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The Muse's News |
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Issue 9.1 - April 2006
ISSN 1480-6975
[ Back to The Muse's News Index ] [ Home ]
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
@-- Music Reviews - by Jane Eamon, Jon Stewart, Chip Withrow,
Francesco Emmanuel, JJ Biener & Gian Fiero
@-- New Artist Spotlight Additions
@-- 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 - FIVE PATHS TO $100,000 PER YEAR: Part 1:
Gidget's Way - by Sean Farrington
@-- 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 1998-2006 - Jodi Krangle.
For more contact information, see end of issue.
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MUSE'S MUSE T-SHIRTS, MUGS, MOUSEPADS AND MORE
Black T-shirts are here and they look pretty darned cool. :)
See http://www.cafepress.com/musesmuse for details.
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S p o n s o r M e s s a g e :
(Many thanks to the sponsors that help support this newsletter!)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
ARTISTS, COULD YOUR CAREER BENEFIT FROM A BIG PUSH?
Enter American Idol Underground's Big Push competition. It's the
ultimate online song competition with over $200,000 in cash given
away across 13 genres each year, plus other great prizes. The
public determines our winners through listener ratings and online
voting. Finalists receive detailed industry feedback and every
artist gets their music heard!
Deadline: To be eligible for the Big Push you must submit a song
on American Idol Underground by April 30th, 2006.
For more information on the Big Push visit:
idolunderground.com/bigpush
Submit music to American Idol Underground at:
idolunderground.com/artists
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E d i t o r ' s M u s i n g s :
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Welcome to another issue of The Muse's News. Thanks for reading,
folks!
I'm going to keep things short in this month's Musings because
there's tons of stuff to get to in this issue. Lots of new
articles and reviews, plus a great article about how to make a
living as a musician by Sean Farrington. See the "On Site
Featured Articles" at the end of this newsletter for a listing of
some of the new articles that are now on the website.
And here are the raffle winners for this month:
* Traveling Ed Teja from Silver City, NM has won a copy of
Virtual Studio Systems' Lyricist software
(http://www.musesmuse.com/vss-review.html).
* John Green from Goodyear, AZ has won a copy of
Indie-Music.com's Musician's Toolkit CD
(http://www.musicianstoolkit.com/muse/)
* Tom Christiansen from Newark, DE, has won a copy
of Bronson Herrmuth's "100 Miles To A Record Deal"
(http://www.songrepair.com/bookforweb2.htm).
And as mentioned last month, if you're interested in being placed
in the queue for a raffle prize, feel free to email me and let me
know (and include your contact information). Thanks!
Keep warm while we wait for spring to come in truth - and for
those of you enjoying sun and warmth, be very very thankful! :D
May you find the coming of spring inspirational.
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 :
(Many thanks to the sponsors that help support this newsletter!)
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MUSE'S NEWS READERS -- TAKE a FREE SongU.com COURSE!
SongU.com is pleased to make this special offer of a free
SongU.com course available to all Muse's News Readers (a $40
value). Come see for yourself why ASCAP says that the courses
offered by SongU.com "will undoubtedly help prepare songwriters
for any market no matter their place of residence" and NSAI says
we're the "next important evolution for serious songwriters."
To take your FREE SONGWRITING COURSE, simply go to the following
link: http://www.songu.com/suSponsor/musesmuse/ .
You can learn more about SongU.com courses, co-writing hookups,
industry connections and pitching by going to
http://www.songu.com/?sa=3 .
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M u s i c R e v i e w s : Jane Eamon, Jon Stewart, JJ Biener,
Chip Withrow, Francesco Emmanuel,
& Gian Fiero
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NEW MUSIC REVIEWS SINCE LAST MONTH INCLUDE:
JJ Biener:
* Doug Spears
http://musesmuse.com/columnistsgreylogs/archives/00001091.html
Jane Eamon:
* Kevin Mitchell
http://musesmuse.com/columnistsgreylogs/archives/00001049.html
* Billy Caldwell
http://musesmuse.com/columnistsgreylogs/archives/00001082.html
* Cal Williams Jr.
