Top 10 Classic Rock Instrumentals

A list of the top 10 Classic Rock instrumentals!
Do you agree, or is there anything you think deserves to make the list?



10. Traffic - Glad

9. Billy Preston - Outa Space

8. Santana - Soul Sacrifice 

7. Deep Purple - Wring That Neck

6. Cream - Toad

5. Paul Simon - Anji

4. Doobie Brothers - Steamer Lane Breakdown

3. Edgar Winter Group - Frankenstein

2. Allman Brothers - Jessica


1. Led Zeppelin - Black Mountain Side

Original Article

TuneSat Helps Musicians Get Paid For Unlicensed Use Of Their Music

TuneSat, a music tech company founded in 2009, identifies uses of music in television broadcasts in the U.S. and a number of other countries as well as offering Web monitoring so that artists can attempt to claim their appropriate royalty payments or seek licensing agreements. Because neither ASCAP nor BMI will use TuneSat data and apparently still rely on user reports created manually to keep track of such music usage, artists owed money must pay both for TuneSat's services and then go the extra mile to get appropriate fees.

TuneSat monitors tv broadcasts not only for such obvious uses of clients' music as theme songs but for "dirty audio" in which music may be a part of a larger mix of sound. They update accounts every hour with the previous hour's data and post audio recordings of all the captured detection. Information includes date and time, show information and client metadata with additional filtering tools.

When a client receives a statement from a Performance Rights Organization (PRO) TuneSat runs it against their data for a full statement of unreported uses. This allows musicians to then take that evidence to the PRO and attempt to claim their full royalties. In addition, TuneSat monitors unlicensed uses so that musicians can attempt to seek licensing agreements from production companies, ad agencies and the like.

A recent statement from TuneSat pointed to their monitoring of tv use of music from FreePlay Music which was founded by Chris Woods. Ten years ago, in an earlier stage of development, they found that 85% of FreePlay Music usage was not reported. Last year they found that 90% was not reported.

Check out the original article at Music Think Tank and check out TuneSat for more info!

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5 Tips To Increase Your Facebook Reach

Lately the number of people interacting on Facebook fan pages has been declining, so how can you get people to stay interested? Don't give up! Facebook is still a powerful tool for bands to keep in touch with fans and general networking. Facebook Page admins are noticing a reduced reach this month due to EdgeRank adjustments that already deliver only a small percentage of posts to one's following. The first thing you should do is make the content your're posting more interesting to better grab your fans' attention. But beyond that, check out these 5 tips to help you out!


1. Increase Your EdgeRank

EdgeRank is a combination of factors that determine which of your posts get the most visibility in your fans' newsfeeds. Positive effects on EdgeRank occur when multimedia content is posted or when fans interact with your content. The key is creating engaging content that interests your fans.

2. Stop Using Third Party Tools

Though third party tools for scheduling posts and posting to social media accounts can make one's day go a lot easier, a variety of sources maintain that such tools negatively affect one's EdgeRank and Facebook reach. Depending on your schedule and your need to succeed on Facebook, this may be an area where you have to accept some trade-offs between short-term efficiency and long-term goals.

3. Get Your Likes Up

A smaller more engaged audience is preferable to a lot of superficial Page Likes but Likes do establish a fundamental connection in the world of Facebook. In addition, some Facebook features such as Promoted Posts require a minimum number of Likes before Page admins are given access.

One way to increase Page Likes is through Like-gating in which Likes are given in exchange for access to content such as a free download. A variety of companies offer solutions for Like-gating such as Dotted Music that recently released Music Fan Gate 2.0.

4. Buy Some Ads

Yes, I know. Buying ads to address reduced reach is capitulating to Facebook's attempt to make us buy ads by reducing our reach. That said, if you have something really special to promote and want to reach people on multiple channels, buying some ads can be a smart move.

Facebook has numerous ad options but typically speaking it's the newer options and those with an organic feel like Promoted Posts that will draw the best response and are often priced at an initial discount. Mobile ads are also currently performing well.

5. Keep Building Your Own Website & Email List

Facebook will continue to alter its world based on Facebook's needs. Always be building your own site and email list as core properties that you control and that allow you direct contact with your fans without an unhealthy dependence on third parties.

