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The Muse's News |
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Issue 5.10 - January 2003 ISSN 1480-6975
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This issue sponsored by:
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I n T h i s I s s u e :
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@-- Editor's Musings
@-- Copyright & Publishing Q&A with Nancy A. Reece from Carpe Diem
Copyright Management
@-- Music Reviews - by Ben Ohmart, David Lockeretz, Stacey Board, Ashley Petkovski & Gian Fiero
@-- Songwriting Book Review - by James Linderman
@-- Musical Notes - Songwriting Contests & Market Info.
@-- Muse's Clues - Songwriting Web sites that inspire - brought
to you by singer/songwriter & teacher, Irene Jackson.
@-- Featured Article - MIXED EMOTIONS by Lynn Harrison
@-- Columnist In Spotlight - Ricky Fitzpatrick & his SELLING OUT!
@-- On Site Featured Article - An article already online for your
viewing pleasure.
@-- Classifieds & Useful Services
@-- Contact information
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ISSN 1480-6975. Copyright 1998 - 2002, Jodi Krangle. For more contact information, see end of issue.
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Visit http://www.musesmuse.com/musemerchandise.html for great
Muse's Muse products like mugs, mousepads, shirts, and even wall
clocks! Start your own store too - with no up front costs!
See http://www.cafepress.com/cp/info/storeref.aspx?refby=musesmuse
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S p o n s o r M e s s a g e :
(Please support the sponsors that support this newsletter! Thanks!)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
TAKE ONLINE SONGWRITING CLASSES AT BERKLEEMUSIC.COM
Learn how to write great lyrics. Learn composition and arranging
techniques. Develop the skills you need to succeed in songwriting.
Master music engraving with Finale and audio editing with Pro
Tools. Berkleemusic offers you online courses led by the faculty
instructors from Berklee College of Music. You can take the courses
online in the comfort of your home or when you are on the road, in
hotels, anywhere and anytime. Get access to Berklee professors and
other music professionals like you. Learn online and network
anytime and anywhere.
Berkleemusic offers courses and certificates in five fields of
study: Writing, Performance, Music Education, Production and
Business. Online Writing courses include such topics as
songwriting, composition, arranging, theory and film scoring.
Courses start every 8 weeks, which means there is always something
of interest about to start.
Registration for January classes is still open! For more
information visit:
http://www.berkleemusic.com/school/?affiliate_promotion_id=187
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E d i t o r ' s M u s i n g s :
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Hi everyone. I hope you've had a very merry Christmas (if you
celebrate it) and that you're looking forward to a very happy and
healthy New Year!
I only have a few announcements this Musings, so I'll keep it
pretty short. I did want to mention though, that The Muse's Muse
was cited as one of the best sites of 2002 by Music Connection
Magazine in their 25th anniversary issue along with some other
fantastic websites that offer support and resources for indie
musicians and songwriters. Congratulations to all those other
sites too! Every one of them is more than deserving.
If you want to have a look at the list (and you really *should* get
to know all the sites listed there), it's at
www.musicconnection.com/currentissue/cybermusic/cybermusic.lcgi
This is certainly an information-packed issue! Lots of great
stuff, but I thought I'd mention specifically that The Muse's Muse
has a new columnist. Ricky Fitzpatrick has joined us with a couple
of fantastic articles about how songwriters can get more notice for
their craft using the principles of sales. His new column is
profiled towards the end of this newsletter and I hope you'll check
it out.
The raffle winners for this month are Ken Robertson from Pendleton,
IN who has won a copy of Jeff Strand's, "Starting a Band Made
Simple" (reviewed below), and Amberlynne Johnson from Hyde Park,
NY, who has won a copy of VSS's helpful songwriting organization
product (for a review of Lyricist & information on a discount
offered, see http://www.musesmuse.com/vss-review.html ).
And that's everything. Enjoy your holiday season and keep writing!
All the best,
--Jodi
Back to Menu
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S p o n s o r M e s s a g e :
(Please support the sponsors that support this newsletter! Thanks!)
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LYRICIST! VERSION 2.2 HAS ARRIVED-INCLUDES ON-LINE COPYRIGHT LINK
Virtual Studio Systems, Inc. is proud to announce Lyricist V2.2 -
The Songwriter's Best Friend: the first-of-its-kind word processor
designed for musicians, songwriters, and poets. The software
includes a rhyming dictionary, thesaurus, album categorization,
chord charting, chord generator, song arrangement, On-Line
Copyright Link, and much much more - all in a user-friendly
package. Check out the review at www.musesmuse.com/vss-review.html
Muse's Muse visitors can take home the product for $5.00 off the
regular selling price just for purchasing through the form provided
off of the review!
For more information, visit the review url above or call us at
888.732.1176 inside the U.S.A. and Canada or 603.726-4499 outside
the U.S.A.
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C o p y r i g h t & P u b l i s h i n g Q & A :
With Licensing executive Nancy A. Reece
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DERIVATIVE WORKS:
Q: I have written lyrics to a one minute jingle using music from a
song from the 1950's. I hear jingles using old music all the time
but have no idea what has to be done to actually broadcast this
jingle. Is it a flat fee for the use of the music or do you have to
pay a royalty every time the jingle is played? Would the cost be
more if it were a very large corporation using the jingle in a
nation wide campaign or a little local business using the jingle?
