Charm City Media

How to Get Noticed By Those
Who Can REALLY Help Your Music Career!
As you or your band performs, be it from club to club around town or nationally, there is usually one thing lingering in the back of your mind…

How do you go about getting that one big break that will push you ahead toward greater recognition and success artistically?

You know it happens to artist and bands all the time. That time could come soon for your group to break out of the local scene and land that recording contract or national tour that will get you on your way to greater success.

You know there are tried and true methods. Having a great demo or being interviewed on the local radio shows at once seemed like a good idea. But times have changed in the music industry. In this article, we will discuss some up-to-date information and inside tips on how to get noticed in this tough business, in short I�ll give you some info that will literally place on the music industry radar screen. The knowledge that I�m about to share with you will work for any and everyone: Songwriters, Singers, Musicians, Rappers and for all genres of music: Pop, Rock, Rap, Gospel, R&B, Jazz, Grunge, Country and everything in between!
Where are the Scouts?

You have had the thought run through your mind as you perform for an enthusiastic crowd in a club or bar. Are there music industry scouts in this crowd? Maybe you just laugh it off but you have heard that they are out there watching bands like yours and signing the talented ones to develop into stars.

What you have heard is true. Industry insiders tell us that now more than ever, scouts are everywhere. You may worry that you are not living in one of the big �music industry towns� like New York, Chicago, L.A. and Nashville but that isn�t important. Remember, Seattle wasn�t on the map before grunge hit and they found Sir Mix A-Lot and for you Rock Heads, Kurt and Eddie.

But what if you don�t always have the biggest audience in town. Well, some of the biggest acts in the music business were �discovered� playing to a small and intimate crowd. If your performance is strong and you are getting good word of mouth, the music industry scouts will find you and check you out. So perform every night like they are out there because there is no reason to believe that they are not.
Go Get Them

But you don�t have to sit around and wait for them to come to you. The new �hunting grounds� for bands and talent are well known to the insiders. Once you know who it is that is feeding the information to music industry scouts and agents, you can learn the tricks of the trade to feed information about you or your band into that system. Here are a few of the newest methods and venues you can use to get yourself noticed:

* Perform, Perform, Perform. These days the local club scene is the most important way to get noticed. Don�t wear yourself out chasing agents or scouts. If your performances are strong, that will create a buzz and the word of mouth will get you noticed. Then the scouts will come to see you rather than you having to go and chase them.

* Build your relationship with your audience. Insiders tell us that scouts will come to a show for a musical venue they don�t even understand. If you are doing something bold and new that they are not able to evaluate musically, they will go by the crowd. If your audience responds with excitement and enthusiasm, that is what gets the eyes and ears of music executives. So pour yourself into the people for whom you are performing. That�s what you love to do anyway so it�s an easy way to get noticed and the right way too.

* Build your local network. Industry agents know club owners and booking agents for local events very well. If you have a strong reputation with them, they will pass that information along to the scouts who are looking for new talent.

* Indie (independent) labels are also a rich source of information for the larger recording houses to find out about up and coming bands. You may have indie labels near by so get to know them and get them to your shows so when they have a chance to connect you to a scout, your band is on their list of hot new acts.

* Never miss a chance to network but look for innovative ways to advertise yourself as well. The internet has lots of new and interesting sites that scouts are starting to watch for new talent. If you have the resources, get a web page up and get some MP3 samples of your performances out there. You can easily set up a website using a service like http://www.MyWebSiteMyMusic.com and you can also easily put your music on your site or anywhere else online, even in emails in MP3 format using a service like the one offered at http://www.ListenToMyMusicOnline.com .

The services offered by these two websites are extremely inexpensive and so simple to use, a 5 year old could do it, yet they will have you looking like a music industry professional in no time at all.
Is the Demo Dead?

From what we have learned so far, you would think the demo is ready to go into the hall of fame as an out-of-date tool. But the demo tape still has some real value to you. The best demo is one that showcases not only your musical skill but the personality and the performance skill of you or your band. If you can have someone put a demo together from one of your performances, that gives an agent or scout a bit of a feel for what to expect from you when he comes to see you.

