Lokarhythms - Home Made Music

Genji Siraisi releases Drum Nugs Free (AIFF) Drum Loops

2009-04-08T20:13:00.000-07:00

Genji Siraisi releases Drum Nugs Free (AIFF) Drum Loops
31st March 2009

Genji Siraisi, producer, composer and musician, most well known as founding member and drummer for Groove Collective, has released what is set to be the first in a series of live drum loop packages. The project, called Drum Nugs, is based around a series of recordings done on different kits in various venues - the first installment was recorded in four different cities in two countries.

The loops mostly fall into the acoustic breakbeat category but they range stylistically from old school breaks to Jazz, Latin, Rock and beyond. Some of the beats have been processed heavily putting them into a more modern realm and making them suitable for a wide variety of uses.

If your looking for that human drum element, to add some grit to your tracks or just some new old school breaks to play with this may be what you are looking for.

The Free pack consists of 62 AIFF loops. A donation is requested but not necessary for download and there is a full version of 631 AIFF loops available for $10.

If others blog, home made musicians mog?

2006-06-24T03:09:00.000-07:00

Home Made Musicians should try out thise new music community blogging app being developed....looks like could be a killa!

Social music lovers become 'Moggers' from PhysOrg.com

The launch of a site intertwining music blogging into a social network could be an opportunity for MOG to segue into a deal with major players in the music industry including music labels and online music stores, if not also appeal to online advertisers.
[...]

Free Audio Tools that Work with Flash

2006-03-26T20:07:00.000-08:00

This could be a good way of making music videos in flash and adding home
made music to it.

http://www.informit.com/articles/article.asp?p=457504

Free Audio Tools that Work with Flash

Date: Mar 24, 2006 By James Gonzalez

One of Flash's many strengths is its capability to consistently and
reliably play back sound across a wide variety of computer platforms and
environments. Flash has a comprehensive set of utilities and tools to
work with audio, but there are several free, dedicated audio tools that
can do an even better job. James Gonzalez reviews several free audio
tools that he has used professionally and with his students to
streamline audio work with Flash.

One of Flash’s many strengths is its capability to consistently and
reliably play back sound across a wide variety of computer platforms and
environments. This capability may in fact be the best reason to use
Flash for projects in which sound is an important component.

Flash has a comprehensive set of utilities and tools to work with audio,
but there are several free, dedicated audio tools that can do a better
job. For example, you can set compression settings in Flash, but I find
that using a dedicated audio application is faster and yields better
results.

This article reviews several free audio tools that I have used
professionally and with my students to streamline audio work with Flash.

Read full article here:
http://www.informit.com/articles/article.asp?p=457504

Free Keyboard Magazine Deadline, 2006 Competition, etc

2006-03-24T20:13:00.000-08:00

*****************************************************************
USA SONGWRITING COMPETITION
http://www.songwriting.net

3/22/06
*****************************************************************

** FREE KEYBOARD MAGAZINE Deadline FOR 11th ANNUAL USA SONGWRITING
COMPETITION

Celebrating our 11th consecutive year, 2006 USA Songwriting Competition
is now accepting entries! Winning songs will receive radio airplay in
United States and Canada along with great prizes such as a Top Prize of
over $50,000.

Sponsors of the 2006 Competition are: New Music Weekly, Keyboard
magazine, Sony, Audio-Technica, Ibanez Guitars, D'Addario Strings,
Peavey, Sam Ash Music Stores, IK Multimedia, Hear Technologies,
MixDownMedia.com, Indie Bible, Garritan Music Software, Acoustic Cafe,
Livewire Contacts, Loggins Promotion, Superdups.com and XM Radio.

Also, there's FREE 11th ANNIVERSARY early entry bonus: first 1,000
entries postmarked by March 31 or earlier will each receive a FREE
Keyboard magazine subscription (1 full year!). That's great value of
getting music magazine subscription just by entering! Last few days to
get this special gift. Please obtain the entry form at:
http://www.songwriting.net/entryform.html

===[ Sponsored in part by D'Addario Strings ]====================
Every good gig starts with Getting Loaded! Unsigned bands are invited to
upload their original track on www.getmeloaded.tv Winner will be featured
in a TV spot to air on Fuse and get a ton of gear from D?Addario, Ibanez,
& more. www.getmeloaded.tv
==================================================================

2005 WINNING SONG
Many have asked where you can listen to the top winning song "Miracle"
written by Hakim Young. Winning song "Miracle" can be heard on Columbia
Records/Sony Music website, as it is now signed to Columbia/Sony. You
need to select the song "Miracle" on the music player on the website at:
http://www.stjuste.com

===[ Sponsored in part by IBANEZ Guitars ]========================
Ibanez Acoustic Guitars... Diversity in Size, Sound, and Style. Ibanez has
over 75 different acoustic guitar models in 12 very different body shapes to
help you FIND YOUR VOICE. http://www.ibanez.com/acoustics/
==================================================================

*** IAMA (International Acoustic Music Awards) Featured Artists Spotlight

Featured Artists of the Month are:
~Kate and Kacey Coppola
~Dave Potts
~Suzanne Teng
~High Range Band

For more details of the artists, please visit:
http://www.inacoustic.com/artists2.html

For complete list of 2nd Annual IAMA winners, please go to:
http://www.inacoustic.com/winners.html

==================================================================
The Music Business registry is the Music Industries leading provider of
accurate up-to-the minute contact information for A&R, Music Publishers,
Record Producers, Music Attorney's and Music Supervisors.
www.musicregistry.com
==================================================================

HAVING SOMETHING TO CONTRIBUTE by Ritch Esra

Today, more than ever, we work in an industry where enormous changes are
happening with greater frequency. Whether change represents enormous
upheaval or unprecedented opportunity to you often depends on how well
equipped you are to handle one of today's most valuable
commodities-information.

The Music Business Registry (A&R Registry, Publisher Registry, Music
Attorney Registry, Record Producer Registry & The Film/Television Music
Guide have been "The Standard" in contact information for the Music
Business Community Over the last 14 years. What the registry's are most
effective at is providing you with the most up-to-date and through
contact information you need to develop the necessary relationships that
can help move your career to forward. Developing relationships with the
A&R, publishing record producers or the film and television music
supervisors are all part of the fundamental foundation of building a
career as a successful songwriter.

One of the most important elements to remember as a songwriter in
developing relationships with A&R people, record producers And music
supervisors is to always keep the needs of the project first and
foremost in your mind. Do you have something that Can make a
contribution to this project? Do you even know the needs of the
project? This is especially true in the world of Film & Television.
It's not about your song as much as it's about serving the needs of the
project. Those who truly understand this have a much higher rate of success.

There are many ways to develop relationships with the A&R community.
One of the best ways I have found is to do your homework! It's the
difference between wanting something from someone vs. having something
to offer! Research what artists they work with and what are their needs
at this time. Remember, timing is everything! Having the perfect song
for Faith Hill song when she's just finished her new CD isn't going to
help you. You must do your homework. You must also be creative in your
approach so that you stand out. Don't cold call A&R executives you have
no relationship with. Instead, you may want to try something unique and
Out of the ordinary, like sending a note to them in a baby shoe that
says "Now that I've got my foot in the door, how about lending Me an
ear? And ask to send them a song (1) that is right for their needs.
Doing something like this will make you stand out from The hundreds who
just want someone to listen to their songs. Remember, it's about having
something to offer vs: wanting something. Think about how this principle
works in your life. Don't you gravitate more toward those who have
something to contribute to you Rather than those who constantly want
something from you? Well it's no different in the music business.

Written by Ritch Esra
The Music Business Registry
www.musicregistry.com

** COMPILATION CD [sponsored by WWW.SUPERDUPS.COM]
"NEW MUSIC NOW Vol 3" - THE USA SONGWRITING COMPETITION COMPILATION CD
sponsored by SUPERDUPS.COM. USA Songwriting Competition's CD
Compilation. This CD will include the 2005 winners such as Hakim Young.
Details will be out shortly.

** COOL MERCHANDISE
You can now purchase our cool USA Songwriting Competition T-shirts, Hats
& other stuff online:
http://www.cafepress.com/usasong

===[Sponsored in part by Loggins Promotion]=================
LOGGINS PROMOTION is the leading radio promotion and marketing
firm providing services to all genres of music. We operate at
the highest level of efficiency and integrity, so that you
receive maximum promotion, exposure, and attention. For further
info: 888-325-2901 or email: promo@logginspromotion.com
www.logginspromotion.com
==================================================================

*USA SONGWRITING COMPETITION SPONSORS "ONE TO WATCH" SEGMENT OF ACOUSTIC
CAFÉ, A POPULAR RADIO SHOW

Audio clips as well as information on featured up and coming acts heard
on Acoustic Café, a popular radio show is featured on USA Songwriting
Competition's site. It is syndicated in over 60 radio stations nationwide.

For more information, visit:
http://www.songwriting.net/onetowatch.html

===[Sponsored in part by New Music Weekly]======================
NEW MUSIC WEEKLY covers the radio and music industry within its
weekly magazine, website, NMW-mail and fax services. NMW, built
by radio stations who "break" the hits first, has become the
standard for tracking radio airplay nationwide. For information
visit: www.newmusicweekly.com or call 310-325-9997

==================================================================

*RADIO STATIONS THAT WILL PLAY YOUR MATERIAL:

Craig's Music - the radio voice of independent music
http://www.craigsmusic.net
This show is broadcast on 1550 KYCY-AM San Francisco

XM Radio Unsigned
http://unsigned.xmradio.com

Unsigned Underground
230 S. Main St., Newtown, CT 06470
PH: 203-426-2030 FX: 203-426-2036
Darryl Gregory info@unsignedunderground.net
www.unsignedunderground.net
This show is broadcast on WVOF 88.5 Fairfield University, Weds. 4PM to
6PM EST and a Podcast that features independent CDs and interviews with
artists. Great free exposure!

KRCK-FM 97.7
73-733 Fred Waring Dr. #201, Palm Desert, CA 92260
PH: 760-341-0123 FX: 760-341-7455
The Big KC kc@krck.com
http://www.krck.com
KRCK supports local talent and encourages independent artists. Rock &
Alternative format.

WRHO FM
Hartwick College, 1 Hartwick Dr. Oneonta, NY, 13820O
PH: 607-431-4555 FX: 607-431-4064
Alex Cameron wrho@hartwick.edu
http://users.hartwick.edu/wrho
Please send us your promo CDs. We play all genres of music, however we
tend to lack in the Folk/Country/Jazz/Blues/ Classical/Spoken Word
genres - so more of those genres would be greatly appreciated!

indie cent exposure radio
8949 Sunset Blvd. #201, West Hollywood, CA 90069
PH: 310-943-7164 FX: 310-919-3091
Justin Goldberg
justin@indie911.com
http://www.indie911.com
Changing the way people discover and get paid for making music. As
people listen to streamed music from Indie911's media player, qualifying
artist accounts are paid for online airplay via their PayPal account.

WGRX FM
4414 Lafayette Blvd. Ste #100, Fredericksburg, VA 22408
PH: 540-891-9696 FX: 540-891-1656
Stephanie Taylor staylor@thunder1045.com
http://www.thunder1045.com
A mainstream Country station that mixes in Americana and Southern Rock.
We air a two hour Americana/Bluegrass/Texas Country show on Sunday
nights that incorporates independent artists.

Psych Rock 101 KMBH
RT8 Box 613, Brownsville, TX 78520
Texas Joe Valles Jr. vallescream@aol.com
http://www.vallesbrothersband.com
Showcasing old and new bands in the Psych Rock format only! No other
types of music are accepted! CDs - new shrinkwrapped, retail ready only!
No CDr's or homemade tapes etc. Free to email me before sending submissions.

What's the Buzz WCNI
247 Haley Rd. Ledyard, CT 06339
PH: 860-572-2705
John Fogg Jr. buzzradiowcni@aol.com
http://oak.conncoll.edu/wcni
A weekly 3 hour show. Christian Rock, Pop & Hip-Hop. I am happy to play
the music of independent artists.

*The list of radio stations are brought to you by INDIE BIBLE. You can
find the Indie Bible in these stores: Borders Books & Music, Barnes &
Noble, Sam Ash, Virgin Records, Tower Records and Mars Music. All USA
Songwriting Competition subscribers can get the $5 discounted Indie
Bible. Go to:
http://www.indiebible.com/usasong

===[ REFER A MUSICIAN FRIEND TO US ]==============================
Tell a musician or songwriter to sign up for this FREE informative
e-mail newsletter of USA Songwriting Competition with chock full
of opportunities for the musician or songwriter, please e-mail
them on where to sign-up:
http://www.songwriting.net/join.html
==================================================================

OTHER PAST WINNERS' COMMENTS & UPDATES, ETC
Steve Tannen (overall grand prize winner in 2001) is part of the duo
"The Weepies" with Deb Talan, they hit #1 On ITunes on the week of
02-12-2006 with their song "World Spins Madly On," peaked at #1 on the
iTunes US folk chart--a genre that also includes artists like Bob Dylan,
KT Tunstall and Damien Rice. As a result, Say I Am You (March 7) broke
onnto the iTunes album chart at #70. They are currently signed to
Nettwerk Records.

Jeff Talmadge (finalist, folk category) records for Corazong Records,
which released his latest CD, Blissville, on January 24. It reached No.
1 on the Roots Music Report (folk) chart in February and has been moving
up the Americana Chart.

Dave Berg (2005 USA Songwriting Competition 1st Prize Winner - Rock/Alt)
co-wrote the number 1 Country hit song by Reba McIntyre "Somebody". It
reached #1 on the Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks Chart and #35
on the Billboard Hot 100 Chart! "Somebody" becomes Reba's 22nd #,
breaking the record for longest span of #1 hits by a female country
performer. Dave co-wrote "Somebody" with Sam and Annie Tate.

Jen Foster (2005 USA Songwriting Competition, 1st Prize - Gospel) had
her song "Saturn" was named Top 100 songs of the year 2005 by Sirius
OurQ Radio program.

