It's True!! You Tube is giving Indie Musicians space to share their music online, and they will pay you.
"Join stars like ukulele songstress Julia Nunes, singer-songwriter David Choi and others who own the global rights to their music videos by applying to be a member of the YouTube Partner Program (YPP). After your partner application is approved, you can start to make money off of your musical (and video) talents, and you get access to enhanced features for your channel."
Click Here to Check out You Tube Music and Find Out More!!
Wednesday, March 31, 2010
Erykah Badu “Window Seat” causing controversy
Some are heralding it as art, while others think it is distasteful...Erykah Badu is walking the sidewalks of Dealy Plaza, the route Kennedy took when he was shot in ‘63. She comes round the corner in her bra, and continues to strip and then falls to the ground, reenacting the fatal shot that killed President Kennedy. Take a look and let us know what you think.
Video contains nudity...NOT suitable for work or under 18.
Video contains nudity...NOT suitable for work or under 18.
Tuesday, March 30, 2010
Justin Bieber Tops Billboard 200 With 'My World 2.0'
From Billboard News
Justin Bieber debuts at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 albums chart with "My World 2.0," after shifting 283,000 copies in its first week. It's the teenager's second album and first No. 1. His first set, "My World," debuted at No. 6 upon its release last November. This week it rises to a new peak, scooting from No. 10 to No. 5 with 50,000 (up 50%).
At 16-years old, Bieber is the youngest solo male artist to reach No. 1 on the Billboard 200 since Aug. 24, 1963, when the then-13-year old Stevie Wonder spent one week at No. 1 with "Little Stevie Wonder/The 12 Year Old Genius." (Wonder recorded the album when he was 12, but released it after turning 13.) "My World 2.0's" opening frame is also Bieber's best sales week, surpassing his previous high, when the first "My World" sold 157,000 copies over Christmas week of 2009.
Thus, with albums at Nos. 1 and 5, Bieber is the first act to concurrently chart two albums within the top five of the Billboard 200 since the chart dated Oct. 9, 2004. That's when Nelly ranked at Nos. 2 and 4 with "Suit" and "Sweat," respectively. Nelly had bowed the simultaneously-released albums at Nos. 1 and 2 on the previous week's chart. The last time an act placed two albums in the top five that weren't concurrently released was on May 3, 2003. That week 50 Cent's first two major label releases -- "Get Rich Or Die Tryin'" and the CD/DVD combo "The New Breed" were at Nos. 5 and 2, respectively.
Coming in at No. 2 on the Billboard 200 is Monica with "Still Standing," selling 184,000 copies. It's the singer's second-highest sales week and charting album, surpassed only by the 186,000 that "After the Storm" earned when it started at No. 1 way back in 2003. Last week Monica claimed her first No. 1 single on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart in almost seven years as "Everything to Me" climbed from No. 3 to No. 1 on the tally. The tune -- which samples Deniece Williams' "Silly," a No. 11 R&B hit for the singer in 1981 -- is Monica's sixth No. 1 overall on the R&B chart.
The continuing saga of the "Now That's What I Call Music!" series extends its Billboard 200 chart dominance this week as the 33rd volume arrives at No. 3 with 135,000. The 21-track collection features Billboard Hot 100 No. 1 singles like Ke$ha's "Tik Tok" and Owl City's "Fireflies" and top 10 hits like Rihanna's "Hard" and Train's "Hey, Soul Sister." And with the "Now" franchise's latest spin-off, the Christian-leaning "Now That's What I Call Faith" debuting at No. 143, the "Now" brand has racked up an impressive 56 charting albums since it launched in 1998.
The final new arrival in the top 10 this week belongs to She & Him with its second album, fittingly titled "Volume Two." It starts at No. 6 with 47,000. That trumps the peak and best sales week of the duo's first set, "Volume One," which topped out at No. 71. (Its best sales frame -- 10,000 -- came a week earlier when it debuted on the list at No. 81.)
