Jimi Jean

The three pillars of the music industry are (1) control of publishing rights, (2) marketing power, and (3) control of distribution channels.

Okay, class dismissed.

Seriously, in the last decade the music industry has endured the unrelenting assault of an Internet earthquake that seems to have delivered a blow with the magnitude intensity of a 9.0 on the Richter scale. I remember when the first talk of industry trouble surfaced, I admit that I bought in. I heard how the industry is in trouble and plagued with copyright infringement, illegal downloads, industry layoffs, artists who can’t sell music or make money. It concerned me that artistic expression could be impeded.

Today I am happy that the industry has been challenged. Given the enormous mountain of crap that continues to be emitted via the big labels and corporate airwaves, I’d say that the pillars are still standing. I may not have been right about the industry, but I think I was right about the art. The good stuff takes more work to find. The corporate music industry isn’t completely dead yet. It just smells and sounds like it.

The truth is that sales are up. There is a lot going on right now, and a lot of it is right on. Nielsen numbers from 2006, 2007, 2008, and 2009 show that overall music sales are up by over 50%.

Here’s the reality: More musicians are making money off their music now than at any point in history. The cost of buying music has gotten lower, but the amount of money going into the artist’s pocket has increased. There are more people listening, sharing, buying, monetizing, (yes, stealing) and engaging with music than at any other point in history. There are more ways for an artist to get heard, become famous and make a living off their music now than at any point in the history. Technology has made it possible for any artist to get distribution, to get discovered, to pursue his/her dreams with no company or person out there making the editorial decisions. The majority of music now being created and distributed is happening outside of the “traditional” system.

The phenomenon of the radical change in the music industry is the basis for my story. I apologize that I don’t have any sexy examples yet. I’m still thinking. Even now I’m thinking. The truth is that I racked my brain all day long about it. All I came up with was Coal Miner’s Daughter. Yes, Coal Miner’s Daughter. Remember the montage where Doolittle and Loretta Lynn drive from radio station to radio station to get her song played? That scene just kept looping in my mind. I don’t know how you fell about movies from the 1980s, Sissy Spacek, or Tommy Lee Jones, but it’s not the epitome of sexy. Then I thought about the film That Thing You Do. Slightly more appeal I suppose. The “One-ders” played at Villa Pillano’s out by the airport night after night until a man in a really nice camper wants to put their song on the radio. In either case, the end result was a big record deal, or playing the Grand Ole Opry. Either way, the stories crescendo with arriving at the music executive’s door and cozying up to a producer who is going to solve all the band’s problems lead them to stardom.

My friends Jake Holcomb, Steven Buehler, and Matt Ostrander of Authentic Records are in tune with the changes in making music and making it happen. Perhaps they are too young to know any different, for somehow I doubt that any of them has seen Coal Miner’s Daughter. Nonetheless, the strategies that these guys have used to record, release, and distribute their new EP “Good Morning Love” are indicative of the latest trends and resemble the core of the new music industry that is taking shape. These guys are 21st century artists if I have ever seen one. As you’ll see in our interview and hear in the live version of the single “Starlight”, there is a wealth of talent here. There is also the technological expertise, social media sense, an understanding of the listener fused with realistic expectations.

None of them wants to get rich, though I doubt any of them would turn it down. These guys just want to make music and lots of it. They recognize that in order to stay in the game over the long haul that certain things have to happen. In the spirit of Radiohead’s groundbreaking concept, the free release of “In Rainbows”, Authentic Records is offering their EP for free on their website, allowing listeners to name their own price.

Partnering with other bands and players is also a significant strategy for the Authentic Records guys in terms of booking a tour. Touring with established artists represents a traditional channel, but without making use of the new channels of networking and connecting in online communities, the connections wouldn’t exist.

Jake, Steven, and Matt are about being honest and real with their music, and are committed to stick with the existing channels and  means by which to get themselves heard. It’s a simple plan that they hope will provide them with a career long enjoyment of doing what they love.  More people are doing it all the time.  Don’t let the simplicity fool you.  While a powerful record can be made anywhere and the Internet allows listeners to discover and experience more music for less money than ever before, it still takes talent.  If you’ve got it, then got for it.

