Blog Archive

Here are some key points I get from Thing 18: Frequency is everything from The 20 Things You Must Know About Music Online:

It's not enough to drive traffic to your website. It's about making returning visitors out of your audience. Arguably, it is more important to have regularly updated content than it is to have a spiffy looking site (although that can help). We've already touched on the importance of RSS and getting people to subscribe to your content. Here are some tips for keeping your website up to date:

1. Make use of a Content Management System or CMS. Remove any friction between you and updating your site. If it's hard to do, you're less likely to do it consistently. Content Management Systems allow you to easily make changes to your site. Use Joomla, WordPress, or Movable Type (that's what I use).
2. Take some time to think about what you're going to say before you say it. Jot down some interesting topics that come to mind about your field of expertise. Keeping these ideas on hand is going to save you a lot of time later in trying to think up interesting subjects.
3. Take advantage of other content publishers out there. Leverage what they have created to talk about your subject of interest (make sure to credit them). Add a few of your own comments and thoughts on the subject.
4. Talk about current news items. Connect the dots from the news item you mention to the subject you want to talk about.
5. Leverage everything you do and capture it (a photo, a video, a scanned item). Then post it along with a paragraph or two of your thoughts. Keep frequent with your updates. People are going to notice if there is always stuff happening on your site, and will keep them engaged. As result, you look more professional and in-demand.

The 20 Things You Must Know About Music Online was written by Andrew Dubber, and all credit goes to him. I do not claim any ownership over the book, nor am I quoting any information verbatim. If you would like to download your free copy, please follow this link, and don't forget to visit New Music Strategies as well.

Here are some key points I get from Thing 17: Reward and Incentivise from The 20 Things You Must Know About Music Online:

Dubber suggests that there is an alternative for just about every product imaginable on the web, and, people will purchase anything that closely resembles their needs. It is, therefore, constructive to give your audience incentives for coming to you and returning to you.

As a music industry professional, you can't just allow the Hear / Like / Buy process to happen in its own time. It's important to remove any obstacles that may lie in between. No matter how much of a specialty act you are, you're probably not the only group doing it.

Dubber asserts that 30 second or 1 minute lo-fi clips aren't going to cut it. He recommends allowing people to listen to a couple of full songs off of each of your albums.

Furthermore, consider giving people reasons to choose you over the others, and do this on an ongoing basis. This is where gifts, rewards, and incentives come in. Offer a discount on concert tickets, digital media (like wallpapers), ringtones, or anything else you can think of.

Finally, turn your customers and audience into members of your fan club or business. Make them a part of your ongoing creative efforts. Get them involved in the conversation on your website through the use of forums or a commenting system.

The 20 Things You Must Know About Music Online was written by Andrew Dubber, and all credit goes to him. I do not claim any ownership over the book, nor am I quoting any information verbatim. If you would like to download your free copy, please follow this link, and don't forget to visit New Music Strategies as well.

Here are some key points I get from Thing 16: Accessibility from The 20 Things You Must Know About Music Online:

Accessibility has long been a subject of web design. It is a rather important component to building a website that anyone and everyone can view. Not everyone has a high speed connection to the internet, a Core i5 equipped tower, or even the ability to see. Building a website that is friendly to all users is a challenging task, but here are some things Dubber recommends:

1. Avoid landing pages that serve no purpose and have long load times. This would include things like Flash intros (with a 'Skip' button). If you have to add a 'Skip' button, chances are it's not worth slapping on the landing page.
2. Take advantage of sites like the Web Accessibility Initiative. They have a lot of great information pertaining to accessibility, and how to make your website more accessible.
3. Make sure your website is XHTML compliant.
4. Jakob Nielsen's Use It website also has a lot of great information on the subject of accessibility.
5. Check out the CSS Zen Garden for examples of websites that are accessible, but also visually appealing.

Although I don't mean to scare you, accessibility is actually the law (consult your particular country, state, or province's laws for more applicable information), much like it is in the workplace. In UK - Dubber points out - you would be looking at a fine amounting to thousands of pounds.

Additionally, there is a strong link between usability and accessibility. When you endeavor to make your website more accessible, you are also doing a great deal to make it more usable as well.

Dubber also asserts that accessible does not mean "vanilla" (see point 5). You can still create a site that looks great, while maintaining a well thought-out layout. According to Dubber, if your website is accessible and easy to use, it doesn't mean that your audience is going to spend more money. However, if it's not, they simply won't.

The 20 Things You Must Know About Music Online was written by Andrew Dubber, and all credit goes to him. I do not claim any ownership over the book, nor am I quoting any information verbatim. If you would like to download your free copy, please follow this link, and don't forget to visit New Music Strategies as well.

Here are some key points I get from Thing 15: RSS from The 20 Things You Must Know About Music Online:

RSS feeds are quite frankly amazing. It took me a long time to understand why, but now I know. Suppose there's a list of websites you tend to check daily (a lot of people do). You visit each of them, one after another, checking to see if there's anything new. Suppose you could do this in a more time efficient manner. Suppose you could check for the latest updates, all from one convenient location. Suppose you could know if there were any updates at first sight. That is the power of RSS.

Suppose it was possible to collect other streams and have a dynamically updated feed on your blog, and highlight the latest articles from a list of your favorite sites (they do this over at IHR).

Suppose it was possible to create a stream with all of your audio segments, and when people subscribe to your feed, they would automatically get the latest segments (aka podcasting).

Suppose you could monetize such a feed, bring your content to new people, or establish yourself as an expert or opinion leader in your field (you can!).

If I haven't piqued your curiosity, that's because you already know the power of RSS, which stands for Rich Site Summary. It's kind of been a big thing in the last few years.

Perhaps the word 'subscription' has turned you off. Well, the truth of the matter is that subscribing to a feed is absolutely free, much like podcasts. But you knew that already...

All you need to do to get started as a user is use a tool or a service called a Feed Reader or RSS Aggregator. Once you are subscribed to a particular feed, the Reader will automatically check for new updates for you. You will never have to go searching for new content again. You will get a notification in your Reader when new content is available.

Dubber recommends the following Readers: Google Reader, Sage, and Bloglines. There are a variety of others available if you go digging for them.

Once you understand the power of RSS, you begin to realize its true potential. However, the only way to do this - I've found - is to get your feet wet. Find an Aggregator you like, and get started!

The 20 Things You Must Know About Music Online was written by Andrew Dubber, and all credit goes to him. I do not claim any ownership over the book, nor am I quoting any information verbatim. If you would like to download your free copy, please follow this link, and don't forget to visit New Music Strategies as well.

