Band Website Besides Myspace?

21 11 2008

Recently a friend of mine spent a pretty penny on getting a beautiful website setup. He felt that his money was well spent as now his fans have a place where they can learn more about his band. His band website has a slick feel and everything you’d expect it to have.

But I wonder, is this a relic from the web 1.0? Cannot Myspace fulfill his needs while at the same time being cheap and easy?

We all can agree that Myspace is annoying and cumbersome at times, but for the casual listener, and even for the die-hard fan, it’s probably the first place to go. An external website can provide viewers with slick video, rare tracks, or other interesting information, but can’t Myspace do that too….

Myspace is still the King of social media. It’s slowly dying, and there are other great music sites out there, but its still the first place many people go to hear new music. Why not pimp your Myspace instead of asking fans to go to ANOTHER website. 

Personally I think unless you are U2 or Pearl Jam, the idea of having another website is quite ludicrous. Save money, connect to fans, and keep it fresh, all on Myspace.

Take Control of Your Music,

Voyno

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Check These Links Out!

20 11 2008

Josh gave us a heads up about an interesting new music site called The Next Big Sound.

The angle that The Next Big Sound takes is that YOU are a LABEL and YOU get to CHOOSE who gets signed.  Andrew at Artists House commented that the one of the coolest things about the site is the simplicity of the whole thing. No bullshit Myspace load times, no Facebook log in, just straight music.

Check it out now, before it blows up. Who knows, it just might.

—–Also—–

I had to give out a “hells yes” (i say that aaaall the time) to CNET’s Greg Sandoval, not only for his tasteful facial hair, but for stickin’ it to Steve Jobs about iTunes + DRM.

Apple needs to prove the naysayers wrong and show that the company was never interested in locking customers into buying its music or music players. Apple has to show that it knows the best way to build an empire is to design products people want to play their media on–not players they have to play their media on.

-Greg Sandoval CNET

Werd Greg, Werd. Jobs is forgetting that innovation put Apple on top. The music business needs another innovation. Let’s see if Apple rests on their laurels or makes a smart power move in the music business.

Take Control of Your Music,

Voyno

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Basics: Demoing with Garageband

20 11 2008

This may seem like pretty obvious stuff, but I am the type of person that needs to be told things a few times and even then it’s best just to show me. So below are a few clips on how to use Garageband.

The program has become an indispensable part of my music. Often I’ll hit record and using the built-in Mac microphone I am able to capture the essence of my musical ideas.

This past weekend I booked some studio time to record a song that I had previously demoed on Garageband. I spent a loooong time demoing the song. When it came time to record the track, I was able to save time and money because I knew exactly what I wanted.

So here are my 3 steps to recording a great demo:

  1. Create a New Track. At the top of the screen there is a Track tab. Click it and choose created a new track. Then choose Real Instrument.
  2. Adjust the Recording level. Go to the bottom right of your screen. If you’re playing with a band turn the level down. If you’re playing a acoustic number turn it up.
  3. Turn off the Metronome. At the top of the screen there is a Control tab. Click it and turn off that Metronome.  That metronome has thwarted so many groovy jams.

Now Jam out Friend!!!!

Note: If you’re jamming, create a new track for each new jam. It’s always a pain in the ass to listen to 2 hours of free form improvisational jam music looking for that golden nugget. So make it easier on yourself, make sure you are creating new tracks as each jam progresses.

So there you go, a quick and dirty approach to demoing your songs.  For you non-Mac users I’ve heard good things about Cubase and rumor has it that ProTools can be acquired for very little cash. Whatever program you use, just remember to demo any crazy idea that you have. Having a home studio, even if it’s on a laptop, will allow you to explore your music and can only make you a better musician.

Take Control of Your Music,

Voyno

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RIAA Curses the Darkness

19 11 2008

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Just a heads up for all you University and College students: The RIAA has convinced Tennessee to filter computer networks for unauthorized music downloads at the states colleges and universities.

This piece of legislation once again shows the short sightedness and idiotic attitude of the Recording Industry. The cost to monitor file sharing is expected to run $9 million dollars a year. Instead of punishing customers, labels should invest that kind of money into finding a solution for their “problem.”

The Electronic Frontier Foundation writes:

It makes no sense to force universities to spend millions on technologies that will hobble innovation on campus while failing to stop file-sharing. Why not use those millions to compensate creators and copyright owners, and thereby make file-sharing legal, instead? Now, more than ever, the universities need to come forward with a collective licensing proposal that will protect their campus communities and their own bottom lines.

Here’s an old idea: Get the kids to pay for it! Instead of punishing students for downloading music the RIAA could use Tennessee as a test project. Have students pay $10 extra on their student fees and give them all of the music they want. Everyone makes money, everyone is happy, everyone gets to listen to great music!!!

It’s better to light a candle then to curse the darkness Mitch Bainwol.

Take Control of Your Music,

Voyno

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Interview with Kurt Cobain’s Manager

18 11 2008

You’d think a guy who did PR for Kiss, Led Zeppelin and managed Nirvana would have something to say.

Turns out he does.

Music industry veteran Danny Goldberg recently sat down with the Huffington Post to talk about his new book, “Bumping into Geniuses: My Life in the Music Business.”

I’ll let you take a look yourself, but here are a few good quotes from the interview:

Huffpo: Why were hugely successful bands like Kiss and Led Zeppelin so concerned with their media image even after they were filling stadiums?

