Posts tagged music
Broccoli Events – UK Events and Promoters
Apr 14th
What’s new? Broccoli Events is new!
Having worked as promoters in the UK new music scene for the past 5 years it seems like an obvious and natural progression to add an events company to Broccoli Music and that’s exactly what they’ve done.
Events and music go hand in hand so Broccoli Events has an advantage on the rest with sister company Broccoli Music feeding them the best emerging artists on the scene. Companies want links into the youth market and thats what Broccoli Events has the ability to offer. Companies like XFM and Nokia were using Broccoli Music’s connection with bands and the scene that comes with them to link to the youth market and this is a valuble tool that Broccoli Events has to offer to clients.
So what do they do? They do parties, that’s what they’re known for, be it a private party, after show party, brand launch or beyond. They work closely with you developing ideas and designing an event package that ticks all the boxes.
What else is different? They have access to a network of affiliates, all of which are proven industry professionals, so whatever the event requires they can put together a specialist team.
Broccoli Events are always on the look out to add to their team of affiliates so check out the website and get in touch.
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Astar Studios extends Recording loans for 2010
Apr 7th
A unique scheme that provides musicians with interest free loans of up to £5000 for recording services has been extended for 2010. Applications are now being invited for the 0% Recording Loans that are exclusively available to artists and bands recording at Astar Studios www.astarstudios.com .The loans are provided subject to status and can be repaid over a maximum period of 2 years.
Based in Heywood, Lancashire with nearby residential facilities, Astar Studios is owned by international writer/producer Andy Ross (Clippers, Spain) and has been custom built to meet the growing demands of today’s cost conscious record labels and flourishing independent music scene that continues to prosper with over 150 million download sales last year.
The elegantly designed studio boasts the latest state-of-the-art digital control room technology, a spectacular classic-sounding live room and relaxing chill-out area. For artists looking to release independently and engage directly with the market, special recording packages are available with support from creative and promotional associates with a wealth of music industry experience and for projects needing session players, Astar draws upon some of the UK’s finest musicians.
Despite the recent closure of London’s famous Mayfair and Olympic Studios and EMI currently looking to offload Abbey Road, since Astar Studios opened, Andy Ross has been flat out writing for and producing an eclectic mix of back to back albums, for independent and major release including the highly acclaimed ‘Yamaha New Jazz Sessions’ albums that have featured in successive years on the Xmas cover of Jazzwise Magazine. Andy also recorded tracks for Classic FM’s ‘Summer Piano’ CD and the highly acclaimed debut trio album ‘Golden’ (Basho) by BBC Jazz Awards winner, Kit Downes that recently received a 4 star review from Guardian Jazz Critic John Fordham. International writing credits last year included 3 tracks on the new ‘G Punto’ album ‘Da La Cara’ (Universal/Vale) and a commission for Andy to write and produce the music for ‘Anphoria’s Empire’ – a new classic rock style music spectacular set to tour UK arenas from Autumn 2011 with an all-star cast, using a new generation of special effects set around a fantasy storyline by Temple Clark, storyboard artist for the Harry Potter and Bond movies.
Astar’s Andy Ross explains, “We are delighted with the success of the loan scheme that has enabled us to work with talented musicians and projects we might otherwise have had to turn away on grounds of means. Getting any type of credit has always been extremely difficult for musicians and the creative sector, so the opportunity to offer interest free finance for recording services sits well with Astar’s philosophy to empower artists with the best possible recordings, visuals and business plan to get them noticed. The loans are of course subject to status but can be taken out either by the artist directly or on their behalf by a manager, family member or friend. This opens the door for artists and bands to make the record they always dreamed of and spread costs of promotion and gigging. For independent managers and labels on a limited budget it also creates the opportunity to develop new artists on a profit share basis.”
Astar Studios is licensed as a credit broker by the Office of Fair Trading and a member of the Association of Professional Recording Services.
For more information call 0161 280 0908 or visit www.astarstudios.com
Nick J.Townsend returns with another killer column
Mar 18th
Greetings Rocklinks….
This is Nick J.Townsend from BasementSound Radio, the world’s most underground internet radio station. This is a special column exclusive to Rocklinks.co.uk, every month I’m going to talk about some of the best underground artists that get featured on basementsound.co.uk and I know what I’m talking about. I’m not here to sell shares in record companies, I’m here to reveal who’s making the music that real people listen to. Nuff said…
WRAPPED IN PLASTIC (Mortville / United Kingdom)
http://www.myspace.com/wiplastic
This is a British band that reminds us all why the early 90’s was very important in music history. Great alternative music is still alive today and W.I.P. are a fine example of the people that grew up with it, they have forged their own sound from some of the greats. Imagine a band with elements of White Zombie, Nine Inch Nails and Marilyn Manson….but British, underground, very experimental. Weird samples, Crazy sounds & equipment, punked up industrial songs and shocking imagery. A great live band that many closed-minded people may find offensive as they give their crowds live visual art with their theatrical performance. They make the stage theirs from the moment they step on it and they aren’t afraid to speak their minds for the sake of art. Warning: This band will inspire you. Check out the tunes ‘Unreal’ and ‘Your Face’ from W.I.P. for an idea of what this band sound like.
