The People Want The Music For Free

Another post here about the record companies and their losses and how the people want the music for free!I do feel somewhat for the record companies,but more so for the artist/writers,singers and musicians.it is those that get cheated from the royalties they deserve.The record companies make a pretty hefty profit on an artist or band.But for the writer or musician,it is the royalties that help them survive.Yes,they do show dates and sale T's and other things,but the royalties is what steadily comes in the mailbox!I,through my own personal experience can tell you the majority of people expect to acquire their music through free downloads of P2P and Torrent programs.
Something i experienced with my music is,my music store Nimbit, http://www.nimbit.com/ ,the sales are slow,there is a $.99 charge for a single download.Now on the other hand Myxer www.myxertones.com,a ringtone site where i offer ringtones,well,i have had hundreds downloaded,and they are free!
...Here are some quotes from an article online...Consider that the sector generated revenues of $14.3 billion in 2000, according to the Recording Industry Association of America, or RIAA. This year, it's expected to report revenue of $10.3 billion.Had sales growth only kept pace with the U.S. economy, it now would be worth $17 billion, Greenfield wrote.
This illustrates "how dramatically the music industry is continuing to underperform," Greenfield said in the report.
Greenfield urges music executives to embrace a new ad-supported business model, one that dramatically scales back the size of record companies and doesn't saddle songs with digital rights management. He doubts that this will happen any time soon...
Thanks Cnet for the article and picture...
http://news.cnet.com/8301-10784_3-9812275-7.html

For The Curious

Gibson's Flying V and Explorer Go Robotic

Gibson has included the Flying V and the Explorer in it's "Robot" family.And also check out the Slash Signature Les Paul Goldtop model.....sweet!
http://www.gibson.com/

Wasa Express...

http://www.wasaexpress.net/

MySpace Music and the Majors To Launch Thursday

MySpace is to launch with the major labels Thursday.
The ambitious new MySpace Music joint venture will launch this evening at midnight PST at music.myspace.com. All four major labels - Universal, Warner, Sony and EMI - are on board (EMI was a last minute addition). Also joining the venture is The Orchard, an independent music distributor, and four major publishing companies. Basically, everyone who controls rights to music is part of the new venture.
MySpace Music allows users to stream virtually any song ever published for free. Users can also create playlists that contain up to 100 songs and share them with others. Any song can also be downloaded in non-DRM MP3 format, for a fee, from Amazon’s music download service. And if you want that song as a ringtone, you can get it as well via Jamster.
http://news.cnet.com/8301-17939_109-10050206-2.html
http://www.myspace.com/

Need Info On A Mic...Rycote

If you need info on a mic or tips on mic placement,or stereo miking or grounding,Rycote's web site,http://www.microphone-data.com/default.asp is the place to go.They have over 1700 mic listings!It helps in choosing the proper mic,reducing wind noise and vibration,and other useful tips and info.Just register and enjoy a wealth of info from over 124 microphone manufactures.

Quick Music Fact....Fretboards and Moisturizing

I got a quick tip on rosewood and ebony fretboards.First,the wood tends to dry out,so the wood needs to be moisturized.This can be done with Lemon oil that does not contain wax!The brand Formbys is good.
Here is a little info on fretboard types and material...
The woods used for fingerboards on guitars and string instruments vary, and each possesses its own distinct sound and feel. Many guitars possess a maple neck and a maple fingerboard existing as one piece of wood. This construction is well known in Fender guitars, and many players swear that the sound of the maple fretboard in conjunction with the maple neck possesses a brighter, more cohesive sound and sustain than models that have a maple neck and a fretboard made of a different wood, namely rosewood. Rosewood is a very popular wood because of its brighter, more pronounced attack when compared to maple fretboards. Rosewood is often paired with necks made of maple or mahogany. Gibson is well known for its ebony fretboards that are paired with the mahogany-necked SG or Les Paul signature guitars. Ebony is the wood used for fingerboards of violins and other string instruments. As ebony is the densest of the three woods most often used (rosewood, maple, and ebony), it stands out as having the brightest sound and most articulated attack. Other materials used in fretboard construction are graphite and carbon fiber composite.... Austin Music Store Articles ... http://www.straitmusic.com/2008/03/guitar-fretboard-construction-and.html

Quick Music Fact...Woodshedding

Ha People...i got a little involved on my last wood shedding post,so,lets break it down to simple Simon!Wood shedding is you and your "baby",your guitar,isolating yourselves,one on one,and doing some serious practicing,including working on your technique,your style and sound and your phrasing and speed.So...when you do go public again,you have improved tools and skills to present.

