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The Muse's News |
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Issue 9.3 - June 2006
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
@-- Music Reviews - Kevin Zarnett, Chip Withrow, Jane Eamon,
Gian Fiero, Francesco Emmanuel & Jon Stewart
@-- 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 2: Fast Freddie'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
Remind yourself of your committment to songwriting every time you
use one of these special items. There are even black t-shirts!
See http://www.cafepress.com/musesmuse for details.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
S p o n s o r M e s s a g e :
(Many thanks to the sponsors that help support this newsletter!)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
11th ANNUAL USA SONGWRITING COMPETITION
Last Chance to enter this year! Win $50,000 Grand Prize worth of
cash, cool music gear from Sony, Ibanez Guitars, D'Addario
Strings, Audio-Techica, Peavey and more! Not to mention radio
ariplay for winning songs. Judges include A&R from Universal,
SONY/BMG, EMI and Warner. Get your entry from here:
http://www.songwriting.net/mm.html
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E d i t o r ' s M u s i n g s :
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Hi folks! Welcome to another Muse's News.
There have been a few updates when it comes to columnists. First
off, Jerry Flattum's column has been renamed. He has a new
article up this month that you might find interesting. Have a
look at his column by visiting
http://www.musesmuse.com/col-jerryflattum.html .
We also have a new columnist this month. Tim Ogle will be sharing
his ongoing experiences in juggling the role of husband, father
and full time employee along with honing his skills as a
songwriter after his move to Nashville so that he can pursue his
dream. His column, Quest For The Craft
(http://www.musesmuse.com/col-timogle.html), will take us along
on his journey so I hope you'll drop by his column and check out
his newest article.
I've also introduced a new buyer's guide section to The Muse's
News at http://www.musesmuse.com/musicalinstruments.html . There
is currently a section on Electric & Acoustic Guitars, Digital
Pianos and Recording Equipment. If you're interested in
purchasing any of the above equipment, I hope you'll check out
this section to help you with your purchase decisions. And on a
separate note, I'm always looking for more perspectives and
advice type buyer's guide articles for this section. I'm even
willing to pay a small honorarium for such articles. Feel free
to contact me if this interests you, ok?
And here are the raffle winners for this month:
* Trisha Leone from Granby, CO, has won a copy
of Bronson Herrmuth's "100 Miles To A Record Deal"
(http://www.songrepair.com/bookforweb2.htm).
* Brad Conner from Cape Coral, FL has won a copy of Virtual
Studio Systems' Lyricist software
(http://www.musesmuse.com/vss-review.html).
* Brad Dunse from River Falls, WI has won a copy of "Heart and
Soul: Revealing the Craft of Songwriting" by Chris Bradford
(reviewed below)
Enjoy, the warm weather!
Happy writing,
--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!)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
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 : Kevin Zarnett, Chip Withrow,
Jane Eamon, Gian Fiero,
Francesco Emmanuel & Jon Stewart
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NEW MUSIC REVIEWS SINCE LAST MONTH INCLUDE:
Kevin Zarnett:
* The Starlings
http://musesmuse.com/columnistsgreylogs/archives/00001114.html
Jane Eamon:
* Tena Moyer
http://musesmuse.com/columnistsgreylogs/archives/00001117.html
* Russ Rentler
http://musesmuse.com/columnistsgreylogs/archives/00001125.html
* The Histrioniks
http://musesmuse.com/columnistsgreylogs/archives/00001115.html
* Joe Giacoio
http://musesmuse.com/columnistsgreylogs/archives/00001124.html
Chip Withrow:
* Watermelon Sugar
http://musesmuse.com/columnistsgreylogs/archives/00001116.html
* Hoodoo Revelator
http://musesmuse.com/columnistsgreylogs/archives/00001128.html
Gian Fiero:
* Chayah
http://musesmuse.com/columnistsgreylogs/archives/00001119.html
* Alice Peacock
http://musesmuse.com/columnistsgreylogs/archives/00001126.html
* Fine Lines
http://musesmuse.com/columnistsgreylogs/archives/00001121.html
* Eric Schwartz
http://musesmuse.com/columnistsgreylogs/archives/00001122.html
* Chantele Shaw
http://musesmuse.com/columnistsgreylogs/archives/00001123.html
* Laura Jane
http://musesmuse.com/columnistsgreylogs/archives/00001120.html
Francesco Emmanuel:
* Ropatt
http://musesmuse.com/columnistsgreylogs/archives/00001113.html
* Oliver Schroer
http://musesmuse.com/columnistsgreylogs/archives/00001110.html
* Joey Graziano
http://musesmuse.com/columnistsgreylogs/archives/00001111.html
* Eric Van Aro
http://musesmuse.com/columnistsgreylogs/archives/00001112.html
Jon Stewart:
* Benj-O-Matic
http://musesmuse.com/columnistsgreylogs/archives/00001129.html
---------------
******
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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TJ Martin - Genre: EASY LISTENING
From ancient battle movements on horseback, to a modern
equestrian ballet, this is "Music for Dressage". A completely
unique CD. Powerful, instrumental, acoustic music originally
written for Dressage freestyles. A very sophisticated sound that
is gathering worldwide attention. Works nice with a glass of
merlot and candlelight!