Here are some key points I get from Thing 14: Permission and personalisation from The 20 Things You Must Know About Music Online:

If you are going to target a market, it may as well be a market of people who have given you permission to market to them. Sending spam or unsolicited messages generally isn't going to win you any friends, sales, or credibility. Here are some strategies you can use to improve your communication with your audience:

Firstly, let people opt-in. If you have a newsletter, allow people to put their names and email addresses in a form. Only send it to people who have requested that information. Furthermore, talk to people as though they are the only person reading what you have to say (personalization). I think I've stressed this point to death already, but your message should be relevant, useful, and interesting.

Secondly, personalize your content. Take some time to think about the person you're talking to. Who is your audience? What do they want to know? What would prove useful for them? Long lists of dates of upcoming events - according to Dubber - should be avoided.

Thirdly, take advantage of the power of introduction. If you are trying to get in touch with someone you don't know get someone who does know them to introduce you.

Fourthly, make sure to keep communication succinct. People have gotten good at skimming and scanning through text, but they do tend to pick up on certain key phrases. Break up your text into paragraphs instead of one big whole. Take advantage of subheadings as well. Additionally, tell one story at a time. Don't try to cram dozens of things in a single mail-out.

Finally, keep it simple. Treat others as you would like to be treated. Put yourself in the audience's shoes.

The 20 Things You Must Know About Music Online was written by Andrew Dubber, and all credit goes to him. I do not claim any ownership over the book, nor am I quoting any information verbatim. If you would like to download your free copy, please follow this link, and don't forget to visit New Music Strategies as well.

Here are some key points I get from Thing 13: SEO - My top 10 Tips from The 20 Things You Must Know About Music Online:

What is SEO? It short, it stands for Search Engine Optimization. It is pretty much what it sounds like - a method of positioning your website so that it is favored over other similar sites by search engines. When most people do a search on Google they only look at the first page of search results. Therefore, it would put you at an advantage if you can get your site on the first page of results (a little caveat here - it probably won't do you much good if you're on the first page of results for a completely unrelated keyword, unless you've also snagged some other relevant keywords).

Dubber's 10 tips for SEO are as follows:

1. Take advantage of meta tags. Metadata is generally split up into 3 categories including: Title, description, and keywords. The title is one of the most important parameters. When a search engine digs up your site, it uses your title in order to figure out what your page is about. A simple Google search will turn up some great articles about writing great headlines. Having the same title on each page of your website is a no-no. The description metadata is generally displayed along with the search results (below your site's link). Keywords are where you would list all the words and phrases you would consider relevant to your business or music. You can't cheat, however, so don't clutter your keyword metadata with repeated words or phrases.
2. Search engines are also looking for header tags, bullet points, bold text, or emphasized text and will treat anything in that regard as important. It pays to consider what phrases and keywords you want people searching for. Again, don't clutter your site with too much emphasis, because it will be considered spam by search engines.
3. Link to other similar sites. The idea of linking to your competitors may not appeal to you, but it helps to place you in a particular network. Furthermore, make sure to use descriptive text when linking to other sites (not 'click here').
4. Create a site map for your site. A site map is a page where you lay out all the links and destinations on your site in one convenient list. This helps significantly with navigation. It also helps the search engines to do the same thing.
5. Having relevant inbound links is immensely helpful. In a sense, this isn't really within your control. Certainly, you can exchange links with other sites, but if people are not clicking on them, you are no further ahead. The best thing you can do is offer the best content possible so people will want to link to your site. Ultimately, the inbound links will make your site more authoritative in the eyes of the search engines, which brings us nicely into the next point:
6. Create content. Use words. Your site should contain more than just mp3s, pictures, videos, or tour dates. Talk about things. Images are useful if you take full advantage of the ALT tags. Lace them with plenty of relevant descriptions and keywords.
7. Make sure to choose your keywords well. "Anticipate unfocused thinking", as Dubber says. You can use various (usually paid) tools to search your keywords, but if you can come from the angle of someone who is about to make a search, you are more likely to hit upon some good phrases and keywords.
8. Update your website. If you have a blog, all the better. Google will not send you visitors if your site has not been updated recently and frequently. Update at least weekly if possible.
9. Use Flash and Java in moderation. Generally, they do nothing for your SEO because the search engines can't pick up any of the content. Search engines require text. While it is true that search engines are working to index more multimedia elements, it is still best practice to make text your primary content.
10. Keep your domain name. The longer your site has been around, the more trusted it is by search engines. Changing domains is not a step to be taken lightly.

One final bonus tip from Dubber: It's hard to be sneaky with search engines. You can't just infuse your website with thousands of keywords (white text on a white background, for example) or click on your inbound links thousands of times to boost your ranking. In fact, it can actually do more harm than good. Simply write with your target audience in mind. Create great content.

The 20 Things You Must Know About Music Online was written by Andrew Dubber, and all credit goes to him. I do not claim any ownership over the book, nor am I quoting any information verbatim. If you would like to download your free copy, please follow this link, and don't forget to visit New Music Strategies as well.

Here are some key points I get from Thing 12: Distributed Identity from The 20 Things You Must Know About Music Online:

At this point, allow me to reiterate something: you can't just slap a website on the Internet and expect people to find it. As the old saying goes, "You've got to get yourself out there." Far and wide, preferably.

How do you do it? Well, in the real world, you can start by showing up to events, networking opportunities, meet-ups, and conventions. However, we are talking about the online world. Here's what to do for your web presence:

1. Create an email signature for yourself. You can get as creative as you want, but make sure that you include your web address. When you think about the fact that you are probably sending more emails than you are making phone calls, it makes sense to take advantage of this medium. Emails also tend to get sent out to communities and a wider array of people compared to two-way phone conversations. However, don't spam people. Ever.
2. Comment on other people's blogs (preferably relevant ones). Most of the time, you can include your web address, which will serve as a link back to your website. People will click on that link if they think you have something interesting to say. Again, you should be making a point of writing something relevant and interesting. Don't spam. Additionally, you can take advantage of "Trackbacks" by linking to other people's blogs. This will create a back link to your site.
3. Start posting in a relevant forum. Again, the previous rule applies: don't spam, and make sure to produce relevant and interesting posts. This will make people want to check out your profile where you will have meticulously back linked to your site.
4. Create social media identities and profiles. There is a bit of a time commitment with any tool you choose, so don't get too carried away signing up for every tool. Make sure to note the intended use of these tools: socialize, and network.
5. One final advanced tip - begin to establish several sites for your business, company, organization, or band. If you are a record label, promotion company and a studio, consider creating a site for each branch, and have a 'home page' where people can find each of your aforementioned sites. Make sure to have each of the sites linked up with each other too.

The 20 Things You Must Know About Music Online was written by Andrew Dubber, and all credit goes to him. I do not claim any ownership over the book, nor am I quoting any information verbatim. If you would like to download your free copy, please follow this link, and don't forget to visit New Music Strategies as well.