LIZETTE & (Sweden)
http://www.lizetteand.com
http://www.myspace.com/lizetteand
I came across Lizette & in 2008 and was totally hooked on the passion coming out of the music. Lizette & is a one-woman army, produces and records everything herself in her studio which is based in Stockholm Sweden. However let’s not forget that Lizette has very talented band members who make the Live shows happen. Female industrial music which sounds at times like it could be used as a soundtrack to hell itself. ‘Crush U’ is atmospheric, heavy, yet gentle with a sense of dark poetic humour. ‘Worst Fuck’ is a brilliant song, the title is not the most commercial sounding, but probably the best song you’ll ever hear, you’ll play it again straight after hearing it once I promise. A powerful cyber-maiden of metal and one of the future queens of modern rock and industrial music. If a female terminator made music then it would sound like this.
REBEL CITY RADIO (Stourbridge / United Kingdom)
http://www.myspace.com/rebelcityradio
Now I don’t give a fuck if you don’t like punk or if you think there’s nothing new to hear…this is something new and it’s covered in punk. It really is the real thing, no fucking about here. This is what a band should be all about, attitude, songs which make you want to punch the sky and yell a chorus. You could be on fire and I still think this music would be more dangerous to you. It’s very addictive. Raw, high energy and there’s no pretending like some bands do. Everything is here. Infact…you may as well get used to listening to just one band from now on coz this music is more permanent than a tattoo. Check out the songs ‘Hunt the pack’ and then remember to not smash your room as you listen to it.
…..Okay suckers that’s all for this month. Short but sweet. Think about it, I’ve just told you about three bands who are going to be included in your record collection. These are all world class artists for different reasons. No f**king around here. The underground may well be filled with music but only those that display originality and balls make it to my column. You can hear all these bands on basementsound.co.uk but more importantly you can go and watch them Live, download their music, write about them and get a f**king tattoo of them on your arm. This is Nick J.Townsend signing off. END OF MESSAGE.
41 ways to promote your Music or Band
Mar 9th
1) Make sure people have resources available to find out more about you. Websites, Myspace, Facebook and Twitter
2) Make sure people can easily find out how to find those resources.
3) Word of Mouth is best the form of promotion! Give them something to talk about
4) Get involved with your local Music scene. Go along to local Gigs, see other Bands, get to know promoters and network.
5) Get some Business Cards printed, vistaprint.com offer 250 for free!
Please note, Rock Links is a free resource and we don’t offer any form of membership. Please show your support for Rock Links by taking the time to check out our below sponsors. Article Continued below Video.
6) Brand your Music, get an eye catching logo designed.
7) Set up a mailing list, notifylist.com, aardvarkmailinglist.net, yourmailinglistprovider.com, freelists.org
8 Set up a Blog wordpress.com www.blogger.com and write about your Music, other Music anything that will pull in readers. Make sure you write about well known artists similar to your Music style, by doing this you will attract fans for that artist and will then be able to market your Music to those fans.
9) Get involved in Music sites, forums and internet radio. There are hundreds of Music sites available and some of them only concentrate on certain music styles. Target the small ones and they will love to have you onboard, then the big sites will follow suit. Music forums are also brilliant for promoting music, include your website links in your signature and your traffic will grow.
10) Keep your fans updated. Read my article on how to do this easily
11) Start a video advertising campaign, upload videos to youtube.com, vimeo.com and www.muzu.tv. Ideally you want to upload music videos, if you don’t have one then create video blogs talking about your music or reviewing other artists that are similar to you. For example if your Music sounds a lot like The Beatles then review The Beatles or make a video which has a connection with the Beatles. Include your website details at the end of the video and in the Descriptions and Tags that go along with the video. This way whenever someone searches for the beatles, your video has a chance of appearing and interest will lead them to your site. Another handy tip is to also have your username as your domain name. For example my username on youtube is rocklinkscouk.