http://www.geocities.com/music4dressage/1.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
Heart and Soul: Revealing the Craft of Songwriting
by Chris Bradford
http://www.burningcandlemusic.co.uk/
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Before any of us get sidetracked to write for ulterior motives,
we are all primarily driven by the need to express what is at our
very core through the powerful medium of song.
I was reminded of this as I read through the opening pages of
Chris Bradford's book, Heart and Soul: Revealing the Craft of
Songwriting. I'm grateful for this reminder as I am at the stage
in my own songwriting "career" where it is getting to be very
much about the business of taking my songs to market and seeing
my creativity for the first time as a negotiable commodity.
I am also becoming increasingly concerned by the growing presence
of potential "villains" in a wide variety of roles in my creative
world, a world I used to keep protected like a shrine one could
only enter as a trusted friend. It gets increasingly hard to
maintain a perspective of selectivity as I decide who might be
allowed to enter this sacred place, while I seek an ever widening
number of self promoting opportunities.
Heart and Soul is primarily a book of perspectives. Since
songwriting is a preoccupation with very few hard and fast rules,
it is refreshing for me as a reader to see that the author is not
trying to invent a collection of arbitrary rules and facts for
the sake of writing a factual "looking" book but that he
essentially sees the art of writing songs with the same innocence
I still try to maintain.
The sources for all of the perspectives the book dishes up are
songwriters and songwriting support workers themselves; some
famous, some not so much. The author lists and bio's these
sources before heading into the four main super sections of the
book where their quotes are found strategically placed to support
the basic premises being put forth by the author. This is a book
that has been edited with wonderful precision.
The author, Chris Bradford, is a singer-songwriter himself who
also works as an artist manager, producer, and degree lecturer in
music composition and arranging. All of this diversity of
experience brings some added perspective from the author as well.
The first section entitled "Soul" takes a good long look at the
creative process and some of the "nuts and bolts" of song craft.
There are lots of quotes from songwriters about their feelings
and insights about the art of songwriting and some basic
rudiments. Good stuff.
The next section "Heart" takes a look at the music business so
that if you are like me and want to start seeing how your songs
fare in the market, you can do this with some great advice and
guidance under your belt. I wish I had read this about a year ago
in my own quest for fame and fortune because there is a lot I
would have done differently, much of which I, unfortunately,
learned the hard way.
"Mind" is the title of the third section, offering a very
interesting retrospective on songwriting and its evolution as an
art and a business. It also offers a short bio of many of the
most significant songwriters of the last two centuries: a few of
whom were introduced to me on these pages for the very first
time.
The final section is titled "Body" and is a one stop shop for
information on songwriting opportunities such as helpful
websites, reading materials, song competitions, artist showcases,
and song competitions.
I think we would all agree that it is not possible to change the
music business overnight into the artist friendly place we would
wish it to be but a book like this can make the transition from
songwriting for self exploration alone to taking your songs out
into any kind of public forum, a really smooth and safe one.
