If you're new here, you may want to subscribe to my RSS feed. Thanks for visiting!Check out our new Music Industry Jobs and Internships board at MusicIndustryJobs.com It’s FREE! Okay folks, we’re experiencing a dearth of “right out of the box” great music these past few weeks. Sure there is plenty of stuff coming out, but nothing has struck a chord with me until I heard this song today from Taylor Swift. If you’re a country fan, you might know it already, but if you’re listening to Top 40, it’s just now burning up the charts. Now, first let me say that I’m not typically a country music fan. . .my tastes typically run toward rock and alternative, but I do know a good song when I hear one, and this is a good song. The other two contenders for this week were BuckCherry’s “Too drunk to. . .” (You figure out what the last part of that phrase is . . .) and Mercy Me’s “You Reign”. Mercy Me is a Christian band,... Read the rest of this entry »
No matter where you live, you can get a job in the music business. Image courtesy of: Self Service World Check out our new Music Industry Jobs and Internships board at MusicIndustryJobs.com It’s FREE! Last week I was having lunch with a college-aged friend of mine, and while our meandering conversation took many turns over the course of an hour, a big part of it centered on music. If you know me, you’ll know that this is a common diversion, and it’s easy to make the leap to music as I find it is a great icebreaker in any conversation. Generally speaking, even if people have nothing to talk about, they enjoy talking about music. Even growing up, I remember music tended to define who we were in a sense. . .and it was almost the very first question you would ask in a conversation. “So, what kind of music do you like?” It was the schoolyard demographic identifier. Every click had their own tastes in music and, to a degree, you knew where you fit in, based... Read the rest of this entry »
Since the Internet is rather timeless, I’m not entirely big on making my link roundup one that only features news from last week. After all, there is a lot of stuff that is “old” and still “new” to you and me, so it’s still worth covering in my book. So, think of my round up, if you will, as a “news worth reading” section as opposed to just what’s happening in the blogosphere this week. After all, I don’t even really watch the news, and I’m not in possession of enough time or desire to surf all day long either. Here are some chunks worth digesting from my side of the desk: Money magazine has a nice little story about how to go about landing yourself an internship in today’s wacky economy. Seems they think it’s” Hard to find a job, but not an internship Here is a cool little story from a few year’s back that’ll whet your appetite if you’re a musician, but not in a band, and don’t... Read the rest of this entry »
Today’s New Tunes Tuesday hit is currently going for adds on Top 40 stations across the US. So, if you’re in some of the bigger markets you might be hearing this track “pop” a bit over the next few weeks. I think it might have potential on a number of other formats as well, including stations slanted toward R&B and HipHop as well as some of your more open satellite stations. I also think it’s got some potential on Alternative at some point. Anyway, I thought it was worth listening to here on New Tunes Tuesday, so I’m happy to share. I really dig the monster chorus! As far as I can tell, “One Block Radius” has yet to release an official video for “You Got Me”, but the YouTube vid below will at least allow you to take a quick look-see at the band and the links below will help fill you in a bit more on what they’re about. Check out the video for the band’s new single “You Got Me” below: Three things... Read the rest of this entry »
One of my great interests in life is learning about cultures different from my own, and when I was just beginning to get my feet wet with knowledge about the music industry, one of my more favorite sections to read in Billboard, was the International section. If you’re at all like me, and dream of yourself mixing records and working with bands in foreign lands, then you should take a look-see at the School of Audio Engineering (SAE), the world’s first school to offer “practical audio education” as SAE refers to it. SAE Institute, the world’s largest media arts and sciences academy, operates 46 schools on four continents, four of which are in the good old US of A. Today we’re going to take a quick look one of SAE’s more recent campuses: SAE Atlanta. Facilities at the SAE Atlanta location were built by world-renowned studio builder Michael Cronin of Michael Cronin Acoustic Construction, and occupy a 17,500-square-foot building above the Hard Rock... Read the rest of this entry »