http://musesmuse.com/columnistsgreylogs/archives/00001083.html
* The Brooks Sisters
http://musesmuse.com/columnistsgreylogs/archives/00001090.html
* invocal
http://musesmuse.com/columnistsgreylogs/archives/00001093.html
Chip Withrow:
* Eric Jackson
http://musesmuse.com/columnistsgreylogs/archives/00001085.html
* Drew Landry and the Dirty Cajuns
http://musesmuse.com/columnistsgreylogs/archives/00001078.html
Francesco Emmanuel:
* Glenn Marais
http://musesmuse.com/columnistsgreylogs/archives/00001079.html
* Theset
http://musesmuse.com/columnistsgreylogs/archives/00001080.html
Jon Stewart:
* Michael Lee Austin
http://musesmuse.com/columnistsgreylogs/archives/00001077.html
* Dian Diaz
http://musesmuse.com/columnistsgreylogs/archives/00001087.html
Gian Fiero:
Added an explanation of Gian's Scoring System:
http://musesmuse.com/columnistsgreylogs/archives/00001086.html
* Daniel Smith
http://musesmuse.com/columnistsgreylogs/archives/00001094.html
* Helen Slater
http://musesmuse.com/columnistsgreylogs/archives/00001095.html
* 1L
http://musesmuse.com/columnistsgreylogs/archives/00001096.html
* Melissa Forbes
http://musesmuse.com/columnistsgreylogs/archives/00001097.html
* Dasha
http://musesmuse.com/columnistsgreylogs/archives/00001098.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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N e w A r t i s t S p o t l i g h t A d d i t i o n s :
Great music is only a click away!
Here are just some of the great CDs highlighted in the
Artist Spotlight section of The Muse's Muse at
http://www.musesmuse.com/artistspotlights.html
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Latent Anxiety - Genre: ELECTRONIC
A fresh, award-winning music project from LA centered on a
multi-talented artist who is the sole songwriter, performer and
producer of the album PERCEPTION. A true and rare sonic chameleon
who creates innovative mixes of different genres with
thought-provoking lyrics. An outstanding guitarist and singer who
covers 3 full octaves.
http://www.latentanxiety.com/
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Josiah Heflin - Genre: RELIGIOUS & DEVOTIONAL
Worldly Christian music!!! Not worldly as in 'sinful' but as in
'a musical mix of pop, rock, worship and world music', listen and
enjoy as Josiah Heflin transports you to a "New Land". Statutory
warning:- This music is not for you if you enjoy the same old
thing.
http://www.josiahheflin.com/
For other talented artists in this genre, visit:
http://www.musesmuse.com/artistspotlights-religdevot.html
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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
Lyricist by Virtual Studio Systems, Inc.
http://www.musesmuse.com/vss-review.html
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In the time that I have been writing song (which has been a
frighteningly long time now, as many of you already know) I have
noticed a couple of consistent human qualities that we
songwriters share as stereotypes.
First off, songwriters are not known to be the most organized
people in the world... and since we are not "fabled" to be that
way, I think we are possibly even attracted to living up to the
stereotype of the "messy artsy type" that might closely resemble
the "brilliant genius type" we all hope our songs will eventually
prove us to be.
The other thing I have noticed about us is that we are a bit
fierce about the sanctity of our muse. It is well documented
that some songwriters would like the world to think that songs
merely appear, like a rabbit out of a hat in a magic trick.
Sadly... they don't!
What is also sad is that both of these stereotypes seem to be
most commonly perpetuated by writers making songs suitable only
for their own personal enjoyment and not by those writers who are
creating songs capable of earning public adoration.
It therefore, now seems that the more professional and celebrated
a songwriter wants to become, the more systematic and methodical
they will need to become about the craft of their art.
Enter Lyricist, a software designed by Virtual Studio Systems to
take us from having our songwriting work represented by a messy
pile of coffee stained papers being held down by an overflowing
ashtray on the floor beside the piano... to a database of typed
songs in a computer, accessible at the touch of a mouse.
Lyricist is primarily a "song organizing" database and as you
consider yourself as a songwriter showing your work to a world
where our culture is extraordinarily accelerated, you may just
find that you need to be able to access work materials quickly
and easily to keep up. Lyricist's centralized song storage
feature makes this possible.
You will also notice that Lyricist automatically saves your work
every time you switch screens making it literally impossible to
lose work when you are too inspired to remember to hit the "save"
button. At last!
