Madalyn's Blog

ConcertsInYourHome.com adds “how-to” videos to help artists promote house concert performances to their fans.

My friend Fran Snyder at ConcertsInYourHome.com has put together a really cool video that I wanted to pass along today. And check out his site at http://concertsinyourhome.com/.

Have a GREAT holiday weekend!
Madalyn Sklar

Labels: house concerts

By Monika Herzig

Madalyn's Note: I have enlisted a few writers from our GoGirlsMusic.com community to assist me from time to time with service and product reviews. Here is the first of many. Enjoy!

Copyrights and Copywrongs is the title of a very interesting book by Siva Vaidhyanathan published in 2001. Siva takes issue with the rise of copyright enforcement and how it threatens to strangle creativity. His argument is for a future of “thin” copyright that allows creators to receive an incentive of their work but also the consumers to take advantage of the rich knowledge pool for enrichment and development. While we do need some revisions of copyright law to adapt to the digital age, copyright is here to stay. The constitution includes a copyright clause, the foundation of all copyright legislation: "To promote the Progress of Science and useful Arts, by securing for limited Times to Authors and Inventors the exclusive Right to their respective Writings and Discoveries."

Such intentions are noble and many authors and inventors have greatly benefitted from the exclusive rights guaranteed to them and contributed to the progress of mankind. At the moment of creation of a new work of art, such as a song, a picture, an essay, or a film, the creator owns the copyright. That seems simple enough, but what happens if someone uses the work of art without acknowledging the creator and getting necessary licenses? Well, usually there’ll be a friendly reminder about doing just that and if the infringer doesn’t comply, litigation becomes necessary. The court will evaluate the resemblance of the infringer’s product to the original, possible access of the infringer to the product in question, and compare dates of creation. If all factors are in favor of the litigating creator, the court will demand to see the official copyright registration certificate of the work. Well, it would be a shame and a difficult process if after all these legal costs and transactions that certificate couldn’t be produced in order to get final judgment and due reward.

Provemycopyright.com is a website administered in Sweden and set up as an alternative to the costly and lengthy process of copyright registration with the US copyright office. The process is simple. The user buys an account for $99 per year with one gigabyte of space and loads up any creations – music files, photographs, essays, etc. Every time a file is uploaded, an automatic watermarking system is activated and the user will receive a certificate with a time registration. Such a certificate can be most useful in proving the time of creation for copyright disputes. Considering that each registration with the copyright office costs $45 for paper registration and $35 for online registration, the process can become very costly for artists with large output. Provemycopyright.com seems like an efficient and money saving alternative. For example, a photographer might get inspired and fill up the memory of her digital camera with hundreds of photos. Many of them seem worth keeping and show potential for further use. A quick upload to provemycopyright.com doesn’t cost a penny besides the initial $99 account fee, but a registration with the US Copyright would get very costly and take 3 – 4 months. Remember it’s $45 per registration and a form needs to be filled out every time. For similar scenarios involving large numbers of art pieces, provemycopyright.com seems an ideal solution for quick registration and storage.

Provemycopyright.com is a useful tool to store pieces, get time stamps, keep track of creation dates, and provide a legal basis for protection. Especially for artists with large output this can be a great tool to document their output. Such time certificates will also support a dispute with infringers and can help settle cases without costly litigation. But please do register your most valuable work with the US Copyright office in addition as the certificate will be essential proof in case of actual litigation in court.

Copyright © 2008 Monika Herzig, http://www.monikaherzig.com/

Monika Herzig is a jazz pianist/ recording artist for Owl Studios and a full-time member of the Arts Administration Faculty at Indiana University. She has performed at many prestigious jazz clubs and festivals, such as the Indy Jazz Fest, Cleveland’s Nighttown, Louisville’s Jazz Factory, the W.C.Handy Festival, Jazz in July in Bloomington and Cincinnati, Columbus’ Jazz & Rib Fest, to name just a few. Groups under her leadership have toured Germany and Italy, opened for acts such as Tower of Power, Sting, the Dixie Dregs, Yes, and more. More info is available at http://www.blogger.com/www.monikaherzig.com. Her most recent releases are available at owlstudios.com. Thomas Garner from Garageradio.com writes about "What Have You Gone and Done?, her most recent release: "I was totally awed by the fine musicianship throughout".

Labels: copyrights, ProveMyCopyright.com

"Life is not easy for any of us. But what of that? We must have perseverance and above all confidence in ourselves. We must believe that we are gifted for something and that this thing must be attained." -- Marie Curie

I know life is not easy but you have to look past your issues and problems and look at yourself in a new light. Confidence is a MUST in the music business! Believe in yourself and others will believe in you. Yes, it's true! Tell yourself every day that you are incredibly awesome, incredibly gifted. If you feel you are not, ask yourself why. Write it down. Find ways to overcome it. Read motivational books, newsletters, blogs. Rise above because you my friend are amazing.

This motivational moment was brought to you by Madalyn Sklar. ;-)

Copyright © 2008 Madalyn Sklar, IndieMusicCoach

Madalyn Sklar is a music business coach & consultant, blogger, social networks expert and author. She founded IndieMusicCoach and has spent over 12 years working with a wide range of independent musicians all over the world. Her goal is to help indie artists achieve greater success in the music business by working smarter not harder. She is also the founder of GoGirlsMusic.com, the oldest and largest online community of indie women musicians, with a vision of bringing together and empowering musicians from around the world.

