Madalyn's Blog

A Reminder: Madalyn's Blog Moved From Blogger To Wordpress

2012-01-23T21:50:00.000-06:00

I've been blogging on Blogger since 2000 and decided about a year ago to move it over to Wordpress. If you haven't been to it, please check it out at www.madalynsklar. You can sign up for the RSS feed or email updates over there.

Thanks!
Madalyn

GoGirls Interview with The Volcano Diary

2011-04-01T18:12:00.000-05:00

by Madalyn Sklar

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

My family are all classical musicians. I was the one glued to the stereo with headphones so I didn't bother them with my rock, pop, and soul. But I don't remember life before I was a singer. I used it to get me through a ton of pain when I was young. I sang to myself constantly. Becoming a songwriter grew out of going to school for musical theater. Musicals are all about stereotypes, most of them extremely sexist and limiting for women. I didn't drink their Kool-Aid. I borrowed a guitar and learned to play it by writing songs.

Describe your music style and name three musicians you have been inspired by and why.

Cross-genre music is hard to name. All the artists that have inspired me most are cross-genre people. Three of them are Jeff Buckley, Chris Whitley, and Kate Bush.

What's your ideal venue atmosphere?

In Seattle I like Neumos and the Showbox. I like a good-sized rock club where people can stand in front and sit in the back, and have a drink when they want to. I like a PA with lots of warmth and plenty of floor monitors in front so I can hear my voice and my 335 mixing with Gus' lap steel. And I like red lights. They make everyone sexier.

Describe how your music career has evolved since you first started performing.

I performed as a singer for the first time when I was 7, so things have changed a lot. I was "only" a singer for years. Learning to write songs was like training for a marathon, and I broke bones a few times. These days I look around at the shows and I see people singing along... it always takes me by surprise. I still love singing and playing. I still crave it and I still need it. I didn't expect that to last this long.

How would you describe the music scene in your area?

The Seattle music scene is a thriving community but it can take awhile to find your way inside it. I think the recession has made everyone pool their resources and work together more. But we're basically a small town. I would say that to keep your sanity you have to leave Seattle and tour around in other places, so you don't get claustrophobic.

What was the inspiration for your latest release?

I had previously made a solo record ("The Secret Dream of Tigers") that was a full-band, full production project. I wanted to work on something much more stripped down and make more room for my voice and my thoughts. The chance to work with Steve Fisk was too good to turn down. Also I'd had some serious heartbreak that left me in despair. I was just wrecked. "Lightning Seed", "Freezerburn", and "Burning Hands" came out of that. By the time you get to "Volcano", the closing track on the new record, things are hopeful again.

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

I can tell you that the number one thing for a singer to think about before going into the studio is the feeling of the songs, both emotionally and physically. Have you sung each song enough to know what a perfect take feels like in your voice? Are you confident enough in that physical feeling to forget about it and lose yourself in the emotion once you're on the mic? Never do more than 3 takes of a song if you can help it. If you need more than that you've probably not practiced enough.

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

Tenacity, resolve, and most important, restless curiosity. Even if you start out making mediocre music you can move beyond that if you're curious about how much better you could be, and what the process is to get there. I would say to anyone starting out that as soon as you're done with your record, begin the process of writing another one. And break all the habits you have up to that point. Experiment, and don't stop until you've found out exactly who you are (and who you're not) as an artist.

Describe your toughest moments in your quest for a music career and tell us how you overcame them.

Being a career musician is like being in a long marriage. Your relationship with music is trying at times but ultimately rewarding if you stay with it. There is no security in this career. You have to love music more than success: you have to love it more than being loved.

What advice would you offer up and coming artists that get discouraged other than don't give up?

Stop spending your money on disposable crap that you don't need. Save up and buy the best instrument you can afford. Lock yourself in a room with it and let it inspire you to get better and better. An inspired artist is a hopeful artist.

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

Music re-wired my karma, and now everything's cool.

What have you gotten out of being a member of the GoGirls community?

It's been great to keep up with what everyone is doing. I appreciate how hard you've worked to maintain a space for women to thrive. Your good karma is off the charts!

More on The Volcano Diary at:
http://www.reverbnation.com/thevolcanodiary
http://www.thevolcanodiary.com/
http://www.myspace.com/thevolcanodiarymusic

Copyright © 2011 Madalyn Sklar/GoGirlsMusic.com

Madalyn Sklar is a music business coach & consultant, blogger, social networks expert and author. She has spent over 15 years helping independent musicians and music business professionals achieve greater success in the biz. Her motto is: working smarter not harder. She also founded GoGirlsMusic.com, the oldest + largest online community of indie women musicians.

You can reach Madalyn at MadalynSklar.com or madalynsklar AT gmail.com

GoGirls Interview with Andrea Nardello

2011-03-01T17:31:00.000-06:00

by Madalyn Sklar

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

My emotions definitely drive my music. It’s such a release to sing and play the guitar. Writing gets me about halfway there but performing completes it. I’ve always written music about my experiences, friends and family. I think I’ve always known that I needed to be a musician. I was scared to put my songs out there at first and that was the only thing holding me back. When my dream became a reality was when my songs were recorded. It just really opened doors for me and made touring and my music career possible.

Describe your music style and name three musicians you have been inspired by and why.

I think my style falls into a folk/pop category with some soul behind it. Dave Matthews is my biggest influence. His writing and music has always moved me. I get lost in his songs and his passion really inspires me. Indigo Girls are definitely my next inspiration. They have poetic lyrics and voices that melt me. I’m a sucker for acoustic music. My next inspiration would be Janis Joplin. I still remember the first time I heard her music. She just rocks and her voice and songs fire me up. There is something about her music that drives me and motivates me. I wish I could have seen her live.

What's your ideal venue atmosphere?

When a venue seems like a living room is when I’m in my glory. I dig the smaller, intimate settings. Since I perform solo the majority of the time I really appreciate listening room venues. As an artist you get the chance to connect with the crowd on a very personal level. Don’t get me wrong though, the big stages rock, but I like chatting to my crowd and smaller venues give you that chance.

Describe how your music career has evolved since you first started performing.

I am really excited about how my career has evolved. When I first started out I was just doing open mics and local gigs. Since then I’ve toured the US three times performing as far as Seattle, WA. I worked with a Grammy Award winning producer on my last album. I have performed at 20 different music festivals/conferences. 130 College Radio stations are spinning my albums. My sophomore album was under consideration for a Grammy nomination. I opened for Bon Jovi’s violinist. My sophomore album is getting national radio play. It truly amazes me how much my career has changed and it just keeps getting better. I love it.

How would you describe the music scene in your area?

The Philly music scene is awesome and I think what makes it amazing is the fact that the musicians all collaborate. Many other scenes have more of a competitive attitude but Philly is very collaborative and the musicians help each other out. There is a great singer/songwriter scene and there is a ton of cool venues. Depending on the area depends on the style of music but two venues that always bring phenomenal musicians through is the Tin Angel and World Café Live. I love being back in Philly and the music scene is really diverse but jam packed with talent.

What was the inspiration for your latest release?

Life was the inspiration. A lot has happened in my life over the past two years and whether bad or good I was writing about it. I also think that the album has a more positive upbeat feel to it. A lot of that comes from the fact that I have a more positive outlook on life and feel very empowered and my songs have that component to them now. When people can rise above and live their life with a positive attitude it’s a beautiful thing. I think the album has that vibe.

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

Wow that is a tough one. It’s tough because I can’t think of just one tip so I will give a couple of tips. One would be make sure the songs are complete and exactly what you want otherwise you will fuss around in the studio. Time equals money in the studio. Two would be to record yourself before going into the studio and figure out some pre-production on your own so you don’t waste in the studio. You can try different things with your voice, tempo, instruments, etc. for a lot less money. The last piece of advice comes from my producer - don’t over rehearse. Sometimes when you over rehearse it causes you to deliver a stale performance.

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

I think being able to handle rejection and constructive criticism early on will make or break you. This business is tough. Always be willing to better yourself and work hard to be the best at what you do.

Describe your toughest moments in your quest for a music career and tell us how you overcame them.

Self-doubt was my biggest challenge. The only way to overcome that is to get on stage as often as possible in as many different settings as possible. Open mics, street corners, loud bars, coffee houses, house parties it doesn’t matter what the venue is, get your music out there and overcome your fear. My other challenge was breaking into other markets. It’s the chicken before the egg problem of the music industry. Artists want to broaden their audience and fan base so they try to play in new cities. Venues don’t want to book you unless you can draw big numbers. How do you draw big numbers if you have never played in that market? Aww it makes my head hurt. The only way to overcome this is networking with local musicians and swapping gigs. I offer an artist from Oregon to come perform in my hometown where I can draw big numbers and in return I open for them in their hometown. It’s a win-win!

What advice would you offer up and coming artists that get discouraged other than don't give up?

Everyone fails before they succeed. Labels turned down the Beatles at one point. Thank god they didn’t give up. My advice is to make a list of goals. Small goals so that when you succeed it’s a series of small victories and then eventually the big victories happen. This is also a way to focus your energy so that you don’t burn yourself out and get frustrated.

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

I’m here to stay and I love what I do. I think something that surprises people is that I stay in close contact with my fans and I always try to respond so don’t be shy to contact me. My music career wouldn’t be possible if it weren’t for my awesome fans.

What have you gotten out of being a member of the GoGirls community?

GoGirls rocks and I have a huge amount of respect for Madalyn and her passion for music. This is an amazing community of really talented, hard working musicians. I’ve performed at huge festivals like SXSW and Dewey Beach. I’ve networked with artists across the U.S. I’ve been connected to people to help me with website and social network site designs. It’s really just a great group of people and I’m honored to be a member.

More about Andrea Nardello at:
http://www.andreanardello.com/
http://www.facebook.com/andreanardellomusic
http://www.reverbnation.com/andreanardello
http://www.twitter.com/andreanardello
http://www.myspace.com/andreanardello
http://www.youtube.com/andreanardello

Copyright © 2011 Madalyn Sklar/GoGirlsMusic.com

Madalyn Sklar is a music business coach & consultant, blogger, social networks expert and author. She has spent over 15 years helping independent musicians and music business professionals achieve greater success in the biz. Her motto is: working smarter not harder. She also founded GoGirlsMusic.com, the oldest + largest online community of indie women musicians.

You can reach Madalyn at MadalynSklar.com or madalynsklar AT gmail.com

GoGirls Interview with Michelle Schmitt

2011-02-01T17:57:00.000-06:00

by Madalyn Sklar

What drives your music?

My passion for connecting with what people are feeling and my observations of life. Having things I need to say and having music and songwriting be the mark I make in this world.

When did you first know you had to do this thing called music or bust?

When I was in 7th grade I worked very hard for my first guitar. I spent every day playing that guitar until I wore the thing out. The first song I ever wrote was in 7th grade and it was about the Vietnam War. The second song I wrote was about love and hope. I’m still writing about love and hope 35 years later.

Describe your music style and name three musicians you have been inspired by and why.

Americana and folk rock. Joni Mitchell, Bonnie Raitt and Alanis Morrisette. Joni Mitchell helped a generation of women feel their feelings in the most poetic artistic graceful way. I am still amazed at how many women I meet who can sing all of Joni’s songs from the 70’s. I spent a long ferry ride in western Canada a few years ago singing the record “Court and Spark” with 3 women I had never met before. It was an incredible experience to bond with women over music. How beautiful. Bonnie Raitt, for staying true to herself, for being an absolutely talented guitar player and for breaking the barriers and limitations that were put on women musicians when Bonnie was a young girl starting out. She is respected for her straight forwardness, incredible talent and for not selling out. I admire her so much. And Alanis Morrisette, for having the courage to write what she is feeling, no matter how gritty or difficult the subject matter may be. I am in awe of her bravery and truly cathartic way she uses music to get through the ups and downs of life. I really have learned so much from these women as well as many other women musicians. To take this art form on is a big weight to carry and I always want to stand behind and support women doing this. Actually this is why I support GoGirls Music. Great support for women.

What's your ideal venue atmosphere?

A small 300-500 seat venue with character and history. I love the Throckmorton Theatre in Marin County, Ca. I just played an impromptu show in Rochester, Michigan which was a blast. Mid-westerners are such good audiences.

Describe how your music career has evolved since you first started.

When I restarted my music career, after stopping to raise my 2 sons, I was 40 years old and had a lot of men in the business tell me what kind of music I should play. “Jazz” was on the top of their list because of my age. I kept true to my heart and true to the music I knew was mine. It took me a few projects to find where I sit comfortable in the music as an adult woman but it has been wonderful since…and I don’t regret the journey at all. Everything that has happened in my life has somehow found its way into my songs, my music and the way I interact with the musicians I work with. I have a very talented band (check my band page on my website michelleschmitt.com) and really stay true to my voice, both in my style and the songs I write. I started out again at 40 with a lot of men questioning my commitment and have ended up with 2 recording studios that I own, one in San Francisco an the other in Alexander Valley, an incredible band, and 5 records that I am very proud of. I also go to Paris every September to do music, New York, in my home town Detroit and where I live now, San Francisco.

How would you describe the music scene in your area?

Filled with talented indie musicians as well as lots of big name musicians with incredible history. Lots of people live in Northern California and stay out of Los Angeles, It is very real here and very supportive. Lots of great venues to see live music any night of the week.

What was the inspiration for your latest release?

I went to the funeral of my dear friend’s son. I was so taken by my friend’s courage and went home and wrote a song called “Being Here” about how fragile life is and how we have to really be present and aware of all the gifts we have. The record unfolded easily from that song. “Being Here” is available on CD Baby, my website, Amazon and soon…on iTunes.

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

I think it is great to have a “container” for the project. A starting idea that the rest of the songs can fit into…like a vessel. For me, I can’t throw a bunch of random songs into a project…it needs to make sense like the sewing of a quilt. Each piece is different but when it’s put altogether, it works. As far as saving time in the studio…be prepared and practice. Get the kinks out ahead of time. I spend a lot of time on my roughs (the demos) so that when I go to record the finals my band and I are ready to roll. We also record as a whole band which is amazing and really leaves space for the magic to happen. I have recorded where each musician comes in separately to record his or her tracks but it isn’t how I prefer to do it.

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

Trusting the wrong people…if it sounds too good to be true, it is AND most importantly, don’t sign your power and rights away. I own every one of my songs 100%. Really check it out with lots of people before you sign anything with anybody. There are a lot of desperate people looking to make money without having the credentials. Even some of the people that have the credentials are shady. The music business is really different now. That is why the whole indie movement has taken over. Real musicians making real music for the right reasons.

Describe your toughest moments in your quest for a music career and tell us how you overcame them.

Look at answer to last question! I trusted the wrong people…I learned an important lesson though and haven’t repeated it. As long as I stay true to myself and my music, all is well. I have not let anyone tell me that I cannot do this.

What advice would you offer up and coming artists that get discouraged other than don't give up?

Get a day job so that you don’t get desperate and be realistic. A long time ago someone gave me great advice. This person told me to stay in the music and forget about worrying about any results. The second I got out of my heart and into my head, the music would suffer. I have stayed true to that and am enjoying the relationship with my very talented and impressive band mates and writing songs that I feel really proud of and living a life beyond my wildest dreams.

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

That my songs have integrity and intelligence and honesty and that I will be sticking around for a long time to come.

What have you gotten out of being a member of the GoGirls community?

Support and great help from Madalyn and Tish as well as great help with Myspace and ReverbNation. Their work frees me up to do what I do…write songs and record.

More about Michelle Schmitt at:
http://www.michelleschmitt.com/
http://myspace.com/mslilysong
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Michelle-Schmitt/65575576538
http://www.sonicbids.com/epk/epk.asp?epk_id=189407

Copyright © 2011 Madalyn Sklar

Madalyn Sklar is a music business coach & consultant, blogger, social networks expert and author. She has spent over 15 years helping independent musicians and music business professionals achieve greater success in the biz. Her motto is: working smarter not harder. She also founded GoGirlsMusic.com, the oldest + largest online community of indie women musicians.

You can reach Madalyn at MadalynSklar.com or madalynsklar AT gmail.com

GoGirls Interview with Mary Sarah

2011-01-02T22:09:00.000-06:00

by Madalyn Sklar

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

I have been singing like forever. When my piano teacher, Mr. Thomas Corley, used to teach me lessons, I would sing or hum the notes and he finally just said "why don't you just sing at the recital instead of play the piano". So I did and my first song was "The Yellow Rose Of Texas" and i got a standing ovation and I just got hooked. When I was on tour and did my solo's it felt amazing. I guess I just HAVE to perform! I told my parents then I wanted to "Be a voice for those who don't have one" - seriously I came up with them.

Describe your music style and name three musicians you have been inspired by and why.

Like the song says by Barbara Mandrell, "I'm a little bit country, and a little bit rock n roll" and I have to add a little bit pop too, i love doing covers of paramore and katy perry and Justin bieber. I SO want to do a duet with him one day. Carrie Underwood inspires me and i get compared to her a lot. She's an amazing vocalist, but I write too, and I get compared some to Miranda and Taylor.

What's your ideal venue atmosphere?

Duh, HUGE crowds. Our Kidzbop tour did arena's like the Target Center in Minneapolis. But I love acoustic shows too like at Dosey Doe.

Describe how your music career has evolved since you first started performing.

Hmmm. I started playing guitar a year ago and I love it. It helps with my song writing for sure. I've really worked on songwriting and learning how to sing in the studio. It's way different.

How would you describe the music scene in your area?

Really good! I can play and sing every weekend somewhere. I do all the Opry's and Town Square's that I want to do. It's really great. It's a lot harder in LA and Nashville.

What was the inspiration for your latest release?

I wanted to get my songs out there, my sister and I wrote most of them. They are stories about being a teen. So I guess, Taylor Swift kinda kicked the door open for us to do it!

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

Write, write and write! Also, keep your vocal "instrument", like my dad calls it, in shape! Know your lyrics - and I really realized that singing the song fully through really gets you "into" the song. Some producers like to cut and paste vocals, but I think that's not right.

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

Hard work beats talent when talent won't work hard. My daddy tells me that all the time. So, hard work.

Describe your toughest moments in your quest for a music career and tell us how you overcame them.

Getting the 'no's' that I'm too young. I know my vocals are right up there, but the industry doesn't like us young girls. It get's disappointing but it just makes me want to succeed more and work harder.

What advice would you offer up and coming artists that get discouraged other than don't give up?

When we were on the Dr. Phil show, like 2 years ago, he told us that talent always will win out if it doesn't give up. I just keep going like an energizer bunny!

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

I'm unstoppable, undeniable, uncontainable and unforgettable. Y'all are gonna wish one day you'd have signed me early! :-)

What have you gotten out of being a member of the GoGirls community?

Great connections and of course, my song being featured on the CD has been uber cool. I think it great for indie people to stick together and work to together and support one another, because nobody else will! I'm super thankful to be a member!

Check out more about Mary Sarah at:
http://www.marysarah.com/
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Mary-Sarah/109974905078
http://twitter.com/marysarahmusic
http://www.youtube.com/hisbroker
http://www.reverbnation.com/marysarahspace

Copyright © 2011 Madalyn Sklar/GoGirlsMusic.com

Madalyn Sklar is a music business coach & consultant, blogger, social networks expert and author. She has spent over 15 years helping independent musicians and music business professionals achieve greater success in the biz. Her motto is: working smarter not harder. She also founded GoGirlsMusic.com, the oldest + largest online community of indie women musicians.

You can reach Madalyn at MadalynSklar.com or madalynsklar AT gmail.com

GoGirls Interview with Allisong Smith

2010-12-01T23:14:00.000-06:00

by Madalyn Sklar

What drives your music?

My music is driven by love and peace. I want it to heal hearts and inspire positivity. Through my melodies and lyrics, I am able to express my compassion for the human condition.

When did you first know you had to do this thing called music or bust?

I have always loved making music. For years I tried to work a day job and be content with making music on the side. However, I found that my day job took me over and didn't leave much energy for creativity. At the end of last years teaching session, I resigned to explore my artistic ambitions.

Describe your music style and name three musicians you have been inspired by and why.

I am a Folky at heart. I love Old-Time Traditional Mountain Music too. My first and most important influences are John Denver, Karen Carpenter, and Julie Andrews. All of these people have/had a peaceful tenderness about them. Their music made me soothed and inspired me even if the subject matter was sad. Their songs taught me that music can help you through life, both the happy and sad parts of it.

What's your ideal venue atmosphere?

I thrive in intimate settings. I love being able to engage with an audience, see their smiles and tears. The people I am playing for are the most important part of my show. I want them to walk away filled with joy and peace in their hearts.

Describe how your music career has evolved since you first started performing.

My first solo performance was during college. I performed three songs recorded by Nancy Griffith. I enjoyed that so much, but found that I really had some things I would like to say of my own so I began writing songs. Through the years I have performed my original songs both solo and in groups. This year I decided to go professional and record a high quality album in Nashville with very skilled musician, engineers, and a wonderful producer.

How would you describe the music scene in your area?

I am from Austin, but now live in rural east Texas. I love the country lifestyle but this is a limited venue area. I am working now to help develop a scene for the arts. There are a few cover bands around, but the folks here haven't had an opportunity to appreciate singer/songwriters.

What was the inspiration for your latest release?

When I decided to resign and play music full-time, I knew I wanted to create a quality product of my best work to present. I went through editing and song critiques several times with each song, polished them up and when I really felt they were at their best, I laid them down in the studio. I want to share with folks my diverse perspective through the songs I've chosen.

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

A person should think about the songs first when preparing for a CD project. The song is most important. The song is what engages an audience. There is no denying a great song no matter what quality it is recorded in. My advice is that people planning to record should go through several editing steps and seek critical advice and feedback for each song they wish to record before stepping into the studio. Make certain your songs are fully polished ahead of time. That will save you so much money in the studio.

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

I tried this business once before and got my heart broken because people weren't reaching out to me and offering me praise and gigs and support. I thought all I had to do was sing my songs and I would become instantly famous, be discovered. I know now that persistence and drive are what create my success. I have to ask for what I want. No one can read my mind.

Describe your toughest moments in your quest for a music career and tell us how you overcame them.

I was way too sensitive at first. I couldn't stand rejection or criticism. I couldn't collaborate with anyone either. I went into a shell because I wasn't an handed overnight success. I gave up and quit. It took a few years after that in which I matured and worked hard in other fields to teach me how to be a professional individually and in teams as well as create success.

What advice would you offer up and coming artists that get discouraged other than don't give up?

You have to stay focused on your goals, eye on the prize. Success is not always easy and doesn't come quickly for some. Showing up is half of the battle. Be yourself, authentic. Wear your passion on your sleeve. Take care of your relationships with great respect and generosity.

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

I want to make music. I have been given a gift that touches peoples hearts and helps them connect with their inner joy. This gift is comforting and rejuvenating. I love sharing it.

What have you gotten out of being a member of the GoGirls community?

The Go Girls community kick started me. I was floundering and somewhat confused about what to do in the business and how to get started again before finding it. Finding Go Girls, and in particular Madalyn, really helped me focus and prioritize. I ordered the Go Girls DVDs about the business, which taught me how to form a team of strong people who could help me with my career. I met Go Girls contacts which helped me build that team. Go Girls has propelled me towards success.

Learn more about Allisong Smith at:
http://www.allisongsmith.com/
http://www.myspace.com/allisongsmithtoo
http://www.reverbnation.com/allisongsmith
http://www.youtube.com/allisongsmith
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Allisongsmith/30290871527

Copyright © 2010 GoGirlsMusic.com

Madalyn Sklar is a music business coach & consultant, blogger, social networks expert and author. She has spent over 14 years helping independent musicians and music business professionals achieve greater success in the biz. Her motto is: working smarter not harder. She also founded GoGirlsMusic.com, the oldest + largest online community of indie women musicians.

You can reach Madalyn at MadalynSklar.com or madalynsklar AT gmail.com

GoGirls Interview with Kelly Zirbes of Kelly's Lot

2010-11-01T20:06:00.001-05:00

by Madalyn Sklar

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

I always did music to express my feelings. It has never been that hard for me to express myself on a day to day basis but there's a lot that is left unsaid in my days and nights. So I put that in songs. I also tend to express the feelings of others I come in contact with. Empathy really drives my music. So with that said I never felt I had to do music. It was just a part of my daily life, maybe my therapy. Taking music to a performance level was always driven by others who wanted me to sing. I have finally embraced that part of my music and really enjoy it.

Describe your music style and name three musicians you have been inspired by and why.

Rock'n'Roll and Blues. Cat Stevens, Janis Joplin and my husband Perry Robertson.

What's your ideal venue atmosphere?

Outdoor Festivals. Where people are letting their guards down and having fun.

Describe how your music career has evolved since you first started performing.

From playing guitar and singing folk songs to Rockin' the Blues in Europe. There have been a lot of others stages along the way and all inspired by the musicians around me.

How would you describe the music scene in your area?

Los Angeles is full of talented folks but not a lot of places to really let the music grow and breathe. L.A. has a lot of showcase places for those looking to do that. I enjoy seeing good bands in these situations but prefer not to play them.

What was the inspiration for your latest release?

None really. We were helping a friend out who was getting used to some recording equipment. He asked us to "just play a set of songs while I work out the kinks". We set up in a circle and played 10 songs. We were shocked at the great sound he had created and asked him to mix it. It was LIVE without an audience. We had stopped for pastrami sandwiches on our way there so we named it "Pastrami and Jam"

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

Play those songs a bunch before you record them. Songs grow as you play them. They simmer when you play them more.

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

Their willingness to work hard!

Describe your toughest moments in your quest for a music career and tell us how you overcame them.

Not quitting. Not breaking up the band because of broken hearts and disappointment in the musicians who have become your friends. Kelly's Lot has been together over 15 years and 4 of us have been in the band for 13. We stayed together out of love and respect and a few "time-outs" along the way.

What advice would you offer up and coming artists that get discouraged other than don't give up?

Don't pressure yourself with expectations that don't feel natural. Work hard but have fun along the way! It is about the journey folks!

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

I am just getting started!

What have you gotten out of being a member of the GoGirls community?

Meeting Madalyn Sklar and so many other women (and men) who love helping others. The GoGirlsMusic Fest is amazing and I am so proud to be a part of it every year.

Learn more about Kelly's Lot at:
http://www.kellyslot.com/
http://www.reverbnation.com/kellyslot
http://www.myspace.com/kellyslot
http://twitter.com/kellyslot
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Kellys-Lot/277433365117

Copyright © 2010 GoGirlsMusic.com

Madalyn Sklar is a music business coach & consultant, blogger, social networks expert and author. She has spent over 14 years helping independent musicians and music business professionals achieve greater success in the biz. Her motto is: working smarter not harder. She also founded GoGirlsMusic.com, the oldest + largest online community of indie women musicians.

You can reach Madalyn at MadalynSklar.com or madalynsklar AT gmail.com

GoGirls Interview with Mary Lemanski

2010-09-30T23:26:00.001-05:00

by Madalyn Sklar

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

Life experiences are a driving force in my music. I write about things that I've experienced. I also create characters and tell stories with my music. I first started taking piano lessons when I was 5. From a young age...about 6 or 7...I wanted to have a career in the arts & entertainment world. In college, I decided to major in music, and I've been a career musician ever since.

