BANDCOCKTAIL.COM

I’ve been using ReverbNation for about 6 months now, and I have to say, the site has really helped me with the promotion and marketing of my music. Like anything else, you get back what you put into it, and as anyone who has done any type of online marketing knows, it is a very time consuming process. Especially if you are attempting to do it alone ( or with very little help).

This is where ReverbNation can help. They provide you with tools, such as promo widgets, a fan mail program,etc. that can help you get your music out there, and get your band seen and heard online. They also provide detailed stats on your page views, plays, listeners, fans, etc. The best part of their site is that most of their services are absolutely free. They actually have a band equity program that pays the musician.

Obviously, you are providing content for their site, and with the email program there is an ad at the bottom of the email sent out. But it is all done with style, and in my opinion, is very professional looking.

The Fanreach email system also offers you info on click thru %, fan location, age, % of mail opened,etc. It also has filters so you can search for fans in certain geographic locations ( to avoid email fatigue ) and automatically removes invalid email addresses or unsubscribed users.

The widgets speak for themselves. If you want to see how they can be put into use, check out examples on the reverbnation site.

I think these widgets blend  nicely into  websites. They aren’t plastered with ads for doritos or bud light. They are customizable as well ( background and font colour ).

ReverbNation helps  artists to better understand how their promotional efforts are working, and provides the means with which to communicate better with their fans. I really believe it is a must for any indie musician. Especially if you are understaffed, underpaid, and underfed.

best of indie music part 2 here is the track list: band of horses – is there a ghost fleet foxes – white winter hymnal tegan and sara – back in your head ivy – undertow vampire weekend – a-punk kenna – rose modest mouse – 3rd planet sigur ros – olsen olsen bella and sebastian me and the mayor joanna newsom – emily lcd sounsystem – all my friends elliot smith – between the bars los hermanos – o vencedor regina spektor – better los planetas – de viaje the postal service – such great heights the rapture – house of jelous lovers spoon – don’t you evah tv on the radio – I was a lover los campecinos – you! me! dancing! peter, pjorn and John – young folks le tigre – hot topic the racounters – level the new pornographers – the laws have changed the caesar – jerk it out the white stripes – the hardest button to button the stone roses – I wanna be adored yeah yeah yeahs – maps arcade fire – no cars go the smiths – asleep

There are so many music sites and blogs out there that it is often hard to keep track of them all. Everyone wants to be the first person to write about or feature a .mp3 from the hottest new band, which can often lead to many blogs featuring the exact same content. If you are looking for the best music review and news sites on the internet to see what is hot and what new artists and records to check out, here is a list of the top three music review and news websites on the internet.

Popmatters.com

Popmatters has been around for almost a decade now and has proven to be one of the more successful music, arts and film websites on the internet. At first, Popmatters largely focused on music, but has recently spread out to cover all aspects of pop culture, from film to comics to video games. Some of the best writing about music and art I have read on their site. Many of their writers are unpaid and freelance which often attracts a different style and quality of writer, but Popmatters is good about picking only the best and featuring only the best articles and stories on pop culture and music. Their best of the year lists regarding music are often much more unique and varied than the usual end-the-the-year lists that pop up.

Cokemachineglow.com

Not sure how they have gotten away with using the surely copyrighted term “Coke” but hopefully they never get caught because Coke Machine Glow is one of the most unique and clever music review and news websites on the internet. Coke Machine Glow doesn’t cover one style of music but brings the same intelligence and wit to their reviews of metal, hip-hop or noise music. If you are looking for verbose, but witty writing that doesn’t adhere to any standard form of music criticism, Coke Machine Glow is a great website to bookmark in your browser

Pitchforkmedia.com

One of the most successful and popular music and news review sites on the internet, Pitchfork Media is often seen as one of the most influential sites on the internet, integral to making or breaking a band. Their 1-10 review score ratings have become coveted and feared in the music world, often seen as an instigator in sales of the particular record, more prized than a brand new BMW body kit. Often criticized for their smarmy reviews and overly verbose reviews, Pitchfork Media is nonetheless a powerful influence on the music industry, whether you like it or not, so it is always interesting to see what they are doing, and what new band they are pulling for.

