From Ariel
April 01, 2009 Newsletter #86 Hello from Ariel! In This Week's Issue:
Cyber PR Songs are now Tweetable! I just returned from SXSW where the main theme of the week was TWITTER. Where's Ariel? April 6 - 13 - Iceland I am delighted to be going back to Iceland to teach a master class to a group of Icelands premiere musicians. I am currently coaching 27 bands and artists including the Icelandic Philharmonic through an 8-week Cyber PR webinar. We are working together on a 360 web strategy to increase fanbases and profits. April 23 - 25 - Icreate Music ASCAP Expo, Los Angeles, CA
THIS WEEK'S FEATURED ARTIST Comandante Zero – Brooklyn, NY Comandante Zero is comprised of two exceptional musicians, but they never lose their focus on the beat, the groove, and the transcendence that comes in the heat of being locked in and pounding in front of a rapturous audience. With their first E.P. Comandante Zero and their upcoming album, Slouching Toward Babylon, the Brooklyn duo sets a new course for electro-funk-dance, finding new ways to accomplish an ancient task – getting a crowd on its feet and dancing. Why you should pay attention: In January 2009 Comandante Zero decided to try a unique approach to financing their first record titled 'Slouching Toward Babylon.': they are raising $50,000 in small donations through their website www.comandantezero.com - they are calling this project 'The Indie Way.' If successful, they plan to record their album in April of 2009 and to put this model forward as a way for indie artists to raise funds for their artistic endeavors. In February 2009, they partnered with Art For Progress in gaining non-profit status, and all donations of $50.00 and above will be now be tax deductible. You can make a tax deductible donation to support Comandante Zero's project by visiting the Art For Progress website www.artforprogress.org and clicking on the “Donations” link at the top of the page. When filling out the donation form, under “Designation” please type in Comandante Zero. THIS WEEK'S FEATURED VIDEO
Shalone From
where he’s from to where he has been, music is the foundation of his
aspirations. From Jamaica to New York lies the journey of Shalone ‘s
struggle and success You would find Shalone at the local stage shows, home watching Saturday afternoon specials or enjoying the marching band after school. Facing the adversities that most children of poverty face, he armed himself with the creative imagination that took him away from the poverty stricken life he walked daily
THIS WEEK'S FEATURED RESOURCES: A BLOG, A PODCAST, & A STATION
Featured Blog: Discussing music in her own delightfully quirky way.
Featured Podcast: The first podcast dedicated to commentary, interviews and news related to Beauty Pageants in the U.S.A. We discuss the ever changing face of pageants in this country and give exposure to the wonderfully talented young women that participate in pageants.
Featured Internet Radio: Radio Crystal Blue is a weekly Internet radio program heard exclusively on Live365. It spotlights independent, indie and up-and-coming music acts from many genres and locales in a unique freeform format. Live shows Sundays 7pm-1am EDT. New Media Pioneer: Matthew Caverhill of Culture Kills Music Podcast
Sites: Culture Kills... wait, I mean Cutlery: http://rantocracy.blogspot.com/ The Culture Kills Music Podcast: http://culturekillsmusic.mevio.com Pop Culture is mercurial. that's why it is poisonous and should only be handled and manufactured by trained professionals and people society hates Q: How long have you been broadcasting/blogging? A: I've been blogging for nearly 5 years at various venues, though my current blog, Culture Kills, has been going strong for nearly 3 years. I am a recent convert to the world of podcasting, though in the past I was both a Live365 broadcaster and had some influence on Launchcast/Yahoo! Music as the founder of the Launchcast Indie/Eclectic experience group. Additionally, back in the late 1990's, I tried to get a pop culture related zine off the ground, but failed due to a few poor decisions on my part. Q: In your opinion, what does a good song need to consist of? A: After deciding to do a podcast based on precleared/podsafe music, I had to listen to a lot of bands and songs I wasn't previously familiar with, and I learned that if a song didn't grab my interest within the first 20 seconds, it would likely never get my attention or grow on me. And from listening to so much music in a short time, I've discovered that bad vocals can really be a deal breaker for me. I can forgive occasionally sloppy instrumentation, poor lyrics etc. if a singer is compelling. I've noticed for me this applies even to hip hop, as there is a particular rapper who shall remain nameless who I can't stand because his voice is so grating. So basically, in order of importance, it would be a good hook, good vocals and then quality songwriting. Q: What is your favorite band or favorite genre of music and why? A: I am a fan of a lot of genres of music, mostly in the indie rock scene, particularly artists in post/space rock and dream/twee pop subgenres. Naturally I've been a long time fan of Stereolab, and in looking at their career, they are a band that didn't radically change their sound between albums, but over time, ended up with an entirely different sound now than the one they began their career with. But there are so many kinds of music I enjoy, from funk to alt country and so many points in between that it is hard to make a choice on one genre. Q: What changes in content laws, broadcasting rights, etc. have effected you most?
Q: A recent study found blogs to be more effective than MySpace in generating album sales, do you feel that that is a true statement? A:
Myspace and blogging bring two different things to the music sales
equation. When you think about it, each blog is a community, and
represents a somewhat independent voice, two factors which make
discussions about bands, music and other issues more effective. From my
experience, bloggers tend to form tight-knit groups, and when one
blogger discusses a particular artist, video or event, others in that
group tend to pick up on that and start discussing it themselves on
their own blog. And each time the subject comes up in a new place, it
takes on a different, personal spin. Blogging is especially effective
when the artist is one of the participants in this kind of community
building. ABOUT US Ariel Hyatt is the founder of Ariel Publicity & Cyber PR, a digital public relations firm that connects clients to the new media including blogs, podcasts, Internet radio stations and social networking sites. Over the past 13 years she has represented over 1,435 musicians and bands. Educating musicians is her passion and several times a year, she leads workshops teaching her strategy of combining social networking with Internet marketing to help clients grow larger fanbases and earn more money. Her first book Music Success in Nine Weeks was released in June 2008. "Sound Advice," her bi-weekly ezine and Internet TV series currently reaches an audience of over 10,000 music professionals. She is a contributing blogger for Music Think Tank, and Know The Music Biz. Sign Up here: CONTACT & INFO Ariel Publicity & Cyber PR | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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A:
As someone who wasn't really served by terrestrial radio where I lived,
the variety of internet stations that proliferated in the late 1990's
brought a lot of music that I would have otherwise not have heard to my
attention. Unfortunately, that kind of programming has slowly been
squeezed out of existence by legislation and institutions which do not
serve the interests of artists, but rather the labels and the larger
radio networks.