Hardbreakers Movie

I composed a track for the new movie “Hardbreakers” with Sophie Monk and Cameron Richardson, check out the promo video!

NAMM 2009 Report

I was fortunate enough to go to the NAMM (National Association of Music Merchants), winter trade show in Anaheim, California this week and see all the fantastic new products from all the big hitters of the music world.

There was so much great stuff I did not get to see half of it, there were many special guests appearing and performing including Alicia Keys, Brian Wilson (who sung California Girls), Flea from the Chilli Peppers (who jammed for the fans), Kerry King from Slayer, Gene Simmons from Kiss, Dave Mustane from Megadeth, Joe Satriani and even Elmo and Cookie Monster (really!), amongst many others.

The good thing is I got a close up hands on look at the new Steinberg Cubase 5 which I reported about on my blog. The PitchCorrect and VariAudio looked very impressive, Steinberg will steal a lot of business from the other companies who produce this type of software by cleverly including it as standard in the Cubase 5 program, and not as a several hundred Dollar add-on or plugin.

I was also impressed by the REVerence VST3-based convolution reverb processor, it has 70 impulses built in, and also the ability to import multi-channel custom user impulses so you can emulate any acoustic environment, I played with it and it really does work well.

There was so much to see and so many great demos, I was sad when I had to leave. Thanks to Michael Logue and the fantastic Koblo music software for the pass.

I have uploaded a few pictures I took on Saturday if you want to take a look.

Sales!!!! Get Your Music Gear Now and Save $$$

It is my favorite time of the year, the music shops all have sales! This is when I always get my new equipment and save some cash.

GuitarCenter.com are having a price drop plus 10% off of over 20,000 items, with free shipping and a low price guarantee!

The sale ends on 31-Jan-2009.

Click on the banner to check it out!

Get on iTunes

I am always being asked about the value of putting music up for sale on the big online retailers like iTunes or Rhapsody, for small or unknown bands. I think for bands these days the chances of getting signed and landing a big deal are pretty slim, but then they have never been that great anyway, or not as far as I can remember in the 25+ years I have been in the Music Business.

With the onslaught of web 2.0 the days of putting a website up and leaving it there are gone forever, you need to use every angle just to get on the same level as everyone else. Every band is on MySpace, Facebook, Twitter and every other social networking service out there, so you need to get yourself on a level playing field and then also think about other less conventional ways of being noticed.

The Arctic Monkeys and a lot of other new bands that make a splash these days are touted as bands that have done it on their own, and although I do think that The Arctic Monkeys were pretty popular, I also tend to think that a lot of these other stories on the Internet about bands that have broken big without a label are circulated by the band’s label or publicist themselves to gain free publicity, after they have already signed them.

The way the story usually goes is that the Band sold 1000′s of CDs and downloads and then got signed because of their popularity, but in a lot of cases it does seem strange that no one ever actually heard too much about the band and their huge sales until they got signed. I usually take most these claims with a pinch of salt, it is just the latest (and fast becoming overused) publicity gimmick.

So what does all this have to do with the original question, is it worth getting your music on iTunes and the other online retailers?

Making stories up about a band is just another way of getting noticed and playing the game, and everyone lies to make a name for themselves, but I think the short answer to the original question is yes. Getting on the big online retailers is another angle that you need these days, and having a professional quality album up on iTunes makes you look like a proper band, whether you are one or just someone in their bedroom with a laptop.

I would also like to add a word of caution at this point, you will not automatically sell loads of mp3s and make a fortune overnight just by getting on iTunes, but if you have the material ready then why not go for it? You have to also remember to still keep working on every other aspect of promotion and marketing as well if you are to stand any chance of success.

I have found that once you have a real product to sell or even give away in any sort of business, if you work at promoting it properly then things will eventually start to happen. People will definitely take you more seriously as a band if you can point them to iTunes than if you are just a guy with a CD-R and a homemade sleeve.

There are several companies that specialize in getting your CD into the big online stores, like Magnatune and CD Baby, but the company that I want to shamelessly plug is Tunecore. I like the idea of not paying too much money for their services, retaining my rights, keeping 100% of the profits made and also that my CD (and Video) is available on iTunes, Rhapsody, Amazon MP3, eMusic, Sony Connect, MusicNet and Napster.

I have put together a list of the things that I think are good about Tunecore, as well as some quotes and other information so you can see for yourself. I do make an affiliate fee if you sign up to their service, just so you know, but I feel that they are a good company to do business with if you want exposure on the big online retailers, check them out: Click Here.

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