Music Is My Weapon
Caesar had his legions, Napoleon had his rifles, we have our music.
Saturday, February 25, 2006
K-Fed's Peanut Butter Jelly Time
Next up in my quest to shame K-Fed, is a new rendition of Peanut Butter Jelly Time, staring Kevin Fenderline himself! The original Peanut Butter Jelly Time can be seen here.
Friday, February 24, 2006
Review: Jim Rearick's first CD
I'm not big into religious music, however, I still have respect for good music. This person I am highlighting, I am not highlighting for the content, but am defintily highlighting for quality.
Jim Rearick releases his first CD "Songs from the Wilderness" Some of the material was written recently, some twenty years ago, but all fit together nicely. Jim served as producer, engineer, programmer for backgrounds, as well as vocalist, and performer of all the instuments.
"I didn't like what I was hearing in contemporary Christian music, most of it seemed to be preaching to the choir" He explains further" Too much seemed to be written in language and terms only familiar to churhgoers. My songs are written out of my own struggles and my attempt to understand the "why" of things, and the faith I have gained through it all.I think these songs relate to the common guy, and I've had some feedback to that effect"
His website is www.rearicktribe.com Songs may be downloaded from any major music site and the CD may be listened to or bought at www.cdbaby.com/cd/jimrearick
Jim Rearick releases his first CD "Songs from the Wilderness" Some of the material was written recently, some twenty years ago, but all fit together nicely. Jim served as producer, engineer, programmer for backgrounds, as well as vocalist, and performer of all the instuments.
"I didn't like what I was hearing in contemporary Christian music, most of it seemed to be preaching to the choir" He explains further" Too much seemed to be written in language and terms only familiar to churhgoers. My songs are written out of my own struggles and my attempt to understand the "why" of things, and the faith I have gained through it all.I think these songs relate to the common guy, and I've had some feedback to that effect"
His website is www.rearicktribe.com Songs may be downloaded from any major music site and the CD may be listened to or bought at www.cdbaby.com/cd/jimrearick
Wednesday, February 22, 2006
Band Review: Scarlet Speedster
Like a breath of fresh air, Scarlet Speedster came to be in the summer of 2004. Speedster is the combination of the stylistic and innovative guitar melodies along with electronic programming elements of Dusty Goff; the smooth yet punchy bass hooks of Jeremiah Lipking; the energetic yet listenable rhythms with electronic programming elements of Bobby Hansford. Dusty, Jeremiah, and Bobby found themselves tired and burned out from the same old hard rock scene experienced in other bands they had participated in. They began to discover their potential and need to create something of purpose they could call their own. This dynamic trio found freedom to create something fulfilling to themselves as artists and fulfilling to its listeners.Scarlet Speedster longs to create something that hasn't been heard in awhile. The band strives to bring back the melodies along with driving rhythms of songs of depth that have been lost somewhere in the rock musical timeline. The sound can be identified as melodic rock mirroring the sounds of their musical influences such as early Cure, Depeche Mode, and The Smiths. Speedster believes that through the collaborative efforts of Dusty, Jeremiah, and Bobby, the band can reach many different types of people through the music.
Speedster provides songs filled with personal depth the listeners can identify with, melodies to move your emotions in any possible direction, and grooves to keep you moving through the whole experience. Through music that creates moods and atmospheres, the image and portrayal of Scarlet Speedster itself longs to create a sense of unity, not division, to listeners of the musical world.
Band Name: More from Scarlet Speedster website: http://www.scarletspeedster.com
Tuesday, February 21, 2006
Fun Music News for February
Fun music news
In court papers filed last Friday, Nick Lachey said he was reserving the right to seek spousal support even though Jessica Simpson asked the court not to give him any.
"The 32-year-old Lachey also asked the court to confirm that "miscellaneous jewelry and other personal effects" are separate property, as well as his earnings from after the date of separation and other unspecified assets. He said they separated Dec. 13, although she claims it was Nov. 23."
Kevin Federline is ready for a backlash over his brand-new role as white-boy rapper, but told Newsweek that it can't get worse. "'He hates his children, he treats his wife like dirt, he gets high all day,'" he said, quoting his critics. "If I was that bad, you think anyone, let alone Britney, would put up with it?"
"He plans to release his debut album by this spring, but without featuring his wife on the album, said Federline. "We have collaborated," he said. "But I'm not going to put the songs on this album because it's like, 'Respect me first; then I'll show you what I've done with my wife.'"
According to new court documents, Michael Jackson agreed to pay his ex-wife Debbie Rowe $900,000 per year in hush money after they split, as well as a mansion in Beverly Hills and a lump sum of at least $4 million as part of a divorce settlement.
"The legal documents have been made public as part of a new custody battle as Rowe fights for the couple's kids Michael Jr and Paris. Obtained by entertainment news website Tmz.com, the documents feature court transcripts from a hearing last June, in which Jackson's lawyer, Thomas Hall, told Judge Stephen Lachs, "Mr. Jackson was under an agreement with Petitioner (Rowe), which he was to pay her four or five million dollars up front, gave her a mansion in Beverly Hills, and then was to pay $900,000-a-year, for a number of years, if she abided by agreement terms." Jackson reportedly stopped paying Rowe her annual stipend after claiming she violated their confidentiality agreement by publicly speaking about him. Also in the court file, Rowe is quoted as stating, "I have just been advised by Michael's 'inner circle' that he is abusing drugs and I was even given the name of the physician that is prescribing all of Michael's medications, which I fear is dangerous not only to Michael but also to the children."
As if being arrested hours after his wedding wasn't embarrassing enough, a preview clip of Scott Stapp's sex tape has been released and it features a special guest appearance by Kid Rock.
Willie Nelson has released "Cowboys Are Frequently, Secretly (Fond of Each Other)", which may be the first gay cowboy song by a major recording artist. The song, which debuted Tuesday on Howard Stern's satellite radio show, features choppy Tex-Mex style guitar runs and Nelson's deadpan delivery of lines like, "What did you think all them saddles and boots was about?" and "Inside every cowboy there's a lady who'd love to slip out" and "if sexiness was corn, your ass would be Iowa." Amazingly, I only made that last line up.
But what could be hotter than the combination of Willie Nelson and homo-erotic love? I had no idea country music was full of so much rampant homesexuality. I guess the ten-gallon hats and chaps should've tipped me off. That, and being hit on buy some guy calling himself the Bone Ranger.
Thanks inpart to our friends for this info.
In court papers filed last Friday, Nick Lachey said he was reserving the right to seek spousal support even though Jessica Simpson asked the court not to give him any.
"The 32-year-old Lachey also asked the court to confirm that "miscellaneous jewelry and other personal effects" are separate property, as well as his earnings from after the date of separation and other unspecified assets. He said they separated Dec. 13, although she claims it was Nov. 23."
Kevin Federline is ready for a backlash over his brand-new role as white-boy rapper, but told Newsweek that it can't get worse. "'He hates his children, he treats his wife like dirt, he gets high all day,'" he said, quoting his critics. "If I was that bad, you think anyone, let alone Britney, would put up with it?"
"He plans to release his debut album by this spring, but without featuring his wife on the album, said Federline. "We have collaborated," he said. "But I'm not going to put the songs on this album because it's like, 'Respect me first; then I'll show you what I've done with my wife.'"
According to new court documents, Michael Jackson agreed to pay his ex-wife Debbie Rowe $900,000 per year in hush money after they split, as well as a mansion in Beverly Hills and a lump sum of at least $4 million as part of a divorce settlement.
"The legal documents have been made public as part of a new custody battle as Rowe fights for the couple's kids Michael Jr and Paris. Obtained by entertainment news website Tmz.com, the documents feature court transcripts from a hearing last June, in which Jackson's lawyer, Thomas Hall, told Judge Stephen Lachs, "Mr. Jackson was under an agreement with Petitioner (Rowe), which he was to pay her four or five million dollars up front, gave her a mansion in Beverly Hills, and then was to pay $900,000-a-year, for a number of years, if she abided by agreement terms." Jackson reportedly stopped paying Rowe her annual stipend after claiming she violated their confidentiality agreement by publicly speaking about him. Also in the court file, Rowe is quoted as stating, "I have just been advised by Michael's 'inner circle' that he is abusing drugs and I was even given the name of the physician that is prescribing all of Michael's medications, which I fear is dangerous not only to Michael but also to the children."
