Is it a bit redundant to call her yallternative? Recently, with everyone's obsession with the 90's paired with everyone being clinically depressed, there has been a huge rise in people who consider themselves emo, goth, punk, or simply just 'alternative'. Black eyeliner, dark hair, and a permanent scowl on your face have become more fashionable than ever and goth-ish girls everywhere are thriving.
If you’ve ever driven past a Krispy Kreme shop, noticed that their iconic “Hot Doughnuts Now” sign is on, and been tempted to stop in for a warm and tasty piece of sugary fried dough, you now have the perfect excuse. The chain is offering a summer promotion that could yield many (many) free glazed doughnuts. Here’s…
This comprehensive rundown of just what it's like to live with ADHD made the rounds on Twitter because of how accurate it is. That being said, individuals will always vary, and not every experience is exactly the same. It's just nice to see some mental health awareness going on, on social media.
Microsoft might not be able to release Windows 10X and its flagship hardware, the Surface Neo, within this calendar year. According to ZDNet’s Mary Jo Foley, Microsoft Chief Product Officer Panos Panay told some of his team members that the tech gian...
New York City's Taxi and Limousine Commission voted today to establish a minimum wage for drivers working for companies like Uber, Lyft, Juno and Via. The city is the first in the US to set a minimum pay rate for app-based drivers. Going forward, the...
Worrying rarely solves anything, but many of us just can’t resist doing it whenever we should be doing something else. Instead of letting worry distract you from your life, set aside a special time for it.
by Andrew Liszewski on Gizmodo, shared by Virginia K. Smith to Lifehacker
Even if you get the flu shot, a cold winter spent hiding indoors with the means at some point you’re going to get sick. But just how sick are you? For just $20, iHealth’s new no-touch digital thermometer can help you figure that out, without requiring you to probe anywhere unpleasant.
We have long known about the ability of classical music to provide pleasure and stir up deep emotions. Undoubtedly, music has a powerful impact on the brain. Studies have shown that classical music can also help children with special needs through a variety of significant improvements including reduced stress, increased IQ, and improved ability to concentrate. Further, music can make children feel more positive and improve their creative thinking. The bottom line is that classical music can make a huge difference in the lives of those with disorders like autism, Down syndrome, cerebral palsy, ADD and ADHD and mental retardation.
The Mozart Effect and the Power of Music
The term “The Mozart Effect” has gone mainstream, as now there are a variety of products including everything from CDs to toys that use Mozart’s music to improve a person’s ability to perform mental tasks. A wide variety of experts theorize that listening to Mozart can actually boost intelligence too. Don Campbell who wrote The Mozart Effect: Tapping the Power of Music to Heal the Body, Strengthen the Mind, and Unlock the Creative Spirit has declared that the Mozart Effect is “an inclusive term signifying the transformational powers of music in health, education, and well-being.”
An issue of Nature Journal in 1993 published remarkable findings from studies at The University of California at Irvine. In one study, group of students listened to Mozart while a second group listed to a tape with suggestions for relaxation. A third test group just had 10 minutes of silence. When these students were given a test on spatial IQ, those who listened to Mozart showed to have a significantly higher spatial IQ.
Some scientists speculate that complicated sounds like classical music boosts the operation of firing patterns in the brain’s cortex. Studies have also shown that those even with Alzheimer’s disease do better on spatial IQ tests after listening to Mozart. One of the reasons that classical music is so powerful in contrast to other forms of music is that it has sequences that repeat throughout a musical piece. Often these sequences appear about every 20 or 30 seconds. Due to the fact that brain wave patterns also take place in 30-second cycles, this type of music can provide the most powerful type of response.
The Mozart Effect has very real implications for those with learning disorders. Listening to classical music will not only boost IQ, but it will also help children concentrate better and memorize new information. When a child hears classical music, it can create the ideal conditions for learning and creativity.
One additional boost to the implications of classical music’s positive impact on learning and the brain occurred in 1998 when the governor of Georgia Zell Miller included over $100,000 annually in the budget for the state for tapes and CDs of classical music for all of children born in Georgia. He was persuaded to take this bold step due to the various studies that listening to classical music spurs intelligence.