Madalyn is available for one-on-one consulting and coaching at affordable prices. Check out http://www.indiemusiccoach.com for more info.

Labels: motivation

by Madalyn Sklar

I know, you are busy working your Myspace and Facebook pages. And trying to keep up with your calendar on your web site, Myspace and Sonicbids has turned into a pain in the ass. And you are saying to yourself why do I need Twitter too? I'm here to say WHY NOT?

I've been writing about Twitter for awhile here on my blog. It's an incredibly great tool you should add to your internet marketing arsenal, if you haven't done so already.

In simple terms, Twitter is a microblog of up to 140 characters. That means what you type is short and to the point. No long winded posts about why you think Myspace sucks or how to get a great gig. No, that is for your regular blog. Because your Tweets (as it's called) have to be short many people use it to link to sites, full blog posts, etc. There is so much you can do with it!

Yesterday I came across a really great blog post on Why Musicians Should Jump on the Twitter Bandwagon. They point out that Twitter is not just for techie geeks anymore. It's ideal for DIY musicians and I couldn't agree more! Check out the article for great ideas on how to use Twitter to promote you and your music.

Here are my Twitter pages:
http://twitter.com/madalynsklar - it's my blogger/social networks/music page

http://twitter.com/gogirlsmusic - this is my gogirls music page

Copyright © 2008 Madalyn Sklar, IndieMusicCoach

Madalyn Sklar is a music business coach & consultant, blogger, social networks expert and author. She founded IndieMusicCoach and has spent over 12 years working with a wide range of independent musicians all over the world. Her goal is to help indie artists achieve greater success in the music business by working smarter not harder. She is also the founder of GoGirlsMusic.com, the oldest and largest online community of indie women musicians, with a vision of bringing together and empowering musicians from around the world.

Madalyn is available for one-on-one consulting and coaching at affordable prices. Check out http://www.indiemusiccoach.com for more info.

Labels: twitter

by Madalyn Sklar

I love attending music conferences. There are so many good ones out there. Hyperfest is one of my favorites and for only being around three years I find it worth taking note. It's in Albuquerque, NM where it's hot and dry. But aside from that it's FUN!

Executive Director Allison Shaw and Festival Director Jenny Gamble have a great vision of bringing together both great live music and fascinating music industry professionals to participate on panels. It's a win/win.

I was busy Twittering at the Touring panel on Saturday. Here are some of the remarks...

"If you don't ask it won't happen" when trying to get opportunities says Ryan Cano of The Loyalty Firm

"Don't play too much in your own backyard." Tom Frouge, Globalquerque

"You have to get a street team everywhere." Jenny McPhee, TKO Booking

"Become friends with your audience." Chris J, Army of Freshmen

"The best bands are at the merch table talking to their fans." Jenny McPhee, TKO Booking

I moderated the Press Kits panel next which was made up of local print papers as well as a local DJ and my new techie friend Catfish. After that was the panel on 360 deals headed up by my friend, entertainment attorney Ken Abdo. A little later was the producers panel led by my friend Robert Case of New Pants Publishing. I had to miss it because I was off doing my Social Networks for Musicians Workshop, which rocked by the way!

And the music was great!! It was everywhere. All you had to do was walk from venue to venue.

Check out more on Hyperfest at http://www.hyperfestival.com.

If you want to see all my pics from Hyperfest3 go to http://tinyurl.com/5cw2bg.





Copyright © 2008 Madalyn Sklar, IndieMusicCoach

Madalyn Sklar is a music business coach & consultant, blogger, social networks expert and author. She founded IndieMusicCoach and has spent over 12 years working with a wide range of independent musicians all over the world. Her goal is to help indie artists achieve greater success in the music business by working smarter not harder. She is also the founder of GoGirlsMusic.com, the oldest and largest online community of indie women musicians, with a vision of bringing together and empowering musicians from around the world.

Madalyn is available for one-on-one consulting and coaching at affordable prices. Check out http://www.indiemusiccoach.com for more info.

Labels: Albuquerque, conference, festival, hyperactive music, NM

I'll be out of the office now through the weekend at the 3rd annual Hyperactive Music Conference + Festival in Albuquerque, NM. Check it out at http://www.hyperfestival.com. I'm moderating the press kits panel, running a speed networking event and hosting a Social Networks for Musicians workshop. If you are in the area, track me down!

I'll be Twittering "live" from the event so follow along at http://twitter.com/gogirlsmusic.

Rock on,
Madalyn Sklar

Labels: Albuquerque, hyperactive music festival conference

by Madalyn Sklar

I know, I know... there are so many darn social networks sites out in the web universe. Some are really cool and fun while others... well suck. I'm here to tell you that I have been playing with and really enjoying Stereofame. It's different from many others you have probably run into.

Here is a bit about Stereofame:

Sterofame.com is an online game of "Virtual Record Labels". The object of the game is to get as many points as you can so you can cash them in on great rewards.

Bands get points when a listener visits their profile or listens to a song, and can earn additional points each time their song gets a thumbs up vote.

