Capture creativity

<strong>Capture</strong> <strong>creativity</strong>.<br />

©2012 Blue Microphones.<br />

Microphones as individual as you are.<br />

Black Kettle (Keeley Bumford, Kailynn West)<br />

recording at home with “Monkey,” June, 2012<br />

www.bluemic.com

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CONTENTS<br />

Sara Bareilles<br />

The hit songstress talks to Music Connection<br />

about her creative process and how<br />

she decided to shake things up for her new<br />

album, The Blessed Unrest, by moving to<br />

New York City and collaborating with other<br />

songwriters.<br />

By Jessica Pace<br />

Informing Music People Since 1977<br />

<br />

Career Connection<br />

46<br />

Creative Allies<br />

Photos by: Danny Clinch<br />

44<br />

Merch Madness<br />

Selling merchandise at live shows––it’s an<br />

essential endeavor if an artist or band expects to<br />

make money on the road. In this unique feature,<br />

MC shows you the most creative and lucrative<br />

merch items we could find, as well as effective<br />

tactics that increase sales.<br />

By Bernard Baur<br />

36<br />

40<br />

Bombadil<br />

Signed to the label that brought us the Avett<br />

Bros., an intriguing North Carolina group have<br />

overcome their frontman’s nerve damage injury<br />

to continue on their distinctive path.<br />

By Andy Mesecher<br />

Need a great new t-shirt graphic?<br />

This site holds competitions that<br />

connect designers with bands.<br />

By Brett Bush<br />

Departments<br />

08. Close Up<br />

09. Assignments<br />

10. New Toys<br />

14. Book Store<br />

16. Up Close<br />

18. Studio Mix<br />

23. Business Affairs<br />

26. Signing Stories<br />

28. Song Biz<br />

32. Film/TV/Theater<br />

34. Mixed Notes<br />

Reviews<br />

50. Album Reviews<br />

52. New Music Critiques<br />

54. Live Reviews<br />

Directory of<br />

Everything Promo<br />

Compiled By Denise Coso<br />

58<br />

Be sure to follow Music<br />

Connection on Facebook and<br />

Twitter. Check out our<br />

Social Space to connect with<br />

fellow music-makers.<br />

20. Engineer Crosstalk: James Dunkley . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . By Rob Putnam<br />

22. Exec Profile: Cheetah Chrome, Plowboy Records. . . . . . . . . . By Andy Kaufmann<br />

30. Songwriter Profile: David Lowery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . By Dan Kimpel<br />

70. Tip Jar: Your Album Release Show. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . By Ari Herstand<br />

The opinions expressed in<br />

Music Connection, as well as all<br />

Directory listings and contact information,<br />

are provided by various sources in the<br />

music industry. Music Connection<br />

is not responsible for any business<br />

transactions or misadventures that may<br />

result from your use of this information.<br />

4<br />

September 2013<br />

musicconnection.com

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www.musicconnection.com 11

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E. Eric Bettelli PUBLISHER<br />

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ONLINE OPERATIONS<br />

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NEW TOYS<br />

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Dan Kimpel<br />

SONG BIZ<br />

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FEATURE WRITERS<br />

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Editorial Interns intern@musicconnection.com<br />

Web Intern Emmanuel Reid<br />

CONTRIBUTING WRITERS<br />

Carl Anthony, Allegra Azzopardi, Bernard Baur, Brett Bush, Karen Emmert, Gary<br />

Graff, Eric A. Harabadian, Corey Irwin, Oscar Jordan, Andy Kaufmann, Paula Muñoz,<br />

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Reid Jr., Alexander G. Seyum, Danny Seyum, Mark Shiwolich, Daniel Siwek, Brian<br />

Stewart, Dave Stone, E. H. Tiernan, Brooke Trout, Albert Vega, Ellen Woloshin<br />

MANUFACTURED AND PRINTED IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA<br />

Music Connection (ISSN# 1091-9791) is published monthly by Music Connection,<br />

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6<br />

September 2013<br />

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THUD STUDIOS<br />

By Jonathan Widran<br />

I<br />

n the mid-2000s, Jeff Abercrombie’s stint with the multiplatinum band<br />

Fuel was spent on tour as well as in recording studios. During that time<br />

the band scored hits like “Shimmer,” “Innocent” and “Hemorrhage (In<br />

My Hands)”—the latter remaining at No. 1 for 12 weeks, attaining doubleplatinum<br />

status.<br />

The band’s founding bassist, Abercrombie was ultimately led in another<br />

direction. “It was a dream of mine to start my own business and since I<br />

spent so much time in rehearsal and recording studios, it seemed natural<br />

to open up my own rehearsal and productions business,” he says.<br />

Abercrombie opened Thud Studios (http://thudstudios.com) in the trendy<br />

NoHo Arts District as a facility for band rehearsal lockouts. In 2004, before<br />

they even opened their doors, Thud Studios was fully booked. “I couldn’t<br />

believe the amount of calls I was getting during construction,” he says.<br />

“The difference with us was we were offering premium lockouts.”<br />

Not long after, Thud Studios changed its clientele. “When we first<br />

opened we did rehearsal lockouts. I had a lot of bands come in with their<br />

recording rigs, but in time more and more of the behind-the-scenes guys<br />

were coming here because they felt comfortable staying for long stretches.”<br />

Thud Studios offers month-to-month 24-hour access music production<br />

suites providing producers, production companies, record labels, publishing<br />

companies, musicians and artists clean, vibrant and creative rooms<br />

for recording and writing—an environment perfectly suited, Abercrombie<br />

says, for maximum productivity. He adds that it is the perfect spot for<br />

musicians, producers and songwriters who are looking for privacy to do<br />

recording and tracking on the digital equipment they bring in.<br />

“Our clients have their own clients, and who wants to bring clients to<br />

their own house? We are a professional building and I take pride in my<br />

facility, making sure that everything is always in spic and span condition.”<br />

Building on his initial success, Abercrombie later opened a second<br />

North Hollywood location. Both lockouts are within walking distance of<br />

each other, and close to restaurants, bars, shopping, and, for the people<br />

keeping it green, the Metro station. “We are in the heart of The NoHo arts<br />

district, which means when you are working those crazy late hours mixing<br />

or recording, you can either walk up the street for a quick bite or have it<br />

delivered...which I remember all too well!”<br />

Thud Studios’ Vineland location offers a nine-room full-service monthly<br />

lockout facility (average room size 300 sq. ft), two bathrooms, a large<br />

outdoor patio and bar area. The Burbank Blvd. location is a 14-room<br />

facility with an average room size of 12 ft. x16 ft.; the largest room (Studio<br />

B) is over 700 sq. ft. and Studio A is 550 sq. ft. Most rooms are carpeted<br />

as well as adding extra 4 feet of carpet on the walls to deaden the rooms,<br />

making it more acoustically friendly. Some of the rooms also have vocal<br />

booths. “A lot of the rooms have ambient track lighting...it’s all about the<br />

lighting,” adds Abercrombie.<br />

Thud Studios does not provide equipment; however, they offer referrals<br />

to artists who want to work with any of the engineers, producers or songwriters<br />

who occupy a room. Free amenities to monthly clients—many of<br />

whom make extended stays ranging from one to six years—include bottled<br />

water, coffee, a kitchenette common area, an outdoor patio with conversation<br />

bar and ample parking as well as free high-speed cable WiFi.<br />

“I think we have been successful because our clients can see that we<br />

care about our business and about them, and pay attention to the details<br />

in serving their needs,” he says. “Word gets around when they see us<br />

handling issues on the spot, and they in turn are respectful in the way<br />

they take care of their spaces too. Because I have been a musician my<br />

whole life, I have been in their shoes and know what they are looking for<br />

when they come to a place like this.”<br />

Thud Studios caters to a wide range of clientele from top producers<br />

to prominent songwriters––a list of renowned clients is available on the<br />

company’s homepage, http://thudstudios.com.<br />

Contact Thud Studios, 818-378-8162<br />

8 September 2013 musicconnection.com

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Lori Hartigan<br />

National Director Of Promotion<br />

Sidewalk Records<br />

Sidewalk Records has announced the<br />

addition of Lori Hartigan to National<br />

Director of Promotion. Previous stints<br />

include the Executive Management Team<br />

at Phil Vassar’s Rodeowave Entertainment,<br />

along with 19 years at Arista Nashville,<br />

where Hartigan played a pivotal role in<br />

the launch of countless artists including<br />

the likes of Brad Paisley, Carrie Underwood, Alan Jackson, Brooks &<br />

Dunn, Diamond Rio and more. Having recently obtained her Master’s<br />

in Organizational Development, Hartigan explains, “I look forward to<br />

applying many of the concepts of my studies into action at a label that is<br />

as dedicated towards its future as I’ve ever worked for within the music<br />

business.” Contact her directly at lhartigan@sidewalkrecords.com.<br />

David Lenat<br />

Director of US Sales<br />

Universal Audio<br />

David Lenat has joined Universal Audio<br />

as Director of US Sales. In his new role,<br />

Lenat will be managing all US sales<br />

representatives as well as spearheading<br />

domestic channel marketing activities<br />

for UA. Lenat comes to Universal<br />

Audio after nearly 10 years as Line 6’s<br />

Director of Sales where he specialized<br />

in E-Commerce. An accomplished guitarist, Lenat also has a strong<br />

background in recording and production. “I am very happy to join the<br />

team of professionals here at UA,” states Lenat. “For years I have used<br />

UA products, and been incredibly impressed with their product lineup and<br />

ambitious vision.” For further information on this appoint, contact Amanda<br />

Whiting, amanda@uaudio.com.<br />

Shelley Lazar<br />

Board of Directors<br />

Little Kids Rock<br />

Little Kids Rock, a nonprofit provider<br />

of free musical instruments and teacher<br />

training to US public schools, has<br />

announced the appointment of Shelley<br />

Lazar—founder and President of SLO VIP<br />

Services—to its Board of Directors. The<br />

company is currently reaching over 110,000<br />

children with weekly music lessons amidst<br />

budget cuts that are eliminating music education from some of the nation’s<br />

most under-served public schools. Little Kids Rock’s method includes<br />

teaching kids to play current and popular musical genres, improvisation<br />

and songwriting. Known throughout the industry as “The Ticket Queen,”<br />

Lazar parlays her unparalleled artist and industry relationships to deliver<br />

upon the belief that fans are the true VIPs. Contact keith@littlekidsrock.org.<br />

Brad Zell<br />

Online Marketing Manager<br />

QSC<br />

QSC Audio Products, LLC has announced<br />

the appointment of Brad Zell to the<br />

marketing team as Online Marketing<br />

Manager. Zell will be responsible for leading<br />

the company’s digital marketing efforts<br />

including social media management, digital<br />

content creation, campaign management<br />

and artist relations. Zell joins QSC after<br />

a 10-year career at PreSonus, where he was Director of Marketing<br />

Communications, responsible for their dealer and distributor marketing<br />

activities and relationships, as well as social media and artist relations. Zell<br />

also headed up PreSonus’ Product Management department where he<br />

created and implemented the company’s stage-gate product development<br />

process. Contact margaret@msmediainc.com.<br />

Jill Segal<br />

Associate Publicist / Tour Publicist<br />

Mitch Schneider Organization<br />

Jill Segal has been promoted to<br />

the position of Associate Publicist/<br />

Tour Publicist of the Mitch Schneider<br />

Organization (MSO), announced the<br />

company’s President, Mitch Schneider.<br />

Segal began at MSO in 2011 as a parttime<br />

assistant to John Ochoa and Aaron<br />

Feterl. A year later, she became Executive<br />

Assistant to Vice President Alexandra Greenberg, with whom she will work<br />

in a greater capacity. Over the past two years Segal has been involved in<br />

media campaigns for various artists including deadmau5, Benny Benassi,<br />

the Crystal Method, Krewella and several music festivals and events,<br />

including Coachella, Ultra Music Festival, and Hard Events. Contact Jill<br />

Segal directly at jsegal@msopr.com..<br />

Ron Burman<br />

President, North America<br />

Mascot Label Group<br />

Mascot Label Group has announced the<br />

hiring of Ron Burman as President of<br />

Mascot Records and The Mascot Label<br />

Group, North America. A veteran of A&R,<br />

Burman will helm the expansion of its New<br />

York office into a fully-fledged operation.<br />

Burman’s track record, which includes<br />

signing bands like Nickelback, Theory of a<br />

Deadman and Korn, led to his promotion from A&R to Sr. VP of A&R at<br />

Roadrunner Records, where he worked for 15 years. Burman began his<br />

career at ABC-Associated Booking Corp. in New York. He then became<br />

manager of alt-rock band, Alice Donut. From there, he went on to book<br />

CMJ and was the showcase manager of the CMJ Music Marathon just<br />

prior to his stint at Roadrunner. Contact burman@mascotlabelgroup.com.<br />

Ryan Fitch<br />

Director, Marketing, Film & TV/Advertising<br />

BMG Chrysalis US<br />

Ryan Fitch has been appointed to the<br />

position of Director, Marketing, Film & TV/<br />

Advertising at BMG Chrysalis US. Based<br />

in New York, Fitch will be spearheading<br />

all pitching and outreach efforts to the<br />

advertising community and will secure<br />

synch placements for BMG’s catalog.<br />

Fitch hails from Saatchi & Saatchi, where<br />

he spent 10 years as one of their most seasoned music producers.<br />

Recognized for his ability to pair songs with brands both large and small,<br />

he’s mastered the craft of integrating music into TV, radio and interactive<br />

campaigns. During his tenure at Saatchi & Saatchi, the agency earned<br />

several distinguished awards, including the prestigious Cannes Award for<br />

Agency of the Year. Contact alison.voetsch@bmgchrysalis.com.<br />

Travis Wolfe<br />

Agent<br />

APA<br />

Travis Wolfe has joined APA’s Nashville<br />

headquarters as an agent. Wolfe, who<br />

was formerly with Paradigm, will focus his<br />

efforts on the firm’s expanding corporate<br />

and special events division. Most recently,<br />

Wolfe was named one of the 2012<br />

Emerging Talent Agent of the Year by<br />

the International Entertainment Buyers<br />

Association (IEBA). Prior to Paradigm, Wolfe began his career in artist<br />

management for country artist Neal McCoy, while also owning a small<br />

production company specializing in college and festival events. He went<br />

on to work in sales at TBA Global, where he helped orchestrate and book<br />

talent for special event clients such as State Farm, Jackson Hewitt and<br />

Accenture, to name a few. Contact martha@somuchmoore.com.<br />

September 2013<br />

musicconnection.com<br />

9

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– BARRY RUDOLPH barry@barryrudolph.com<br />

YAMAHA APXT2 ACOUSTIC<br />

AVID PRO TOOLS 11<br />

The latest version of Pro Tools is much more than an update; it is a reinvention of the most popular<br />

and by now, the de facto standard in computer-based audio production. Avid Pro Tools 11 is now a<br />

64-bit application with multiple times more processing power than previous versions<br />

given the same hardware configurations. A 64-bit application allows for many<br />

more simultaneous virtual instruments and makes possible long-awaited features<br />

that have been available in other DAW platforms.<br />

Pro Tools’ 64-bit architecture necessitated a whole new Avid Audio Engine<br />

(AAE) and the new AAX plug-in format. The AAE and AAX format ensures that<br />

plug-ins provide exactly the same performance and sound quality across all PT 11<br />

versions—Native or HDX.<br />

Pro Tools 11 requires MAC OS 10.8 or above. Thoughtfully, Avid facilitates the<br />

“light speed” jump to Pro Tools 11 by offering it along with a special co-installed version<br />

of Pro Tools 10.3.6. If you have session projects running in 10 you can pre-process<br />

or bounce-to-disk track(s) using third-party plugs not yet available in 64-bit AAX<br />

and then close 10 and import them into 11—all without restarting your computer. Pro<br />

Tools 11 comes with 55 bundled plug-ins and several virtual instruments and soft synths.<br />

Now possible is offline mix bounces up to 150 times faster than real-time of up to 16 stems simultaneously. Each<br />

stem can be up to eight channels wide and works with both virtual instruments and audio plug-ins.<br />

I tested Pro Tools 11.0.1 and co-installed Pro Tools 10.3.6 in my 8-core Intel Westmere Mac tower. I am running the<br />

Native version and just 12GB of RAM (8GB is minimum requirement). A 24-track mixing session with automation and<br />

plugs used only 10 percent total host processing resources and I’m sure it will smoke my old HD3 TDM Accel system<br />

with the same computer. Avid offers many upgrade paths from older versions, too. Check out http://avid.com.<br />

The APXT2 is a smaller version of the world’s best-selling acoustic-electric guitar, the APX500II. The APXT2’s<br />

compact size is perfect for travel, practice, busking or on the gig. The body depth is 65-75-mm, width at the nut is<br />

43-mm (1 1/16-inches) and the string length is 580-mm.<br />

This 3/4-sized model includes Yamaha’s proprietary Acoustic Resonance Transducer (A.R.T.) System68 pickup<br />

system with built-in chromatic tuner. The guitar has a spruce top, meranti for the back and sides, a mahogany<br />

bridge and neck with a rosewood fingerboard.<br />

The System68 A. R. T. active preamp works with a transducer/contact pickup system and has a mid-boost<br />

EQ for tone shaping. It is interesting that the transducer system delivers an acoustic tone by achieving a balance<br />

between picking up some of the small resonances and also dampening excessive vibrations from the<br />

soundboard.<br />

It is available in different Dark Red Burst, Natural, Old Violin Sunburst (pictured), and Black finishes. With a<br />

sturdy, padded gig bag, the APXT2 sells for $315 MSRP. Check out http://4wrd.it/apxt2 for more information.<br />

SHURE BLX WIRELESS SYSTEM<br />

The BLX series is for musicians, singers and presenters who want the best in professional wireless<br />

products at an affordable price. There are three receiver options including a half-rack size for installed applications. All<br />

three have Shure’s one-touch QuickScan frequency scanning that quickly locates the best open frequency channel.<br />

Other good things to know are the 300-foot performance range and up to 14 hours of battery life. The transmitters come<br />

in body pack and handheld configurations with multiple handheld, lavaliere, instrument and headset microphone choices.<br />

There is the BLX1 Body pack Transmitter with Tini QG® mini XLR connector for Shure’s lavaliere, headset, earset,<br />

and instrument microphones and guitar cables. The BLX2 Handheld Transmitter has an integrated microphone<br />

capsule option with a -10 dB gain attenuation mode and your choice of Shure’s<br />

PG58, SM58® and Beta58A.<br />

The BLX4 Single Channel Receiver also has QuickScan frequency selection<br />

with up to 12 simultaneously running systems per frequency band. The BLX4R is<br />

the same system except it is half-rack size and has adjustable output level and<br />

removable antennas.<br />

The Shure BLX Wireless systems are available in numerous configurations with a<br />

wide range of Shure microphone options. Pricing begins at $374 MSRP/$299 MAP.<br />

For more information, visit http://shure.com.<br />

WAVESFACTORY TRACKSPACER 2.0<br />

TrackSpacer 2.0 is an automatic, 32-band equalizer plug-in that is controlled by the spectral content of other channel(s) coming<br />

in on its side-chain input. What?<br />

Akin to compressor and expander/noise gates with side-chain inputs for dynamic effects, TrackSpacer analyzes the audio<br />

frequency spectrum coming into its side-chain input from an aux send bus and then applies a frequency-tracking<br />

corrective equalization that reduces the same set frequencies on the track(s) or channels where it is inserted.<br />

You can have TrackSpacer track the changes in the frequencies of music or use the Freeze mode to lock it to a<br />

fixed band of frequencies. Based on your individual settings and preferences, TrackSpacer “carves” room or space<br />

in your mix by reducing the frequency buildup when two or more instruments or vocal tracks in the same octave<br />

and similar timbres compete to be heard at the same time.<br />

I’ve started using it in Pro Tools 11 for big background vocal stacks all sung by the same singer. Dulling the<br />

mid-range of the backing vocal track’s dynamics very slightly whenever the lead vocal sings, causes the lead vocal<br />

track to “project” without changing its level and without reducing the BG’s overall volume, energy and impact.<br />

TrackSpacer 2.0 adds 64-bit AAX support, an Advance Panel with side-chain listen and Attack/Release controls<br />

to tailor its operation even more specifically to your needs.<br />

Great stuff and I’m just starting to get the hang of this plug-in—I love it. It’s available in AU, VST, RTAS, AAX<br />

and VST 3 for both MACs and PCs. TrackSpacer 2.0 can be ordered online for €59.00 EUR directly from Wavesfactory<br />

at http://plugins.wavesfactory.com.<br />

10 September 2013 musicconnection.com

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July 2013 September 2013 www.musicconnection.com 41 15

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– BARRY RUDOLPH barry@barryrudolph.com<br />

DAMSON AUDIO TWIST PORTABLE SPEAKER<br />

HOSA TECHNOLOGY PWL-400 SERIES POWER EXTENSION CORDS<br />

Worldwide, AC power cables use International Electrical Connection or IEC connectors. This<br />

universal cable connects to your equipment’s back panel socket and at the other end is the<br />

proper plug that connects to any country’s AC wall outlet. This standardization allows operating<br />

electronics anywhere in the world using the disparate AC line power voltage sources<br />

and wall sockets locally available.<br />

Hosa Technology’s PWL-400 is an IEC extension cable and ideal for extending the<br />

reach of a standard IEC power cord. Equipped with an IEC C14 connector at one end to<br />

mate to the end of your existing IEC power cable, there is an IEC C13 connector at the<br />

other, that connects to your gear.<br />

PWL-400 Series Power Extension Cords come in three lengths: PWL-401.5 is only 1.5-<br />

ft. long and sells for $6.95—it’s great for interconnecting pieces of gear in the same rack;<br />

the PWL 403 is 3-ft. at $9.95; and the PWL-408 is 8-ft. and sells for $19.95.<br />

Hosa’s new PWL-400 Series Power Extension Cords utilize 14-gauge oxygen-free copper<br />

conductors and a black PVC jacket for durability and low on-stage visibility. The PWL-408<br />

sample I received was eight feet long and is rugged and heavy duty—it works well to extend the<br />

AC power lead for a synths, DJ gear and pro audio equipment. It’s a good tool to have ready to go.<br />

Visit http://hosatech.com for more.<br />

The Damson Audio Twist is a portable powered speaker that works via Bluetooth or via a stereo analog mini jack input.<br />

The “twist” is that this stylish aluminum cylindrical speaker, at about 3 inches tall and 2 inches in diameter, makes very<br />

little sound until you set it on a surface—wood, plastic, glass, a desktop or table. Immediately, loud and full sound fills your<br />

space with a powerful bass that belies its diminutive size.<br />

The Damson Twist uses resonance technology instead of a conventional speaker cone to produce sound. Called Incisor<br />

Diffusion Technology, the unit has a transducer in its base that couples the audio output’s vibrational energy directly to the<br />

surface it rests on. The more freely a surface can vibrate, the louder the sound is acoustically amplified.<br />

I like that the entire upper-half of Twist rotates from center position (off) to either Bluetooth operation or analog line input.<br />

A dual-color LED lights to indicate which mode you have functioning and a short tone is emitted indicating successful<br />

Bluetooth pairing. I paired up to my iPhone 4S but it’ll work with any laptop, smartphone or tablet the supports the A2DP standard.<br />

I placed the Twist on a small antique coffee table in my living room. It was amazing. There was enough audio power that certain loose<br />

sections of my old table would buzz with certain bass notes of the music. I moved Twist over to a massive dining room table and not only<br />

did the buzzing disappear but I gained even more volume.<br />

The Damson Twist sells for $69.99 MSRP. It comes in your choice of four candy metallic-colors and runs for about nine-hours on an<br />

internal, rechargeable battery. Check out http://us.damsonaudio.com/products/twist.<br />

EXPONENTIAL AUDIO PHOENIXVERB AND R2 REVERB PLUG-INS<br />

PhoenixVerb and R2 are two new reverb synthesizer plug-ins from Exponential Audio’s Michael<br />

Carnes who designed Lexicon Pro’s 960L, PCM96 and PCM plug-ins.<br />

PhoenixVerb ($199) produces natural and realistic room, plate, chamber and hall reverbs<br />

with presets arranged by keywords or categories. This arrangement lets you see different applications<br />

of the same presets within the range of multiple categories.<br />

R2 ($299) is called an active character reverb because it is designed to add coloration—<br />

even quirkiness with its additional chorus and gate processor modules. I found the chorus to<br />

add a subtle touch of modulation to the reverb’s sound while the gate panel’s parameters work<br />

well for devising quirky reverb effects, sudden-gated reverb effects and unique or matching<br />

ADR environment treatments.<br />

PhoenixVerb has become my primary go-to reverb when starting a new music mix in Pro Tools 11. Both PhoenixVerb and R2’s GUIs have<br />

complete sets of control knobs with individual parameter direct-entry windows. Wet/Dry Balance, Pre-delay and Reverb time are “center stage”<br />

in the GUI with controls for Early Reflection, Reverb Level and Output roll-off filter frequency—I especially like the stereo width control slider for<br />

setting the reverb’s image spread.<br />

Both plug-ins are organized in a screen space-saving way with three parameter panes or panels for adjusting the basic character and nature of<br />

the synthesized reverb. You can rename and build your own categories or view a very long list of presets.<br />

Both plug-ins are available for MACs and PCs in AU, VST, RTAS and AAX formats including AAX64.<br />

PhoenixVerb and R2 are must-have plug-ins. For more information, see http://exponentialaudio.com.<br />

D’ADDARIO/PLANET WAVES NS MICRO TUNER<br />

The new NS Micro Tuner is so small and lightweight, it is nearly invisible when clipped on the back<br />

of my Fender Strat’s headstock. Even when turned on and tucked out of view from everyone, its<br />

presence becomes immediately known by its brilliant color display.<br />

Planet Waves improved the ratchet clip-on design so the NS Micro tuner now looks like part of the guitar<br />

and can stay attached when you place the instrument in a travel case.<br />

Other improvements and updates include the tuning software, which now has faster note recognition<br />

and accuracy by way of an ultra-sensitive piezoelectric sensor system. I like the vibration pickup of this<br />

tuner—it makes tuning easy on loud and dark stages and the simple multi-color, backlit display shows the<br />

note name in red to indicate when it is out of tune and turns green when in tune.<br />

The NS Micro Tuner has an expanded calibration range from A=410 to 480Hz and there is a fully<br />

adjustable visual metronome for practicing. The NS Micro Tuner runs on a watch battery and<br />

automatically shuts off in a few minutes if you forget.<br />

The D’Addario/Planet Waves NS Micro Tuner sells for $32.99 MSRP. For more information,<br />

check out http://planetwaves.com/pwnsmicrotuner.page.<br />

BARRY RUDOLPH is a recording engineer/mixer who<br />

has worked on over 30 RIAA certified gold and platinum<br />

award-winning records. He has recorded and/or mixed:<br />

Lynyrd Skynyrd, Hall & Oates, Pat Benatar, Rod Stewart,<br />

the Corrs and Robbie Nevil, among others. Barry has<br />

his own futuristic music mixing facility and also teaches<br />

recording engineering at Musician’s Institute, Hollywood,<br />

CA. http://barryrudolph.com<br />

12 September 2013 musicconnection.com

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Success in music requires certain essential knowledge.<br />

You need the latest information on how the music<br />

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learn how to work with industry professionals, prepare<br />

a publicity campaign, grab the attention of distributors,<br />

get radio airplay, negotiate offers for live performances<br />

and more. Entertainment law attorney (and Music<br />

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Music Alive!’s Percussion<br />

By Daniel Glass<br />

(softcover) $19.99<br />

Daniel Glass offers students a comprehensive<br />

introduction to drums and percussion, tracing<br />

the history, production, and development of the<br />

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offering a very broad<br />

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(hardcover) $20.50<br />

This motivational book is for all aspiring singers,<br />

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Here is a guilty pleasure…In fact, it’s a lot like<br />

reading your sister’s diary. Tellez offers a true<br />

coming of age story about growing up on the<br />

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hair metal were the rage. Of course, recalling<br />

that era through the eyes of a young girl gives<br />

it a unique spin.<br />

Most interestingly,<br />

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By Jeffrey Rabhan<br />

(paperback) $19.99<br />

Jeffrey Rabhan (chair of NYU’s Clive Davis<br />

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Drawing from his 20 years experience guiding<br />

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MUSIC UNITED<br />

By Jonathan Widran<br />

aunched in February, Music United (http://musicunited.com) is a<br />

unique social media aggregation platform. The site offers a new and<br />

Lfree online music universe where users can see and share everything<br />

in one place, link people to websites and enjoy and discover new music.<br />

With this convenient “landing pad,” artists and fans now have a central<br />

hub for controlling all of their existing social media communications and<br />

music-related interests. Artists are able to reach more fans and benefit<br />

from a platform that helps launch and promote their music. Fans can<br />

enjoy a one-stop experience to find/share music and news, and develop<br />

stronger relationships with artists and other fans.<br />

“In essence, we become your music and social command center,”<br />

says Chicago based founder Jay Gulotta. “If you’re an artist, you take all<br />

the products, services and tools you love most online and put them together<br />

under one roof, which saves time and is an efficient way to reach<br />

your audience, and promote your music to fans. Artists no longer need<br />

100 different applications and sites to reach fans and fans don’t need<br />

all those websites to reach artists. We are not replacing any of the other<br />

sites; we are simply integrating them into a single efficient platform. ”<br />

Gulotta conceived and developed the concept based on real word<br />

experiences as an aspiring indie artist. He experienced high praise for<br />

writing, recording and performing his own material, but like many indie<br />

artists also found much of his time divided between Facebook, YouTube,<br />

ReverbNation, Spotify, Twitter, Myspace, SoundCloud and other sites,<br />

which took a lot of time<br />

away from the artist’s abilities<br />

to focus on his music.<br />

“Eventually, I found the<br />

whole online process to be<br />

more of a chore than anything<br />

else and took so much<br />

away from my passion for<br />

writing and performing,” he<br />

says. “I threw my hands up and said, ‘There’s got to be a better way to do<br />

this.’ That’s when I thought of Music United.”<br />

Gulotta’s core team consists of world class developers and marketers<br />

who, like himself, are musicians working, in essence, for the benefit<br />

of their fellow musicians, including: Chief Technology Officer Bob Perle,<br />

a Berklee College of Music graduate and former Director of the M.I.T.<br />

startup who patented “Social Media System;” Head of Business Development<br />

Will Urban, a touring artist and composer for film/TV; and Head of<br />

Marketing Simon Leibovich, drummer enthusiast and founder of Media<br />

House, LLC, a Chicago-based boutique marketing agency.<br />

The core features of Music United are Social Remix, Mosh Pit, Spotlight<br />

and Fans & Friends. Social Remix provides users with the ability<br />

to experience and engage with their desired music/social activity, while<br />

spending less time doing so, from an easy to use social dashboard. The<br />

user can connect with Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, SoundCloud and<br />

Tumblr, and interact with various social activity containing feeds, posts,<br />

messages and content. Connections to additional websites are forthcoming.<br />

The Mosh Pit is an innovative way to discover, share and promote music—and<br />

connect with fellow Music United users. Helping the user find<br />

people and/or content based on specific criteria, it’s an exciting discovery<br />

tool designed to help fans make connections and artists build a fan club.<br />

Spotlight is the user’s profile page; with engaging features such as<br />

“Buzz,” music/video photo centers (soon to allow embedding in addition<br />

to uploads), social connections and more, it allows users to showcase<br />

their online music world to fans and friends.<br />

Gulotta’s belief that “everybody deserves a fan club” inspired the<br />

Fans & Friends section, an engaging and powerful social tool that allows<br />

users to build their own fan club as well as more meaningful friendships<br />

within Music United and online music communities. It allows musicians to<br />

showcase a true fan base to venues and industry professionals.<br />

The future benefits and offerings on Music United will include: discounts/deals<br />

on gear, travel and shows; capabilities that allow users to<br />

mix & match their favorite music from various sources/services; artist<br />

tools and resources to manage touring, studios sessions and release<br />

parties; and account customization capabilities to help manage various<br />

music-related projects and groups.<br />

Contact Music United, 847-431-8506<br />

16 September 2013 musicconnection.com

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Florida’s Full Sail Upgrades Studio B<br />

Full Sail University recently renovated its Studio B Control room with a wide<br />

variety of new and vintage gear, installing Spire 9140 Series multi-bay equipment<br />

racks from Argosy Console to showcase the collection. Pictured are students<br />

in the newly renovated Studio B at Full Sail’s Winter Park, FL location.<br />

Goldstein Tracks Lonely Island<br />

With 20 years of experience, Jason Goldstein is esteemed for his work on the<br />

contemporary R&B/hip-hop scene and has been featured in Mix Magazine,<br />

Sound On Sound, SonicScoop, and Pro Sound Web. Most recently, he mixed<br />

both The Wack Album and Turtleneck & Chain (nominated for a Grammy and<br />

an Emmy for Best Comedy Album) for the Lonely Island. Pictured is Goldstein<br />

and comedy group Lonely Island. For further updates, visit http://jasongold<br />

steinmixer.com.<br />

Heartsounds Track Follow-up In Bay Area<br />

Following up their 2011 release, Drifter, Laura Nichol and Ben Murray (founding<br />

members of Heartsounds) are back in the studio to track their third fulllength,<br />

Internal Eyes. Hunkered down in Castle Ultimate Studios in Oakland,<br />

CA, the duo are teaming up with engineer Zack Ohren to hash out the release.<br />

Interal Eyes is scheduled to drop Oct. 15th. Get full details at http://heart<br />

soundsband.com.<br />

More Studio News<br />

SOUNDTOYS RELEASES VERSION UPDATE FOR<br />

LOGIC, ABLETON, MORE: SoundToys has announced<br />

version 4.2 with 64-bit support for Audio Units and<br />

Windows VST formats. This release covers the company’s<br />

full line of real-time native hosted plug-ins. With<br />

this release, SoundToys plug-ins are now compatible<br />

with Logic Pro X, Ableton Live 9, Digital Performer<br />

8 on Mac and other 64-bit Audio Unit hosts. On the<br />

PC, it now supports 64-bit VST hosts such as Cubase,<br />

Nuendo, Sonar, and Ableton Live 9. Speed for Logic X<br />

is still in development. This upgrade is free for all registered<br />

SoundToys V4 users, all Boutique Series owners<br />

(Devil-Loc, Radiator, Little MicroShift, etc.).<br />

See https://soundtoys.com/acct.<br />

VATTNET VISKAR RELEASE STUDIO UPDATE: Vattnet<br />

Viskar have compiled a “Making of” video of their time<br />

in the studio recording Sky Swallower, their debut<br />

Royer, Mojave Shine At Universal<br />

Royer Labs and Mojave Audio held an event at Universal Mastering Studios in<br />

Hollywood, CA recently. The who’s who of the audio world came together to<br />

check out the latest and greatest from these two iconic microphone companies.<br />

Pictured (l-r): Bridge Gardiner, SAE West Coast Director; Tommy Vicari, engineer;<br />

Pete Doell, engineer; Ellis Sorkin, Studio Referral Service owner; Al Schmitt,<br />

producer-engineer; Dusty Wakeman, Mojave President; and Candace Stewart,<br />

EastWest Studio manager.<br />

full-length album. Sky Swallower was recorded at<br />

Universal Noise Storage in Massachusetts, under the<br />

watchful eye of producer Brett Boland, and features<br />

eight songs’ worth of black metal, filtered through the<br />

members’ own hardcore pasts. The album is due out<br />

Sept. 3 on Century Media Records. See the studio video<br />

at http://youtu.be/3Tf0fGPbNxg.<br />

Producer Playback<br />

“Work ethic trumps talent. Point me to any high school and find the<br />

six or seven students most likely to succeed. I guarantee that the one<br />

who isn’t the best singer, but has the best work ethic, has a longer<br />

and better career than the best singer [with lesser ethic].”<br />

– Jeremy Skaller (Beyoncé, Britney Spears, Jay Sean) Interviewed in MC July 2013<br />

18 September 2013 musicconnection.com

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– ANDY MESECHER andym@musicconnection.com<br />

Ken Scott To Produce New Hellion At Total Access Studios<br />

Ann Boleyn, lead singer of Los Angeles band Hellion, has announced the<br />

band’s return to the studio to record new material. The first set of new tracks<br />

will be produced by British studio legend Ken Scott (David Bowie, Pink Floyd).<br />

The band is recording at Total Access Studios. Pictured in white is Scott surrounded<br />

by Hellion.<br />

San Fernando Studio Expands 160 Square Feet<br />

Aspen’s Place Recording has added a new ISO room to its already stellar<br />

studio. The new booth adds 160 square feet, with 10-ft ceilings. The studio<br />

is currently recording the new Chamberlian Trip band album, recording 10<br />

songs in less than two days. Get more info at http://facebook.com/aspens<br />

placerecording.<br />

DAVID GOGGIN<br />

PHZ-Sicks Preps For The Moment<br />

Woodbridge, VA rapper PHZ-Sicks (pronounced “physics”) has released a<br />

video offering a sneak peek into the making of his forthcoming album The<br />

Moment, dropping in November. His last full-length was 2011’s The Laws Of<br />

PHZ-Sicks. PHZ was a 2011 DMV Best VA Male Rap Artist nominee and has<br />

opened for Wale, J. Cole and more. The video features Electric Soul artist<br />

Alison Carney and engineer Mr. Wise, member of production duo Team Demo<br />

and producer of Sean Price’s “Haraam” and 50 Cent’s “Crime Wave.” See the<br />

video at http://youtu.be/fSw9T96rCQA.<br />

Pensado At Gear Expo 2013<br />

Vintage King Audio and the video series Pensado’s Place teamed up for Gear Expo<br />

