1990: Dr. Harold Hildegard founds Jupiter Systems, eventually Antares Audio Technologies
1997: Antares introduces Auto-Tune, a pitch-correcting software program
1998:
-Cher releases her hit song “Believe," which uses Auto-Tune to construct its distinctive bridge
-The song’s producers claim the Auto-tune effects are actually a vocoder, trying to protect a trade secret
2000: Gigi D’Agostino releases the Auto-Tuned “La Pasion,” which becomes number 1 in Belgium
2001: Janet Jackson releases the Auto-Tuned “All For You,” remaining on the Billboard Hot 100 for seven weeks
2004: T-Pain rises to fame with his Auto-Tune-based “Hard & B” style, which takes on imitators
2008: T-Pain claims a right to royalties from any artist using Auto-Tune
2009:
-Death Cab for Cutie protests the widespread use of Auto-Tune at the 51st Grammy Awards with blue ribbons
-Jay-Z releases “D.O.A. (Death of Auto-Tune)”
Showing posts with label white team. Show all posts
Showing posts with label white team. Show all posts
Tuesday, October 20, 2009
Sydney Slotkin Q&A
Allison Weiss, 22-year-old singer/songwriter from Athens, Ga has gained notable recognition on the Internet from her strategic use of social networking website to promote her music and herself.
Sydney Slotkin: What sites do you use the most to promote your music and why are they good tools?
Allison Weiss: Right now my primary promotion sites are Twitter, Tumblr, Facebook, and YouTube, with MySpace in a quiet fourth place. They're all great tools because they allow me to directly interact with fans of my music. I like to know a lot about the people listening to my music so that I can provide them with as awesome of an experience as possible. I format my promotion efforts based on what I see people saying and doing. For instance, instead of just hoping people will like a t-shirt, I can ask them directly. I recently did this with my new record (which comes out in November), by allowing my fans to vote on two of the songs on the album.
More specifically... Twitter is great because it's so easy and so addictive. Tumblr is great because it's like Twitter, except with greater possibilities for sharing information, and it's got a super strong community feel. Facebook is great because everybody and their mother (literally) is on it and using it constantly. MySpace is not great, but unfortunately if you're a musician you have to have one...
In addition to these, I also use iLike, ReverbNation, Virb, Vimeo, PureVolume, FourSquare, Last.fm, LinkedIn, and a million others. Basically if you name it, I'm probably on it... I just can't think of them all right now.
SS: What are some of the direct results you've seen from using these sites to promote your music? If you want to give some specific examples, that might be easier.
AW: I guess I just mentioned a couple things up there, but in addition to that, I just see my fanbase growing more and more every day. The fact that I'm out there on the internet all the time means people can follow me or listen to my music whenever they want and decide for themselves if they like it. Also, it's really easy for someone to send their friends a link to my MySpace or my Twitter or something, and so the word-of-mouth promotion works really well. I've definitely met people at shows who come up to me and tell me they found me on YouTube or MySpace or that they follow me on Twitter or Tumblr. It's pretty incredible. I recently went to Los Angeles and played a show in a coffee shop, and there were probably 30-40 people there, even though it was my first time. I consider that a pretty awesome turnout. The majority of them had found me online through various social networking sites. One girl in particular said she'd been a fan for about 5 years, after she found a cover song I did on YouTube. She told me that her and her now-boyfriend met because of that cover. That's pretty incredible, if you ask me!
SS: What do you think has been the best result from using these sites as promotional tools? What do you think just doesn't work for you?
AW: Definitely just the ability to connect with fans and to spread my music to as many people as possible. I think of myself as more than just music. I'm kind of my own brand. A lot of the people who really like my songs also really like me as a whole package. When I perform, I talk a lot between songs and banter with the audience, and the internet gives me a place to show that side of my personality that comes with the performance. I haven't really found anything yet that doesn't work for me. I'll give anything a shot. I joined Twitter over a year ago, but only started using it to it's full extent a few months ago. So from that experience I've found it's a good idea to give everything a shot. I can usually tell when something's got the potential to get huge, though, so if I really believe in a service I'll go for it and promote it hardcore. I don't know if you've heard of Tumblr.com, but when I joined it, none of my friends were on it, until I forced them to join. I think there were maybe two other people in Athens who had one. Now it seems like everyone I know is getting one, and I think it's only getting bigger.
