Kiss slam the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame

Found this story earlier. Good for you Paul Stanley for saying the things about the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame that many of us have thought since it's inception.

Reported at Classic Rock Magazine -

"My feelings and my ambivalence about the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame hasn’t changed any. Their attitude is elitist and it doesn’t reflect the public. It reflects a small group who dictate who meets the criteria that they set up as ‘rock and roll’. I’ve always felt the spirit of rock and roll meant not only ignoring your critics, but ignoring your peers and going your own way. I think we’ve done that pretty much with few exceptions for forty years. So that same criteria that kept us out has not gotten us in. I scratch my head a little and I also take issue with a certain arrogance within that group. Nonetheless I look at some of the inductees and any club that has Jimmy Page, Eric Clapton and The Who and the Beatles and the Stones is company I don’t mind being in and my feelings have nothing to do with any of them, it purely has to do with a system which I think is tainted, corrupted and distorted."

Here is the whole story.

Hit tip to Tom Saunders and Eric McKenna, my FB friends.

Musicians: Work Like a Pro to Become a Pro Part I

From Reverbnation blog -

Structure and organization is exactly the foundation that’s necessary to allow talented musicians to succeed though. So as an artist manager, the first thing I do when working with a new artists, is lay down that foundation that allows professional work. Because if you work professionally, everything goes smoother and more efficient, increasing your odds at making it big. In this four-part-series I have laid out simple steps and tips that you can use to streamline your operations and get you working on a professional level. Whether you’re a producer, solo guitar player or five man band, there’s practical information in here for all of you.

Click HERE to read this. Be sure to check Reverbnation blog for the rest of this series as it becomes available.

Busting Myths about The Music Industry

Another great article by Heather McDonald featured at About.com -

"Welcome to the music industry! Fake it until you make it! The internet means that anyone can do this! By the way, everyone is out to steal all of your rights! Ahem. Or not so much. You see, there are a lot of misconceptions about the music industry out there. There is even a good chance that some well-meaning friends or family members have passed a few of these nuggets of wisdom on to you when they learned about your music business ambitions."

Read more of this article HERE.

As CBS marks the 50th anniversary of the Beatles on 'The Ed Sullivan Show,' a reminder of where they came from

At NY Daily News -

"The fact that CBS is throwing a 50th anniversary party Sunday for the Beatles, commemorating their first appearance on “The Ed Sullivan Show,” underscores one of the Fab Four’s greatest gifts to contemporary popular culture. They showed the entertainment industry how to think big, how to market this heretofore slightly disreputable and embarrassing animal called “rock ’n’ roll.”"

Read this story HERE.

Change Up Your Song Structure To Keep Things Fresh

From The Recording Revolution -

"Never Leave The Bridge If you have a song that’s doing its normal verse and chorus thing, one option to change it up is to simply get to the bridge and stay there. Don’t think of the bridge section as a momentary change, only to come back into the hook or the chorus. But rather the bridge is the next chapter in the song and the outro. Once you get there, you never leave. In fact, I’ve taken this approach with one of my new songs. It has a simple verse, chorus, verse, chorus that builds into (hopefully) an epic bridge. And really the bridge is the release, from all the tension prior. Lyrically it’s what sums up everything else I’ve sung before. It’s the apex of the song, the climax. So I hang there and end there. No need to come back."

Read this insightful article HERE.

Today In Music History - February 6

From This Day In Music -

"1998, American singer and guitarist Carl Wilson from The Beach Boys died aged 51 after a long battle with lung cancer, (Wilson was diagnosed with brain and lung cancer in early 1997). He sang lead vocal on 'God Only Knows', 'Good Vibrations,' and 'I Can Hear Music.' Wilson sang backing vocals on Elton John's 'Don't Let The Sun Go Down On Me.'"

Read more about what happened on this day.

Managing Your Band

From About.com

"It would be nice if being in a band was all about making music - and it can be, as long as you never want anyone to hear what you're playing. However, if you want to get out there and show off your skills, there is a business side of making music that you'll eventually need to tend to. As things progress in your music career, that side will likely become too much to carry, and you'll want a real, life artist manager on the case. Before then, you'll need to get the job done on your own."

HERE is the rest of this great post.

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Intro to music licenses

At Disc Makers blog -

"Music Licensing can be quite confusing, and while there are different types of licenses, I’d like to focus the three I feel are most vital to us as composers, producers, and artists: blanket license, sync license, and master license. Terms to pay attention to throughout this post: Licensee – person/client in need of music or who work is licensed to. Licensor – creator, rights holder of the music/work. Tracks – music, cues, composition, material."

Read this informative essay by clicking HERE.

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Today In Music History - Feb 4

From The Day In Music -

"1966, Bob Dylan and The Band played at the Convention Center in Louisville, Kentucky. This was the first date on a world tour which would become noted as Dylan's first that used electric instruments, after he had �gone electric� at the 1965 Newport Folk Festival."

Read other events marked on this date HERE.

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WMG's ADA Expands Artist & Label Services Team

Shared at Hypebot.com

"ADA, the indie label distribution and services arm of Warner Music Group (WMG), is expanding its artist & label services team. Brandon Squar has been promoted to SVP Digital Strategy and Revenue and Tatia Adams Fox has been named SVP Marketing, ADA. Both are based in New York. Squar previously served as Vice President, Digital Sales & Marketing, ADA. A 17-year music industry veteran, Squar has held various roles—with an emphasis on digital strategy, strategic marketing and sales—at companies including Universal Music Group, Island Def Jam Records, Live Nation, and Warner Music Group."

 Read complete story HERE.

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February 3rd: On this Day

From This Day In Music -

"1959, 22 year old Buddy Holly, The Big Bopper and Ritchie Valens, aged 17, died in a crash shortly after take-off from Clear Lake, Iowa, the pilot of the single-engined Beechcraft Bonanza plane was also killed. Holly hired the plane after heating problems developed on his tour bus. All three were travelling to Fargo, North Dakota, for the next show on their Winter Dance Party Tour which Holly had set - covering 24 cities in three weeks, to make money after the break-up of his band, The Crickets, last year."

Read MORE.

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Gibson Commemorates Fed Raid with Government Series II Les Paul

From Reason -

"Two years after Gibson factories in Tennessee were raided by government agents, the venerable guitar manufacturer has released a special Government Series II Les Paul. As the press release explains:

Great Gibson electric guitars have long been a means of fighting the establishment, so when the powers that be confiscated stocks of tonewoods from the Gibson factory in Nashville—only to return them once there was a resolution and the investigation ended—it was an event worth celebrating. Introducing the Government Series II Les Paul, a striking new guitar from Gibson USA for 2014 that suitably marks this infamous time in Gibson’s history. ...Each Government Series II Les Paul also includes a genuine piece of Gibson USA history in its solid rosewood fingerboard, which is made from wood returned to Gibson by the US government after the resolution."

The entire report can be found HERE.

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Anna Gordy Gaye, Marvin Gaye's ex-wife, dies at 92

At the Detroit News -

"Detroit — Anna Gordy Gaye, who was married to musical great Marvin Gaye and whose brother founded Motown Records, has died. A statement released by the family says Gordy Gaye died at her Los Angeles home Friday while surrounded by family, including her son, Marvin Gaye III. She was 92. Her brother, Berry Gordy, founded Motown Records in Detroit in 1959. He named one label subsidiary after his sister."

Read this story HERE.

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