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Mediaguide Named As USA Songwriting Competition Sponsor
Mediaguide's ArtistMonitor product, which allows independent artists to monitor their own songs and releases has been selected as part of the over $50,000 in prizes provided to the winners of the 10th Annual USA Songwriting Competition. In addition, Mediaguide has granted a 15% discount to all artists who submit songs to the competition and subscribe to ArtistMonitor.
"We are dedicated to providing independent artists with the same accurate airplay data that labels and promoters enjoy for their artists and clients," states Paul Wright, Vice President of Music Business Development for Mediaguide. "The USA Songwriting Competition attracts some of the most talented writers and artists in the world and we are proud to be a part of the event."
According to Eddie Phoon of the USA Songwriting Competition, "Mediaguide is great as it provides artists with the airplay and chart information that are important for their bios and resumes as well as for managing their limited cash as they schedule tours and look for new fans and retail support."
The competition staff will also use the Mediaguide reporting system to monitor the airplay success of past winners.
10th ANNUAL USA SONGWRITING COMPETITION
Enter your songs in the 10th Annual USA Songwriting Competition and win $50,000 Grand Prize worth of cash, cool music gear from Sony, Steinberg, Ibanez Guitars, Audio-Techica and more! Winning songs will receive airplay on a nationally syndicated radio program in Unitd States and Canada. Judges include A&R from Universal, BMG, EMI, Warner and SONY Music.
Get early entry Bonuses and please obtain the entry form from the internet at: http://www.songwriting.net
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Urban Network And Mediaguide Feature New & Emerging Artists
- Are you sending your music to college, non-commercial or specialty radio?
- Would you like to know who is playing your songs?
- Would you like to know where you can find new fans?
- Would you like to know the best places for you to tour?
- Do you want to give distributors or retailers proof that stations support your music?
DO YOU WANT A FEATURE ON THE URBAN NETWORK RADIO STATION, WEBSITE AND MAGAZINE?
Starting in April, each month Urban Network will rely on Mediaguide to find the R&B, Hip-Hop, Soul or Gospel artist whose self-released song has gained the most airplay across Mediaguide's network of 2,500 college, non-commercial and commercial radio stations.
Each month the Featured Artist will receive:
- Top song put into rotation on Urban Network radio station THE MIX
- Feature on the artist in Urban Network newsletter
- Feature on the artist in Urban Network Indy page at www.urbannetwork.com
- CD review in the Urban Network magazine
- Display on the Mediaguide Music News newsletter sent to labels, promoters, radio stations and other music professionals
- Display on the Mediaguide website in a special section for Featured Artists
- Banner display on Mediaguide charts shown on the Urban Network website
- Free year of ArtistMonitor Premium for the winning song and album
Eligibility
In order to be eligible for the Featured Artist Program, an artist must simply be an ArtistMonitor™ user. Check out www.artistmonitor.com for information on the service and its benefits. Such users include those that subscribe through Mediaguide partners.
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UrbanBuzz To Include Mediaguide Charts In Radio Newsletter
The Urban Buzz is proud to announce our partnership with Mediaguide. The Urban Buzz Urban AC and R&B/Hip Hop Charts will appear in The Urban Buzz weekly newsletter and website beginning with our April 14th issue.
"Mediaguide is proud and excited to include our charts in The Urban Buzz," says Mediaguide VP of Music Business Development Paul Wright. "We work hard to electronically monitor Urban AC, R&B and Hip-Hop music and believe it is a great compliment to Mediaguide and an acknowledgment of our accuracy that an industry leader like The Urban Buzz is displaying our information."
For advertising on our new chart page, call 323-258-9377.
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Mediaguide To Participate In Southeast Urban Music Conference
The 3rd Annual SUMC Urban Music Conference is set for June 1-4, 2005 in Atlanta, GA as a celebratory tribute to Black Music Month. The Renaissance Atlanta Hotel Downtown will act as host to the 2005 conference and its participants.
The 2004 SUMC registration boasted over 650 participants and offered a variety of informative seminars focused on achieving success in the business of urban entertainment. Attendees included artists, producers, managers, promotions professionals all hoping to learn more about the business from industry pros, and learning to network with some of the today's hottest talent.
The Rising Stars/New Label Showcase Luncheon is returning to this year's SUMC and the event has added a gospel music reception and seminar as well. There is a NeoSoul/R&B Lounge with live performances and a major closing pool party along with lots of other surprises.
Through Sonicbids, SUMC and Mediaguide are running an airplay contest where the artist with the most plays across the Mediaguide network will perform at the Rising Stars / New Label luncheon, receive a year of ArtistMonitor Premium and other prizes.
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Each week Mediaguide will present an artist whose self-released song or album has placed in the top 10 of its Artist & Self-Released charts by genre, format or specialty program. To learn more about Mediaguide's airplay information on self-released or artist-imprint songs and releases, check out the A&R/Music Discovery section of Mediaguide.com.