So treat the demo as part of your bag of tricks but it isn�t the thing that is going to seal the deal. If a scout likes what he hears or at least his curiosity is peaked, he will then seek out ways to see you live. Then we are back to the club atmosphere, your relationship with your crowd and your performance. Those are the things that will get you noticed in a way that will lead to bigger breaks. Look at the demo as just the hook with a little bit of bait on it. You can also use your demo on your web page along with some video footage of your live performance to showcase the excitement of your shows. Remember both http://www.ListenToMyMusicOnline.com and http://www.MyWebSiteMyMusic.com offer some of the best services in the industry for doing this.
Video Didn�t Kill the Radio Star

Radio used to be the primary medium for distributing information about new acts and for getting your music played and noticed. But changes in ownership of radio stations and in how they are programmed have changed that too. The radio station is no longer a significant communication channel for you to use to get on the music industry radar screen.

A lot of factors have dropped radio off the radar screen for getting noticed. Airplay is not as much of a factor as it used to be when there was a lot of diversity in radio. Radio is nearly a monopoly with all of the play list decisions made by one central national firm. So if you think that any one individual at your area radio stations makes airplay decisions, you should revise that opinion because they do not. This little insider tip alone can save you huge amounts of wasted energy and frustration when trying to get noticed.

But don�t worry, scouts and music industry agents know they will not find the new, the innovative and the creative music on radio. They have turned from it to use local networking and club performances as their radar screen for new talent.

You do the same. Do not concern yourself a great deal with local radio coverage. Even college radio is virtually a dead venue for getting noticed in this new market. Focus on where the real contacts are being made today, through local contacts, word of mouth and above all club and local festival performances. Other good habits include using music industry contact directories like the one found at http://www.MusicBizPhoneBook.com which list contact information to over 20,000 important people in the music industry.

It�s all in your network and what is happening on the street that will make the difference between you getting noticed or not. In a way, that�s the way it always should have been, having the focus placed on your band talent, performance skill and live shows. That is where your strength is anyway. Be a savvy marketer and use this knowledge to raise the awareness of your band, your talent, your songs and your performances.

Winter is upon us and you have more time, since you’re not golfing…so why not get a jump on next season by doing some simple, in-home golf exercises that will quickly prepare your body to hit LONGER drives and shoot LOWER scores?

How many times have you started a new golf season with very high scores, short drives, and aches and pains? Am I talking to you? Let’s be honest. It happens more times than you’d like. But why not do it different this time? Instead of going into deep depression that the season is over – keep golf in the top of your mind by starting a golf exercise program.

Don’t let your clubs get dusty and forget about your game. Prepare your body in anticipation of next spring. It’s no fun to come off the course feeling spent (in more ways than one) when you could have energy to spare. You have between 4-6 months to greatly improve your strength, flexibility and stamina. It would be the wisest thing to do to improve your golf for next season.

When you begin the season with a “broken” body, you’re taking two steps back. Take a leap forward and prepare your body by getting your golf exercise program in motion. Think of it this way. What a great opportunity to get the edge on your playing partners and win all the money. Wouldn’t that get their goat?

Finally, you’ll get the chance to redeem yourself from a previous season that found you paying out more than receiving and being the brunt of all jokes in the clubhouse after every round. We’ve all been there - but no longer right? This is the winter to make the commitment and do it! No excuses. No more reasons to put it off. You may realize it’s not easy – but nothing worth getting is easy.

Golf exercise is a very popular topic these days among all the pros, teachers and even amateurs. It’s no secret that if you get your body fitter, stronger and more flexible you will swing better and hit longer drives that produce lower scores.

That’s what we all want right? What a feeling to be the longest (and straightest) hitter in your group. Always hitting your approach shot last because you were the furthest down the fairway. Those are the kinds of thoughts you should have this winter while you’re working out.

The simplist way to implement golf exercises is to look at the golf swing. First off, it’s standing on your feet. Not sitting down, like on a machine in your local gym. So try to do most of your exercises on your feet.

Secondly, you should be in your golf posture. Which is a bend forward at the hips, with your knees slightly flexed. Doing exercises in this position will create a very strong, stable golf swing.

