2:08 PM - alot of my friends have been thinking about buying a home since the prices are down another 5%
Current mood: happy

I figured it was a good topic to put into a blog so all could see my recommendation and what potential homeowners need to do initially to get their current financial house in order...

Assuming you don't have a wad of cash in your pocket to just buy the house outright, you will be asking a lender to finance your purchase. Before you allow any lender to pull your credit reports, you will need to know what they will find.

Missed a school loan payment?

Late on just one credit card payment?

Have multiple credit cards available but using only one primarily?

If you answer yes to any of these questions, you may have a problem.Unless you've been living under a rock, you know how vital it is to obtain a  loan you'll actually be able to comfortably afford. Clean bad credit, don't make any new debt, save as much as you can for a down payment and close all charge accounts that are zero balance that you aren't using.

As was once explained to me by my real estate friend, some buyers who are eligible for financing made the mistake of shopping for new furniture for their soon to be new digs, usually putting it on second credit credit different from their main one being used during the application process, when that new debt is reported a day later to the bank they get an update and a new credit score is updated as well. All of a sudden their credit scores go down and their loan falls through.

Modern technology makes it easy for the bank to see instant changes anytime your credit score changes, so I urge applicants be extremely cautious of doing anything that could reflect a change in their credit scores during that app process timeline.

Also, if are one of those people that wants "lenders to compete for you loan" (you know the ads, right, like for Lending Tree or Eloan"....

What they don't tell you is that all these mortgage companies they have deals with will be pulling you credit reports individually, so each lender will see mutiple requests for credit in your credit reports all in a short time frame of 7-10 days.

That will kill your score that you've just worked so hard to correct and protect... Avoid these types of companies at all cost...

Plus there's a serious risk of fraud with all that personal info floating around out there.

Best plan - obtain your credit reports yourself from the three bureau's.

Only www.annualcreditreport.com is the official site that was established by the three bureau's that allow consumer's to recieve a free copy of their three credit reports every 12 months.

Others say they're free but only if you join their credit monitoring service at amounts up to $100/month in some cases.

www.annualcreditreport.com does not charge a fee for just the credit reports, but there is a small fee option if you would like your actual  "FICO" credit scores included on each report, which I would recommend, they can vary between 20 and 40 points between the bureau's.

By taking the time in the early stages to make sure you are emotionally and financially ready to buy a house you'll then be able to approach home ownership with confidence..

Next blog on this topic wil be how to detrmine how much house you can afford...

Thanks...

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2:47 PM - Summer
Current mood: stoked
Category: Music

Concerts  that I'm opening for with Karl & Raul, these are Santana's percussion dudes.

On this tour they get to show off their vocals and all the other instruments they are so damn talented on.

Every summer I do a "lough-dough" summer tour.

All shows at the Greenfield Energy Park are a requested $5 donation. the start times ar usually 6p or 8p. Double check the time in the listings.

All shows at the church in downtown Whately, MA are $15 shows and start at 7:30 as part of their "Watermelon Wednesdays". Everyone gets watermelon at intermission.

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11:14 AM - First it was Maxim with the bogus Black Crowes review
Current mood: ashamed

Now I see this posted today...

UM - What's up with this?

Rumors are circulating about a string of Led Zeppelin dates set for Toronto in August, the latest in a long series of speculation about the band's plans.

According to a blogger for Canada's Much Music channel who quotes "reliable sources", say the band will play only four dates at Toronto's Skydome.

While any tour or live dates by this band would be the hottest ticket to say the least, I'm skeptical of this rumor.

Here's why.

Robert Plant is currently on tour with bluegrass priestess Alison Krauss, A tour that's recently been extended. 

The Skydome doesn't even have any live music events slated for August and there is only 1 set of consecutive dates available and  it's at the end of a month and already filled with baseball and pre-season football events...

 I'm calling this one a big fugazi.
Bummer

Lb

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8:37 PM - WTF?????

Maxim Magazine Reviews Album Without Even Hearing It

Let me ask you a question?

How is it that a magazine can review an entire album--and assign a star rating to it--without actually hearing the album?

Case in point:

The "review" of Warpaint, the new album by THE BLACK CROWES--is in the new March issue of Maxim magazine.

