From the monthly archives:

October 2010

Fresh Pressed: Katie Costello

by Disc Makers October 29, 2010

Katie CostelloHot off our presses this week is Lamplight, a new CD by Katie Costello, set to release in early 2011. Check out her huge pile of YouTube videos supporting her EP and her upcoming release. Very cute, fun stuff – recommended if you like Feist. Read more…

1 comment

The Art of Music Photography

by Rick Goetz October 28, 2010

Jason Gardner is a professional photographer who primarily shoots musicians. He has photographed such artists as Manu Chao, Gogol Bordello and Antibalas and captured live performances by notables like Bob Dylan, Dave Matthews, Willie Nelson and Neil Young. His photos have appeared in numerous periodicals, including Rolling Stone, Spin, New York Magazine and Time Out, among many others. Read more…

5 comments

Hot Links! How Hyperlinks Can Make Your Music Easier to Find Online

by CD Baby October 27, 2010

hot linksDid you know that the hyperlinks you create can boost your search engine ranking and improve your web presence? It’s true! Using relevant link text when you link back to your website, Facebook, Twitter, MySpace etc. will boost and broaden the search ranking of the page you are linking to. These keyword-studded “back links” will make it easier for your fans to find your web pages in search engines like Google, Yahoo, and Bing because these pages will rank better in search results. Read more…

0 comments

Basic Tracks: Where the Magic Is Made

by Bobby Owsinski October 25, 2010

The Music Producer’s Handbook Basic tracks are the initial recordings of the rhythm section that are done prior to any overdubbing. Basics are the foundation for the music being recorded and for any other parts that come afterward. If there’s something faulty in the foundation, it will either be impossible or very costly in time and money to fix things later. That’s why it’s essential to make each basic track the best it can be.

Regardless of whether you spend a little or a lot of time in preproduction, recording basic tracks is where you either make the project or break it. Even if you had a great preproduction, you never really know how things will record or what unforeseen circumstances will pop up until you get there. Read more…

6 comments

Keeping a Song (and Yourself) Together

by Leah R. Garnett October 21, 2010

This post is devoted to answering a reader question about singing and emotion. The reader, a man, specifically asks: How do you manage strong emotions that arise when you sing? The question will likely resonate with most anyone who sings (or wants to sing) in public – whether it’s a bar of music in a choir or an entire performance. Judy Rodman, the wonderful singer and vocal coach who contributes guest blogs to Music After 50, graciously provided an answer to this reader’s question. First the reader’s words, and then Judy’s: Read more…

0 comments

Fresh Pressed: Fierce Bad Rabbit

by Disc Makers October 15, 2010

Fierce Bad RabbitHot off our presses this week is Spools of Thread, a new CD by Fierce Bad Rabbit. We also noticed them in this interesting article on Scene Savvant where they talk about their new record, funding it through donations, and cooking meals for their fans as a reward for said funding. Read more…

1 comment

10 Great Tips to Help You Fail as an Independent Artist

by Scott James October 14, 2010

10 Great Tips to Help you Fail as an Independent ArtistWe’ve all seen and read posts and eBooks about how to ‘succeed’ as independent artists and to be honest, I’ve even written a few. But what about those of us who are bent on failure? Those of us who would like to know how to shoot ourselves in the foot as efficiently and painfully as possible? Those of us who would like to be more unsuccessful and confused? Well this post is for you!

Some of these things I’ve done myself, and I can assure you – they work amazingly well! Read more…

23 comments

Composing for Film and Video

by Keith Hatschek October 12, 2010

There are definitely composers who need help; the thing is, they’re not going to advertise for a film composer to help them. They need somebody to get their system up and running, they need engineers, they need music editors. I think that those positions are really valuable for the same reason I really enjoyed working with Mason – to just get in the door and watch. I would suggest though, that if you get in that position, set a time frame so you’re only doing that for so long. Read more…

7 comments

Music Marketing 2.0: The Digital Brand Manifesto

by Dexter Bryant Jr. October 11, 2010

Every artist needs a fully customized DIGITAL BRAND to succeed. Proper branding requires the following:

  1. A unique web domain separate from an artist profile on the record label website. The artist’s website functions as the central web hub for that artist’s digital brand.

  2. A simplified e-commerce system on the artist website. Easy check-out store supporting various forms of payment (PayPal, credit, debit, etc).

Read more…

1 comment

What Do You Really Think About the Piracy Issue?

by Chris Robley October 8, 2010

What Do You Really Think About the Piracy Issue?Some folks in this over-saturated industry equate music piracy with free promotion, reciting the popular soundbite that “obscurity is a greater danger than theft” (Think of BitTorrent pitching their new Artists Pilot Program as a way to “amp up your audience”). Others regard free file-sharing (particularly the illegal kind) as high treason against the sacred art of music. As with most polarizing debates, the truth and best solutions probably live somewhere in-between the extremes. Read more…

22 comments

Fresh Pressed: The Distribution

by Disc Makers October 5, 2010

The DistributionWe caught this gem of an album coming off our presses from a Tennessee band called The Distribution. They’re a blend of old school funk and ghetto soul-pop which results in Motown nostalgia with a shot of LCD. Their music arises from and is heavily influenced by old soul, but is much more vital and modern than any sort of nostalgia.

It is not hard to love soul music and it is that love that brought these 7 musicians together from such disparate backgrounds as indie-rock, old black gospel and electro-funk. Read more…

1 comment

Top 10 CD Baby Albums: September 2010

by Disc Makers October 1, 2010

Michael GrimmMichael GrimmMichael GrimmCheck out the latest and greatest indie music from CD Baby! Here are the 10 best-selling albums in September: See all 10…

1 comment

To CD or Not To CD…

by Andre Calilhanna October 1, 2010

The news surrounding the music industry might make you wonder if anyone is buying CDs any more. Major-label CD sales are down – downloads are up. As an independent artist, do you really need to make CDs?

There are many factors to consider, and what is true for major-label artists does not often translate to independents. Read more…

22 comments
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