A good example of a golf exercise would be the Golf Posture Lateral Raise:
• Bend forward at hips just beyond normal golf posture.
• Hold dumbbells in front of your thighs, palms facing each other.
• Slowly raise dumbbell to the side and up.
• Slowly bring back down to pre-stretch position.

Do you see how this would quickly build up the strength in the back of your shoulders for a strong take-away and downswing? The only equipment required was a pair of dumbbells (hand weights), which probably cost about . No fancy gym. And in the convenience of your home.

This is just one example of a simple golf exercise you can do quickly and conveniently in your home to dramatically transform your game!

One of the greatest inventions of the 21st century is the iPod, made by apple. An iPod is a small portable, walkman-like mp3 player with a hard disk inside. Hard disk sizes vary but come up to 60 gigabyte. A 60 GB hard disk easily fits thousands of high quality full music albums. Image having all your music at hand, no matter where you go!

Now let’s take a 60GB iPod photo, which has a lovely colour screen. It also allows you to store thousands of photos. It’s easy to use interface allows you to browse through your pictures at an impressive speed. You can connect the iPod photo to your television and use the slideshow. .Imagine what it’s like to always have say a months worth of non-stop music playing in your back pocket. Being able to play this music on your home or car stereo .Or through your headphones in the train or on your bicycle.

If you like an mp3 player at the size of a packet of chewing gum, the iPod Shuffle is the answer. At the moment they come in 512 MB or 1 GB size, and a 2 GB and 4 GB iPod shuffle have been announced. Don’t be fooled by its small size as it sounds just as impressive it’s bigger brothers. The iPod shuffle has no LCD display like the iPod, iPod mini and iPod Photo. The iPod mini is a smaller colourful version of the normal iPod and come in 4GB and 6GB at present.

Not only the iPod itself is fantastic, but there are literally tons of super cool accessories available for this device.

For instance, one accessory called Roadtrip, made by Griffin Technology, is a dock you can fit in your car. The dock has a built in FM transmitter and will send out the music being played by the iPod through an FM signal. My car radio picks up the signal and blasts it out my car speakers.. How cool is that?!! You simply get in your car, slot in your iPod and turn the ignition key and off you go. The Roadtrip draws its power from the cigarette lighter. It can also draw its power from USB. That way you can use it to route the sound of your computer to your home stereo.

Another accessory for instance is AirClick, a remote control for your iPod or iPod mini. You can even get card readers so you can transfer the photos from your digital camera directly to your iPod. How handy is it to have 60 GB of storage with you if you like photography?

Since I bought my iPod I have been enjoying music more than ever before! I would like to recommend it to any music lover, its well worth the money.

Everyone who starts in TV, radio or theatre eventually wants to make their way to Hollywood. This isn’t new; we’ve all seen transitions from the music industry, including J-Lo, Britney Spears, Beoncee Knowles, John Mayer, Bon Jovi, Madonna, Witney Houston and countless others. Generally, those artists who have specialized and mastered a certain craft have a hard time delivering in the film industry.

This is the same with Commercial directors like Michael Bay who was originally a music video/commercial director and then turned his focus to motion pictures by making films like Bad Boys, The Rock, Armageddon, Pearl Harbor and the latest The Island with Ewan McGregor. As a result, all his films feel like they are extended versions of those mini commercials and music videos he used to make. The cinematography is perfect while the editing is breathless and doesn’t give enough time to the viewer to digest all the information they are receiving.

Napoleon Dynamite was so successful with the audiences because it was the complete opposite of Michael Bay films. Instead of fast-paced editing, the camera lingered on the actors letting them settle into the scene and as a result letting the viewer settle into the scene as well. Machiavelli Hangman is another picture that is up for release later this year that will give its audiences these longer scenes with more focus on acting.

There are other films like Peter Jackson’s Lord of the Rings trilogy and most likely his upcoming remake of King Kong that fall in a middle ground between fast-based Hollywood studio films and equally successful independent and quieter films like Napoleon Dynamite and Machiavelli Hangman (http://www.hangmanmovie.com).

Peter Jackson has always focused on motion pictures and that craft shows off in his ability to tie all the strings together. When the viewers sit to watch his films, they are entertained and they are also given enough material to think about it.

