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This month's newsletter features the listings that were submitted to me this past month. The contacts listed are sorted into FIVE sections. 1. Publications that will REVIEW your music |
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2. SITES/PUBLICATIONS WHERE YOU CAN GET YOUR MUSIC REVIEWED Off the Record Magazine 707 Canterbury Dr. Charleston, WV 25314 PH: 304-543-7430 Mysh Svidersky editor@offtherecordmag.com www.offtherecordmag.com A webzine that focuses on indie and unsigned bands. Features reviews, interviews and columns. We Go To Shows Magazine (WGTS) editorial@wgtsmagazine.com www.wgtsmagazine.com Dedicated to the Canadian independent music scene. Live concert photography and interviews with some of the industry's hottest bands. Ape .|: Quake 918 Lake Court, Madison, WI 53715 PH: 608-250-2427 FX: 608-250-2427 Adam Mico ape_quake@yahoo.com www.apequake.com Get reviewed on a website that features multimedia coverage including YouTube! Babysue PO Box 15749, Chattanooga, TN 37415 PH: 423-285-8365 Don W. Seven LMNOP@babysue.com www.babysue.com Our website features continually updated music reviews as well as samples from the babysue print magazine. All styles of music are considered for review from major and independent labels and bands as well as independent PR firms. Garage Radio Magazine John "RoadRash" Foxworthy roadrash@garageradio.com www.garageradio.com From event and CD reviews to interviews and industry news, GR Magazine features all the best new music from the people that make it happen. Music Morsels PO Box 2760, Acworth, GA 30102 PH: 678-445-0006 FX: 678-494-9269 Sandy Serge MusMorsels@aol.com www.musicmorselsonline.com E-zine with independent CD reviews, unsigned band spotlights and an industry profile. The Brink 350 W. Simpson St., Tucson, AZ 85701 PH: 646-213-0900 FX: 520-623-6395 Danny Vinik danny@brink.com www.brink.com An e-zine about life on the edge. Our passions are pop-culture, indie-film and travel. We think radically and play hard. Our users send us digital photos, films, music etc.
STAR 99.1 - WAWZ PO Box 9058, Zarephath, NJ 08890 PH: 732-469-0991 x3132 Dave Moore dave@star991fm.com www.star991fm.com This new radio station will feature Christian Rock, CHR, Urban, indie and local artists. We’re looking to build a community around this new station using over-the-air HD radio, social networking, streaming audio and grass roots promotion. In addition to national artist airplay, we’re looking to highlight indie and local artists through specialty programming. The greater New York City metro is starving for a youth-oriented station and we’re going to fill that need. Dolphin Radio 15-150 Kitchener Cres. Kamloops, BC V2B1B8 PH: 250-376-9177 Nicole info@dolphinradio.com www.dolphinradio.com Internet radio station streaming music 24/7. All genres of unsigned indie artists. WCBP - The Rock House 410 E. Center Ave. Maple Shade, NJ 08052 PH: 856-649-3351 Jim Santora radio@casabonitaproductions.com www.casabonitaproductions.com/radio.html Freeform Rock station that playes local Rock, indie artists, unsigned and general Rock format. Please visit our website for our submission details before sending your material. Beyond Bop Tom tom@beyondbop.com http://www.beyondbop.com An internet Jazz radio station created for musicians by musicians showcasing some of the best kept secrets in Jazz. Most of these tracks are relatively unknown and are not likely to be heard on commercial radio. Nonetheless, they're from some of the coolest cats on the planet today, bar none. Folk Rock Podcast of Shaolin Records 10004 1/2 Tujunga Canyon Blvd. Tujunga, CA 91042 PH: 818-206-6226 Richard Connor producer@shaolinRECORDS.com folkrockpodcast.libsyn.com Weekly podcast show featuring the brighest Folk Rock of California and beyond. Submissions must be made through a Sonic Bids EPK (www.SonicBids.com). Unknown Radio Erik D. erik@unknownradio.com www.unknownradio.com Todays' best indie music and