One thing I love about music is finding something that is totally new to me. Sometimes I’m on the cusp of the new stuff, sometimes I’m behind the curve a bit. So, depending on how close you keep your ear to the ground, you may have already heard some of these tracks that I’m going to introduce to the rest of the audience this week. While looking for a new place to live this week, I popped my head in a Border’s for a quick half hour break. Searching for a new place to live can be mind-numbing, and the break was much needed. Perusing the aisles, my ear caught the beat of the song playing on the sound system, and I went up to the cashier to ask who it was I was hearing. Actually, I first asked if it was Amy Winehouse, ’cause the production sounded much like that familiar 60′s soul sound she and her marvelous production team is bringing back to the fore, but I didn’t think the pace of the music was like her style. And, for sure, it wasn’t.... Read the rest of this entry »
This week, I’m going a bit outside the music industry realm for a few quick links that I think can help with achieving your dreams no matter the specific occupation. Super-ass cool productivity guy, Tim Ferriss wrote a post last year about test-driving your dream job. One of his many, (he’s a world-championship Tango dancer as well as Martial Artist) was the one in the post: Monkey Trainer. And he’s got the videos to prove it. One of my own, was a little less daring, but fun none-the-less when I hooked up with one of the best pastry chefs in Minneapolis, Minnesota to try my hand as a chef. Check out Tim’s post, I’m sure you’ll find it funny, if not enlightening. Zen Habits’, Leo Babauta is another guy that I follow in the productivity, life-mapping realm. His guest poster, Collis Ta’eed, co-founder of AudioJungle and FlashDen wrote a great post this week entitled: “How to Get a Lot Done – 7 Tips to Achieve More”. ... Read the rest of this entry »
How it works: Hi folks. Because I tend to get a lot of questions about how to get a job in the music business, and because it is difficult to craft a new response for every one I get, I’m going to start sharing a few of my more common responses here on the blog. Each time I do so, I’ll ask if I can post the message online before doing so, and if I receive your approval, as I did with today’s question, I’ll put ‘er up. Today’s question comes from a reader interested in breaking “back” into the music business after interning several years ago. He initially asked about recruiting agencies in the New York area, which I also comment about briefly. Below is the text of a few emails back and forth with the names and places of the innocent removed for the obvious reasons, and as well as some of the extraneous stuff like the ‘”thank yous” and “hellos” What sort of questions do you have about a career in entertainment?... Read the rest of this entry »
John Mellencamp — “My Sweet Love” Swing those hips baby, its John Mellencamp, swaying the house with this great track from his new album “Life, Death, Love and Freedom” Backing vocals are courtesy of Little Big Town’s Karen Fairchild. I would swear that’s Kurt Neumann from BoDeans on guitar. Great song. Nuff Said. I love Mellencamp. Pick it up wherever you buy your records, cds, itunes, etc. these days. Three things you need to know about this record and John as an entertainment career wannabe: He’s a legend. He’s a legend. (that’s not a typo) He’s working with Steven King on a Southern Gothic musical, that’s right. . .musical to debut in April of next year in Atlanta. The name? “The Ghost Brothers of Darkland County” Album facts you should know: Most likely to be heard on the following radio formats: AAA Americana Rock Adult Hot A/C Album drops July 15, 2008 Visit John Mellencamp online at his... Read the rest of this entry »
Check out our new Music Industry Jobs and Internships board at MusicIndustryJobs.com It’s FREE! One of the more enjoyable reasons for opening my email box in the morning is to read my daily Napoleon Hill Foundation quote. If you don’t know Napoleon Hill, you should check out the book many successful business people point to as the one that changed their lives, and helped place them firmly on the track toward completing their life’s goals. Hill’s “Think and Grow Rich” is a simple and direct motivational book filled with all sorts of gem’s that can help you get your rear-end off the couch, away from your PlayStation or XBox and on the phone to generate entertainment industry career prospects. I would highly recommend it. These Napoleon Hill daily emails help me start my day off on the right foot, and today’s message I thought might be interesting to share with you for two reasons. One is that I believe it serves as an excellent reminder of... Read the rest of this entry »
