Posts Tagged ‘video’
Johnny Meegan - Songwriter
Monday, September 28th, 2009Met this cutie in a driveway. I was carrying a bag of groceries & he was getting his accoustic guitar out of the back seat of his girlfriend’s car. While I cooked, he strummed & sang in the next room. He talked about his music & I asked to take his photo. I felt like this was a meeting of two artistic pilgrims. What a wonderful afternoon.
It is Songs2Share’s goal to video some quality artist interviews. We bought a HD Video Camera for the project and are now learning to use it. This little video of Johnny was taken on my Flip Mino which I just happened to have as I take it along most places. Very small & convenient video camera. Highly recommended.
Church On Father’s Day
Sunday, June 21st, 2009
Daddy On His Locomotive Engine ~
Karl & I just came from church today. 1st time either of us has been to a service in a couple years. Real nice. Had videos of kids from the classes telling “What do you think your dad should do on Father’s Day…?” Cute answers & wonderful natural kid responses.
Pastor made a very relevant comparision. He talked about how fathers should - Tell their kids that - things are going to be OK, be happy, life is good, Our Heavenly Father is watching over us (if you’ve got it right with him) & He will see us through any tough times - instead of speaking worry & doom & unrest to their children. He hit on the current condition of “the world” and that this is a very challenging time & still, we must, (fathers were his target), keep the talk to the children uplifting.
He also hit on forgiving your own father if he had parenting “shortcomings.” LOL The great thing he said about that is —- “Get over it…” I said Gina’s name aloud as she has an issue with her childhood somehow being connected to current problems & constantly goes to the past in justiying the present. And also a few Amens for my own childhood father “shortcomings.”
He told all the kids to hug their dads today until their heads popped off.
That’s a cool line.
Happy Father’s Day to All Dads who nurture & all Men who lead wisely
Ontario Proposes New Law For Online Ticket Sales
Tuesday, May 5th, 2009
Category: Music
The Ontario government took aim yesterday at U.S. entertainment giant Ticketmaster by introducing a new law that would block companies from charging scalpers’ prices for tickets to concerts and sporting events on resale websites they own.
The proposed legislation follows an uproar over Ticketmaster’s relationship with a subsidiary ticket resale website, TicketsNow.com, that allows people to sell tickets above face value. A class-action lawsuit filed in February alleges that Ticketmaster diverts tickets to TicketsNow to sell them for a higher price.
Attorney-General Chris Bentley said yesterday that he has heard “loud and clear” from consumers in Ontario that they are not getting fair access to tickets for their favourite events. What the legislation would do, he said, is make it illegal for primary and secondary ticket sellers owned by the same corporate entity to sell tickets to the same events at higher prices.
“It’s the foundation for fairness,” Bentley said at a news conference.
“There’s a perception out there that if you benefit from both sides of the equation there’s not only a perception but a real concern about fair access to tickets.”
Individuals could be fined up to $5,000, companies up to $50,000 for breaking the proposed rules.
Ticketmaster could not be reached for comment.
But the proposed legislation would do nothing to stop brokers and agents corporately unrelated to Ticketmaster from reselling tickets at inflated prices on TicketsNow. Officials at Ticketmaster have said TicketsNow is open to anyone reselling tickets. They have also said TicketsNow is being singled out for the widespread practice of reselling tickets above face value.
New Democrat MPP Peter Kormos said the legislation does not go far enough. Ontario already has anti-scalping laws on the books, but these are rarely enforced, he said.
What the government should do, he said, is put a cap on the fee resellers charge, say at 6 per cent of the face value of a ticket. “The legislation will do nothing to protect consumers from being ripped off by corporate scalpers,” he said.
Artists from Bruce Springsteen to Charley Pride have lashed out at TicketsNow and other online resale sites for charging fans inflated prices for concert tickets.
Bob Runciman, interim leader of the Progressive Conservatives, said his party will likely support the legislation but said it’s unfortunate that Premier Dalton McGuinty and his government appeared to be in the dark on this matter.
“It had to be left to Bruce Springsteen to bring this to his attention,” he said.
Bentley said he drafted new legislation after officials at Ticketmaster declined his request to follow practices already in place in Alberta and Manitoba that bar the company from benefiting in the resale of tickets.
“They would not take that approach in Ontario,” he said.
The last time Bentley bought concert tickets was for a Britney Spears concert. But he quickly pointed out they were for his daughters, now 22 and 24, and that he did not attend.
Source: Globe & Mail
Resources For Your Band - from Music Promotion Newsletter
Monday, April 27th, 2009
This is a music oriented newsletter filled with great stuff. Here’s the link for the whole story:
http://www.bigmeteor.com/newsletter/apr2009.shtml
SECTION FIVE: HELPFUL RESOURCES FOR YOUR BAND
5.1 RESOURCES - GENERAL
SoundSpar
Chris contact@soundspar.com
www.soundspar.com
A new battle of the bands website for unsigned artists. Sign up free today!
Music BC
#530-425 Carrall St., Vancouver, BC V6B 6E3
PH: 604-873-1914 FX: 604-873-9686
http://www.musicbc.org
A non-profit society dedicated to providing information, education, funding, advocacy, awareness and networking opportunities to nurture, develop and promote the spirit, growth, and sustainability of the BC Music community.
Bandit A&R Newsletter
68-70 Lugley St., Newport, PO30 5ET UK
PH: +44-1983-524110
John bandit.icb@aweber.com
http://www.banditnewsletter.com
Helping ambitious bands target their demos to labels, publishers etc.
When you are inspired…
Friday, April 24th, 2009
When you are inspired by some great
purpose, some extraordinary project,
all your thoughts break their bonds;
Your mind transcends limitations,
your consciousness expands in every direction,
and you find yourself in a new, great
and wonderful world.
