5 Keys To Writing A Good Song

Another day has blown by and I still haven’t put my pen to paper. There was a time that melodies and hook lines rolled through my brain like a roller coaster on a daily basis. Now they are much less frequent and probably due to my cautiousness of words. Yes the number of songs I write these days are fewer than in the past. But it isn’t the quantity, it’s the quality that counts anyway. Here’s a couple of tips on writing a song that I picked up along the way.

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Creative Courage

Creativity is a given for all of us. I believe that all humans are creative beings, and just because you’re not making your living in the arts doesn’t mean you’re not doing something creative in your life. And if you’re not, you need to start right now.

Then take it a step further, because having the courage to let the world see and hear what you’re thinking or feeling is a completely different ballgame.

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Indie Connect To Host The First Global Virtual Music Conference and Expo

NASHVILLE  TN -  Imagine going to a major music conference, connecting and doing business with music executives, service providers, artists and others from every nook and cranny of the industry worldwide, and never having to leave the comfort of your home or office. Imagine being able to learn from and interact face-to-face with many of the most noted educators in the music industry without ever having to leave your home or favorite coffee shop. No bank-breaking hotels, no outrageous airfares, no smothering crowds, and never having to spend precious time away from your home or business.

That is exactly what you will be able to do at the ‘IC Virtual Music Conference and Expo’, scheduled for January 15-17 2013 and hosted by Indie Connect. The theme of the event is ‘Developing Long Term Success as an Indie Artist’. According to Vinny Ribas, CEO of Indie Connect, the 3-day event will feature over 30 live and pre-recorded expert presentations from around the globe. Each presentation will be followed by a live chat moderated by the speaker.

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How to study music (a simple checklist)

Ever wondered how you can study music with less effort? Follow this simple checklist and you will find how to practice at best even if you are a busy musician.

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Secondary monitors

Secondary monitors or headphones in a recording and mixing situation can be very useful at providing a new perspective on your sound. Most studios should make it a priority to invest in the best possible quality monitoring loudspeakers they can. It makes sense not to buy a cheap set of monitors as their inadequacies will travel with your work. Always choose to save a bit more money and buy the best you can afford. It is often more cost effective in the long term to buy a high quality item once, instead of doubting an inferior product later and having to upgrade.

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Gummibar Bubble Up Remix Contest

Gummibär – “Bubble Up” SoundCloud Remix Contest

Veteran and aspiring producers alike will have the chance to remix Gummibär’s latest song “Bubble Up” for a chance to win prizes and exposure.

Remixes of all styles and genres will be accepted. A panel of judges at Gummybear International will select ten of the best remixes as finalists from the lot of submissions. The top 10 finalists will be announced and put up for a public vote on Gummibar.net. The top 5 remixes with the most votes will receive prizes.

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Best plugin compressor

This is a common search term and it applies to all plugins for audio production and not just compressors. Most home music studios rely on software in order to process recorded audio tracks within the realms of a digital audio workstation. There must be literally 1,000’s of plug ins on the market such as equalizers, compressors, stereo width adjustment, de-essers etc. Some are purely digital in nature and some seek to emulate analog hardware.

Many of these plugins are created by well known developers and some are made by just a one man operation. With such a vast range of plug in types to choose from what is the best way to ensure you set yourself up with the best sonic tools for the job. Well it will come as little surprise that listening is the real way to ensure that you choose the best tools. Of course we can all hold pre conceptions of what tools will add ‘analog warmth’ or provide clarity and punch and sometimes this is a good place to start from. Try and clarify what the goal is with any given purchase and then narrow it down to the 5 plugins that you feel are going to serve your needs best.

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INDIE MAG Launches a Campaign to Develop a Funding Platform for Independent Musicians

Publishing with a conscience
INDIE MAG is on a mission to create a funding platform to support artist development by funneling profits from the magazine back into the global indie music community. The INDIE MAG team is raising funds on Indiegogo to establish the magazine as a social enterprise and to develop an infrastructure for the distribution of the sales profits through a grant process. Profits generated through sales from the issues will be funneled back into the independent music community. The goal of this undertaking is to provide artists with an opportunity to seek financial support simply on the merit of their ideas and their musically inspired vision for themselves and the world. INDIE MAG has teamed up with Wear Your Music©, the guitar string bracelet charity project, to offer a range of rewards in exchange for contributions to The INDIE MAG Project.

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Ralf GUM’s Mission of Harmony

Ralf GUM will release his new album, Never Leaves You, on September 17, 2012. The album, which took over two years to create and offers a blend of groove and soul, continues the theme of the artist’s past work – his passion for global harmony.

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Music Xray & Soundcloud Partnership Garners 2,176 Successes in First Year (Infographic)

A year ago, Music Xray and Soundcloud partnered to automatically match Soundcloud users’ tracks to real music industry opportunities. In that time, 2,176 Soundcloud musicians have been selected for opportunities on Music Xray.

Below is an infographic that highlights just 13 of those success stories. If you are a Soundcloud user and you would like your tracks automatically matched, just activate the Music Xray app in the Soundcloud App Gallery.

See infographic below

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How To Take Your Music Career To The Next Level With A Mentor

If you would like to start a career in music and quickly reach success as a professional musician, it is crucial to find a mentor who has already achieved great things in the music business. Learn how to find your own mentor be reading this article.

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Buzz Marketing | Fanbase Word-Of-Mouth

As you know (hopefully), social media websites provide you with a platform to grow your fanbase, and expand your reach to people that you never could have connected with before.

What you need to understand is how to utilise your social media fanbase in order to market your music, promote gigs, and hopefully become commercially successful (If that’s what you’re going for of course). First, a brief introduction…

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The evolution of audio mastering

Historically audio mastering was a procedure which took a set of mixes and ensured that they would work on the vinyl format for release to the general public. The vinyl format requires specific technical criteria to be met in order to successfully create a lacquer in order to make vinyl copies. The last thing you want is a skipping record, sibilance on vocals or a wasted test pressing because the songs do not fit on one side. In addition the music would sometimes be tweaked to ensure good compatibility for radio broadcast which was is important for the promotional needs of the record label and artist. Today for mastering  we have a number of digital formats that include CD, digital .wav and .aiff files and also compressed file formats such as MP3, Ogg Vorbis and AAC.  

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Paina B Music Marketing is asking Indie Artists and Indie Labels….Who handles your marketing?

Music Marketing Company looking for new clients to “Promote to the next level”

(ATLANTA, GA), August 1, 2012 – Paina B Music Marketing is launching a new campaign “Who handles your marketing?” in hopes to recruit indie artists and labels to promote to the next level. This company is looking to take on new clients to provide quality marketing services to them in hopes gain exposure in the entertainment industry. Launched in December 2010, Paina B has worked with pop, rap, and R&B artists in providing ways to enhance their brand according to the artists’/label’s goals and objectives.

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