expectations. Come on now, do you really believe that? Whether you decide to pursue your life's work or not depends entirely on you. Whether you succeed or fail also depends entirely on you. You control your own destiny. Don't blame others. Look inside. Can you live with what you see? Do? And feel? Please understand that there will be costs whether you move forward or stay where you are. You will pay a price. Would you rather agonize over an action you took or one you should have taken? If you fail, chalk it up to experience and move on. And when you succeed, be thankful for all you've achieved. You deserve it. And then . . . move on. I -- Improvise as necessary. You must learn how to use all the tools available to you right now. That includes your musical instruments, computer, promotional ideas, indeed ALL your current knowledge and understanding of music and business. Do be flexible as situations arise. Don't be afraid to experiment and try different tactics. Just don't wander too far off your path. Make sure you stretch your equipment, money and creativity. This is hard work and requires your complete attention. Make do with what you have. Exploit every notion. Be diligent. Vigilant. And persist. V -- Value your simple successes and learn from your mistakes. You must commit right now. And refuse to give up no matter what problems or setbacks you face. Reach down deep inside and use every ounce of your mental and physical being to reach your success. As you proceed down your path, take a second to reflect on all the little things that have made your journey so rewarding. Also, review the mistakes you made, but concentrate on how you overcame them and moved closer toward your success. Then put the past behind you and focus on here and there . . . up ahead . . . where you want to go . . . be! A -- Adapt to changing needs and current situations. You need to recognize that situations vary. You must adapt according to the events presented to you. Business cycles, ebbs, flows, and always comes in waves. The suggestions I offer comprise my particular experience and situations. Use these suggestions to your advantage by adapting what you learn to your particular situation, skills, wants, and desires. L -- Learn the basic skills and live your life deliberately. Without proper training your chances of surviving and thriving in the music business are greatly diminished. Pursue other resources, augment your knowledge, and increase your chances of getting what and being who you want. Take these steps now and pledge to live your life's work and your life's dream in a straightforward, seldom wavering, purposeful manner. ============================================= Jeffrey P. Fisher works from his project studio providing music, audio, video, writing, consulting, training, and media production services. He writes about music, sound, and video for print and the Web including six books: "The Voice Actor's Guide to Home Recording" (with Harlan Hogan, Artistpro.com, 2004), "Instant Sound Forge" (VASST/CMP Books, 2004), "Moneymaking Music" (Artistpro.com, 2003), "Profiting From Your Music and Sound Project Studio" (Allworth Press, 2001), "Ruthless Self-Promotion in the Music Industry" (Mixbooks, 1999), and "How to Make Money Scoring Soundtracks and Jingles" (Mixbooks, 1997). He teaches Digital Audio Production and Advanced Audio Production at the College of DuPage Multimedia Arts department in Glen Ellyn, IL. His music CD, "Atmospherics", along with his two-volume, buy-out music library, "Melomania", showcase his musical vision. Also, Jeffrey co-hosts the Acid, Sound Forge, and Vegas forums on Digital Media Net (www.dmnforums.com). For more information visit his Web site at www.jeffreypfisher.com or contact him at jpf@jeffreypfisher.com ============================================ ----------------------------------------------------------------------- We wanted to make you aware of a very special industry event that we are a part of and are sponsoring. It's the Global Entertainment and Media Summit and it is one of the largest pro-active events dedicated to helping artists and industry promote their projects and make valuable connections. At last years Summit, three artists secured national tours, labels secured distribution deals, and songs were chosen for films and television. New York GEMS: April 3-4 Los Angeles GEMS: June 12-13 Website: http://www.globalentertainmentnetwork.com Previous speakers, panelists and participants have included recognized innovators in media, humanitarianism, music, film and video. Attendees include: A&R, publishers, producers, directors, media outlets, agents, casting directors, music supervisors, marketing directors, music licensing, record companies, talent directors, performing artists, songwriters and performing rights associations. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Indie-Music.com - Where Serious Musicians Surf One of the original musician resource websites, Indie-Music.com offers thousands of contacts - venues, studios, media, radio, labels, and more. Plus, an extensive archive of how-to's for the music business, and up-to-date commentary on the industry. The Indie News newsletter provides a free tip sheet with listings for radio airplay, record label submissions, gig opportunities, and more. https://www.bookingagentsdirectory.com ----------------------------------------------------------------------- @@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@ 8. FOUR WAYS TO ATTRACT MORE MUSIC FANS FASTER by Bob Baker author of "Guerrilla Music Marketing Handbook" © 2004 All Rights Reserved. Used By Permission @@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@ Attracting more fans. Admit it, that's what music marketing is all about -- getting more people to come to your shows and buy your CDs. And hopefully, getting a lot more people to do those things. Why else do you work so hard to travel and play as many places as you can? For what other reason do you meticulously write and record songs? I don't believe the reason is so you can practice and keep up your chops in obscurity. It's not because you want to impress influential managers or A&R people. You work hard because you know you have something of value to offer ... and you want to reach as many people as