As if being arrested hours after his wedding wasn't embarrassing enough, a preview clip of Scott Stapp's sex tape has been released and it features a special guest appearance by Kid Rock.
Willie Nelson has released "Cowboys Are Frequently, Secretly (Fond of Each Other)", which may be the first gay cowboy song by a major recording artist. The song, which debuted Tuesday on Howard Stern's satellite radio show, features choppy Tex-Mex style guitar runs and Nelson's deadpan delivery of lines like, "What did you think all them saddles and boots was about?" and "Inside every cowboy there's a lady who'd love to slip out" and "if sexiness was corn, your ass would be Iowa." Amazingly, I only made that last line up.
But what could be hotter than the combination of Willie Nelson and homo-erotic love? I had no idea country music was full of so much rampant homesexuality. I guess the ten-gallon hats and chaps should've tipped me off. That, and being hit on buy some guy calling himself the Bone Ranger.
Thanks inpart to our friends for this info.
Monday, February 20, 2006
Review on: Girls on Film
Exploding onto the floor with a hard hitting one-two punch consisting of fashion-fueled electro synthpop and dead-on hooks, this all-female 4-piece bring their icy cold New Wave/Glam Wave to the dance with lipstick and style.
Dancetronic Glam Wave - the signature sound of Florida's Girls On Film- is a fashion fueled combination of high-energy stage antics and synthpop beats. It's a sound that the girls first experimented with in 2000 when lead singer Rio and bassist Kazhmir started the group. They were still perfecting it on their popular 3-song EP Love Robot , their first effort produced by Tim Curry (formerly of The Cruxshadows), and with the release of their 2005 Danceteria, Girls On Film have managed to translate their on-stage presence onto a full-length record.
Radio-play and local buzz in Tallahassee helped the all-female line up find their way onto bills with such notable acts as The Bangs, Rasputina, IQU, The Start, and Glass Candy. In 2003, the band walked away with first place at the Florida State University Battle of the Bands, an honor which lead to numerous invitations to play around the Southeast and to play some in-studio broadcasts for WVFS' show Hootenanny and WFSU's OutLoud.
This fall, Girls on Film hit the road to promote Danceteria, produced by David Murphy. Their East Coast tour takes them through Nashville, Atlanta, Charlotte and Pittsburgh with stops in Cincinnati, OH for the Midpoint Music Festival and the M.E.A.N.Y. Fest in NYC.
Clennis High's Smooth Jazz
Clennis High
Who is this smooth playing guitarist/vocalist from Houston Texas, one may ask. In short, he's probably someone you have heard playing behind some well known artist on old school records, or maybe singing background on some gospel records you've heard if you live in the Texas area. Maybe you live in, or recently passed through the New Orleans area, and heard a soft voice singing "Listen to the Wind", on the radio, a song written as dedication to the people along the gulf coast who were effected by the recent storms in that area.
Meeting a young singer named Archie Bell at Houston's Wheatley high school, Clennis became the original guitarist with the 60s/70s/80s group Archie Bell and the Drells. This group charted a million seller with a dance tune called "Tighten Up". There were others to follow this hit.
Leaving the group to continue his college education, Clennis returned to Houston where he survived by doing studio work, and playing shows beside greats such as Joe Tex, Betty Wright, Roy Head, Gene Chandler, The Impressions, and many more. He states his most exciting time during this period was a period he worked with the dynamic Joe Tex. For many years Clennis was the guitarist for a popular Texas gospel group called the "Gospel Engineers" and has written and song several inspirational tracks often played on local stations in the Houston area.
It is hard to discribe the style of this muscian. Because he has played with so many, he has taken a little from all and combined it into a style of his own. He plays a style of smooth, yet stinging guitar that boarders smooth jazz and gospel. His singing has an unmistakingly "Mayfield" flavor, but at times reminds one of Curtis Womack (Bobby's brother). From these several influences, this guy has created a style that is clearly his. Because his style crosses several genres of music, one is hard pressed to catagorize this stellar muscian into one particular category of music.
The current CD is this artist's first smooth jazz project. The title is "I could dance all night" and is a work dedicated to his music brothers the Drells and Archie. The title song, by the same name, is a remake of a 1980s release by Archie Bell and the Drells. The other two are original vocals written and performed by Clennis. This three song CD is a precursor to a new CD that will be released in February, 2006.
More from this artist, including sounds and samples, at: http://www.clennishighmusic.com
Who is this smooth playing guitarist/vocalist from Houston Texas, one may ask. In short, he's probably someone you have heard playing behind some well known artist on old school records, or maybe singing background on some gospel records you've heard if you live in the Texas area. Maybe you live in, or recently passed through the New Orleans area, and heard a soft voice singing "Listen to the Wind", on the radio, a song written as dedication to the people along the gulf coast who were effected by the recent storms in that area.
Meeting a young singer named Archie Bell at Houston's Wheatley high school, Clennis became the original guitarist with the 60s/70s/80s group Archie Bell and the Drells. This group charted a million seller with a dance tune called "Tighten Up". There were others to follow this hit.
Leaving the group to continue his college education, Clennis returned to Houston where he survived by doing studio work, and playing shows beside greats such as Joe Tex, Betty Wright, Roy Head, Gene Chandler, The Impressions, and many more. He states his most exciting time during this period was a period he worked with the dynamic Joe Tex. For many years Clennis was the guitarist for a popular Texas gospel group called the "Gospel Engineers" and has written and song several inspirational tracks often played on local stations in the Houston area.
It is hard to discribe the style of this muscian. Because he has played with so many, he has taken a little from all and combined it into a style of his own. He plays a style of smooth, yet stinging guitar that boarders smooth jazz and gospel. His singing has an unmistakingly "Mayfield" flavor, but at times reminds one of Curtis Womack (Bobby's brother). From these several influences, this guy has created a style that is clearly his. Because his style crosses several genres of music, one is hard pressed to catagorize this stellar muscian into one particular category of music.
The current CD is this artist's first smooth jazz project. The title is "I could dance all night" and is a work dedicated to his music brothers the Drells and Archie. The title song, by the same name, is a remake of a 1980s release by Archie Bell and the Drells. The other two are original vocals written and performed by Clennis. This three song CD is a precursor to a new CD that will be released in February, 2006.
More from this artist, including sounds and samples, at: http://www.clennishighmusic.com
Fabrizio Selli, pianist
Born in Milan, Italy, Fabrizio Selli studied piano and composition, he began composing when he was a child. Having fallen in love for classical and jazz music, as well as pop music, he worked as a piano and keyboards player, producer and arranger in many different music environments, recording jingles, soundtracks, dance and electronic records (with Sony Music and Emi) in both Italy and other parts of Europe.In addition to ‘popular’ sounds, he enjoys composing in his own style, which is a mix between new age, classical, and pop. He defines this mix as "soundtracks without movies"—a handiwork of piano composition and the wise use of various technologies.
“The Magic Room” is his first solo album. Recorded in his own studio, it contains 16 tracks. Piano is the main hero, backed by both other keyboards and cello. Ryuichi Sakamoto, Michael Nyman and Lyle Mays are three major inspirational artists for his compositions, as well as Einaudi, Allevi, Burt Bacharach’s songs and Morricone’s soundtracks.
More from his website: http://www.fabrizioselli.com
Sunday, February 19, 2006
Interesting Music Facts
The earliest known example of musical notation was found on a clay tablet in Mesopotamia (modern-day Iraq). It has been dated to approximately 1800 B.C.
"Old King Cole" was a real person. Coel was a fourth-century British prince who is said to be the father of St. Helen, who was the mother of Roman emperor Constantine. Coel appreciated music, which may be why the nursery rhyme makes mention of "his fiddlers three".
The Gregorian chant was named after Pope St. Gregory I.
Before the invention of the mechanical clock in the 14th century, the most complex machine was a pipe organ in the cathedral in Winchester, England. It was installed by Bishop Aelfeg around 950 A.D. It had 400 pipes, and 70 men were needed to operate the 26 bellows.
Only one person walked with Mozart's coffin from the church to the cemetary for its burial in an unmarked pauper's grave.
The shortest national anthem is the Japanese national anthem, which is only four lines long. The longest is the Greek national anthem, which is 158 verses long.