EastWood Airline Limited Edition Guitar

Wow...now this is green,Metallic Margarita...

Wolfgang's Vault - Where Live Music Lives

This is a cool site,Wolfgang's Vault!Thanks to The Jazz Guitar Gazette http://www.jazzguitar.be/ for the heads up on this site. The site has vintage T-shirts, rock Posters, rock Photos and more.I'm talking original tickets,passes,posters and more!And....i can't afford to buy these items but maybe you can....whoa!Thanks to Wolfgang's Vault for the poster pics above,and,i remember the Beatles picture!And,i had a Beatles wig too... :-)
... http://www.wolfgangsvault.com/

Souls Old School Hit Machine Norm Whitfield Passes

Norm Whitfield passed on Tuesday in LA.He was a writing machine and producer.
He co-wrote Motown classics like "War" and "I Heard It Through the Grapevine,",to name just a few!.He suffered from complications of diabetes and had recently emerged from a coma.He was Inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2004.
Perhaps his greatest contribution was bringing Motown artists into the psychedelic era during the late 1960s. Showing the influence of Sly and the Family Stone, Whitfield led Gaye and the Temptations into rock territory with hard-hitting songs that examined the social distresses of the day ("Runaway Child, Running Wild," the drug-influenced "Cloud Nine") and matched the gritty lyrics with driving rhythms, wailing guitars and ominous string arrangements. His most frequent collaborator during this era was lyricist Barrett Strong.

I found this interesting reading...By 18 Whitfield had already written and produced local hits for the Distants and the Synetics. The persistent, observant youth could be found loitering about the Motown office, "always staring at something," Berry Gordy told Nelson George in Where Did Our Love Go? Tall, thin and quiet, Whitfield somewhat creepily watched for a year before he was hired in 1962 by Gordy at $15 per week to listen to demos and rate them for future release as part of Motown's mysterious Quality Control department. Following two long years of rating and waiting, Whitfield finally wrote and produced his first songs for Motown, the Velvelettes' "Needle In a Haystack" and the Marvelettes' "Too Many Fish In the Sea."

My best search for info... http://www.answers.com/topic/norman-whitfield

Keyboardist Richard Wright Of Pink Floyd Passes

Picture downloaded from www. PinkFloyd.com

Rick Wright a founding member of Pink Floyd has passed,and with him an integral part of Pink Floyd is gone!His innovative keyboard work, was instrumental in the realization and development of their distinctive sound....
David Gilmore said... "He was gentle, unassuming and private but his soulful voice and playing were vital, magical components of our most recognized Pink Floyd sound," he said. "I have never played with anyone quite like him."
... www.pinkfloyd.com
...Sound On Sound article... http://www.soundonsound.com/news?NewsID=10397
...FanPix site... http://www.fanpix.net/gallery/picture-profile.asp?pageno=2&ID=57074&TR=38

Win A Taylor Solid Body Or A Digitech RP 500 Pedal

Here are two giveaways over at Premier Guitar.One is the Taylor solid body guitar,value $3798.00, made of koa wood....sweet!And the other is the RP500 pedal from Digitech.Just sign up and cross the ol' fingers!And Premier Guitar online does have some great articles so check them out and a big thanks goes to them!
... http://www.premierguitar.com/Survey/23/survey.aspx
... http://www.premierguitar.com

Gibson Robot Shows It's True Colors

Gibson’s “Robot Guitar” Now Available In Sixteen Different Colors

For The Curious

..To hear complete songs,please go to my MySpace page and use the player there...http://www.myspace.com/gguitar

Yngwie Malmsteen...New Album

Yngwie Malmsteen is releasing his new album,Perpetual Flame,on October 14.I am sure it will be greatly welcomed,it has been 3 years.Yngwie Malmsteen was the classical metal movement in the 1980's.In addition,a new Fender/Yngwie Malmsteen custom shop guitar will be unveiled on November 28th (with a limited run of 100 instruments) and there will be a slew of CD reissues of Yngwie classics to soon be announced.His Strats are known for the scalloped fretboard.