Lyricist will not only organize your songs into "albums",
allowing you to access collections of work all at once, making
pitching your songs an extremely precise and easy task, but it
features a Spellchecker, a Thesaurus and a Rhyming Dictionary to
make your lyric writing sessions go a lot smoother in general.
So... imagine a writing session where you are wondering if there
is a better word to rhyme with "rouge" than "louge". Within
Lyricist, you can pull up a list of rhyming options without
having to worry if you have spelled "rouge" correctly in the
first place. Knowing how the word is spelled will give you
better options for your song as opposed to then thinking you
won't take a chance on the spelling and will just write a song
about "the moon in June" because you can spell that.
Virtual Studio Systems have also built a rich text exporting
system into Lyricist and the ability to attach your lyric to a
media file like an MP3, WAV or RA. There is also the ability to
launch your lyric from an e-mail in rich text, integrating it
within your existing e-mail application.
Further, Lyricist features a direct link to Official Copyright
and instant links to the most influential music web resources in
the world including ASCAP, Billboard, Taxi and The Muse's Muse.
My personal favorite feature in Lyricist is the music writing
stuff that I was not expecting.
You will find a guitar and piano wizard that will give you all
the possible names for any chord from anywhere on the keyboard or
the guitar neck and insert those chords right into your song.
No more wondering if "B#m7#9sus4/#A" is actually the best name
for that chord you suspect might just really be a "C". There is
also a "Nashville" charting component and capabilities to
identify chords in specialty guitar tunings. Awesome!
Above and beyond that, Lyricist is easy to install, easy to learn
and easy to use, which is important to songwriters because we
don't want to spend all our time learning how to use it. We just
want to use it.
I would recommend Lyricist to anyone who, like me, would like to
break out of the stereotype of the messy and unorganized "artist
type" and step into a fresh opportunity to show the world the
best songs we can possibly create by being inspired by the best
songwriting tools of our time.
You can find Lyricist at http://www.musesmuse.com/vss-review.html
- including a $5.00 discount for Muse's Muse visitors.
******
ABOUT THE REVIEWER:
James Linderman lives and works at theharmonyhouse, a music
lesson, songwriting and recording pre-production facility in
Newmarket, Ontario. James writes songwriting articles and music
book reviews for The Muse's News, Canadian Musician Magazine,
Songwriters Magazine, and Professional Musician Magazine. His
writing is also featured in the James Linderman Wing of the
library at www.songu.com. James has a Canadian University and
American College education in music theory and composition and is
also pretty good at making up songs and playing the guitar.
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 :
(Purchasing this service will help support both the newsletter
and your own music projects. Plus, you also get a great
discount! :-) )
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LYRICIST VERSION 3: THE SONGWRITER'S BEST FRIEND
Lyricist is the first-of-its-kind word processor designed
specifically for musicians, songwriters, and poets. The software
includes a Rhyming Dictionary, Thesaurus, Album Categorization,
Chord Charting, Chord Generator, Song Arrangement, and On-Line
Copyright Link.
The new version 3 release adds support for "Piano Style" chord
symbols, Nashville Number System, and Transposition features -
all in one easy-to-use package - and all for only $44.95! (That's
$5.00 off to all Muse's News readers who purchase from the review
link at www.musesmuse.com/vss-review.html!)
This tool will revolutionize the way you write and organize your
writing. Be the best songwriter you can be and purchase Lyricist
today! http://www.musesmuse.com/vss-review.html
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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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AMERICAN DREAMZ CAN COME TRUE SINGING CONTEST
Participants will be asked to submit a video of themselves
self-performing the theme song from American Idol, Dreamz with a
Z. Put your own style into your performance. The more original,
the better. Voting will commence a la American Idol. Eight
finalists will make it to the first round of voting. Four will
make it to the second round of voting. The winner will win:
A 3D/2N trip to Hollywood for two people, two tickets to a
Hollywood Premiere, VIP tour for two of Universal Studios, a
luxury spa treatment for two, and a $500 shopping spree for the
winner.