The writer--who could not possibly have heard the album since no advance CD's were made available--wrote what appears to be a disparaging assessment anyway, citing "it hasn't left Chris Robinson and the gang much room for growth."

Incredulously, the magazine gave the album a two and a half star rating--although neither the writer nor the editor could have heard more than one song (the Crowes 1st single "Goodbye Daughters of the Revolution").

When approached for an explanation, the magazine described the review as "an educated guess preview."

Huh? WTF?

Black Crowes manager Pete Angelus said, "Maxim's actions seem to completely lack journalistic integrity and intentionally mislead their readership."

When confronted with the fact that they never heard the album they are claiming to 'review' in their music section--with a star rating, no less--they attempt to explain that it was an 'educated guess.'

In an email correspondence, Maxim went on to state: 'Of course, we always prefer to (sic) hearing music, but sometimes there are big albums that we don't want to ignore that aren't available to hear, which is what happened with the Crowes. It's either an educated guess preview or no coverage at all, so in this case we chose the former.'"

Angelus continued, "It speaks directly to the lack of the publication's credibility. In my opinion, it's a disgrace to the arts, journalism, critics, the publication itself and the public.

What's next? Concert reviews of shows they never attended, book reviews of books never read and film reviews of films never seen?"

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10:45 AM - A person who says...

"A person who says they CAN and a person who says they CANNOT
are both right..."

Which one are you?

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2:22 PM - How To Be Miserable

Compliments of the Wish Jar Journal...

How many of these activities are you doing?

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7:49 PM - The best advice seen on the Internet lately...

How to Write Effective Emails...
http://blog.guykawasaki.com/2006/02/the_effective_e.html

Writing Sensible Email Messages...
http://www.43folders.com/2005/09/19/writing-sensible-email-messages/

The Art of Schmoozing (read this before going to a music conference)...
http://blog.guykawasaki.com/2006/02/the_art_of_schm.html"

*By the way, the best definition of schmoozing:
Discovering what you can do for someone else.

The Art of Recruiting - Although it was written for business, think of it when choosing band members since the same advice will apply...
http://blog.guykawasaki.com/2006/01/the_art_of_recr.html

The Art of Execution...
http://blog.guykawasaki.com/2006/01/remember_the_sc.html

The Art of Boostrapping....
http://blog.guykawasaki.com/2006/01/the_art_of_boot.html

And saving the best for last...

Do it Now...
http://www.stevepavlina.com/articles/do-it-now.htm

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2:40 PM - Before you record your next CD - The Final Word

Digital downloads - new media royalty payments - Blank CD-R royalty payments - physical retail sales - online CD sales and the list goes on...What do all these have in common?

They all depend and hinge on coded information embedded into various media and databases. Each artist needs to use every means in existence to link themselves to their recordings and utilize every tool out there for selling their recording projects.

I am amazed that so few indie musicians know about all these now-essential tools. Please pass this blog along to each and every recording artist you know!

A ton of what is on your CD is not actually music, and since digital distribution is so important to an artist nowadays, it cannot happen without some of these codes. Your fan will be using all types of music players to listen to their collections of tunes and you as an artist have an opportunity to share additional information about you and your music through the use of these codes.

I'm going to tell what each code does, why you need it and where to get it once and for all.....

***UPC (Universal Product Code)***

What is it?
A UPC (commonly called a "bar code") is attached to every piece of product being sold in the retail environment. It's a unique 12 digit number, encoded in a series of vertical bars. which is scanned upon purchase and allows a retail operation to track their inventories. In the case of a CD, the first 6 digits (called the prefix) represent the record label and the last 6 digits (called the suffix) represent the artist and the release number.

What is it used for?
Besides indicating the actual purchase price at the register, the UPC has two main purposes; managing inventory & tracking sales. In addition, Nielsen SoundScan collects UPC sales data from more than 14,000 retailers in the US & Canada to generate its weekly charts of sales published online (at www.soundscan.com) and also in the Billboard charts. Nielsen SoundScan's charts are solely based on actual record sales. For any recording to be tracked by SoundScan its title must be in their database by submitting a Title Submission Form. In a tip of the hat to the Independent Music Artist, Nielsen has now authorized 3rd parties to upload the submission form on your behalf (Oasis CD Manufacturing does this for their customers with no additional effort on the part of the artist).