When you think of all the bands that have come and gone over the years, the ones that really hung in there are the ones who gazed into the mirror of their own creativity, looked themselves straight in the eye, celebrated their strengths, acknowledged areas for improvement and made a conscious decision to push the sonic envelope in order to recreate themselves.  And that recreation can take many forms.  Sometimes it’s a simple, subtle refinement or a natural progression in the overall sound caused by their own artistic evolution as their particular personal influences make such an unmistakable impact on them, so much that they want to make an artistic statement, or maybe because the band has grown and developed so much that maturity won’t let them stay where they are.  There are countless of other scenarios.

Take U2 for example, those guys are definitely known for their sound.  There is a certain consistency that they bring thanks to Bono’s super-distinct vocal performances and The Edge’s pioneering utilization of the tap delay.  Without a doubt they progressed over the years as artists from the Boy and War days, but The Unforgettable Fire marked the emergence of their prominence as a shaping influence in their own right.  And anyone who has followed them will tell you that The Joshua Tree was legendary from the amazing songwriting to the production to the band’s emerging persona.  While that record was a huge success, if Bono and the boys hadn’t continued to make an attempt to top themselves, and chose to write songs and produce them in the same fashion, they would’ve gone stale and they’d have been tossed out years ago.  Some people might argue that they have done just as I have suggested, but again and again they have emerged with some new way to bring a fresh approach.  I’ll be the first to tell you that there have been some U2 records that left me confused, but I suppose I have come to appreciate them for what they are.  Interestingly enough, they have stayed together as a band for all these years, so one can’t say that reinvention was brought about due to a change in the line up.  U2 has been and remains to be artistically engaged and intentional about keeping it fresh.

The Flaming Lips on the other hand, who are playing this year’s ACL Festival have seen some significant changes in their lineup over the years since their inception in 1983 in Norman, Oklahoma.  Players definitely color a band and give it its distinct signature sound, but sometimes it’s just out and out intentional creativity.  In a Priest Driven Ambulance, their first album with producer Dave Fridmann, was recorded at the State University of New York in Fredonia for $5 an hour on a $10,000 budget.  The album was host to a marked expansion in the band’s sound and their previous experiments in tape loops and effects were given a more prominent role. During this period, Coyne made his transition to a higher, more strained vocal style akin to Neil Young, which he first used on Telepathic Surgery’s “Chrome Plated Suicide” and has employed ever since.  It wouldn’t be long before The Flaming Lips would catch the attention of Warner Brothers Records.  And the rest is history.

I’m not saying that this blog is going to launch me to greatness, but the process of my own personal reinvention has been the same.  If I intend to keep up, I’ve got to continually think about how to create and deliver content.  I read an article just the other day that mentioned the fact that content creation is way down, but that social media use is up.  Hmm.  Time to get creative with this stuff.  I’m counting on my employing the techniques and new skills that I am learning in my Interactive Media Production & Design class to create and to change the way that I can present the things that I find to be fascinating.  Hopefully, you will too.

The gears on the finest clocks are so precisely crafted that the passing of time can appear seamless.  Have you ever stared at a clock-hand hoping to see it move?  There are some phenomenon that truly happen right before your very eyes, but unless you keep your eyes focused, one runs the risk of missing it.  Sunsets happen that way.  Flowers open that way, too.  Small shifts in light, subtleties in color change moment to moment.  Their progress is so finely incremental that if you look away and look back, there’s a good chance that you are going to miss something special.  The upside is that there is always an intriguing moment to take it in.

I met Jake Holcomb about 7 years ago.  He was only 10 years old at the time, but even then Jake was steeped in musicality and creativity.  In fact, he was raised in it.  An artist could only hope for this kind of soil.  All about the Holcomb house one could find instruments: a keyboard here, guitars there, shakers, tambourines, and even a drum kit in the dining room.  Today it’s still the case at the Holcomb place, only maybe Madeline has moved the drum kit.  These days there is egg crate on the wall, a mixing board, a Macbook, and a bunch of microphones.  And you would be blown away to hear the sounds coming out of this place.

A couple of months ago, Jake posted a self-produced track called “Coincidence” at his site.  I couldn’t believe what I was hearing.  I downloaded the song, took it to the station, and played it on my radio show to rave reviews.  That seemed to ignite something because Jake quickly followed up “Coincidence” with another single called “It’s Simple”.  Granted, the sonic landscape in indie music these days involves realistic, raw, unpolished sounds in contrast to those manufactured, over-produced, corporate/commercial sounds of most mainstream music, but you wouldn’t know it was recorded in his room.  While the “lo-fi” is absolutely intentional, the production quality of “Coincidence” and “It’s Simple” is intentional and amazing.  Jake’s songwriting and arrangement of each of these tracks shows a maturity beyond his years.  To say the least, I am really impressed.