indie talk. Talk shows include independent interviews, reviews, politics and thought. UKR's innovative talk programing is suplimented with great indie music ranging from Folk to Hard Rock and everything in between -- even Indie Rock. TRS The Radio Station c/o DJ Box s.r.l., Via Re Enzo 20, 00131, Rome, Italy PH: +39-334-80-18-398 FX: +39-06-41400962 Luigi airplay@trsradio.net www.trsradio.net Broadcasting since 1975. We are now offering selected airplay to independent bands and singers. Wylde Radio Tom Wylde tom@wylderadio.com www.wylderadio.com Featuring the best underground Metal in the world! Country Music Show Radio Ara 2 rue de la Boucherie, L-1247, Luxembourg Willie Jervis radioaracountryshow@yahoo.com www.ara.lu If you send us your Country and Folk CDs, we'll play them! NMbands.com podcast@nmbands.com www.nmbands.com/submit A new weekly music podcast devoted to New Mexico bands. Artists must have some connection to New Mexico. All styles of music accepted. Moozikoo Radio PO Box 50322, Nashville, TN 37205-0322 Anthony Bates anthony@moozikoo.com www.moozikooradio.com Our goal is to bring you the best music from today's independent artists. We focus on music in the Americana, Alt. Rock, Bluegrass, Blues, and Alt. Country genres. eoRadio PH: 303-808-8140 Ryan Smith webmaster@eoradio.com http://www.eoradio.com The best free music from unsigned artists from around the globe. We require all artists to register online and sign a release form before submitting. Visit online for details.
4. SERVICES/VENDORS/LABELS THAT WILL HELP SELL YOUR MUSIC XIIE PO Box 935, Angleton, TX 77516 PH: 979-849-1279 FX: 979-849-1278 John McNerney john@xiie.net www.xiie.net Offers original music by original artists via the web - selling around the world 7 days a week, 24 hours a day. Huge pay outs. MiaMindMusic 259 W. 30th St. #12FR, New York, NY 10001-2809 PH: 212-564-4611 FX: 212-564-4448 Stevie MiMiMus@aol.com www.miamindmusic.com Radio tracking and working with CMJ and R&R surveyed radio stations. Apocrypha Records PO Box 2570, San Francisco, CA 94126 PH: 503-616-3247 FX: 866-395-9752 John MacMurphy info@ApocryphaRecords.com www.ApocryphaRecords.com Metal only record company that provides label and distribution services for artists and other labels. Ariel Publicity Artist Relations and Cyber Promotions 325 W. 38th St. #505, New York, NY 10018 PH: 212-239-8384 FX: 212-239-8380 Ariel Hyatt ariel@arielpublicity.net www.arielpublicity.com Professional promotional services for Indie artists. Morphius Records 100 E. 23rd St., Baltimore MD 21218 PH: 410-662-0112 FX: 410-662-0116 Simeon Walunas simeon@morphius.com www.morphius.com Over 13 years of great Pop, Rock, Punk & Hip Hop releases. Sell your CDs and MP3s! Jerome Promotions & Marketing 2535 Winthrope Way, Lawrenceville, GA 30044 PH: 770-982-7055 FX: 770-982-1882 Bill Jerome hitcd@bellsouth.net http://www.jeromepromotions.com We call the music directors and program directors of over 250 stations several times a week in order to help our artists get airplay and the recognition that they deserve with the goal of helping them make a deal with a major label. Blistering.com C.P. St Dorothee, PO Box 69023, Laval, QC H7X 3M2 PH/FX: 450-689-7106 Rob Cotter rob@blistering.com http://www.blistering.com Metal music community. Submit your CDs and demos. Bands can sell their CDs at our store. We also feature downloads. Bryan Farrish Radio Promotion 1828 Broadway, 2nd Fl, Santa Monica, CA 90404 PH: 310-998-8305 FX: 310-998-8323 Bryan Farrish airplay@radio-media.com http://www.radio-media.com Indie airplay promotion to commercial, commercial specialty, and college radio stations in the U.S. and Canada. indie911 PH: 310-943-7164 Gregg Allen gregg@indie911.com www.indie911.com/aflp One of the entertainment industry’s leading independent music resources for music licensing for TV, films, video games and other new media. The mission of indie911’s licensing program is to offer a cost effective solution with the highest quality service