Music Therapy
Classical music can positively impact everything from emotional development to motor skills to cognitive functioning. There is an entire field of psychology called Music Therapy where therapists improve the health of their clients through using music. Professionals like teachers, physicians and psychologists regularly refer children for music therapy. Music Therapists can even help rehabilitate people who have had strokes through the power of music.
Kids with learning disorders like ADD, ADHD, and autism can benefit from Music Therapy, as it will help them to feel calmer and less impulsive. Further, many children will feel more comfortable opening up about their feelings when they are exposed to music. At this point, therapists can help children to overcome their frustrations and assist to boost their self-esteem.
Distractions and Music
One thing that many children with learning disorders have in common is that they are easily distracted. Different noises can take their attention away from a task at hand. However, when classical music is used therapeutically, it changes the way the ear functions and stimulates the brain.
Children with a variety of learning disorders including autism are experiencing positive results from Tomatis Listening Therapy. During therapy sessions, classical music is sent into the right ear and the sound is also vibrated through the bones in the body. One of the goals of this therapy is to get the ears in sync and re-balance the system. The philosophy behind this treatment is that it can allow its recipients to begin performing to the best of their abilities.
Many children have also improved their ADHD conditions through learning to play a music instrument. The act of practicing playing classical music and listening to it at the same time can teach kids to lengthen their attention span.
The Calming Ability of Music
When children with special needs listen to classical music, it provides a positive and relaxing experience. Remarkably, classical music can also reduce stress and ease frustrations. Further, it can reduce muscle tension and slow down the heart rate. When these changes occur, the mind is more open to learning and also to communicating with others.
One study at the Baltimore St Agnes Health Care by Raymond Bahr, MD showed that when doctors played classical music for their heart patients it had the same impact as a 10 mg dose of Valium! The implications of this study for those with special needs are clear. When children with autism, cerebral palsy, ADD, ADHD, and mental retardation are able to relax and calm down, dramatic changes in their behavior become possible.
Well, some might say that by asking me, you may be asking the wrong person. As a professional music publicist and music marketing consultant myself for hundreds of successful independent music artists, I can only tell you what I have experienced over the last 27 years plus of doing this for independent musicians. A good music publicist can facilitate interviews for you and get your music reviewed. Its positive impact on your project and career can be more than considerable.
I am writing this article to bring this to the attention of independent artists. Most indie musicians may feel that their music does not stand a chance out there in the sea of hundreds of thousands of independent music releases annually. Unfortunately, with that kind of competition, this is not far from the truth. Most CD releases, without professional promotion, no matter how good, usually get lost or forgotten. However, a good indie music publicist can move your music to the forefront and bring it to the attention of the industry and the public alike with press, interviews, and music reviews. As long as your music is noteworthy, this makes generating the exposure and creating the buzz (if you will) much easier. CD reviews, interviews, and the press can do this efficiently if it’s done right and by a credible professional music publicist.
Album and single reviews, written by professional music critics on credible music blogs and in the music media are read by thousands of potential fans, music journalists, booking agents, music publishers, and A&R representatives from both major and independent record labels on a daily basis. Professional Music Publicists are the curator of these creative placements. This being said, there are still a lot of indie musicians that are just now aware of the positive impact favorable CD reviews, interviews, and the innovative press can have on their project and new record release; while accelerating their music career to the next level.
Our Band is on a Shoestring Budget. How Much Does a Publicist Cost?
The cost for a professional music publicist can vary greatly, depending upon how good they are, how much experience they have, and the extent and quality of their professional Rolodex (contacts-reach). A lot of musicians don’t even bother to inquire on the cost of a publicity campaign with a professional publicist fearing upfront that the cost will be astronomical. A lot of artists and bands are marketing their music on a shoestring budget, and they believe that they just can’t afford the services of a professional music publicist and marketer. They just keep pounding and going the DIY route. Not because they want to, but feel they have to. If you inquire, you may be surprised how reasonable a publicity campaign can be with an established professional music publicist who is willing to work with you. (willing – being the key word here).