The longest rendering of a national anthem was 'God Save the King,' performed by a German military band on the platform of Rathenau railway station in Brandenburg, on February 9, 1909. King Edward VII was struggling inside the train to get into his German Field-Marshall uniform, so the band had to play the anthem 17 consecutive times.
Mozart's Piano Sonata K448 was found to significantly increase spatial scores of college students on IQ tests when the Sonata was listened to for 10 minutes, dubbed the "Mozart Effect."
The song with the longest title is 'I'm a Cranky Old Yank in a Clanky Old Tank on the Streets of Yokohama with my Honolulu Mama Doin' Those Beat-o, Beat-o Flat-On-My-Seat-o, Hirohito Blues' written by Hoagy Carmichael in 1943.
Michael Jackson won the most grammy's ever with a total of eight.
Jim Morrison of The Doors was the first rock star to be arrested on stage.
The Doors got their name from 17th century romantic liturature.
Cline's plane crashed in 1963 on her way back to Nashville, after performing a benefit concert for the widow of disc jockey Jack Call who'd recently died in a car crash. To add to the tradegy, Country star Jack Anglin was killed in a car crash on the way to her funeral.
Paul McCartney wrote the song Lovely Rita, Meter Maid for the album Sergeant Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band after getting a parking ticket from a female warden in Abbey Road.
"We don't like their sound, and guitar music is on the way out." Decca Recording Co. rejecting the Beatles, 1962. Kinda reminds me of the people who rejected the Harry Potter series.
"Old King Cole" was a real person. Coel was a fourth-century British prince who is said to be the father of St. Helen, who was the mother of Roman emperor Constantine. Coel appreciated music, which may be why the nursery rhyme makes mention of "his fiddlers three".
The Gregorian chant was named after Pope St. Gregory I.
Before the invention of the mechanical clock in the 14th century, the most complex machine was a pipe organ in the cathedral in Winchester, England. It was installed by Bishop Aelfeg around 950 A.D. It had 400 pipes, and 70 men were needed to operate the 26 bellows.
Only one person walked with Mozart's coffin from the church to the cemetary for its burial in an unmarked pauper's grave.
The shortest national anthem is the Japanese national anthem, which is only four lines long. The longest is the Greek national anthem, which is 158 verses long.
The longest rendering of a national anthem was 'God Save the King,' performed by a German military band on the platform of Rathenau railway station in Brandenburg, on February 9, 1909. King Edward VII was struggling inside the train to get into his German Field-Marshall uniform, so the band had to play the anthem 17 consecutive times.
Mozart's Piano Sonata K448 was found to significantly increase spatial scores of college students on IQ tests when the Sonata was listened to for 10 minutes, dubbed the "Mozart Effect."
The song with the longest title is 'I'm a Cranky Old Yank in a Clanky Old Tank on the Streets of Yokohama with my Honolulu Mama Doin' Those Beat-o, Beat-o Flat-On-My-Seat-o, Hirohito Blues' written by Hoagy Carmichael in 1943.
Michael Jackson won the most grammy's ever with a total of eight.
Jim Morrison of The Doors was the first rock star to be arrested on stage.
The Doors got their name from 17th century romantic liturature.
Cline's plane crashed in 1963 on her way back to Nashville, after performing a benefit concert for the widow of disc jockey Jack Call who'd recently died in a car crash. To add to the tradegy, Country star Jack Anglin was killed in a car crash on the way to her funeral.
Paul McCartney wrote the song Lovely Rita, Meter Maid for the album Sergeant Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band after getting a parking ticket from a female warden in Abbey Road.
"We don't like their sound, and guitar music is on the way out." Decca Recording Co. rejecting the Beatles, 1962. Kinda reminds me of the people who rejected the Harry Potter series.
Saturday, February 18, 2006
How Songs Get Popular
LiveScience is running an article on how songs get popular.
Researchers created an artificial music market of 14,341 participants split into two groups to pick music from unknown musicians. In one group, the individuals had only song titles and band names to go on. The individuals in the other group saw how others had rated the songs. Turns out popularity bred popularity, which explains why there's so much crap on the radio.
From LiveScience: When Ashlee Simpson tops the charts while a critically acclaimed ex-Beatle's album fails to crack the top 200, eyebrows go up in the marketing world.
So what makes a hit?
A new study reveals that we make our music purchases based partly on our perceived preferences of others.
Popularity contest
Researchers created an artificial "music market" of 14,341 participants drawn from a teen-interest Web site. Upon entering the study's Internet market, the participants were randomly, and unknowingly, assigned to either an "independent" group or a "social influence" group.
Participants could then browse through a collection of unknown songs by unknown bands.
In the independent condition, participants chose which songs to listen to based solely on the names of the bands and their songs. While listening to the song, they were asked to rate it from one star ("I hate it") to five stars ("I love it"). They were also given the option of downloading the song for keeps.
"This condition measured the quality of the songs and allowed us to see what outcome would result in the absence of social influence," said study co-author Matthew Salganik, a sociologist at Columbia University.
In the social influence group, participants were provided with the same song list, but could also see how many times each song had been downloaded.
Researchers found that popular songs were popular and unpopular songs were unpopular, regardless of their quality established by the other group. They also found that as a particular songs' popularity increased, participants selected it more often.
The upshot for markerters: social influence affects decision-making in a market.
This research is detailed in the Feb. 10 issue of the journal Science.
The Britney effect
The social-influence group was further divided into eight separate, non-interactive "worlds." Members of each world could not see the decisions of the other seven. The idea behind this was to observe multiple outcomes for the same songs and bands.
"If you look at Britney Spears, some people say she is really good. Others say she isn't good, she's just lucky," Salganik told LiveScience. "But by having just one argument, it's impossible to distinguish. However, if you have 10 worlds, and she's popular in all 10, then you can say she's actually good. But if she's only good in one, then you could say it was due to luck."
Although different songs were hits in each world, popularity was still the deciding factor, although the "best" songs never did very badly and the "worst" songs never did very well.
So what drives participants to choose low-quality songs over high-quality ones?
"People are faced with too many options, in this case 48 songs. Since you can't listen to all of them, a natural shortcut is to listen to what other people are listening to," Salganik said. "I think that's what happens in the real world where there's a tremendous overload of songs."
Alternatively, Salganik said, a desire for compatibility with others could drive the choice, since much of the pleasure from listening to music and reading books stems from discussing them with friends.
"If everybody is talking about 'Harry Potter,' you want to read it too," Salganik said.
Researchers created an artificial music market of 14,341 participants split into two groups to pick music from unknown musicians. In one group, the individuals had only song titles and band names to go on. The individuals in the other group saw how others had rated the songs. Turns out popularity bred popularity, which explains why there's so much crap on the radio.
From LiveScience: When Ashlee Simpson tops the charts while a critically acclaimed ex-Beatle's album fails to crack the top 200, eyebrows go up in the marketing world.
So what makes a hit?
A new study reveals that we make our music purchases based partly on our perceived preferences of others.
Popularity contest
Researchers created an artificial "music market" of 14,341 participants drawn from a teen-interest Web site. Upon entering the study's Internet market, the participants were randomly, and unknowingly, assigned to either an "independent" group or a "social influence" group.
Participants could then browse through a collection of unknown songs by unknown bands.
In the independent condition, participants chose which songs to listen to based solely on the names of the bands and their songs. While listening to the song, they were asked to rate it from one star ("I hate it") to five stars ("I love it"). They were also given the option of downloading the song for keeps.
"This condition measured the quality of the songs and allowed us to see what outcome would result in the absence of social influence," said study co-author Matthew Salganik, a sociologist at Columbia University.
In the social influence group, participants were provided with the same song list, but could also see how many times each song had been downloaded.
Researchers found that popular songs were popular and unpopular songs were unpopular, regardless of their quality established by the other group. They also found that as a particular songs' popularity increased, participants selected it more often.
The upshot for markerters: social influence affects decision-making in a market.
This research is detailed in the Feb. 10 issue of the journal Science.
The Britney effect
The social-influence group was further divided into eight separate, non-interactive "worlds." Members of each world could not see the decisions of the other seven. The idea behind this was to observe multiple outcomes for the same songs and bands.