Describe your music style and name three musicians you have been inspired by and why.

I don't have a set style. I compose classical music, and my songwriting ranges from piano pop to jazz to rock to hip-hop to punk. I describe the music on my latest release, "Eclectic," as "Multi-Genre Swirled Pop for the Independent-Minded."

Hmmm...three musicians I'm inspired by...there's so many! If I had to choose, I would probably say Chopin, Tori Amos, and They Might Be Giants. I pick Chopin because of the passion, emotion, and virtuosity that is in his music. Tori Amos is a big influence, because she released "Little Earthquakes" at a time when I was starting to take songwriting seriously. For me, she opened the door to what is possible for the piano as a rock instrument. I've always loved how They Might Be Giants can shift and morph genres, so they are a huge influence as well.

What's your ideal venue atmosphere?

I really liked the Elbo Room in Chicago. The vibe there was really good, and the sound was excellent. People were attentive, yet still having fun. I'd like the prestige and glamour of performing at Carnegie Hall, but sometimes the perfect place to play is a small club with a great sound engineer.

Describe how your music career has evolved since you first started performing.

My first professional gig was at age 11, playing pipe organ at the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in Springfield, IL. Throughout grade school, high school, and college, I would play pipe organ for churches and classical/jazz standards for private parties. To this day, I still play churches and private parties, as well as teach piano lessons.

After college, when I first started performing as a songwriter, I lived in Springfield, but after a year, I moved to Arizona. There I attended the Conservatory of Recording Arts & Science. I interned at BMG Entertainment and Epitaph Records in Los Angeles. Then I moved back to Arizona and held various industry jobs, including a dance remix company, a staging company, and a few radio stations. All the while, I continued to perform in bands and as a solo singer/songwriter.

After my son was born in 2007, we moved to the Chicago area. After being on hiatus for 2 years, I decided to release my album, "Eclectic," and I'm starting to perform out more and write new material.

How would you describe the music scene in your area?

The Chicago music scene is phenomenal. You can find musicians who play virtually any genre of music. I've just started to have live performances here, but everybody seems really supportive and friendly. There is a genuine love for music in Chicago.

What was the inspiration for your latest release?

In 2007, I released the "Last, But Not Least" EP soon after my son was born, but never really promoted it. I took a 2-year hiatus from releasing new music to take care of my infant son, but I still wrote songs here and there, plus I had some older songs that I'd never released. I just decided to release this hodge podge of songs with different musical styles, and I thought "Eclectic" was the perfect name.

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

Your music is the most important thing. Make sure your music sounds great, and each song is exactly how you want it. Make sure you are well rehearsed and warmed up before going into the studio. Be sure to have extra strings, drum sticks, drum heads, etc. in case they break. Practice playing with headphones.

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

Their knowledge of the industry and their mindset. You have to know how the business operates. So many times, artists get taken advantage of because they do not understand how the industry works. Having a good working knowledge of the music business and being able to understand legalese are tools that will take you far. Also, mindset is very important. You have to be a trooper. Be prepared for rejection, but be self-confident at the same time. It's not a simple task!

Describe your toughest moments in your quest for a music career and tell us how you overcame them.

I'm guessing at least once a month or so I just feel like giving it all up and walking away. It's a frustrating business. I read a quote one time that said something like, "When the feeling to give up is the strongest, victory is just around the corner." I remind myself of this quote all the time. Another thing I've been doing lately is concentrating on "little victories," taking small steps toward the larger goal...accomplishing little things and concentrating on the moment…not where I think I should be, but where I am.

What advice would you offer up and coming artists that get discouraged other than don't give up?

I recently read, "Music Success in Nine Weeks" by Ariel Hyatt, and one thing she suggests is writing down in a journal five things you accomplish each day. This is a fantastic technique. When you feel like you are not getting anywhere, you can read through the journal and see all the things you have accomplished. It's very self-affirming!

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

I am working on composing 20 instrumentals for my next project. I'm hoping to write an instrumental a week from the beginning of October through the end of March. I'll release the digital album online ONLY sometime in 2011. I'm also starting to brainstorm for my next full-length CD release, slated for 2012.

What have you gotten out of being a member of the GoGirls community?

Besides getting to perform in Texas and Pennsylvania for GoGirls events, I've gained a lot of knowledge about the indie music scene from GoGirls and met some wonderful musicians. When I lived in Phoenix, I would host the GoGirlsMusicFest, and it felt great to help charitable organizations by rocking out! Lots of memories!

Links to Mary Lemanski:
http://www.marylemanski.com/
http://www.myspace.com/marylemanskimusic
http://www.facebook.com/marylemanski
http://www.twitter.com/marylemanski
http://www.cdbaby.com/Artist/MaryLemanski
http://www.reverbnation.com/marylemanski
http://www.sonicbids.com/marylemanski

Copyright © 2010 GoGirlsMusic.com

Madalyn Sklar is a music business coach & consultant, blogger, social networks expert and author. She has spent over 14 years helping independent musicians and music business professionals achieve greater success in the biz. Her motto is: working smarter not harder. She also founded GoGirlsMusic.com, the oldest + largest online community of indie women musicians.

You can reach Madalyn at MadalynSklar.com or madalynsklar AT gmail.com

GoGirls Interview with Patricia Bahia

2010-09-01T13:57:00.003-05:00

by Madalyn Sklar

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

I am on a mission to spread love, healing, joy and peace through the power of words and music--and to inspire others to follow their dreams and live artistically.

I have been a singer since I was a girl, but it wasn’t until I was facing a life-threatening illness almost seven years ago that I decided I had to do music for my life.

Describe your music style and name three musicians you have been inspired by and why.

My style is pop singer-songwriter, electro-acoustic and my sound has been compared with Sarah McLachlan, Sheryl Crow, and Dido.

I’ve been inspired by so many great artists, so its difficult to list only three, but here goes:

Sheryl Crow: She is a role model for me in many ways. She is from Missouri as am I. She is a multi-instrumentalist, a great songwriter and singer, a fellow cancer survivor, and a humanitarian.

India.Arie: She is not afraid to write songs with positive, empowering messages like Video and I Am Not My Hair.

Terrance Kelly: Terrance is the director of the Oakland Interfaith Gospel Choir, a group I consider to be my musical family. I learned a lot of what I know about singing and performance from Terrance. He believed in me and gave me many opportunities to sing, including giving me a solo when we opened for Bonnie Rait at New Orleans by the Bay.

What's your ideal venue atmosphere?

My ideal venue is one that is known for music and where people come to listen to and discover new music, as opposed to places where the music is an afterthought. A good P.A. and a good sound-person who knows how to run it make it that much more enjoyable.

Describe how your music career has evolved since you first started performing.

I started out as a jazz and gospel singer in the San Francisco bay area, and was a founding member and soloist with the Oakland Interfaith Gospel Choir. With the choir, I was privileged to be able to record with Linda Ronstadt, perform with Joan Baez, open for Bonnie Rait, and tour in the U.S. as well as Canada, Australia, and Israel. During that time, I also performed regularly as the singer and bandleader of my jazz trio.

But it wasn’t until I was in the middle of treatment for ovarian cancer almost seven years ago, that I started to write songs. It was something I’d always wanted to do, but never had. A good friend encouraged me to start right then and there, and I did. That’s the biggest difference in my music career. In the early part of my career, I was a singer of other people’s songs. Since then, I’ve become a songwriter and musician who sings. I’ve learned to play the piano, some guitar, and I’m writing and co-writing my material. I love it.

How would you describe the music scene in your area?

Los Angeles is a great place for songwriters. There are so many of us here and the caliber of writing is very high. I do a lot of co-writing and find the level of writers I work with here is astounding. I have gotten so much better as a writer in the three years I’ve been here, through working with folks who are more experienced and stronger writers than I am. Los Angeles is also a great place for music lovers and fans. We have an insane number of venues and choices for people. You can go out every night of the week and hear great music.

What was the inspiration for your latest release?

My EP, Long Road Home, was inspired by my journey through cancer to survivorship. I went through a lot when I was sick and lost a lot in the process. But I gained so much more than I lost. Coming out the other side of it and being one of the lucky few who is cured, I have an appreciation for life I didn’t have before, and most importantly, feel that I found my life’s calling and purpose in music. As I say in the lyric of the title track of Long Road Home: “I wouldn’t change a thing. These are the lessons I have learned. Every detour, every turn, every scar I had to earn. I wouldn’t change a single stone, on the long road home.”

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

When I first started writing songs, I was writing in many genres and primarily for other artists. It took awhile to figure out what I felt was my own style. I like CD’s that have a unifying theme or sound, and I would recommend that you think about that when you put together your list of songs for your CD.

One tip for tracking as well as for mixing is to bring in “reference tracks” of recorded music that has sonic elements similar to what you want to achieve in the track for your song. For example, you may like the drum groove, or bell sound, or string sound from a reference track and want something similar for your song. Bringing in reference tracks for your engineer is a faster and more accurate way to communicate the sounds you’re looking for than trying to describe those sounds with words.

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

Attitude. No matter what the field, everyone prefers working with people they enjoy being around. That doesn’t mean being a doormat or saying yes to things that will harm you. What it does mean is being professional, appreciative, on-time, and having a can-do attitude. These can take anyone a long way.

What advice would you offer up and coming artists that get discouraged other than don't give up?

Do music because you love it, because you have to do it, because you have no other choice. For me, every time I tried to turn away from music, I got sick. I have to do it. It’s what keeps me alive and healthy.

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

I am planning a CD release party for a Sunday evening in October at the Hotel Café in Los Angeles. I will have an exact date soon, so stay tuned on my website/facebook at http://www.patriciabahia.com/. I will have a full band with me and it will be an awesome celebration. October is my seventh anniversary of being cancer-free, and I am giving thanks by partnering with the National Ovarian Cancer Coalition for my CD release party. We will have bracelets, pins, and information about the signs and symptoms, and a fundraising raffle to help raise money for research and awareness. A portion of every CD sold will be donated to the Coalition to help increase awareness as well.

In addition to being a singer, songwriter, and recording artist, I wear a few other musical hats, including working as a music coach and educator. I love sharing what I have learned and inspiring others to achieve their musical dreams. I have private clients that I work with both in-person in the Los Angeles area, and via Skype and iChat all over the country/world. I work with singers on performance and technique, as well as teach songwriting, music theory and music business. I have also guest-lectured at Santa Monica College and The Songwriting School of Los Angeles. More about my coaching and teaching can be found at http://patriciabahia.musicteachershelper.com/.

I volunteer leading a circle-singing workshop for The Wellness Community (TWC) in Santa Monica. TWC is a cancer support center providing free support groups, classes, and activities for cancer patients, survivors and caregivers. I really believe in the Wellness Community and what they are doing. I encourage anyone affected by cancer, whether directly or through caring for a family member or friend to check it out. http://www.twc-wla.org/

What have you gotten out of being a member of the GoGirls community?

I’ve met some amazing women artists and have been inspired by all the things GoGirls are doing all over the country. I also get the GoGirls group discussion emails and have learned a lot just by reading them. And, last but not least, Madalyn, our fearless leader, has been welcoming, warm and generous with her time. She has such a wealth of knowledge of all things indie, especially social networking, and I am so glad to know her.

Links to Patricia Bahia:

http://www.patriciabahia.com/
http://twitter.com/patriciabahia
www.facebook.com/patricia.bahia
http://www.facebook.com/pages/PatriciaBahia/146175182067895
www.reverbnation.com/patriciabahia
www.sonicbids.com/patriciabahia
www.myspace.com/patriciabahiamusic

Copyright © 2010 Madalyn Sklar/GoGirlsMusic.com

Madalyn Sklar is a music business coach & consultant, blogger, social networks expert and author. She has spent over 14 years helping independent musicians and music business professionals achieve greater success in the biz. Her motto is: working smarter not harder. She also founded GoGirlsMusic.com, the oldest + largest online community of indie women musicians.

You can reach Madalyn at MadalynSklar.com or madalynsklar AT gmail.com

Facebook is making changes to your Pages

2010-08-10T19:36:00.000-05:00

by Madalyn Sklar

Hey friends, I want to let you know about two major changes coming to Facebook Pages next week.

1. Say goodbye to Boxes. They leave us next week. If you are utilizing this tab, you want to instead create custom tabs with the Static FBML app. Need help? Get in touch with me. I can help.

2. If you have custom tabs in place, the width space is being reduced to 520 pixel wide. If you have custom tabs that need adjusting, please get in touch with me at madalyn@sn4m.com. I can take care of it quickly & cheaply. I know... two words you like hearing. Me too!

You can read the announcement here: http://developers.facebook.com/blog/post/399

** And yes, I can help ANYONE... not just musicians.**

Copyright © 2010 Madalyn Sklar

Madalyn Sklar is a music business coach & consultant, blogger, social networks expert and author. She has spent over 14 years helping independent musicians and music business professionals achieve greater success in the biz. Her motto is: working smarter not harder. She also founded GoGirlsMusic.com, the oldest + largest online community of indie women musicians.

Interview with GoGirls Founder Madalyn Sklar

2010-08-02T22:03:00.005-05:00

Now it's time to turn the tables on our fearless leader, Madalyn Sklar, and make HER the interviewee. Enjoy this candid interview!

What prompted you to start GoGirlsMusic.com?

I was exposed to the Internet back in mid-1995 before most people had heard of it. At the time, I was tired of getting ignored at the local guitar shops. I thought it would be cool to start a network of female musicians where we could talk about our experiences. I wanted to know if others were going through what I was. It quickly grew into something really big, which I never expected. There was not a lot of thought put into developing GoGirls. I came up with the idea and created the web site in one night. It was official launched January 3, 1996.

So you didn't have a business plan or vision?

No, not in the beginning. It was more of a hobby. I learned HTML programming in late 1995 and actually launched my own web design company the same time I started GoGirls. I initially used the GoGirls site as a place to play with new code I was learning. I wanted to bring female musicians together and saw the potential of using the internet to do it. As it grew I realized that it was much more than a hobby.

When did you start playing guitar?

When I was 11 years old I heard Jim Croce's "Time in a Bottle" on the radio and knew I had to play guitar. I really wanted to learn that song. My mom took me to a local guitar shop and bought me a no-name junior acoustic guitar. I was in heaven. I took lessons but they didn't teach me the Jim Croce song. LOL. I was in love with playing and played every day. Whenever I was down, playing would lift me up. At 16 I got my first electric guitar. I drove my parents nuts because there was only one way for me to play and it was LOUD. LOL. Luckily in 1982 I got my hands on a Rockman so I could play without disturbing anyone. I played off and on for many years. By the time I started GoGirls I wasn't playing much. I realized that my true calling was working with and helping musicians.

What are some significant milestones in the GoGirls history?

July 1999 - The start of the GoGirls Yahoo Discussion Group. This took our community to a whole new level. I wanted something that was more than a message board and more interactive. When Yahoo Groups came out I was like "wow, THIS is how you bring a community together!"

Fall 2000 - The first year of the GoGirlsMusicFest, which are benefit showcases we put on annually throughout the U.S.. It started in June 2000 with a handful of volunteers along with myself working up ideas to bring together artists from our community and having proceeds go to charitable organizations. That year we produced 11 shows all over the country and raised over $18,500. It was amazing and so fulfilling. From that point on I knew there was nothing I couldn't do and so I referred to myself as the fearless GoGirls leader.

November 2000 - The Rockrgrl Music Conference in Seattle, WA. This was GoGirls first presence at a large music conference. It was incredible bringing our community together at a conference devoted to "women in music". The experience was amazing. It made me realize that these types of events were crucial to elevating our community and reaching more people.

March 2001 - The beginning of our annual "Invasion of the GoGirls" during SXSW in Austin, TX. Basically the powers that be at SXSW were not interested in us. I wasn't going to let a "NO" keep me from showcasing our great community talent during the largest music conference event of the year. So I started our own wildly popular annual event and never looked back!

December 2002 - GoGirls Elite was born. This is our paid membership where for $35/year you can take advantage of our many great perks such as being eligible to showcase at our events, submit a song to our annual compilation CD, get airplay on our Ustream radio show, receive valuable industry information and more.

February 2006 - I got my first GoGirls tattoo while at Folk Alliance in Austin, TX and in a moment of solidarity three friends who were with me, all members of GoGirls, decided to get one too. That was amazing to me! Now all these years later there are 27 of us around the country (3 of them guys!) who sport a GoGirls tattoo. I'm speechless by this show of support.

What's next for GoGirls?

I'd like to see more chapters crop up, especially outside the U.S., and get more people involved in this great community. We are 100% volunteer-run which is great yet challenging at times.

More about GoGirls at http://www.gogirlsmusic.com/ and Madalyn Sklar at http://www.madalynsklar.com/

Copyright © 2010 GoGirlsMusic.com

Is Your Life Working the Way You Want it to Be?

2010-07-09T11:30:00.000-05:00

I love reading and sharing insightful, motivational articles. I think you will find this one extremely helpful in so many ways when it comes to you, your life and your music. Enjoy! -Madalyn

by Jack Canfield

Is your life working? When things happen in the world that seem so far beyond our individual control, it can feel unsettling.

But don’t give up on your goals and dreams just because “the time isn’t good”... you can still make 2010 the year you uncover a whole new you for the better!

Even in tough times, you get to decide how to respond to certain conditions, opportunities, and outcomes—both good and bad.

Life will always be a series of choices and YOU get to decide on what will move you closer to your goals, or farther away from them. External forces will always be part of the equation, even during the good times when the world is thriving.

When people ask me about the single most important ingredient to success, I always share the same response: realizing what’s making you achieve success, and then realizing what is stifling your success.

Sometimes recognizing the things that are NOT working in your life can be painful, yet VERY powerful to shaping the life you want.

Don’t try to rationalize them, make excuses for them, or hide them. This is when it’s even more critical to take personal inventory and evict those excuses, rationalizations, and hidden habits that don’t serve you. These things will keep you from the life you want to be living. Let me give you some examples. Ask yourself if you relate to any of these questions:

Do you want to be active, fit, and strong? Then you have to stop making excuses about your weight, diet choices, and lack of exercise.

Do you want to be in a loving relationship based on friendship and respect? Then you have to stop rationalizing why you and your partner are not communicating well.

Do you want to embrace Monday mornings and feel excited about going to work every day? Then you have to stop hiding your true passions and go after whatever it is you really want to be doing day in and day out.

Do you want to lose the debt forever? Then you have to stop ignoring your spending habits and get real about a creating budget that will pull you out of debt and allow you to reach financial freedom.

Do you want to feel more connected to the people in your life, such as your children, friends, and colleagues? Then you have to stop complaining about your poor relationships and figure out why you don’t feel as connected as you’d like to be.

These things can be painful to look at because the truth is that you have to do something about them in order to make it work in your life.

You’ll have to say no to the second helping of dinner and the dessert to follow and go through the action steps to get into shape... You’ll have to confront your partner about the areas that need work... You’ll have to get past fears about changing your job or professional path... You’ll have to cut back on your spending and be a bit more frugal... You’ll have to take a good hard look at your personal relationships and perhaps consider your own shortfalls and weaknesses in communicating your needs and concerns.

Plain and simple, you will have to do something uncomfortable.

Successful people don't waste time in denial (or complain or make excuses for that matter). They face situations like a warrior. They look for the warning signs, they find out why things aren’t working, and they go about fixing them- even when fixing requires problem solving, hard work, risk, and a level of uncertainty.

It’s okay to identify a problem even though you haven’t a clue about how to go about solving it right away.

The first step is just recognizing the issue, and then having faith that you’ll figure it out with careful attention to it. That’s how successful people live—in constant focus on goals, on results, on problem solving, and on the actions that get them to where they want to be.

Following are three things to do constantly in pursuit of your goals and dreams, however big or small:

* Awareness: Keep your awareness on the feedback you are getting from life and decide to address the situations immediately. Don’t bottle up feedback, cast it aside, and avoid it like you would a pile of dirty laundry or a stack of unopened bills. Life tells you things every day. Do this. Don’t do that. Think about this. Try me. Forget that. We live in a world that seemingly encourages us to live on autopilot. Successful people fly manually every day and so should you. When those feedback signals come in, listen to them and use them in planning your next step.

* Commitment: Commit to finding out why things aren’t working and learn what will fix them. Once you start the process it will be much easier to continue. Nothing fruitful stems from inaction.

* Trust: Trust that making changes to the situation will ultimately bring about the best results. Sure you might go through a bit of discomfort during the change, and some unlikely or unwanted outcomes, but in the end you will triumph!

So are you ready to admit the things that just are not working out?

Make a list of the things in your life that are working against your success and ask how the situation can be improved. Commit to tackling just one of those issues and be brave!

If you need help organizing those “things” in your life, try using the following list of categories. I recommend reflecting on each of the 7 areas and ask yourself, what’s not working here in each one and then brainstorm 3 potential solutions.

1.) Financial Goals, 2) Career/Business Goals, 3.) Free Time/Family Time, 4.) Health/Appearance Goals, 5.) Relationship Goals, 6.) Personal Growth 7.) Making a Difference

Remember, by facing what is not working, you can only improve your life!

© 2010 The Canfield Training Group
All Rights Reserved.

Jack Canfield, America's #1 Success Coach, is founder of the billion-dollar book brand Chicken Soup for the Soul© and a leading authority on Peak Performance and Life Success. If you're ready to jump-start your life, make more money, and have more fun and joy in all that you do, get your FREE success tips from Jack Canfield now at: http://www.freesuccessstrategies.com/

GoGirls Interview with Karen and Amy Jones

2010-07-05T20:10:00.002-05:00

by Madalyn Sklar

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

[Karen] We’ve both been involved in music since we can remember – we were in band and choir and did the whole drama club thing. We’re 6 years apart though, so Amy always did her own thing and I did mine. We both went to college for music and started playing guitar and writing songs there. I was in a few bands (one was called Dirtnugget – how awesome is that?) and totally dug it, but we never really considered becoming professional, performing musicians until after college, when we moved home and started playing and writing together in 2006.

[Amy] When Karen and I first started playing together, it was an interesting experience because we have two distinct writing styles. We actually listen to a lot of the same music, but when it comes to songwriting, we pull inspiration from very different places. That’s actually become a driving force for us, because we have a lot of diversity in our sound. Karen tends to write more radio-friendly songs while I like to throw in weird chord progressions and more abstract melodic lines. So it’s the best of both worlds. In the end though, it’s really all about the harmonies and vocals.

Describe your music style and name three musicians you have been inspired by and why.

[Amy] We hate to pigeon-hole ourselves into any one genre, because I think we have a unique sound that comes from the combination of our melodies, harmonies and songwriting styles.

[Karen] The best way to describe our sound is "harmony-driven acoustic rock." Our original songs definitely lean toward the mellow side of rock, but we are raging rocker chicks at heart.

Three Inspirations and Why:
Tori Amos – she doesn’t strive to write the perfect song, she just writes and performs from her gut and doesn’t give a sh*t what anybody else thinks about it.
Alice In Chains – the harmonies are crazy good and the songs simply rock (with Layne and after Layne).
A Perfect Circle –the way Maynard constructs his melodies and fits the lyrics in is mind-blowing.

What’s your ideal venue atmosphere?

[Karen] We love outdoor festivals and that kind of thing. You don’t have to worry about bringing 30 friends to meet a quota – hate that!

[Amy] We like any place where there are appreciative, music-loving people.

Describe how your music career has evolved since you first started performing.

[Karen] When we started performing together in 2006, we were playing open mics and had one or two shows scheduled the entire year. Which was fine, because we weren’t ready. The next year, we increased our booking to something like 30 gigs and in 2008 and 2009, we played over 200 shows and really started to increase our fan base and improve our live show.

[Amy] Our goal in the coming year is to concentrate on booking more quality venues and plan our first regional tour in the Northeast.

How would you describe the music scene in your area?

[Amy] It’s decent. We live 4 blocks away from where Musikfest is held, which is one of the largest annual music festivals in the country. Now if only we could get booked there…

[Karen] There’s a healthy amount of interest in the arts in general in eastern Pennsylvania. And we’re an hour from Philadelphia and New York City, so there are plenty of places to play.

What was the inspiration for your latest release?

[Karen] We released our debut album, Daphne in Winter, in July 2009. It’s a collection of 8 original songs and is a good introduction to our sound. It started off as an acoustic project, but once we got into the studio, we decided to add more instrumentation to the tracks. It’s awesome to hear our songs with bass and drums!

[Amy] The inspiration for the album title came from a Greek myth about a nymph who is pursued by Apollo. In order to escape him, she turns herself into a tree. I heard this story and got this picture in my mind of this lonely tree on a winter landscape being buried by snow and it made me sad. A lot of our songs deal with broken relationships and emotions, and on some level we just identified with Daphne, in winter.

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

The number one most important thing in our opinion is to know how you want your album or song to sound, and if you don’t have the experience or knowledge to create that sound, do some research and find a producer who will help you get there. Number two would be time management. We were naïve and thought we would just go in and start recording and come out with a radio-ready album in a few sessions. We quickly learned that it doesn’t quite work that way and wasted a lot of time figuring it out in the studio. The best advice we can give is to outline what you want to accomplish in advance, know which songs you want to record (and have a few backups just in case), and know those songs backwards and forwards.

What makes or breaks a musician just starting out in your opinion? What advice would you offer up and coming artists that get discouraged other than don’t give up?

It’s easy to get discouraged or lose motivation – this business is built around constant rejection. Just do what you do, do it well and don’t worry about what the band over there is doing.

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

We have strong vocals and interesting harmonies and can back up what we do in the studio in our live shows.

What have you gotten out of being a member of the GoGirls community?

We’ve been GoGirls Elite members since 2007. We were fortunate to be chosen for a spot on their 2008 compilation CD and have received some good performance opportunities through them. Madalyn really seems to care about her members and stays current on the latest trends and offers great social networking tips!

Learn more about Karen and Amy Jones at:
Official website: http://www.karenandamyrock.com/
Facebook: www.facebook.com/karenandamyrock
Twitter: www.twitter.com/karenandamyrock

Copyright © 2010 Madalyn Sklar/GoGirlsMusic.com

Madalyn Sklar is a music business coach & consultant, blogger, social networks expert and author. She has spent over 14 years helping independent musicians and music business professionals achieve greater success in the biz. Her motto is: working smarter not harder. She also founded GoGirlsMusic.com, the oldest + largest online community of indie women musicians.

You can reach Madalyn at MadalynSklar.com or madalynsklar AT gmail.com

A New Way To Make Your Web Site Go Viral On Facebook

2010-06-03T13:51:00.000-05:00

by Madalyn Sklar

When it comes to online promotion for musicians and music businesses, our biggest hurdle is increasing our fanbase. We need to get people to our website. We want Facebook fans, Twitter followers and a huge mailing list. We rely on various social network sites to help us along the way. And it's great when these sites come up with new ways to help us extend our promotion reach.

Facebook has created something new and exciting that will take your promotion a step further and get more people to your web site and/or blog. You can now add the new "Like Button" on your web site, blog, etc. It's sleek, compact and will help make your sites go viral. Let me show you how.

Here is an example:

click here to see larger image

I have placed the "Like Button" on the GoGirls Elite homepage. You can grab the Facebook code here.