Fans get into the game by listening to music and creating Record Labels.
Each Label earns points based on the popularity of each artist they've signed. When an artist or song gets a thumbs up it benefits the label. Also, Labels earn more points for being the first to sign a band, and extra points if an artist gets a lot of attention during a small period of time.

Check out my page at http://www.stereofame.com/gogirls and let me know what you think. I'ved been racking up points by signing artists to my "virtual label". I can then redeem points for cool prizes like gift cards, iPods, etc. For artists I think it's a great way to gain exposure for your music. And you too get points that can get redeemed for prizes. They have cool widgets you can post on your web sites too. It's worth checking out!

And to get you jump started, I've been authorized to get you 1000 bonus points just for signing up. Yeah cool I know! Just click here to get started.

Check it out and let me know what you think. I'd love your feedback!

Copyright © 2008 Madalyn Sklar, IndieMusicCoach

Madalyn Sklar is a music business coach & consultant, blogger, social networks expert and author. She founded IndieMusicCoach and has spent over 12 years working with a wide range of independent musicians all over the world. Her goal is to help indie artists achieve greater success in the music business by working smarter not harder. She is also the founder of GoGirlsMusic.com, the oldest and largest online community of indie women musicians, with a vision of bringing together and empowering musicians from around the world.

Madalyn is available for one-on-one consulting and coaching at affordable prices. Check out http://www.indiemusiccoach.com/ for more info.

Labels: social networks, Stereofame

by Madalyn Sklar



I was just reading an interesting article The LA Times put out today, Record labels seek more action on Rock Band and Guitar Hero. Greed is green here. The labels want to line their pockets at the artist and gaming industry's expense of course. Nothing new, I know. Because of the widely success of these popular games should their manufacturers bow down to the major labels? Well unfortunately they have to if they want the music. But like Susan Kevorkian's quote below, the labels should get proactive rather than play victim. As we all know the real victim here is the artist! Yet another reason to NOT sign your music away.

I would love to hear your thoughts on this subject.

Here are a couple of quotes from the article that should rile your up...

Edgar Bronfman Jr., chairman and chief executive of Warner Music Group, recently grumbled that the record labels deserved a bigger piece of the spoils from the games' success.

The game publishers pay the record labels about $10,000 for the rights to re-record a song and up to about $25,000 for master recordings by the original artist or new releases, according to executives close to the negotiations. They spoke on condition of anonymity because the terms are confidential.

But IDC analyst Susan Kevorkian said the "major music labels need to reposition themselves as proactive players in developing digital music businesses rather than victims. They have a lot of power." Not as much as they once had. The games have moved from niche to phenomenon, and musicians want in.

Post a comment with your two cents on this. I'd love to hear what you have to say.

Copyright © 2008 Madalyn Sklar, IndieMusicCoach

Madalyn Sklar is a music business coach & consultant, blogger, social networks expert and author. She founded IndieMusicCoach and has spent over 12 years working with a wide range of independent musicians all over the world. Her goal is to help indie artists achieve greater success in the music business by working smarter not harder. She is also the founder of GoGirlsMusic.com, the oldest and largest online community of indie women musicians, with a vision of bringing together and empowering musicians from around the world.

Madalyn is available for one-on-one consulting and coaching at affordable prices. Check out http://www.indiemusiccoach.com/ for more info.

Labels: gaming, greed, major labels

by Madalyn Sklar

I've been on the Social Networks bandwagon for sometime now. I can't help it, I'm a techie geek. I love new technologies. I get it. It make sense to me.

It's so cool how my two business worlds have collided by being a techie in the music business. On the flip side I find it interesting that there are plenty of music biz professionals out there who seem to think they get the techie stuff. Many don't. You can't just read about it and decide you're an expert. You have to do it, live it and teach it. And for a good while, no doubt.

So let's discuss my favorite social networks for musicians and why.

Myspace:

I have been a big fan of Myspace since early 2005. I will admit it was much easier to use up until earlier this year. Seems people have really bogged it down with their image heavy pages. Some take forever to load with their backgrounds, photos, videos, etc. I have been an internet marketer and web site developer since 1996 and I have to say download time on a homepage is critical. It can make or break a site. We live in a "hurry up and give it to me now" age. We don't have time to wait 45 seconds for a page to load. You have seconds to make a lasting impression. Sad but true.

What's so great about Myspace today? Well it's still a valuable site to gain new fans who will come to your shows and buy your music. Fans who will become your street team members, advocating your music. Like any social network, it doesn't work unless you work it. You have to spend consistent time on it.

Check out my Myspace pages:
http://www.myspace.com/gogirls
http://www.myspace.com/indiemusiccoach

Facebook:

I will admit that like most of you it took me awhile to like Facebook. We all got comfortable with Myspace so when we tried messing with Facebook it was so different. So confusing. But I soon found that I could have a really great presence on Facebook with little effort. How? They provide some great applications that shortcut things for you. I could set up Notes to automatically import my blog posts. Every time I blog it shows up on my Facebook page. Awesome I know! I also set up my Flickr photos to do the same as well as my Twitter posts. I then added ReverbNation's music application. And the mobile photo upload feature is great. I can take a picture with my iPhone (or any camera phone) and email it right to my Facebook page. Only takes seconds! I figured out so much that I recently put together a FREE "Facebook Marketing Tips for Musicians" e-Course at http://www.socialnetworksformusicians.com/. I would love for you to enroll in my free course and then let me know what you think.