for those who license and create music. Basement Elevation Entertainment PH: 919-827-0935 Maliek Jones info@basementelevationonline.com www.basementelevationonline.com Music label that promotes lyrically enticing underground music to the masses. All genres accepted. Six Nights Records PO Box 400817, Las Vegas, NV 89140-0817 PH: 702-561-1249 Maribeth Lewis info@sixnightsmusic.com www.sixnightsmusic.com Independent music publishing company and record label. Currently accepting unsolicited submissions from artists and songwriters. HOT NEED for Contemporary Christian songs at this time. Envious Entertainment 3805 Pleasant Ave #4 PH: 757-362-0682 FX: N/A Jermain Thompson jermaint@enviousent.com www.enviousent.com We're a record label extensitively search for new artist. Mr Gig Presents PH: 951-818-9601 Jason Gokei mrgigpresents@yahoo.com www.mrgigpresents.com Promoting the most cutting edge bands for over 30 Years. My CD Party 1020 Music Row #8, Nashville, TN 37228 PH: 615-818-7871 FX: 615-329-9831 Bill McCleskey bill@myCDparty.com www.myCDparty.com Sells indie music worldwide and will administer digital distribution on the site starting 2008. Indie artists have their own page promoting their music enabling browsers to listen and purchase. MyCDparty.com also promotes each artists' music the first 30 days of subscription (one-time $30) thru weekly newsletter to thousands of music lovers, internet radio show and live shows. E-mail MyCDparty@MyCDparty.com for more info.
5. SITES WHERE YOU CAN UPLOAD YOUR BAND'S MP3s OR VIDEOS American Idol Underground 5813-A Uplander Way, Culver City, CA 90230 PH: 310-665-9878 FX: 310-665-0735 Andrew Abony andrew@americanidolunderground.com www.americanidolunderground.com Democratizes the music industry by enabling the artist to be heard, and the listener to choose! XIIE PO Box 935, Angleton, TX 77516 PH: 979-849-1279 FX: 979-849-1278 John McNerney john@xiie.net www.xiie.net Offers original music by original artists via the web - selling around the world 7 days a week, 24 hours a day. Huge pay outs. Boost Independent Music Level 6 220 Pacific Highway CrowsNest, NSW 2065 Australia PH: +612-9460-1400 FX: +612-9460-0044 Graeme Logan graeme@boostdigital.com www.boostindependentmusic.com Independent & unsigned online MP3 downloads store. Sell your music today! Indie Standard PH: 954-302-1991 FX: 206-666-2337 Darryl Smith dasmith21@hotmail.com www.indiestandard.com An online Urban artist showcase site. Downloads, videos, bios and more! DIRT Dave Lamoureux dirt-tv@hotmail.com www.dirt-tv.com Featuring independent music videos (of all styles) from around the globe! Airs across Canada on Express-Vu (Ch. 258) and Starchoice (Ch. 323). The BandMates Network Danny danny99@sympatico.ca www.bandmatesnetwork.com Get exposure! Get advice! Get discovered! Sell your CDs! Protect your work! Find bandmates! BONXO 150 Delmar Rd. Rochester, NY 14616 PH: 585-314-2826 FX: 585-458-9611 Dan Regna dan@bonxo.com www.bonxo.com An alternative avenue for artists to get their music heard. Our goal is to create a sub-culture of music that is not tainted by the giant corporate spinning wheel. Feature CD sales and MP3 "album" downloads, no singles. The goal is to give artists complete control over their music. Music Gorilla 12407 Mopac Expressway N. 100-312, Austin, TX 78758 PH: 512-918-8978 FX: 212-258-6394 Alexia info@musicgorilla.com www.musicgorilla.com Exposure to major labels, indie labels, film studios and publishers. MyMusicStream Andrew Drake andrew.drake@mymusicstream.com www.mymusicstream.com Streaming internet radio and music video site for bands, solo artists and music fans! JukeBoxAlive 311 Montford Ave. Asheville, NC 28801 PH: 828-232-0016 Will Cumberland cumberland@jukeboxalive.com www.jukeboxalive.com Our Advanced Jukebox Player protects your music from being digitally downloaded, yet allows fans to hear your music online. This creates exciting possibilities for you to present yourself to new audiences without being ripped off.
