I have quite an interest in knowing what’s going on in the music industry as well as keeping up with band news and new releases that are coming out. It became difficult for me to keep track of all that is going on in the music world, so I figured the best way would be to have guest bloggers submit their own music news for not only me to read but for their fans and potential new fans to read as well.

There is quite a mix of information here, but the good thing is that it’s all music all the time. By reading some of the band press releases that have come through, music reviews and gig notices, I’ve discovered quite a few new unsigned bands and signed bands that I really like (whether signed to an obscure indie label or a well known record company) that I would never have heard of otherwise. If the guest blogger entry catches my eye, it’s easy to follow the included links to hear the band or artist. With the easy accessibility of the internet and band websites, this has become the most convenient way ever to listen to music. Pretty cool!

To submit guest blogger entries and press releases with images, email: info at bandweblogs dot com

By: Jenny May

http://www.musicdish.net/nmw/
http://www.newmusicwest.com

MusicDish founder Eric de Fontenay will also be presenting his seminar “Are You Ready To Innovate In The Digital Marketplace?” at NewMusicWest 2007, the largest and most influential new music festival on the West Coast, attracting businesses and individuals from all over North America.

The ‘10th Anniversary’ Showcase Series represent a determined effort by MusicDish to increase its Canadian presence and support emerging talent. The series inaugural event during Canadian Music Week created some buzz in Toronto, in addition to packing the Trane Studio where it was held, with a feature on the cover of the April Toronto Star Life Section and coverage by Live Music Report. The series will make a comeback to Toronto in June for NXNE, with more cities and dates to be announced.

MUSICDISH ‘10TH ANNIVERSARY’ VANCOUVER SHOWCASE
Official New Music West 2007 Showcase
WHERE: Library Square
300 W. Georgia St., Vancouver
tel: 604 633-9644
http://www.librarysquare.ca
LINE-UP: Blue Venus, Greenlaw, Rose Beach

ROSE BEACH
Rose Beach’s debut CD “Family Love” boasts mature songs that blend a folk singer’s lyrical depth, a pop singer’s catchy melodies, and a hip hop diva’s sultry yet raw vocal power into a unique sound. Starting in the underground – the streets of Vancouver and Tokyo – she is rising into the musical mainstream. She has sold more than  50,000 records in Japan, where she has performs weekly at many of Tokyo’s famous clubs, including the world renown Club Asia, as well as events for companies ranging from Lush and Diesel to Asahi and Mac. Rose started her career In Vancouver where she fronted a trip hop band called The Loxley Project. At the same time, she began to build a love affair with Japan, developing on her solo work in the  energy of the Tokyo music scene.
Rose Beach:
http://www.musicdish.net/rosebeach/

GREENLAW
Gracing stages from St Petersburgh, Russia to Toronto, Canada’s Greenlaw is paving the way for their much anticipated debut album with Formation Records due for International release Oct 2007. Greenlaw’s earthy soul sound is a new direction for the UK based DnB label but is one that is definitely turning heads. Front woman Skyla J comes with powerful thought provoking lyrics presented with an angelic molasses like voice that is sweet enough to be compared to an early Jill Scott meets Indie Irie by UK’s F magazine. Winners of the “most memorable show of 2004″(Monday Mag Victoria B.C) the band released their full length studio album in 2005  entitled Time and  Energy that was quickly hailed by CBC Radio 1 as one of the “top albums of 2005″. Recently the band has been nominated for an Indy  Award in London England. Greenlaw has also been featured at top festivals, showcases and venues throughout North America, Europe and the UK.
Greenlaw:
http://www.greenlawave.com

BLUEVENUS
Founded in 1998 by singer/songwriter and violinist Andrea de Boer,  blueVenus developed into a unique musical experience with influences  ranging from Indie Pop/Rock to Jazz, Latin and Electronica. After releasing their debut EP, which was co-produced by L. Stu Young (Prince) and Iain McNally (Amanda Marshall), they toured Germany and Turkey, with a core following already established in Toronto and  Boston. Receiving regular ariplay in Canada on CBC and internet radio stations, blueVenus is also highly regarded as a noteworthy live act, achieving two nominations at the 2006 Toronto Independent Musicians Awards (TIMA) for “Best Jazz” and “Best Live Acoustic Act”. Their song “Get It Now” won honourable mention at Billboard Song Contest in 2005 and continues to get airplay in Canada and Europe. Currently, blueVenus is working on new material for their next full-length album.
blueVenus:
http://www.bluevenusmusic.com

A quick sum up of what a music blog is: a blog about bands and music.