As for his future endeavors, Jake plans to pursue a career in music production.  At seventeen years old, it is rare to see someone with as much clarity about his plan for the future.  Things happen pretty fast, so don’t be surprised at all to see a self-released “Jake Holcomb” EP here in the very near future.  I can hardly wait.  In as much as I am ready to hear it, I’ll just be patient… though I am not going to look away.  I don’t want to miss a thing.

When I go to a show, I like to grab a cold Negra Modelo with lime and chill somewhere in the middle of the room because that’s where the sound tends to be the best.  I’m not typically the kind of music fan who gets emo, tears his shirt, and then jumps into the mosh pit, although I wanted to once.  It was the last time that mewithoutYou came through Austin. They were headlining at The Parish.  Well, they’re back in Austin, TX on Tuesday, June 15th, playing a show at 8PM at Emo’s.  Do yourself a favor and catch them.  You will not be disappointed.

Over the course of three albums and several hundred mesmerizing shows, audiences have consistently heard something dramatic and altogether different from mewithoutYou. Spirits have been jolted and calmed, in equal measures.

“it’s all crazy! it’s all false! it’s all a dream! it’s alright” is another daring adventure charted by frontman Aaron Weiss, guitarist Michael Weiss, bassist Greg Jehanian, and drummer Rickie Mazzotta. Helping to further stretch the group’s boundaries is the production duo of indie dynamo Daniel Smith (Danielson Familie) and Philly workhorse Brian McTear (Mazarin, Matt Pond PA).

Much of the mewithoutYou anguish of old has given way to a sense of gentle wonder, as the band and a whole slew of guest musicians have unearthed strange and beautiful sounds that accompany the album’s many marvels. A more tranquil Aaron, following an artistic progression he began on Brother, Sister, has more or less dropped his signature sing-shouting and is now a full-fledged singer. The band remains in left field, but one that continuously draws to them more eccentrics, seekers, and lovers of original music. ~ Tooth & Nail

With the season of SXSW behind us now, Austin, TX has begun to settle back down a bit.  The big party is over and the work of sifting through and applying the mountain of great ideas that were presented and discussed by those who presented panels begins.  Social media is exploding.  If you have any interest in being a content provider, knowing how to provide quality content is imperative.  I went back and revisited this archived panel from 2007 hosted by Steve Mack and Jose Castillo on “podcasting“.  As I am preparing to launch my radio show at The Source.FM in a matter of days, this particular panel served as a good reminder of what goes into creating and broadcasting a professional podcast.  Know this stuff.

Know your audience.  This sounds like a no brainer, but have you seriously considered the demographic of people who will be listening to your show?  My target audience is comprised of 20-40 year olds who have their own personal interest in discovering Austin bands and artists.  My audience isn’t interested in the corporately produced and marketed sounds that exemplify BIG MUSIC, they are the fans that want to hear songs that were cultivated right here in Austin, TX.  You too have taken some serious time to research your concept or topic for your podcast, and hopefully you have become somewhat of an expert.  Be an expert at describing your target audience and create a podcast that appeals to them.

Get good audio.  The first step in being sure that you are going to capture good audio during your interview or as you prepare your show is to have the proper equipment.  The proper equipment doesn’t mean that you have to spend a small fortune.  Most of what you need to sound professional is actually pretty reasonable.  You need to have a dynamic microphone such as an Shure SM58, for noisier environments.  An affordable condenser mic such as an M-Audio MXL 990, is not designed for noisy circumstances.  Those are for the studio, or a quiet controlled environment.  You can pick these items up at any local music store with a pro audio department.

Be prepared.  It’s more than a Boy Scout mantra.  Professional production begins with a well thought out plan.  Write a script.  Create an outline with bullets.  Use notecards.  Any of these ideas will work.  Just be sure to know where you are going and have thoughtful, open-ended questions prepared if you are doing an interview.

Edit your audio.  Even if you have a script and are well prepared, there are always little things that happen along the way to cause problems, or maybe after you have previewed your podcast, you realize that you could have said some things better.  Use audio production software to edit your audio.  Audacity is free, though there are many inexpensive options out there as well.  Google “audio editing software” and you’ll discover that there are plenty of options.  Most of audio production software works the same, so once you learn the general concepts of cutting, pasting, cross-fading, etc., you will have the knowledge base to use any of them out there.