possible with your music. Marketing is the thing that helps you reach that goal. But marketing is also a subject that confuses a lot of musicians. Songwriters and band members the world over know they need to promote themselves. But many don't know where to start, much less know how to continue effectively. Does this describe you? Do you ever feel like you're spinning your wheels, not sure exactly what you should be doing next to market yourself? If so, this would be a good time to cover some basic marketing concepts for independent musicians. The VFW Hall Principle Let's say you went to an average U.S. city (such as Kansas City or Denver) and you rounded up 1,000 people and gathered them in a giant VFW hall. These 1,000 folks would be randomly chosen and made up of people from all ages, genders and backgrounds. Next, you'd distribute information about your act to these people and play tracks from your new CD for them. After this direct exposure, what are the chances that one person out of those thousand would be attracted to your music and identity enough to buy your CD or come to your next show? Most musicians, regardless of what style they play, should feel pretty confident about being able to win over at least one new fan from this group of 1,000. That's a one tenth of one percent conversion rate. Now let's multiply that formula by the entire U.S. population of 285 million people. One tenth of one percent would be 285,000 people. MindMindbogglingn't it? That would be enough fans to make you a bbona fidestar. Next, switch gears and consider how major labels market themselves. They select and promote acts that they feel have the potential to appeal to 10 or more of those same 1,000 people. Then the labels spend millions of dollars in what I call shotgun advertising. They spray their marketing message over a targeted chunk of the population (which often amounts to many millions of people), knowing well that only a small percentage will be interested enough to respond and become fans. Sometimes, this widespread tactic works well enough to sell lots of CDs and concert tickets -- but it's very expensive. As an independent artist, you can't afford that type of marketing campaign. But you know those potential fans are out there, and you know that you can be successful by connecting with far fewer people than a major label requires. It's just that your ideal fans haven't found out about you yet -- and you're not quite sure how to find them. What's a frustrated musician to do? The answer: You must find creative, low cost ways to go directly to those one-in-a-thousand fans. Don't waste your time and money promoting yourself to people who will most likely never embrace your music. In next month's newsletter I will detail the four steps to take in order to reach new fans. ============================================= Bob Baker is the author of "Guerrilla Music Marketing Handbook," "Unleash the Artist Within" and "Branding Yourself Online." He also publishes TheBuzzFactor.com, a web site and e-zine that have been delivering marketing tips and inspirational messages to music people of all kinds since 1995. Get your FREE subscription to Bob's e-zine by visiting http://TheBuzzFactor.com today. ============================================ ---------------------------------------------------------------------- ARTISTS -- INDUSTRY -- SPONSORS aXis FMF2004 is open for submissions In its third successful year, the aXis Florida Music Festival expects more than 150 Industry Reps, 2000 musicians and 25,000 music fans in Downtown Orlando from April 15-17th, 2004.From the "Who's Who" of Industry Cocktail Parties to the 15 live music stages and 5 electronic venues, the FMF2004 party will be the biggest yet. The FMF2004 website is now accepting submissions for all music platforms including acoustic, alternative, hard rock, pop, electronic and urban/hip-hop. Please go to: wwwfloridamusicfestival.com or email: artistrelations@floridamusicfestival.com for more information and to download the submission PDF. For details visit: http://www.fmf2004.com ---------------------------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Subscribe to the award-winning free ezine/webzine MUSIC MORSELS - the music industry's monthly publication featuring self-help for musicians and songwriters including interviews with national and unsigned recording artists, industry profiles, CD reviews and much more. Just send an email to MusMorsels@aol.com with the word "Subscribe" in the subject field. MUSICIANS & LABELS: Send your press kits (must send complete press kit (photo, bio, clippings), not just a CD) to us for possible upcoming reviews or interviews in Music Morsels. We cover all genres. Mail to: Sandy Serge, Editor, Music Morsels, PO Box 672216, Marietta, GA 30006-0037 USA URL - http://www.serge.org/musicmorsels.htm Published since 1995 targeting musicians, songwriters and music industry professionals serving over 35,000 readers. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ ----------------------------------------------------------------------- ARE YOU an unsigned act, songwriter or producer?? Looking for a Record, Publishing, Management and Licensing deal worldwide, especially in the UK and USA? Each month the BANDIT A&R NEWSLETTER publishes features on Labels, Publishers, Managers etc looking to sign acts, songs or masters. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- ----------------------------------------------------------------------- USA INTERNATIONAL SONGWRITING COMPETITION Songwriters, bands & artists! Enter to win a grand prize of over US$50,000 in cash, merchandise and more! This the largest prize package in any annual songwriting competition. Also, winners' songs will be featured on a nationally syndicated radio program serving over 60 cities in the US and Canada. Judges include A&R Managers from Major Record labels and publishers. BONUS: Early bird entrants receive a FREE gift. Hurry, visit: http://www.songwriting.net ----------------------------------------------------------------------- ----------------------------------------------------------------- THE MAD HAND ARTS GRAPHICS & DESIGN GIVES 25% DISCOUNT TO INDIES on CD cover graphics & all music graphics needs. 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