And also, as the lyricist, what could I expect to receive for my
efforts?
A: Anytime you use a pre-existing copyright and adjust it, you must
first seek permission form the original owner. You must first come
to an agreement that your derivative work is authorized. Find the
original owner and seek permission before proceeding.
The performance fee for the use of a jingle happens at the
broadcast level. The radio station, tv station or webcaster pays
for a blanket license to cover performance fees from BMI, ASCAP and
SESAC and those fees are distributed to the copyright holders when
the music is played.
If the work is exclusively performed for employees at a corporation
as training then the corporation's performance licenses with BMI,
ASCAP and SESAC covers that use.
If your client hires you to create the work, you will want to be
sure that you seek counsel to have appropriate paperwork created to
show who owns the copyright. Your portion of ownership determines
your compensation.
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REGISTRATION:
Q: Years ago I wrote a song and had it copyrighted. Recently, I
heard a song by (a band) with the same title and a similar tune. Do
I have any rights? Don't big recording artists have their
management check material for copyrights?
A: Titles of songs can not be copyrighted. However, if you feel
that the work you have registered has been infringed, you should
contact counsel to review the points with you on determining theft
of copyright. There are specific points that must be proven
including access to your work.
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PERFORMING RIGHTS ORGANIZATIONS:
Q: As an amateur songwriter (who knows very little about
licensing/publishing), should I have a relationship with BMI, ASCAP
or SESAC? It seems logical, but I like to stay out of red tape
whenever possible.
A: This entire business has a foundation and that foundation is
called "relationships". As a songwriter in the United States, you
have an option of selecting which Performing Rights Organization
you want to represent you. Depending on the term of the agreement,
you may have the option to change your mind on that representation
about every five years.
SESAC is a profit driven business and unless you can show that your
current catalog is of current value or that you have great
potential to develop it into value, they will probably not select
you as an affiliate. They have that option. The other PRO's do not.
Both BMI and ASCAP are not for profit. ASCAP runs as a membership
organization and BMI as a direct affiliate base. If you were a
publisher with multiple writers, then you would want to set up
publishing companies with all the PROs your writers are affiliated
with. If you are a self-published songwriter, you will want to
affiliate not only as a writer but also as a publisher with the
same PRO. If you do not do this, potential royalties may be lost.
In selecting a PRO, ask for material from all 3 and read about
them. Talk to other developing writers you know and get their
opinions. Call the closest office of the organization and see if
you can get a real person in the writer/publisher department to
talk to you. (I've know people that go with the first PRO that
actually talks to them.) Keep in mind that BMI has over 300,000
affiliates and that ASCAP has nearly an equal catalog of over 4.5
million titles. That is a lot of people to take care of, so if you
can get any kind of relationship going with a person, keep it
going.
Remember: relationships are the foundation of everything you will
do.
*****
ABOUT NANCY A. REECE:
Since 1998, Nancy Reece has been providing a question and answer
forum for Muse's Muse readers. Now all of the articles, forums and
Q&A's are being compiled into a book. Nancy is wanting to be sure
that you have the opportunity to receive a copy of the book as soon
as it is ready. If you are interested in getting an E-mail
notification to indicate that the book is ready for purchase,
please send your request to RealARealQ@musesmail.com .
How to Ask a Question:
If you have a question for Nancy about publishing or copyright
administration, you can e-mail her at nreece@musesmuse.com. Please
indicate in the subject of your e-mail that your submission is for
The Muse's Muse guest forum, Real Answers to Real Questions.
Thanks!
Back to Menu
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M u s i c R e v i e w s :
by Ben Ohmart, David Lockeretz, Stacey Board, Ashley Petkovski &
Gian Fiero
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Lani Richards – "the moment" (by Stacey Board)
Lani's incredibly supple and silky voice, sophisticated
arrangements, and excellent support players make this a very potent
recording. She's a versatile player of acoustic guitar, mandolin
and electric guitar. That mix of instruments only gives you a hint
about the variety of flavors in the music you get here.
The lyrics are like a brush stroke to help you through the rich
landscape created by the musicians. Her voice and melody are the
stars and I happily follow them through each song. Even "Ghost",
one of the most pared down songs instrumentally, is simply and
still richly beautiful. She knows how to put the brush to the
canvas and what amount to apply.
Please do NOT think I'm describing Enya territory here, but on many
songs on the record there is a slightly meditative quality. They
tend to create a mood and successfully suspend you there.
But she also knows how to get things stirred up. "Don't go Down" is
plea with a driving rhythm conveying the dark demons she is hoping
to help someone ignore. On the very next rack "Homework" she gets
downright bluesy and sassy. I love her voice and versatility on
this song especially (It also is the only song on the CD written by
someone other than Richards). Immediately following, "On the Edge"
has a jazzy, even slightly latin feel to it. She successfully
continues to show different facets throughout the CD.
Her voice has slightly different facets also, and that intrigues me
– she's part Christine McVie, part Beth Orton, part chocolate cello
or something equally as smooth and satisfying.
