Guitarz Forever Blog

Jul 5, BumbleFoot

Sat, 05 Jul 2008 07:17:17 GMT

BumbleFoot

Jul 2, Creating Backing Tracks

Wed, 02 Jul 2008 21:05:03 GMT

Creating Backing Tracks

Jul 1, Dunlop Zakk Wylde Wah effects

Tue, 01 Jul 2008 04:52:45 GMT

Dunlop Zakk Wylde Wah effects

Jun 25, Guitar Accessories Help

Wed, 25 Jun 2008 14:28:13 GMT

Guitar Accessories Help

Jun 22, The New Rockin Metal Revival Show

Sun, 22 Jun 2008 15:59:39 GMT

The New Rockin Metal Revival Show

Jun 22, Angus Young and His Gibson SG

Sun, 22 Jun 2008 15:38:24 GMT

Angus Young and His Gibson SG

Jun 22, JP Cervoni Blues and Beyond PreRelease CD Orders

Sun, 22 Jun 2008 04:00:24 GMT

JP Cervoni Blues and Beyond PreRelease CD Orders

Jun 19, How to organize a vast amount of musical information

Thu, 19 Jun 2008 01:00:54 GMT

How to organize a vast amount of musical information

Jun 17, Bruce Springsteen and Writing Music

Tue, 17 Jun 2008 00:31:09 GMT

Bruce Springsteen and Writing Music

Jun 6, Press Release: ESP Guitars Clinician Prashant Aswani confirms his appearance at CMI Frontrunner 2008

Fri, 06 Jun 2008 04:37:27 GMT

ESP Guitars Clinician Prashant Aswani is appearing at Frontrunner 2008 in Melbourne Australia. Prashant will be performing 8 clinics showing new ESP product. In addition to his clinics, Prashant will be performing with Australias number one guitarist Brett Garsed. Prashant has recently finished producing George Lynchs Instructional DVDs for Hal Leonard entitled, Wicked Riffs and Scary Licks. In addition, Prashants new album Grey Matter will be released in September 2008. Confirmed dates for Frontrunner - More at: http://www.myspace.com/prashantaswani http://www.youtube.com/prashantaswani http://www.cmi.com.au/about_cmi.html Prashant Aswani Jammin' at the ESP Stage Namm 2008 Brett Garsed - Melody Both available to play on tracks/demos via the internet. No project too large or small!

Jun 3, Guitarist Tim Gibson

Tue, 03 Jun 2008 04:43:41 GMT

Guitarist Tim Gibson

May 23, Guitarist Katrina Johansson

Fri, 23 May 2008 13:05:33 GMT

Guitarist Katrina Johansson

May 19, Healthy Guitar Tone

Mon, 19 May 2008 22:54:09 GMT

Healthy Guitar Tone

May 10, Riff Of The Week

Sat, 10 May 2008 11:04:11 GMT

Riff Of The Week Since 2005 got riffs? Hats, T-shirts & new PickPads at www.daveweiner.com/store Hi, I'm Dave Weiner. I'm a Favored Nations recording artist, a G.I.T. graduate and have been playing in Steve Vai's band since 1999. Every Wednesday I do a new Riff Of The Week guitar education video. Here's Season 3, Episode 15 "The Modes: Ionian" Don't forget to view the tab, listen to the audio clips and download the backing tracks (when applicable) for this ROTW at: www.daveweiner.com/rotw. You can find Hi-RES HD versions of this video at riffoftheweek.com or by subscribing (for free) to the ROTW podcast in ITunes (search Dave Weiner). Interested in my music? My first cd "Shove The Sun Aside" is available on iTunes, Amazon and at www.daveweiner.com/store Like this lesson? Want to learn more? How about a live, one on one, internet guitar lesson with me? www.daveweiner.com/lessons Got a suggestion for a ROTW? Email it to rotw@daveweiner.com Thanks for visiting. Enjoy!

