This list is by no means comprehensive and represents only the tastes of the author, but I hope it will inspire you to go out in search of great artists of your own.

At The Drive-In: Perhaps the finest and most influential exponents of the hardcore/screamo scene, At The Drive-In is a truly inspirational act whose legacy continues to affect the rock scene some seven years following their split. Relationship Of Command may well be seen as their seminal work and features such hits as Cosmonaut, Invalid Litter Dept and the world-renowned One Armed Scissor, but earlier works including the Vaya EP and In/Casino/Out represent, in my opinion, the true essence of the band’s unique talent.

Arctic Monkeys: In the face of my other selections, this may well seem a slight mainstream departure, yet the debut album from the Arctic Monkeys – Whatever People Say I Am, That’s What I’m Not – is an essential recording that deserves a place in any music collection. Musicianship that seems to go underrated – in particular from drummer Matt Helders – and the wit and raw lyrics of Alex Turner have spawned a host of imitators, none of which come close to the Sheffield band.

Alice In Chains: Many of us remember the days when all things Seattle graced the radio stations and music channels, and there were certainly a great number of influential and iconic bands from that era. One of those that never seemed to achieve the recognition of the big three – Nirvana, Soundgarden and Pearl Jam – were Alice In Chains. With guitarist Jerry Cantrell’s dirty, heavy riffs and the nasal vocal style of the late Layne Staley combining in perfect unison, the dark and haunting Dirt remains one of the most compelling albums from the early 1990s.

Alexisonfire: Having only discover Alexisonfire a couple of years ago with the release of Crisis, I was blown away by sheer size of the sound and the excellent vocal interplay. The Canadian band have acquired a reputation for exciting, energy-packed live shows, but if you are unable to see them yourselves, simply plug in your best headphones and experience the bombastic production of the record.

Audioslave: No, they may not have been Rage Against The Machine and no, they may not have been Soundgarden, but the ’supergroup’ that was Audioslave at least managed to produce a great first record. Considering the talent of the rhythm section, it was always going to need a big personality to take on the vocal duties for Audioslave. Fortunately for Tom Morello, Timmy C and Brad Wilk, the mighty voice of Soundgarden was on hand to step up to the plate. And for all the doubters the debut record, let me say one thing: it must’ve worked since even my mum recognises the riff to Cochise!

This provisional list was drawn up from little more than the few bands beginning with A that are currently on my iPod so I implore you to ignore any glaring omissions. As soon as I get the one with the bigger hard drive, there will doubtless be many, many more.

With your own website, your band goes to the next level. First, there’s the credibility. MySpace is for basement bands, kids who practice after school when their drummer isn’t grounded. When you have your own website, you can actually be a basement band with a drummer under perpetual house arrest, but to the rest of the world, you are a professional group of serious musicians, each member with an email address that includes your band’s name.

Include a link to your website in every email you send out, list it at the bottom of flyers, put it on business cards and attach it to the demo CD you send out to record companies. Reviewers can get information about you from your site and, in turn, you can post comments they print. Give bios of the band members and ways to contact you. List lyrics to your songs and tour schedules. The more you have on your website, the more street cred you get – and anything is better than a little spot on MySpace.

Next, there’s the possibilities. What can’t you have when you’ve got your own website? You can sell your new album, t shirts in a variety of styles, hats, posters, patches, pins. You can upload samples of your songs, making a pseudo-demo tape available for fans, club owners, recording executives, and potential agents to listen to. Have a variety of forums for your fans to meet each other, get rides to shows, ask you questions, discuss your music – all conveniently separated into categories that would be impossible in the endless list of comments on MySpace.

You can also communicate with your band members through your website. Use secure pages that the public won’t have access to and pass notes back and forth when one is out of town. Upload clips of that bass line you’re working on or lyrics that you’re having trouble with. Even if you all have ‘real’ jobs or go to school full time, you can still have band practice via the website.