Find your own copy of Heart and Soul: Revealing the Craft of
Songwriting by Chris Bradford at http://www.burningcandlemusic.co.uk/ .
******
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! :-) )
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
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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CALL FOR SONG SUBMISSIONS ? The Big Ugly Review
The Big Ugly Review (www.biguglyreview.com) is an online magazine
showcasing emerging and established musicians, writers,
photographers, and filmmakers. The theme for Issue #5 is The
Contest Issue. Submit your original song in any genre. Send as an
mp3 attachment, direct us to your song on the web, or mail us a
CD. Include a cover sheet with your name, address, email address,
title of the song, AND the lyrics. Contest Judge is Rosalie
Howarth, KFOG DJ and host of the nationally syndicated Putamayo
Music Hour. Entry fee is $5.00, and the deadline is June 1, 2006.
Winners receive $50; winners and runners-up will be published in
Issue #5 of The Big Ugly Review.
For details and complete guidelines, visit
http://www.biguglyreview.com/submissions.html. Questions?
info@biguglyreview.com
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SizzleFizzle.com Best Songwriting Tournament Contests - $100 cash
prize – Free Entry
Showcase your songwriting skills in these exciting tournament
contests. The Tournament consists of 2 Phases. All submissions
are first entered in the Phase 1 Groups. The winners of the Phase
I Groups are then automatically entered into Phase II Groups for
the final showdown and the $100 Grand Prize. All submissions will
be judged by a combination of Panel of Judges and the Public
(50%-50%.) Multiple submissions by the same contestant are
allowed as long as the submissions are different songs.
Free Submission. http://sizzlefizzle.com/music/muse_splash.htm
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SONGWRITERS SHARE EXPERTISE AT HUMBER SONGWRITING WORKSHOP,
TORONTO, ON, JUNE 24 - 30, 2006
This year's week-long Humber Songwriting Workshop takes place
June 24 - 30 at Humber College's Lakeshore campus in Toronto. The
program was developed by Rik Emmett in conjunction with Humber's
Creative and Performing Arts School. Some guests participating in
this year's workshop include Greig Nori (TrebleCharger, Sum 41),
Andy Stochansky and Kardinal Offishall. Highlights include
morning songwriting seminars, afternoon classroom sessions
custom-designed to individual skill levels, performances by
faculty and guests, performance opportunities for students,
songwriting critiques and demo evaluations, and studio demo
prizes including Yamaha guitars and Long & McQuade gift
certificates. For a free brochure - which includes a full faculty
and guest list, including bios, as well as workshop and
scholarship details - please contact Jennifer Hannah at
416-675-6622 ext. 3427, or by e-mail at
jennifer.hannah@humber.ca. Workshop details are also available at
http://www.creativeandperformingarts.humber.ca/
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THE 2006 SINGER/SONGWRITER AWARDS
We Are Listening, in association with Berklee College of Music
and in partnership with Sonicbids.com, is currently accepting
entries for The 2006 Singer/Songwriter Awards. Enter now for a
chance to win an all-inclusive trip to London to record your song
with the UK's finest music professionals (or prize of comparable
value). Visit: http://www.wearelistening.org/ for more details.
Deadline: 30th June 2006
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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, my focus is on online collaborations, not just
finding songwriting collaborators, but finding other musicians to
either record with online or perform with in person. Having
songs recorded entirely through online resources and exchanges is
no big deal these days, but I remember when I recorded my last
album in 2000, the very thought that someone from as far away as
the UK was recording a guitar part for one of my tracks was
utterly amazing!
Everything can be done online these days, the quality of mp3
files has improved so much that most people can't tell the
difference, which is why iPods and other mp3 players have become
so popular. If you are a songwriter who wants to create a demo
or even record a CD, you have anyone of a number of online
resources to choose from. I've focused on a couple of
them...these are not necessarily the best or the most popular,
but what they have in common is that they cost nothing to join
and to find others and they are relatively friendly communities.
That doesn't mean that you can expect to get everything for free,
but it gives you the opportunity to meet other musicians who
might be able to help you out with either a live performance or a
home recording.