May 8, Marketing Mind Check - Part 2

Thu, 08 May 2008 01:24:00 GMT

Marketing Mind Check Before launching into the market plan, and just in case the above list doesnt fully resonate with where you are curently, here are some key questions to ask yourself at this important juncture: ___ Have you analyzed the total market for your product or service (that is, your primary, secondary and referral markets)? Do you know which features of your product or service will appeal to different market segments? ___ In forming your marketing message, have you fully described how your product or service will benefit your customers? ___ Have you prepared a pricing schedule? What kinds of discounts do you offer, and to whom do you offer them? ___ Have you decided which media you will use in your marketing campaign? ___ What will the role of the internet be in your marketing? ___ Have you planned any special sales promotions? ___ Do your marketing materials mention any optional accessories or added services that consumers might want to purchase? ___ What type of customer service or support do you offer after the sale? ___ Have you obtained all necessary paperwork and metadata (if applicable) you need? ___ Is your packaging likely to appeal to your target market? Have you created different packaging for different markets? ___ If your product is one you can patent, have you done so? ___ How will you distribute your product? ___ Can your product or service be digitized, and what kinds of new challenges does this present? ___ Have you prepared job descriptions and operaton plans for all of the employees, contractors and interns needed to carry out your marketing plans? Once youve answered the above to your satisfaction, you can feel free to move on to writing your plan. First, some cautions about plans: Plans are provisional documents and not the final word they are always in draft form. Plans are maps to help get you to your destination in the most costeffective way possible. Maps, however, are not the territory; therefore, Plans should be flexible so they can adapt to shifting circumstances ongoing plan review is normal and crucial to undertake at least once every two weeks normally, and every day during a campaign.

May 1, Dave Weiner Debut CD Review

Thu, 01 May 2008 23:35:47 GMT

Dave Weiner Debut CD Review

Apr 27, Mapping Out Your Marketing Plan pt. 1

Sun, 27 Apr 2008 18:26:39 GMT

Mapping Out Your Marketing Plan(s) Its never too late in fiction or in life to revise. Nancy Thayer This is your opportunity to braid together all the different strands of marketing. After reading through this topic, you are now in the enviable position of understanding the key foundations of successfully marketing your music products and services. You now: understand the essence of marketing; discern the important trends affecting your industry; have taken stock of your skills, values and priorities; clarified, set and wrote down goals for yourself and your products; figured out your compelling desires, your inner and outer resources, And the opportunities currently presenting themselves to you; explored and evaluated possible niches for your product or service; identified and articulated your own unique market niche; developed a preliminary budget for reaching your market; explored the various inlets and outlets for what youre marketing; and inventoried the best possible routes for reaching your niche market.

Apr 25, Greg Marra CD Review Collective Disorder

Fri, 25 Apr 2008 00:32:07 GMT

Greg Marra CD Review Collective Disorder

Apr 23, Music Reviews

Wed, 23 Apr 2008 12:26:31 GMT

Music Reviews

Apr 19, Top Ten Rock Riffs

Sat, 19 Apr 2008 02:30:11 GMT

Top Ten Rock Riffs

Apr 13, Album Review Broken Teeth Electric

Sun, 13 Apr 2008 23:12:43 GMT

Album Review Broken Teeth Electric, jason macmaster, dangerous toys, austin texas, ac-dc,

Apr 6, Ideas For Your "About Me/Us" Page - part 1

Sun, 06 Apr 2008 06:03:19 GMT

Ideas For Your "About Me/Us" Page Whenever I visit a website for the first time, I head straight to the "About Me" or "About Us" page. I want to meet the person whose site I'm visiting. It's like checking a book's dust jacket for a photo and bio of the author. You want to establish a connection in your mind between the information and the person who created it. But if the website doesn't have an About page (or if it contains just an official statement about the website or products) I'm disappointed. Who's providing the information in this site? What makes this particular publisher an authority on this topic? Do I have anything in common with him/her? Also, I have more confidence in the trustworthiness of the site if there appears to be a real person (or people) behind it, not just an invisible publisher. Building this bond of connection and trust with your audience is a key element in selling anything, online or offline. People rarely buy from or return to the website of someone they don't know or don't trust. Your audience wants to meet you first.