Check out my Facebook page:
http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=696545329

Twitter:

This is a techie favorite. It's taking longer for musicians to embrace Twitter but it's slowly happening. I think the biggest problem is that musicians are saying, "do I have to join ANOTHER site??" Um, no you don't... just the ones that matter is what I say. And you know what, this one matters in my opinion. Twitter is micro-blogging, plain and simple. You can only type up to 140 characters so you have to be concise. I love that! I've watched musicians use Twitter to let their friends and fans know what they are up to whether it's busy recording in the studio, being out on tour or just sharing a bit of their everyday life. What I love about Twitter is that it's a great resource for news and information. So many people are using it to share articles, blog posts, etc. And like Facebook I can email photos from my iPhone using Twitpic. Last night I was at the Melissa Etheridge concert here in Houston and Twittered photos in real-time. It's super cool and easy to do.

Check out my Twitter pages:
http://twitter.com/gogirlsmusic
http://twitter.com/madalynsklar

I recently polled our GoGirls Elite members, asking them what was their favorite social network and why. Interestingly one member said it was GoGirlsMusic.com. Funny how I started an online community for women in music 12 years ago not realizing that I had created a social network. There just wasn't a name for it then other than online community.

Here's some interesting responses to my poll:

"I thought I’d let you know about this new place I found called Reverb Nation. It seems a lot friendlier to musicians as far as downloads and such, plus it’s got this cool feature called widgets that they give to you and you can inbed in all your other pages (websites, myspace, etc) to make navigation and updating a whole lot easier. I’ve only just started using it but I can see a lot of potential for a non-geek like myself to be a little more in control of a my geek pages." -- Lojo Russo, http://www.lojorusso.com

"i am really loving facebook right now. i jumped into it a few weeks ago and every time i use it, i'm kicking myself for not joining sooner. why? lots of reasons, but for now, here's the top 3: unlimited photos; i can connect it to my blogs in the "notes" section, which saves a lot of time and work; the fans can interact with me and with each other, and that's especially cool. myspace is too massive to ignore and i'm updating there regularly but facebook feels like the next wave." -- Queen Esther, http://www.queen-esther.com

"MySpace continues to be my favorite social network because I've worked out a system that works for me. When it comes to networking with bands, industry people, venues and building relationships with potential new fans, MySpace is still #1 with me. Sean, my drummer, is our Facebook guy and he loves Facebook because it is easier to add friends and the ability to use applications that import your blog, schedule, etc. make it lower maintenance than MySpace. I'm just not sold on the rewards of Facebook in comparison to MySpace." -- Tish Meeks, http://www.3kisses.com/

Post a comment and tell me what are your favorite social networks and why.

Copyright © 2008 Madalyn Sklar, IndieMusicCoach

Madalyn Sklar is a music business coach & consultant, blogger, social networks expert and author. She founded IndieMusicCoach and has spent over 12 years working with a wide range of independent musicians all over the world. Her goal is to help indie artists achieve greater success in the music business by working smarter not harder. She is also the founder of GoGirlsMusic.com, the oldest and largest online community of indie women musicians, with a vision of bringing together and empowering musicians from around the world.

Madalyn is available for one-on-one consulting and coaching at affordable prices. Check out http://www.indiemusiccoach.com/ for more info.

Labels: Facebook, flickr, myspace, ReverbNation, social networks, twitter

Reposted from 6-26-07. Yes, this article was so good the first time around that it's worth sharing again!



House concerts have become quite the rage for indie artists looking to increase their income. What's so great about it? Imagine playing in an intimate setting where people really want to hear you and experience your music. Not some noisy bar laden with loud drunks.

I have put together a list of links that you will find useful in your quest to learn more about this cool way to build your fanbase, sell more CDs and earn more $.

Concerts in your Home - the most comprehensive and up-to-date house concert site on the web
HouseConcerts.com - great list of venues across the U.S. to check out
House Concerts - great info on how to put on your own house concert
FolkMusic.org - lists house concert venues across the U.S.
The Complete Guide to House Concerts - interesting book on the subject, available at Amazon
House Concerts - a great how-to guide online
House Concerts FAQs - another great how-to guide
Article: Acoustic Music, Live From the Living Room - great article!
Article: UP CLOSE AND PERSONAL, The Joys and challenges of playing house concerts - another good article
Article: House Concerts - Promoting Music & Freedom of Speech - interesting article addressing the legal aspects of hosting a house concert

This is just the tip of the iceberg on the subject. I hope you find the information useful. Send me your comments and two cents on this. Any links that should get added? Let me know!

Copyright © 2007 Madalyn Sklar, IndieMusicCoach

Madalyn Sklar is a music business coach & consultant, blogger, social networks expert and author. She founded IndieMusicCoach and has spent over 12 years working with a wide range of independent musicians all over the world. Her goal is to help indie artists achieve greater success in the music business by working smarter not harder. She is also the founder of GoGirlsMusic.com, the oldest and largest online community of indie women musicians, with a vision of bringing together and empowering musicians from around the world.