Where does it come from?
The Uniform Code Council (UCC) maintains the standards of the barcode (www.uc-council.org). Companies must belong to the organization in order to issue a barcode at a cost of $750 annually (going up to $1500 per year shortly). A company then receives the first 6 digits of their code and the rights to use the rest of the sequence up to a total of 10,000 unique products/codes.

How does it work?
UPC's get scanned with optical readers (decoders) which will display the product name on a properly set up cash register or inventory tacking system. If the recording is registered with SoundScan, the scan of the CD is sent to SoundScan's database after the sale.

Why does an indie artist get a UPC?
Many indie artists still sell their CD's through gigs at various venues (SoundScan is not very venue friendly). However, if you want to sell at the major online retail sites like Amazon.com, Borders.com or Barnes & Nobles.com, you will be required to have the barcode.

How do I as an indie get a UPC?
A record lable will purchase their own and assign them to each release in sequence but an indie will not need the thousands of codes membership in the UCC would grant them permission to use. Indie artist usually will get their code from the manufacturer, a distributor or an organization they are a member of (a Regional Songwriting Guild for example that includes it as a benefit to membership). There are restrictions on how you can truncate, scale or shrink the vertical bars so it is recommended that if you are getting your code from your disc manufacturer that you have them actually generate the real "bars". This insures they are correct and will scan properly after the Cd's are done.

Where does it go on my CD?
The UPC is usally located on the back of the package in any of the four corners.

***ISRC (International Standard Recording Code)***

What is it?
It is an alphanumeric code attached to EACH track on your recording. It is actually made of of four sub codes...
For example:

US-Z02-88-12345)...
The first sub code (US) signifies the country of origin.
The second sub code (Z02) signifies the copywright owner, either artist or record label.
The third sub code (88) signiifies the year the ISRC code was embedded into the track (not when the track was released).
The fourth sub code (12345) signifies the designation code assigned to that particular track.

The ISRC is related to the TRACK NOT THE MEDIUM. If you take a track from your CD and it is later re-released on a compilation CD, it would have the same ISRC code. If the track was re-recorded or remixed and altered in any way, then it would be considered a new track and would require a new ISRC code.

What is it for?
This code tracks the USAGE of the sound recording. It helps to determine royalies when the sound recording is used by any outlet required to pay those royalties (such as internet radio stations and XM/Sirius Satellite stations). In other words, if you are getting any airplay on these types of stations (ISRC codes are required anyway for internet play in England currently) and you DO NOT have ISRC codes embeedded into your music - then you are not getting your royalties and you're leaving money on the table!!!

ISRC codes are also used to track sales in electronic stores like iTunes, MSN Music, etc.
Since the ISRC codes remains with the track, even after it is delivered to a fan electronically (or extracted from the original CD it was on) it is a very reliable source of data for tracking purposes.

Where does it come from?
ISRC codes were created by the International Standard Organization (ISO) as a means to provide an "electronic label" for sound recordings. The International Federation of Phonographic Industry (IFPI, www.ifpi.org) has been appointed by the ISO to maintain the ISRC standards.. because the ISRC contains the country of origin, each country has it's own national overseer agency, each deignated by the IFPI. Here in the USA that agency is the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA, www.RIAA.com).

How's it work?
It's an electronic tag of sorts that contains info regarding the track its attached to. Just like UPC codes, record lables and other companies apply for membership status with the administering agency (the RIAA here in the states) to obtain its own 3-digit code (the second sub code group from the previous example). Labels assign the remaining sub codes for the ISRC code. Since the original sequence was set up for a specific total number of releases, and with todays environment of digital delivery, the RIAA has now allowed distributors and online "aggragators" to assign ISRC codes which is how an indie artist can obtain them without having to apply directly to the RIAA.

Where is it on the CD?
Usually your record label will supply the sequence of ISRC codes to whomever is going to master your CD. The info is then compiled onto a sub channel within the master. if you are going to release your music for digital dowwnloads (iTunes for example) the same codes can be applied to the audio CD recording by the online music aggragator (iTunes in the above example)..

GET YOUR ISRC CODES IN ADVANCE, PLAN AHEAD, AND HAVE THEM ADDED TO YOUR CD RELEASE DURING THE MASTERING PHASE AS WELL!!!

***CD Text***

What is this?
CD Text is text based info about the release that is encoded on your disc as a seperate file.

