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Welcome to this Week’s E-dition of Music and Band Ezine!
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ON THE COVER
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The Whole Note – from the Publisher
The Porcelain Doll Interview
Presented By:
Music and Band Ezine’s Publisher, Paul Heingarten
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Page 2
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Asking Venue Owners For Gigs
Written By: Ty Cohen
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Page 3
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What Makes a Great CD Packaging
Written By: James Hill
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Page 4
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Top 5 eMusic Downloads for the week of March 6, 2010
1) “ODD BLOOD” – Yeasayer
2) “In the Sun” B/W “I Can Hear Music” – She & Him
3) “Work” – Shout Out Lands
4) “The Magician’s Private Library” – Holly Miranda
5) “The Golden Archipelago” – Shearwater
Download these and more at
http://www.musicandband.com/top5downloads
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THIS WEEK’S HEADLINING SPONSOR
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DEAL OF THE WEEK
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Cover
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The Porcelain Doll Interview
Presented By:
Music and Band Ezine’s Publisher, Paul Heingarten
Decay of The Porcelain Doll answers the Music and Band Ezine
Interview this week.
Q: How did you come up with the name of your band?
A: The name of the band came about with the very first show I
played, I had women dressed in lingerie with white painted faces
as my live band and after the show someone came up and said, “Hey,
they looked liked porcelain dolls.”
Q: What genre (if any) would you classify your music in?
A: It’s really hard to classify the music as a whole, but the
latest efforts sonically could be described as black metal/shock
rock/Terror EBM
Q: Do you play only originals, or do you do covers?
A: Live I have only played my own material, however I have done
some extremely dark cover versions of Carpenters songs for my own
amusement.
Q: Who are your musical influences?
A: Early Marilyn Manson, NIN, Tool, Madonna, Psyclon Nine,
Xasthur, Pink Floyd just to name a few.
Q: What are your songs about?
A: They are about my life and a way to suppress certain urges I
feel. This project is my therapy and If I wasn’t doing this I
would probably be a serial killer.
Q: What are your band’s goals?
A: The band is currently shopping for a bigger label to support
future releases(metropolis and Noitekk)
Q: Do you sell CD’s or MP3’s of your music? If so, where could
someone find them?
A: The last two albums soundtracks for suicide and RU-468 can be
purchased through CD baby and on www.myspace.com/mrmime55
Q: What are your most and least favorite venues to play, and why?
A: I don’t wish to mention names of specific venues, but I hate
the ones that book you for a show then someone new starts running
booking and cancels your show because we are “offensive” Aside
from that I cannot stand venue bookers that think they are god of
the music scene(stop pushing mainstream and break out a little
support the arts). Venues I love are 1st Street in Oregon, they
always treated me right early in my career, and Mt. Tabor legacy
great acoustics and always an awesome crowd.
Q: Which songs do you perform most frequently?
A: I play a lot of the more aggressive fast paced songs live, it’s
hard for me to get into my slower stuff anymore(makes me feel
silly).
Q: On a gig, do you play from a set list or do you just pick songs
on the spot?
A: I have 3 set lists per tour. 1 for acoustic, 1 for electronic
and one with a little bit of both.
Q: Who in the band writes your songs?
A: I do. I write all of the music and lyrics, with occasional
session members contributing to a very small part of a song.
Q: How has your music evolved since you started playing together?
A: The music started out as funeral doom and has since evolved
over four albums to a sound all my own. I can say the music is a
lot more aggressive these days, but it’s still as scary as it’s
always been.
Q: Last thoughts?
A: Thank you for the time you spent with me to talk about the
band. To my fans who think you know the band this far you haven’t
seen anything yet.
About the Author:
Paul Heingarten runs the Music and Band Ezine
http://www.musicandband.com
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THIS WEEK’S STAGE SPONSOR
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Page 2
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Asking Venue Owners For Gigs
Written By: Ty Cohen
As musicians, sometimes we have to make our own luck. If we
don’t step up to the plate, it may be months between gigs.
Rather than wait for gigs to just magically appear, we need to
learn how to ask for what we want.
Step One- Preparation
If you are going to ask for a gig, you want to look like a
professional musician. Prepare a CD or take your digital
recordings and laptop with you. By prepare a CD or audio
recordings, we mean make clean audio recordings that are on the
same par as recordings that you would release for sale, edited
to remove background noise and professional sound quality. The
more professional your music sounds, the more likely you are to
walk away with a new gig.
Step Two- Research
Ever hear the phrase “Know thy enemy.”? While the hopes are
making the venue owner a new ally, at the moment you need to
consider getting the gig a conquest. Assume the venue owner is
going to try to shoot down the idea and be prepared with
comebacks that might get your foot in the door. Better yet,
eliminate the arguments before they crop up.
If you are trying to get a gig at a local night club, visit a
few times and get an idea of how busy they are. If the owner
says “I don’t think we have enough business for this” you can
say, “Really? I was here last week and the place was packed.”
This little exchange might get you in the door but it could have
been avoided by saying “I was here last week and noticed you do
a really good business. There must have been at least a hundred
people in here all night and that’s just the type of crowd I
like to play in front of so I thought I wanted to come meet the
guy who can draw a crowd like that.”