"If you look at Britney Spears, some people say she is really good. Others say she isn't good, she's just lucky," Salganik told LiveScience. "But by having just one argument, it's impossible to distinguish. However, if you have 10 worlds, and she's popular in all 10, then you can say she's actually good. But if she's only good in one, then you could say it was due to luck."
Although different songs were hits in each world, popularity was still the deciding factor, although the "best" songs never did very badly and the "worst" songs never did very well.
So what drives participants to choose low-quality songs over high-quality ones?
"People are faced with too many options, in this case 48 songs. Since you can't listen to all of them, a natural shortcut is to listen to what other people are listening to," Salganik said. "I think that's what happens in the real world where there's a tremendous overload of songs."
Alternatively, Salganik said, a desire for compatibility with others could drive the choice, since much of the pleasure from listening to music and reading books stems from discussing them with friends.
"If everybody is talking about 'Harry Potter,' you want to read it too," Salganik said.
Saturday, February 11, 2006
Song of the Year Contest
George D. Williams is the current winner for Song Writer of The Year for his song, Inside. He hails from from Calgary, Canada.
Song of the Year is an international contest encouraging the art and discipline of songwriting. Their primary focus is to find great songwriters while helping them network with professionals in the music industry. Songwriter's submissions are judged by a panel of music professionals. The preliminary-judging staff consists of individuals who have showed leadership in music related fields as well as notable songwriters. Top yearly winners will be judged by an elite-panel of judges consisting of Grammy Award winners as well as individuals from Rolling Stone, ABC television, and more.
Each month we select one winner and four finalists from each of the ten categories (50 songs per month). Those songs are sent out to major/minor labels, publishers, entertainment attorneys, music managers, and many other outlets who we have relationships with. These are resources that have agreed to listen to our top songs each month. Monthly winners'/finalists' information will be distributed accordingly. Should there be further interest in your material, their affiliates will contact the participant directly. At year's end, 12 monthly "winning" songs from each category will be judged by a secondary-judging panel who selects one song to represent each category. These final 10 songs from each category will compete for the honor of "Song of the Year" as well as the yearly prizes. The top song of the year will be determined by the final judging panel.
For more information on entering, or to see who has participated and won in the past, go to Song of the Year
Song of the Year is an international contest encouraging the art and discipline of songwriting. Their primary focus is to find great songwriters while helping them network with professionals in the music industry. Songwriter's submissions are judged by a panel of music professionals. The preliminary-judging staff consists of individuals who have showed leadership in music related fields as well as notable songwriters. Top yearly winners will be judged by an elite-panel of judges consisting of Grammy Award winners as well as individuals from Rolling Stone, ABC television, and more.
Each month we select one winner and four finalists from each of the ten categories (50 songs per month). Those songs are sent out to major/minor labels, publishers, entertainment attorneys, music managers, and many other outlets who we have relationships with. These are resources that have agreed to listen to our top songs each month. Monthly winners'/finalists' information will be distributed accordingly. Should there be further interest in your material, their affiliates will contact the participant directly. At year's end, 12 monthly "winning" songs from each category will be judged by a secondary-judging panel who selects one song to represent each category. These final 10 songs from each category will compete for the honor of "Song of the Year" as well as the yearly prizes. The top song of the year will be determined by the final judging panel.
For more information on entering, or to see who has participated and won in the past, go to Song of the Year
Thursday, February 09, 2006
The official list of winners at the 48th annual Grammy Awards
The official list of winners at the 48th annual Grammy Awards:
Album of the Year: "How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb," U2.
Record of the Year: "Boulevard of Broken Dreams," Green Day.
Song of the Year: "Sometimes You Can't Make It on Your Own," U2.
New Artist: John Legend
Male R&B Vocal Performance: "Ordinary People," John Legend.
Pop Vocal Album: "Breakaway," Kelly Clarkson.
Rap/Sung Collaboration: "Numb/Encore," Jay-Z featuring Linkin Park.
Female Pop Vocal Performance: "Since U Been Gone," Kelly Clarkson.
Country Album: "Lonely Runs Both Ways," Alison Krauss and Union Station.
Rap Album: "Late Registration," Kanye West.
Rock Album: "How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb," U2.
Rap Solo Performance: "Gold Digger," Kanye West.
Rap Performance by a Duo or Group: "Don't Phunk With My Heart," The Black Eyed Peas.
Rap Song: "Diamonds From Sierra Leone," D. Harris and Kanye West.
Solo Rock Vocal Performance: "Devils & Dust," Bruce Springsteen.
Rock Performance by a Duo or Group With Vocal: "Sometimes You Can't Make It on Your
Own," U2.
Hard Rock Performance: "B.Y.O.B.," System of a Down.
Metal Performance: "Before I Forget," Slipknot.
Rock Instrumental Performance: "69 Freedom Special," Les Paul and Friends.
Rock Song: "City of Blinding Lights, U2, (U2).
Alternative Music Album: "Get Behind Me Satan," The White Stripes.
Female R&B Vocal Performance: "We Belong Together," Mariah Carey.
R&B Performance by a Duo or Group With Vocals: "So Amazing," Beyonce and Stevie
Wonder.
Traditional R&B Vocal Performance: "A House Is Not a Home," Aretha Franklin.
Urban/Alternative Performance: "Welcome to Jamrock," Damian Marley.
R&B Song: "We Belong Together," J. Austin, M. Carey, J. Dupri & M. Seal, (D.
Bristol, K. Edmonds, S. Johnson, P. Moten, S. Sully & B. Womack, (Mariah
Carey).
R&B Album: "Get Lifted," John Legend.
Contemporary R&B Album: "The Emancipation of Mimi," Mariah Carey.
Male Pop Vocal Performance: "From the Bottom of My Heart," Stevie Wonder.
Pop Performance by a Duo or Group With Vocal: "This Love," Maroon 5.
Pop Collaboration With Vocals: "Feel Good Inc.," Gorillaz Featuring De La Soul.
Pop Instrumental Performance: "Caravan," Les Paul.
Pop Instrumental Album: "At This Time," Burt Bacharach.
Traditional Pop Vocal Album: "The Art of Romance," Tony Bennett.
Female Country Vocal Performance: "The Connection," Emmylou Harris.
Male Country Vocal Performance: "You'll Think of Me," Keith Urban.
Country Performance by a Duo or Group With Vocal: "Restless," Alison Krauss and
Union Station.
Country Collaboration With Vocals: "Like We Never Loved at All," Faith Hill and Tim
McGraw.
Country Instrumental Performance: "Unionhouse Branch," Alison Krauss and Union
Station.
Country Song: "Bless the Broken Road," Bobby Boyd, Jeff Hanna and Marcus Hummon,
(Rascal Flatts).
Latin Pop Album: "Escucha," Laura Pausini.
Latin Rock/Alternative Album: "Fijacion Oral Vol. 1," Shakira.
Traditional Tropical Latin Album: "Bebo De Cuba," Bebo Valdes.
Salsa/Merengue Album: "Son Del Alma," Willy Chirino.
Mexican/Mexican-American Album: "Mexico En La Piel," Luis Miguel.
Tejano Album: "Chicanisimo," Little Joe Y La Familia.
Engineered Album, Classical: "Mendelssohn: The Complete String Quartets," Da-Hong
Seetoo, engineer (Emerson String Quartet).
Producer of the Year, Classical: Tim Handley.
Classical Album: "Bolcom: Songs of Innocence and of Experience," Leonard Slatkin,
conductor (Christine Brewer and Joan Morris, University of Michigan School of Music
Symphony Orchestra).
Orchestral Performance: "Shostakovich: Symphony No. 13," Mariss Jansons, conductor
(Sergei Aleksashkin, Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra and Chorus).
Opera Recording: "Verdi: Falstaff," Sir Colin Davis, conductor (London Symphony
Chorus, London Symphony Orchestra).
Choral Performance: "Bolcom: Songs of Innocence and of Experience," Leonard Slatkin,
conductor (Christine Brewer, Measha Brueggergosman, Ilana Davidson, Nmon Ford, Linda
Hohenfeld, Joan Morris, Carmen Pelton, Marietta Simpson and Thomas Young, Michigan
State University Children's Choir, University of Michigan Chamber Choir, University
of Michigan Orpheus Singers, University of Michigan University Choir and University
Musical Society Choral Union, University of Michigan School of Music Symphony
Orchestra).