I was recently asked to be on the Inside Home Recording podcast! This was a real honor for me, and a vision-come-true. Check it out!

Inside Home Recording | Episode 97 with David Andrew Wiebe

Here are some key points I get from Thing 11: The Death of Scarcity from The 20 Things You Must Know About Music Online:

Throw out the law of Supply and Demand! The Internet has broken the traditional rules of economics.

One of the reasons for this is that shelf space is unnecessary for digital downloads of music. A song doesn't really take up any physical space (yes, it takes up space in the digital world, but that is mostly inconsequential because it is so cheap). Another implication is that a song can be sold once or a million times and you still won't run out (supply).

No matter how someone acquires your music, the notion of a "lost sale" is an outdated one. Attention is the new currency. This also implies that finding a niche and catering to it is a good thing!

Enter the economy of abundance. The cost of running a business has gone down in a big way. This also means that you can try just about anything and everything as a business and throw out the stuff that doesn't work.

Again, ATTENTION is the new currency. This doesn't always mean that the person or business with the most attention is going to convert the most money or make the most sales. However, there is a reason why Google is buying up sites like YouTube, which get a lot of attention.

The 20 Things You Must Know About Music Online was written by Andrew Dubber, and all credit goes to him. I do not claim any ownership over the book, nor am I quoting any information verbatim. If you would like to download your free copy, please follow this link, and don't forget to visit New Music Strategies as well.

Here are some key points I get from Thing 10: Professionalism from The 20 Things You Must Know About Music Online:

• Carry business cards no matter what your role in your band or business is
• Think about the impressions you are giving on your website; it is easy enough to convey a big budget image, so give the impression of the type of success you wish to have
• Get a good domain for your business or band; preferably short, uncomplicated spelling, no numbers, no unspeakable URLs, and no subdomains
• Take some time to think about the colors on your website; make use of online tools to find colors that work well together, and also help project the image you are trying to convey
• This is mostly a non-issue now, but MySpace is not your website; better yet, Facebook, ReverbNation, and Twitter are not your website so don't use them as such
• Spelling and grammar matters; if you're cutting corners in your written communication, you may prove to be unreliable in other ways
• Use high quality photography; cell phone and cheap digital cameras don't count
• Find a web developer who knows what they're doing; it has to go beyond coding, and extend to things like search engine optimization, usability, and accessibility
• Your website is not merely a brochure or online pamphlet; your website IS your business

The 20 Things You Must Know About Music Online was written by Andrew Dubber, and all credit goes to him. I do not claim any ownership over the book, nor am I quoting any information verbatim. If you would like to download your free copy, please follow this link, and don't forget to visit New Music Strategies as well.

Here are some key points I get from Thing 9: Fewer Clicks from The 20 Things You Must Know About Music Online:

This is a very simple concept that many ignore; fewer clicks means an easily navigable website. People shouldn't have to dig layers deep just to find what they are looking for. If you want people to see something, you shouldn't keep it hidden away. If it's not important, why is it on the main page? Dump it, or at the very least put it in the sidebar.

Let's take a moment to define important things, in case there's any confusion. A news feed or blog feed would be important. Products like books, CDs, or digital downloads would be important. Maybe tour dates, podcast episodes, or a forum would be important too. What do you want people to see/buy? Put an emphasis on those things.

Finally, make it easy for people to buy your product(s). Paypal is a universally accepted form of online payment. As much notoriety as it has gathered, let's face it; it works fast, and it works with ease. If people don't want to enter their credit card information online, chances are they weren't going to buy anyway. Get over it.

The 20 Things You Must Know About Music Online was written by Andrew Dubber, and all credit goes to him. I do not claim any ownership over the book, nor am I quoting any information verbatim. If you would like to download your free copy, please follow this link, and don't forget to visit New Music Strategies as well.

Here are some key points I get from Thing 8: Cross-promote from The 20 Things You Must Know About Music Online:

Cross-promotion is essentially the intersection between your website and everything else you do. Dubber talks about cross-promotion in a couple of different ways:

1. Passive cross-promotion: you mention your website if you're on stage and off stage, your website address is on your flyers, posters, business cards, CDs and other merchandise, etc.
2. Active cross-promotion: take a photo of the audience while on stage, and post it to your website the next day (Derek Sivers suggests this too). Take it a step further by making it a contest. Create a ringtone while on stage. Give away promo cards with free MP3s. Collect people's emails.

The 20 Things You Must Know About Music Online was written by Andrew Dubber, and all credit goes to him. I do not claim any ownership over the book, nor am I quoting any information verbatim. If you would like to download your free copy, please follow this link, and don't forget to visit New Music Strategies as well.

Here are some key points I get from Thing 7: Connect from The 20 Things You Must Know About Music Online:

A website is not a promotional strategy - creating something and throwing it up on the Internet is like throwing a book on a shelf and expecting people to notice it. Connection is the missing ingredient to generating traffic and repeating business. According to Dubber, there are 3 ways a website should connect:

• Connect to a network of interlinked websites; having outgoing links is just as important as all the incoming links (the more the better). This helps people to figure out how you fit in the bigger picture.
• Make sure your website is easily navigable. You need to make it easy on your visitors so they can find all the important stuff with ease. Don't forget to keep your website updated, encouraging repeat visits.
• Connect with other media like TV, radio, flyers, posters, print, and others. Everything should cross-promote everything else you're doing. Having a good story (portraying conflict and resolution) is a significant part of connecting with other media. Present your story in such a way that it can be adapted to various forms of media.

The 20 Things You Must Know About Music Online was written by Andrew Dubber, and all credit goes to him. I do not claim any ownership over the book, nor am I quoting any information verbatim. If you would like to download your free copy, please follow this link, and don't forget to visit New Music Strategies as well.

Here are some key points I get from Thing 6: Web 2.0 from The 20 Things You Must Know About Music Online:

I would imagine that there are very few people who don't know what Web 2.0 is, or what it means anymore. However, if you don't know what it's about, you might be missing the point of having a website entirely.

When the web was still in its inception, it was mostly about viewing documents. Occasionally you might watch something, or buy something, but when you were done with it, you moved on to the next thing. It was called "surfing".

Web 2.0 is about interacting with other people, creating your own documents, or organizing things. Think of sites likes Facebook or Flickr; they behave more like software than they do like static documents.

Web 2.0 is about letting others interact with you and/or your site. A blog is a great example; people can add comments and their thoughts to each post you create. They can 'like' it, or 'tweet' it, or share it with their friends through some other method. This facet of the internet is growing and changing daily.

The 20 Things You Must Know About Music Online was written by Andrew Dubber, and all credit goes to him. I do not claim any ownership over the book, nor am I quoting any information verbatim. If you would like to download your free copy, please follow this link, and don't forget to visit New Music Strategies as well.