Websites are a great way to develop your cult status as well. Upload live tracks from your shows and start a bootleg craze, new millennium style. Offer limited edition, hand screened t-shirts and patches. Create a blog and pick a fan out of every show to memorialize. Make up rumors about yourself and spread them. Start an online war with another band. Get noticed and get people listening to your music, talking about your band, and coming to your shows. Then start your own label and help them make their website as big of a success as yours is.

Usually bands and artists are differentiated depending on the kind of music they make. So we have rock bands, pop bands, ‘boy’ bands, surf bands, punk band, and even the wedding bands are qualified as bands. Same when it comes to artists. It is interesting to note that when you think of bands, it’s not so much about the members that you think of but the music. The band or the artist is just a representation of the music that we enjoy. The music is always inside us. The bands and artists just sing it for us.

Different types of bands and artists not only make different kinds of music, but they also make music differently. Depending on how the members sing and what kind of instruments they play as well as what kind of music they like, the final product (song) that a band makes will be unique and one of its kind. The most interesting thing about bands is that although each member has a unique voice, this is very hard to identify in the song. A song by a band always seems to have just one voice, as if sung only by one person. The truth is that the song is sung by different voices, all at different pitches. But a good band has the ability to make different voices sound like one voice. This is when a band can harmonize.

This can at times also creatively inhibit a band, since the song must be liked by each member before it is made. This is difficult since everyone has varying preferences and when it comes to music, most people (singers included) cannot define why exactly they like a song. A band sometimes makes multiple songs, one after the other before they finally pick one song which they all will like. One might think of this as a compromise of an individual’s preference, but then that is in the nature of the band. A band is a whole and individual members are only parts. Thus the identity of the band is always stronger than that of its members.

Bands and artists have it differently when it comes to making music. Artists are free to experiment since they are independent of any other person’s preferences. Their likes and opinion are all that matter. This desire to be free and make exactly the kind of music that one wishes is what often drives band members to have solo careers or albums sooner or later. (As an artist it is very hard to keep your music inside you for very long). Yet many bands have lasted very long. This is because over a period of time members begin to make the ‘band’s music. They are able to relate better to their music as a band and also find a way to keep their individual tastes alive while blending them with the band’s music. Different voices, yet one sound. True Harmony. More Ringtone Download Please visit http://www.musicsmania.com/

In my book, The Indie Guide to Music, Marketing and Money, I discuss how MC Hammer started out by himself. He knew the bottom line and how much he made working his record in dance clubs. When a record company approached and wanted to sign him, he initially said no. Face it, if we were offered a deal like that or any deal, most of us would be rendered speechless and simply nod our heads to say “yes.” After all, that’s the musician’s dream, right? Why did he say no? Because he knew and understood his business model. MC knew how much he made on his own, and he knew he could make a lot more money on his own than they initially offered. Eventually the record label had to meet him on his terms. They offered him a much better deal in the end.

So, how do you do what MC Hammer did? Marketing, Marketing, Marketing – and it’s not all dependent on having your own label or producing your own music. In my book, “The Ultimate Guide to Music Success” there’s a chapter of do’s and don’ts for those of you who aren’t interested in creating your own record label and promoting a CD yourself. It will show you the correct ways to send a demo and get heard by the A&R staff of major-labels. It also includes a truck load of fresh contacts, email addresses, phone numbers and web sites to help you on this journey.

If you are one of the lucky few and have a lot of contacts and a lot of extra money, your path will be much easier, but still not guaranteed. If you are like the rest of us, you have a limited budget, fewer contacts, and even less time to spare. What do you do?

First you need to spend some money no matter how limited your funds are. There’s no way around that. You must also spend some time to start your business up and make your CD (a budget guide is also available in my book).

It’s the same with contacts. You have to put yourself out there and network. You need to spend a lot of very early mornings and very late nights initially surfing the internet for information on how to find and meet the people you need to help you on your path. You will also need to attend various functions and music gatherings where the music makers meet. Remember – it’s a see and be seen world. Join your local version of the BAMM or WAMI association. These are local clubs where musicians meet on a regular basis. Many important local musicians will be members and might be there to network with. Most every major city will have some sort of club like this.

