Live at A Vaulx Jazz 2009, Vaulx-en-Vilen, FranceChris Speed- tenor sax, Hilmar Jensson- guitar, Skuli Sverrisson- bass, Jim Black- drums
Film by Jean Marc Birraux, Nomade Productions with participation from Mezzo
their latest cd "Houseplant" available on Winter & Winter Recordings
http://www.winterandwinter.comhttp://www.jimblack.com
http://www.myspace.com/alasnoaxismusic
I've heard many. But I hadn't heard this one until now! :)
I'm so used to bands and artist having the "pay what you like" option available, that I was thinking about what I would like to pay for the album. I was thinking $14 ... then I didn't get the option :-p .... oh well, I guess I could buy it again then :)
The Musician’s Social Media Food Pyramid
November 10, 2010{ 8 Comments }
Posted by Ariel Hyatt – Tuesday, 9 November, 2010
It happens to me all of the time when I teach artists social media. The face goes blank, the frustration begins to settle in and then the artist says it:
“I just don’t have anything interesting to say.”
REALLY?
I’m shocked by this every time. You are an artist; you do things we mere mortals are totally enamored by: you PLAY MUSIC, you write songs, you perform them in public!
So PHLEEASE, do not tell me you have nothing interesting to say. I ain’t buying it.
All you are missing is a System for Social Media Success.
Luckily, unlike sheer god-given musical talent, social media is a learnable skill.
As I was teaching my system to a client in my kitchen a few weeks ago over coffee and bagels and it HIT me… and so I created:
THE MUSICIAN’S SOCIAL MEDIA FOOD PYRAMID!
Remember that chart they brought out when we were in 2nd grade to show us how to eat well-rounded meals? I have re-tooled it for you so you can now participate on Social Media healthily! And you won’t even have to think about it – just follow along…You wouldn’t eat only bagels all of the time. They are a treat once in awhile, but they are not healthy to eat every day – and a diet of only bagels would be boring!
Most artists are only serving their audiences bagels all of the time. Plain bagels. Over an over again.
Uninteresting.
We want a burger, or a giant green healthy salad, we want some candy, give us protein!
But you keep serving bagels, bagels, bagels!
These are five things that when used in concert with one another can help you ratchet up your social media effectively and manage it easily.
Download Your Social Media Food Pyramid PDF:
GROUP 1. DIRECT ENGAGEMENT
Like: BREAD, CEREAL, RICE & PASTA
Servings (Recommended Frequency): 3 – 4 out of every 10 postsMake sure you’re in a two-way conversation with people consistently
Facebook: See something interesting something on their Facebook pages? Don’t just “like”, write a true comment about it and get more involved.
Twitter: Send messages to people or mention you are with them by using the @ sign and their username (For Example: I’m @CyberPR). Retweet (RT) comments you like by others.
Blog Reading: Create a Google profile and join communities of blog readers. Leave comments on blogs you like.
Video: Bonus! Make custom video comments or greetings with a Flip Camera; post them as comments or contributions. Subscribe to other people’s channels, and comment on their videos.
Location: Create fun spots that relate to your band/ music and check in, interact with others when you are out and about.
GROUP 2: SHINE A LIGHT ON OTHERS
Like: FRUITS & VEGETABLES
Servings (Recommended Frequency): 3 out of every 10 postsAll the best social media users know this and use it well. This takes all of the attention off of you and puts it onto others, and people will appreciate your kindness because you are recognizing them in front of new potential fans and followers and therefore helping them get known.
Quote people you like by sharing their profiles and videos on Facebook and re-post on your blog. Link to articles and interesting things that catch your attention such as videos, photos etc.
Reprint pieces of things that they’ve written, or link to music players. Review albums – talk about why and how those albums influenced you
by using http://www.bit.ly to track the effectiveness and to shorten your tweets.GROUP 3. CURATE CONTENT
Like: MEAT, POULTRY, FISH, BEANS, EGGS
Servings (Recommended Frequency): 2 – 3 out of every 10 postsContent may be king but content curation is queen!