Flow.  Use good story telling techniques.  Have a clear beginning, middle and end to your podcast.  Even if you are interviewing someone, you can ask questions that progress and that will arrive at a specific destination or particular conclusion.  The story-telling component will make your podcast memorable and will provide greater entertainment value.  People will want to come back and hear your next one.

Use a theme song.  Brand yourself well by having a tune that people will recognize and remember.  How many times have you heard The Pretenders’ song “My City Was Gone” on the radio without hearing Rush Limbaugh’s voiceover?  Not too often.  Rush Limbaugh has probably become more synonymous with the song than The Pretenders.  You can get rights to a song if there is one that you absolutely must have, but there is also a lot of royalty free music available specifically for podcasts.  Audio programs like Garage Band have those podcasting jams built right in.  If you know an artist who sings a song you want, just ask.

Use an Intro and Outro.  The old adage is that you (1) tell ‘em what you plan to tell ‘em,  (2) tell ‘em, and then (3) tell ‘em what you just told ‘em.  The same thing applies here.  Be sure as you conclude your podcast that you give a preview of your next podcast as a little teaser.  Again, it will help keep people  coming back.

All right.  Now I have a podcast of my own to work on.  See you next time.

Peace.

The South Lamar scene was happenin’ last night.  After a healthy dose of Matt’s El Rancho, my buddy Fred Mandujano and I headed just up the road to the Irie Bean to enjoy a little backyard time and hear some live music.  Evenings don’t get much better than this: clear sky, cool breeze, low 60s, a Sierra Pale Ale and some good tunes.

In addition to the perfect weather, I had the pleasure of meeting and chatting with new friend, Austin singer and songwriter, Chris Beall.  Chris talked with me about his latest independent project brand new world. Engineered and produced by Chris, Beallstreet Productions, brand new world is a 7-song EP that stems from Chris’ personal experiences: family, the way he sees his world, things that bother him about himself… you know, singer, songwriter stuff. As Chris says, “If you’re a songwriter, you know the drill. We share the most important things in our lives through our passion—music.”

brand new world is definitely a collection of introspective songs that speak of lifelong pursuits, passion and significance.  In as much as this is personal narrative from Chris’ experience and worldview, from the opening lines of the story in “I Sat Around”, I felt invited in and right at home. The story continues with Chris’ soulful rendition of Robert Leroy Johnson’s tune, “Crossroads”, and lifts into a light-hearted, folk-pop frolic about purpose and relationships in the infectiously melodious “Close to You”.  Chris is an accomplished musician.  At times brand new world is up-close and intimate, a simple vocal and finger-picked guitar, yet at other times straight-ahead rockin’.  The title-track “Brand New World” features bluesy riffs intertwined with jangling, road-song acoustic guitars.  It’s a fun, warm, and down home record.

Over the years, I’ve developed a passion for combining different elements of American music with my blues roots guitar playing and my songwriting. I’ve also devoted alot of time in the recent years to engineering and producing, so when the time came to finally release some material of my own all of those elements began to morph into one. For me it’s like a beautifully artistic juggling match—challenging but emotionally rewarding all the while. – Chris Beall, Beallstreet Productions

Artist like Chris Beall love making music.  While many singer, songwriters would revel in fame and fortune, it’s the actual doing what they do, the love of making music, that keeps them going.  So great is this love in fact that they spend all of their own money to make their own art and fund their own marketing endeavors. The most savvy use sites like Reverb Nation and social media to get their music out there. These artists are having to find new and creative ways to make new contacts and connect with fans.

Chris is the quintessential independent artist. I would probably go as far as to say that he is the poster child for the new “alternative music industry” that has developed.  I hadn’t even been introduced to Chris yet, and he walks up to give me a free CD. Imagine his surprise to learn that I have a radio show. It just goes to show, you never know who you’ll run into. I am even that much more excited to feature his songs tonight.  As a singer and songwriter myself, I have a lot of admiration for artists like Chris who have the ability to engineer and produce their own music. It’s one thing to write a song.  It’s another to transform it into a record. Taking songs  from the stage and translating them into a professional presentation is a skill and an art in itself.  brand new world is a success in that respect as well.  If you find this record as delightful as I, get a copy and support our local artists. Keep local music alive.

Join me tonight on my radio show, Jimi’s Jam.  It airs from 7-10pm on The Source 106.7FM. On Jimi’s Jam, I feature  local, Austin artists who are doing something good.  We’ll be playing Chris Beall’s record brand new world, as well as other outstanding local, Austin-based artists.  See you then.

