IAM.COM: Actors, models, dancers and musicians were encouraged to submit material to a new Website, www.IAM.com (as in "I am an actor," "I am a model," etc...). Here's the angle: submit your info (including bios, tapes, CDs, etc., based on your category), to be received by December 31, 1999. Finalists in each category will be flown to LA for auditions; the winners will appear in a TV commercial to be aired during the 72nd Academy Awards, and get a free space on their website (seems like a lot of work for a web page!). They seem to be stressing teenagers here, with one category for ages 13-17 and another ages 18 and up. An interesting way to publicize a new website, with some apparent investor money behind it, and the publicity could be great for the artists involved, so we'll stay tuned...
TDK: "Digital Audio: A TDK Guide," posted at TDK's website, has earned the company a Standard of Excellence Award from The Web Marketing Association. The guide explains digital recording using CD-R and MiniDisc formats (both coincidentally manufactured by TDK). It also talks about Internet digital audio formats, including MP3, Liquid Audio and Windows Media Player. The site also includes the companion "Digital Video: A TDK Guide," including DV and Digital8, affordable and professional formats more and more musicians are discovering useful for affordable and high-quality music video production and delivery.
A&R Online: Local jazz musician Chris Standing has created a free website, www.chrisstanding.com, that features bands and artists (any style), and then notifies approximately 1500 label reps who check out the site and the artists. A&R Online (AandRonline.com) acts as a talentscout, inviting high quality artists to submit their package. Every month they present four new artists (hand picked by Chris) on their front page ABSOLUTELY FREE OF CHARGE, then move them to other parts of the site for 5 more months of free hosting. In their quest to find global talent, we are inviting all unsigned artists to submit their package to us, but they are looking for front page artists only! What's the catch? None that I can tell - this is anpother example of free sites musicians can take advantage of. Theses sites want advertising, so they need content and traffic, and artists get to benefit all around. Send your package, which should include photos/bio & CD (with at least 2 songs) and contact info, to A&R Online, P.O. Box 1993, Studio City, CA 91614.
SLAM: Support For Local Artists is a New england-based non-profit organization dedicated to the growth of independent artists and musicians. To help promote local inde\ie music SLAM will be holding benefit concerts across the US, with many unsigned local acts opening for national acts (with proceeds going to charity). Request submission info by emailing Mike Verdal at slam_netwrk@yahoo.com.
EMAIL REQUEST: Here's an email we recived - Mary Nicholsis co-host of the African New Dawn radio show, is broadcast on the Rutgers University Radio station, WRSU 88.7 FM (http://newdawnradio.freeservers.com). The show is broadcast on Sundays from 8-9 pm, and the signal has a 50-mile radius from its location in New Brunswick, NJ. The show's musical focus on the music influenced by the African Diaspora (rap, house, drum & bass, breakbeat, disco, jazz, r&b, reggae, soca, etc.), and they also interview new, unknown and un(der)exposed music artists, music comapnies,community activists and buisnesspeople. They are currently looking for new music to play on the show, preferably in LP format for our mix shows, but CD format is OK (2 copies of each requested). They will also be interviewing artists for the show. You can contact Mary at shortmary@hotmail.com or shortmary@ureach.com, and send your package to Mary Nichols, c/o African New Dawn, WRSU 88.7 FM, Rutgers, the State Univ. of NJ, 32273 RPO Way, New Brunswick, NJ 08903-8822.
SPINSCOUTS: With a national advertising campaign in over 100 of the largest cities, SpinRecords.com will offer $100 to "SpinScouts" who submit CDs of artists to be considered by SpinRecords.com for exposure and sales of their product and merchandise on the site. Here's another approach to populating a site to get advertising, while finding artists and bands that might be interested in the sites other services (including possible signing to their record label). Those desiring to act as SpinScouts should send professionally produced CDs of independent artists to SpinRecords.com, A&R (Artists & Repertoire), Department, 11440 West Bernardo Court, Suite 170, San Diego, CA, 92127. The CDs will be screened by their A&R department, and, if approved, the artist must sign the SpinRecords.com non-exclusive agreement. Once an act is signed, the SpinScout is paid $100 with a maximum of $2,000 in one month.
JAZZ COUNTRY: Jazz Country are always looking for up and coming jazz artists. They specialize in Improvisational Jazz and other styles of improvised music from around the world, with a focus on instrumental virtuosity (they do not cover Jazz singers, a la Tony Bennet, etc). If you would like to submit music for review, send an email to info@jazzcountry.com.
MUSIC BUSINESS DAILY: The Music Business Daily is calling in all new releases for inclusion in their Future Hit area! Send your CD's and tapes to their staff to review and you might be listed and reviewed. Recent reviews included NY bands Chin Ho! (ending up on MTV Road Rules) and Seventh House. Send your CD's to Music Business Daily (c/o talkmusic.com), Raleigh Office,10720 Peppermill Drive, Raleigh, NC 27614 (email mbd.list@talkmusic.com).
INDIESPACE: Formerly Kspace, Indiespace.com is a Santa Monica-based indie music site for bands to list (for free) or post and sell their products (for a fee). Having grown extensively since their start in 1994, the site (owned and operated by Kaleidospace founder Jeanie Novak), they offer many levels of services, from free site listing (for bands that already have a site), secure credit card transactions and shipping (for 30% of the selling price), licensing and music supervision, to complete website hosting and design. The site boasts over 700 artists and bands affiliated with the site, they also host MP3 tracks (for $25/clip, including digitizing and hosting) at mp3-space.com.
WEBTIPS: Stop DreamingI still get lots of calls from bands asking about "how many CDs I sell online, how many hits do I get to my site, and how many bands have been signed from the websites I run and work on?" They all seem to have bought the hype about the Internet setting bands free and making them all famous, going aroung the established "music industry."Don't hold your breath. The music industry "owns" the distribution pipeline, the media PR machine, the major manufacturing facilities, and are owned by even larger media conglomerates, giving them first dibs on cross-media promotion, etc. I'm not saying that the Internet has no place for independent music - at times it seems to be the only place for it - but you're still going to need traditional manufacturing, distribution, retail and media promotion, radio promotion and tour booking. It's a big job, and it can be done in a cheap, flying-under-the-radar kind of way (if you put ALOT of time into it), but at some point the machine, and the pros that work in it, have its advantages. But the more you know about all of this stuff (and the more you do on your own first), the better position you will be in to keep from being taken advantage of by it. And that's what Internet can best: informing and educating (and not just selling your CDs). |
© Music Connection Magazine 1999.