When you are a new band, playing live is nerve wracking enough without having to worry about the front of house sound. Surely it’s enough to be concerned about whether your finely crafted and highly practised material will stand up to public scrutiny, or if you’ll make a tube of yourself by falling off the stage in front of the gathered mass of friends and family. Very important things both, but there are a number of simple things you can do to help yourselves and the sound engineer ensure you have the best possible sound coming through the PA. With that sorted you can worry less about the sound and more about whether you look like a tool in your new skinny jeans and winkle pickers.

First and most importantly arrive on time, en masse and fully equipped for your sound check. The sound check is as important as the live performance as this is the time the sound engineer will tune the PA system to get the best from your performance. He will tweak the system to suit your style of music, vocals and tone as well as familiarise himself with your set-up and any requirements you may have that are slightly out of the ordinary. It’s no good showing to your first gig five minutes before you are due to go on with an unexpected twelve piece choir and full brass section and expect the engineer to accommodate them and get them sounding their best. No doubt he will do his best, but the sound may not be as good as it could be and your performance may suffer as a result.

Arriving on time will allow you to have a relaxed and thorough sound check, to solve any little problems that might come up and for you to familiarise yourselves with the venue and stage layout.

Discuss your sound and how you want to come across to the audience with the sound engineer during your soundcheck. More than likely he will have never have heard you before and so will not know what sort of mix you require, so cannot be expected to magically guess what you want to sound like. You may not be able to get the exact sound your after due to limitations in the PA, poor acoustics in the venue or any number of reasons. But if you are on time, polite and constructive when addressing the engineer he will do his best to get you sounding as good as is possible with the equipment available to him and will more than likely look forward to working with you again.

Another tip is to consider your on-stage amplification purely as monitoring for yourselves and only turn them up loud enough for you to comfortably hear them. You may be used to winding your amps up to eleven in the practice studio, but doing that during a live performance can cause a number of problems. Firstly the sound engineer will have mic’ed the amps up and as such will be controlling they’re sound through the PA. The louder you have your amps on stage, the lower he has to have them through the PA and the less control he has over the overall sound mix, so you have a slightly messy and disjointed sound out front. Secondly, you will have on-stage monitoring so you can hear you vocals, as such the louder you have your amps, the louder the monitors have to be for you to hear yourselves. This increases the risk of feedback and can result in a slightly messy and disjointed sound on stage. So overall that’s a slightly messy and disjointed sound out front and on-stage and with everybody struggling to hear what’s going on everywhere. Not good. Trust the engineer to make the most of your sound out front and leave the volume dial on your amps alone. One way of improve your ability to monitor your amps is by sticking them on crates so they are closer to your ears and not pointing directly at your legs.

The tone of your amps can also prove to be problematic. Excessive treble will carry through the PA and result in a nasty jangly sound. This excessive top end is not always noticed by bands as by the time the sound has reached them from the amp it is ok, but bear in mind the position of the instrument mic. If you listen to your amp from the proximity of the mic, you’ll be surprised by how much more treble is evident. Adjust the settings on the amp from the position of the mic to get the best sound through the PA system.

Bad microphone technique is a common issue and can have a derogatory effect on the production of your vocals. Dynamic unidirectional vocal microphones of the type predominantly used for live vocals have a very specific area in which they pick up sound, usually within a couple of inches of the mic head. This design feature is to reduce the likelihood of other noises being picked up from around the stage helping to produce a cleaner sound and reduced chance of feedback. To get the optimum sound from the mic, try and keep within a couple of inches of the head, sing clearly and don’t move your head excessively when singing. This way, a fairly consistent signal will be picked up by the mic and your vocal won’t appear to be fading in and out. Also, try not to cup your hand over the mic head or hold the mic’ upside down as this will more than likely cause feedback.

Positioning yourself correctly on the stage can have a positive impact on your sound. More than likely you’ll have been trapped three feet apart from each other in a sweaty, rehearsal studio for weeks previously, so when faced with a nice, big stage, the temptation to get as far away from each other as possible is understandable. But try and stay compact on stage, particularly if you are only a small band, as this will not only help you hear each others amps better for monitoring purposes but will also prevent you looking and sounding disjointed and appear more of a cohesive unit.

Lastly, there are certain items that you should always remember as although the engineer may be able to help supply you with them, do not expect him to. There may be a time when he cannot and that may leave you in a pickle.

• Drum mat – a vital addition to your drummer’s gear. Without it the kit will make its way slowly across the stage and into the audience. Lack of a mat usually results in the extensive use of the sound guy’s vital and surprisingly expensive gaffer tape to secure the kick drum.