Apr 5, How Record Companies Make Money

Sat, 05 Apr 2008 06:16:59 GMT

How Record Companies Make Money By Diane Rapaport Record companies make money by selling recordings. It is a high-risk business. According to the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), approximately 90 of the records that are released by major recording labels fail to make a profit. Independent labels have to be more careful in their choices and in their allocation of expenses because they do not have the resources to cover many failures. However, they can make and promote records for far lower costs than major labels and be profitable with far fewer sales. The budgets for making and selling recordings are tied to what labels estimate they will sell. Knowing how many recordings might be sold makes it possible to budget recording costs. Most profitable labels have histories of selling and promoting that enable them to estimate gross income. Read On...

Mar 31, Create an Umbrella Concept with your Marketing

Mon, 31 Mar 2008 04:58:39 GMT

This may help answer some of questions about being an artist who is excellent at several things and to sell you in such away that people will stand up and take even more notice of you and your talents. Food for Thought: Your customers, friends, relatives and colleagues are constantly providing you with clues to where you truly shine. Following these clues can help you to focus on how you can use your unique assets. Listen to their compliments, what they spontaneously praise you for, what they say when they brag about you. Dont slough these comments off. Note them and recognize that these things are the very things you want to become known for, the very things that will draw business to you. Create an Umbrella Concept. Sometimes its not possible to earn a fulltime living doing a particular business. There may not be enough demand for what you want to offer, or you may live in an area where there arent enough people to support such a business full-time. In this case, you can avoid the problems of being unfocused by providing a variety of closely related services under a unifying umbrella concept. The secret to creating a successful umbrella concept is providing a cluster of products or services that are clearly related in the minds of those who need the service. Develop a Hybrid. Some people dont want to choose among the various things theyre doing, so instead of doing multiple things, they combine the activities they love most into one hybrid business. Matrixing: The Crossroads Where Niches Lie There is a tool that is used in many businesses called matrixing. Its a process developed by marketing analysts that provides a formula for finding your niche. MATRIXING Your ideal niche will lie at the crossroads where your INTERESTS and RESOURCES intersect with OPPORTUNITIES you have to meet REAL-LIFE NEEDS around you. Compelling Desires: the things in life you feel most passionate about, interested in, or concerned for. Personal Resources: your background, education, experiences, contacts, and other assets. Opportunities: problems, needs, and desires people are willing to pay you to address. Conclusion: The key is to find overlaps between your interests and passions, your background and experience, and the opportunities you see. Take one interest at a time and try different possibilities.

Mar 26, Getting Closer To Your Niche

Wed, 26 Mar 2008 03:16:36 GMT

Often people involved in the arts have this concept of what they want to do is to aim for the biggest, most obvious target, and hit it smack in the bulls eye. Thats success, whatever the particular field is. Of course with everybody else aiming there as well, that makes it very hard to hit.... As Jon Hassell always says, "I prefer to shoot the arrow, and then paint the target around it. You make the niches in which you finally reside. To help you decide on the one niche you want to become known for in music, or to just bring clearer focus to the music niche you already identify with, weigh your options by asking yourself: Which things do I do best in music? Which activities do I enjoy most in music? What do I do that people need and appreciate most? In what areas do I have the greatest expertise and experience? What am I already best known for? What do I have the best contacts to do? What will people most readily pay me for? What involves the least risk? What fits best with my lifestyle and personal goals? What comes most naturally to me? What am I most eager to promote? If you notice the same activity showing up as an answer over and over again, youre getting close to understanding what your niche is.