6. HELPFUL RESOURCES FOR YOUR BAND IndabaMusic.com info@indabamusic.com www.indabamusic.com An online networking and collaboration platform for musicians, engineers, producers, and all music professionals. Site members can connect with others in our international community and create online music projects - editing and mixing tracks recorded in different parts of the world using a custom online digital audio workstation. Join for free today to create your profile and host audio and unlimited photos. MusicPro Insurance Agency 45 Crossways Park Dr. Woodbury, NY 11797-2002 PH: 800-605-3187 FX: 888-290-0302 Julie insurance@MusicProInsurance.com http://www.musicproinsurance.com Affordable and convenient insurance for musicians, including instruments, equipment, studio, tour, composer's liability, travel accident and health. ALLPARTS 13027 Brittmoore Park Dr. Houston, TX 77041 PH: 713-466-6414 FX: 713-466-5803 info@allparts.com http://www.allparts.com America's premier guitar and bass parts supplier. Festival Network Online www.festivalnet.com There's nothing like a live performance! FNO lists more than 7,000 events throughout the U.S. and Canada seeking performers, from local & regional to national & international. Search by 22 different music genres, event attendance, zip code radius & more. Plug in festival dates with club dates. Westone Music Products 2235 Executive Circle, Colorado Springs, CO 80906 PH: 719-540-9333 FX: 719-540-9183 Paul Carhart music@westone.com http://www.westone.com/music In-ear musicians monitoring and hearing protection products. Crystal Clear Disc and Tape 10486 Brockwood Rd. Dallas, TX 75238 PH: 800-880-0073 FX: 214-349-3819 6520 Platt Ave. #729, West Hills, CA 91307-3218 Jim jim@crystalclearsound.com http://www.crystalclearcds.com Need CDs? For over 30 years, thousands of artists across the country have trusted Crystal Clear to take their Audio CD duplication, DVD replication and cassette tape manufacturing projects from concept to finished product. We can do it all - from full-color art design and digital mastering and editing to professional "retail-ready" duplication and packaging. 1000 CDs for $999. 1000 Promo CD Pack for $599. 1000 DVDs for $1499! Sounds Atlanta PO Box 49266, Atlanta, GA 30359 PH: 404-329-9438 FX: 404-325-8401 Bill Tullis SoundsAtlanta@aol.com http://soundsatlanta.com Studio & remote recording - mastering. Jakprints 3133 Chester Ave. Cleveland, OH 44114 PH: 216-622-6360 FX: 216-622-6361 www.jakprints.com We continually strive to help each and every customer big or small, to expand and promote their passion with the highest quality service and merchandise. ABC Pictures 1867 E. Florida St., Springfield, MO 65803-4583 PH: 888-526-5336 www.abcpictures.com Quality publicity picture reproduction, posters, 8x10's, headshots & composites for the entertainment industry Rock-n-Roll Web Design and Hosting PO Box 1922, Salisbury, MD 21802 PH: 410-835-8895 Audra info@rock-n-roll-design.com www.rock-n-roll-design.com We offer powerful hosting tools that give you complete control over all content on your site. Abet Disc 1938 S. Myrtle Ave. Monrovia, CA 91016 PH: 626-303-4114 FX: 626-236-5591 info@abetdisc.com www.abetdisc.com Specializes in CD replication, DVD replication, CD duplication, DVD duplication, Audio Cassette and Video Duplication services for independent companies worldwide. Le Grand Fromage PO Box L, Atlantic City, NJ 08401 Michael Messina thebigcheeseac@msn.com www.myspace.com/thebigcheeseac Atlantic City venue trying to build the local scene. If you would like to book your band at the club, send us an e-mail. Sonarus Corporation 5 Vertical Dr. Cannonsburg, PA 15317 PH: 888-757-3472 FX: 724-746-0745 Derek info@sonarus.com www.sonarus.com Whether you need one copy or millions, we will produce the job on time and on budget. Our award winning Digital Cloning Laboratory(TM) thrives on CD replication service and DVD replication service perfection. You get exactly what you want, when you want it.