It’s unfortunate as well that music media blogs, and credible music critics, much like record labels, do not honor unsolicited requests to review music that is submitted by the artist themselves. This is mostly reserved for professional music publicists and labels with whom they work with on a relatively exclusive basis. It is true of course that money can be a major deterrent to your efforts to solicit the services of a professional. I can only tell you that if you are truly serious about your music, you just need to find a way. If your music is there, this may be one of the only ways to get it noticed. Simply put; find a publicist who is willing to work with you and your budget. Work out a payment plan, find an investor. Just do what needs to be done. Save money on other things – not publicity. It is important though to remember not to pick the least expensive publicist. As with anything else in life – “You Get What You Pay For.” Artists that do not professionally market their wares, or stop marketing their music to save money are like those who try to stop a clock to save time. Pretty Crazy –Right?
Last month an orphaned possum was handed in to a wildlife rescue service in Melbourne. Born with a “genetic mutation”, its bright colour scheme has earned it a very fitting name: Pikachu.
by Andrew Liszewski on Gizmodo, shared by Riley MacLeod to Kotaku
Without the internet instantly dispersing images to millions of people, it was probably a lot easier to keep video game prototypes under wraps in the ‘80s. Just a handful of photos backed up rumors about the possible existence of a miniature version of the ill-fated Vectrex console, but it’s a rumor no more now that…
If you want to make music, you can. There is very little you need to do to get started. With this article I will share with you my knowledge and ideas used for creating music. You can go about this many ways. I do not want you to waste your time. So I intend to teach you how to start creating music right away from home.
Music Theory is Not a Must but Advised : Now I know professional musicians who spent years studying music theory and practicing technique. Only thing I do do not like about this is that they spend years doing this. Now they have a set of skills and knowledge about music that will allow them to do things with music that many would not think possible. But with popular music being what it is today, all of that is not needed or even used. Now I am not saying do not learn music theory, because i strongly encourage it. But with all the instruments and music software available today, you are able to start creating music right away without needing an extensive knowledge of music theory.
Instruments and Computers : Musical instruments come in a wide variety from orchestral and electric. Orchestral instruments are sections of string, brass, woodwind, and percussion instruments. Learning to play an instrument can be very time consuming. You must not only learn technique to achieve proper tone and pitch, you will also need to spend time learning music theory. Music theory is very deep and you really only need to scratch the surface if you wish to make popular music. Now with a computer you can emulate all of these instruments and design your own. You will still need to learn basic music theory, but instead of needing to spend time learning different technique’s for different instruments, all you need to do is learn how to play a piano. Learn to play piano and you can play a midi keyboard. If you have a computer and wish to make music with it you will need a Digital Audio Workstation. You can search on the internet and find one for free. Now that you have a digital audio workstation, you will need a midi keyboard and a few software instruments. A midi keyboard can be bought for under $ 100 and you can find free software instruments online. With these basics you can start creating music from your home.
I thought about writing this post on band promotion because I often hear new bands and struggling musicians wishing they got more paying gigs. Getting a paying gig is good, I mean … you spend a lot of time, energy and even money on getting your act together .. rehearsing, traveling to rehearsals and gigs (gas can be a pain if you travel by car) buying your gear, etc. But getting paid gigs for new acts can be very difficult.
While I believe it is great to get paid, I do not mean to say you should think of a band as a business. What I am saying is, it would be practical to at least have your costs covered.
Of course, that would depend on you and your reasons why you are in a band in the first place.
Some bands want to play; love to play; feel that playing and getting their music out there is the best compensation there is … and the return of their investment in effort, time and money is that opportunity to get up there and PLAY. There are also others who work towards a long-term goal like building their own following and getting their music across to them.
The reasons why you do it, pretty much sums it up.
But, if you wanted to get paying gigs, here are a few things you can do.
1. Work on Your Product
Once in a while I come across a client who struggles with promoting their product or service, and put in a lot of effort only to get minimal results. The main reason is, they have not been able to accurately develop, define and refine their product, which is because aggressively promoting something mediocre will always yield mediocre results.
So what is your product? The band, and your music. The key question is how do you set yourself apart from the rest. What is it you do that is unique, or what is it that you can do better than everyone else?
“What do you want people to remember and LIKE you for?”
