Cash-strapped musicians who want to do computer-based home recording might want to look into Audacity, a totally free multitrack recording program that runs on Windows, Mac OS X and Linux. I haven’t used it myself, but after looking at the…
Global gigging via the Internet
If you’re weary of hauling equipment from gig to gig and pouring your money into repairs for your tour van, you can always try what Scottish singer Sandi Thom did: set up a webcam in her basement. In a packed…
5 Questions with Ronan Chris Murphy, producer/engineer
To say Ronan Chris Murphy has had a varied and interesting career would be classic understatement. As a musician, he’s shared stages with The Flaming Lips and the Henry Rollins Band; as a producer and engineer he’s worked with King…
Kid Rock a Whole New Ball Game
A recent article on CNN.com reports that although music sales in general might be on the decline, there is one genre of music that is boasting a rise in sales and popularity: kiddie rock. As an increasing number of parents…
…or, make your own t-shirts
If you’re a hardcore DIY-er you can always use this handy screen printing tutorial to make your own shirts in your basement. Hit up the local thrift and resale shops for vintage-looking tees and have at it. Nothing says “limited-edition”…
Public Radio Not Dictated by the Public
Have you noticed lately that no matter what station you tune your radio to, you just keep hearing the same songs over and over again? There is a great and looming danger that America is losing any appreciation for quality…
T-shirts first, then everything else
If I could start my music career over, I’d do t-shirts first, before I even had a CD. I’m not kidding. If you’re anything like me, you probably started playing shows long before you had a CD to sell. You…
iTunes finds success in online market
Created in 2003 to prevent the music industry from losing money on illegal downloading, iTunes has since sold one billion songs on its online music store. It offers individual songs for 99 cents, and, curiously, after paying off its partners,…
Craigslist as an unhelpful (?) tool for music promotion
You can find a lot of things on a lot of websites. In fact, there’s unlikely to be anything you can think of that doesn’t already have information about it on the web. (Give it a try, if you have…
Working The Tip Jar
A friend and I did a show last week at a coffeeshop and forgot to put out a tip jar. I mean, we completely forgot. I was pretty upset because I’d violated one of my own personal Rules Of Performing:…
Hummer? Humbug.
Apparently there are some lines even the most strapped-for-cash indie bands won’t cross. Case in point: the ad agency for GM’s Hummer SUV is happy to offer upwards of $50,000 in exchange for using songs in Hummer ads, if only…
Music-sharing servers not serving much
Reuters UK reported last Wednesday that Swiss and Belgian police shut down part of the eDonkey file-sharing network, a move which elicited a great deal of praise from Hollywood. The network, which makes movies and music available for free downloading,…