Entry Deadline May 5th ~ http://tinyurl.com/lwd4e
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7th ANNUAL REO SONGWRITERS RETREAT, Vancouver BC Canada
July 16-21, 2006 with Kathy Mattea, Steve Seskin, Pat Pattison &
Jon Vezner
Enjoy one the world’s most unique songwriters retreats in the
Canadian wilderness near Vancouver, BC July 16-21. Hosted at the
REO Rafting Resort, this riverfront adventure-style resort is an
incredible setting for songwriting. 2006 Faculty include
Grammy-winning recording artist Kathy Mattea, hit songwriter
Steve Seskin, Berklee College of Music Professor and Author Pat
Pattison, and Grammy-winning songwriter Jon Vezner. A maximum of
thirty-two international songwriters from throughout the US,
Canada, Western Europe, South Africa and New Zealand will gather
for an intensive, focused week of co-writing, one-on-one
sessions, group workshops and song critiques. The cost for the
6-day/5-night event including 14 meals, beverages, snack, full
use of resort amenities and all workshop sessions starts at just
$650 US per person (camping option) and $750-850 US (cabin tent
option with queen or twin beds). Register and pay in full by May
15th and receive a free whitewater rafting adventure on the Class
3-4 Nahatlatch River ($115 value). Spots are confirmed upon
receipt of a non-refundable $200 deposit.
Further info at http://bluecrushmusic.com/ and
http://www.reorafting.com/site/groups/songwriter--s_retreat.html
Phone: 800-736-7238 (9-5 PM PST); info@reorafting.com
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THE QUICKLAUNCH SONG CONTEST SPONSORED BY FLIGHTSAFE MUSIC
Now with over $2000 in prizes!
Submit one or more of your original songs in any genre to the
FlightSafe Music QuickLaunch song contest for a chance to win up
to $1500, a featured position on www.flightsafemusic.com, and an
inside track to the film and television music business. All song
styles accepted, i.e. Rock, Modern Rock, Pop, Metal, Hip-Hop,
Electronic, Alternative, Country, Reggae, Latin, Jazz, R&B,
Island Music, etc.
· $1500 Cash Prize, 1st Place
· $500 Cash Prize, 2nd Place
· $250 Cash Prize, 3rd Place
· Entry Deadline August 20, 2006
Winners will be announced September 20, 2006 on the FlightSafe
website (flightsafemusic.com). Payout Winners will also be
personally notified. Submit by mail or online through SonicBids.
For more info and entry forms please go to
http://www.flightsafemusic.com/contest
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DOWNLOAD YOUR FREE COPYRIGHT KIT
Download Indie-Music.com's free and easy Copyright Kit. Print
Copyright forms, Copyright submission process, handy tips &
tricks, choosing the right form, and more.
http://www.indie-music.com/freemuse.php
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FREE SUBMISSIONS FOR FILM, TV AND VIDEO GAMES AT
MUSICGORILLA.COM!
Music Gorilla works with Bands, Musicians, Artists and
Songwriters to get their original material into the eyes and ears
of industry members who have the ability to take their careers to
the next level. We work with Reps from Major Labels, Indie Labels
and Film Studios. Our artists get access to free submissions for
film, TV and video games, they are eligible for free live label
showcases, digital distribution with MSN and Loudeye and more. We
don’t take any piece of any deals made on our site, and have had
many successes including placement, songwriting and publishing
deals.
Muse's Muse artists get 10% off of memberships!
Just enter the promotional code "muse" during registration.
http://www.musicgorilla.com/
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THE HOME MADE HIT SHOW, PLAYING SONGS BY HOME RECORDING ARTISTS
Tony Butterworth, a home musician and advocate for home based
music, has released his new internet based program, The Home Made
Hit Show, featuring exciting and original rock, acoustic, blues
and pop music made by home based artists. The Home Made Hit Show
strives to deliver top quality, original, home based rock, pop,
blues and acoustic music to its listeners. "After years of being
disillusioned with popular music, I was ready for a change", said
Butterworth, "After taking up guitar and making a few of my own
songs, I discovered a huge online community of amateur musicians,
many of them producing songs of a quality that simply astounded
me."
Please listen in and http://www.homemadehitshow.com/ and send songs and
comments to homemadehitshow@gmail.com
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SONGWRITING CONSULTATION SPECIAL OFFER:
Pete & Pat Luboff will pay for the phone call for Muse's Muse
songwriters who use the Luboffs' songwriting consultation
service. The service provides detailed, constructive song
analysis, answers to all your creative and business questions and
references to contacts when appropriate. Visit
http://www.writesongs.com/consults.htm for more information.