Tim Matthews won an honorable mention award in 2005 with co-writers Mary
Dana and Cory Batten with their song "It's Not Love". He also won an
honorable mention award with "Can't Help Calling Your Name" in 1999. The
same song was cut by Jason Sellers on both of his RCA/BNA albums.
Besides Jason Sellers, Tim Matthews have had cuts by Neal McCoy, Marcel
Chagnon, Jeannie Kendall (of The Kendalls), and Lauren Lucas.

Sarah Lewis, the lead singer of Jag Star (2002 USA Songwriting
Competition Overall Grand Prize winner) had her song "Leavin'", chosen
as a trailor song for MTV's new TV program, "The Hills", which is a
spin-off of "Laguna Beach". She and her band has performed with Simple
Plan and Bowling For Soup.

Jonathan Kingham (2000 USA Songwriting Competition Overall Grand Prize
winner) signed a development deal with Universal South Records and is
currently writing and recording with some of the top writers and players
in Nashville.

~Were you a finalist or past winner of the USA Songwriting Competition
and have some interesting news on yourself? If so, please e-mail us at:
info@songwriting.net

===[ Sponsored in part by BANDIT A&R NEWSLETTER ]=================
Looking for a Record, Publishing, Management or Licensing deal? BANDIT
A&R NEWSLETTER will tell you about Labels, Publishers, Managements etc
that are looking to sign acts, songs or masters NOW! CLAIM your FREE
SAMPLE COPY, just email bandit.usasc@aweber.com
==================================================================

MUSIC RESOURCES
*ExtraPlay.com - Worldwide music promotion and distribution.
ExtraPlay.com promote & broadcast unsigned band music on 10 radio
channels world wide 24 hours a day, everyday, non stop. Playing and
promoting bands and artists songs from all around the world.
http://www.extraplay.com

*Doak Turner's newsletter sent to over 10,000 songwriters and music
industry professionals every week. The site is a great resource for
songwriters.
http://www.nashvillemuse.com

*Australian Country Music Listeners Association
http://www.acmla.com.au

*New Music Weekly
http://www.newmusicweekly.com

*Loggins Radio Promotion
http://www.logginspromotion.com

*OnlineRock - music community providing musicians with the tools and
services needed to create, promote and sell their music. Nearly 25,000
bands are currently promoting their music at OnlineRock. Bands and
musicians are invited to submit their CDs for reviews.
http://www.onlinerock.com

*SongBridge
http://www.thesongbridge.com

*The Music Broker - We pitch unsigned talent to Record Companies, Music
Publishers and Film/TV studios. We represent only the best
songwriters/artists we can find
http://www.TheMusicBroker.net

*Mediaguide - proprietary technology monitors nearly 2,500 US radio
stations 24 hours/day, 7 days/week
http://www.artistmonitor.com

*XM Radio - Sign up for XM Radio to get XM Unsigned, the radio program
hosted by DJ Billy Zero
http://www.xmradio.com

*Music2deal.com - facilitates a direct link between professionals in
music business worldwide.
http://www.songs2deal.com

*Hal Leonard
http://www.halleonard.com

*Ibanez
http://www.ibanez.com

*Sony
http://www.sonystyle.com

*Livewire Contacts
http://www.livewiremusician.com

*IK Multimedia
http://www.ikmultimedia.com

*Onlinegigs - the only fully automated booking and promotional tool for
today's music industry.
http://www.onlinegigs.com

*Songsalive! - a non-profit organization supporting and promoting
songwriters and composers worldwide.
http://www.songsalive.org

*Hot Indie News
http://www.hotindienews.com

===[ To Advertise ]===============================================
To advertise in the newsletter, please e-mail: ira@songwriting.net
==================================================================

~~USA Songwriting Competition would like to thank all artists that
performed at our SXSW showcase last week in Austin, TX. We would also
like to thank all those that came to our showcase to support our artists
and songwriters. Be sure to get your entries in early for the free
Keyboard magazine subscription. Thanks to Keyboard magazine for your
support and a great magazine!

Warmest Regards,

....Jessica Brandon, Artist Relations ~~

********************************************************************
If you would not like to receive any more updates on any
songwriting competitions or music news, or to unsubscribe,
simply go to http://www.songwriting.net/join.html
and click on "leave"

This message is in full compliance with U.S. Federal requirements for
commercial email under bill S.1618 Title 111, Section 301, Paragraph
(a) (2) (C), passed by the 105th U.S. Congress and cannot be
considered SPAM since it includes a removal mechanism.
********************************************************************

Jessica Brandon
Artists Relations
USA Songwriting Competition
*World's Leading International Songwriting Competition*
http://www.songwriting.net
info@songwriting.net

Freeware - SYNTHFONT Version 1.0.34 Released

2006-03-20T19:41:00.000-08:00

http://www.kvraudio.com/get/1030.html

SYNTHFONT

SynthFont is a free/donationware tool for playing/rendering MIDI files
using SoundFonts and other similar sound sources (WAV, DLS, GIGA and
also VST Instruments).

SynthFont is intended to mimic the behavior of SoundFont compatible
hardware/soundcards like SoundBlaster Live! or Audigy and SynthFont is
(almost) modulator aware, which Live! is not. But SynthFont is more. It
provides an interface into the SoundFont structure and has basic editing
capabilities. It also displays various data about the loaded MIDI file
through the piano roll and the event list. Finally, there is a simple
playlist feature for storing the files you are currently working on.

SynthFont also supports VST effects - there are 17 busses in all: one
master bus and 16 channel busses.

VSTSynthFont

VSTSynthFont (VSF), a separate VST instrument version of SynthFont is
also available. It is a completely independent module, which you can use
without SF installed. It does not have any of the SoundFont tools SF
has, nor can it display any MIDI information as it does not handle MIDI
files.

vERSION 1.0.34 Download (http://www.synthfont.com/)

A new digital revolution

2006-03-10T19:29:00.000-08:00

http://www.physorg.com/news11628.html

A new digital revolution

Technology : March 10, 2006

For hip-hop, techno and dance music in particular, the changes brought
about by digital music has been significant. Computer production has its
first poster-boy in hip-hop producer 9th Wonder, who makes his popular
beats with a $99 computer program that others with five-figure studios
fail to create.

Industry analysts argue that listeners can instantly tell whether a beat
came from computer rather than standalone hardware because of the clean
sound most digital producers employ. But Wonder's musical backdrops,
employed by artists such as Jay-Z, Destiny's Child and Memphis Bleek in
addition to his own group Little Brother, refute this notion all by itself.

"I can make it do any type of beat I want to," Wonder said in an
interview with Remix Magazine, referring to the program he uses, FL
Studio. "I listen for bass lines and the way I can tighten up the drums.
I can make it sound like a crispy, empty beat or a dirty beat."

Wonder writes his soulful soundtracks on the same computers millions of
Americans use everyday to send e-mails, instant message and play
computer games. This is done on a program that often "costs less than a
single good microphone," said Mike Metlay, an associate editor at
Recording Magazine.

FL Studio is only the beginning when it comes to the massive electronic
music production culture. For Windows users there are programs like
Cakewalk's Kinetic, Propellerhead's Reason and Sony's ACID while Apple
users have access to programs like the free and simple GarageBand or the
professional-grade Logic Pro. Each successive version of these programs
adds new features, making each one more and more like an
all-encompassing studio.

More exhaustive programs now create less-expensive software to compete
with the aforementioned programs. The industry standard in music
production and sequencing, Pro Tools, once only available for thousands
of dollars, now can be accessed in smaller, less intensive versions for
just a couple hundred dollars.

"This stuff starts at the fringes in the experimental and DJ culture,"
Metlay said. "(It) moves toward the mainstream as the companies
recognize larger markets. (They) realize that there's a whole world full
of people out there who have computers and might enjoy making their own
music."

It isn't all about making money for everyone, as evidenced by the free
multi-track audio editor and recorder Audacity. The software does many
of the things a $1,500 multi-track hardware recorder does but is
available for free download on the Web. This program and others like it
offer Web forums and message boards for users. This creates a massive
digital community that grows everyday.

"Free software is not just free of cost (like 'free beer')," the
Audacity Web site states. "It is free as in freedom (like 'free
speech'). Free software gives you the freedom to use a program, study
how it works, improve it, and share it with others."

A quick search on the Musician's Friend Web site, one of the more
popular musical instrument and equipment retailers, finds that the
closest thing to a program like FL Studio, an AKAI MPC1000 sequencer,
costs about $1,000. More advanced sequencers cost even more.

"You can do much more for potentially less money," says Markkus Rovito,
technology editor for Remix Magazine. "A new MPC2000XL or MPC25000 costs
about $2,000 street price. For less money than that, a person could buy
a decent PC and (FL Studio), Cakewalk Sonar Home Edition or some similar
software -- or an Apple iMac with the pre-loaded GarageBand software."

These pieces of hardware utilize a smaller screen, are less intuitive
and adaptive and can't do the wide range of things a computer program
can do. But software does have its drawbacks. For one, a computer isn't
a standalone instrument like a sequencer is.

"A computer is not designed from the ground up to make music and nothing
else," Metlay said. "Even a computer that's built for audio and never
used for anything else still uses Mac OS X or Windows XP, operating
systems that are not audio-specific. This means that there are many ways
a computer can get confused, lock up, or crash while making music that
you wouldn't see in a hardware box."

Though 9th Wonder quickly became one of hip-hop's hottest producers
using just a turntable and a Dell laptop, the number of well-known
artists who make their music solely on computers remains low. Techno
artist Moby is known for his laptop-based live shows, Metlay says, and
even jazz great Herbie Hancock occasionally replaces his synthesizer
hardware with a laptop.

For the most part, many of these inexpensive programs remain underground
just like the artists who use them. But just because producers don't use
computer software exclusively doesn't mean the digital revolution
doesn't affect music production more and more everyday.

"Ultimately, the transition to computer music production is nearly
complete," Rovito said. "There are very few professionals who don't use
a computer in some capacity in the production process, and beginners,
hobbyists and semi-pros usually take the computer route for its cost
effectiveness and practicality."

DIY Tunes Turn It Up

2006-02-13T23:20:00.000-08:00

http://www.wired.com/news/columns/0,70203-0.html?tw=wn_index_3

DIY Tunes Turn It Up

Commentary by Clive Thompson | Also by this reporter
02:00 AM Feb, 13, 2006

Barely 10 minutes after I had opened Electroplankton, my apartment was
awash in ambient techno. I had coaxed the Sun-Animalcule to plink out a
steel-drum melody. I had used the BeatneS to unleash a growling, acidy
beat. And I'd spun the Lumiloops until each was ululating in perfect,
oscillating harmony.

As many people have noted, Electroplankton -- Nintendo's hot new DS
title -- is not really a game. It doesn't have any goals; all you do is
nudge virtual plankton around onscreen until they produce pleasing
tunes. Technically, Electroplankton is a toy -- yet it's modeled after
the music-editing software professional sound engineers use to produce
songs. And the results, in the right hands, can be remarkably similar.

Consider the "Rec-Rec" plankton: You sing a line or clap a beat into
each of four fish, and they mix it together into a song. That's
basically a four-track recorder, the same tool the Beatles used on many
of their albums.

Then there's the Volvoice plankton, which samples something you say or
sing, and skews the pitch upward into a chipmunky warble, or downward
into a growl. This is exactly like the pitch-shifting plug-ins in
popular music software like Acid or Abletone Live. BeatNes, another
plankton, is a retro-'80s sampler: It breaks classic NES tunes -- such
as the theme from Super Mario Bros -- into each component note, so you
can remix and scramble them into new melodies.

The upshot? When kids play this game, it's practically like receiving
basic training in sound engineering. Electroplankton is not alone. Other
music-game titles have blurred the line between play and music-creation.
Kellin Manning used the PlayStation game Music Maker to write the songs
for his band Boomkat's first album.

What's even more interesting is that this blurring goes in the other
direction too. Even as some games look more like music-engineering
tools, today's music-engineering software looks more like a game.

Pick up a copy of Acid, Apple's Garage Band, or Reason, and you'll see
what I mean. They're all gorgeously colorful affairs, with drag-and-drop
simplicity and lots of pretty buttons and toggles to flick. You're
encouraged to muck around with loops and instruments until something
unpredictable and cool happens. Their fundamental design pushes one
toward experimentation and happy accident -- precisely the way a good
game encourages you to explore and mess about.

In essence, today's music software has learned something important from
games: Creative tools work best when they inspire playful activity.

This injection of playfulness has some interesting repercussions for
culture, too -- because it takes formerly professional activities and
brings them to the masses. This is precisely what happened to word
processing. Back in the late '70s, word-processing software was so
complex and unruly -- and tied to such ugly, proprietary hardware --
that people needed to enroll in technical-college training classes just
to learn it.

Then the Macintosh introduced the WYSIWYG interface, and word processors
suddenly transformed into something much more playful. You could remix
your document -- cutting and pasting text, fiddling with fonts, and
watching your design grow in real time.

Typographic noodling became a playful activity; kids learned it just by
goofing around onscreen. The result is a generation of people today who
think nothing of designing their own posters, invitations and CD-cover art.

The same shift happened with websites. A once-difficult craft became
point-and-click playful when Blogger and Xanga launched. Now it's
happening to video, too -- a once-professional craft is becoming
something any teenager can do with his webcam and some free software.

Of course, this democratization is a good thing for fun. But is it
necessarily a good thing for art? When Garage Band first came out,
several friends of mine e-mailed me songs they'd written. These were
people who, as far as I know, had never played an instrument in their
lives. A few of the tunes were astonishingly good -- practically
club-worthy beats. The rest?

Eh.

Turns out there's a good reason the pros are pros, which is why if I'm
ever in front of a microphone, I want Kanye West or Daniel Lanois behind
the mixing board -- not my cubicle mate.