The next step is marketing. Collect all of the write-ups on yourself and your band and put them into a folder. Then based on those, you’ll need to write a one-sheet up and pass it out to the people you meet at the parties. (A one-sheet is a one page marketing tool that emphasis the important aspects of your band/act.) If writing is not your gig, find someone who writes professional one-sheets or bios on a regular basis.

Once you have those marketing tools in hand, start making appointments to audition for local clubs. Take every gig that is offered to you initially, whether you are paid for it or not, and make sure to get the most press out of that gig. If you do get paying gigs when you first start out, great! Make sure you have a contract in your hands that is signed by the person who will be paying you. In case there is a dispute, and they do arise, you have a contract spelling out whether or not you were going to be paid and how much. Although it would be nice if everyone could work on faith and trust, make sure you get your contracts written, signed and in place.

Before you sign any contracts, make sure you get a reputable entertainment attorney to look it over. NEVER sign a contract before you have followed that step. You could lose the shirt off your back and much more!

What’s next? Work it baby! Work it! This is not the time to be shy and bashful about your career. You have to grab onto every single opportunity and use it to your advantage. Unabashed marketing is what you need to do…so go for it! Just do it! No is just a word in the dictionary. It may hurt for a minute, but it’s the people that can take the “no” 50 thousand times that will get the prize in the end.

Something I recommend is to take a few courses at your local community college on Business Management and Accounting. This will help you immensely when it comes to watching your money and the bottom line. Whether you’re producing your own label and watching every penny or whether you’ve signed with a major label, you still need good accounting skills or a good accountant you can trust. With or without an accountant, it’s just good business to look at your books daily. Oprah is notorious for this and look where she is! No-one will care about your money or your success like you do.

There are many benefits to joining one of the top music networks. It is best to focus on two or three at the most and create, as well as maintain, a standout profile page for your music or band. If you spread yourself too thin and try to join every music site you come across then you will find yourself struggling to maintain an active profile. If you join one of these music networks then you will gain a massive amount international exposure for your music.

Try to devote 30 minutes each month in updating your profile with new photos, gig dates, videos or music samples. On a more regular basis you may want to respond to forum posts, reply to comments posted on your page and also respond to any emails sent to you. You need to treat these music networks as an advertisement and great way to promote your band. Therefore spending some time on the site could bring about some lucrative and life changing publicity for you.

The key point to gaining the most exposure for your music on these sites is to be proactive and make the most of the features available to you. You will want to post recent photos of yourself or your band. You should add some new photos each month. Try and add some bright and colourful photos of each of your band members as well as some group shots. Ask a friend or partner to take some high quality photos of you while performing.

Music videos are all the rage due to YouTube. You can use a camera to take some footage of the band performing one of their most popular songs. Just as a great video can make your band; a bad video can have a negative impact on your music. If a music venue manager is not the network to look for a band for a gig and they listen to a poor quality live performance then they will just move on to the next band. So make sure the video you submit is one that will impress your viewers.

Why spend time in the forums? Because you never know who is online and who is reading the forum posts. Many of the top music forums not only allow bands and musicians to sign up and create a profile but also music promoters, managers, music venue owners, music producers and professionals from the music industry. As a result, you may just catch the eye of one of these promoters who could give you the lead you need. Post positive and informative posts that will require a similar response. Avoid getting into any personal attacks or conflicts with other forum members. Maintaining a high level of professionalism is of the utmost importance in building the reputation you want to succeed.

What about writing an article? It is quite easy to write an article about a topic you are passionate about and have knowledge in. How can this help you? Well in a music network you have members who are musicians and are therefore craving information to help them with their band or music. As a result you can gain some valuable exposure by adding your name and active link at the bottom of the article. You can basically piggy back these top music networks who already achieve high page rankings in the search engines for your own benefit. Search engines love quality content about a specific topic. As a result these search engines will pick up the keywords used in your article and rank it highly as the article is located on a reputable site. Both these combined will give it a good chance of being spread throughout the internet.