Comments are welcome if you have additional ideas and thoughts.

Okay, let’s get started:

1. Promotion
Music blogs are amazing promotional tools for bands. They are their own mini buzz machines. If the blogger likes the band they’re writing about great, if not they’ll still probably link to the band for readers to check out for themselves and at that point, readers and potential fans can make their own minds up.

2. Links
As the population on the internet continues to grow, it becomes more difficult for new up and coming bands and artists and their music to be ‘found’ by potential fans. When a music blogger adds links to bands either in a blog entry or on their sidebar, this helps expose the band more to the public eye.

3. Music
Music bloggers writing about music on a daily basis will most likely be linking to the band website and/or adding mp3s for readers to hear first hand what the blogger is writing about. If they are adding mp3s to their blogs, hopefully they’re getting permission from bands to do so.

4. Videos
For bands with videos, websites like Myspace and YouTube have made it easy for bloggers to embed video codes onto blogs. Videos are excellent on music blogs as the reader not only gets to read about the band, but can also hear the band and watch their video.

5. Fans
If a particular band is being written about favorably by influential, popular and/or trusted bloggers then there is a great chance that new fans will be made from readers of music blogs. As mentioned before, even if what the blogger is writing isn’t favorable, then there is the chance the reader simply won’t agree.
6. Community
There are quite a few music bloggers out there who dedicate blogs to specific bands and music styles ranging from jazz, blues, rnb, country, folk, punk, rock and more as well as blogs with various music topics. This can create a community of dedicated readers, subscribers and commenters who visit the blogs frequently.

7. Sales
Numbers 1-6 above could all lead to sales of music for bands and artists. Whether music blogs have direct links to artist downloads and online CD stores or if a reader decides to go out to a music shop to buy a CD after learning about a new band or album/single release after reading about it on a blog, then the music blog was indeed influential to the sale!

8. Live Show Dates
Fans are always interested to know when their favorite band will be playing live in their hometown. Music blogs help to keep the reader informed and reminded of tour dates, shows, gigs and live music events.

9. Opinion
Music blogs are great places to go for readers to find out what other people are thinking of a certain band, musician, singer. A blog search in Google or Technorati for “music blogs” can result in hundreds of current conversations taking place.

10. Easy Access
It’s so easy to find music blogs by doing a search on Google or to go to blog directories and browse their music categories. Music blogs also tend to link to and recommend other blogs on their sidebars.

Bonus:

11. Free
For now, most music blogs are free (hopefully it stays that way). The information about bands, opinions, music, videos and podcasts are free for music lovers to devour!

Bands who want to request a review from a music blogger can usually get in touch by contacting them via an email address provided on the blog or a contact page.

BandWeblogs.com adds a twist to all that is written above. Bands and artists can come here to promote themselves, in their own words as Guest Music Bloggers. PR companies, record companies and management companies can also send in formal press releases and reviews of bands for publication on Band Weblogs. I also like to write about bands and music here, from a singer/musician point of view.

Sign up as a Guest Music Blogger to add entries and promote music at Band Weblogs!

By: Jenny May

“Rose exactly represents the new breed of independent artists: globally focused, self starters that are able to bridge culture, language and values for a worldwide audience,” commented MusicDish founder Eric de Fontenay. “The fact that she sold 50,000 CDs in Japan with no industry support speaks volumes.”

Her debut CD “Family Love” boasts mature songs that blend a folk singer’s lyrical depth, a pop singer’s catchy melodies, and a hip hop diva’s sultry yet raw vocal power into a unique sound. Starting in the underground – the streets of Vancouver and Tokyo – she is rising into the musical mainstream, because people’s ears thirst for something real that they can feel. Currently, she is blowing up in Japan, where she has sold more than 50,000 records and performs weekly; all without the aid of any record label or music biz machinery.