2013, the premiere audio event of the summer in Los Angeles. While Dave Pensado<br />

and Herb Trawick chatted on stage with top artists, producers and engineers,<br />

attendees viewed new and vintage gear and met with sales representatives<br />

from prominent audio manufacturers. Pictured (foreground l-r): Pensado’s Place<br />

executive producer Herb Trawick and host Dave Pensado with guest panelists<br />

(background facing camera): Steve Genewick, Al Schmitt and Ryan Hewitt.<br />

September 2013<br />

musicconnection.com<br />

19

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JAMES DUNKLEY<br />

<br />

By Rob Putnam<br />

ondon-based front of house (FOH) and recording engineer James<br />

Dunkley got his start as a guitarist. He soon realized that, for him,<br />

Lsound engineering held more promise as a career. Dunkley recorded<br />

demos for a number of bands and then landed work with a local music<br />

venue. He’s since done FOH for several bands, primarily metal, including<br />

Anthrax, Fun Lovin’ Criminals and Amon Amarth. When MC spoke with<br />

him, he was preparing to tour with Anthrax once more.<br />

One of the biggest unknowns associated with FOH is the variability in<br />

venue acoustics and consoles. Accordingly, engineers often don’t know<br />

what challenges they’ll face. “There’s a place in York [England] where the<br />

acoustics of the room and the design of the PA are such that the actual<br />

volume on stage overpowers everything,”<br />

Dunkley says. “I work mainly<br />

with metal bands. The sound of a massive<br />

Swedish drummer pummeling the<br />

hell out of his cymbals removes any<br />

possibility of bringing a vocal through.<br />

You can talk about things like perspex<br />

screens around the drums, but that’s<br />

not the sort of thing that band does.<br />

“It’s not always a case of trying to<br />

turn everything up,” he continues.<br />

“Sometimes it’s subtractive mixing.<br />

One thing I always do is have<br />

everything apart from the lead vocal<br />

on a VCA, or these days, a DCA. It’s a<br />

classic festival rule: when you haven’t<br />

linechecked or soundchecked, you<br />

take the entire band to minus three<br />

and start with the vocal at zero. When<br />

they come on, you know that the vocals<br />

are going to come through. Then,<br />

The three most important<br />

things he’s learned as an<br />

engineer are:<br />

<br />

<br />

<br />

<br />

<br />

<br />

<br />

<br />

<br />

<br />

<br />

<br />

if you’ve got room, you can bring the band in. The vocals always have to<br />

be the main thing. It’s just allowing room to let that come through.”<br />

FOH is a career rife with challenges: equipment is frequently in transit,<br />

there isn’t always time for a soundcheck and then there are festivals and<br />

the intricacies of putting on an outdoor show. “You never know what’s<br />

going to happen until they hit the stage,” Dunkley explains. “You’ve had no<br />

soundcheck, you’ve got no control over the wind, you’ve not really heard<br />

the system. It’s a case of fly by the seat of your pants and go for it after<br />

a 20- or 30-minute changeover. I often spend more time in the audience<br />

checking the sound than I do at the desk.”<br />

Dunkley uses a number of Waves Audio tools, notably their H-Delay.<br />

“You think that one delay isn’t going to sound that different from another,”<br />

he observes. “But when you load the H-Delay, there’s a noted difference; it<br />

sounds really good. I also use their C4s quite a bit; their 4-band/multi-band<br />

compressors. I use the H-Comp a lot as a drum buss. Because they’ve got<br />

the mix control on it, you can have parallel buss compression within the<br />

same channel. If I wanted to do parallel compression on a drum kit, rather<br />

than having two stereo groups totaling four groups (two compressed, two<br />

not), you just set the mix control where you want it and it’s there. I use<br />

their Renaissance Reverb for everything.”<br />

To fledgling engineers, he recommends practical experience over<br />

a formal education. “It seems that everybody who graduates from an<br />

engineering school goes on either to teach or to start their own school,” he<br />

observes. “Rather than spending money on that, get some equipment and<br />

make some free demos.”<br />

Contact Robert Clyne / Clyne Media, Inc., 615-662-1616,<br />

robert@clynemedia.com<br />

20<br />

September 2013 musicconnection.com

---

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musicconnection.com<br />

21

---

– ANDY KAUFMANN<br />

Cheetah Chrome<br />

Creative Director of A&R /<br />

Dir. of Special Projects<br />

Plowboy Records<br />

Years with Company: 1<br />

Address: 154 Franklin Rd., Suite C,<br />

Brentwood, TN 37027<br />

Phone: NA<br />

FAX: NA<br />

Web: http://plowboyrecords.com<br />

Email: info@plowboyrecords.com<br />

Clients: Chuck Meade, Bobby Bare,<br />

Alejandro Escovedo<br />

BACKGROUND: Known for his work<br />

with classic punk bands Rocket From<br />

the Tombs and the Dead Boys, Cheetah<br />

Chrome shifted gears when he joined<br />

Plowboy Records last March. Founded by<br />

Eddy Arnold’s grandson, Plowboy aspires<br />

to keep the country artist’s legacy alive.<br />

Recently, Chrome assembled a tribute<br />

album that features covers by notables<br />

like Melinda Doolittle, Lamb Chop, Bebe<br />

Buell, Peter Noone and Frank Black.<br />

Look for Rupert Grint’s portrayal of the<br />

guitarist in the upcoming CBGB movie.<br />

Label Life:<br />

I was spending a lot of time on the road. My son<br />

was five and growing while I was gone. I was<br />

missing my family more than I was enjoying<br />

being on the road. The shows were great, but<br />

the show’s only an hour a day. So I made the<br />

decision I was going to stop at the end of 2013.<br />

I made a post about it on Facebook. Shannon<br />

Pollard, our president, his daughter and my son<br />

are in the same class at school and that’s how<br />

we met. He saw the thing on Facebook, had<br />

been mulling around starting this label and been<br />

looking for someone to take this creative director<br />

position. He sent me an email and asked if<br />

I’d be interested. He’d had the tribute project<br />

in mind, which sounded really interesting. He<br />

assured me it wasn’t going to be a country-only<br />

label or even a country-related label. It was<br />

going to be whatever we wanted it to be. So I<br />

decided, why not?<br />

Forgotten Legacy<br />

Shannon made clear he really cares about<br />

his grandfather’s legacy. His grandfather was<br />

misunderstood. He got pegged with “Make<br />

the World Go Away” and the back up singers<br />

and tuxedo and strings, what they called the<br />

Nashville sound. That was one facet of his<br />

career, but before that the Tennessee Plowboy<br />

was managed by Colonel Tom Parker. In the<br />

‘40s and ‘50s, there was nobody bigger. Even<br />

in the ‘60s, the three top selling stars in the<br />

world were the Beatles, Elvis Presley and Eddy<br />

Arnold. Frank Sinatra wasn’t as big as Eddy<br />

Arnold. People don’t know that because country<br />

stations don’t play old country anymore.<br />

Tribute Album<br />

We made a wish list [of potential contributors]<br />

and started with that. Some of that worked out<br />

and some didn’t. A lot of these people I knew.<br />

Alejandro [Escovedo] I hadn’t seen since 1980.<br />

We’d been good friends when he was in the<br />

Nuns and I was in the Dead Boys. Frank Black<br />

I’d always wanted to work with. We have a lot<br />

of mutual friends and he was very amenable to<br />

L-R: Don Cusic, Shannon Pollard<br />

and Cheetah Chrome<br />

“We’re looking for people that<br />

do this because they love it,<br />

not because it’s a job.<br />

We’re looking for lifers.”<br />

doing it. Big Eddy Arnold fan. He works with Jon<br />

Tiven and knew Cowboy Jack Clement, who<br />

produced Eddy’s last album. A lot of indie artists<br />

are big Eddy Arnold fans. We tracked them<br />

down, asked them and most of them said yes.<br />

Everybody brought a lot of talent to the party.<br />

Staying Flexible<br />

The label is basically the three of us: Shannon,<br />

myself and Don Cusic. We have people we<br />

bring in to do things, but we are the decision<br />

makers, do the production and the signings.<br />

It’s still very loose. You’ve got to be adaptable<br />

in how you do things, because the market<br />

changes every month. If you had told me a<br />

year ago that vinyl was going to be doing as<br />

well as it is, I would’ve said you were crazy. So<br />

you’ve got to be ready to change your plans at<br />

the last minute.<br />

Putting Your Money Where Your Mouth Is<br />

If you’re going to do this as a hobby, you’ll<br />

skimp on things. You’ve got to get yourself the<br />

best distribution and publicity you can. And<br />

it’s expensive. It’s not something a lot of indie<br />

labels want. They see the figures and balk. A<br />

lot of them just don’t have that money. But we<br />

were lucky enough to have resources, enough<br />

to get Shore Fire Media, to get E1 [distribution,<br />

formerly Koch] with us. It shows you’ve got skin<br />

in the game and you’re ready to go.<br />

Not Just Country<br />

One of the things that attracted me to the deal<br />

was when Shannon said, “We can go as far as<br />

being unmarketable as long as we like it. We<br />

can be anything. We could go in any direction<br />

if it’s something we like. We are not going to be<br />

a staid label. If it’s something we like, it’s got a<br />

chance with us.”<br />

Radio’s Ways<br />

We’ve been getting some good airplay with<br />

Bobby Bare. As far as the tribute, that was<br />

a little tougher because there’s 19 artists on<br />

it that are all pretty well known. To pitch one<br />

song to radio is tough. We’re doing a single<br />

for Record Store Day, but that’s one of<br />

those things where – ANDY people KAUFMANN will find their<br />

own songs. Radio will do the same. That’s<br />

what they did with the Bobby Bare album.<br />

“Farewell Angelina” kind of appealed to the<br />

radio people and they picked up on that. We<br />

noticed that trend forming before we even<br />

thought about putting out a single.<br />

Lifers<br />

Are you doing this because it’s what your<br />

friends are doing or are you doing this<br />

because it’s what you want to do? We’re<br />

looking for people that do this because they<br />

love it, not because it’s a job. So far we’ve<br />

been lucky in attracting that kind of people.<br />

We’re looking for lifers.<br />

A Fair Deal<br />

[Our contracts are] probably a lot more<br />

artist friendly than most. We’re very flexible.<br />

Obvously, we’re not just going to give away<br />

money or points. We want to be fair. We<br />

start off fair and we’re willing to get more<br />

fair. I’ve been on the other side, so this is<br />

where that experience comes in. I know<br />

what I don’t want to see in a contract and<br />

what turns me off about a label. We try not<br />

to be that label.<br />

CBGB Movie<br />

I consulted with them; they picked my brain a<br />

bit. I actually have a cameo. It’s a CBGB-family<br />

movie. It’s not some people I didn’t know doing<br />

a hatchet job on Hilly [Kristal]. It’s a very loving<br />

portrayal. It’s like a punk magazine cartoon come<br />

to life. It’s a very affectionate look at the whole<br />

thing.<br />

Growing Strong<br />

Right now, our model seems to be something<br />

like Third Man. We’re not copying Jack [White].<br />

We don’t want to go in that direction. Right now,<br />

we’re in Eddy Arnold’s old offices. We’re going to<br />

have a lot of in-house departments. We’ve first<br />

got to start growing that way. We’re going to start<br />

cranking out product. I’m thrilled about a couple<br />

things we’re doing. There’s one band, J.D. Wilkes<br />

and the Dirt Daubers, that I’m producing right<br />

now. It’s going to be really exciting.<br />

Paying Dues<br />

Always put in the hours rehearsing and learning<br />

your craft. Anybody who thinks it’s the clothes<br />

and hanging out that makes it is wrong. Spend<br />

your free time playing and writing songs, because<br />

in the long run that’s what you’re going to need.<br />

There are no shortcuts.<br />

Format Wars<br />

Digital has become the standard. We’re getting<br />

requests for vinyl all the time. A year and a half<br />

ago, they were predicting the death of the CD.<br />

They’re still flying out the door. The market has<br />

changed. There are people who buy one or two<br />

songs for their iPod. There are other people,<br />

young people, who love holding an album in their<br />

hands. I don’t know if they still roll joints on them<br />

like I used to, but for some reason they love having<br />

that piece of vinyl. Digital, I like it, but the fact<br />

is with MP3s you’re just not getting all the music.<br />

I want the whole thing. I spend a lot of time in<br />

studios now. When you hear what’s really going<br />

on and see how much work it takes to get that<br />

translated to a master and to just have somebody<br />

compress the shit out of it really ticks you off.<br />

22<br />

September 2013<br />

musicconnection.com

---

– BERNARD BAUR<br />

MUSIC CONNECTION’S<br />

Business Affairs delivers up-todate<br />

information about the signings<br />

of new artists, significant<br />

developments at major and indie<br />

labels, as well as news of managers<br />

and attorneys who are active<br />

in the A&R aspect of the music<br />

business. So that MC can provide<br />

the most current information possible,<br />

please send any industry<br />

news, buzz or rumors that need to<br />

be verified to BBatMC@aol.com.<br />

OPPS<br />

South by Southwest (SXSW)<br />

Festival showcase applications<br />

now being accepted. You can<br />

apply for the opportunity to<br />

perform for the 25,000 industry<br />

representatives over 3,000 media<br />

representatives and thousands<br />

of fans that attend SXSW. The<br />

Music Festival hosts acts in every<br />

stage of development including<br />

music legends as well as artists<br />

wanting to gain career changing<br />

exposure and publicity. This<br />

year, SXSW is also offering a<br />

track of convergent panel topics<br />

that highlight the increasing<br />

connection between original<br />

music, emerging technologies<br />

and independent film. To apply,<br />

go to http://sxsw.com/music/<br />

shows/apply. Applications are<br />

due by Oct. 11, 2013.<br />

The Razor KXRZ, an internet<br />

radio station at http://rdsn.<br />

net/kxrz, is hosting “Razor<br />

Nights” at The Joint in West<br />

Los Angeles. Although the radio<br />

station focuses on face-melting<br />

metal, Razor Nights are more<br />

inclusive, with acts from various<br />

genres being showcased and<br />

broadcast from the venue. For<br />

example, B@1 Records and<br />

The Razor are hosting “Summer<br />

Spell” on Sept. 14, which will<br />

present the best of stoner-rock.<br />

If you’re interested in submitting<br />

your act for possible airplay<br />

on KXRZ, or would like to be<br />

considered for a spot on Razor<br />

Night, contact Music Director<br />

Andy Ford at 213-985-6679 or<br />

andyford@rdsn.net.<br />

The “Independent Music Fest”<br />

will take place on Nashville’s<br />

Music Row from Oct. 4 to 6th.<br />

Aspiring artists and songwriters<br />

can introduce their songs by<br />

performing at special “Open Mic”<br />

stages. Additionally, attendees<br />

can receive critiques and advice<br />

on topics such as stage presence,<br />

songwriting, recording, publishing,<br />

song plugging, contracts, product<br />

development, video production,<br />

management, and publicity.<br />

More than 100 music community<br />

volunteers have donated their<br />

time and resources to make the<br />

event possible, and all shows are<br />

open to the public. To register,<br />

volunteer, trade services or for<br />

more information, visit http://<br />

independentmusicfest.org.<br />

The Music Licensing Directory<br />

has officially launched a<br />

music crowd-sourcing service<br />

where advertising agencies,<br />

music supervisors, production<br />

companies and individuals who<br />

need music for any purpose can<br />

launch a contest and find music<br />

to license for their needs. “We<br />

are offering a new approach for<br />

VINYL SOUL COLLABORATES WITH GRAMMY WINNER<br />

<br />

<br />

<br />

<br />

connected again when Hurtado agreed to collaborate with them on a new song, “A<br />

Piece of Me.” Hurtado flavors the music with his soulful guitar work, weaving in<br />

and out of the vocals. The song is available at all online music sites. Pablo Hurtado<br />

<br />

http://vinylsoulmusic.com and http://facebook.com/vinylsoul.<br />

DANKRUPT DROPS DEBUT<br />

Dankrupt have released their debut EP, Chapter 11 Dankruptcy, via Dankrupt<br />

<br />

<br />

<br />

<br />

Heads, Dankrupt have incorporated an array of styles. Canton notes, “We love to<br />

party, love to jam, and most of all we love to entertain people. Our music reflects us<br />

in general: it’s chill, fun and made for the beach.” See http://dankruptmusic.com<br />

and http://facebook.com/dankruptmusic for the updates.<br />

those who need music and don’t<br />

have the time to sift through<br />

libraries with thousands of tracks,”<br />

said Music Licensing Directory<br />

CEO Winston Giles. Visit http://<br />

musiclicensingdirectory.com.<br />

Emblem/Atlantic recording<br />

group Matchbox Twenty has<br />

announced that Goo Goo Dolls<br />

will join the first ever “Matchbox<br />

Twenty Cruise” aboard the<br />

Carnival Imagination. The<br />

Grammy-nominated, multiplatinum<br />

Dolls are supporting the release<br />

of their 10th studio album,<br />

Magnetic. The musical voyage will<br />

get underway Dec. 6 to 9, 2013,<br />

sailing roundtrip from Miami, FL<br />

to Nassau, Bahamas. Go to http://<br />

matchboxtwentycruise.com.<br />

For even more timely opportunities, sign<br />

up for MC’s Weekly Bulletin newsletter.<br />

http://musicconnection.com/newsletter<br />

<br />

<br />

Rock & Roll icon Joan Jett<br />

has announced the release of<br />

new music–the first in almost<br />

a decade. Hot on the heels of<br />

being honored at this year’s<br />

Sunset Strip Music Festival and<br />

the City of West Hollywood’s<br />

official proclamation of Aug. 1<br />

as Joan Jett Day, Jett is set<br />

to release her first album of<br />

all original music in more than<br />

seven years. Joan Jett and the<br />

Blackhearts will release their<br />

14th studio album Unvarnished<br />

Oct. 1 on Blackheart Records.<br />

The record features 10 original<br />

tracks and a Deluxe Edition that<br />

will feature four bonus tracks.<br />

Jett has said the new album is<br />

the most autobiographical project<br />

to date. For details, visit http://<br />

joanjett.com.<br />

Canadian indie label, Spread<br />

The Metal Records (STM) has<br />

announced the signing of Israeli<br />

death grinders Whorecore for<br />

the vinyl and digital release of<br />

their new album Headless, set to<br />

drop this coming fall. “The Middle<br />

East is a largely neglected area of<br />

the metal world, and Whorecore<br />

has the potential to change that,”<br />

comments Matt Day of STM. See<br />

http://spreadthemetal.com and/or<br />

http://reverbnation.com/whorexcore.<br />

The First Record by Tracii Guns<br />

League of Gentlemen has been<br />

released on Shrapnel Records.<br />

Guns’ League Of Gentlemen is<br />

a rock band that leans heavy<br />

into 1970s British and American<br />

blues-based hard rock. Guns<br />

chose all veteran stage and studio<br />

performers to round out his latest<br />

group, including an exciting young<br />

frontman, vocalist Scott Foster<br />

Harris. Visit http://reverbnation.<br />

com/traciigunsband to learn more.<br />

Nettwerk Music Group has<br />

announced the signing of<br />

Brooklyn’s Ghost Beach to its<br />

worldwide label roster. With their<br />

self-titled debut EP and followup<br />

EP Modern Tongues, Ghost<br />

Beach have set the Internet ablaze<br />

with consistent number ones on<br />

Hype Machine. Formed in 2012,<br />

the duo of Josh Ocean and Eric<br />

“Doc” Mendelsohn have already<br />

perfected a blend of retro and<br />

futuristic synth-pop that can best<br />

be described as Tropical Grit<br />

Pop. To find out more, go to http://<br />

ghostbeachmusic.com and/or<br />

http://facebook.com/ghostbeach.<br />

Ed Roland, the enigmatic<br />

Collective Soul frontman,<br />

will be debuting the Sweet<br />

Tea Project on 429 Records.<br />

The album, Devils ‘n Darlins,<br />

September 2013<br />

musicconnection.com<br />

23

---

– BERNARD BAUR<br />

is scheduled for release in<br />

September, when the band will<br />

also begin touring the US. “The<br />

Sweet Tea Project started as a<br />

bunch of friends coming over after<br />

gigs and listening to new songs I<br />

had written, but not with Collective<br />

Soul in mind,” says Roland.<br />

After kicking off 2013 with<br />

Rooted in Georgia residencies<br />

in Atlanta and Athens, Roland<br />

and the Sweet Tea Project won<br />

ESPN’s contest to reimagine its<br />

NBA theme music, an initiative<br />

driven by fan voting. The band<br />

was featured on the SportsNation<br />

section of ESPN.com and their<br />

version of the song aired during<br />

ESPN’s exclusive coverage of NBA<br />

All-Star Weekend. To check out<br />

Roland’s new project, go to http://<br />

thesweetteaproject.com.<br />

Psycho Sister recently signed a<br />

digital distribution deal with DSN<br />

Music to release their new album<br />

Shiver worldwide. Emerging from<br />

the shores of Lake Michigan in<br />

the windy city, Psycho Sister have<br />

been creating a buzz in the Midwest<br />

music scene. The 10-track album<br />

features a mix of melodic hard rock<br />

and blistering riffs within a dark,<br />

alternative edged formula. Visit<br />

http://psychosisterband.com.<br />

Ozzy Osbourne, Tony Iommi<br />

and Geezer Butler, from Black<br />

Sabbath, will be immortalized<br />

in an original and terrifying 3D<br />

maze, “Black Sabbath: 13 3D” at<br />

Universal Studios Hollywood’s<br />

Halloween Horror Nights,<br />

beginning Sept. 20, 2013. The new<br />

maze, based on the darkest lyrics<br />

from Black Sabbath’s hit songs<br />

and the only attraction at the horror<br />

event to incorporate 3D video, will<br />

also include scenes inspired by the<br />

legendary band’s recently released<br />

album, 13. More information is<br />

available at http://blacksabbath.<br />

com, and http://facebook.com/<br />

BlackSabbath.<br />

PROPS<br />

Sheryl Crow’s current single<br />

“Easy” has made its way into the<br />

Top 20 on the country charts.<br />

This auspicious honor marks the<br />

nine-time Grammy-winner’s first<br />

Top 20 solo country single. With<br />

over 35 million records sold to date<br />

and a combined 40 Top 10s on the<br />

Billboard Hot 100, Adult Top 40,<br />

Adult Contemporary, Mainstream<br />

Top 40, Triple A (with the most No.1<br />

singles among women in the chart’s<br />

17-year history) and Hot Country<br />

Songs charts, Crow now has a solo<br />

country single to add to her list of<br />

accolades. “Easy” is the first track<br />

released from Crow’s new album,<br />

Feels Like Home, due out Sept. 10<br />

via Warner Bros. Records. The<br />

album was recorded in Nashville,<br />

TN, and was produced by Grammywinner<br />

Justin Niebank. Go to<br />

http://sherylcrow.com.<br />

Artist manager Owen Husney<br />

(who discovered and managed<br />

Prince) attended a National<br />

Association of Record Industry<br />

Professionals (NARIP) pitch<br />

session with music-supervisor Gary<br />

Calamar (True Blood). Husney<br />

had some special sauce with him<br />

that day: re-imagining versions<br />

of Beatles’ songs recorded by<br />

unsigned indie artists. In fact,<br />

Husney and his partners had<br />

negotiated the rights to six classic<br />

Beatles songs for that purpose.<br />

Calamar chose “I Wanna Be Your<br />

Man” as performed by Austin, TX<br />

band, Mobley for an upcoming<br />

DIYSpotlight<br />

JT SPANGLER is incredibly<br />

driven. In fact, he rarely rests—<br />

unless it’s in a tree house.<br />

Spangler developed his<br />

act in Los Angeles, playing<br />

hotspots like Hotel Café, Room<br />

5 Lounge and Genghis Cohen.<br />

Not content with simply playing<br />

local venues, he toured the<br />

country and eventually settled<br />

in Nashville, TN.<br />

There, miles from civilization,<br />

he chills in a tree house. Not<br />

a metaphorical tree house, by<br />

the way—it’s the real deal: a<br />

150 square-foot unit with a bed<br />

and sink, suspended 12 feet up<br />

an elm tree. “People think I’m<br />

joking when I mention it, but<br />

I’m serious,” Spangler insists.<br />

“The best part of being there<br />

with no power, water, Internet,<br />

or TV is getting in touch with my<br />

hindbrain—the part that’s totally<br />

neglected in a city.”<br />

Inspired, he recorded What’s<br />

a Little Heartbreak with some<br />

of Nashville’s top session cats,<br />

including guitarist Gary Burnette<br />

(Etta James, Taylor Swift, Chris<br />

Tomlin) and keyboardist Tim<br />

Lauer (Brad Paisley, the Band<br />

Perry, Brooks & Dunn).<br />

Spangler also began delving<br />

into his R&B side. As a result,<br />

his new record has layered<br />

vocals that allow him to sing in<br />

JT SPANGLER<br />

a way he could never do before.<br />

“Doing vocal embellishments<br />

really let the Donny Hathaway<br />

[in me] breathe,” he says.<br />

“Though one of my goals in<br />

2013 is not to set any goals,”’<br />

Spangler laughs, “I’m excited<br />

about the new record and look<br />

forward to trying out more R&B<br />

material.”<br />

JT Spangler epitomizes what<br />

it takes to be a DIY artist. He<br />

prefers an unusual lifestyle,<br />

never stops working and<br />

continues to grow musically.<br />

See http://jtspangler.com<br />

Have a successful DIY strategy to share? Email bbatmc@aol.com.<br />

episode of True Blood. Mobley<br />

also appears on the The Beatles:<br />

Reimagined album, which honors<br />

the Fab Four’s 50th anniversary.<br />

The song will also be included on<br />

a True Blood soundtrack album.<br />

See http://narip.com and http://<br />

mobleytheband.com.<br />

that part of the reason for such an<br />

astounding increase appears to be<br />

vinyl LPs, which are sold mostly<br />

at indie retailers. In fact, the report<br />

noted that indie retailers account<br />

for more than 50 percent of all vinyl<br />

sales, with one in seven purchases<br />

at indie retailers now being vinyl.<br />

WADDY WACHTEL IS KING OF THE SIDEMEN<br />

Waddy Wachtel will be featured in King of The Sidemen, a documentary that<br />

celebrates the unsung heroes of rock & roll. The project was recently funded<br />

by a successful Kickstarter campaign that generated over $35,000 in pledges.<br />

Wachtel has a long and colorful history as a sideman to the stars, including Keith<br />

Richards, Stevie Nicks, Mick Fleetwood, Jackson Browne, George Thorogood,<br />

Dave Stewart, Joe Walsh and many more. He is also known for his long-running<br />

monthly shows at The Joint in Los Angeles, CA, where his famous friends often<br />

accompany him onstage. Pictured is Wachtel with Stevie Nicks. For more, visit<br />

http://waddywachtelinfo.com.<br />

Cash Money Records attorney<br />

Vernon Brown recently taught<br />

an enthusiastic class of teens<br />

at the WorldofMoney.Org Youth<br />

Financial Education Institute in<br />

New York City. Speaking to students<br />

ages 13-18, the esteemed lawyer<br />

engaged on the topic of “Contracts,”<br />

illustrating the importance of<br />

the subject in business and life.<br />

WorldofMoney emphasizes youth<br />

education when it comes to<br />

navigating the often-tumultuous<br />

21st century fiscal climate. Also<br />

in attendance were Cash Money<br />

Records co-founders Ronald<br />

“Slim” Williams and Bryan “Baby”<br />

Williams (aka “Birdman”).<br />

THE BIZ<br />

Digital Music News (DMN) reports<br />

that indie music retail sales are<br />

up 44 percent. DMN surmises<br />

The number of music streaming<br />

subscribers will grow almost<br />

threefold from 2012 to 2017. New<br />

digital audio research from Parks<br />

Associates predicts the number<br />

of music streaming subscribers<br />

worldwide will reach 15 million by<br />

2017, and the number of connected<br />

audio products will nearly double<br />

between 2013 and 2017. Analysts<br />

report a strong correlation between<br />

the growing penetration of networked<br />

audio products, including<br />

wireless speakers, speaker docks,<br />

multi-room digital music systems,<br />

and music service subscriptions<br />

via Rhapsody, Pandora, Rdio,<br />

Spotify, and others.<br />

BERNARD BAUR was voted one of the “Top<br />

Music Business Journalists” in the country.<br />

Bernard is the connection between the streets<br />

and the suites. Credited with over 1,200<br />

features in a variety of publications, he’s a<br />

Contributing Editor at Music Connection.<br />

24 September 2013 musicconnection.com

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– BERNARD BAUR<br />

“I’m on a CD with Amy Winehouse<br />

Because I Joined TAXI.”<br />

Anj Granieri – TAXI & ASCAP Member<br />

www.anjmusiconline.com<br />

My name is Anj and I’m 26<br />

years old. Thanks to TAXI, I’ve<br />

recently signed a 5-year contract to<br />

compose for a publisher that<br />

supplies music for the #1 highestrated<br />

daytime talk show in American<br />

television history.<br />

Myth: Living in N.Y.<br />

or L.A. is a Must<br />

I moved to NYC when I was 23<br />

to “make it big” in the music<br />

business. I ended up living in a<br />

shoebox-sized apartment with<br />

broken windows and cockroaches<br />

all over the place. Not quite as<br />

glamorous as the movies make it out<br />

to be. I was frustrated and deflated.<br />

That’s when a friend told me<br />

about TAXI. She said it would<br />

provide me with the ability to make<br />

valuable connections that would<br />

advance my career. I was so<br />

intrigued that I called and signed<br />

up that day.<br />

Myth: Cold Calls Work<br />

Imagine that you’re a busy music<br />

executive. Are you going to listen to<br />

the song a trusted source sent, or<br />

one from the pile of unsolicited stuff<br />

from people you don’t know?<br />

I used to spend countless hours<br />

trying to make connections, let<br />

alone the right connections! With<br />

TAXI, when my music is on-target<br />

and great, it’s placed in the hands of<br />

people who need exactly what I<br />

have to offer. The results have been<br />

nothing short of amazing.<br />

My music has been sent to more<br />

than 15 major record labels by<br />

TAXI, and my single, Former<br />

Stranger was released on a<br />

Universal Records compilation with<br />

Amy Winehouse and Duffy in<br />

Europe and Asia. It’s also been<br />

placed in a prominent publishing<br />

catalog that features music on the<br />

CW network. All because I joined<br />

TAXI.<br />

Myth: All Music Executives<br />

Are Cutthroat<br />

My biggest success yet came<br />

from TAXI’s annual free, membersonly<br />

convention, the Road Rally. I<br />

met the decision-maker from a<br />

prominent publishing company that<br />

provides music for the #1 highest<br />

rated, day-time talk show on the air.<br />

I performed for him at TAXI’s openmic<br />

and he signed me on the spot.<br />

The Road Rally is loaded with<br />

insightful seminars and the nicest<br />

executives you could ever meet. It’s<br />

the only convention I’ve ever been<br />

to with a true “family feel.”<br />

Reality: Dreams Can Come True!<br />

There are two types of people in<br />

the world: those who dream of what<br />

could be, and those who make what<br />

could be into their reality! So which<br />

are you? Call TAXI and do<br />

something with your music!<br />

The World’s Leading Independent A&R Company<br />

1-800-458-2111<br />

September 2013<br />

musicconnection.com<br />

25

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RUN RIVER NORTH<br />

Date Signed: February 2013<br />

Label: Nettwerk Music Group<br />

Type of Music: Rock/Pop<br />

Band Members: Alex Hwang, vocals, guitar; Daniel Chae, vocals,<br />

strings; Joe Chun, bass; John Chong, drums; Sally Kang, keyboards;<br />

Jennifer Rim, strings.<br />

Management: Pat Magnarella, Kyle Griner, Keith Lazorchak / PMM, Inc.<br />

Booking: David Levine / WME<br />

Legal: Steve Plinio / Greenberg Traurig, LLP<br />

Publicity: Penny Palmer / Nettwerk Music Group<br />

Web: http://home.runrivernorth.com<br />

A&R: Rachel Cragg<br />

os Angeles, CA, indie-pop sextet, Run River North, took a practical<br />

approach to writing, recording and promoting their debut album.<br />

LFocusing on recording one song, and releasing an accompanying<br />

video, per month, the act figured that in a year, they would have a 12-<br />

song full-length to distribute. Halfway through, however, the act garnered<br />

attention from Honda, were surprised with a booking on a major network<br />

late-night talk show and signed to a label.<br />

“Since we didn’t have a space to record, we thought it’d be funny to<br />

record in our Hondas,” says frontman, Alex Hwang. “We were hoping<br />

somebody from Honda would see the videos and a couple of people we<br />

knew worked at the ad agency. They bumped the video upward to the<br />

higher-ups and Honda began a campaign with us.”<br />

The campaign resulted in Run River North being booked on Jimmy<br />

Kimmel Live! as a surprise. The video of the band being told the news,<br />

and its subsequent performance, went viral, and soon people were on<br />

digital services, buying what the combo had recorded up until then––a<br />

six-song “accidental demo” as Hwang puts it.<br />

“They bumped the video upward<br />

to the higher-ups and Honda began<br />

a campaign with us.”<br />

The self-recording and promotion had worked with a handful of labels<br />

showing interest in the group. Interestingly, Hwang says, a couple of<br />

major labels backed out after the appearance on national television, but<br />

one entity, Nettwerk Music Group, kept after them.<br />

“Nettwerk’s people kept coming to our shows and being in our managers’<br />

ears," Hwang recalls. "After they took a meeting, our managers were<br />

really impressed. They felt like Nettwerk was a label that would go to bat<br />

for us. Nettwerk’s people were also very genuine with us.”<br />

Trusting in its managers, who they initially met through a festival<br />

booking with Anberlin (as Kyle Griner managed them, as well), Run River<br />

North signed on with Nettwerk Music Group and are currently recording<br />

their debut album for them with esteemed producer, Phil Ek.<br />

Look for a full-length label debut to hit shelves soon.<br />

–Albert Vega<br />

ROZZI CRANE<br />

Date Signed: September 2011<br />

Label: 222 Records<br />

Type of Music: Pop<br />

Management: Jordan Feldstein / Career Artist Management<br />

Booking: David Levine / WME<br />

Legal: Gary Stiffelman<br />

Publicity: Carleen Donovan, Samara Shwidock / Press Here<br />

Web: http://rozzicrane.com<br />

A&R: Chris Maguire<br />

inger-songwriter, Rozzi Crane, originally planned to move to Los<br />

Angeles, CA, with the express purpose of establishing a music<br />

Scareer. In a fateful move, however, she found out about the Popular<br />

Music Program at the USC Thornton School of Music and decided to attend<br />

classes while pursuing her musical aspirations.<br />

“It was this unbelievable school and the environment there ended up<br />

working more in my favor, than had I come to L.A. on my own,” says Crane.<br />

The budding vocalist immediately formed a band with classmates and<br />

began performing around USC, eventually tackling the city’s circuit. She<br />

also earned background vocal duties for high profile acts like Don Henley<br />

on the recommendation of her professors. But, it was a class shared with<br />

former Phantom Planet member, Jacques Bartbau, that may have been<br />

most impactful.<br />

“[Maroon 5’s Adam Levine] said basically<br />

he didn’t have a label, but would love to<br />

start one if I would be on it.”<br />

“I was in a songwriting class with [Bartbau] and he came up to me<br />

and said he loved my writing,” says Crane. “He asked me if I wanted to<br />

try writing together for some other artists, which I had never done, but I<br />

agreed.”<br />

After a couple of attempts at collaborating, the duo began working with<br />

Phantom Planet’s Sam Farrar. Crane would sing on the demos that the<br />

team recorded and one of these found its way to Maroon 5’s manager,<br />

Jordan Feldstein. Crane then met with Feldstein and discussed the idea<br />

of working together in the future. And as Crane puts it, “A couple of days<br />

later, I received an email from [Maroon 5’s Adam Levine], who basically<br />

said he didn’t have a label, but would love to start one if I would be on it.”<br />

Ironically, Crane had decided to forego her goal of signing to a label<br />

six months prior; deciding she could move forward independently. The<br />

prospect of being the first artist signed to Adam Levine’s label, however,<br />

was too unique to pass up.<br />

“This kind of direct attention and relationship with the head of a label is<br />

rare. I’m so grateful it was the first deal offered to me and such a special<br />

one at that.”<br />

Rozzi Crane’s debut for 222 Records will hit shelves soon.<br />

–Albert Vega<br />

26 September 2013 musicconnection.com

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Date Signed: Dec. 31, 2012<br />

Label: Warner Bros. Records<br />

Type of Music: Rock<br />

Band Members: Sam Margin, vocals, guitar; Elliott Margin, keys; Zaac<br />

Martin, guitar; Scott Baldwin, drums.<br />

Management: Nick Stern, Bret Disend / Vector Management<br />

Booking: Scott Clayton, Bobby Cory (US, Mike Greek (EU) / CAA<br />

Legal: Emio Zizz<br />

Publicity: Rick Gershon<br />

Web: http://therubensmusic.com<br />

A&R: Alex Black, Jeff Sosnow<br />

M<br />

THE RUBENS<br />

usic conferences can seem like a bore: hundreds of artists pitching<br />

their mediocre songs to producers who are paid to sit at a panel all<br />

day, giving an uninterested thumbs up / thumbs down response.<br />

What isn't immediately seen, however, can be the big payoff… the reason<br />

we drag ourselves out of the hotel room the next morning to do it all again.<br />

“A friend of ours from Australia was in France at a seminar where people<br />

get to meet with big producers, explains Sam Margin, frontman of the<br />

Rubens. “Producer David Kahne (Paul McCartney, New Order, Regina<br />

Spektor) was there and our friend dropped a [bedroom-produced] demo<br />

of our track ‘My Gun’ to him. David liked it so much that he reached out to<br />

begin talks.”<br />

A four-piece Australian band comprised of three brothers and a friend<br />

on keys, the Rubens worked through Kahne’s contacts to eventually land a<br />

deal with Warner Bros. in Los Angeles, CA. “He basically got us in contact<br />

with our lawyer,” explains Sam. Management, publicity, etc. soon followed,<br />

but it was the band’s lawyer who got their music to the heads of Warner<br />

Bros.<br />

Since their signing with Warner, the Rubens have played South By<br />

Southwest, Bonnaroo and are prepping for their first full-length US tour in<br />