Last week's No. 1, Lady Antebellum's "Need You Now," slips to No. 4 with 78,000 (down 16%) while Ludacris' "Battle of the Sexes" falls four slots to No. 7 with 45,000 (down 27%). Lady Gaga's "The Fame" slides three rungs to No. 8 with 41,000 (down 15%), Marvin Sapp's "Here I Am" drops seven spots to No. 9 with 39,000 (down 48%) and the Black Eyed Peas' "The E.N.D." moves down two positions to No. 10 with 34,000 (down 11%).
Overall album sales in this past chart week (ending March 28) totaled 6.03 million units, up 6.5% compared to the sum last week (5.66 million) and down 11% compared to the comparable sales week of 2009 (6.77 million).
Justin Bieber debuts at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 albums chart with "My World 2.0," after shifting 283,000 copies in its first week. It's the teenager's second album and first No. 1. His first set, "My World," debuted at No. 6 upon its release last November. This week it rises to a new peak, scooting from No. 10 to No. 5 with 50,000 (up 50%).
At 16-years old, Bieber is the youngest solo male artist to reach No. 1 on the Billboard 200 since Aug. 24, 1963, when the then-13-year old Stevie Wonder spent one week at No. 1 with "Little Stevie Wonder/The 12 Year Old Genius." (Wonder recorded the album when he was 12, but released it after turning 13.) "My World 2.0's" opening frame is also Bieber's best sales week, surpassing his previous high, when the first "My World" sold 157,000 copies over Christmas week of 2009.
Thus, with albums at Nos. 1 and 5, Bieber is the first act to concurrently chart two albums within the top five of the Billboard 200 since the chart dated Oct. 9, 2004. That's when Nelly ranked at Nos. 2 and 4 with "Suit" and "Sweat," respectively. Nelly had bowed the simultaneously-released albums at Nos. 1 and 2 on the previous week's chart. The last time an act placed two albums in the top five that weren't concurrently released was on May 3, 2003. That week 50 Cent's first two major label releases -- "Get Rich Or Die Tryin'" and the CD/DVD combo "The New Breed" were at Nos. 5 and 2, respectively.
Coming in at No. 2 on the Billboard 200 is Monica with "Still Standing," selling 184,000 copies. It's the singer's second-highest sales week and charting album, surpassed only by the 186,000 that "After the Storm" earned when it started at No. 1 way back in 2003. Last week Monica claimed her first No. 1 single on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart in almost seven years as "Everything to Me" climbed from No. 3 to No. 1 on the tally. The tune -- which samples Deniece Williams' "Silly," a No. 11 R&B hit for the singer in 1981 -- is Monica's sixth No. 1 overall on the R&B chart.
The continuing saga of the "Now That's What I Call Music!" series extends its Billboard 200 chart dominance this week as the 33rd volume arrives at No. 3 with 135,000. The 21-track collection features Billboard Hot 100 No. 1 singles like Ke$ha's "Tik Tok" and Owl City's "Fireflies" and top 10 hits like Rihanna's "Hard" and Train's "Hey, Soul Sister." And with the "Now" franchise's latest spin-off, the Christian-leaning "Now That's What I Call Faith" debuting at No. 143, the "Now" brand has racked up an impressive 56 charting albums since it launched in 1998.
The final new arrival in the top 10 this week belongs to She & Him with its second album, fittingly titled "Volume Two." It starts at No. 6 with 47,000. That trumps the peak and best sales week of the duo's first set, "Volume One," which topped out at No. 71. (Its best sales frame -- 10,000 -- came a week earlier when it debuted on the list at No. 81.)
Last week's No. 1, Lady Antebellum's "Need You Now," slips to No. 4 with 78,000 (down 16%) while Ludacris' "Battle of the Sexes" falls four slots to No. 7 with 45,000 (down 27%). Lady Gaga's "The Fame" slides three rungs to No. 8 with 41,000 (down 15%), Marvin Sapp's "Here I Am" drops seven spots to No. 9 with 39,000 (down 48%) and the Black Eyed Peas' "The E.N.D." moves down two positions to No. 10 with 34,000 (down 11%).
