Archive for June, 2010
The industry stuggles, but musicians benefit from online tools
Following our recent piece on PureSolo, we were interested to find out more about how the Internet has changed the way musicians develop.
PureSolo: We all know that practice makes perfect – whether you’re learning to drive or learning to play guitar, the same rule applies – keep doing it over and over and one day it will become second nature.
Producers aim to turn tide on the credits crunch
Credit Where Credit’s Due is a new campaign being launched by the Music Producers Guild (MPG), calling for a standard production credits database for album releases. Whereas the TV, film and games industry has IMDB, the music industry lacks a centralised database which could be used to provide metadata for for digital music platforms.
Pure practice makes for the perfect solo
There are more and more innovative digital music ideas appearing online. Many are targeted at musicians themselves, including PureSolo, an online store that allows an amateur player to record versions of solos from well-known tracks to share via the site.
The service is part digital audio recorder, part shop and part social network. It is designed for developing musicians, appearing to cater for both instrumentalists and vocalists.
Julie’s Bicycle measure the carbon cost of touring
Julie’s Bicycle is an organisation working within the creative industries to highlight the environmental effects of various activities including touring and festivals. They offer solutions to artists, management and promoters of how to cut and offset carbon emissions.
A&R is not dead, just liberated…
We received a strong message of support from Artist & Repetoire Ltd., an independent team with plenty of industry experience. On the back of our recent post on the subject, we asked director Greg Joynson about the changing role of A&R in the digital age…
Greg: Death of A&R??? I’d say more of a re-shuffling of an already pretty well shuffled role. Over the years A&R people have been changing and adapting to what the music industry requires of them and what they as individuals require to be able to survive in the competitive landscape in which they operate.
Pay-to-promote schemes prey on aspiring amateurs
Although ultimately immeasurable, there are several million music artists worldwide with an online presence, each competing for attention. As many of those artists will know, there is a growing industry of companies that profit from unsigned, aspiring amateurs, some with noble, altruistic intentions and others making empty promises in order to exploit the hunger for musical success.
Second Life’s music scene healthy and happening
The press circus may have moved on from Second Life as the technology failed to live up to the hype, but there are a number of music artists continuing to promote themselves and earn money through virtual concerts.
Independent artists have been able to grow a thriving music scene within the frontier world, earning fees from virtual venues and receiving tips in the platform’s currency, the Linden (yes, it is exchangeable). One possible explanation for the popularity of certain shows is that artists can connect with fans that otherwise not make it to gigs, for instance physically handicapped people.
Soul man sees Internet mostly as a blessing for producers
In keeping with our mission to cover the issues affecting music in the Internet age from all angles, we invited London-based soul producer Mathieu Karsenti to answer the question:
“How does the internet affect your work as a producer?”
Mathieu: As an independent Modern Soul music producer, the internet has been very beneficial in helping reach and connect with the kind of artists and organisations I would like to work with.
Move over London, Bristol brings the noise
The Performing Rights Society (PRS) has announced that Bristol is the most musical city in Britain, pointing to recent survey results showing more musicians there per capita than in any other city.
Across the rest of the country, Bristol is perhaps best known for 90s trip-hop scene involving acts like Massive Attack, Portishead and Tricky, but it has plenty more to offer in the way of clubs, venues, artists and atmosphere. Smaller venues in particular tend to be the best-loved, with The Lousiana, a local venue with a reputation for good sound, attracting acts such as The Strokes and Kings of Leon over the years.
Take it away: Arts Council help ease cost of instruments
The Arts Council are currently running a scheme entitled ‘Take It Away’, providing interest free loans for instrument purchases.
The scheme works by letting you spread the costs, completely interest free, over 9 months (with a 10% deposit), making it more affordable to buy musical instruments. Applicants can get an interest-free loan from between £100 and £2,000 to help finance purchases, and applies to any kind of instrument. Equipment, accessories and tuition (where available) can also be included as part of the purchase.