• Electrical adaptors – ensure you have sufficient extension reels and adaptors to support all you gear. The engineer may only have enough to cover the PA equipment so, again if you really have to plug in all fourteen of you effects pedals make sure you have sufficient power supplies to do so.

• Audio cables and adaptors – make sure you have enough guitar leads (including spares in case of breakdown), as again the engineer may not carry spares. Also if you are plugging in keyboards, click tracks or decks have the correct leads or adaptors to plug them into the PA – usually either ¼ inch jacks or XLR.

• To be nice to the engineer – He will have been there four hours before you mucking around with cables and lugging heavy equipment around to make you sound half decent and will be there two hours after you’ve disappeared down the pub to muck around with cables and lug heavy equipment around, so be nice.

Professional PA hire companies such as Audiorent.co.uk have highly experienced, professional and approachable engineers who will be more than happy to discuss any aspect of your set-up or performance. It is the engineer’s job to get the best from your music and ensure that the audience can focus on your performance rather than any anomalies in the sound, so if you follow the simple tips given above the chances of that are greatly increased.

If you need any information about the hire of PA equipment for your bands live performances or any aspect of PA, lighting, backline or AV hire in Nottingham and throughout the UK, contact Audiorent.co.uk on contact@audiorent.co.uk or call us on 07951164194.

To Watch music videos has been the most important thing in teenage and that has spread now days to all ages. Have we ever forgotten the legend Michael Jacksons musical videos? The legend shot into lime light with his famed Thriller musical video and that was a sensation in the 80s and still continues to thrill the young new generation.

The real advantage of Jackson video was that it could be classified as Dance musical video. He had continued to become a sensation with the albums off the wall, Childhood, Black and White, Dangerous and Thriller thanks to the ability to market these as the best Dance musical videos. These videos could be also classified as Rap musical videos and he was rightly called the king of pop. Beatles has been another musical band that could be said as promoting rap music and that has been also a benchmark for viewers who has been interested in viewing these albums.

There has been a rock music band called the ABBA and U2 that has entered the minds of millions of musical lovers thanks to their sterling performance in their Rock Musical Video. Rock music has been also called as heavy metal music when there has been more influence on the sound and the ay the song has been singed has been also on the higher side with lot of sound and that would be like the metal clanking to the surface.

There has been a competition between the rap music and rock music as which style has been the best promoter of good music and to be fair both has got a style of their own. How many times we have sung to the song “Daddy Cool” with the lyrics being short. That has been the power of Rap music videos and we have been taken to a particular style of dance in the video and we have started swaying to the lyrics. This has been also true to the U2 musical video in which we would be surprised by the light that would be sparking and the heavy guitar sounds that would be creating a shrill on the minds of the viewers.

Rock music video has been normally a hit with the younger generation who has been considered as rebel in their teenage and would be looking at a different angle to the world and life. Their philosophy would be more risk taking and would be more energetic and would be suiting their style.

Watching music videos has become much easier thanks to the internet and that has been easily possible with the advent of You Tube and other sites. All these would be helping the viewers to know more of their musical favorites.

Millions of people every day surf the web looking for a variety of different popular music websites and of course they find that there are 1,000’s if not millions of them all over the internet. Its as if these websites are having mini-battles with each other just to gain the number one statues for the market they are targeting.

But what happens if you love all sorts of different music from country to rock? Is there a place for you that will support your need to headbang but also let you cry in your beer if your desire is a good country song with a lot of heart?

There are several ways to narrow down your search each and every time you desire to know what is happening with this metal band or when your favorite singer is going to release their next album. The first step is getting on the internet.

After you have arrived on the World Wide Web you might just need to do a little digging. Look for sites that offer each artist it’s own page. Not only does this make it easier to locate the information you want on one particular artist or band but it also will tell you how easy it will be to come back next time you have a question about someone else.

You also want to find a site that offers MP3 downloads because of course you want the latest music by your favorite artist. Tossing in a video and of course the newest pictures is also on your list of top desires in a music website.

There are several places on the internet that will offer you exactly what you are looking for from NME to BBC and of course there is also CUE music database. When checking out your top contenders who will end up being your favorite music website there are a few things you should be looking for such as a wide range of data from several different sources. You also want to be confident that the latest news about your favorite artist is there.