September. A stretch of shows that will be much different than the band’s<br />

“Take any chance you can. We took<br />

a lot of risks.”<br />

normal approach back home. “Australia, you fly everywhere because there<br />

are only so many cities you can play," notes the Aussie veteran. “There<br />

aren’t enough cities to have a tour bus; we basically just fly constantly. It<br />

seems like over here, once you get big enough you live in a van and sleep<br />

in a tour bus. We’re excited about that, but I’m sure after two days we’ll<br />

probably wish we were flying from hotel to hotel again.”<br />

And as cookie-cutter as the deal may look on paper, Sam offers the<br />

following advice to fellow musicians looking to get a US deal: “Take any<br />

chance you can. We took a lot of risks. If you really do believe you’ve got<br />

something good, at some point you're going to have to put it all on the line.<br />

No one is going to get anywhere without sacrificing.”<br />

–Andy Mesecher<br />

LILY KERSHAW<br />

“Being a young woman in the industry––<br />

you have to learn to protect your image<br />

and work.”<br />

Date Signed: May 2013<br />

Label: Nettwerk Music Group<br />

Type of Music: Singer-Songwriter<br />

Management: Nicki Loranger, Amanda Witman / Vector Management<br />

Booking: NA<br />

Legal: Ken Kraus / Loeb & Loeb LLP<br />

Publicity: Danielle Romeo @ Nettwerk Music Group<br />

Web: http://lilykershaw.com<br />

A&R: Terry McBride, Mark Jowett, Rachel Cragg / Nettwerk<br />

ily Kershaw refused to make any rash decisions after two breakthrough<br />

songs appeared on the 2012/2013 season finales of TV’s<br />

LCriminal Minds. The Los Angeles songstress was suddenly fielding<br />

calls from label reps––fortunately, her passion for music did not succumb<br />

to the tempting promises and illusions of instant fame and fortune. After<br />

learning that Nettwerk Music Group would allow her total artistic authority<br />

(no strings attached), Kershaw was finally sold.<br />

Thankfully, Kershaw had loyal family support and took the wise advice<br />

from “business” friends and associates as these record label offers quickly<br />

starting pouring in about two years ago. “Nicki Loranger and Amanda<br />

Witman [of Vector Management] were always cool with what I wanted to<br />

do,” she explains. “[They] encouraged me to continue what I always loved<br />

doing. But it’s interesting being a young woman in the industry––you have<br />

to learn to protect your image and work.”<br />

Kershaw learned that artistic support and communication between<br />

musician and label were of utmost importance. “The label’s business<br />

model is super interesting,” she says. “And the people have so much passion<br />

and are generally happy with the work they’re doing. [Fields] told me,<br />

‘This is what you want to be, and this is who you want to be doing it with.’”<br />

The Nettwerk Music Group was founded by Terry McBride, Mark<br />

Jowett, Ric Arboit and Dan Fraser in 1984. The label has helped launch<br />

careers of prominent musicians including Sarah McLachlan and Coldplay.<br />

The terms of Kershaw’s signing are simple: profits split 50/50 between<br />

label and artist. She gets total artistic control, sticking true to Nettwerk’s<br />

proud motto, “We release music that we love.” Kershaw will soon embark<br />

on a full tour (her first) in support of the new album.<br />

“I don’t feel scared; I feel excited,” states Kershaw. “Focusing on my<br />

music and work without having to really worry, it’s a great feeling.”<br />

Lily Kershaw’s debut album, Midnight in the Garden, will be released<br />

Sept. 24th.<br />

–Danica Bellini<br />

September 2013<br />

musicconnection.com<br />

27

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SESAC Shines Apple<br />

SESAC partnered with Apple in a free iOS Recording Technology Workshop for<br />

artists, songwriters and publishers at the performing rights organization’s Music<br />

Row headquarters. The workshop featured educational demonstrations on<br />

creating, recording and mixing music on an iPhone and iPad. Pictured (l-r): Roger<br />

Robindoré, Apogee; Dan Kee, Apple; Tim Fink, SESAC; and Steve Pons, Apple.<br />

Verse Inks<br />

Connolly<br />

Verse Music Group<br />

announced that<br />

they have signed<br />

a worldwide copublishing<br />

deal with<br />

Christine Connolly. The<br />

Canadian native has<br />

co-written dozens of<br />

hits including No. 1<br />

songs “Bad Girlfriend”<br />

and “Lowlife” (Theory<br />

Of A Deadman) and<br />

the No. 2 single, “I<br />

Miss The Misery”<br />

(Halestorm). See http://<br />

versemusicgroup.com.<br />

Phelan Bestowed at Belmont In Nashville<br />

Belmont University’s Mike Curb College of Entertainment and Music Business,<br />

along with industry partner ASCAP, honored alumnus LeAnn Phelan (‘89)<br />

as the 2013 recipient of The Music City Milestone Award (MCMA), which<br />

celebrates the school’s connection to Music Row. The award recognizes a<br />

Belmont graduate who has achieved superlative success in the entertainment<br />

and music industry. Pictured (l-r): Michael Martin and LeAnn Phelan; Sarah<br />

Cates and Dan Keen, Belmont College. See http://ascap.com.<br />

NSAI and CMT: Song<br />

Contest<br />

The NSAI Song Contest<br />

Presented by CMT is open<br />

for submissions. Entries will be<br />

accepted until Oct. 31, 2013.<br />

All genres are accepted and<br />

encouraged. Songwriters compete<br />

for a full year of industry access<br />

and national and regional media<br />

exposure.<br />

Prizes are awarded to one<br />

Grand Prize Winner, one CMT<br />

Listeners’ Choice Winner, one<br />

Lyric-Only Winner, 10 Runners-Up<br />

and 10 Honorable Mentions. All<br />

songs entered receive a judging<br />

report. Music industry executives,<br />

professional songwriters and NSAI<br />

board members judge songs based<br />

on lyrics, melody and composition.<br />

Performance and production will<br />

not be evaluated.<br />

The entry cost is $35 per entry<br />

for NSAI members and $45 per<br />

entry for all non-NSAI members.<br />

Songwriters may enter as many<br />

songs as they like.<br />

To enter, or for more information,<br />

including an official list of<br />

prizes, the Rules and Regulations<br />

and updates, visit http://nsai.cmt.<br />

com.<br />

INgrooves Launches New<br />

Music Model<br />

Digital distributor INgrooves<br />

has launched a music publishing<br />

services company. The move is in<br />

response to many INgrooves artists<br />

and label clients taking control of<br />

some or all of their publishing rights<br />

and asking the San Franciscobased<br />

company to administer<br />

them. The company has hired<br />

Olivier Chastan, formerly with<br />

VP Records and its Greensleeves<br />

Records & Publishing company, to<br />

oversee the new effort.<br />

At launch, INgrooves is already<br />

administering more than 5,000<br />

copyrights, which include songs<br />

by such acts as Moby, Federico<br />

Aubele, Metis and N.A.S.A. and<br />

publishing catalogs by Music<br />

Dealers and Dirty Hit Records.<br />

The company says it will provide<br />

Levenson Upped<br />

at SESAC<br />

SESAC has promoted<br />

Justin Levenson to<br />

Director, Licensing<br />

Operations. Levenson<br />

will be responsible for<br />

reviewing the productivity<br />

and efficiency of SESAC’s<br />

Licensing department<br />

utilizing systematic and<br />

measurable processes<br />

to ensure alignment with<br />

SESAC’s organizational<br />

goals. Levenson, who has<br />

been with SESAC for over<br />

12 years, previously served<br />

as Manager, Licensing<br />

Operations. More details at<br />

http://sesac.com.<br />

clients a complete array of music<br />

publishing services, including<br />

direct registration and collection<br />

with societies worldwide and a<br />

suite of creative services from<br />

sync to A&R.<br />

Through its collection of<br />

sales and streaming data from<br />

the digital services to which<br />

it supplies master copyright<br />

records, InGrooves can help<br />

predict payments from mechanical<br />

royalties collection societies and/<br />

or digital music services around<br />

the world.<br />

Not only is that supposed to<br />

result in more efficient collections,<br />

it will also allow INgrooves to<br />

finance marketing campaigns<br />

based on the knowledge of how<br />

successful a song or an artist is in<br />

a certain territory.<br />

Complete details are at http://<br />

ingrooves.com.<br />

ole Grows with<br />

Timbaland<br />

ole has struck a music publishing<br />

co-venture deal with songwriterproducer<br />

Timbaland, expanding<br />

on an earlier publishing deal<br />

signed in 2012. Under the deal,<br />

Timbaland, doing business as<br />

Blue Stone Music Publishing,<br />

will co-sign third party writers he<br />

sources. Industry veteran Eric<br />

Spence, a key member of the<br />

Mosley Music Group, the globally<br />

successful record label founded by<br />

Timothy Mosley (aka Timbaland)<br />

in 2005, will be at the helm of the<br />

venture’s operations.<br />

In just the past four months,<br />

Timbaland has been a driving<br />

creative force as co-writer/<br />

producer behind three top<br />

recording projects of 2013 from<br />

Justin Timberlake’s The 20/20<br />

Experience, which boasts two<br />

platinum singles, “Mirrors” and<br />

“Suit & Tie,” and sales of close<br />

to seven million worldwide, to<br />

Jay Z’s platinum-certified Magna<br />

Carta Holy Grail and Beyoncé’s<br />

upcoming fifth studio album.<br />

Contact Bobbi Marcus, bobbi@<br />

bobbimarcuspr.com, for complete<br />

information.<br />

28<br />

September 2013 musicconnection.com

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– DAN KIMPEL dan@dankimpel.com<br />

The Suspex cause<br />

“Heart Attack”<br />

The Suspex, the Los Angelesbased<br />

writing and production team<br />

comprised of Jason Evigan and<br />

Mitch Allan, have penned Demi<br />

Lovato’s platinum certified, Top<br />

Five-charting single, “Heart Attack,”<br />

(co-written with songwriters Sean<br />

Douglas, Aaron Phillips, Nikki<br />

Williams and Lovato).<br />

Allan, former frontman of the<br />

band SR 71, and Evigan, former<br />

frontman of the band After<br />

Midnight Project, are currently<br />

working on upcoming songs and<br />

productions for artists including<br />

Selena Gomez, Steve Aoki, Rita<br />

Ora, Fifth Harmony, Zendaya,<br />

Lea Michele and the original<br />

Sugababes. Additionally, they<br />

have been collaborating with<br />

Sia, Song Biz Profile subject Ali<br />

Tamposi, Livvi Franc and the<br />

Monsters and Strangerz.<br />

The Suspex are signed to BMG<br />

Chrysalis US. Check them out at<br />

http://facebook.com/thesuspex,<br />

and note that they are open to<br />

qualified submissions.<br />

Disney Sued by<br />

Song Heirs<br />

The Walt Disney Co. is being<br />

sued in Texas state court by the<br />

children of the songwriter of “The<br />

Bare Necessities,” the Oscarnominated<br />

song from the 1967 film<br />

The Jungle Book, alleging Disney<br />

breached a contract mandating it<br />

pay them royalties for their father’s<br />

music.<br />

In an 11-page complaint,<br />

the three children of folk singer<br />

and composer Terry Gilkyson<br />

claim that Disney sold millions<br />

of copies of The Jungle Book<br />

on videocassettes and DVDs,<br />

but didn’t pay him or his family<br />

royalties for his song, which was<br />

prominently featured in the movie.<br />

Gilkyson wrote “The Bare<br />

Necessities” for the film. His<br />

contract with Disney stated that<br />

he was to receive half the net<br />

amount received by Disney’s<br />

music publisher “on account of<br />

licensing or other disposition of the<br />

mechanical reproduction rights in<br />

and to material so written by you,”<br />

according to the lawsuit.<br />

Terry Gilkyson died in 1999<br />

and his widow, Joan Gilkyson,<br />

died three years later, leaving<br />

her and her late husband’s estate<br />

to their three children: singersongwriters<br />

Eliza and Tony,<br />

and Nancy Gilkyson, a music<br />

business executive. The plaintiffs<br />

are seeking unspecified damages,<br />

attorneys’ fees and costs.<br />

Bolan for Dollars<br />

“Jeepster,” “Get It On” and “Ride<br />

a White Swan” are among the<br />

songs penned by Marc Bolan in<br />

his relatively brief lifetime. Rolan<br />

Seymour Feld, Bolan’s son and<br />

sole heir, has filed a lawsuit in<br />

Los Angeles alleging that music<br />

publishing entity Westminster<br />

Music Limited (originally Essex<br />

Music International Limited)<br />

never properly renewed its contract<br />

to represent Bolan’s songs, and has<br />

no right to administer the copyrights<br />

for the legendary T Rex founder.<br />

Feld is being represented by<br />

leading Los Angeles entertainment<br />

attorney Helen Yu of Yu Leseberg,<br />

who oversees and administers<br />

the estate’s intellectual<br />

property.<br />

Additional details about the suit<br />

can be found at http://yuleseberg.<br />

com.<br />

DAN KIMPEL's newest book, It All Begins<br />

with the Music, is penned with legendary<br />

A&R exec Don Grierson. Hear Dan’s audio<br />

interviews worldwide on Delta Airlines.<br />

Kobalt Reps Zappa<br />

Kobalt Music Group will<br />

administer the catalog<br />

of Frank Zappa including<br />

his early works with the<br />

Mothers of Invention, and<br />

his touring groups as well<br />

as his solo works. Along<br />

with global copyright<br />

administration services,<br />

Kobalt will represent the<br />

catalog for synchronization<br />

in film, TV, games and<br />

other media. See http://<br />

kobaltmusic.com.<br />

McKee is Ready for Thee<br />

Bonnie McKee’s songwriting has powered tracks by Katy Perry, Ke$ha, Carly<br />

Rae Jepsen and Adam Lambert––all of whom appear in the star-filled music<br />

video for her new single, “American Girl.” Check out this Song Biz profile<br />

subject’s new single at http://bonniemckeeofficial.com.<br />

Kristofferson Hosts Songwriter Show<br />

Legendary singer, songwriter and actor Kris Kristofferson will join television<br />

series, Troubadour, TX for its third season, which begins airing in late<br />

September. Kristofferson will appear weekly as a segment host for the awardwinning,<br />

22 episode series. For more information about the series, broadcast<br />

times and stations, visit http://troubadourtx.com.<br />

KATE SIMON<br />

BMI at Comic-Con<br />

Broadcast Music Inc. and White Bear PR presented “The Character of Music”<br />

panel discussion during 2013 Comic-Con at the San Diego Convention Center.<br />

Pictured at the “Character of Music” panel are (l-r): Chandler Poling, President<br />

of White Bear Public Relations; Jonathan Steinberg, Creator of Starz’s Black<br />

Sails; David Slade, Executive Producer/Director of NBC’s Hannibal; Brian Reitzell,<br />

BMI composer (Hannibal); Bear McCreary, composer (Black Sails); Anne Cecere,<br />

BMI Director, Film/TV Relations; Bryan Fuller, Executive Producer (Hannibal);<br />

Dino Meneghin, BMI composer, MTV's Teen Wolf; and Jeff Davis, Executive<br />

Producer/Developer (Teen Wolf).<br />

September 2013<br />

musicconnection.com 29

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David Lowery<br />

Camper Van Beethoven, Cracker, Artist Advocate<br />

By Dan Kimpel<br />

Camper Van Beethoven and Cracker frontman David Lowery<br />

doesn’t come off like an angry guy. But the veteran bandleader<br />

and musician––who also lectures in the music business program<br />

at the University of Georgia––unleashed a firestorm with his online post,<br />

“My Song Got Played On Pandora One Million Times and All I Got Was<br />

$16.89, Less Than What I Make From a Single T-Shirt Sale!” The song in<br />

question is Cracker’s “Low.”<br />

In his primary invective, Lowery is incensed that he cannot choose to<br />

keep his music offline. “My whole point with the streaming services is not<br />

what they play. If you ask me, ‘How much should I get paid for a stream?’<br />

I don’t know. We have these compulsory<br />

blanket licenses that the record<br />

companies did, whereby every song is<br />

the same price and everybody must be<br />

on these services.”<br />

Lowery draws a comparison to the<br />

film business. “Imagine that when you<br />

put out a movie there is a government<br />

mandate that any service in any theater<br />

or television station can show it. That is<br />

essentially the way the music business<br />

works in the digital realm. You must<br />

make your songs available and the<br />

government sets the rate.”<br />

In comparing the music business to<br />

the tech industry, Lowery offers staggering<br />

statistics. “In the time that the music<br />

business shrunk 64 percent, Google<br />

grew 58 [times larger]! Pandora is a<br />

public company. Spotify has significant<br />

venture capital. It baffles me that we’re<br />

setting these compulsory licenses.<br />

Maybe it works for Justin Bieber. Maybe<br />

it doesn’t work for Camper Van<br />

Beethoven.”<br />

According to Lowery, if musicians have it bad, songwriters have it even<br />

worse. “Songwriters are screwed by the compulsories and the webcasters.<br />

The lion’s share of the (streaming) revenue is grabbed by the sound<br />

recording owner rather than the songwriter. That seems absurd––you<br />

don’t have a sound recording unless you have an underlying copyright<br />

from a songwriter.”<br />

Pandora, a Wall Street traded company that reported revenue of $126<br />

million in May 2013 for its first quarter alone, bought a South Dakota<br />

radio station in what publishers are referring to as a back-door attempt<br />

to pay at an even lower rate. “They’re trying to screw us forever,” Lowery<br />

laments. “It’s making it as miserable as possible for ASCAP, BMI and<br />

SESAC. The consent decree is the craziest thing: Pandora dropped out<br />

of their ASCAP deal in 2010. The consent decree allows them to continue<br />

to play ASCAP songs while they’re negotiating. What incentive do they<br />

have to negotiate?” Lowery says that Camper Van Beethoven’s status<br />

as an indie band for many years made him cognizant of the business.<br />

“We would go on the road for six weeks and maybe come back with $400<br />

bucks, but we’d have sales, mechanical royalties, some airplay royalties,<br />

someone might license a song. Now the idea is backwards––95 percent<br />

of the touring bands are not making money.”<br />

Presumably, Lowery made more from the synchronization fee for “Low”<br />

in the hit film The Wolverine, when the title character is hanging in a bar<br />

and the song comes on the jukebox. “Low” was also included in Perks<br />

of Being a Wallflower. “It has brought in a whole new group of younger<br />

fans,” he notes.<br />

In the future, Lowery says that limiting access to music might increase<br />

its profitability. “We’re seriously trying to do this experiment with the next<br />

Camper Van Beethoven record. It may be only analog for a certain period<br />

of time. And if there is a streaming service, we’ll put it on at a premium.<br />

We could make more money being exposed to less people. Apple does<br />

that. They have a small share of the computer market, and they make<br />

more than anybody else. They’re a more valuable company because they<br />

don’t try to sell something to everybody.” For anyone envisioning a career<br />

in the modern music business, Lowery offers this caveat. “They need to<br />

do a lot of different things, not just expect to be the performer; they need<br />

to know all aspects. The only people I know who are making money are<br />

those who write and own their own songs.”<br />

Contact Nick Loss-Eaton, nick.losseaton@gmail.com<br />

30 September 2013 musicconnection.com

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Songwriter Profile<br />

Master and Synch licensing available<br />

through Old Pants Publishing, Inc.<br />

Contact Robert Case for details:<br />

719-632-0227 E-mail: rac@crlr.net<br />

To purchase Freedom Stride go to:<br />

http://cdbaby.com/cd/rockyshaw2<br />

September 2013 musicconnection.com 31<br />

September 2012 www.musicconnection.com 31

---

DROPS<br />

Acclaimed indie label Unfiltered Records has<br />

launched the online music licensing house<br />

Unfiltered Tracks to specialize in offering<br />

music supervisors moody, atmospheric indiepop<br />

in the spirit of its parent label via a userfriendly<br />

search engine of affordable, pre-cleared<br />

tracks and making it the only online music<br />

licensing house specializing in one genre.<br />

Unfiltered Tracks is completely artist-run and<br />

sensitive to the complexities of synch licensing.<br />

By being an artist-direct service, clients don’t<br />

have to deal with the hassles of publishing<br />

or mechanicals clearance. Unfiltered Tracks<br />

composers own their publishing and masters,<br />

therefore they can offer one-stop shopping at<br />

low cost. For complete information, contact<br />

alison@thepresshouse.com.<br />

ALAN RICKMAN<br />

The Music Licensing Directory has launched<br />

a music crowdsourcing service where Music<br />

Supervisors, Advertising Agencies, Production<br />

Companies and individuals who need music<br />

for any purpose can launch a contest and<br />

find music to license for their needs. “Music<br />

Licensing can be a time consuming, expensive,<br />

daunting and complex process for anyone<br />

who needs to find good music for their specific<br />

purpose,” says Music Licensing Directory<br />

CEO Winston Giles. “By utilizing the reach<br />

of our global community of music providers,<br />

we have come up with a solution that allows<br />

for confidentiality, particularly for clients in<br />

advertising, whilst still maintaining a fast, simple<br />

and personalized service.” More information<br />

about launching a campaign is at http://<br />

musiclicensingdirectory.com.<br />

Block Starz TV is producing a new comedy/<br />

adventure web series called MACK LEVINE:<br />

Backyard Survivor, a web parody of survival<br />

shows following an amateur’s search for<br />

monsters in city sewers and wooded areas.<br />

Filmed on location in Louisville, KY, MACK<br />

LEVINE: Backyard Survivor starts off with the<br />

show’s star, Mack Levine, looking for a monster<br />

snapping turtle under his city streets. Houston,<br />

JÓHANN JÓHANNSSON<br />

TX indie composer Mr. Instrumentalist (http://<br />

mrinstrumentalist.com) is providing the show’s<br />

music score.<br />

To view the show, visit http://blockstarztv.com<br />

or contact macklevine@outlook.com.<br />

Icelandic composer/producer/multi-instrumentalist<br />

Jóhann Jóhannsson, who the BBC<br />

has called “an intrepid musical enigma,” is<br />

celebrating his score to Oscar-nominated<br />

director Denis Villeneuve’s (Incendies) new<br />

film Prisoners, starring Oscar nominees<br />

Hugh Jackman (Les Misérables) and Jake<br />

Gyllenhaal (Brokeback Mountain), with a<br />

series of live dates. Alcon Entertainment<br />

releases Prisoners through Warner Bros.<br />

Pictures on Sept. 20th.<br />

Jóhannsson brings his enthralling soundscapes<br />

to North America with tour dates that<br />

include The Masonic Lodge at Hollywood<br />

Forever in Los Angeles, CA, presented by<br />

KCRW (Sept. 15). For complete information,<br />

visit http://johannjohannsson.com.<br />

Live From Lincoln Center broadcasts an<br />

expanded edition of its season finale from May,<br />

featuring series host Audra McDonald taking<br />

center stage at Lincoln Center’s Avery Fisher<br />

Hall. Audra McDonald In Concert: Go Back<br />

Home is a special gala concert showcasing<br />

five-time Tony Award winner singing songs from<br />

a wide range of musical theater composers<br />

featured on her new recording, Go Back Home<br />

(Nonesuch), her first solo album in seven<br />

years. The broadcast of this 90-minute edition of<br />

Audra McDonald In Concert: Go Back Home<br />

began airing on PBS stations on Aug. 30 and<br />

repeats throughout September. Check local<br />

listings for show times in your area.<br />

Drawing upon musical eras from Steve Jobs’<br />

life, including opera, Americana and the Beatles,<br />

John Debney creates a noble score for the<br />

biopic Jobs. After premiering at the Sundance<br />

Film Festival earlier this year, the film opened<br />

nationwide Aug. 16, 2013. Jobs-Original Motion<br />

Picture Soundtrack was released on La-La<br />

Land Records on Aug. 27, and is available<br />

digitally through Garage Ingenuity. Contact<br />

alex@costacomm.com.<br />

The motion picture CBGB will have its US<br />

festival premiere at this year’s CBGB Music &<br />

Film Festival, the five-day festival/conference<br />

that will take place in New York City, Oct.<br />

9-13th. CBGB will kick off this year’s festival.<br />

The Landmark Sunshine Theater on E.<br />

Houston Street will serve as the conference<br />

and film festival hub. Based on the behind-thescenes<br />

story of the beginnings of the US punk<br />

movement, CBGB features an ensemble cast<br />

channeling the prime movers of the era.<br />

Starring Alan Rickman (Harry Potter, Love<br />

AUDRA MCDONALD<br />

Actually) as late CBGB owner Hilly Kristal,<br />

the film chronicles the creation of the music<br />

landmark and musical movement that spawned<br />

Blondie, Television, the Ramones, Talking<br />

Heads, Richard Hell, Dead Boys and the<br />

Police. The CBGB Film Festival will premiere an<br />

estimated 40 new movie titles, featuring Q&A<br />

sessions with directors, producers and/or actors.<br />

Omnivore Recordings will release CBGB:<br />

Original Motion Soundtrack on Oct. 8 with<br />

deluxe digital version from Rhino. Visit http://<br />

cbgb.com.<br />

32<br />

September 2013 musicconnection.com

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– TOM KIDD truthtopaper@gmail.com<br />

OPPS<br />

On Sept. 26-29, the Driven Music<br />

Conference returns to Atlanta, GA, for the<br />

third time. Panel discussions will be held at<br />

the Sheraton Hotel by day while industry<br />

pros and music fans will enjoy the best of<br />

showcasing emerging<br />

artists by night at<br />

Velvet Underground.<br />

Artists of all genres will<br />

be in the position for<br />

a chance to advance<br />

their careers with<br />

invaluable networking<br />

opportunities and panel<br />

discussions led by top<br />

industry professionals.<br />

Conference artist<br />

showcase submissions<br />

are now open. For<br />

artist submissions,<br />

tickets, and conference<br />

information, visit http://<br />

drivenatlanta.com.<br />

The Laura Podcast, the daily digital version<br />

of the nationally syndicated Laura Ingraham<br />

Show is now seeking non-political interviews.<br />

Subject matter of possible interest includes<br />

entertainment, new media/technology, sports<br />

and more. They are looking for interesting, fun<br />

and relevant guests. Proven names are a plus.<br />

Submit pitches to producer Art Webb, art@<br />

courtsidellc.com.<br />

JAR Radio (Jeff’s Album Review) seeks<br />

music-related artists, authors and promoters<br />

for interviews. Listeners are interested in a<br />

behind the scenes view of music and music<br />

related topics. Interview guests can promote<br />

NARCOLEPTIC YOUTH<br />

LAURA INGRAHAM<br />

their material through both live broadcast and<br />

downloaded podcast and are occasionally<br />

featured performing live in studio. For booking,<br />

contact Jeff Lehrke at 734-707-6224 or jeff@<br />

jeffsalbumreview.com.<br />

The MuSe Cafe, a new radio show for and<br />

about poets and songwriters seeks expert<br />

guests. For booking inquiries, contact co-host<br />

Rachel Love at info@musecafe.us.<br />

Arts at the Airport in Nashville is bringing<br />

musical performances to stages in the<br />

passenger terminal. Presentations feature a<br />

variety of musical styles including traditional<br />

and contemporary country, rhythm and blues,<br />

jazz, pop, gospel and bluegrass. The stages<br />

are located near the A/B meeter-greeter<br />

area, the C/D meeter-greeter area and in the<br />

Concourse C food and retail court (beyond<br />

security). For more information about Arts at<br />

the Airport, call 615-275-1614 or send email to<br />

arts@nashintl.com.<br />

Hiphop Junkies, a radio<br />

show out of Charlotte, NC,<br />

is looking for rap artists,<br />

models, designers and<br />

appropriate experts of all<br />

stripes. For interviews,<br />

contact Chantice, tice38@<br />

gmail.com.<br />

Listeners at Musical<br />

Osmosis want to hear<br />

from the punk and rock<br />

communities. Up-andcoming<br />

bands, bands that<br />

used to be, even one-hit<br />

wonders are all welcome.<br />

Performers, producers,<br />

recording artists and anyone else with inside<br />

information are wanted for interviews. Previous<br />

guests have included bands such as Narcoleptic<br />

Youth and Even Steven. For further details<br />

contact Producer Danielle Priser, daniellepriser@<br />

gmail.com.<br />

Soundwavez Radeo (http://soundwavezradeo.<br />

com) is seeking underground indie hip-hop<br />

and R&B expert artists as guests on their<br />

program, particularly underground/indie artists<br />

looking to continue building their fan bases.<br />

For consideration on this Philadelphia-based<br />

program, contact Eddie Jefferson III, above.<br />

entertainment@gmail.com.<br />

Something for the Soul and R.I.L.L. Radio are<br />

seeking expert guests for a multitude of formats.<br />

Producer Ms. Ssugah hosts shows in the formats<br />

Blues, Southern Soul, Zydeco, Country, Gospel<br />

and Teens. She welcomes both musical legends<br />

and upcoming artists with radio ready music<br />

and a following or fanbase of at least 30 who<br />

will show support by listening to the segment.<br />

Contact Ms. Ssugah at 318-504-0855 or email<br />

sfts_radio@ymail.com.<br />

TOM KIDD's 20-year career includes extensive experience as<br />

an artist, producer and performer. Tom has promoted, marketed<br />

and developed Emmy- and Oscar-winning composers. He is<br />

President of Pres Pak Public Relations.<br />

Out Take<br />

Brian Lukow<br />

Writer/Producer/Managing Member<br />

Email: info@entbrands.com<br />

Web: https://facebook.com/<br />

crazyfortheboysmovie;<br />

http://entbrands.com<br />

Most Recent: Crazy for the Boys<br />

Nobody ever said it was easy to make it in<br />

Hollywood. Even in today’s herd of multiple<br />

formats, the entertainment industry tends<br />

to be a one-trick pony.<br />

“I thought it would be an easy pitch,”<br />

Creator and producer Brian Lukow says of<br />

his latest project, a music-and-film project<br />

revolving around Drama Drama, a fictional<br />

girl group. Even the man behind the<br />

successful boy band Dream Street at first<br />

found it difficult to get his project launched.<br />

“The music industry saw Drama Drama<br />

and wanted to do a record,” Lukow<br />

remembers. “Movie people only saw the<br />

movie part. I kept running into the same<br />

frustration.”<br />

Despite having made money for<br />

Dream Street’s home at Atlantic Records,<br />

the parent company Warner Bros.<br />

Entertainment had trouble understanding<br />

the idea behind Drama Drama’s film debut<br />

Crazy for the Boys and its attenuating<br />

music and marketing offshoots. Other<br />

companies had the same reaction but that<br />

didn’t stop Lukow.<br />

“It’s a crazy and strange undertaking,”<br />

he says. “I have a business model to build<br />

the biggest band in the world but people<br />

looked at me like I was crazy.”<br />

The pitch was simple. Drama Drama<br />

was to be a modern Spice Girls, a band<br />

with history as dreamed by young girls<br />

10-12. Each member of Drama Drama has<br />

her own character which Lukow describes<br />

as over the top versions of the cast of<br />

characters someone might find in a high<br />

school cafeteria. Crazy for the Boys is<br />

the band’s fictionalized back story which<br />

Lukow admits is “A 100-minute commercial<br />

to blow up the band.”<br />

That someone finally understood is<br />

testament to Lukow’s clarity of vision and<br />

persistence. As he says, “You either have<br />

to reach critical mass or you fail.”<br />

September 2013<br />

musicconnection.com 33

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Sunset Strip Shuts Down To Party<br />

The sixth annual Sunset Strip Music Festival (SSMF) rocked that fabled street recently.<br />

Performances on the closed-off Sunset Strip, enjoyed by more than 15,000 fans, included<br />

Linkin Park and Awolnation (pictured), as well as Black Rebel Motorcycle Club, Finch and<br />

Street Drum Corps. Artists that rocked the East Stage included Wale, Logic, Slick Rick &<br />

Doug E. Fresh, Asher Roth and Zeale. More than 30 additional artists performed throughout<br />

the festival on the new Viper Room outdoor stage, as well as indoors at The Roxy and<br />

Whisky a Go-Go. Get complete coverage at http://sunsetstripmusicfestival.com.<br />

SUNSET STRIP MUSIC FESTIVAL<br />

Sabbath Returns To The Stage<br />

Promoting their new record, 13, Black Sabbath are currently circling the United<br />

States and Canada offering a set list of new anthems and classics with an<br />

opening act by the party rocker Andrew W.K. Pictured is Ozzy staring down the<br />

fans at the Cruzan Amphitheatre in West Palm Beach, FL. See upcoming tour<br />

dates at http://ticketmaster.com.<br />

Pacino Sees Chicago At Greek<br />

Al Pacino made a special appearance during the Chicago concert at The Greek<br />

Theatre, in Los Angeles to film during intermission for his upcoming movie<br />

Imagine. Chicago presented him with a commemorative photo in honor of the<br />

special occasion and Nederlander’s Paola Palazzo welcomed him to the venue.<br />

Pictured is Pacino surrounded by members of Chicago, HK Management and<br />

Nederlander Concerts.<br />

SONY EARL GIBSON III/GETTY IMAGES<br />

TONY LANDA<br />

IES Rocks LA / NOHO<br />

L.A. and North Hollywood rocked out at<br />

the annual Independent Entertainment<br />

Summit, which featured music-biz<br />

panel discussions and performances<br />

by future hit-makers. Venues included<br />

The El Portal Theater, The Federal and<br />

the Ivar. IES pulls together leaders<br />

of the music industry and gives<br />

attendees the opportunity to meet,<br />

learn and connect with professionals.<br />

Performing artists included Eric Zayne<br />

(pictured). See http://indieentertain<br />

mentsummit.com/<br />

Kelly & Kidd<br />

As part of her first solo<br />

tour in support of her new<br />

album, Plain Simple Me,<br />

roots rocker Kelly Zirbes<br />

has teamed with MC's own<br />

Tom Kidd, author of the<br />

new book Which One Am<br />

I?, for the Words & Music<br />

tour. The tour launched<br />

recently at the Cahuenga<br />

General Store and continues<br />

at coffee houses<br />

throughout Southern<br />

California. For more info,<br />

call 562-661-8212.<br />

Kravitz Preps Latifah Show<br />

Queen Latifah and Lenny Kravitz are seen reviewing the set plans for the<br />

upcoming The Queen Latifah Show, which premieres Sept. 16 on CBS. The set<br />

for the show was designed by Lenny's company, Kravitz Design Inc.<br />

JOY NEELY<br />

JIM DONNELLY<br />

34 September 2013 musicconnection.com

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– ANDY MESECHER andym@musicconnection.com<br />

GATHERING OF THE VIBES<br />

PHOTOS: SCOTT PERHAM<br />

Peace Prevails In<br />

Connecticut<br />

More than 20,000 music lovers<br />

from all over the country<br />

descended upon Seaside Park<br />

in Bridgeport, CT, for the 18th<br />

Annual Gathering of the Vibes<br />

music festival. The four-day<br />

event featured a large list of acts<br />

including Phil Lesh and Friends,<br />

the Roots, Grace Potter and the<br />

Nocturnals, Govt. Mule and the<br />

Black Crowes. In addition to<br />

the abundance of jam bands<br />

on two stages, the festival also<br />

included late-night DJ sets and<br />

a silent disco on the beach with<br />

hundreds of headphone-wearing<br />

hippies dancing in the sand.<br />

Tidbits From Our<br />

Tattered Past<br />

1982–Sparks–#11<br />

LOCAL NATIVES<br />

THE CURE<br />

Cover story Sparks (Ron<br />

& Russell Mael), who were<br />

just beginning to succeed<br />

after 11 albums, were<br />

taking none of it seriously.<br />

"Once you start doing<br />

that," said Ron, "you've<br />

had it as far as spirit goes."<br />

MC's Video Update area<br />

spotlighted the Fleshtones.<br />

Songwriting expert John<br />

Braheny dished advice<br />

on how writers should approach<br />

the music industry<br />

with their work. Concert Reviews<br />

of Jerry Jeff Walker,<br />

Circles Jerks and Krokus<br />

round out the issue.<br />

BEN HOWARD<br />

THIEVERY CORPORATION<br />

1994–Marsalis–#21<br />

Lollapalooza 2013 Comes To A Close<br />

Over 55,000 strong were in attendance at this year’s Windy City music<br />

festival. Various genres of music and artists took the stage—from up-andcomers<br />

to legends. Included in this year’s lineup were the Cure, Mumford &<br />

Sons, the Killers, Nine Inch Nails, Phoenix, the Postal Service, Queens of the<br />

Stone Age, the National, the Lumineers, Kendrick Lamar, Grizzly Bear and<br />

many more. For additional photos, visit our homepage Photo Blog (http://<br />

musicconnection.com). All photos by Jody Domingue.<br />

Branford Marsalis was promoting<br />

his Buckshot La-<br />

Fonque album when he sat<br />

for an interview with MC. "I<br />

learned from Art Blakey not<br />

to depend on the mic for<br />

my sound," he said. "Like,<br />

with Miles––the sound<br />

came from the horn." A review<br />

of Bloodline featuring<br />

Joe Bonamassa and Berry<br />

Oakley, Jr. highlights the<br />

club reviews section.<br />

September 2013<br />

musicconnection.com 35

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ALMOST SEVEN YEARS AFTER HER DEBUT HIT TUNE,<br />

“Love Song,” catapulted Sara Bareilles into the limelight, the singer-songwriter has sold more than a million<br />

copies of her major label debut, Little Voice, received multiple Grammy nominations and judged the singing<br />

competition TV program The Sing-Off. Early this year, the singer, known for her powerful vocals and piano-driven<br />

melodies, left her comfortable hidey-hole in Los Angeles and moved to New York in the hopes of igniting<br />

a creative spark. There, she wrote her fourth LP, The Blessed Unrest, which dropped July 12th. Typically<br />

a solitary songwriter, she co-wrote the record’s first single, “Brave,” with Jack Antonoff of Fun. and embarked<br />

on her first solo acoustic tour. In this exclusive interview, Bareilles tells Music Connection about<br />

deviating from the norm and how her new experiences have impacted her latest work.<br />