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INTRODUCING A SPECIAL WEBSITE PROMOTION PACKAGE ESPECIALLY FOR
MUSICIANS/SONGWRITERS
It's important for your website to be found once it's created. We
all know this. But who can afford the promotion a website needs
to truly make its mark on the web? Now YOU can. This package is
offered exclusively to Muse's Muse visitors only - and now
includes an Artist Spotlight listing! Do you have a website that
no one knows about? Do you want it to stand out from the crowd?
Now you can get it promoted for a fraction of the price most
search engine optimization packages would cost you. Visit
http://www.internet-marketing-mm.com/musicianpackage.html
for more details.
Back to Menu
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M u s e ' s C l u e s : by Irene Jackson
©1998-2006 Moonstone Productions All Rights Reserved.
Used By Permission
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This month's clues focuses on a relatively new website for a
pitch sheet called "Songbridge" (http://www.thesongbridge.com/).
What I like about the site, besides the fact that it has a
Canadian lean :-), is that it includes some interesting
interviews and articles along with the usual links and, of
course, the pitch sheet. I started to receive their weekly
newsletter a few weeks back out of the blue. Quite often I will
receive emails pitching or promoting industry-type websites that
turn out to be less than professional with not much content other
than trying to sell something.
In this case I think Songbridge, even if it is still relatively
new, will probably be worth signing up for a newsletter just to
get the news and articles. I was happy to find interviews on the
website with a couple of pro songwriters who I have had the
pleasure of meeting through a couple of Songwriters Association
of Canada events, Dean McTaggart and Cyril Rawson. There are also
articles on subjects such as licensing songs, song sharks (a good
story worth reading there!) and how good your demo should be when
you're pitching your material.
The article that caught my eye was one that Jana Reid wrote "Keys
In The Songs of Life", the first of which she promises will be a
series that will explore whether or not there is a pattern when
it comes to the most common keys in popular songs. There have
been many studies done on the effects of music on the brain and
the psychological responses we have to certain rhythms and notes
and repeating patterns. Songwriting books often conclude that
certain chord and melody combinations will prove more successful
than others when it comes to your writing. But of course, there
are no rules :-) Or are there? I'd keep an eye on that
particular series over the next few weeks and see if Jana comes
up with anything interesting!
The website itself is easy on the eyes, not too cluttered (yet!)
and simple to navigate. Hopefully it will grow into an even more
interesting way to spend some time finding a little songwriting
info and inspiration. Happy spring, everyone!
******
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 a songwriter's messageboard.
Songwriting Tips: http://www.irenejackson.com/tips.html
Homepage: http://www.irenejackson.com/
Songs: http://www.soundclick.com/irenejackson
Back to Menu
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F e a t u r e d A r t i c l e :
FIVE PATHS TO $100,000 PER YEAR: Part 1: Gidget's Way
- © 2006 by Sean Farrington
All Rights Reserved. Used By Permission
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Pull up a seat and enjoy the first in a five-part documentary (or
moc-umentary as I prefer to call it) exploring the lives of
artists just like you on their quest to make $100,000 a year as
independents.
Though the characters in this moc-umentary are indeed fictional,
the facts, figures and techniques are not. These are the same
strategies that successful independent performers, artists and
bands use day in and day out to profit from their passion for
music.
During the course of this short moc-umentary you'll observe how
the five characters in this cast arrange their music businesses
to arrive at their target of a six-figure-income. So lets start
the camera rolling on Act One of this story. We'll begin with our
first independent artists named Gidget, a solo artist with only
one business strategy: get more gigs.
Giddy Gidget Gigging Gladly
[Scene One, Act One] Camera opens on one Giddy Gidget, a Folk
Artist from Berkeley California…
Gidget is a busy bee. She loves being in front of people and is
sold on the idea of performing as the main source of her income.
Gidget is always on the lookout for new gigs that put her in
front of more and more new faces.
At the beginning of last year Gidget made a new-years resolution
of booking herself into three gigs per week - no more, no less.
Unlike her other resolution [to stop eating Twinkies dipped in
Jif peanut butter] Gidget has actually stuck to, and accomplished
this goal.
Since Gidget's music style and stage presence consistently
attract java-thirsty crowds to her gigs, she was able to
negotiate a meager $2.50 split of the door for each of her gigs.
