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Local music from wherever "local" is to you |
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Local Band Network |
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LBN Newsletter |
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The general design can be seen here. Progress has been slow but we are making progress. At this point I am hoping the rebuild will be completed by the end of the year. It should be faster, cleaner and more attractive. Then we are going to start working on a lot of cool new features. We are also working on a new business plan to try to get funding to really trick out the site. |
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Site overhaul update |
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Volume 2, Issue 3 October 2006 |
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Get Your Band Promoted to 250,000 Music Industry Professionals for Free |
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To remove your name from our mailing list, please login and update your email preferences. Questions or comments? E-mail us at newsletter@localbandnetwork.com |
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By Damian Kulash of OK Go Damian shares his opinion on Digital Rights Management (DRM) while guest blogging on coolfer.com. DRM just flat out sucks. Its most obvious problem is that it doesn't work. No matter how sophisticated the particular software, it only takes one person to break it, once, and the music that was "protected" by the DRM is free to roam the vast expanses of the P2P networks. It’s the most ridiculous house-of-cards model imaginable: one single breech and the whole system implodes. As if to underscore the superlative absurdity of their goal, the lightbulb-heads also managed to cook up software that is comically easy to break. Way to go, guys. |
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The DRM Hullabaloo |
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The Grumps with the Jake & Elwood Rock, Rhythm & Blues Revue—Elkhart, IN The Grumps have been a long-time member of Local Band Network and have always been very active. Judging by the number of shows they post they keep themselves quite busy too. The band attributes its success to its Blues Brothers show and its’ wide repertoire of songs spanning the '60s to current songs which includes the Van Morrison, Chicago, Eagles, James Brown, Elvis Presley, Matchbox Twenty, Hootie and the Blowfish and many more. Check them out at their next show. |
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One of the biggest problems facing independent artists these days is, wait for it ... other independent artists. There are more independent artists performing now than ever before. While this is good news for the music industry overall, it has made it even more difficult for quality indie artists to get their foot in the door. Clubs that used to get a few hundred promo packs each month are now getting that number of CD's each week. Simply put, the number of submissions they receive is far more than they could listen to if all they did was listen to new music. Most clubs only have 200 - 400 available slots each month, and the majority of those spots are reserved for bands who have played the venue before. So if your not one of those artists, how do you make your band stand out to the club talent buyers & music pros you want to work with? Well if we didn't have an answer we wouldn't be writing this article so I'll just cut to the chase. There is a new service out there who's sole job is to find and promote the nations best up and coming independent artists. Its called the Independent Artist Registry (IAR) and what they do for independent artists is off the charts. The IAR evaluates independent artists in four areas of career development, then sends each artists a detailed written critique of their materials. The critique is done by music industry pros who are experts in each of the four areas of development. I've heard of a number of song writing or band competitions where interns are the ones who listen to the music. Not the IAR, the reviewers have an average of 10+ years experience in their fields. In addition to the critique, these music pros offer suggestions on how to improve - something artists pay these pros big money for. After the evaluation process is completed, the IAR selects only the top artists to be inducted as new members. Last year thousands of artists applied, but only 52 were selected for membership. Those artists receive a one year endorsement deal, a artist page on the IAR's website, are featured in a number of national music industry magazines, are promoted to nearly a quarter million music industry pros including clubs, promoters, music reporters and the top 100 record labels. She's Your Sister, a rock band selected for last year's class watched as their CD In Between raced up the Billboard top 200 charts thanks to the push they got from the IAR. PH10, an electronic hip hop act from Denver was featured in the 2006 edition of the Music Phone Book and will also be featured in upcoming issues of Performing Songwriter and Music Connection magazine. The Jazzwholes a alternative jazz funk band from Omaha performed a music showcase at the DFest music conference for A&R reps from Universal, Warner Brothers, & Geffin. Just a handful of benefits some recent members of the IAR have received. Members of the IAR become part of a very exclusive group. Club talent buyers, promoters, reporters and A&R reps know the IAR reserves membership based on talent. They know the artists selected for membership are some of the best independent artists in the country because the IAR evaluates thousands of artists from all genres from all across the country. These music pros stop and give members of the IAR their full attention because they know the artists were selected above thousands of others. The cost? That's the best part. Membership in the IAR is based on talent and potential, not how much money you can pony up. That's the primary reason membership in the IAR carries so much weight in the industry. The IAR does not represent the artists and has no financial interest in its members. The only cost involved is purchasing a copy of the Music Phone Book ($40) if your one of the few developed artist out there that doesn't already have a copy. The top artist from each class gets 1,000 CDs replicated for free, has their CD distributed to the nation's top 300 radio station program directors and has their demo sent to virtually every major label A&R rep. The IAR is all about quality over quantity. While the IAR is open to artists from all genres, artists must meet the IAR's minimum requirements: must perform at least 30 shows a year, must perform outside their home market, have a CD of original material, etc. The goal of the IAR is to find the best independent artists in the country, then promote those artists to a quarter million music industry professionals looking for new bands. The deadline for artists and bands to apply for membership in the IAR's next class is Tuesday October 31st 2006. If you’re an independent artist and think you’re one of the best performers in the country you can apply for membership through the IAR's website www.independentartistregistry.com. There's a Submit an Artist button on the top of the home page which will allow you to fill out an application. The IAR is a great way to get a trusted industry service to promote your band for you. Again the deadline to apply for membership in the IAR's next class is Tuesday Oct 31st 2006. |