Overall album sales in this past chart week (ending March 28) totaled 6.03 million units, up 6.5% compared to the sum last week (5.66 million) and down 11% compared to the comparable sales week of 2009 (6.77 million).
Thursday, March 25, 2010
Free Tour Marketing Handbook
Over at the Artist Farm, they are promoting a free .pdf titled "Your Guide to the Ultimate Tour Marketing System"
Excerpts from the .pdf include information about:
1. Tour Planing Overview and Marketing Timeline
2. Promoter Outreach
3. Fan and Community Outreach
4. Media Outreach
5. and Much More
Author of the Guide, Ben Coe writes:
"This is being released with no strings attached, not even asking for an email address.", says Coe. "The book is essentially a documentation of the tour marketing system that I put together from what I've learned over the past several years of managing nationally touring bands. It's targeted mostly for managers or bands that are at the national touring level, but I think there are many applicable concepts for baby bands as well."
Do yourself a favor and make sure to check this out!
Excerpts from the .pdf include information about:
1. Tour Planing Overview and Marketing Timeline
2. Promoter Outreach
3. Fan and Community Outreach
4. Media Outreach
5. and Much More
Author of the Guide, Ben Coe writes:
"This is being released with no strings attached, not even asking for an email address.", says Coe. "The book is essentially a documentation of the tour marketing system that I put together from what I've learned over the past several years of managing nationally touring bands. It's targeted mostly for managers or bands that are at the national touring level, but I think there are many applicable concepts for baby bands as well."
Do yourself a favor and make sure to check this out!
Thursday, March 18, 2010
Wednesday, March 17, 2010
Kings of Leon pass 250k album downloads mark in the UK
According to Music AlleyKings-Of-Leon-Only-By-The-NightKings of Leon’s last album, Only By The Night, has sold more than 250,000 downloads in the UK – the first digital album to reach this milestone.
Lady Gaga is hot on its heels and about to pass the 200,000 mark according to the Official Charts Company, although only 12 albums have ever passed 100,000 digital sales in the UK.
Lady Gaga is hot on its heels and about to pass the 200,000 mark according to the Official Charts Company, although only 12 albums have ever passed 100,000 digital sales in the UK.
Tuesday, March 16, 2010
Links to Music Industry News
- #SXSW - MOG launches mobile apps with unlimited downloads to your phone. (DigitalBeat) This MOGmobile (right) is on the ground in Austin
- Slacker to launch an on-demand streaming music service like MOG and Spotify. No details yet. (Billboard)
- Twitter to offer service that ties into other sites. (NY Times)
- Digital distributor INgrooves has added some new clients including mobile distribution for Nettwerk Music Group, international distribution for Hidden Beach Records and new albums from Cary Brothers, Too $hort and Balkan Beat Box.
- NARM and the RIAA are sponsoring a design contest to refresh the “Give The Gift Of Music” logo and slogan. The deadline for entering the contest is Friday, April 9. The prize will be $2,500, and the winning slogan and logo will be announced at the 2010 NARM Convention in May. Details here.
- Flat fee digital distributor WaTunes has reduced the price of its VIP premium service to $2.99 per month and added new channels including Lala, Spotify, JamVana, Amie Street, Wal-Mart MP3, Mixed Up Music, MusicIsHere, Great Indie Music, Beatport, and Juno Download. The price reduction comes just days after flat fee challenger Zimbalam entered the U.S.
- we7 signs display advertising deal with Yahoo. (Music Ally)
- 34 Music Bloggers Offer Exposure In 34 Countries Hypebot
Monday, March 15, 2010
9 Places to Find Affordable Graphic Design
When looking to put together posters, t-shirts and other promotional items together for your fans, Bob Baker puts together a list of online affordable options for your band to checkout.
1. Crowdspring.com- Set your price & deadline. Choose from actual custom design work submitted by freelancers.
2. 99designs.com - Works a lot like Crowdspring above.