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Music Fun Facts - Extremely Disappointing Facts About Popular Music

Take a look at how things have changed (for the worst!) in the music industry! Some horrendously disappointing facts about music today. 

From Dave Stopera.

1. Creed has sold more records in the US than Jimi Hendrix.

2. Led Zeppelin, REM, and Depeche Mode have never had a number one single, Rihanna has 10.

3. Ke$ha's “Tik-Tok” sold more copies than ANY Beatles single. 

4. Flo Rida's “Low” has sold 8 million copies – the same as The Beatles' “Hey Jude”.

5. The Black Eyed Peas' “I Gotta Feeling” is more popular than any Elvis or Simon & Garfunkel song.

6. Celine Dion's “Falling Into You” sold more copies than any Queen, Nirvana, or Bruce Springsteen record.

7. ...Same with Shania Twain's “Come On Over”. (Also more than any studio album by Whitney Houston or Pink Floyd.)

8. Katy Perry holds the same record as Michael Jackson for most number one singles from an album.

9. Barbra Streisand has sold more records (140 million) than Pearl Jam, Johnny Cash, and Tom Petty combined.

10. People actually bought Billy Ray Cyrus' album “Some Gave All…” 20 million people. More than any Bob Marley album.

11. The cast of “Glee” has had more songs chart than the Beatles.

And the absolute worst....

12. This guy exists.

Your Music Context - Which One Applies To YOU?

All artists - whether musicans, fine arts, authors, or film makers - create for a specific reason. But do you know why you do? Maybe it's to reach out and inspire people. Maybe it's for expression or exploration. Maybe it's completely for you. And it's ok if you don't just yet. But there are three main groups of creators, so check it out and see which one you might fit in to!



1. The Populist: “I will create things a lot of people can enjoy. I will provide a service to those people. That will make me successful.”

Make your potential audience as large as possible. Sounds logical, doesn’t it? You don’t want to exclude anybody, and if one person likes your familiar-sounding stuff, others probably will, too. The upside of this is fewer people will misunderstand you. The downside is that little, if anything, you do will stand out as special.

Real-world populists: Maroon 5, Michael Bay.

2. The Purist: “I will create distinctive things I enjoy. I will not worry about what others think of what I do. That will make me successful.”

Stay true to yourself and your work will have integrity. This, too, is logical. You don’t want to pander to an audience that cares less than you do, and as long you’re proud of your stuff, you’ll sleep fine. The upside of this is a harmony of intent and execution. The downside is that relatively few people beyond your immediate circle will relate to what you do.

Real-world purists: Nick Cave, Vincent Gallo.

3. The Pragmatic: “I will create distinctive things I enjoy for others who like what I do. I will make things just for them. That will make me successful.”

Stay true to yourself and find others who care. This is especially logical. For every 100 people who might like your Maroon 5 impersonation, there are one or two who love that thing you do that no one else does. The upside of this is connecting with a small but loyal audience. The downside? Well, you might never have a Top 40 hit (not that you really wanted one, anyway).

Real-world pragmatists: Bon Iver, Paul Thomas Anderson.

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The Benefits Of Storytelling For Music Promotion

There are tons of ways to go about promoting your self/band, but what's going to make you stand out? This article is from Mark Knight, founder of Right Chord Music, about the benefits of working storytelling into your music "brand" and advertising. So what are the benefits of stories? Well...


1. They're Memorable
Include memorable stories in your biographies and press releases. Beyond track names, ensure you tag blog posts and videos with words that describe what you do, and how you are doing it. EG ‘the video that goes backwards’ this will help fans find you more easily on Google, YouTube or even within their email inbox. 

2. They're Newsworthy
Before you contact music blogs or journalists, read your release and ask yourself “So what” and “Why should I care?” If you can’t find a reason don’t expect them to.  Look to build a story around the release that makes you truly newsworthy. The story could come from a lyric, video or artwork, or it could derive from how, why, or where you release your music. It could also be totally made up (as long as it’s not libelous of course!) Check out Dramatic Records and the story of the ‘Endless House Foundation’ to see great story telling in action. Who wouldn’t want to write about that! 