SaraBareilles<br />

Music Connection: We’ve heard you’ve been a Music Connection<br />

reader, especially when you first started out. How did that and other music<br />

sources influence you when you first started out?<br />

Sara Bareilles: Music Connection was one of the very first publications<br />

to feature me back when I was still at UCLA. It may have been a modest<br />

mention, and I am pretty sure I was wearing something hideous in<br />

the picture, but it was a huge deal to me. Feeling accepted and validated<br />

within the music community, I felt attached to that moment, and it made a<br />

big impact on me. I am very, very grateful.<br />

MC: How and where specifically did you get your music career off the<br />

ground?<br />

Bareilles: I got started through the L.A. community. It was really supportive.<br />

I started doing open mics and really small shows around the city, and<br />

it grew organically. Molly Malone’s, Westwood Brewing, Hotel Café. There<br />

also was a place called Space 6507 that I don’t think exists anymore.<br />

MC: How did you manage your career when first starting out?<br />

Bareilles: I did, for the most part, but a good friend of mine was really<br />

helpful in the beginning stages. He was my roommate at the time. He<br />

would burn CDs and have the clipboard with my email list at the shows<br />

and helped make those early days possible. I was very lucky to be put in<br />

touch with my manager, Jordan Feldstein, who I met early in my career as<br />

well.<br />

MC: You just completed your first solo acoustic tour. As a singer-songwriter,<br />

does the solo tour experience differ from touring with a band?<br />

Bareilles: I’m sure, as anyone can imagine, it’s different. It’s solitary by<br />

nature, so it’s a very introspective experience. At first it was a little lonely,<br />

though I was sharing the road with a great crew, but the musical experience<br />

is a different rhythm when you’re not sharing a performance space<br />

with a band.<br />

I actually ended up loving it. It made me feel incredibly close to the audience,<br />

which I had been craving, and the shows were super rewarding in<br />

that way. There was no filter between the audience and myself.<br />

As my first solo acoustic tour, I was terrified. I was trying to fill up the<br />

space. I didn’t think that was something I could do, and with prodding and<br />

urging, I just kind of felt like it was time to embrace the challenge, and it<br />

ended up being totally okay.<br />

MC: How has fan interaction impacted your career? How do you use<br />

social media to your advantage?<br />

Bareilles: I don’t really have media training. I was the judge on The Sing-<br />

Off, and that was the only time I remember having formal media training.<br />

And I think social media is hugely helpful and impactful in the sense that<br />

it makes fans feel close to their<br />

artist. I’m very active on Twitter<br />

and Facebook and on my website,<br />

and I like to keep things as<br />

complete as possible. But I also<br />

think it’s important to keep the<br />

line of privacy. I’m not the kind<br />

of person who wants to share<br />

everything, though I like to<br />

share a lot of myself onstage.<br />

MC: Why was “Brave” chosen<br />

as The Blessed Unrest’s first<br />

single?<br />

Bareilles: It felt like an obvious<br />

choice to me. I really connected<br />

to the message of that song on<br />

a deep level, and personally and<br />

professionally I wanted that to<br />

be my first statement. I felt it was<br />

a progression for me sonically. It<br />

sounded like something not quite<br />

like anything I’d done, but you<br />

could still hear me in all of it. I was<br />

really pushing for that. It wasn’t a<br />

hard battle; everyone agreed it was a<br />

good one to start with.<br />

MC: “Brave” was co-written with Jack<br />

Antonoff from Fun. How did you end up<br />

teaming with him?<br />

by<br />

Jessica<br />

Pace<br />

Bareilles: Sara Quin, half of Tegan and<br />

Sara, is a mutual friend, and she suggested<br />

Jack, because she had done some writing<br />

with him. I was talking to Sara about wanting<br />

to collaborate and wanted to find the right fit. So<br />

it was really serendipitous. I met him, and he was<br />

amazing.<br />

MC: What is the co-writing experience like, particularly<br />

when the co-writer is also a prominent performing artist?<br />

What did each of you bring to the song?<br />

Bareilles: Co-writing is all about chemistry, about whether<br />

or not you’ll feel comfortable with another person in the room. I<br />

think Jack and I had great chemistry from the get-go. If [your cowriter]<br />

is also a performing artist, it can inform the writing process<br />

in a lot of cool ways. You think of things in terms of what will happen<br />

36 September 2013 musicconnection.com

---

“I think Jack and I had great<br />

chemistry from the get-go.<br />

If [your co-writer] is also a<br />

performing artist it can inform<br />

the writing process in a lot of<br />

cool ways. You think of things<br />

in terms of what will happen<br />

onstage. You’re imagining playing<br />

live instead of just about<br />

what’s happening in the room.”<br />

Photos<br />

by<br />

Danny<br />

Clinch<br />

September 2013<br />

musicconnection.com 37

---

onstage. You’re imagining playing live instead<br />

of just about what’s happening in the room.<br />

Jack was hugely helpful in helping me feel I<br />

could achieve some larger goals. Everybody<br />

works differently, and every situation is different.<br />

Jack had a track prepared, and I wrote the<br />

melody and lyrics with him involved. It felt like it<br />

was very collaborative.<br />

MC: What was it like working with producer<br />

John O’Mahoney?<br />

Bareilles: Awesome. It was very easy. We met<br />

through mutual friends. He’s a really thoughtful<br />

producer. He has strong opinions and doesn’t<br />

sugarcoat anything. If you work well with that,<br />

it’s a great fit. John helped me strip away some<br />

of my fear about being vulnerable and being<br />

wrong. It felt very collaborative.<br />

MC: What about producer Mark Endert? How<br />

did his style differ from O’Mahoney’s, and why<br />

work with multiple producers?<br />

Bareilles: Like an artist, every producer has a<br />

different style. Working with Mark, I let go of the<br />

reins a little more. He had a specific vision, so<br />

it was a practice in letting go for me. Of course<br />

I’m kind of a control freak as well, and I want to<br />

have my hands all over everything. It was very<br />

different. With John, I felt like we were building<br />

a castle block by block together, and with Mark,<br />

I felt like he constructed a lot of the castle, and<br />

I came in and made my changes. Both were<br />

rewarding in their own ways.<br />

MC: Why do you like to co-produce your<br />

records?<br />

Bareilles: I have concrete opinions on the way<br />

something sounds, the way the arrangement<br />

feels, the structure and foundation of the music.<br />

It’s not just coming in and singing vocals.<br />

MC: Your voice is so pure. Were you trained<br />

to sing professionally? Do you still work with a<br />

vocal coach?<br />

Bareilles: I wasn’t trained professionally. I did<br />

start taking lessons later in my career, which<br />

was helpful in building stamina and strength. I<br />

started singing very young as a kid. My older<br />

sister was very involved in theater; she was<br />

a singer. There was always music around the<br />

house, and I just fell into that. I’ve worked with<br />

John Deaver out of L.A. I’ve worked with Liz<br />

Caplan, and I’ve worked with Wendy Parr. Now<br />

I’m in a new environment and just seeing what<br />

teaching styles are like [in New York].<br />

MC: What role does your record label play in<br />

your career? Is Epic Records very hands-on in<br />

working with you?<br />

Bareilles: They are hands-on. I think one of the<br />

things they’ve done well on this record is they’ve<br />

left me to my own devices, and that was really<br />

important. Feeling a lot of pressure and like<br />

timelines are coming down on you or that you’re<br />

disappointing the business on some level is<br />

disruptive to the creative part of my brain. They<br />

were gentle and left me alone for the most part.<br />

The industry is going through so many changes<br />

and Epic is still in flux, and they made me feel<br />

like I was welcome.<br />

MC: How has moving to New York City impacted<br />

your music?<br />

Bareilles: I moved to New York in January<br />

of this year, and it is incredibly different. It’s<br />

different in terms of timbre and cadence and energetic<br />

vibrations, to sound really hippie dippie.<br />

It couldn’t be more opposite. It felt more chaotic,<br />

with so many people all on top of each other.<br />

There’s a web of lives and stories happening<br />

around you.<br />

Los Angeles is much more solitary, at least<br />

for me. I had a little house there. Your car<br />

separates you from people. I think in L.A. I had<br />

a little more of a lethargic lifestyle. Some of that<br />

was good, cozy, comfortable. There was an<br />

incredible network of friends I miss dearly, but<br />

creatively I needed a jumpstart into something<br />

else, and New York gave me that leg up.<br />

MC: How did the production and writing of this<br />

record differ from pass efforts?<br />

Bareilles: Recording this record was quite different<br />

from my previous records in that this one<br />

happened in installments. I used a variety of<br />

producers and recording studios over a period<br />

of about four months and took the whole of the<br />

record in bite-sized chunks. I think, in some<br />

ways, this was how<br />

the record stayed<br />

so fresh for<br />

me, but I<br />

have to<br />

admit<br />

that<br />

by<br />

the<br />

end<br />

of the<br />

recording<br />

process, it<br />

felt like I had<br />

been recording forever.<br />

I was happy to step away and get back<br />

onstage to connect with live performance.<br />

Overall, the writing process and recording<br />

process were both much more collaborative<br />

for me this time around, and that was also a<br />

big difference. I ended up co-writing about half<br />

the record, and I’m very proud of that. I loved<br />

my collaborators, and I feel like I learned a lot<br />

through working with each and every one of<br />

them.<br />

MC: Do you have a process or particular conditions<br />

for songwriting?<br />

Bareilles: Songwriting is different each time,<br />

but the great majority of the time, I start with my<br />

piano at home. I love writing in the mornings,<br />

with a cup of coffee and no agenda. I like to see<br />

what falls out. It’s usually a melody that comes<br />

first, and then the words will follow. If I am really<br />

focused and patient, I can sometimes get<br />

through a song in one sitting, but usually it takes<br />

me a longer time than that. Sometimes years,<br />

even. That is why I enjoyed co-writing so much<br />

on this record. The process was accelerated in<br />

a really fascinating way. So fun.<br />

MC: What influences, musical and otherwise,<br />

informed the writing of this record?<br />

Bareilles: The influences on this record are<br />

very much inspired by the sounds of my collaborators.<br />

Jack Antonoff and his band, Fun., were<br />

a great influence on the tracks we wrote, and<br />

the songs I wrote with Matt Hales were heavily<br />

influenced by my “fangirl” relationship to the music<br />

of his project, Aqualung. In addition to that, I<br />

think the influences run the gamut of the kind of<br />

music I love––everything from Arcade Fire and<br />

Sigur Ros to Prince and Raphael Saadiq.<br />

MC: Your debut sold over a million copies and<br />

received Grammy nominations. Your second<br />

record debuted at number one. What were your<br />

expectations for yourself for your third album?<br />

How did you realize those expectations or work<br />

around them?<br />

Bareilles: I think it goes without saying that<br />

you hope your work is successful. For me, it’s<br />

always been a challenge to distance myself<br />

from what came before and to detach my<br />

expectations from everything. “Love Song” was<br />

an amazing first step in my career, and it’s<br />

been a huge blessing, but also the one<br />

thing that everything gets compared<br />

to. I wrote that song 10 years ago at<br />

this point. I think I wanted to allow<br />

myself as an artist, to show<br />

different sides of my creative<br />

self and allow myself to grow<br />

up a little bit, and I feel that<br />

was achieved. I’m so proud<br />

of this body of work. I think<br />

it reflects a really exploratory<br />

time in my life, and<br />

the new ones are some of<br />

my favorite songs I’ve ever<br />

written. I’m really happy<br />

with this album.<br />

Contact dvora.<br />

englefield@42west.net<br />

Quick Facts<br />

<br />

<br />

<br />

Family Guy<br />

<br />

Music Is Better Than Words<br />

<br />

Mickey<br />

Mouse Club<br />

Little Shop of<br />

Horrors<br />

-<br />

<br />

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-<br />

<br />

-<br />

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<br />

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30 Rock<br />

<br />

38 September 2013<br />

musicconnection.com

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September 2013<br />

musicconnection.com 39

---

!"#$%!&'("))**<br />

!"#$%&('+)"*3/&,) an important role in branding an act’s image. It also provides a significant source of income.<br />

In fact, merch sales are often the difference between making a living or going into debt. When compared to other income<br />

streams, merchandise generates the greatest profit margin for artists at all levels. And for emerging acts, those profits can<br />

support a career.<br />

To make that happen, however, you must be creative. If you follow everyone else—selling tees and CDs—you are likely<br />

to be disappointed. Even established acts are pushing the envelope with cool and unusual ideas. Taylor Swift bundled her<br />

album with pizza, Beck released an album of sheet music and Jack White distributed a single via helium balloons. If artists of<br />

that caliber feel the need to stand out, imagine what you must do.<br />

Selling merch may seem easy, but it is not. You must consider your fans, the venue and the items you sell. To help you get better<br />

results from your merchandising efforts, Music Connection asked experienced artists, managers, labels and PR companies to<br />

send us examples of items that not only get attention, but also sell like crazy.<br />

!"#$%*)0&('-.0)<br />

With some imagination––and extra cash<br />

––items like these can be custom-made:<br />

BLACK “MYSTERY” BOX<br />

Olio<br />

http://oliomusic.com<br />

The “Black Box” houses Olio’s merch items.<br />

To find out what is in the Black Box, fans have<br />

to go to the group’s shows. The “Box” contains<br />

a revolving assortment of merch: tees, guitar<br />

picks, key chains, autographed drumsticks,<br />

stickers, posters, earrings, beanies, wrist bands<br />

and CDs. Olio also encourages fans to help<br />

them with promotions in order to get free music.<br />

NECKLACE & RING<br />

Dead in 5<br />

http://facebook.com/deadinfive<br />

Detroit outlaw rockers Dead in 5 wanted to<br />

offer their fans something custom and<br />

cool. So they partnered with Claudia<br />

Leo who recently launched her own<br />

jewelry company, Rock Design. They<br />

gave her their logo and she created<br />

amazing one-of-a-kind pieces that sell<br />

for $20 to $45 a pop.<br />

BEER KOOZIE<br />

Goat<br />

http://musicbygoat.com<br />

While working on a<br />

project called “senseless”<br />

(about the abuse<br />

of our senses), the band<br />

Goat released a single<br />

titled “Cup in Hand.” To<br />

highlight the abuse<br />

of taste, they<br />

designed a<br />

koozie with their logo on it and the<br />

word “senseless” written in Braille.<br />

BABY ONESIE<br />

Ellee Ven<br />

http://elleeven.com<br />

If you have fans who are<br />

starting families, these<br />

could be big sellers.<br />

Artist Ellee Ven had<br />

“Groovalutionary”<br />

printed on them––<br />

which signifies “a<br />

person engaged in<br />

a creative revolution.”<br />

SKATE DECK<br />

Willie Psycho<br />

http://facebook.com/williepsycho<br />

According to Willie Psycho, his<br />

originally designed skate decks sell<br />

like crazy via social media, events,<br />

festivals, etc.<br />

RUSSIAN<br />

STACKING<br />

DOLL<br />

Marina V<br />

http://marinav.com<br />

Being from Russia, Marina<br />

V is often asked by fans where<br />

they could get one of those<br />

hand-painted Russian stacking<br />

dolls. Now, every time she<br />

goes to Moscow she brings<br />

back a few and personalizes<br />

them for sale. She notes,<br />

“People seem to like that<br />

better than buying one<br />

made in China on eBay.”<br />

Marina also sells her own<br />

artwork, handwritten lyrics and sheet music<br />

for a song that won her the YouBloom<br />

Award from Sir Bob Geldof.<br />

40 September 2013<br />

musicconnection.com

---

* +)*,-.#)*&)*$--/*&)*0%+)*)0.112<br />

By Bernard Baur<br />

RUBBER SPIDER<br />

Characula<br />

http://characula.com<br />

Characula came up with the idea of rubber spiders<br />

because, she claims, she’s just like a black<br />

widow spider… she kills her lovers after mating.<br />

Additionally, her upcoming record has eight<br />

songs (to correspond with eight legs).<br />

BACK2SCHOOL SET<br />

(Patches, Wristbands, Notebooks)<br />

Black Veil Brides<br />

http://blackveilbrides.net<br />

The Black Veil Brides have it covered for back-<br />

2school items: patches, wristbands and even a<br />

notebook for studious fans.<br />

SHORTS<br />

Mastodon<br />

http://mastodonrocks.com<br />

Mastodon have some very cool merch, from<br />

bikinis and sling bags to belt buckles and<br />

beach towels. But, the shorts––called “Asstodon”––take<br />

the prize.<br />

$%"&3*4.0*3-3./&#<br />

Many companies offer these items<br />

printed with your logo. Or, you can<br />

apply your name and logo with clear<br />

stickers. See MC’s Promo Directory<br />

(p. 56) for suppliers.<br />

BUTTON & PIN<br />

These are so popular, fans will wear them<br />

everywhere.<br />

GUITAR PICK<br />

This item is so cheap you can give it away.<br />

DOG TAGS<br />

Fans love to sport dog tags as a fashion<br />

accessory.<br />

KAZOO<br />

Give them away or sell them cheap––encourage<br />

fans to play along with you.<br />

ENERGY<br />

DRINK I.V. BAG<br />

The Joint<br />

http://thejointlive.com<br />

This fruit punch<br />

flavored energy potion,<br />

enclosed in an<br />

IV bag, is not just for<br />

those who have an<br />

aversion to sunlight.<br />

Several acts, as well as<br />

music venue The Joint in Los<br />

Angeles, CA, offer them. Buyers<br />

often combine the bloody shot of<br />

energy with their favorite libation.<br />

SPICE BLEND<br />

Rick Steffen<br />

http://ricksteffen.com<br />

West Florida singer-songwriter Rick Steffen<br />

spices up his fans’ lives with his own blend of<br />

spices, called “Rick’s Trick.”<br />

TAMBOURINE<br />

The Matthew Davidson Band<br />

http://matthewdavidson.net<br />

The Matthew Davidson Band sells small plastic<br />

tambourines with the group’s logo applied via<br />

clear stickers. Since they often perform at family-friendly<br />

venues<br />

such as restaurants,<br />

festivals and zoos,<br />

children (and adults)<br />

enjoy using them<br />

during the show.<br />

COLORING<br />

BOOK<br />

Ween<br />

http://ween.com<br />

Unusual coloring books are not<br />

only fun to create; they’re also great for<br />

artistic fans. Ween’s coloring book gets a<br />

lot of attention due to its graphic depictions.<br />

LYRIC BOOK<br />

Cisco Adler<br />

http://facebook.com/ciscoadlerpresents<br />

Cisco Adler recently released an EP, Mahalo,<br />

via his indie label Bananabeat Records.<br />

For pre-sale promotions, he offered a digital<br />

download of the EP and a 19-page Lyric Book,<br />

featuring original artwork inspired by the songs<br />

on both his debut album Aloha and his new EP.<br />

Adler did a limited run of 50, which sold out<br />

almost instantly.<br />

DIGITAL DOWNLOAD CARDS<br />

This should be a no-brainer, especially if<br />

you’re selling vinyl.<br />

TAG (for luggage, gear, totes, etc.)<br />

Your fans can personalize everything they<br />

own with colorful tags.<br />

PLASTIC / RUBBER BRACELET,<br />

WRISTBAND & RING<br />

Available a variety of colors, these often<br />

become collectibles.<br />

LANYARD LAMINATE<br />

(with logo, photo, or album cover)<br />

Fans who wear them could get a discount<br />

next time. Make a few with “CREW” too.<br />

KEY CHAIN<br />

Practical… and some even include a bottle<br />

opener.<br />

TOTE BAG<br />

Offered in a range of sizes, you can find a<br />

tote that meets your budget.<br />

TIN & CONTAINER<br />

Tins and containers are not only useful,<br />

there’s also a huge variety to choose from.<br />

USB FLASH DRIVE<br />

Buy them in bulk. Include music, personal<br />

photos, lyrics and even short videos.<br />

HANDMADE ITEM<br />

When money is tight, handmade items can<br />

save the day. Signed photos, old flyers,<br />

original artwork and even locks of hair (in<br />

a ziplock bag or tied with a ribbon) can<br />

make your merch unique.<br />

September 2013 musicconnection.com 41

---

!"#$%"&'!"($(<br />

When deciding on merchandise items to make,<br />

cost is always a factor. Here are three things<br />

you should keep in mind.<br />

1. Overall Cost of Production – Pins, buttons and<br />

patches are popular because they cost so little you<br />

can give them away or sell them. By contrast, hoodies<br />

are so expensive that you could be in trouble if<br />

they’re not as popular as you anticipated.<br />

2. Minimum Runs – Most items have a minimum<br />

order, and the amount varies depending on the type<br />

of merch.<br />

3. Complexity of Design – If you’re screen-printing<br />

items (the most common technique for T-shirts),<br />

you’ll be charged a set-up cost for each color. That<br />

means a design with four colors will be much more<br />

expensive than a simple one color print.<br />

)*$'+*,&('<br />

1. Shop Around – Take the time to compare pricing.<br />

Consider quality, minimum orders, payment plans,<br />

and additional costs that might not reflect the quote<br />

(e.g. screen charges, shipping, etc.).<br />

2. Ask for a Better Price – Most companies want<br />

your business and can work with you on a budget. If<br />

you find a better price elsewhere, they’ll often meet<br />

it or throw in incentives (free design work, waiver of<br />

charges, etc.) to get your business.<br />

3. Ask about Leftover Stock – Many companies order<br />

large quantities of product to get a lower price but<br />

will then end up with an assortment of odd sizes or<br />

colors. Sometimes, you can get a great deal by asking<br />

about clearance stock.<br />

4. Begin a Partnership – Try to work with a vendor to<br />

get better pricing by committing to a long-term relationship.<br />

You can also pitch for a potential sponsor.<br />

5. Order in Bulk – Most of the time, you will save<br />

money when you order in bulk. If you want to balance<br />

price per item and minimum quantities, find out what<br />

the optimal quantities are.<br />

6. Order Fewer Designs – If you reduce the number<br />

of designs, you can order higher quantities of each<br />

product. This drives down the price per unit. Variety is<br />

great, but often results in a much higher startup cost.<br />

-%.!.#)/'!"#(.+*%'<br />

$0*(*'1'$0.#)(<br />

1. Audience Demographic – Think about the economic<br />

means of your audience. Sometimes lowering<br />

prices to encourage sales can actually result in<br />

greater profits. Conversely, there are some venues<br />

and communities where raising prices will have no<br />

adverse effect.<br />

2. The Show – How special is the event? The more<br />

important the show and richer the memory, the more<br />

valuable the memento.<br />

3. Total Merch Value – Is your merch made with the<br />

best materials? Do you have limited edition items?<br />

Does your merch have “added value?” How many<br />

songs are on your CD? These are obvious considerations:<br />

the better your merch, the more it is worth;<br />

and that gives you more leeway with prices––whether<br />

you’re adjusting up or down.<br />

REFRIGERATOR MAGNET<br />

(with lyrics and poetry)<br />

Dr. Dre<br />

http://drdre.com<br />

Fans can enjoy the poetic wisdom of Dre<br />

with a refrigerator magnet.<br />

CONDOM<br />

Daft Punk<br />

http://daftpunk.com<br />

If your fans bonk like bunnies this is a perfect<br />

merch item. It is useful, practical and<br />

promotes good health. Many acts have<br />

condoms on their merch table, for sale<br />

and as freebies––even EDM stars like<br />

Daft Punk, who labeled their condoms<br />

“Get Lucky” after their hit single.<br />

BOOK & BOX SET<br />

(limited edition collectibles)<br />

Sirsy<br />

http://sirsy.com<br />

Sirsy offers a book/box set that is a<br />

collection of photos and words from the<br />

duo’s latest album, Coming Into Frame.<br />

Manager Mike Lembo suggested it as a<br />

collectible for the band’s fans, and it is a<br />

huge success.<br />

FLASK NECKLACE<br />

Jerry Strull<br />

http://jerrystrull.blogspot.com,<br />

http://reverbnation.com/jerrystrull<br />

Flasks are common merch items, but they<br />

can also delight fashionistas.<br />

SUNGLASSES & POSTER<br />

Fucked Up<br />

http://lookingforgold.blogspot.com<br />

http://matadorrecords.com/fucked_up<br />

Hardcore punkers Fucked Up offer unique<br />

items for deranged fans: messed-up sunglasses<br />

and psychedelic posters. These<br />

guys are so punk they leave their merch<br />

table unattended.<br />

HERB<br />

GRINDERS<br />

Wavves<br />

http://facebook.<br />

com/wavves<br />

Inexpensive but<br />

practical, these<br />

herb grinders<br />

are hot sellers.<br />

Wavves fans love<br />

them.<br />

WATER BOTTLE<br />

Wilco<br />

http://wilcoworld.net<br />

Proud of their eco-friendly credentials,<br />

Wilco offers a recyclable water bottle.<br />

2*.%+3'2,!45'6'<br />

2"#+*%78&'<br />

With a little imagination––and sometimes<br />

extra cash––items like these can be<br />

custom-made:<br />

CASKET & KETCHUP<br />

KISS<br />

http://kissonline.com<br />

The band that made merchandising an<br />

artform has to be mentioned. In fact, KISS<br />

has so many unusual items for sale it’s<br />

mind blowing. The caskets and urns are<br />

understandable––but the “Hotter Than<br />

Hell” ketchup is mind-boggling.<br />

BALLOON<br />

Mister Balloon<br />

http://misterballoon.com<br />

Balloons are always fun… You can even<br />

have your name/logo printed on them. As<br />

mentioned, Jack White’s label Third Man<br />

Records used balloons to distribute one<br />

of his singles.<br />

CAT HEADPHONES<br />

Deadmau5<br />

http://deadmau5.com<br />

Deadmau5 likes to share his tunes with<br />

small fury creatures. For those who like<br />

bonding with their pet(s)<br />

through music, custom cans<br />

can be the cat’s meow.<br />

INCENSE<br />

HOLDER<br />

Grateful Dead<br />

http://dead.net<br />

This was an easy call for<br />

Deadheads. If you have similar<br />

fans, an incense holder is<br />

a nice inexpensive item.<br />

42 September 2013 musicconnection.com

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PIÑATA<br />

Justin Bieber<br />

http://justinbiebermusic.com<br />

Sometimes you just have to smack<br />

something. Of course, with the Bieb’s<br />

face on it––it’s even more delicious.<br />

Actually, there have been a few acts<br />

that used piñatas during their shows.<br />

One was even filled with joints for<br />

stoner fans.<br />

PILLOWCASE<br />

Morrissey<br />

http://facebook.com/<br />

morrissey<br />

Considered one of the<br />

most influential indie<br />

artists around, Morrissey<br />

is known to be<br />

a bit odd. And this pillowcase proves it.<br />

ACTION FIGURE<br />

Lemmy Kilmister<br />

http://imotorhead.com<br />

The leather jackets Motörhead sells<br />

make sense. This action figure (real<br />

chain-smoking<br />

action), however,<br />

is pure<br />

Lemmy<br />

madness.<br />

SWEATER<br />

Slayer<br />

http://slayer.net<br />

You can spice up your fans’ holidays<br />

with a colorful sweater––just like<br />

Slayer did.<br />

LIGHT SWITCH COVER<br />

Metallica<br />

http://metallica.com<br />

Not content with dominating the heavy<br />

rock scene, Metallica<br />

is now into<br />

interior design.<br />

CUM RAG<br />

Tenacious D<br />

http://tenaciousd.com<br />

It is the same<br />

size as a golf<br />

towel, but it isn’t<br />

a golf towel.<br />

SEX KIT<br />

Rammstein<br />

http://rammstein.de<br />

Rammstein destroy all decorum with<br />

this item––which is actually a fan<br />

favorite. The kit features a selection of<br />

Rammstein endorsed vibrators, a pair of<br />

handcuffs and some exotic lotions… oh,<br />

and there’s also a copy of their album.<br />

Despite the hefty price tag ($390), the<br />

kit sold out in a matter of days.<br />

SNUGGIE<br />

Weezer<br />

http://weezer.com<br />

The only thing weirder<br />

than KISS ketchup is the<br />

fact that Weezer sells Snuggies.<br />

But, if you’re a fan of nerd-rock,<br />

staying warm and early-morning<br />

infomercials then the Weezer Snuggie––aka<br />

the Wuggie––is for you.<br />

!"#$%"$&'(($)"*'$<br />

)'*+!,-./&'<br />

1. Set up your merch table in a high-traffic area<br />

Near the entrance or exit is good, or even near the restrooms.<br />

2. Make the merch table a “Go To” place<br />

Decorate it …Use lighting and display cases, whatever<br />

makes it stand out.<br />

3. Hire an experienced person to work<br />

your merch table<br />

They should be there all the time––especially while<br />

you’re performing. And make sure they can up-sell and<br />

make deals.<br />

4. Let people know that you have merchandise available<br />

If you keep it a secret, you won’t sell anything––mention<br />

it from the stage. In fact, announce that you’ll be at the<br />

merch table to meet with fans. That will sell even more.<br />

5. Keep prices reasonable<br />

Consider the venue and your fans. Prices that suit both<br />

will lead to more sales.<br />

6. Sell a range of merch: COOL MERCH SELLS<br />

More options appeal to more customers.<br />

7. Offer Bundle-Deals<br />

If you sell a CD for $12 and a shirt for $15, sell both for<br />

$25.<br />

8. Offer something FREE with a purchase<br />

People love getting free stuff––a poster, sticker or maybe<br />

an old CD.<br />

9. Accept credit/debit cards<br />

Accepting plastic will result in more sales. Use Card<br />

Readers that plug into your phone, like the Square Card<br />

Reader (http://squareup.com).<br />

10. Go into the crowd to sell your merch<br />

By approaching the audience directly, merch sales can<br />

increase by almost 40 percent.<br />

11. Whoever is selling your merch should be<br />

wearing your merch<br />

It looks cool, helps sales and gets them psyched. Print<br />

“Crew”––or give them a “Crew” lanyard––and they’ll work<br />

harder for you.<br />

12. Give your merch to whoever booked you<br />

into the club<br />

Same goes for sound guys, DJs, program directors and<br />

other industry folks.<br />

13. Have friends / fans wear your merch and hang out<br />

in front of the venue before your show<br />

Give a couple Tees to the hottest girls and guys at the<br />

venue, and take a picture of them wearing it. Nothing<br />

creates a buzz like having people walking around with<br />

your gear on.<br />

14. Don’t underestimate the power of friends and<br />

family<br />

Give away your merch as gifts. They’ll wear it to the mall,<br />

soccer practice, in school… wherever they go.<br />

15. Always have a Tip Jar at your merch table<br />

A tip jar allows people to show their appreciation. Without<br />

one, you will definitely not make that money.<br />

16. The more gigs you play, the more merch you’ll sell<br />

The simple fact is, most merch is sold at live shows.<br />

To learn more about what sells and what doesn’t, see<br />

“The Twenty Most Profitable Pieces of Merch” at http://<br />

digitalmusicnews.com/permalink/2012/120906merch<br />

September 2013 musicconnection.com 43

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W<br />

Bombadil By<br />

hether you’re from Los Angeles, Seattle,<br />

Nashville or New York, many artists<br />

face the same uphill battles to survive:<br />

booking a proper tour, filling seats, producing<br />

effective merch, keeping tabs on royalties, etc.<br />

In 2009, those problems played second fiddle to<br />

an even greater dilemma for Bombadil: health<br />

and wellness. “I had problems with my hands,”<br />

explains frontman Daniel Michalak. “Nerves and<br />

tendons were injured from repetitive stress, overdoing<br />

it from lots of things: Playing music, the<br />

computer, driving, lifting gear all day. … I started<br />

to get chronic pain in my hands<br />

so bad that I really couldn’t eat,<br />

let alone play music. I ended up<br />

having to move back home with<br />

my parents…. so I didn’t play an<br />

instrument for almost two years.”<br />

How did all this happen?<br />

What lead up to such a sidelining<br />

injury? Let’s rewind a bit.<br />

Bombadil are a four-piece folk-pop group<br />

from North Carolina; a concept formed when<br />

Bryan Rahija and Daniel met in Bolivia, studying<br />

abroad in 2004. When the duo returned to the<br />

States, they picked up Daniel’s brother John to<br />

play drums and contacted Stuart Robinson to<br />

handle the keys. Robinson had already written<br />

songs with Daniel in the past, so the decision<br />

was a no-brainer. After a year of the “write, tour,<br />

write, tour” routine, the band landed a gig at the<br />

University of North Carolina. It would turn out to<br />

be the biggest of their career up to that point.<br />

“UNC booked us to open for the Avett Bros.,”<br />

Daniel explains. “We played that show and<br />

Dolph [Ramsuer], who runs Ramseur Records,<br />

was there and said, ‘Hey, I’d like to have you<br />

guys record a CD.’ We [agreed] and it’s just<br />

been kind of going like that ever since.” With<br />

no physical contract, and little fear of what the<br />

label would control, the band released the EP<br />

Bombadil in 2006, A Buzz, A Buzz in 2008 and<br />

Tarpits and Canyonlands in 2009. In that time,<br />

Ramseur helped the band with booking and artist<br />

development. Bombadil also replaced drummer,<br />

John—who went off to medical school—<br />

with current stickman, James Phillips, who they<br />

found on Craigslist. Everything seemed to be<br />

falling in place, but no one could have expected<br />

what would happen next.<br />

“I wish I really understood what happened,”<br />

explains Daniel. “I feel like I’m still in the<br />

“Music isn’t everything. I know for me, I had<br />

to come to a point where I accepted that I may<br />

never be able to play again.”<br />

Andy Mesecher<br />

process of figuring it out myself. [After the<br />

nerve damage] I began to write more music<br />

that didn’t require me to play anything. I could<br />

create these beats with my laptop. I couldn’t<br />

type, so I was using the computer mouse with<br />

my foot, which is not as hard as it sounds. …<br />

I would still get together with the guys once<br />

a month and they would write chords and I<br />

would sing over it and write lyrics. We had to<br />

stop performing, of course, because I couldn’t<br />

play… plus everybody wanted to do different<br />

things. I think everything that happened to me<br />

made us say, ‘Okay, let’s just take a break from<br />

this for a while.”<br />

With the combination of rest and extensive<br />

therapy, Daniel slowly began regaining the<br />

use of his hands, and Bombadil traveled to<br />

Pendavavis Farm near Portland, OR (where the<br />

annual Pickathon Festival is held and Decemberists<br />

tracked The King Is Dead), to record<br />

All That The Rain Promises in 2011, nearly two<br />

years after the band’s previous release.<br />

“There was no heat other than a chimney,<br />

and we went in November, so it wasn’t too bad,”<br />

he laughs.<br />

Fast forward to 2013. Now, with the band<br />

back to 100 percent, they have booked a modest<br />

tour and prepared Metrics of Affection,<br />

which was tracked in Phillips’ home studio last<br />

summer. “It was out of necessity,” says Daniel.<br />

“We needed to get together, we wanted to start<br />

playing music again and the best<br />

way to do that was to start living<br />

in the same town, and the best<br />

way for us to get a hold of one<br />

another was just to live together.”<br />

So what does Daniel offer<br />

fellow musicians who fear they<br />

might over-work their body?<br />

“Don’t play too much, stretching<br />

[is crucial], trying to get really relaxed and playing<br />

ergonomically (I’m still working on that). The<br />

best thing is rest, so we try to not do more than<br />

three or four shows a week. Stress is a huge<br />

part. There is no secret surgery or pill, your<br />

body just needs rest.” Elaborating on the point<br />

of stress, Daniel adds, “Music isn’t everything.<br />

I know for me, I had to come to a point where I<br />

accepted that I may never be able to play again<br />

and be okay with that. I think it’s important that<br />

people do other things, and don’t get bogged<br />

down on whether their song or art [will succeed].<br />

Getting injured was a great opportunity<br />

for me to find new ways to create songs through<br />

doing drum loops or having others write chords<br />

and collaborate.”<br />

Metrics of Affection is available now.<br />

Contact herfitz@earthlink.net<br />

L-R:<br />

Stuart Robinson,<br />

James Philips,<br />

Daniel Michalak<br />

HARRY TAYLOR<br />

44 September 2013<br />

musicconnection.com

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September 2013<br />

musicconnection.com 45

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– BRETT BUSH<br />

F<br />

Creative Allies<br />

Connects Unknown & Amateur<br />

Graphic Designers with Bands<br />

ounded in 2010, Creative Allies (http://<br />

creativeallies.com) is a unique webbased<br />

company that offers a means<br />

for fans to interact with artists in a dynamic<br />

way—by actually creating the images that<br />

appear on CDs, websites, t-shirts and other<br />

platforms. The company was launched by<br />

Sean O’Connell, CEO, and Greg Lewis of<br />

Music Allies, a major cross-platform marketing<br />

company for music festivals and independent<br />

artists and labels. Kevin Carroll, a veteran<br />

music industry marketing executive, was<br />

brought on as COO of Creative Allies in 2011.<br />

“Creative Allies provides the<br />

tools to enable fans to interact<br />

with artists in an intimate way,<br />

and also for designers to get<br />

their work exposed,” says<br />

Carroll. “Designers and fans can<br />

sign up for free and submit their<br />

artwork for consideration to have<br />

it actually appear on an official<br />

store on the site. “Artwork that is submitted<br />

but does not win may still be picked up for the<br />

merch items, with 10 percent of the net profits<br />

of those sales going to the designer,” notes<br />

Carroll. The site is as much a showcase for<br />

emerging design artists as it is a marketing<br />

tool for the music artists. “The great thing<br />

about these contests is that anyone can enter,<br />

not just professional designers, and have<br />

a chance to get their work noticed by the<br />

worldwide community of visitors that come to<br />

the site. It has launched careers.”<br />

Carroll’s experience in the music business<br />

“Anyone can enter, not just professional designers, and have a<br />

chance to get their work noticed by the worldwide community.”<br />

– Kevin Carroll, COO<br />

artist website, poster, merch or CD cover.”<br />

The site runs several contests each month<br />

and viewers vote on the designs. The ultimate<br />

winner is chosen by the artist, management<br />

team or festival running the contest. Fan<br />

Favorites are also chosen, with runners-up<br />

receiving prizes such as tickets or signed<br />

band merchandise. Recent contests in August<br />

included the challenge to create a t-shirt<br />

graphic for Lady Antebellum, poster art for<br />

Stereophonics, Paramore and Buddy Guy, and<br />

a logo for the 25th anniversary of Sublime.<br />

Winners receive a flat fee for the use of their<br />

artwork, with most contests awarding $500.<br />

(Winners also receive bragging rights, but<br />

no additional percentage, and sign over their<br />

licensing rights.) Entering the contests and<br />

joining the site are free.<br />

Creative Allies also operates a merch<br />

is impressive. During his nearly 30 years<br />

in the music industry, he has been a senior<br />

executive at EMI, Sony Music/Relativity, East-<br />

West Records and Chrysalis Records, among<br />

others. With that extensive track record, what<br />

does he think of the current marketing climate<br />

that social media has wrought? “Social media<br />

provides an unprecedented way for artists<br />

to market their music by interacting directly<br />

with the fans. In the case of Creative Allies,<br />

because art and music are so intertwined, it<br />

is an ideal way for music artists to get direct<br />

feedback on how fans visualize the artists’<br />

work and also the image they are conveying.”<br />

Major acts that have worked with Creative<br />

Allies by using fan-generated artwork include<br />

Counting Crows, Keith Urban, the Black Keys<br />

and Ween. “We promote the contests in several<br />

ways, including fan sites,” says Carroll. “We<br />

also go around to the design schools, and we<br />

have relationships with Bonnaroo, Warped,<br />

Lollapalooza and other major festivals. To<br />

generate interest from the artists, sometimes<br />

it’s a matter of going directly to the label or artist<br />

representative, or they come directly to us.”<br />

The site currently has 50,000 designer/<br />

members worldwide. To some, this may seem<br />

like a sneaky way for labels and artists to get<br />

cheap access to quality designs, but Carroll<br />

views it as a win-win situation. “Unknown and<br />

amateur designers value this opportunity for<br />

exposure to professionals, and to get feedback<br />

from the design community,” he says. “And<br />

of course, the opportunity to ultimately win a<br />

contest and gain professional credibility.”<br />

Creative Allies is based in Asheville, NC.<br />

Contact Lauren Jaeger, ljaeger@sspr.com<br />

46 September 2013<br />

musicconnection.com

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The Rising Artist<br />

“I love Music Connection! As an independent artist, their directories<br />

and music industry tips are always super useful. MC is a great way<br />

to stay on top of what’s happening in the industry.”<br />

– Alexandra Starlight<br />

(Alexandra & The Starlight Band)<br />

The Hitmaker<br />

“Definitely reading about other people’s trials and tribulations with<br />

touring and labels was a good thing for me, especially early on.”<br />

– Pete Wentz<br />

(Fall Out Boy)<br />

The Producer<br />

“Never have I been informed better on the local and the international<br />

music scene. Thank You MC for all these invincible years!”<br />

– Robin DiMaggio, producer<br />

(Paul Simon, David Bowie, Steve Vai,<br />

Diana Ross, Chris Isaak)<br />

The Talent Seeker<br />

“I signed an act to Maverick/Warner Bros. after discovering him<br />

through Music Connection’s ‘review’ section. Now as CEO of a ‘2.0’<br />

digital label and music publishing company, MC is an excellent<br />

source of potential clients for our company.”<br />

– Scott Austin<br />

(CEO, Authentik Artists Inc.)<br />

The Pro Player<br />

“My favorite pages of MC are the endless lists of managers,<br />

agents, studios and of course the musicians looking for musicians<br />

section!”<br />

– Stephen Perkins<br />

(Jane’s Addiction, Porno for Pyros)<br />

The Legal Eagle<br />

“Music Connection magazine is a valuable source of music industry<br />

information. I often refer people to your Annual Directories.<br />

Keep on doing what you do so well.”<br />

– Glenn Litwak<br />

(Law Offices of Litwak & Havkin)