Peace.

For as many bands that I know with a YouTube presence, it is amazing to me how often they fail do everything they should to optimize their YouTube channel.  In order to achieve search engine optimization one needs to completely fill out their profile information and tags.  That’s how you’re gonna get noticed.

I just recently read in (Austin, Tx’s own) Deltina Hay‘s book “A Survival Guide To Social Media and Web 2.0 Optimization” a very helpful chapter about video sharing strategies.  As I am working through my own personal learning project for my Social Media for PR class at St. Edward’s University, I had to go through the checklist step by step myself to make sure that I am not touting something I haven’t already done myself.

On the list of things to do after you open your account and completely fill out your profile information is the following:

• Gather and prepare all of the video clips you plan to upload.
• Prepare a main list of key terms to use as tags for every clip.  This includes the band name, author name, home city, website address, etc.
• For each video you want to upload prepare a list of tags, a short title that uses at least two key terms from your tag list, a description that uses several of those key terms, and a YouTube category.

So, I have done most of this (after the fact).  Now that I know people can find me, the next step is to post links for my video out and about to let friends and fans know about it.  I’m not gonna spam anyone hardcore or anything, but I will be sure to make it visible.

Feel free to post your videos here.  Peace.

Sounds Under Radio has just independently released their third EP entitled My Communist Heart. I had the pleasure of catching their CD release at Stubb’s BBQ on April 2nd.  Fantastic!  The record is every bit as energetic as their live show.  My Communist Heart is an intense 5-track subsonic, fuzzy, Brit Rock excursion.

Hear “I Am an Ambulance” and their single “Sing” on Jimi’s Jam, airing Saturdays 7-10pm on The Source 106.7 FM.  If you are outside the listening area, click the “Listen Live” button and stream the show at The Source.FM.

Get the record here.

“Jester” was recorded over the course of one day at Troubadour Studios in Lockhart, TX.  As you can see it was a long one, but we had a lot of fun.  Steven Collins of Deadman produced the song, Jake Hildebrand and Joe Miles lent their guitar skills, and Fred Mandujano is on drums.  A special thanks goes out to Mike Woodard for being my “key grip”.

My EP should be finished this summer.  Keep your eyes peeled.

It’s true across the board, but particularly so in the realm of the music business.  As part of my Social Media for PR class, I am required to do a personal learning project.  I am very interested in learning how to literally use social media for PR, as a tool for connecting with people and building networks for the purpose of creating music and art.  I would also like to connect with and build relationships with other local artists, independent musicians, songwriters, performing/recording artists, industry people and fans.  Utilizing these networks I want to collaborate and share the experience of creating of music and art with those who are interested in starting their own projects and those who just find the process fascinating and fun.  Lastly, I want to create awareness, create gig sharing relationships, promote events/shows and distribute original music.

This week I am getting my project underway.  My original intent was to record an EP (extended play) “record” and have a show at the end of the semester, but have decided to scale it back to one song, which I will of course make freely available at the end of this process.  There may still be a show, but that is less of the focus for the project.  What’s more, given the fact that I am married (to the coolest girl in the world), have two kids, work part time, and am taking 18 hours this semester, I thought I might try something a little less aggressive.

So, who do I know?  For starters, I have hired friend, producer and recording artist Steve Collins of Deadman to produce my song(s).  Steve is a genius songwriter in his own right and has worked with some pretty incredible people himself (Mark Howard, Daniel Lanois).  I would highly encourage you to check out Deadman at Saxon Pub on Tuesday nights or other venues around town.  Their residency changes, so visit their website for information about when and where they are playing.  I promise, you will not be disappointed.

I have written and completed some pre-production work on 3 songs: “Figure It Out”, “Jester”, and “Stormy Tragedy”.  Steve and I met on Friday last week to discuss the project, the cost and the timeframe we have to complete it.  I provided him with a CD of my rough versions of the songs, and left it to him to decide which song we’re going to track.  I still don’t know which one it is.  I am excited to hear myself.

Tomorrow I will be meeting with drummer Fred Mandujano (Farlow, Dandelion, George Devore) and Jacob Hildebrand (Deadman) to work out any last minute details before we hit the Troubadour Studio on Friday.

As things move along, I will be posting some videos of the process.  In the meantime, the following video provides a glimpse into Steve’s talent, style, and also provides some images of the Troubadour Studio where I will be working.