Why is it used?
CD text stores info like album title, song title, artist name, etc. When a CD that contains CD text is played back through CD Text-enabled player (most are now a days), your fan can see this info on the players display panel (most desktop computer do not work with CD Text, computer text display comes from yet another source called CDDB which I will get to as well).

Where do I get this info?
CD text has been around as long as CD's have (since the mid 80's). CD text is part of the origianl "Red Book Audio" stadard used everyday which is the CD form we are all used to by now. With more and more CD player featuring rich text capable displays (including car players) there is a real need to utilize this once again to get your info to your fanbase.

Where's it go on the disc?
It does not interfere with the audio on your CD as it is stored in a sub channel. There's basically 2 ways to get the info on your disc. The first is for the mastering lab to key in all the info (track name, artist name, track length, etc) so that the info becomes part of the disc's "table of contents" on the log furnifhed to the disc manufacturer. Most mastering software these days will take the info from the log, create a CD Text file and create a sub channel for it. The other way to add it is to have the producer use a CD text Editor software prgram which willo create the CD text file and then it gets supplied to the mastering facility. Toast is a poular CD Text Editor prgram that is available for both Mac & PC.

Do I need to add this to my CD?
If you want your fans to be able to see this info when they listen to your CD in any CD/DVD home theatre or enabled car player then you must include it.

***CDDB (CD Database)***

What is it?
CDDB is internet-based database licensed by Gracenote to various developers of playback software and hardware and it is used to display music information like CD text above. The info is retrieved from the companies database upon insertion into the computer CD player. CDDB will allow for display of information on the computer screen through whichever audio playback software the user utilizes.

What do they use it for?
To provide a ton of interactive information about the CD divided into 2 catagories (album info and track info).Album info would include the album title, artist name, record label, year of release, genre, musician credits, producer credit, ISRC code AND a WEBLINK TO YOR URL!!! Track info would include things like track title, artist name again, record label again, year of album release (good for tracking compilations and anthology projects) and so on

Where do I get the CD text info?
As a shock to you, the info in the CDDB database can get there from anyone! A record label may send in intial info, the artist may mailan actual CD to Gracenote for inclusion or a fan with iTunes may provide info and send it in. To insure uniformity and maintain the integrity of the data, Gracenote imposes a certain restriction on naming conventions and gives priority to its "content partners" which are usually record labels. learn more about Gracenote at (www.gracenote.com/contentpartner).

How's it work?
After data is submitted that info is available to everyone who puts a CD into a CD-ROM drive and accesses a software prgram such as iTunes. iTunes will connect to Gracenotes database and the CD's info will appear on the screen.

Where is it on the CD?
Surprisingly, it's not on the actual CD.It is simply "linked" to the Cd.Gracenote has a proprietary way of determining the correct info and how to access it.Disc recognition uses a statistical imprbability formula, that no 2 Cd's will have the exact same tunes of the exact same length and in the exact same sequence.. This info is read by Gracenotes database the very first time a CD gets inserted into a computer drive. This unique sequence gets stored in their system. They also have software that measures certain criteria and creats a "fingerprint" so to speak for each individual track. (www.gracenote.com/partners/software).

Do I need to use CDDB?
YES!!! You have the most to gain or lose depending on how accurate the info on their system is. When you receive your disc from manufacturing, be sure to upload it into the Gracenote system, if you work with a label, make sure they have entered the information in detail through their assignment as a 'content partner".

Trivia question for you: Anybody know what AARC stands for?

I'm going to tell you what it means and why it's important.

***AARC (Alliance of Artists and Recording Companies) - Free money?***
In 1992 Congress implemented a mandatory compulsory royalty on the sale of all blank recording media (CD's, Mini-Discs and digital cassettes etc), to be given to the artists, composers, and labels. This was compensation for them for potential home recording of their works by the end consumers. Artists & labels are represented by the Alliance of Artists and Recording Companies (www.aarcroyalties.com) in an annual negotiation and the the distribution of all funds collected. SoundScan sales data is what is used to detrmine who will get paid!!!

***SoundExchange - More free money?***
When a tune gets played on a typical over-the-air radio station broadcast, the staion is required to pay royalties to the composer (not the label or the artist performing it, tracked and distributed through ASCAP, BMI, Sesac, etc).