Instrumental Soloist(s) Performance (with Orchestra): "Beethoven: Piano Cons. Nos. 2
& 3," Claudio Abbado, conductor; Martha Argerich (Mahler Chamber Orchestra).
Instrumental Soloist Performance (without Orchestra): "Scriabin, Medtner,
Stravinsky," Evgeny Kissin.
Chamber Music Performance: "Mendelssohn: The Complete String Quartets," Emerson
String Quartet.
Small Ensemble Performance: "Boulez: Le Marteau Sans Maitre, Derive 1 & 2," Pierre
Boulez, conductor, Hilary Summers, Ensemble Intercontemporain.
Classical Vocal Performance: "Bach: Cantatas," Thomas Quasthoff (Rainer Kussmaul,
Members of the RIAS Chamber Choir, Berlin Baroque Soloists).
Classical Contemporary Composition: "Bolcom: Songs of Innocence and of Experience,"
William Bolcom (Leonard Slatkin).
Classical Crossover Album: "4 plus Four," Turtle Island String Quartet and Ying
Quartet.
Compilation Soundtrack Album for Motion Picture, Television or Other Visual
Media: "Ray," Ray Charles.
Score Soundtrack Album for Motion Picture, Television or Other Visual Media: "Ray,"
Craig Armstrong, composer.
Song Written for Motion Picture, Television or Other Visual Media: "Believe," Glen
Ballard and Alan Silvestri, songwriters, from "The Polar Express."
Instrumental Composition: "Into the Light," Billy Childs, composer.
Instrumental Arrangement: "The Incredits," Gordon Goodwin, arranger (Various
Artists).
Instrumental Arrangement Accompanying Vocalist(s): "What Are You Doing for the Rest
of Your Life?" Billy Childs, Gil Goldstein and Heitor Pereira, arrangers (Chris
Botti and Sting).
Traditional Blues Album: "80," B.B. King and Friends.
Traditional Folk Album: "Fiddler's Green," Tim O'Brien.
Contemporary Folk Album: "Fair & Square," John Prine.
Native American Music Album: "Sacred Ground -- A Tribute to Mother Earth," Various
Artists.
Hawaiian Music Album: "Masters of Hawaiian Slack Key Guitar -- Vol. 1," Various
Artists.
Reggae Album: "Welcome to Jamrock," Damian Marley.
Traditional World Music Album: "In the Heart of the Moon," Ali Farka Toure and
Toumani Diabate.
Contemporary World Music Album: "Eletracustico," Gilberto Gil.
Polka Album: "Shake, Rattle and Polka!" Jimmy Sturr and His Orchestra.
Musical Album for Children: "Songs From the Neighborhood -- The Music of Mister
Rogers," Various Artists.
Spoken Word Album for Children: "Marlo Thomas & Friends: Thanks & Giving All
Year Long," Various Artists.
Spoken Word Album: "Dreams From My Father," Sen. Barack Obama.
Comedy Album: "Never Scared," Chris Rock.
Musical Show Album: "Monty Python's Spamalot."
Gospel Performance: "Pray," CeCe Winans.
Rock Gospel Song: "Be Blessed," Yolanda Adams, James Harris III, Terry Lewis and
James Q. Wright, (Yolanda Adams).
Rock Gospel Album: "Until My Heart Caves In," Audio Adrenaline.
Pop/Contemporary Gospel Album: "Lifesong," Casting Crowns.
Southern, Country, or Bluegrass Album: "Rock of Ages ... Hymns & Faith," Amy Grant.
Contemporary Soul Gospel Album: "Purified," CeCe Winans.
Gospel Choir or Gospel Chorus: "One Voice," Gladys Knight, choir director.
New Age Album: "Silver Solstice," Paul Winter Consort.
Jazz Vocal Album: "Good Night, and Good Luck," Dianne Reeves.
Jazz Instrumental Solo: "Why Was I Born?" Sonny Rollins.
Jazz Instrumental Album, Individual or Group: "Beyond the Sound Barrier," Wayne
Shorter Quartet.
Contemporary Jazz Album: "The Way Up," Pat Metheny Group.
Large Jazz Ensemble Album: "Overtime," Dave Holland Big Band.
Latin Jazz Album: "Listen Here!" Eddie Palmieri.
Traditional Soul Gospel Album: "Psalms, Hymns & Spiritual Songs," Donnie
McClurkin.
Dance Recording: "Galvanize," The Chemical Brothers featuring Q-Tip.
Electronic/Dance Album: "Push the Button," The Chemical Brothers.
Bluegrass Album: "The Company We Keep," The Del McCoury Band.
Contemporary Blues Album: "Cost of Living," Delbert McClinton.
Producer of the Year, Non-Classical: Steve Lillywhite.
Short Form Music Video: "Control," Missy Elliott Featuring Ciara and Fat Man Scoop.
Best Long Form Music Video: "No Direction Home" (Bob Dylan).
Recording Package: "The Forgotten Arm," Aimee Mann and Gail Marowitz, art directors
(Aimee Mann).
Boxed or Special Limited Edition Package: "The Legend," Ian Cuttler, art director
(Johnny Cash).
Album Notes: "The Complete Library of Congress Recordings by Alan Lomax," John
Szwed, album notes writer (Jelly Roll Morton).
Historical Album: "The Complete Library of Congress Recordings by Alan Lomax,"
Jeffrey Greenberg and Anna Lomax Wood, compilation producers (Jelly Roll Morton).
Engineered Album, Non-Classical: "Back Home," Alan Douglas and Mick Guzauski,
engineers (Eric Clapton).
Remixed Recording, Non-Classical: "Superfly (Louie Vega EOL Mix)," Louie Vega,
remixer (Curtis Mayfield).
Surround Sound Album: "Brothers in Arms -- 20th Anniversary Edition," Chuck Ainlay,
Bob Ludwig, Mark Knopfler (Dire Straits).
Album of the Year: "How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb," U2.
Record of the Year: "Boulevard of Broken Dreams," Green Day.
Song of the Year: "Sometimes You Can't Make It on Your Own," U2.
New Artist: John Legend
Male R&B Vocal Performance: "Ordinary People," John Legend.
Pop Vocal Album: "Breakaway," Kelly Clarkson.
Rap/Sung Collaboration: "Numb/Encore," Jay-Z featuring Linkin Park.
Female Pop Vocal Performance: "Since U Been Gone," Kelly Clarkson.
Country Album: "Lonely Runs Both Ways," Alison Krauss and Union Station.
Rap Album: "Late Registration," Kanye West.
Rock Album: "How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb," U2.
Rap Solo Performance: "Gold Digger," Kanye West.
Rap Performance by a Duo or Group: "Don't Phunk With My Heart," The Black Eyed Peas.
Rap Song: "Diamonds From Sierra Leone," D. Harris and Kanye West.
Solo Rock Vocal Performance: "Devils & Dust," Bruce Springsteen.
Rock Performance by a Duo or Group With Vocal: "Sometimes You Can't Make It on Your
Own," U2.
Hard Rock Performance: "B.Y.O.B.," System of a Down.
Metal Performance: "Before I Forget," Slipknot.
Rock Instrumental Performance: "69 Freedom Special," Les Paul and Friends.
Rock Song: "City of Blinding Lights, U2, (U2).
Alternative Music Album: "Get Behind Me Satan," The White Stripes.
Female R&B Vocal Performance: "We Belong Together," Mariah Carey.
R&B Performance by a Duo or Group With Vocals: "So Amazing," Beyonce and Stevie
Wonder.
Traditional R&B Vocal Performance: "A House Is Not a Home," Aretha Franklin.
Urban/Alternative Performance: "Welcome to Jamrock," Damian Marley.
R&B Song: "We Belong Together," J. Austin, M. Carey, J. Dupri & M. Seal, (D.
Bristol, K. Edmonds, S. Johnson, P. Moten, S. Sully & B. Womack, (Mariah
Carey).
R&B Album: "Get Lifted," John Legend.
Contemporary R&B Album: "The Emancipation of Mimi," Mariah Carey.
Male Pop Vocal Performance: "From the Bottom of My Heart," Stevie Wonder.
Pop Performance by a Duo or Group With Vocal: "This Love," Maroon 5.