---

This World Won’t Last Forever,<br />

But Tonight We Can Pretend<br />

Matt Hires<br />

Atlantic Records<br />

Producer: Eric Rosse<br />

6<br />

Love, Gratitude & Other<br />

Distractions<br />

Will Lee<br />

Sinning Saint Ltd.<br />

Producer: Will Lee<br />

8<br />

You may have heard Hires’ recent companion<br />

EP, but these tracks reappear on this bundle of<br />

poppy, sky-gazing meditations. Oddly, it’s the<br />

gooey, lovelorn ditties like single “Restless Heart” that prove least effective.<br />

“Wishing On Dead Stars,” or the cryptic “I Am Not Here,” best them by offering<br />

a heartbreaking counterpoint to the persistently sanguine, up-tempo arrangements.<br />

But it’s his caramel vocals spouting relentlessly catchy, clever<br />

wordplay that make this album soar. With major TV placements and a style<br />

begging for mainstream consumption, Hires’ ascendance seems inevitable,<br />

yet the nagging sense we’ve traveled these musical highways before could<br />

prevent his career from reaching peak altitude. – Andy Kaufmann<br />

600 Years in a Moment<br />

Fiona Joy Hawkins<br />

Little Hartley Music<br />

Producer: Fiona Joy Hawkins, Corin Nelsen, Will Ackerman<br />

Driven by her sense of wonder at how globalization<br />

affects music and how history changes<br />

our perception of instruments and the musical<br />

culture of our ancestry, the award winning Australian<br />

Celtic/New Age pianist and composer complements the foundation<br />

of a contemporary handmade Australian piano with ancient instruments<br />

from around the world. True to its “global village” concept, she recorded<br />

this fusion of past and present in various cities around the world. Hawkins’<br />

dreamy piano touch is often sensual and compelling, but an equally engaging<br />

part of this thoughtful excursion is hearing and reading the names<br />

of the exotic instruments she uses to enhance her super melodic thought<br />

process. – Jonathan Widran<br />

8<br />

Bassist-vocalist Will Lee is more than a typical<br />

sideman. He is kind of a musical chameleon.<br />

When you have played with virtually everybody<br />

in the business it gives you incredible range and perspective. On this album,<br />

the Late Night with David Letterman band member steps into the spotlight<br />

for a potpourri of, mostly, original compositions of jazz, rock, blues, fusion<br />

and all points in between. Guest stars include guitarists Billy Gibbons and<br />

Chuck Loeb, keyboardists Bob James and Paul Shaffer, drummers Steve<br />

Gadd and Shawn Pelton, vocalist Chrissy Amphlett and many others. Lee<br />

proves he is not only one of the greatest support players around, but a fine<br />

songwriter, producer and artist in his own right. – Eric A. Harabadian<br />

Not Cool<br />

Tim Easton<br />

Campfire Propaganda<br />

Producer: Brad Jones, Robin Eaton<br />

Nashville-based Tim Easton’s 10th album,<br />

Not Cool, could have been made by a hulking<br />

musical amalgam of 1950s Sun Records<br />

stars and Music City street buskers who splits<br />

his time between Beale Street and Broadway in Nashville. High-strung,<br />

blasting rockers tinged with bawdy honkytonk heat fall in with throwback<br />

rock & roll, murky classic blues and the mountain folk tribute “Knock Out<br />

Roses,” written the day Levon Helm died. Over a piano shedding tears,<br />

Easton sings with a slight rasp that sounds cobwebbed by vices on the<br />

title track, the album’s penultimate jewel that resonates lyrically and literally<br />

as if sung to a vast, empty barroom in the style of Ryan Adams’ own<br />

bleeding heart waltzes. – Jessica Pace<br />

8<br />

Trap Lord<br />

A$AP Ferg<br />

A$AP Worldwide/Polo Grounds Music<br />

Producer: various<br />

3<br />

Masks<br />

Eyes Set To Kill<br />

Century Media Records<br />

Producer: Steve Evetts<br />

7<br />

While diehard fans of hip-hop may appreciate<br />

the nature of A$AP Ferg’s Trap Lord, it<br />

certainly is not capable of winning new fans to<br />

the genre nor shedding its clichéd image. It is<br />

full of the stereotypical topics that continue to hinder hip-hop’s otherwise<br />

positive influence on our culture. Perhaps there is a deeper, more meaningful<br />

message here but it is drowned out in a sea of racial slurs and objectification<br />

of women, followed by the usual drug and murder references,<br />

carried on unimaginative rhymes, in an era where too many rappers have<br />

already played the gangster role. Repeat the artist’s name over and over<br />

again during any one particular track and the end result is really nothing<br />

new. – Carl Anthony<br />

With a plethora of lineup changes over the<br />

years, Eyes Set To Kill have now returned<br />

to the scene, hoping to branch into another<br />

genre completely. With Masks, their fifth<br />

full-length release (and first with Century Media), the Rodriguez sisters<br />

and company have taken off their “emo metal-core masks” and given the<br />

band’s sound a facelift of straight hard rock/metal (though lyrics haven’t<br />

changed)—more suited for the mainstream. “True Colors” showcases the<br />

group’s appreciation of thrash while the album’s single, “Infected” could<br />

easily pair with a Rob Zombie or Manson tune. With fiery riffs, tougher<br />

screams and more accessible choruses, Masks may turn off long-time<br />

fans, but will surely attract new followers on the circuit. – Andy Mesecher<br />

A Sunshine State Of Mind<br />

The Soul of John Black<br />

Yellow Dog Records<br />

Producer: John Bigham<br />

8<br />

Hollow Bodies<br />

Blessthefall<br />

Fearless Records<br />

Producer: Joey Sturgis<br />

7<br />

A Sunshine State Of Mind is a stripped down,<br />

crafty, DIY record with a high quality demo<br />

feel. Former Fishbone guitarist John Bigham<br />

is a soulful crooner who uses emotion and<br />

groove to offset the simplicity of his very infectious tunes. “Higher<br />

Power,” “Beautiful Day,” and “Summertime Thang” bring to mind the vocal<br />

soul stylings of Al Green, Bobby Womack and Ronald Isley. Stinging<br />

torrents of gutbucket blues-rock guitar is unleashed on “Magic Woman”<br />

and “East LA Lady.” A Sunshine State Of Mind grows on you and<br />

reminds us that you don’t have to be Mozart to write cool tunes. Funky<br />

grooves, soul, and a clever turn of a phrase will do the trick.<br />

– Oscar Jordan<br />

A follow up to 2011’s Awakening—which debuted<br />

at No. 32 on Billboard’s 200—Blessthefall’s<br />

Hollow Bodies picks up where the former<br />

left off. “Exodus” kicks up the mosh pit dirt to set<br />

the album’s tone of metalcore riffs, extended breakdowns and digital manipulation.<br />

Heavier chugs and thicker growls persist throughout, sending “we’re<br />

tougher than you think” vibes, but the best songwriting is found on “See You<br />

On The Outside,” featuring Vic Fuentes and “Open Water” featuring LIGHTS.<br />

While the additional co-writing with various artists is commendable (Jake<br />

Luhrs of August Burns Red and Jesse Barnett of Stick To Your Guns) the<br />

shallow lyrics in tracks like “Youngbloods” exposes the band’s acceptance<br />

of being “just another Warped Tour band.” – Andy Mesecher<br />

To be considered for review in the Album Reviews section, you must have a record deal with a major label<br />

or an independent label with an established distributor. If you do not, please see our New Music Critiques section.<br />

48 September 2013<br />

musicconnection.com

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celeb<br />

17 JUDGES industry<br />

IT’S ALL<br />

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TOm waits Imagine DragonsJosh TurnerKeaneblack francis<br />

(the Pixies)<br />

Joshua redmanbernie taupin (elton john lyricist) boney james<br />

BOMBINO<br />

NAS SELENA GOMEZMartina mcbride<br />

darryl mcdaniels (run d.m.c.) Garbage<br />

MARK FOSTER (foster the people) FLORIDA GEORGIA LINEtoots hibbert<br />

robert smith (the cure) jon secadamccoy tynerduran duranmatt thiessen<br />

DIDO Alejandro sanz anoushka shankar jeremy camp<br />

james cotton<br />

brian setzer ketch secorjason isbell aviciimichael W. smithchayanne<br />

john mayallcraig morgangerald casalebruce hornsbyjimmy needham<br />

execs<br />

JUDGES<br />

enter at http://www.songwritingcompetition.com<br />

September 2013<br />

musicconnection.com 49

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Production<br />

9<br />

Lyrics<br />

8<br />

Music<br />

7<br />

Vocals<br />

9<br />

Musicianship 9<br />

Bonzie<br />

Contact: manager@bonzie.net, tasya@<br />

pressherepublicity.com<br />

Web: bonzie.net<br />

Seeking: Label, Booking, Mgmt<br />

Style: Indie Rock<br />

Username: bonzie<br />

Melancholy Chicagoan Nina Ferraro,<br />

just 17, is one precocious<br />

artist whose sophisticated tracks<br />

have Fiona Apple and PJ Harvey<br />

influences funneled through intriguing<br />

tunings and prodigious skills from<br />

her producers who take each song's<br />

essential simplicity into sonically<br />

engaging realms. As a vocalist,<br />

Bonzie can deliver a beautiful<br />

melody ("Felix") as well as a Conor<br />

Oberst-like flatness ("Catholic High<br />

School"). She is an ideal example of<br />

a hipster anti-pop artist whose talent<br />

is downright scary.<br />

Production<br />

8<br />

Lyrics<br />

X<br />

Music<br />

8<br />

Vocals<br />

X<br />

Musicianship 9<br />

Sharp Three<br />

Contact: sharpthree@gmail.com<br />

Web: sharpthree.com<br />

Seeking: Booking<br />

Style: World-influenced Prog-Jazz<br />

Username: sharpthree<br />

Hi-touch trio specializes in deeply<br />

tranquil yet expressive compositions<br />

and, considering the band's exotic<br />

hammer/pull stringed instruments,<br />

offer as much for the eye as for the<br />

ear. "Believe" floats on a sitar-like<br />

tone, shimmering cymbals and an<br />

appealing melody as it expands<br />

from quietude to a larger, more<br />

expansive soundscape. Soprano sax<br />

leads the way in "Taken," a Worldflavored<br />

excursion featuring unusual<br />

tonalities. Due to their melodics, and<br />

avoidance of atonality, this act could<br />

appeal to an audience well beyond<br />

progressive-jazz aficionados.<br />

Ember Fx<br />

Contact: elizabeth@signalflowpr.com<br />

Web: emberfx.com<br />

Seeking: Film/TV, Booking<br />

Style: Electro-Indie-Pop<br />

Username: emberfx<br />

B.A.S.I.C.<br />

Contact: mrmarcusharris@gmail.com<br />

Web: ad3music.com/b-a-s-i-c<br />

Seeking: Label, Booking, Film/TV, Producer<br />

Style: Hip-Hop<br />

Username: 4evahustlinent<br />

Production<br />

9<br />

Lyrics<br />

8<br />

Music<br />

9<br />

Vocals<br />

8<br />

Musicianship 7<br />

Spearheaded by Michael Berns, this<br />

pop-rock project has propulsive,<br />

hook-driven synth-pop songs that<br />

are custom-built for high-profile<br />

radio. "What Aren't We Going To<br />

Do" (mixed by Jack Joseph Puig) is<br />

the best of the bunch. Less poppy<br />

than MGMT and with a Ben Gibbard<br />

vocal inflection, the song is extremely<br />

commercial, though lengthy at 4:40.<br />

(We recommend a more interesting<br />

drum track.) "Lights & Action" has<br />

impressive falsettos that glide along<br />

with the changing tempos. Can't see<br />

why KROQ, et. al., wouldn't consider<br />

Ember Fx for its playlist.<br />

Matthew Mayfield<br />

Contact: judikerr@aol.com<br />

Web: matthewmayfield.com<br />

Seeking: Mgmt, Distribution, Label<br />

Style: Folk/Rock, Singer -Songwriter<br />

Username: matthewmayfield<br />

Production<br />

8<br />

Lyrics<br />

8<br />

Music<br />

8<br />

Vocals<br />

8<br />

Musicianship 8<br />

Hip-hop headz who crave a higher<br />

consciousness set to a dark beat will<br />

enjoy the entire vibe of "Levitation,"<br />

whose expert lyric flow holds a mirror<br />

up to the thug life, both male and<br />

female. A sultry female R&B sample<br />

sets "Windows Down" in motion and<br />

propels the song with guest vocals, a<br />

beefy bassline, an easygoing vintage<br />

vibe and a nice bridge. "Another<br />

Thing Coming" is a track that, like<br />

the rest, shows deft production skills,<br />

particularly on the vocals, which are<br />

perfectly mixed. Already working at<br />

a high level, this Norfolk, VA artist is<br />

ready to sell some records!<br />

UpperCase 5ive<br />

Contact: uc5@uppercase5ive.com<br />

Web: uppercase5ive.com<br />

Seeking: Distr., Film/TV, Booking<br />

Style: Electronic Dance Music<br />

Username: uppercase5ive<br />

Production<br />

9<br />

Lyrics<br />

8<br />

Music<br />

7<br />

Vocals<br />

8<br />

Musicianship 8<br />

Crisp recording and simple, spare<br />

arrangements create the perfect<br />

platform for Mayfield's lovelorn<br />

pathos and yearning sensuality.<br />

His altogether downcast material<br />

("Heart In Wire," "Ain't Much More to<br />

Say," and "Take What I Can Get") is<br />

well-crafted, accented and shaded<br />

subtlely with cello, slide guitar and<br />

accordian. But always, his producer<br />

keeps the singer front and center,<br />

enabling him to tell his story, state<br />

his case, and make you feel his pain.<br />

If Dashboard Confessional had a<br />

Southern lovechild, this Birmingham,<br />

AL artist might be it.<br />

Production<br />

8<br />

Lyrics<br />

X<br />

Music<br />

8<br />

Vocals<br />

X<br />

Musicianship 8<br />

It is extraordinary how this artistproducer<br />

melds sound effects with<br />

melody, making music from what<br />

could easily amount to abrasive,<br />

percussive overkill. "Bang (Warzone)"<br />

has ESPN highlight reel, or<br />

cataclysmic movie trailer, written<br />

all over it. "Encounter" is more<br />

hacker-based, perhaps for the next<br />

Wachowski Bros. movie; and with its<br />

voice sample the track could easily<br />

make an impact in a live EDC setting.<br />

"Supernova" fits with the rest, but<br />

with an Asian influence. UC5ive has<br />

a unique formula and the result is a<br />

napalm cocktail.<br />

Music Connection’s executive committee rates recorded music on a scale of 1 to 10. Number 1 represents the lowest possible score, 10 represents the highest possible score.<br />

A final score of 6 denotes a solid, competent artist. For more information, see Submission Guidelines on next the page.<br />

50<br />

September 2013<br />

musicconnection.com

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Diggem<br />

Contact: diggemband@gmail.com<br />

Web: soundcloud.com<br />

Seeking: Label, Booking, Film/TV<br />

Style: Rock, Funk, Jamband<br />

Username: diggem<br />

Nathaniel Land<br />

Contact: srgvpmedia@aol.com<br />

Web: nathanielland.com<br />

Seeking: Film/TV, Reviews, Bookings<br />

Style: Pop<br />

Username: nathanielland<br />

Production<br />

7<br />

Lyrics<br />

7<br />

Music<br />

8<br />

Vocals<br />

7<br />

Musicianship 9<br />

A band of solid entertainers, Diggem's<br />

upbeat, multifaceted sounds<br />

range from the retro saloon-pop saga<br />

"Tale of Jesse," in which a female<br />

vocalist tells the tale of a dirt-bike<br />

racer; to the pop-funk "Rich Girl,"<br />

whose swaggering organ, funk-jazz<br />

horns and Lenny Kravitz-like vocal<br />

provide a mainstream party appeal;<br />

to the rousing, P-Funk soundalike,<br />

"The Get-Down." All things<br />

considered, this is a group of adept<br />

performers with a fun collection<br />

of recordings that will serve as a<br />

convincing calling card for specialevent<br />

bookings.<br />

Production<br />

9<br />

Lyrics<br />

6<br />

Music<br />

7<br />

Vocals<br />

8<br />

Musicianship 8<br />

Seasoned singer-songwriter Nathaniel<br />

Land delivers solidly crafted songs<br />

("Let's Have Breakfast In Bed")<br />

with a warm, appealing, distinctive<br />

voice. While Land makes no attempt<br />

to take the listener to new realms,<br />

his grasp of formulaic songcraft<br />

results in tunes that are generally<br />

catchy and satisfying to a grown-up<br />

audience. Land's primary weakness:<br />

his lyrics stray far too frequently into<br />

cliche. "Possibility" stands out as his<br />

strongest hook (could use backup<br />

singers, however) and could make a<br />

fitting soundtrack to a guy-losing-hisgirl<br />

sequence.<br />

Production<br />

6<br />

Lyrics<br />

8<br />

Music<br />

8<br />

Vocals<br />

7<br />

Musicianship 7<br />

Native Keys<br />

Contact: chyrsallenojan@aol.com<br />

Web: https://soundcloud.com/<br />

chrismcduffey<br />

Seeking: Label<br />

Style: Hip-Hop<br />

Username: Native Keys<br />

SoCal duo Chris McDuffy & Janvier<br />

Mason show potential on what seems a<br />

passion project steeped in early ‘90s hiphop,<br />

with even a Tim Hardaway namecheck.<br />

“Understanding Fame,” “Money”<br />

and our favorite, “Listen,” show good<br />

ideas and a higher consciousness in<br />

the lyrics. “Listen,” with its Marvin Gaye<br />

tribute, has a haunting quality. Each<br />

song, however, feels like a demo of the<br />

duo’s abilities, a showcase for a skilled<br />

producer to step in and light it up. As it is,<br />

these unpolished tracks have beats that<br />

never go stale, but consistently trample<br />

the vocals.<br />

Production<br />

7<br />

Lyrics<br />

6<br />

Music<br />

7<br />

Vocals<br />

8<br />

Musicianship 7<br />

Malynda Hale<br />

Contact: malynda@malyndahale.com<br />

Web: malyndahale.com<br />

Seeking: Mgmt, Label, Booking, Film/TV<br />

Style: Pop, R&B, Singer-Songwriter<br />

Username: malyndahale<br />

Hale has love on her mind, and<br />

with a strong, expressive and<br />

sometimes theatrical voice she<br />

makes her empassioned pleas in<br />

"Fallin'" and "Blue Eyes." While<br />

both have effective arrangements,<br />

their prospects for placement are<br />

handicapped by a couple of things:<br />

sonically they suffer due to a general<br />

muffling in the low end; and, lyrically,<br />

Hale tends to force her rhymes and<br />

be too literal, resulting in lyrics that<br />

are sappy, even for this genre. "City<br />

Lights," which conveys the singer's<br />

aspirations for a successful life, is her<br />

strongest outing.<br />

Laura Monk & High Cotton<br />

Contact: sizarx@hotmail.com<br />

Web: highcottonatl.com<br />

Seeking: Booking, Film/TV<br />

Style: AAA, Americana<br />

Username: LMHCATL<br />

Campbell Young<br />

Contact: campbelldyoung@gmail.com<br />

Web: campbellyoung.bandcamp.com<br />

Seeking: Label, Film/TV<br />

Style: Folk<br />

Username: campbelldyoung<br />

Production<br />

6<br />

Lyrics<br />

7<br />

Music<br />

7<br />

Vocals<br />

8<br />

Musicianship 7<br />

This Georgia foursome are warm,<br />

folksy and easygoing. "12 String" is<br />

a simple tune with retro male backup<br />

voices and bongo percussion.<br />

"Southern Belle Blues" gives Monk<br />

the spotlight, and while she has a<br />

pleasant voice, she ultimately lacks<br />

the power and push that would<br />

put the song over. In fact, a mild,<br />

passive nature infuses all of these<br />

tunes, causing them to fall short. The<br />

drums, especially, have no snap. We<br />

advise Monk to work with a vocal<br />

coach who can inspire her to take<br />

her performances, and her band, to a<br />

higher level.<br />

Production<br />

5<br />

Lyrics<br />

6<br />

Music<br />

6<br />

Vocals<br />

5<br />

Musicianship 7<br />

Oklahoma-based artist Campbell<br />

Young has a batch of raw, voiceand-acoustic-guitar<br />

songs that<br />

showcase his folk presentation with a<br />

certain pop-punk vibe. "Bipolar Love<br />

Song" could be a Bowling For Soup<br />

unplugged b-side, propelled by nerdy<br />

vocal harmonies that often flat out.<br />

"Clan of the Lonely" channels Death<br />

Cab and Plain White T's and has a<br />

vocal flatness that can at times sound<br />

charmingly sincere. These are very<br />

much "bedroom style" recordings by<br />

an artist who is trying to find himself.<br />

Keep working, man. Who knows what<br />

might happen?<br />

SUBMISSION GUIDELINES: There is absolutely no charge for a New Music Critique. We critique recordings that have yet to connect with a label or distributor.<br />

To be considered please go to http://musicconnection.com/amp and click on “Get Reviewed.” All submissions are randomly selected and reviewed by committee.<br />

musicconnection.com September 2013 51

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The End Nashville, TN<br />

Contact: jordan@jordanfenton.com<br />

Web: http://jordanfenton.com<br />

The Players: Jordan Fenton, guitar<br />

Username: jordanfenton<br />

Material: From “Tigerblood,” a tongue-incheek<br />

jab at Mr. Charlie Sheen, to “Found,”<br />

a heavy tale of skepticism and dejection,<br />

Jordan Fenton is a blatant, honest wordsmith<br />

who favors candidness and conversational<br />

style over abstraction. The Oregon-born,<br />

Nashville-bred singer-songwriter combines his<br />

two homes with both a northwestern folk pop<br />

songwriting ability and the sharp audio engineering<br />

know-how that runs rampant in Music<br />

City to craft a polished recorded product.<br />

Musicianship: Fenton has a full band, but he<br />

doesn’t need one. A band might even detract<br />

from his songs, which are memorable in a<br />

not-so-common way—due to lyrics rather than<br />

melody. As a lyricist, Fenton takes pride in the<br />

nuances of writing about old girlfriends and<br />

ghosts that haunt him. As a solo performer,<br />

Fenton has uncalculated charm, as though<br />

watching him profess a thought through a<br />

song is no different from him saying something<br />

in conversation.<br />

Performance: This appearance, promoting<br />

his debut LP release, Coal Mines, was possibly<br />

the artist’s last show in Nashville, as<br />

Fenton, at the time of the performance, was<br />

preparing to pack up and move to Seattle<br />

in a week. His sendoff at The End was laidback,<br />

goofy, informal, organic. He did not<br />

always recall the lyrics to his songs and was<br />

prone to bantering with the crowd, which was<br />

largely composed of his friends, and making<br />

Hemmingway’s Lounge Hollywood, CA<br />

Contact: richard@mighty-fresh.com<br />

Web: http://inchchua.com<br />

The Players: Inch Chua, vocals, guitar;<br />

James Roehl, guitar; Patrick Taylor, bass;<br />

Anthony Paul Lopez, drums.<br />

Username: iNCH<br />

Material: Fronted by vivacious lead singer Inch<br />

Chua, Inch and the Metric System combines<br />

pop sensibilities with a rock edge to create<br />

engaging and dynamic songs. The music<br />

has a refreshingly organic feel, with intricate<br />

instrumentation supporting beautifully layered<br />

vocals. Songs such as “Inchision” explode with<br />

power and energy, while slower tunes, like<br />

“Deep Paranoia,” allow the singer to embrace<br />

a softly emotive and almost seductive sound.<br />

This ability to blur genre lines will open up Inch<br />

to a broad spectrum of radio play, including<br />

alternative, AAA and pop.<br />

Musicianship: Inch Chua’s voice is reminiscent<br />

of early No Doubt era Gwen Stefani,<br />

able to be both aggressive and pretty at the<br />

same time. Her personnel, the Metric System,<br />

changes based on whether gigs are in the US<br />

or overseas.<br />

At this show, the rhythm section of bassist<br />

Patrick Taylor and drummer Anthony Paul<br />

Lopez really shone through by providing a<br />

strong, pulsating foundation to the songs. Not<br />

to be left in the dark, James Roehl weaved his<br />

JORDAN FENTON<br />

digs at himself and his show. Heavy on new Summary: Fenton’s bookish coffee shop<br />

cuts from Coal Mines, his set also included a singer-songwriter craftsmanship and general<br />

cover of Ryan Adams’ “Damn, Sam (I Love A vibes seem well-suited to the Northwest,<br />

Woman That Rains),” an understated beauty which will likely be most receptive to his colloquial<br />

off Heartbreaker. The track is not one of the<br />

poeticism. Though the artist’s pop sen-<br />

typical go-to’s for Ryan Adams covers, which sibility colors his music in chin-up tones, his<br />

is what made it refreshing and unexpectedly lyrics give them a bittersweet depth that would<br />

perfect for Fenton’s style, much like R.A.’s–– keep one from dismissing him as just another<br />

wry, honest, contemplative and a little wideeyed.<br />

singer-songwriter with an acoustic guitar.<br />

– Jessica<br />

Pace<br />

INCH AND<br />

THE METRIC SYSTEM<br />

guitar parts perfectly with Inch’s, creating an<br />

engrossing dynamic.<br />

Performance: The diminutive Inch Chua<br />

looked like a pixie onstage. In fact, as she<br />

tuned her guitar, it appeared as if the instrument<br />

was bigger than her. Once the first note<br />

was played, however, the storyline was flipped.<br />

Suddenly the smallest person in the room had<br />

the biggest presence of all.<br />

The band started their set with “Chefalo,” a<br />

song brimming with frenetic energy and edgy<br />

sound. From there they rolled into “I Could Quit<br />

You,” a rollicking, upbeat track with a rhythm<br />

reminiscent of ska songs. Next was one of the<br />

set highlights, “The Artful Dodger.” With soaring<br />

vocals that build to a hard-hitting climax, it’s<br />

easy to understand why this song is earmarked<br />

to be the first single from Inch’s upcoming<br />

album Bumfuzzle. With a powerful and engaging<br />

performance, Inch and the Metric System<br />

made clear they’re a band demanding to be<br />

noticed.<br />

Summary: Inch effortlessly owns the stage<br />

with her charm and charisma. With tour dates<br />

planned in the US and Asia, she’ll continue to<br />

win over fans across the globe. Bumfuzzle, her<br />

second full-length release, is due out at the<br />

end of summer. The stars seem aligned for this<br />

gifted musician to break through to a wider audience<br />

before the end of the year. – Corey Irwin<br />

COREY IRWIN JESSICA PACE<br />

52 September 2013 musicconnection.com

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grittier Randy Newman kind of sound. Guitarist<br />

Rutchinski also does a bit of singing, and his<br />

voice is a more clear, thin, precise tone, giving<br />

some diversity. The “Fabulous Smokettes” live<br />

up to their name––working the harmonies and<br />

each singer knowing how to take the spotlight<br />

when it hits.<br />

BLOWIN' SMOKE<br />

Harvelle’s Santa Monica, CA<br />

Contact: dougdeutschpr@gmail.com<br />

Web: https://facebook.com/blowinsmokeband<br />

The Players: Larry "Fuzzy" Knight, bass, vocals;<br />

Dave Raven Rutchinski, lead guitar, vocals; Don<br />

Littleton, drums; John "JT" Thomas, keys; Joe<br />

Sublett, tenor sax; Scott Martin, tenor sax; Johnny<br />

"V," trumpet, flugelhorn; Lance Keller, trombone;<br />

Lyrica Garrett, vocals; La Quita Davis, vocals;<br />

Madame "Dee" (Dwanna Parker), vocals.<br />

Username: fuzzy@ktb.net<br />

Material: Blowin’ Smoke conveys a welcome<br />

reminder to all people with a beating heart that<br />

putting a full horn section in front of a smoking<br />

rhythm section, then layering three powerful and<br />

charismatic vocalists on top of that—all live and<br />

at the same time—is music at its most enriching.<br />

Tunes like “COD” and “Chain of Fools”<br />

make it clear that a groove and the right attitude<br />

can not only entertain, but make life seem better<br />

than it did earlier that day.<br />

Musicianship: Bandleader “Fuzzy” Knight must<br />

know a thing or two about putting the right pieces<br />

in place to make a show, as he has done in<br />

this case. Even with a couple subs in the horn<br />

section, the clear fact is that Knight is going to<br />

present true professionals whenever Blowin’<br />

Smoke takes the stand. Knight himself is a quality<br />

bass player and bluesy singer with an almost<br />

TIM REID, JR.<br />

Performance: The packed night club was<br />

in good hands, as a diverse audience came<br />

together to be inspired and entertained. “Fuzzy”<br />

Knight had a classic, fun and positive approach,<br />

and every pro on the stand was clearly in<br />

love with the craft. The “Fabulous Smokettes”<br />

entered the stage about an hour into the first<br />

set, turning what seemed at first to be a case of<br />

a missing singer into a dramatic and explosive<br />

entrance by the more veteran Madam “Dee.”<br />

Every twinge of audience anxiety was immediately<br />

removed and converted to utter worship<br />

within moments of “Dee” (Parker) taking command<br />

of the stage. Even before the “Smokettes”<br />

took the experience to such heights, the band<br />

earned its name and was truly “Smokin’.”<br />

Summary: Blowin’ Smoke and the Fabulous<br />

Smokettes is a rhythm and blues review band.<br />

But regardless of specific musical tastes, leader<br />

“Fuzzy” Knight reminds all of us in the modern<br />

technological era that real people with real<br />

instruments and real personalities playing music<br />

that hits the gut and forces the knees to bend…<br />

it makes one happy to be alive and in the community<br />

of other living people. – Tim Reid, Jr.<br />

Molly Malone’s Los Angeles, CA<br />

Contact: info@scotislate.com<br />

Web: http://scotislate.com<br />

The Players: Aaron Scoti, vocals; Lars<br />

Slate, guitar; Derek Upton, drums; Gregg<br />

Cash, bass.<br />

Username: ScotiSlate<br />

Material: Scoti*Slate flawlessly infuse funk<br />

grooves with a hard rock sound. Their songs<br />

are brimming with energy, as likely to cause<br />

a dance party as they are to start a mosh pit.<br />

Their style follows perfectly in the footsteps<br />

of artists like Red Hot Chili Peppers and 311.<br />

Armed with an enviable ability to write powerful<br />

riffs and catchy choruses, Scoti*Slate have<br />

major potential for airplay on both Alternative<br />

and Active Rock radio.<br />

Musicianship: Lead singer Aaron Scoti owns<br />

the stage with an engaging bravado, strutting<br />

around with a confident air. With other artists,<br />

this kind of swagger can seem forced, but<br />

here it perfectly matches the excitement and<br />

tone of the band’s hard hitting set.<br />

Lars Slate is dynamic on guitar, wailing<br />

away on powerful, impressive solos. Derek<br />

Upton (drums) and Gregg Cash (bass) round<br />

out the band with workmanlike precision. Still,<br />

it’s the chemistry of the Scoti*Slate duo that<br />

ultimately drives this machine.<br />

Performance: The band opened with “Do Ya,”<br />

a high octane tour de force that served warning<br />

for the powerful set that was to come. Later,<br />

“Brightlife” ramped the energy up even higher;<br />

its fist pump inducing chorus promising the<br />

stimulation that comes with “Bright life living.”<br />

A surprise cover of the Rolling Stones’ “Miss<br />

SCOTI* SLATE<br />

You” kept the party going, as the crowd sung<br />

along to the familiar chorus. Then, before set<br />

highlight “Magic Number,” Scoti warned that “If<br />

(the song’s) not going to get you to dance, it’s<br />

going to get you pregnant.” Sure enough, the<br />

funky rhythms soon got the audience moving,<br />

though no pregnancies have been reported.<br />

Even with the set feeling a little short, it was<br />

energetic, lively and fun. The old adage to<br />

“keep them wanting more” was certainly at play<br />

here, as fans were still energized long after the<br />

final note was played.<br />

Summary: Be it style, skill or substance,<br />

Scoti*Slate seem to be armed with everything<br />

that makes rock music great. Based in<br />

Arizona, the band have been making a name<br />

for themselves throughout the western part<br />

of the US. Their latest album, Good Fight,<br />

will undoubtedly introduce them to an even<br />

broader fan base. Still, this is a band born for<br />

the stage, and it will be their live shows that<br />

can eventually launch Scoti*Slate to rock’s<br />

forefront. – Corey Irwin<br />

COREY IRWIN<br />

September 2013<br />

musicconnection.com<br />

53

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The Mint Los Angeles, CA<br />