Mar 24, Eliza Neals CD Review

Mon, 24 Mar 2008 00:29:00 GMT

Eliza Neals CD Review

Mar 18, Music Marketing and Having a Plan

Tue, 18 Mar 2008 21:15:47 GMT

Music Marketing and Having a Plan I want to talk with you about Music Marketing and having a plan. The first questions is...what about you is unique? Figuring this out is a very important step in our process and must be taken very seriously. Its important to your success and longevity in this crazy freakin business. Again, taking our time in creating the right image for you is crucial. Marketing must eventuate in selling, and it is an absolute truth that unless a start-up business can sell its offering, it will not survive. Getting orders selling your compositions, recordings, and performance to paying customers is of crucial importance to your new business. To compete successfully in the music business, then we must follow the strategy that every successful business person uses. The strategy includes: Developing a product in this case, your music service or product; Locating Clients for your product Ill being doing market research Bringing your product to the marketplace using sales techniques to convince potential clients to buy your music service or product MARKETING = Communicating so effectively with your market audience that it will want know about you. Scott

Mar 14, MySpace for Musicians

Fri, 14 Mar 2008 16:09:04 GMT

Im sure by now youve all heard of the rapidly growing online viral marketing trend that is MySpace. Im pretty sure even those of you who havent used it are hearing the big buzz about it. MySpace has been talked about in the news media quite frequently. If you havent heard of it and are really into music, then you must be still listening to cassette tapes or live with your head stuck in the sand. MySpace is a free site with almost 200 million folks that call MySpace home. Its a free site comprised of user-created profiles where the community views and shares content in a variety of interactive media (music, video, blogs) and links with others to form friend groups, all with powerful results. MySpace is a virtual hangout comprised of teenagers, urban hipsters, stay-at-home moms, yuppies, bands, business, and entertainers of every stripe. Imagine the force of marketing, advertising, and promotional possibilities that exist in a community of that size and with such a varied demographic. At this point you may be wondering, if there is so much competition, why should I waste my time? Because not getting into the game is like not getting into the game of life. It is possible to differentiate yourself and break through all the noise. However, it takes consistency, patience, and willingness to devote your time and energy to it. So please if you are a musician, you need to educate yourself on the workings of this free site. The artists I manage and promote understand how important it is to have your own MySpace profile. Remember, the site is free and big money can be made by using it to your full advantage. Riffmaster

Mar 12, Winners take Control!

Wed, 12 Mar 2008 15:56:00 GMT

Winners take Control! Hello Folks out there in Guitar Land I hope all is well with all of you avid guitar pickers out there. Ive been very busy myself and as always wish there was more time in each day to get everything needed to be done accomplished. As a guitar player, you will find that your time spent with your axe can become the last thing you are able to do WRONG!!! If you love playing on your instrument, then you should find more time doing it, PERIOD! If playing your guitar helps you to relax, then this will help you in other areas of your life. Every person on this planet must have something within them that keeps their candle light. How does TIME apply to you? Time applies to everything. What you do with your time is a very big topic, because once you lose it, It can never be recovered. Old man TIME is the wisest of all teachers. There are 168 hours in a week (7x24): Review how you spend your time. Hours spent working ____________ Hours spent commuting ______________ Hours spent getting ready ______________ Hours spent eating _______________ Hours spent sleeping _______________ Hours spent with family _____________ Hours spent on exercising _______________ Hours spent getting educated ______________ Hours spent relaxing ____________ Can you find 4 to 10 hours a week to spend on your guitar playing? Chances are you can... The question is: Will you? Make a commitment to spend more time getting better and showing all your family and friends that you take playing on your axe serious. By the way, Checking out and going through Guitarz Forever.com is definitely a great start. What else can you do? Winners take Control! Peace, Riffmaster