Madonna has had a tremendously successful musical career, but she began to venture into motion pictures with her debut with Warren Beatty in Dick Tracey. Then she made such films as Evita and Swept Away and on each occasion, critics bashed her performances and said that she should simply stick to her music.

There are other instances when the transitions prove to be the right thing to do. For example, Sam Mendes who was a prominent theatre director moved to Hollywood and was offered to do American Beauty by Steven Spielberg. That film that Spielberg proclaimed to be an instant classic went on to win an Oscar for Best Picture.

Sure there are exceptions, but the history of entertainment shows that it is more beneficial for artists to stick to what they know best, or they are bound to shoot themselves in the foot.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

September 21, 2005– San Francisco, CA–R & B and Jazz vocalist Tanya Fermin does not need a Special Invitation to extend a hand to her brothers and sisters in need. Fermin, as well many artists worldwide, have offered their music as a way of generating funds for the folks that have suffered from the devastating effects of hurricane Katrina.

Teamed with the incredibly successful CD Baby to market her latest release Special Invitation, Tanya is taking all the proceeds from the sales of the CD for one month and putting it in a fund for the victims of the hurricane. CD Baby plays a major role in the success of this by e-mailing millions of customers to make them aware of the offer.

There is no other place in the world like the United States and our humanity is our guiding light in times of need. The power of the media does not always have to be negative, we can use it for good things, and this is a perfect example. When disaster strikes, our good will comes to the surface very quickly because we all are compassionate and loving beings. The power of marketing and the best tool of all, the Internet, are making the raising of funds seamless and tremendously effective.

In good times and bad, we turn to music to ease the pain. We are thankful for artists that believe their art is not only a way to communicate with others, it’s an influential instrument that allows us to join together, use all our talents, and help to turn the ravages of a disaster into a more manageable situation for all of those affected.

Fermin Music
Promotions: Lynette Jones-925-595-2452
2330 Pleasant Hill Rd #4
Pleasant Hill, CA 94523
E-Mail: press@tanyafermin.com
Fax-925-933-9168
CD Baby Link: http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/tanyafermin
Website: http://www.tanyafermin.com

PR Created and Submitted by Keith “MuzikMan” Hannaleck-http://www.muzikreviews.com

Care and maintenance of pianos.

Temperature and humidity.

In positioning your piano, you should strive for evenness of humidity and temperature. Since a piano is made mostly of wood, it is greatly affected by seasonal change. If there is lots of variation in humidity and temperature, your piano will easily go out of tune. Humidity fluctuations can also cause cracking of the wooden soundboard and damage to the finish.

For these reasons you should never put a piano next to a frequently opened outside door or in front of a picture window. Never put it near heating ducts, hot air registers, or radiators. Protect the piano against direct sunlight, humidity and sudden changes in temperature. You need to ensure a temperature of about 72 degrees Fahrenheit and a humidity of about 40 percent.

If you can’t control the environment of the house, if you can’t find a suitable location, consider installing a climate control system in the instrument itself. This will take care of climate-related problems.

Tuning

If you prize your piano, you will tune it regularly. Domestic pianos should be tuned roughly once every four to six months. For those playing in concert halls the piano is tuned just before every performance. It is important to tune the piano regularly. The longer a piano remains out of tune, the more time and effort a technician will need to restore correct pitch. When moving the piano to a new environment wait a few weeks for it to become acclimated. Only then should you tune it.

Appearance

Your piano should be cleaned and polished carefully so as to avoid introduction of any fluids into its interior. To avoid the abrasive effect of dust consider using a feather duster rather than a cloth. When a cloth is used it should be soft. You should clean the keys with a sponge dampened with water or a very mild soap. The piano lid should be closed only when necessary. While the lid provides protection when the piano is not in use, it can also lead to yellowing of the white keys.

Piano’s inside

Take proper care of the inside of your piano. Bug sprays and mothballs should not be used. Don’t try to oil it yourself. Don’t place drinks and other liquids like cosmetics, any kind of Aerosol, insecticides, paint thinner or petroleum-based products on top of the piano. They can spill inside and cause metal parts to rust and wood parts to stick. A professional should clean the inside once every three years.