SS: What kind of potential do you think social networking sites have for musicians promoting themselves?
AW: I can't imagine trying to be a musician in a world without social networking. If it weren't for MySpace and YouTube and Twitter and all that, nobody would know who I am. Social media allows musicians to self promote like they've never been able to before, and I believe it can only get better. I recently joined a site called LiveStream.com, and I've been broadcasting some of my concerts to the internet. I also do impromptu living room shows whenever I feel like it. A couple weekends ago I did a marathon show where I played for 4.5 hours, and I had about 150 people watching it the whole time. There's also a chat room attached to the video, so my fans can interact with eachother. They were all talking about what time they had to get up (or stay up to) to watch the stream. It was amazing. There were people from the UK, Australia, Germany... all over the place, really! It's kind of mind blowing to know that I've got fans across the globe, and it's only because I'm really good at the internet. Well, I mean, I guess they like my music too. Hah.
SS: How exactly did you use all these websites to promote yourself so far? I just added you and Twitter and you have over 2000 followers.
AW: I basically just use them regularly and honestly. With Twitter, I try my best to be really engaging. I always tell people, Twitter is ridiculous at first, but when you get the hang of it, it can be really fun. It's more than just saying "I'm having a sandwich," it's about discussing that sandwich in detail, putting an exciting spin on it, or doing whatever you can to make it as interesting as possible in 140 characters or less.
Tuesday, October 6, 2009
Changing trends spark controversy within the recording industry
By Thomas Patrick Hooper
ATHENS, Ga. – The days of musicians relying on the instruments in their hands and the voices in their throats are changing with the increasing popularity in the digital age of sampling and Auto-Tune.
With music piped into elevators and laid over commercials, people experience music now more than ever before.
“The way that the world is experiencing music is new,” said Eric Stetson, a 23-year-old music composition major at Georgia Southern. “We take music for granted. It’s ubiquitous. It’s all around us.”
However, the innovations of the digital age have received flack from performers of many genres.
Singer-songwriter Ben Folds lampooned the industry’s reliance on computers in the lyrics of his 2001 single “Rockin’ the Suburbs,” which carries the line “the song producer with computers fixes all my s---y tracks.”
Folds isn’t the only one who has taken notice.
Indie rock group Death Cab for Cutie made a statement at the 51st Grammy Awards, held on February 8, 2009. The band members wore blue ribbons to protest the widespread use of Auto-Tune, a software program that corrects the tune of a voice or instrument.
Auto-Tune first rose to prominence in 1999, with Cher’s #1 hit song “Believe.” “Believe” used the program to great effect in creating the distinctive warbling effect in Cher’s voice that has since become the song’s most recognized element.
"If you're trying to turn a bad singer into a good singer, you're probably wasting your time," said Bruce Burch, director of the University of Georgia's music business program.
While Auto-Tune began as a select style, the program has founds its way into the hands of any number of artists, with rapper T-Pain being the most visible example.
“It is what it is,” said Daniel Collins, owner and producer of the Athens-based Pigpen Studios. “It has become very, very commonplace. It’s just what’s popular right now.”
However, the proliferation of Auto-Tune songs does not sit well with some artists.
Rapper Shawn Corey Carter, better known by his stage name Jay-Z, made his feelings toward Auto-Tune known. In June of 2009, he released “D.O.A (Death of Auto-Tune),” a rather frank criticism of how Auto-Tune has overtaken music.
Will Hodge, a Marietta-based producer/engineer/songwriter who has been in the business for 20 years, doesn’t see any harm in using Auto-Tune.
“Background vocals need to be more in tune because they’re more a part of the instrumentation,” said Hodge, who also uses the program quite extensively in bass recordings. “The only way to get a real bass track is to play it on a keyboard.”
While the Auto-Tune controversy has emerged as the most common point of contention in the shifting priorities of the music industry, the sampling debate remains alive and well.
Computers have made it possible for artists to cut and paste certain vocals, instruments and melodies into another, entirely unrelated song. The process has drawn criticism for its perceived lack of originality.
“They’re just taking existing pieces of existing media and making something,” said Hodge, who likened the sampling process to a collage. “As long as [the writer] is getting paid, it’s not a big deal.”