Pop Collaboration With Vocals: "Feel Good Inc.," Gorillaz Featuring De La Soul.
Pop Instrumental Performance: "Caravan," Les Paul.
Pop Instrumental Album: "At This Time," Burt Bacharach.
Traditional Pop Vocal Album: "The Art of Romance," Tony Bennett.
Female Country Vocal Performance: "The Connection," Emmylou Harris.
Male Country Vocal Performance: "You'll Think of Me," Keith Urban.
Country Performance by a Duo or Group With Vocal: "Restless," Alison Krauss and
Union Station.
Country Collaboration With Vocals: "Like We Never Loved at All," Faith Hill and Tim
McGraw.
Country Instrumental Performance: "Unionhouse Branch," Alison Krauss and Union
Station.
Country Song: "Bless the Broken Road," Bobby Boyd, Jeff Hanna and Marcus Hummon,
(Rascal Flatts).
Latin Pop Album: "Escucha," Laura Pausini.
Latin Rock/Alternative Album: "Fijacion Oral Vol. 1," Shakira.
Traditional Tropical Latin Album: "Bebo De Cuba," Bebo Valdes.
Salsa/Merengue Album: "Son Del Alma," Willy Chirino.
Mexican/Mexican-American Album: "Mexico En La Piel," Luis Miguel.
Tejano Album: "Chicanisimo," Little Joe Y La Familia.
Engineered Album, Classical: "Mendelssohn: The Complete String Quartets," Da-Hong
Seetoo, engineer (Emerson String Quartet).
Producer of the Year, Classical: Tim Handley.
Classical Album: "Bolcom: Songs of Innocence and of Experience," Leonard Slatkin,
conductor (Christine Brewer and Joan Morris, University of Michigan School of Music
Symphony Orchestra).
Orchestral Performance: "Shostakovich: Symphony No. 13," Mariss Jansons, conductor
(Sergei Aleksashkin, Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra and Chorus).
Opera Recording: "Verdi: Falstaff," Sir Colin Davis, conductor (London Symphony
Chorus, London Symphony Orchestra).
Choral Performance: "Bolcom: Songs of Innocence and of Experience," Leonard Slatkin,
conductor (Christine Brewer, Measha Brueggergosman, Ilana Davidson, Nmon Ford, Linda
Hohenfeld, Joan Morris, Carmen Pelton, Marietta Simpson and Thomas Young, Michigan
State University Children's Choir, University of Michigan Chamber Choir, University
of Michigan Orpheus Singers, University of Michigan University Choir and University
Musical Society Choral Union, University of Michigan School of Music Symphony
Orchestra).
Instrumental Soloist(s) Performance (with Orchestra): "Beethoven: Piano Cons. Nos. 2
& 3," Claudio Abbado, conductor; Martha Argerich (Mahler Chamber Orchestra).
Instrumental Soloist Performance (without Orchestra): "Scriabin, Medtner,
Stravinsky," Evgeny Kissin.
Chamber Music Performance: "Mendelssohn: The Complete String Quartets," Emerson
String Quartet.
Small Ensemble Performance: "Boulez: Le Marteau Sans Maitre, Derive 1 & 2," Pierre
Boulez, conductor, Hilary Summers, Ensemble Intercontemporain.
Classical Vocal Performance: "Bach: Cantatas," Thomas Quasthoff (Rainer Kussmaul,
Members of the RIAS Chamber Choir, Berlin Baroque Soloists).
Classical Contemporary Composition: "Bolcom: Songs of Innocence and of Experience,"
William Bolcom (Leonard Slatkin).
Classical Crossover Album: "4 plus Four," Turtle Island String Quartet and Ying
Quartet.
Compilation Soundtrack Album for Motion Picture, Television or Other Visual
Media: "Ray," Ray Charles.
Score Soundtrack Album for Motion Picture, Television or Other Visual Media: "Ray,"
Craig Armstrong, composer.
Song Written for Motion Picture, Television or Other Visual Media: "Believe," Glen
Ballard and Alan Silvestri, songwriters, from "The Polar Express."
Instrumental Composition: "Into the Light," Billy Childs, composer.
Instrumental Arrangement: "The Incredits," Gordon Goodwin, arranger (Various
Artists).
Instrumental Arrangement Accompanying Vocalist(s): "What Are You Doing for the Rest
of Your Life?" Billy Childs, Gil Goldstein and Heitor Pereira, arrangers (Chris
Botti and Sting).
Traditional Blues Album: "80," B.B. King and Friends.
Traditional Folk Album: "Fiddler's Green," Tim O'Brien.
Contemporary Folk Album: "Fair & Square," John Prine.
Native American Music Album: "Sacred Ground -- A Tribute to Mother Earth," Various
Artists.
Hawaiian Music Album: "Masters of Hawaiian Slack Key Guitar -- Vol. 1," Various
Artists.
Reggae Album: "Welcome to Jamrock," Damian Marley.
Traditional World Music Album: "In the Heart of the Moon," Ali Farka Toure and
Toumani Diabate.
Contemporary World Music Album: "Eletracustico," Gilberto Gil.
Polka Album: "Shake, Rattle and Polka!" Jimmy Sturr and His Orchestra.
Musical Album for Children: "Songs From the Neighborhood -- The Music of Mister
Rogers," Various Artists.
Spoken Word Album for Children: "Marlo Thomas & Friends: Thanks & Giving All
Year Long," Various Artists.
Spoken Word Album: "Dreams From My Father," Sen. Barack Obama.
Comedy Album: "Never Scared," Chris Rock.
Musical Show Album: "Monty Python's Spamalot."
Gospel Performance: "Pray," CeCe Winans.
Rock Gospel Song: "Be Blessed," Yolanda Adams, James Harris III, Terry Lewis and
James Q. Wright, (Yolanda Adams).
Rock Gospel Album: "Until My Heart Caves In," Audio Adrenaline.
Pop/Contemporary Gospel Album: "Lifesong," Casting Crowns.
Southern, Country, or Bluegrass Album: "Rock of Ages ... Hymns & Faith," Amy Grant.
Contemporary Soul Gospel Album: "Purified," CeCe Winans.
Gospel Choir or Gospel Chorus: "One Voice," Gladys Knight, choir director.
New Age Album: "Silver Solstice," Paul Winter Consort.
Jazz Vocal Album: "Good Night, and Good Luck," Dianne Reeves.
Jazz Instrumental Solo: "Why Was I Born?" Sonny Rollins.
Jazz Instrumental Album, Individual or Group: "Beyond the Sound Barrier," Wayne
Shorter Quartet.
Contemporary Jazz Album: "The Way Up," Pat Metheny Group.
Large Jazz Ensemble Album: "Overtime," Dave Holland Big Band.
Latin Jazz Album: "Listen Here!" Eddie Palmieri.
Traditional Soul Gospel Album: "Psalms, Hymns & Spiritual Songs," Donnie
McClurkin.
Dance Recording: "Galvanize," The Chemical Brothers featuring Q-Tip.
Electronic/Dance Album: "Push the Button," The Chemical Brothers.
Bluegrass Album: "The Company We Keep," The Del McCoury Band.
Contemporary Blues Album: "Cost of Living," Delbert McClinton.
Producer of the Year, Non-Classical: Steve Lillywhite.
Short Form Music Video: "Control," Missy Elliott Featuring Ciara and Fat Man Scoop.
Best Long Form Music Video: "No Direction Home" (Bob Dylan).
Recording Package: "The Forgotten Arm," Aimee Mann and Gail Marowitz, art directors
(Aimee Mann).
Boxed or Special Limited Edition Package: "The Legend," Ian Cuttler, art director
(Johnny Cash).
Album Notes: "The Complete Library of Congress Recordings by Alan Lomax," John
Szwed, album notes writer (Jelly Roll Morton).
Historical Album: "The Complete Library of Congress Recordings by Alan Lomax,"
Jeffrey Greenberg and Anna Lomax Wood, compilation producers (Jelly Roll Morton).
Engineered Album, Non-Classical: "Back Home," Alan Douglas and Mick Guzauski,
engineers (Eric Clapton).
Remixed Recording, Non-Classical: "Superfly (Louie Vega EOL Mix)," Louie Vega,
remixer (Curtis Mayfield).