Here are some key points I get from Thing 5: The Long Tail from The 20 Things You Must Know About Music Online:

The Long Tail was originally an article by Chris Anderson, editor of Wired Magazine. It then expanded and became a blog and a very successful book. Although the economics of the online world has proven to be hard to decipher, the Long Tail is one principle that has established itself as reliable.

The Long Tail basically states that there are a few 'hits', a small number of products that sell (and have sold) extremely well. However, there are more and more choices becoming available for every 'hit'. These products represent the 'tail', a larger number of products that sell in smaller quantities. This has allowed the 'tail' to be more profitable than the 'hits'.

There are a number of implications:

• There is no need for physical shelf space, especially in the online world (think online music stores that only sell digital files)
• More people are exploring the tail rather than the hits, which means that the bigger selling items suffer
• As more things become available, people will consume more; having a larger number of items available means more sales
• The ability to market niche products

Dubber claims that the real reason major record labels are suffering is because of the Long Tail. While the hits are still selling, there is a larger range of choice available, and it's growing all the time. People are exploring the tail more and more.

Finally, Dubber states that, for the first time in history, the sum total of sales in the tail is larger than the sum total of sales in the hits.

The 20 Things You Must Know About Music Online was written by Andrew Dubber, and all credit goes to him. I do not claim any ownership over the book, nor am I quoting any information verbatim. If you would like to download your free copy, please follow this link, and don't forget to visit New Music Strategies as well.

Here are some key points I get from Thing 4: Customise from The 20 Things You Must Know About Music Online:

• Your website should communicate who you are, what you do, and the perceived image you want your audience to have of you
• You are unique, therefore your website should reflect that; what do you do, what do you deliberately avoid doing, what sets you apart?
• Consider carefully the things your audience is looking for; what information should go on the front page?
• Integrate other tools, such as Google Maps, or Skype, or Facebook widgets as you see fit
• If the tool doesn't fit your style, customize it to make it fit your website

The 20 Things You Must Know About Music Online was written by Andrew Dubber, and all credit goes to him. I do not claim any ownership over the book, nor am I quoting any information verbatim. If you would like to download your free copy, please follow this link, and don't forget to visit New Music Strategies as well.

Today we're taking a look at Thing 3: Opinion Leaders Rule from The 20 Things You Must Know About Music Online.

Essentially what this means is that there are people who sway your opinion of certain music because of their notoriety. This could be a television personality, a celebrity, or a record label executive.

What has changed in recent history is that there are certain bloggers or magazines that have subscription numbers in the tens of thousands, thus making them tastemakers in their own right.

Rather than the traditional shotgun approach of sending your music everywhere, it can be much more effective to find bloggers who are talking about music that is similar to what you do. Even better, become an authority in that field of music yourself!

Besides the Hear / Like / Buy approach, the best way to get your music noticed is the recommendations of experts, authorities, and tastemakers in the industry.

The 20 Things You Must Know About Music Online was written by Andrew Dubber, and all credit goes to him. I do not claim any ownership over the book, nor am I quoting any information verbatim. If you would like to download your free copy, please follow this link, and don't forget to visit New Music Strategies as well.

Today we're taking a look at Thing 2: Hear / Like / Buy from The 20 Things You Must Know About Music Online.

This point is pretty straightforward, but here's what I get from this Thing. Basically, people won't buy music unless they hear it. And they won't like it unless they hear it. And they have to hear it to like it. There are few things in the multimedia world that work the same way. People will (and often do) take chances on things like video games or movies. Music doesn't work the same way. You hear something on the radio or YouTube, and you go back and listen to it repeatedly (because you like it), and then money enters the transaction. When I think about the times I've purchased music, this has pretty much proven to be true. Find a way to get your music into people's ears, as often as possible, and you will see an increase in sales.

The 20 Things You Must Know About Music Online was written by Andrew Dubber, and all credit goes to him. I do not claim any ownership over the book, nor am I quoting any information verbatim. If you would like to download your free copy, please follow this link, and don't forget to visit New Music Strategies as well.

I've decided to take another look at The 20 Things You Must Know About Music Online, so I thought I would share with you any ideas or insights that come to me in the process.

The first thing we're going to take a look at, of course, is Thing 1: Don't Believe the Hype.

This can be a bit of a confusing subject to understand, but here are the key points I get from it:

1. Not everything you read about music online is without its bias, and is sometimes completely untrue. Most 'news' items hail from press releases, which are written by people in a PR department, which means that someone stands to gain from it. Many "major discoveries" from MySpace (yes, I know, MySpace is mostly irrelevant now), already had some kind of financing, major label backing, or publicity before their "overnight success story" was ever published.
2. People are just looking for a good story. That's why the aforementioned is so important. If you can make it look like/sound like someone succeeded as result of some form of media outlet (like a blog, podcast, webstream, etc.), an overnight explosion in fan base, or some other act of God, it makes for a "better story" in the eyes of the media and the reader. Keep in mind that some of these artists couldn't have done what they did without serious financial backing.
3. Technology does not determine one's future in the industry. It makes for a nice story, but the ongoing addition of online tools for musicians doesn't generally create the type of success often depicted by the aforementioned PR departments. The tools are good and are not evil. However, they don't necessarily hold the answer for future achievements in the industry.
4. Don't believe everything you read. Don't count on a miraculous MySpace, Facebook or ReverbNation success story for you or your band. Don't let it stop you from promoting yourself or making use of online tools, either. Most stories about astronomical success and total and utter ruin are extreme at best, so learn to ignore them.

The 20 Things You Must Know About Music Online was written by Andrew Dubber, and all credit goes to him. I do not claim any ownership over the book, nor am I quoting any information verbatim. If you would like to download your free copy, please follow this link, and don't forget to visit New Music Strategies as well.

The Internet Business Mastery podcast is another podcast that I listen to fairly regularly. In a previous post I mentioned David Hooper. If you ever wanted to know more about the man that interviews other musicians and artists, hear him interviewed by Sterling and Jay of IBM.

David Hooper, of course, is the host of Music Business Radio. By the way, if you have yet to check out the MBR podcast, it is definitely worth a look.

In any case, I just learned the other day that David Hooper has several music industry related books. Book titles include:

• How I Make $100,000/year in the Music Business (Without a Record Label, Manager, or Booking Agent)
• Move Your Music Forward - Goal Achievement System for Musicians, Songwriters, and Music Business Professionals
• 14 Qualities of Successful Musicians, Songwriters, and Music Business Professionals
• CD Release Party Strategies: Insider Secrets for Independent Bands, Musicians, and Songwriters--How to Have a Major Label Event on a Shoestring Budget

With titles like that, how can you resist? I certainly intend to check them out.