Yet it's also possible that we're destined to reach a tipping point with
these creativity tools. The early days of web design saw some
horrifically amateurish HTML experiments -- like blinking tags -- before
teenagers finally became fluent in pirated copies of Photoshop, and the
web cleaned up.

If that's true, then maybe toy-tools like Electroplankton are the best
first step forward.

One brilliant part of the game is that it is nearly impossible to
produce horrible music: Electroplankton is designed so that even your
errors come out sounding beautiful. That could prove limiting to artists
at the upper reaches of the talent range. But, in a world where more and
more amateurs will be hitting the keyboard, it's music to my ears.

(A tip of the hat to Carl Goodman of the American Museum of the Moving
Image, who originally introduced me to this line of thinking.)

---
Clive Thompson is a contributing writer for the New York Times Magazine,
and a regular contributor to Wired and New York magazine. His blog is
www.collisiondetection.net.

VoiceDoubler Shipping Now – Free PC/Mac Editor Available

2006-02-03T23:15:00.000-08:00

VoiceDoubler Shipping Now – Free PC/Mac Editor Available

VoiceDoubler can recreate every conceivable doubling sound, including
natural overdubs and pristine emulations of classic detune, microshift
and chorus effects. It is easy to setup and comes loaded with 50 factory
and 99 user presets.

There is a free downloadable software editor for all VoiceDoubler
customers. The Mac/PC editor, designed by PSI Craft, can be loaded as
VST plug-ins or as stand-alone applications. The editor requires a MIDI
device to communicate with TC-Helicon VoiceDoubler and features full
control over all parameters, as well as preset/song management. The
editor is available now. Users can download the editor from
www.tc-helicon.com/editors.

TC-Helicon, a TC Group joint-venture company, is dedicated to bringing
out the very best from any audio reproduction of the human voice. The
company’s mission is galvanized by a simple question, "Isn’t it time
that someone finally provided dedicated tools and solutions for voice?"
TC-Helicon is revolutionizing the vocal channel by providing innovative
tools and solutions for people who create and work with the speaking and
singing voice. Customers include the most demanding of live performers,
studios, producers, broadcasters and recording engineers.

Mastering at Home

2005-11-27T20:46:00.000-08:00

http://www.audiocourses.com/article1708.html

The subject of 'mastering at home' causes much debate in the audio
engineering world. More and more people are attempting to master their
work at home but in most cases the results are far from professional.
Read on to discover what steps you can take if you intend to master your
music at home.

First of all it must be stressed that mastering at home is always,
always going to far inferior to having your material mastered
professionally. Aside from all matters relating to equipment and
acoustics, the guys running these mastering houses are vastly
experienced and have 'golden ears'. To be under the assumption that you
will be able to produce similar results at home is foolish.

However, if you are insistent on performing your mastering at home there
are a few steps you can take that could increase the quality of your
efforts. Be warned, they are not cheap...

Acoustics

Firstly, and most importantly, you will need to tame the acoustics in
your listening room. Mastering rooms will have been built from the
ground up with the sole purpose of creating the best acoustical
environment. We will assume that you are using an existing room and that
you do not have the finances to build a new room, or build a room within
a room structure.

Presuming you are in a small room then you will more than likely have
problems with low frequencies due to standing waves and room modes. The
best option is to install a few bass traps into the room to help absorb
any troublesome low frequencies. Smaller rooms often suffer from flutter
echo - if you clap your hands or click your fingers in your room and you
hear a metallic after-effect then you are suffering from flutter echo!
This again requires some acoustic treatment to remedy, and acoustic
tiles are again the best option. You certainly don't need to cover all
the walls in the room with tiles, a few well placed tiles can be very
effective.

If you have a book case/CD rack/shelves etc in your room you can also
turn this into a rudimentary diffusion device by pulling all the
books/CDs/DVD/Videos etc different distances. Although this looks very
untidy it can help nullify some acoustical problems. Again, a purpose
built diffuser will produce better results but if money is very tight
the bookcase method may help a small amount.

There are many companies offering acoustic solutions for the home
studio, some of these offer all-in-one 'room kits' that provide you with
an assortment of acoustical products. The Auralex Complete Room Systems
are one such solution.

It is also important to lower the 'noise floor' in your room as much as
possible. This may mean moving any noisy equipment out of the room, and
working when there are no other noises in the house.

Monitoring

This is another area where you are unlikely to be able to compete with
the professionals. Mastering houses will often use monitors with very
flat frequency responses that can extend down to 15Hz or lower. Most of
the budget monitors on the market are almost completely unsuitable for
mastering purposes due to coloration across the spectrum and
insufficient low frequency response - many of the most popular monitors
on the market are incapable of putting out any real energy below 70Hz or
so leaving over an octave of information inaudible. One solution to this
is to add a subwoofer to the setup to provide the low end that many
monitors are incapable or producing. The Blue Sky Pro Desk is an example
of a budget monitoring setup that incorporates a subwoofer. However care
must be taken when setting up any system with a sub as if set
incorrectly subwoofers can cause more problems than they solve. If
you're on a budget it is probably wise to look at active monitors as
these should provide an optimal marriage of amplifier and speaker.
Companies such as Harbeth and PMC produce high quality monitors that
will give you a good insight during the mastering process.

Equipment

Presuming you already have your audio on your PC/Mac hard drive, you
will need either some good quality outboard equipment or plug-ins to
perform mastering duties, some method of metering levels/phase etc and
an audio editing package. The most common processes you will be applying
to audio are EQ, compression and limiting. Mastering quality outboard is
prohibitively expensive so it likely that you will wind up using
software equivalents. As with hardware, it is better to buy a few high
quality processors rather than an abundance of average processors. This
will force you to learn your equipments parameters and get the most out
of it. There is a veritable smorgasbord of mastering software available
at present, including T-Racks & Ozone, and packages from PSP, Waves,
Universal Audio and TC Electronic. These different solutions all have
their own sonic characteristics so the best bet is to try as many out at
your local music store or check out any downloadable demos from the
manufacturers website. Once you have picked your tools, learn them
inside out!

The Mastering Engineer(!)

This is where your ears and brain come in. Read books on the subject -
Bob Katzs Mastering Audio: The Art and the Science is probably the
definitive tome on the subject and most engineers, whether mastering or
recording, should make space on their bookshelves for this book. If
there is a mastering house in your area it may be worth paying for a
couple of your tracks to be mastered there just so you can see exactly
what the pros are doing. You can learn more in an afternoon spent
watching a pro than you can in years muddling about on your own. It's
also useful to compare your work with commercial recordings that you
like the sound of - there are some software applications available that
allow you to 'cheat' by stealing the audio footprint of one recording
and applying it to your own. Despite seeming like a short cut, this can
actually be very useful in showing you the problems in your own
mastering and as long as you don't use this kind of software as a crutch
it can be a great learning aid. Har-Bal is one of the more popular
examples of this type of application.

Low Priced - Drum Loops and Samples for Funk, Funk Rock, and Beyond

2005-11-14T19:28:00.000-08:00

http://www.audiocourses.com/article1684.html

Beta Monkey Music today announced the release of Rock Hard Funk, a two-CD collection of funk and funk-rock drum loops and samples with over a thousand acoustic grooves to inspire any serious "groove intensive" project.

Mix the improvisational mentality of jazz, the groove inventiveness of funk and the powerful drum sounds of rock - a beautiful mix of groove experimentalism all captured in Rock Hard Funk.

“With this latest addition to the Beta Monkey collection of drum loops and samples, we’ve included the kinds of grooves and features that our users have requested over the past year. Plus, we’ve made this available for one of most affordable prices anyone could possibly find,” said Beta Monkey Music Creative Director, Richard Rice. “We captured the grooves of several accomplished funk and rock drummers. We set them loose to a variety of different tempos and feels. We've recorded the beautiful sounds of a maple Drum Workshop recording kit and made sure to complement the 1000+ loops with a matching set of multi-velocity drum samples from the actual kit used in recording the loops. We then included a huge set of cymbal samples to allow writers even further flexibility in authentic drum track construction. We just think it’s essential to provide all of this to help our users unlock the full potential of their music. We know they will quickly build funk rock tracks that feel right and sound great with this jam-packed toolbox of funked-up grooves - that's why we created it.”

Rock Hard Funk Two-CD Set Features and Specifications:

Versatile Blend of Funk and Rock/Funk Styles. Think Soul Coughing, G. Love and Special Sauce, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Jane's Addiction/Porno for Pyros and countless other "hard to categorize" bands. Rhythmic invention and exploration is the key here.

Fully-Sampled Drum and Cymbal Samples. The sample kit section includes multi-velocity samples of all the drums and cymbals recorded. While most loop discs offer only a handful of single hits, we have given you the entire kit with nearly 200 MB of samples. Build grooves from scratch or use them to augment any of the 1000+ loops.

Superior Rhythmic Realism. Looking for the metronomic monotony found on too many sample CD's? Let Rock Hard Funk show you what a live drummer can do - rolls, stick drags, cymbal flourishes - dynamics not possible on anything but a real kit with a real player.

Cohesive Grooves and Sounds. All loops are taken from the SAME recording session (all grooves, fills, and samples are sonically-matched). Every loop found on BOTH CD's will work seamlessly with any other loop in the collection. The ultimate in consistency for larger-scale projects.

High-End Production. Recorded in a World-Class Recording Studio, home to numerous platinum and GRAMMY® Award Winning albums.

Rock Hard Funk Two-CD Stats: 1006 (980 MB) original, license-free 16/44 "acidized" .wav format drum loops and samples. 237 (172 MB) multi-velocity drum and cymbal samples. Apple Loops and REX2 formats available November 15, 2005.

The Rock Hard Funk Drum Loop and Samples Two-CD Set is available exclusively from Beta Monkey Music with free same-day worldwide shipping for $39.99 for a limited time. For more information, visit their web site at www.betamonkeymusic.com.

T h e M u s e ' s N e w s - Nov 2005

2005-10-31T20:12:00.000-08:00

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
           ~~   T h e   M u s e ' s   N e w s   ~~

             An E-zine For And About Songwriters.
           <http://www.musesmuse.com/musenews.html>

Issue 8.8                                           November 2005
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I n   T h i s   I s s u e :

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
@-- Editor's Musings
@-- Music Reviews - by Gian Fiero, Francesco Emmanuel, JJ Biener,
                    Brett Thompson, Chip Withrow & Kevin Zarnett
@-- 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 - SOUNDS GOOD TO ME: Eliminate Throat
                       Tension by Donna Flynn
@-- On Site Featured Article - An article already online for your
                               viewing pleasure.
@-- Classifieds & Useful Services
@-- Contact information
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
ISSN 1480-6975. Copyright 1998-2005 - Jodi Krangle.
For more contact information, see end of issue.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
MUSE'S MUSE T-SHIRTS, MUGS, MOUSEPADS AND MORE
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!)

===~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~===

IAMA (International Acoustic Music Awards) DEADLINE APPROACHING

Enter the 2nd Annual IAMA (International Acoustic Music Awards)
now! Win awards in Best Male Artist, Best Female Artist, Best
Group/Duo, Folk, Alternative, etc. Overall Grand Prize worth over
US$6,600, which includes radio promotion to over 250 radio
stations in US and Canada. Winners will be heard on radio show:
Acoustic Cafe and XM Radio and featured on our CD compilation.

Last Chance to enter this year. Hurry to:
http://www.inacoustic.com/mm.html

===~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~===

E d i t o r ' s   M u s i n g s :

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I have a really full issue for you today! Not only is there a
great new article from Donna Flynn about how to take care of your
voice, but there's also a new book review, a new Muse's Clues
from Irene Jackson, TONS of CD reviews, and a lot of new articles
that have been placed on the Muse's Muse site for your viewing
pleasure.

There are also a bunch of new music reviewers that have joined
the Muse's Muse team in the last little while. You can find out
more about each of them at
http://www.musesmuse.com/musicreviews.html . So if you thought
your CD just didn't fit into the genres being reviewed, I hope
you'll take another look.

As per usual, I'm always looking for new music for Radio Muse.
The 12th show will be put together in November and should be
online within the same month. I'm about halfway through planning
for the 13th show but there's still room and I'd love to hear
what you guys are up to. :) You can find more information on how
to submit music by visiting here:
http://www.musesmuse.com/radiomuse.html

Once more, if you're interested in receiving a raffle prize, feel
free to write to me and ask. (You never get anything unless you
ask, right?) I'll be happy to put you in the queue. :) But
remember! I typically give out the raffle prizes around the 20th
of the month. If you're not around during that time, you'll miss
your chance! Please answer your email as soon as you can, ok? I
can't tell you how many people have written to me only to be
unreachable when I let them know they're up for a prize. Thanks!
:)

And without further ado, here are the raffle winners for this
month:

* Beth Hancock from Williamson Iowa has won a copy of VSS's
songwriting organization product, Lyricist (for details and
information on a discount offered, see
http://www.musesmuse.com/vss-review.html)

* Jay Brehmer from Appleton, WI has won a copy of "The Art of
Music Production" by Richard James Burgess (reviewed below!).

* Angela Gilson-Reeves from Indianapolis, IN has won a copy of
the "Musician's Toolkit" (for details, see
http://www.musicianstoolkit.com/muse/)

Have a wonderful, inspirational month!

All the best,

--Jodi
===~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~===

             S p o n s o r   M e s s a g e :

(Purchasing this great product will help support both the
newsletter and the sponsor who helps keep this newsletter free!
Plus, you also get a great discount! :-) )

===~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~===

ONLINE SONGWRITING AND MUSIC BUSINESS COURSES FROM BERKLEE
COLLEGE OF MUSIC

The best way to learn about writing it to write and what better
way to learn than under the mentorship of Berklee College of
Music songwriting instructors. Berkleemusic.com, the online
extension school of Berklee College of Music, offers a number of
instructor-led online songwriting courses that provide the tools,
the support, and the practice environment youll need to express
yourself more effectively in words and music. Berkleemusic also
offers forward-thinking business courses in music publishing,
legal aspects, and more for musicians that want to blend their
musical ability with business savvy.