Her support players on this CD are top notch. Their ability to know
when to play and when not to play is a very big plus to the overall
quality of the CD. "at the moment" wonderfully showcases a
versatile writer and player with a gorgeous voice.
http://www.lanirichards.com/
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OTHER NEW MUSIC REVIEWS SINCE LAST MONTH INCLUDE:
3d5spd (by Ben Ohmart)
http://musesmuse.com/columnistsgreylogs/archives/00000356.html
NanyaNa (by Ben Ohmart)
http://musesmuse.com/columnistsgreylogs/archives/00000362.html
OMM (by Ben Ohmart)
http://musesmuse.com/columnistsgreylogs/archives/00000355.html
C’est Mortel (by Ben Ohmart)
http://musesmuse.com/columnistsgreylogs/archives/00000360.html
Seasons of the Witch (by Ben Ohmart)
http://musesmuse.com/columnistsgreylogs/archives/00000358.html
Emile & Emilio (by Ben Ohmart)
http://musesmuse.com/columnistsgreylogs/archives/00000352.html
John Franceschina (by Ben Ohmart)
http://musesmuse.com/columnistsgreylogs/archives/00000361.html
Frida (soundtrack) (By Ben Ohmart)
http://musesmuse.com/columnistsgreylogs/archives/00000363.html
The Rules Of Attraction (soundtrack) (by Ben Ohmart)
http://musesmuse.com/columnistsgreylogs/archives/00000359.html
Sherry K (by Ben Ohmart)
http://musesmuse.com/columnistsgreylogs/archives/00000353.html
Stacey Board (by David Lockeretz)
http://musesmuse.com/columnistsgreylogs/archives/00000354.html
PC Munoz and the Amen Corner (by David Lockeretz)
http://musesmuse.com/columnistsgreylogs/archives/00000357.html
George E. Manosis (by Stacey Board)
http://musesmuse.com/columnistsgreylogs/archives/00000369.html
Dan Craig (by Stacey Board)
http://musesmuse.com/columnistsgreylogs/archives/00000366.html
Henri Ferguson (by Stacey Board)
http://musesmuse.com/columnistsgreylogs/archives/00000370.html
Joanne Stacey (by Stacey Board)
http://musesmuse.com/columnistsgreylogs/archives/00000365.html
Barbara Harley (by Stacey Board)
http://musesmuse.com/columnistsgreylogs/archives/00000368.html
Amanda Marshall (by Gian Feiro)
http://musesmuse.com/columnistsgreylogs/archives/00000344.html
Marty Namaro (by Gian Feiro)
http://musesmuse.com/columnistsgreylogs/archives/00000349.html
Dinah Chapman (by Gian Feiro)
http://musesmuse.com/columnistsgreylogs/archives/00000345.html
Kenny Camacho (by Gian Feiro)
http://musesmuse.com/columnistsgreylogs/archives/00000348.html
Juliette Esper (by Gian Feiro)
http://musesmuse.com/columnistsgreylogs/archives/00000347.html
Stereotype (by Gian Feiro)
http://musesmuse.com/columnistsgreylogs/archives/00000350.html
G O Twice (by Gian Feiro)
http://musesmuse.com/columnistsgreylogs/archives/00000346.html
Steven Johnson (by Gian Feiro)
http://musesmuse.com/columnistsgreylogs/archives/00000351.html
Amanda Lazar (by Gian Feiro)
http://musesmuse.com/columnistsgreylogs/archives/00000343.html
Winter (by Ben Ohmart)
http://musesmuse.com/columnistsgreylogs/archives/00000379.html
Gian's Top 10 Demos of 2002 (by Gian Feiro)
http://musesmuse.com/columnistsgreylogs/archives/00000378.html
Nanyana (by Gian Feiro)
http://musesmuse.com/columnistsgreylogs/archives/00000377.html
Gabriel Rene/Aquanote (by Gian Feiro)
http://musesmuse.com/columnistsgreylogs/archives/00000375.html
Kyle Vincent (by Ben Ohmart)
http://musesmuse.com/columnistsgreylogs/archives/00000380.html
Whiskey Zulu (by Ashley Petkovski)
http://musesmuse.com/columnistsgreylogs/archives/00000382.html
The Kuffs (by Ashley Petkovski)
http://musesmuse.com/columnistsgreylogs/archives/00000383.html
DJ Impetus (by Ashley Petkovski)
http://musesmuse.com/columnistsgreylogs/archives/00000384.html
Allen Shadow (by David Lockeretz)
http://musesmuse.com/columnistsgreylogs/archives/00000385.html
The Beers (by David Lockeretz)
http://musesmuse.com/columnistsgreylogs/archives/00000386.html
The Prime Time Sublime (by David Lockeretz)
http://musesmuse.com/columnistsgreylogs/archives/00000387.html
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******
For bios on each of the reviewers, see
http://www.musesmuse.com/musicreviews.html . If you're considering
sending in your own CD for review, you can also view that page to
find out which reviewer reviews your genre. Thanks!
Back to Menu
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S o n g w r i t i n g B o o k R e v i e w : by James Linderman
Starting a Band Made Simple - By Jeff Strand
http://www.startaband.biz/theordering/?muse
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Even before you start up a band, you start getting all the advice
from everybody and their brother; "You gotta have a positive
attitude", "It's 10% inspiration and 90% perspiration", "Don't even
start unless you're serious", "Have something to fall back on when
you bomb", blah, blah, blah...