If you've spent any time in the independent music market, then surely you've come across the name Derek Sivers, founder and former owner of CD Baby. I feel Derek is someone who has consistently offered the best advice possible to independent artists everywhere.

Check out a video below with Ariel Hyatt and Derek Sivers. I had to laugh out loud at what he said about becoming a self-fulfilling prophecy. It's true.

While there are some rare exceptions, the general trend in North America seems to be that people won't support you in your goals and dreams (even if it would benefit them, as it often does). There are other cultures where this is not the case, but it seems that your family and your friends are the last ones to jump on the wagon to rally behind you.

There is a story in Hawaii about crabs and it goes something like this. When you throw a bunch of crabs in a bucket, they realize that they are trapped. One of them eventually looks up and sees that there is a way out, and there is a world beyond. What happens when he crawls up and tries to escape? The others start to pull him back down!

I don't share this to further spread the negativity epidemic. There is enough negativity and pessimism out there without me adding to it. I share this to encourage you in your dreams.

The reality is that there are people who will try to pull you down. There are others who will not support you or ignore you completely. Don't let them get you down, because you are making them realize something about their own lives; how they have been discouraged in attaining their own dreams and how they've failed to move forward.

Those who say it can't be done should not interrupt those who are doing it. Your dreams are precious. Don't let anyone steal your dreams.

I've been catching up with a few Music Business Radio episodes as of late, and thought that the recent interview with Lee Parsons from Ditto Music was great. He talks at length about starting a record label, and guerilla marketing tactics.

In case I make a post elsewhere that I feel is relevant and informative, occasionally I will be linking outside of the site. If you head on over to the homepage (DAW-Music.com) you can read my latest post about business and projects entitled, Take the Eggs in your Basket and Run with them.

Well, it has been awhile since I've read the New Music Strategies blog. However, I do think it is a great resource and they also have a free E-book entitled The 20 Things You Must Know About Music Online.

We are, after all, forward looking musicians. We may as well spend some time developing new techniques, new methods, and new strategies to build a sustainable music career and create new sources of income.

The October episode of the podcast covering the world of music instruction has already been recorded. However, it has been delayed due to unforeseen circumstances. Our fire wire interface in the Red Flame studio unexpectedly stopped working. I run all the ins and outs through this unit so it is rather crucial to the whole studio operation. In any case, just know that the next episode is on the way, and while the mixer is out for repair, I may use my mobile studio setup to record some bonus content.

This may seem like a funny thing to talk about, considering I've been a music instructor for over 9 years. However, I don't think it's a subject that should be taken lightly or ignored completely. Presented here are some of my thoughts about music education and its upsides as well as downsides.

On the one extreme, there are those who say that music education is overpriced and of minimal benefit. And among this group, there are those who have considered this intelligently, and those who are mostly just unwilling to learn.

On the intelligent side of the discussion, there are those who say that music education has become less relevant supporting the notion that you can succeed in the industry if you have 3 or 4 marketable skills as opposed to pure talent. In other words, if you are adept at things like social media, video production, blogging, podcasting, building websites, booking shows, or promotion and marketing, then you have a brighter future in the industry than those who just study music. This assumes the notion that schooling wouldn't teach you any of these skills. And while that is not entirely true, there are a lot of tremendous resources online that one could access to learn more about these subjects at minimal cost.

On the less thought-provoking side of the discussion (those who aren't interested in learning), there are those who believe that they simply wouldn't benefit from musical education. In other words, they feel they wouldn't learn anything new and school wouldn't have anything to offer them. If you think you won't learn anything, you are probably right. My personal feeling is that you can learn something from most experiences if you are willing to remain a student. Being a student of life means you are open and receptive to new ideas, and you are less likely to get stuck in a rut with your personal growth. But that's just my opinion.

Then on the flip side of the discussion, there are those who say that musical education is absolutely essential and beneficial. For starters, you learn the fundamentals of music theory and the inner workings of music. These are tools that could come in handy when composing, writing, or creating music of any genre and any kind. Extremists would even say that you're not a real musician if you don't know the type of information that this kind of training offers. Secondly, schooling enables you to quickly create a network of other musicians, instructors, and contacts that can and will refer you to others.

Ultimately, as long as you can figure out a way to hone your craft as an instrumentalist, singer, composer or songwriter, develop other aforementioned skillsets, and create a network, it probably doesn't matter which way you go about it. The point is to do something every day towards the progression of your career.

In conclusion, I don't write on this subject merely to create controversy or to make light of either side of the discussion. I think it is good to think about where you are spending your money, and more importantly how. And, to be perfectly honest, I believe your personal growth should be a priority and preferably ongoing. If you are investing in your personal growth (however you conceive of that), the investment is going to pay off. It is a better investment opportunity than just about anything else out there.

In episode 17 of the podcast, I mentioned the Inside Home Recording Podcast. With so many people recording from home or at project studios, I thought it could be a good resource for musicians, producers, and audio engineers alike.

While audio engineering is not required knowledge for a musician, it can be beneficial to develop a basic understanding. For one thing, you can train your ear to better understand how sound works, and how a particular instrument should sound in a mix. Another byproduct is improved communication and workflow with your audio engineer. It can be easy to take your engineer for granted, but when you better understand how they work, it's easier to get the desired result in the studio.

The Inside Home Recording Podcast currently has 92 episodes and covers the world of home recording.

Leave a comment and let us know if you are a listener of IHR, and what you have learned as a result. Thanks!

In episode 6 of the podcast, drummer and composer Shawn David Evans mentioned Music Career Juice. What is Music Career Juice, you may ask?

Music Career Juice is an informative podcast by Peter Spellman, focusing on practical ideas for musicians in building careers. There are currently 22 episodes available, each one jam packed with a variety of career building tools and ideas. Topics covered include: niches, marketing, crowd funding, targeting the media, and much more.

Have you personally listened to the Music Career Juice podcast? Have you read any of Peter Spellman's books? Have you applied any of his techniques, and garnered success from them? We would love to hear about it. Please leave a comment before you go. Thanks!

Steve Jobs has passed away. I really don't know how I missed the news; I'm sure it's been running everywhere. He was a true entrepreneur and visionary, and no words can sufficiently explain the impact he has had. He will be missed.

Remembering Steve.

You might remember a previous post in which I talked about the lack of quality exhibited by Dunlop pick holders. I have a new, encouraging story to share with you.

After a guitar lesson last Wednesday, I decided to go to the local Long & McQuade (formerly Mother's Music). I was getting fed up carrying around a bulky plastic case in my pocket, so I went searching for a proper pick holder.