The best part is you can set up an RSS reader to pull interesting content for you so you don’t have to come up with anything brilliant – just select what you like and share it. And if it’s interesting to you it’s probably interesting to your community
Ask yourself: How do I spend time online? What do I read? Are there sites I visit daily? Add them to the RSS reader (here is a brilliant Commoncraft video that will teach you how to set one up. Then all you have to do is grab the content you like and share (remember to always give credit where credit is due).
Music: Use Blip.fm, Song.ly, Jango, or LastFM to share music
Recipes: Post links to foods you like from Epicurious or TheFoodNetwork
Media: Post book reviews, music reviews or film reviews
Blogs: News, politics, celebrity gossip, parenting, fashion, art, sports – all make good topics for people to connect around
GROUP 4. A PICTURE SAYS 1,000 WORDS
Like: MILK, CHEESE & YOGURT
Servings (Recommended Frequency): 2 out of every 10 postsVisuals are extremely effective. And they mix up your strategy nicely.
Take photos using your mobile, post them directly to Facebook or to your Twitter stream.
Make a photomontage using Picasa [http://picasa.google.com], and post it on your blog.
GROUP 5. SHINING A LIGHT ON YOURSELF (AKA SELF PROMOTION)
Like: FATS OILS & SWEETS (Use Sparingly!)
Servings (Recommended Frequency): 1 out of every 10 postsOf course these are OK to do once in a while, not in an over-hypey, annoying way. Just like treating yourself to a great pastry or some fries: its OK – but not too often!
It is after all, vital to tell people if you have an album coming out, a new track, a show, or anything that’s newsworthy, noteworthy, and important for your fans and followers to know about.
Don’t forget about your specific calls to actions or these won’t be fruitful.
So – Choose from Groups 1-5 and mix it up and soon you will be fully engaging people easily and naturally, without thinking. Just like eating!
Ariel Hyatt is Author of Music Success In Nine Weeks and founder of Ariel Publicity & Cyber PR
2010.10.19
A Look At The Death Of The Record Industry In 1980
If you had your doubts that the 'sky is falling' on the record industry, this video will seal the deal. Growth is slowing; there aren't enough super-sellers to bring revenue back. Albums are over shipped and stores are sending them back. Fans have access to too much free music. Rock is no longer viable. Fans just don't have to buy record anymore in order to hear music and the industry is in hard times. Major companies are folding. Layoffs are abundant. And the illegal copying of records is eroding profits. Yet, video might save the industry from this great despair. What year is it? 1980.
Take A Look A This Great 20/20 Feature:
via TechDirt
This animate was adapted from a talk given at the RSA by Sir Ken Robinson, world-renowned education and creativity expert and recipient of the RSA's Benjamin Franklin award.
BBC1 28 September 2010Reporter John Sweeney's last investigation into the Church of Scientology resulted in an explosive confrontation with church officials. This time, in a Panorama Special, one of those officials has turned whistleblower to help him reveal the dark secrets of the church, which boasts Hollywood A-listers Tom Cruise and John Travolta among its devotees.
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Last Chance to Say Goodbye by Menn Ársins
This is a transcription of my fretless bass solo ft. on the Menn Ársins song "Last Chance to Say Goodbye from the Menn Ársins (debut) CD.
You can listen to the song at:
Today we'll be analyzing something a bit more modern than usual. It's "Uprising
" by Muse, from their 5th studio album
This was the first single off that 2009 album, which was recorded in Italy and topped the charts in 19 countries. The single also topped Billboard's Alternative Songs chart for 17 weeks. This track consists of drums, vocals and bass.
1) The bass is from a synthesizer and it sounds like it's sequenced since it's so perfect.
2) Likewise, the drums are pretty perfect and don't vary very much. In fact, it's mostly kick and snare with the occasional crash cymbal that's mixed low.
3) Good sound on the drums though, especially the snare.
4) Excellent vocal sound. It's present yet doesn't seem too compressed. It's mixed back in the mix, which I think is important for a rock band since the band loses some power if the vocal is too loud. Not so on a pop song though.
This video proves it: good bass and good drums is all you need. Bassist Will Lee and drummer Steve Gadd do a nice little jam, with some commentary by Gadd on the drum/bass relationship.