Mar 10, Delta Guitar Player Robert Johnson

Mon, 10 Mar 2008 02:41:12 GMT

Delta Guitar Player Robert Johnson

Mar 10, The Guitar Wheel Review

Mon, 10 Mar 2008 02:19:43 GMT

The Guitar Wheel Review

Feb 26, Guitar Finger Exercises

Tue, 26 Feb 2008 03:42:35 GMT

Guitar Finger Exercises

Feb 22, Guitar Chord Construction

Fri, 22 Feb 2008 01:37:20 GMT

Guitar Chord Construction

Feb 19, Todd Grubbs CD Review

Tue, 19 Feb 2008 03:14:27 GMT

Todd Grubbs CD Review

Feb 17, guitar facts a glossary of terms

Sun, 17 Feb 2008 06:34:22 GMT

guitar facts a glossary of terms

Feb 15, Eric Johnsons Fender Strat Model Electric Guitar

Fri, 15 Feb 2008 02:43:06 GMT

Eric Johnsons Fender Strat Model Electric Guitar

Feb 10, How To Buy A Pawn Shop Guitar The Safe Way

Sun, 10 Feb 2008 05:36:35 GMT

So here are some rules for pawn shop guitaring. 1. Never impulse buy You see something you like, don't just grab it and run (unless you think you can get away without getting caught). Play the guitar for a while. Put it down and come back in the next few days. See if it still feels the same and has the same appeal as that initial reaction. The last thing that you want to do is to buy a guitar that you loved at the time only to take back to the same pawn shop a few weeks later. 2. Have a goal This follows on from tip number one. Have a goal as to what type of guitar you are after. By that I mean you should a clear definition of what you want to buy. This will help you avoid the impulse buy, and focus your attention so you don't get distracted by all the shiny things in the shop. Going back to my PRS example, I've been looking for a nice guitar with soap bar style pickups now to round out my collection. Don't by a guitar that you don't need, unless of course it is something exceptional. 3. Play with the knobs and know how a guitar works The ones on the guitar you dirty fiends. Turn all the knobs, waggle the lead, and flick all the switches. Make sure they all work, and if not, have a rough idea if you can fix it yourself or how much it may cost you. You don't want to spend $100 on a guitar and then have to do $300 worth of work on it. 4. Try some different amps This is very important. The person running the pawn shop will always plug you into a small Fender combo and crank the reverb. I honestly think that those small combos were designed by Fender exclusively for the pawn shop industry because they make every guitar sound great. So try the guitar with that crappy 15W no name amp as well. It will give you a much better idea on the true sound quality. 5. Don't pay for the case From my experience, the person who pawns off any decent guitar will have had it in a case, and the case will likely be out the back of the shop. Ask about the case, ask if it is included in the price, and if not ask why not. 75 you'll get the case for free, 20 heavily discounted, and the remaining 5 involves you walking out of the store. They want the sale just a bad as you want to buy the guitar so let them chase you. Read More... Vega Guitarz

Feb 8, Singer, Songwriter Dave Grohl

Fri, 08 Feb 2008 02:21:11 GMT

Dave Grohl (born David Eric Grohl; January 14, 1969 in Warren, Ohio) - is a rock musician, who was the drummer of the grunge band Nirvana from 1990 until the band split up in 1994 after frontman Kurt Cobain's suicide... Read On - Click Link Below

Feb 7, time signatures

Thu, 07 Feb 2008 02:44:00 GMT

time signatures

Feb 6, Guitar Players and Endorsements

Wed, 06 Feb 2008 04:20:35 GMT

I caught up with Dave Martone at the NAMM Show a few weeks back and introduced myself to him personally. Martone is one of best independent instrumental guitar players out there today. If youre a fan of progressive guitar, then Daves your man. Dave and I have corresponded... however, never met him. He is definitely a genuinely nice guy. I visited with him briefly while he was setting up for his Digi-Tech Clinic. Wow! I couldn't believe all the gadgets, foot pedals, keyboards and what all else he had... but it looked mind-blowing. Forget the guitar...it would take me years just to learn how to program all the gear he uses. Anyway... check out Dave's article on the topic of endorsements... Click the link below:

Feb 1, Prashant Aswani Demo

Fri, 01 Feb 2008 21:34:03 GMT

Hey Ya'll.... check out this video of my guitarist Prashant Aswani... I've been helping out Prashant with promotion stuff and help getting his name out there to the masses. I've chosen to work with Prashant because of his style and tone... one of the best in the business. I have been working with him for several months now and he and I have covered a lot of area together. Here is Prashant at the ESP Booth jammin' out... Guitarist Prashant Aswani Demo Budda Superdive 18 1x12 combo and XTone Guitar.

Jan 31, You Can't Fail!