The managers all conceded without much fuss because they knew
that they made far more than that due to Gidget's lyrics about
social injustice and her croonings about the joys of caffeinated
beverages.
Now Gidget is a fairly consistent lady, and so are her audience
sizes, which always seem to number exactly 200 people per gig (no
more, no less).
If you are keeping tabs on the math then you are already adding
the audience size of 200 people to her $2.50 per-person split and
realizing that each of her gigs nets her $500 dollars - also
exactly no more, no less. In order for Gidget to make $100,000
per year, she realizes that she cannot (I repeat, cannot) get any
better at booking gigs or ask for a higher split of the door.
Seeing as how Gidget doesn't have a whole lot of ambition this
seems just fine to her, plus it works well for our illustration.
So, at the end of one year, Gidget sits down with a pack of
Twinkies and a jar of Jif peanut butter and tallies up the take
from her gigs. Before she reaches the inevitable sugar high she
discovers that she has realized a gross profit of $78,000 per
year from just three gigs a week!
Again if you are keeping track you will have no doubt figured
this out by multiplying her $2.50 per person split by 200 people
at each gig, for three gigs a week. Your math would certainly
come up with $1,500 per week in income from gigs. Of course that
multiplied by 52 weeks equals $78,000.
When Gidget first saw this number she became a little depressed
because she didn't see her goal of six figures in the display of
her calculator. But after a little more Jif covered Twinkie
delight, she suddenly had a recollection. She remembered that she
did have some other income from the sale of her products. [To be
truthful she actually has only one product - a CD called "Chimes
They Are A Tangeing" - which is her homage to the social
revolution of the Sixties].
Now for a quick insight into Gidget's personality - though she is
indeed very outgoing and very consistent at booking gigs, she is
not very business-minded. Because of this she never got around to
developing more products to sell, nor did she ever really take
the time to learn or implement any promotional or marketing
strategies. Consequently, she persuaded only 7.5% of her audience
(15 people per gig) to buy her one-and-only CD. She sells her 14
song, Hippy-Nouveau, collection for a reasonable price of $12.
The CD costs - including recording and duplication expenses - are
$2.50 per CD, which leaves her $9.50 in profit per CD.
Rushing back to her trusty ten-key adding machine with adrenaline
now added to the sugar coursing through her veins, Gidget begins
the jittery process of counting up her profits. To figure out the
yearly total of her CD sales she quickly multiplies the number of
weekly sales [45 sales per week] by her per CD profit of $9.50
each, which brings her to $427.50 per week in pure profit.
Now to figure out the yearly net income she squints her eyes
tightly to focus through the sugar induced brain fog as she to
tries to remember how many weeks there are in a year. In an
epiphany she recalls that there are 52 weeks in a year. She
quickly types "52" into her adding machine hits the "times" key
to multiply the total number of weeks in the year by her profit
[$427.50 x 52 weeks] which brings Gidget to $22,230 in additional
income.
In a mad rush of excitement Gidget pours herself a quick cup of
coffee to add caffeine to the adrenaline and sugar high, and
begins to nervously complete the calculations of her gig-crazy
profits. This is what she arrives at - $78,000 from gigging added
to the $22,230 from CD sales. Fingers now shaking she presses the
equal button and squints once more at the display, which
presently shows a grand total $100,230.00 for the year.
[Close of Scene One] As the camera fades to black we see Gidget
jumping ecstatically over meeting her goal. She celebrates with
more java, Jif and Twinkies.
Editor's Note: Last we heard, Gidget is doing well; she has given
up the Twinkies and peanut butter altogether and has plans to
record a new CD this year called "Sugar-Coated Java Beans."
As you can see that though Gidget's business strategy is very
lopsided, it is well within the realm of reality to book 3 gigs
per week. Anyone who has the ability to grasp some simple booking
tools and techniques should be able to do this as a minimum. Plus
with only minor increases in crowd sizes, or by adding more
products and even some marketing you could fare even more
profitably than Gidget did.
Join us next time during the continuation of our little
moc-umentary when we introduce you to a guy named Fast Freddy who
is all about working with his Fanatical Fans to bring him the
lion's share of his $100,000 income.
*****
SEAN FARRINGTON is a Band Coach and Studio Mix Engineer from
California. He has been a full time music industry professional
for over 12 years. During this time he has worked with hundreds
of bands and artists in various capacities from the studio to the
stage.