Enrollment is also now open for their Winter Semester. For more
information visit:

http://www.berkleemusic.com/?pid=1104

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

M u s i c   R e v i e w s : by Gian Fiero, Francesco Emmanuel,
                            JJ Biener, Brett Thompson,
                            Chip Withrow & Kevin Zarnett

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
NEW MUSIC REVIEWS SINCE LAST MONTH INCLUDE:

JJ Biener:

* Andy Sloan
http://musesmuse.com/columnistsgreylogs/archives/00000987.html

Chip Withrow:

* Karen Thurber
http://musesmuse.com/columnistsgreylogs/archives/00000990.html

Brett Thompson:

* Shirtlifter
http://musesmuse.com/columnistsgreylogs/archives/00000967.html

Kevin Zarnett:

* Kristilyn Robertson
http://musesmuse.com/columnistsgreylogs/archives/00000991.html

Francesco Emmanuel:

* Sandro Albert
http://musesmuse.com/columnistsgreylogs/archives/00000983.html
* Jack Ruby
http://musesmuse.com/columnistsgreylogs/archives/00000966.html

Gian Fiero:

* Lisa Aschman
http://musesmuse.com/columnistsgreylogs/archives/00000976.html
* Mardo
http://musesmuse.com/columnistsgreylogs/archives/00000977.html
* Blue Sinatra
http://musesmuse.com/columnistsgreylogs/archives/00000973.html
* Kai Brown
http://musesmuse.com/columnistsgreylogs/archives/00000972.html
* Steve Northeast
http://musesmuse.com/columnistsgreylogs/archives/00000975.html
* Dahrio
http://musesmuse.com/columnistsgreylogs/archives/00000989.html
* Claudia DiNatale
http://musesmuse.com/columnistsgreylogs/archives/00000978.html
* Sarah Glynn
http://musesmuse.com/columnistsgreylogs/archives/00000981.html
* Catastrofiks
http://musesmuse.com/columnistsgreylogs/archives/00000980.html
* The Moontrane Conductors
http://musesmuse.com/columnistsgreylogs/archives/00000979.html
* Melanie Laine
http://musesmuse.com/columnistsgreylogs/archives/00000974.html
* Heather Lauren
http://musesmuse.com/columnistsgreylogs/archives/00000988.html
* Mike Steed
http://musesmuse.com/columnistsgreylogs/archives/00000992.html
* M7 Committee
http://musesmuse.com/columnistsgreylogs/archives/00000993.html
* Modern Minstrel Music
http://musesmuse.com/columnistsgreylogs/archives/00000994.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!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

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 is just one of the great CD's highlighted in the Artist
Spotlight section of The Muse's Muse at
http://www.musesmuse.com/artistspotlights.html

-----------------------------------------------------------------
Planet Muse - Genre: SINGER/SONGWRITER

A unique project put together by the close-knit community of the
Muse's Muse Message Boards. There are 17 tracks, each from very
talented songwriters, each with their own unique style. The
project was brought together with lots of teamwork, and digitally
mastered to produce a work of art that truly demonstrates the
creative spirit of our community. These are some great tunes in a
variety of different genres including rock, pop, folk and
country.

http://www.cdbaby.com/planetmuse

Visit
http://www.musesmuse.com/artistspotlights-singer-songwriter.html
to find more Singer/Songwriters

(And incidentally, there has been some talk of putting together a
second CD! If you're interested, drop by the message boards at
http://www.musesmuse.com/forums/index.php to join the community
and find out more about how you can get involved.)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

S o n g w r i t i n g   B o o k   R e v i e w: by James Linderman

"The Art of Music Production" by Richard James Burgess
http://www.burgessworldco.com/book.htm
-----------------------------------------------------------------
As a small project studio operator, I make songwriting demos and
provide pre-production materials for finished recordings.

I don't, therefore, think of myself as a producer like I would
think of George Martin or Quincy Jones. Still, my interest in
how finished recordings get made is absolutely voracious because
it not only impacts the work I do in my studio but it's just
plain cool stuff to know if you are a fan of well made
recordings.

"The Art of Music Production" by Richard James Burgess is in its
3rd edition and it is one of those books about how records get
made that I just could not put down from the second I first
picked it up.

The introduction gives a brief overview of what the music
business looks like today and how it looked through the eyes of
the producer, with retrospect, in the past.

Since no two musicians would agree on how to define "music
production", the author dedicates the first two chapters to
describing the work of production and labeling the various kinds
or styles of producers you might find in the wide variety of
studios found around the world.

Chapter three is dedicated to explaining the work of production
itself and gives a great look into the day to day sights and
sounds associated with some of the typical session types.

The remainder of the book covers topics like finding production
work, relating to the artists you record, dealing with lawyers,
record companies, session players, engineers, and lots of
interesting views on the role technology has played in changing
the landscape of music production.

Near the end of the book there is a must read interview with
legendary producer Arif Mardin who worked on some of my favorite
Bette Midler recordings. This interview brings some really
wonderful perspective to the last half of the book.

The book ends with a handy glossary and a web addy to visit for
more info on producing and to read other interviews by the
author.

The nuts and bolts of making a record, or the science behind
audio engineering is not what you will find in this book but
Richard James Burgess has packed it full of interesting
perspective and insightful quotes by industry professionals that
should keep you flipping the pages.

This book would best suit songwriters who are involved in making
their own recordings beyond just writing the cheque to the
studio. It also would be a great read for anyone who is thinking
that producing would be a rewarding addition to what they already
do as a musical artist.

You can grab yourself a copy of "The Art of Music Production" by
Richard James Burgess at http://www.burgessworldco.com/book.htm .

                           ******
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
===~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~===

             S p o n s o r   M e s s a g e :

===~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~===
SPOTLIGHT YOUR MUSIC ON THE MUSE'S MUSE!

The Muse's Muse Songwriting Resource (online since 1995) now has
a section of Artist Spotlights at
http://www.musesmuse.com/artistspotlights.html where musicians
and songwriters of all genres can strut their stuff. Newly
spotlighted artists are also mentioned in this newsletter (see
above). Check out http://www.musesmuse.com/spotlightinfo.html for
more details!

===~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~===

M u s i c a l   N o t e s : Songwriting Contests & Market Info.

In the interest of conserving space, I will be including only
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!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
UNISONG INTERNATIONAL SONG CONTEST

"Unisong" is the 1st International Song Contest created by
songwriters...for songwriters since 1997. Our writer friendly
contest is open to all amateur and professional songwriters
around the world. In fact we pride ourselves on both the personal
attention we offer from beginning to end, plus putting the "I" in
international with past entrants and winners from over 90
Countries worldwide, We also offer unique Grand Prizes unlike any
other contest. This year's Grand Prize winner gets a one week all
expenses paid international writing and performing retreat to
Ireland, Costa Rica, Iceland, Denmark, Spain, Big Sur, Sweden,
Crete, or New Zealand. In addition, were awarding over $60,000
in cash and great prize packages across 17 categories, including
debuting our first Performance category, judging both the
performance and song. Other highlights include our ever popular
critique option, a new People's Choice online award, entrant of
the month on our website, and a Discmakers/Unisong Winners
compilation promotional CD distributed throughout the industry.
We offer an Earlybird discount for all songs entered before
December 15th, 2005, as well as additional discounts for multiple
entries. In addition, all entrants in all categories will receive
a complimentary SongU.com self-paced course and a free 30 day
membership with Onlinegigs just for entering.

So visit our website for all the details, enter your songs, get a
few critiques and pack your bags with "Unisong"......your
passport to a musical planet!!!

Earlybird entry deadline: December 15th
2005 Regular entry deadline: March 15th, 2006
http://www.unisong.com
-----------------------------------------------------------------
RESEARCH MUSIC FESTIVALS ONLINE

Festival Network Online has been providing performers and
artisans with extensive festival details for over 10 years all
over North America. Search for events using their zip code radius
search, search by application deadline, music genre, and more.
Gain access to promoters names, phone numbers, email addresses,
performers pay, and other festival data.
Muse's Muse visitors receive $5.00 off a Pro Membership to FNO!

For more information, visit:
http://festivalnet.com/music_festivals.html?fn05074
-----------------------------------------------------------------
THE QUICKLAUNCH SONG CONTEST SPONSORED BY FLIGHTSAFE MUSIC

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 $1000, a featured position on flightsafemusic.com, and an
inside track to the film and television music business. All song
styles accepted, i.e. Rock, Modern Rock, Pop, Hip-Hop,
Electronic, Alternative, Country, Reggae, Latin, Jazz, R&B,
Island Music, etc.
· $1000 Cash Prize, 1st Place
· $250 Cash Prize, Runner Up
· Entry Deadline January 15, 2006.
Winners will be announced on the FlightSafe website.
Winners will also be personally notified. For more info and entry
forms please go to http://www.flightsafemusic.com/contest
-----------------------------------------------------------------
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 .
-----------------------------------------------------------------
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
-----------------------------------------------------------------
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.
-----------------------------------------------------------------
TAKE YOUR SONGWRITING CAREER TO THE NEXT LEVEL

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Create A Splash! e-marketing & writing strategies 4 success is
offering 15% discounts to Muse's Muse visitors on selected
services including all courses, web reviews, and some coaching
programs. Visit http://tinyurl.com/39yxa for information!
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INTRODUCING A SPECIAL WEBSITE PROMOTION PACKAGE ESPECIALLY FOR
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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
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for more details.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

M u s e ' s    C l u e s : by Irene Jackson

©1998-2005 Moonstone Productions All Rights Reserved.
Used By Permission

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I was at a baby shower not that long ago. One of the things we
were asked to do was to bring some items that reflected the day
or month or year, like magazines, newspapers, something trendy,
that could be put into a sort of "time capsule" for the girl to
open when she turned 18. What a great idea! And of course, I
decided to find a few of the top ten hits and put them on a
special CD so she could hear what kind of music was playing when
she was born.

Then I actually listened to the songs! Holy cow, has the music
kids listen to changed or what?? I couldn't believe some of the
lyrics. I remember when the last verse of Brown Eyed Girl didn't
get on the radio because of the line "making love in the green
grass"! Okay, maybe the song was a little long too, but radio
sure has changed. These days, it seems anything goes.

Which is the subject of this month's clues. Many of us spend a
lot of time thinking about whether or not our lyrics are getting
the point across. But how many of us have considered the weight
of responsibility that comes along with expressing certain things
to millions of people through our music, especially kids? I
guess we'd all love to have the opportunity in the first place.
But has some of it gone too far?

Back in February, Aaron Minsky wrote an article in MusicDish
called "What can we learn from Beyonces Bottom?"
(http://www.musicdish.com/mag/index.php3?id=10050), a provocative
title masking some serious concerns he had with the lyrics to a
song called "Soldier" by Destiny's Child. His main concern is
what we are encouraging our kids to think by popularizing sex and
violence through music. He obviously received a lot of response
to the first article, and as a result wrote a second one called
"Beyonce's Bottom Revisited"
(http://www.musicdish.com/mag/?id=10384). I think both articles
are well worth reading.

It's interesting to me to hear people's different interpretations
of lyrics. I remember watching an interview with Bernie Taupin
(Elton John's lyric writer) where the interviewer asked him about
the meaning of the lyrics to the song, "Daniel." There had been
much speculation over the years...was it about Viet Nam? Was it
about a gay relationship? The answer Bernie gave was
disappointing: "I don't know," he said. It was just something
that came out and he never had thought much about it afterwards.

I also remember singing along to songs when I was a teenager, not
really thinking much about what they meant. I could sing "Tin
soldiers and Nixon's coming...four dead in Ohio" but I can
honestly tell you that I never paid much attention to the meaning
of those lyrics until years later. Are kids really listening to
the message in the music, or does a lot of it get swallowed up by
production, music and effects? It's an age old issue. I wonder
about that little girl listening to those lyrics years from now
when she's 18. I hope she forgives me!

                         ******

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
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

F e a t u r e d   A r t i c l e :

SOUNDS GOOD TO ME: Eliminate Throat Tension
- © 2005 by Donna Flynn
All Rights Reserved. Used By Permission

-----------------------------------------------------------------
As a vocal coach I hear it all the time. "I love to sing but
when I do I get hoarse and need to shout to be heard after only a
few hours. Some days I just want to give up. What am I doing
wrong? What can I do about it?"

Sadly, this is an all too common problem for many singers. The
good news is that it is not your fault. Many people sing from a
place of passion without having the control to protect their
voice. We are encouraged to do so from other musicians, choir
leaders, friends, our audience etc. Oh yes, and because we love
to belt out our favorite tunes. It is no wonder we forget that
the voice is "our" instrument and that it is to be treated with
care and respect.

Some singers are born with a gift to sing but most need to
understand how the voice functions naturally and take
considerable care not to sing in a way that will limit their
ability.

What are you doing wrong, you ask? While you are probably doing
many things right, I suspect you have developed one or two bad
habits that are throwing everything off track. Let me explain.
The throat does only two things. One, it produces the tone that
differentiates one sound from another. This is what makes you
sound the way you do and me sound the way I do. Second, the
vocal cords vibrate creating a pitch. Slower vibrations occur
for lower tones with faster vibrations for the higher tones. If
we push too much air through the vocal cords to reach up to high
notes or sing louder then we are able to control, the vocal cords
slam together cutting off the sound. If done for an extended
period of time, the throat will get tired and sore. If done on
an ongoing basis, it will cause damage decreasing your ability to
sing. Many people who sing well in their 20's lose their voice
early in life because of this lack of information. Sounds
simple, doesn't it? That is because it is.

What can you do about it?
Singers have an enormous amount of fear when it comes to singing.
They worry about what people think so they inevitably put far too
much emphasis on the throat. This must stop. What you need to
realize is that only 25% of your voice comes from the gift you
have been given. 75% comes from understanding how the voice
works and how to bring out the best in your voice. Taking the
emphasis off the throat will eliminate the tension that cuts off
the sound we produce. Use proper breathing techniques to support
your singing, taking in only as much air needed to sing a phrase.
Remember, the voice has the ability to get stronger and better as
it matures rather then deteriorate.