Thu, 31 Jan 2008 03:09:46 GMT

Failure is another of our individual creations. Let's face it, most of us would not be able to lift twice our own weight from the floor to over our heads. So what if we tried it and didn't succeed? Did we fail? Of course not. We may not have been able to do it, but at least we didn't feel badly about it. Failure is simply our ability to feel badly about what we were unable to do. The intensity of our feeling is in direct proportion to the significance we have mentally attached to whatever we were trying accomplish. For most of us, a "failure" does not create life-threatening situation. It is at most, an embarrassment, a drop in stature, a blow to our ego and self-esteem and occasionally a temporary drop in income. Has any permanent damage been done? Only if we emotionally allow it Nothing in life is certain, no matter how much we plan or how hard we try. So why don't we stop trying to live as though certainty is a reality. It just ain't so! Life is one set of learning experiences after another. Some lessons are easy - some are more difficult. The highest quality lessons are often those resulting from the most difficult situations or the most severe "failures". If we can switch our focus to the lessons and get past our personal feeling of embarrassment and ego deflation, we'll be in a much better position to proceed on down our life's road.

Jan 29, Goal Setting

Tue, 29 Jan 2008 02:29:29 GMT

Things To Think About... 1. Your goals need to be your goals Not your spouse's or significant other's, not your friends', parents', children's, etc. - YOURS! 2. Your goals must be achievable It's great to stretch for them, in fact it's desirable, but you must be able to honestly picture yourself achieving them. 3. You must be willing to put forth some extra effort It's not possible to achieve more vegging out in front of the TV. It will take extra effort and sometimes extra money. "You can't take a trip unless you're willing to pay the price of the ticket." 4. You gotta really want to do it How can you achieve something you really don't want? If you can honestly picture yourself doing this "thing" you want to do and can approach the task of getting it done with a positive attidude, your chances for success are very good. *Success - taking the steps to do those things you want to do! 5. Be picky about who you tell We need positives and support to accomplish our goals. Share your thoughts and plans only with those who will back your efforts. 6. Achieving your goal must benefit everyone concerned Think about the end result of achieving your goal. How will others be affected? Will the overall result be positve and in everyone's best interest? (Note: Not everyone has to like the result!) 7. Will accomplishing your goal be fun/enjoyable? There can be some hard work between "here" and "there". If we get satisfaction from our progress and we know we'll feel good when we reach our goal, we'll have much better chance of getting it done. (Why would we ever do anything to intentionally make our lives miserable?) TO SUCCEED - JUST DO WHAT YOU LOVE TO DO Check out the link below for more on this topic....

Jan 27, Finding your niche...

Sun, 27 Jan 2008 19:13:02 GMT

In a nutshell you must figure out who you are as an artist or a band. As a music celebrity, self-awareness can make or break a concert and even a following. You need to take time out often and gather the information youve gathered over the months about yourself, etc. A well written paragraph of about 150 to 250 words should do the trick. Be brief and direct when writing your short bio. Also make notes on your short comings and be aware of making improvements write a road map on how you are going to fix the problem. Lastly, write a summary wrap up as if youve already fixed the problems, etc. The following questions will help you pin down what you have to offer. This is also a great way of finding your niche. The exercise is important for both Questions: How do I describe my music? How do friends, fans, or business associates describe my music? If I had to put my music into categories, what would they be? Are there deficiencies in my music? (Be honest). If so, what are they? (Examples including songwriting, lyrics, guitar skills, vocal range, production, and so on.) What kinds of people come to my show? What do they wear? How do they behave? How old are they? What kinds of places do I gig? What venues are appropriate for me? Who buys my music and where do the buy it? What kind of lyrics do I write (or prefer to sing)? Is there a common message, theme, or tone in my music? How do I see myself in terms of physical image? Is this compatible with my music and what people are hearing? What kind of image do I want to portray? Whom do I hope to reach with my music? What, musically, am I passionate about? What do I prefer to sing / play? What kind of voice do I have? What is its range and color? What kind of songs really let my talents shine through? What do I absolutely love to play/sing? Who are my contemporaries? What other artists (signed or unsigned) are in similar categories to mine, and how would I describe them? Check out the link below for more discussion on this topic

Booking, Promoting and Marketing Your Music A Complete Guide for Bands and Solo Artists. By Nyree Belleville. Book (not sheet music). 198 pages. Published by Mixbooks. (330518)
See more info...