So here is how this can get very viral and attract more people to your sites. I placed the code on the following sites:

GoGirlsMusic.com
GoGirls Elite
MadalynSklar.com
Social Networks for Musicians (it's placed on the Services page due to high traffic. It won't work on my homepage because I'm using the Facebook Box and it seems to clash.)

After I clicked the Like Button on all these pages it shows up on my Facebook Wall as Recent Activity (see below). Now all my friends can see where I've been with links to the sites. I highlighted my web sites in the image below. Keep in mind that Facebook pulls the "Title Tag" from your web site and hyperlinks it.

Note: Make sure your web site has the proper information in your "Title Tag". If that's too techie, get in touch with your webmaster or contact me.

In my book, Facebook is clever and smart! This is a simple and easy way to promote your web sites and blog on Facebook. And keep in mind, Facebook is about to hit 500 million users. Your fans are on Facebook. Period.

If you need assistance getting the Facebook code onto your web sites, I can help.

Copyright © 2010 Madalyn Sklar

Madalyn Sklar is a music business coach & consultant, blogger, social networks expert and author. She has spent over 14 years helping independent musicians and music business professionals achieve greater success in the biz. Her motto is: working smarter not harder. She also founded GoGirlsMusic.com, the oldest + largest online community of indie women musicians.

You can reach Madalyn at MadalynSklar.com or madalynsklar AT gmail.com

GoGirls Interview with Eleanor Kleiner of The Whispering Tree

2010-06-01T18:37:00.000-05:00

by Madalyn Sklar

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

I think I'm driven mainly by the desire to communicate. I always knew I wanted to make music, I remember being four or five years old and making up songs and stories to go along with games I was playing. It was the most natural thing in the world, I think it is for most kids. I was just lucky enough to hold on to it and never have anyone (who matters) tell me that I couldn't do it.

Describe your music style and name three musicians you have been inspired by and why.

My musical style falls somewhere in the category of folk/rock. It's melodic and moody, a little on the dark side. It's hard to just pick three artists, but I would say The Beatles, Pink Floyd and Leonard Cohen have all been really inspiring to me. I grew up listening to the Beatles, they just wrote great songs and tapped into something that everyone recognizes and continues to celebrate. I've also been really inspired by Pink Floyd, they made such distinctive music and it evokes something really specific and awesome. I'm still discovering Leonard Cohen and I'm consistently blown away by his ability to see and communicate so clearly - there's something divine about that kind of talent.

What's your ideal venue atmosphere?

I like a place where people come to really listen. Being able to hear myself helps also...I'm pretty easy going.

Describe how your music career has evolved since you first started performing.

I found my musical soul mate about five years ago and formed The Whispering Tree, which definitely helped me evolve as a performer and writer. Combining forces with someone who has a similar vision and who is so compatible has made everything flow so much easier. I think I have also moved out of my head a lot when it comes to performing, with every show it gets easier and easier to be in the moment on stage and to let go of my ego.

How would you describe the music scene in your area?

Bountiful. New York City is overflowing with talent, which is awesome. You can walk into an empty bar and stumble upon phenomenal talent and you can find so many amazing artists to work with.

What was the inspiration for your latest release?

The songs on this release span an amazing five year period of my life. There are songs from the earliest days of The Whispering Tree and there is a song that was completed a couple of weeks before the album was recorded, I think this makes every song really specific. There are songs about life, death, love, mystery, obsessive compulsive disorder, corrupt leaders, consumerism - all inspired by the life experiences that have led me to this point.

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

I think the most important thing is to make sure you're working with people that you are comfortable with, people who you can easily communicate ideas to and people who have a clear understanding of your vision.

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

I don't think anyone can really make or break anyone else, its all about your own desire and willingness to succeed, or your lack of it.

Describe your toughest moments in your quest for a music career and tell us how you overcame them.

The biggest obstacle for me was a crippling stage fright which started after a fluke panic attack during a solo in seventh grade. For years afterward I was absolutely terrified of performing, to the point that my voice was audibly shaking and I could hardly sing. As horrifying as the prospect of performing was, for some reason I still wanted to be a performer. It was something I was deeply compelled to do, so at some point I really just said "f*%ck it" and decided to let myself be uncomfortable, let my voice shake and let my heart race and to do it anyway. And it got better and continues to get better, and I applaud myself for that every day.

What advice would you offer up and coming artists that get discouraged other than don't give up?

I would tell them to remember why they wanted to do this in the first place and to reconnect to that feeling. I would also tell them to celebrate all the success of fellow artists and to see their accomplishments as evidence that great things can happen, instead of falling into the "why them and not me" trap. And not to listen to people who like to complain about how 'hard' it is to be an artist. Being an artist is awesome, and would you really want to be anything else?

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

We're going on tour to Ohio in June, so come out and see us, we love meeting new people! Also, we would love to hook up with other artists to play shows with, feel free to get in touch.

What have you gotten out of being a member of the GoGirls community?

Some great opportunities and encouragement.

More about Eleanor and The Whispering Tree at:
http://www.thewhisperingtree.com/
http://www.myspace.com/thewhisperingtree
http://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Whispering-Tree/21842594861
http://twitter.com/whisperingtree

Copyright © 2010 Madalyn Sklar/GoGirlsMusic.com

Madalyn Sklar is a music business coach & consultant, blogger, social networks expert and author. She has spent over 14 years helping independent musicians and music business professionals achieve greater success in the biz. Her motto is: working smarter not harder. She also founded GoGirlsMusic.com, the oldest + largest online community of indie women musicians.

You can reach Madalyn at MadalynSklar.com or madalynsklar AT gmail.com

GoGirls Go To Kerrville Folk Festival - Day 1 (Friday)

2010-05-29T18:00:00.000-05:00

by Madalyn Sklar

So after a long day of driving we finally arrive in Kerrville, TX to attend the 39th annual Kerrville Folk Festival. I'm so excited to get there and see my friend and fellow GoGirls member, Sara Hickman, who by the way is this year's Texas State Musician. By the time we check in our hotel (yeah I don't camp) and get to the campgrounds, we are only minutes away from Sara's main stage performance. I brought Colorado singer/songwriter Kelly Feeley as my assistant and photographer. We made our way through the crowd and over to the back stage area so I can get a few cool shots of Sara. I ran into festival director, Dalis Allen, and got a quick minute to thank her for having us cover the event for GoGirls. (see photo)

The festival is huge. It's a massive sea of people enjoying the warm summer breeze along with great music coming from the stage. I ran into friends from Folk Alliance while walking around. It's always nice seeing familiar faces at these events. Eventually we made our way to the New Folk Tent and hung out for a bit. We visited with Kim Richardson and Rj Cowdery and watch them sing songs. It was a great way to end our first day in Kerrville. I'm looking forward to more great music in the next few days. Stay tuned...

Copyright © 2010 Madalyn Sklar

Madalyn Sklar is a music business coach & consultant, blogger, social networks expert and author. She has spent over 14 years helping independent musicians and music business professionals achieve greater success in the biz. Her motto is: working smarter not harder. She also founded GoGirlsMusic.com, the oldest + largest online community of indie women musicians.

You can reach Madalyn at MadalynSklar.com or madalynsklar AT gmail.com

The 7.5 Things You Need NOW for Social Network Success

2010-05-11T10:12:00.003-05:00

by Madalyn Sklar

1. Myspace
Yes, we know many of you think Myspace is dead but it’s not. It is still the #1 music site. Most music industry professionals tell me they still go to Myspace first to check out an artist or band. At minimum you should keep your content current however I also advise artists and bands to continue using it to build and maintain relationships with fans. You can still attract people to your shows and get them to listen to your music through this site. I talk more about this topic on my blog at http://bit.ly/cxOlPy.

2. Facebook
You should have a strong Facebook presence by developing a fan page (also known as Pages). Although it was not designed as a music site like Myspace, your fans are here. Yes, with over 400 million active users I guarantee you your audience is here conversing with friends, colleagues and family. Why not you? Be advised a fan page is separate from your personal profile. It is a public page promoting your music, business, brand or whatever. If you have a fan page in place, be sure to maximize your presence with a “welcome” and “buy music” page. You can do this using Facebook’s FBML application. I have found this to be extremely underutilized. So if you’re looking to set yourself apart from many others, this is the way to do it. See examples of customized fan pages I’ve done at http://bit.ly/2uU8vN.

3. Twitter
When it comes to Twitter I find that people either really love it or just don’t get it. Again, this is simply another place where your fans gather so you do not want to dismiss it. If you find Twittering is not for you, you can have your Facebook posts automatically go to Twitter. I think it’s very important to maintain a presence here even if it’s minimal. The key is to put out good, useful content for your friends and fans. What I love about Twitter are the many third-party applications that make it easy to use. I use HootSuite on my desktop computer and Tweetie on my iPhone.

4. ReverbNation
What I like best about ReverbNation is their incredibly useful viral marketing tools (most are free) to help you generate your buzz online. They also provide a massive amount of statistics that will help you analyze your progress. Many in the industry say it’s all about the analytics. I wrote about this recently on my blog at http://bit.ly/dcJY8A. If you’re on Facebook you definitely want to use the ReverbNation “MyBand” application to promote your music. It automatically imports and updates all the content to your Facebook page.

5. FanBridge
Many musicians I talk to do not actively collect email addresses or they have them collected but do nothing with it. Sending out emails to your fans consistently is key in being a successful indie artist. I have used just about every email program out there and I have found FanBridge to be the best one. It’s very easy to use and extremely affordable. You can import your old list in and if you like, FanBridge will do it for you. It’s free to set up and try out. Pricing depends on the size of your list and frequency of your blasts. I have arranged for you can take advantage of a one month free upgrade to their “arena” plan by using this link, http://bit.ly/aoj6u7.

6. Ping.fm
This is a cool free site that allows you to quickly and easily send an update that gets dispersed to all your social networks in one shot. So if you’d like to put out an update to your Facebook, Twitter, Myspace, LinkedIn, Ning, Gtalk status, AIM status (and well the list goes on and on!), this will do it in one click. When I travel to music conferences and events all over the country I use the Pingle iPhone app so I can take a picture on-the-go, type in a caption and in one click (and literally seconds later) it shows up on my personal Facebook as well as my business Facebook, Myspace, Twitter and Flickr. This is very much in line with my motto, “working smarter not harder”.

7. foursquare
The big buzz right now is foursquare which is a location-based social network. It along with Brightkite and Whrrl have been around for awhile but foursquare really took off this year at SXSWi, which is the interactive (techie) part of South by Southwest in Austin, TX. It’s a really great way to stay extremely connected to your friends and fans by updating your location on your mobile device. I really enjoyed it during the SXSW music conference as it allowed me to easily see where my musician and industry friends were at, which then allowed me to easily find them.

7.5 The bottom line!
Social networks don’t work unless you work it. You cannot set up these sites and do nothing else. Social network success involves you and your team spending time and energy developing relationships with your fans which will lead to increasing your fan base, getting people out to your shows and generating sales.

REFERENCE

Myspace: http://www.myspace.com/
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/
Twitter: http://twitter.com/
Reverbnation: http://www.reverbnation.com/
FanBridge: http://www.fanbridge.com/
Ping.fm: http://www.ping.fm/
foursquare: http://foursquare.com/
HootSuite: http://hootsuite.com/
Tweetie: http://www.atebits.com/tweetie-iphone

Copyright © 2010 Madalyn Sklar

Madalyn Sklar is a music business coach & consultant, blogger, social networks expert and author. She has spent over 14 years helping independent musicians and music business professionals achieve greater success in the biz. Her motto is: working smarter not harder. She also founded GoGirlsMusic.com, the oldest + largest online community of indie women musicians.

You can reach Madalyn at MadalynSklar.com or madalynsklar AT gmail.com

GoGirls Interview with Deborah E

2010-05-01T15:29:00.002-05:00

by Madalyn Sklar

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

The heart and soul of life itself drives my music.

When I was a little girl, I used to grab anything that looked like a microphone and sing and sing and sing. I would make up songs - anything to entertain. I would hand out tickets to come to my shows in our living room with the theatre drapes. My brother says I would rake leaves for 3 minutes and go play the piano and sing for 10 minutes. Hey, I had another concept for a song!

Describe your music style and name three musicians you have been inspired by and why.

My current music style is Jazz, however, my musical taste buds travel the gamut.

It is hard to pick three musicians. I grew up listening to the Standards and watching Lawrence Welk on Saturday Nights, but would sneak in and watch Soul Train on the TV. My Barbies knew all the moves while I sang.

What's your ideal venue atmosphere?

You know, I loved watching “I Love Lucy,” growing up. Not sure if I would say that that is the “ideal” venue atmosphere, but I would love to perform at Ricky Ricardo’s Club. Add Bing Crosby’s “Holiday Inn” atmosphere and a TV variety show with Michael Bublé and I can retire .

Describe how your music career has evolved since you first started performing.

I think my music career has evolved in the same way as my life. The more I learn, the more I realize there is to learn. The more I give, the more I realize that I have to give. The more talent I find in myself, the more talent I find in others.

How would you describe the music scene in your area?

Diversified. This is a wonderful place to live. There are so many different styles and musical tastes. One’s palette never tires of the diversification.

What was the inspiration for your latest release?

Listening to Ella Fitzgerald. She exudes the emotion of whichever song she is singing at that time. Even if she forgets the words, she draws the listener in and never fails to please the ear, and leave one wanting more.

What do you think is number one for a musician to think about before preparing for a CD project and do you have any tips on saving time in the studio?Remember WHY you are doing what you are doing. If you think it is only for money, think again. If you think it is only for fame, think again. If you desire to share this thing called music welling up inside of you – Go for it!

We saved some time in the studio by recording demo versions of the songs on our own studio. Then, we listened to the demo versions, especially via the iPod in the car, over and over and over. We went back into the studio, recording another demo version, implementing changes from the feedback from the first demo and so on and so on. This saved us days in the studio because we had the opportunity to hear different theories on how to approach the songs. That, and of course, playing the songs at live gigs.

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

Attitude. If you think too highly of yourself, look around and think again. If you think too lowly of yourself, take a deep breath, pull yourself up, and think again.

Describe your toughest moments in your quest for a music career and tell us how you overcame them.

Listening to a couple “naysayers” was probably the hardest obstacle to overcome.

Years ago, my guy told me that he would leave me if I ever made it big in music. I decided that he was more important to me than music (I was young!) and I hung up the music dream for good. Years later, I dumped him, but was so used to leaving music on the hook, that I left music there, until my new guy, wonderful husband, Michael, bought me a Yamaha S90ES.

I told him I didn’t need another keyboard and besides, keyboards do not replace real pianos, but… there was just something about this keyboard. I felt like Rip Van Winkle coming alive after decades of slumber. The music stirred and came alive. Now, there is no putting in on the hook again. It is what flows through my veins.

It is my legacy to my children, my gift to those I love.

What advice would you offer up and coming artists that get discouraged other than don't give up?

It sounds cliché, but don’t give up! No matter what people say, do not give up.

Remember why you are doing this. Like I’ve said before, if you do it for the money, money will eventually disappoint you. If you do it for fame or power, fame will fleet away when you are no longer the flavor of the day.

If you do it for the music and the love of music, you will love what you do and that will see you through, even those dark moments. Pick up your art, feel it reverberate through your being and enjoy. Don’t forgot that joy that leads you to the music!
Tell us something you want the music world to know about you.

Ahhhh. If you see me on stage, you would not think me shy. Well, for that matter, those that know me, know I am not shy. I am a red personality, outgoing, grabbing life by the horns, but, at times, rather private. Sometimes I forget that others may want to care as much as I care for them. It is easy to reach out and help others. It is also easy to be a Prima Donna at times, too. What is a little tricky is being understood when you are a bit complicated, mixture of science and art.

What have you gotten out of being a member of the GoGirls community?

GoGirls is so supportive. This is my first year and I am so looking forward to getting more involved as time goes on. I love that there are different musicians coming together from different regions, from different musical genres, and different perspectives, making a difference, and like Madalyn says, ‘Cuz Chicks Rock!

Web Sites:
Artist Web Site: http://www.deborah.info/
Blog: http://www.scatnstyle.com/
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/deborahinfo
MySpace: http://www.myspace.com/deborahinfo
ReverbNation http://www.reverbnation.com/deborahe
Twitter http://www.twitter.com/deborahinfo
YouTube http://www.youtube.com/deborahinfo
Jango Internet Radio http://www.jango.com/music/Deborah+E?l=0
LinkedIn http://www.linkedin.com/in/deborahinfo
TJNW http://www.thejazznetworkworldwide.com/profile/DeborahE
All About Jazz http://www.allaboutjazz.com/php/musician.php?id=19138

Copyright © 2010 GoGirlsMusic.com

Madalyn Sklar is a music business coach & consultant, blogger, social networks expert and author. She has spent over 14 years helping independent musicians and music business professionals achieve greater success in the biz. Her motto is: working smarter not harder. She also founded GoGirlsMusic.com, the oldest + largest online community of indie women musicians.

You can reach Madalyn at MadalynSklar.com or madalynsklar AT gmail.com

ASCAP Expo 2010 Highlights

2010-04-30T08:21:00.003-05:00

Guest post by LA Recording Artist, Songwriter, and Fashion Designer Kathleen Blackwell

Greetings from sunny Los Angeles, where the 2010 ASCAP Expo wrapped-up last week in the heart of Hollywood at The Renaissance Hotel, just across from the famous “Walk of Fame” and Kodak Theater where “American Idol” is currently filming, for those of you who watch the show. Speaking of “American Idol,” do you remember who placed third in last year’s show? Well, it was cool rocker-chick Allison Iraheta, who happened to be in attendance at this year’s ASCAP Expo. I saw her (and her peeps) walk by me in “sponsor lane,” on the eve of her performance at the Expo. I love her voice and her style! Alas, onto business:

Wow, the ASCAP Expo was one fantastic event and I thank Madalyn Sklar (“Sklar the Rock Star” in her newest Facebook profile photo) for the opportunity to attend on behalf of GoGirls Music! I am excited to share some news and information from the ASCAP Expo and I hope that you learn something new to help your artist career! As always, if you have any questions, ask away, and if we don’t know the answer, we’ll find someone who does!

ASCAP Expo 2010: WHAT WAS THE MOST CONSISTENT PIECE OF ADVICE?

First, one of the biggest and most consistent pieces of advice across all panels was this: BUILD YOUR LOCAL NETWORK. Sometimes we have the idea that in order to succeed the first thing we need to do is “climb” that ladder and we imagine that to be an “upward” motion. Well, the suggestion in one specific panel, “The Nuts & Bolts of the Music Business,” lead by Eric Bealle (VP, A&R – Shapiro Bernstein & Co.; Author – “The Billboard Guide to Writing and Producing songs That Sell: How To Create Hits in Today’s Music Industry) was not to think “upward,” rather to think “outward and lateral.”

Bealle felt it was so important to start by establishing your local network of peers. He suggested you get to know your fellow songwriters and artists so that you can form your base of support. Then continuing on a local level to establish relationships with your local engineers, recording studios, clubs… local booking agents, managers, songwriting organizations and when you have built your support base, your family so to speak, launching towards climbing that ladder becomes all that much easier to do! And just think, you’ve already started to build your network by being a member of GoGirls Music!

The next rule of thumb Bealle gave to network building was to do the best you can to not burn bridges. Bealle said, “The music business is small.” And I couldn’t agree more! I have worked on and off in the music business for years… upon re-entering the music business a few years ago… there were many of the same faces I had already known, albeit many were in different positions. That said, establishing professionalism and common courtesy early on goes a long way. Most of us are in this business because we share one common trait: We adore music!

Second, across the panels that featured top, hit songwriters, the general consensus was to: MASTER YOUR CRAFT! In the “Hit Songwriters” panel, Jane’t A. Sewell-Ulepic (“Empire State of Mind,” “When I See You,” “Up, Up & Away,” “Photographs”) said, “Most of my hits were written in 5 minutes” and were based upon “in the moment” experiences. For example, Sewell-Ulepic told a fun story about how “Empire State of Mind” came about. She and a friend were in London and missing NYC, one day when they walked outside, it hit her… she still had NYC in her blood, she had an “Empire State of Mind.” And BOOM… the hook was written on the spot, just like that… simply living, loving and observing.

So, what are some ways you can master your craft? Well according to the hit songwriters, building your craft takes time, years in fact. In the “We Create Music” Panel, Songwriter and Performer Jason Mraz said (paraphrase), “I lived out of my car, traveling up and down the California coast. It wasn’t until I made up my mind that I was ready to make a new connection work… that’s when the magic started to happen… literally got my first break while living in my car.” These songwriters went on to suggest diligent practice, daily writing… and most importantly… learn to accept feedback as a form of positive interference. Most also agreed with the following statement: When a hit song is written, you know it on the spot and you feel it. Other hit songwriters panelists said they know when a song is done when it finally feels done, when it’s played and everybody in the room goes, “Ah, that’s it!”

What did most of these hit songwriters have to say about collaborative efforts? Well, in the “We Create Music Panel,” it was said by one of the panelists (paraphrase), “I can’t tell you how many times I’ve been with my writing partner, sitting for hours… bouncing ideas off each other… and just as we’re about to throw in the towel, the giddiness kicks in and we’ve found our lyrical, or melodic concept. You have to find a partner that you really trust to be yourself with.” As well, C. Tricky Stewart (Producer, Songwriter – “Single Ladies,” “Umbrella,” “Touch My Body,” “Just Fine”) said (paraphrase), “It was just after the holiday break, when I decided I wanted to go into the studio alone to write and work on learning a new music software program, when sure enough… I wasn’t the only one who had the same idea. When you love what you do, and the people around you love what they do… nothing stops you… that morning ‘Umbrella’ was born via a collaborative effort of two people who showed up to work out of an inner drive and love.”

ASCAP Expo 2010: WHAT WAS THE MOST CONSISTENT QUESTION?:

Soooo… What was by far the biggest and most consistent question asked by audience members at the panels across the board? Drum roll please! The question was: “How can I get my music heard?” Ta-dum! Yes, that question came up in every single panel with some audience members repeating the question, others begging, and some self-promoting to the extent of “whisking” their cards and CD’s up to the panel participants. (Okay, I didn’t see anybody really whisk a CD up on stage, lol, but I’m sure the desire was there! After all, this type of opportunity doesn’t come along everyday.)

Would you like to know what the answers were? Well, there were three answers that I heard from the panelists in “how to get your music heard”:

Believe it or not, most publishing, music library companies, and many key personnel in these companies WANT to hear YOUR music! One of the best ways to get your music in front of some of these folks is to simply send them an email with what you feel are your best songs. For example, there is a local music library here in L.A. (Marina Del Rey) called Riptide Music. They do accept submissions! They have a listing of what they are looking for on their website (http://www.riptidemusic.com/) and they made a point to say they DO LISTEN. But, please make sure you do your due diligence as well in asking yourself if your music fits what a certain company might be looking for, etc. ALSO… I heard the following phrase more than once, too… “You got 15 seconds to impress somebody with your music.” This is a “click and click” business first impressions count. So, put your best stuff first! To recap point #1: Use your email, pick up your phone and be persistent, you got 15 seconds!
Know somebody who knows somebody who knows somebody (in a key position). Literally. This is a business of connections. And this goes back to building your network! When you find somebody who knows somebody who knows somebody in a key position… ASK for a favor. Politely. And remember, your ASCAP representatives can help you!
Write incredible music! Across all panels, another point I heard consistently was that eventually, “Great music rises to the top naturally.”

***And hey, if you get any leads, let Madalyn know! It’s great to hear success stories!

One last thing before talking about a few of the ASCAP Expo 2010 Sponsors, when it comes to getting your music placed into Film, TV, etc., one of the latest trends (although it’s been around) that was frowned upon by the big music libraries and studios was something called, “Re-titling.” What is “re-titling?” Well, it’s when you take an existing pre-recorded song which has an original title and the song gets re-named, or “re-titled” for legal reasons so that it can be used “free and clear” of any existing contract. In essence, by renaming a song that allows the song to be taken and used in a variety of other ways.

Why are the big studios and music libraries frowning upon this trend? To sum this up quickly, it’s embarrassing if two companies are pitching the same song with a different name to a big studio, it’s a nightmare in financial negotiations and it causes the big studios a bunch of “legal paperwork” headaches. So, the new trend is to tend to take on exclusive artists and songs.

ASCAP Expo 2010: WHAT IS THE BIGGEST THREAT TO YOUR ARTIST CAREER TODAY?:

What did panel contributors at the ASCAP Expo suggest is the biggest threat to our livelihood as independent artists? COPYRIGHT issues. Protecting your Intellectual Property Copyrights. The panelists said (paraphrase), “It is imperative as creators of music, that we do what we can to make sure we get paid for our creations, that giving away music for free to studios for use in Film & TV sets the precedent that ‘all music should be free.’” The panel folks went on to say that while getting your music placed for free appears to be a small victory for you because you can add that to your resume, in the long-term it potentially does you and your peers more of a disservice than good. They also said that most of the people in music publishing business know who takes music for free and when they see this on your resume, it doesn’t mean a whole lot to them… even though they know that also means your music is good enough… that’s the extent of it. Yes, a bit of a trick-bag!

In the end, the music business is akin to good friendships and establishing fantastic working relationships with your peers, then building from there. With a good product in hand and diligent work… you CAN live your dream!

Cheers, Beers and Best Wishes!

Kathleen Blackwell
Singer-Songwriter

http://www.kathleenblackwell.com/ -OR- http://www.myspace.com/kathleenblackwell

ASCAP Expo 2010 SPONSORS:

WOW, there were a ton of really cool sponsors! Sponsor name and website listed after their name. A few have business descriptions. If you do not see a website listed, that means one was not listed in the ASCAP Expo Program Guide.

ADAM Professional Audio – http://www.adam-audio.com/

AIMP Association Of Independent Music Publishers – http://www.aimp.org/ – Established in 1977 to serve independent music publishers by providing education, a form for discussion, and a collective voice for advocacy.

Apogee Electronics – http://www.apogeedigital.com/

Audio-Technica – http://www.auralex.com/

Avid –

BANDZOOGLE – http://www.bandzoogle.com/ Provides online tools for musicians to build a professional website, promote their music, and sell directly to fans.

Billboard – http://www.billboard.com/

Blue Microphones – http://www.bluemic.com/

Broadjam – http://www.broadjam.com/

Cakewalk – http://www.cakewalk.com/

City National Bank – http://www.cnb.com/

Course Technology – http://tinyurl.com/cengage-safir

DBEDT –

Disc Makers – http://www.discmakers.com/

Etymotic Research –

Focusrite –

Furman Sound –

GENZ-BENZ – http://www.genzbenz.com/

Hal Leonard –

Hello Music – http://www.hellomusic.com/ - If you’re an independent musician, Hello Music is looking to discover your music and help you develop your musical career.

Hercules Stands – http://www.herculesstands.com/

HOSA –

IK Multimedia – http://www.ikmultimedia.com/

ILIO –

iStandard – http://www.istandardproducers.com/

JBL Professional – http://www.jblpro.com/

Killer Tracks – http://www.killertracks.com/

Kohn on Music Licensing – http://www.aspenpublishers.com/

KRK – http://www.krksys.com/

The Lanikai Way – http://www.lanikaiukes.com/

Lexicon – http://www.lexiconpro.com/

Liberty Mutual – http://www.libertymutual.com/ascap - Announcing the new Auto, Home and Renters Insurance Program – ASCAP members now qualify for competitive rates on auto, home and renters insurance through Groups Savings Plus.