Surround Sound Album: "Brothers in Arms -- 20th Anniversary Edition," Chuck Ainlay,
Bob Ludwig, Mark Knopfler (Dire Straits).
Wednesday, February 08, 2006
Music's Top Money Makers 2005
FORBES - NEW YORK - Complaining about the musical guests at Super Bowl halftime shows may be a time-honored tradition, but you've got to hand it to the NFL and ABC this year: When they handed over their precious 12-minute time slot to the Rolling Stones, they were giving the people what they wanted.
That's because the Stones, wrinkles and all, were the most popular act in the United States in 2005, at least when it comes to the cash they generate. The band tops Forbes' list of last year's biggest money makers in music, generating some $168 million in record and concert sales. U2, which generated close to $150 million at cash registers and on the road, came in second; Elton John, who didn't even release a new album last year, rounds out the top ten list with $66 million.
To compile the list--which looks at the cash that musicians generated, not what actually ends up in their bank account--we used data from concert trade magazine Pollstar's list of top-grossing U.S. tours and U.S. sales information from tracking service Nielsen SoundScan. We're not counting international revenue, but everyone on this list also did well outside the U.S. -- if you can sell out Giants Stadium in New Jersey, you can sell out Wembley, too.
In the Stones' case, as with many of the acts that made this year's top ten, the fact that the group doesn't sell much music is irrelevant--their big money came almost entirely from touring. That's because even one of the year's top albums--say, the Black Eyed Peas' Monkey Business, which sold 3 million copies in the U.S.--generates an average of $13 per CD sold. But the average ticket price for a top act can easily dwarf $100 a pop--an evening with the Eagles cost an average of $108 a ticket last year--and this lets the biggest touring acts gross millions per night.
That's also why there's not much crossover between the 2005 top earners and the nominees for the 48th annual Grammy Awards. Though Mariah Carey, who is nominated for Song of the Year and Album of the Year, sold some 5 million CDs last year, she didn't hit the road, limiting her potential revenue. But Green Day, which is up for a Record of the Year nomination, sold both CDs and concert tickets, earning the group a fourth-place slot on the top earner list.
Think of the list as a quick snapshot of a music act's relative earning power, but take it with some caveats: Musicians' take of tour revenue, for instance, varies widely, and those gross numbers don't include other potential revenue from things like merchandise sales and corporate tour sponsorships and international revenue. All of the biggest touring acts also usually receive advances that can dwarf the day's gross ticket sales.
Likewise, most musicians rarely see a royalty check from individual album sales, but count instead on oversized advances that are in effect back payment from previous successes. And the list doesn't include other sources of income like movie deals, ad campaigns or, in 50 Cent's case, vitamin water sales.
The fact that most of the music businesses' most successful performers make most of their money on the road hasn't gone unnoticed by the record companies, such as Warner Music Group and Vivendi Universal's, Universal Music Group, which are still dealing with an industrywide slump in CD sales. In recent years, they've tried exploring the idea of "sharing" touring revenues with their star acts. But aside from EMI Music Group, which now gets a piece of tour revenue from both British pop singer Robbie Williams and Korn, the once-hot rock group, the notion hasn't received much traction.
More from Forbes
That's because the Stones, wrinkles and all, were the most popular act in the United States in 2005, at least when it comes to the cash they generate. The band tops Forbes' list of last year's biggest money makers in music, generating some $168 million in record and concert sales. U2, which generated close to $150 million at cash registers and on the road, came in second; Elton John, who didn't even release a new album last year, rounds out the top ten list with $66 million.
To compile the list--which looks at the cash that musicians generated, not what actually ends up in their bank account--we used data from concert trade magazine Pollstar's list of top-grossing U.S. tours and U.S. sales information from tracking service Nielsen SoundScan. We're not counting international revenue, but everyone on this list also did well outside the U.S. -- if you can sell out Giants Stadium in New Jersey, you can sell out Wembley, too.
In the Stones' case, as with many of the acts that made this year's top ten, the fact that the group doesn't sell much music is irrelevant--their big money came almost entirely from touring. That's because even one of the year's top albums--say, the Black Eyed Peas' Monkey Business, which sold 3 million copies in the U.S.--generates an average of $13 per CD sold. But the average ticket price for a top act can easily dwarf $100 a pop--an evening with the Eagles cost an average of $108 a ticket last year--and this lets the biggest touring acts gross millions per night.
That's also why there's not much crossover between the 2005 top earners and the nominees for the 48th annual Grammy Awards. Though Mariah Carey, who is nominated for Song of the Year and Album of the Year, sold some 5 million CDs last year, she didn't hit the road, limiting her potential revenue. But Green Day, which is up for a Record of the Year nomination, sold both CDs and concert tickets, earning the group a fourth-place slot on the top earner list.
Think of the list as a quick snapshot of a music act's relative earning power, but take it with some caveats: Musicians' take of tour revenue, for instance, varies widely, and those gross numbers don't include other potential revenue from things like merchandise sales and corporate tour sponsorships and international revenue. All of the biggest touring acts also usually receive advances that can dwarf the day's gross ticket sales.
Likewise, most musicians rarely see a royalty check from individual album sales, but count instead on oversized advances that are in effect back payment from previous successes. And the list doesn't include other sources of income like movie deals, ad campaigns or, in 50 Cent's case, vitamin water sales.
The fact that most of the music businesses' most successful performers make most of their money on the road hasn't gone unnoticed by the record companies, such as Warner Music Group and Vivendi Universal's, Universal Music Group, which are still dealing with an industrywide slump in CD sales. In recent years, they've tried exploring the idea of "sharing" touring revenues with their star acts. But aside from EMI Music Group, which now gets a piece of tour revenue from both British pop singer Robbie Williams and Korn, the once-hot rock group, the notion hasn't received much traction.
More from Forbes
Band Review: Spiritmachine
Today's review is on Spiritmachine. Former Atlantic Records artist Paul Isaac goes to south beach to launch his newest project, the pop alternative SpiritMachine. For the rest of their review, I am going to copy and paste it right off their website. Know why? Because they say they're good, and they're acurate. So they make my job easy, and your job easier. Because your job is to sit and enjoy their music. And they do a damn fine job at that.
Isaac, collaborating with Gerson Lima former band member of Muse creates the sounds of SpiritMachine's urgency for their generation. Their creative energy is at its peak, producing music through the use of technology and unusual sounds: "It's been an interstellar burst of a life support system working together again" says Isaac. Lima has specialized in digitizing light into textured emotional landscapes managing to successfully work over the World Wide Web creating songs with Paul.
While their hit single Sublime continually gets radio play, SpiritMachine has recorded its latest hit, entitled Habitat. We've written these songs embracing the beauty of losing your mind and then finding yourself through your heart says Isaac.
Their innovative style of sounds combines conscious lyrics with an edgy unorthodox resonance on the guitar that provides the ear with a distinctive emotional tone. Isaac describes: "This new project feels like two lifetimes happening at once. Watching new songs take shape is like watching the birth of a new life".
Continuing in the journey with the duo is long time bass player, Ari Eisenstein. SpiritMachine's newest member is Leor Manelis livening up the sound with powerful drum rhythms.
SpiritMachine released their self titled EP in mid 2005. For more, including soundclips, you can visit their leet website at: http://www.spiritmachinemusic.com
Tuesday, February 07, 2006
Funeral for a Friend's Hours
Funeral For A Friend is one of the better known post hardcore groups out of the UK, as evidence shows on a few tracks of their major label debut Hours. However, this album is somewhat dissapointing in that it doesn't have any focus to it. The energy of their past releases isn't as strong here, and many of the slower melodic songs are boring and lack any emotion. An average release from a good band. Informed by the full-gale force of hardcore punk and metal, yet infused with a poignant, provacative melodic sensibility, Funeral For A Friend have won fans from both sides of the pond by touring relentlessly and winning fans over one by one. Hours showcases the band's musical abilities and innovation while delivering some of the most tuneful songs of their career.
This is a review by our affiliats.
Monday, February 06, 2006
BASIC's sound fabrication
Mix together trunk-thick grooves, deep, detailed and fat production, complemented by tiny sound effects and Far-East atmospheres and themes, and you get BASIC.