One more great thing that should be on your top ten list of must haves in a music website is the fact that they have their very own top ten list of articles, top 10 music videos and pictures. Why is this important? Because you might have come to the website seeking information on a certain rapper but what you didn’t know is that your favorite pop star is also in the news. Why be left out because the site leaves you hanging? By finding the perfect site for all of your music desires you wont be left holding the mic anymore!

When it comes to music, there is no better place to keep up “with it” than in a big city. Due to the Internet completely influencing, shaking up and diversifying the music industry, more and more bands come out on a day-to-day basis. And unless you live in the thick of it, as in within an urban, metropolitan area, it is pretty much impossible to keep up with all of the current trends and new tunes. That is, however, until satellite Internet came out, providing high-speed connections to the masses living in the rural and mountainous areas of the country.

Look, it is easy to attribute the rising popularity of indie music to the Internet. Since the Napster era, the entire music industry has pretty much been torn apart. CD stores and chains have closed down or gone bankrupt and big name stars are selling less and less albums, all while small, independent, unsigned bands are utilizing social networking and media to slowly grow in popularity and break into the mainstream. And although keeping up with all of the gossip and rising stars is quite easy with a cable or DSL connection, people living outside of their infrastructures were without luck for quite some time. Dial-up and 56K connections did not suffice.

Now, however, satellite broadband has provided these “out of the loop” music lovers with the fast connection they need to keep up with the current pace of the new music industry. And no sites are better to keep up with all things indie than Pitchfork.com, Metacritic.com and Legalsounds.com.

Pitchfork.com – Although Rollingstone Magazine has traditionally been the bread and butter with regards to music related news, Pitchfork.com has slowly chipped away at the indie audience of its rival publication. Focusing on all things indie, the online music news Web site provides all necessary information for satellite Internet broadband users, including current news, album reviews, upcoming CD releases and concert listings. In fact, they even have exclusive recordings and videos from the “rising stars” of the genre, such as England’s The XX or Beach House.

Metacritic.com – Granted, when it comes to reading up on music reviews and monitoring their sales for the last week, Billboard pretty much has the competition beat. They’ve been doing it for more than half a century. But when it comes to overall reviews, Metacritic.com is the best place to check out. Acting as the Rottentomatoes.com for music, the Web site compiles the reviews of multiple publications and esteemed critics while interweaving user opinions as well. For satellite broadband subscribers, this means that no matter where you live you can keep up with the current opinions on specific music and even contribute your own thoughts to the overall ranking of a group’s new release.

Legalsounds.com – Downloading music has always been a questionable practice ever since the United States Government shut down Napster and other related music sites. Bit torrent Web sites exist, but they exist in the same illegal category as Limewire and Kazaa. Granted, iTunes is by far the largest online music download site, but a full CD can cost around $10, which in today’s economy is more than people want to spend. Well, thanks to the Internet and a grey line within international online law, Legalsounds.com provides all the music you crave at a cheap price – only 9 cents a song. The sound quality is actually better than the iTunes store and since the site is located in Russia, where copyright laws do not exist, there has yet to be any legal issues pertaining to United States users who utilize it – besides, the site has the word legal in it. With a high-speed satellite Internet connection, users are “legally” and quickly growing their music libraries and keeping up with the up-and-coming bands of this new, online indie generation.

HOLLYWOOD, Calif. – The prestigious LA Music Awards has nominated Kris Searle for Best Record of the Year and Best Male Vocal. London recording artist Kris Searle’s new Album Slowly Diabolical has been receiving rave reviews and accolades from music professionals worldwide. “L.A Music Awards double nomination is a real sign of Kris’ musical accomplishment and true recognition of his ‘Super Star Talent’. The fact that it is all happening in such a short period of time has amazed me, I’m really thrilled by the response and the growing momentum that is happening for Kris” says Richard Williams Executive Producer of the newly released album Slowly Diabolical. This is “Brit-Pop/Rock at its finest”, “Blasting tracks with enormous melodies and shout-out-loud lyrics” played by Kris and his incredible star studded band of musicians. This is Indie music at its finest, featuring some of the most talented musicians in the business, and this album truly has platinum potential. This exceptional album of originally composed music by the artist was produced by Dino Maddalone of Dino M 4 Recording Studios of Torrance, California and is available now online through iTunes, CD Baby, Music Dock, mp3, amazon, Rhapsody and other music outlets.