When that same tune gets played on an internet station, a satellite station or a music service like Muzak, the rules are different:

BOTH the composer and all the artists performing on it are paid a statutory royalty!!!
The records for this transaction uses several pieces of information including the aforementioned ISRC codes!!! SoundExchange is the compnay responsible for this transaction. SoundExchange is a non-profit organization established by the RIAA. In 2005, SoundExchange paid out royalties of about $30 million. Artists may join SoundExchange for FREE (www.soundexchange.com)

Make sure that you registter everything you perform on (even guest appearances on friends CD's!!!) get paid for that work!

Happy recording folks!

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9:47 AM - Things Indie....

The information in this directory comes courtesy of my fine friends at Music Connection magazine (www.musicconnection.com)....

DISTRIBUTORS

------------------------ 

PINCH HIT ENTERTAINMENT
4001 Pacific Coast Hwy., Ste. 104 Torrance, CA 90503
310-791-7617 Fax 310-791-7620
E-Mail: info@pinchhit.com
Web: www.pinchhit.com
Contact: Mike Naylor
Styles/Specialties: all styles

LABELS

----------

ABET DISC
1938 S. Myrtle Ave. Monrovia, CA 91016
626-303-4114 Fax 626-303-4115
Web: www.abetmusic.com
Contact: Tony Nersoyan
Styles/Specialties: Ambient, Melodic Rock/Pop, World Music Roster: Tony Nersoyan, Steve Melkonian, Cindy Wong, Kristy Brown, Stella Akopyan

ABET MUSIC
1938 S. Myrtle Ave. Monrovia, CA 91016
626-303-4114 Fax 626-303-4115
E-Mail: info@abetmusic.com
Web: www.abetmusic.com
Contact: Tony Nersoyan
Styles/Specialties:instrumental, world music, pop, rock

BOOSWEET RECORDS
P.O. Box 451594 Los Angeles, CA 90045
310-613-3535 Fax 909-877-9199
E-Mail: info@boosweet.com
Web: www.boosweet.com
Contact: Pierre Neilly, Vernon Neilly
Styles/Specialties: jazz, jazz fusion, smooth jazz, R&B, pop, reggae, hip-hop, rap, rock, metal, guitar instrumental, alternative. Roster: Miguel Mega, Mark Whitfield, Vernon Neilly, Alex Martinho, Ricky Furlani, Dani Spence

CLEOPATRA RECORDS
11041 Santa Monica Blvd. PMB #703. Los Angeles, CA 90025
310-477-4000 Fax 310-312-5653
E-Mail: cleoinfo@cleorecs.com
Web: www.cleorecs.com
Contact: Jeff Gray / Brian Perera
Styles/Specialties: gothic, rock, metal, rap, R&B, dance, classics, soundracks

DELTA ENTERTAINMENT CORP.
(Also: Laserlight, Capriccio, Delta, Reader's Digest) 1663 Sawtelle Boulevard Los Angeles, CA 90025
310-268-1205 Fax 310-268-1279
E-Mail: info@deltamusic.com
Web: www.deltaentertainment.com
Styles/Specialties: classical, jazz, blues, pop, meditation, Christmas, easy listening, hard rock, metal. Mainly reissues.
Distribution: Delta Distribution Center

KLEPTO RECORDS
3470 19th St. San Francisco, CA 94110
415-864-1967 Fax 415-864-1966
E-Mail: klepto@kleptorecords.com
Web: www.kleptorecords.com
Contact: Jeromy Smith
Styles/Specialties: all types of rock

LPJ ENTERTAINMENT/LPJ RECORDS
468 N. Camden Dr. Ste 227 Beverly Hills, Ca 90210
310-860-7697 Fax 310-358-3328
E-Mail: info@lpjentertainment.com
Web: lpjentertainment.com

NEW PANTS PUBLISHING INC. & OLD PANTS PUBLISHING INC
102 E. Pikes Peak Ave., Ste. 200 Colorado Springs, CO 80903
719-632-0227 Fax 719-634-2274
E-Mail: rac@hpi.net
Web: www.newpants.com