In addition to her heavy independent CD sales, Rose Beach has been interviewed and received heavy airplay on Co-op Radio in her home base of Vancouver. She has also been interviewed and played on Inter-FM Radio in Tokyo. Rose was recently featured in the January 2007 issue of Hiragana Times.

Born in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada and raised primarily in Saskatchewan by a strong, loving and musically inclined mother of Canadian aboriginal ancestry and a farmer stepfather with a love of country music, she had the dream of music early in life. This dream took Rose to Vancouver, where she fronted a trip hop band called The Loxley Project.

At the same time, she began to build a love affair with Japan, working in many of Tokyo’s famous clubs, including the world renown Club Asia. Her solo work and the energy of the Tokyo music scene caused Rose Beach to decide to expand her musical knowledge and to become a more serious and focused producer and performer. She entered music engineering school at Columbia Academy in Vancouver and graduated from the Digital Analog Recording Arts Program in June 2005.

For more information on Rose Beach, visit http://www.musicdish.net/rosebeach/

Rose Beach joins an eclectic roster of artists under the MusicDish brand, including Haitian American singer/songwriter Karlex; electro-groove artist Polarity/1; calypso-reggae band Kobo Town; alternative rock Love Kills Theory; folk-country artist Amy Speace and drum ‘n’ bass artist Mashed Buddha.

About MusicDish, LLC
MusicDish, LLC has been at the forefront of the digital sector, publishing some of the industry’s leading music magazines, including MusicDish e-Journal (http://www.musicdish.com) and Mi2N (http://www.mi2n.com). MusicDish Network is the artist development department of MusicDish LLC. Launched in 2001 as a marketing service for independent artists, MusicDish Network has grown into a complete artist development program, leveraging brand development, saturated and relationship marketing, digital distribution and industry outreach to support emerging artists’ and bands’ careers (http:// www.musicdish.net).

Brent Hagermank of Canada’s Exclaim! magazine took note of Kobo Town’s lyrical prowess when he wrote, “Like the great Calypsonians of his birthplace in Port-of-Spain (Lord Kitchener, the Mighty Sparrow), Toronto-based songwriter Drew Gonsalves constructs incisive social commentary with humour, panache and unforgettable rhythm/melody combinations.”

Trinidadian-born Nick “The Brownman” Ali, one of Canada’s most critically acclaimed jazz trumpet players, says, “I couldn’t help but be struck with the sparse and languid vibrations, yet layered in vocal poignancy with lyrics embodying the best in the Trinidadian spirit of storytelling.”

The Indie Acoustic Project Award’s purpose is to raise awareness of indie artists and to recognize excellence in independent acoustic music from around the world.  For more information, please visit www.indieacoustic.com

Named after the vibrant and turbulent neighborhood in old Port-of-Spain, Trinidad, where calypso was born, Kobo Town strives to recover the social conscience, satirical storytelling and strong acoustic/organic rhythms that characterized Trinidadian music in the past. For members of the eight-piece outfit, the name suggests an origin as well as a destination. Founded in 2006 by bandleader Drew Gonsalves, Kobo Town has received acclaim from the media (Blogcritics Best International Album of 2006) and radio airplay across Canada (CBC Radio One’s “Fresh Air”), as well as being called on to perform at clubs and Festivals all over North America (Soul Jazz Festival in San Francisco).

Kobo Town’s debut CD, ‘Independence’ draws heavily upon the sounds of traditional calypso, roots reggae and dub poetry. The album is a collection of stories which offer a running commentary on a wide variety of social and political themes including domestic violence, homelessness, globalization, the war on Iraq, and the various frustrations and betrayals of the post-colonial era. The music on ‘Independence’ showcases bottle and spoon rhythms, syncopated flute and violin melodies, strumming cuatros, and heavy reggae bass lines which indicate a marriage between West Indian music’s old and new – a dialogue between a fading folkloric tradition and the sounds that prevail in our time.

For more information on Kobo Town, visit: http://www.kobotown.com or http://www.myspace.com/kobotown

IMC Founder and Chair, Noel Ramos says, “I’ve known the VMIX.com  Director of Music Dave Uosikkinen since the start of his first online venture,  Mp3.com in the late 90’s. It’s our great pleasure to have Vmix.com participate in what we anticipate to be a thoroughly educational and entertaining conference.”