From time to time, we all push our voices beyond their limits,
become ill, or need a little something to sooth the throat.
Please consider products without sugar or alcohol. They will
only dry the vocal cords. Herbal teas such as mint is very
soothing. Choose natural products and not products that only
have artificial flavors. They will not take the edge of an
already overused and tired throat. Drink lots of water 48 hours
before singing and more if you are ill. Avoid anything that will
coat or dry the vocal cords the day of singing such as dairy
products, greasy food, decaffeinated drinks, alcohol,
high-carbohydrate foods and smoking.

To wrap things up, what I am saying is please stop putting
emphasis on the throat when the throat has very little to do with
your singing ability. One last thing - relax, relax, relax.
Singing was meant to be enjoyed by you and your audience, so
don't take things too seriously. In time, with a little
practice, it will all fall into place. Trust that you are on the
right path and that you will reach your goals. It's really that
simple!

*****

Donna began a journey of vocal training that connected her with
coaches in Nashville, Los Angeles, San Francisco, as well as the
Royal Conservatory in Toronto. She has developed a complete mind
/ body / spirit / voice method designed to access the energy from
the body to eliminate any pressure that may prohibit us from
singing our best. She combines yoga and tai chi breathing along
with specific exercises designed to building proper breath
support while gently working the entire vocal range, top to
bottom. Donna is a member of SOCAN. You can find out more about
her at her website: http://www.vocalcoach.ca .
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

    " O N   S I T E "   F E A T U R E D   A R T I C L E :

-----------------------------------------------------------------
MUSIC INDUSTRY Q&A: What licenses are required to make a
compilation CD of cover songs?
http://musesmuse.com/columnistsgreylogs/archives/00000968.html

MUSIC INDUSTRY Q&A: Could you tell me what classes I should take
to become an A&R rep?
http://musesmuse.com/columnistsgreylogs/archives/00000970.html

MUSIC INDUSTRY Q&A: Does the church need permission to use
copyrighted material?
http://musesmuse.com/columnistsgreylogs/archives/00000982.html

By Jon L. Duman & Gian Fiero
-----
Perseverance: the Key to the Doors of Success
http://musesmuse.com/columnistsgreylogs/archives/00000969.html
By Mary Dawson

The Doors of Success in Music (or in Life) are 'Excellence' and
"Credibility.' You must be Excellent -- world-class in your
craft, and then, you must be Credible -- reliable, believable,
able to be depended upon to offer consistent excellence day in
and day out. Both doors have one 'skeleton key' called
Perseverance. In the first of her two-part series, Mary examines
this essential key in bringing you to the next level of your
music career.
-----
The Great Contradiction
http://musesmuse.com/columnistsgreylogs/archives/00000971.html
By Seth Milliner

Some mistakes I made with my writing, and my unfortunate,
insatiable desire for success in an industry that pivots upon
humility.
-----
World Music in the New Millennium
http://musesmuse.com/columnistsgreylogs/archives/00000985.html
By Jerry Flattum

Globalization--a term used more to describe the spread of Western
influence, particularly political and corporate--will continue to
bridge geographical borders in the coming years. Meanwhile, other
countries will continue to reach out to America...if not
compete...across the full spectrum of business, medicine,
technology, space exploration and cultural influence.
Globalization is in large part due to the Internet. And, the
Internet is where non-Western music will find new outlets
mainstream rock and pop channels currently block.
-----
Reggaeton
http://musesmuse.com/columnistsgreylogs/archives/00000986.html
By Jerry Flattum

Like all styles of World Music, lyrics sung in English will help
Reggaeton reach a more mainstream audience.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

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 :

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
THE 2006 GREAT LAKES SONGWRITING CONTEST
The 2006 Great Lakes Songwriting Contest is now open to residents
of the eight Great Lakes states and the Province of Ontario.
Grand Prize is $1000 cash, with 12 additional prizes of gift
certificates, discounts on songwriting retreats, and publicity
and performance opportunities. The former Michigan Songwriting
Contest is now sponsored by Elderly Instruments and Lamb's
Retreat for Songwriters.
Deadline for entries: 3/31/06. More at www.GreatLakesSongs.com.
-----------------------------------------------------------------
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Lyricist is the first-of-its-kind word processor designed
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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
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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
-----------------------------------------------------------------
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 6th 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 Sixth Edition, The
Indie Bible has 316 pages of valuable contacts and music-related
articles.

The 6th 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!
600 vendors and services that will help you to SELL your music!
330 sites where you can UPLOAD your band's MP3 files!
500 helpful resources and sites where you can PROMOTE your band!
51 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. 7 lines (though I
do make exceptions), where a line = 65 characters including
spaces and punctuation. All contracts must be prepaid. Write to:
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For Newsletter Sponsorship rates and other advertising
opportunities, please see www.musesmuse.com/media.html
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

C o n t a c t   I n f o   &   C r e d i t s :

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Jodi Krangle <editor@musesmuse.com>..................... EDITOR
Kathryn Obenshain <kobensha@radford.edu>...GRACIOUS PROOFREADER
-----------------------------------------------------------------
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
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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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Free WAV or MP3 ripper

2005-03-26T00:40:00.000-08:00

To extract wav or mp3 files from an audio CD try FreeRip.
http://www.freerip.com/community/

2005-03-18T20:43:00.000-08:00

Here is some very good info from a poster on the Tuareg Yahoogroup:

"...You can search at creativecommons.org for artists.

You can also go to archive.org and check out all the hundreds of netlabels there. I believe they are all creative commons artists, but you should check the respective sites to be certain.

(I'm also a fan of pulling samples out of public domain movies at
archive.org, and thus a huge fan of that site).

Other online sites, such as soundclick.com, purevolume.com, and maybe
even music.download.com also have a lot of independent musicians. There
are two warnings to come with these sites, though: You want to avoid cover
songs, and make sure you have permission to use the songs. Independent
can mean anything from "recording out of a garage with a $30 tape
recorder" to "Financed an album costing $10,000 (or more!) on our own and
are only here to promote it." You will absolutely want to make sure you
have permission from anything on those sites.

Soundclick does have a lot of artists who use the creative commons,
though. So, they're not a bad place to look as long as people know what to
avoid. (I use Soundclick, too. Today I'm #16 on the industrial charts there.
A lot of it was even made with T2. Woohoo!)..."

Free Money-Saving Ebook for Musicians

2005-03-13T23:38:00.000-08:00

Hey Home Made Musicians,

Found this interesting link in the [BSharpNews] Digest Number 122

Message: 1
Date: Sun, 13 Mar 2005 14:42:03 -0000
From: "Kenny Love"
Subject: * Special Notice *

Free Money-Saving Ebook for Musicians

I would like to inform you of an ebook that you can
freely download that shows you over 60 ways to *save*
money in the following areas that directly affect you
and your music career:

* Airline fares
* Cars (rental, purchase, lease, repair, gasoline)
* Insurance (homeowner, renter, life, health, auto)
* Checking accounts, debit cards, credit cards
* Loans (all types)
* Telephone service
* Food

The downloadable link to this free resourceful
information is available at:

http://www.MuBiz.com/66ways.html

Thanks,

~ kl
http://www.MuBiz.com

The Future of Home Made Music - CDs Quickly Nearing End of Their Run

2005-02-21T20:57:00.000-08:00

Found this interesting tid-bit of news in the BSharp newsletter. Makes sense, considering the pile of audio tapes and cds I got stacked up at home, it would be better if we can only download what we want to hear from a central repository and then delete and later download again when we need to hear the music that we want. Did I make sense? Read on to discover what I am talking about :-)

CDs Quickly Nearing End of Their Run

Enough is enough! The basement is full!

"We as consumers have been trained by the music
industry to go out and buy a new piece of plastic
every few years," said George Petersen, editorial
director of Mix, a San Francisco-based magazine
that covers professional sound recording. "Why do
we keep buying the same things?"

Petersen, and many other music-biz insiders agree
that, in the next decade or so, the CD will very likely
be surpassed as the album format of choice.
"The new format is no format," predicted Petersen,
a 24-year industry veteran who also owns a record
label, a recording studio and a music-publishing
company. "What the consumer would buy is a data
file, and you could create whatever you need. If you
want to make an MP3, you make an MP3. If you
want a DVD-Audio surround disc, you make that."
"We're moving beyond the media stage to the
delivery stage," agreed Mitch Gallagher, 41-year-old
editor of EQ, a San Mateo, Calif.-based magazine
for music producers. "At some point," he said, "you
won't have something to hold in your hand until you
transfer a data file to a blank disc or tape."

"We can make our own plastic," Petersen said. "I've
been thinking this is what should happen for years,
but it's actually the way we're going anyway."

Think "Dark Side of the Moon" as an invisible
cyberswirl of 1's and 0's. No CD case. No liner
notes to flip through. No...nothing. Your preferred
music star could provide a myriad of songs, bonus
cuts, commentary, videos, album art, you name it.

You, however, would have ultimate power: which
songs stay, which songs are deleted, which songs
go where.

Credit: Washington Post

Vol. 1: Iss. 2 | B# Newsletter | February 21, 2005

Publisher: MuBiz.com
http://www.MuBiz.com
Editor: Kenny Love
Primary Email: kennylove@MuBiz.com
Web Site Sign-Up: http://yahoogroups.com/group/BSharpNews

Meet Bram Bos!

2005-02-20T00:53:00.000-08:00

A bit about the interaction-designer

Bram Bos, the man behind Tuareg and HammerHead lives in Amsterdam, The Netherlands. Working as a senior interaction designer for Eden Design & Communication his daytime job is to combine interface design with technology and aesthetics in order to make anything a user may come across intuitive, efficient and pleasant for the senses.

In his scarce spare hours he applies these skills on the development of new concepts for the global community of electronic musicians. Being convinced that ergonomics, graphic design, common sense and cognitive psychology are essential parts in the development process of any new technology he designs his products from scratch with the user in mind as the center of the galaxy.

Bram Bos (age 26) studied Interaction Design at the Utrecht School of the Arts, Faculty ArtMediaTech in Hilversum, NL. In addition, he got a master degree Interactive Multimedia at the University of Portsmouth, UK, specializing in user interface design for applications supporting creative processes.

Good News for Home Made Musicians - Bram Bos' New Plans!

2005-02-20T00:46:00.000-08:00

Dear Home Made Music enthusiasts,

Bram - the creator of the cult classics - Hammerhead drum machine and the Tuareg sequencer has unveiled his new plans in his yahoogroup. This was what he had posted:
Message: 1
Date: Wed, 16 Feb 2005 13:13:26 -0000
From: "bram_bos"
Subject: My ideas are slowly materialising..

Hi all..

My new project is starting to get shape now. It will be positioned
alongside Tu2 so it will not replace it or compete with it. Tu2 is
still aimed at sample mangling, loop-construction and sounddesign
while my new project will be a lightweight audio sequencer with
full VST 2.3 (VSTi) support.

My design-goal: "back to basic"; to offer the flexibility of the
big pattern-based sequencers while retaining the simplicity and
the fun of HammerHead.

I specifically want to go back to the basic concepts of HammerHead.
I never really fully grasped why it became such a success but I
think much of it had to do with:
- ease-of-use
- hands-on music making
- the ability to have sound in less than 5 seconds from starting up

After delving into Reason and Fruityloops Studio I know I don't
want to go their way. Too much window-management, too little
actually making music. By selectively leaving out bells-and-whistles
and trying to incorporate the important features in a truly basic
(single-window) GUI I am now developing/designing a pattern-based
audio/vst sequencer which should enable people to quickly compose
music.

Some sacrifices to functionality will have to be made for the sake
of simplicity, ofcourse. You can't expect all the functionality of
Reason + FL + Sonar + Live to be packed into a truly simple user
interface but I promise it will be sufficiently flexible for entry-
level home-studio music production. Especially when the right VST
plugins are used for instruments, compression and EQ et al.

It won't be the be-all-end-all music production tool for everybody,
but it's my aim to make it something I can and will personally use
for my own music-making purposes as well.

Ok.. I'll stop rambling now.. gotta get back to work :-)

cheers!

Judging by the hits that Hammerhead and Tuareg were, we are all in for a treat I guess!

Way to go Bram!