http://krissearle.com/audio/SD01-Slowly_Diabolical.mp3

About Kris Searle: Media from the UK to LA are raving! “His music draws from life experiences and projects raw emotion, a refreshing break from all the futile pap that fills much of today’s pop charts.”Jay Clarke of Attitude Magazine. “Sensitive and engaging”, is how BBC Radio describes British-born singer-songwriter Kris Searle’s music as UK audiences would like to claim the fast-rising talent as theirs alone. Kris, now promoting his new album ‘Slowly Diabolical’ and showcasing in Southern California, is rapidly building a career that’s also attracting the interests of Los Angeles’ own music industry heavyweights. Bob Leggett of Music Connection says “Searle’s music touches the heart and stimulates the Soul, and deserves industry support and placement in a myriad of shows and movies. Searle is ready for the big time now!” “Kris Searle is something of a phenomenon here at ROCKWIRED, this U.K. crooner, having released his Indie CD ‘Slowly Diabolical’ has taken his music and his life into his own hands and is making it happen” – Brian Lush, Rockwired. “Honest and introspective songs from the heart, a voice from the soul, and a sound that appeals to a broad audience.” Greg Bennett, premier designer Samick/Greg Bennett Guitars. To book Kris Searle, arrange guest appearances or interviews please forward requests to management.

http://www.krissearle.com

When it comes to both large and small cities in United States of America, there are so many bands in the garage are making some shattering music to the music lovers. Most of them are writing with more passions than most do, and they are not influenced by a label, and they are trying pulling everything from their lives. These Indie music bands are writing about their dreams and a hope instead of writing about something a big label has told them to write about. All of these musicians are having a sense of respect towards their indie music, and they are not interesting to capitalizing off the music.  But they want to influence other with their life experienced and things that influenced them. As a music lover, we need to tribute what makes them who they are, Indie and under ground musicians get famous not because of label had a deal with a radio station, but because of their music is truly appreciating by many people around the world.

In United States of America, it can be hard to be an Indie Musician. Most of the label companies are increasingly harder to remain unique and individual.  Progressive rock bands have it hard, because their songs are usually longer than the standard radio song average and follow a less standardized song structure. For those who love Indie music, there are a variety of ways you can get involved and find more music. Indie websites are my personal favorite, but there are ways such as venues in every city where local musicians play, your friends who can refer musicians, as well as social networking sites where you can meet indie music lovers.

Anyhow, we need to give applaud to these musicians by giving say like do it yourself. They provide the trends that major labels follow, and even help set fashion trends. We send a plea to all these indie musicians not to give up, and keep making our lives better by doing what they do best.   Finally, there are some well established and experienced web sites are offering these Indie numbers to their clients. For more information and details, please visit their valuable website.

If you are an ardent lover of music and want to be at pace with the latest trends in the market, you have the opportunity to do so. Get your desired free music downloads through internet. Fulfill your desire of musical numbers. You do not have to make any investment to get the lovely tunes that you have been aspiring since a long time. If you want to collect the music in CDs or cassettes from the store, you have to cough out some cash. Here by the courtesy of internet, it is absolutely free.

There are quite a few websites who offer free downloads of mp3 music from their competent database so that visitors find it immensely exciting and get satisfaction from the services of those websites. They are very popular among the young generation particularly, because they are the ones who go madly after a special blockbuster number of band or solo music piece.

When they are satisfied they speak very highly of the particular website, as a result the website gets many more visitors and enjoys high traffic. It is catching up since last few years and young visitors are thronging the website in thousands of numbers each day. The free aspect of the website is more appealing and it is the main reason of such huge popularity.

You will find plenty of such websites who are offering free mp3 music download of different kinds of musical pieces. It is absolutely certain that you will find your choice from one of them easily. You must understand that the original copy of the music is available only after a certain period, which the owner fixes under the copyright provision and then he releases them for free distribution in any channel.

Generally latest introductions are scarcely available for free downloads from the original musical score, however, you may be lucky to get one otherwise. With such few exceptions, the websites with free downloads are enjoying havoc popularity and it is growing day after day.

You should choose the better quality websites for downloading free music. You should shop around for competent sites who offer reliable and authentic recordings of your choicest music. Listen to the music news to remain updated about the latest happenings in the world of music.