At first, I couldn't find anything. They didn't even have the aforementioned Dunlop holders. I kept looking, but found nothing. Finally, one of the salesmen asked me if he could help me find something. I told him that I was looking for a pick holder and asserted, "Not one of those cheap Dunlop ones", as I related my story of woe.

He looked around, and at first didn't come across anything. Then he came upon a leather keychain and pick holder. He said, "Well, there is this", as he handed one to me. I looked it over skeptically, and paused for a moment. The salesman said, "You know what? You seem like a nice man", and peeled the price tag off. He handed me the holder and said, "You can come back and let me know how awesome it is and how you're not losing any picks." I forgot to get his name, but I think it's fair to say I will be going back and they're going to get more of my business.

The pick holder has worked out great so far. I certainly haven't lost any picks, and even though it tends to be a little harder to get a pick out of it, it has worked out well in every other respect.

As David Andrew Wiebe has continued to develop as an artist, his fan base keeps on growing. More and more people are coming to hear of Wiebe's musical talent, despite the fact that not all of them are able to see him perform live.

This is where daw-music.com comes in. This site offers fans the opportunity to catch up on all things Wiebe-related - including the ability to listen to many of his top tracks, and watch music videos. If you're keen to find out more about this artist, then this website is everything you need. Wherever you are in the world, you can log on and listen to some of Wiebe's tracks.

Of course, daw-music.com is also great way to stay up to date with the latest releases from this musical artist. Simply check back at the site whenever you log on to check your emails or play online games like Partypoker, and listen to audio samples of Wiebe's latest recordings. If you like what you hear, you can also purchase these tracks. Simply follow the link to the store, and follow through the ordering process.

The video blog is also a great way to gain an insight into everything that goes in to making these great tunes. Having an online platform for these tracks and albums also makes it easier for listeners to share their ideas with their friends. This really is the easiest way to stay up to date on everything that's going on in the world of Wiebe, so make sure you're the first with all the latest news by checking back often.

OK, I don't mean to sound like an old geezer here, but what happened to the good old days? You used to be able to pick up a decent pick holder at any local guitar store. In fact, the first one I purchased lasted me about 10 years. It did explode on me once or twice because of the spring on the inside, but I never had to replace it until it started getting some serious crack-age. After that, I decided to retire that pick holder and look for a replacement.

The only thing most stores seem to carry now is a generic Dunlop black pick holder. I have nothing against the color. It would be nice to see a little more variety, but that's not the point. I have nothing against Dunlop. For the most part, they seem to provide quality products. However, these little black pick holders have proven to be completely useless.

The first one broke on me within a week. I attempted to put it back together, but after it breaks the first time, it's never the same. All it is is two pieces of plastic and one piece of metal that fit together with dowels on one of the plastic pieces. The second one broke within a day or two. I covered it with masking tape to hold it together, but it still only lasted me a couple of months before it started giving me trouble again.

What gives? Not that I'm sore about a buck or two, but seriously? Haven't we arrived at a point in technological advancement where we can produce a decent pick holder? I don't mind paying an extra 50 cents to a dollar if it's going to hold my picks without blowing up on me.

Maybe that's the point. Everything is so disposable nowadays (even mixers), you can replace your broken or malfunctioning items cheaply without seeing much of an impact on your wallet. I still don't think that's an excuse to create shoddy products.

Ultimately, I have yet to find a suitable replacement. I'm sure there's something out there, I just haven't come across it. Bottom line - I'm not going to buy any more of those Dunlop pick holders.

In episode 4 of the podcast, I had a chance to sit down with my good friend and colleague Patrick Zelinski. Pat is the founder of Overture Music - a music instruction enterprise. Patrick passionately teaches guitar to his students from the comfort of their own home.

Overture Music offers some other unique opportunities for its clientele, including but not limited to: a variety of workshops (songwriting, rhythm, effects, etc.), and recording services. Overture Music is also offering guitar maintenance and repair services (at a discount to its clientele).

If you are in Calgary and are interested in finding a good guitar teacher, Patrick may be the right fit for you. Check out the Overture Music website.

Additionally, if you have been an Overture Music client or have any experience working with Patrick, we would love to hear more about it. Make sure to leave a comment. Thanks!

In episode 3 of the podcast, Lucas Chaisson mentioned U22 productions and I thought I would elaborate on that a little bit. U22 offers performance opportunities for artists aged 22 and under in Alberta, Canada.

I believe that U22 could be a very useful resource for those meeting the criteria. This opportunity was not available to me when I first learned about it because I was already aged 25 or 26. In fact, I only started playing guitar when I was 17, and if I'm not mistaken, U22 wasn't even in existence yet! If you're a youngster with dreams and aspirations of creating a career in the music industry, it would be a good time to check out this opportunity!

U22's vision, as per the website, is to mentor, inspire, and help build sustainable careers for young artists. With the climate of the industry changing so fast, it would be of immense benefit to young artists who want to legitimize their career and to have mentorship from people who've been there and done it. You don't hear a lot of people talking about mentorship or apprenticeship these days, but to me that only underscores its importance.

There is a rather large list of artists who work with U22, including Calum Graham and Lindsay Ell, who I've had the chance to personally meet. It's absolutely worth checking out if you meet the aforementioned criteria. If you want to learn more about them, you can check out their website.

Additionally, if you are a U22 artist or have any experience working with U22, we would love to hear about it. Make sure to leave a comment. Thanks!

Live Music Production is a topic that has come up an awful lot as of late, and I believe that it will continue to be an important and relevant topic for a long time to come. In a musical climate where CD sales have declined, and record labels are scrambling to find alternatives (or simply live in denial), live performance is increasingly becoming one of the most important facets of being an artist.

In a previous post, I talked a little bit about live music producer Tom Jackson. While listening to his interview, I knew I wasn't getting the "full meal deal" so to speak. Still, it got me thinking about my live show and what I could to do to improve it.

On May 21, I had the chance to perform at Calgary Life Church. It was essentially the first time my band had played together. Here are a few ideas I took from the interview, and how I integrated them into the performance:

• I made an effort to look over at the other musicians when they were playing an important or interesting part. This wasn't the easiest thing to do as I tend to be glued to the mic as the lead singer and guitarist in the band, but I still found ways to point in my band mate's direction, so to speak.
• I stepped forward when I had an important part to play. This is pretty self-explanatory, but I moved towards the audience when I was playing a solo or a breakdown. I wasn't constantly drawing attention to myself, but I did when I felt my part needed to be appreciated.
• I got into the character of the song. In particular, there was a progressive acoustic instrumental in the middle of the set, and I bounced up and down during the Reggae bit. People laughed, and seemed to enjoy it.

Lo and behold, this made a huge difference at the merch table. We were collecting donations for the Japanese Red Cross Society earthquake relief, and considering how small the crowd was, we did pretty well. Same with CD sales, pre-sales, and tips.