2. Define Your Music / Repertoire
Repertoire defines what type of band you are. It also defines who your audience is. I believe writing and recording original material is great because by having your own music you create an asset that others do not have. It is that final sum of a collaborative creative effort that brands your band. BUT, does not guarantee success, since for your band to be successfully recognized for your music, you would first need to attract an audience that gets to hear and appreciate it.
On the same note, being a cover band does not mean you can not get paying gigs. There are a lot of cover bands that get paid well for small bar gigs or even major events.
What it brings down to is the novelty of the band, and your draw. Novelty is that something about you that people will want to come see; and your draw is the size of the crowd you can gather at your gigs.
3. Market Yourself
You would need to sell yourself to people who you believe would appreciate your band and what you have to offer. There are basically two types of people you want to market to; there are the people who you want coming to your gigs and appreciating your music, and the people who are in a position to hire you for gigs.
This can actually be the classic “the chicken or the egg scenario”, where you actually grow your audience and get more exposure by being playing more gigs, but to get more gigs you got to get invited or hired by people who have a hand in making gigs happen.
But it need not be complicated. You just have to do both at the same time.
Networking is key. The more people you get to meet, the more contacts you establish, the closer you get to your goal.
Ways to Network.
a. Use the Internet, put up a website that tells people about you and your music. Use social networking sites like Twitter, Facebook, MySpace to build a network. Use media sites like YouTube, MetaCafe, and DailyMotion to spread your music and build a list of followers / subscribers.
Always mention these sites during gigs; when you talk to other people about your gigs, during shows, and include them on printed materials such as stage back drops, fliers, calling cards, etc.
Make people WANT to go to your site by offering them some sort of benefit they get by going, for instance .. you can tell them that they can listen to a live-stream of your music on your site, download your music from your site (if you allow), or tell them you give away free merchandise like shirts on occasion and mechanics on how to get free stuff are on your website.
b. Print business cards, or calling cards. That way you are able to hand people you meet something that they can refer to when they need to contact you or if they refer you to other people who might need you for gigs. A business card says a lot of things about you, it pretty much says, you mean business, you got it together, and your can be relied upon to deliver if contacted for a gig. It creates a good impression about your band.
c. Do quick sets at small parties that you are already there to attend in the first place. Parties or gatherings are a great way to build up a following. This grassroots approach can lead to viral promotion. Never underestimate the power of word of mouth. If you know that a friend is putting together a party, offer to do a few songs. Let’s face it, being in a band is cool, that may be one of the top reasons you even started one .. so do not wait for an opportunity to play fall right on your lap, you create your opportunities.
d. If you are not that established, volunteer to front for other bands who are friends of yours and are established. Established bands typically have a huge following, grab the chance to get yourself in front of that audience, their audience. You might not get paid for this, but it is an investment that will yield long-term benefits. Through this opportunity, you show people what you can do, tell people about your website or where you are online, you can hand out business cards and talk with people in the audience or show promoters.
e. Find radio stations that play material from unsigned bands. Getting your music played on a radio station is one of the most difficult things to get done. You will be turned down by a few, but you can not let that setback stop you from being persistent and trying them again later or trying to find other stations that will play your music. If you are in college, get your music on your campus radio station, if your university has one. That said, I personally found it a lot easier to market your band and network when in college, it was so easy because in college you meet a lot of new people all the time, and get invited to a lot of parties and events.
If your music does get airplay and attention, your band WILL get attention.
4. Management / Representation
You have to have a manager. An authority figure who you trust and count on to work for nothing less than the success and well-being of the band.
A manager should be a tenacious businessman. He is a negotiator, understands marketing, and most importantly he believes in the product he is entrusted with. His main goal is to sustain and develop further the product he manages.
Having a manager can have many advantages, and one of the things I see managers being able to do that bands that manage themselves can not, is be objective. The manager sees something that individual members in a band do not see, this is especially true when some members of the band develop egos that cloud their judgment. Members have a tendency to get tunnel vision and may not respond well to other people’s opinions that may not be flattering, a manager knows if criticisms are valid and take these not emotionally but objectively.
A manager is both a member of the group and outsider; a member because he works with the group to achieve their goals. He is an outsider who can make rational decisions and even be critical of the group if it fails to deliver what their audience expects.
