100 K downloads mixtape project for close to zero $

“Few weeks ago, while eating italian food in a swiss restaurant, Dj mehdi told me about his idea to releasean unofficial remix mixtape right before the release of the official one on Edbanger/Because music.

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Any suggestions?

Question…most college programs have the typical music degree.  There are a handful of schools that have some level of contemporary music study.  Berklee would not be an option…we’ve talked to too many who recommend against it.  

So, we are thinking UK, 3 yr programs ALL music, not all the intro classes (repeat of HS first 2 yrs!).  what do industry professionals think of vocational programs?  

My thoughts…music producer role will disappear as bands take over that.  Transition is happening rapidly, how do we find a school that is on top of that?  What do your members recommend when any educational discussions arise?

Any suggestions at all would be GREATLY appreciated!!!

Does posting up flyers really get people to go to shows?

Remember the first time you ever put up flyers for a show? I’ll bet you were probably pretty excited.

I know I was. I felt that if we put up enough flyers that even if half of one percent of all the people who saw the flyer went to the show then we’d be pack the venue and be well on our way to being famous within a few months. So we posted flyers everywhere. Big ones. Eye catching flyers that everyone would take notice of. How could it not work?! We were going to be huge.

So what happened? All our friends showed up for the first couple of shows and we had a great time. So we kept putting up flyers. More, bigger, better etc. After a while we realized that we weren’t getting anyone coming to our shows from our flyers, so we started to lose interest in putting them up. There were conflicting opinions as to whether or not they served any purpose. We never really got the whole thing worked out.

So what’s the deal? Do flyers work or not?

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BandCentral Selected to participate in MidemNet LAB

BandCentral Confirmed today as one of 15 Music Tech Start-ups to Showcase at MIDEM in January 2010.

BandCentral is excited to confirm our invitation to showcase at the inaugural MidemNet Lab, at the MIDEM music conference in Cannes, France, from 23rd – 27th January 2010.

The MidemNet Lab will shine a spotlight on 15 of the brightest start-ups bringing innovative digital solutions to the music industry.

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An album + treasure hunt

The fifth album from The Weirdo Deluxe pushes boundaries by doubling as a treasure hunt. Somewhere hidden in the US is a Silver Key. All the clues needed to find it are hidden in the album (music, maps, interesting ephemera). Whoever finds it first keeps the key and wins $1,000.

PLUS, the prize grows by $1 for every album sold.

Think of it as a game you play on CD player.

Includes performances by Ian McLagan (Small Faces), Dave Gregory (XTC), Ian Moore, Tosca String Quartet, and a bunch of others.

More info at: www.findthesilverkey.com Available via the site, CDBaby.com, and iTunes.

What You Focus On Expands

As 2009 draws to a close it seems only natural to reflect on the events of the year and provide insight into arguments from both sides of the fence. The fall of the music industry has been happening for over ten years, however this year has seen an influx in the amount of musicians, and industry professionals participants that have been effected by the crisis. Whether you’ve lost your prized music biz job or realized that a label deal is pointless, we’ve all recently changed our concept of reality. When Myspace was en vogue we saw the same phenomenon of over crowding that we are seeing in the How To space. This time Wordpress and Twitter may be responsible for allowing anyone with a laptop and cut-n-paste skills to profess their views on How To Survive the New Music Industry.

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What if we are all wrong?

first off lemme say i love this site i read it all the time, i truely find it invaluable. i also read alot of the members personal blogs and i think there are some amazingly creative and intelligent people here….having said that WHAT IF WE ARE ALL WRONG!?

I would say(correct me if im wrong) most of the people here are definitly team music 2.0, we are not afraid of technology we embrace it, we use it to try and create lasting impressions on people, the “other side” well not so much or rather they are slow at accepting what music has becoming or is becoming, because we all know the game is constantly changing, and sometimes they even refuse to change

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How Much Money Do You Make With Your Music? Why?

The following was originally posted on IndependentRockstar.com: Are you making as much money with your music as you’d like? I’m going to assume that if you’re reading this that you’d probably like to become more successful and make more money with your music. So my questions to you is, “What is your story about why you’re not as successful as you want to be?” Is it because of the economy? Is it because club owners are greedy? Is it because the music business is going to Hell? Is it because the general public doesn’t know good music when they hear it? If you actually believe that any of those justifications are true then I challenge you to consider another way of looking at things.

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Platforms For Creating Fan to Band Relationships

Everyone agrees the most valuable commodity for touring artists success is a loyal fan base. There is consensus on both sides of the aisle about fan loyalty when literally every other topic is up for debate. The profile of the fan - young or old, audiophile elite, or MP3 junkie - matters less than full-frontal engagement and live performance. Two cyber-savvy companies have launched Internet music platforms that engage fans at the tip of the decision-making pyramid, inverting the antiquated top-to-bottom marketing model into a rigorous grassroots movement handing the reins over to ticket-buying public.

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Yimup powers independent artists from all over the world to set up their own online music business.

Yimup, (www.yimup.net) a music industry technology company has launched a new service called “Yimup Music Platform”, which is notable in that it lets independent artists from all over the world to sell music directly to their fans from their own web music distribution platform, rather than linking through to third-party retailers.

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The Pomodoro Technique for Working Musicians

As an early regifted Christmas present from MTT contributor and new media scholar, Derek Sivers, I present this blog on general topic of time management. Instead of scloding you with a boring presentation about balancing work and life, I’ll pay forward a free technique that we can all use immediatley.

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FiXT Remix: New Celldweller Remix Contest Offers Chance at 1 on 1 Mentoring Session

Remix Celldweller’s track “So Long Sentiment” and get a chance to win a 1 on 1 Mentoring Session with Klayton of Celldweller and be featured on the Remixed Upon A Blackstar 2CD remix compilation, plus win thousands in software prizes!

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Important stuff for artists approaching labels/ managers/ bookers

In 2004 I ran a record store and almost by accident started helping a local band release an EP and now it´s 2009 and I have had a blast running a indie label for 5 years here in Sweden.

I thought I would give bands out there some thoughts/ hints about what I think is important when approaching a label/ manager/ booker.

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Think Outside the Venue To Get That First Gig

Most new bands approach the first part of their careers like this: We need to find an audience, but in order to find an audience we have to play shows. If we want to play shows we have to get a talent buyer to book us, but talent buyers are going to want to know we can draw an audience before they’ll ever consider letting us play. It’s a frustrating catch-22. Thankfully, it’s also not the only (or even the best) route to finding your first audience or building your initial fan base. It just means that you’re going to have to go around the gatekeepers and find fans somewhere else.

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