In reality, most people starting a band, even an air band, know
this stuff and more. The trouble is in the organization and
implementation of a plan, any plan, that can take you from bar band
to star band in a single lifetime.
Starting a Band Made Simple by Jeff Strand is a book that's all
about planning your work and then working your plan in the business
of being a band.
The book begins with the initial stuff you will need to know when
first conceptualizing and forming your band; the sound, the
musicians, the name, the look and of course, the songs.
Jeff has developed an awesome check list for auditioning players
and also has web links to check out things like; rights to the
band's name (bet you didn't think of that), setting up a trademark
for your logo (man, I never thought of that) and tons of cool stuff
about the indie band scene, (assuming that you are not starting
your band, already signed to a major label deal, these will be
important things to know about.)
Jeff then runs us through how to hold a rehearsal; professionally,
systematically and methodically, yet still fun (so we don't lose
sight of why we wanted to be in a band in the first place, right).
This section alone is worth a thousand times more than the price of
the whole book.
There is a road trip checklist and even a section on promo packs
that is the most comprehensive I've ever seen. There's lots of good
stuff here.
If you have a band to build, or one in need of rebuilding, this
would be an essential book to resource from. Agents, managers, band
members, club owners and just about anyone else connected with the
art form known as "a band" could also use this book to set a marker
for how good a band needs to be, as an organization, to be good, as
a band.
Jeff did not title his book "Starting a Band Made Easy" because
then, of course, it would be a work of fiction, or perhaps even
fantasy, but Jeff Strand's accurately titled book "Starting a Band
Made Simple" will certainly help make the experience of starting a
band, and keeping that band, a whole lot simpler.
To find out more about this book, and perhaps even get your hands
on a copy, go to: http://www.startaband.biz/theordering/?muse
******
ABOUT THE REVIEWER:
James Linderman lives and works at theharmonyhouse, a music lesson,
songwriting and music pre-production facility in Newmarket,
Ontario, Canada. He is the Songwriters Association of Canada
regional coordinator for Newmarket and leads a music workshop
program for Life 100.3 Christian radio. James writes songwriting
articles for The Muse's News web magazine, Canadian Musician
Magazine and Professional Musician Magazine.
Contact James at: theharmonyhouse@rogers.com
Back to Menu
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S p o n s o r M e s s a g e :
(Please support the sponsors that support this newsletter! Thanks!)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
UNLEASH THE FULL POTENTIAL OF THE INTERNET WITH SONGSCOPE.COM!
SongScope is a valuable tool enabling you to build an on-line song
catalog, accessible only by proven industry professionals. Receive
FREE email informing you every time record producers and industry
professionals make requests. Song listings are only $29.95 per
year. An ecommerce enabled marketing/promotion page and tour
calendar are also available for performing songwriters to get
further artist exposure. And more services are coming soon!
See http://www.musesmuse.com/songscope.html for details or contact:
writerinfo@songscope.com ~ Tel: 770.754.4543
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M u s i c a l N o t e s : Songwriting Contests & Market Info.
In the interest of conserving space, I will only be including
changes to this listing in this newsletter. All other contests
and market information that have already been listed here, are
displayed at http://www.musesmuse.com/contests.html &
http://www.musesmuse.com/markets.html . Please check there
regularly for updates!
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THE THIRD WHITEFEATHER'S SONG CONTEST IS NOW UNDERWAY:
We permanently connect to your website, put your song on our
compilation CD and pay cash awards of $500, $200 and $100 for every
80 song entries, so your songs are not lost by competing against
thousands of other songs. Gloria Loring, singer-songwriter-actress
from "Days of Our Lives" fame is our judge.
Send your labeled CD or cassette along with the $10 entry fee to:
SongRider Studios,
1587 E. Prince Road
Tucson, Arizona 85719
For other details regarding copyright, the methods of selection,
recording contracts, the lists of entries and winners, click onto
our website at
http://www.angelfire.com/biz2/songwritingcontest/index.html
For any questions, e-mail us at saungrider@yahoo.com
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THE 4th EDITION OF THE INDIE BIBLE IS NOW AVAILABLE!
The Indie Bible shows you where to get your music reviewed, your
songs played, and your CDs sold. Now in its fourth edition, The
Indie Bible has 310 pages of valuable contacts and music-related
articles.
The 4th Edition of the Indie Bible contains:
3500 publications from around the world that will REVIEW your CD!
2900 radio stations from around the world will PLAY your songs!
350 vendors and services that will help you to SELL your music!
400 helpful resources and sites where you can PROMOTE your band!
500 sites where you can UPLOAD your band's MP3 files!
39 articles that will help your career to MOVE forward rapidly!
Authors include Tim Sweeney, Daylle Deanna Schwartz, Jeri
Goldstein, Brian Austin Whitney, Derek Sivers, Diane Rapaport,
Janet Fisher, Jodi Krangle, Lord Litter and many more!