Line 6 – http://www.line6.com/ - Is an amp-modeling pioneer and leading manufacturer of populr amplifiers, effects, effect processors, recording interfaces, software, and digital wireless systems.

Los Angeles Women In Music (LAWIM) – http://www.lawim.com/ - LAWIMM is a non-profit Public Benefit Corporation dedicated to fostering equal opportunity for women and men in the music industry and to promoting the advancement of women t hrough empowerment, support, education, encouragement and recognition of their achievements.

MasterWriter – http://www.masterwriter.com/ - Is the most powerful suite of songwriting tools ever assembled in one program.

Miller-Coors – (YES… BEER!) My favorite.

Music180 Break Through – http://www.music180.com/ - In every music success story you will find at least one life-changing, breakthrough connection with an industry pro who provides critical help and guidance.

The Music Business Registry, Inc. – http://www.recordxpress.net/ - Our customers are a veritable who’s who within the Industry.

Music Connection – http://www.musicconnection.com/ - A monthly trade publication catering to musicians, industry professionals, and support services.

Music Marketing – http://www.musicmarketing.ca/

Music Online Alive – http://www.musiconlinealive.com/

MusicPro Insurance – http://www.musicproinsurance.com/ - Your whole world revolves around music. That’s why there’s MusicPro.

Native Instruments – http://www.native-instruments.com/

The New York Times – http://www.nytimes.com/

Nimbit – http://www.nimbit.com/ - Founded 2002, Nimbit, Inc., is the music industry’s leading direct-to-fan platform for musicians, managers, and emerging labels.

Noisy Planet – http://www.noisyplanet.net/ - Is an online music community helping artists around the world connect with fans and colleagues.

Novation – http://us.novationmusic.com/

Ole – http://www.majorlyindie.com/

Ovation – http://www.ovationguitars.com/

Pick the Band – http://www.picktheband.com/

PMC – http://www.pmc-speakers.com/

PreSonus – http://www.presonus.com/

Prism Sound – http://www.prismsound.com/

ProMixes.com – maro@pro-mixes.com

Propellerhead Software –

QSC – http://www.qscaudio.com/

RODE – http://www.rode.com.au/region.php

Roland –

Sennheiser – http://www.senheserusa.com/

Shure Microphones – http://www.shure.com/

SKB – http://www.skbcases.com/

Sony Electronics – http://www.sony.com/proaudio

SoundExchange – http://www.soundexchange.com/

Takamine – http://www.takamine.com/

TAXI – http://www.taxi.com/ - Is the world’s leading Independent A&R Company.

Taylor Guitars – http://www.taylorguitars.com/

TuneCore – http://www.tunecore.com/ - Is the largest distributor and has one of the highest revenue generating music catalogs in the world.

USA Songwriting Competition – http://www.songwriting.net/

Variety – http://www.variety.com/

The Village Studios – http://www.villagestudios.com/

Voyage-Air Guitars –

West L.A. Music – http://www.westlamusic.com/

About Kathleen Blackwell

After earning two bachelor degrees from The University of Texas at Austin (Bachelor of Science in Radio-Television-Film with a focus in International Communications and Bachelor of Journalism in Public Relations) Kathleen made the move to Los Angeles to work for Sony Music Distribution as a Field Marketing Representative for Sony Classical, then working her way up to a Sales Representative, before jumping over to Sony Music to work as a Packaging Manager where she oversaw projects from artists like Korn, Slayer, “South Park,” and Heart.

While with Sony Music, Kathleen also wrote and produced a local radio show, “Silver Signings,” which focused on weaving modern day musical artists through a historical perspective—tapping into the roots of each musical genre. After years of working on other artist’s projects, she sat down at the piano and began to write her own music; 2009 saw the debut of her first CD “To Be Human.” She is currently developing and marketing her Cougar Rock concept, which combines fashion, merchandise & music.

You can find Kathleen Blackwell on the web at:
http://www.kathleenblackwell.com/
http://www.myspace.com/kathleenblackwell
http://www.cougar-rock.com/ Coming Soon!

Twitter: @KatBlackwell
Facebook: Kathleen Victoria Blackwell

My interview with WeDontNeedNoStinkingRecordCompany.com

2010-04-28T12:45:00.001-05:00

Hey friends,

My buddy Ryan Michael Galloway interviewed me this week, talking about the new changes at Facebook. I chat about the new "Like" versus the old "Become a Fan". Take a listen and let me know what you think. I'd love to hear your thoughts.

Copyright © 2010 Madalyn Sklar

Madalyn Sklar is a music business coach & consultant, blogger, social networks expert and author. She has spent over 14 years helping independent musicians and music business professionals achieve greater success in the biz. Her motto is: working smarter not harder. She also founded GoGirlsMusic.com, the oldest + largest online community of indie women musicians.

You can reach Madalyn at MadalynSklar.com or madalynsklar AT gmail.com

Twitter Wow!

2010-04-20T08:30:00.003-05:00

by Madalyn Sklar

Everyday I'm on Twitter and get excited when I see really cool, creatively designed pages. Why? Because it's you, your band or your brand's personality coming out. Yes, Twitter has some nice, cutesy templates but they really are boring and generic if you think about it. Why not set yourself apart and give yours some pizazz, some character, something that says "hey world, this is me!"

So with that said, I recommend developing a nice, suitable design that is part of your online branding. Something that stands out. It doesn't have to be fancy. As you can see below, mine is simple yet sleek. Not too generic. Sure, I could have gone with a plain Twitter template but I prefer some personality.

I have some great resources that will help if you want to do it yourself. Of course, if you need assistance don't hesitate to get in touch with me.

Resources:
How To Create A Custom Twitter Background
Pixel Perfect Background Photoshop Template for Twitter
Twitter Background Checker

Copyright © 2010 Madalyn Sklar

Madalyn Sklar is a music business coach & consultant, blogger, social networks expert and author. She has spent over 14 years helping independent musicians and music business professionals achieve greater success in the biz. Her motto is: working smarter not harder. She also founded GoGirlsMusic.com, the oldest + largest online community of indie women musicians.

You can reach Madalyn at MadalynSklar.com or madalynsklar AT gmail.com

7 Ways to Boost Your Business, or How to Ask to Get Ahead

2010-04-19T11:22:00.000-05:00

by Jack Canfield

[Madalyn's Note: from time to time I come across really great articles that offer insights to help you with your music career. I think you'll find this one useful!]

Ask and you shall receive.

How many times have you heard that? But how many times have you used this fundamental truth in your daily life recently?

Let me put it this way: when was the last time you asked for a written endorsement from a client or colleague?

How about feedback from your customers? Or the opportunity to renegotiate something that just doesn't work for you?

I can't tell you how often I watch business professionals--especially those in sales and marketing positions--falter because they simply stop practicing the art of asking.

If you were to ask successful top executives how they got to where they are, I bet most would admit they "asked to get to the top." In other words, they knew when and how to ask the right questions so they could gather the right information, build their reputation, seek useful referrals, generate new business, and expand their audience or customer base.

If the simple act of asking is so critical, then why don't more people do it?

Because for some reason, people falsely think asking implies weakness and sets one up for potential rejection. It's easy to come up with all sorts of excuses to avoid asking questions that can return unexpected or critical answers. Yet the world responds to those who ask.
If you are not moving closer to what you want, you probably aren't doing enough asking.

Here are seven asking strategies you can implement in your business (and in life) to boost your results:

1.) Ask for Information
You can never have too much information; in fact, the higher up you go, the more you need to know. To win potential new clients, you first need to have an understanding about their current challenges, what they want to accomplish and how they plan to do it. Only then can you proceed to demonstrate the advantages of your unique product or service.
Ask questions starting with the words who, why, what, where, when and how to obtain the information you need. Only when you truly understand and appreciate a prospect's needs can you offer a solution.

2.) Ask for Business
Would you believe that more than 60 percent of the time salespeople never ask for the order after giving a complete presentation about the benefits of their product or service?!
It's true, and a painful statistic that could put anyone out of business quickly if it's not changed. Always ask a closing question to secure the business. Don't waffle or talk around it--or worse, wait for your prospect to ask you. No doubt you have heard of many good ways to ask the question, "Would you like to give it a try?" The point is, ask.

3.) Ask for Written Endorsements
These can be difficult to ask for if you don't like tooting your own horn, but well-written, results-oriented testimonials from highly respected people are powerful for future sales. They solidify the quality of your product or service and leverage you as a person who has integrity, is trustworthy and gets the job done on time.

When is the best time to ask? Right after you have provided excellent service, gone the extra mile, or made your customer really happy. Simply ask if your customer would be willing to give you a testimonial about the value of your product or service, plus any other helpful comments.

4.) Ask for Top-Quality Referrals
Just about everyone in business knows the importance of referrals. It's the easiest, least expensive way of ensuring your growth and success in the marketplace. Your core clients will gladly give you referrals because you treat them so well. So why not ask all of them for referrals? It's a habit that will dramatically increase your income. Like any other habit, the more you ask the easier it becomes.

5.) Ask for More Business
Look for other products or services you can provide your customers. Devise a system that tells you when your clients will require more of your products. The simplest way is to ask your customers when you should contact them to reorder. It's easier to sell your existing clients more than to go looking for new ones.

6.) Ask for Feedback
This is an important component of asking that is often overlooked. How do you really know if your product or service is meeting your customers' needs? Ask them, "How are we doing? What can we do to improve our service to you? Please share what you like or don't like about our products." Set up regular customer surveys that ask good questions and tough questions. It's a powerful way to fine-tune your business.

7.) Ask to Renegotiate
The negotiating room should never be locked up for good. Regular business activities include negotiation and often re-negotiation. Many networkers get stuck because they lack skills in negotiation, yet this is simply another form of asking that can save a lot of time and money. All sorts of contracts can be renegotiated in your personal life, too, such as changing your credit card terms and rates. As long as you negotiate ethically and in the spirit of a win-win, you can enjoy a lot of flexibility. Nothing is ever cast in stone. It's only in stone if you don't speak up!

The 5 Secrets to Successful Asking

The first stumbling block for most is knowing how to ask. There are five secrets to great asking that can guarantee you results, however big or small.

If you ever find yourself hitting brick walls and coming up short in responses, come back to these five tips:

Ask Clearly: No one likes getting a vague or fuzzy question. Be precise. Think clearly about your request. Take time to prepare. Use a note pad to pick words that have the greatest impact. Words are powerful, so choose them carefully.

For example, if you throw out the "How am I doing?" question without specifics, it may take time for the other person to understand what you're talking about. Instead, try, "How is my attitude with customers? Do you see room for improvement? Where?"

Ask with Confidence: People who ask confidently get more than those who are hesitant and uncertain. When you've figured out what you want to ask for, do it with certainty, boldness and confidence. Practice in the mirror if you have to, or write out your question in advance.

Be prepared to hear the unexpected or the unwanted. Try to have an open mind and heart (it's okay to feel intimidated by the experience, but don't show it). Don't get defensive if you hear something you don't like or that makes you uncomfortable. It's good to get a little uneasy once in a while upon the observations or insights of others. They will inspire you to stop, reflect, and take steps to make a shift for the better.

Ask Consistently: Top producers know that they can't quit if they ask once and don't get a good response. Keep asking until you find the answers, and try different ways of asking if one doesn't seem to be working.

In prospecting there are usually four or five "no's" before you get a "yes." You may, for example, want to ask a co-worker about your performance on an important team project, but you sense reluctance from that person to offer an opinion.

You can always ask another person who is more receptive to the question, or consider how you are asking it and try again. Because people don't normally go around asking others for opinions on how well they are doing, it's not a question typically heard. So be prepared to ask over and over again before you hear a clear--useful--answer.

Ask Creatively: In this age of global competition, your asking may get lost in the crowd, unheard by the decision-makers you hope to reach. There is a way around this. If you want someone's attention, don't ask the ordinary way. Use your creativity to dream up a high-impact presentation.

Bear in mind that asking someone to stop and evaluate you can seem awkward or time-consuming. Show respect for them first and find the ideal time to ask the question. Here's one way to engage the insights of a superior: "I highly value your opinion and honest perspective, and would love to know what you think I could be doing differently on a daily basis that would make your life easier and make our clients happier."

Ask Sincerely: When you really need help, people will respond. Sincerity means dropping the image facade and showing a willingness to be vulnerable. Tell it the way it is, lumps and all. Don't worry if your presentation isn't perfect; ask from your heart. Keep it simple and people will open up to you.

Like speaking a different language, asking takes continual practice until it becomes a regular, reflexive habit. The sooner you build your "Ask Muscle", the sooner you'll see the results you've been waiting--and searching--for.

Don't think asking only relates to work-related goals and tasks. Bring this practice home to enrich your relationships with your family members and your friends, too!

I trust you'll be surprised and delighted at what you discover about yourself in this process.

Happy asking!

© 2010 Jack Canfield

Jack Canfield, America's #1 Success Coach, is founder of the billion-dollar book brand Chicken Soup for the Soul© and a leading authority on Peak Performance and Life Success. If you're ready to jump-start your life, make more money, and have more fun and joy in all that you do, get your FREE success tips from Jack Canfield now at: http://www.freesuccessstrategies.com/

GoGirls Interview with Inky Glass

2010-04-01T13:29:00.000-05:00

by Madalyn Sklar

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

Expression drives me... and I am my music. I can't really separate the two. Music is something I do, and it is an extension of who I am I tried to stop performing. I stopped all together for 8 years, but I just had to start again in 2008. I am not really sure what it was. Its like I didn't have a choice, like I had to come back. I don't know, I didn't really decide... I just did it.. .I just ended up here, playing. I was primarily acting before, but all the money I made was singing (musical theater, in other music related stuff). I have been on the stage since I was six (a LOOOOOONG time ago I was a ballet dancer, but then I wanted to tap because that made noise. Then it was the flute at 8, then modeling at 13, then acting at 15. I went with that learning the guitar along the way until I was 30. Then I was at a Tori Amos Concert in My "Oh shit I am turning 30" stage, and Tori was doing a cover of Landslide. So I became a social worker....And I specialized in Drama and Music therapy :) at 38 I started playing guitar again, started giging, and here I am!

Describe your music style and name three musicians you have been inspired by and why.

Music Style: A quirky Blues. 3 Musicians: 1) Alicia Alicia was not only a great musician that left this world all too soon, but she opened the whole world for me. We were "foxhole buddies" and traveled Europe together performing on the streets in 1992. She showed me my first chords, and taught me the circle of 5ths. 2) Billie Holiday-That Voice!!!!!! 3) Bob Dylan Those lyrics and I could go on and on and on.

What's your ideal venue atmosphere?

Hah! One with a bathroom and toilet paper. Dream Venue? A green room to warm up in and relax in, steady water and coffee supply, plenty of time to sound check before performing, a good merch table, and one where I am not responsible for the # of people in the venue (i.e. the venue has a following)

Describe how your music career has evolved since you first started performing.

It has started for one thing. I have a CD, and since 08, I have learned a WHOLE lot. Living in NYC a person is gonna learn alot in anything you try to do, I mean its not the kindest place in the world. But the most important thing, is that I know how to perform now, and I know how to engage the audience. Oh yeah, I can sing in tune and fret the chords so much better now too. :)

How would you describe the music scene in your area?

Rough! There seems to be the beginning stage, where I am. One needs to have 10 people that will come to the show, and pay $10 a piece to see you play for 1/2 hour to maybe 45 min. Very hard to build a following in this way. I mean on ANY given night, in ANY given venue there is something fantastic going on, so the competition is tough, there are very few square miles, and MANY of us trying to get the same very few listeners. It really can be a rat race...But I do thrive on the adrenaline, and there are so many really fabulous people here, and I have been here so very long. So patience is a virtue, and one day, the right place, right time, and right handshake will happen, just like anywhere.

What was the inspiration for your latest release?

Like I said, I don't know....I just had to do it.

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

Ahhhhhhhh.......Work with your producer first. Get feedback on the songs. There is NO RUSH!!!!!! Its better to pay for rehearsal time with the producer/director/engineer.....to have the songs in the best shape for recording, than to spend this money in editing or in the studio. In my experience, I was so much better at playing nd singing like 2 months after recording was over, that I wished I could do it again, which I couldn't of course. But the next time I have the fundage, I will know these things.

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

Emotional Health

Describe your toughest moments in your quest for a music career and tell us how you overcame them.

Rejection. I was waiting to play a gig, and I had three people there (ok, not alot, but a start). But the venue wouldn't let me play because I didn't have 10 people there. It was embarrassing. Also, people always think they can tell you how to do this that or the other thing. But when feelings are hurt, they just hurt. And I get hurt easily, cause I am fragile. That is the toughest thing for me to deal with is when someone is like wow that was....different. And I know it was really BAD. And I know I played bad. It gets really hard to pick it up and try again the next time.

What advice would you offer up and coming artists that get discouraged other than don't give up?

If you have to do this thing called art, you will be back. And if you come back older, rusty, and creaky, it just feels like a whole lot of wasted time. If you stick with it, at the very least, there won't be anything wasted along the way, and you won't have to re learn stuff that got out of shape. Its easier to just stay in shape musically, than to get out of shape, and have to relearn. ( emotionally, stage fright, technical skill, and performance ability)

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

I just want the music world to know I exist :) Hell, I just want my little part of the world to know I exist. I don't have to be a household name (but I have the time if the opportunity arises). OK, the real stuff is this. Music saved my life. many times I have been so depressed that I have wanted to die (hence the song Cortar De LA Venas) Janis Joplin sang to me "Little Girl Blue" while I lay in fetal position on the floor. I could get up and face another day. When the director walked out of a play that I wrote, and was staring in three days before opening night, Ani Difranco's "Not A Pretty Girl" kept me from jumping out the window. So yeah, its happy dance stuff too. and I love that, and I float on top of the notes the way a surfer takes a wave when I am at a Melissa Ferrick concert, but its as deep as my blood and bones too.

What have you gotten out of being a member of the GoGirls community?

Oh shit, everything.. Trish and Rew are so great. I started doing the open mics, and I got my performing feet solid there. This was so important to me. Last year at Gay Pride we did a showcase at Stonewall, that was really good for me. The opportunities to meet other musicians is priceless, and these girls, and some of the friends I have made are priceless. Nothing can be as good as that. I just love the community, support. Shit I love everything. IT ROCKS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Find out more about Inky Glass:
Have a listen!! http://www.reverbnation.com/tunepak/2330155
CD Baby: http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/InkyGlass1
Web http://www.inkyglass.com/
Face Book http://artist.to/inkyglass
EPK: http://www.reverbnation.com/inkyglass

Myspace Is (Still) Not Dead and Facebook Rocks!

2010-03-12T15:41:00.001-06:00

by Madalyn Sklar

There are two social network sites that are a must for indie artists: Myspace and Facebook. I'm a believer in using these sites to push your buzz, build relationships and increase your fanbase.

Myspace Is (Still) Not Dead!

For some time now I've heard people (mostly musicians and a few industry peeps) say, "Myspace is Dead". Okay I do agree that Myspace is not the same as it was say two or three years ago during its peak. However, I'm here to say that I completely disagree with the statement that Myspace is Dead. Myspace has been and is still the number one music site for emerging indie artists and bands.

I recently spoke about this at the Folk Alliance International Conference in Memphis, TN. I moderated the "Building A Social Network" panel. There were seven of us panelists, which included a venue, a festival, several promoters and an artist. I asked everyone if they thought Myspace was dead and they all resounded with a NO. We all agreed that having a Myspace presence was important for indie artists and bands. All but one of us said that Myspace is the first place we go when checking out a band. Most of us agreed too that if we are directed to an artist or band's web site (their dot com) we are looking for their Myspace link on their homepage because that is where we want to start. Interesting I know! Many musicians in the room looked aghast. I'm sure some were thinking, "why did I delete (or stop using) my Myspace site?"

Now I do want to be clear that I'm also a big fan and advocate for Facebook and Twitter as well. Social networks should be an integral part of your online marketing strategy. I strongly believe that all indie artists should take advantage of these sites and maximize their presence. By doing so you will no doubt strengthen and build a great relationship with your fans. I also highly suggest utilizing ReverbNation (great widgets!) and Fanbridge (great mailing list program).

We know that everyone has shifted their attention to Facebook in the last year or so. I love Facebook and am not discounting its value for indie artists. But let's face it, Myspace was designed to be a music site. Facebook and Twitter were not.

Here are some recent stats on how Myspace, Facebook and Twitter are faring in 2010 (courtesy of Inside Facebook, 2-24-10).

Facebook is growing dramatically. We all know that. But what's interesting is that Myspace is growing again. This shows you that it's not dead. I firmly believe your fans and soon-to-be fans are checking you out here. Because as I've said before, it's designed as a music site.

One of the things I talked about passionately in the social networks panel at Folk Alliance was to utilize all these sites to your advantage. At minimum, log into your Myspace regularly and keep your content up-to-date and fresh. Post bulletins and blogs. Add photos. Update your upcoming shows in the calendar. If you don't have time to manage all your social networks, use free sites like Ping.fm or ArtistData. If you spend a great deal of time on Facebook, you can have your status updates automatically post on your Twitter. ReverbNation and Fanbridge will also update your status on your social networks.

Facebook Rocks!

So now let's talk about Facebook for a moment. I love Facebook! I think it's amazing that there are over 472 million active users. Your fans are on Facebook. Let me say that again... your fans are on Facebook! If you do not have a presence there, you are missing the boat. You should be actively working Facebook with a personal profile and a Fan page. I spend a great deal of my time counseling people on how to best use Facebook. I also do a lot of Fan page customization for artists and bands as well as businesses. Click here to see some examples.

Below are recent Facebook stats. It's mind blowing!

I'm wow'd by the fact that 20 million people become fans of pages every day. That speaks volumes! If you have a Fan page, you need to beef it up with the ReverbNation application, a welcome page, buy music page, import your YouTube videos and Twitter posts, etc. There is so much you can do to boost your traffic and increase your content.

If you need any help with these sites or need one-on-one counseling, feel free to get in touch with me.

Copyright © 2010 Madalyn Sklar

Madalyn Sklar is a music business coach & consultant, blogger, social networks expert and author. She has spent over 14 years helping independent musicians and music business professionals achieve greater success in the biz. Her motto is: working smarter not harder. She also founded GoGirlsMusic.com, the oldest + largest online community of indie women musicians.

You can reach Madalyn at MadalynSklar.com or madalynsklar AT gmail.com

"Invasion of the GoGirls" During SXSW Weekend

2010-03-09T13:12:00.002-06:00

GoGirlsMusic.com, the oldest and most popular website for women in music, will continue their tradition of highlighting the best in independent women musicians at their 10th Annual "Invasion of the GoGirls," March 19-20 during Austin's annual "South by" weekend. We'll be broadcasting all shows LIVE on Ustream. You can watch us on your computer OR iPhone, iTouch or Android phone using the Ustream Viewer app.

Four showcase invasions will feature over 36 bands and performers. "We worked very hard to create a lineup that both exciting and appealing to a diverse crowd," explains Madalyn Sklar, founder of GoGirlsMusic.com. "We expect to see an electrifying blend of music industry professionals,
musicians and the general public at our event," continues Sklar.

Since 1996, GoGirlsMusic.com has dedicated itself to bringing together independent female musicians from around the world and becoming a welcome destination for women in music through networking and events.

All GoGirlsMusic.com events are free and open to the public. For more information and a list of performers, please visit http://www.gogirlsmusic.com/sxsw

*SCHEDULE OF EVENTS*
(all times are Central Standard Time)

Friday, March 19th
Invasion of the GoGirls @ Austin Java
Music by: Penny Jo Pullus, Laura McGhee, Jennings, Stephanie Nilles, Mo McMorrow, Camille Bloom, Havilah, Tawny Ellis, Jean Mazzei, Deborah Crooks
12 pm - 5 pm
1206 Parkway (12th/Lamar)

Friday, March 19th
Invasion of the GoGirls @ Trophy's
*Featuring Melissa Ferrick!*
Music by: Addie Brownlee, Laura Marie, Kathleen Blackwell, Staci's Edge, Radagun, Melissa Ferrick, Bo Peep, DaRezarekt, She Craves
9 pm - 2 am
2008 S. Congress

Saturday, March 20th
Invasion of the GoGirls @ Austin Java
Music by: Jan Siedes, Merry Ellen Kirk, Nicolette Paige, Heather Stewart, Sheila Swift, Andrea Nardello, Jonie Blinman and Red Car Slow, Janine Wilson, The Devyl Nellys, Spare Parts
12 pm - 5 pm
1206 Parkway (12th/Lamar)

Saturday, March 20th
Invasion of the GoGirls @ Trophy's
*Featuring Sara Hickman and Shayna Zaid & The Catch!*
Music by: gfire, Carol Plunk, The Mieka Canon, Shayna Zaid & The Catch, Sara Hickman, Sunspot, 3 Kisses
9 pm - 2 am
2008 S. Congress

Details at http://www.gogirlsmusic.com/sxsw

GoGirls Interview with Kimbo

2010-03-01T13:50:00.001-06:00

by Madalyn Sklar

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

I'm gonna geek out here: I love the way sound waves collide. I love feeling goose bumps on the back of my neck when I finish a new song or hear an artist create something awesome with sound.

Music or bust happened in 2006. I had done ten years of performing before that...but not ten years of business. I merged the two together nicely and now I run both Sunny Groves Music Company and Sunny Groves Publishing Company. It's exciting and satisfying knowing that I built all this myself.

Describe your music style and name three musicians you have been inspired by and why.

My musical style is a relaxed alternative rock groove. I want you to tap your foot and feel good when listening. But I hope my lyrics inspire you to look at the world, your world, my world, our world and think about what impact we all make, have made, and will make. I don't write Disney love songs.

My three:

Trey Anistasio (of Phish) because of the tone and quality he gives to his custom Paul Languedoc guitar. I have great respect for his ability and dedication to his craft.

Martin Sexton just blows me away. I have seen so, so many live shows all over the place and he's definitely in the top five. His live performance is absolutely electric. He's ALL IN and it shows. His voice, songwriting and guitar chops inspire me to work on my craft with sincerity.

Itzhak Pearlman/Joshua Bell: Okay, that's two...but have you heard the way these guys play the violin. I mean, holy crap! I've played the violin since I was three years old and I've never even gotten close to a note that they can play. Just astounding. Again, it's the sound waves thing. Goosebumps man, goosebumps.

What's your ideal venue atmosphere?

Medium sized clubs like Trees in Dallas (Old school Trees). I like venues where I can be noisy and the audience can too. I play singer-songwriter venues all the time but I prefer full band with freedom to move around. I rarely ever sit on stage.

Describe how your music career has evolved since you first started performing.

I've learned a tremendous amount about my niche. I definitely do not fit the singer-songwriter mold very well. Again, I really tend to lean toward the jam band, expressive groove. It took me a lot longer than I thought to figure this out but the journey along the way was tremendously insightful and revealing. I know when I'm most comfortable performing and writing now.

How would you describe the music scene in your area?