One of the best features is the ability to post your upcoming gigs or events. What other way can you get free advertising for your gigs! When posting your gig make sure all information is correct and if any of it changes be sure to return to your profile and update it. There will be fans that listen to your music samples, watch your videos and then decide on attending one of your gigs if they like what they hear. You don’t want to upset them by having them go out of their way to attend your event only to find that the details were changed and there is no gig! Try to include the date, time, cost and location of the event. Some of the top networks will have a feature where your fans can “subscribe” or add their name to an attendance list. This will also allow you to send emails with specific details to these members. This is networking and building a fan base.

Classifieds are also a great way to buy and sell instruments, equipment, search for new band members, post jobs or look for a gig, sell tickets to events and so much more. Make sure you only add the information you want people to see and only use a respectable payment solution provider in the transaction. Most sites leave transactions up to both parties and are not responsible for any disputes or problems with the sale.

Are there dangers associated with music networks? Yes, but only if you post personal information that hackers or people involved in criminal activity can use to spam you or rip you off. The top sites will have internal email systems where your personal email address is protected. They also have a feature that allows you to block any members you wish not to correspond with. Remember that you use these music networks to promote your music and not your personal life and details as a lot of the “Social Networks” do. This is why you should stick to the top music networks that operate with the sole purpose of assisting bands and musicians in promoting their music.

If you maintain an active profile you may just be lucky enough to gain additional exposure from the site. For example, the music networks highlight and profiles a new band each month. This profile puts the band on the front page, generates extra hits for the band’s profile page, spreads their band across the internet due to the quality content in the profile and provides a reputable promotion for the band by a music industry leader. Want to make your own luck? Then be proactive and contact the site team and let them know that you would like to have your band or music be considered to be profiled.

One more great tip is to use “Keywords” in your title for photos, events, profiles etc as these keywords will appear in that page’s URL. This will help for better search engine exposure as they love keywords and targeted content.

The key is where to start when selecting which music networks to join? There are many ways to promote your music and three of the best methods for music and band promotion is by creating a profile on MyBandMate and MySpace Music or posting your music videos on YouTube Music.

So if you want to showcase your music to the world and are not active in these top two music networks then you better get on to it. It takes time, some effort and a desire to make your music reach a global audience. Be proactive, utilize all of the key features to gain maximum exposure and build a fan base by responding to their emails and comments. Don’t include any information in your profile that you don’t want the world to see. Treat your profile page as an advertisement for your music. You may only have one chance to catch the eye of a music promoter, producer or music venue owner looking for a band so make your profile look professional.

Covers bands are not a new thing; although their origins are difficult to trace, they have been around for decades. In that time they have become favourites at wedding receptions, in pubs and clubs everywhere and even as support acts for original bands.

One of the reasons for this is the enormous variety that these bands offer. Cover bands tend to specialise in a genre such as heavy metal or country and western, for example, or they might focus on an era, such as the 70’s. But almost without exception their playlists include the best and most popular songs of their chosen field.

And this is where they differ from their close relation, the tribute band. Whilst there are tributes to current bands, many formed to pay homage to an original band who may have split or who may no longer tour, focusing solely those bands songs on, replicating the style, look, sound closely, sometimes even gaining the approval of original band members.

Indeed, many tribute bands have become successful in their own right; most are content playing to relatively small audiences in clubs and music venues, but some of the more polished examples can be seen at larger events and multi-day ‘tribute’ festivals that have sprung up to cater for budget conscious music fans by mimicking Glastonbury type festivals with multiple stages simultaneously hosting a range of genres.

There is a growing demand for cover and tribute bands alike and agents market them in just the same way that they handle original bands.

Tribute bands have been around longer than their cover cousins, but the debate will continue as to whether the Beatles or Elvis Presley were the first artists to be honoured by tribute equivalents.