For details and to order online visit:
http://www.bigmeteor.com/muse/
You can also find the Indie Bible in these stores: BORDERS, BARNES
& NOBLE, SAM ASH, VIRGIN RECORDS, TOWERS and MARS MUSIC (In Canada
at CHAPTERS and STEVE'S MUSIC)
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NEO-SOUL SINGER SONGWRITERS WANTED
Tonos hosts many songwriting contests and Industry Opportunities
specifically for songwriters every month. The newest contests
include:
- Neo-Soul Singer/Songwriters Wanted - In the third Industry
Opportunity from this new label with major distribution, they are
looking for outstanding, young neo-soul, self-contained
singer/songwriters who write material with meaningful lyrics,
innovative harmonies, and perform it with distinctive vocals, in
the vein of India.Arie, Alicia Keys and Musiq.
- Latin Pop/Rock Artist Looking For Songs! - California-born Latin
pop artist signed to Los Angeles management firm is looking for
songs. He is being considered for major label deal. The management
company is requesting ballads or uptempo pop/rock songs with "Latin
rhythms", Spanish or English lyrics accepted. This artist does
play the guitar, so songs with guitar-driven music or guitar solos
are a plus
- TV Promo Music Needed Immediately! - Picture Plant, a leading
television marketing, advertising and production company, based in
Los Angeles, is looking for theme songs. They are not accepting
unsolicited material, but they will listen to and consider the
music of our tonosPRO members. The music directors are looking for
catchy pop songs, as well as instrumental compositions of all
genres. The songs will be considered for network promos, show
themes, film trailers and commercials.
TONOS MAKES HISTORIC AGREEMENT WITH 5 MAJOR MUSIC PUBLISHERS
In order to help all the various talent in the global Tonos
Community, we are thrilled to announce that we have made historic
agreements with 5 major music publishing companies
(Warner/Chappell Music, EMI Music, DreamWorks Publishing, Chrysalis
Music and Famous Music). These top publishing firms have
"guaranteed" that they will EACH sign two tonosPRO songwriters
and/or singer-songwriters to publishing deals over the next 12
months. To be considered for all these deals, we'll be looking for
the artists and songwriters who have at least 3 very strong songs
posted in their Tonos Profiles. Sign up today to be considered!
See http://tinyurl.com/9tm for more details.
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BERKLEEMUSIC.COM WEBSITE LAUNCHED
After nearly two years in development, Berklee College of Music has
launched its Berkleemusic.com web site. This ambitious new offering
provides songwriters opportunities to take online music writing
courses and explore new music career directions. Users can create a
personal or band web page containing bios, MP3s, images, reviews,
news, and links that are useful resources to potential employers,
collaborators, and students.
For more information visit: http://www.berkleemusic.com/
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CALLING ALL SONGWRITERS FOR GROOVY MONDAYS OPEN STAGE
Groovy Mondays Open Stage at Holy Joe's in Downtown Toronto wants
you! Bring your songs every Monday and share your music with other
musicians and music-lovers alike. Sign-up, free pizza and prizes
start at 8pm.
For more information, contact Jennifer Claveau at
groovymondays@hotmail.com or visit
http://www.groovymondays.homestead.com/ .
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PETER WHITTINGHAM AWARD FOR SONG CREATION 2003
The Peter Whittingham Award for Song Creation is a new award for
2003, administered by the Musicians Benevolent Fund in
collaboration with the University of Westminster. The award of
£4,000 is intended to promote young popular music artists, who are
especially talented in the craft of songwriting. It will be made to
the applicant whose songwriting ability and proposed project most
impress the judging panel. In its pilot year, the following
organisations will be asked to nominate up to three undergraduate
students for consideration: Universities of Westminster, Leeds,
Salford, Newcastle, Paisley; Liverpool Institute of Performing
Arts; and Bath Spa University College. For further details please
contact education@mbf.org.uk , website http://www.mbf.org.uk/.
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KEEP AUSTIN WEIRD SONG CONTEST
$250.00 grand prize ~ For details drop by:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Keep_Austin_Weird/message/4
or email Keep_Austin_Weird-owner@yahoogroups.com
Deadline Jan 13, 2003
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HEY MUSICIANS! WANT TO OPEN FOR JEWEL?
Enter the Soul City Café Music Quest! Soul City Café will be taking
submissions for a music competition from November 4, 2002 - January
15, 2003. Submit your 3-song demo to be judged by industry experts.
Enter as a band or solo artist and you could win the opportunity to
open for Jewel! Go to http://www.soulcitycafe.com/ for details on how to
enter.
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MY IRISH HOMELAND SONG CONTEST
To take place in Newry, Co.Down on March 16th, 2003. All entries,
in any genre, but with an "Irish 'feel'" to be sent on cassette or
CD by January 17 to: My Irish Homeland, Unit 8A. Riverside , Newry
Rd. Camlough, Newry. BT35 7JP.
12 Finalists will be selected to perform their songs at the gala
final in the 'Bank Vault'. All 12 will be recorded professionally
and released and marketed via the My Irish Homeland site and
distribution network. For entry forms and further details, check
out the My Irish Homeland website: http://www.myirishhomeland.com/
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AMERICAN SONGWRITER MAGAZINE'S LYRIC WRITING CONTEST IS ON NOW!
Established 1984. 6 contests per year.
Requirements: Send lyrics only. Lyrics must be typed and a check
for $10 (per entry) must be enclosed. 3 entries maximum per
contest. Include an entry form with each lyric sheet submitted.
Call for required official form (615-321-6096) or print it from our
website. http://www.americansongwriter.com/ ~ Lyrics only, no
cassettes.