Many problems can be prevented by playing your piano frequently. These include the accumulation of dust and rust.

Having taught the guitar for many years, I see the majority of beginners experiencing the same problems and making the same mistakes over and over again in their quest to learn how to play guitar. It’s my job to steer them through these problem areas.

These “mistakes” are basic errors that most beginners naturally tend to make. But these mistakes can cause major problems if you allow them to become habits in your playing. Unfortunately, 90% of guitarists have done just that!
Avoid These 3 Mistakes Like The plague

The three main mistakes MOST people make when learning how to play guitar are:
1: Trying to play too fast too soon.

Don’t be in such a rush. Trying to go too fast too soon causes serious problems. Sloppy playing and mistakes will become your trademark.

Learn to practice slowly and perfectly. The reason for this, is, what you program your brain and fingers with while practicing, is what you’ll get as a habitual and subconscious end result.

The GIGO computer term describes it best. Garbage In = Garbage Out. If you program a computer with faulty data, your results will be faulty too. It’s exactly the same with learning how to play guitar.

So practice everything very slowly and perfectly. Do this, and your playing will be to a higher standard than 90% of all other guitarists. Yes - even those that have been playing for years!
2: Too much body and hand tension.

Have you ever noticed how the top professionals make it all look so easy and effortless? How relaxed they are?

Take a lesson from that.

When learning how to play guitar, and in all practice sessions, you need to be as relaxed as possible at all times.

Unnecessary tension anywhere in the body when playing will stop you like a brick wall. Any “excess” tension in your fingers, hands, arms, elbows, wrists, shoulders, neck, chest, stomach, thighs, legs is extremely hazardous to learning how to play guitar properly.

Practicing the right things in the right way will give you amazing results - even if you practice only 10 - 20 minutes a day.
3: Learn the difference between practice time and noodling time.

Basically, you learn how to play guitar in two ways:- 1: when you practice, and, 2: when you noodle and try out new ideas.

Practice Time is SERIOUS Time!

It’s when you are specifically and very deliberately teaching your body and brain new motor and muscle-memory skills. This is all done very slowly, with great care and meticulous attention to detail. Never practice fast.

Practice time is where you develop muscle-memory and train your body to act in the most beneficial way for playing guitar. Remember - GIGO!

This is the foundation building time.. where you lay the foundation for learning HOW to play guitar the best way you can - without imposing limitations upon yourself through bad practice habits.

Noodling Time.

Noodling Time is where you learn how to play guitar by putting into practice what you study during your practice time. It’s where you to steal licks, chords and solos off records. It’s where you hunch over your cd player or computer with your guitar trying to hear and learn that tricky chord or lick.

It’s where good habits can easily become undone!

Better to do this… Once you learn a lick, sit down in your chair in the proper position and play that lick over and over at a slow speed while focusing on being as relaxed as possible and with absolute minimal finger movement. Program that lick, your physical movements and relaxation “perfectly” into your brain. Only when it becomes 2nd nature to you, and you “own” that lick, should you start speeding up.

But… always focus on being as relaxed as possible.

Noodling is fun, and a necessary part of learning how to play guitar. Do as much as you can. But.. don’t mistake it for real practice time. Don’t noodle with bad habits either.

Next… you need to ensure you are practicing the correct things in the correct way too. But that’s another story.

Copyright 2005 IDE

People that play the piano beautifully fascinate me. It is interesting the different paths some of them take to become good at it. There are so many options now days for children and adults interested in becoming concert pianists, or just become comfortable with this instrument and play it whenever they feel like it, carry a tune for their enjoyment or to please others like myself.

Many excellent piano players started their education at a young age, because they were given the opportunity by their parents, relatives or friends, and with time they found a way to express themselves, increasing their self confidence opening doors of inspiration and self satisfaction to become better at their new enterprise.

In this technological age of computers and video games, these have become an excellent way to transmit information at an early age to children. The challenge remains in figuring out which video games should we buy and keep.