Musicians can sometimes be the most stubborn of people, and the least receptive to criticism, and a trusted opinion from an authority figure can help the band work to better the product. Remember that the manager is above all a businessman, and he runs the band because it is “profitable” … the easier to market a band, the more money it makes, the more money the manager makes as well.
Managers should also be very aggressive and persistent, a friend of mine (a manager for a huge act) once told me a story about how she approached bar after bar only to get denied each and every time and was given all sorts of reasons and excuses . She never brave up, and did not give up on her band … today that band is a major recording artist … and actually they have been big for some time now.
So, if you are a new band that needs to promote yourself and get more gigs, and hopefully paying gigs …
– you have to have a band that can draw an audience
– you have the ability to make people who catch your gigs, like you or your music enough to want to be in touch with you so they know where to go for your next gig
– you have to build your reputation and brand yourself and your music
– you have to be aggressive and get gigs and not simply wait for them, and if you are able to successfully do this and your band becomes successful, the offers will actually start coming to you
– you have to have someone .. a manager, who takes care of business and does this well, so that you are left to do what you do best which is put on a good show or create music that your audience appreciates .. as a performer it might be best to not worry about anything and let the manager do that worrying .. all you need to think about or focus on on having a good show or having a good time on stage.
When you first start out in the music industry, especially as a performer, there is a certain level of romance about playing in a smoky club and using a dingy storage closet at your changing room. You think that you are paying your dues and will eventually make it big and can then look back on these simpler times with nostalgia. Never mind the fact that your working conditions are uncomfortable and can even be dangerous.
Music industry jobs working conditions vary from state of the art concert halls and recording studios to grungy basements and run-down clubs. However, as soon as you declare yourself to be a working industry professional, you and your health are protected by OSHA standards. OSHA stands for occupational safety and health administration and is the branch of the federal government that ensures your working conditions are safe.
In order to assure that your music industry working conditions are safe for you, you need to know your rights under OSHA. This means that regardless of where you are playing or what you are getting paid you should have a safe place to change and store your equipment. You should have easy access to drinking water and a clean toilet facility. You should be allowed adequate breaks during your working time; industry standard is generally ninety minutes of playing and fifteen minutes of break. If you feel that equipment or infrastructure is unsafe you should be able to report it to your building contact without fear of breaching your contract.
Music industry jobs working conditions don’t have to be as bad as they are as long as every musician, from the kid with his first live gig to the veteran performer, band together to demand safe and clean working conditions so that they can produce the best music possible.
No matter how much it's changed our lives, WiFi can be endlessly annoying because of how spotty and unreliable it often is, even for those of us in small homes. It can prove a bigger headache still for companies that need reliable connections for the...
It’s well-worn advice at this point that one of the highest-impact ways to eat more healthily, and also spend less money, is to get it together and prepare your own food. Which is fine, because it’s true!
Reports coming out of Anchorage, Alaska, indicate that an earthquake registering at 7.0 on the Richter scale, has triggered a Tsunami Warning in the surrounding area. Pictures tell the story of roads being cut up, and civilians displaced. CNN reports that attorneys in the Nesbett Courthouse in Anchorage resorted to hiding under their desks until the seismic showed signs of letting up. This video posted on CNN shows picture frames flying off the wall and chunks of the ceiling falling to the floor, within an earshot of coveted hiding spots.
Nationally-renown seismologists are predicting the earthquake will be felt months after the seismic activity comes to a relative stop. Dr. Lucy Jones of the California Institute of Technology says a quake of this magnitude will often stay in sequence at 5.8 on average. ”We think the number dies off with time, but the relative distribution from large to small is constant,” for months on end, Jones explained.
The National Weather Service's Tsunami Warning comes with instructions for residents of the Alaskan coast to find higher ground wherever possible. The highest ever mark for an earthquake in US history topped off at 9.2 on the Richter scale. Normally thoughts and prayers have little value in a relief effort, but in this case it might be sound to keep Alaskan in our thoughts. We'll keep you up to speed in the coming hours.
The bed is an intimate place—so it makes sense that social media freaked out this week over a creepy clause in the privacy policy of mattress maker Sleep Number.
Calculator watch fans rejoice: there's a new contraption that makes your wrist wear a little more useful. Audioweld has made what it claims is the first synthesizer watch -- which is appropriately named Synthwatch. The husky contraption offers a set...