Awards: A Martin guitar with case and certificate to each contest
winner. Top 5 winning lyrics for each contest reprinted in American
Songwriter Magazine. One overall winner per year receives airfare
to Nashville and a demo session.
Deadlines for 2003 Are: January 24, March 21, May 23, July 25,
September 19, and November 21.
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GREAT ARTICLES TO CHECK OUT COURTESY OF GALARIS INDEPENDENT MUSIC:
http://www.galaris.com/
* Explanation, Treatment, and Prevention of Trigger Finger
http://www.galaris.com/articles?id=37
* Baby Steps And The Road To Success
http://www.galaris.com/articles?id=45
* The First Question You Must Answer When Promoting Your Music
http://www.galaris.com/articles?id=48
* The Importance of Music Theory
http://www.galaris.com/articles?id=56
Sign up for the Galaris Independent Musicians Newsletter. Simply
send a blank email to mailto:addmuse@galaris.com and Twice monthly
you will receive FREE, direct to your email box, articles
containing: Promotion tips, Career advice, Recording tips,
Practicing tips, Legal advice, Musician's health, Radio promotion,
Songwriters tips and much more.
Learn more about the Galaris Musicians Directory - 2003 Edition
here: http://www.galaris.com/GMD.html?musesmuse
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2002 WINNERS ANNOUNCED & 2003 USA SONGWRITING COMPETITION BEGINS
The 2002 USA Songwriting Competition winners have been annouced.
Sarah Lewis of Knoxville, TN won the Overall Grand Prize at the
2002 USA Songwriting Competition with her song “Mouth”. Bill
Colgate of Toronto, Canada wins Overall 2nd Prize. Dan Pelletier of
Lake Peekskill, NY Wins Overall Third. Congratulations to Muse's
Muse subscriber - Johnsmith who won an honorable mention award for
his song "From His Window". Winners list can be viewed:
http://www.songwriting.net/winners.html
Entries for the 2003 USA Songwriting Competition are currently
being accepted. Winning songs of the 2003 USA Songwriting
Competition will receive airplay. Get a chance be featured at USA
Songwriting Competition showcases throughout the country. Venues
include Bluebird Café (Nashville), Eddie’s Attic (Atlanta), Dorscia
(Los Angeles), Red Lion (New York City), Bamboo Room (South
Florida) as well as Borders Books and Music stores in 10 cities
such as Seattle, Minneapolis, Chicago, Austin, San Francisco, Los
Angeles, New York, Nashville and more. For more information visit:
http://www.songwriting.net/Back to Menu
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M u s e ' s C l u e s : by Irene Jackson
©1998-2003 Moonstone Productions All Rights Reserved. Used By
Permission
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I found a neat little gem of a website lately called ChordCoach.com
(http://www.chordcoach.com/), a downloadable software program for
guitar players. Chord Coach is free and the only requirement is
for you to have javascript enabled on your browser. With it, you
can look up chords, actually hear how a chord is supposed to sound
and organize chords into "sets" for use in your songwriting.
But that's not all! The website itself has several other
interesting sections. "Song Analysis" takes a number of popular
songs and dissects them, "Music Styles" does the same dissection
using different genres, "Jamming" prepares you for playing some
lead guitar using phrases and scales, and "Fundamentals" teaches
you some basics on keys, scales and chords.
But the most applicable section on this website is the songwriting
section. Here, you are given a template of chords to write your own
song to! There are two templates, one for a simple pop song and
the other for an enhanced pop song. Running a little low on
musical ideas lately? I challenge you to sit down with these
templates and see what you can come up with!
Sometimes I'm amazed at what the web has to offer for little or
nothing, and the folks at ChordCoach.com are pretty generous, so
grab it while you can!
******
Irene Jackson is a performing songwriter from Victoria, BC in
Canada. Aside from writing, recording and performing, she also
maintains a website for songwriters that includes tips, articles
and more links of interest. Her eagerly anticipated CD "Catnip" is
finally here, and her earlier recordings have had attention
everywhere from Japan to South America.
Songwriting Tips: http://www.irenejackson.com/tips.html
Homepage: http://www.irenejackson.com/
Songs on MP3:
http://www.mp3.com/artists/20/irene_jackson.html
Back to Menu
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F e a t u r e d A r t i c l e :
MIXED EMOTIONS - by Lynn Harrison
© Lynn Harrison, 2002 All Rights Reserved. Used By Permission
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What's the point of greatest insecurity for an independent
recording artist? It's not performing a song for the first time,
it's not getting through the recording process. Nope, it's mixing.
Mixing (and its brainier cousin mastering) is the last stage of a
recording project, when all tracks are examined, processed and
balanced. It's also the time when you, the indie recording artist,
are most likely to become most un-balanced.
Why? Because you'll be listening to every part of every song about
fifty zillion times, and now you won't be able to fix anything. Oh
sure, your engineer will be able to tweak the EQ and the
balance…add a little warm room tone…make the drums sound "sparkly".
But suddenly these things won't seem to matter.
Instead, you'll suddenly be aware that your voice is so not Sheryl
Crow, your guitar work isn't half as good as your hired backup
guy's, and your lyrics, well, they seemed like a good idea at the
time.