Madalyn is available for one-on-one consulting and coaching at affordable prices. Check out http://www.indiemusiccoach.com/ for more info.

Labels: house concerts

by Madalyn Sklar



I get asked this all the time by indie artists... "How do I find a manager?" or "Do you know any good managers?"

There is no simple answer to this to question because it really boils down to several things.

1. It's who you know baby
That's right. This is a relationship business so you have to get out there and network. I always suggest doing this at music conferences, events, workshops, etc. People know people. People like to help people they like. BE LIKEABLE! And just because you meet someone who runs a music organization promoting women in music (yeah that would be me) so you automatically think she can't help you I guarantee you she knows more influential people in the biz than you give her credit for. I can't tell you how many guy bands are afraid to chat with me because they automatically assume (keyword ASSume) I cannot do anything for them. Don't fall into that. Make it a goal to increase your music business contacts. Turn everything into an opportunity.

2. You think you rock? So does every other band!
What sets you apart from other artists and bands? Here's the thing. You don't just hire a manager. You can't just call up a good, reputable manager and say, "hey we are the bomb and you need to manage us." Sorry that is not how it works. It's like a label, the good ones will come to you. If you are generating a great buzz, selling lots of music (CDs, digital downloads, etc) and selling out your shows, they will hear about it and get in touch. The problem I see is everyone is impatient. They want their success and they want it now. They want a manager right now. They want a booking agent right now. Slow down! Focus on making incredibly great music. Focus on putting on a kickass show. Create a buzz. Network. Those are the keys.

Okay so back to finding a manager. A good one no doubt. Ask around. Ask your music business friends. Ask you musician friends. Read music business message boards. Attend music business social gathering and events. Bring business cards and CDs. NETWORK!

From there you build relationships. Nothing happens overnight. Don't get your hopes up too high. Just be realistic.

I found a few articles on this subject you may find helpful:

How to find a manager
http://www.musicmanagersforum.co.uk/findamanager

How to Find a Manager, and What You Need to Know Before Contacting Management
http://tinyurl.com/6b8u5a

TAXI articles on management
http://www.taxi.com/faq/mgmnt/

Send me your comments. I would love to hear what you have to say on this subject!

Copyright © 2008 Madalyn Sklar, IndieMusicCoach

Madalyn Sklar is a music business coach & consultant, blogger, social networks expert and author. She founded IndieMusicCoach and has spent over 12 years working with a wide range of independent musicians all over the world. Her goal is to help indie artists achieve greater success in the music business by working smarter not harder. She is also the founder of GoGirlsMusic.com, the oldest and largest online community of indie women musicians, with a vision of bringing together and empowering musicians from around the world.

Madalyn is available for one-on-one consulting and coaching at affordable prices. Check out http://www.indiemusiccoach.com/ for more info.

Labels: music business management

by Robin Kirby

Luck…

Last week I was on a call with the infamous Music Coach and Founder of GoGirlsMusic.com Madalyn Sklar…when she asked me if I would accompany her to see Heart at the House of Blues in New Orleans and write a review for GoGirlsMusic.com I was stoked! I told her that I would not only like to I would LOVE to go! (Talk about being on the right call at the right time!) Madalyn was on the other line with Chip Schutzman of Miles High Productions about the show and he needed the name of the person accompanying her ASAP… I lucked out! I got to see Heart VIP in New Orleans at the House of Blues!!! I have always been a huge fan of Heart. They have had a big influence in the music I write so I was honored to be in the presence of two of the worlds most infamous rocker chicks!

HEART ROCKED THE HOUSE AT THE HOUSE OF BLUES IN NEW ORLEANS ON AUGUST 7th

Over the years Heart has had a profound influence on Rock Music! Ann and Nancy definitely showed the crowd Thursday night at the House of Blues in New Orleans, that WOMEN CAN ROCK! Nancy’s perfect guitar licks with a kick and Ann’s angelic vocals were so amazing. Nancy Wilson is featured in the July/Aug. issue of Performing Songwriter. Make sure you check it out! Ann, known as the queen of rock and roll, belted out "Barracuda" making her vocal performance the highlight of the show. Heart’s music has a lot of substance, power, passion and conviction. The show was both memorable and brilliant ;) A spectacular show!

The experience of Heart…

The House of Blues (Ann and Nancy’s favorite music venue) was an awesome, intimate venue. Outside were lines of people waiting to get into the show. Chip Schutzman of Miles High productions was interviewing the fans in the line. Thanks to Chip we were let in as the first people at the show...I photographed the empty stage… Then the Heart Mongers (top fans) began to flow through the door…as Pink Floyd played aloud as background music Madalyn and I introduced ourselves to some of the Heart Fans. I first introduced myself to the number one fan of Heart, Paula. According to other fans, Paula has attended the most Heart shows through the years, hence giving her the #1 fan spot. Among others was one very interesting fan "New Orleans Monger” known as Dann Wilson aka Carl Floyd. He divulged to me that he had seen Heart 38 times and told me later in a note, “I Must say that 38 shows and counting-that was one of the BEST Heart shows I've ever attended (they were ALL great and very memorable), if not THE best, and what a love fest! It was nothing short of a secular spiritual revival or something akin”.