The music scene in my area (Austin, Texas) is experiencing some changes. There have been quite a few growing pains as we, the musicians, learn to have dialogue with the downtown loft community and the city who has some pretty stringent sound restrictions. There will always be the mainstays on sixth street, etc...but we are also going through some loss as it was just announced that the legendary Cactus Cafe is closing. But those active musicians that take part in this process really get a voice and I know that within a few years we'll really have a reason to say we're the live music capital. SXSW submissions (up to more than 11,000 this year) and ACL Fest continue to be a good gauge for this 'improvement'.

What was the inspiration for your latest release?

My son (who is now six) began singing my song "Fly With Me". Trains are used to represent the metaphorical longing. Well, my son loves trains and just loves that song so it really encouraged me to get my act together and record this song well.

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

Budget: This is absolutely key. If you don't know how much it is going to cost from start to finish then you shouldn't be recording...unless you have FREE access to a studio, engineer, producer, graphic artist, label or disc manufacturer. If you don't have a budget you're going to throw money away. If you don't have a bottomless budget you better know all of your songs that are going to appear on that cd. You better know them better than you know your own name. Surprises can happen when you're solid and prepared. That's where the magic happens.

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

Consistency, Hard Work Ethic, Tenacity, Creativity, Kindness, Respectfulness and Assuredness. Must haves for this business!! You won't get very far if you have a few of these and you're a jerk. And you won't get far if you have all of these but you don't step out of the box (creativity) to make your shows happen. They're all key and they all take work, work, work day in, day out. It's repetitive, but when you get in the groove it's a beautiful thing to watch what you've created.

Describe your toughest moments in your quest for a music career and tell us how you overcame them.

My toughest moments are when I am balancing my music 'hat' with my mother 'hat'. My son has special needs and sometimes this career is very overwhelming for him. I've had to give up big shows and have done so without hesitation for my son. We'll see if this changes as he gets older. Right now it's quite challenging and we work as a family every single day on this delicate balance. I do try to only play at venues or events where I feel comfortable with him being there.

What advice would you offer up and coming artists that get discouraged other than don't give up?

Plan ahead. If anything set yourself a six month time line. If you bust your ass for six months and not much is happening...take a week off. You owe it to yourself to recharge. It's amazing how many songs have popped in my head when I pre-scheduled a vacation from my 'job'. You really need the break. I actually take two months off a year. This sounds like a lot but when I'm rehearsing, booking, traveling, playing, etc. etc. etc....I really need that time off to 'check in' with my family, friends, myself. If you do feel like you need to give up, then listen to your soul. Don't lie to yourself. If you're meant for music it doesn't matter how many times you 'think' you'll quit...it will come back to you or you will go back to it.

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

I put Cheetos inside my peanut butter and jelly sandwiches.
I'm addicted to Funyuns...I think they have crack in them.
Oh, oh and that I have a bone to pick with Barbara Mandrell.
But you'll have to get back with me later about that. :-)

What have you gotten out of being a member of the GoGirls community?

A tattoo on my 30th Birthday! Good times Madalyn! Good times! Ouch.
Seriously though. Lifelong connections to amazing people making their lives work in this crazy world we call the music business. Community is really the important word here. The GoGirls Community runs the whole gamut: young women just starting out, seasoned artists making a solid living, women rocking every genre of music there is and that is a powerful thing. And the community has so much to share and experience with each other. When I organized the 8th GoGirls Music Fest here in Austin I learned so much that I am now able to offer assistance and advice to those who write me asking for help. And it was my drive and GoGirlsMusic coming together that made that happen. I will always be grateful to Madalyn for starting this wonderful community.

Find out more about Kimbo:
http://www.sunnygrovesmusic.com/
http://www.myspace.com/thekimboband
http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/kimbo

Copyright © 2010 Madalyn Sklar

Madalyn Sklar is a music business coach & consultant, blogger, social networks expert and author. She has spent over 14 years helping independent musicians and music business professionals achieve greater success in the biz. Her motto is: working smarter not harder. She also founded GoGirlsMusic.com, the oldest + largest online community of indie women musicians.

You can reach Madalyn at MadalynSklar.com or madalynsklar AT gmail.com

Win A Daisy Rock Guitar!

2010-02-08T17:41:00.001-06:00

Hey everyone, my friends at GuitarItUpForGirls.com are giving away a Daisy Rock guitar.

According to their web site:

The band Radagun and GuitarItUpForGirls.com have teamed up to give away an awesome Daisy Rock heart shaped guitar and some very stylish Radagun merch including a free cd! Entry is completely free and takes only a few seconds!

Radagun.com
Myspace.com/Radagun

No purchase necessary, winner will be notified via email and announced publicly at GuitarItUpForGirls.com on or before February 14th, 2010 and will be shipped at no charge to the winner.

Good luck!!
Madalyn

GoGirls Interview with Lisa Brigantino

2010-02-01T12:16:00.001-06:00

by Madalyn Sklar

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

I've been singing and playing music since I'm a kid. I come from a very musical family and there was always ukulele playing and 4 part harmony singing at family get togethers. I learned to harmonize at a very early age and the first instrument I learned to play was ukulele at 4 (my Grandma taught my sister and I), then piano at 5, then violin, guitar, upright and electric bass, mandolin, etc. The last time I counted I think I was up to 14 instruments. I also started writing music as a kid. Except for a brief period of time when I thought I might want to be a doctor, I always knew I wanted to pursue music in some way, shape or form. It's simply who I am and what I do - I can't imagine any other life. I have a physical, mental and emotional need to make music.

Describe your music style and name three musicians you have been inspired by and why.

I take a very eclectic approach to composing and don't write in one particular musical style or genre. I listen to all kinds of music from medieval chant, baroque, classical, to ragtime, standards (all the great songwriters like Irving Berlin, Cole Porter, George Gershwin, etc.), hard rock to folk, blues, alt country, pop, punk, etc. and these influences find their way into my original music. My goal is to write good music with my own unique stamp on it, no matter the style. My upcoming CD release "Wonder Wheel" has songs ranging from folk and tex-mex to rock, pop, and more. I also have a Master of Music degree in composition and music theory from the School of Music at SUNY Fredonia and I compose for a variety of projects including TV, film, theatre, etc., so I have to be flexible and able to write in whatever musical style or genre the project calls for.

I've been inspired by many musicians and composers, but if I have to pick three, I'd have to say the late Felix Pappalardi, Johann Sebastian Bach and The Beatles/Joni Mitchell are tied for third! Felix Pappalardi was my cousin and produced Cream among many other bands and artists and later went on to produce and be the bass player of Mountain (folks might know them from their hit "Mississippi Queen"). Felix gave me my first electric bass when I was 14, an old Ampeg with a scroll top and I treasure it. He was classically trained like me and played a myriad of instruments so we had a lot in common. Bach is simply the master of composition. One of Brahms' students asked Brahms what he should study to become a great composer and Brahms said "Study Bach. There you will find eveyrthing." It doesn't matter what style you write in, you can learn so much about form, counterpoint, harmony, melody by studying and listening to the music of Bach. I find myself going back to The Beatles music and the writing of Lennon/McCartney over and over again. I'm never bored by their songs and I find great inspiration in their music and recordings. Just wonderful, well-crafted songs and performances and arrangements (with the help of George Martin) that are going to stand the test of time. As a singer/songwriter, I think Joni Mitchell is the ultimate role model - She has an amazing ability to combine lyrics, melody and harmony in a way that it totally unique and perfect to each song and what that song is trying to express.

What's your ideal venue atmosphere?

Really, any venue that has a good sound system and a good sound engineer is ideal! I'm happy in a small room with a handful of people, or a room like The Fillmore in NYC that fits about 1000 or playing in front of 20,000 people at The Bonnaroo Music Festival in Tennessee which I got to do when I was with Lez Zeppelin (the all girl, all Led Zeppelin tribute band). As long as it sounds good out in the house and I can hear on stage, I'm comfortable anywhere.

Describe how your music career has evolved since you first started performing.

I've been performing since I'm a kid and have played in a variety of ensembles ranging from orchestras to choruses, jazz bands, rock bands, etc. I had been doing the singer/songwriter thing for a number of years in NYC after college and then I got involved with Lez Zeppelin. I was a founding member and the "John Paul Jones" of the band and played bass, bass pedals, keyboards and mandolin. Being in the band gave me the opportunity to play some of the most challenging rock and roll there is at A list venues and festivals all over the world, get amazing press (including appearing on CBS Sunday Morning) and it also opened the door for me to become a Kurzweil endorsed artist. Although it was a great ride with Lez Zeppelin, after being involved with the project for almost 6 years, it was time to move on and I left in early 2009. Now I'm back to focusing on my own original material, about to release my next CD and planning shows, working on "The Vickie & Nickie Show" (a wacky musical comedy act I do with my sister Lori) in addition to performing with other artists. I've sat in on accordion with my friend April Smith and her band The Great Picture Show and I also play fiddle and mandolin with my Nashville-based friends The Mulch Brothers, when they're in town. In addition, I played bass for NYC cabaret singer Gretchen Reinhagen's 2009 show "Almost Blue" and will be working with her again this spring on a new project. Because I play a number of different instruments, I'm lucky to have so many performance opportunities open to me. In addition to doing my own music, I really enjoy the challenge and diversity of playing with a variety of artists.

How would you describe the music scene in your area?

The music scene in NYC is coming around. It was pretty bleak for about 10 plus years, but it seems to be making a comeback. NYC offers many different performance opportunities and there are venues of all sizes for all levels and types of musicians and performers. There are many venues to play even if you're just starting out and trying to get some experience. That being said, a lot of these places that cater to new artists are like assembly lines, having too many acts a night and only giving people 30 minutes to perform. You really have to do your research and find the best venues where music is important to who owns and runs the place, not just how many drinks they're going to sell.

What was the inspiration for your latest release?

I'll be releasing a new CD within the next few months. The title of the CD is "Wonder Wheel" and it was inspired by a photograph that my sister Lori took of the Wonder Wheel (a ferris wheel) at Coney Island, Brooklyn and that's going to be the CD cover. It also inspired the title track for the album. "Wonder Wheel" to me is also a metaphor for life and that jives lyrically with the tunes on the album that include songs I wrote years ago to ones I just finished in 2009. I also wanted to create an album where I played most of the instruments. With the exception of some guest appearances by vocalists Lori Brigantino, Susan Haefner and Jerry Snee and my husband Tom Millioto playing electric guitar and doing drum programming, I'm doing everything else. That includes vocals, acoustic and electric lead and rhythm guitars, bass, keyboards, percussion, mandolin, ukulele and more.

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

Having a good producer is key. Even if you want to produce your own CD, you really need another set of ears, and very good ones at that. My husband and I co-produced my new CD, so even though I'm a producer on it, I had someone else working with me that I trusted to bounce ideas off of. In terms of saving time in the studio, making sure you do good pre-production can save many hours. I'm lucky in the fact that we've been able to take our time recording "Wonder Wheel" because we recorded it in our own project studio. If you don't have that luxury, you and any other musicians you bring in need to have your parts down and be well-rehearsed so you can go into the studio and knock out the tracks because of the time constraints you'll be under. Time is money.

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

I believe that you have to follow your heart and write and play what you want and what you hear in your own head. You can't try to be someone else or latch on to the latest musical craze. Too many young songwriters and musicians get swept up in trying to copy someone else that they never develop their own "voice". Yes, music is an aural tradition and you have to listen and study to learn from those that came before, but then you have to incorporate that into your own unique vision. Plus, you have to be persistent. Just because you might have some bad experiences and disappointments, doesn't mean you should quit. Simply put - do not give up.

Describe your toughest moments in your quest for a music career and tell us how you overcame them.

My toughest moments came when I was working full time in the business end of the music industry (In addition to writing and performing, I also do music and talent supervision and intellectual property licensing and rights clearance) and was not finding the time I needed to work on my music. At the most difficult point, I was the Vice President of a licensing company, working up to 10 hours days at a very stressful job and was mentally and emotionally exhausted when I got home and didn't have it in me to even pick up my guitar. That was extremely frustrating. I did, however, force myself to get involved with Lez Zeppelin at that time to have an outlet. In 2005, gigs with Lez Zeppelin were starting to pick up and I quit my full time job. That was one of the best decisions I ever made. Now, I do supervision and licensing through my own company Hidden Pond Productions and have plenty of time to do music because I'm managing my schedule and working for myself. I've also been able to combine my creative side with the business side of my company and supply custom music production, scoring and sound design to my clients. I recently scored my second film for filmmaker Jennifer Williams and also co-wrote the music for a national TV commercial for Plato's Closet (an apparel store chain) with my husband in 2007. The big lesson here is, don't be afraid. I know it sounds corny, but I love that line from the sci-fi book Dune: "Fear is the mind killer." I'm also big into the teachings of Joseph Campbell who said over and over: "Follow Your Bliss". Find a way to do what you love and it will work out.

What advice would you offer up and coming artists that get discouraged other than don't give up?

I think in addition to being passionate, tenacious and not giving up, you need to surround yourself with people that love and support you and are not dream-killers. If you do get discouraged, you just need to focus more on the things that can propel you forward. You need to practice and study and be the best musician/writer that you can be. You will always have more to learn - not only about the craft of music but about the business, itself. The more you can educate yourself about how the business of music works, the better off you'll be and the less chance you'll have of someone taking advantage of you. You also need to network like crazy and be confident about who you are and how you present yourself. Also, keep your ego in check. No one likes working with a diva. You may get that first job, but if you're difficult, you'll never be asked back and word spreads quickly in the industry about how easy or hard it is to work with someone. It sounds so simple, but be kind and say "please" and "thank you". Remember, kindness is not a sign of weakness. Most of the music opportunities and jobs that I've gotten through the years have come through referrals because people know my abilities, that I have a good sense of humor, I'm easy to work with and I'm a professional. That goes a very long way.

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

I'm an award-winning singer/songwriter/composer/multi-instrumentalist that loves writing music, making music and performing. I'm incredibly fortunate to be able to do and continue to pursue what I love.

What have you gotten out of being a member of the GoGirls community?

Being a part of GoGirls has really opened up some cool opportunities, like being able to do this interview. There are great networking, educational and performance opportunities through GoGirls, as well. It's so important to be a part of organizations like this not only to further your own career, but to support, give back and mentor others doing the same thing. Plus, I think all of us could learn a lot from Madalyn Sklar. She's a great example of a woman who knows how to get stuff done!

Find out more about Lisa Brigantino:

http://www.lisabrig.com/
http://myspace.com/lisabrigantino
http://www.facebook.com/LisaBrigantinoMusic
http://twitter.com/lisabrig
http://www.reverbnation.com/lisabrigantino
http://www.vickieandnickie.com/
http://www.hiddenpondproductions.com/
http://kurzweilmusicsystems.com/ArtistProfile.php?id=22

Copyright © 2010 Madalyn Sklar

Madalyn Sklar is a music business coach & consultant, blogger, social networks expert and author. She has spent over 14 years helping independent musicians and music business professionals achieve greater success in the biz. Her motto is: working smarter not harder. She also founded GoGirlsMusic.com, the oldest + largest online community of indie women musicians.

You can reach Madalyn at MadalynSklar.com or madalynsklar AT gmail.com

In 2010 It's All About The Data

2010-01-06T12:36:00.004-06:00

by Madalyn Sklar

You've probably heard these buzzwords commonly used in the last few years when talking about social networks: analytics, metrics, trends, stats. And many of you are probably saying, "what does it all mean?" Simply put, it's the collection of data. For most, it makes little sense. However, if you spend time getting to know your data you can learn a lot about what is going on as well as what works and what doesn't.

In the olden days of the Internet (and still today) you got your web site's "statistics" from your ISP (Internet Service Provider). Many provide highly useful information like page views, hits, referrers, etc. I always enjoy knowing what sites are driving traffic to my pages and which pages are most popular.

Fast forward to today and now your stats are on steroids!

Many recent blog posts including Jason Feinberg's The Year in Digital Music and Predictions for 2010 talk about this being the year of analytics. There are sites cropping up to help you gather and decipher info. Plus many sites you're already on offer analytics. Sites like Facebook, ReverbNation and FanBridge collect a great deal of valuable data that can be quite useful to you.

Let's examine this further:

Facebook offer "Insights" which lets you know how users are interacting on your fan page. There is so much information in here it's almost overwhelming. You can see how many impressions you received during a particular period as well as how many new fans. You can see the breakdown in gender and age range plus top countries and cities. To access your insights, log into Facebook then click on Ad and Pages at the bottom of your page. Click on Pages then View Insights. Click here to learn more about Facebook's Insights

ReverbNation gives you a "Stats Summary" when you log in showing your band equity, new fans, daily plays and widget hits. You can then head over to the dedicated "Stats" page which is chock full of information. There is so much in there it will make your head spin!

FanBridge has been offering really nice "Campaign Analytics" for all their paid accounts. I have really enjoyed this feature and am able to effectively measure the success of each email campaign I send out. Now I know who's opening them, clicking on links, if they are forwarding the message, etc. I find this invaluable!

RockDex is a new service that I love. It's geared for artists, managers, labels and social networkers like me looking to track artists data from music web sites, blogs, tweets, song plays, etc. I have found this to be extremely valuable in tracking my social network clients success. I see RockDex becoming quite popular as the year progresses. It's currently in private beta but I encourage you to sign up so you'll be in line to jump on board what is sure to be one of the hits of 2010.

Collecta is an interesting new site I just discovered that provides almost real-time searches on Myspace that can be useful to when searching a particular topic or artist. I found this very helpful when researching one of my Myspace clients and saw that a fan added one of their songs to his personal profile. How would I have known otherwise? This is cool!

I'll be keeping an eye out for more cool sites and services that will help us analyze and understand our data. Analytics are headed for new heights. Let's use them to our advantage!

I'd love to hear your thoughts on this. Please feel free to post a comment.

Copyright © 2010 Madalyn Sklar

Madalyn Sklar is a music business coach & consultant, blogger, social networks expert and author. She has spent over 14 years helping independent musicians and music business professionals achieve greater success in the biz. Her motto is: working smarter not harder. She also founded GoGirlsMusic.com, the oldest + largest online community of indie women musicians.

You can reach Madalyn at MadalynSklar.com or madalynsklar AT gmail.com

GoGirls Interview with Lisa Bianco

2010-01-02T09:18:00.000-06:00

by Madalyn Sklar

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

What drives my music is that endless need to create. That feeling that if you don’t “let it out” you can’t live. I enjoy the process of writing songs. I get that weird feeling that “this cool little riff or chords is gonna end up a song”. It’s an intuition that can’t be explained. The universe treats you well on those days (lol). The first time it was “music or bust” was really when I picked up the guitar. I played flute and piano since the first grade up until high school. Studied it. Took lessons. Competitions etc. But it never felt right. The guitar felt right. I always thought it was a hard instrument to play. But it turned out it was really easy for me because it was my third instrument. My friend taught me a few chords and that was it! Then I was playing hours a day learning all the rock songs 101 I wanted. There was no turning back.

Describe your music style and name three musicians you have been inspired by and why.

It’s pop singer-songwriter with a punk heart.

Nirvana-The songs were brilliant and simple. But the sound was fresh and new. They perfected the soft-loud-soft-loud formula, which still influences many artists today. I also loved the lyrics. Abstract and clever. Kurt’s singing was like no other and was so primal and right from the gut. That’s the place I want to be when I perform.

Velvet Underground-New York down to the bone. It’s really the whole package here from the music, to clothing style, vision and art/Andy Warhol. While the hippies were talking about free love in Frisco Lou Reed and co. were writing about what you’re parents did not want to hear: Hard drugs, transvestites, turning tricks, and living life in New York that was truly a jungle then. Growing up in Long Island/NY (so did Lou!), I had an immediate understanding of the music…or why such topics were song subject matter. It was saying a statement without being so overt.

Dixie Chicks-I’m giving props to “my girls” here. I never really liked country music so much but their last record “Taking the Long Way” was an inspiration to me in songwriting, harmony and just the tone of their voices. They are fantastic musicians and flawless live. I ended up buying all their records and DVD’s. They have so much class you really can’t find that anymore.

What's your ideal venue atmosphere?

I think theaters are really cool. Especially the historic ones like Hammerstein Ballroom or the Tower Theater in Manhattan. Shepard’s Bush Empire in England. They tend to have great detail in the architecture/design and that could only give you good vibes while on stage. Definitely some magic is to be made. It’s also small enough to be still intimate. But if you are from NY there is only one house to perform in: Madison Square Garden

Describe how your music career has evolved since you first started performing.

Well I started out barely knowing how to turn on an amp and didn’t know what a footswitch for a 2-channel amp was. Lol. I used to get nervous with my heart pounding just before I got on stage. Now my effects board weighs in about ½ of my weight. I tour in the NY tri-state area. I have performed at some reputable conferences like CMJ and American Music Festival. So it took quite a few years to grow and learn. I did not get to this point overnight.

How would you describe the music scene in your area?

You know that is so hard to say. NYC has A LOT of people in it full of musicians. There is still the old hard rock/metal going on. Folkies with their guitars. And the hipster rock skinny jeans rock bands. It is diverse. I think you can pretty much find a subculture of any genre you can think of. But some would say maybe things have drifted to rock bands with ‘bells and whistles” meaning they lack a traditional instrument in the band (i.e. no guitar or no bass) and a funky old keyboard/synth player who you call your “utility guy”. Some would say songwriters have drifted to the “Americana” meaning back to a Petty/Springsteen Nebraska era vibe. I don’t know...

What was the inspiration for your latest release?

My current album is called “Post Data”. It is an artist collective in Brooklyn. They create art based on old technology and manipulate it or the programming some how. They use data beyond its original intended need. This collective was mentioned in a Village Voice review of Radiohead’s “In Rainbows” album. Comparisons were made with that. What it made ME think was that we live in this world of ridiculous technology and apps to do everything. A Post Data world or society. You don’t have to leave your house to communicate. And sadly we lose human contact and interaction. You know we are naturally wired to have intellectual conversations in real time face to face. But the world has gone mad once again and we have less and less time to do so. We stay in contact with Facebook and such or texting. And that is better then not I guess. So, it was my drive to write songs relating to that in a loose sense. A deconstruction of communication as we know it... and I feel fine.

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

Number one is making sure you are working with the right person. Be it a producer or engineer. The relationship is KEY. Don’t record somewhere because it is free or you got a great deal. You have to be on a certain level of connection with your recording team. To save time in the studio make sure your songs are ready: the arrangement, any re-writes of verses or choruses. Pre production is a must. Work out all parts with your band in a rehearsal studio before hand. Have your producer hear it and make any suggestions for revisions. That is what he/she is there for. This way when it’s time to record you all know what is going on in the songs.

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

Drive. You got to have it. It’s a shitty business and people will tell you you suck and you will never get anywhere. You must believe in yourself and your music. Also, don’t be stubborn. Learn from (hopefully) constructive feedback from people. Be open. Evaluate. It can only make you better.

Describe your toughest moments in your quest for a music career and tell us how you overcame them.

When I started singing I was pitchy. I didn’t sing my whole life. In fact I never did until I started paying guitar and wanted to write songs. I was in a few bands and they wanted me to step down from singing and get another singer. I actually gave in to that for a while. I didn’t want to in my heart and I lost hope that I could sing. Thankfully the band broke up. Lol. I took voice lessons and I continue to study today. It’s an underrated instrument. I worked my ass and my wallet off. But it was totally worth it. Now I have people offering vocal studio work for me.

What advice would you offer up and coming artists that get discouraged other than don't give up?

The Beatles were passed up to get signed many times over when they were starting out...remember that. Being an artist is a life long commitment. You have to keep plowing away. I believe talent and some luck that you create for yourself will make you successful. People’s tastes are so subjective. You never know who will fall in love with your music and be that one person to make you a superstar.

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

I made a promise to adopt a dog from a shelter one day and save it’s life. Dogs are amazing creatures. Due to my schedule I don’t have time to take care of a dog and I feel I should really be in it 100%. In a perfect world I’d love to adopt a pup, an old 14 y/o dog on its way out and the dog that no one wants. They all need equal love.

What have you gotten out of being a member of the GoGirls community?

Putting shows together and meeting Go Girls from out of state. It’s also a comfortable atmosphere to approach anyone to ask questions. The network really connects you if you want it too.

You can connect with Lisa Bianco at:

OFFICIAL WEBSITE: http://www.lisabianco.com/
MYSPACE: www.myspace.com/lisabianco
FACEBOOK: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Lisa-Bianco/15715842255
TWITTER: http://twitter.com/lisabianco
YOU TUBE: http://www.youtube.com/bianxnyc

Is Your Music Career Stagnant?

2009-12-29T14:47:00.000-06:00

by Madalyn Sklar

It's that time of the year where we need to look back, evaluate, assess and look towards the New Year. 2010 is going to sparkle for you!

When it comes to promoting your music in bigger, better and broader ways it's all about having a plan in place. Take a moment and think about what your goals are for 2010? Think about where you want to be in the next 3 mos, 6 mos and year. If you map out a plan on paper with your thoughts, ideas and goals you will have a much better chance of achieving the success you want and deserve. Most people just don't do this so that puts you ahead of the game.

How hard is it to write out your thoughts, your ideas, your goals? No hard at all!

It Starts With A Plan

The biggest hurdle most people face is procrastinating. Don't be the majority. Be the minority who will take the path leading to success. Take a few minutes right now. Get out a sheet of paper and write down your thoughts for you and your music in 2010. It all starts with a plan.

Thoughts, Ideas, Goals and Dreams

I find it's best to get yourself a notebook and start writing down what you want on a regular basis. Don't worry about how outrageous it is. Get your thoughts on paper. Visualize it. Keep the notebook nearby and write in it whenever you get ideas. The key here is to formulate your ideas and dreams into achievable goals.

An Action Plan To Success

Once you get a clear picture of what you want to achieve, make an action plan of what you need to do to reach your goal. Keep it simple. Set deadlines. Close your eyes and visualize it.

I know this sounds simple and it really is. If you spend time doing this you will see real results. Escalate your music career to a new level. Don't let it stagnate.

I'm available if you are looking to schedule a phone call to discuss this further and work together to map out a plan for you and your music. I know that brainstorming can make a huge difference. Let's brainstorm together and create great strides for you. Details at http://www.indiemusiccoach.com/

Copyright © 2009 Madalyn Sklar

Madalyn Sklar is a music business coach & consultant, blogger, social networks expert and author. She has spent over 13 years helping independent musicians and music business professionals achieve greater success in the biz. Her motto is: working smarter not harder. She also founded GoGirlsMusic.com, the oldest + largest online community of indie women musicians.

You can reach Madalyn at MadalynSklar.com or madalynsklar AT gmail.com

Madalyn's Interview with Ryan Michael Galloway

2009-12-16T07:56:00.001-06:00

by Madalyn Sklar

I've known Ryan Michael Galloway for years and not only is he an extremely talented musician but he's also a great resource for indie artists. He's written some really helpful books and hosts a nightly video blog. --Madalyn

First off, I’d just like to say that I have always been very appreciative of what you’re doing, Madalyn—both for women in music and for all the rest of us musicians. I particularly like the women-oriented focus, because I think that women in rock have not been well supported until you launched your efforts. Still, I haven’t heard you give advice that didn’t pertain to all of us, so your messages are universal. --Ryan

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

When I was 14, I played an original vocal/guitar/harmonica song for a very loud and demonstrative high-school audience of about 500. It was a completely magical moment for me, personally. I stepped on the stage, the audience disappeared in the lights, and I felt like I was alone in the room. I almost went into meditation or tunnel vision while I sang. When it ended, the crowd roared with a sound that is still in my ears. I was totally hooked, and it has never stopped.