Artist: Soundtribe Sector 9
Album: Artifact
Release Date: January 2005
Website: http://www.sts9.com
For those of us that have followed the Livetronica movement since the late 1990s, Atlanta-native Soundtribe Sector 9 is a favorite pioneer in the realm of audio alchemy, sonic exploration and innovative songwriting. With the release of ARTIFACT, their 5th official album, the group's talent and intricate composition has caught the attention of college and non-commercial radio.
Mediaguide began monitoring the album in January 2005 and it has shown a steady increase in plays each week to represent clear leadership amongst self-released albums receiving airplay. Much like their aggressive tour schedule, STS9's ARTIFACT has achieved success nationwide, with stations from Miami and San Francisco to Lexington, KY and Philadelphia playing this well-constructed mixture of aural landscapes, complex rhythms and harmonies for their listeners over 400 times. Specifically, WRAS (Atlanta, GA), WRGP (Miami - Ft. Lauderdale - Hollywood, FL), WRUV (Burlington, VT - Plattsburgh, NY) have led the increasingly popular charge to share STS9 with discerning listeners.
As a collective of musicians and artists, STS9 (Sound Tribe Sector 9) creates and expresses a musical style that is unique unto itself. STS9 have as much of anaffection for samplers and computers as they do pianos, drums, bass, and guitars. The music blends layered sonic landscapes, developed melodic movements, and deep groove sensibilities. The music is simultaneously progressive and retrospective. It draws from the core creative values of the jazz greats and the funk-soul innovators while utilizing modern advancements in music production, basically just getting wicked with whatever they can make a sound with.
A loyal and musically open-minded fan base around the world has helped STS9 become one of the few groups to ?nd success as independent, instrumental artists. Embracing a near constant touring schedule, including performances at Japan's Fuji Rock Festival, Coachella, Bonnaroo, Red Rocks and Austin City Limits, STS9 has carved a niche of their own in a crowded industry. Through the music, the band covers a wide spectrum of styles and in?uences. Sharing the stage and performing with such acts as James Brown, Perry Farrell, Tortoise, LTJ Bukem, Telefon Tel Aviv, Ming & FS, the Roots, Blackalicious and Ozomatli, STS9 are best ?t to stay unbound from musical labels, genres, or stereotypes, and choose, instead, to release and perform music that is inspiring to them as artists. To date, STS9 have released three studio albums and two live albums, all currently on their own 1320 label.
With their new album, ARTiFACT, an ode to preservation and change, STS9 chose to take a complete hands-on approach, producing and arranging all of the material themselves. Focusing on production via sampled recordings of their own studio sessions, including guest musicians, vocalists, and ?eld recordings, the album making process utilized an innovative progression of developmental "passes". Some of the integral textures were created via traditional theme and variation approach, though the process was not simply con?ned to melodic composition. Rather, techniques, melodies, and movements were wrought from an open-ness to the possibilities that were felt in the moment. STS9 have de?ned a songwriting style that approaches composition through sound sculpture. Through this process, they have found a welcomed balance and structure to complement their unique approach to live performance and improvisation.
For more information please contact:
Laura Cohen
LC Media
laurabcohen@sbcglobal.net
323-661-7696
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Each week Mediaguide will bring additional attention to one of the stations in its monitored network. In some weeks, we will be fortunate enough to have one of the monitored stations share their thoughts on an album that has captured their staff and listeners. In other weeks, we will highlight a playlist that has captured our attention for its diversity and combination of local, regional and national artists.
This week, WRGP of Florida International University in the Miami - Ft. Lauderdale - Hollywood, FL market is our featured station. Their top 10 albums, based on the number of plays detected by Mediaguide, from the week of April 4 through April 10, 2005, has a self-released artist, Dirty On Purpose, as its leader and includes Rock, Electronica and Latin music. WRGP has also been a leading supporter of our Early Riser this week, Soundtribe Sector 9.
| Artist |
Release |
Label |
# of Plays |
| Dirty On Purpose |
Sleep Late For A Better Tomorrow [EP] |
Self Released |
36 |
| Thievery Corporation |
The Cosmic Game |
Eighteenth Street Lounge |
28 |
| Sonic Youth |
Sonic Nurse |
Geffen |
27 |
| Orbital |
Blue Album |
ATO |
26 |
| Erlend Oye |
Dj-Kicks: Erlend Oye |
Studio K7 |
26 |
| Federico Aubele |
Gran Hotel Buenos Aires |
Eighteenth Street Lounge |
26 |
| Jem |
Finally Woken |
ATO |
23 |
| Modulator |
Don't Hold Out On Me [EP] |
Self Released |
22 |
| Tilly And The Wall |
Wild Like Children |
Crackle Sup! Songs / Team Love |
22 |
| Mojave 3 |
Spoon And Rafter |
4AD / Beggars Group |
21 |
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Reprinted from Bob Baker's Indie Music Promotion Blog
Marketing Lessons from an 8-Year-Old
This morning I was driving my 8-year-old daughter to school when she asked me to cue up a very familiar song on the CD player. If you have kids, you know that children often love repeated exposure to stuff they like. They'll contently watch a favorite movie over and over again, driving the adults in the house batty from the repetition.
