Spreading the word vs. inspiring action

Virgil Dickerson of Suburban Home Records is asking his blog readers for advice on how to (cheaply) promote a tour for one of his bands. He’s already got a partial list of ideas posted and a few responses (mine included)…

5 Questions With Tom Dorsey, Nice Promotion

Today’s 5 Questions interviewee is Tom Dorsey of Nice, a promotional firm specializing in print and radio, headquartered in Portland OR. Starting only a few years ago with a handful of local bands and singer-songwriters as clients, the Nice roster…

Rock Star: Supernova — Bye, Matt!

Chris needs to send you a fruit basket, or buy you dinner at Morton’s or something, because you totally saved his ass last night by screwing up a familiar song even worse than he did.

Wired Declares the End of the Blockbuster Album

And they’re not far off, with a piece describing just how much technology and legislation have caused frangmentation in the music marketplace. If not for Sheryl Crow and OutKast, this decade might be devoid of monster record releases. You can…

Is Your Band Getting The Snub?

Speaking of Music Hates You, Patrick’s got an amazing post on his personal weblog that exposes an experience that every working musician reading these pages has experienced at one point or another. The difference between bands that make it in…

Rock Star: Supernova — Night #1

Now that power and cable have been restored to the house, Lori and I can handicap this year’s Rock Star competition. Episode one just wrapped up, and here’s our view from the couch… Storm Lori: Good, but missing something. Love…

Big Tree Goes Down at 7th and Clement

I love our new neighborhood in Charlotte. Apparently, the tree in front of our neighbors’ house feels compelled to escape. This 100 year old tree came down during last night’s fireworks display, totalling three of our neighbors’ cars but mercifully…

How to Change Your MySpace URL

Basically, once you pick that username, it’s yours to keep. If you want a different one, you’ll have to sign up again However, you don’t have to be stuck with giving out a MySpace URL you don’t like. Get your…

Billy Bragg Sets MySpace Straight

I’ll admit to my seedy past… I once worked at a place where we used a dubious legal release that, if one looked at it at the right angle, could be interpreted to give my employer ownership of any music…

Piracy vs. Obscurity

Tim Lee’s got an awesome post about eMusic and its lack of DRM. I’m used to folks’ jaws dropping when I tell them at seminars that they should not worry at all about people ripping off their albums. And, in…