Contact: eileen@eileenkoch.com<br />

Web: http://brandonalanmusic.com<br />

The Players: Brandon Alan, guitar,<br />

vocals; Corey Coverstone, drums; Josh<br />

Nyback, bass.<br />

Username: Brandon Alan<br />

Material: Challenged to fill two time slots,<br />

Brandon Alan strategically delayed his open<br />

by several minutes and broke his set into solo<br />

acoustic and full-band sections. The material<br />

is divided between proficient pop similar to<br />

Jason Mraz and John Mayer, and honky-tonk<br />

country blues influenced by John Fogerty, Joe<br />

Walsh and Stevie Ray Vaughan.<br />

Musicianship: Brandon Alan is stellar with<br />

harmonics on tracks like “Where The Wind<br />

Blows” and “Just For Me.” His acoustic cover<br />

of the Jimi Hendrix classic, “Little Wing” is mind<br />

blowing, bordering on classical interpretation.<br />

It is notable that the song was also covered by<br />

Stevie Ray Vaughan, and Alan’s album Life<br />

Eclipse features Double Trouble keyboardist<br />

Riley Osbourne. Coverstone channels CCR’s<br />

“Cosmo” Clifford on “Bound.”<br />

Coverstone’s perfectionism is apparent,<br />

with continual tuning adjustments and perfect<br />

drum finales. Nyback’s up-tempo country<br />

bass lines engage the audience and he is<br />

especially fun to watch on “Next Three,” as<br />

he shadows the guitar lead while retaining<br />

the beat.<br />

BRANDON ALAN<br />

Performance: Alan’s riffing does not always<br />

add to the songs. The audience responded at<br />

the anticipated peaks, but then sat nervously<br />

through extended variations of the same patterns<br />

only moments later. Conversely, Alan’s<br />

restraint on “Late Night” showcased an awesome<br />

solo that was just enough spice to fit<br />

within the structure of the song and keep the<br />

punch compact.<br />

Despite a variety of technical difficulties it<br />

was the stage banter that left something to be<br />

desired. Alan even encouraged showgoers to<br />

leave and complained about drink prices. The<br />

singer-songwriter offered up a factoid about<br />

ZZ Top, though, which turned the energy back<br />

around as an introduction to a double-timed<br />

honky-tonk rendition of “Sharp Dressed Man.”<br />

This was the ice-breaker Alan needed. More<br />

relaxed, he teased the audience who joined in,<br />

keeping the beat. By the finale the room was<br />

full and the crowd response recovered nicely.<br />

Summary: This performance was probably<br />

not indicative of what you can typically expect<br />

from Brandon Alan. The two strongest songs<br />

included “Bound” and “Where The Wind<br />

Blows.” The latter has commercial potential to<br />

be a “road trip song” with references to turning<br />

up the radio on a nomadic journey. By expanding<br />

upon his strengths in country blues and<br />

harmonics, Alan will both refine his style and<br />

hit his target audience. – Brooke Trout<br />

BROOKE TROUT<br />

Atwood’s Tavern Cambridge, MA<br />

Contact: band@billywinemusic.com<br />

Web: http://billywinemusic.com<br />

The Players: Matthew Pezone, guitar,<br />

vocals; Napoleon Kofi, bass, vocals;<br />

Michael John, drums.<br />

Username: billywine<br />

Material: Maybe the next great entry in<br />

the ever-expanding lineage of jam bands,<br />

Somerville’s Billy Wine draw upon funk and<br />

blues for their particular brand of dance party<br />

explosion. Lyrics are utilized sparingly as their<br />

instrumental interplay hogs the spotlight, but<br />

sweet harmonies remain a vocal hallmark.<br />

Covers play a role, including a take on Tower<br />

of Power and a ballsy version of Jackie<br />

Wilson’s “(Your Love Keeps Lifting Me) Higher<br />

and Higher” mashed up with George Michael’s<br />

“Faith.” Any fan of pre-implosion Spin Doctors<br />

should easily latch onto the trio’s smashing<br />

blend.<br />

Musicianship: Nothing short of exceptional,<br />

Billy Wine melt minds with their deft abilities.<br />

Napoleon Kofi’s bass immerses the room with<br />

soul-drenched love as Michael John’s drums<br />

bob and weave like Muhammad Ali, but it’s<br />

Matthew Pezone’s guitar that truly inspires.<br />

His fingers fly effortlessly, a galaxy of sounds<br />

escaping as he moves from flashy avalanches of<br />

notes to mournful spells in a runner’s heartbeat.<br />

His vocals, while not conventionally remarkable,<br />

deliver a delectable alt-rock vibe.<br />

Performance: Few acts are as comfortable as<br />

these three, allowing their jocular attitude to fill<br />

the void where any costumes or antics would<br />

BILLY WINE<br />

typically grab the audience’s attention. During<br />

one chorus that goes, “I just can’t understand,”<br />

Pezone used the pause to rib Kofi by finishing,<br />

“Why our bassist is still single.” Another tune,<br />

dedicated to Janet Jackson, concluded with<br />

the line, “I’ll be naked by the end of this song,”<br />

in reference to her infamous Super Bowl performance.<br />

Seriousness was reserved for their<br />

musicianship, which never bored due to the<br />

rhythmic variety they copiously dished out.<br />

Summary: Sometimes, an act obviously<br />

destined to meet success surfaces. In one<br />

fashion or another, Billy Wine will make their<br />

mark. Whether they will sharpen their vision<br />

into a unique voice and how the cruel depredations<br />

of the industry will treat the group<br />

remains an open question. In the meantime,<br />

there’s a celebration going on and you would<br />

be wise to attend. – Andy Kaufmann<br />

ANDY KAUFFMAN<br />

54 September 2013 musicconnection.com

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the song progresses, the drums and violins<br />

kick in becoming all out chamber rock.<br />

Musicianship: The entire band are welltrained<br />

musicians and already convey a<br />

sense of professionalism and mindfulness<br />

well beyond their youth. Talmi’s angsty tenor<br />

voice is appealing and commanding at the<br />

same time. His vocals manage to soar above<br />

the band with ease and power. Well-crafted<br />

arrangements mirror the songs well, which is<br />

key to their success.<br />

ART DECADE<br />

Bowery Electric New York, NY<br />

Contact: artdecadeofficial@gmail.com<br />

Web: http://artdecade.com<br />

The Players: Ben Talmi, guitar, vocals,<br />

keys; Binod Singh, bass, vocals; Jamie<br />

Walters, drums, vocals; Joe Harrison, guitar,<br />

vocals, keys; Anna Stromer,<br />

violin; Kailey Shaffer, violin; Sarah<br />

Hubbard, violin.<br />

Username: artdecade<br />

Material: An identifiable niche can be almost<br />

crucial today in terms of marketing a band<br />

or artist and capturing new fans; however, it<br />

can also be limiting and tricky to do as is the<br />

case with Art Decade. Best described as art<br />

rock with an emphasis on string instruments<br />

(primarily violins), the concept has emerged<br />

from frontman and artistic creator Ben Talmi’s<br />

relationship to classical and rock music.<br />

The songs contain musical themes and<br />

repeating sequences. Although there are no<br />

proper “hooks,” the music unfolds similarly to<br />

classical music, as in their featured song, “No<br />

One’s Waiting.” The initial idea (which is also<br />

the tag line) is introduced right up front and<br />

the song continues to build on this motif. As<br />

MARK SHIWOLICH<br />

Performance: In terms of shear spectacle, the<br />

core band plus three female violinists provided<br />

plenty to engage the audience. Talmi, slight<br />

of build and soft spoken, was clearly the commander<br />

of this ship and the entire band displayed<br />

a strong sense of internal connectivity.<br />

At times, however, their emotional point of view<br />

or direction was unclear—an area that could be<br />

developed more thoroughly. The lyrics, nevertheless,<br />

were accessible and though the music<br />

was a bit of a tour de force, the material’s<br />

meaning was not lost in a sea of obscurity.<br />

Summary: Art Decade have a lot going on<br />

and are off to a great start. Solid musicianship<br />

and effective arrangements permeate their<br />

music. With these elements working in their<br />

favor, more attention to shaping an identity<br />

as a group or brand, if you will, will help to<br />

further define this group. Kudos to Talmi and<br />

band for jumping in so early in their careers to<br />

get their musical message out there.<br />

– Ellen Woloshin<br />

These and thousands of other artists have been reviewed by Music Connection. Each is a member of MC’s always-free AMP Social Space. To read the reviews, go to<br />

http://musicconnection.com/amp. Music Connection does not charge a fee for reviews. To learn more, visit http://musicconnection.com and see Get Reviewed.<br />

September 2013<br />

musicconnection.com<br />

55

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Annual Directory of Everything Promo:<br />

<br />

This marks the second year of such a directory—hundreds of pieces of contact information to aid you in promoting your music career,<br />

DIY style. T-shirt and CD development, blog sites and Social Media tools, this updated list will help to advance your music career.<br />

MERCH & SWAG<br />

ADOBE GRAPHICS DESIGN, INC.<br />

300 Northern Blvd., Ste. 26<br />

Great Neck, NY 11021<br />

800-726-9683, 516-487-5696<br />

E-mail: sales@coyotepromotions.com<br />

Web: www.coyotepromotions.com<br />

Services: Promotional and premium<br />

items for record labels, radio stations<br />

and TV stations.<br />

AFFORDABLE IMAGE<br />

2515 N. 7th St.<br />

Phoenix, AZ 85006<br />

866-961-4412<br />

E-mail: sales@affordableimage.com<br />

Web: www.affordableimage.com<br />

ANENBERG<br />

9521 Business Center Dr. #104<br />

Rancho Cucamonga, CA 91730<br />

909-987-0440<br />

Web: http://anenberg.com,<br />

http://store.anenberg.com<br />

Services: clothing wholesaler, custom<br />

garment screenprinting<br />

Styles/Specialties: oversized garment<br />

screenprinting, high quality plastisol,<br />

waterbased & discharge inks, low<br />

minimums, fast turn-around, easy &<br />

friendly service<br />

ARTS PROMO<br />

P.O Box 685<br />

Shutesbury, MA 01072<br />

413-259-1111,415-952-7871<br />

E-mail: artspromo@artspromo.org<br />

Web: www.artspromo.org<br />

ASAP PROMOTIONS<br />

10 North Lake St, Unit 108<br />

Grayslake IL 60030<br />

800-709-ASAP (2727)<br />

E-mail: info@asapteam.com<br />

Web: www.asapteampromo.com<br />

AUDIOLIFE<br />

Los Angeles, CA<br />

E-mail: customercare@audiolife.com<br />

Web: www.audiolife.com<br />

Services: Technology-based<br />

e-commerce provider, merchandise<br />

manufacturer, wholesaler and retailer for<br />

all areas of music merchandising.<br />

BAND MERCH<br />

3120 W. Empire Ave.<br />

Burbank, CA 91504<br />

818-736-4800, 888-640-9765<br />

Web: www.bandmerch.com<br />

BAND SHIRTS<br />

C/- Australian Tour Merchandising<br />

Pty Ltd<br />

43 Brady St.<br />

South Melbourne Victoria,<br />

Australia 3205<br />

+61-3-9645-2133<br />

E-mail: customerservice@bandtshirts<br />

.com.au<br />

Web: www.bandtshirts.com.au<br />

BANDWEAR<br />

14290 Gillis Rd., Ste. A<br />

Farmers Branch, TX 75244<br />

512-380-1717<br />

Web: www.bandwear.com<br />

Services: Manufacturing of promotional<br />

and retail products. Vinyl stickers<br />

and custom die cutting custom paper<br />

printing. Posters and album flats. Any<br />

printed promotional products and ‘swag.’<br />

Enabling your website with e-commerce<br />

to sell your merchandise.<br />

BIG CARTEL<br />

Web: www.bigcartel.com<br />

Services: Shopping cart platform for<br />

Artists, Bands and Record labels<br />

BIOWORLD MERCHANDISING<br />

2111 W. Walnut Ln.<br />

Irving, TX 75038<br />

888-831-2138<br />

E-mail: info@bioworldmerch.com<br />

Web: www.bioworldmerch.com<br />

Services: Band and label merchandise<br />

management<br />

Additional locations:<br />

1411 Broadway, #3109<br />

New York, NY 10018<br />

212-302-1922<br />

220 College Ave., Ste. 404<br />

Athens, GA 30601<br />

706-227-6850<br />

McGladrey Plaza<br />

801 Nicollet Mall, Ste. 615<br />

Minneapolis, MN 55402<br />

2111 W Walnut Hill Ln.<br />

Irving, TX 75038<br />

888-831-2138, 972-488-0152<br />

Sunset International<br />

Molenwerf 23<br />

1911 DB Ultgeest<br />

Holland, Netherlands<br />

D-155 Hosiery Complelx, Ph-11<br />

Extension, Noida<br />

Noida, Uttar Pradesh, India 201008<br />

E-mail: nareshs@biorworldmerch.com<br />

BIT RIOT<br />

P.O. Box 647<br />

LaGrange, IL 60525<br />

E-mail: store@bitriotrecords.com<br />

Web: www.bitriotrecords.com,<br />

http://facebook.com/fixtmusic,<br />

www.fixtonline.com<br />

BLUE COLLAR PRESS<br />

2201 Delaware St.<br />

Lawrence, KS 66046<br />

785-842-1414<br />

E-mail: info@bluecollarpress.com<br />

Web: www.bluecollarpress.com<br />

BLUE RAVEN ARTIST MANAGEMENT<br />

82 Valley View Terrace<br />

Wayne, NJ 07470<br />

973-519-2600<br />

E-mail: sean@blueravenartists.com<br />

Web: www.blueravenartists.com<br />

BOOBY TRAP<br />

P.O. Box 42304<br />

Los Angeles, CA 90042<br />

E-mail: cinthia@boobytrapshop.com<br />

Web: wwwboobytrapshop.com<br />

Contact: Cinthia Rached<br />

Services: Children’s Glow in the Dark<br />

Apparel<br />

BRAVADO<br />

1755 Broadway - 2nd Fl.<br />

New York, NY 10019<br />

212-445-3400 Fax 212-445-3499<br />

E-mail: tom.bennett@bravado.com<br />

Web: www.bravadousa.com<br />

Additional location:<br />

9255 Sunset Blvd., Ste. 200<br />

Los Angeles, CA 90069<br />

310-865-5025 Fax 310-865-5036<br />

E-mail: peter.lubin@bravado.com<br />

International Contact:<br />

Bravado International Group<br />

Bond House<br />

347-353 Chiswick High Road<br />

London, W4 4HS<br />

+44-0-208-742-5600<br />

Web: www.bravado.com<br />

E-mail: david.boyne@bravado.com<br />

BULLETPROOF ARTISTS<br />

241 Main St.<br />

Easthampton, MA 01027<br />

413-527-9393<br />

Web: www.bulletproofartists.com<br />

E-mail: patty@bulletproofartists.com<br />

Contact: Patty Romanoff<br />

BUSY BEAVER BUTTONS<br />

3279 W. Armitage<br />

Chicago, IL 60647<br />

773-645-3359<br />

Web: www.busybeaver.net<br />

CD ROLLOUT<br />

901 Hermosa Ave., Ste. F<br />

Hermosa Beach, CA 90254<br />

800-811-7478<br />

Contact: Mike Naylor<br />

E-mail: info@cdrollout.com<br />

Web: www.cdrollout.com<br />

Styles/Specialties: CD/DVD replication,<br />

merchandise production (T-shirts,<br />

stickers, posters, postcards, merch<br />

items), and graphic design.<br />

CHASER<br />

217 E. 157th St.<br />

Gardena, CA 90248<br />

877-739-1173<br />

Web: http://www.districtlines.com/<br />

Chaser<br />

Services: All merch - apparel, posters,<br />

etc. Online fulfillment<br />

CHRIS COOK MANAGEMENT<br />

EUROPEAN MUSIC MERCHANDISING<br />

G03, The Light Box<br />

111 Power Rd.<br />

London, UK W4 5PY<br />

+44 (0)20 8567 1700<br />

E-mail: chris@cookmanagement.com<br />

Web: www.cookemanagement.com<br />

CINDER BLOCK, LLC<br />

2220 W Winton Ave.<br />

Hayward, CA 94545<br />

510-856-1260<br />

E-mail: sales@cinderblock.com<br />

Web: www.cinderblock.com<br />

Services: Full-service merchandising<br />

and licensing company that does<br />

printing, tour service, wholesale sales<br />

and e-commerce for bands, record<br />

labels, and various other companies<br />

CLUBFLYERS.COM<br />

800-433-9298<br />

Web: www.clubflyers.com<br />

COMMUNICATION<br />

GRAPHICS, INC.<br />

1765 North Juniper<br />

Greenway Business Park<br />

Broken Arrow, OK 74012<br />

918-258-6502, 800-331-4438<br />

Fax 918-251-8223<br />

E-mail: info@communicationgraphics.net<br />

C O M P I L E D B Y D E N I S E C O S O<br />

Web: www.cgilink.com<br />

CRACK THE WHIP PROMOTIONS<br />

1403 W 6th St., 2nd Fl.<br />

Brooklyn, NY 11204<br />

718-368-1425<br />

E-mail: info@crackthewhip<br />

productions.com<br />

Web: www.crackthewhip<br />

promotions.com<br />

DESIGN 8 STUDIOS<br />

5801 N. 90th St.<br />

Omaha, NE 68134<br />

402-571-1837<br />

E-mail: info@design8studios.com<br />

Web: www.design8studios.com<br />

DISC MAKERS<br />

4425 W. Riverside Dr. Ste. 204<br />

Burbank, CA 91505<br />

800-468-9353, 856-663-9030<br />

E-mail: info@discmakers.com<br />

Web: www.discmakers.com<br />

Services: CD/DVD manufacturing,<br />

graphic design, printing, packaging,<br />

authoring, mastering, manual &<br />

automated CD & DVD printers, blank<br />

media. Providing the industry standard<br />

of excellence for over 50 years<br />

Additional location:<br />

Plant and Main Office<br />

7905 N. Route 130<br />

Pennsauken, NJ 08110<br />

16 West 18th St.<br />

New York, NY 10011<br />

560 W. Washington Blvd, Ste. #410<br />

Chicago, IL 60661<br />

1305 16th Ave., S, 1st Fl<br />

Nashville, TN 37212<br />

16300 Christensen Rd., Ste. 310<br />

Tukwila, WA 98188<br />

DYNAMIC ARTIST MANAGEMENT<br />

5221 Central Ave., Ste. 202<br />

Richmond, CA 94804<br />

510-558-4000 Fax 510-558-4002<br />

E-mail: info@dynamicartists.com<br />

Web: www.dynamicartists.com<br />

EARTH2EARTH<br />

111 N Perry St.<br />

Pontiac, MI 48342-2336<br />

248-335-7015<br />

E-mail: art@freshhotshirts.com<br />

Web: www.freshhotshirts.com/<br />

FRONTGATE MEDIA<br />

22342 Avenida Empressa, #260<br />

Rancho Santa Margarita, CA 92688<br />

949-429-1000<br />

Web: www.frontgatemedia.com<br />

Services: Full service, strategic<br />

merchandising company designing<br />

and producing apparel & accessories<br />

for brands & bands, ministries &<br />

movements, and companies &<br />

conferences.<br />

GEARHEAD RECORDS<br />

8704 Milo Ct.<br />

Elk Grove, CA 95624<br />

916-897-2451<br />

E-mail: info@gearheadrecords.com<br />

Web: www.gearheadrecords.com<br />

GIGART<br />

56<br />

September 2013<br />

musicconnection.com

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Download at www.musicconnection.com/digital<br />