3. GeniusRocket.com - Ditto for this one too.
4. Threadless.com A site where hundreds of designers submit t-shirt art.
5. DeviantArt.com - A place where visual artists showcase and sell their work. A good place to discover a fresh indie designer for your project.
These next two sites are focused more on logo design:
LogoTournament.com
DesignContest.net
Of course, you can also find good, affordable designers at the bigger freelance marketplace sites, such as:
Elance.com
Guru.com
1. Crowdspring.com- Set your price & deadline. Choose from actual custom design work submitted by freelancers.
2. 99designs.com - Works a lot like Crowdspring above.
3. GeniusRocket.com - Ditto for this one too.
4. Threadless.com A site where hundreds of designers submit t-shirt art.
5. DeviantArt.com - A place where visual artists showcase and sell their work. A good place to discover a fresh indie designer for your project.
These next two sites are focused more on logo design:
LogoTournament.com
DesignContest.net
Of course, you can also find good, affordable designers at the bigger freelance marketplace sites, such as:
Elance.com
Guru.com
Monday, March 8, 2010
25 Ways to Overcome Creative Block
Creative block can happen to the most dynamic musician! Scott Hansen from ISO50 has gathered ideas from 25 creative professionals across the industry to share how they get over their creative blocks. The advice is applicable any creative medium.
We found great inspiration from “Dress Code” designers who do the following to get their creative juices flowing:
“D: During the micro day to day stuff if I am in a creative rut I surf the web, go for a walk, check out a movie, shop for books, go to a museum or do other largely cliche things to fill up my brain with inspiration. Sometimes though I get sick of looking to other sources and try to clear my head by just getting out of the office and ideas come when I least expect them.
A: When it comes to daily creativity, I try to break down all of my tasks in a rough schedule everyday. I work on projects from 2-3 hour chunks at a time. I do not spend an entire day on one project alone unless its absolutely necessary. I turn off email and IM or check it every hour on the hour. Breaking down time helps me because when I have 2 hours to complete a task I’m solely focused on elements or details that might otherwise been overlooked. I think it makes me more creative because I look forward the next time I will get to work on a project and forces me to take some time off and think about what I will do next time. The schedule also helps me shift gears between different mediums. Multi-tasking doesn’t work for me, I can’t be having an IM conversation while writing a contract while talking to an intern while waiting for an email while trying to design something too. Getting rid of those small distractions and focusing on a single project helps.
D: The way our studio is set up though we try to have some overlap in who works on what, so there isn’t a ton of pressure on any one person to carry all of the creative weight, which can be kind of daunting and lets us be a bit more free with things.
D: But for the larger macro in a rut stuff we try to keep moving our business in new directions so we can stay happy creatively. To do self initiated work that balances out the day to day client stuff but in the end comes back and informs it.
A: On a macro scale, creativity comes and goes for me. I can’t predict when I will be excited about a project. I just try to be happy in my personal life which in turn makes me productive at work. And being productive at work also makes me happy in my personal life. So I try to do as many things that make me happy: playing soccer, reading books, playing video games, hanging with my lady, getting drunk, whatever I’m in the mood for. I find it tough to be creative when I’m worried or angry at something.
D: Also we work a lot of different mediums which helps keep things fresh, since one day we can be doing motion and the next a tee shirt or a branding project.
D: Teaching helps too because it exposes us to up and coming talent and fresh ideas every week. We are learning from them just as much as they are from us.”
Be sure to check out the full list of 25 Ways to Overcome Your Creative Block”
We found great inspiration from “Dress Code” designers who do the following to get their creative juices flowing:
“D: During the micro day to day stuff if I am in a creative rut I surf the web, go for a walk, check out a movie, shop for books, go to a museum or do other largely cliche things to fill up my brain with inspiration. Sometimes though I get sick of looking to other sources and try to clear my head by just getting out of the office and ideas come when I least expect them.