PINCH HIT ENTERTAINMENT
4001 Pacific Coast Hwy., Ste. 104 Torrance, CA 90503
310-791-7617 Fax 310-791-7620
E-Mail: info@pinchhit.com
Web: www.pinchhit.com
Contact: Mike Naylor
Styles/Specialties: eclectic independent rock/pop, all styles
Roster: Third Grade Teacher, Munkafust, Tearaways, Vegas DeMillo, Pinwheel, Punchy

ROLLING THUNDER RECORDS
9590 Cheaspeake Dr. San Diego CA 92123
858-565-7625
E-Mail: deejrollgthunder@aol.com
Web: www.rollingthunderstudios.com
Styles/Specialties: All genres of Modern Rock, Pop, Alternative R&B, Rap etc. We also own a world class studio- see website.
Roster: Anne E. DeChant, Nels,The Evergreens, Chasing Heaven

SURFDOG RECORDS
1126 South Coast Highway 101 Encinitas, CA 92024
760-944-7873 Fax 760-944-7808
E-Mail: anita@surfdog.com
Web: www.surfdog.com
Contact: Anita Strine
Roster: Brian Setzer, Stray Cats, Richard Cheese, Gary Hoey, Rusty Anderson, Slightly Stoopid, Dan Hicks, Butthole Surfers, Gibby Haynes, *Unsolicited material accepted*

MERCHANDISERS

------------------------

BIG 10 INDUSTRIES, INC. ROCK CITY MERCH
6006 Washington Blvd. Culver City, CA 90232
310-280-1610 Fax 310-280-1611
E-Mail: info@big10.com
Web: www.big10.com

MARKETING

-----------------

CDRollout
3116 Hermosa Ave. Hermosa Beach, CA 90254
310-374-9208 Fax 310-406-2109
E-Mail: info@cdrollout.com
Web: www.cdrollout.com
Contact: Mike Naylor
Styles/Specialties: CD/DVD replication, merchandise production (T-shirts, stickers, posters, postcards, merch items), graphic design, publicity and marketing assistance.

FAST FORWARD ARTIST PROMOTIONS
1425 Holiday Blvd. Merritt Island, FL 32952
800-341-1480 Fax 321-452-6036
E-Mail: fastforwardpromo@aol.com
Web: www.fastforwardartistpromo.com
Contact: Fred Migliore & Kathy Plesent
Styles/Specialties: Promotion to National Public Radio's (NPR) news magazine, i.e. Morning Edition, All Things Considered for artist interview segments on their programs.

GARY GROUP, THE
2040 Broadway Santa Monica, CA 90404
310-264-1700 Fax 310-264-9744
E-Mail: csharpe@garygroup.com
Web: www.2Gstudios.com
Contact: Dick Gary, President
Styles/Specialties: all styles, *No unsolicited material*

LOGGINS PROMOTION
Main office: 26239 Senator Ave. Harbor City, CA 90701 Second office: 2530 Atlantic Ave., Ste. C Long Beach, CA 90806
310-325-2800 Fax 310-427-7333
E-Mail: promo@logginspromotion.com
Web: www.logginspromotion.com
Contact: Paul Loggins, John Stevens
Styles/Specialties: all styles

PINCH HIT ENTERTAINMENT
4001 Pacific Coast Hwy., Ste. 104 Torrance, CA 90503
310-791-7617 Fax 310-791-7620
E-Mail: info@pinchhit.com
Web: www.pinchhit.com

SONICBIDS
580 Harrison Avenue, Fourth Floor Boston, MA 02118
617-275-7222 Fax: 617-275-7223
E-Mail: artists@sonicbids.com
Web: www.sonicbids.com
Clients: CMJ, Billboard Song Contest, NEMO, John Lennon Songwriting Contest, Hard Rock CafŽ, Jeep and many others.
Styles/Specialties: Electronic Press Kits (EPKús) for all styles of music

PUBLICISTS

---------------

Doug Deutsch Publicity Services
213-924-4901
E-Mail: bluzmon@sprintpcs.com

KATHY ACQUAVIVA MEDIA
818-893-8458 Fax 818-920-0044
E-Mail: kathymedia@aol.com

CDRollout
310-374-9208 Fax 310-406-2109
E-Mail: info@cdrollout.com
Web: www.cdrollout.com

FLYING COASTER PR
310-281-3146
E-Mail: info@flyingcoasterproductions.com
Web: www.flyingcoasterpr.com

LIPPIN GROUP, THE
323-965-1990, 212-986-7080
E-Mail: losangeles@lippingroup.com
Web: www.lippingroup.com

MITCH SCHNEIDER ORGANIZATION (MSO)
818-380-0400 Fax 818-380-0430
E-Mail: info@pinchhit.com
Web: www.pinchhit.com

SOL2SOUL PUBLIC RELATIONS
310-390-2712 Fax 310-391-2262
E-Mail: kl364@aol.com

SOLTERS & DIGNEY Public Relations
323-651-9300
E-Mail: jerry@solterspr.com
Web: www.solterspr.com

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2:45 PM - Do you really need more reasons to join BMI...

