Just a quick word of warning to our musician friends out there. Do NOT use Triple Disc Media to do your CD pressing. The quality is good, they just have the worst customer service I have ever come across! They printed the lyrics backwards and had the gall to blame us for it.
When I called up Ray Parish, the owner of the company, he tried to get us to spend MORE money with them to correct it. Sorry Ray, that's not how it works. He made it clear that the customer relationship was not important to him and that he is unwilling to work with us to correct their mistake.
So, steer clear of Triple Disc Media. There are plenty of other fish in the sea, stay away from this one.
Sorry for such a negative note! Hope everyone is in the midst of great holidays.
Monday, December 29, 2008
Friday, December 19, 2008
Happy Holidays!
A week or so ago, I signed on to manage a third band, Rook. They played along with Bottle Service last night at Creekside Lounge. Listening to Rook. on Myspace and seeing them live are definitely two different experiences. I knew that I liked the music, but they put on a great show with a lot of energy. There were 20 or so people there with another 50 or more outside (of course, those outside were grooving to the DJ) and Rook. played like it was the Erwin Center.
I was impressed with the fact that all
three members of the band add their vocals to most songs. Rook. is a power trio, but for once it doesn't just mean a guitar, bass, and drums. All three members are showmen, multitalented, and bring a sense of power to their show. I'm really looking forward to working with them.
All three bands I manage are facing similar issues despite the fact they are at different stages of their development. The problem of market saturation exists in Austin, so standing out requires a great deal of talent, creativity, connections, and/or money. It would be great if the music stood alone and the best music rose to the top. Unfortunately, that's not the case. Bands need to understand and work on the business side as much as they need to practice. I guess that's where guys like me that can't play a lick come in.
I hope everyone has a great Christmas/Hanukkah/Kwanzaa/Festivus! For all you late gift-getters, you can always grab a shirt...just sayin'.
I was impressed with the fact that all
three members of the band add their vocals to most songs. Rook. is a power trio, but for once it doesn't just mean a guitar, bass, and drums. All three members are showmen, multitalented, and bring a sense of power to their show. I'm really looking forward to working with them.All three bands I manage are facing similar issues despite the fact they are at different stages of their development. The problem of market saturation exists in Austin, so standing out requires a great deal of talent, creativity, connections, and/or money. It would be great if the music stood alone and the best music rose to the top. Unfortunately, that's not the case. Bands need to understand and work on the business side as much as they need to practice. I guess that's where guys like me that can't play a lick come in.
I hope everyone has a great Christmas/Hanukkah/Kwanzaa/Festivus! For all you late gift-getters, you can always grab a shirt...just sayin'.
Monday, December 15, 2008
Publicity
Today, I signed a publicity deal with Joe Rae of Hard Pressed Publicity to help promote Frantic Clam. The band has progressed in leaps and bounds since I started working with them, and in no way am I attributing that to me. The guys have a singular focus and work to get there. A lot of the bands I see are great musicians but don't strive to work on the business side of things.
The Austin music scene is funny. A few booking agents hold a lot of power. Some of them are very nice and pleasant to work with while others let that power go to their heads. The supply
of musicians willing to play for free is so great that the booking people are gatekeepers stemming the tide of bands. I've had good dealings with them, but I can see them cringe when I mention that I am a band's "manager". Too many bad connotations with that word, I guess.
Check out Focus Group. They have a very interesting sound and put on a good show. I recommend you check them out live; it's hard to get a good feel for the music and their surreal style. They just released their latest EP. I tried to make it to the release at Lamberts last weekend, but got stuck at a "calendar release party" that was lacking in both calendars and partying. It was fun, regardless.
The Austin music scene is funny. A few booking agents hold a lot of power. Some of them are very nice and pleasant to work with while others let that power go to their heads. The supply
of musicians willing to play for free is so great that the booking people are gatekeepers stemming the tide of bands. I've had good dealings with them, but I can see them cringe when I mention that I am a band's "manager". Too many bad connotations with that word, I guess.Check out Focus Group. They have a very interesting sound and put on a good show. I recommend you check them out live; it's hard to get a good feel for the music and their surreal style. They just released their latest EP. I tried to make it to the release at Lamberts last weekend, but got stuck at a "calendar release party" that was lacking in both calendars and partying. It was fun, regardless.
Saturday, December 13, 2008
Hole in the Wall - December 12, 2008
Saturday, June 7, 2008
Welcome!
This is the future site of TwoGroove: Behind the Scenes.
Once twogroove.com is fully up and running, this will be where I detail what I am doing behind the scenes at TwoGroove to help unsigned bands break into the music industry. I envision using this space to discuss new bands I've listened to, my dealings in the business, and lessons learned about starting your own business.
Before I get too ahead of myself, let me mention what TwoGroove is. Think about is as a cross between American Idol and YouTube. Unsigned musicians upload their music to twogroove.com and users listen to and rate the music. The more people like and listen to a artist/band, the higher they climb up the charts. When you work your way up the charts, I will contact you to see how you want to approach the business. We will work together to send press kits and contact labels. You can (and should) do this yourself, but having a third party work for you will help. Especially when that third party has marketing data showing how well your band has performed on the site. I will be able to tell who is listening to you, how long they listened, where they are from, etc. The goal of our endeavor will be to get you signed to a label.
For now, stay tuned to this space and the site. We will be going live in the next couple months. If you are interested in having me use your music now, please let me know by emailing TwoGroove@gmail.com. I'll be in touch with you and get your music uploaded to the site so we can hit the ground running.
Once twogroove.com is fully up and running, this will be where I detail what I am doing behind the scenes at TwoGroove to help unsigned bands break into the music industry. I envision using this space to discuss new bands I've listened to, my dealings in the business, and lessons learned about starting your own business.
Before I get too ahead of myself, let me mention what TwoGroove is. Think about is as a cross between American Idol and YouTube. Unsigned musicians upload their music to twogroove.com and users listen to and rate the music. The more people like and listen to a artist/band, the higher they climb up the charts. When you work your way up the charts, I will contact you to see how you want to approach the business. We will work together to send press kits and contact labels. You can (and should) do this yourself, but having a third party work for you will help. Especially when that third party has marketing data showing how well your band has performed on the site. I will be able to tell who is listening to you, how long they listened, where they are from, etc. The goal of our endeavor will be to get you signed to a label.
For now, stay tuned to this space and the site. We will be going live in the next couple months. If you are interested in having me use your music now, please let me know by emailing TwoGroove@gmail.com. I'll be in touch with you and get your music uploaded to the site so we can hit the ground running.
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