E-mail: mailroom@gomerch.com<br />

Web: www.gomerch.com/go/v3<br />

HOME RUN MEDIA GROUP<br />

15562 Chemical Ln.,<br />

Huntington Beach, CA 92649<br />

714-901-0109 Fax 714-901-0102,<br />

800-951-5858<br />

E-mail: info@home-run.com<br />

Web: http://home-run.logomall.com<br />

Services: Promotional Products<br />

Styles/Specialties: USB Flash Drives,<br />

Custom Logo Apparel<br />

IFANZ<br />

McCartney Multimedia, Inc.<br />

322 Culver Blvd., Ste. 124<br />

Playa Del Rey, CA 90293<br />

E-mail: dischelp@ifanz.com, info@<br />

ifanz.com<br />

Web: www.ifanz.com<br />

INDIE EXTREME<br />

14090 FM 2920, Ste. G117<br />

Tomball, TX 77377<br />

281-890-5034 Fax 281-890-5034<br />

E-mail: kathyd@indieextreme.com<br />

Web: www.indieextreme.com<br />

Services: Merchandise fulfillment and<br />

distribution<br />

Additional location:<br />

1507 16th Ave. S.<br />

Nashville, TN 37212<br />

615-309-1718 Fax 615-309-1718<br />

INDIEMERCHANDISING LLC<br />

3135 Chester Ave.<br />

Cleveland, OH 44114-4616<br />

800-497-8816 ext. 8922<br />

E-mail: info@indiemerch.com<br />

Web: www.indiemerch.com,<br />

www.indiemerchandising.com,<br />

www.indiemerchstore.com<br />

Services: Technology-based<br />

e-commerce provider, merchandise<br />

manufacturer, wholesaler and retailer for<br />

all areas of music merchandising.<br />

JAK PRINTS<br />

Jakprints, Inc<br />

3133 Chester Ave.<br />

Cleveland, OH 44114<br />

877-246-3132<br />

Web: http:// jakprints.com/contact<br />

Services: offset printing, screen printing,<br />

sticker printing, embroidery, more.<br />

KILL THE 8<br />

Canada<br />

416-531-6647<br />

E-mail: sales@killthe8.com<br />

Web: www.killthe8.com,<br />

www.myspace.com/killthe8<br />

KLUCH CLOTHING CO.<br />

215 S.E. 8th Ave.<br />

Boynton Beach, FL 33435<br />

561-734-9665<br />

Web: www.kluch.com<br />

KUNG FU NATION MUSIC<br />

MERCHANDISE<br />

731 W. Hargett St.<br />

Raleigh, NC 27603<br />

877-826-0518, 919-834-0230<br />

Fax 919-834-2090<br />

Web: www.kungfunation.com<br />

LITTERBOX MUSIC SERVICES<br />

Web: www.litterboxmusic.com<br />

Services: artist management, band<br />

merch management & more<br />

MAPLE MUSIC<br />

230 Richmond St. W., 11th Fl<br />

Toronto, Ontario<br />

Canada, M5V 3E5<br />

877-944-5144, 416-961-1040<br />

E-mail: justcurious@maplemusic.com<br />

Web: www.maplemusic.com<br />

MERCH.COM<br />

888-640-9765, 818-479-7216<br />

E-mail: customerservice@<br />

bandmerch.com<br />

Web: www.merch.com<br />

MERCH DIRECT<br />

54 Drexel Dr.<br />

Bay Shore, NY 11706<br />

631-891-0111<br />

Web: www.merchdirect.com<br />

MERCH MONKEY<br />

259 Chopin Dr.<br />

Cambridge, ON N3H 1J6, Canada<br />

+1 519-219-9006<br />

E-mail: orderdesk@merchmonkey.com<br />

Web: www.merchmonkey.com<br />

NIMBIT<br />

47 Mellen St.<br />

Framingham, MA 01702<br />

866-864 6248 Fax 508-820-7920<br />

E-mail: marketing@nimbit.com<br />

Web: www.nimbit.com<br />

OBJECT MERCH<br />

635 W. Lakeside Ave., Ste. 205<br />

Cleveland, OH 44113<br />

E-mail: objectmerch@yahoo.com<br />

Web: www.objectmerch.com<br />

ONE STOP INDIE SHOP<br />

64 Dupont St., Ste. #2L<br />

Brooklyn, NY 11222<br />

866-606-1231<br />

Web: www.onestopindieshop.com<br />

PATENT PENDING INDUSTRIES<br />

2315 Western Ave., Ste 307<br />

Seattle, WA 98121-1636<br />

206-328-3082<br />

E-mail: info@patentpending<br />

industries.com<br />

Web: www.patentpendingindustries.<br />

com/posters/posters.php<br />

PICKGUY<br />

P.O. BOX 70<br />

Westfield, IN 46074<br />

317-698-5141<br />

E-mail: info@pickguy.com<br />

Web: www.pickguy.com<br />

PLATINUM MONARCH DESIGN<br />

PO Box 922182<br />

Sylmar, CA 91392-2182<br />

1-888-889-2630 (phone & fax)<br />

Web: www.platinummonarchdesign.com<br />

Services: websites, logos, flyers, cd<br />

covers, postcards, t-shirts & more<br />

PORT MERCH<br />

984 Trinity Rd.<br />

Raleigh, NC 27607<br />

919-713-0078<br />

E-mail: chip@portmerch.com<br />

Web: www.portmerch.com<br />

Services: Port Merch is a full service<br />

merchandise company providing<br />

solutions for bands, artists, and record<br />

labels.<br />

SECOND MOTION ENTERTAINMENT<br />

PO Box 862<br />

East Lansing, MI 48820<br />

E-mail: customerservice@<br />

secondmotionrecords.com<br />

Web: www.secondmotionrecords.com/<br />

artistmgmt<br />

SIGNATURE ENTERTAINMENT<br />

E-mail: info@<br />

signatureentertainmentgroup.com<br />

Web: www.signatureentertainment<br />

group.com<br />

Services: Merchandise design, logos, or<br />

any type of print design<br />

SMI PROMO<br />

7247 Hayvenhurst Ave. Ste. A-3<br />

Van Nuys, CA 91406<br />

800-401-4488<br />

Web: www.smipromo.com<br />

STICKER JUNKIE<br />

9932 Prospect Ave., #134<br />

Santee, CA 92071<br />

619-550-2727<br />

E-mail: customerservice@sticker<br />

junkie.com<br />

Web: www.stickerjunkie.com<br />

STRANGLEHOLD MERCH<br />

2569 S. Cobb Dr.<br />

Smyrna, GA 30080<br />

770-435-9966<br />

E-mail: sales@strangleholdmerch.com<br />

Web: www.strangleholdmerch.com<br />

SUNSHINE DAYDREAM<br />

708 S. Rand Rd.<br />

Lake Zurich, IL 60047<br />

847-550-9999<br />

E-mail: store@sunshinedaydream.biz<br />

Web: www.sunshinedaydream.biz<br />

THIS IS TOUGH LOVE<br />

660 York St. Ste. 212<br />

San Francisco, CA 94110<br />

415-323-3640<br />

E-mail: hello@thisistoughlove.com<br />

Web: www.thisistoughlove.com<br />

TOUR CITY, INC.<br />

630 Elmwood Ave.<br />

Buffalo, NY 14222<br />

716-893-2900 Fax 716-893-0278<br />

E-mail: contact@tour-city.com<br />

Skype/AIM: justinmtartick<br />

Web: www.tour-city.com<br />

CD/VINYL DUPLICATION<br />

ALABAMA<br />

CAM VIDEO PRODUCTIONS<br />

412 Main St.<br />

Trussville, AL 35173<br />

205-655-0829<br />

E-mail: information@<br />

camvideoproductions.com<br />

Web: www.camvideoproductions.com<br />

Services: CD and DVD duplication as<br />

well as taping and authoring to DVD<br />

and CD.<br />

CINRAM<br />

4905 Moores Mill Rd.<br />

Huntsville, AL 35811<br />

256-859-9042<br />

E-mail: info@cinram.com<br />

Web: www.cinram.com<br />

Services: manufacturing, packaging,<br />

distribution<br />

DISCOUNT DUPLICATION<br />

240 Oxmoor Cir., Ste. 102<br />

Birmingham, AL 35209<br />

800-557-6556, 205-942-9460<br />

Web: www.discountdub.com<br />

Services: video duplication, dvd<br />

duplication, video conversion, film<br />

transfer at discount prices, highest<br />

quality and fast service<br />

HOLT AV<br />

401 28th St. S.<br />

Birmingham, AL 35233<br />

800-322-4658 or 205-328-5231<br />

E-mail: info@holtav.com<br />

Web: www.holtav.com<br />

Services: duplication and transfer<br />

services<br />

NHOUSE DIGITAL MEDIA<br />

1530 Heritage Place Dr.<br />

Irondale, AL 35210<br />

205-226-2222, 205-706-7163<br />

E-mail: customerservice@nhouse<br />

digital.com<br />

Web: http://nhousedigital.com<br />

ALASKA<br />

ACTION VIDEO PRODUCTIONS<br />

430 W. 7th Ave., Ste. 100<br />

Anchorage, AK 99501<br />

907-277-8115 Fax 907-274-5287<br />

E-mail: actvid@alaska.net<br />

Web: www.actvid.com<br />

Services: copy/duplicate just about any<br />

audio/video format<br />

ARIZONA<br />

DISC2DAY<br />

2113 S. 48th St., Ste. 103<br />

Tempe, AZ 85282<br />

602-438-4848 800-951-3707<br />

E-mail: info@disc2day.com<br />

Web: www.disc2day.com<br />

Services: CD/DVD duplication and<br />

replication<br />

PROACTION MEDIA<br />

610 E Bell Road,Suite 2-104<br />

Phoenix, AZ 85022<br />

877-593-4261, 602-277-2011<br />

Fax 602-277-2021<br />

Web: www.proactionmedia.com<br />

Services: CD and DVD Duplication<br />

US DIGITAL MEDIA<br />

1929 W. Lone Cactus Dr.<br />

Phoenix, AZ 85027<br />

623-587-4900, 877-992-3766<br />

E-mail: reseller@usdigitalmedia.com<br />

Web: www.usdigitalmedia.com<br />

Services: CD/DVD duplication and<br />

replication<br />

ARKANSAS<br />

CANTRELL VIDEO<br />

5919 H Street<br />

Little Rock, AR 72205<br />

501-664-2215<br />

E-mail: info@cantrellvideo.com<br />

Web: www.cantrellvideo.com<br />

Services: CD/DVD authoring, transfer,<br />

duplication<br />

CLARK’S VIDEO GROUP, INC.<br />

14794 Woods Lodge Rd.<br />

Rogers, AR 72756<br />

479-636-7111, 479-619-9931<br />

E-mail: clarksvideogroup@<br />

sbcglobal.net<br />

Web: www.clarksvideogroup.com<br />

Services: DVD authoring, media<br />

conversions, CD/DVD duplication<br />

CALIFORNIA<br />

A1 INDIEPOWER<br />

11054 Ventura Blvd., Ste. 333<br />

Studio City, CA 91604<br />

818-505-1836<br />

E-mail: info@indiepower.com<br />

Web: www.indiepower.com, http://<br />

facebook.com/IndiePowerOnline<br />

Services: best deals on manufacturing,<br />

promotion, marketing & distribution<br />

worldwide<br />

ABACAB MULTIMEDIA, INC.<br />

245 Fischer, Ste. A-9<br />

Costa Mesa, CA 92626<br />

714-432-1745<br />

E-mail: sales@abacab.net<br />

Web: www.abacab.net<br />

Services: CD & DVD duplication,<br />

packaging & printing. Audio and video<br />

recording and post.<br />

ABET DISC, INC.<br />

411 E. Huntington Dr. #107-372<br />

Arcadia, CA 91006<br />

866-574-0275 ext. 1<br />

E-mail: support@abetdisc.com<br />

Web: www.abetdisc.com<br />

Services: CD, DVD, replication,<br />

duplication, mastering, authoring,<br />

design, printing and packaging<br />

ACDC-AUDIO CD & CASSETTE<br />

Stella at Universal Mall (Drop off)<br />

12400 Ventura Blvd, #150<br />

Studio City, CA 91604<br />

818-762-ACDC (2232), 805-245-5503<br />

E-mail: steve@acdc-cdr.com<br />

Web: www.acdc-cdr.com<br />

Services: CD, DVD, cassette duplication<br />

Additional location:<br />

Physical & Mailing Address:<br />

606 Alamo Pintado Rd., Unit 3,<br />

Ste. 281<br />

Solvang, CA. 93463<br />

ADERRA, INC.<br />

2222 S. Figueroa St.<br />

Los Angeles CA 90007<br />

800-430-8189<br />

E-mail: info@aderra.net<br />

Web: www.aderra.net<br />

Services: Record up to 1,000 USB flash<br />

September 2013<br />

musicconnection.com<br />

57

---

Annual Directory of Everything Promo<br />

drives within 15 minutes after a live<br />

event has ended our patent pending<br />

system is the size of a suitcase and<br />

can be hand carried. We can pre-load<br />

content onto the USB drives including<br />

video files, PDF documents, links to<br />

websites, slideshows, the possibilities<br />

are limitless. We can also custom<br />

design a user experience interface.<br />

This “DVD Style” navigation is opened<br />

when the user inserts the flash drive.<br />

It contains links to all of the content on<br />

the drive, links to external websites, etc.<br />

Please contact us for a demonstration.<br />

AGI SHOREWOOD<br />

5890 W Jefferson Blvd.<br />

Los Angeles, CA<br />

310-280-1700<br />

E-mail: northamerica@asgworldwide.com<br />

Web: www.agishorewood.com<br />

Services: print, packaging, key art<br />

development, art-working, creative<br />

and structural design, digital asset<br />

management, pre-press and fulfillment.<br />

Additional location:<br />

400 Atlantic St., 14th Fl.<br />

Stamford, CT 06921<br />

E-mail: northamerica@asgworldwide.com<br />

AIX MEDIA GROUP<br />

2050 Granville Ave.<br />

Los Angeles, CA 90025<br />

310-479-0501, 800-668-4249<br />

E-mail: info@aixrecords.com<br />

Web: www.aixrecords.com<br />

Services: complete CD/DVD-audio/<br />

video production services<br />

ARMADILLO DIGITAL AUDIO<br />

6855 Vineland Ave.<br />

N. Hollywood, CA 91605<br />

818-980-6700<br />

E-mail: steve@armadillodigital.com<br />

Web: www.armadillodigital.com<br />

Services: Professional CD, CD-Rom,<br />

DVD, DVD-R, DVD-R dual layer, tape<br />

duplication and complete printing<br />

services available. CD, DVD and<br />

CD-Rom replication, free barcodes<br />

and shrink wrap available. Complete<br />

package CD specials, digital editing,<br />

fast turnaround<br />

BURNSMART.COM<br />

1855 S. Santa Cruz, Ste. B<br />

Anaheim, CA 92805<br />

866-448-0958, 714-447-9181<br />

Contact: Jackie<br />

E-mail: info@burnsmart.com<br />

Web: www.burnsmart.com<br />

Services: CD/DVD duplication and<br />

replication, printing and packaging. We<br />

also offer wholesale pricing for blank<br />

media,accessories, and duplication<br />

equipment.<br />

CDMAN<br />

5330 Eastgate Mall<br />

San Diego, CA 92121<br />

800-557-3347<br />

Web: www.cdman.com<br />

Services: discs, mastering and design,<br />

vinyl, apparel, usb<br />

CD NETROM<br />

5018 Lante St.<br />

Baldwin Park, CA 91706<br />

888-265-7775 Fax 775-249-7559<br />

E-mail: info@cdnetcard.com<br />

Web: www.cdnetrom.com<br />

Services: CD & DVD replication,<br />

duplication, print packaging, design,<br />

mastering, fulfillment<br />

CHARLES LAURENCE<br />

PRODUCTION CO.<br />

Northridge, CA<br />

818-368-4962<br />

Web: http://clpstudios.com<br />

Services: DVD editing, replication,<br />

video editing and enhancement, CD<br />

duplication, mastering, DAT transfers<br />

and real-time cassette duplication. Tape<br />

film and vinyl record transfers, 8mm,<br />

super-8, 16mm transfer.<br />

CHEAP CD DUPLICATIONS<br />

1445 E. Los Angeles Ave. Ste. 301D<br />

Simi Valley, CA 93065<br />

800-836-7962<br />

E-mail: info@cheapcdduplications.com<br />

Web: www.cheapcdduplications.com<br />

Services: duplicator/replicators of CD/<br />

DVD as well as full video duplication<br />

& digital editing services. 8mm, Super<br />

8mm, and 16mm film transfer to VHS<br />

or DVD<br />

CINRAM<br />

7901 Stoneridge Dr., Ste. 300<br />

Pleasanton, CA 94588<br />

925-965-2100<br />

E-mail: info@cinram.com<br />

Web: www.cinram.com<br />

Services: Distribution, Digital Graphics<br />

COMPACT DISC SERVICE<br />

1270 So. Amphlett Blvd.<br />

San Mateo, CA 94402<br />

800-599-9534, 650-872-7111<br />

Fax 650-872-7133<br />

E-mail: info@cdsg.com<br />

Web: www.cdsg.com<br />

Services: CD & DVD replication, CD-R<br />

& DVD-R duplication, DVD authoring,<br />

graphic design<br />

CREATIVE SOUND CORP.<br />

5515 Medea Valley Dr.<br />

Agoura Hills, CA 91301<br />

818-707-8986<br />

E-mail: info@csoundcorp.com<br />

Web: www.csoundcorp.com<br />

Services: CD/record/tape/video<br />

duplication, DVD replication, graphic<br />

design, digalog process, major<br />

manufacturing. Lower prices on<br />

automatic desktop duplicators - Epson,<br />

Primera, Systor.<br />

DENOISE.COM<br />

1501 Powell St., Ste. J<br />

Emeryville, CA 94608<br />

866-DENOISE, 510-653-3838<br />

E-mail: info@denoise.com<br />

Web: www.denoise.com<br />

Services: sound and video production,<br />

CD & DVD copies<br />

DISC MAKERS<br />

4425 W. Riverside Dr., Ste. 204<br />

Burbank, CA 91505<br />

800-468-9353 Fax 856-661-3450<br />

E-mail: info@discmakers.com<br />

Web: www.discmakers.com<br />

Services: CD/DVD manufacturing,<br />

graphic design, printing, packaging,<br />

authoring, mastering, manual &<br />

automated CD & DVD printers, blank<br />

media. Providing the industry standard<br />

of excellence for over 50 years<br />

DISC OUTLET<br />

Nationwide<br />

877-916-3472 or 916-897-9077<br />

Fax 916-647-9574<br />

E-mail: sales@mydiscoutlet.com<br />

Web: www.mydiscoutlet.com<br />

Contact: Sales Dept.<br />

Services: Low cost CD/DVD<br />

replication, CD/DVD short run<br />

duplication, printing, and packaging.<br />

Order Online 24/7. You conceive it, we’ll<br />

achieve it.<br />

DISC REPLICATORS<br />

INTERNATIONAL<br />

1035 Loma Verde, Unit 1<br />

Monterey Park, CA 91754<br />

626-300-8535, 800-867-8689<br />

Fax 626-300-8636<br />

E-mail: info@discreplicators.net<br />

Web: www.discreplicators.net<br />

Services: Complete replication and<br />

duplication solution center for CD,<br />

DVD, Blu-ray and packaging. DRI also<br />

offers award winning affordable graphic<br />

design and fulfillment services<br />

DISKFAKTORY<br />

18062 Irvine Blvd., Ste. 303<br />

Tustin, CA 92780<br />

888-464-9664, 949-455-1701<br />

E-mail: customer@diskfaktory.com<br />

Web: www.diskfaktory.com<br />

Services: Online 24/7 and On Demand<br />

CD & DVD duplication and replication<br />

services<br />

*No - commission on iTunes and<br />

Napster submissions. A&R services,<br />

digital download cards. CD & digital<br />

store for musicians to sell to their fans.<br />

Low cost CD & DVD fulfillment<br />

DUB-IT DIGITAL MEDIA SERVICES<br />

1110 Tamarind Ave.<br />

Hollywood, CA 90038<br />

888-99DUB-IT, 323-993-9570<br />

Fax 323-962-3446<br />

E-mail: info@dub-it.com<br />

Web: www.dub-it.com<br />

Services: Blu-ray, DVD & CD<br />

replication and DVD duplication,<br />

packaging<br />

E-MEDIATELY/RJR DIGITAL<br />

MEDIA, INC.<br />

866-816-6845 Fax 619-501-1425<br />

E-mail: sdweb@cox.net<br />

Web: www.rjrdigital.com<br />

Services: Replication & duplication,<br />

retail ready CD audio, ROM, DVD-5 and<br />

9, and business card replication and<br />

duplication; graphic design.<br />

ERIKA RECORDS<br />

6300 Caballero Blvd.<br />

Buena Park, CA 90620<br />

714-228-5420 Fax 714-228-5421<br />

E-mail: office@erikarecords.com<br />

Web: www.erikarecords.com<br />

Services: CD, vinyl and cassette<br />

duplication (real-time and high-speed),<br />

picture discs, business card CDs, DVD<br />

replication services.<br />

GROOVE HOUSE RECORDS<br />

5029 Serrania Ave.<br />

Woodland Hills, CA 91364<br />

888-476-6838 Fax 818-883-8386<br />

E-mail: cdrep@groovehouse.com<br />

Web: www.groovehouse.com<br />

HELLMAN PRODUCTION<br />

3202 Pennsylvania Ave.<br />

Santa Monica, CA 90404<br />

323-456-0446<br />

E-mail: info@hellmanproduction.com<br />

Web: www.hellmanproduction.com<br />

HOME RUN MEDIA GROUP<br />

15562 Chemical Ln.,<br />

Huntington Beach, CA 92649<br />

714-901-0109, 800-951-5858<br />

Fax 714-901-0102<br />

E-mail: info@home-run.com<br />

Web: http://home-run.logomall.com,<br />

http://homerunportal.com<br />

Services: CD & DVD duplication/<br />

replication, digital printing, signs,<br />

banners and displays<br />

HOOK STUDIO SERVICES, THE<br />

Los Angeles, CA<br />

818-759-4665<br />

E-mail: mfrenchik@fastmail.net<br />

Web: http://www.thehookstudios.com<br />

Services: CD & DVD pro quality<br />

duplication, same day, overnight,<br />

saturdays, superior color print on disc,<br />

panel inserts, cd printed sleeves,<br />

custom packaging<br />

IFANZ<br />

McCartney Multimedia, Inc.<br />

322 Culver Blvd., Ste. 124<br />

58<br />

September 2013<br />

musicconnection.com

---

Download at www.musicconnection.com/digital<br />

Playa Del Rey, CA 90293<br />

E-mail: dischelp@ifanz.com,<br />

info@ifanz.com<br />

Web: www.ifanz.com<br />

IMPERIAL MEDIA SERVICES<br />

3202 Pennsylvania Ave.<br />

Santa Monica, CA 90404<br />

310-396-2008, 800-736-8273<br />

E-mail: info@imperialmedia.com<br />

Web: www.imperialmedia.com<br />

Services: CD/DVD/video duplication/replication/<br />

packaging, CD/DVD mastering and authoring, any<br />

quantity--same day service available, we deliver on<br />

spec, on time, on budget.<br />

KABA AUDIO PRODUCTIONS<br />

P.O. Box 5357<br />

Petaluma, CA 94955<br />

707-765-9900<br />

E-mail: info@kabaaudio.com<br />

Web: www.kabaaudio.com<br />

Services: Full-service CD, CD-ROM, and DVD<br />

replication, cassette duplication, spoken-word<br />

recording, mastering, short run CD copies, design,<br />

printing, packaging<br />

M2 COMMUNICATIONS<br />

235 Bellefontaine St.<br />

Pasadena, CA 91105<br />

800-423-8273, 626-441-2024<br />

Fax 626-441-2694<br />

E-mail: m2com@aol.com<br />

Web: www.m2com.com/cassetteworks.html<br />

Services: audio duplication, CD replication,<br />

packaging, DVD duplication<br />

MASTER GROOVE STUDIOS<br />

Los Angeles (Northridge)<br />

Nashville (Hendersonville)<br />

818-830-3822, 615-799-9366<br />

E-mail: leafcake@att.net<br />

Web: www.mastergroovestudios.com<br />

Services: full mastering/small runs of CD duplication<br />

of 50 or less, cassette duplication<br />

MASTERTRACK CD & DVD MFG<br />

825 41st Ave., Ste. C<br />

Santa Cruz, CA 95062<br />

1-888-464-9664<br />

E-mail: clientcare@mastertrack.com<br />

Web: www.mastertrack.com<br />

Services: quality CD & DVD Duplication since 1998<br />

McMASTERS ENTERTAINMENT<br />

888-357-7404<br />

E-mail: info@macmastersdvd.com<br />

Web: www.mcmastersdvd.com<br />

Services: CD/DVD replication, printing, packaging<br />

MEDIA TECHNICS<br />

4 Bluehill Ct.<br />

Scotts Valley, CA 95066<br />

800-474-8996 ext. 801<br />

E-mail: information@mediatechnics.com<br />

Web: www.mediatechnics.com<br />

MEDIA TEK OPTICAL INC.<br />

13450 Brooks Dr., Ste. A<br />

Baldwin, CA 91706<br />

800-826-3873, 626-962-1919 ext. 10<br />

Fax 626-962-1917<br />

E-mail: sales@a1mediatech.com<br />

Web: www.a1mediatech.com<br />

Services: CD, DVD, cassette & video replication/<br />

duplication, Sonic Solutions mastering, design,<br />

printing & packaging major label quality.<br />

MIXONIC<br />

1265 Folsom St.<br />

San Francisco, CA 94103<br />

888-464-9664<br />

E-mail: customercare@mixonic.com,<br />

info@mixonic.com<br />

Web: www.mixonic.com<br />

Contact: Puja Arguwal<br />

Services: CD, CD-ROM, DVD, USB, Flashdrives CD/<br />

DVD duplication & replication, printing, packaging,<br />

fulfillment, design services<br />

MR. SPEED CASSETTE<br />

(drop-off address)<br />

12400 Ventura Blvd., #150<br />

Studio City, CA 91604<br />

818-762-2232<br />

Physical address:<br />

606 Alamo Pintado Rd., #3, Suite 281<br />

Solvang, CA 93463<br />

805-245-5503<br />

E-mail: steve@acdc-cdr.com<br />

Web: www.acdc-cdr.com<br />

Services: CD and cassette duplication<br />

(real-time and high-speed)<br />

NEW CYBERIAN SYSTEMS, INC.<br />

1919 O’Toole Way<br />

San Jose, CA 95131<br />

877-423-4383, 408-922-0682<br />

Fax 408-884-2257<br />

E-mail: sales@newcyberian.com<br />

Web: www.newcyberian.com<br />

NOTEPAD, THE<br />

Pasadena, CA<br />

626-794-4322<br />

E-mail: thenotepad@earthlink.net<br />

Services: CD & DVD replication, CD-R & DVD-R<br />

duplication, graphic design, mastering and printing,<br />

small to big orders<br />

PPL RECORED MUSIC COMPANY<br />

468 N. Camden Dr., Ste. 200<br />

Beverly Hills, CA 90210<br />

818-506-8533, 310-860-7499<br />

E-mail: pplzmi@aol.com<br />

Web: www.pplzmi.com<br />

Contact: Maxx Diamond<br />

Services: Mastering, CD, DVD, import, export,<br />

distribution, manufacturing<br />

QBT<br />

1938 S. Myrtle Ave.<br />

Monrovia, CA 91016<br />

626-357-1330<br />

E-mail: info@qbtmedia.com<br />

Web: https://www.facebook.com/QBTMEDIA<br />

Services: CD, CD-ROM, DVD, vinyl, cassette, video,<br />

printing, mastering, packaging, duplicating<br />

QUALITY CLONES<br />

CD, DVD, Mastering,<br />

Website & Video Services<br />

3940 Laurel Canyon Blvd., Ste. 405<br />

Studio City, CA 91604<br />

323-464-5853<br />

E-mail: info@qualityclones.com<br />

Web: www.qualityclones.com<br />

Services: CD & DVD replication & mastering, graphic<br />

design, website design and layout, full color printing<br />

booklets, tray cards, posters, postcards, CD sleeves,<br />

DVD wraps digipacks, packaging and shrink wrapping.<br />

RAINBO RECORDS<br />

8960 Eton Ave.<br />

Canoga Park, CA 91304<br />

818-280-1100 Fax 818-280-1101<br />

E-mail: info@rainborecords.com<br />

Web: www.rainborecords.com<br />

Services: CD and DVD replication, vinyl pressing,<br />

custom packaging, graphic design<br />

REAL TIME COPIES<br />

10313 Jefferson Blvd.<br />

Culver City, CA 90232<br />

310-559-9095<br />

E-mail: art202@earthlink.net<br />

Web: www.realtimecopies.com<br />

Services: CD / DVD duplication, authoring, full<br />

artwork & video production<br />

RECORD TECHNOLOGY, INC. (RTI)<br />

486 Dawson Dr.<br />

Camarillo, CA 93012<br />

805-484-2747 Fax 805-987-0508<br />

Web: www.recordtech.com<br />

Services: vinyl, CD manufacturing<br />

REEL PICTURE<br />

5330 Eastgate Mall<br />

San Diego, CA 92121<br />

858-587-0301, 866-502-3472<br />

Fax 858-587-8838<br />

E-mail: keith@reelpicture.com<br />

Web: www.reelpicture.com<br />

Services: cassette, CD, CD-R and record<br />

manufacturing, DVD replication, printing, packaging<br />

RHYTHM NET DESIGN GROUP<br />

9860 Irvine Center Dr.<br />

Irvine, CA 92618<br />

949-783-5000 Fax 949-783-5001<br />

E-mail: info@rinteractive.net<br />

September 2013 musicconnection.com 59

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Annual Directory of Everything Promo<br />

Web: www.rinteractive.net<br />

Services: CD replication, CD<br />

duplication, printing, film, graphic<br />

design<br />

Additional location:<br />

42 W. 39th St., 6th Fl.<br />

New York, NY 10018<br />

888-749-8461<br />

RUNTECHMEDIA INC<br />

2107-D W. Commonwealth Ave.,<br />

Ste. 324<br />

Alhambra, CA 91803<br />

866-656-8999, 626-656-8900<br />

Fax 626-656-8999<br />

E-mail: sales@runtechmedia.net<br />

Web: www.runtechmedia.com<br />

Services: all DVD and CD media<br />

services, printing & packaging<br />

SIENNA DIGITAL<br />

P.O. Box 502<br />

Half Moon Bay, CA 94019<br />

888-504-1620, 650-712-1709<br />

Contact: Naomi Delott<br />

E-mail: naomi@siennadigital.com<br />

Web: http://www.siennadigital.com<br />

Services: CDs and DVDS, Digipaks,<br />

Eco Wallets, Sleeves, Mailers and<br />

Jewel case products Graphic Design<br />

and Mastering<br />

SONY DADC<br />

2904 S. Angus<br />

Fresno, CA 93725<br />

Web: www.sonydadc.com<br />

Services: all DVD and CD media<br />

services,<br />

printing & packaging<br />

Additional location:<br />

4499 Glencoe Ave.<br />

Marina Del Rey, CA 90292<br />

SOUND ADVICE RECORDING<br />

10700 Jersey Blvd., Ste. 720<br />

Rancho Cucamonga, CA 91730<br />

800-987-6830, 909-987-6930<br />

E-mail: sales6@sarecording.com<br />

Web: www.sarecording.com<br />

Services: cassette, CD, CD-R, DVD,<br />

and video duplication, authoring,<br />

complete in-house mastering,<br />

packaging services<br />

SPEEDLIGHT DUPLICATION, INC.<br />

21822 Lassen St., Unit G<br />

Chatsworth, CA 91311<br />

818-727-0200, 818-727-0264<br />

E-mail: sales@speedlight-duplication.<br />

com<br />

Web: www.speedlightduplication.com<br />

TECHNICOLOR<br />

6040 Sunset Blvd.<br />

Hollywood, CA 90028<br />

323-817-6600<br />

Web: www.technicolor.com<br />

Services: CD manufacturing, mastering<br />

and replication, fulfillment services,<br />

distribution<br />

*Locations throughout the world.<br />

See website for various international<br />

locations.<br />

THRESHOLD SOUND + VISION<br />

2114 Pico Blvd.<br />

Santa Monica, CA 90405<br />

310-566-6677<br />

E-mail: micheleb@thresholdsound.com<br />

Web: www.thresholdsound.com<br />

Services: mastering, 5.1 surround,<br />

transfers, short run promo CD-Rs,<br />

lacquer masters, CD, DVD, Vinyl and<br />

VHS manufacturing.<br />

TSI CD MANUFACTURING<br />

24831 Ave. Tibbitts<br />

Valencia, CA 91355<br />

800-310-0800 Fax 661-702-9029<br />

E-mail: info@cdmanufacturing.com<br />

Web: www.cdmanufacturing.com<br />

Services: CD, DVD, USB Drives,<br />

Fulfillment and drop shipping,<br />

packaging/graphic services<br />

ULTRADISC<br />

1257 Columbia Ave., Unit D-5<br />

Riverside, CA 92507<br />

866-223-7327, 951-940-9800<br />

Fax 951-346-9440<br />

E-mail: sales@ultradisc.com<br />

Web: www.ultradisc.com<br />

Services: DVD and CD replication,<br />

silk screen, printing, packaging<br />

UNITED AUDIO/VIDEO GROUP<br />

6855 Vineland Ave.<br />

N. Hollywood, CA 91605<br />

800-247-8606, 818-980-6700<br />

Fax 818-508-TAPE<br />

Web: www.unitedavg.com<br />

Services: Audio/Video duplication<br />

V-CORP MULTI MEDIA<br />

1044 E. Edna Pl.<br />

Covina, CA 91724<br />

626-966-0412, 800-826-7799<br />

E-mail: info@vcorp99.com<br />

Web: vcorpmultimedia.com<br />

Contact: Sandra<br />

Service: CD/CD-ROM/DVD/cassettes/<br />

video/large or small runs graphics/<br />

printing/fulfillment packaging<br />

COLORADO<br />

CROSSPOINT<br />

940 Wadsworth Blvd., Ste. 100<br />

Lakewood, CO 80214<br />

303-233-2700<br />

E-mail: info@crosspoint.com<br />

Web: www.crosspoint.com<br />

Services: one stop shop for any type<br />

film or video production<br />

DENVER DISC<br />

4800 Wadsworth Ave., Ste. 100<br />

Wheat Ridge, CO 80033<br />

303-991-3837<br />

E-mail: info@denverdisc.com<br />

Web: www.denverdisc.com<br />

Services: CD/DVD duplication &<br />

printing<br />

DVD TOMORROW<br />

8200 E. Pacific Pl., Ste. 210<br />

Denver, CO 80231<br />

800-372-8096<br />

E-mail: sales@dvdtomorrow.com<br />

Web: www.dvdtomorrow.com<br />

Services: CD/DVD duplication<br />

GROTTO MUSIC, INC.<br />

393 N. Dale Ct.<br />

Grand Junction, CO 81507<br />

909-305-2340 970-241-4969<br />

E-mail: info@grottomusic.com<br />

Web: www.grottomusic.com<br />

Services: CD/DVD replication/<br />

packaging/AV post/graphics/web<br />

JOE’S PRODUCTION & GRILLE, INC.<br />

4919 N. Broadway<br />

Boulder, CO 80304<br />

303-442-1770, 888-563-7474<br />

E-mail: sales@joesgrille.com<br />

Web: www.joesgrille.com<br />

Services: CD manufacturing, indie<br />

distribution, indie radio<br />

Additional location:<br />

P.O. Box 2380<br />

New York, NY 10009<br />

888-563-7474<br />

MAM-A<br />

10045 Federal Dr.<br />

Colorado Springs, CO 80890<br />

888--572-3383, 1-719-262-2430<br />

E-mail: storeinfo@mam-a.com<br />

Web: www.mam-a.com<br />

Services: MAM-A is the leading<br />

manufacturer of Professional quality<br />

recordable CDs and DVDs, with unique<br />

manufacturing technology and complete<br />

control over production processes.<br />

MAM-A provides a complete range<br />

of products, including Archival Grade<br />

24K Gold DVD+/-Rs and CD-Rs, High<br />

quality Silver DVD-R, 8.5 GB Dual<br />

Layer DVD+R, and Recordable Bluray<br />

discs. Printable surfaces, Custom<br />

Logos, and Pre-Recorded CD-ROM/<br />

DVD-ROM are also available.<br />

CONNECTICUT<br />

BUZZ MEDIA COMPANY<br />

32 Bruggeman Pl.<br />

Mystic, CT 06355<br />

860-536-1830<br />

E-mail: info@buzzmediacompany.com<br />

Web: www.buzzmediacompany.com<br />

Services: video transfer<br />

IFM PRODUCTIONS LLC<br />

67 Valley Rd.<br />

Cos Cob, CT 06807<br />

203-661-9326<br />

Contact: Iggy Makarevich<br />

E-mail: info@ifmproductions.com<br />

Web: www.ifmproductions.com<br />

Services: CD/DVD duplication<br />

QUICK DISCS<br />

41 Crossroads Plaza, Ste. 167<br />

W. Hartford, CT 06117<br />

800-233-8754<br />

E-mail: jeff@quick-disc.net<br />

Web: www.quickdiscs.com<br />

Services: CD/DVD duplication &<br />

replication, packaging, printing<br />

DELAWARE<br />

DELAWARE DIGITAL VIDEO<br />

FACTORY<br />

1709 Concord Pike (Rt 202)<br />

Wilmington, DE 19803<br />

302-TV-TAPES (888-2737)<br />

Web: www.ddvf.com<br />

Services: CD/DVD duplication<br />

KEN-DEL PRODUCTIONS, INC.<br />

First State Production Center<br />

1500 First State Blvd.<br />

Wilmington, DE 19804-3596<br />

302-999-1111<br />

E-mail: info@ken-del.com<br />

Web: www.ken-del.com<br />

Services: Graphics, CD/DVD<br />

Replication/Duplication, Transfers from<br />

any format, printing<br />

DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA (DC)<br />

ACE PRESS<br />

910 17th St., N.W., Ste. 100<br />

Washington, DC 20006<br />

202-338-4006<br />

E-mail: acepress@aol.com<br />

Web: www.acepress.com<br />

Services: Printing, Copying & Mailing<br />

CDDVD DUPLICATION<br />

WASHINGTON DC<br />

Washington, DC 20007<br />

866-874-8725<br />

Web: http://<br />

cddvdduplicationwashingtondc.com<br />

Services: CD/DVD duplication &<br />

Video duplication<br />

FLORIDA<br />

BISON DISC<br />

803 South Orlando Ave. Ste. J<br />

Winter Park, FL 32789<br />

866-466-4061, 407-770-6900<br />

E-mail: sales@bisondisc.com<br />

Web: www.bisondisc.com<br />

Additional location:<br />

5405 Wilshire Blvd., Ste. 347<br />

Los Angeles, CA 90036<br />

866-866-4061<br />

CD DEPOT<br />

5623 NW 74th Ave.<br />

6060 September 2013 2013<br />

musicconnection.com

---

Download at www.musicconnection.com/digital<br />

Miami, FL 33166<br />

800-742-3974, 305-863-8699<br />

E-mail: info@reprocd.com<br />

Web: www.reprocd.com<br />

Services: CD/DVD duplication & replication<br />

DIGITAL DOMAIN<br />

478 E. Altamonte Dr. #108-122<br />

Altamonte Springs, FL 32750<br />

800-344-4361, 407-831-0233<br />

E-mail: ofcmgr@digido.com<br />

Web: www.digido.com<br />

INE MEDIA<br />

5510 Philips Hwy., Ste. 12<br />

Jacksonville, FL 32207<br />

800-443-9030, 904-443-2681<br />

Fax 904-448-3103<br />

E-mail: sales@cddvdfactory.com<br />

Web: www.cddvdfactory.com<br />

Services: CD/DVD Duplication & Replication<br />

INTERMEDIA DISC<br />

7359 N.W. 34 St.<br />

Miami, FL 33122<br />

877-392-DISC, 305-392-9572<br />

Fax 305-392-9574<br />

E-mail: sales@intermediadisc.com<br />

Web: www.intermediadisc.com<br />

Services: CD/DVD replication<br />

PROGRESSIVE MEDIA & MUSIC<br />

2116 Southview Ave.<br />

Tampa, FL 33606<br />

813-251-8093 Fax 813-251-6050<br />

E-mail: info@progressivecds.com<br />

Web: www.progressivecds.com<br />

Contact: Ken Veenstra<br />

Services: CD, CD-ROM, Vinyl, DVD, CD/DVD-R,<br />

thumb drives replication, graphic design, packaging,<br />

DVD authoring, inventory management, printing,<br />

mastering, video editing<br />

S & J CD DUPLICATION, INC.<br />

105 College Dr., Ste. 3<br />

Orange Park, FL 32065<br />

888-269-7088, 904-272-0580<br />

Fax 904-272-9427<br />

E-mail: sales@snjcd.com<br />

Web: www.snjcd.com<br />

GEORGIA<br />

ATLANTA MANUFACTURING GROUP<br />

4458 Peachtree Lake Dr., Ste. A<br />

Duluth, GA 30096<br />

404-230-9559, Fax 404-417-1016<br />

E-mail: amgstaff@amgcds.com<br />

Web: www.amgcds.com<br />

Services: full service CD & DVD manufacturer offering<br />

major label quality and affordable pricing with boutique<br />

type service<br />

INFINITY DISCS<br />

5105 Peachtree Industrial Blvd., Ste. 103<br />

Atlanta, GA 30341<br />

770-451-7400, 800-749-7489<br />

E-mail: info@infinitydiscs.com<br />

Web: www.infinitydiscs.com<br />

Services: CD/DVD duplication &<br />

replication, printing & packaging<br />

ROVIX<br />

The Proscenium Tower<br />

1170 Peachtree St., Ste. 1200<br />

Atlanta, GA 30309<br />

877-ROVIX-77, 404-869-0706, 404-885-6066<br />

E-mail: solutions@rovix.com<br />

Web: www.rovix.com<br />

Services: CD/DVD duplication & replication<br />

SONY DADC<br />

5152 Columbia Dr.<br />

Carrollton, GA 30177<br />

Web: www.sonydadc.com<br />

Services: CD/DVD duplication & replication<br />

HAWAII<br />

RAINBOW PHOTO VIDEO<br />

661 Keeaumoku St. #101A<br />

Honolulu, HI 96814<br />

808-943-0276<br />

E-mail: rainbow@rainbowphotovideo<br />

Web: www.rainbowphotovideo.com<br />

Services: CD/DVD/DVD-R duplication<br />

TOM TERRIFICS<br />

2961 E. Manoa Rd., Ste. D<br />

Honolulu, HI 96822<br />

808-988-1556<br />

E-mail: tom006@hawaii.rr.com<br />

Web: www.Tomterrifics.com<br />

Services: CD/DVD duplication &<br />

cover design<br />

IDAHO<br />

JACKSON VIDEO SERVICES<br />

1075 W. Yosemite Dr.<br />

Meridian, ID 83646<br />

208-895-6646<br />

E-mail: clint@jacksonvideoservices.com<br />

Web: www.jacksonvideoservices.com<br />

Services: conversions, duplication, editing,repairs,<br />

transferring all media<br />

ILLINOIS<br />

ADVANCED AUDIO TECHNOLOGY<br />

200 Easy St.<br />

Carol Stream, IL 60188<br />

630-665-3344<br />

E-mail: info@advanceaudio.net<br />

Web: www.advancedaudio.net<br />

Services: duplication, replication, design & printing<br />

CHICAGO PRODUCERS<br />

817 S. Western Ave.<br />

Chicago, IL 60612<br />

800-467-1497 or 312-226-6900<br />

E-mail: info@chicagoproducers.com<br />

Web: www.chicagoproducers.com<br />

Services: CD/DVD duplication & replication<br />

DISC MAKERS<br />

560 W. Washington Blvd. #410<br />

Chicago, IL 60661<br />

800-468-9353, Fax 856-661-3450<br />

Web: www.discmakers.com<br />

Services: CD/DVD manufacturing, graphic design,<br />

printing, packaging, authoring, mastering, manual &<br />

automated CD & DVD printers, blank media. Providing<br />

the industry standard of excellence for over 50 years.<br />

IDEA MEDIA SERVICES<br />

600 W Chicago, Ste. 850<br />

Chicago, IL 60657<br />

866-326-3416, 312-226-2900<br />

E-mail: info@ideareplication.com<br />

Web: www.ideareplication.com<br />

Services: CD/DVD duplication &<br />

replication, packaging<br />

RBR PRODUCTIONS<br />

117 W. Rockland Rd.<br />

Libertyville, IL 60048<br />

888-278-0558 or 847-362-4060<br />

E-mail: info@rbrproductions.com<br />

Web: www.rbrproductions.com<br />

Services: CD/DVD duplication & replication<br />

SONY DADC<br />

430 Gibraltar Dr.<br />

Bolingbrook, IL 60440<br />

Web: www.sonydadc.com<br />

Services: all DVD and CD media<br />

services, printing & packaging<br />

VIDEO ONE PRODUCTIONS<br />

1820 W. Webster Ave., Ste. 201<br />

Chicago, IL 60614<br />

773-252-3352<br />

E-mail: irwin@video1pro.com<br />

Web: www.video1pro.com<br />

Services: CD and DVD duplication<br />

and replication<br />

INDIANA<br />

DVC INC.<br />

5230 Park Emerson Dr., Ste. K<br />

Indinapolis, IN 46203<br />

800-828-0373 or 317-544-2150<br />

E-mail: JAD@dvcdubs.com<br />

Web: www.dvcdubs.com<br />

Services: Full Service Duplicating of Cassettes Dvd’s<br />

CD’s & Floppy Discs<br />

INDIANA AUDIO MASTERING & DPLC<br />

906 W. Countryside Ln.<br />

Bloomington, IN 47403<br />

812-331-2056<br />

E-mail: sales@indianaaudio.com<br />

Web: www.iamdcd.com<br />

Services: CD/DVD duplication or replication<br />

SONY DADC<br />

9999 E 121st St.<br />

September 2013 musicconnection.com 61

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Annual Directory of Everything Promo<br />

Fishers, IN 46037<br />

Web: www.sonydadc.com<br />

Services: CD/DVD duplication or<br />

replication<br />

TRIDIGITAL SOLUTIONS LLC<br />

5211 Lancelot Dr.<br />

Indianapolis, IN 46228<br />

317-293-8000 Fax 317-293-8008<br />

E-mail: sales@tridigitalsolutions.net<br />

Web: www.tridigitalsolutions.net<br />

Services: your turnkey solution to all<br />

CD, DVD, USB, and custom packaging<br />

needs<br />

WORLD MEDIA GROUP<br />

6737 E. 30th St.<br />

Indianapolis, IN 46219<br />

800-400-4964 or 317-549-8484<br />

E-mail: getstarted@worldmediagroup.<br />

com<br />

Web: www.worldmediagroup.com<br />

Services: DVD, CD, cassette graphic<br />

design, mastering, duplication,<br />

packaging, fulfillment, warehousing<br />

Additional locations:<br />

Columbus, OH<br />

New York, NY<br />

Kansas City, MO<br />

Philadelphia, PA<br />

800-400-4964<br />

Nashville, TN<br />

Service Center<br />

1302-B Division St.<br />

Nashville, TN 37203<br />

800-874-4174<br />

E-mail: info@nationalmediagroup.com<br />

Dallas, TX<br />

Crystal Clear Media Group Office<br />

10451 Markison Dr.<br />

Dallas, TX 75238<br />

800-880-0073<br />

E-mail: info@crystalclearcds.com<br />

IOWA<br />

CD DUPLICATOR, THE<br />

CSI, Inc.<br />

975 W. Lincoln Hwy., Ste. A<br />

Nevada, IA 50201<br />

515-382-4623<br />

E-mail: info@thecdduplicator.com<br />

Web: www.thecdduplicator.com<br />

Services: CD/DVD duplication &<br />

replication<br />

DUPLICATION MEDIA<br />

8126 Douglas Ave.<br />

Urbandale, IA 50322<br />

515-334-3877<br />

E-mail: info@duplicationmedia.com<br />

Web: www.duplicationmedia.com<br />

Services: CD/DVD duplications,<br />

videotape duplications, video to DVD<br />

transfers, audio to CD transfers and<br />

more<br />

KANSAS<br />

FAT CAT PRODUCTIONS<br />

142 S. Meridian St.<br />

Valley Center, KS 67147<br />

316-755-1389, 877-326-2285<br />

Web: www.fatcatrocks.com<br />

Services: CD/DVD Duplication<br />

HANDLEY VIDEO PRODUCTIONS<br />

Wichita, KS 67203<br />

316-558-5313<br />

E-mail: judy@judyhandley.com<br />

Web: www.judyhandley.com<br />

Services: duplication services from<br />

many professional and consumer<br />

formats to DVD/CD/VHS<br />

WICHITA VIDEO WORKS<br />

1510 W. Douglas<br />

Wichita, KS 67203<br />

316-558-5313<br />

E-mail: info@wichitavideoworks.com<br />

Web: www.wichitavideoworks.com<br />

Services: duplication services from<br />

many professional and consumer<br />

formats to DVD/CD/VHS<br />

KENTUCKY<br />

ADVANCED VIDEO SERVICES<br />

1110 N. Broadway<br />

Lexington, KY 40505<br />

859-255-1975<br />

E-mail: avs@insightbb.com<br />

Web: www.advancedvideoservices.net<br />

Services: CD/DVD duplication, design<br />

& packaging<br />

JTO ENTERPRISES<br />

3673 Winthrop Dr.<br />

Lexington, KY 40514<br />

859-327-5894<br />

E-mail: tandy@jtoenterprises.com<br />

Web: www.jtoenterprises.com<br />

Contact: Tandy Owen<br />

Services: one-stop-shop for all your<br />

CD and DVD manufacturing, packaging<br />

and fulfillment needs<br />

LOUISIANA<br />

FAST FORWARD MULTIMEDIA, INC<br />

1428 S. Hugh Wallis Rd.<br />

Lafayette, LA 70508<br />

337-262-0401 877-497-7299<br />

E-mail: ffmultimedia@aol.com<br />

Web: www.fastforwardmm.com<br />

Services: CD/DVD duplication<br />

MAINE<br />

KLARITY MULTIMEDIA<br />

36 Maple St.<br />

P.O.Box 160<br />

North Vassalboro, ME 04962<br />

888-387-8273, 207-873-3911<br />

E-mail: terac@klarity.com<br />

Web: www.klarity.com<br />

Services: all related services<br />

MARYLAND<br />

BLUE HOUSE PRODUCTIONS<br />

2201 Westview Dr.<br />

Silver Spring, MD 20910<br />

301-589-1001<br />

E-mail: info@bluehouse<br />

productions.com<br />

Web: www.bluehouseproductions.com<br />

Services: CD/DVD duplication<br />

MORPHIUSDISC MANUFACTURING<br />

100 E. 23rd St.<br />

Baltimore, MD 21218<br />

410-662-0112 Fax 410-662-0116<br />

E-mail: info@morphius.com<br />

Web: www.morphius.com<br />

Services: CD, CD-ROM, DVD, Bluray,<br />

vinyl, shaped CD/CD-Rom/vinyl,<br />

cassette, picture vinyl replication, insert<br />

printing, sticker printing, packaging,<br />

graphic design, digital download<br />

and physical distribution, fulfillment,<br />

inventory management<br />

VIDEO LABS<br />

15237 Display Ct.<br />

Rockville, MD 20850<br />

800-800-8240, 301-217-0000<br />

E-mail: sales@videolabs.net<br />

Web: www.videolabs.net<br />

MASSACHUSETTS<br />

CD SONIC<br />

273 Commonwealth Ave.<br />

Boston, MA 02116<br />

888-CD-SONIC, 888-237-6642 ext. 201<br />

Contact: Jules Seabra, VP/Sales<br />

E-mail: julesseabra@cdsonic.com<br />

Web: www.cdsonic.com<br />

Services: CD-Audio and CD ROM<br />

replication, DVD replication, VHS<br />

duplication, printing and packaging<br />

CD WORKS<br />

93 Park St.<br />

Beverly, MA 01915<br />

800-239-6757 or 978-922-4990<br />

E-mail: info@cdworks.com<br />

Web: www.cdworks.com<br />

Services: state of the art CD and DVD<br />

duplication and replication services<br />

ECLIPSE VIDEO SERVICES<br />

2400 Massachusetts Ave.<br />

Cambridge, MA 02140<br />

800-345-6024 or 617-491-1714<br />

Fax 617-661-1543<br />

E-mail: info@eclipsevid.com<br />

Web: www.eclipsevid.com<br />

Services: CD/DVD duplication<br />

MICHIGAN<br />

DUPLICATORS.NET<br />

30450 Ryan Rd.<br />

Warren, MI 48092<br />

586-573-4444, 888-795-1531<br />

E-mail: sales@duplicators.net<br />

Web: www.duplicators.net<br />

Services: CD/DVD duplication &<br />

replication, design & printing<br />

NOBUCKS DOT NET<br />

790 Oxford Rd.<br />

Oxford, MI 48371<br />

877-NOBUCKS<br />

E-mail: cd@cdupe.com<br />

Web: www.CDupe.com<br />

Services: CD/DVD duplication,<br />

VHS to DVD Kits, short runs are no<br />

problem<br />

VOLK VIDEO SERVICES<br />

Woodward & 16 mile Area<br />

Birmingham, MI 48009<br />

866-752-9422 or 248-203-9801<br />

E-mail: info@volkvideo.com<br />

Web: www.volkvideo.com<br />

Services: CD/DVD duplication &<br />

transfer<br />

MINNESOTA<br />

AEGIS VIDEO<br />

7930 Wyoming Ave.<br />

Minneapolis, MN 55438<br />

952-941-1002<br />

Web: www.aegisvideo.com<br />

Services: VHS/DVD/CD duplication &<br />

replication, home video to DVD<br />

ALLIED VAUGHN<br />

7600 Parklawn, Ste. 300<br />

Minneapolis, MN 55435<br />

800-323-0281, 952-832-3100<br />

Fax 952-832-3179<br />

E-mail: webmail@alliedvaughn.com<br />

Web: www.alliedvaughn.com<br />

Services: DVD and CD replication/<br />

duplication, authoring, Media on<br />

Demand, VHS duplication, packaging<br />

solutions, graphic design, printing,<br />

inventory mgmt.<br />

*Offices throughout the U.S., see<br />

Website for details<br />

Additional locations:<br />

Chicago<br />

901 Bilter Rd., Ste. 141<br />

Aurora, IL 60502<br />

630-626-0215, 800-759-4087<br />

E-mail: rick.polizzi@alliedvaughn.com<br />

Detroit<br />

11923 Brookfield<br />

Livonia, MI 48150<br />

734-462-5543, 800-462-5543<br />

E-mail: chris.barkoozis@alliled<br />

vaughn.com<br />

Orlando<br />

Orlando, FL 32819<br />

407-491-7737, 800-877-1778<br />

E-mail: richard.skillman@alliedv<br />

aughn.com<br />

COPYCATS MEDIA<br />

712 Ontario Ave. W.<br />

Minneapolis, MN 55403<br />

612-371-8008, 888-698-8008<br />

Fax 612-371-8011<br />

Web: www.copycatsmedia.com<br />

DUPESHOP.COM/DVB MEDIA<br />

8525 Edinbrook Crossing, Ste. 102c<br />

Minneapolis, MN 55443<br />

866-874-8725 or 763-315-4939<br />

E-mail: info@dupeshop.com<br />

Web: www.dupeshop.com<br />

Services: DVD duplication<br />

MEDIAXPRESS<br />

1523 Nicollet Ave. S.<br />

Minneapolis, MN 55403<br />

612-872-8284, 800-879-8273<br />

E-mail: info@mediaxpress.net<br />

Web: www.mediaxpress.net<br />

SOUND 80<br />

222 S. 9th St., Ste. 3600<br />

Minneapolis, MN 55402<br />

612-339-9313<br />

E-mail: info@sound80.com<br />

Web: www.sound80.com<br />

Services: CD/DVD duplication &<br />

transfers<br />

MISSISSIPPI<br />

JASPER EWING & SONS INC<br />

1220 E. Northside Dr., Ste. 370<br />

Jackson, MS 39211<br />

601-981-2178<br />

E-mail: info@jasperewing.com<br />

Web: jasperewing.com<br />

Services: CD & DVD Duplication<br />

MISSOURI<br />

ABOVE & BEYOND PRODUCTIONS<br />

INC<br />

714 Yale Ave.<br />

St. Louis, MO 63119<br />

314-968-3024<br />

E-mail: rick@aboveandbeyond.tv<br />

Web: www.aboveandbeyond.tv<br />

Services: CD/DVD duplication &<br />

transfer<br />

ARCH CD DVD<br />

1600 S Kingshighway Blvd., Ste. 2N<br />

St. Louis, MO 63110<br />

314-865-3341<br />

Web: facebook.com/pages/<br />

ArchCD/95890452152<br />

Services: CD/DVD duplication &<br />

replication<br />

SMITHLEE PRODUCTIONS INC<br />

7420 Manchester Rd.<br />

St. Louis, MO 63143<br />

314-647-3900 877-745-0900<br />

E-mail: sales@smithlee.com<br />

Web: www.smithlee.com<br />

Services: CD/DVD replication and<br />

fulfillment<br />

T2 MEDIA DUPLICATION<br />

1906 Wyandotte<br />

Kansas City, MO 64108<br />

816-471-6554 Fax 816-471-6500<br />

E-mail: contact@t2mediaduplication.tv<br />

Web: www.t2mediaduplication.tv<br />

Services: DVD, CD, replication,<br />

authoring, pressing and packaging<br />

MONTANA<br />

AARDVARK AUDIO-VISUAL<br />

304 Moore Ln.<br />

Billings, MT 59101<br />

877-773-8275, 406-252-6474<br />

E-mail: sales@aardvarkav.com<br />

Web: www.aardvarkav.com<br />

Services: CD/DVD duplication<br />

MR. VIDEO PRODUCTIONS, LLC<br />

1480 Spiritwood<br />

Victor, MT 59875<br />

888-961-4970<br />

E-mail: mrvideo.com@gmail.com<br />

Web: www.mrvideo.com<br />

Services: duplication & transfer<br />

PEAK RECORDING & SOUND INC<br />

PO BOX 1404<br />

Bozeman, MT 59771<br />

406-586-1650<br />

E-mail: info@peakrecording.net<br />

Web: www.peakrecording.net<br />

Services: CD/DVD duplication &<br />

design<br />

NEBRASKA<br />

CREATIVE VISUAL PRODUCTIONS,<br />

INC.<br />

4131 S 89th St.<br />

Omaha, NE 68127<br />

402-592-4410<br />

E-mail: rob@creativevisual.biz<br />

Website: www.creativevisual.biz<br />

62<br />

September 2013<br />

musicconnection.com

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Download at www.musicconnection.com/digital<br />

