USAToday profiles Regie Hamm, the winner of the second American Idol Songwriter competition. Last year, our boards were pretty heated up, with folks so excited about the opportunity to get their songs discovered. Unfortunately, nothing in the rules specifically stated…
Lou Pearlman Can Buy His Way Out of Jail
All of Lou Pearlman’s crazy schemes have finally earned him something — 25 years in jail. Here’s someone who was, at best, a shrewd but successful music manager who bilked artists out of earnings and sought to get his company…
Country Music Star Darryl Worley: 15 Years of Digging
He’s singing the National Anthem at the Coca-Cola 600 this weekend, so the Sporting News checks in with Darryl Worley about how he got to where he is today. He converted a degree in organic chemistry into a successful business,…
My Favorite Links for 05/21/08
Russell Davies covered the front of his laptop with blackboard… Gordon Ramsay “battle[s] with Fox ” over contestants who are a “liability,” has an ulcer
How to Call Attention to Your Music
It’s an unassuming title for a free e-book, but Derek Sivers has created the most important piece of literature you will read this year, hands down. In it, he documents the shift in indie music culture from “Do It Yourself…
Gatekeepers Keeping Your Band Off the Stage?
Bob asks this morning whether there’s a new “indie pecking order” that makes it difficult for bands to get booked at “indie-friendly” venues. Absolutely, there is. The house concert circuit among folk performers is probably the best example of this.…
Getting Hyperconnected Audiences to Shows
Is your audience hyperconnected? Are you? One of my lightbulb moments happened a few years ago when I was still booking gigs for bands. A club owner I had a great relationship with wanted to know more about one of…
Do Stage Parents Make Good Music Managers?
A bit of a dust-up on Ken Levine’s blog last week, when he ranted about the problems he’s seen over the years with stage parents that put too much pressure on their kids. The post got picked up on the…
My Favorite Links for 05/17/08
‘American Idol’ betting odds: David Cook favored to win it all!
My Favorite Links for 05/16/08
Online Social Networks Facilitate Music Sales – Cybergrass Music program opens industry doors – OSU – The Lantern crying hey man this is babylon
My Favorite Links for 05/15/08
They’re your kids, not your clients The b3ta folk explore what happens just outside the border… Music Business Leadership War of the Concepts: Virus vs Spread City Council puts music promoters’ license proposal on back burner – Chicago Tribune When…
My Favorite Links for 05/13/08
Top 10 Ways to Get More People to Your Next Gig