The explosive popularity and controversy surrounding the download only album CalPOP "Best Record in the World" has resulted in it being banned from the Lala.com Web site. (PRWeb Jan 30, 2009)
Read the full story at http://www.prweb.com/releases/mp3/download/prweb1936224.htm
SCE Stations has created a user friendly and fun filled online radio station which is devoted to providing international exposure to recording artists from all over the world and from any genre. (PRWeb Jan 30, 2009)
Read the full story at http://www.prweb.com/releases/2009/01/prweb1927484.htm
Houston Naturopathic Doctor Aids in Life-saving Weight Loss (PRWeb Jan 30, 2009)
Read the full story at http://www.prweb.com/releases/2009/01/prweb1928644.htm
The explosive popularity and controversy surrounding the download only album CalPOP "Best Record in the World" has resulted in it being banned from the Lala.com Web site. (PRWeb Jan 30, 2009)
Read the full story at http://www.prweb.com/releases/mp3/download/prweb1936224.htm
SCE Stations has created a user friendly and fun filled online radio station which is devoted to providing international exposure to recording artists from all over the world and from any genre. (PRWeb Jan 30, 2009)
Read the full story at http://www.prweb.com/releases/2009/01/prweb1927484.htm
Absolute Pitch PR welcomes their newest client, art-pop band Dynasty Electric, from Brooklyn, New York. DE has been described as "Blondie on acid" and is set to release their new EP Burning in April 2009. (PRWeb Jan 30, 2009)
Read the full story at http://www.prweb.com/releases/Dynasty-Electric/Art-Pop/prweb1935294.htm
Granger Smith and Shenandoah, Granger Smith and Adam Grant & Robert E. to Perform April 18 at Parker Hill Country Music Extravaganza (PRWeb Jan 30, 2009)
Read the full story at http://www.prweb.com/releases/2009/01/prweb1927804.htm
Lots of musicians feel that getting signed by a recording contract is the ultimate goal. This is often true but more often than not this starts a whole new set of problem no band ever wants.
These days a recording contract is nothing more than a big advance of money to be recouped by the recording company through sales of your product. If it doesn’t sell to expectation you still have to pay the money back somehow. Music companies are a business and they are there to make money not lose it. It is no different than going to a bank and getting a loan to market your music your self, except the recording companies have the methods to make the product sell, get airplay and distribute the product throughout the country or even the world. Recording companies loan you the money to make the music and get their money back by distributing it. Typically artists make a small fraction on CDs- most of the money comes through merchandise and tours.
It is really good if you get a label behind your music. But beware of recording companies who try to influence and change your sound, often to the point of rewriting your songs and even changing members of your band or, worse still forcing you to record songs made by other peoples.
Here are some horror stories that can happen to musicians who get signed and think they are on their way to fill stadiums around the world.
Getting shelved!
A band gets signed; get some money advanced for recording. The songs are recorded and completed but the record company ‘shelves’ your act and you never sees the light of day but you can’t take your product anywhere else because you are already signed. Often you can’t even play live gigs without giving some of your performance fee to the record company. This happened to Billy Joel who waited his five year contract out playing in piano bars.
The song gets changed.
Often you will be all ready to record your songs and the record company will bring in a co-writer or producer who alters your compositions beyond all recognition to “fit in with label’s style.” You started to make a hard rock album and you end up with a rap album with all your instruments removed and samples replacing them. You thought you were Metallica only to end up like Jack Johnson. Then you have to go and promote something you really hate and your product is no longer recognizable.
Where did all the money go?
Beware the big advance of money, to make and promote your music. If it doesn’t sell you will have to pay the money back, with interest, just like the banks. How do you pay the money back? Live gigs, touring, radio shows, shopping centres etc for the next ten years. How do all those artists who make millions of dollars end up bankrupt? All the bills they didn’t know they had to pay. They had so much fun, they never watched where the money was going.
Where did my band go?
Quite often musical differences between band members and record companies are solved by the company getting rid of and replacing any member of the band who doesn’t agree with them. The company will try to get work for artists and players who are already signed. Quite often you will find all your guitar player’s work re-recorded by the studio guy or producer to fit in with the label’s sound or smooth over tensions within the band.
I thought I was a musician not a pop star.
Increasingly recording companies are trying to “cross media” any act in anyway they can. They will market you anyway they can, and they will get you to do things to increase your and their exposure any way they can. The company may make you do commericals or appear on American Idol. Most recording companies are part of large corporations. Most musicians have a short shelf life so companies want to maximize their profit now before the public listens to the next big thing. (We’ve all heard of the sophomore slump!)
The music industry is more interested in the business than the music. Try to go independent if you can, market yourself on the web at sites like Axebay and build your own presence in the world by networking in its guitar forums. The more successful you are in the beginning the more bargaining power you have with the recording companies. If you do get an offer, get a good lawyer. You don’t want to waste five years in piano bars.
Band from TV made their television talk show debut January 16, 2009 on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno resulting in a 500% jump in sales for "Hoggin All the Covers", the Band's newly released CD/DVD produced by Generosity Records, LLC and sold exclusively through Amazon.com with all of the Band's proceeds being donated to charity. "Hoggin All the Covers" quickly shot to a #1 sales ranking in Amazon's music store and today steadily maintains a lofty top 15 sales position within the online retailer's music store. (PRWeb Jan 29, 2009)
Read the full story at http://www.prweb.com/releases/2009/01/prweb1924934.htm
Ray Brown Jr set to perform an all-star version of his latest SRI Jazz release, "Friends And Family" on his mother's (Ella Fitzgerald) birthday during Jazz Fest in New Orleans (PRWeb Jan 29, 2009)
Read the full story at http://www.prweb.com/releases/2009/01/prweb1930674.htm