InterMixx.com is the parent company that presents the Independent Music Conference (IMC’07), the online independent music store IndieGate.com and is the publisher of InterMixx independent music magazine, one of the first independent music magazines since 1988.  The IMC evolved from a desire to build a trustworthy network for artists within the indie community along with raising awareness, support and value for independent music. The first IMC took place in 2003 and IMC ‘07 will be the sixth conference that InterMixx has presented. Other IMC events are also planned for Dallas, Los Angeles and Charleston, WV.

IMC President and Founder, Noel Ramos has helped to create and establish credibility for the indie community in his nearly twenty year publishing career. In addition to printing InterMixx, one of the oldest national magazines devoted to indie music, in the early 90s Ramos developed the IndieList, the first independent music discussion group online, long before MySpace became a household name.

Created by executives from Universal Music Group, Fox Studios, Apple Computer and MP3.com, VMIX bridges the gap between content creators, publishers and distributors online. They provide the tools and solutions to engage web site visitors through participation, user-generated content and community interaction via their VMIX CORE technology. VMIX.com, a popular online community built on CORE, engages the creative class of artists, musicians and filmmakers looking to maximize distribution and recognition of their content.

VMIX.com

Holland tour dates are as follows:

April 17th, Cafe de Stiels – Haarlem
April 18th, Het Bluescafe – Apeldoorn
April 19th, Het Hjigend Hert – Breda
April 20th, Jerry’s Muziekcafe – Veldhoven
April 22th, Het Meterhuis – Haarlem

Karlex soulfully fusses the vibes of his native island with funky guitar sounds and heavy bass, in a unique blend called Afro Groove. “Ghetto Fabulous” has been making waves in France since its release  in September 2006. The album was selected by “Arte TV” as an October Event and by “Radio Africa No 1” as Album Of The Week leading up to  the release. Karlex was invited to perform on his song “I’ve Got News  For You…” France 2’s ‘Live Acoustic’, while also being chosen by  Acoustic Fuel as a ‘Daily ReFill – In Celebration of Black History Month.’

“Karlex brings in smooth and mellow sounds with a deep blend of funk, reggae, and soul. From the get go with conviction he brings in a caribbean folk flow with the deep track ‘Ghetto Fabulous’.” Catask Music & Entertainment

For more information on Karlex, visit http://www.myspace.com/karlex  or http://www.sonicbids.com/karlex

Karlex is a member of the MusicDish Network, a complete artist development program, leveraging brand development, saturated and relationship marketing, digital distribution and industry outreach to support emerging artists’ and bands’ careers.
http://www.musicdish.net

“Like many musicians on our roster, Cevin is a ‘renaissance’ man, melding musician, writer, filmmaker and artist all into one,” noted MusicDish founder Eric de Fontenay. “This is definitely reflected in The Love Kills Theory, which he himself calls ‘as much a manifesto as a band’.”

The Love Kills Theory is an artistic attempt to bring contemporary philosophy into the mainstream where it can be accessible and relevant. The group is fronted by Cevin Soling, who is also known as the Messiah of Tanna and currently studying philosophy for his Masters degree at Harvard University. The Love Kills Theory is based on an amalgam of the works of Guy Debord, founder of Situationist International, Aldous Huxley, and others, fused with the current bio-genetic studies on the evolution of despair.

The rest of the band is made up of great musicians. Keyboardist, Bill Brandau had been a member of The Vinnie Barbarino Experience. When they broke up, he and Cevin formed Cevin’s first band, The Neanderthal Spongecake where Bill also served as engineer on all their recordings. Darren Pilato is a music nerd, who—when he wasn’t attending law school—notated bass lines to songs for fun; he’s attended Victor Wooten’s bass camp in Nashville twice. Jaron Stewart can’t stay still; raised by a father who was a successful figure skater, Jaron had a career as a ski-jumper and then focused on his music career, actually gigging one night with “American Pie” songwriter Don McLean. Jim Minics is also a philosopher, and for several years has been thinking and writing his “random thoughts of a practicing beach bum.” Jim’s 2003 band Minix was a semi-finalist in the Independent Music World Series, and he’s played for several bands in the studio and on tours as a lead guitarist and vocalist.