The Musician's Junction
(http://www.musiciansjunction.com/junction/mus/contact.html) is
fairly simple and straight up in that their main page is pretty
much just a signup sheet. You can enter yourself and your
talents into their database, or you can search it for others.
You can search by instrument, whether you are a
singer/songwriter, lyricist, etc., or by region or country and
whatever recording equipment you might have.
Rick Ryan is trying to do something similar with his Musician
Referral website
(http://www.rickryan.com/musicianreferral/default.aspx), which
also has a database of live performers, but what piqued my
curiosity was a section where you can, as a member, upload a song
and get other musicians to more or less "audition" parts that you
want to have added. So, for instance, if I wanted a wailing
electric guitar part on one of my songs, I can upload an mp3 file
of it and have anyone who is part of the database who plays
wailing guitar, try out for it. If I like a certain submission,
I then pay the musician I've chosen whatever they ask for and
it's mine. It isn't a huge community yet, but it could very well
turn out to be. It also has a section devoted to live
performances.
As is true with a face-to-face collaborations, there are some
things to consider when you do this online. Be really clear with
the person(s) you are dealing with as to what your intentions are
and what their expectations are. If you pay somebody to play on
one of your songs, make sure they know that it is a "work for
hire" situation and you are paying them only once. That is,
unless you intend to share future royalties, which is another
story altogether! In other words, just be very open and upfront
at the beginning of your project as to what you are planning.
The online collaboration experience can be a very enjoyable
one, and with all of those talented people out there just waiting
to play or record with you, who knows what it could mean in the
future!
******
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 : By Sean Farrington
FIVE PATHS TO $100,000 PER YEAR
Part 2: Fast Freddie's Way
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Welcome back to my little documentary (or moc-umentary as I
prefer to call it). We are now on Part 2 of a 5 part series
exploring the lives of five fictional artists who are all racing
toward a six-figure income with very different approaches. Though
the cast of characters in this moc-mentary are indeed fictional
and sometimes silly, the techniques are not. These are the same
skills that artists like you use day in and day out to survive
and thrive as independents.
Last time we were together, I introduced you to Gigging Gidget
who loved to gig but really didn't take the time to develop any
other skills. In spite of her lopsided business plan she still
managed to arrive at a six-figure income. This time we are going
to take a look at the lopsided plan of the next of our five
fictional artists on his quest to make a $100,000.
Today you'll meet Fast Freddie, who has built a fanatical
following of fans. You'll see how he leverages his relationship
with his fans to arrive at his $100k.
[Scene Two, Act One] Camera opens on one Fast Freddy, A Southern
Fried Rocker and bandleader from Huntsville Alabama.
Fast Freddie's Faithful Fanatics
From the start, it must be recognized that Freddy has a gift. He
has the amazing ability to change strangers into fans like no
one's business. Freddy has done right by his gift and used it to
build up a fairly large statewide fan base.
One day while driving his Ford Fairlane to a gig in Dothan
Alabama, Freddie was wondering how he could use his
well-developed fan base to increase his income, and on the way he
had an epiphany. Freddie thought that maybe if he offered more of
himself to his fans he could possibly create some sort of win-win
relationship with them. He instantly took up with the idea of
forming a paid membership Insiders' Club for his band. But
Freddie didn't want to have just any old fan club so he decided
to build a very special club with all "the fixin's" as he's fond
of saying.
He named the club Fast Freddie's Faithful Fanatics, and then went
all out to make his Faithful Fanatics club a real temptation to
join. He offered exclusives for his members beginning with a
signed glossy picture, the Fast Freddy Factoids road journal,
free tickets to any show he could get comped tickets to, and the
famous Fast Freddy News. He also added every other trick in the
book to keep it fresh and exciting.
Freddy also went the extra mile and made it affordable, so that
for only $15 per year, you too could become a Faithful Fanatic
and receive all the Fast Freddie trinkets and news you could
handle. Plus you would automatically be first in line to buy the
up-coming Freddy and the Fender Bender's album "Switching Lanes."
Who could turn down such a deal?