Describe your music style and name three musicians you have been inspired by and why.

This is an issue I have. Though I’ve been compared to James Taylor and Dan Fogelberg, I’m really a songwriter first and foremost. Way back when I was published by Columbia/Screen Gems Music, I was taught how to write songs, and it really didn’t matter what style. So it was rock, folk, jazz, country, and blends of all four. Consequently, when you listen to one of my albums, it sounds like a diversely programmed radio show, as opposed to a single artist. It drives record companies crazy because they can’t categorize it and market it easily. It also means I win my following one person at a time. My fans have to be open-minded, and it has certainly slowed my success. However, once I get them, my fans tend to stay around for a long time. They like the variety.

Joni Mitchell has to be my number one influence—including her transition from folkie to jazz and that marvelous in-between place in the albums “For the Roses” and “Hissing of Summer Lawns.” Her first producer was David Crosby of Crosby, Still and Nash—and he was another big influence for me in the merging of folk and jazz. CSN&Y also got me into harmonies early on. Then throw in the Jazz-Rock-Indian fusion of John McLaughlin and you probably have my three strongest influences. There are many, many more.

What's your ideal venue atmosphere?

I like small. Somewhere between 12 and 500 people, who have nothing to do but listen. Small concert halls, warming-up for dramatic plays, and house concerts. I like to connect with stories and emotion; to me this is the best way. The places I actually play, however, are usually small wine bars and clubs. That’s probably the next best thing, but people who come out to drink aren’t necessarily there to hear original music; they would rather re-live their memories. You have to work really hard over time to win them.

Describe how your music career has evolved since you first started performing.

I started seriously performing my first year of high school. I’m really weird though, and I have been inventing big projects for myself forever. I played with friends in a folk-inspired band called Breezewood for much of those four years. High school music theory really unlocked it all for me. I did my second year on independent study when my “final test” was to put together a small orchestra of 40 musicians from two different schools and perform 15 arrangements of my original songs. That’s when I found out it’s really hard to be the Project Manager, Conductor, and player all at the same time.

After high school, it was a series of harmony-heavy bands doing originals and covers of Eagles, Beatles, CSN, America, and the like. I LOVE harmonies, and am still enthralled with them today. I played in a number of bands, including Nic Danjer, Primadonna (which toured the east coast), and Promise out of Dallas. I can’t afford all the rehearsal time it takes to get a vocal band tight anymore, so I use the Digitech Live Vocalist 4 as a back up. It’s great, but not as great as ensemble singing and playing.

I’m mostly solo these days, but have great fun playing in Foundation, a band made up of the founders of the Collin County Songwriters Association. I also really enjoy playing with Chad Ireland on drums, and Matt Gaskins on bass, in a really nice little trio configuration. You can see some videos of us playing on Youtube from a taping at Drury University last year.

In the last five years, well past middle age, for some reason my voice is better than it’s ever been before. I’m singing stuff I only dreamed of in my twenties, my falsetto is strong, and I think my performing and audience connection has evolved to the best it’s ever been. I have a mild case of autism, called Aspergers Syndrome, and I suppose it’s taken me a while longer than usual to learn to read audiences. I’m pretty happy with the outcome, though.

How would you describe the music scene in your area?

Vibrant! There are lots of places to play live, and we have a number of songwriter groups and associations: the Collin County Songwriters Association (which I chair), the Dallas Songwriters Association, a Waxahachie-based songwriter group called Tredway and Friends, and several branches of the Nashville Songwriters Association. The local musicians who “get it” have really pulled together to be part of the local performance industry. We’re strong competitors, but we’re friends too. In the media, the local Public Broadcasting System (90.1 KERA) has launched a sister station (91.7 KXT) focusing on locally produced content, Randy Tredway’s Texas songwriter site http://www.InTheMusicRoom.com is getting 16,000 hits a month, and local bluesman, Michael “The Mudcat” Reames, is considering launching a local music television show shortly.

Up on the north side of Dallas, in Frisco, there are three booming music schools, including Neighborhood Arts and Music School (NAMS), Music Conservatory of Texas, and School of Rock. If you need a guitar worked on, you can talk to Anderson Guitar Gallery, now cohabitating with NAMS. They are all serving their niches, maintaining a friendly competition, and have been supportive of local live music and songwriters. I’m sure I’ve just mentioned a fraction of the scene.

What was the inspiration for your latest release?

My latest release is currently available in digital release only from Songslide.com, or slightly lesser quality downloads are available free on my website: http://www.ryanrocks.com/. It’s called Rock the Big House Down, and it is inspired by the indie music revolution. The title song is about taking the music back from the record companies and making it our own again. It’s truly the theme song for everything I’m doing in educating fellow musicians, and it led to my nightly v-log post at http://www.wedontneednostinkingrecordcompany.com/. If you’re on Facebook, you can follow all the blogs by being a fan of http://www.facebook.com/nostinkingrecordcompany. I’ll remind your readers that I have a number of books and programs out—all part of the Gigster Clinics Series. Titles include “Hits and Heartbreakers: Songwriting Fundamentals for Love or Money,” “The Band Promotion Turbo-Charger: More fans, more fame, more fortune,” and the “Gigster Clinic Textbook,” among others. This is all what I consider “nuts and bolts” stuff about putting your band together, selecting PA and lighting equipment, promoting your act, and some stagecraft. The books can be found at http://www.GigsterClinics.com.

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

Planning is totally key, then sticking pretty close to that plan in execution. If you’re on a budget (who isn’t?) the studio is not the place to do all of your creative stuff, so keep that to a minimum. The goal is cost/time control, because the typical engineer is going to let you rack up as many hours as you want. If you’re doing it all yourself, you’re in real trouble—no one is keeping score of the time and it could go on forever.

One of these days I’ll finish my book on how to be your own producer. In the meantime, I generally:

-Establish my songlist and arrangements
-Rehearse my musicians (whenever possible)
-Record the rhythm section—bass and drums—with a scratch (temporary) vocal and guitar. If I’m working on multiple songs, I try to do as many rhythm sections as possible to save money. Drums can take hours to get sounding right, and even if you use electronic drums as a shortcut, it’s going to take a while. Imagine how much it’s going to cost if you have to re-set the drums for every song on the album.
-Layer on the basic instruments like guitar, piano, organ, horn sections, orchestra
-Add the lead and background vocals. I like to double and triple the background vocals for that CSN/Eagles/America sound.
-Add lead instruments
-Add embellishments like sound effects, rhythm and musical additions
-Mix the songs
-Correct any discovered mistakes
-Mix again
-Listen on various systems
-Mix again
-Master—where I send it to another studio to get an extra set of “ears” on it and make adjustments to the audio curve.

As much as I believe in producing yourself, a co-producer is really helpful. Someone who is honest enough to say, “I just didn’t believe that last take,” or “you hit a sour note,” is invaluable. My usual engineer is Ron Logan out of Desoto. I have also done some work with David Williams at Vault Studios in Houston. I consider both of them my co-producers when I work with them. They both have great patience and excellent ears, and they’re both musicians.

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

Professionalism. You have to say what you’re going to do, and do it—just like a job. Even if you’re not being paid, by the way. Professionalism also means taking charge of your audience’s experience. Like bringing SOME kind of stage lighting when you’re playing solo in a dark corner of a club. If the club doesn’t “get it,” who suffers? The artist and his/her audience, that’s who. Do the best job you can, even if it’s not in your job description.

Describe your toughest moments in your quest for a music career and tell us how you overcame them.

A number of years ago, a record label famous for KC and the Sunshine band decided that they wanted to branch into rock and roll. They signed my band to a two-year contract, and promptly went into bankruptcy within about 30 days. That left us completely locked up for two years, unavailable to sign a record contract with any other label until the time expired. We simply toughed it out and kept up our live playing and writing. However, I recommend that artists—young and old alike—subscribe to a pre-need legal program of some kind, so they have someone to review contracts from a legal perspective, and help out when things get more serious. Here in Texas there are some free artist-oriented legal services available through the Texas Music Office. If that’s not available, or not enough, programs with a wide variety of protections—not just those to do with the music business—are available nationwide and in Canada for $17 - $26 a month. That’s pretty cheap to have a law firm with attorneys in every specialty (including copyright) at your beck and call to review legal matters, write wills, and send letters when you have an altercation with a club owner.

What advice would you offer up and coming artists that get discouraged other than don't give up?

We all hear the stories about James Taylor who made it at 17, or the Beatles who came onto the scene all at once. People who really take off young are largely flukes—it’s like winning the lottery. And how much money they make is entirely over-estimated. The Beatles were more of an example of how it is and was. They spent years honing their skills in Hamburg and bonding as a team before they made it. In the indie world, for sure, it’s about lasting for a long time. Outlasting everyone else in the process. Don’t wait for a record company, manager or producer. Become those things for yourselves, find your own “voice,” and build your own fan-base. Don’t stop. If you think you’ve tried everything, trust me you haven’t. With your own fan base, signing with a record company becomes a choice, not a requirement. You may find that staying independent makes a whole lot more sense when you look at how much you’re NOT going to make off the deal.

One more: choose bandmates and partners who are stable, even if they’re a little less talented. Nothing is more likely to trip you up than a talented jerk that you can’t work with, or someone strung out on drugs or alcohol. This is your career you’re talking about.

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

This year I was nominated for 2009 Texas State Musician. Willie Nelson won, but my standard joke is, “at least this year he can say he beat Ryan Michael Galloway. And I wish he would. Every time he plays.”

I’m here to mentor as much as I’m here to write, record, and perform. To me, it’s always been about service, whether it’s to my fans or my colleagues. As generous as I’ve attempted to be, I find my fellow musicians have always been amazingly willing to share of themselves in even larger ways. What comes around truly goes around.

Let me put it another way. My email is Ryan@RyanRocks.com and my phone number is 972-841-0226.

Websites to check out:
http://www.ryanrocks.com/ (my main portal)
http://www.gigsterclinics.com/ (music business education)
www.facebook.com/NoStinkingRecordCompany (fan page, including nightly v-log posts)
http://www.wedontneednostinkingrecordcompany.com/ (v-log ground zero)

Copyright © 2009 Madalyn Sklar

Madalyn Sklar is a music business coach & consultant, blogger, social networks expert and author. She has spent over 13 years helping independent musicians and music business professionals achieve greater success in the biz. Her motto is: working smarter not harder. She also founded GoGirlsMusic.com, the oldest + largest online community of indie women musicians.

You can reach Madalyn at MadalynSklar.com or madalynsklar AT gmail.com

Madalyn Sklar Recommends Crystal Clear CDs and Sonic Vison Mastering

2009-12-07T12:28:00.000-06:00

When it comes to getting your CD mastered and manufactured you want it simple and easy. Am I right? I know we've all been through our share of disappointments, missed deadlines and errors when it comes to getting our CD just right and ready for launch. I'm here to share my good fortune and experience with two top-notch companies in the industry. First Mike Milchner of Sonic Vision Mastering. This is my first year working with Mike and I am completely wow'd by his professionalism and experience. He has totally exceeded my expectations. And we know how rare that can be in this biz. Second, I'm thrilled to once again work with Jim Cocke and his great team at Crystal Clear. They are the kings of CD manufacturing! I'm amazed at how easy they made this for me. Yes, they make my job easy!

Here is the bottom line: with these two companies you get personal attention. I know, real customer service is becoming obsolete because many are getting too "corporate", making it about their bottom line, not about you the customer.

Those who know me well know I willl not work with just any company. In the sea of music businesses, I look for those with professionalism and integrity. I look for companies that will take care of you and me.

"They rock! Plain and simple. You know, there are so many CD manufacturers out there but who really knows their stuff and cares about the customer? Hands down, it's Crystal Clear. Give 'em a call and see why we are happy customers!" -- Madalyn Sklar

CDs – DVDs – T-SHIRTS - PROMO
Madalyn Sklar at Madalyn's Blog & 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 http://www.crystalclearcds.com/gogirls 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!

Make your production the best that it can be. Sonic Vision provides world class mastering to the independent music community at extremely reasonable rates. 20 plus years of experience will put the finishing touches on your music that will ensure impressive first impressions and preserve long term enjoyment. Hear for yourself with their free no obligation demo. Just visit their website for all the details and mention GoGirlsMusic for a 10% discount. We highly recommend it!

Details at http://www.sonicvisionmastering.com/

Copyright © 2009 Madalyn Sklar

Madalyn Sklar is a music business coach & consultant, blogger, social networks expert and author. She has spent over 13 years helping independent musicians and music business professionals achieve greater success in the biz. Her motto is: working smarter not harder. She also founded GoGirlsMusic.com, the oldest + largest online community of indie women musicians.

Madalyn's Sites:
GoGirlsMusic.com
Social Networks for Musicians

Get interviewed on this blog for just $50

2009-12-03T15:27:00.001-06:00

I'm sure you've seen my monthly interviews with members of the GoGirls community here on my blog. It's a fee-based service I've been providing for many years. Due to its popularity I've decided to expand it to ALL musicians, artists and bands of all genres looking for promotion opportunities. Your $50 investment gets you a professional Q&A interview posted here on my blog. I will also promote it on my Facebook and Twitter. You are free to promote it on your site and anywhere else you see fit. It's a win/win for sure!

To get started, please click on the "buy now" button.

See examples of Q&A interviews:
Kathleen Blackwell
Davina Robinson
Scorpio Rising

Copyright © 2009 Madalyn Sklar

Madalyn Sklar is a music business coach & consultant, blogger, social networks expert and author. She has spent over 13 years helping independent musicians and music business professionals achieve greater success in the biz. Her motto is: working smarter not harder. She also founded GoGirlsMusic.com, the oldest + largest online community of indie women musicians.

Madalyn's Sites:
GoGirlsMusic.com
Social Networks for Musicians

GoGirls Interview with Kathleen Blackwell

2009-12-01T15:16:00.000-06:00

by Madalyn Sklar

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

Hmm...those are good questions! What drives my music? Well, I have always been inspired by music, since I could remember radio, musicals, MTV, I awe-struck by music, fascinated by music--it's not quite something that I can put my finger on, rather I find that music is a vehicle for me to explore. Music gives me permission to feel and to be in touch with my inner-being. I am first drawn to the chords, the beat, the vibe of a song and I am last drawn to the lyrics. Nine times out of ten, I'm not sure what a song may even be lyrically saying until I've made it a point to focus on the lyrical content! I know, probably many people are just the opposite and that's why that first lyric line of a song can make or break somebody's desire to hear the rest. With me, though, I am initially more in tune with using my right-brain to process a song, automatically asking myself, "How does this song make me feel?" With my classical piano background, as well, lyrics weren't really an integral part to the repertoire that I learned, rather interpretation was based more on melody phrasing of the notes. This stuck with me...until I started writing my own music a few years ago and then not only did I intuitively gravitate towards finding chord structures that allowed me to express myself, but I also "woke up" and realized that, "Wow, I have a lot I want to say and I'll be darn if lyrics aren't also important...maybe even more so!" So, to finally answer "What drives my music?" I'd have to officially say the combination of unique and compelling chord structures that allow me to explore the depths of my feelings, combined with the fact that for a long time, my voice was silent, dominated by others...until I went through some life-changing events that compelled me to find my voice and to lyrically speak "me." I have also been wildly driven by the question, "What makes people tick?" One of my favorite subjects is psychology and social psychology, so I find that I enjoy writing about people.

Describe your music style and name three musicians you have been inspired by and why.

My musical style is indie-pop-rock mixed with some modern-classical chord-structures. To my surprise as well, I have written with some jazzy chords, too, and those have turned out to be my favorite songs! Go figure, as I am primarily a musical lover of alternative-pop, grunge, radio hits and anything that's heavy :) I like loud, "balls to the wall" (pardon the expression!) music. I'm thinking, though, that my jazzy influence came from my love of soundtracks and Broadway musicals as a kid. Three musicians or artists that have greatly inspired me are: 1) Tori Amos for her stunning, stunning piano presentation mixed with compelling, thought-provoking lyrical content. Wow! I wanted to "be her." 2) U2 for their absolute dedication, musical prowess and gifted ability to "make an arena sing in peace." I also admire their vision to unite, their fearless approach to politics and their attempt to merge earthly "desires and destructions" with an outer-worldly approach. They have also managed to stay together and in a world where many things seem to be falling apart, I applaud that. As well, as a young child whose Irish, Air Force Pilot father was absent from my life, U2 filled this emotional space--their earliest albums some of their best. And they've always worked with tremendous producers! 3) Well, for number three, I'm going to combine a few, a) Lenny Kravitz, b) Seal and c) Soundtracks. While there is not a whole lot of correlation between the three (LOL!), I have to single-handedly say that without a doubt, I love Lenny Kravitz--I think that his music and his style rock! Amazing artist. Seal--wow, what an incredible voice, gifted and uplifting...beautiful, but with sadness. Soundtracks--what can I say--I adore soundtracks! A few of my favorites have been "Strange Days," "9 1/2 Weeks" and "A Chorus Line." I also have to mention Pearl Jam, Nirvana, Dinosaur Jr. AND Urge Overkill (love them!)--for my generation, these bands did it for me, too.

What's your ideal venue atmosphere?

Intimate, as it ups the ante. Although, my dream is to play an arena show! Haha! I know--but I have this love for the way the crews move in and out of these shows, they set up imagination and when the lights go down and the show comes alive---wow, fabulous!

Describe how your music career has evolved since you first started performing.

Since I first started performing, my music career has expanded in the sense that what i bring to the live setting is somewhat different than my recorded work, so in essence, people who see me live see a different side of me.

How would you describe the music scene in your area?

Well, living in Los Angeles, the music scene is vast! As well, there are many of us here who are trying to pursue our dreams and play for the love of playing as often as we can. I find the hardest part is that for me personally, I want to be out there supporting other artists all of the time, alas much of the time I am also playing that same night, or rehearsing, or writing...and I think that many of us do the best we can to support each other, as well as try to gain our own audience and following.

What was the inspiration for your latest release?

Well, hard times--emotionally and financially! I was going through life-changing events that I couldn't understand, I had so many questions, I didn't know what I was doing, what my role was---I wanted to ask and answer the "why" question of it all. I was focused on writing about my inner-dialog mixed with my external experiences and I think when I aptly titled my album, "To Be Human," when I look back, I realize that title summed it all up. "To Be Human" was the question and the answer. Through it all, I found some resolve. Writing my album was one of the most beautiful experiences--out of the pain comes light.

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

Your songs! By all means, if there is anything that I have learned over the past couple of years, it would be to not be afraid to "face your own music." Take a look at your song structure, your opening lyric line, are there any details you can add, or change to make the story even that much better. Write from your heart and don't be afraid to say what you feel. Go to song critiques and get feedback BEFORE you go into the studio. I would say the number one ingredient in preparing to record your CD project is pre-production! As well, I might add, that for me, at least...if I hadn't had the best producer in the world (haha, I really believe that!), I'm not sure what my CD would have sounded like. Wow, though, a good engineer / producer can make all the difference in your final product. As for saving time in the studio, I feel that comes back to pre-production on the songs themselves. ALSO...one of the best things I did as a singer-songwriter, was that when I went into the studio, I was not "stuck" on exactly how I wanted the songs to sound--it's okay to leave some of your chords open--allow other players who come in to do their own interpretation--that brings in the magic. I firmly believe that when I work with somebody who is also creative, be it a producer, my graphic designer, a business partner--I WANT them to bring their own style and ingredients to the mix. So, in essence what I'm saying is "trust." Trust them to do their job!

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

I think every musician has to learn to find a place of trust within themselves. This can be a very tough business. I know, I've been on the business side of it, worked for labels...I've seen how tough it can be. I am now on the artist side and I think, for me, the one thing that has been the toughest lesson to learn, to grow from and to build on is: Trust yourself, be true to you. Nothing else matters! "They" can go take a long walk! Haha! Love who you are because at the end of each song, each day--you have to live with you.

Describe your toughest moments in your quest for a music career and tell us how you overcame them.

The toughest moments for me in my music career quest have been balancing the left brain and right brain activities it takes today to really develop your own career! Today is so much about the 360 concept--being your own business, too!

What advice would you offer up and coming artists that get discouraged other than don't give up?

Network. Network. Network. Get out there. Meet people. Attend trade-shows and music conferences. Get feedback. Help others when you have learned the ropes! Have a plan A. Have a plan B, too! Remember your passion.

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

Well, I'm really excited that I just got singed with Gotham Records Music Placement! Woot! And on a completely different note, my biggest dream has always been in the International realm. I have always wanted to work for the UN, or work on peace-keeping missions, I have always wanted to help bridge communication gaps between people, nations.

What have you gotten out of being a member of the GoGirls community?

GoGirls Rock!! I have so enjoyed the community aspect of GoGirls--it is truly a fabulous gathering of female talent and artists and one of the most inspiring aspects of GoGirls from my observations and experience is that each member cares about their own community, their surroundings--they give back and work together to support each other. I remember the first time I saw Madalyn before I knew she was the founder of GoGirls--I had seen her on some instructional video talking about how to make your Facebook artist page work--LOL! I was so completely enthralled with this "cool chick" who seemed to know what she was talking about in the technical world (as that is my blind side) and she had it so together and then when I discovered GoGirls and realized that she was also the "fearless leader," I said to myself, "Wow, well, this has to be one helluva organization!" And it is!

Learn more about Kathleen at:
http://www.kathleenblackwell.com/
http://www.myspace.com/kathleenblackwell

Copyright © 2009 Madalyn Sklar/GoGirlsMusic.com

Madalyn Sklar is a music business coach & consultant, blogger, social networks expert and author. She has spent over 13 years helping independent musicians and music business professionals achieve greater success in the biz. Her motto is: working smarter not harder. She also founded GoGirlsMusic.com, the oldest + largest online community of indie women musicians.

Madalyn's Sites:
GoGirlsMusic.com
Social Networks for Musicians

Sending Facebook Page Updates - Where Did The Link Go?

2009-11-23T12:27:00.001-06:00

by Madalyn Sklar

One of the greatest benefits to running a Facebook Page is the ability to quickly and easily send out an update to everyone. Unlike your web site's mailing list where people opt-in first, your Facebook fans are automatically given the opportunity to hear from you. Of course they can opt-out at any time.

I recommend sending out updates no more than once weekly but preferably only 1-2 times per month.

So you are ready to send out an update but uh oh, where did the link go? Seems over the weekend Facebook decided to move the link and you may be wondering, "what the heck?" Don't worry. You can still send out your updates but now you must add an extra click to get there.

Before, when logged in your Facebook page, the "Send an Update to Fans" link was located below your profile image along with several other links. Not anymore.

Now you must click on "Edit Page". From there look on the right side column under "Promote your page" and you'll see the link now resides here.

If you have any questions or comments, please feel free to post it here or on our Facebook Page. We'd love to hear from you!

Copyright © 2009 Madalyn Sklar

Madalyn Sklar is a music business coach & consultant, blogger, social networks expert and author. She has spent over 13 years helping independent musicians and music business professionals achieve greater success in the biz. Her motto is: working smarter not harder. She also founded GoGirlsMusic.com, the oldest + largest online community of indie women musicians.

Madalyn's Sites:
GoGirlsMusic.com
Social Networks for Musicians

Madalyn Sklar's Facebook Quick Tips Video

2009-11-23T11:29:00.000-06:00

Hey friends. So you know I stay on top of Facebook and am constantly aware of what's new as it happens. I do this so you don't have to. If you don't already subscribe to my RSS feed or get email updates, be sure to do so. I'll be spending more time letting you know what's going on at Facebook here on my blog. I also update regularly on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/socialnetworksformusicians.

Here is my latest Facebook Quick Tip:

Copyright © 2009 Madalyn Sklar

Madalyn Sklar is a music business coach & consultant, blogger, social networks expert and author. She has spent over 13 years helping independent musicians and music business professionals achieve greater success in the biz. Her motto is: working smarter not harder. She also founded GoGirlsMusic.com, the oldest + largest online community of indie women musicians.

Madalyn's Sites:
GoGirlsMusic.com
Social Networks for Musicians

Attention Bands: Welcome To Facebook, This Is Not Myspace!

2009-11-05T12:17:00.001-06:00

by Guest Blogger Laura Marie

Welcome to Facebook. If you are new here and coming over from Myspace you have noticed many differences. Social Networks for Musicians can help you navigate those differences and make the most of your Facebook experience. For now, here are some helpful Do's and Don'ts to keep you growing your network and stop you from getting blocked.

Do: Post gig flyers to your wall
Don't: Post gig flyers to your friend's walls. On Myspace this was acceptable. Here it's like going to someone's house and posting it on their front door.

Do: Tag your photos, flyers and videos with people who are involved in whatever you are posting.
Don't: Tag everyone you want to invite to see your photos, flyers and videos. It's the same thing as posting it to their wall and, unless you have permission to do so, don't do it. Besides, if you post it to your own wall, it will show up in all your friend's home feed anyway.

Do: Create and event invite when you have an event to promote
Don't: Continue to invite people who have RSVP'd with "not attending". This happens all the time on on other social networks

Do: Create a fan page for all your band's music and info.
Don't: Use your profile as your fan page. Mostly because the fan page has so many more options for bands to promote their music but, also because Facebook did not design your profile page to be an advertising page and you might get deleted. Of course, you might not but why risk it? And, yes, it can be challenging to get your friends to also become fans but SN4M can help you with that. Plus, there are benefits to having both.

We recommend reading, How To Attract 3,000 Fans In 30 Days, The Ultimate Facebook Pages Guide

Do: Tell your friends about what you are doing in band related activities.
Don't: Make it all business all the time. This is a social network. Go. Be Social. :)

Remember there is a reason people are moving to this network. Don't try to buck the system. Go with the flow and it will be a great tool to spread the word about your music.

Copyright © 2009 Laura Marie, singer/songwriter/computer nerd

Texas singer songwriter, Laura Marie, can be found promoting indie music and helping artists with their internet presence throughout the web. She is currently preparing for her second solo release in January of 2010 and can be easily found on the following websites and networks:

http://www.lauramariemusic.com/
http://www.facebook.com/lauramariemusic
http://www.twitter.com/lauramariemusic
http://www.myspace.com/lauramarie

GoGirls Interview with Davina Robinson

2009-11-01T13:13:00.000-06:00

by Madalyn Sklar

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

From a very young age, I've wanted to do music. I hardly watched TV; I listened to music instead, fantasizing being on stage, but I was extremely shy and had severe stage freight. I would write lyrics to future songs, sing them in my room or the shower, and just kept hoping I could be good enough and fearless enough to get on stage someday. Thanks to living in Japan and being dragged to karaoke bars, I got used to singing in front of people. I was a late bloomer. When I started my first band, there was no turning back.

Describe your music style and name three musicians you have been inspired by and why.

I tend to weave my genres; it's not a conscious thing, but I chalk it up to my multi-racial background, growing up on R&B and rock. I like to sing in a bluesy way, I like to write stuff I can dance to, and I love hard guitars, bass and drums that I can headbang to.

As for my songwriting style, I wrote journals for years, so that autobiographical style/viewpoint seems to be prevalent in my lyrics.