As far as piano learning is concerned, recently I have been shown and become interested in the PianoWizard video game package from Allegro Multimedia. piano instruction game computer software provides a fun attention grabber display setting to users, teaching them to play music first by being involved with game activities on the screen that they can interact with a fun color coded keyboard. This makes children start enjoying music without them even realizing they are stepping into the piano-playing world. This computer instruction game teaches music notation while children get more into the game, making the learning curve transparent, pressure free, fun and enjoyable.

The system works with MIDI files that one can download to a computer, in fact, the company’s main site has links to many sites that have a large amount of MIDI files and information.

I find that the price for the keyboard and PianoWizard video game package is very affordable for all the capabilities included in the piano instruction software. I really do like the fact that one can up-load any type of song in MIDI format into the game and start playing it along in minutes. I believe your time will be well spent while visiting their site http://www.pianowizard.com/piano-instruction/ and learn about their excellent piano instruction game purchasing offer.
My best wishes to you and your children in this musical and uplifting venture.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Bermuda-08/01/05-Robert Symons, the renowned Steel Pan musician from Bermuda recently released his third volume of Tropicana Steel Pan interpretations. Following the formula of success employed on the previous two volumes, Symons takes recognizable pop gems and turns them into an island paradise with his expertise on the steel pan and Yamaha QY20.

Tropicana Steel Pan – Bermuda Volume 3 is a fine effort due to the new life the tunes find with the tropical way of living. The music of the steel pan is a one of the focal points of the Bermuda culture. Just as anywhere else in the world, the importance of music is paramount. The creator of the music normally reflects their country in some fashion. Symons is very successful at conveying the Bermuda attitude and culture through his music. The relaxing island getaway has music to match its stunning beauty through the unique and engaging sound of the Steel Pan Drums.

This music is the ultimate stress buster. With warm island breezes and a burning sun in your mind you will find comfort and relaxation in every tracked offered on Tropicana Steel Pan – Bermuda Volume 3. You may not be able to travel to Bermuda in a literal sense; however, Symons takes you there through his music with ease. It is so convincing that when you close your eyes you can feel the warm pink sand of their famous beaches between your toes.

Great tunes like “To Sir With Love” and “Handyman” give the album a variety just as the preceding volumes offered. A strong pop sensibility dominates the album with many different decades represented. Each listener has the opportunity to find sweet memories connected to each particular song.

This is real treat for the instrumental enthusiast and it will certainly find success in a large diverse audience.

For Booking Contact
Robert Symons at:
(ph) 441-293-5350
(fx) 441-293-6383
E-mail: robertsymons@hotmail.com
Website: http://www.tropicanasteelpan.com
Media Link: http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/symons

Mailing Address:
P.O.Box CR 322
Crawl CR BX
BERMUDA

###

PR Created and Submitted By MuzikReviews.com-Keith “MuzikMan” Hannaleck

With the increased proliferation of online guitar and musical equipment stores, as well as the lower prices and greater selection that these stores generally offer, most people are now turning to the internet to help them make their guitar purchases. Shopping online is simpler and more convenient than shopping in a store and, since all major guitar manufacturers have good websites, product information and specs are more easily accessible online than they are simply by asking a salesperson in a store.

The only downside to shopping online is pretty easy to figure out: there’s no physical contact with the instrument. Think about it, when you’re shopping for a new car, you can get in, look around and take it for a test drive. With shopping for a guitar online, that’s not generally possible. This means that you have to educate yourself a bit more about what you’re trying to purchase before you actually take the plunge.

Not all guitars are created equal. Although, with the improvement in manufacturing processes and technologies, purchasing a “bad” guitar for more than 0 is difficult to do these days. Talk to your fellow musicians, either in person or on an online community or “blog” and see what different people have to say about the instruments they’ve played. Many online stores allow their users to rate their products so, along with the general information about the guitar, you can also find out what people who bought the guitar thought of it, and why.

Research what your favorite guitarists play. Not only in terms of brands, but in the configuration of the guitar itself: was that fantastic solo played with a single-coil or a humbucking pickup; why do country guitarists typically use Telecaster-style guitars? In answering these questions, you will better educate yourself about what type of guitar you are most interested in. Don’t forget, if you buy something online that you aren’t satisfied with, almost all online stores have a 30 to 45 day no fault return policy.