Danny Goldberg: Always pushing for more is a characteristic of people that are really successful. Never being 100% satisfied seems to drive people to do more. So, although it can be an unattractive quality it can also be a very useful quality in someone. It just depends on how it’s harnessed.

Huffpo: You mention that it isn’t enough to have talent. You have to have a talent for having talent.

Danny Goldberg: I think that artists that I’ve met who have been successful all had some desire to be successful. Not that they would always do things the easiest way or most commercial way, but they had a focus that helped propel them. Like Stevie Nicks doing the songs with Tom Petty at a certain time or working with a producer that, at first blush, was not part of the community that she was into. Or Bruce Springsteen focusing on trying to get a pop radio hit. The music business is competitive and having musical talent itself is not sufficient.

“The music business is competitive and having musical talent itself is not sufficient.”

That says something we all need to be reminded of.  There’s work involved.

I can’t wait to pick this book up.

Take Control of Your Music,

Hoover

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Hit Song Breakdown: Pride - U2

17 11 2008

Recently I have become obsessed about looking into the mind set of some my favourite artists. What inspired them? How did they solve the obstacles all musicians face? How and why did they evolve and change as artists?

Although Bono is a glorious douche bag, I do love his music and will defend him to end. So in my search into the mind of Bono I stumbled upon a Rolling Stone interview completed during their last world tour. In it Bono talks about writing Pride (In the name of Love):

“As a lyric, it’s daft! It’s a missed opportunity to.. to uh…  I mean, I even get the time of Dr. King’s assassination wrong! I say early morning, but it was early evening! It’s no description of him, it’s more of a description of a feeling he unlocked in me.”

To me the lyrics to Pride were always perfect. To be honest, I never really looked at the lyrics because Bono communicates so much through the emotion he sings with. The lyrics painted a picture but it was so fractured that I was able to bend my life to fit the song. I made the song mine. The lyrics were perfect.

But I can understand his point. Artists want every piece of work they do to be their best. If I was Bono and had a major factual error in one of my biggest songs, it would drive me insane. I would want to remedy the situation in any way possible.

Yet sometimes you need to let your art into the world and see what becomes of it.

If Pride were an okay song, the lyrics would be pointed out as a problem. But Pride is not an okay song; it’s a flat out, undisputed classic song. Everything worked on Pride because the band unlocked the same feelings within its audience as Dr. King did within Bono. They communicated emotionally.

That is why Pride is a hit. It is a piece of music that communicates emotionally.

That’s what all classic hit songs contain. Emotion. The efficient communication of universal, emotional, human truths.

Take Control of Your Music,

Voyno

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Ning: Create Your Own Music Community

16 11 2008

 

We all know there’s a new social networking site popping up every 5 minutes. Some last a couple minutes, some become Facebook.

 What if you could create your own social networking site, revolving around your music??

That’s exactly what NING.com is all about. They actually let you build your own online community with them. K’naan, a hip hop artist, is using his ning site as his official site and linking out to his other online sites (YouTube, MySpcace, Bebo, etc…).

The site’s a little busy in my opinion, but what I like about it is that if you want more access, you gotta sign up to be part of his tribe.  There’s work involved if you want to find out more. At first I thought that was foolish, but the more I think about it, I realize it’s a great way to build a list of REAL fans. It weeds out the rest.

Signing up for sites is a pain in the ass and a lot of people abandon the process because it seems so tedious. If someone signs up, that means they have a solid interest in what you or the site has to offer.

Take Control of Your Music,

Hoover

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IPhone Goes Flute (Ocarina) Part 2

15 11 2008

That Ocarina app for the iPhone is taking off. People are video blogging their renditions of songs, talking about how great the app is, and so on.

The developers made something truly unique. You have to actually blow into your iphone to make a sound. It’s worth talking about. It’s worth spreading the word.

Not only that, you can actually hear other people play all over the world through the app. It’s got built in social networking!!

Take away: Is your music worth talking about??

Take Control of Your Music,

Hoover

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Jimmy Eat World: Playing to the Fans

14 11 2008

If you knew Jimmy Eat World before “The Middle”, you would know that Clarity is their classic album.  This album was one of the few that really started making the “emo” scene big.  It was layered to the max, had a 16 minute closer, and was really fresh when it came out.

The album was their second on a major, but never really got promoted. In fact they got dropped after its release. The album started to spread by word of mouth with a lot of help from Blink 182, who couldn’t stop talking about the band during the promotion of Enema of The State.

Anyways,  Jimmy Eat World are celebrating the 10 year anniversary of the album by playing the entire album start-to-finish on a few select dates.

The hardcore fans will love this and it’s a way of showing appreciation to their dedicated fans.

Bottom Line: Care about the people who really dig your music.

Take Control of Your Music,

Hoover

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Your Band is a Marriage!

13 11 2008

It is my birthday today!  And a few days ago it was Hoover’s!

Birthdays always remind me that I have great friends. I think friendship is key if you’re planning on making good music for a long time.

When you really know your fellow band mates you are able to understand where they’re going with each musical jam. You can understand when to lead and when to follow.  Knowing each other well only deepens everyone’s connection to the music, and when everyone is so invested into creating music, they are willing to give more of themselves, therefore creating the best music possible.

Of course there are bands that have had members who’ve hated each other, but those bands don’t last long.

For your music’s sake, get to know each other. It will help everything.

Take Control of Your Music,

Voyno

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