By Eric de Fontenay (Founder & Publisher)

A growing number of Western music companies are dipping their toes into the Chinese market, hoping to increase opportunities for independent artists in one of the most dynamic and treacherous music markets ever. We’ve already reported on Australian-based Cowbell Digital Music, which launched a Chinese portal earlier this year. Now, Berlin-based 88tc88, which took advantage of the global attention on SXSW 2010 to introduce its Web-based translation service, is enabling Western bands and musicians to access and sell to Chinese music consumers.

The service tackles a basic problem with going global: If people can’t search your band name or song title in a browser or search engine, you don’t truly exist in that market. Considering the fact that searching the internet is the #1 way Chinese consumers access music, having your information accessible in Mandarin is key. This is not just true for Mainland China. Citizens of Taiwan and Singapore predominantly speak Mandarin, while countries like Thailand, Indonesia and Vietnam have significant Mandarin speaking populations.

I spoke with Thomas Reemer, founder and chairman of 88tc88.com about their partnership with Shanghai Synergy Culture & Entertainment Group to launch the service, and how to avoid Chinese censors and monetization in the face of piracy.

Q. How did a Berlin-based company like 88tc88 come to focus on the Chinese market?

A. I have been traveling to China since December 2006 every three months, for longer periods each time. A business colleague who has been an advocate in promoting China since 1996 took me with him. At the time, we were working on several projects together, technology based, music based, content based. I had a huge hunger for China, and was always fascinated by the unbroken history of adaptation, art, and greatness.

Q. In my experience dealing with the Chinese market, translation tools can be useful, but imperfect as they often do not convey the sense of what is being said. This can be particularly true for band names or album/song titles. How does your service address these hurdles? How important is human intervention in the process?

A. It’s very important — hence our team in Beijing who will lead and keep up the quality. Though Chinese is a very literal language, means very direct. We told our translators to go with what is common, and common is the phonetic translation of band names, not the meaningful translation. This is, however, different with the lyrics. The requirement by the authorities is that if it goes to approval, it needs to be manually translated. They want to get the sense of it. That is important. Our language students are disciplined and well educated. They love their jobs because it puts them in touch with new music.

Q. The Chinese government has long required that all information (titles, lyrics,…) be translated and approved by the government before entry into the market.

A. That is correct. An approval process can only be initiated by a Chinese publisher who wants to release the material from the West. This simply means that not everyone can try. You need that partner, and we have found a great partner, Shanghai Synergy Culture and Entertainment Group (SSCEG) who is endorsed by the Chinese government as the leading music record label and publishing house for Chinese music industry.

Q. Does your service cover government approval?

A. Yes it does. From September on, we will offer this digital release opportunity from 88tc88.com. You should have your translation done prior to that, however, to get the process in motion much quicker then. Although there is no guarantee of approval, once the process has been put in motion, it cannot be reversed. If you follow the rules, you will be approved.

Q. What are some of the ‘red flags’ musicians should be aware of in that approval process?

A. There are 4 golden rules: no sex, no violence, no religion, and nothing related to social unrest. Of course, these things are everything that an indie artist aspires to and eventually wants to stand for. But a release is worth a try, as the Chinese people understand Western music very well. Considering the massive challenges that the Chinese government faces every day, it is no surprise that they need to control the speed in which things change.

Q. You mention providing digital distribution. What platforms will you use to promote your artists and bands? How will you help Chinese consumers find western music on these platforms?

A. Our partner SSCEG will soon launch an innovative digital platform called artistgogo.com. It will introduce various types of international music with interactive software packages to encourage consumers to not only enjoy, but utilize music. The digital platform will be providing its services to their clients such as China Unicom (the second largest mobile service provider in China), Sina.com (the largest portal) and others to their vast membership.

Q. Considering the fact that overwhelming, music searches lead to pirated downloads, might translation be a double-edged sword due to the lack of legal outlets?