BASIC is a 25 years old Dutch producer who operates within the framework of instrumental hiphop, afro breakbeats and down tempo electronica. In other words, one could say he is heavily into detailed drum work, deep-space strings, intricate 60's and 70's jazz kinetics, [Far] Eastern and 'ethno' themes and melodies, tinkling sound effects... Oh well! Others tend to compare his sound with the likes of Four Tet, Amon Tobin and Bonobo.
"I can clearly remember that day in high school, when my tutor - I was 13 years old back then - asked me to come in and tell about my plans for my future profession. I told him I wanted to be a producer, without really knowing what that supposed to be. In those days, I was a big fan of the Wu Tang Clan and their sound, and I knew the RZA was their producer."
BASIC started making beats and sounds around his tenth; using Windows Sound Recorder for copy-pasting samples he recorded from Chinese folk tapes and American funk recordings. This software was by far not convenient, and in 1995 [at age 14] he assembled a group of musicians, told them what kind of loops they had to play, and rented a studio to record all material on multi track. This delivered him his first demo tape recording, on which he also featured as a rapper. Besides that, BASIC got in touch with the owner of another studio. This man offered him the keys of his private workspace, so that BASIC was allowed to come and work on his own projects every weekend. "He gave me access to all the equipment he had assembled during the years," BASIC explains, "and the best part was, he just made me figure it all out for myself. Therefore, I was really allowed to learn something. It was a slow and sometimes frustrating process, but I learned that I was very sure about wanting to get along with this stuff."
BASIC delivered a debut album in which the chronological flow of the tracks is of a great importance. It narrates the period after a stormy episode in which personal relations took up most of his energy. "Do you know a word that means both look at me and leave me alone" -> this sentence, from an album liner notes by saxophonist Masayoshi Urabe, formed the leading thread running through the process of producing his debut CD.
In his own words, the music on his album is about the ambiguous emotions that occur with extreme, unhealthy love for another person. In musical terms, he approaches this with a trunk-thick groove as the basis. His partiality to Eastern atmospheres and themes complements his characteristic sound.
BASIC's style is defined by moody, compelling beats that are driven by a bouncy hiphop force. As a producer operating within this framework, he is aware not to step in the pitfall of tediousness. BASIC has a clever and deceptive way of extending the groovy sub layers of his style towards heavily detailed, deep and organic music. The variation between the tracks on his album is the key that keeps his listeners occupied. The elaborate, elusive eloquence of 'Do you know the word' reveals itself more and more after each turn in your stereo set.
In his live performances, BASIC is known for his hypnotically grooving sets, which instantly get the audience moving. He has played on numerous renown Dutch musical festivals and venues.
There are a number of live recordings and bonus mp3s available through http://www.humanworkshop.com
BASIC is a 25 years old Dutch producer who operates within the framework of instrumental hiphop, afro breakbeats and down tempo electronica. In other words, one could say he is heavily into detailed drum work, deep-space strings, intricate 60's and 70's jazz kinetics, [Far] Eastern and 'ethno' themes and melodies, tinkling sound effects... Oh well! Others tend to compare his sound with the likes of Four Tet, Amon Tobin and Bonobo.
"I can clearly remember that day in high school, when my tutor - I was 13 years old back then - asked me to come in and tell about my plans for my future profession. I told him I wanted to be a producer, without really knowing what that supposed to be. In those days, I was a big fan of the Wu Tang Clan and their sound, and I knew the RZA was their producer."
BASIC started making beats and sounds around his tenth; using Windows Sound Recorder for copy-pasting samples he recorded from Chinese folk tapes and American funk recordings. This software was by far not convenient, and in 1995 [at age 14] he assembled a group of musicians, told them what kind of loops they had to play, and rented a studio to record all material on multi track. This delivered him his first demo tape recording, on which he also featured as a rapper. Besides that, BASIC got in touch with the owner of another studio. This man offered him the keys of his private workspace, so that BASIC was allowed to come and work on his own projects every weekend. "He gave me access to all the equipment he had assembled during the years," BASIC explains, "and the best part was, he just made me figure it all out for myself. Therefore, I was really allowed to learn something. It was a slow and sometimes frustrating process, but I learned that I was very sure about wanting to get along with this stuff."
BASIC delivered a debut album in which the chronological flow of the tracks is of a great importance. It narrates the period after a stormy episode in which personal relations took up most of his energy. "Do you know a word that means both look at me and leave me alone" -> this sentence, from an album liner notes by saxophonist Masayoshi Urabe, formed the leading thread running through the process of producing his debut CD.
In his own words, the music on his album is about the ambiguous emotions that occur with extreme, unhealthy love for another person. In musical terms, he approaches this with a trunk-thick groove as the basis. His partiality to Eastern atmospheres and themes complements his characteristic sound.
BASIC's style is defined by moody, compelling beats that are driven by a bouncy hiphop force. As a producer operating within this framework, he is aware not to step in the pitfall of tediousness. BASIC has a clever and deceptive way of extending the groovy sub layers of his style towards heavily detailed, deep and organic music. The variation between the tracks on his album is the key that keeps his listeners occupied. The elaborate, elusive eloquence of 'Do you know the word' reveals itself more and more after each turn in your stereo set.
In his live performances, BASIC is known for his hypnotically grooving sets, which instantly get the audience moving. He has played on numerous renown Dutch musical festivals and venues.
There are a number of live recordings and bonus mp3s available through http://www.humanworkshop.com
Wednesday, February 01, 2006
Band Review: Munkey Juice
Munkey Juice is an indie rock band that plays a mixture of rock, folk and alternative music, VU meets Pixies.
Biography: Munkey Juice originally sprouted from the backwoods of Ohio only to emerge as a rock 'n' roll beast in the great twin cities of Minnesota. Through the years Munkey Juice has released eight full-length albums, and four EPs on their own independent label: Choose To Lose Records.
Nelson Heise established the band in 1995 with his brother Robert. The band has had several drummers and currently Stacie Archer plays drums for the band in his triumphant return to MJ. Stacie was the drummer on three previous MJ albums (Mafia Cornfields, Sassy Potato and Her Absence).
MJ 's eighth album "Fatty Arbuckle's Coke Bottle" has been released stimutaneously with "Ten Under Sixty Vol.3" in early 2006. Rick Pavlik and Dan Kaping accompanied the brothers on the "Fatty Arbuckle" release. Rick and Dan also played on MJ's double album, Music from the Motion Picture: Moscow.
MJ has had a long history of rockin' small little clubs in central Ohio, to tackling larger venues in Minnesota. Their music is full of energy and truth and never shies away from their indie rock roots. Munkey Juice releases are know for their variation in sound and format. Though they are true rockers the MJ never shies away from trying different styles of music from folk to hard rock. They also like to get creative with their music for example, their unending effort to record as many songs as possible under a minute and give them away as free EP's with every full length sale.
Munkey Juice takes indie rock and do it yourself attitude to a whole new level. Even if they have a crazy name.
http://www.munkeyjuice.net/
Biography: Munkey Juice originally sprouted from the backwoods of Ohio only to emerge as a rock 'n' roll beast in the great twin cities of Minnesota. Through the years Munkey Juice has released eight full-length albums, and four EPs on their own independent label: Choose To Lose Records.
Nelson Heise established the band in 1995 with his brother Robert. The band has had several drummers and currently Stacie Archer plays drums for the band in his triumphant return to MJ. Stacie was the drummer on three previous MJ albums (Mafia Cornfields, Sassy Potato and Her Absence).
MJ 's eighth album "Fatty Arbuckle's Coke Bottle" has been released stimutaneously with "Ten Under Sixty Vol.3" in early 2006. Rick Pavlik and Dan Kaping accompanied the brothers on the "Fatty Arbuckle" release. Rick and Dan also played on MJ's double album, Music from the Motion Picture: Moscow.
MJ has had a long history of rockin' small little clubs in central Ohio, to tackling larger venues in Minnesota. Their music is full of energy and truth and never shies away from their indie rock roots. Munkey Juice releases are know for their variation in sound and format. Though they are true rockers the MJ never shies away from trying different styles of music from folk to hard rock. They also like to get creative with their music for example, their unending effort to record as many songs as possible under a minute and give them away as free EP's with every full length sale.
Munkey Juice takes indie rock and do it yourself attitude to a whole new level. Even if they have a crazy name.
http://www.munkeyjuice.net/