The Heart Mongers were all such great fans! The fans continued to flow in until the House of Blues was completely packed. The lights went down...and the crowd screamed and out came the Wilson sisters. The first song was "Wild Child"…the second "Magic Man" and so forth. (See pics of the set list) Madalyn took a photo of the set list which was securely taped to the floor…so after Madalyn took the pic we then knew what song was coming next. There were songs that have been in their set list for 30 years. Their set also included some Led Zeppelin! These women pioneers of rock and roll performed with the same passion they started with back in the 70s. My favorite Heart song "Crazy on You" was next to the last song they played. I made my way through the crowd again to get closer to the front for that particular song… Yours truly smiled and rocked to the music! I definitely recommend you get out and see them at a venue near you!



Click here for more photos from the Heart concert

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Robin Kirby is a Powerful singer, songwriter musician from Houston, Texas. She recently released a 5 song Demo called Robin Revealed and will be releasing a new CD soon called High Speed Wobble. She is also a member of GoGirls Elite.

Check out her music at:
www.myspace.com/robinrevealed
http://www.ourstage.com/fanclub/robinkirby
www.reverbnation.com/robinkirby
www.sonicbids.com/robinkirby

Photos by Robin Kirby + Madalyn Sklar
Copyright © 2008 GoGirlsMusic.com ~ All rights reserved.

Labels: heart, house of blues, new orleans

That's right. I'm hitting the road this morning to New Orleans to see Heart play the House of Blues. It only holds 982 people and I'm told I'm the only one with a photo pass.

I'll be posting pics "live" in real-time over at Twitter. Sign up, it's free, and follow along at http://twitter.com/gogirlsmusic

Rock on,
Madalyn

Labels: heart, house of blues, new orleans

Once again Reverbnation is scoring points with me because they offer up such great tools to help indie artists. And best part, it's FREE! So listen up, if you are not on Reverbnation stop what you're doing and get on there. And take advantage of these great tools!! -Madalyn

‘Press Widget’ Makes Posting Album Reviews and Web Buzz a Snap for Any Artist

(New York, NY – Aug 5, 2008) ReverbNation, the leading Marketing and Promotion Platform technology for Musicians, Labels, Managers, and Venues, today introduced the ‘Press Widget’ to over 215,000 Musicians and Bands that use ReverbNation applications to enhance their social network pages (MySpace, Facebook, Bebo, etc), homepages, and blogs.

The ‘Press Widget’ allows Artists to aggregate accolades from the media or fans into one place, and then deploy them to all of their other sites. Artists can add an unlimited number of clippings, with each one containing a link back to the original source for fans to read more. The deployed widget can be customized to match the color of any webpage, and will update in real time when the Artist adds, edits, or removes old clippings. The widget has smart word detection, which rotates clippings at a slower speed for long quotes and a quicker speed for short quotes, timed with the fan's ability to read them. Typical of all ReverbNation widgets, the 'Press Widget' can easily be shared by fans or made the object of 'Street Team' missions that incentivize the most rabid fans to spread it virally.

“Reviews and peer opinions are incredibly important for musicians. Often times, a well-placed quote from a credible source can be the difference between a potential fan actually engaging with the music, or just passing by,” said Jed Carlson, Co-Founder and COO of ReverbNation.com. “But all the super reviews won’t mean anything if they aren’t actually seen by fans or potential fans. The Press Widget can’t get you good reviews, but it can help you showcase the ones you do get.”

The Press Widget is FREE for any Artist, Label, or Manager to setup, and only takes seconds to deploy it to other sites. ReverbNation tracks the Press Widget, reporting back to the Artist how many times it has been viewed, clicked, and shared.

For more info on the Press Widget, and all ReverbNation widgets: ReverbNation Widgets
(http://www.reverbnation.com/main/features_tabs?tab=Our%20Widgets)

About the company
ReverbNation provides the innovative marketing solutions that musicians need to compete, cooperate, and differentiate in an increasingly noisy online environment. Unlike typical “closed” communities, artists use ReverbNation as their home base for approaching marketing and promotion across the Internet as a whole - be it via social networks, blogs, email, IM, or the artist’s homepage. Tools like TunePaks, FanReach, TuneWidget, and Street Team Manager give the artist the power to spread their music and information virtually anywhere. Real-time stats then provide a 360-degree view of how the music is spreading, who is listening, and which fans are actually passing it on to their friends and posting it on their pages. ReverbNation empowers Artists to take the music to the people, no matter where they spend their time online. For more information, please visit www.ReverbNation.com.

Facebook® is a registered trademark of Facebook Inc. MySpace® is a registered trademark of Fox Media.

Media Contact:
Lou Plaia 212.367.0826 or
Jed Carlson 919.682.9593 jcarlson@reverbnation.com

Labels: ReverbNation

Weeklong camp gives girls the skills and swagger to get onstage for the first time.

By Danielle Beavers and Lindsey Thomas

For a couple of weeks in the summer, the Urban Assembly School of Music and Art in Brooklyn, New York, is turned into one big rehearsal space. Amps, guitars and drum kits are lugged through the hallways as the cafeteria is readied for a rock show, and a peek inside a classroom reveals a group of preteen girls standing on chairs, belting out the words to Avril Lavigne's "Girlfriend."

