Wednesday, April 30, 2008

If You Need a Photographer

I have a great friend who is going to be making the trip with me to Nashville. Jeff Hall. I'm really excited about Jeff going with me because he is an amazing photographer, and we are going to document the entire event. What fun.

It's been a busy week, so sorry for all the short posts.

I'll sit down later today and try to think of something worthwhile to talk about!

Monday, April 28, 2008

The Countdown

Last night I had a great conversation with Jason. He is an audio engineer in Nashville and I will be using his studio for the majority of the recording I'll be doing next week.

Beyond the fact that we are on the same page as far as what I want this album to sound like, Jason had some really great ideas about what we could do to really make my songs interesting. What I like about Jason is he brings a philosophical depth to music. It's not just a job to him, but the creation of something unique.

While I'm in Nashville, I'll make sure to post pictures and comments throughout the week.

Friday, April 25, 2008

Del.i.cio.us Links - Inspiration

  • Ashes and snow - Amazingly beautiful pictures. (Click 'Explore the Ashes and Snow Website')

Thursday, April 24, 2008

More Online Tools

A couple days ago, I wrote a post that highlighted a new company idea about helping musicians find micro-financing to fund a music project.

After a little more digging, I found another website that is doing some really cool stuff in that arena. Check them out.

Also, I was fortunate to work with this company in the recent past, and they offer some really cool options for recording artists wanting to get their music on TV, Commercials, and other media formats.

Wednesday, April 23, 2008

Keeping up to date with what's new

If you haven't heard of Alltop, you need to check it out.

It's a great site that allows you to see all the top stories of the day from a ton of news sources. I use it fore everything. From music, to sports, to social media, politics, and how to be green. I found it here.

Check it out. It could end up being a great resource for you.

Tuesday, April 22, 2008

Micro Financing for Recording Artists

Jeff Cornwall, of the Entrepreneurial Mind, has a great post on a new idea that is being developed for the music industry. Micro-financing for musicians.

Similar to the micro lending site, Kiva, fans, friends, family, or anyone else for that matter, would have the opportunity to help finance an artists new recording.

This is similar to another idea I've seen.

And maybe you heard about Jill Sobule. She has raised more than $80 grand from 552 fans to record, manufacture, distribute and market her next album. In just 53 days she reached her goal of $75,000. Part of her offer was to give people different payoffs depending on how much you invested. $10 gets a download, $10,000 and you get into the recording studio.

Wow. I'll make that offer. I just need $2,000.

Radiohead Experiment - Success or Failure

Remember when Radiohead left their label and released their new album InRainbows for the price of your choice? 6 months ago no one knew whether Radiohead would succeed or fail in their new paradigm. Peter Kafka says:

"The good news: The average buyer paid about $6, net of processing fees, to download the album. The bad news: There weren't that many buyers -- only 2 out of 5 visitors to the site paid a penny for the tunes.

The net result: Radiohead netted about $2.26 for each album downloaded -- confirming our suspicions that earlier reports/polls about download prices were overly optimistic. And for everyone who thought that "In Rainbows" represented a new paradigm for music, remember: Radiohead has a rabid fan base that was expected to go out of its way to stick it to the man/R.I.A.A."

I agree that only 2 out of 5 visitors paying for the download is not great. It's a start. But, we have to remember that the digital download Radiohead was offering was not to the quality standard that you can purchase from iTunes or get on a CD.

I'm not sure Radiohead knew what they wanted to accomplish with their new experiment. Either you give your fans the best of what you can offer (because that's what they deserve), or offer the lower quality download as a way to get people excited about the album and give it away free. But be upfront about it! Don't lead people to believe they are getting something their not.


Friday, April 18, 2008

To start with...

I need to give a little background.

There has been a lot of talk in the blogging, marketing, and music world about the changes that are happening in the music industry. Some people are scared of this change, more and more people are not.

I for one, am excited about the new landscape that is being created. No longer is the distribution of music controlled by the giants of the music industry. Today, anyone can share their music with the world, whether that's with a MySpace page or iTunes.

Earlier this year, I read a really inspiring blog post that got me thinking. Is it really possible for someone to make a living creating music without the backing of a record label? It has been done, but on the rare occasion.

I think today is a new day for musicians and recording artists. A day in which you don't have to be controlled or recruited by record labels. A day when you can be free to create music for the people who really matter. Your Fans! That's what this article is all about.

It inspired me. And I hope it inspires others.

Wednesday, April 16, 2008

Starting Over

So. After close to a year of no writing, it's time to start over. When I first started this blog, I was not real sure of it's place. What I would focus on. What I would write about. What I'd share.

Well, I now have a better idea of what that is. Music.

And more specifically, my journey back to a dream that seemed, to me, to be lost.

When Kristin and I moved to Greenville, we left a lot behind in Nashville. Friends. Family. A great city. And some great food! But one thing we gained was a chance at a new beginning, and for me, a new sense of inspiration.

As I wrote song after song, I kept asking myself, where they were coming from? I mean, who LEAVES Nashville to pursue music? Isn't it supposed to be the other way around?

Well. That's the story I want to tell. The story of a guy who left Music City, only to find the inspiration to start making music.

I will be in Nashville the first week of May recording an album. That's exciting! And that's scary!

So. From here on out, I will share my story. My thoughts. My fears. Ideas. The things that work. And the things that don't.

I hope you'll join along and share your thoughts with me.