In this example, you did two things: You avoided the quick NO
answer and you made the venue owner feel obligated to help you.
If you just told him he is doing good business, how is he going
to say he isn’t doing enough business to warrant giving you a
gig?
Step Three – Don’t Ask, Tell.
I know the title is asking venue owners for gigs but the truth
is when you ask for a gig in the form of a question, you set
yourself up for the quick NO. We are asking for the gig but it
needs to be done in a different manner.
Don’t say “Can I play here Friday night?”. Instead, say “I would
like to play here Friday night. What time can I set up my
equipment?” Yes, it sounds brisk. Yes, it is aggressive. But if
you followed the advice in step two, you have already told the
owner why there is no reason you shouldn’t get the gig. Being
direct in telling them when you want to perform further enforces
their feeling of being compelled to comply with your request.
You can get the gigs you want. All you have to do is ask for
them.
About the Author:
Ty Cohen wants you to learn how to market your music
successfully, without becoming a slave to the major record
labels and others in the music industry. To get his free
information visit http://www.MusicIndustrySuccess.com
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THIS WEEK’S CREW SPONSOR
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Page 3
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What Makes a Great CD Packaging
Written By: James Hill
CD packaging may seem less significant than the actual CD inside
it but nevertheless, it still plays a very important role in
promoting your album. It is one of the best ways to advertise
your music and it could greatly affect album sales. A really
eye-grabbing CD packaging can even convince customers to buy the
album even if they do not really know the band. Some would buy
it merely for the amazing CD packaging and some are somehow
persuaded to buy it because they associate good CD packaging to
good music. A kick ass CD packaging is highly necessary if you
are still new and if you want to have a good impression.
If you are thinking of a CD packaging design of your upcoming
album, here is a checklist of what I personally think
constitutes a great CD Packaging.
The CD packaging should protect your CD First and foremost, a CD
packaging should be able to perform its basic function. Its
primary purpose is to store and protect the CD from scratches,
dust, liquids, and other elements that could damage the disc.
There are many CD packaging designs nowadays that try too hard
to be unique that the functionality is compromised. This should
be the first consideration when thinking about a creative
concept for your CD packaging. Try to be creative without
sacrificing the CD cover’s main function.
The CD packaging should be easy to ship When planning the design
of your CD packaging, always consider how it will be shipped.
Choose materials that do not consume too much space and can
easily be stacked. This may mean that you choose regular shaped
containers over irregular ones. You should also consider the
weight of the CD packaging. Try to make sure that the materials
for your CD packaging is not too heavy to minimize hassles and
additional shipping costs.
The CD packaging should grab attention The tough competition in
the music retail industry calls for a really eye-catching CD
packaging. With the increasing popularity of piracy and the
Internet, the CD packaging is one strategy to convince the
consumers to buy the actual album. Think out of the box and find
creative ways to make your CD packaging standout. There are
thousands of ways to do this! You can use a different material
like cloth or foils instead of the usual jewel cases. You can
use shiny paper, big images and freebies; whatever you think
attracts the buyer’s eye.
The CD packaging should reflect the musician’s personality The
design of the CD packaging should somewhat reflect, if not
showcase, the musician’s personality and style. If you are a new
artist who’s still trying to build your name in the music
industry, it is one great way to show your character so the
buyers would love to know you more. If you’re band plays
psychedelic pop music and you all love neon colors and pop
culture, show this quirkiness in your CD packaging.
The CD packaging should be eco-friendly This is not a must but
you would be doing something good to the industry, and to the
whole world, by promoting green CD packaging. Imagine if all
musicians produce eco-friendly CD packaging, then the world
would be a much better place. Musicians influence a lot of
people thru their music and style and maybe by producing
eco-friendly CD packaging, they could convince others to be more
aware of the environment. You can use recycled paper instead of
jewel cases, you can use stickers instead of shrink-wraps, and
you can use soy-based ink instead of petroleum-based ink. There
are tons of ways to produce an eco-friendly CD packaging! The
downside of choosing this path is that it could cost a bit
higher but it is definitely worth it.
About the Author:
CD packaging may seem less significant than the actual CD inside
it but nevertheless, it still plays a very important role in
promoting your album. If you are thinking of a CD packaging
design of your upcoming album, here is a checklist of what I
personally think constitutes a great CD Packaging.
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Page 4
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Top 5 eMusic Downloads for the week of March 6, 2010
1) “ODD BLOOD” – Yeasayer
2) “In the Sun” B/W “I Can Hear Music” – She & Him
3) “Work” – Shout Out Lands
4) “The Magician’s Private Library” – Holly Miranda
5) “The Golden Archipelago” – Shearwater
Download these and more at
http://www.musicandband.com/top5downloads
That wraps up another edition of the Music and Band Ezine. Your
questions, comments and/or concerns can always be forwarded
directly to me at Music and Band at paul@musicandband.com.
If you would like to post an article in a future edition of the
“Music and Band Ezine”, please email your submission to
paul@musicandband.com for review and consideration.
I personally thank you for your readership and interest in this
ezine. Looking forward to bringing you the next edition of Music
and Band, I am…
Paul Heingarten
Founder
Music and Band Ezine
paul@musicandband.com
http://www.musicandband.com
***The views expressed in this ezine do not necessarily reflect
the views of the publisher***
