Casting Call

Find Some Music

It's amazing how the video era changed the way we see music. I was watching Transformers: Dark Of The Moon for the 16th time. Don't you dare judge me. And there was a song that played in a scene where the "heroes" approach the fallen city of Chicago.

When I saw the movie in the theater, immediately I knew who the artist was. While I watched, I felt that the backdrop of the carnage was perfect. Then I saw the official music video. Not what I pictured. But then I thought, that's what music is supposed to do.

Music should make you feel...

Music should make you move...

Music should make you SEE.

As a kid I remember that aside from reading, music was my greatest escape. In my mind, I saw the scenes laid out by singers/songwriters. And they spoke to me with their words of love and passion. They wooed me with their frustrations and melancholy. They brought to life places I'd never been and people I'll never meet, and I felt alive.

Today get some music in your life, and see where it takes you.

Twitter - AliColeLive

Press Kits

I don't see many artists putting together a decent PRESS KIT so I decided to mention it here.....

• The Bio – Create a one-page bio that is interesting to read. Try not to get to wordy.
• The Photo – Arrange a photo shoot; if you take this seriously, you will benefit deeply. Create a photo that is clear, light, and attention-grabbing. Showing movement is a great benefit. How I hate the wall lean but that's another story.
• The Articles, Quotes & CD Reviews – Getting that first article written about you can feel daunting. A great place to start is any music websites or blogs you like. Believe me there are people on the internet willing to do it. Go through your social media and see what folks are saying about you and your music.
• The CD – The CD artwork, like the press kit, must be well thought out. Send a link so the writer can download the tracks. When you do have your CD ready and it is being sent to a targeted press list, full artwork is always preferred. Put your phone number and contact info in the CD so if it gets separated from the press kit, the writer knows how to contact you.

A press kit can let people know how serious you take yourself. So while you've got the time put one together. as a matter of fact if you put one together and send it to me I'll tell you what's missing and what you need to fix. 
I'm just that nice.

I SUPPORT MUSIC

Until next time ... Hit me up!

Ali Cole In Print or B.A.D.

Don't forget to follow me on Twitter

You know how we do...It's all about the music!

NEW MUSIC MONDAY- SHE WANTS ME

I don't think as a woman that I should find the lyrics for the first single from the soon to be released Armored Sound Productions presents: A Tension Span slightly humorous, but I DID. So allow me to introduce you to the single, the producer and the artist.





First of all, YdotGPeriod hasn't convinced me at the end of this track that he won't take this girl back and we get a sequel to this story. But that aside, the track features YDotGPeriod who's worked with Big Chan (Armored Sound Productions) on a couple of his previous releases. If you remember YdotGperiod's "Supa Dupa Cool", Big Chan was the producer on that as well. These two seem to team well together and I look forward to hearing more from both of them.

In "She Wants Me" YDotG tells of a girl that he meets and is only interested in a physical relationship but somehow she ends up falling in love, he continues trying to figure out how to let her know he’s not that into her, wondering why she would want to mess up what he thinks is a good thing.

See now we got a sit-ua-tion
Cause them words cancel all our previous engagements
When you said it, I know you was just off in your zone
But that sh_t scared a n_gga’ now I’m tryna get to gone
I’m kinda pissed cause you f_ckin up some real sh_t
All off in your feelins got you on that weird sh_t

I have to admit those lyrics got me laughing. But despite my amusement, you have to admit it's an excellently executed track with great production and catchy lyrics!

As the first single for the A Tension Span release, Big Chan wanted a radio friendly “love song”. Guy meets girl, world wind affair, someone could get their heart broken. YDotG is also featured on another track on the full project. I can't wait.


She Wants Me ASP f/ YdotGperiod

Big Chan of Armored Sound Productions

Big Chan in some downtime

The single is available on iTunes or at the Armored Sound FaceBook Music Store 

YdotGperiod
@YDotGPeriod
Armored Sound on Facebook
Armored Sound Productions Website
Armored Sound on Soundclick.com
@A_S_Prod
2011 Vault One Mixtape 

I SUPPORT MUSIC

Until next time ... Hit me up!

Ali Cole In Print or B.A.D. PR

Don't forget to follow me on Twitter

You know how we do...It's all about the music!

The Ultimate Breakdown

Anyone that has been an avid supporter of this blog knows that I believe in the indie artist taking control of his/her career and resources to keep the maximum possible amount of money in the artist's pocket.

I've been busy doing a lot of research lately. and I came across a diagram of the income breakdown.

So how does that look?
Still want to make albums?
Still want that record deal?
Still think it's worth it?
How does your income stack up?
Gives you something to think about huh?

I SUPPORT MUSIC

Hit me up!

Ali Cole In Print or B.A.D. Management

Don't forget to follow me on Twitter

You know  how we do...It's all about the music! 

Snoop Dogg Says Twitter Key to an Artist’s Success | rolling out

Snoop Dogg Says Twitter Key to an Artist’s Success | rolling out

The Death of the ”Major Label”

I'm a music watcher. Yes, I said watcher not listener.  I don't think music is solely audible. Sometimes when I hear a song I can close my eyes and SEE the music, but that's a different topic. I watch music trends. I pay attention to music news. And I wasn't surprised when I read that Moby "We Are All Made of Stars" said "...signing to a major, for 99.9% of the musicians on the planet is the worst thing they could do..." Wait! What?

But isn't signing to a "major" what every indie artist dreams of. I thought about that statement. I thought about it A LOT.

I don't always support the views of artists, because sometimes I think that they're more about the mula than the mission (you'll get that later). But that aside, I figured maybe Moby had a point.

Now I'm not touching the politics of the industry with a flaming ten foot pole. I don't do politics. I'm looking at this from a distribution stand point. I was looking at a chart of the financial breakdown of album sales. And basically after distribution cost, promotional costs and "salaries" (wink and nod at that) most artists are lucky to walk off with enough cash per album to buy chocolate bars for their crew, let alone the leased homes and vehicles some of them stunt with.

The advent of the internet and especially social networking definitely changed the landscape of the music industry. Like it or not it has changed. Now artists have a better chance of getting what they want heard to their fans plus they have a wider ocean to charter in search of fans. Whereas their scope may have been local and possibly regional, they have a chance to hit an international market with just the click of a link. Before they release an album, they can test the waters of their fanbase by "leaking" a sample of what's to come.

And with iTunes basically putting distribution right in the hands of the artists, a very key component in the original artist distribution equation has been cut out.

I learned of so many artists long before they had a major record deal. Before the industry got in the way of the music. They pushed not to simply to get a record deal, but because the music itself was a passion. I think that's why we had better music.
So with that said, maybe more indie artists need to shift their focus to "going rogue".

MOBY says "They have treated musicians badly. They've treated fans badly. They've treated the music badly, most importantly. For that reason, they either need to reinvent themselves or die quietly." 

Moby's Comments