Services: CD, DVD, Blu-ray, authoring,<br />

replication, duplication, packaging<br />

MEDIA SERVICES<br />

2916 So 132nd St., #268<br />

Omaha, NE 68144<br />

888-891-9091, 402-885-5535<br />

E-mail: tom@mediaomaha.com<br />

Web: www.mediaomaha.com<br />

Services: CD & DVD replication,<br />

printing and packaging<br />

OMAHA TRANS-VIDEO LLC<br />

14925 Industrial Rd.<br />

Omaha, NE 68144<br />

402-894-0105<br />

E-mail: theresa@omahatransvideo.com<br />

Web: www.omahatransvideo.com<br />

Services: CD/DVD or VHS duplication<br />

NEVADA<br />

JETKOR<br />

P.O. Box 33238<br />

Reno, NV 89533<br />

775-846-1185<br />

Contact: Sherri Del Soldato<br />

E-mail: info@jetkor.com<br />

Web: www.jetkor.com<br />

Services: full-color printing, promo<br />

packet development, cover art design,<br />

posters, web design.<br />

ODDS ON DVD & CD REPLICATION<br />

14 Sunset Way, Bldg. B<br />

Henderson, NV 89014<br />

702-318-6001<br />

E-mail: danap@oddsonrecording.com<br />

Web: www.oddsonrecording.com<br />

Services: CD/DVD & HD DVD<br />

replication, short run CD/DVD<br />

duplication, digital & analog CD<br />

mastering, DVD authoring, SSL 9000XL<br />

recording studio including ProTools<br />

HD, graphics, printing, web design and<br />

packaging & fulfillment<br />

NEW HAMPSHIRE<br />

NECD<br />

New England Compact Disc<br />

68 Stile Rd., Ste H<br />

Salem, NH 03079<br />

800-617-3877<br />

E-mail: info@newenglandcd.com<br />

Web: www.newenglandcd.com<br />

Services: CD/DVD duplication &<br />

replication<br />

NEW JERSEY<br />

DISC MAKERS<br />

7905 N. Route 130<br />

Pennsauken, NJ 08110-1402<br />

800-468-9353 or 856-663-9030<br />

Web: www.discmakers.com<br />

Services: CD/DVD manufacturing,<br />

graphic design, printing, download<br />

cards, distribution, packaging,<br />

authoring, mastering, manual &<br />

automated CD & DVD printers, blank<br />

media, distribution, marketing services,<br />

also 12-in vinyl. Providing the industry<br />

standard of excellence for over 50<br />

years.<br />

OASIS CD MANUFACTURING<br />

7905 N. Crescent Blvd.<br />

Delair, NJ 08110<br />

888-296-2747<br />

E-mail: info@oasiscd.com<br />

Web: www.oasiscd.com<br />

Services: CD/DVD manufacturing,<br />

graphic design, printing, eco-packaging,<br />

direct glass cutting (Audiophile)<br />

NEW MEXICO<br />

CINE VIDEO PRODUCTIONS &<br />

DUPLICATION<br />

35 Domingo Rd.<br />

Santa Fe, NM 87508<br />

505-466-6101, 504-466-9347<br />

E-mail: startzman@aol.com<br />

Web: cinevisionproductions.com<br />

Contact: Richard Startzman<br />

Services: all video production needs<br />

KOKOPELE PRODUCTIONS<br />

Santa Fe, NM 87501<br />

505-501-0589<br />

E-mail: kkpele@msn.com<br />

Web: www.kkpele.com<br />

Services: DVD duplication<br />

NEW YORK<br />

1 MORE DVD<br />

888-DVD-9555<br />

E-mail: info@1moredvd.com<br />

Web: www.1moredvd.com<br />

Services: CD/DVD duplication &<br />

replication<br />

A TO Z MEDIA<br />

650 Broadway, 4th fl.<br />

New York, NY 10012<br />

212-260-0237 888-670-0260<br />

E-mail: production@atozmedia.com<br />

Web: www.atozmedia.com<br />

Services: DVD, CD, cassette and CD-<br />

ROM duplication/replication, design,<br />

printing.<br />

C&C DUPLICATORS<br />

220 Knickerbocker Ave.<br />

Bohemia, NY 11716<br />

631-244-0800<br />

E-mail: ccmusic@pb.net<br />

Web: www.candcmusic.com<br />

Services: Cassette and CD duplication,<br />

mastering, design, printing, packaging<br />

DIRECT 2 MARKET SOLUTIONS<br />

1387 Fairport Rd., Ste. 800<br />

Fairport, NY 14450<br />

1-800-229-8067<br />

Web: www.direct2marketsolutions.com<br />

Services: CD/DVD printing and<br />

duplication,<br />

printing, packaging and fulfillment<br />

DISC MAKERS<br />

16 W. 18th St.<br />

New York, NY 10011<br />

800-468-9353<br />

Web: www.discmakers.com<br />

Services: Replication, graphic design,<br />

on-disc printing, packaging, authoring,<br />

recordable media, mastering, master<br />

transfers multimedia authoring, manual<br />

& automated CD & DVD printers, blank<br />

media. Providing the industry standard<br />

of excellence for over 50 years.<br />

DUPLICATION DEPOT INC.<br />

7 Brookstan Rd.<br />

Nesconset, NY 11767<br />

631-752-0608<br />

E-mail: copymydisc@gmail.com<br />

Web: www.duplicationdepot.com<br />

Services: CD/DVD transfers,<br />

duplication<br />

& replication<br />

DVDS 911<br />

1000 N. Division, Ste. 2C<br />

Peekskill, NY 10566<br />

888-DVD-9555<br />

E-mail: info@dvds911.com<br />

Web: www.dvds911.com<br />

Services: DVD and CD Replication and<br />

Duplication<br />

JOE’S PRODUCTION & GRILLE, INC.<br />

P.O. Box 2380<br />

New York, NY 10009<br />

888-563-7474<br />

E-mail: joe@joesgrille.com<br />

Web: www.joesgrille.com<br />

Services: CD manufacturing, indie<br />

distribution, indie radio<br />

LANDSHARK! CD DUPLICATION<br />

& DESIGN, INC.<br />

325 W. 38th St., Ste. 710<br />

New York, NY 10018<br />

212-247-8995 Fax 212-247-8997<br />

E-mail: landsharkcd@gmail.com<br />

Web: www.landsharkcd.com<br />

Services: CD duplication & design<br />

MF DIGITAL<br />

155 Sherwood Ave<br />

Farmingdale, NY 11735<br />

631-249-9393 Fax 631-249-9273<br />

Web: www.mfdigital.com<br />

Services: CD / DVD duplication, DVD /<br />

CD replication, USB duplication<br />

PLAY-IT PRODUCTIONS<br />

259 W. 30th St., 3rd fl.<br />

New York, NY 10001<br />

800-815-3444 or 212-695-6530<br />

E-mail: info@play-itproductions.net<br />

Web: www.play-itproductions.net<br />

Contact: Tony Tyler<br />

Services: complete CD/DVD<br />

manufacturing, printing and packaging,<br />

along with graphic design, mastering,<br />

and DVD authoring<br />

SONY DADC<br />

550 Madison Ave.<br />

New York, NY 10022<br />

212-833-7816 Fax 212-833-5962<br />

Web: www.sonydadc.com<br />

Services: all DVD and CD media<br />

services, printing & packaging<br />

NORTH CAROLINA<br />

STUDIO SOUTH<br />

4912 Old Pineville Rd.<br />

Charlotte, NC 28217<br />

704-525-0296<br />

E-mail: studiosouthvideo@earthlink.net<br />

Web: www.studiosouthmedia.com<br />

Services: CD/DVD duplication &<br />

transfer<br />

TRIANGLE DUPLICATION SERVICES<br />

4913 Professional Court<br />

Raleigh, NC 27675<br />

919-622-0746<br />

Web: www.triangleduplication.com<br />

Services: CD/DVD duplication,<br />

printing. Mini DV 8mm & VHS to DVD<br />

conversions<br />

NORTH DAKOTA<br />

MEDIA PRODUCTIONS<br />

3241 University Dr. S.<br />

Fargo, ND 58104<br />

701-237-6863, 800-480-6863<br />

Web: www.mediaproductions.com<br />

Services: CD/DVD duplication<br />

OHIO<br />

AM TECH VIDEO, INC.<br />

6585 B Smith Rd.<br />

Brook Park, OH 44142<br />

800-262-8723, 216-676-0441<br />

E-mail: tex@atvproductions.com<br />

Web: www.atvproductions.com<br />

Services: CD/DVD duplication<br />

A TO Z AUDIO<br />

9449 Brookpart Rd., Unit C<br />

Parma, Ohio 44129<br />

440-333-0040<br />

E-mail: atozaudio@atozaudio.com<br />

Web: www.atozaudio.com<br />

Services: CD/DVD duplication &<br />

replication, printing<br />

INDIE MERC STORE<br />

3135 Chester Ave.<br />

Cleveland, OH 44114<br />

855-210-1412, 216-622-6399<br />

E-mail: info@indiemerchstore.com<br />

Web: www.indiemerch.com<br />

LITTLE WAREHOUSE, THE<br />

900 Resource Dr., Ste. 8<br />

Brooklyn Heights, OH 44131<br />

800-445-8273 or 216-398-0022<br />

Web: www.thelittlewarehouse.com<br />

Services: CD/DVD duplication<br />

OKLAHOMA<br />

TULSA MEDIA GROUP<br />

Tulsa, OK<br />

918-743-6614 Fax 918-743-6618<br />

E-mail: chris@tulsamediagroup.com<br />

September 2013 musicconnection.com 63

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Annual Directory of Everything Promo<br />

Web: www.tulsamediagroup.com<br />

Services: CD/DVD duplication, design,<br />

printing<br />

OREGON<br />

A TO Z MEDIA<br />

524 E Burnside St., Ste. 230<br />

Portland, OR 97214<br />

503-736-3261<br />

E-mail: info@atozmedia.com<br />

Web: www.atozmedia.com<br />

Services: DVD, CD, cassette and CD-<br />

ROM duplication/replication, design,<br />

printing.<br />

CRAVEDOG CD & DVD<br />

MANUFACTURING<br />

611 N. Tillamook St., Ste. B22<br />

Portland, OR 97227<br />

503-233-7284, 866-469-9820<br />

E-mail: info@cravedog.com<br />

Web: www.cravedog.com<br />

Contact: Michael Fitzgerald<br />

Services: CD, CD-ROM, DVD, CD Biz<br />

Card replication, printing, packaging,<br />

graphic design, promo items & apparel<br />

CRAZY DAISY PRODUCTIONS<br />

7889 S.W. Cirrus Dr.<br />

Beaverton, OR 97008<br />

541-517-1458<br />

E-mail: info@crazymastering.com<br />

Web: www.crazymastering.com<br />

Services: Mixing, Mastering,<br />

Duplication<br />

DUNGEON REPLICATION SERVICES<br />

106 S.E. 11th Ave.<br />

Portland, OR 97214<br />

503-796-0380, 877-777-7276<br />

E-mail: sales@dungeon-replication.<br />

com<br />

Web: www.dungeon-replication.com<br />

Services: CD & DVD replication, vinyl<br />

pressing, mastering, posters, flyers<br />

MEGALODON MANUFACTURING<br />

888-234-2283<br />

E-mail: hello@megalodon.com<br />

Web: www.megalodon.com<br />

PENNSYLVANIA<br />

CINRAM<br />

1400 E. Lackawanna Ave.<br />

Olyphant, PA 18448<br />

570-383-3291<br />

Web: www.cinram.com<br />

Services: CD and DVD replication<br />

in all formats and all related services<br />

including packaging and design<br />

FREEDOM DISC USA<br />

Five Vertical Dr.<br />

Canonsburg, PA 15317<br />

724-745-7646 , 888-638-2997<br />

E-mail: info@freedomdisc.com<br />

Web: www.freedomdisc.com<br />

Services: DVD, Blu-ray and CD<br />

replication and duplication, creative<br />

services, DVD and Blu-ray Authoring,<br />

CD Content development, design,<br />

printing, assembly, fulfillment,<br />

e-commerce solutions, and On Demand<br />

Disc Publishing.<br />

RHODE ISLAND<br />

VISCOUNT STUDIOS<br />

486 Wellington Ave.<br />

Cranston, RI 02910<br />

401-467-9362<br />

E-mail: info@viscountrecords.com<br />

Web: www.viscountrecords.com<br />

Services: CD/DVD duplication, DVD<br />

authoring<br />

SOUTH CAROLINA<br />

GRAND SOUTH MEDIA<br />

Greenville, SC 29680<br />

864-255-9558<br />

Services: CD/DVD duplication, Upload<br />

Music CD, Posters<br />

TENNESSEE<br />

BEAVERWOOD AUDIO VIDEO<br />

133 Walton Ferry Rd.<br />

Hendersonville, TN 37075<br />

615-824-2820, 800-524-1633<br />

E-mail: info@beaverwoodaudio<br />

video.com<br />

Web: www.beaverwoodaudiovideo.com<br />

CINRAM<br />

437 Sanford Road<br />

LaVergne, TN 37086<br />

615-287-3800<br />

E-mail: info@cinram.com<br />

Web: www.cinram.com<br />

Services: packaging, distribution<br />

CRT<br />

7532 Hickory Hills Ct.<br />

White Creek, TN 37189<br />

800-453-2533, 615-876-5490<br />

E-mail: rgill@crtcustomproducts.com<br />

Web: www.crtcustomproducts.com<br />

Services: CD, CD-ROM, DVD<br />

manufacturing, printing, packaging,<br />

fulfillment, mailing service, turned edge<br />

products.<br />

DISC MAKERS<br />

1305 16th Ave. S., 1st fl.<br />

Nashville, TN 37212<br />

800-468-9353, Fax 856-661-3450<br />

Web: www.discmakers.com<br />

Services: CD/DVD manufacturing,<br />

graphic design, printing, packaging,<br />

authoring, mastering, manual &<br />

automated CD & DVD printers, blank<br />

media. Providing the industry standard<br />

of excellence for over 60 years.<br />

EARMARK DIGITAL<br />

917 8th Ave. S.<br />

Nashville, TN 37203<br />

615-782-2030, 888-777-7172<br />

E-mail: info@earmarkdigital.com<br />

Web: www.earmarkdigital.com<br />

NASHVILLE TAPE & MEDIA SUPPLY<br />

1201 Villa Place, Ste. 106<br />

Nashville, TN 37212<br />

615-254-8178, 800-591-4804<br />

Web: www.ntspromedia.com<br />

NATIONAL MEDIA GROUP<br />

A World Media Group Company<br />

1302-B Division St.<br />

Nashville, TN<br />

800-874-4174<br />

Contact: Todd Kirk<br />

E-mail: Todd@worldmediagroup.com<br />

Web: www.worldmediagroup.com<br />

Services: CDR, DVDR duplication,<br />

CD, DVD replication, USB Drives,<br />

graphic design, packaging, fulfillment<br />

and warehousing.<br />

NEW LIFE DIGITAL MEDIA<br />

1233 Northgate Business Pkwy.<br />

Madison, TN 37115<br />

615-868-1179<br />

E-mail: info@newlifedigitalmedia.com<br />

Web: www.newlifedigitalmedia.com<br />

Services: CD, DVD Replication and<br />

Duplication (Nashville’s only in-house<br />

replicators), short run services, print,<br />

packaging, fulfillment, mastering<br />

SWIFT MUSIC GROUP INC.<br />

4117 Edwards Ave.<br />

Nashville, TN 37216<br />

615-650-0928<br />

E-mail: info@swiftmusicgroup.com<br />

Web: www.swiftmusicgroup.com<br />

WE MAKE TAPES, CD’S & VIDEOS<br />

118 16th Ave. S.<br />

Nashville, TN 37203<br />

615-244-4236, 888-271-3472<br />

E-mail: csr@wemaketapes.com<br />

Web: www.wemaketapes.com<br />

WTS DUPLICATION<br />

2841 Hickory Valley Rd.<br />

Chattanooga,TN 37421<br />

800-591-4837, 423-894-9427<br />

E-mail: sales@wtsmedia.com<br />

Web: www.wtsduplication.com<br />

Services: CD and DVD replication and<br />

duplication<br />

TEXAS<br />

ARCUBE<br />

959 E. Collins Blvd., Ste. 123<br />

Richardson, TX 75081<br />

877-677-9582, 972-267-1800<br />

E-mail: sales@arcube.com<br />

Web: www.arcube.com<br />

Additional locations:<br />

Houston, TX<br />

832-573-9444<br />

Austin, TX<br />

877-677-9582<br />

BLUEBONNET MEDIA GROUP, INC<br />

2605 Alexa Ct.<br />

Plano, TX 75075<br />

972-985-9304, 214-803-9920<br />

E-mail: info@bluebonnetmedia<br />

group.com<br />

Web: www.bluebonnetmediagroup.com<br />

Services: CD/DVD, Video production<br />

CINRAM<br />

5300 Westport Pkwy.<br />

Fort Worth, TX 76177<br />

817-490-7300, 817-490-7456<br />

E-mail: info@cinram.com<br />

Web: www.cinram.com<br />

Services: Wireless Packaging,<br />

Distribution, Demand Printing<br />

CROWN CD DUPLICATION<br />

3636 S. Alameda St., Ste. B-209<br />

Corpus Christi, TX 78411<br />

888-460-0045, 361-882-8881<br />

Web: www.crowncd.com<br />

Contact: Joseph Metz<br />

Services: manufacturing audio CDs,<br />

also can handle any type of data<br />

recording needs, from recording artists<br />

to businesses that have to duplicate<br />

information on a CD or DVD format. We<br />

even convert videocassettes to DVDs<br />

CRYSTAL CLEAR DISC<br />

PROMO & APPAREL<br />

10451 Markison Rd.<br />

Dallas, TX 75238<br />

800-880-0073<br />

E-mail: jim@crystalclearcds.com<br />

Web: www.crystalclearcds.com<br />

Services: CD, CD-ROM, Cassette,<br />

DVD replication, printing, packaging,<br />

mastering, graphic design, fulfillment,<br />

promo items<br />

HOUSTON CD FACTORY<br />

9135 Katy Fwy., Ste. 204<br />

Houston, TX 77024<br />

713-526-6874 Fax 713-526-2221<br />

E-mail: info@aroundhouston.com<br />

Web: www.houstoncdfactory.com<br />

Services: CD and DVD production,<br />

duplication and replication, CD and<br />

DVD graphic design and packaging.<br />

NATIONWIDE DISC<br />

7370 Dogwood Park<br />

Richland Hills, TX 76118<br />

1-866-704-3579, 817-885-8855<br />

E-mail: information@nationwidedisc.com<br />

Web: www.nationwidedisc.com<br />

REPLICOPY<br />

2101 Midway Rd., Ste. 200<br />

Carrollton, TX 75006<br />

972-702-8388<br />

Web: www.replicopy.com<br />

Services: CD/DVD duplication &<br />

replication<br />

UTAH<br />

DIGITAL WORKS INC.<br />

3487 W. 2100 S., Ste. 50<br />

Salt Lake City, UT 84119<br />

888 302-7665, 801-886-2200<br />

E-mail: info@digitalworks-inc.com<br />

Web: www.digitalworks-inc.com<br />

Services: CD/DVD replication, printing<br />

& packaging<br />

HIT TRACKS STUDIOS / VEGAS DISC<br />

Tom Parham<br />

128 W. 400 N.<br />

Cedar, City, UT 84721<br />

702-481-1663, 800-246-5667<br />

E-mail: sales@vegasdisc.com<br />

Web: www.lasvegasmastering.com,<br />

www.hittrackstudios.com,<br />

www.vegasdisc.com<br />

Contact: Tom Parham<br />

Services: Custom CD/DVD duplication<br />

and replication, Blu-ray replication<br />

& USB duplication, Full color offset<br />

printing and packaging. Multi-track<br />

recording, CD Mastering & DVD<br />

authoring services. Duplication & Pro<br />

audio equipment sales. Replication<br />

equipment by Singulus, Guann Yinn,<br />

Heino and Gima with and 10 million per<br />

month capacity. Studio and Mastering<br />

equipment include, SSL, NEVE, API,<br />

MANLEY, HDCD, Sonic Solutions , Pro-<br />

Tools & Final Cut Pro<br />

LARSEN DIGITAL SERVICES<br />

1144 W. 2700 N.<br />

Pleasant View, UT 84404<br />

800-776-8357, 801-782-5155<br />

E-mail: info@larsendigital.com<br />

Web: www.larsendigital.com<br />

Services: CD/DVD duplication &<br />

replication<br />

MEDIAFAST<br />

3487 W. 2100 S.<br />

Salt Lake City, UT 84119<br />

888-756-8890<br />

Web: www.mediafast.net<br />

Services: CD, DVD, Blu-Ray<br />

duplication, replication, authoring,<br />

testing and complete packaging<br />

solutions<br />

VERMONT<br />

VERMONT DUPLICATION<br />

802-734-8836<br />

Hinesburg, VT<br />

E-mail: info@vermontduplication.com<br />

Web: www.vermontduplication.com<br />

Services: CD/DVD duplication<br />

VIDEOSYNCRACIES INC<br />

180 Flynn Ave.<br />

Green House Building<br />

Burlington, VT 05401<br />

802-861-6161, 800-559-0000<br />

E-mail: paul@vidsync.com<br />

Web: www.vidsync.com<br />

Services: DVD & CD duplication, from<br />

1 to 1000 FAST with awesome on-disc<br />

label printing. DVD & CD Replication,<br />

as few as 500 factory pressed. DVD<br />

authoring full service video production<br />

and editing video transfer to DVD.<br />

VIRGINIA<br />

DATADISC, INC.<br />

1289 Progress Dr.<br />

Front Royal, VA 22630<br />

800-328-2347 ext. 1, 540-622-5580<br />

Fax 540-622-5591<br />

E-mail: infonow1@datadisc.com<br />

Web: www.datadisc.com<br />

Services: CD replication and<br />

duplication services, any quantity.<br />

CD-Audio packages, screen printing,<br />

ExpressDisc.<br />

FURNACE MFG MEDIA<br />

DUPLICATION SOLUTIONS<br />

2719-B Dorr Ave.<br />

Fairfax, VA 22031<br />

888-599-9883, 703-205-0007<br />

E-mail: sales@furnacemfg.com<br />

Web: www.furnacemfg.com<br />

Services: CD & DVD duplication<br />

and replication, print, packaging,<br />

design and fulfillment. Audiophile vinyl<br />

manufacturing, print, and packaging.<br />

Premium Optical Disc manufacturing<br />

CD, DVD, CD-R, DVD-R, pre-press,<br />

packaging, DVD & Enhanced, CD<br />

authoring. USB drive branding and<br />

loading. iPod loading.<br />

OASIS DISC MANUFACTURING<br />

5400 Carolina Pl.<br />

Springfield, VA<br />

in the Bias Recording/Airshow<br />

64<br />

September 2013<br />

musicconnection.com

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Download at www.musicconnection.com/digital<br />

Mastering Building<br />

703-642-3757, 888-296-2747<br />

E-mail: info@oasiscd.com<br />

Web: oasiscd.com<br />

TRIPLE DISC MEDIA AND CD/DVD<br />

DUPLICATION<br />

11827 Main St.<br />

Fredericksburg, VA 22408<br />

800-414-7564<br />

E-mail: sales@tripledisc.com<br />

Web: www.tripledisc.com<br />

WASHINGTON<br />

DISC MAKERS<br />

16300 Christensen Rd., Ste. 310<br />

Tukwila, WA 98188<br />

800-468-9353<br />

Web: www.discmakers.com<br />

Services: replication, mastering, DVD<br />

authoring, short-run CD duplication,<br />

pack-aging, on-disc Printing, CD/DVD<br />

printers, blank CD/DVD. Providing the<br />

industry standard of excellence for over<br />

50 years.<br />

REALTIME<br />

A Duplication Corporation<br />

9594 First Ave. N.E., Ste. 350<br />

Seattle, WA 98115-2028<br />

206-523-8050 Fax 206-524-0711<br />

E-mail: pip@realtimepip.com<br />

Web: www.realtimepip.com<br />

Services: CD/DVD duplication &<br />

replication, design<br />

WEST VIRGINIA<br />

HOME VIDEO STUDIO OF<br />

WEST VIRGINIA<br />

1041 Bridge Rd.<br />

Charleston, WV 25314<br />

877-307-0888, 304-307-0888<br />

E-mail: sabe.e@gmail.com<br />

Web: www.dvdwv.com<br />

Services: video duplication, 8mm to<br />

DVD, video editing, VHS to DVD & DVD<br />

transfer<br />

TELVIDEO & AUDIO PRODUCTIONS<br />

231 Heritage Dr.<br />

Huntington, WV 25704<br />

304-529-4480, 304-417-4480<br />

E-mail: telvideo1@netzero.net<br />

Web: www.telvideo-audio.com<br />

Services: audio/video transfers<br />

WISCONSIN<br />

A TO Z MEDIA<br />

338 N. Milwaukee St., Ste. 406<br />

Milwaukee, WI 53202<br />

414-289-0982<br />

E-mail: info@atozmedia.com<br />

Web: www.atozmedia.com<br />

Services: DVD, CD, cassette and CD-<br />

ROM duplication/replication, design,<br />

printing<br />

ALT-PAK.COM<br />

9445 Indianapolis Blvd., Ste. J<br />

Highland, Indiana 46322<br />

877-283-9763<br />

Web: www.alt-pak.com<br />

Services: Alternative Disc packing of<br />

wallets, jackets and digipacks<br />

VIP DUBS<br />

4401-B Femrite Dr.<br />

Madison WI, 53716<br />

800-952-1416 or 608-222-8818<br />

Fax 608-222-3348<br />

E-mail: sales@vipdubs.com<br />

Web: www.vipdubs.com<br />

Services: CD/DVD duplication &<br />

replication<br />

WYOMING<br />

BALL ADVERTISING GROUP, INC.<br />

355 N. Lincoln St.<br />

Casper, WY 82601<br />

307-234-3472<br />

E-Mail: ken@balladv.com<br />

Web: www.balladv.com<br />

Services: digital editing<br />

INTEGRATED IMAGING<br />

1743 E. 2nd St.<br />

Casper, WY 82601<br />

800-780-3805, 307-266-3805<br />

E-mail: info@iilabs.com<br />

Web: www.iilabs.com<br />

Services: video & audio duplication<br />

CANADA & MEXICO<br />

CINRAM<br />

2255 Markham Rd.<br />

Toronto, Ontario M1B 2W3<br />

416-298-8190<br />

Web: www.cinram.com<br />

Services: CD and DVD replication<br />

in all formats and all related services<br />

including packaging and design<br />

DUPLIUM<br />

Canadian Headquarters:<br />

35 Minthorn Blvd.<br />

Thornhill, ON Canada L3T 7N5<br />

905-709-9930, 1-800-819-0701<br />

E-mail: infocanada@duplium.com<br />

Web: www.duplium.com<br />

HEALEY TMS INC.<br />

1-120 WalgreenRd. RR#3<br />

Ottawa, ON, Canada K0A 1L0<br />

613-836-6010<br />

E-mail: info@healeymusic.com<br />

Web: www.healeytms.com<br />

Services: CD/DVD duplication,<br />

graphics, multi-media, digital printing,<br />

packaging, audio mastering<br />

MICROFORUM<br />

1 Woodborough Ave.<br />

Toronto, ON, Canada M6M5A1<br />

416-654-8008, 1-800-465-2323<br />

Web: www.microforum.ca<br />

Services: CD & DVD replication and<br />

digital download cards, prints & USB<br />

MUSIC MANUFACTURING SERVICES<br />

636 King St. W.<br />

Toronto, ON M5V 1M7<br />

416-364-1943, 800-667-4237<br />

E-mail: dave@music<br />

manufacturing.com<br />

Web: www.musicmanufacturing.com<br />

Services: Quality CD & DVD<br />

Manufacturing, short run, graphic<br />

design, mastering, digital download<br />

cards, eco-packaging, posters, DMDS<br />

radio servicing<br />

Additional locations:<br />

MMS Disques et DVD<br />

6750 Ave. de l’Esplanade Ste. 325<br />

Montreal, QC H2V 4M1<br />

514-935-0410, 888-838-7129<br />

E-mail: mike@mmsdisquesetdvd.com<br />

Web: www.mmsdisquesetdvd.com<br />

MMS Atlantic Disc and DVD<br />

118 George St.<br />

St. John’s NL A1C 1M8<br />

709-579-6001, 877-579-6001<br />

E-mail: robert@music<br />

manufacturing.com<br />

Web: www.mmsdirect.com<br />

SONY DADC<br />

Norelco Drive/Courtney Park<br />

Toronto, Ontario, Canada<br />

416-3917-970<br />

Web: sonydadc.com<br />

Services: all DVD and CD media<br />

services, printing & packaging<br />

SONY MUSIC ENT. MEXICO<br />

Henry Ford No. 3<br />

Fracc. Industrial San Nicholas<br />

C.P. 54030 Tlalnepantla<br />

Edo. De Mexico<br />

52 5 55 3213 600<br />

Web: sdm.sony.com<br />

Services: all DVD and CD media<br />

services, printing & packaging<br />

PROMO SITES<br />

BANDCAMP<br />

Web: http://www.bandcamp.com<br />

Notes: promote music, all genres<br />

BANDS IN TOWN<br />

Web: http://www.bandsintown.com<br />

Notes: shows<br />

BAND VISTA<br />

Web: http://www.bandvista.com<br />

Notes: band website creation<br />

BANDZOOGLE<br />

Web: http://www.bandzoogle.com<br />

Notes: band website creation<br />

BOMBPLATES<br />

Web: http://www.bombplates.com<br />

Notes: band website creation<br />

BUTTERFLIES RADIO<br />

Web: http://www.butterfliesradio.com<br />

Notes: indie music internet radio, music<br />

submission opps.<br />

DATPIFF<br />

Web: http://www.datpiff.com<br />

Notes: music promo, hip-hop mixtapes,<br />

R&B<br />

DJ BOOTH<br />

Web: http://www.djbooth.net<br />

Notes: hip-hop promo, music reviews<br />

EVENTFUL<br />

Web: http://www.eventful.com<br />

Notes: shows<br />

FOUR FOUR<br />

Web: http://www.fourfour.com<br />

Notes: band website creation<br />

HIP HOP CONCERTS<br />

Web: http://www.hiphopconcerts.com<br />

Notes: #1 site listed on Google.com<br />

for hip-hop concert information. Submit<br />

your concert/tour dates nationwide.<br />

HOMEGROWN HITS<br />

Web: http://www.homegrownhits.com<br />

Notes: Billboard-like chart for indie<br />

artists, all genres, competition<br />

INDIE ARTIST RADIO<br />

Web: http://www.indieartistradio.net<br />

Notes: music promo<br />

INDIE ON THE MOVE<br />

Web: http://www.indieonthemove.com<br />

Notes: Venue reviews<br />

MERCH DIRECT<br />

Web: http://www.merchdirect.com<br />

Notes: merch<br />

MOSHKING<br />

Web: http://www.moshking.com<br />

Notes: shows, SoCal metal<br />

NIMBIT<br />

Web: http://www.nimbit.com<br />

Notes: show, music, merch promo<br />

PUREVOLUME<br />

Web: http://www.purevolume.com<br />

Notes: music promo<br />

REVERBNATION<br />

Web: http://www.reverbnation.com<br />

Notes: music promo<br />

SECTION 101<br />

Web: http://www.section101.com<br />

Notes: website creation<br />

SMART PUNK<br />

Web: http://www.smartpunk.com<br />

Notes: merch sales, blog, reviews, etc.<br />

SONGKICK<br />

Web: http://www.songkick.com<br />

Notes: shows<br />

September 2013 musicconnection.com 65

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66 September 2013<br />

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For Advertising Info Call 818-995-0101 MARKETPLACE<br />

musicconnection.com September 2013<br />

67

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68 September 2013 musicconnection.com

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musicconnection.com September 2013<br />

69

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– ARI HERSTAND<br />

T<br />

Your Album Release Show:<br />

Make It An EVENT!<br />

he night of your album release show should be the biggest night of<br />

your career to date. If you’ve done your job right, the show will be<br />

packed if not completely sold out. The reason more people come to<br />

album release concerts over your Wednesday night four-band bill show is<br />

because it’s an event––and should be hyped up as one. Having a packed<br />

club with people there actually to see YOU is something that won’t happen<br />

very often early on, so you have to be sure you go about this right.<br />

1. Look the Part<br />

This is the revamp of your band and your image. It is the new beginning<br />

of what this new album represents. All the work you put into the production<br />

of this album should be represented on how you present the entire<br />

evening: beginning with how you look. Ladies typically understand the importance<br />

of caring about how they look on stage, but dudes generally do<br />

not, for some reason.<br />

So this goes out to<br />

the dudes especially:<br />

dress UP. You don’t<br />

need to dress up like<br />

you’re going to a wedding<br />

or fancy dinner,<br />

but dress UP from<br />

what you normally<br />

wear or perform in.<br />

Maybe coordinate a<br />

hot look with all the<br />

members of the band<br />

or get new hairdos.<br />

Just make sure you<br />

look like you belong<br />

on that stage.<br />

2. Pimp out the<br />

Venue<br />

Pick a venue for this<br />

show that will allow<br />

you to take some<br />

liberties in a redesign<br />

for the night. Nothing<br />

drastic, by any<br />

means, but maybe<br />

set up a photo booth<br />

(with costume accessories<br />

available<br />

of course!) with a<br />

full backdrop of your album cover and have a friend of yours promote<br />

his photography business by taking photos for free that night and have<br />

her stamp each photo with her logo. Then upload these photos to your<br />

Facebook page and tell everyone to go find the photos there and tag<br />

themselves. (You’ll get more Likes too!)<br />

Hang the show’s posters all around the venue in a classy fashion. This<br />

is YOUR venue for the night and it’s YOUR show. Make it feel that way<br />

from the moment people step into the place. Maybe even have a greeter<br />

at the door handing out mini Altoids tins wrapped with a string that has<br />

the album name on it.<br />

3. The Show Poster<br />

The show poster shouldn’t be a boring 11 x 17 poster with the album<br />

cover on it and white space at the bottom where you hand write “CD<br />

Release Show” with the details. This CD release poster should be artistic,<br />

eye catching––something you can sell screen prints of at the merch table.<br />

4. Revamp Your Merch<br />

The majority of the people at this show have most likely seen you perform<br />

before. If you’re like most local bands, you have performed a million<br />

times around town over the past couple years, and of these million shows<br />

you had a handful of people at each (who then felt they didn’t need to<br />

make an effort to come out again because you play all the damn time<br />

and they’ll “catch the next one”). Chances are, they will recall the merch<br />

display you used and the T-shirt designs you had at that time. Revamp<br />

everything this night. You should order all new merch that represents the<br />

new album. Build a new merch display and make it BRIGHT and put it in<br />

a very prominent area of the club. Make sure you have sellers there from<br />

the moment the doors open to the moment everyone leaves.<br />

5. Up-Sell!<br />

You will sell the most amount of merchandise at this show, so be<br />

prepared for that. Push the merch from the stage and talk about unique<br />

merch items you have for that night only (limited screen prints of the<br />

poster/album cover,<br />

customized chocolate<br />

bars, thongs, whatever).<br />

Announcing<br />

the cool merch items<br />

from the stage will<br />

drastically increase<br />

sales. And remember,<br />

people spend $5 on<br />

coffee and $7 on a<br />

Jack & Coke every<br />

day. Don’t be afraid to<br />

This is YOUR venue for the night<br />

and it’s YOUR show. Make it<br />

feel that way from the moment<br />

people step into the place.<br />

sell them seemingly<br />

frivolous, impermanent<br />

items (like<br />

branded chocolate for<br />

$3). They are there for<br />

the experience and<br />

buying shit is part of<br />

the experience. Give<br />

them stuff to buy!<br />

6. Give Away Merch<br />

One fun way to get<br />

everyone to know<br />

what you have for<br />

sale at the merch<br />

table is to showcase<br />

it in front of them<br />

by giving it away<br />

throughout the show.<br />

Don’t throw it off the stage and invite a wrestling match––host a raffle with<br />

door prizes. To promote advance ticket sales, let everyone know that if<br />

they buy tickets in advance they will be thrown into the raffle for special<br />

merch items only available at the show. Run Facebook, Twitter, YouTube<br />

and Instagram contests to promote the show and everyone who participates<br />

gets thrown into the raffle as well. Then on stage, through the mic,<br />

call out the winners and have them come up to the stage to claim it and<br />

show off what they won.<br />

7. Make it Memorable<br />

Make sure everyone walks away from this show buzzing about the<br />

experience. You want them to talk about it to their friends for weeks. You<br />

want this show to stand out among the hundreds of local shows by other<br />

artists. The more buzz you have from the release, the more people will<br />

go on iTunes and Spotify and<br />

check out the new album. Putting<br />

on a great concert is one<br />

thing, making the entire evening<br />

an experience is what makes it<br />

truly memorable.<br />

ARI HERSTAND is a full-time DIY musician who<br />

has played over 550 shows in 40 states. He has<br />

had songs featured on multiple TV shows and<br />

has opened for Ben Folds, Cake, Matt Nathanson,<br />

Joshua Radin and others. Herstand runs<br />

the independent music business advice blog,<br />

Ari’s Take, at http://aristake.com.<br />

70<br />

September 2013<br />

musicconnection.com

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