For more information on The Love Kills Theory, visit www.thelovekillstheory.com

The Love Kills Theory joins an eclectic roster of artists under the MusicDish brand, including Haitian American singer/songwriter Karlex; electro-groove artist Polarity/1; calypso-reggae band Kobo Town; urban-pop fusion singer Rose Beach; folk-country artist Amy Speace and drum ‘n’ bass artist Mashed Buddha.

About MusicDish, LLC
MusicDish, LLC has been at the forefront of the digital sector, publishing some of the industry’s leading music magazines, including MusicDish e-Journal (www.musicdish.com) and Mi2N (www.mi2n.com). MusicDish Network is the artist development department of MusicDish LLC. Launched in 2001 as a marketing service for independent artists, MusicDish Network has grown into a complete artist development program, leveraging brand development, saturated and relationship marketing, digital distribution and industry outreach to support emerging artists’ and bands’ careers (www.musicdish.net).

When I first started reading blogs I was fascinated from the start. I couldn’t believe that people were actually writing their day to day activities down for all to see via the internet. What surprised me the most, though, was the fact that I was actually taking the time to read the often times mundane and yet interesting bits of information that depending on the writer, kept me coming back for more.

It wasn’t long before I realized that blogs are great marketing tools for bands and musicians. As a singer and musician I know how difficult it can be for bands to get their music out there to the world and blogs have been a unique and powerful tool for bands to keep readers up to date about their goings on. What better way for a fan to find out about their favorite band or artist but from the horses mouth themselves?

Before blogs, the norm was for bands to rely on journalists and magazines to determine whether or not to print stories about them. But then, even if the story was published, there was and still is – the chance that the writer might not like the band and give them a poor review. Unfortunately some people may brush off a band because of one person’s opinion about them.

Band blogs have now given bands the opportunity to express their feelings and opinions about various topics and their music in their own words, and on their own terms. People who like to read about bands before they buy their music now have more to think about by reading band blogs rather than relying solely on one journalist’s opinion.

Band blogs have also helped “unknown” bands get discovered just by their blogging alone and with sites like Myspace popping up around the internet, it’s easier than ever to give a band’s music a test run before you buy it. If you like what you hear, voila, a fan is made!

Click here to read band blogs on Band Weblogs!

By: Jenny May

“We realize that we’re in a crowded field of online music retailers,”  noted Bathtubmusic.com CEO, Moses de los Santos. “In order to  compete, we had to develop a package that provided independent artists with a greater return on their investment than our competitors.”

A one-stop retail shop, Bathtubmusic.com allows artists and labels to  upload an unlimited number of free albums for digital sale. This is  particularly attractive to independent labels with large catalogs who want to start earning revenue on older releases. “While labels may focus on their most current releases, there is often untapped value in their catalog. We want to make it as easy as possible for them to  monetize it.”

Bathtubmusic.com has also committed to setting the industry’s lowest fees for physical CD sales. In addition to only charging a $9.95 per  CD setup fee, Bathtubmusic.com retains just $3.00 per CD sold – both the lowest rates available. “By charging a lower commission, we provide artists with greater flexibility to price their product as well as extra revenue they can invest in their careers.”

In addition to providing full retail support, Bathtubmusic.com also  strives to help expose its artists, such as through the “Bathtub Broadcast Station,” their answer to the traditional music store listening station. They have also forged unique business relationships with strategic partners to help its artists’ music get promoted to an audience of over 1,500 websites representing some 65  million site visitors.

Bathtubmusic.com is the premier music site for independent artists selling DRM FREE downloadable music and CDs. Based just outside of Los Angeles, Bathtubmusic.com represents thousands of artists’ albums from 27 countries, supported by a team composed of singer/songwriters, engineer/producers and former indie-label executives.  The staff at Bathtubmusic.com are fans of music and fanatical in their approach to helping artists fulfill their passion to create.  Its not just business at Bathtubmusic.com, its about the artist and their music.

http://www.bathtubmusic.com

Polarity/1 was recently included in the “MusicDish CD Sampler” which was pitched to labels, publishers, distributors from across the globe at MIDEM 2007, and was also represented at Canadian Music Week, held at the Fairmount Royal York Hotel in Toronto from March 7-10.