BMI is better suited for singer/songwriters, bands with a main singer/songwriter and any Indie musician looking for exposure opportunities for their music (film/TV licensing and so on)...

Here is just 2 more reasons why they are more pro-active than ASCAP folks and create many more events that you can be apart of and reap rewards from...

Firt off, Circle of Songs (one of BMI's monthly songwirter showcases held in LA) has expanded its services to help develop the artists and help to distribute their music.

How? You ask....

"Circle of Songs" (CoS) has teamed with several businesses to increase awareness of its members’ music .

For example, the December 23, 2004 issue of American Songwriter Magazine included special features from "Circle of Songs" that detail career strategies, some members’ success stories, a chart of member CDs, the latest gear information, and advice from "CoS" experts.

Secondly, Channel 103.1 FM Indie radio in LA has teamed with "CoS" to support the Indie music community.

The station runs (40) "CoS" spots/month during their primetime radio program, Jonesy’s Jukebox.

These spots encourage the listeners to purchase "CoS" members’ music off their websites and will also promote any of their upcoming performances at a "CoS" showcases.

BMI is free to join folks so there's no excuse for not having logged in and requested the membership forms!!!!

You're missing up to 4 or more opportunities every month that BMI offers...

"Showcases"

New Music Nights:
New Music Nights is a showcase series held every other month, featuring the best emerging bands and artists. Although most New Music Nights events are held in Los Angeles, shows have also been produced in San Francisco, Portland, Seattle, Arizona, and Colorado around regional festivals and music conferences. Los Angeles shows usually feature 3 to 4 bands/artists, and are held at various Los Angeles hotspots.

If you are interested in playing a New Music Nights event, please send your submission (tape, CD or record, Submissions will be responded to if selected for participation. Materials will not be returned.) along with a photo and bio to:
NEW MUSIC NIGHTS
8730 Sunset Blvd.
3rd Floor West
Los Angeles, CA. 90069

Circle of Songs:
An acoustic evening featuring 4 singer/songwriters "in-the-round" in an intimate and personal environment. Often attended by members of the Southern California songwriter community as well as industry executives the Circle of Songs is a great place to see up and coming talent and do some serious networking. This showcase is held the first Monday of every month at Genghis Cohen from 7pm to 8pm and admission is always free. Genghis Cohen is located at 740 N. Fairfax Ave. LA CA 90046.

Pick Of The Month:
BMI's Pick of the Month showcase series features one up and coming band every month at one of a variety of L.A.'s best venues. This showcase is open to all genres and performances are generally 35 minute sets at places such as The Troubadour, The Viper Room and The Knitting Factory. These showcases are attended by many industry executives in search of new talent. Cover and location vary.

R&B Showcases:
Held in Los Angeles & Oakland.
Unsigned talent showcase in r&b music genre.
Four to ten performers depending on venue.

"Workshops"

BMI 101:
BMI 101 is an introductory workshop for writers and publishers. Lasting 1 hour, BMI 101 covers the history of performing rights, the origins of BMI and the current role BMI plays in the complex world of the music industry. It is a great opportunity to not only meet other songwriters, but also educate yourself at the same time! The BMI 101 workshop will be held on the 2nd Tuesday of every month from 4:00-5:00 p.m. in the BMI conference room at:

8730 Sunset Blvd.
3rd Floor West
Los Angeles, CA. 90069

Attendance is free, but seating is limited. If you are interested in attending, please call the BMI 101 hotline at: 310-289-6336.

BMI Conductor's Workshop:
A four-week course taught by conductor Lucas Richman for BMI composers who are looking to refine their conducting skills. Limited to ten students who are BMI affiliated, professional film and television composers.

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