Unfortunately, not every sample is properly attributed, which has sparked a handful of highly publicized lawsuits. One of the most notable cases arose in the late 80s, when rapper Vanilla Ice sampled the bassline of “Under Pressure,” a Queen-Davie Bowie collaboration.
“It’s an inevitable thing,” Hodge said of the changes sweeping the industry. “It’s insane what I can do with an iPhone.”
For better or for worse, new artists appear each day, taking advantage of the new age and all it has to offer in the form of file-sharing web sites like Reverb Nation or the digital audio program Pro Tools.
“People shouldn’t be afraid of change,” said Stetson.
The tools of the trade
Photo by: Thomas Patrick Hooper
Edited by: Blakeney Spong and Katie Weise
ATHENS, Ga. – The days of musicians relying on the instruments in their hands and the voices in their throats are changing with the increasing popularity in the digital age of sampling and Auto-Tune.
With music piped into elevators and laid over commercials, people experience music now more than ever before.
“The way that the world is experiencing music is new,” said Eric Stetson, a 23-year-old music composition major at Georgia Southern. “We take music for granted. It’s ubiquitous. It’s all around us.”
However, the innovations of the digital age have received flack from performers of many genres.
Singer-songwriter Ben Folds lampooned the industry’s reliance on computers in the lyrics of his 2001 single “Rockin’ the Suburbs,” which carries the line “the song producer with computers fixes all my s---y tracks.”
Folds isn’t the only one who has taken notice.
Indie rock group Death Cab for Cutie made a statement at the 51st Grammy Awards, held on February 8, 2009. The band members wore blue ribbons to protest the widespread use of Auto-Tune, a software program that corrects the tune of a voice or instrument.
Auto-Tune first rose to prominence in 1999, with Cher’s #1 hit song “Believe.” “Believe” used the program to great effect in creating the distinctive warbling effect in Cher’s voice that has since become the song’s most recognized element.
"If you're trying to turn a bad singer into a good singer, you're probably wasting your time," said Bruce Burch, director of the University of Georgia's music business program.
While Auto-Tune began as a select style, the program has founds its way into the hands of any number of artists, with rapper T-Pain being the most visible example.
“It is what it is,” said Daniel Collins, owner and producer of the Athens-based Pigpen Studios. “It has become very, very commonplace. It’s just what’s popular right now.”
However, the proliferation of Auto-Tune songs does not sit well with some artists.
Rapper Shawn Corey Carter, better known by his stage name Jay-Z, made his feelings toward Auto-Tune known. In June of 2009, he released “D.O.A (Death of Auto-Tune),” a rather frank criticism of how Auto-Tune has overtaken music.
Will Hodge, a Marietta-based producer/engineer/songwriter who has been in the business for 20 years, doesn’t see any harm in using Auto-Tune.
“Background vocals need to be more in tune because they’re more a part of the instrumentation,” said Hodge, who also uses the program quite extensively in bass recordings. “The only way to get a real bass track is to play it on a keyboard.”
While the Auto-Tune controversy has emerged as the most common point of contention in the shifting priorities of the music industry, the sampling debate remains alive and well.
Computers have made it possible for artists to cut and paste certain vocals, instruments and melodies into another, entirely unrelated song. The process has drawn criticism for its perceived lack of originality.
“They’re just taking existing pieces of existing media and making something,” said Hodge, who likened the sampling process to a collage. “As long as [the writer] is getting paid, it’s not a big deal.”
Unfortunately, not every sample is properly attributed, which has sparked a handful of highly publicized lawsuits. One of the most notable cases arose in the late 80s, when rapper Vanilla Ice sampled the bassline of “Under Pressure,” a Queen-Davie Bowie collaboration.
“It’s an inevitable thing,” Hodge said of the changes sweeping the industry. “It’s insane what I can do with an iPhone.”
For better or for worse, new artists appear each day, taking advantage of the new age and all it has to offer in the form of file-sharing web sites like Reverb Nation or the digital audio program Pro Tools.
“People shouldn’t be afraid of change,” said Stetson.
The tools of the trade
Photo by: Thomas Patrick Hooper
Are instruments like these a thing of the past?