7. 20 STEPS TO CREATING A SUCCESSFUL BLOG FOR YOUR BAND by Lance Trebesch, TicketPrinting.com © 2007 All Rights Reserved. Used By Permission Blogs prove to be a tricky field to conquer, especially when it comes to gaining an initial reader-base. However, once you get that reader base, great potential for increasing your online reputation is created. Successful blogs keep their status by following these 20 rules from the start and throughout their blog's lifetime. 1. Focus the topic. Thousands of different blogs exist on the web. Only the well-established ones can post general news and see success. Instead, focus your blog around a niche. The more narrow the subject, the more likely you will get a steady reader base. 2. Search similar blogs and subscribe. Because there are so many blogs on the internet, chances are somebody somewhere will also be talking about your subject. Find these sites and subscribe to them so you get instant updates. The best action to take is to read up on these blogs and know what they talk about regularly. 3. Create business relationships. By helping out someone else and their blog in some way, they will in return help you and your blog out. One good example is devising a list of online radio stations you can submit your music to and give them the list so they can use it for their benefit as well. By becoming business friends, you can promote each other by talking about one another's webpage, music, blog etc. 4. Make quality content. Just writing a blog is not enough. You have to make sure what you are writing is good content. No one will comment or read your blog if the content seems worthless and poorly written. Also, write grammatically. Misspellings are one of the most painful things to witness in blogs. 5. Work on the title. The title is a necessity. The first thing people look at and what makes them read your blog is the title. Titles that hint of content with lists and bullets also draw people in due to the pleasing layout and more white space of lists. If the title perks their interest, they will click on your blog to continue reading. Take the time to think about an interesting title and log which titles draw more readers. 6. Submit to directories. After creating a good content-and-keyword-rich blog, submit it to different directories. Top Blog Area and BlogFlux are two good sites to submit blogs to according to category of blog. Another option is to write just one blog for an established blogging site in the rock music industry and tell them why they should feature your blog on their site. If they choose to put the blog on their site, you will see greatly increased traffic. 7. Get a friend to submit your blog to Digg, StumbleUpon, Technorati, Netscape, and Reddit. These search sites generate a ton of traffic to your site if viewed frequently (or "digged," "thumbs up" "favored," etc). However, people view down on you if you constantly submit your own content to these sites, so instead, make a buddy submit your blogs, videos, or podcasts to these sites one or two times a week. Eventually, your good content will make it to the homepage of these content-search sites, generating an unimaginable amount of traffic to your blog. 8. Ping every site. Some submission sites allow you to 'ping' them, which means they get an automatic update when you post a new blog. This is good so they always have your latest posts in their records. These sites also allow you to put in key tag terms. By inputting a tag term, your blog will pop up if someone searches for the term you used. For instance, if you are writing about electric guitar comparisons (tag terms) and the searcher inserts "compare guitars," your blog will show as a result. You must utilize pings and tags to increase your blog popularity. 9. Write regularly and stand out. The only way to gain a steady reader base is if you write a blog regularly. The best blogs update their content daily or sometimes several times a day. As an upcoming artist, though, weekly will suffice if you write on a consistent day around the same time every week. In addition, you need to stand out from other bloggers. Write properly, but use your personality. Personality keeps the blog interesting and keeps readers coming back. In addition, the readers like to be treated as humans, so drop the business lingo. Blogs are for entertainment, so engage your audience. Write for them. 10. Host your blog on your website domain. Using a different host for your blog not only confuses your readers, but also reduces the amount of quality traffic to your site. The only smart way to host a blog is through your own website. If readers like what they read, or you mention something about your music in the blog, they can easily navigate to your website to find out more information. Creating a blog serves the purpose of promoting your music online, which you can only do if you reader can easily access your website from your blog. 11. Ask people to subscribe. RSS feeds allow users to subscribe to your blog and receive an update when you add new blogs. This makes it convenient for readers so they do not need to check for blog updates. An alternative is to send the updated blog through email, so having both an email subscription and a RSS feed is necessary. Also, make the sign-up process simple and prominent. Display the RSS button everywhere and occasionally mention it in your posts to sign-up. The simpler the process to sign-up, the more chance the reader will go through with the process. 