Apparently his fans couldn't because - much to Freddie's surprise
- most of his email list signed up, as did a steady flow of
people from his gigs. By year's end, he had managed to grow his
Insiders Club to a robust 2500 people. Excited by what this might
mean to his bottom line Freddie pulls out his trusty calculator
to figure the take. To Freddie's' dismay he finds that his 2500
fans giving him $15 each yields him a fat $37,500 per year just
for joining his well thought out Insiders Club.
In case you are following along on the math - Freddy took the
yearly due of $15 and multiplied it by the total number of fans
that Freddy had in his club, which is 2500 fans. When you hit the
"equal" button, your calculator would undoubtedly show $37,500.
Now as good as Freddie is at getting people to join his club, he
was not as good at selling them on his new CD. All told only 50%
of his club (1250 people in all) ended up purchasing his highly
anticipated CD, which he offered for 15$ to the public, but for
only $12 to his Faithful Fanatics. The CD cost him $2.50 per unit
including studio and duplication costs. So this netted him
$11,875 from those sold to his club members. He sold another 800
randomly at all of his gigs, which netted him an additional
$10,000 for a grand total of $21,875 in CD sales.
I'm sure you've already figured this one out, but the math goes
like this: Freddie offers the CD to his club members for $12. It
costs him $2.50 each, so the per CD profit is $9.50 [$12 - $2.50
= $9.50]. Next he took the 1250 sales and multiplied it by the
$9.50 profit per CD and arrived at $11,850. Freddie then figured
the CD sales to his non-club members. Those CDs still cost him
$2.50 each but he sold them for $15, so the per CD profit is
$12.50 [$15 - $2.50 = $12.50]. Next he took the 800 in non-member
sales and multiplied them by the $12.50 per CD profit and arrived
at $11,875. And, of course, both $10,000 and $11,875 added
together equal $21,875.
Freddie had one more shortcoming: for all of Freddie's ability to
get fans to join his club, he still hadn't grasped anything
beyond the basics of booking.
Consequently, he averaged only two gigs per week. But the buzz on
the streets was pretty good so he managed to attract an average
of 320 people to each of those gigs. He also hadn't learned how
to negotiate either, so his split of the cover charge was still
only $1.25 a head. According to his figures, his 104 gigs a year
multiplied by 320 people per gig, multiplied by $1.25 each,
netted him $41,600.
When Freddy sat down at year-end to do his taxes he added all
these totals together and was rather fascinated at the results.
He punched in the first number from the CD sales totals of
$21,875 and hit the "plus" button to add it to the $41,600 from
his gigs, which showed him a total of $63,475. Finally he added
the $63,475 to the $37,500 from his Faithful Fanatics Club and
hitting the "equal" button made him pause. Freddie rubbed his
eyes and saw that he had brought in a grand total $100,975!
Not to shabby for a guy with no sales skills and a light booking
schedule.
Editors Note: As an update to Freddie's progress, he has recently
vowed to read more on booking and promotions and see if he might
get a few more gigs and bump up his average crowd size a bit. We
think this recent surge in motivation is due to the custom
rebuilt Ford F-150 he has his eye on, and a pretty girl name
Felina. But we're not sure. J
Join us next time as we visit the urban jungle of South Philly
and check out how the rapper MacDaddi gets his profit on.
*****
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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Country's Rap by Jerry Flattum (© 2006)
http://musesmuse.com/columnistsgreylogs/archives/00001127.html
The shift in recent years of Country acts crossing over to a more
Pop/Rock feel is really decades old. It goes back to the
"Nashville Sound" of the 50s, an attempt to bring country music
to a broader Pop audience. Now, Bon Jovi tops the country charts
and the Dixie Chicks just recorded in LA with producer Rick
Rubin, who has worked with the Beastie Boys, the Red Hot Chili
Peppers, and Shakira. So what is country?
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The Indie Bible shows you where to get your music reviewed, your
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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!
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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:
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REAL ANSWERS TO REAL QUESTIONS,
An eBook About Copyright & Publishing
If you want to know how to protect yourself as a songwriter in
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through The Muse's Muse. And it's now on sale for half price!
Visit http://www.musesmuse.com/realarealq.html to learn more!
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Jodi Krangle ............................................. EDITOR
Kathryn Obenshain ...........................GRACIOUS PROOFREADER
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