Three musicians... difficult to limit to three. But Living Colour was particularly inspirational because, for one, it was the first concert I'd ever been to. I didn't know who they were, a friend invited me, and I was blown away. Of course for their unbelievable power and musicianship, but also because I'd never known there were African-Americans like me who loved rock music. A big eye-opener, and very liberating.

I really love Pink for her songwriting, her resilience and humor, and I like the way she (and her producers) can do different genres on the same album and make the album sound totally cohesive.

I love Chaka Khan for her singing range, her attitude, you name it. She can sing any genre, she can sing any cover and make it her own. She's an R&B legend, but to me, she's a funky rock chick. I want her to do a rock album so badly.

There are so many more...

What's your ideal venue atmosphere?

I'm sure everyone says this, but a great sound system with competent people to run it! I did the bar band thing for years, and from that experience I've learned that I love a venue where people come to discover something new, and actually appreciate it. I don't mean silently listening, though. I like an active crowd, dancing, headbanging, responding in some way. And if they sing the hook back to you, ahhhh.....

Describe how your music career has evolved since you first started performing.

When I first started, I knew absolutely nothing about music (!) and had no idea who I was as an artist. I just basically got on stage and sang cover songs I liked. I let my band handle everything else, from the arrangement to setting up the PA for rehearsals. I certainly didn't know anything about the business/marketing/promotion end. Now, I know my voice, I know how I sing and what types of arrangements complement me. I do my homework, am prepared, keep up with the business/marketing/promotion, and let my existence known to various bookers, venues, and others in the industry. I'm my best and most enthusiastic cheerleader.

How would you describe the music scene in your area?

Like most cities, venue attendance is down, including in Osaka. But there is definitely a market for "niche" type artists. The Japanese like quirky stuff and are very group-oriented, so once you find a group of fans, word will spread quickly, and they'll be loyal to the end. The underground scene seems to rule right now. My music isn't particularly quirky, but I am unusual enough in that I'm a plus-size foreign woman with a huge afro doing rock in English, so I stand out, so I guess that puts me into a niche. I've been getting more attention lately, so I'm looking forward to the next several months to see where this new attention leads.

What was the inspiration for your latest release?

My latest (May 08) and only release (so far), "The Blazing Heart", represented my determination. I'd spent years trying to get my music together, but it always seemed like my music would never see the light of day. It took years to find someone who understood my vision and could arrange the songs the way I wanted, or even surpass my vision. Of the four songs on the EP, two are older songs I'd written years ago; the other two were new at the time. So I combined the old me and the new me, and gave it the title "The Blazing Heart" to remind myself of how far I've come, and to remind myself to keep going.

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

Fortunately, I hired a very organized producer, and I learned a lot from him. He had a time schedule, he knew exactly how he wanted the song to go, the exact drum pattern, the exact tone of the guitar, and he hired experienced session musicians who could take direction. He did a lot in pre-production. So this saved a lot of time.

As for preparation for a CD project, I think the number one thing is to know your song and how you want to play it and sing it. Any song you plan to record, you should really have it down pat, by playing it live as many times as possible, not just in band rehearsals. New ideas - lyrics, phrasing, melody, chords - will always come. In a live situation, friends can give honest feedback, and you can see how the crowd responds to certain songs. The more you perform a song, the tweaks get worked out, so the smoother the studio session will be. So it's best to go into the studio with a song that you're confident in; that you'll be satisfied with. Because once it's recorded, that's it.

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

The ability to handle the fact that not everyone will like your music. Or the courage to venture out of your comfort zone and perform at a venue in a different state or somewhere far, in front of total strangers who aren't into you at all. You really need to be thick-skinned. It's cliche but true: Only the strong survive.

Describe your toughest moments in your quest for a music career and tell us how you overcame them.

A great opportunity that never came to be... Thanks to a GoGirls opp, I was to be featured in a print magazine called "Figure" earlier this year. But the magazine went bankrupt, so my feature/interview was never published. That kind of exposure meant so much to me. Really broke my heart.

Lots of money wasted/lost on a promoter who I realized didn't really promote me at all, during my acoustic tour of L.A. last November. That made me feel really stupid, totally violated and taken advantage of.

Both the good and (especially) the bad are learning tools. What you do with the new knowledge is the important thing. I know I won't make the same mistake next time.

These setbacks made me tougher, and made me change my strategy. So I decided to market myself where I live and perform (Osaka), even though I wasn't sure the Japanese audiences would dig me singing originals in English. But it turned out to be a very good decision, as things are really picking up, and I feel very confident and excited for the first time in a long time.

What advice would you offer up and coming artists that get discouraged other than don't give up?

You really have to do your homework, not just the performing side, but the business side. It takes patience, time and consistency. Do research. Read books. Read biographies of famous artists, to see what they went through before hitting the big time. Be prepared for the setbacks and enjoy the big opportunities, but with a grain of salt. When something doesn't go your way, you have to be able to say to yourself, "That opportunity wasn't right for me," instead of thinking "I'm not good enough." You can't sit back and wait someone to "discover" you and help you. You have to make it happen for yourself. Even when things look bleak, or don't turn out as you'd hoped, you have to keep your focus, keep believing in yourself, keep selling yourself and take control, of both your career and your emotions.

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

I am the Rock n' Roll Soul Chick!!

I'm working on material for my next CD project, and one of those songs will be used for my first music video. Hopefully I can shoot it by next Spring. The material this time will have simpler arrangements but with a harder feel, perhaps more blues-rock/hard rock, and the lyrics...hmmmmm....I'll need a "Parental Advisory" label for this one! LOL.

Would love to visit my hometown Philadelphia (go Phils!) next summer and be able to do a few shows.

What have you gotten out of being a member of the GoGirls community?

Though I live in Japan and as of yet there's no chapter here (I've been thinking of starting one, actually), and I can't really fly out to do showcases, I still think GoGirls is such a valuable resource. Members offered advice when I was planning my tour of L.A. last year, and I even met a few face-to-face while there. What a cool group of chicks! :-) There are always new opportunities to check out and new things to discover from the websites and group discussions. Even though I'm far away, I never feel alone. Sounds corny, but true. I always recommend GoGirls.

More on Davina Robinson at these sites:

WEBSITE http://www.davinarobinson.com/
FACEBK www.facebook.com/davinarobinsonmusic
YOUTUBE www.youtube.com/rocknrollsoulchick
CD BABY www.cdbaby.com/cd/davinarobinson
MYSPACE www.myspace.com/davinarobinson

Copyright © 2009 Madalyn Sklar

Madalyn Sklar is a music business coach & consultant, blogger, social networks expert and author. She has spent over 13 years helping independent musicians and music business professionals achieve greater success in the biz. Her motto is: working smarter not harder. She also founded GoGirlsMusic.com, the oldest + largest online community of indie women musicians.

Madalyn's Sites:
GoGirlsMusic.com
Social Networks for Musicians

How To Attract 3,000 Fans In 30 Days, The Ultimate Facebook Pages Guide

2009-10-28T15:37:00.000-05:00

by Madalyn Sklar

I have come across the best marketing guide that will help you attract Facebook fans. It's put out by the people behind AllFacebook.com, which I read regularly.

How To Attract 3,000 Fans In 30 Days, The Ultimate Facebook Pages Guide

This 75-page guide to Facebook Pages teaches you:

1. What’s New? - Our guide will walk you through all of the new features in the Facebook Pages product and explain how to use them.

2. How To Develop A Successful Brand - The course doesn’t just provide lessons on how to use Facebook Pages but also how to build a more powerful brand on the web.

3. Mastering The Art Of Conversations - Social media is a two-way conversation and Facebook is no exception to the rule. We walk you through some of the best strategies for more effectively engaging your audience.

4. Creating A Content Strategy That Sells - At the end of the day, building out your online brand presence is not just about attracting fans but making sales. We will discuss some of the best tactics to developing content that will help you sell more.

5. Using Facebook Ads To Promote Your Page - Want to get more fans through Facebook’s advertising platform. I will walk you through the process of building out an advertisement and discuss some of the best strategies to improving your results.

6. Turn New Visitors Into Fans - As I just mentioned, not all visitors to your Facebook Page are fans. In this guide I walk you through the best techniques to converting new visitors into fans.

7. More - There are over 30 priceless techniques to attracting more fans and developing a magnetic presence on Facebook.

How To Attract 3,000 Fans In 30 Days, The Ultimate Facebook Pages Guide

I know you find this handy resource invaluable in your quest to elevate yourself on Facebook pages. Let me know what you think. I'd love to hear from you!

Copyright © 2009 Madalyn Sklar

Madalyn Sklar is a music business coach & consultant, blogger, social networks expert and author. She has spent over 13 years helping independent musicians and music business professionals achieve greater success in the biz. Her motto is: working smarter not harder. She also founded GoGirlsMusic.com, the oldest + largest online community of indie women musicians.

Madalyn's Sites:
GoGirlsMusic.com
Social Networks for Musicians

Top 10 Places to Get Online Radio for Free

2009-10-27T15:31:00.000-05:00

Madalyn's Note: I'm passing this info along... Enjoy!

Got work to do on the computer and need to make it go faster? Then grab a pair of headphones, the below top ten places to get online radio, and make the work fly by with your favorite music. Best of all, these stations are completely free to listen to and work with a pop up blocker.

1. Slacker An outstanding site, it allows you to create your own personal radio on the computer. Simply select from stations such as Today’s Hits, New Country, Comedy, and others to begin. The site even has options for iPhones, iPod Touch, Blackberry, and anyone with a Wifi connection. You can even type in the name of a particular artist or song to find them.

2. Pandora Part of the Music Genome Project, this radio station actually analyzes how people listen to music. Another feature of the site is the ability to allow visitors to type in the name of a song or artist into Pandora. The site then scans its entire database of both new and old songs to find musical similarities to your choice. Create up to 100 stations of your choice and start listening.

3. Live 365 Stop here for over 6,000 internet radio stations run by real people, not computers or generators. Genres available here include the blues, reggae, metal, and many others. They even have specialty stations such as Xtreme Prank, Horror Old Time Radio, and many others. You can also get a free app for your iPhone.

Read the entire blog post and get all ten at http://onlineitdegrees.org/top-10-places-to-get-online-radio-for-free

Are We LinkedIn?

2009-10-20T11:38:00.000-05:00

by Madalyn Sklar

When we talk about the top social network sites that are a must for you to be on it's important to include LinkedIn. Because it's a professional networking site, there are incredibly great contacts for you there if you take the time to work it. Wouldn't you like to tap into the over 50 million professionals who use LinkedIn to exchange information, ideas and opportunities? I feel it's not being utilized by most musicians and should be quickly added to your mix and updated regularly.

One of my favorite features is "recommendations" where people you know can leave a testimonial about you and your work. Over time I have accumulated some amazing recommendations from people I know, love and respect.

Here is my latest:

“Madalyn has been our biggest resource for help both in career coaching and through GoGirlsMusic, giving us a platform for our music. Madalyn is the utmost professional, and her experience and knowledge is second to none. Here generosity and kindness towards us, our goals, our music, our business has been invaluable. Madalyn taught us how to fish, and because of it we now eat. You will not find someone more qualified or dedicated. Madalyn our deepest gratitude.” September 22, 2009

Top qualities: Great Results, Expert, High Integrity

LnZ and Chris of A Melodic Daydream

This is truly what social networks are about, connecting and sharing. Whether you are searching for work or wanting to reach and connect with people who can help you in the music business, this is the place to be. If you are not LinkedIn yet, get moving. It's well worth the time to set up. If you have a LinkedIn profile, be sure to review it from time to time, tweaking it and keeping it fresh.

You can check out my profile here: http://www.linkedin.com/in/madalynsklar
I encourage you to connect with me here on this extremely valuable site.

Copyright © 2009 Madalyn Sklar

Madalyn Sklar is a music business coach & consultant, blogger, social networks expert and author. She has spent over 13 years helping independent musicians and music business professionals achieve greater success in the biz. Her motto is: working smarter not harder. She also founded GoGirlsMusic.com, the oldest + largest online community of indie women musicians.

Madalyn's Sites:
GoGirlsMusic.com
Social Networks for Musicians

The Dewey Beach Music Conference Rocked My World Yet Again!

2009-10-09T18:13:00.001-05:00

by Madalyn Sklar

I am a big fan of any music conference that does things right and I have to say I have now attended the Dewey Beach Music Conference fours years in a row and they do not skip a beat. It is hands down one of THE best conferences I attend and participate in each year. Vikki Walls and her amazing team do it so well and they do it right. It's located in the little beach town of Dewey Beach, Delaware, just a few hours from Philadelphia and Washington, DC.

We arrived on Thursday at The Rusty Rudder in time for the first of many VIP Parties. It was fun hanging out with old and new friends while watching great live music. I was most excited to see one of our GoGirls Elite member bands, God-des and She perform for an eager crowd.

On Friday Kelly and I got to work setting up the GoGirls/Social Networks for Musicians booth over at the trade show. We spent the day talking to lots of people about what we do. And a big shout out to all our great GoGirls volunteers who helped out. I was also a speaker on the Social Networks panel which was moderated by my friend Lou Plaia of ReverbNation. We spent well over an hour giving out lots of great information and advice to the attendees. Of course I talked about how I was using Ping.fm to send up photos/status to all my sites while at the conference. I can't help it. I'm a techie geek and love sharing how I use social networks to my advantage.

On Friday night we were off to the best VIP party of the conference at Venus on the Half Shell. It's madness I tell ya. And when I say VIP I mean not just industry peeps like me but for ALL conference attendees. The party was filled with complimentary beer, vodka and amazing food like salad, pasta, lobster tails, and so much more! All while watching the sun set from the deck. If you want to be wow'd at a music conference, this is it! I really enjoyed spending time with a bunch of our GoGirls members. There is nothing like getting a group of us together in a relaxing atmosphere like this.

Later that evening we geared up for our GoGirls showcase. It was our 2nd year to host our Friday night showcase at McSheas, which is a cute pub that serves up cold pints and large vodka redbulls! Um, pint size cocktails to be exact. You gotta be careful at McSheas!

You can see tons of photos at http://www.flickr.com/photos/gogirlsmusic/sets/72157622397632491/

Saturday was filled with hanging out at the GoGirls booth and catching a few panels. I enjoyed the Talent Buyers/Booking Agents panel. My friend Allie Shaw of Listen Records and Hyperfestival was giving out some great advice to the bands.

Saturday night we were off to Gary's Grille for our annual Saturday night GoGirls showcase. It was our 5th year to party at Gary's. We had some great performers including a brand new band out of Philly called HiFi Asylum. Keep an eye out for this group because they can surely rock.

To all musicians and industry peeps... this is truly a gem of a conference. You cannot beat the laid back environment at the beach where you can rock out to tons of great bands in venues that are in walking distance from each other and enjoy complimentary beverages, tasty treats and awesome music at all the VIP parties. This was my 4th year to trek to Dewey Beach all the way from Texas and I'll tell ya, I'll do it again next year.

Learn more about the conference here: http://www.deweybeachfest.com/dbmc

And see my photo album here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/gogirlsmusic/sets/72157622397632491/

Copyright © 2009 Madalyn Sklar

Madalyn Sklar is a music business coach & consultant, blogger, social networks expert and author. She has spent over 13 years helping independent musicians and music business professionals achieve greater success in the biz. Her motto is: working smarter not harder. She also founded GoGirlsMusic.com, the oldest + largest online community of indie women musicians.

Madalyn's Sites:
GoGirlsMusic.com
Social Networks for Musicians

GoGirls Interview with Madame Scorpio of Scorpio Rising

2009-09-30T14:32:00.002-05:00

by Madalyn Sklar

What drives your music?

Not too sure, there is something within that keeps telling me to not stop this... seem to always end up at music somehow?

When did you first know you had to do this thing called music or bust?

Think it goes beyond music, I discovered early on I wanted to be center stage, even though I am very very shy and always screaming inside... when it comes to switching into performance mode I just know I feel it and able to own it...

I have felt that way since elementary school plays and playing cello with the UT String Project concerts.

I just have always felt very comfortable performing whether it is dance, acting or music

Describe your music style and name three musicians you have been inspired by and why.

As far as my band Scorpio Rising, the music style is very Motown slash Rock style.

Me personally - I dig music period... and hate trying to label or separate into specific genres..

I can feel deep into music like some old school Pink Floyd or King Crimson to hot driven aggressive Rob Halford with Judas Priest... Rob is very inspiring he is so great. So hard to narrow down to 3 individuals when I have been inspired by maybe just one song from a band to an entire record from 1st to last song... but as far as power and success Madonna is pretty darn cool to admire and be inspired from. I have always said that Gene Simmons was a good inspiration, that dude just keeps pumping out the products in so many forms it is insane but as far Gene the bass player in the band and his character - fuckin’ rox, I love that stuff!

What's your ideal venue atmosphere?

As far as a music venue and performing... good PA with monitors and a sound engineer that knows the room and really runs sound while you play.

Scorpio Rising will play to any cliental and with any other band on a bill.

Playing a venue where the staff does not act as if you are a pain in the ass and waste of time is always really nice.

I don’t need a lot of bells and whistles for a club to be cool to me.

Describe how your music career has evolved since you first started performing.

I started performing in a band called Retarted Elf back in 89-90 to 00-01. We took ourselves serious and made a name for our selves. We were making $1500.00 guarantees at clubs across Texas on a regular basis... now... things have changed and people don’t go out to see live music as much, so hard to say it has evolved in a growing sense ahahah seems to have definitely changed though... its all about different media these days and what I see is how it affects the music career in how it is marketed, distributed and packaged now. Personally as a singer I have evolved more in the studio and perfecting my sound, I am always learning. The music career seems to be spinning.

How would you describe the music scene in your area?

Austin will always be one of the coolest cities to live and perform in. Austin is going through a lot of growth changes and the music scene is affected in many ways, however there always seems to be a place to perform but just not as much local support as you would think for the “music capitol” which means no money... no pay.

There are too many places that want to do live music but don’t know what they are getting in to... expect you to perform for no money and bring a PA! These places have no business trying to do live music in my opinion for some reason a lot of places expect to get rich off booking bands... but don’t support the bands they book.with advertising.... no promotion at all... sort of a loose - loose situation.

There are plenty of artists in Austin, not running short on that, just running out of good vibe venues to play with good vibe staff and location that know how to conduct business right.

What was the inspiration for your latest release?

To finish a project! Our inspiration was not having anything new and we had to get something out there with our new drummer!

The last CD was with our new drummer - having new blood is very inspiring.

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

#1 Homework - know your parts. The worse thing is to half ass it and then when listening to the final product saying, "oh man wish I would have done this or that."

You will probably end up with a box of CD’s sitting there for a long time so when ordering your numbers order in bulk to keep cost down but don’t get too crazy, unless you have 1000 pre orders... do not get more than that!

Have your art ready to go - that can hold your project up for ever.

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

Seen more break than make to be honest... distractions and additions will always bring the musician down.

Just starting out - deal with it... you will be hungry starving... no money... struggling better have thick skin and be able to handle criticism. Be ready to have your heart broken and turn it into stone…hide the weakness!

Describe your toughest moments in your quest for a music career and tell us how you overcame them.

It has been tough the entire time. When my band Retarted Elf stopped playing that was tough to deal with... when there was a burning desire to rock the stage it made me get Scorpio Rising up and running in more full force. Scorpio Rising dealt with having our drummer quit right after finishing our CD “Vain Bastard” for release... that sucked... having to back up and put it in a different gear... but we managed to find another drummer and have put out a CD with him on it which is very cool

What advice would you offer up and coming artists that get discouraged other than don't give up?

Thick skin... and don’t show gaze, give the fans what they came for - practice.

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

I am Madame Scorpio here to rock with you.

What have you gotten out of being a member of the GoGirls community?

Couple shows, we are playing the GoGirlsMusicFest at Momos Oct 27th

Would like everyone to know we’re playing at Cactus Café in the Texas Union on UT campus Friday Oct. 2 - Wonderbred’s bday party!!! Would love some gogirl support!!

More on Scorpio Rising at www.myspace.com/scorpiorising and www.facebook.com/scorpiorising

Copyright © 2009 Madalyn Sklar

Madalyn Sklar is a music business coach & consultant, blogger, social networks expert and author. She has spent over 13 years helping independent musicians and music business professionals achieve greater success in the biz. Her motto is: working smarter not harder. She also founded GoGirlsMusic.com, the oldest + largest online community of indie women musicians.

Madalyn's Sites:
GoGirlsMusic.com
Social Networks for Musicians

Need Help With Facebook?

2009-09-22T19:09:00.000-05:00

by Madalyn Sklar

I get this all the time from musicians and music biz professionals:

"I have a Facebook 'fan' page, now what?!"

So in response to this, I have launched a brand new video tutorial,
How To Maximize Your Facebook "Fan" Page

I know in these tough times not everyone can afford one-on-one time with me and my staff, so I've been developing a series of video tutorials at a fraction of the cost.

You will learn new tips and tricks including how to easily navigate around your page, add the ReverbNation and YouTube applications, beef up your "Boxes" tab using HTML and so much more!

Check out a clip from my video tutorial.

Get more info at http://www.sn4m.com/

Please let me know if you have any questions! I'd love to hear from you.

Copyright © 2009 Madalyn Sklar

Madalyn Sklar is a music business coach & consultant, blogger, social networks expert and author. She has spent over 13 years helping independent musicians and music business professionals achieve greater success in the biz. Her motto is: working smarter not harder. She also founded GoGirlsMusic.com, the oldest + largest online community of indie women musicians.

Madalyn's Sites:
GoGirlsMusic.com
Social Networks for Musicians

Madalyn Sklar Recommends...

2009-09-17T09:30:00.000-05:00

When it comes to getting your CD mastered and manufactured you want it simple and easy. Am I right? I know we've all been through our share of disappointments, missed deadlines and errors when it comes to getting our CD just right and ready for launch. This Fall marks the 9th year I've put together the annual GoGirlsMusicFest Compilation CD. It's in conjunction with our annual GoGirlsMusicFest benefit showcase series across the country. (http://www.gogirlsmusicfest.com/)

I'm here to share my good fortune and experience with two top-notch companies in the industry. First Mike Milchner of Sonic Vision Mastering. This is my first year working with Mike and I am completely wow'd by his professionalism and experience. He has totally exceeded my expectations. And we know how rare that can be in this biz.

Second, I'm thrilled to once again work with Jim Cocke and his great team at Crystal Clear. They are the kings of CD manufacturing! They currently have our CD in production and I'm amazed at how easy they made this for me.

Here is the bottom line: with these two companies you get personal attention. I know, real customer service is becoming obsolete because many are getting too "corporate", making it about their bottom line, not you the customer.

Those who know me well know I willl not work with just any company. In the sea of music businesses, I look for those with professionalism and integrity. I look for companies that will take care of you and me.

Make your production the best that it can be. Sonic Vision provides world class mastering to the independent music community at extremely reasonable rates. 20 plus years of experience will put the finishing touches on your music that will ensure impressive first impressions and preserve long term enjoyment. Hear for yourself with their free no obligation demo. Just visit their website for all the details and mention GoGirlsMusic for a 10% discount. We highly recommend it!

Details at http://www.sonicvisionmastering.com/

They rock! Plain and simple. You know, there are so many CD manufacturers out there but who really knows their stuff and cares about the customer? Hands down, it's Crystal Clear. Give 'em a call and see why we are happy customers! -- Madalyn Sklar

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 http://www.crystalclearcds.com/gogirls 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!

Copyright © 2009 Madalyn Sklar

Madalyn Sklar is a music business coach & consultant, blogger, social networks expert and author. She has spent over 13 years helping independent musicians and music business professionals achieve greater success in the biz. Her motto is: working smarter not harder. She also founded GoGirlsMusic.com, the oldest + largest online community of indie women musicians.

Madalyn's Sites:
GoGirlsMusic.com
Social Networks for Musicians

GoGirls Interview with Dawn Botti of New Day Dawn

2009-09-01T08:00:00.002-05:00

by Madalyn Sklar

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

I think two main things drive my music. First I'm driven by the song writing process and the never-ending quest to write that "perfect" song. I love the potential and endless creative possibilities of not knowing what you are going to come up with next and always feeling there is room to improve. Second, I'm driven by the pure love of performing and being part of a band. After my last band, Slushpuppy, broke-up and my husband and I were busy having a baby, I thought I'd "take a break" from music.-- at least the performing aspects -- and it just felt like a lost some core part of me. A friend of mine even said "It's like Dawn isn't Dawn anymore" -- and that was my wake up call that I needed to get back on the saddle !

Describe your music style and name three musicians you have been inspired by and why.

My musical style is pure rock and roll -- classic rock, alternative rock, "pop" rock...basically anything that has distorted, chunky guitars and a great beat and strong memorable melody. Since I'm the lead singer, guitar player and main songwriter of the band, I have different musical influences for each piece -- but if I had to name top three: U2 , Foo Fighters and Pat Benatar --- all three of these have influenced me vocally, guitar-wise and in songwriting.

What's your ideal venue atmosphere?

My ideal venue is any place where there is an appreciative and attentive crowd that is there to really listen to what you are doing. I've played festivals/ venues with hundreds (even a couple thousand) of people and sometimes you don't have as satisfying of a gig as you do in the club where you played to only 20 people...because the audience of 20 was more attentive and there to really give you a chance and listen to your music...

Describe how your music career has evolved since you first started performing.

I've gotten a lot pickier with the gigs that my band will play. This is not due to being a "diva" or anything...but really more just a function of the fact that I am juggling a lot more in my life these days (a demanding day job and raising a family) and therefore have only limited, precious time to devote to my music. Also every time the band plays, I have to pay my side players and I have to pay a babysitter since my husband is in the band too --- so we really need to be careful about how much we spend vs. what we are making with the band. Sometimes I miss those days with my former band where we would literally just jump at any and every chance to play -- sometimes playing 4 or 5 gigs a week. Then on the other hand, I think that is also a sure fire way for an unsigned band to "burn out" -- these days you need to be more strategic about where , when and how you play. I also do a lot more acoustic solo gigs -- these are great b/c they don't cost me anything and I can have a greater flexibility to just show up somewhere on short notice. I used to be uncomfortable doing things without the support of my band behind me. Playing stripped down you feel much more vulnerable when you used to having all those loud amps and drums around you... but out of necessity I've forced myself to get comfortable doing it this way and it's been really good for me and well-received.

The other way my musical career has evolved is that I no longer am chasing around that always elusive major record label deal. The biggest mistake I with my prior band is that we never officially released a product -- we made "industry demos" and would shop them and then be completely at the mercy of all the labels. We would sell or give away those demos at our shows -- and since they weren't a complete packaged product, we always sold them for like 3 dollars.... we made at least 4 demos over the years and sold a couple thousand of them, but since we never had a UPC code or any way of tracking them...all of that went unnoticed and the money went to buy drinks, etc... instead of being systematically re-invested back into the band. I've learned since then to take more responsibility for the fate of my own career.

How would you describe the music scene in your area?

