The X-Factor In Music Uncovered Reveals The Anatomy Of Hit Songs

What makes a great song? A catchy melody? Definitely. Killer lyrics? Possibly. But if you really want to know what helped Mark Ronson shift 14 million copies of Uptown Funk in an age where piracy and streaming rule, research suggests you may have to dig a little deeper.

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Recording Festival

Many a musician has had that lovely daydream about recording for free with an award winning producer in a legendary studio, and making it big so they could travel the world. Recording Festival has captured all these dreams and combined them into one reality, offering artists the chance to win a free two week recording session with a stellar team of music producers (with awards, even Grammys, on their resumes), and doing all this recording in the heart of Ireland in an all expenses paid trip. Is this a dream come true? Most definitely. It will be a dream come true for not one, but for three lucky artists / bands.

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Music Programming / Sequencing 101 – Essential Preparation

I’ve often been asked, “What are some things I can do to improve my music programming / sequencing?” In my experience, the most important thing you can do is: Learn how to play the instruments you are programming! You don’t have to become a virtuoso, but a basic understanding of how each instrument work will take your music programming to the next level. I’ve heard drum programming before where they programmed a tom fill while the ride cymbal kept going. The fill was complex enough that what was programmed would be physically impossible to play. Or a programmed flute plays a 15 measure line without a breath. Those are dead giveaways that it was programmed. With the quality of the soft-synths and samplers these days it’s stunning how, if you have an understanding of the instrument, you can have VERY believable tracks/parts. And not only believable, but musical too

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Before You Sign...

What You Should Know Before You Sign the Deal can be found in this book…

Unlike any other book about the music business, “Music Business: It’s a Dirty Game!”,

this book is not a ‘puff piece’ about the glitz and glamour about the music business.

This book takes you on a journey from the excitement of having a music publishing contract with a major music publishing company to the legal battles that followed.

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Fan Interaction: Why successful EDM Artists and Jam Bands are ahead of the game.

The biggest thing in common between these types of acts, aside from the volume of drugs consumed, is the level of mastery in connecting fans with fans. Let’s take a quick look at three different types of fan interaction:

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Mastering Engineers-Do I really need one?

What is mastering? and how can a mastering engineer help my track/Album? Some insiders tips and information

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Dance music production intro...

There are always new muscians taking their first steps into the realm of electronic dance music production and this covers the basic concepts which may initially appear confusing for someone starting out.

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Joe Solo: Commonsense advice sprinkled with gems

The more emails and tips I get from this guy, the more his great advice sinks in - and I’m not a working/recording musician. It’s just damned good advice. A mix of “DOH! slap me up side the head” commonsense stuff that we need to be reminded of constantly - sprinkled with brilliant gems of creative advice. I heard him speak at a couple of different songwriter workshops and conferences within a 3-month time span, and then I signed up for his free email tips and video nuggets. It’s THAT good that I suggest y’all do the same at his website joesolo dot com. Did I mention that it’s FREE!!!!  End of public service announcement. :-)

Music Without Labels Seeking Submissions for New Web Series!

Hello Everyone!

I am the spokesperson for Music Without Labels & Beat-Play LLC.  MWL is an umbrella for many music projects, ideas and conversation. The MWL Live just wrapped up a on a 15,000 mile cross-country video tour covering the hottest summer musicians and artists across the country. We featured several great bands such as Portugal. The Man, Datsik, The Lonely Forest, Yann Tiersen, Carina Round, Vintage Trouble, Dry the River, Washed Out, Gardens & Villa, Fun. and many more! Check out the MWL Live Tour 2012 videos here. 

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Music Production Midi Templates

At www.BeatElite.com we specialise in creating music production midi templates for producers of all skill levels and from many popular and electronic dance (EDM) genres.

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What Are The Musical Capabilities of an iPad?

There aren’t many technical advances over the last fifty years that the music industry hasn’t been hugely affected by. Television and cable, digital radio, computers, the internet. Music is susceptable to change, and by its very nature has to be constantly evolving. Great! Who wouldn’t want the industry to move on and advance with technology, as a great man once prophecised, “the times they are a changin’”.

So here we are in the 21st Century, and the mobile revolution is upon us. Tablet devices are all the rage and Apple continue to dominate. “There’s an App for that” as the mantra goes, but is there an App (or combination of apps) suitable for producing a chart-worthy piece of music? Let’s investigate.

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Music Without Labels Live Tour 2012

At Music Without Labels & Beat-Play we know you want, and deserve, exclusive coverage of all of the best summer festivals and concerts; which is why MWL Live is embarking on journey across the United States! MWL spokesperson, Katie McVeay, and leading videographer, Shane Suski, are crossing state lines to showcase musical acts at festivals, small town concerts and everywhere in between, providing up-to-date photos, video interviews, and giving you the opportunity to interact with today’s top artists and musicians.

During Shane’s first year with MWL, he has had the opportunity to photograph over 75 artists including big names like Immortal Technique, GZA, Bela Fleck & The Flecktones, Young the Giant, and more! Katie McVeay started her MWL work in NYC where she interviewed numerous up-and-coming bands such as Caged Animals, Dustin Wong, The Beets and Canon Logic. In February, Katie relocated to MWL Headquarters in San Diego and has had the chance to interview talented acts such as Puscifer, Lost in the Trees, Rachael Yamagata, Talkdemonic and many more!

MWL Live will be traveling approximately 11,000 miles in 108 days featuring popular musicians at Sasquatch, Free Press, Bonnaroo, Electric Forest, Lollapalooza, Bumbershoot Music Festival and everywhere in between! We also know that not all of your favorite musicians are located near hub cities where their music can be properly showcased, reviewed or featured. Are you one of these artists? Do you know a great band in your location? We are reaching out to artists and fans! We want to visit you during the MWL Live Tour!

A trip like this takes funding! How much? $10,000! Right now we have $5,749 towards the project, but it’s not enough! Our Kickstarter goal of $6,000 helps cover the (high) price of gas, food, accommodations, tolls, festival fees, equipment and other expenses that we need to make the MWL Live Tour 2012 a reality!

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Record Production is Like Baking a Cake: The Hierarchy of Reaching Full Potential [GRAPHIC]

So what does baking a cake have to do with record production? It’s a helpful analogy that will help you plan how much time, effort, and expenses to devote to the different aspects of record production. Before proceeding to the next step, always be completely happy with the current phase. Continuing the process after the fact will limit your full potential as many issues cannot be corrected at a later stage.

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True Entertainer OR Master of Smoke and Mirrors from BRASH! - A Music Marketing Blog

I have tuned into various award shows, concerts, and talk show performances displayed by artists. The performances that I love the most are when artists show their TRUE self whether it’s the dance skills amazing or just a microphone and a piano expressing their inner selves with. However, some artists take advantage of high technology, background dancers, and major effects using it to mask their lack of talent. As a devoted entertainment fan, it’s easy to tell the difference.

In this industry artists are charged with the task of entertaining. With that in mind, some feel that pulling out all stops to perform a good show along with creating a massive buzz for the media to cover is the way to go.

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