3. They Build Deeper Connections
The good news is that you can achieve this without all that X-Factor crying! Start by ensuring your biography, press release, website, or Facebook page provides your fans with information about you. Specifically include information about the things that shape you as a musician, how you write, why you write and why you do what you do. You should aim to bring your personality to life and provide fans with a reason to care, by enabling them to relate to you as an artist.

If you are struggling for an emotional connection, explore opportunities to borrow one by partnering with a charity or pick and support a local community project that you care about.

4. They're Sharable
Look at your online fans. Who are your biggest supporters or evangelists? What can you do to further engage them? A great story can provide a reason to mobilize fans. This story could simply be a great video, which is easy and socially rewarding for them to share. IE Create content makes them look cool and popular with their friends.  Another way is to create a story by doing something unexpected. The notoriously grumpy Van Morrison once surprised everyone by arriving unannounced to perform at a fan’s wedding. How can you surprise and delight your fans and leave them with a great story?

5. Stories Leave You Wanting More!

Use stories to create and extend the dialogue with your fans.  This could be through podcasts, playlists or blog /video blog posts.  Consider offering fans additional content like remixes or behind the scenes footage. Create teaser campaigns to slowly release new material in return for fan engagement. EG We’ll release a new song when we’ve had 50 Retweets.  

Check out the article from Music Think Tank for some more great information!

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XBox Music - The New Wave In Music Streaming?

You've probably heard of Spotify and Pandora, but what about Xbox music? It's going to be coming on tablets with the new Windows 8 system and, unlike it's competitors, allows you to hand-pick the music your listening to - for free - with ads only every 15 minutes. Spotify allows you to pick songs on your personal computer, but not on tablets unless you pay for a premium membership of $10/month. 

The free version of Xbox music won't let you download and playback songs offline, for that you'll need the $10/month membership that will also allow you to use it on the Xbox 360 game system, and smartphones that run windows. 

You can also save your playlists, and switch between using in on the Xbox 360, Windows phone, or Windows 8 tablet. So you can have your custom-made playlist streaming from any device where you might be!

And check your Xbox 360's, because you'll soon be getting a free 30-day trial to test out Xbox music!



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Music Fun Facts - Top Ten James Bond Theme Songs

Adele's theme song Skyfall for the new James Bond movie was leaked earlier than intended, but has so far been received with praise. But with all the Bond movies out there and all the theme songs, which ones make it to the top of the list? Check out this list from Rolling Stone magazine!


The Top TEN James Bond Theme Songs!

10. Tom Jones - Thunderball (1965)
9. Louis Armstrong - We Have All The Time In The World (1969)
8. Matt Monro - From Russia With Love (1963)
7. Madonna - Die Another Day (2002)
6. Duran Duran - A View To Kill (1985)
5. Shirley Bassey - Diamonds Are Forever (1971)
4. Nancy Sinatra - You Only Live Twice (1967)
3. Carly Simon - Nobody Does It Better (1977)
2. Shirley Bassey - Goldfinger (1964)


And last but not least...


1. Paul McCartney and Wings - Live And Let Die (1973)





Check out the original Rolling Stone article here

8 Key Points For A Music Product Start Up

These are tips from an even held by the Music Startup Academy in San Francisco for music entrepreneurs for creating a digital music product.

1. What Problem Are You Solving?

Is it a real problem within the music space? Identify your problem clearly and ensure you’ve demonstrated it exists through exhausted market research. Examine where other products or features fail and position yours to fill that void.

2. Who Are Your Competitors?

 Perhaps worse than not identifying a real problem or solving for one that doesn’t exist, is creating a product for problem that is already being solved. Take some time – scratch that, a lot of time – to review the marketplace and identify who it is addressing your same solutions (no matter how well or how minute) before diving in headfirst and risking the time and money.

3. Who Are Your Target Users?

These should be the people whom you’ve drawn inspiration to solve a problem for.

Study them intensely – their habits as users / consumers, their preferences, their behaviors, etc. and tailor your product towards them. Another thing to consider after you’ve indentified who they are, is ensure thatenough of them exist to meet a viable demand. It can’t be just you making a product for yourself (although it's fine to start out this way), so ensure there are others that exist who would benefit from your idea.