[BardsCrier.com] Finding more links to your site and growing your email list

2005-02-06T22:09:00.000-08:00

Here is the latest Bardscrier.com newsletter: Bards Crier's Music Marketing and Promotion Tips http://www.bardscrier.com/ A free guerrilla music marketing and promotion ezine for unsigned bands by Marc Gunn of the Brobdingnagian Bards, The Original Celtic Renaissance. IN THIS ISSUE - The Bards Crier News - Finding more links to your site and growing your email list - Recommended Reading - New Friends of The Bards Crier ********** Sponsored by ********** Do you need music marketing for your website? Get exposure and traffic from 200+ music specific resources. Visit http://bardscrier.com/cgi-bin/music_promotion/jump.cgi?ID=198 "I just wanted to say that MusicSubmit.com is fantastic. Quite simply, you guys do exactly as advertised. I've had a whole lot of opportunity sent my way because of you. Thank you for a great service. I will spread the word." Marc Douglas Berardo MarcDouglas.com ============================= 1. The Crier ============================= I decided to try out an old feature that I once used. Now when you submit your band or music business service to The Bards Crier, I'll add you directly into the newsletter as a new friend. We'll see how well this works. If you're not already member, please submit your band and be so kind to add a return link back to my website. Thanks! Submit your band at http://www.bardscrier.com/cgi-bin/music_promotion/add.cgi --- TWO HOT INDIE MUSIC BLOGS TO CHECK OUT MUSIC PROMOTION BLOG by Bob Baker http://www.musicpromotionblog.com I'm happy to see the Bob Baker is publishing a regular blog at last. There's always a bunch o'interesting music business and promotional information on his blog. INDIE MUSICIAN BLOG by David Hooper http://www.indiemusician.com/ David Hooper of Kathode Ray Music has a very active music business blog. Those who know him know that David is a very aggressive marketer and an outstanding salesman even though he's a bit too forceful for my taste. But I can't deny that his blog has a lot of great music promotion ideas mixed in with his thoughts on the state of the music business. It's well worth a regular read. Do you have an Indie Music Blog suggestion? I'd love to hear what you are reading! Oh! And don't forget my Music Promo Blog at http://www.bardscrier.com/musicbiz/ --- You hear a lot of folks talk about the money that can be made online. And there are some great opportunities for "Indie Bible 6 Musicians Contact Directory" by David Wimble, $24.95 http://www.bardscrier.com/icb/ It's finally here! All new and updated for 2005, The Indie Bible 6th edition lists 10,000 new music contacts that will help you to promote your music to the world, and gain valuable exposure. The All-New 6th Edition of the Indie Bible contains: 4200 publications from around the world that will REVIEW your CD! 3400 radio stations from around the world will PLAY your songs! 600 vendors and services that will help you to SELL your music! 330 websites where you can UPLOAD your band's MP3 files! 500 helpful resources and sites where you can PROMOTE your band! *over 360+ pages! PLUS: 51 new articles by well-known music promotion experts that will help your music career to MOVE forward rapidly! Indie Bible music promotion experts include Tim Sweeney, Daylle Deanna Schwartz, Jeri Goldstein, Brian Austin Whitney, Derek Sivers, Diane Rapaport, Janet Fisher, Jodi Krangle, Lord Litter, Peter Spellman and many more! The Indie Bible 6th Edition now includes Web, e-mail and physical address as well as phone and fax number. http://www.bardscrier.com/icb/ ============================= 2. Music Marketing Lesson ============================= Finding more links to your site and growing your email list by Trevor Lyman Read the full article online at http://www.musicsubmit.com/seo/articles/linkhunting.htm By now you've probably heard that getting links to your site is important. Links bring you direct traffic and they help you rank higher in all the major search engines. In fact I would say most SEO experts would agree that links are the single most important factor in bringing traffic to your website. With that in mind it's worth an article to discuss several effective ideas for getting links to your site. Let's dive right in! Your email list The first place to look for new links is your very own email list. Lots of people have web pages or blogs these days and most likely some of your fans do too! Your fans like your music and will most likely support you if you ask them. In your next newsletter you should talk about how important links are for a band and how they will help your music rank higher in the search engines. Remember to offer your fans link code that uses the text you want in your link. After your initial link request be sure to follow up in all newsletters to come with a small reminder paragraph that asks for a link to your site. Repitition is key in marketing! Finish the article online at http://www.musicsubmit.com/seo/articles/linkhunting.htm -------- Trevor Lyman of MusicSUBMIT specializes in internet marketing for musicians. His MusicSUBMIT service has increased traffic and CD sales for 1000's of musicians Since it's inception 2 years ago. Take full advantage of the internets vast potential, visit http://www.MusicSUBMIT.com for more details! ============================= 3. Recommended Reading ============================= THE GUERRILLA MUSIC MARKETING HANDBOOK by Bob Baker This hefty manual delivers 11 chapters and 7 best-selling reports -- over 120 pages of tips and tools you can use to turbo-charge your music promotion activities. http://www.bardscrier.com/cgi-bin/music_promotion/jump.cgi?ID=15 HOW TO PROMOTE YOUR MUSIC SUCCESSFULLY ON THE INTERNET by David Nevue Learn the marketing and promotion methods that one musician uses to bring in over $5000 a month in income from the Internet! There are no 'pipe dreams' sold here. The author details step-by-step how he finally said good-bye to his day job and starting spending more time on his music. http://www.bardscrier.com/cgi-bin/music_promotion/jump.cgi?ID=16 ============================= 4. New Friends of The Bards Crier ============================= Sleigor Trout (added: 24-Jan-2005) http://www.sleigortrout.com Home page of those demented freaks known as Sleigor Trout. Come in and download free mp3's, check out the forum and chatroom or post some art in the gallery. The Official Website of Cleavage (added: 24-Jan-2005) http://www.cleavagemusic.com The Official Website of the popular finnish band Cleavage. On the site you can view pictures in a gallery, download mp3's in good quality, write to cleavage in the forum or by email and best of all... ITS ALL FREE!!! Get Your Music Heard Around The World (added: 24-Jan-2005) http://www.HearMyMusic.net HearMyMusic.net is the place to hear live recording from singers, rappers, musicians, poets, etc. from around the world. official website for divine MAGgees (added: 24-Jan-2005) http://www.divinemaggees.com divine MAGgees -- nontraditional female rock duo (Asheville, NC): acoustic & electric guitar, acoustic & electric fiddle and provocative vocal harmonies. mp3 downloads, video, picts, bios, fan forum..... ICON Magazine (added: 25-Jan-2005) http://www.icon-magazine.com ICON Magazine is an online publication as well as a music community and search engine/directory that helps to network, promote, and educate unsigned/independent artists/bands. Free promotion for independent musicians (added: 25-Jan-2005) http://www.musicforte.com Independent musicians - Build and manage your fan-base with our social network. Sell digital downloads and earn money. Your mp3 music downloads will be indexed by Froogle for wider exposure. rotating leslie (added: 26-Jan-2005) http://www.rotatingleslie.co.uk Spikey Harmonic Rock war within band page (added: 27-Jan-2005) http://www.warwithin.tk/ Metal band looking for a record deal and good time. Cheap Imitation (added: 31-Jan-2005) http://www.cheapimitation.tk/ cornish 5 piece emo/post hardcore band.have 7 track e.p for sale 'to fall is not to fail' Czapla Music (added: 1-Feb-2005) http://www.czaplamusic.com Czapla Music specializes in Canadian contemporary jazz recordings, guitar and bass lessons featuring high tech studio with live to tape recordings, music curriculum, transcibing, etc. Vernal Tempest - Black Metal (added: 2-Feb-2005) http://vernaltempest.cjb.net Black Metal JL Studios (added: 3-Feb-2005) http://www.jlstudios.ca Affordable 48 track recording studio specializing in Music Production, Voice Over Recording, Multimedia Recording, and Digital Media Services run by professionals. Pierced Rock Band (added: 31-Jan-2005) http://www.pierced.ca Pierced is a new Canadian Rock band. Visit the site to listen to music, read bios and lyrics, get event information, view pictures, and contact the band. ============================= Fine Tuning ============================= Marc Gunn, Bard P.O. Box 4067 Austin, Texas 78765 http://www.marcgunn.com <-- Bard Marc Gunn http://www.thebards.net <-- Brobdingnagian Bards If you like this ezine, try these out: http://bardscrier.com/freebies/newsletters.shtml Registered with the Library of Congress ISSN: 1530-4795

The Muse's News - Issue 7.11 (February 2005)

2005-01-31T19:56:00.000-08:00

The Muse's News is a fantastic monthly songwriting ezine that I had been subscribing to for the past 7 years. I will be posting the current issue here every month. The MUSE'S MUSE is run by Jodi and has got a lot of informative articles on the art, science and business of songwriting.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
~~ T h e M u s e ' s N e w s ~~

An E-zine For And About Songwriters.
<http://www.musesmuse.com/musenews.html>

Issue 7.11 February 2005
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I n T h i s I s s u e :

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
@-- Editor's Musings
@-- Music Reviews - Ann Klein, Stacey Board, Steve Allat
& Brian Rutherford
@-- 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 - SALE: THE SEVEN C'S by Bill Pere
@-- On Site Featured Article - An article already online for your
viewing pleasure.
@-- Classifieds & Useful Services
@-- Contact information
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
ISSN 1480-6975. Copyright 1998-2005 - Jodi Krangle.
For more contact information, see end of issue.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
MAKING SONGWRITING NEW YEAR'S RESOLUTIONS?
You can pick up some attractive and useful Muse's Muse items like
mugs, mousepads (currently on sale!), t-shirts in various colors
and more by visiting http://www.cafepress.com/musesmuse . Get
yourself some classy merchandise to remind you of your commitment
to better songwriting and support The Muse's Muse all at the
same time.

See http://tinyurl.com/cqij for more details.
===~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~===
S p o n s o r M e s s a g e :
(Please support the sponsors that help keep this newsletter free!
Thanks!)
===~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~===
COLLEGE-CREDIT ONLINE COURSES AND CERTIFICATE PROGRAMS FROM
BERKLEEMUSIC NOW ENROLLING FOR APRIL 4th SEMESTER

Financial Aid Available * Pay As You Go Flexible Schedules *
Study with Berklee Faculty

Berkleemusic.com, the online extension school of Berklee College
of Music, is enrolling now for the spring semester's
college-credit certificate programs and courses. Further your
music career and earn college credit in a number of different
areas including production, songwriting, arranging, theory,
harmony and ear training, and music business.

You can reserve your seat now by calling our student advisors at
866.BERKLEE (866.237.5533) or by visiting us:
http://www.berkleemusic.com/?pid=740
===~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~===

E d i t o r ' s M u s i n g s :

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Hi folks. Those of you who are in places where it snows, I hope
you're enjoying the cold - because I certainly am not! :)
Temperatures have hit record lows lately and my motivation to get
just about anything done has been tempered by my natural
inclination to hybernate. ;) I'll continue fighting it though.
And in the spirit of that fight, here's the latest newsletter!
I hope you enjoy it.

The raffle winners this month are:

* David Jones from Toronto, Canada has won a copy of
the "Musician's Toolkit"
(for details, see http://www.musicianstoolkit.com/muse/)

* Cormac O Caoimh from Cork, Ireland has won a copy of VSS's
songwriting organization product, Lyricist (for details and
information on a discount offered, see
http://www.musesmuse.com/vss-review.html)

* Andrew Karpinski from Clearwater, FL has won a copy of
"100 Miles To A Record Deal" by Bronson Herrmuth
(http://www.songrepair.com/bookforweb2.htm)

* Cassandra Kubinski from New York, NY has won a 6 month
subscription to the Onlinegigs (http://www.onlinegigs.com)
service. This valuable service is a powerful tool for musicians,
agents, record companies and managers designed to virtually
automate the administration of booking and promoting a band or
bands.

Happy writing!

--Jodi
===~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~===
S p o n s o r M e s s a g e :
(Please support the sponsors that help keep this newsletter free!
Thanks!)
===~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~===

LYRICIST VERSION 3: THE SONGWRITER'S BEST FRIEND

Ring in the new year by getting a copy of Lyricist V3 - The
Songwriter's Best Friend: the first-of-its-kind word processor
designed for musicians, songwriters, and poets. The software
includes a Rhyming Dictionary, Thesaurus, Album Categorization,
Chord Charting, Chord Generator, Song Arrangement, On-Line
Copyright Link. The new version 3 release adds support for
"Piano Style" chord symbols, Nashville Number System, and
Transposition features - all in one user-friendly package.
Check out the review at www.musesmuse.com/vss-review.html.

Muse's Muse visitors can take home the product for $5.00 off the
current sale price of $49.95 just for purchasing through the
purchase button provided off of the review.

For more information, visit the review url above or call us at
888.732.1176 inside the U.S.A. and Canada or 603.726-4499 outside
the U.S.A.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

M u s i c R e v i e w s :

by Gian Fiero, Ann Klein & Brett Thompson

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
NEW MUSIC REVIEWS SINCE LAST MONTH INCLUDE:

Reviews by Ann Klein

* John Brendan Russell
http://musesmuse.com/columnistsgreylogs/archives/00000812.html
* Harpo
http://musesmuse.com/columnistsgreylogs/archives/00000797.html
* The Red
http://musesmuse.com/columnistsgreylogs/archives/00000798.html
* Simon Scardanelli
http://musesmuse.com/columnistsgreylogs/archives/00000820.html
* Kasey Anderson
http://musesmuse.com/columnistsgreylogs/archives/00000821.html

Steve Allat:

* Casey Abrams
http://musesmuse.com/columnistsgreylogs/archives/00000801.html
* Tracie Minkoff
http://musesmuse.com/columnistsgreylogs/archives/00000803.html
* Electric Turn To Me
http://musesmuse.com/columnistsgreylogs/archives/00000800.html
* The Kama Sutras
http://musesmuse.com/columnistsgreylogs/archives/00000802.html
* The YoYo Contingency
http://musesmuse.com/columnistsgreylogs/archives/00000799.html

Reviews by Brian Rutherford:

* Apollo Quartet
http://musesmuse.com/columnistsgreylogs/archives/00000815.html
* Joey Graziano
http://musesmuse.com/columnistsgreylogs/archives/00000814.html
* Rubikon
http://musesmuse.com/columnistsgreylogs/archives/00000813.html

Reviews by Stacey Board:

* Joanne Redding
http://musesmuse.com/columnistsgreylogs/archives/00000816.html
* Mike Rickard
http://musesmuse.com/columnistsgreylogs/archives/00000808.html
* Irina Rivkin
http://musesmuse.com/columnistsgreylogs/archives/00000805.html
* Stampead
http://musesmuse.com/columnistsgreylogs/archives/00000817.html
* Doug Folkins
http://musesmuse.com/columnistsgreylogs/archives/00000819.html
* Paul Inwancio
http://musesmuse.com/columnistsgreylogs/archives/00000818.html
* Chris White
http://musesmuse.com/columnistsgreylogs/archives/00000807.html
* Jane & Gord
http://musesmuse.com/columnistsgreylogs/archives/00000804.html
* Vicki Lee
http://musesmuse.com/columnistsgreylogs/archives/00000809.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!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

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 is the latest addition to the Artist Spotlight section of
The Muse's Muse at http://www.musesmuse.com/artistspotlights.html

-----------------------------------------------------------------
The Welcome Matt - Genre: ALTERNATIVE

The Welcome Matt produces an intriguing thing of pure emotion
with his second release, Empire Days. Drifting somewhere between
Wilco's Jeff Tweedy and Bob Dylan. His gliding vocals not only
slide easily off the tongue but also have something to say. A
record daring you to pass it by.

http://www.welcomemattmusic.com/
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

S o n g w r i t i n g B o o k R e v i e w: by James Linderman

Review of SongU.com
http://www.songu.com/suSponsor/musesmuse/

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
It shouldn't be hard to convince a reader of an e-newsletter like
this one, from a web resource like The Muses Muse, that online
learning has a lot of merit.