He authored the book Band:Profit which is designed to help
independent bands, solo artists, and performers take their
passion for music and turn it into profit.
Sean lives with his wife Aimee and four children in Sacramento.
You can check out his site and the book at BandProfit.com.
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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 :
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Effective Lead Vocals, Part One by Jeannie Deva (© 2006)
http://musesmuse.com/columnistsgreylogs/archives/00001092.html
What makes one singer's voice "really do it to you" while
another's leaves you feeling ho-hum? Is it just that some have it
and some don't - Some indescribable and mysterious achievement of
luck and lineage?
This three part article by Jeannie Deva will help you determine
the key ingredients that contribute to having your own effective
lead vocals.
-------
A Brief History of Music Publishing and Recording in America
By Jerry Flattum (© 2006)
http://musesmuse.com/columnistsgreylogs/archives/00001088.html
Updated & Revised! :
A Brief History of Music Publishing and Recording in America
provides a quick view of just what the title implies, from the
early 1800s to the digital revolution today. Actually, the first
published music was in 1640, but the industry didn't really get
rolling until the late 1800s.
-------
Perseverance: the Key to the Doors of Success -- Part 2
By Mary Dawson (© 2006)
http://musesmuse.com/columnistsgreylogs/archives/00001084.html
Credibility is as important to long-term success in music as
Excellence is. In the second of her two-part series, Mary Dawson
shows how the Key of Perseverance can also open to door to
Credibility in developing your professional reputation.
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The Soul of the Monk - By JJ Biener (© 2006)
http://musesmuse.com/columnistsgreylogs/archives/00001081.html
Every once in a while though, a plugin comes along which is truly
unique. It demonstrates its creator’s ability to move past the
mundane and ordinary into the rarefied air of creative
expression. That brings me to the subject of this column, the
Delay Lama by Audionerdz.
-------
Staying With It: Momentum Overcomes Procrastination
- by Linda Dessau (© 2006)
http://musesmuse.com/columnistsgreylogs/archives/00001089.html
When we procrastinate, we fuel our inner critic's statements and
provide evidence that they're true. Then we sink a little lower
in our seats and a little father away from our passion. When we
gain momentum in the creative flow, however, quite the opposite
occurs. We create evidence that, "I AM good!" "I CAN do it!" and
then, "I finished!" This article discusses two phases of the
creative process – inspiration and implementation – and how to
maximize momentum in each phase.
=================================================================
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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BUILD A BUZZ AT INDIE-MUSIC.COM FOR ONLY $5/MONTH
Artists: Why join Indie-Music.com? I-M has been spotlighting the
best in independent music since 1996, featuring Articles,
Interviews, Reviews, Charts, & Streaming Audio in all musical
styles. Member Artists receive generous promotion on the I-M
website (2.5 million+ hits per month) plus access to our famous
original DIY resources, which have helped numerous musicians book
thousands of dollars worth of work over the years. For a limited
time, new annual Members receive free Lyricist and TrackNotes
software value $69.95). There's never been a better time to join
I-M!
http://www.indie-music.com/join2.php
-----------------------------------------------------------------
THE 7th 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 Seventh Edition, The
Indie Bible has 330 pages of valuable contacts and music-related
articles.
The 7th Edition of the Indie Bible contains:
4200 publications around the world that will REVIEW your CD!
3400 radio stations around the world that will PLAY your songs!
500 vendors and services that will help you to SELL your music!
200 sites where you can UPLOAD your band's MP3 files!
500 helpful resources and sites where you can PROMOTE your band!
52 articles that will help your career to MOVE forward rapidly!
Listings include web, e-mail and physical address, as well as
phone and fax numbers.
For details and to order online visit:
http://www.bigmeteor.com/muse
-----------------------------------------------------------------
REAL ANSWERS TO REAL QUESTIONS,
An eBook About Copyright & Publishing
If you want to know how to protect yourself as a songwriter in
this digital age, you need this book - EXCLUSIVELY offered
through The Muse's Muse. And it's now on sale for half price!
Visit http://www.musesmuse.com/realarealq.html to learn more!
=================================================================
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 .
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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:
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The Muse's News is part of The Muse's Muse, a web resource for
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For further information, send your e-mail to:
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