The music of Polarity/1 is exactly what the name suggests: conjoined opposites – a mash-up of new: cutting edge electronica/hip hop/nu- jazz and old: roots music of America (blues, funk, country, early jazz), Brazil (samba, pagode, etc.) and West African groove science. “Polar succeeds in his mission of forcing you to pay attention and not lull into the sounds you ‘expect’ to hear,” noted StarPolish.com

After a few years of playing percussion in samba bands at S.O.B.’s and other venues, Polar landed in hip hop which combined his interests in grooves, samples and wordplay into one form. He and rapper D.A.V. became Medicine Crew. In the aftermath of 9/11, Polar was asked to do a remix for Nile Rodgers’ “We Are Family Project” released on a compilation by Tommy Boy Records.

His experience of 9/11 which was perpetrated in his neighborhood, led to a collaboration with multi-platinum Pakistan rock band Junoon resulting in their hit song ‘No More’. Polarity/1’s CD, ‘Speechless’, which was nominated Best Electronica Album by Just Plain Folks, included four instrumentals choreographed by New York’s Battery Dance Company in November 2006.

Currently, Polarity/1 is best known for political songs which are a regular feature of Amy Goodman’s globally syndicated Democracy Now, NPR and many other politics-oriented broadcasts, used in college courses on media and licensed for use in documentaries, including, Danny Schechter’s “WMD: Weapons of Mass Distraction” and “In Debt We Trust: America Before The Bubble Bursts.”

About MusicDish, LLC
MusicDish, LLC (http://www.musicdish.com) has been at the forefront of the digital music sector, publishing some of the industry’s leading music magazine, including MusicDish.com and Mi2N.com. Through the MusicDish Network (http://www.musicdish.net), it supports the development of artists and labels through saturated marketing and online brand development, whether online street teams or p2p viral distribution.

Kobo Town produced and self-released their debut album “Independence” in November 2006. It was named by Blogcritics as the best International album of the last year. CBC Radio One’s “Fresh Air” and “Big City Small World” radio shows also chose the record among their Top 10 lists for 2006. Finally, The Live Music Report had this to say about the record after placing it on their Top 10 list of outstanding 2006 discoveries:

“It is daunting to attempt to describe a CD created by a poet with the eloquence of Trinidadian-born Drew Gonsalves. His ‘St. James’ would fit nicely in an anthology of Caribbean and Caribbean-born poets that would also include the works of Linton Kwesi Johnson. Some heavy material, but there is levity too — and rhythm! Lots of sounds to savour.”

“Intoxicating calypso rhythms held straight with a reggae backbone is the best way to describe this Toronto based group’s sound… “Independence” shows how music can be the voice of the people and that the message always rises from ashes. One of the most beautifully intelligent releases…ever!” – IndependentsOnly

Drawing heavily upon the sounds of traditional calypso, roots reggae and dub poetry, the album is a collection of stories which offer a running commentary on a wide variety of social and political themes including domestic violence, homelessness, globalization, the war on Iraq, and the various frustrations and betrayals of the post-colonial era. Named after the vibrant and turbulent neighborhood in old Port-of-Spain, Trinidad, where calypso was born, the group strives to recover the social conscience, satirical storytelling and strong acoustic/organic rhythms that characterized Trinidadian music in the past. For members of the eight-piece outfit, the name suggests an origin as well as a destination.

Independence was co-produced by Lyndon Livingstone (David Rudder, Andre Tanker, Mighty Scrunter) and Drew Gonsalves at the Razorshop in Maraval, Trinidad. Independence will be available for download through CD Baby, iTunes, Music Discovery Network, Calabash Music and select online retailers. For more information or to hear advance tracks from the album, please visit, http://www.kobotown.com.

Eric recently returned from MIDEM music conference in Cannes, France, where he gave a seminar entitled ‘Are You Ready To Innovate in the Digital Marketplace?’ “The music industry is moving faster than it ever has before,” Eric was quoted in MIDEM ‘The News’ magazine. “You know need to innovate on a continuous basis, and not all music industry professionals are wired to do that. Music has been at the forefront of being challenged by technological change. It’s like a game of chess: you always need to be two steps ahead.”