Dormant forces, faculties and talents
become alive, and you discover yourself
to be a greater person by far
than you ever dreamed
yourself to be.
Patanjali
(C. First to Third Century B.C.)
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Pick one thing, a song, poem, video, painting, photo - and put yourself into the moment of creating that art. Slowly, with great spirit, attached to your piece, inspired. And this littlest of projects, to the most extraordinary project = will blossom under your touch.
Monday Inspirations
Monday, April 20th, 2009
Monday Inspirations—Here are 3 weekly ideas for song lyric, poems, instrumental titles, photos, video, short story or anything they inspire you to create. Use the title if you like & make something!
16. The Older Piglet - This one is off the wall & who knows the media I was consuming when this popped up! But rule is - never strike down an idea - so let’s run with it. The older piglet got away before the hatchet fell. Sounds like a children’s song. You ever listen to some of those old kids’ songs lyrics* Yikes ~
17. Counting My Beers Again - You ever count someone else’s alcohol drinks? Most people don’t like it when you do that to them. ;< “I’m gonna barely notice you if you count my beers.” Fat chance of that happening. Most beer counters get in your face & get noticed. So what do you do when someone counts your beers? “If you count my beers I’m gonna see that you lose count.”
18. An Upbeat Tempo -
Give us an upbeat tempo
Sure to make it sweet
An upbeat tempo
Makes me move my feet
like this (she moves her feet)
Ub-ba Ub-ba - Ub-ba La ba do ba doe
Doe Doe
Bu-ba da ba do ba doe - you know the one.
That’s the beat.
VEVO.com - Here comes another outlet for Internet Media that Pays!
Tuesday, April 14th, 2009
YouTube, the most popular online video site, and Universal Music Group, the world’s largest music company, said on Thursday that they would create an online hub for music videos and related content, called Vevo.
The agreement is the latest of many efforts by YouTube, which is owned by Google, to put more professionally produced content in front of its huge audience, and in turn, earn more money from advertising.
Music videos of Universal’s artists will be available both on Vevo.com, which will be owned by Universal and powered by YouTube’s technology, and on a Vevo channel on YouTube. The companies said they would share revenue from advertising on both sites, but declined to discuss specific terms of the agreement.
Google and Universal said they planned to introduce Vevo this year. They said they were working to persuade other major labels to join the site. Industry executives and analysts said the partnership appeared to be an effort to emulate the success of Hulu, an online joint venture between NBC and Fox for television shows and movies.
While Hulu’s audience is much smaller than YouTube’s, the site has been able to attract major advertisers who view YouTube’s eclectic collection of video clips with some trepidation. Music companies were among the first in the media industry to license their content to YouTube in 2006, and their videos have been among the most popular content on the site. But those clips have not produced the revenue that music companies or YouTube had hoped, creating new tension between the two sides.
In an interview, Eric E. Schmidt, Google’s chief executive, said he thought that the two sides have finally created a model that would address those issues, by combining Universal’s content and YouTube’s audience on a site that will be attractive to advertisers.
“The music industry has been struggling with how to structure these things online in the right way,” Mr. Schmidt said.
“This is a good model.” Mr. Schmidt credited Doug Morris, chief executive of Universal, which is owned by Vivendi, with the vision for Vevo.
Mr. Schmidt said that the conversations between the two executives began at the suggestion of the singer Bono. Mr. Morris said that over the last few years, Universal has gone from losing $70 million a year in the production of music videos for promotion, to earning roughly that amount now. He described Vevo as the “next step” in Universal’s ability to monetize music videos.
“It is going to be a powerful product,” he said.
Mr. Morris said that Vevo would include other content from Universal, and eventually offer fans the ability to buy merchandise and concert tickets. The agreement also renews a license allowing YouTube’s users to include Universal’s soundtracks in their videos.
If successful, Vevo could compete with other online sites for music videos, including MySpace. But analysts said it was too early to predict whether music fans would flock to the site.
“It takes more than a premium-content destination to really build a business,” said Ross Sandler, an analyst with RBC Capital Markets.
Mr. Sandler said fans could end up choosing to watch music videos on YouTube rather than on Vevo. Mr. Morris said he has been in discussions with the other major labels, which include Warner Music Group, EMI and Sony Music, about joining Vevo.
The labels all said they have indeed been approached, though talks are at early stages. Some of the licensing deals between labels and YouTube have expired recently, and negotiations over renewals have dragged on as music companies have sought better terms from YouTube.
In December, Warner Music removed its music videos from YouTube, saying it “simply cannot accept terms that fail to appropriately and fairly compensate recording artists, songwriters, label and publishers for the value they provide.”
Similar disputes have erupted in Great Britain and Germany. The agreement represents a victory for YouTube, which needs more professional content to lure advertisers to reverse what analysts say are huge losses derived from the high cost of running the site.
Mr. Schmidt said that the agreement could become a blueprint for resolving simmering conflicts with other media companies. “It can serve as a model for the nonmusic areas, which as you know, for us have been problematic,” he said.
Source url: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/10/technology/internet/10google.html?_r=1
Monday Inspirations
Monday, April 13th, 2009
Monday Inspirations—Here are 3 weekly ideas for song lyric, poems, instrumental titles, photos, video, short story or anything they inspire you to create. Use the title if you like & make something!
13. Menopause Relapse - This goes into Adult Contemporary about a woman who thinks she is grown up but suffers a menopause relapse and makes adolescent choices that reek havoc on the world.
14. When Dreams Get Ugly - The other morning I woke & told K. - “Wow, I was just dreaming my dead mother was chopping off the sunflower heads with a nail file and the devil was collecting them and laughing hideously as he ate the seeds and spit the shells at me.” