Avoid the Burn of a Bad Music Contract
Written by admin on December 28, 2009 – 2:13 pm -If you are involved with any aspect of the music industry, then you will run across a time where music contracts will be involved. But you have to be very careful in the music industry. If you are one of the lucky ones that have made it so far to be offered a contract then you are definitely on the right track. Unfortunately, recording contracts can be tricky and you need to make sure you have someone watching your back before you sign.
Some top dogs in the music industry have notoriously taken advantage of the young, naive or just plain desperate. Don't fall victim to bad music business contracts! That is the best advice you can be given. The excitement of being offered a contract should never alter your judgment of the terms in music contracts or recording contracts.
You have to be on the defense at all times in the music industry. I mean, we are talking about your career and your money, after all. People who only have your best interest in mind are the only people you should be involved with. That is the bottom line. Recording contracts, for example, should allot you the biggest share of any profits just to start.
Always keep in mind that when you sign music business contracts that you are signing a real, no holds barred legal document. This document can make you or absolutely break you so you have to be on guard. Also, you need to make sure that everything promised to you is written down and included in the music contracts. Unfortunately, a man's word is just not as good as it used to be. You can't argue a handshake in court.
You may be wondering if you need legal help at this point. Well, you do not technically need a lawyer to read a document for you. If you don't feel confident that you understand absolutely every word contained within, then you should question it. If you feel like your question about the recording contracts is being avoided, then consult legal assistance.
The music industry is a tough business. Fully understanding music contracts is an even harder business. Not every company, manager or label is devious and out to get you. But you do need to be aware of those that are. Don't become overzealous and sign anything placed before you. Take the music business contracts home, review them with your band members. Then make notes on questions you may have or areas that you feel are up for revision.
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How to Become the Next Music Superstar
Written by admin on November 6, 2009 – 1:17 pm -Thanks to the electronic revolution, the music industry is changing. No longer do musicians and singers need the backing of radio stations and big record companies to start building a fan base or having a successful music career. "Forget about American Idol and Nashville Star, don't rely on record labels; an artist can make a name for himself / herself first! Then they'll have the chips stacked in their favor to make a great deal." is the advice of Jaci Rae, No.1 Best-selling author, syndicated DJ, writer and successful indie artist.
American Idol and Nashville Star winners and runners-up are held to strict contracts and tightly controlled careers. We hear about very few of the winners with the exception of Kelly Clarkson or Carrie Underwood. Jaci says there's been no better time to be an indie musician - making the music and money they want and deserve. Rae discusses such up-to-datemarketing techniques as: Blogging, Podcasting, guerilla marketing, college bookings, record pools — even how the indie musician can start up their own successful indie label.
So how can an artist move product when it seems that even the famous artists can't sell a blockbuster? How do you make a splash turn into a tidal wave when you're in such a big swimming pool?
The answer: it's all about marketing. We have heard it time and time again and that's what it is. A rock packaged and sold as a rock is just a rock. But a rock packaged and marketed as a friend becomes a cultural phenomenon.
Here are just a few ideas to help
Use podcasts to broadcast your music.
Make use of places like Myspace and other music sites.
Do as many free concerts as you can and have plenty of merchandise to sell and a sign up list.
Start calling your local radio stations offering to help them out in exchange for an interview and a plug of your CD. Many places aren't able to play your CD because they are programmed, but that won't stop them from a plug.
Take advantage of every opportunity to share your music or goods with the world.
These are just a few ideas; you can come up with many more. The idea is to plug your music and then your CDs will start to fly out of your hands (providing it's a good representation of your work).
The most important thing an artist can do is to network and market. It's all about perceived value.
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Learn To Play Rock Guitar
Written by admin on September 8, 2009 – 2:42 pm -Author: buckleyc
Although the electric guitar has originated in blues music, it is rock that gave its popularity. With rock music, the electric guitar became a massively expressive instrument. All guitar lessons have to touch on rock as well, but if you want to learn to play rock guitar, there are special modules you can take up. These modules focus almost exclusively on rock music.
The things you will be taught when you learn to play rock guitar can be roughly spread into three modules: first lessons, where you will learn the basics about playing the guitar, electric guitar improver and power chords.
First Lessons
These lessons are mostly for beginners. If you have some knowledge about playing the guitar, you may skip some of these. This is up to your teacher to decide.
However, if you're holding a guitar for the first time, this is where your teacher will usually start. You will be taught the fundamentals about playing a guitar in general and playing rock guitar in particular. You will learn the basics about rock lead guitar and power chords. After these first lessons, you will have some idea on how to play classic rock guitar. If you get these right, you are on your way to actually playing rock guitar.