YNGWIE MALMSTEEN 2008 NORTH AMERICAN TOUR DATES:

SEPTEMBER 28, 2008 SAN JUAN, PUERTO RICO – CENTRO BELLAS ARTES
OCTOBER 4, 2008 SAN ANTONIO, TX – SCOUTBAR
OCTOBER 5, 2008 DALLAS, TX – GRANADA THEATER
OCTOBER 8, 2008 SAN DIEGO, CA – HOUSE OF BLUES
OCTOBER 9, 2008 ANAHEIM, CA – HOUSE OF BLUES
OCTOBER 10, 2008 LAS VEGAS, NV – HOUSE OF BLUES
OCTOBER 11, 2008 VENTURA, CA – MAJESTIC VENTURA THEATER
OCTOBER 12, 2008 LOS ANGELES, CA – AVALON
OCTOBER 17, 2008 ROYAL OAK, MI – ROYAL OAK THEATER
OCTOBER 19, 2008 CHICAGO, IL – HOUSE OF BLUES
OCTOBER 21, 2008 WILLIAMSVILLE, NY – CLUB INFINITY
OCTOBER 24, 2008 SAYREVILLE, NJ – STARLAND BALLROOM
OCTOBER 26, 2008 NEW YORK, NY – BLENDER THEATER

...article... http://www.guitarplayer.com/article/yngwie-malmsteen-unleashes/sep-08/86935
... www.YngwieMalmsteen.com
... www.RisingForceRecords.com
... www.fender.com/yngwie/english/

Amazon Launches Social Music Site

It appears Amazon has launched a new music site.

...Amazon.com has launched a Wikipedia style site dedicated to music and bands called SoundUnwound.

The site features information from Amazon's retail site and from its Internet Movie Database. The site is currently in beta.

On the SoundUnwound blog page it lists several ways users can navigate the site. "Explore connections between artists - band memberships, family, shared credits and more. Visualize timelines for artists with our interactive discography."

"Discover similar artists and releases by genre and Amazon purchase data. Experience new artists through photos, videos and music clips."

Music can be searched for by studio recording, live album, and compilation. The site provides track listing for each studio album in its database along with the length of the song and the original year it was released.

SoundUnwound also features embedded YouTube videos of artists and bands along with links at the bottom of the page with Amazon like recommendations for other related releases.

The site also offers a direct link to Amazon allowing users to browse or purchase the music they may be interested in.

All edits made on the site are filtered by Amazon staff before being displayed in order to ensure accuracy.

The site also features a nice timeline of artists or bands and displays thumbnails of when a particular album was released. A nice addition to SoundUnwound would be information on video compilations released by a band and live video recordings.
... http://www.webpronews.com/topnews/2008/09/02/amazon-launches-social-music-site
... http://www.soundunwound.com/

Guitar Give Away At Modern Guitars

Modern Guitars is giving away an Epiphone Electric Guitar autographed by Warren Haynes,yep Warren Haynes.A great guitarist and vocalist and,a great guitar!
The guitar is an Epiphone Les Paul Junior signed by performing artist Warren Haynes to give away to a lucky reader on October 15, 2008. Classic styling combined with a lustrous ebony finish makes the Epiphone LP Junior one hot-looking first guitar with a fast neck and resonant tonewood body with a single humbucker in the bridge position. Check the link out to register to win it...
... http://www.modernguitars.com/archives/004592.html

Quick Music Fact...EQ...Less Is Best

Funky Junk... http://www.proaudioeurope.com/index.php?id=22&entryId=1724

When recording electric guitar,using less EQ is better than boosting EQ.Instead of increasing highs,roll back the lows or mids.This really applies to the whole mix!Think subtractive EQ.

Singer-Actor Jerry Reed Passes

Jerry Reed,what a fine guitarist!So many people relate him to the Smokey and The Bandit movie,but he was a fine guitarist.I have included a link for YouTube with Jerry Reed playing with Chet Atkins and Jerry plays so nice,not shabby at all!He was also inducted in 2005,to the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame,so there you go.The video of him and Chet is good,you should watch it.

Awards

1992	Grammy	Best Country Instrumental Performance
1971	CMA	Musician of the Year
1971	Grammy	Best Male Country Vocal Performance
1970	CMA	Musician of the Year
1970	Grammy	Best Country Instrumental Performance

article...In the mid-1970s, he began acting in movies such as "Smokey and the Bandit" with Burt Reynolds, usually as a good ol' boy. But he was an ornery heavy in "Gator," directed by Reynolds, and a hateful coach in 1998's "The Waterboy," starring Adam Sandler.
...article continued... http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080902/ap_en_ot/obit_jerry_reed
...Pics and discography... http://www.cmt.com/artists/az/reed_jerry/artist.jhtml
...YouTube... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ni8KBhnebwE