This is the Willie Mae Rock Camp for Girls, a program that's cultivating a new wave of female rockers. Not only do girls between the ages of 8 and 18 learn to play instruments — campers can choose between guitar, drums, bass, keyboards, turntables and vocals — they also participate in music-related workshops.

"We are always interested in any kind of workshop that is empowering and will encourage girls to feel like they can do anything," said Executive Director Karla Schickele, who's spent her own time onstage in folk-pop band Ida. "They can create their own environment and be creative in the risks that they take."

The first such program started in 2000 with Portland, Oregon's Rock 'n' Roll Camp for Girls, which was featured in the recent documentary "Girls Rock!" The trend has since spread across the country, and even around the world. New York got its own version in 2004.

Over the course of a week at Willie Mae, each girl is placed in a band where she and her mates write their own lyrics and put a song together — all leading up to a grand performance on Saturday.

"If you can find other girls to play with, it's not just a bonding experience, it's not just about the music — it's sort of this big empowerment thing," said Mates of State's Kori Gardner, who performed during the camp's lunch break one day. "It's a confidence builder. You're playing and you're jelling together on a stage in front of people who are pumping you up, and it's just a really big empowerment and confidence booster."

When not in band practice, the campers go to workshops in rooms named after icons like Björk and Sister Rosetta Tharpe, learning everything from self-defense — because every rocker needs to be prepared for rowdy crowds — and how women are portrayed in the media to songwriting and T-shirt silk-screening.

As if that weren't enough, they also put together an image for their band, from picking names to designing logos. "We actually put a bunch of names in a little baggy and drew out four or five random words and put them together, and we wrote down about 40 different possible names," 15-year-old bassist Stephanie Child said. "We were down to Finding Nowhere and Broken Media, and we all voted for Broken Media."

Then there's the little matter of songwriting. For the older girls, the songs might be about love and heartbreak. For the younger girls, it's all about fun and joking about what they know — other girls.

" 'Total Teenage Drama,' it's like us making fun of girls, because we say they are talking on their cell phones, listening to the radio, looking in the mirror and trying to fix their hair," said Soledad Tejada, 9-year-old lead singer for LOL. "We thought we should make it about people who would say, 'LOL.' "

What makes these girls luckier than their elders — and let's face it, we all wish we could have rocked out at camp instead of canoeing — is that a young girl can come in with absolutely no experience on any instrument and feel like a rock star by the end of the week. (Envious adults can sign up for Ladies Rock Camp by visiting Willie Mae's Web site.)

The camp-ending concert gives the bands the chance to perform for hundreds of their friends and family members. This year's concert was held at Brooklyn's Music Hall of Williamsburg, and the scene was just like your average rock show, from a merch table in the front — because who wouldn't want an LOL T-shirt where the "o" is a heart and crossbones? — to nervous musicians waiting backstage.

"The moment at the showcase concert when you see the band on the sideline feeling nervous about going onstage, and then when they first go onstage and they hear the roar of applause, of cheering and love coming from the audience, and that moment right before they launch into their song — I think that maybe that is my favorite moment," Schickele said.

Labels: rock camp for girls

CDs – DVDs – T-SHIRTS - PROMO

Madalyn Sklar at IndieMusicCoach & GoGirlsMusic.com recommends her friends at Crystal Clear Disc, Promo, and Apparel for your CD/DVD replication, T-shirt/apparel, and other music promotional needs. Serving the regional and national independent and major label music industry for over 35 years, Crystal Clear has grown to become one of the largest, most experienced and respected replication and music promotional products companies anywhere in the country. Visit them on the web at www.crystalclearcds.com, or contact the head of Crystal Clear, Jim Cocke directly at 800-880-0073, ext 114 or jim@crystalclearcds.com. Be sure to let Jim know you were referred by Madalyn Sklar for great discounts and special offers!

Labels: cd manufacturer, Crystal Clear

GoGirls: What drives your music. When did you first know you had to do this thing called music or bust?

I think I have an drive to communicate strong emotions; that explains most of what I choose to sing. That seems like a pat answer, but I don't think it's true for every singer: I could name a few pretty famous pop stars who practically avoid strong emotion. I don't remember not singing--Even the neighbors told my parents they liked to hear me sing my way home from school. I know it made me feel connected somehow to sing for people, and I'd arrange little shows for my folks or for the neighborhood. My brothers played guitar and drums, and my mom could play piano, so I didn't learn an instrument thoroughly and not until later. In my generation coming up there weren't as many women instrumentalists, but there were starting to be lots more who accompanied themselves. I just learned enough to write and to be conversant in the musical language...

GoGirls: Explain the dynamics with the band. How do you come together and make it work. (looking for some advice here for readers).