4. How Will Music Be Used and What Rights Do You Need?

This is a crucial step to ensuring the viability of your product.

Are you using tracks in their entirety? Snippets? Will it be stream only, or are you allowing downloads? How are you obtaining them?

There are a plethora of options and routes to go down, but before designing the user experience, do keep in mind the gargantuan licensing hurdle that will inevitably come your way when dealing with labels. 

5. What Platforms and Technologies Can You Leverage?

Will your product be available via mobile? Desktop? Both?

While these decisions have a lot of factors that go into them, some of the more important ones to take into account are the type of user base that would be most receptive to your product, the costs that go into development, and the ideal platform that can handle and deliver your product.

6. Do You Have A Working Prototype?

Any idea always sounds great when it exists in the air, but it’s imperative to have something to demonstrate when approaching labels, press and especiallypotential investors.

It doesn’t need to be flawlessly designed, but it is important to ensure that the basic functionality is in working order and that the problem you’ve identified is clearly being solved with your prototype. A prototype also helps in identifying roadblocks early so you can better identify problems and glitches before the public does.

7. How Will You Make Money?

I’ve heard the saying “focus on the product first, money second” several times at various conferences and seminars. Without a sound business model that is both viable and realistic, the lifespan of your product will be reduced – as does the likelihood of it evolving and expanding into something greater.

8. How Will You Market Your Business?

You may have the greatest product on the planet, but if no one knows about, what good does that do you?

Marketing your product will be key in ensuring that the right people get exposed to your product at the right time. Here’s where it pays to be specific in understanding your target users and coming to them directly in demonstrating your products benefits. Marketing is certainly its own beast to tackle, so consider employing the services of an experienced marketing team to help you create awareness and generate buzz.

 

For more information, check out the original article
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How To Get Fans To Open Your Emails!

So one of they keys to reaching your fans is email updates, but how can you guarantee your fans will open your emails? I mean, how often do YOU open emails from newsletter sign ups? While it's good to be sending out frequent emails because at least fans will be getting reminded of you every time you pop up in their inbox, but you want to motivate your fans to open your emails and further interact with you. What's the trick? 

Use engaging subject lines! Putting questions in the subject instead of just "new show dates!" is a great way to get people to click on your emails. But it has to be the right kind of question, because just asking about a favorite song isn't engaging enough. You want a question that's going to keep then wondering, something that they NEED to open up your email to get that answer, or to satisfy their curiosity. A great example of this would be, "Have you ever made THIS big mistake on the dance floor?"

You're also targeting curiosity. Anything that will get someone interested enough to have to click to see what's going on! Like saying "don't let you boss watch this new music video!" people will be intrigued. But you have to deliver! If you keep posting emails with tantalizing subjects lines, but that don't deliver when fans actually open them, people will eventually stop looking. And it's not something you should do with EVERY email, but just here and there to keep interest and get people clicking! 


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Why It's Better To Have A Facebook Fan Page

This one is for all you musicians out there that only have your personal Facebook instead of a fan page, though I supposed that applies more to single musicians than bands, but still stays true if as a band you don't have a fan page! 

You might think your personal page is good enough, I mean you probably post what you're doing musically anyway, fight? Wrong! These are the key reasons that you should get yourself a Facebook Fan Page!

1. Analytics
Unlike regular Facebook pages, fan pages have "Facebook Insights" that give you an important look into your fanbase, where they're coming from, when they react most, and what they find most relevant. This is all key for marketing your band, and figuring out what works and what doesn't. 

2. Friend Limit
Your regular Facebook page caps you off at 5,000 friends, no matter what (though chances are if you have 5,000 most of them you don't really know anyway). But that gives you no room to grow, and as a band hopefully you'll have more than 5,000 fans! But with a fan page there are no limit to how many followers you can get! 

3. Family and Friends Aren't Always Fans
Hopefully you friends and family will support whatever endeavors you might be on, but it doesn't necessarily mean they're going to be your fans. How often does your mom go to your gigs? You should be focused on a target market, the people that will spend money on your merch, to see you play, and buy your CDs. The more engaged your followers are with your page, the more likely Facebook will make sure your posts are seen in people's news feeds, something that might not happen if you're targeting friends and family.



Check out the full article for some more info on Facebook fan pages!