The music scene in the greater New York metro area is always a difficult nut to crack -- on the one hand, there are a ton of venues to play (especially in the city itself), but on the other hand trying to keep up with which venues are the "hottest" underground places to play is a daunting task. It seems to change weekly ! Secondly, there are just soooo many bands and musicians which makes the scene very crowded and very uneven. The clubs care more about how many people you can bring than how good you are. Quite frankly, it's not a great situation for the music fan -- Think about it, they come to a club to see your band play -- they pay the usually high-priced cover, then buy an overpriced drink, then the venue is usually running behind and the music fan has to endure one or more bad bands before getting to see the band that they came to see. Then the sets are only 35 minutes or so, so usually after that they want to stick around more...but again the band that follows may not be good. This is why what we always try to do is get on a bill with bands we already know -- or better yet, get the venue to let "us" book the entire night. At least this way we can ensure that all the bands are of the same caliber.

I live about 30 minutes outside New York City in a great eclectic town called Maplewood, NJ. There are a lot of musicians and music lovers out there and a bunch of us got together about a year ago to start a musicians collective called "Rock The House" NJ. We rent out the local community center and put on a rock show compromised of all local bands. It's all ages, so folks bring their kids. It's a great alternative to having to go trek into the city to see a rock show (and endure what I was talking about before). We've done 5 installments so far and have had over 200 attendees at each. We've just started to branch out and invite out of town talent onto each bill to keep the bill's fresh and not over exposure the same

What was the inspiration for your latest release?

Many of the songs on the latest CD were the result of personal heartbreak -- but not from a romance as one might think, but actually from the breakup of my former band, Slushpuppy. That band was like my family. In fact, each of the members (all male) were like my songs... since it was before I had any children of my own, I definitely looked over and cared about those boys like I was their mother (or at least older sister :) When the lead guitarist and bass player when behind my back and started jointly plotting to leave the band -- I saw it as a real betrayal and was devastated. They had both joined the band after the group had already been out there for number of years, they came in at a time when the band already had label interest, had carte blanche playing the top venues in the airing, and was getting radio play. Looking back, I don't think they realized how lucky they were and how much effort it takes to get a project to even that level. They left for the promises of "greener pastures" --- which of course never ended up materializing. The story is actually quite tragic b/c my former bass player ended up in a sever depression that he was never able to climb out of....and in fact, he is no longer of this earth because of that sickness. Looking back on it now with clearer vision, I can see that it was all just self-sabotage behavior on his part , but at the time I took it all VERY personally. Songs like "Misunderstood", "We Are" and "See Me Fall" were all written as a direct response to their actions. At the same time this was happening, my two best-childhood friends (who married each other in 1990) decided to get divorced after 14 years of marriage..... so... let's just say there's a lot of darkness on that record, which is a little weird for me now because I'm in a much happier place. Some fans have commented on the disconnect between my upbeat, positive outlook and the dark, aggressive lyrical content on the CD, but that is where I was in my life then and an artist can only do their best to represent what is going on in their lives (and in their heads) at that moment. I'm now in the midst of writing many more upbeat and happy songs. I have a new song called "You Are My Everything" that is written for my husband (been married 15 years) and that's getting a lot of good response.

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

Do a lot of pre-production ! Let a non-invested third party expert (e.g. a producer) listen to your tunes and comment on them. As songwriters and musicians we get so used to hearing things a certain way sometimes you can't see accurately what the song may need --- e.g. removing a verse, adding another chorus, shortening a part... etc... I also think that we are so lucky today to have such powerful digital editing tools -- and given that a musician should really be focused on capturing the energy of their performance as opposed to hitting every note accurately. Those little errors can be fixed with the magic of the editing... but no amount of editing can capture the "magic of the moment".

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

I can think of two things that will break a musician: 1) trying to keep up with the "jones" and following trends in the industry as opposed to playing what is "authentic" for that artist and 2) thinking that you can just concentrate on the "music" part of the music business and leave all the business stuff for someone else to do.

Describe your toughest moments in your quest for a music career and tell us how you overcame them.

Well the Slushpuppy break up was definitely probably the toughest moment. We were getting played on KRock, had Jagermeister sponsoring us and talking about adding us to the next Ozzfest... we had lots of buzz and momentum behind the band, and when the guys all up and quit I was so hurt and angry I just didn't think I had any fight left in me to keep going it alone. I needed to take a break and really look in the mirror and think about what I really wanted from this thing called music. What I found was that I wasn't really being authentic in terms of the music I was writing or playing back then. I was trying to be something I wasn't just to placate the other members of the band (that wanted the music to be really heavy, angst-ridden hard rock). So I decided to retire Slushpuppy and start my current band, NEW DAY DAWN with music that was created on my own terms. Now when I get up on stage, I don't feel like a phony.

What advice would you offer up and coming artists that get discouraged other than don't give up?

I would say if you are pursuing music primarily for the reasons of becoming rich and famous, then you should really take another look at it. There's certainly easier and more guaranteed ways to make a living out there. The best advice I can give is to continue to take a good hard look at yourself and decide whether you are speaking your truth. If you are speaking your truth than your music will resonate with others. Also, redefine success. If you are doing what you love... even if it isn't making you rich or famous... isn't that in and of itself "success" ?

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

I'm not only a musician and songwriter, but a corporate lawyer by day...and a wife and mother of a very energetic 4-year old. Specifically, I am the Senior Vice President of Business and Legal Affairs for NBC Universal Television. This means I spend my days negotiating and drafting contracts for multi-million dollar content licensing deals and I also am an adjunct professor at NYU where I teach a course called "Music and The Law". Of course my legal experience certainly helps when I'm doing the "business" side of music, but at the same time it also can be a hindrance. When people hear that I'm an accomplished lawyer, they will usually dismiss my music as just a 'fun hobby' --- that is until they hear it and then I get the surprised "oh my god, you are actually really good ?" I used to try to hide my multi-faceted personality ... but now I'm over that. I am who I am :)

What have you gotten out of being a member of the GoGirls community?

As Madalyn always says, you get out of it what you put into it and to be honest, I have only started really getting involved in GoGirls over the past few months. That said, I'm looking forward to all the wonderful opportunities to gain exposure for my music and establish an ever better support group. Knowing that there is a group of women around the country (and beyond) that all share a similar dream (in one form or another) and all are willing to help each other is really invaluable. I can't wait to get out there and play shows with many of them and to meet many of them! It makes it especially great that we are all women -- I think that as women we have a unique way of seeing and interacting with the world, and we also need each other (especially those of us in the rock genre) since the field is so dominated by men!

Check out the following links for more on New Day Dawn:

http://www.newdaydawnband.com/
www.myspace.com/newdaydawnband
www.facebook.com/home.php?#/pages/New-Day-Dawn/26363442129?ref=ts
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FnyVj0IOSj8&feature=related

Copyright © 2009 Madalyn Sklar

Madalyn Sklar is a music business coach & consultant, blogger, social networks expert and author. She has spent over 13 years helping independent musicians and music business professionals achieve greater success in the biz. Her motto is: working smarter not harder. She also founded GoGirlsMusic.com, the oldest + largest online community of indie women musicians.

Madalyn's Sites:
GoGirlsMusic.com
Social Networks for Musicians

FREE 3-MONTH MUSICIAN’S ATLAS ONLINE ACCOUNT

2009-08-27T09:00:00.002-05:00

Madalyn's Music Biz Blog and GoGirlsMusic.com have arranged for you to get 3 FREE MONTHS of the Musician’s AtlasOnline – the ultimate music biz machine.

Regarded as the industry's most comprehensive and accurate networking database, the Musician's AtlasOnline makes it easy for you to book more gigs & sell more music with updates and new listings added every day.

Artists, managers, record labels, and other industry professionals use the AtlasOnline to book Club, Festival, College and other gigs; get Radio Airplay; promote their music to Print & Web Journalists; and network with industry decision-makers.

The AtlasOnline interactive tools make it easy for you to:

• Contact Talent Buyers, Record Labels, Publishers, Music Supervisors and more
• Book & Manage Tours
• Conduct Email Campaigns and Generate Mailing Labels
• Plan & Implement Promotional Campaigns
• Build, Manage & Email Fan Lists
• Track Merch & Record Sales

Click here to get started!

How I Got A Bunch Of New Facebook Fans

2009-08-25T12:29:00.000-05:00

by Madalyn Sklar

So many people ask me how to effectively increase Facebook fans on their music or business page. First I have to say it's not an easy task. We are all used to easily adding friends on Myspace and seeing instant results from it. When it comes to Facebook, that isn't the case. They don't allow you to add friends on public profiles (fan pages). You can only do so through your personal profile.

This is where you have to get creative... or just go ahead and steal my ideas. Actually I'm giving you this information so you can try it out. All I ask is that you report back to me on your success - what worked, what didn't.

A few weeks ago I devised a giveaway to try out on the GoGirls "fan" page. I did what I learned from Jack Canfield (author of The Success Principles and Chicken Soup for the Soul books and was featured in The Secret). He says instead of Ready, Aim, Fire it should be Ready, Fire, Aim. That means just do it and figure it out as you go. Many times we over plan, over think and in the end get nothing done. I don't work like that. I just do. So as I developed this giveaway I was ready and fired. While aiming I came up with a name for this type of Facbeook giveaway: "FAN US, SHARE US, COMMENT US".

Side note: If you're not familiar with GoGirlsMusic.com, it's an online community I developed well over thirteen years ago that promotes, supports and empowers indie women in music. It's interesting because in looking back I created a social network before any of us knew what a social networks was.

Here is the GoGirls Facebook "fan" page:

How I did it:

I started the giveaway on Friday, August 14. My thinking was do a quick one that would end on Monday afternoon. I wanted to see if over a weekend I could generate more interest in our site. And keep in mind GoGirls is a niche so it doesn't appeal to everyone. On that day we had 299 fans. I wanted to give away something I knew our audience would want - a 2009 Musician's Atlas. I posted a comment on the wall at 4:34pm announcing the giveaway and encouraged our fans to click on the "share" button located at the bottom of the left side column on our page. I even attached a screen shot image showing them and highlighted the "share" button. Hey, I wanted to make this as easy as possible! I then said to come back and post a comment on our wall letting us know you did this. That was it. Simple! And it worked. Within minutes comments were cropping up letting us know they posted this to their wall.

Here is where it got cool. Less than 30 minutes later I received a message from my friend Steve at Music Business Registry saying he wanted to donate some prizes to this too. He offered up an A&R Registry and a Music Publisher Registry. I was floored how viral this was in such a short period of time. So I now had three prizes to give away!

My thinking was it's late Friday afternoon so I'll let this sit over the weekend. On Monday I posted a reminder on the wall that the giveaway would end that afternoon. I couldn't believe how many comments came in. As promised on Monday afternoon I randomly selected three winners. And we now had 401 fans. I was wow'd at how easy this was. And the best part was reading all the cool comments and what people posted about us on their own wall.

So I now had a cool way to quickly increase our number of fans. It shows us all the power of marketing yourself on Facebook.

Then an interesting thing happened.... someone copied my idea. It was actually one of our winners. She was so impressed with this that she did the same for a site she manages and thanked GoGirls for the contest idea. In thanking us she included our Facebook fan page link which promoted us even more!

What will I do differently next time?

I'm planning to do this same giveaway on my other fan page, Social Networks for Musicians. This time I plan to launch it on a Monday and let it run for a week. I'll send out periodic reminders throughout the week.

So try it out and let me know how it goes for you. The only thing I ask is you not steal the name I gave it... "FAN US, SHARE US, COMMENT US". Take my idea but at least get a little creative here and come up with your own name.

Until next time...

Copyright © 2009 Madalyn Sklar

Madalyn Sklar is a music business coach & consultant, blogger, social networks expert and author. She has spent over 13 years helping independent musicians and music business professionals achieve greater success in the biz. Her motto is: working smarter not harder. She also founded GoGirlsMusic.com, the oldest + largest online community of indie women musicians.

Madalyn's Sites:
GoGirlsMusic.com
Social Networks for Musicians

Myspace Disables Auto-Play Songs

2009-08-22T09:00:00.000-05:00

by Madalyn Sklar

If you haven't noticed yet, Myspace has disabled auto-play on the song player. Why? Seems they can't afford 10 million per month in streaming fees. Turns out the auto-play streams account for a billion plays each month. That is a lot! However, I wonder what the true number of real listeners are when you take away those who scam the system using bots to increase song plays. I am amazed at how many music pages I come across that have a crazy number of song plays yet very small number of fans.

Now if you are fearing that Myspace is dead, think again.

According to Tech Crunch:

In July we reported that traffic grew tenfold over the nine months since launch: niques have grown 190% since launch in September 2008 and 1017%. It has grown 4.2 million unique monthly visitors to 12.1 million since launch. It is now solidly in the no. 2 position behind AOL Music, and growing fast.

For some interesting Myspace Music stats, check out: MySpace Music Appears To Be A Hit, Increases Traffic Tenfold Year-Over-Year

And of course this week Myspace bought out iLike. This will be interesting to watch unfold because iLike is the largest music application on Facebook and well we all know that Myspace and Facebook are rivals. It will be very interesting.

Let me know what you think about what's going on at Myspace. I'd love to hear from you.

Copyright © 2009 Madalyn Sklar

Madalyn Sklar is a music business coach & consultant, blogger, social networks expert and author. She has spent over 13 years helping independent musicians and music business professionals achieve greater success in the biz. Her motto is: working smarter not harder. She also founded GoGirlsMusic.com, the oldest + largest online community of indie women musicians.

Madalyn's Sites:
GoGirlsMusic.com
Social Networks for Musicians

Win HD Digital Camcorders for the Whole Band!

2009-08-21T15:30:00.007-05:00

by Madalyn Sklar

Do I have your attention? That is quite an attention grabbing headline. I found this blog post today and have been sharing it all over the web ~ Facebook, Twitter and now my blog. I think it's awesome when a cool site like Blue Comet TV wants to give indie artists the chance to promote themselves and in the process give them free camcorders.

About Blue Comet TV:

Blue Comet TV is a video service for bands and fans to share music videos. Like if YouTube were only local acts and cellphone clips. We’re a group of musicians and audiophiles who started the site to share the stuff we love. And we love a live show, whether it’s a small room or a stadium.

To enter this cool contest, head over to the Blue Comet TV blog for all the details.

Good luck!
Madalyn

Copyright © 2009 Madalyn Sklar

Madalyn Sklar is a music business coach & consultant, blogger, social networks expert and author. She has spent over 13 years helping independent musicians and music business professionals achieve greater success in the biz. Her motto is: working smarter not harder. She also founded GoGirlsMusic.com, the oldest + largest online community of indie women musicians.

Madalyn's Sites:
GoGirlsMusic.com
Social Networks for Musicians

Facebook for iPhone 3.0

2009-08-18T17:30:00.008-05:00

by Madalyn Sklar

If you're an iPhone user like me who spends a great deal of time on Facebook you are probably waiting on the edge of your seat for the new Facebook for iPhone 3.0 app to emerge. And if you're like me you've probably been following the reports about how awesome it's going to be, what all it will do. I know, it will definitely rock.

Head over to Inside Facebook and read today's review showing you cool screen shots and all the awesome capabilities.

Here's a list of new features:

1. Full News Feed Interaction, with Likes and Comments
2. Full Support for Facebook Pages
3. New Home Page Navigation
4. See Upcoming Events and RSVP
5. Video Uploading
6. Complete Photo Management
7. Write Notes and Read Your Friends’ Notes

Finally, an app that will help us manage our "fan" pages on-the-go! I can hardly wait. They say it's been sent over to Apple for review and should make it into the app store very soon. I'm waiting patiently...

Copyright © 2009 Madalyn Sklar

Madalyn Sklar is a music business coach & consultant, blogger, social networks expert and author. She has spent over 13 years helping independent musicians and music business professionals achieve greater success in the biz. Her motto is: working smarter not harder. She also founded GoGirlsMusic.com, the oldest + largest online community of indie women musicians.

Madalyn's Sites:
GoGirlsMusic.com
Social Networks for Musicians

We Recommend Crystal Clear Disc, Promo and Apparel

2009-08-03T09:00:00.002-05:00

They rock! Plain and simple. You know, there are so many CD manufacturers out there but who really knows their stuff and cares about the customer? Hands down, it's Crystal Clear. Give 'em a call and see why we are happy customers! -- Madalyn Sklar

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 http://www.crystalclearcds.com/gogirls 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!

GoGirls Interview with Laurie Jones

2009-08-01T15:40:00.007-05:00

by Madalyn Sklar

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

Fortunately, (or unfortunately.... depending on the day) I got infected with the "music bug" at a rather young age. I was playing in a rock band when I was 14 years old and began writing my own material out of frustration for all the covers I was having to play and for the lack of inspiration on popular radio. There really isn't anything I've been more passionate about than writing and playing music... so it's been "bust" from the get-go.

Describe your music style and name three musicians you have been inspired by and why.

It's hard to put music in a genre, I think. I've been called everything from "chick rock" to Euro Americana to alternative folk. I'd like to consider myself a singer/songwriter first, but playing live with a band certainly puts an edgier spin on the lil' folk songs I compose. I'm a huge fan of Chrissy Hynde because she not only rocks, but she is an animal activist and overall kind human being. She really inspires me to strap on my guitar, be feminine, yet give the songs hell when need be. I can't help but love the Rolling Stones. Great songs.... consistency.... legends that just wont stop. Ya gotta love it! Adam Duritz (counting crows) is my favorite songwriter... he fascinates me with his use of words, phrasing, and his melancholy approach.

What's your ideal venue atmosphere?

My expectations have changed drastically over the years.... my ideal atmosphere now is really a good sounding venue with people who love live music and songwriting in general. In the perfect scenario they would also know my material and be able to song along to what they may have heard on the radio or previous shows. I've become a bit burnt out with the club scene ..... I've outgrown having drinks spilled on me half the night and having Lynard Skynard request yelled from the back of the room by the drunkest local.

Describe how your music career has evolved since you first started performing.

It's been a great journey and I've learned so much. Looking back over the past 10 years I do have so much to be grateful for .... I've been promoting my own material...working from an indie label....doing basically my own radio promo and then finally having the opportunity to have a publicist work the latest CD in Europe. I've gone from having my music reviewed in my local hometown newspaper, to having reviews in countries that I can barely translate the language. It's more than exciting and at times seemed surreal.

How would you describe the music scene in your area?

I live in Maine, so the music scene is not as obvious as NYC OR LA... but there are definite opportunities to play and make your mark. We have great venues in New England.... I've lived close to Canada for several years and take the opportunity to tour Atlantic Canada at least once a year. Being in Maine has also forced me to travel a great deal, but it's been a great experience. It's actually quicker for me to fly London than LA anyway- you gotta love that!

What was the inspiration for your latest release?

I think I quit the music business every other day while I was writing this record. I was promoting my Better Days CD and was on the road pretty heavy and feeling like maybe it's not all worth it. I was going through a lot of personal stuff (who isn't right?) and just knew I needed to make some major changes.. professionally and personally. I really love this last CD. If it's my last, I'm very proud of how it ended this extreme adventure. That is why I titled it Laurie Jones... because I think it just about sums up everything. Maybe it should have been called "Meet Laurie Jones". Either way, I'm very happy with it.

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

Plan ahead! Practice, practice, practice..... be prepared when you go in the studio. it saves so much time and money. If your taking a full band with you make sure you're well rehearsed for sure. On another note, be true to yourself and your vision. Recording is so permanent... make sure you're happy with the outcome and stick to your guns.

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

Attitude is everything! Focus, Focus, Focus!

Describe your toughest moments in your quest for a music career and tell us how you overcame them.

I did the whole Nashville scene and recorded w/ a small label several years before my CD "After the Crash". To make a very long and sad story short... it ended up sour. I was very disappointed... lost a great deal of money and ended up with cases of CDs that I'm not happy with. I was heartbroken for several years over the experience. I was so naive, but gosh was it good for me! It made me understand the music biz a bit more and realize that I was in charge of my own destiny. No one was, or ever will be, handing over anything to me on a silver platter.

What advice would you offer up and coming artists that get discouraged other than don't give up?

I would say that staying positive is so important. What you put out there in the universe is gonna come back to you.... see it, think it... believe it. Ultimately you ARE doing it.. perhaps on a different level than you may be satisfied with, but hell, you're living the dream girl! You're playing your music and have the courage to pursue it. That alone is success in my book.

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

I'm currently taking a breather to reassess the next big move and have cut way back on my gigs. I'm loving having the freedom to write new songs right now without the pressure of having to travel and keep up with a hectic tour schedule. I'm rediscovering how much I love being a songwriter... how rewarding it really is... and perhaps the songwriting really IS the best part. I'm working on a new project to touch back on my "folk tendencies" and I'm at a comfort level that I have not felt in years.

What have you gotten out of being a member of the GoGirls community?

It's been a great resource. I've been able to do showcases in other parts of the country... meet fantastic musicians.. network on so many levels. there is so much power in numbers! chicks do rock!

More about Laurie Jones at http://www.myspace.com/lauriejonesband

Copyright © 2009 Madalyn Sklar

Madalyn Sklar is a music business coach & consultant, blogger, social networks expert and author. She has spent over 13 years helping independent musicians and music business professionals achieve greater success in the biz. Her motto is: working smarter not harder. She also founded GoGirlsMusic.com, the oldest + largest online community of indie women musicians.

Madalyn's Sites:
GoGirlsMusic.com
Social Networks for Musicians

Web Site + Blog To Check Out - We Are Listening

2009-07-31T15:44:00.011-05:00

by Madalyn Sklar

As you know, I read lots of music business blogs. There is so much incredible information out there that can help you and your music career. I know, it can be hard to sift through it all. That's where I can help. ;-)

One of my favorite blogs is brought to you by the good people at We Are Listening. It's simply called Music Industry Blog.

According to their web site:

We Are Listening is the leading provider of international music contests for recording artists, songwriters and lyricists. Our exclusive career-launching contest prizes have landed our winners on the stages of the world’s largest music festivals, placed their songs on internationally syndicated television shows, and secured the most desirable co-writing, publishing and recording opportunities in the business. Our distinguished and prestigious panel of contest judges includes executives at EMI, Universal, and SonyBMG; songwriters credited by Faith Hill, Lenny Kravitz, and Chaka Khan; producers credited by Sting, Bjork, and Dido; and professors at the world-renowned Berklee College of Music.

I love blogs that offer up great advice with lots of valuable information. This one is no exception. Their latest posting, "How to get 200 new fans a week" is a great read. Blogs like this should be in your RSS reader!

What are YOUR favorite blogs? I'd love to hear from you.

Copyright © 2009 Madalyn Sklar

Madalyn Sklar is a music business coach & consultant, blogger, social networks expert and author. She has spent over 13 years helping independent musicians and music business professionals achieve greater success in the biz. Her motto is: working smarter not harder. She also founded GoGirlsMusic.com, the oldest + largest online community of indie women musicians.

Madalyn's Sites:
GoGirlsMusic.com
Social Networks for Musicians

If You Had To Give Up One Of Your Social Networks, What Would It Be?

2009-07-20T14:04:00.029-05:00

by Madalyn Sklar

I posted an interesting question on our Social Networks for Musicians Facebook Fan Page today.

I asked, "If you had to give up one of your social networks, what would it be?"

Of the 13 that has responded so far, 7 said they would give up Twitter. Wow!

I am a firm believer when it comes to your music or music business, the top three social networks you should be utilizing are Facebook, Myspace and Twitter. But what if you had to give one up? I know, it's thought provoking.

Mashable says Twitter has grown 1928% from June '08 to June '09.

I first fell in love with Twitter back in March 2008 when it was mostly dominated by Internet techies, not online marketers. Most musicians I talked to at the time had not heard of it yet. Many laughed at my "twittering" excitement at both SXSW and the ASCAP Expo that year. I would take photos with my iPhone and send it up via Twitpic. Yes in real-time I was Twittering my music festival and conference escapades. It was cool. I was cool. Well I wasn't doing it to be cool. But everyone was quite amused with me. I couldn't help it, I was doing what I do best which is to embrace and utilize new media and technology. I've been this way since the mid 90's when I discovered the Internet.

Twitter was a different beast a year ago. No spam. Yet. No "we can get you 1000 followers a day". It was a great tool to get relevant news info on the fly that was fresh and exciting. It was cool to read tweets from people in-the-know. A great way to share info and ideas with colleagues. Reading what was on the mind of powerful CEO's. I was very intrigued. Fast forward to July 2009 and it seems to be incredibly cluttered up. I'm still a fan of course. I regularly share information and resources that I think my followers would like. But now that everyone and their grandmother is using it and telling me they are busy eating grape jello or how they can help me be an online millionaire, I have to really say... "WTF?" Yes, I know we can use neat little programs to keep tabs on the few people we actually give a tweet about. Or we can choose to not follow them at all. Sorry, but I'm from the school of if you follow me, I'll follow you. It's a courtesy.

Side Note: Of all the Twitter programs I've played around with on my desktop and iPhone, the best hands down (for me) is Tweetie. I think it's the best Twitter iPhone app.

So just about everyday we hear about how Twitter is growing by leaps and bounds in comparison to Facebook, Myspace and all other social network sites.

Last week Mashable posted this:

Wow, 1928% is amazing growth in one year! I think the stats are great. Twitter is huge. I knew it would be some day. I was proud when CNN's Larry King started talking about it regularly on his show. Next thing you know it's on the CNN ticker constantly. More and more people found great uses for it. Remember last year an American student alerted friends via Twitter he was arrested in Egypt, it made international news. Journalists are keeping us informed by the second. This just goes on and on.

Side Note: I highlighted above that Myspace leads social media sites in video viewing (excluding YouTube of course). That is quite interesting too!

I was always curious as to how many people who signed up for Twitter actually used it. I've been watching this closely for some time. I wanted to share this with you because when I read a headline like Twitter's 1928% growth in one year, I start to wonder what is really going on.

Here's something quite interesting from Nielsen:

Many have told me themselves they sign up then don't use it. Some say they don't get it or don't like it. For most it's plain and simple: I'm already posting what I'm up to on Facebook and Myspace. Why do I need to do it on Twitter too?

Reports like the one above have confirmed what I figured was true. People sign up (thank you CNN and Oprah) to see what the fuss is about then many of them don't return.

Marketer Insight just posted this great little nugget of info last week about how the top 10% of Twitter users account for 90% of Twitter's content. Wow, that is interesting. The article goes on to say that many use Twitter simply to grab information. It has become quite the search engine.

I really feel all this information is quite interesting and makes you think. I would love to hear your take on it. And I'll pose the question to you too...

"If you had to give up one of your social networks, what would it be?"

Copyright © 2009 Madalyn Sklar

Madalyn Sklar is a music business coach & consultant, blogger, social networks expert and author. She has spent over 13 years helping independent musicians and music business professionals achieve greater success in the biz. Her motto is: working smarter not harder. She also founded GoGirlsMusic.com, the oldest + largest online community of indie women musicians.

Madalyn's Sites:
GoGirlsMusic.com
Social Networks for Musicians

How To Maximize Your Facebook "Fan" Page

2009-07-08T16:53:00.007-05:00

Integrated Music Marketing Campaign

2009-07-07T09:00:00.000-05:00

as explained by Mike King of Berkleemusic

This video has been circulating all over the Internet lately even though it was created a few years back. The info still hold trues today. You need to integrate your music marketing campaign. As a DIY indie artist, the brief video will give you valuable insight on how to break ahead.

http://www.youtube.com/user/Berkleemusic