Photo by: Thomas Patrick Hooper
Edited by: Blakeney Spong and Katie Weise
Tuesday, September 29, 2009
Article #2 - First Draft
(Title pending)
Thomas Patrick Hooper
ATHENS, Ga. – Bands like the Beatles may have revolutionized music, but with the digital age in full swing, the artists may not be the only driving force in the music industry anymore.
With music piped into elevators and laid over commercials, people experience music now more than ever before.
“The way that the world is experiencing music is new,” said Eric Stetson, a 23-year-old music composition major at Georgia Southern. “We take music for granted. It’s ubiquitous. It’s all around us.”
TV programs like the wildly successful American Idol have put up-and-coming musicians in the public eye while video games such as Rock Band and Guitar Hero make the everyman into the musician.
“It’s not really anything new, but I think they’ve done the best job of it,” said Bruce Burch, director of the Music Business program at the University of Georgia, of the American Idol phenomenon.
However, American Idol may be symptomatic of a greater trend in the musical world, as the industry has begun moving to court the performer and not the other way around.
The progressive rock group the Decemberists have emerged as a clear cut example, coming out of the city of Portland, Ore., far from the musical capitals of Los Angeles and Atlanta.
“Music has been decentralized,” said Burch of the Decemberists. “You don’t have to be in a major music center anymore.”
That hasn’t kept the innovations of the digital age from having received its fair share of flack from performers of many genres.
Singer-songwriter Ben Folds lampooned the changes of the editing process in the lyrics of “Rockin’ the Suburbs,” which carries the line “the song producer with computers fixes all my shitty tracks.”
Folds isn’t the only one who has taken notice.
Indie rock group Death Cab for Cutie made a statement at the 51st Grammy Awards, when the band members wore blue ribbons to protest the widespread use of Auto-Tune, a software program that corrects the tune of a voice or instrument.
Rapper Shawn Corey Carter, better known by his stage name Jay-Z, took things a step further. In June of 2009, he released D.O.A (Death of Auto-Tune) in protest of the program’s widespread use in the industry.
“It’s been around a lot longer than people think,” said Stetson in reference to the program, which began to gain national attention after Cher’s obvious use of it in her1998 song, “Believe.”
Since then, Auto-Tune has founds its way into the hands of any number of artists, with rapper T-Pain being the most visible example.
Will Hodge, a Marietta-based producer/engineer/songwriter who has been in the business for 20 years, doesn’t see any harm in using Auto-Tune.
“Background vocals need to be more in tune because they’re more a part of the instrumentation,” said Hodge, who also uses the program quite extensively in bass recordings. “The only way to get a real bass track is to play it on a keyboard.”
While the Auto-Tune controversy has become a trend, it comes on the heels of the sampling debate.
Artists initially relied on the instruments in their hands and the voices in their throats, but computers have made it possible for artists to cut and paste certain vocals, instruments and melodies into another, entirely unrelated song. The process has drawn criticism for its perceived lack of originality.
“They’re just taking existing pieces of existing media and making something,” said Hodge, who likened the sampling process to a collage. “As long as [the writer] is getting paid, it’s not a big deal.”
Unfortunately, not every sample is properly attributed, which has sparked a handful of highly publicized lawsuits. One of the most notable cases arose in the late 80s, when rapper Vanilla Ice sampled the bassline of “Under Pressure,” a Queen-Davie Bowie collaboration.
“It’s an inevitable thing,” Hodge said of the changes sweeping the industry. “It’s insane what I can do with an iPhone… I’m a purist. I think the people that will advance in the industry are the people associated with the pure songwriter. It all starts with the song.”
With the history of music stretching back so far and the recording industry being as young as it is, it’s anyone guess as to where the industry will go in the future.
“People shouldn’t be afraid of change,” said Stetson.
Thomas Patrick Hooper
ATHENS, Ga. – Bands like the Beatles may have revolutionized music, but with the digital age in full swing, the artists may not be the only driving force in the music industry anymore.
With music piped into elevators and laid over commercials, people experience music now more than ever before.
“The way that the world is experiencing music is new,” said Eric Stetson, a 23-year-old music composition major at Georgia Southern. “We take music for granted. It’s ubiquitous. It’s all around us.”
TV programs like the wildly successful American Idol have put up-and-coming musicians in the public eye while video games such as Rock Band and Guitar Hero make the everyman into the musician.
“It’s not really anything new, but I think they’ve done the best job of it,” said Bruce Burch, director of the Music Business program at the University of Georgia, of the American Idol phenomenon.