The Muse's Muse itself is a great "one stop" for finding out
what's available in Internet-based skill development.

The next level for many of us wanting to get more serious about
songcraft is to source out a virtual campus experience like the
one offered at SongU.

I must confess that I am not your usual impartial reviewer when
it comes to SongU as I am a contributor to their online library
and co-moderator of their CCM club.

That having been said, there are some advantages to having me be
a reviewer with an inside track as I can fill you in on what
SongU is like with some real, long-term, first hand experience.

The first thing you will notice when you visit the site is how
professional the front page looks and how much information is
available for what is offered.

SongU is a place where a lot of stuff happens.

Of course there are courses and you can access the course list
right from the front page. There are instructor led courses which
have a start and end date and have scheduled activities and then
there are self-paced courses which you can sign up for anytime
and work through at your leisure.

There are courses on all aspects of lyric writing from rhyming to
creating lyric contrast, from using lists to creating a rotating
chorus and my favorite these days, the "time capsule" lyric
technique.

Of course there are the dreaded, yet oh so necessary, music
theory courses but there are also some cool courses on creative
guitar, writing music to lyrics and some information like
understanding and applying the Nashville Number System.

There is a lot of awesome material here.

The three things that impress me about the "schooly" part of
SongU is the variety of course materials; the quality of
instruction, with many of the instructors being pro writers or
authors of defining texts in their field; and how very affordable
it is to study there.

Site developers Danny Arena and Sara Light explain, "A couple of
things that we think make us stand out is our ability to offer
all our benefits at a low cost. Members get 365 days of learning
for less than the price of most 3-day seminars (we like to say
it's about the cost of a guitar lesson a month). And our faculty
is all active songwriters and all continue to have successful
careers as songwriters. We even include a free copy of VSS
Lyricist Software ($49) value".

You can purchase either standalone courses or evaluations (a la
carte) or you can join as a Platinum Member (the buffet). To
purchase them separately, self-paced courses typically run about
$49.95 and instructor-led courses run $99.95.

A Platinum Membership runs $25.95/month (about the price of a
guitar lesson a month) or $295/year with quarterly and
semi-annual billing available soon. All prices are in U.S. funds.

The platinum membership includes; all self-paced courses, all
instructor-led courses, a free professional member website with
unlimited display of MP3's and lyrics, regular pitching
opportunities to industry professionals looking for songs, 1 free
song evaluation and a rate of $10 per song on future evaluations,
free VSS Lyricist software, access to all clubs, the campus
community, which is very active and very supportive, and a lot
more.

SongU is a resource that has something for just about everybody
from self paced courses to get you started to instructor led
courses that will move you forward with the help of qualified
professional instruction. There are many opportunities from
collaboration and networking to having your songs evaluated and
pitched to industry people.

You can try a free course at SongU by visiting their site through
http://www.songu.com/suSponsor/musesmuse/ .

******
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
===~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~===
S p o n s o r M e s s a g e :
(Please support the sponsors that help keep this newsletter free!
Thanks!)
===~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~===
SPOTLIGHT YOUR MUSIC ON THE MUSE'S MUSE!

The Muse's Muse Songwriting Resource (online since 1995) now has
a section of Artist Spotlights at
http://www.musesmuse.com/artistspotlights.html where musicians
and songwriters of all genres can strut their stuff. Newly
spotlighted artists are also mentioned in this newsletter (see
above). Check out http://www.musesmuse.com/spotlightinfo.html for
more details!
===~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~===

M u s i c a l N o t e s : Songwriting Contests & Market Info.

In the interest of conserving space, I will be including only
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!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
WILDFLOWER! ARTS & MUSIC FESTIVAL & PERFORMING SONGWRITER
CONTEST:
The 12th annual Wildflower! Arts & Music Festival is now
accepting entries for its Performing Songwriter Contest. Recorded
entries must be postmarked by March 7, 2005. Ten finalists will
be selected to perform their entry songs at the Wildflower!
Festival in Richardson, Texas, on May 21, 2005, and compete for
the three $500 cash awards. Entry fee is $15 per entry. For
complete contest rules and an entry application, tap on
"Songwriting Contest" at http://www.wildflowerfestival.com/
-----------------------------------------------------------------
ABÃ’N RECORDS & STUDIO CONTEST 2005 - SUBMIT YOUR MUSIC!

AbÃ²n Records & Studio is located in an abandoned old church in
the middle of the woods of Toten, Norway. We specialize in
producing electronic music. We are internationally looking for
new talents. WeÂ´re holding online contests over 9 months
(Jan.-Sep.2005). The winner is selected by an international
audience on the other side of the internet.

Prizes for the Final Winner are:
1. Free recording at AbÃ²n Studio - 24 working hours
2. Free producing, mixing, engineering & mastering
3. One of your tracks will be on the AbÃ²n Records compilation
album 2006.

If you for some reason are unable to receive the full prize
because of distance and/or any practical reason, rearrangements
can be discussed. And if you by any means are able to receive the
prize through the internet without physically appearing in the
studio, we will do whatever necessary to solve the practical
problems!

Interested? Visit out homepage at http://www.abon.info
-----------------------------------------------------------------
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 .
-----------------------------------------------------------------
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.
-----------------------------------------------------------------
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
-----------------------------------------------------------------
LEARN ABOUT MUSIC FROM THE SCHOOL THAT KNOWS - ONLINE!

Berklee College of Music has launched its Berkleemusic.com web
site after nearly two years in development. This ambitious
offering provides songwriters opportunities to take online music
writing courses and explore new music career directions. Users
can create a personal or band web page containing bios, MP3s,
images, reviews, news, and links that are useful resources to
potential employers, collaborators, and students.

For more information visit:
http://www.berkleemusic.com/school/?affiliate_promotion_id=338
-----------------------------------------------------------------
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.
-----------------------------------------------------------------
TAKE YOUR SONGWRITING CAREER TO THE NEXT LEVEL
Ellen Silverstein Violette, Grammy-nominated Songwriter & CEO of
Create A Splash! e-marketing & writing strategies 4 success is
offering 15% discounts to Muse's Muse visitors on selected
services including all courses, web reviews, and some coaching
programs. Visit http://tinyurl.com/39yxa for information!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

M u s e ' s C l u e s : by Irene Jackson

Â©1998-2005 Moonstone Productions All Rights Reserved.
Used By Permission

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I know that I have mentioned Music Dish
(http://www.musicdish.com/) in a column in the past, but every
now and then I'll re-visit a site just to see if there's anything
new and tasty to try out! Music Dish e-journal always has an
interesting selection of articles and news on the business of
music, but one of the more fascinating areas of this website is
called Songwork (http://musicdish.com/mag/archive.php3?cat_nb=8).
Here, you'll always find a huge collection of articles, past and
present...and right now is no exception!

The more recent articles range from "Effective Stage Presence" to
interviews with songwriters, workshops in different areas of the
US, how to run a songwriting workshop (now there's something you
should try sometime!) and one of the more recent articles is by
Kim Copeland called "A View From The Other Side: How A Pitch
Becomes A Cut." Kim is a songwriter, publisher, producer and
teacher who also runs a website called "Songwriter's Connection"
(http://www.songwritersconnection.com), another site worth
checking out. She basically takes you through her process of
picking songs for an artist album, and yes, it's true, luck has a
lot to do with it too! So if you've ever wondered what happens to
your song when you send it to a publisher, Kim's article will
give you an insider's perspective.

Songwork has a little something for everyone, whether you're a
beginner or trying to become a pro. And if it's been awhile
since you've moseyed on over to Music Dish, this is a great time
to do it! You DID make a New Years resolution to kick start your
songwriting career this year, didn't you??

******

Irene Jackson is a performing songwriter from Victoria, BC in
Canada. Aside from writing, recording and performing, she also
maintains a website for songwriters that includes tips, articles
and more links of interest. Her eagerly anticipated CD "Catnip"
is finally here, and her earlier recordings have had attention
everywhere from Japan to South America.

Songwriting Tips: http://www.irenejackson.com/tips.html
Homepage: http://www.irenejackson.com
Songs on MP3:
http://www.mp3.com/artists/20/irene_jackson.html
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

F e a t u r e d A r t i c l e :

SALE: THE SEVEN C'S
By Bill Pere Â© 2005 - All Rights Reserved

-----------------------------------------------------------------
The essence of a great song is Communication...a song that
Communicates can be a Commercial success and an artistic Classic.
These three "C's" are goals that every songwriter strives for, if
they wish to touch others through their music. While navigating
the route from creation to realization, there are four other
"C's" which can help you 'foresee' success. Remember that in the
key of C, nothing is accidental.

The voyage from creation to realization has four stops along the
way. Each has something specific to offer which is critical to
the objective of coming up with the kind of song that can be
called a Classic. These four points are: Creation, Craft,
Critique, and Collaboration. Sometimes, in our haste to get from
a great idea to a great song, we sail along at high speed,
seeking shortcuts and bypassing one or more of these important
harbors. The results often fall short of their full potential.
For many writers, the sheer ecstasy of the creative process is so
uplifting that the raw result of a burst of inspiration is
considered a final result, when in fact, it gets you only to the
first stop on the journey.

A song begins with tapping the creative wellspring inside to find
the feelings, ideas, concerns, and dreams that are important
enough to you to want to share with others. Through that miracle
we call inspiration, an exciting new way of expressing these
things reveals itself to you, and a song is born.

Whether a child or a song, birth is the start of a journey to
maturity. The next phase, usually the most difficult, is the
crafting process. A childâ€™s early years involve active shaping of
the values and motivations that will define the adult. With a
song, the initial expression of the idea is usually unpolished,
particularly in the areas of Clarity to other listeners,
Conciseness of expression, and balance between references to
Concepts (love, truth, beauty) and Concrete things (cars,
clothes, jewelry). The crafting process means tapping into the
parts of yourself which are the complement of your creative side.
i.e., your analytical self. Each word in a lyric must pass the
tests of being metaphorically and semantically consistent (no
apples among oranges), rhythmically correct (no misplaced
accents), generally understandable (no sesquipedalian pedantry),
easy to sing (no lines about the sick sheikâ€™s sixth sheep),
freshly rhymed (clear up and syrup, not moon and June). and many
more.

Crafting is the first place where the art and science of song
come together (the recording studio is another place). There are
many excellent books on crafting, as well as seminars and
workshops offered by several songwriter organizations around the
country. You may find you are naturally comfortable with applying
the techniques of crafting, or you may find it is a great effort
for you. Each song needs a stop early in its life at the crafting
dock. But how will you know how good a job you are doing?

(This article is continued at
http://musesmuse.com/columnistsgreylogs/archives/00000810.html)

*****

Bill Pere is a recording artist, award winning songwriter,
performer, and educator well known for his superbly crafted
lyrics, with lasting impact. Bill has released 13 CD's, teaches
private songwriting workshops and serves as Executive Director of
the Connecticut Songwriters Association. Bill is an Official
Connecticut State Troubadour and the 2003 national IMC
Independent Artist of the Year. He is Founder and Executive
Director of the LUNCH Ensemble (www.lunchensemble.com). Twice
named Connecticut Songwriter of the Year, Bill is MBTI qualified,
a member of CMEA and MENC, and helps develop young talent in
songwriting, performing, and learning about the music business.

Â©2005 Bill Pere. All Rights Reserved. This article may not be
reproduced in any way with out permission of the author. For
workshops, consultation, performances, or other songwriter
services, contact Bill via his web sites, at www.billpere.com and
www.lunchensemble.com

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

" 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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Sleep & Creativity by Linda Dessau
http://musesmuse.com/columnistsgreylogs/archives/00000811.html

I know I'll feel so much better if I get a good night's sleep.
And sometimes, for whatever reasons, I don't choose to "feel
good". And when self-love and common sense win out and I AM able
to do what I need to do in order to get a good night's sleep, I
am rewarded. It gives me more resilient to stress, makes my
body more flexible and willing to work, my head more clear and
focused, makes me feel happier and more at peace and allows me to
be nicer to myself AND to everyone else. And best of all, a good
night's sleep also benefits my creativity.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

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 :

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
HEY SONGWRITERS: RING IN THE NEW YEAR WITH LYRICST Software V3

Pop Quiz: You have 5 minutes to complete: Locate every song's
lead sheet you ever wrote, their genre, and album. What's the
fingering for a G#sus4 chord at the ninth fret? Transpose your
most current song from the key of G to F# and then into a
Nashville Number Chart. Ooops, also transpose the chart from
guitar style chords to piano. Now copyright the song from where
you're sitting without removing your hands from your mouse or
keyboard. Your time is up! You know what you need? LYRICIST!
It's the songwriter's best friend. Includes Rhyming Dictionary,
Album Categorization, Chord Charting, On-Line Copyright, and
more. Check out the review at www.musesmuse.com/vss-review.html
. Muse's Muse visitors can take home the product for $5.00 off
the regular $49.95 USD selling price.

For more information, visit the review url above or call Virtual
Studio Systems at 888.732.1176 inside the U.S.A. and Canada or
603.726.4499 everywhere else.
-----------------------------------------------------------------
BOOK YOUR LIFE @ INDIE-MUSIC.COM

Indie-Music.com is the smart DIY way to advance your music
business career. We empower you with thousands of contacts -
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over 7000 complete venue listings all across America. Our
listings will save you hours of time in Internet searches alone!
In addition, you get free promotion on our Industry-Leading
website, monthly tips on where & how to submit your music, and
super-handy organizational tools available from any computer.
For musicians and industry professionals.
http://www.indie-music.com/join2.php
-----------------------------------------------------------------
THE 6th 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 Sixth Edition, The
Indie Bible has 316 pages of valuable contacts and music-related
articles.