One of her favorite songs these days is "Accidentally in Love" by Counting Crows. I'd like to think she enjoys it so much because I recently played it in a part-time cover band and dedicated it to her at a show she attended. But the truth more likely has something to do with the Shrek 2 soundtrack :-)
Anyway, this morning we were on our second spin of "So she said, 'What's the problem, baby' ..." when I finally asked her, "Why do you like this song so much?"
Her answer: "I don't know. It just puts me in a good mood."
Wow. That might sound like a simplistic answer, but when you think about it, isn't that at the core of enjoyng any type of music, at any stage of life? You enjoy your favorite music because it makes you feel good.
The key words there are *feel* and *good*. Generally speaking, music makes the person enjoying it feel good -- or better about themselves than they might have before hearing it.
There are exceptions: Sometimes people listen to particular types of music when they are sad or angry or not feeling "good." In these instances, people use music to match their mood -- to cradle and support them in whatever state they happen to be in. But, regardless of the mood, people always use music to "feel," whether it's good or otherwise.
But I contend that most of the time people turn to music to feel better about themselves. To, as my daughter says, put themselves in a good mood. Music fans might say they love an act because of the vocalist's skills or the guitar player's chops or the groove laid down by the bass player. But those things are just the means that lead to the ultimate fan payoff: feeling good.
How does your music make your fans feel? In what way do you elevate their mood to "good" -- or, better yet, great? The answers to those questions can be different for every artist. But asking them and pondering the answers will help you understand the true relationship you have with your fans.
Bottom line: Putting more people in a "good mood" will help your music career more than just about any marketing tactic you could ever conceive.
Bob Baker is the author of "Guerrilla Music Marketing Handbook," "Unleash the Artist Within" and "Branding Yourself Online." He also publishes TheBuzzFactor.com, a web site, blog and e-zine that deliver free music marketing tips and self-promotion ideas to musicians of all kinds. Visit TheBuzzFactor.com for more details.
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Connect Globally, Market Locally
Using Mediaguide ArtistMonitor To Support Your Career
IS YOUR MUSIC PLAYING ON COLLEGE, NON-COMMERCIAL OR COMMERCIAL RADIO?
WOULD YOU LIKE TO KNOW WHO IS PLAYING YOUR SONGS?
WOULD YOU LIKE TO KNOW WHERE YOU CAN FIND NEW FANS?
WOULD YOU LIKE TO KNOW THE BEST PLACES TO TOUR?
WANT TO PROVE YOUR SONGS HAVE MARKET SUPPORT?
Songwriters and artists can use the Mediaguide ArtistMonitorTM (www.artistmonitor.com) system to gain direct and immediate knowledge of the market impact of their works. Mediaguide's unique network, which tracks songs across college, non-commercial and commercial radio stations, gives it the ability to bring airplay information that had been available only to and about commercial mainstream artists to self-released and independent artists and songwriters, and to those who want to discover and support them.
As a result, Mediaguide data, online services, reports, charts and playlists can help songwriters, artists and media industry professionals discover and track music of any type - indie/major, signed/unsigned, underground/commercial that are on music broadcasts across the country. This information becomes even more powerful and useful when combined with the new distribution and promotion technologies that are available to independent musicians.
The global reach of digital communities is important to extending the reach of your music, discovering new fans and license opportunities and supporting your existing fan and business network. But at some point, either you or the artists playing your music need to encourage real people to buy tickets and line the stage.
It is important then to use offline strategies like touring, radio promotion and ArtistMonitor in conjunction with online products like email, P2P networks, Internet radio, digital retailers and online communities to attract new fans, find collaborative artists, create retail traction and build booking power.
Your offline and online promotion activities should work in tandem towards the same goals: new fans, song or album sales, license and performance opportunities. I could list examples like this for pages, but would like to focus here on college, non-commercial and independent radio. In today's booming world of Internet radio, satellite and P2P, I would encourage you not to forget the college and non-commercial radio stations that have been leading music revolutions across several genres for years.
ArtistMonitor™ can provide you with online access to detailed reports of all airplay that your song or album has received across the entire Mediaguide network of monitored stations, including these important free-thinking stations. You can use the service to attract new fans, create retail traction and build booking power
Attract and support fans
- List stations on your website for fans to call and make requests
- Know and support your airplay - with touring, it helps create loyal fans
- Offer interviews and live on-air performances
Find supportive markets for tours
- Show airplay to booking agents to help them make decisions
- Prove to venues that you have local support
- Choose regions and markets with heavy radio support to route your tours
Use radio exposure to help retail
- Target markets for in-stores, street teams and additional promotion
- Show airplay to retailers and distributors to show you have support
- Use Contact Information to reach MDs and PDs and to promote albums and shows
In the offline (and online in some cases) world, those adventurous Program Directors, Music Directors and DJs can be great allies in supporting your story if they believe in your music. The idea to "Market Locally" asks that you reach out to the resources in your area.
A product like ArtistMonitor can aid you in that endeavor by letting you know exactly who has played your songs, where they are located and how you can contact them to thank them and introduce yourself as the person behind the music
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