However, American Idol may be symptomatic of a greater trend in the musical world, as the industry has begun moving to court the performer and not the other way around.
The progressive rock group the Decemberists have emerged as a clear cut example, coming out of the city of Portland, Ore., far from the musical capitals of Los Angeles and Atlanta.
“Music has been decentralized,” said Burch of the Decemberists. “You don’t have to be in a major music center anymore.”
That hasn’t kept the innovations of the digital age from having received its fair share of flack from performers of many genres.
Singer-songwriter Ben Folds lampooned the changes of the editing process in the lyrics of “Rockin’ the Suburbs,” which carries the line “the song producer with computers fixes all my shitty tracks.”
Folds isn’t the only one who has taken notice.
Indie rock group Death Cab for Cutie made a statement at the 51st Grammy Awards, when the band members wore blue ribbons to protest the widespread use of Auto-Tune, a software program that corrects the tune of a voice or instrument.
Rapper Shawn Corey Carter, better known by his stage name Jay-Z, took things a step further. In June of 2009, he released D.O.A (Death of Auto-Tune) in protest of the program’s widespread use in the industry.
“It’s been around a lot longer than people think,” said Stetson in reference to the program, which began to gain national attention after Cher’s obvious use of it in her1998 song, “Believe.”
Since then, Auto-Tune has founds its way into the hands of any number of artists, with rapper T-Pain being the most visible example.
Will Hodge, a Marietta-based producer/engineer/songwriter who has been in the business for 20 years, doesn’t see any harm in using Auto-Tune.
“Background vocals need to be more in tune because they’re more a part of the instrumentation,” said Hodge, who also uses the program quite extensively in bass recordings. “The only way to get a real bass track is to play it on a keyboard.”
While the Auto-Tune controversy has become a trend, it comes on the heels of the sampling debate.
Artists initially relied on the instruments in their hands and the voices in their throats, but computers have made it possible for artists to cut and paste certain vocals, instruments and melodies into another, entirely unrelated song. The process has drawn criticism for its perceived lack of originality.
“They’re just taking existing pieces of existing media and making something,” said Hodge, who likened the sampling process to a collage. “As long as [the writer] is getting paid, it’s not a big deal.”
Unfortunately, not every sample is properly attributed, which has sparked a handful of highly publicized lawsuits. One of the most notable cases arose in the late 80s, when rapper Vanilla Ice sampled the bassline of “Under Pressure,” a Queen-Davie Bowie collaboration.
“It’s an inevitable thing,” Hodge said of the changes sweeping the industry. “It’s insane what I can do with an iPhone… I’m a purist. I think the people that will advance in the industry are the people associated with the pure songwriter. It all starts with the song.”
With the history of music stretching back so far and the recording industry being as young as it is, it’s anyone guess as to where the industry will go in the future.
“People shouldn’t be afraid of change,” said Stetson.
Tuesday, September 15, 2009
iTunes article (Final)
Is iTunes changing the face of music for the better?
By Thomas Patrick Hooper
ATHENS, Ga. – Conventional wisdom says not every Tom, Dick, and Harry can be a rock star. With the rise of the digital age, that may no longer be the case.
Aspiring musicians have found a number of opportunities in the likes of iTunes, a digital media player created by Apple Inc., now in its eighth phase. While best known as a source to download music, the iTunes program offers a wide variety of media to download, allowing users to watch movies, listen to audio books and even conduct their own podcasts.
The iTunes Store has sold over 5 billion songs, including tracks from lesser-known artists.
Austin Lite, a 19-year-old sophomore at Georgia State University, is one such aspiring musician. Lite, under the alias of A-Lite, has uploaded a three-song album, Thirstay Thursday, for mass consumption on the iTunes Store.
“I Googled how to do it,” Lite said, who went through the digital music distribution site TuneCore to make his iTunes debut possible. “You just upload [your songs] and they listen to it to make sure it’s music. It was really easy.”
Lite makes 99 cents for every song downloaded, which is not uncommon. The iTunes Store offers its songs at prices of 69 cents, 99 cents, or $1.29 per track.
“I get 100% of the profit, although it’s not that much,”said Lite.
Lite isn’t alone in embracing music-sharing media like iTunes.