Much to my surprise and my roommates’ consternation, I have somehow managed to work from home for an entire year. There are a lot of upsides to leading a laissez-faire life of couch-writing. I never have to commute, which is a true blessing, considering how often all the New York City subways experience systemwide…
by Alicia Adamczyk on Two Cents, shared by Alicia Adamczyk to Lifehacker
For Ron Swanson, diversifying assets means selling some gold to buy a majority interest in the Lagavulin whisky distillery. For the average retail investor, it’s going to look a little different.
If you want to know how to protect your rap song lyrics, then read this. You will discover how to protect your music copyright.
This article will give 4 different ways that you can protect your rap song lyrics. You can protect your song by signing and dating, by enforcing your legal ownership, by notarizing your work and by using the Post Office. We will discuss each tip so that can decide how to protect your rap song lyrics.
A copyright actually comes in two parts. As soon as you take a blank piece of paper and write down your songs, your notes or your lyrics, put your signature and the date on the paper, then you automatically have a legal copyright of your work. Your work is now protected.
Tip 2 – Protect Your Song By Enforcing Your Legal Copyright
However, even though it is protected, it is important for you to go one step further if you want to enforce your rights. To actually enforce your rights, then you must register your copyright with the U.S. Copyright Office. When you actually go through the process of registering your song, you now have a witness to the fact that the song is really yours.
Tip 3 – Protect Your Song By Notarizing Your Work
There is another way to have your work legitimized or to show that the work belongs to you, and that is to have your songs notarized. When you have it notarized, a notary republic will place their seal, sign it and then date their work. This will give you two government authorizations that will act as a witness of your onwership claim.
Tip 4 – Protect Your Song By Using The Post Office
If you want to use one more government authorization, you can use the U.S. Post Office. If you notarize your work, put it in an envelope and then mail it to yourself. Once you receive the envelope back, don’t open it, but put it the envelope in the safe deposit box. This will serve as a witness of when you wrote the song. The official U.S. Post Office postmark will indicate the date it was written.
For more protect your music copyright tips, continue to read below.
Thanksgiving is over, so you can forget about feeling gratitude for life’s bounty for another year. Or you can keep working that muscle; with practice, you can be happier and more grateful for your life.
You can't assume that a site is honest because it has that "secure" padlock in the address bar, and PhishLabs just illustrated why. The anti-phishing company has determined that 49 percent of all known phishing sites used Secure Sockets Layer protec...
As drone use grows, rules and regulations remain in flux and vary among jurisdictions. Last month, for instance, the Federal Aviation Administration granted operators of certain drones approval to fly them in controlled airspace in the US, but the UK...
Twin girls born earlier this month had their DNA altered to prevent them from contracting HIV, according to an Associated Press report. If confirmed, the births would signify the first gene-edited babies in human history—a stunning development that’s sparking an outcry from scientists and ethicists.
Microsoft might not be able to release Windows 10X and its flagship hardware, the Surface Neo, within this calendar year. According to ZDNet’s Mary Jo Foley, Microsoft Chief Product Officer Panos Panay told some of his team members that the tech gian...
New York City's Taxi and Limousine Commission voted today to establish a minimum wage for drivers working for companies like Uber, Lyft, Juno and Via. The city is the first in the US to set a minimum pay rate for app-based drivers. Going forward, the...
No matter how much it's changed our lives, WiFi can be endlessly annoying because of how spotty and unreliable it often is, even for those of us in small homes. It can prove a bigger headache still for companies that need reliable connections for the...
Calculator watch fans rejoice: there's a new contraption that makes your wrist wear a little more useful. Audioweld has made what it claims is the first synthesizer watch -- which is appropriately named Synthwatch. The husky contraption offers a set...
You can't assume that a site is honest because it has that "secure" padlock in the address bar, and PhishLabs just illustrated why. The anti-phishing company has determined that 49 percent of all known phishing sites used Secure Sockets Layer protec...
As drone use grows, rules and regulations remain in flux and vary among jurisdictions. Last month, for instance, the Federal Aviation Administration granted operators of certain drones approval to fly them in controlled airspace in the US, but the UK...