You'll have lots of time to notice these things because you, The
Artist Formerly Known as Confident, will have absolutely nothing to
do but sit on a couch drinking too much coffee while watching your
highly-experienced engineers look slightly bored as they "sweeten"
your vocal track.
The industrious among you might bring along something to do.
Perhaps you will knit. After doing this for about a half-hour,
you'll feel this makes you look even more wannabe-ish, so you'll
put down the knitting and casually pick up a magazine lying around
the studio, such as "Mojo", "Performing Songwriter" or "Genuine
Full-Time Music Professional". You'll immediately realize this is a
mistake and put down the magazine.
This uncomfortable pattern (knitting, "Competent Songsmith",
coffee, knitting…) will continue for five 12-hour days or so,
punctuated only by ill-advised attempts to play an Active Role in
the Production Process by asking a question such as "what does that
button do?" before sinking back into the obscurity of the couch.
As you remain on that couch until your fledgling cd is finished,
your illusions will die: the illusion that your record will be as
good as the latest from U2, Madonna, the Strokes, Diana Krall, Remy
Shand or whomever, the illusion that you have any money left in
your savings, and the illusion that you might actually be able to
quit your job and make music for the rest of your life.
As your dying illusions pile up faster than coffee mugs in the
studio kitchenette, you will then go through the universal stages
of grief.
1) Denial ("I am so as good as Avril Lavigne. I could too become
rich and famous like The Barenaked Ladies. I really am going to
sell those 1000 units I'm manufacturing.)
2) Anger ("Why is the music industry run by a small but
all-powerful cabal of corporate greedheads? Why didn't my parents
encourage me when I was 14 and might have had a chance?"). And
finally,
3) Acceptance.
Yes, at a certain point in the day (around 1:30 in the morning)
you'll look up at the gold record on your engineer's wall and
calmly accept that your name is not on it. You'll realize that
your new album as exactly as good and bad as it actually is. You'll
accept that some people will like it, some people will not, and
that billions of people won't know it exists.
If you're lucky, and if enough coffee has worn off by now, you
might realize something else: you don't have to judge it.
In fact, life gets a lot easier when you stop comparing yourself to
everyone in the music magazines, agonizing over the vocals you
could have sung better, and worrying that maybe you shouldn't have
embarked on this journey in the first place.
Although you may not be able to get there from here (wherever
"there" is), you can always go somewhere else. And wherever you
are in your musical life, you're where you need to be. Your
record, no matter what's on it, is a beautiful reflection of your
life right now. And therefore it is perfect.
Mixing all our feelings of ambition, over-confidence, insecurity,
despair, egomania, shyness, longing and loss together, listening to
them in yourself in hi-fi stereo sound and coming to accept the
results is the most valuable part of the independent music game.
It's a game of mixed emotions. Let the band play on.
******
Lynn Harrison has released two cds, "Lynoleum" (2001) and the
newly-arrived "Learning Curve" (2003). She wrote this article while
in studio with mixing engineer John Switzer and producer David
Woodhead, who had no idea she was feeling so weird. You can listen
to Lynn's music at http:http://www.lynoleum.com/.
Back to Menu
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C o l u m n i s t I n S p o t l i g h t :
Ricky Fitzpatrick and his SELLING OUT!
http://www.musesmuse.com/col-ricky.html
Ricky recently joined our roster of columnists with his newest
column all about selling yourself as a musician, an artist, a
songwriter, and how the principles of sales can be applied to just
about any situation you might find yourself in. He already has two
FANTASTIC articles in his columnist section and I highly recommend
you read both!
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DESCRIPTION OF COLUMN:
As the saying goes, "Nothing happens in this world until somebody
SELLS it." In his column "Selling Out!", North Georgia
Singer/Songwriter (and daytime Car Salesman), Ricky Fitzpatrick,
will be sharing installments that cover the basics of selling and
how they relate to the business of music.
MESSAGE FROM RICKY:
Welcome to "Selling Out!". No, I'm not going to tell you about how
to compromise your musical integrity for the sake of radio airplay,
commercial success and screaming teenagers. That would be in the
NSync How-To Handbook, page 136 (ha). But seriously, what we WILL
do is try to touch on the basics of selling, in general, and how
you can apply them to your musical career.
We all know that marketing yourself as a musician and/or writer
involves, among other things, creativity and social skills. You're
writing great songs? Great. But they'll never see the light of day
if you don't know how to "sell" your material and sell yourself.
We'll be covering the basics of selling...whether it's cars,
dishwashers or...music. Oh, and by the way, have I got a deal for
you...!
RICKY'S BIO:
Ricky Fitzpatrick has been performing since the age of five. Since
that time, he has written over two hundred songs, performed at
hundreds of venues and earned the respect and admiration of his
musical peers in the North GA area. In 1989, he joined BMI as a
writer and has recently established his own publishing company,
Ricksha Music, and his own label, Sonicopia Records. He is also a
local and area Star Search Male Vocalist, a vocal finalist in the
Amateur Night at the Apollo series and has written a song that was
endorsed by the Downtown Development Authority of his hometown
(Commerce, GA) as a candidate for the town's official song.