A: When it comes to daily creativity, I try to break down all of my tasks in a rough schedule everyday. I work on projects from 2-3 hour chunks at a time. I do not spend an entire day on one project alone unless its absolutely necessary. I turn off email and IM or check it every hour on the hour. Breaking down time helps me because when I have 2 hours to complete a task I’m solely focused on elements or details that might otherwise been overlooked. I think it makes me more creative because I look forward the next time I will get to work on a project and forces me to take some time off and think about what I will do next time. The schedule also helps me shift gears between different mediums. Multi-tasking doesn’t work for me, I can’t be having an IM conversation while writing a contract while talking to an intern while waiting for an email while trying to design something too. Getting rid of those small distractions and focusing on a single project helps.
D: The way our studio is set up though we try to have some overlap in who works on what, so there isn’t a ton of pressure on any one person to carry all of the creative weight, which can be kind of daunting and lets us be a bit more free with things.
D: But for the larger macro in a rut stuff we try to keep moving our business in new directions so we can stay happy creatively. To do self initiated work that balances out the day to day client stuff but in the end comes back and informs it.
A: On a macro scale, creativity comes and goes for me. I can’t predict when I will be excited about a project. I just try to be happy in my personal life which in turn makes me productive at work. And being productive at work also makes me happy in my personal life. So I try to do as many things that make me happy: playing soccer, reading books, playing video games, hanging with my lady, getting drunk, whatever I’m in the mood for. I find it tough to be creative when I’m worried or angry at something.
D: Also we work a lot of different mediums which helps keep things fresh, since one day we can be doing motion and the next a tee shirt or a branding project.
D: Teaching helps too because it exposes us to up and coming talent and fresh ideas every week. We are learning from them just as much as they are from us.”
Be sure to check out the full list of 25 Ways to Overcome Your Creative Block”
Apple Passes 10 billionth song
So what was the 10 billionth song sold? Lady Gaga, Kanye, Keisha???
"Apple said Thursday that its online music store crossed the threshold Wednesday when 71-year-old Louie Sulcer of Woodstock, Ga., bought "Guess Things Happen That Way" by Johnny Cash.
iTunes had promoted the 10 billion mark and celebrated the milestone by giving Sulcer a $10,000 iTunes gift card."
"Apple said Thursday that its online music store crossed the threshold Wednesday when 71-year-old Louie Sulcer of Woodstock, Ga., bought "Guess Things Happen That Way" by Johnny Cash.
iTunes had promoted the 10 billion mark and celebrated the milestone by giving Sulcer a $10,000 iTunes gift card."
2009 Album Cover Trends
2009 Album Cover Trends
Design Trend: Portraits
Portrait photography is great direction to head in for solo artists; however it has never been a big thing for bands and groups. The portrait helps customers put a face to the name, making them more aware of the artists, their songs, and their latest album (probably the one they're looking at!). Portraits in album artwork always tend to be close-up macro shots, usually of the artists face; this completely fills the area, meaning the customer/viewer is focusing their full attention on the artist.Design Trend: Photo Manipulations
Photo Manipulations are a great way to make an album pop out - it suggests the type of music the artist or band produce, and if done well can generally increase sales.Design Trend: Grunge
Just like other graphic design projects and web design, grunge is a great way to add depth and interest to album artworks. Although it is more commonly used by bands, it works just as well for solo artists; however it does, in the end, all come down to the genre of music the band or artist produces.Design Trend: Image-Based
A powerful photograph could be all it takes to increase an albums amount of sales. Scroll down and you'll find a couple that are strong enough to cope as a cover without any use of typography whatsoever!Design Trend: Type-Based
Just like the image-based album trend, powerful typography can sometimes be enough all by itself. It works in the exact same way a typography based web design or poster works!Design Trend: Black and White
Black and White images are often linked with these two words: 'Elegant' and 'Beautiful'. In the case of album artwork, that is quite often the case!Design Trend: Minimalistic
Minimalistic covers, in most cases, are cheaper to produce. They sometimes work really well, and others not so well. This year we have seen quite a few minimal album covers, both good and bad.Design Trend: Digital
Digital artwork is a great way to aim artwork at a younger, more modern generation. It's a great way to increase sales if the album is aimed at a particular market.Design Trend: Hand-Drawn
Hand-drawn is one of the biggest design trends of the year; not only in album artwork but in web design and other graphic design projects, too. We've seen it everywhere in the web especially, from complete hand-drawn designs, to hand-drawn rss and social media icons and even just the odd hand-drawn note.Design Trend: Vector Art
We all love vector art; it's clean, elegant and the amount of effects are completely endless. No two things are ever the same!How can AMS Help Musicians??