Elijah Cross, 28, has taken advantage of social networking and file streaming sites like Facebook and ReverbNation, respectively, for the sake of promoting his music. Cross is the lead vocalist and main promoter of Christian rock band His Reunited, which he co-founded with guitarist Jimmy Parr.
“I had dealings with booking agents and managers,” Cross said. “It isn’t always easy finding someone who has your best interests at heart.”
Cross put agents and managers aside and began promoting himself through the Internet four years ago, after leaving a previous band.
“You can spend more time creating.” Cross said of the self-promoting approach. “The more time you put into it, the more response you get. You’ve got to invite 1,000 people to a show to get 100.”
However, the digital age has not been entirely beneficial to musicians.
The relationship between the recording industry and the file sharing community grew heated in 2000 with highly publicized legal troubles of Napster, an online file sharing host that offered its services free of charge. The United States Court of Appeals upheld a decision by a lower court ordering that Napster be shut down after legal battles with artists like Metallica, Madonna, and Dr. Dre.
“People perceive music as being free,” said Bruce Burch, director and founder of the University of Georgia’s Music Business program.
The Internet’s capacity for abuse isn’t the only thing that troubles Burch about the proliferation of online music distribution.
“With technology being what it is, it doesn’t cost as much to make a record. Anyone can make a record,” Burch said. “It’s hard to find the good stuff when you have to sift through the bad stuff.”
However, iTunes may be taking steps to move away from promoting the less notable musicians of its catalogue with offers like iTunes Originals, albums and tracks exclusive to the iTunes Store. Many of the iTunes Originals consist of live performances and interviews with some of the most popular and frequently downloaded artists.
“I think you’ve got to be able to perform live,” Burch said of anyone looking for success in the world of music. “That’s how Mozart did it.”
Editor: Sydney Slotkin
By Thomas Patrick Hooper
ATHENS, Ga. – Conventional wisdom says not every Tom, Dick, and Harry can be a rock star. With the rise of the digital age, that may no longer be the case.
Aspiring musicians have found a number of opportunities in the likes of iTunes, a digital media player created by Apple Inc., now in its eighth phase. While best known as a source to download music, the iTunes program offers a wide variety of media to download, allowing users to watch movies, listen to audio books and even conduct their own podcasts.
The iTunes Store has sold over 5 billion songs, including tracks from lesser-known artists.
Austin Lite, a 19-year-old sophomore at Georgia State University, is one such aspiring musician. Lite, under the alias of A-Lite, has uploaded a three-song album, Thirstay Thursday, for mass consumption on the iTunes Store.
“I Googled how to do it,” Lite said, who went through the digital music distribution site TuneCore to make his iTunes debut possible. “You just upload [your songs] and they listen to it to make sure it’s music. It was really easy.”
Lite makes 99 cents for every song downloaded, which is not uncommon. The iTunes Store offers its songs at prices of 69 cents, 99 cents, or $1.29 per track.
“I get 100% of the profit, although it’s not that much,”said Lite.
Lite isn’t alone in embracing music-sharing media like iTunes.
Elijah Cross, 28, has taken advantage of social networking and file streaming sites like Facebook and ReverbNation, respectively, for the sake of promoting his music. Cross is the lead vocalist and main promoter of Christian rock band His Reunited, which he co-founded with guitarist Jimmy Parr.
“I had dealings with booking agents and managers,” Cross said. “It isn’t always easy finding someone who has your best interests at heart.”
Cross put agents and managers aside and began promoting himself through the Internet four years ago, after leaving a previous band.
“You can spend more time creating.” Cross said of the self-promoting approach. “The more time you put into it, the more response you get. You’ve got to invite 1,000 people to a show to get 100.”
However, the digital age has not been entirely beneficial to musicians.
The relationship between the recording industry and the file sharing community grew heated in 2000 with highly publicized legal troubles of Napster, an online file sharing host that offered its services free of charge. The United States Court of Appeals upheld a decision by a lower court ordering that Napster be shut down after legal battles with artists like Metallica, Madonna, and Dr. Dre.
“People perceive music as being free,” said Bruce Burch, director and founder of the University of Georgia’s Music Business program.
The Internet’s capacity for abuse isn’t the only thing that troubles Burch about the proliferation of online music distribution.