12) Get more Twitter followers, the average rule with twitter is the more people your follow the more followers you get back. Tweetadder.com is a really cool tool to automate the process of following people, not only that you can also target certain twitter members by interests and location. For example a keyword could be Music, and a location Portsmouth, tweet adder will then find users in Portsmouth who have the keywords music in their profile. Now you should be able to see the awesome power of this tool!
13) Add a Twitter widget to your Website or Myspace. Login to your Twitter account and click on Gadgets at the bottom.
14) Create a page on Facebook so people can be come a fan. Invite all your friends to become a fan.
15) Add a Facebook Page widget to your website, so your website users can become a fan.
16) Be social on your social networks
17) Start a local magazine? Like our good friend Nick J Townsend did
18) By a shed load of custom printed t-shirts and give them out for free. When everyone turns up at your gig in the same t-shirt it really attracts attention. I know for a fact this works as I have done this on a number of occasions.
19) Appear on Videos and TV, a prime time slot on itv3 might be hard to come by but not impossible (there are loads of big name acts who have been discovered this way). If your not lucky enough to get these opportunities then create your own, send emails to film organizations, art councils and anyone involved with film. You can also attract attention by contacting small film companies and another good idea is to contact extreme sports style websites who create sports videos.
20) Create a lens (a page) at squidoo.com it really does create a wealth of traffic for your site
Please note, Rock Links is a free resource and we don’t offer any form of membership. Please show your support for Rock Links by taking the time to check out our below sponsors. Article Continued below Video
21) Create a decent Press Release, I personally feel press packs have become extinct. If someone is seriously interested in working with your Music the first place they will go is your myspace or website.
22) Contact Newspapers and Magazines
23) Offer freebies everyone loves Badges and Stickers!
24) Get out on the streets and talk to people about your Music, invite them to you upcoming Gigs.
25) Contact Radio stations, radio is a massive asset to promoting Music. Luckily there is a lot of National and Local Radio stations opening their doors to unknown Artists. Use this to your full advantage.
26) Get involved with a charity. By scratching their back they will also scratch yours.
27) Create an account at eventful.com
28) Start a text service, like the t-mobile advert or using a service such as txtlocal.com
29) Make people feel apart of what your doing, you should make time for everyone who comes along to your gigs.
30) Contact build, it’s what makes the Music Industry work.
31) Start a facebook event for every gig. This has always been successful for my own gigs you can also persuade other people to invite their friends. Make sure you do periodic status updates reminding people of the gig.
32) Go round local Music Shops, get to know the staff and ask if you can leave some promo gear in the shop. I find a lot of music shops actively try to promote the local music scene.
33) Create a Last.fm account!
34) Start podcasting, they weirdly attract a lot of attention.
35) Pay a professional photographer to take some snaps of you.
36) Get your Music reviewed
37) Get Interviewed
38) Place carefully positioned Posters around your local area, cafes, bars, clubs, venues ect
39) Flyers are handy when used effectively. I wouldn’t suggest handing them out willy nilly. Use them to your advantage at Gigs, leave them on tables, at the bar, hand them to people as they leave a venue. If your Band is playing that night then great, if someone likes your music they will more than likely pick up a flyer and keep hold of it.
40) Get involved with local Music sites
41) Leave a comment below with a link to your website. If you have another method of Promoting Music that I haven’t mentioned above then please add it below.
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Promote and Market your Music easily with RSS Feeds
Mar 8th
I recently made a video tutorial showing Musicians how you can use RSS Feeds to effectively Market and Promote your Music, the video is below.
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Why you should indentify 3 selling points to Promote and sell Your Music
Mar 3rd
I have a little saying that i say to most Band’s “it’s about time your turned your Band into a Brand”, although i’m not directly writing this article about branding your Band, it does come under the same bracket. From when you walk past a product on the shelf in Asda to driving past a billboard on the M3, they all you use the same principles to get your juices flowing. Every product or service that is advertised identifies 3 selling points for that product and it should be the same for your Music. Most people who read an advertisement will make a decision on that product or service within 10 seconds, if they haven’t identified keywords that interests them in a product they will most likely put it back on the shelf. If you think of your Music as a product you will start to see how advertising your Music properly is important, by identifying 3 selling points about your Music that will grab the reader within 10 seconds you will more than likely generate more interest. The Human mind is very curious so make full use of this fact!
Please note, Rock Links is a free resource and we don’t offer any form of membership. Please show your support for Rock Links by taking the time to check out our below sponsors. Article Continued below Video.
So how do you identify selling points?
Selling points are everywhere, back in 2008 Rock Links was awarded an Innovation and Entrepreneurial Business award, so one of our key selling points is “The Award Winning Rock Links”, maybe your Music has won an award? Maybe you won a talent contest?