Jan 26, Finding Distribution for your Music

Sat, 26 Jan 2008 14:50:37 GMT

Finding Distribution: Online, Retail and Other Outlets for your Music Finding a distributor is hard. It can take months and months before you find and secure a distributor, which is not an easy process for independent labels or individuals. I'm learning all about this first hand working with my artist. Following thru on everything is so crucial in this business. If you don't follow up with your contacts, then everything you do will be like piss'n in the wind. I know, its tedious work... however, the payoffs can be substantial. If youre an indie artist, the only one who is really going to make you successful, IS YOU! Dont let others lead you down roads you dont want to go. Having legal advice helps too However, finding a lawyer who knows the music business is another topic of discussion all its own. Quick tip for legal help, go to your local state, county, city, and township resources that have to do with music. Such as: recording studios, instrument shops, music schools, music teacher at your local college, online resources, local music associations, church, and local music clubs, etc. Believe me, a little research, networking, and foot work will go a long ways in putting you in the right direction. In some of these local music industry associations, youll have music lawyers who do pro-bono work for local musicians. It helps them get more exposure in their line of work. So please check out this next article the covers just that click the link below.

Simon & Schuster All You Need to Know About the Music Business - 5th Edition Book

In the music business, the key to success lies in knowing how to protect yourself. Whether you are a performer, writer or executive, Passman's revered and exhaustive guide to the legal and financial aspects of the music world is an essential tool, offering authoritative, up-to-the-minute information. You'll learn how to: select and hire a winning team of advisors; master the big picture and the finer points of record deals; navigate the ins and outs of songwriting, music publishing and copyrights; and maximize concert, touring and merchandising deals. This fifth edition also includes information on: music downloads and streaming; how royalties are computed in the digital age; why record companies are hemorrhaging money; new laws on copyright infringement, illegal downloads and challenges to intellectual property rights; industry strategies to combat piracy; and the new model for record deals. Should be required reading for anyone planning or enduring a career in the biz. Rolling Stone

Jan 25, Remembering Guitarist Randy Rhoads

Fri, 25 Jan 2008 02:14:52 GMT

Randy Rhoads is one of Rocks most celebrated Guitarists of our time and still is today even after all these years since his untimely death in 1982. As most of you know Randy was an awesome performer and rose to fame quickly playing with the likes of Ozzy Osborne. What was so inspiring for me when I first started playing guitar was Randy Rhodes lived for his music and music in general. Being a guitar teacher was a big thing with me and his influences were the same as mine too such as, Eddie Van Halen, Allan Holdsworth, Andy Summers, Pat Metheny, Earl Klugh, Jeff Beck, Ronnie Montrose, Ritchie Blackmore, B.B. King, Michael Shenker, Steve Lukather and all the English players in the 70s who used vibrato. However, Randy didnt own any rock albums. Randy says I dont listen to music to achieve anything from it. I just listen to relax and be social. Randy got his style from teaching. His student would come to him to figure out everybodys licks. When you teach something to a student, it clicks in your head. You may find the answer to another problem you may have been trying to figure out. Says Randy. Mr. Rhodes also believed that you should have a guitar lesson planned for everyday. He also states that his strength is his determination. I miss Randy Rhodes and he meant so much to me and to legions of guitar players out there. I just want to write this into my blog as a remembrance to my guitar guru Randy Rhoads. Peace and Love forever bro, Riffmaster
Ozzy Osbourne Framed Memorabilia
Buy at AllPosters.com

Jan 24, Marketing your band can be fun...

Thu, 24 Jan 2008 02:10:14 GMT

Marketing your band can be fun and there are many ways to stay on your game when it comes to promotions. I cant stress how important MySpace can be in your quest to get your music out there to the masses. I have been slowly building my own site on MySpace and if you dont have a guide to help you youll probably be wasting a lot of time learning. So I went out and bought this book MySpace For Musicians Totally awesome guide. I highly recommend this book for your online marketing Indie education...