12. Offer a bribe to sign-up. Take an example for Marketing Pilgrim, by offering a $600 cash giveaway by signing-up for a RSS feed. The code to register for the money is in an RSS-only message. Receiving $600 free is pretty convincing to sign-up. Other options to get people to sign up are free e-books related to your topic ("How to Get a Record Deal"), or send a personalized autographed picture of you or the band to those who sign-up. 13. Comment on forums. Comment on blogs. Comment on chats. And comment by providing a link back your blog. By injecting your opinion and showing your personality through these comments, people will notice you and want to find out more. Make sure the comments are meaningful and not just some form of spam to create a link back to you. People appreciate when an expert adds their knowledge, so write truthful comments that will help the audience. Comments are the biggest promotion of your blog in the beginning months of the blog. 14. Leave blogs open for discussion. If compiling a list, ask for comments to add their suggestions for the list. The 5 Rules of Social Media Optimization (SMO) blog by Influential Marketing Blog became instantly popular by people linking to it, posting comments and recommending the blog. After writing a general blog that does not include a list, ask a question at the end to encourage comments and blog discussion. The more, interesting discussion, the more people will link to your blog, promoting it. 15. Respond to comments. Read your comments daily and respond when someone asks a question to you through the comments. Once you start getting a steady reader base that begins posting comments, do not discourage them by never responding back. Respond rapidly to make your reader happy. 16. Start a podcast. A podcast is a great way to promote both your blog and your music. Podcasts are an audio blog, but you should not update it as often as your blogs (unless you just want to run an audio blog exclusively). On the podcast, talk about interesting subjects related to your blog and mention your music often. Play a fraction of your music just prior to and just after your podcast, promoting both your music and your blog. 17. Invite guest bloggers. Be a guest blogger. Your blog gains interest if you occasionally - monthly, quarterly - invite guest bloggers to write. Your business pals become a good place to start when thinking about guest bloggers. The guests then feel flattered by your interest in them and in return promote your blog or music. On the other hand, ask your business friends to guest blog for them, which immensely promotes your music or blog through their site. Whenever you get an opportunity to guest blog, take it. 18. Add videos, pictures, MP3s etc. Just having words on every blog gets boring. Perk reader's interest by putting a funny YouTube video in your blog, adding a unique MP3 or taking a snapshot of the website you mention in the blog. Any item out of the norm to create a change will boost your blog's appeal. Every once in awhile, make your blog a video-blog through YouTube where you narrate the blog (and act as well). You can also create a music video for you or the band and advertise it through your blog. 19. Use tracking software and analyze. Find out how many people are visiting your blogs and which ones generate the most traffic. You should re-create titles and content that receives many views. The tracking software can also tell you how people are hearing about your blog, through Digg, Google, etc. It can give you a great insight on your viewers and many other marketing hints if you are creative. 20. Build a brand. You want people to recognize your blog as an object, not just another blog. Make your blog worthwhile to the reader. Promote the blog with any sources you have. Tell your friends, family and strangers about it. On your website, promote your blog and on your blog promote your website. Do the same with social networking sites, YouTube videos, podcasts, live performances, etc. By marketing in a bunch of different places, you spread your name and have more sources to promote your blog and music. Your blog will only see success if you follow all these steps and promote it as often as possible. Blogging takes a lot of dedication but pays off in the end with increased music sales. Never stop blogging and remember, you are writing for your audience.
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