I happen to know a few all Lesbian girl Bands, imagine walking past a poster with the words “Band name! The all Lesbian Girl Band”. It provokes interest to read more!
Have you been featured on a National or Local Radio Station? In my local area we have Heart FM, although i don’t think they actually play Unsigned Acts i’m sure other local Radio Stations do, so again “Band Name! As featured on Radio FM”.
Maybe your age is a key factor? Maybe you under 16? Maybe your over 60? Again this provokes interest.
Maybe your a Country/Electronic/Funky/Banjo Playing act? Now that i would like to see!
Other key selling Points
Genre style, Size (maybe you have 8 Band members), fashion, bizarre instruments used, connection with a charity, jedward hairstyles, Free Music, Cover Songs, Endorsements, maybe your all born in the same city / town? (people love to support local people), basically anything that sets you apart from the rest that people can relate to or would want to know more about.
Please note, Rock Links is a free resource and we don’t offer any form of membership. Please show your support for Rock Links by taking the time to check out our below sponsors. Article Continued below Video.
Once you have identified your key selling points, make sure they are the first thing anyone reads, your Myspace, Website, Press Releases, Artwork, Posters, Facebook, Twitter, i’m sure your getting the picture. Like i have previously said, you have about 10 seconds to ‘catch’ the persons attention, choose your selling points wisely and the rewards will be more interest in your Music, it’s guaranteed and has been used by marketers since the first roman sandal hit the south coast!
Want more articles like this? Looking for opportunities to promote your Music further? Want more gigs? Why not sign up to our free newsletter below.
Out of the Basement by Nick J.Townsend from Basementsound.co.uk
Mar 2nd
Greetings Rocklinks….
This is Nick J.Townsend from BasementSound Radio, the world’s most underground internet radio station. This is a special column exclusive to Rocklinks.co.uk, every month I’m going to talk about some of the best underground artists that get featured on www.basementsound.co.uk and I know what I’m talking about. I’m not here to sell shares in record companies, I’m here to reveal who’s making the music that real people listen to. Nuff said…
THE ROCKET DOLLS (Brighton / United Kingdom)
http://www.therocketdolls.com
http://www.myspace.com/therocketdollsmusic
Now if you are going to stand out you need to get peoples attention. This British three piece Alternative Post Grunge Riff Metal band not only have a great image but write songs that make you want to kick down your front door and scream (which in my opinion is a good thing as it sure let’s your neighbours know who’s got the best CD collection). Catchy riffs, pounding grove beats and the Basslines are slick. Infact this is great music to f**k to, trust me I’m an expert. ‘BLEEDING THE SHAME’ and ‘DELIRIUM’ are good examples of why this band will get girls pregnant.
MOZART KHADAFFI (Denmark)
http://www.mozartkhadaffi.com
http://www.myspace.com/mozartkhadaffi
Imagine Marilyn Manson meets Mr. Bungle. Yes this is a wild child orchestra. Possibly one of my favorite underground bands too. Alternative Industrial Metal Rock with attitude and I f**king mean attitude with a lot of style and originality (it’s not clever to swear but sometimes it’s necessary to prove a point). This is a mindwarp of influences wrapped up in organized chaos. Mean guitars, insane beats, great theatrical vocals and all done with excellence. ‘DEAD CAN WALK’ is the best example if you’re new to this act. It’s got everything you need in one song. There’s one bit in the song which is the best scream I’ve ever felt like screaming along to. This music will open your mind.
STRIPPING THE PISTOL (Chicago / United States)
http://www.strippingthepistol.com/
http://www.myspace.com/strippingthepistol
Chicago makes some great music and this band sure does prove that. BLACK REFLECTIONS is the song by STRIPPING THE PISTOL that woke me up and made me masturbate more times in a single day than advised to me by the sex experts on TV. It’s a great tune. I was pleased to find out they wrote a load more cool songs as well. So kiddies if you are going to lock the bedroom door with your iPod on then this is the band for you. Great vocals and lyrics, atmospheric guitars, brutal and yet gentle at times, some great riffs and great melodies. For a Metal Rock band they provide a full package of treats. Great band name too. Hell yeah!
…..Right, that’s the first three bands I’m going to introduce you to. Short but sweet. Think about it, I’ve just told you about three bands who are going to be included in your record collection. These are all world class artists for different reasons. No f**king around here. The underground may well be filled with music but only those that display originality and balls make it to my column. You can hear all these bands on www.basementsound.co.uk but more importantly you can go and watch them Live, download their music, write about them and get a fucking tattoo of them on your arm. This is Nick J.Townsend signing off. END OF MESSAGE.
Visit Basementsound.co.uk