Everyone seemed to have a good time, and we got lots of positive feedback afterwards. We were even invited to play in front of another congregation (more ethnically diverse), which we did at a later date.

If little adjustments like the ones mentioned here can make a difference in my live show, then no doubt Tom Jackson has more to offer.

In episode #111 of the CD Baby DIY Musician Podcast, Kevin Breuner interviewed live music producer Tom Jackson. As a performer, I must say that this was a rather thought-provoking interview.

Tom Jackson states that most recording musicians are aware that in order to get the most out of their recording experience, they need to hire a producer. This makes a lot of sense - while most professional musicians are skilled at their craft, it still takes a producer to know what is going to stand out on a particular track and how to make it "pop". Therefore, it stands to reason that a live music producer could help you bring out the best moments in your live show, right?

Jackson goes on to say that your live show should be a completely different experience from your album. Many performers are playing their songs in live situations exactly as they do in the studio. On occasion, the stars align and everyone loves your performance even if you did play your songs the same, but he says this is the exception not the rule.

Jackson also says that winning over 70, 80, or 90% of your audience should be the norm, not the opposite. You've failed if you've only won over 10 to 30% of your audience. It stands to reason that if you make most of your earnings as a performer that you would want to perfect your live performance.

Apparently, most musicians are pretty precious about their live show and are unwilling to make any changes. However, Jackson notes that he adapts his method to musicians based on the personality and esthetics of the band. In other words, it's for the sake of improving your show.

Ultimately, I think this interview helped me to look at my live show in a new way. You can't simply depend on the strength of your songs to capture the audience. You have to help them stand up and pay attention to the melody, the violin solo, the groovy bass part, hook in the chorus, or whatever the focus needs to be. There are different ways of accomplishing this, but I think most of us can agree that your live show is just as important - if not more important - than your album.

If it were me, I would definitely consider hiring a skilled live music producer for my live show. In fact, it's a definite future consideration for me.

If you've read my previous post, then you already know that I got hit with a $1,500 cell phone bill earlier this year in January. I was not excited to carry another balance ranging in the thousands, to say the very least. Thus my battle began.

After many discussions on the phone with customer service and accounts receivable (some of them were heated discussions, I might add), it was clear that I was getting nowhere. For a while, I thought that I had no choice but to suck it up and pay the bill.

Even though I started throwing a bunch of money at the bill, things only got worse when Bell kept threatening to suspend my service (and even did, at one point). I think by this point I had figured out that dealing with this alone wasn't the best way to go about it, so I started opening up to my friends about what was going on. I'm glad I did, because I got a great deal of support and encouragement. It's such a blessing to know that there are people who care about your well-being.

This gave me the platform to continue fighting. I posted on my blog. I created a Facebook group. I even contacted Consumer Watch and the Better Business Bureau. Shortly after this point, I got a note from the BBB stating that Bell had already made amends.

Bell was supposed to have sent me a letter notifying me of the changes, but I hadn't gotten it. Here I was still fighting this bill in late April, when they had already made corrections to my bill on April 15. By the way, I still haven't seen the letter.

As for the alterations they made to the bill, they basically re-rated my data usage as if I was on a proper 500 MB smartphone plan. And they did, in fact, apologize for the frustration I had experienced. Along with feelings of ecstatic joy, a mountain of fatigue also hit me when I heard the news. Finally, a battle won.

So, in essence, they credited me about $1,000 in charges. This won't make up for the 7 to $800 I had already thrown at them, but at least they made proper amends with regards to the data usage, which I assure you was not out of the ordinary.

So, in all, I consider this a victory and will happily move on to other battles in my life. However, the battle with corporations is an ongoing one, as they don't always treat their customers the way they deserve to be treated. If you have an outstanding balance that seems outrageous, make sure to put up a fight. Don't just sit there and take it.

In December 2010, I received a complimentary text from Bell indicating that I could upgrade my phone. At that point, I had been using a Palm Treo for several years, which is basically an older PDA phone. It had some internet functionality, but you couldn't download apps or do a lot of the other stuff you can do with phones today. I was rather interested in upgrading, because today's smartphones are capable of doing a lot of things you couldn't do before.

In any case, I went to the Bell store and upgraded to a Samsung Galaxy S phone. It wasn't a free upgrade, but I only paid about one-fifth of the phone's actual value. I was rather pleased with the upgrade, that is, until my first bill showed up. It was in excess of $1,500. I was incredulous. I didn't know what had happened.

Well, for starters, they didn't set me up with a new plan at the store. They simply told me to call in and ask for a data plan. I did. What I didn't know was that they put me on a plan for an older phone with a mobile browser, much like the Palm Treo I mentioned earlier.

Well, apparently at $12 per MB, your data usage adds up quickly. My plan gave me 4 MB of data, and I was about 80 MB over. Do the calculations yourself - it adds up to almost $1,000. I had other charges that were either outstanding or extraneous, but the data charge was by and far the biggest blow.

Needless to say, I called in and talked to customer service about this issue. I asked if they could reduce the bill. They said the charges were valid. My friend has since talked to the people at Bell. Apparently they would never put anyone with a smartphone on an old mobile browser plan; it's against their policy. Yet somehow I ended up on it. If you know anything about smartphones, you know that many of them are constantly using data, so having a 4 MB data plan isn't going to cut it.

I've since called in several times and have spent many painstaking minutes talking to customer service as well as accounts receivable. They keep threatening to suspend my service, but are completely unwilling to do anything about the bill. I've been fighting this bill for nearly 5 months now.

I also talked to the people at the store where I purchased the phone. They sent a form to the district manager to review, but it has been close to 2 weeks and I still haven't heard a thing.

Frankly, I'm sick and tired of big corporations taking it out on the small guy. I don't understand how they expect to keep their customers when they're unwilling to offer any kind of grace. I have heard several other cases where they've either cut the bill in half, or revoked the charges for their customers. Why are they unwilling to budge on my case? Did they think I would keep silent of this infraction?

And, finally, I'm clearly not the only one that has had issues with Bell. Just have a look at this and it becomes quite clear that BELL DOES PUT PEOPLE ON DATA PLANS THAT ARE NOT DESIGNED FOR SMARTPHONES.

I've mentioned the CD Baby DIY Musician Podcast on my podcast before, namely on episode 18. They have a listener line where you can call in and leave messages. In December, I was compelled to leave a message regarding their 104th episode, and they used it on the 105th episode.

If you do happen to go and listen to it, hopefully I didn't come across as uninformed or overly stupid. :P Kevin made the argument that nobody wants to go from getting paid 1 million dollars in a year to 900,000 dollars in a year. I can see his point, but I thought I would explain myself a little further.