How Do You Do It?
The website, of course, but there’s more than that. What about your CD? You’ve gotten all the tracks done, now you need some audio CD mastering. And what about CD duplication? You want it done inexpensively, but you want it done right.CD Duplication
Low on funds? Or maybe you just want to shoot off a few sharp looking, hot sounding demos to the right people. Short run CD duplication is the way to go. AMS can run as few as 1 copy of an audio CD. Better per-unit prices are available as the quantities go up. Even though AMS is inexpensive, it’s definitely not like cheap CD duplication houses!CD Replication
If you want more copies made, you might consider CD replication. This is a process that manufactures higher quantities, while maintaining the highest audio quality. One thousand, two thousand or more, AMS can do your CD replication quick and good!On-disc printing is sharp and clear. Offset or screen print, it will look like the big-time! There are tons of packaging options as well, from traditional jewel boxes to the newer digipaks. Pick what best compliments your look.
Look Good on Paper…
…As well as on stage. AMS can help you get your press kit printed and assembled. The best connection you can make to fans is through live performances, and the best way to book a show is with a solid, professional well-made kit. Let AMS print them up for you!Merchandising
What better way to broaden your fanbase and fund your next project than to expand into merchandising. Your fans wearing your T Shirts will be your best advertising! Autograph CD’s and posters after the show! AMS can be your source for all your custom T shirt printing and poster printing. Keep in touch with your fans with postcard mailers, too. Our designers can make it look cool to your audience.And when it’s all done, we don’t just leave you with your CD duplication done. AMS can help you get your tunes listed where people can buy it online. Downloading is as big as CD purchases, and you want to be in a position to sell online, right next to the big kids. Let AMS move the future of your music!
Music is Most Watched on YouTube
A new statistic from You Tube notes that music is the most watched on You Tube. For new bands trying to get noticed, DO NOT ignore You Tube.
Watching music videos is the most popular activity on YouTube according to research company Sysomos accounting for 30.7% of all views. The study was based on measuring the tags on uploaded videos.
The study also shows that 20-35 year olds are the primary drivers of YouTube traffic. Embedding and linking to videos on social network and blogs by fans 20-35 accounted for 57.3% of all YouTube links.
The study also shows that 20-35 year olds are the primary drivers of YouTube traffic. Embedding and linking to videos on social network and blogs by fans 20-35 accounted for 57.3% of all YouTube links.
A Win for Dancing Baby
In 2007 Stephanie Lenz uploaded a video of her baby dancing to Prince's "Let's Go Crazy" on YouTube. Soon after, Universal Music Group issued a take down request, and the video was taken off of YouTube.
“Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) argued that the video was simply fair use. The case went to the US District Court for the District of Northern California.
Fast-forward to the present, and EFF argument has now triumphed. Just recently, a judge agreed to a partial summary judgment this week. Lenz is now in a position to collect attorney fees incurred in the case, and the video is being reinstated. Since 2007, majors have implemented blanket-level agreements with YouTube to avoid this type of situation.”
“Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) argued that the video was simply fair use. The case went to the US District Court for the District of Northern California.
Fast-forward to the present, and EFF argument has now triumphed. Just recently, a judge agreed to a partial summary judgment this week. Lenz is now in a position to collect attorney fees incurred in the case, and the video is being reinstated. Since 2007, majors have implemented blanket-level agreements with YouTube to avoid this type of situation.”
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