MusicDish will also be hosting it’s “10th Anniversary” official CMW showcase on March 8th at the Trane Studio, (964 Bathurst street – 2 blocks North of Bloor St. – Toronto). The line-up includes an impressive array of Canadian acts, including Kobo Town, Souljazz Orchestra, Rich Brown & rinsethealgorithm, Melissa Laveaux and Caroline Glass. Information and online tracks will be available shortly at http://www.musicdish.net/cmw

About “The New Gold Rush: How To Make Money In The Digital Age”
Sure, the “new economy” looks like peaches ready to be picked. Ringtones, video games, advertising commercials, record download sales, motion picture/TV song licensing, webcasting, music boxes, dolls, toys… the market for your music seems almost limitless. But our embrace of the digital music marketplace has stirred a hornet’s nest of issues regarding pricing, royalties and mechanisms for licensing and payment. To a large extent, copyright law and contract language have become anachronistic. This panel will assess how digital revenue streams work now (or don’t), and how they might in the future.

Moderator
David Basskin – President, CMRRA, Toronto
Panelist
Mario Bouchard – General Council, The Copyright Board of Canada, Ottawa, ON
Eric De Fontenay – Founder, MusicDish, Astoria, NY
Bob Kohn – Chairman & CEO, RoyaltyShare Inc.,
Kelli Richards – President, The All Access Group, Saratoga, CA
John Simson – Executive Director, SoundExchange, Washing DC
Darryl Ballantyne – President & CEO, LyricFind, Toronto

About Eric de Fontenay
Eric de Fontenay has spent his career steeped in what has been called the “digital revolution.” As a telecom consultant, he worked on some of the most pressing regulatory & policy issues confronting major stakeholders from Europe to Australia/NZ. Making an early bet on the music sector, he built in 1997 what has become some of the leading voices in the growing debates shaping the entertainment industry through its trade e-publications MusicDish and Mi2N. He later expanded the company into brand development and artist management, while himself diving into management with World Calypso band Kobo Town. Eric is a regular speaker at forums ranging from MIDEM to the Harvard Law School and has been hosting showcases in New York city under the ‘Listen Liberally’ brand.

About MusicDish, LLC
MusicDish, LLC (http://www.musicdish.com) has been at the forefront of the digital music sector, publishing some of the industry’s leading music magazine, including MusicDish.com and Mi2N.com. Through the MusicDish Network (http://www.musicdish.net), it supports the development of artists and labels through saturated marketing and online brand development, whether online street teams or p2p viral distribution.

About Canadian Music Week (CMW) International
Celebrating 25 years, Canadian Music Week International is Canada’s largest annual entertainment event attracting music, media and entertainment professionals from across the globe. Combining two information-intensive conferences; a cutting-edge trade exposition, five awards shows and Canada’s biggest New Music Festival, CMW is the official meeting ground for those who shape the industry. March 7 – 10, 2007 in Toronto, Canada.

www.cmw.net

It Is features lyrics that look inward and pull out the truth in everyday situations of love and loss. Although the subject matter may be commonplace, the singer’s approach and style make the age-old stories around the human condition all sound as if it was a new adventure in life, ripe and ready for the taking.

Besides the impressive debut album, It Is, Roberts’ voice has already reached worldwide audiences on NBC, HBO, Comedy Central, The WB, Lifetime and more. She can currently be heard singing the theme song for the new NBC Grease based reality show “Grease – You’re the One that I Want” (Sunday’s, 8pm). You can check out the music at www.nbc.com/Grease.

Amy Roberts is the true to form working mom with the indie spirit that drives her life and music to places that we all strive to reach. It takes large amounts of energy, patience, talent, and down right grit and determination to reach for the stars, but so few can attain that kind of success. Amy can serve as a role model to women artists and independent thinkers from all walks of life and professions because when you hear her music suddenly you begin to think that the twinkling lights in the sky are well within your own reach if you work hard and believe in yourself. We need more people like Amy Roberts to lead the way.

Visit the Amy Roberts website for updates, performance dates, pictures, and more.

Contact: Amy Roberts
Company: Indyla Records
Address: PO Box 93066 Los Angeles, CA 90093
Tel: 800-295-1363
Email
Website
CD Baby Link

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