Personally, I've accepted the fact that as long as I am doing creative work, my income is subject to fluctuate. Sure, it will probably see some changes (I'm keeping faith that it will increase significantly in 2011), but if it stays the same, that's usually an indicator that I'm doing something wrong. Either I didn't try anything new (bad), or tried something new and failed magnificently (good).

For the last 7 years I've survived on 9 to 20k a year; not exactly a sum that most people would be happy with. As an artist, there are certain concessions you have to make. For one thing, it takes time to develop your craft. You're not going to be a guitar virtuoso, or a master wordsmith, or an amazing vocalist in a matter of days. Sure, most people have innate talents, but that doesn't mean that they don't need to be developed. What this usually means as an artist is that you're not going to be working at a paid job as much. You're going to be spending more time wood-shedding as it were.

I can't tell you exactly what the difference was in the years that I made $9,000 versus $20,000. In all honestly, I felt like I was working harder in the years that I was making $10,000 in contrast to the year that I made $20,000 (it could be that I was going down in a blaze of glory, as I mentioned earlier). What I can say is that - more than likely - if you're an independent artist, your income is going to fluctuate. It doesn't mean that you can't live a certain lifestyle; it just means that you're going to have to be shrewd about your money.

It should also be said that money should not be your only indicator of success. We all need money to live, and to continue to support our art. However, if it's the only thing you're looking at, you might get disappointed very quickly.

Still, if you're in a corporation like Kevin said, you probably wouldn't be thrilled about taking a $100,000 pay cut. That I can understand. However, if like me, you're an independent musician, a 10% difference in your income isn't going to discourage you, or even mean all that much.

Cross-posted from www.DAW-Music.com

Tonight I had the chance to watch Yanni: A Living Legacy on KSPS (public broadcast, for those who don't know). As a musician I am often taking notes of other musicians and concerts that I go to. I thought I would share with you some of the things I picked up while watching Yanni.

Now I should point out that I don't usually watch TV. All of that kind of changed when I was offered a free DVR. The ability to skip through commercials is rather essential in my opinion, and the ability to record what I want to watch and watch it when I want to is also a nice feature. But I digress, let's move on.

Whether or not you're a Yanni fan (I've never identified myself as such), there are some important lessons that could be learned from his music.

You can see that it makes him come alive. He feels every note and every beat that's played. He's always involved in the music, whether he's actually playing or not. That in itself could be a big lesson. Sure, he has an entire orchestra backing him up, but knowing when NOT to play is just as important as knowing WHEN to play.

Yanni is indeed a great musician himself, but the musicians backing him up are equally so. Yanni isn't the only one that gets a solo; many of the musicians and singers playing with him have the opportunity to be in the spotlight as well. You can see that he gets great joy out of letting others shine.

Now this might be a little harder to duplicate for us independent musicians. However, there is something to be said about the venue you play in. Is the venue interesting? Does it engage your audience? Is it easily accessible? Does it have plenty of parking? There's a lot more to picking a venue than we usually tend to think about.

Orchestral, New Age, Middle Eastern, Instrumental, whatever you want to call it, his music has a particular quality to it. He doesn't pretend to be anything he's not. He's not a Punk Rocker. He's not a Blues Crooner. He does what he does.

I think this is often overlooked in music. All too often we're caught up in trying to engage everybody, when we should be focused on who we are and the people that are attracted to our music. Everything from your hairstyle to the way you play your instrument plays a part in who likes your music.

I think I've already touched on this, but Yanni has some incredible musicians backing him up. Not that everyone and anyone should aspire for virtuosity, but rather we should aspire to be the best that we can be. We should get comfortable enough with our instrument and what we're playing that we don't stumble over ourselves in the process.

Any thoughts?

We've recently launched the Spark Vinyl Podcast over at Red Flame. Although there is some overlap in content with this podcast (that is, the David Andrew Wiebe Interviews and Music Business Podcast), you might be interested in checking it out if you'd like to learn more about Red Flame.

I think the podcast could use a few catchphrases (or a subtitle, as it were). I've come up with a few that may stick, but I would greatly appreciate your ideas and suggestions. Please feel free to leave a comment. So, without further ado, here are some ideas I came up with:

• David Andrew Wiebe Interviews and Music Business Podcast: A Podcast for Intelligent DIY Musicians
• David Andrew Wiebe Interviews and Music Business Podcast: A Podcast for Musicians Pursuing Ongoing Development
• David Andrew Wiebe Interviews and Music Business Podcast: The Music Career Booster
• David Andrew Wiebe Interviews and Music Business Podcast: Supporting the Calgary Music Scene
• David Andrew Wiebe Interviews and Music Business Podcast: Helping Musicians Build a Sustainable Career

Just as promised, I've made the "Open Strings" demo available as a free download on my website. Follow this link to download it!

I thought I would share this headline with you in an upcoming podcast episode, but by the time it's done this may be old news so I'll talk about it here.

Both Megatunes locations (Calgary and Edmonton) will be closing on August 31st. They have been seeing a marked decline in sales since 2004. All inventory will be sold at a reduced price until their closing.

Megatunes was a strong advocate for local artists and musicians, so it is sad to see it go. Of course, record stores are quickly becoming a thing of the past, and it can't be easy to survive in the new digital age.

The Calgary Jazz festival was also cancelled earlier this year. I certainly hope these aren't the first of many unfortunate headlines (in Calgary and the music industry at large) to come.

Not only did I get to go to Vulcan Fest as press, I also had the chance to perform on the side stage! What an incredible blessing to have been able to document and capture the entire event on my digital camera and perform alongside some of Calgary's top indie bands! Keith and I will be talking more about that on the next episode of the podcast.

You may have noticed that I've started uploading some photos to Flickr as well. There's a limit to how many I can upload in a month, but I will get them all up there eventually. Additionally, I might put a link up to some of Keith's photos once he's done editing. I was simply there to document the event, so I'm sure his photos will be far more artistic than mine. You can always visit Skrastins Photographic to view some of his work.

I referred to this in the latest podcast episode, but it has been confirmed that I will be going to Vulcan Fest this Saturday! I wasn't sure if it was going to work with my schedule, but it's looking like I should be able to swing it. Naturally, Keith and I will both be reporting on the festival for the August show. It would have been awesome if we had a portable digital recorder for this event, but alas, we don't. I will still be uploading photos to Flickr though, so keep checking back for that. If you're coming, we'll see you there!

We'd like to learn more about you. Please take 10 minutes of your time to fill out the listener survey. It will help us out a lot. Thanks!

We've finally got a Facebook page for all you fans out there. Don't delay; become a fan today.

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After much tweaking, editing, and refining, the David Andrew Wiebe Interviews and Music Business Podcast is finally available in the iTunes store! Follow this link to subscribe, and view the latest updates.