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How To Get Endorsements and Sponsors

Some bands who are looking for sponsors have the wrong idea in mind. If you're heading into looking for free stuff, you're bound to fail. It's not a matter of companies giving you free stuff, they want to know what you can do for them. How can you help them, and in return they'll be helping you as well. Here are some great tips from Music Think Tank about how to go about getting endorsements whether it be for shows, albums, etc.


Ask!
You'll never know if you don't try! Don’t wait for an opportunity. Create it by initiating contact, networking, or asking the right questions that will get you a lead, information on how to get a sponsor, etc. Don’t be afraid in emailing, calling, or scheduling an appointment to do an in-person presentation on why they should sponsor you, and here are some ideas on how to go about doing it.

Be Unique! Companies easily get 300-500 emails a week asking for sponsorship from various bands, the key is to focus on THEM, not you! Offer a large target audience, and show them the benefit to working with you. Find a way to explain why you are the “first, the only, the original” of what you do. 

Offer Ideas! Give the company you're going for ideas on how your relationship will benefit them. Remember, don't focus on the "me", focus on how everyone will be gaining from this partnership.

Aim For Untapped Industries! Shoot for companies with less competition, like local businesses. If they like you, they could refer other companies to you to work with as well. Once you get started, it'll be easier to pick up other companies, like a "snowball effect" - just get it rolling!

Treat It As A Sales Call! This is all business! You're selling your music and your band, so give them a reason to "buy". Create a list with the top 3-5 reasons why investing with your band will benefit them in the future!



Don't forget to check out the rest of the article!



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Create Your Own Online Radio Station-- And Make Money!

So you may think just another online radio provider, but Radionomy is a little different. You can actually create your own radio station for others to listen to, ads, news, and all! And the benefit.. it might pay off!

Radionomy is based in Europe and has around 92 million listening sessions per month, checking out around 7,000 hand-crafted radio stations built from personal MP3 collections and around 80k songs already on the Radionomy server. It's like the way radio use to be, with someone who cared picking out songs they liked for your listening pleasure!

Radionomy takes care of all song royalties, but for stations that get super popular they offer to split ad revenue with the broadcaster (who sometimes earn $5,000 a month!). And while Radionomy provides genera lists for listeners to go through, it's still up to you to promote your station and get people listening! 

Just think, you could get your band's music on the 'radio', and who knows how many people you may reach, or countries even! 


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Wordpress for Musicians

Check this out! Wordpress is a popular way to build a website, but now they're coming out with special themes just for musicians!

Foxhound Band Themes is one of the sources to check out for band themes and plugins for your wordpress site.

Ribcage is another one that's in the works that will allow bands to use a "record label management tool" which will include such features as:

• Management of artists, releases, reviews associated with those releases and press cuttings associated with artists. Upload artwork easily via your browser and have it resized.
• Supports uploads of MP3, Ogg Vorbis and FLAC files for releases.
• Artists can list their upcoming gigs and other events.
• RSS feeds for individual artists’ releases and releases for the label as a whole.
• Press areas for hosting one sheets and high quality artwork.
• Widgets for recent and forthcoming releases.
• Integration with Paypal for donations and purchases of physical versions of the releases.

There are some other great links from this article for themes and plugins, so check it out!

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MySpace Redesign!

MySpace, originally starting out as a social media site with about 100 million users at it's peak, was overshadowed by Facebook which is recorded to have almost one billion users. MySpace had become a joke in the industry with it's outdated layout and style. But now, backed by Justin Timberlake, MySpace is making a comeback. The old site is being scrapped and they're starting fresh - and they're not planning on trying to compete with Facebook. It's going to be a new, sleek design which will be a upgrade from their last design.

They're making their comeback by trying to be the hottest, newest site for music and artists. "So whether you're a musician, photographer, filmmaker, designer or just a dedicated fan, we'd love for you to be a part of our brand new community." is what MySpace is saying. Earlier this year they launched a music player that competes with such sites as Spotify and Pandora. MySpace even claims to have the largest music selection with around 42 million tracks.

Think you'll sign up for a new MySpace account? Who knows, maybe if it makes a true comeback, it'll be a great way to reach out to other musicians and fans to spread your music!


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