I've gotten very lucky with the world-class musicians who are agreeable to playing music with me. I write mostly on piano (sometimes guitar and now autoharp!) but as I said I unfortunately don't play well enough to do it onstage while singing. My voice is my axe. so I learned early on to write out charts that players who play sessions and jazz could read and play. It's always understood that unless called for, ya leave the jazz to the other gigs, not mine! I did make a jazz album released in 2006 to account for all the jazz I have played in my life--my reason for meeting many of these fine players. I also want to keep up my chops in that dept. My musician friends all have complicated lives; most have families or second careers as writers or recording engineers or are on tour with other musicians, so it's special for me when we can come together, and for better or worse, having the charts saves lots of rehearsal time. These are real pros! In my first bands it wasn't like that--there was much more rehearsal, and I miss that time for cooking the music and just hanging--though we sneak in our share of that. I write by myself or with Joe or Karen, and we make a chart and rehearse it. As far as band dynamics go, it's important to be able to eat together and enjoy each other's company. Musical shortcomings can almost always be made up for with a good vibe and connection between those onstage. If you don't have that, rethink it.

GoGirls: Describe your ideal venue.

My ideal venue would be a listening room like someone's living room or a small theater. I like to see to whom I'm singing at least a little so I can feel intimately connected. I'm a hog for a spotlight, too. Give me a good key light, and from what I gather, everybody gets a closer experience with the music. It's not an ego thing so much--It's like having the right paintbrush or reed or strings.

GoGirls: Describe your music's evolvement since your first release, compared to this awesome 4th release?

The first record came out of a residency in a club where I'd bring in charts and we'd basically rehearse on the gig. Then, when I booked time, we were already well-oiled. My second record was live, but I lost my voice producing the events that were recorded, and had to overdub most of the vocals. Don't do THAT! Use your "street team" or something to help you. The tracks for the jazz record and three tracks for the new one were laid down in Brooklyn in two sessions in June of 2004. The jazz cuts are mostly right from those tracking dates with very few overdubs, vocal or otherwise. The band's gotten really good now at playing the material on "Where the Fireworks Are" after only a handful of gigs. Thanks for the nice compliment on that! I think in terms of evolving, it's just that I (hopefully!) am maturing as a human and spiritual being.

I long to make another "live record. And the next album I make will be a combination of new songs and unplugged favorites from the other records in a stripped -down acoustic version that can easily be assimilated by those who book and attend the smaller listening rooms.

GoGirls: Are you planning a tour outside of California for any length of time?

Well, we're getting good airplay on the eastern seaboard, (among other places) especially Connecticut and Pennsylvania and Virginia Beach... if anybody knows some places that fit the kind of rooms of which I spoke above, let me know! I'd probably be able to come there on my own and pick up musician friends from the New York area. And in October I've been working on booking a few dates up the west coast.

GoGirls: What makes or breaks a musician just starting out in your opinion?

It's disconcerting to see someone who's ego gets in the way, and it's also hard to see young players and singers trying to be someone other than who they are to fit a trend. Be true to your inner rudder. If you haven't found your "voice" yet, keep digging deep and not reaching too far afield.

GoGirls: Talk a little about the fourth release, and tell us about the inspiration for its tracks.

Like I said, I had cut the jazz record, with a few singer-songwriter cover tunes, and then the 2004 election began to unfold. It was such a vast disappointment for me, after having been real active registering voters and slamming on my blog. In about July, I started on a writing jag the likes of which hadn't occurred to me in many a moon. I usually had to be a jilted lover to come up with so much stuff, and I've been in a good relationship for years! Well, the way Kerry caved, and the fact that there would be four more years of Bush I guess felt like that kind of betrayal, and I was just documenting what it was like to be in this world in light of that. The song "Something Pretty"--which is pretty much about the greatest activism an artist can accomplish-- was actually the last song to be written for the record. It was recorded just two weeks before we mixed in mid 2007--almost 3 years after I'd begun the saga!

GoGirls: What do you think is number one for a musician to think about before recording a CD - and do you have any tips on saving time in the studio?

Ha! After the answer to that last question I'm not sure I'm qualified to answer this one!
I did do all of it on the typical indie shoestring. But it's so important for me to pay my engineers and musicians that I make sure I can before I book the time. I was so lucky to have people who cared about this project give me good deals, and I did not squander their goodwill. That right there hopefully creates a good working atmosphere. Be rehearsed and/or charted out before you go in. Don't expect magic to happen. Have your practical ducks in a row, then you have a prayer of creating magic. CAST it well, and let the music unfold. If I try to control MY vision of it too much, those happy accidents and left turns the creative people around you take don't happen as easily. There's a dance that involves letting go.

GoGirls: Tell us something you want the independent music world to know about you.

On the one hand, I want them to think I'm a new, fresh face. On the other hand, it's important to know I didn't just get off the boat. I'm grateful to have a world of experience in me.

GoGirls: What can your fans expect at a show?

I love doing this. I want to share that joy. And though some of this new music seems dark, there's hope in it. My band is great, but the smaller spinoff units are like musical pot-luck--It always seems to work out that you have enough main course AND dessert.

GoGirls: On gogirls music…

I can't say enough good stuff about the hardest-working woman in show business, Madalyn Sklar. And the fact that she is able to harness the energies of people like you and me to get this group of talented women's work into the marketplace is the quintessence of the indie experience. If you want a band to work for a few months, give them a record contract. If you want them to work for a lifetime, give them the tools to make and promote their own music.
Thanks for letting me hold forth here, and good luck to all go girls everywhere!

More on Julie Christensen at http://www.stonecupid.com/

Labels: Julie Christensen