Myspace For Musicians By Fran Vincent. Book (not sheet music). Softcover. 368 pages. Published by Cengage Learning. (331891)
See more info...

Jan 23, Cleaning Your Guitar

Wed, 23 Jan 2008 04:03:02 GMT

Cleaning Your Guitar: Regarding acoustic guitars, wax is not cool ... and non-drying oils (like lemon oil) are even worse. Oils, waxes, and silicates penetrate the finish, entering the wood itself ... and over a period of time, they'll add a density to the wood that detracts from it's resonance. These "nasties" also turn simple repairs into nightmares - ask any experienced luthier, and you'll find no question about the matter. The more the wood DRIES and ages, the more resonant and rich it's sound will become. Generally, wiping the guitar down, with something like a chamois cloth, after each playing session, is all the maintenence your guitar will ever need. Most players have it backwards -- over attending to waxing and fretboard lubricants (bad stuff!), while abusing the wood by not keeping the guitar in it's case, where it should be whenever it's not being played. I like to clean my guitar when I change the strings, so I can get at all those spots UNDER them. A damp rag is all that's needed - dipped in a little water, and wrung dry. Put some serious elbow grease into it though, with a soft, non-abrasive cloth (like an old t-shirt) ... and wipe the guitar down thoroughly - same for the fretboard. A little Murphy's Oil Soap, diluted with water (as instructed on the bottle) is excellent! Don't worry about the water: STANDING water is what damages wood -- we're talking about a damp rag. After a few years, you may want to remove the "grunge" off your fretboard by giving it a very light brushing with #000, or #0000 steel wool. And if you want to use a polish, use Martin Guitar Polish (the only one I've ever heard confidently recommended by luthiers) ... but not on the fretboard! If you want something for the fretboard, luthiers recommend almond oil ... just a drop or two ... once per year.

Jan 22, NAMM 2008 & Tips On Submitting Your Demo

Tue, 22 Jan 2008 03:32:25 GMT

Wow!!! What an Awesome Time at the NAMM Show 2008 I got to finally meet the artist I represent face to face after several months of working with them from half way across the country. I got to meet some great musicians too! Such as: Guitar Instrumentalist Prashant Aswani, The Screaming Lords band leader and V.P. of ESP Guitars Jose Ferro, Guitarist for the Lords Jason Gile, President of ESP Guitars Matt Masciandaro, Guitarist Joe Stump, Guitar Instrumentalist Dave Martone, N.Y.C.s Tommy Bolin, Georges Lynchs Tech Ed sumptin or anotha (I cant remember his last name what a really nice guy). Lets see who else? Oh... Yeah... and Wonder kid Alexi Laiho from Children of Bodom, and Jon Donais of Shadows Fall. Also met the Folks over at Guitar Wheel you need to check that wheel out. I took lots of pictures and I will posting on the site very soon. I also got some great footage of Guitarist Prashant Aswani rockin out too! Tip #1 - Put your contact information on everything. This may sound simple but it is one of the biggest mistakes people make when they send me demos. Read more >>>> Tips On Submitting Your Demo

Jan 13, How the Internet Helps Small Bands

Sun, 13 Jan 2008 19:13:08 GMT

Ok lets see Weve covered the topic of getting some quotes / reviews However, I never said much about how we went about getting those quotes First lets say if you dont like to work hard, then this is not for the faint hearted. One free way to get a list of places to market your music to is by going on line and checking out as many online directories as possible. Use key words like Directory, Music, Hard Rock, Magazines, etc. If you write it out like this in the search field of your search engine, it will narrow your search. The same goes with other genres of music and other media outlets. Try Directory, Music, and College Radio and see what comes up on your search youll be surprised at all the resources at your disposal. Next, I visit each site check out the home page to feel out the site and ask myself it our music fits the Radio Stations format or magazines format, etc if it does, I will contact those folks through their contact page I will all ready have a short letter prepared to copy and paste into my email More to come on this. Please check out another great marketing article for your reading pleasure. How the Internet Helps Small Bands