“With technology being what it is, it doesn’t cost as much to make a record. Anyone can make a record,” Burch said. “It’s hard to find the good stuff when you have to sift through the bad stuff.”
However, iTunes may be taking steps to move away from promoting the less notable musicians of its catalogue with offers like iTunes Originals, albums and tracks exclusive to the iTunes Store. Many of the iTunes Originals consist of live performances and interviews with some of the most popular and frequently downloaded artists.
“I think you’ve got to be able to perform live,” Burch said of anyone looking for success in the world of music. “That’s how Mozart did it.”
Editor: Sydney Slotkin
Monday, September 14, 2009
Social Networks Make Friends out of Followers
Revised from 9/15
Sydney Slotkin
ATHENS, Ga. - Social networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter are increasing in popularity with musicians looking for a free and easy way to promote themselves. Twitter updates provide up-to-the-minute information about performances and Tumblr, a blogging community, allows fans to get a more intimate view of the lives of their favorite musicians via pictures and personal updates. Musicians can be personalities made accessible by the hyper-interaction of social networking sites.
Allison Weiss of Athens, Ga. uses more than ten social networking sites and music-sharing websites to promote herself as a solo musician. She maintains lively Twitter and Tumblr accounts that fans can follow and stay updated on her album releases as well as her personal experiences.
“[Social networks] are great tools because they allow me to directly interact with fans of my music,” said Weiss. “I think of myself as more than just music. I’m kind of my own brand.”
With over 2,000 followers on Twitter and Tumblr, Weiss says that her presence on the Internet is the main reason why she has acquired so many fans.
“If it weren't for MySpace and YouTube and Twitter and all that, nobody would know who I am,” said Weiss. “”I recently went to Los Angeles and played a show in a coffee shop, and there were probably 30-40 people there, even though it was my first time. I consider that a pretty awesome turnout. The majority of them said they had found me on social networking sites.”
Gerry Green, a solo performer from San Diego, Ca. plays about one show a month in Athens and makes a Facebook event for each formal show.
“I always see people who were confirmed on the event at my show,” said Green. “It doesn’t take much work and it’s an easy way to get people versus word of mouth.”
With relatively easy access to their fan bases, musicians can engage in a more give-and-take relationship with their fans, creating a more personalized experience for both listener and musician.
“I format my promotion efforts based on what I see people saying and doing. For instance, instead of just hoping people will like a t-shirt, I can ask them directly,” said Weiss.
Julian Dorio, drummer for Athens, Ga. band The Whigs favors posting music to MySpace because of the ease with which listeners can try out music before purchasing.
“For better or worse, it gives everyone a chance to be heard. Whether you are the biggest band in the world or completely unknown, you can have a Myspace page for people to listen to decide themselves,” said Dorio.
Recently, Weiss joined Livestream.com, a website similar to Youtube, but with the capacity to stream live content to viewers.
“A couple weekends ago I did a marathon show where I played for 4.5 hours, and I had about 150 people watching it the whole time,” said Weiss. “It was amazing. There were people from the UK, Australia, Germany... all over the place, really.”
Becoming “friends” with a musician on a social networking site may not be just a misnomer for being a fan.
“It's kind of mind blowing to know that I've got fans across the globe, and it's only because I'm really good at the internet," said Weiss. “Well, I mean, I guess they like my music too. Hah.”
Editor: Patrick Hooper
Sydney Slotkin
ATHENS, Ga. - Social networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter are increasing in popularity with musicians looking for a free and easy way to promote themselves. Twitter updates provide up-to-the-minute information about performances and Tumblr, a blogging community, allows fans to get a more intimate view of the lives of their favorite musicians via pictures and personal updates. Musicians can be personalities made accessible by the hyper-interaction of social networking sites.
Allison Weiss of Athens, Ga. uses more than ten social networking sites and music-sharing websites to promote herself as a solo musician. She maintains lively Twitter and Tumblr accounts that fans can follow and stay updated on her album releases as well as her personal experiences.
“[Social networks] are great tools because they allow me to directly interact with fans of my music,” said Weiss. “I think of myself as more than just music. I’m kind of my own brand.”
With over 2,000 followers on Twitter and Tumblr, Weiss says that her presence on the Internet is the main reason why she has acquired so many fans.