A. No, it is the right thing to do. First of all, 88tc88.com will help to increase the number of released Western indie artists in China. Luckily enough, SSCEG is providing the technical and promotional solution through their aLMS system, an operating system developed by a-Peer Holding Group, which is a US technology company. The whole deal is about making it right. Trumping Baidu through transparent accounting and sales, through mobile carriers like China Unicom. It is about putting ad based attempts out of work as they just clutter the offering and don’t make money for artists.

Q. In the same vein, you note that “monetization is then maintained through concerts, appearances, sponsorships and partnerships,” something I agree with totally. But how realistic is this for most independent artists?

A. Artists don’t stop making music in the first place just because of Madonna and U2 who are wildly more successful than they are. The same principle applies to China; don’t ignore it. If there are tools available to spread your music, use them. If they are packaged as well as 88tc88.com, just go for it. China is an even greater level playing field for independent artists as it is just beginning to develop a solid understanding of all sorts of Western musical culture and has a huge hunger for the world and what it has to offer. Of course, the Top Ten are the Top Ten worldwide, but that shouldn’t stop you from trying. And as an independent artist, you don’t care about the Top Ten anyway, do you?

Q. In working with Shanghai Synergy Culture & Entertainment Group, the subsidiary of Shanghai Media Entertainment Group, you are taking a very different strategy from Google which took a more go-it-alone approach?

A. That’s right. China is all about partnerships and trust. Going it alone doesn’t work anywhere, so why would we be so arrogant to think we can build that skyscraper alone? We humbly realize that this is a joint effort and it will only work as a partnership. With reliable and powerful partners like SSCEG, we will be able to achieve a lot for the artists.

Q. Do you have any advice for music companies considering entering China?

A. As with anything outside your 30 mile radius of life � be open, accept that things are handled differently in other countries. Have a thirst for knowledge for and an interest in other cultures and people. Try to learn how to communicate with them, even try to learn their language (yes that is hard, but worth it the moment you can speak with people directly). That’s my general advice. If you want special advice on media related approaches, well, contact me anytime.

Diversity is what makes Indian music bands so interesting. Culture, history and innovations – they all come together through the songs presented as Indian music. Each and every song has something special to offer, impressing not only with the chosen vocal singer but also with the instrumental part and the well-chosen dances. It is considered that the vocal, the instrumental and the dance represent three important forms of art, being known in India as sangeet. This is just one of the reasons why Indian music is so special, being easily described as complex and refined above anything else. And what better way to discover Indian music bands than by visiting online specialized resources such as My Band?

Speaking on more professional terms, Indian music bands create their songs using both melodic and rhythmic forms, or as they call them, Rag and Tal. It’s not for nothing that these songs seems to have a rather unique Western influence, given the fact that the melodic form is in many ways similar to the Western modes. However, there are small differences, that only a trained eye is capable of noticing. As for the rhythmic form, this is what actually gives flavor to the music, being different from one song to another. You will discover that all songs presented by Indian music bands are different, yet they remind of the same ancient musical tradition. Start your journey into the depths of Indian music and discover beautiful songs at My Band; you will definitely be impressed with the creations posted online.

Why are the creations of Indian music bands considered to be exquisite? The truth is that they use certain musical instruments which are to be found nowhere else in the world. We are talking of course about, the sitar and tabla. The first actually represents a large, long-necked lute and it is one of the most popular Indian instruments. The Indian tabla is an instrument that consists of two small, single-headed hand drums, producing a wide variety of sounds. Whether one sings folk, R&B or classical music, the truth is that there is something special about each song interpreted by Indian music bands. Two of the most special varieties include Carnatic and Hindustani music, songs pertaining to these two categories being presented on My Band as well.

There are many sources of inspiration that Indian music bands resort to in order to come up with beautiful music. Religion, history and the unique culture of India represent three major sources of inspiration, contributing to the creation of unique songs. If you decide that you want to discover what Indian music bands are capable of, then you should definitely pay a visit to My Band and check out the artists in vogue!