The 6th Edition of the Indie Bible contains:
4200 publications from around the world that will REVIEW your CD!
3400 radio stations from around the world will PLAY your songs!
600 vendors and services that will help you to SELL your music!
330 sites where you can UPLOAD your band's MP3 files!
500 helpful resources and sites where you can PROMOTE your band!
51 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
-----------------------------------------------------------------
DOES THIS SOUND FAMILIAR TO YOU?

You wanted to become a musician/songwriter and earn a living from
music because it's CREATIVE and EXCITING. Yet here you are
struggling with your CD burner, hunting through A&R directories,
searching for stamps, etc ... Wouldn't life be easier if you
could spend your precious creative time writing music rather than
envelopes ?! Let The Music Broker Network take care of pitching &
promoting your songs to Labels, Publishers, Film & TV: via both
post & email. We leave you to what you do best: be creative.

10% DISCOUNT to Muse's Muse members: simply enter a discount code
of MUSE when you checkout: http://tinyurl.com/3vqnv
-----------------------------------------------------------------
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!
-----------------------------------------------------------------
REACH NEW FANS ON MEDIAFEAST
Looking to reach new fans? MediaFeast is an online independent
music retailer dedicated to helping independent artists bring new
music to fans and helping listeners find great new music. Create
a free account and then have the opportunity to add albums for
sale on MediaFeast.com. In addition to prepackaged albums such as
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of one-off albums that are produced to order using a master
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prices for all of their albums and receive all profits above the
base cost. Sign up through this ad and receive four free Pure
Profit sales, where you will keep 100% of the selling price!
Visit http://tinyurl.com/2me2f for details.
-----------------------------------------------------------------
ADVERTISING RATES: For Classifieds: US$50 Max. 7 lines (though I
do make exceptions), 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 www.musesmuse.com/media.html
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

C o n t a c t I n f o & C r e d i t s :

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Jodi Krangle ..................... EDITOR
Kathryn Obenshain ...GRACIOUS PROOFREADER
-----------------------------------------------------------------
The Muse's News is a free monthly newsletter for and about
songwriters. Subscribers are welcome to recirculate or reprint
The Muse's News for nonprofit use as long as the appropriate
credit is given and the ENTIRE text of the newsletter is
included (including credits and information at the end of each
issue). Others should contact me at editor@musesmuse.com.
All articles copyrighted by their authors.

Back issues and other information will be available at:
http://www.musesmuse.com/musenews.html

The Muse's News is part of The Muse's Muse, a web resource for
songwriters: http://www.musesmuse.com/

For further information, send your e-mail to:
-----------------------------------------------------------------
adinfo@musesmuse.com - How to place a classified ad, pass
on market information or sponsor
The Muse's News.
info@musesmuse.com - How to subscribe or end your
subscription.
editor@musesmuse.com - To submit articles,reviews,ideas,etc.

SNAILMAIL: Please contact me first at editor@musesmuse.com
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Back issues of the newsletter can be read at
http://www.topica.com/lists/musenews or in an archive at the
National Library of Canada ecollection:
http://collection.nlc-bnc.ca/100/201/300/muses_news/index.html
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
TO CHANGE YOUR SUBSCRIPTION:
If you want to unsubscribe (though I'll be sorry to see you go!)
click this link:
http://srv.ezinedirector.net/?fa=r&id=21638415&c=964678926

Or, if you'd like to update your profile (if you need to change
your email address), click here:
http://ezinedirector.com/subscriber/member_profile/?skid=21638415
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Bye gangsta rap, hey geeksta rap

2005-01-29T21:33:00.000-08:00

Updating my blog after quite a gap- 5 days of Eid Hols followed by another weekend!

Quite an interesting article about how Home Made Music can really flourish!

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/1003905.cms

Bye gangsta rap, hey geeksta rap

CHIDANAND RAJGHATTA

TIMES NEWS NETWORK[ FRIDAY, JANUARY 28, 2005 05:56:44 PM ]

WASHINGTON: It's got no anger and it's not yet a rage. Instead, it is a nerdy, low-key celebration of engineering and technology. Welcome to a new genre of music called geeksta rap, aimed at introducing hi-sci to laymen.

"It's where the rap world meets geekdom," says Rajeev Bajaj, a Silicon Valley entrepreneur who has just released "Geek Rhythms," a self-made debut album that is a rap-turous paean to engineering.

"Making gas takes a lot of distillation dude/ Next time you fill your
tank, remember it used to be crude" goes Free Energy, an electronica rap that explains chemical engineering principles.

"Enjoy The Ride" a techno track about computer geeks, raps, "Hot electrons can ruin my day/ Switch the transistor to go the other way/ I make my software self healing/ To prevent such a calamity from dealing/A deadly blow to my directory root/ If all else fails......YO, REBOOT!"

Metamorphosis is a high-energy, hip-hop look at the mastery of mechanical engineers.

An engineering graduate from Banaras Hindu University who came to the US in the 1990s for his Masters, Bajaj says he got the geeksta rap idea while trying to explain technology to his wife Laura, and daughters Priyanka and Katerina.

On a visit to India last year, he met Delhi musicians Hitesh Madan (guitarist for the group Euphoria) and singer Jasz Kohli. They recorded four songs and he brought the rough cuts to be produced in the U.S under his own label, spending US$ 15,000 on the venture.

The CD has sold in modest 100s since its release, but Bajaj is not out to make a splash. "I'm a quiet man/I do more with my hands..." he writes in the title song "Geek Dreams".

In an interview from his Fremont home on Thursday, Bajaj said he hoped to interest lure high school students to engineering fields with the songs. "The purpose of these songs is to tell today's kids...that it is cool to be a geek," he said.

Major recording labels have been cool (the other 'cool') to Bajaj's venture, although some radio stations, notably Stanford University's KZSU, have played the songs on air.

But the effort has been welcomed by the education fraternity in the US, where there is concern that the country is producing fewer science and engineering graduates.

A professor of engineering at New York's Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, the oldest engineering school in the US, has borrowed the song to play it at graduation.

It's not MTV yet, but Bajaj isn't impatient. As he raps in Geek Dreams, "I am an Engineer/ Respect my mind/ I made DC from AC been trying since BC."

He'll wait.

Free E-books on Bandscrier.com

2005-01-16T07:27:00.000-08:00

As I said earlier, I subscribe to the BandsCrier E-zine, found this nice links to Free E-books on their site:

http://www.bardscrier.com/freebies/ebooks.shtml

Guerilla Music Marketing Handbook (96k)
Another eBook by Bob Baker PACKED full of great music marketing and promotion tips. This is actually just a few free exerpted chapters from his full-length handbook. There are ordering instructions inside. This book is ESSENTIAL for any musician trying to make a living as a musician.
Killer Internet Marketing Strategies (751k)
Great tip sheet. Zebra music has put together a useful newsletter filled with useful industry contacts and hot tips about the music business.

STUDIO BUDDY - Home Recording Tips at your Fingertips

2005-01-09T01:52:00.000-08:00

"Studio Buddy -- The Home Recording Helper"

It's a self-contained, easy to use database of recording tips designed specifically for people with home studios. You can download the FREE program at:

http://www.studiobuddy.com

Free Music Software 2 - TRACKTION

2005-01-09T01:47:00.000-08:00

For anybody interested, Mackie is offering a free copy of Tracktion.
You have to download the demo, then install it, get the machine ID, submit
it to Mackie, then they'll send you a registration.

http://www.eqmag.com/freetracktion.htm

Enjoy

FREE MUSIC MAKING SOFTWARE - 1

2005-01-02T23:51:00.000-08:00

I plan to post about some fantastic freeware that help you in creating music.

TUAREG is a famous freeware created by European programmer Brambos. His earlier drum machine software HAMMERHEAD had created a cult following. Tuareg too has a cult following.

You can read all about Brambos and Tuareg here : http://www.brambos.com
He also has a Yahoogroup with around 400 members http://www.yahoogroups.com/group/tuaregs.
You can get all your doubts clarified there.

Hear one of my compositions using Tuareg 1.2 and sound samples (wav files) here:

http://www.dhwanii.com/database/cosmician/Tuareg.mp3

This composition was created in early 2000 and was my 3rd creation in Tuareg.

2004-12-28T02:29:00.000-08:00

This is the Creative Mp3Blaster MIDI keyboard. It works only with the Creative Soundblaster cards. But it still is a very good buy considering the cost. The keyboard costed me Dhs.350/- in 2001. You can get a Creative Soundblaster card for Dhs.150/- or less. So for an investment of less than Dhs.500, you could be on your way to creating CD quality music on your existing PC!

2004-12-28T02:24:00.000-08:00

If you are into a lot of recording work from various devices, it is advisable to keep a collection of various types of leads and pins. You never know when you might need them. I got these from the local Meena Bazar at a very cheap price. I know, you dont use this for high quality work. I am still in the experimentative and learning stage, so I am keeping my costs low. Will post some of music work soon.

2004-12-28T02:18:00.000-08:00

The PC that I use to record and mix - AMD 500MHz, 256MB RAM, 20GB HDD, CD-RW. Cost me Dhs.2000 to assemble in early 2001.

2004-12-28T02:10:00.000-08:00

A close up picture of my Korean digital mixer. Just bought it in early 2003 to get used to one. Cost me Dhs.400/-. My Casio CTK-731 synth was bought in 2000 at a sale. Picked it up for Dhs.1,500/-

2004-12-28T02:04:00.000-08:00

The Audigy Platinum External Soundcard. Bought this in 2002 for Dhs.750/- (approx. US$225). It comes with a lot of useful ports.

2004-12-28T02:01:00.000-08:00

A more wider picture showing my PC. I have hooked the Casio CTK-731 keyboard to a mixer. The mixer connects to my Audigy Platinum External soundcard. The Creative MP3Blaster keyboard is connected to the MIDI port of my soundcard. soundcard. The tabla mic and a vocal mic are also connected to the mixer.

2004-12-28T01:55:00.000-08:00

A part of my experimentative budget home-studio.

For the Independent Musician - From the BSharp Newsletter

2004-12-26T01:33:00.000-08:00

I am a subscriber to the BSharp Yahoogroup:
http://www.yahoogroups.com/group/BSharpNews/

URL to the discussion list:
http://www.yahoogroups.com/group/BSharpRoundTable/

Got this in their newsletter today. Maybe it could be useful to some of us home-made musicians!

NEW 'NET RADIO SHOW MAKES MUSICIANS "THINK ABOUT IT!"

WASHINGTON, DC - - December 28, 2004 - - "Think About It!" is a new Washington, DC-based Internet radio talk show that will focus on helping independent musicians and recording artists dramatically improve their chances for exposure and success through exploring alternative unique business, marketing and promotion approaches.

The prerecorded program begins its official broadcast on Wednesday,
January 5, 2005, and will air weekly at 8:00 p.m. (EST), with a repeat broadcast of each week's program on the following Thursday at 12:00 Noon (EST).
Each show will also be archived for future listening by the public.

Co-hosted by URSCENE.com (http://www.urscene.com) president Dr. Lovell L. Elliott, whose alternate radio personality is widely known as "JayBee," and MuBiz.com (http://www.mubiz.com) president, Kenny Love, who is also a veteran record promoter and media publicist, the show will occasionally include special guests who will present first-hand accounts of their past and current methods, techniques and ideas that have brought and continue to bring them success within today's music industry.

"There are, possibly, a few isolated similar programs airing in some local areas, but we know of no such music business instructional programs being produced and aired that have such a wide scope and are capable of, literally, reaching musicians around the world on a regular basis," notes Love. "And, the Internet provides a wonderful opportunity for artists to have access to alternative information for success while taking complete advantage of the ndustry now affording them the easiest vehicle for success ever."

Artists, managers, booking agents, music attorneys, promoters, publicists and other industry personnel who wish to be considered for guest appearances on the program in order to contribute ideas and content, are encouraged to contact the show's producers at (240)353-6880 or (936)545-2092.

- # # # # # # # -
______________________________________________________

[About the Producers/Hosts]:

Dr. Lovell L. "JayBee" Elliott, President (http://www.URSCENE.com)

Dr. Lovell L. Elliott obtained his doctorate degree in Computer
Science and Technology. "JayBee," his radio personality and
identity, stems from a gentleman in his community who began
referring to him as "Jamaican Blood" after discovering Dr. Elliott
was from Jamaica. This eventually was shortened to "JB," of
which Dr. Elliott decided to spell out when he began his radio
career.

Several years ago, Dr. Elliott retired from his own computer
technology company in order to concentrate fulltime on his
radio venture.

He is president/CEO of URSCENE.com, a multi-facet
entertainment company. Select radio programming is now
broadcast 24 hours per day on the Sirius Satellite Radio
Network and from the URSCENE website, and is heard in
over 50 cities by approximately 790,000 listeners each week.

=====

Kenny Love, President (http://www.MuBiz.com)

Kenny Love attended college as a Music Education major.
Having, at one point during his career, been signed as an
artist to Disco queen Evelyn Champagne King's label
producer (Aubrey "Skip" Gravatt), he subsequently ventured
into forming his own record label through which he released
his debut recording over 15 years ago, which garnered
spotted national radio airplay and international press coverage.

Shortly afterward, Love became a record promoter and
media publicist for other independent artists, and has
worked with some impressive music clients through the
years who are connected with 'household' celebrity names.

Kenny is president/CEO of MuBiz.com, a radio promotion
and media publicity firm that also provides a number of
business and administrative services for musicians and
recording artists. His music career also includes past
positions as both a radio program producer and a radio
program host at several broadcast radio stations.

Welcome to Lokarhythms!

2004-12-26T01:27:00.000-08:00

Lokarhythms is for the amateur musician who creates and records music at home.
I aim to post articles, links and resources for home-made musicians.