“If it weren't for MySpace and YouTube and Twitter and all that, nobody would know who I am,” said Weiss. “”I recently went to Los Angeles and played a show in a coffee shop, and there were probably 30-40 people there, even though it was my first time. I consider that a pretty awesome turnout. The majority of them said they had found me on social networking sites.”
Gerry Green, a solo performer from San Diego, Ca. plays about one show a month in Athens and makes a Facebook event for each formal show.
“I always see people who were confirmed on the event at my show,” said Green. “It doesn’t take much work and it’s an easy way to get people versus word of mouth.”
With relatively easy access to their fan bases, musicians can engage in a more give-and-take relationship with their fans, creating a more personalized experience for both listener and musician.
“I format my promotion efforts based on what I see people saying and doing. For instance, instead of just hoping people will like a t-shirt, I can ask them directly,” said Weiss.
Julian Dorio, drummer for Athens, Ga. band The Whigs favors posting music to MySpace because of the ease with which listeners can try out music before purchasing.
“For better or worse, it gives everyone a chance to be heard. Whether you are the biggest band in the world or completely unknown, you can have a Myspace page for people to listen to decide themselves,” said Dorio.
Recently, Weiss joined Livestream.com, a website similar to Youtube, but with the capacity to stream live content to viewers.
“A couple weekends ago I did a marathon show where I played for 4.5 hours, and I had about 150 people watching it the whole time,” said Weiss. “It was amazing. There were people from the UK, Australia, Germany... all over the place, really.”
Becoming “friends” with a musician on a social networking site may not be just a misnomer for being a fan.
“It's kind of mind blowing to know that I've got fans across the globe, and it's only because I'm really good at the internet," said Weiss. “Well, I mean, I guess they like my music too. Hah.”
Editor: Patrick Hooper
Monday, September 7, 2009
iMusic the wave of the future--for better or for worse?
Thomas Patrick Hooper
Aspiring musicians have found any number of opportunities in the likes of iTunes, a digital media player created by Apple Incorporated, now in its eighth phase. While known best as a source of music, the iTunes program offers a wide variety of media to explore, allowing users to watch movies, listen to audio books, and even conduct their own podcasts.
Austin Lite, a 19-year-old sophomore attending
“I googled how to do it.” Lite said, having gone through the digital music distribution web site TuneCore to make his iTunes debut possible. “You just upload [your songs] and they listen to it to make sure it’s music. It was really easy.”
Lite makes 99 cents for every song downloaded, which is not uncommon. The iTunes store offers its songs at prices of 69 cents, 99 cents, or $1.29 per track.
Lite isn’t alone in embracing new media to spread the word about his music.
Elijah Cross, 28, has taken advantage of social networking and file streaming sites like Facebook and ReverbNation, respectively, for the sake of promoting his music. Cross acts as the lead vocalist and main promoter of Christian rock band His Reunited, which he co-founded with guitarist Jimmy Parr.
“I had dealings with booking agents and managers,” Cross said. “It isn’t always easy finding someone who has your best interests at heart.”
Cross embraced the possibilities of an online promotional campaign four years ago, after leaving a previous band.
“You can spend more time creating.” Cross said of the Internet approach. “The more time you put into it, the more response you get. You’ve got to invite 1,000 people to a show to get 100.”
However, the digital age has not been entirely beneficial to the musicians of
The relationship between the recording industry and the file sharing community grew heated in 2000 with highly publicized legal troubles of Napster, an online file sharing community that offered its services free of charge. The US Court of Appeals upheld a decision by a lower court ordering that Napster be shut down after legal battles with artists like Metallica, Madonna, and Dr Dre.
“People perceive music as being free,” said Bruce Burch, 56, who is the Director of the
The system’s capacity for abuse isn’t the only thing that troubles Burch about the proliferation of online music distribution.
“With technology being what it is, it doesn’t cost as much to make a record. Anyone can make a record.” Burch said. “It’s hard to find the good stuff when you have to sift through the bad stuff.”
However, features like iTunes may have taken steps to move away from promoting the less talented with offers like iTunes Originals, albums and tracks exclusive to the iTunes family. Many of the Originals consist of live performances and interviews with some of the most popular and frequently downloaded artists.
“I think you’ve got to be able to perform live.” Burch said of anyone looking for success in the world of music. “That’s how Mozart did it.”
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)