Electric Guitar Improver
In the next lessons, you will probably be taught various rock techniques, such as sliding, string-bending, pull-offs, vibrato and hammer-ons. These tips will enable you to play some fairly good rock solos. You will also learn about scales and chords that will help you start making up your own music.
There might be a lot of blues references within these lessons. Going through all these will help you understand the relation between blues and rocks, which is essential if you want to learn to play rock guitar like a pro.
Power Chords
Power chords are two or three string distorted sounding chords used in some of the most popular rock songs of all times. You will learn to play several rock songs during the first few lessons of this module. Afterwards you will be very familiar with the fretboard and surprise yourself with the sounds you will be able to play.
If you seriously want to learn to play rock guitar, don't get frustrated or discouraged if you're not playing the way you would like to at the beginning. If you enjoy playing, the progress will come at some point. Find a guitar teacher you communicate well with, design a workable schedule to practice and, most importantly, try to have fun while you're learning.
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Guide To The Best Bands To See Live
Written by admin on July 10, 2009 – 3:14 pm -There’s nothing quite like going to see a springy concert; you’ve bought your concert tickets, you’ve waited a while for the day to come round, and finally it arrives. All the excitement has built up and you are ready to explode. But the gig turns discover a flop, and never quite meets with your high expectations.
So how crapper you secure that no matter where you go, a top-class concert module always be delivered? What bands exist that no matter where or when they play, your concert listing module have a memorable gig, packed with memories and experiences you crapper tell to your grandchildren?
There are five UK bands that have legendary performances to their audiences time and time again. Buy a concert listing for one of these acts, and you module never come away disappointed.
Alice Cooper
An Alice Cooper concert transcends a mere singable concert. It’s a show, an actual performance of not just top calibre rock and roll music, but a horror, a stage play, and a human experience of immense proportions every rolled into one.
Alice Cooper module verify you to the depths of the human soul, twist you round and drop you on your head, then sail you close to the dark side before delivering you redeemed, and free to springy added day.
Cooper is a legend, which is why his concert tickets cost so much. Each show is as carefully crafted as a Cuban cigar, so you crapper be sure that any listing for one of his concerts is the promise of a night to remember. www.alicecooper.com
The Rolling Stones
Legends in their own time with a backwards catalogue to pull from that most other modern bands crapper only envy, The Rolling Stones, despite being grandfathers most of them, are still rocking hard and leading the artefact in calibre springy singable entertainment.
Rumor has it they have a team of doctors watching various monitors backstage to secure they stay fit (alive?) enough to perform – while performing! But even so, the lifestyle that made them so famous means that even the people hired to ready their hearts pumping are banned from the after-show party.
A Rolling Stones gig module either verify you backwards down memory lane, or expose you to a time when rock and roll really was rock ‘n’ roll and it stood for something more than just a marketing angle. These guys really mean it. www.rollingstones.com
Madness
Still on the go after 28 years, this North author band never did much to change their act in any huge way, other than let it mature into a solidified and skanking master showpiece. From activity in backwards street author pubs to 100,000 in London’s Hyde Park, these guys module make every section of society move it’s feet whether they want to or not.
Their legendary Madstock concerts sold discover every time, and the first one in 1992 went down in story as the only concert ever to ever run on the Richter Scale. And it’s every done with a backdrop of humorous cockney banter and a clear love for the music.
Madness never likeable rehearsing, but their stage presence comes over with no pretension – just a simple rock-stomping beat, it is no wonder they still have followers of every ages, colours, creeds and sexes up and dancing madly on their feet. www.madness.co.uk
Jean Michel Jarre
Ever since his famous gig in London’s Docklands, the UK public has been fascinated by Jarre’s surreal and exciting on-stage wizardry. With some spectacular and confounding visual performances with light and sound, that have to be witnessed to be believed, Jarre now only plays to massive crowds at one-off events, still his penalization is much that it works anywhere.
A Jarre concert is more than just a concert, it is a chance to witness a modern-day singable genius at work, with a selection of timeless tracks some of which you module recognise, but never knew were his. www.jeanmicheljarre.com
Queen
No list of top springy bands would be complete without mentioning Queen.
So legendary were their concerts, people from every walks of chronicle would go to see them even if hey disliked their music. The appeal and magnetic allure of Freddie Mercury is something more people should have had the pleasure of seeing, and as much tickets for his concerts sold like gold dust.
Mercury crapper never be replaced, and Queens’ performances, pinnacled with their Live Aid concert at Wembley in 1985, gave them a new audience and fondness within the British psyche, that crapper never be matched.
It’s one of the tragedies in chronicle that people like Mercury leave us so young, but the rest of the band springy on, and the penalization module never die. www.queenonline.com
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