Back to Menu
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" O N S I T E " F E A T U R E D A R T I C L E :
Shut Up! - by Ricky Fitzpatrick
http://musesmuse.com/columnistsgreylogs/archives/00000373.html
Being an effective salesperson is more than knowing how to talk the
pants off of your prospects. Read on about the importance of
effective listening and how learning to shut your mouth can
dramatically increase your chances of success whether you're
pitching songs, singing, talent, live shows, demos, etc...
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C l a s s i f i e d s & U s e f u l S e r v i c e s :
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HEY SONGWRITERS! POP QUIZ. GIVE ME THREE RHYMES FOR "HEARTBREAK"...
Locate every song's lead sheet you ever wrote, their genre, and
album. What's the fingering for a G#sus4 chord at the ninth fret?
Now copyright a song from where you're sitting without removing
your hands from your mouse or keyboard. Your time is up! You know
what you need? LYRICIST! It's the songwriter's best friend.
Includes Rhyming Dictionary, Album Categorization, Chord Charting,
On-Line Copyright, and more. Check out the review at
http://www.musesmuse.com/vss-review.html .
For more information, visit the review url above or call Virtual
Studio Systems at 888.732.1176 inside the U.S.A. and Canada or
603.726.4499 everywhere else.
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MUSIC BOOKS PLUS
The Songwriter's One Stop Resource for Books, Instructional Videos,
CD-ROMs and DVDs. We feature over 5,000+ titles at
http://www.musicbooksplus.com/ - areas covered include: International Music Directories, Music Business, Song & Lyric Writing, Music Publishing, Rhyming Dictionaries, Theory & Arranging , Instrument & Vocal Technique, Recording, Internet ... and so much more. Free
electronic newsletter, monthly & customer specials, new titles
added weekly. Come check us out!
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2003 UNISONG INTERNATIONAL SONG CONTEST OPEN FOR ENTRIES!
Unisong is THE opportunity for songwriters and writer/artists
around the world to have their songs heard and their careers
enhanced. Over $50,000 in Cash and Prizes! Grand Prize will win a
trip to NY, London, Nashville or Los Angeles to write with a
professional songwriter!
Enter by Cassette, CD or MP3! Entry deadline is April 30, 2003.
Enter by January 31, 2003 to take advantage of our earlybird
rates! Visit http://www.unisong.com/muse for more details.
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THE GALARIS MUSICIANS DIRECTORY - 2003 EDITION
If you are serious about pushing your music career to the
next level, getting your music into the right hands, promoting
yourself to others and creating a buzz, YOU NEED THE GMD!
Visit us to check out the demo, and see what industry
professionals say about the GMD.
http://www.galaris.com/GMD.html?musesmuse
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MUSIC BUSINESS SOFTWARE FROM PATTEN SOUND
Record Company in a Box is complete independent record company
management software. Tour Manager allows the tracking of all
concert and tour specifics. Music Business Contracts contains
100 of the most necessary music industry contracts available.
Studio Business Forms is a collection of 43 recording studio
business forms.
For more details, point your browser to:
http://www.musicbusinessstore.com/
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GO GLOBAL WITH CDSTREET.COM
CDstreet.com is your secure source for credit card music ordering
in your own website. As a member of the CDstreet network, you will
have access to the most cost-effective, secure transaction
processing for global music merchandise distribution. Plus, low
setup fee and no sales equals no cost!
Check it out - http://www.cdstreet.com/signup/musesmuse
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INDIE-MUSIC.COM ~ SAVE TIME & PROMOTE YOUR MUSIC FREE!
1000's of contacts for musicians, no cost, no hassles. Download a
free College Radio E-Guide or subscribe to our free Indie News
newsletter to receive free tips to advance your music career.
http://indie-music.com/ - The Best Place For Musicians Online
=================================================================
ADVERTISING RATES: For Classifieds: US$50 Max. 8 lines, where
a line = 65 characters including spaces and punctuation. All
contracts must be prepaid. Write to: editor@musesmuse.com
For Newsletter Sponsorship rates and other advertising
opportunities, please see http://www.musesmuse.com/media.html .
Back to Menu =================================================================
C o n t a c t I n f o & C r e d i t s :
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Jodi Krangle ............................................. EDITOR
Kathryn Obenshain ...........................GRACIOUS PROOFREADER
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The Muse's News is a free monthly newsletter for and about
songwriters. Subscribers are welcome to recirculate or reprint
The Muse's News for nonprofit use as long as the appropriate
credit is given and the ENTIRE text of the newsletter is
included (including credits and information at the end of each
issue). Others should contact me at editor@musesmuse.com.
All articles copyrighted by their authors.
Back issues and other information will be available at:
http://www.musesmuse.com/musenews.html
The Muse's News is part of The Muse's Muse, a web resource for
songwriters: http://www.musesmuse.com/
For further information, send your e-mail to:
-----------------------------------------------------------------
adinfo@musesmuse.com - How to place a classified ad, pass
on market information or sponsor
The Muse's News.
info@musesmuse.com - How to subscribe, unsubscribe, etc.
editor@musesmuse.com - To submit articles,reviews,ideas,etc.
SNAILMAIL: Please contact me first at editor@musesmuse.com
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Back issues of the newsletter can be read at the National Library of Canada ecollection:
http://collection.nlc-bnc.ca/100/201/300/muses_news/index.html
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
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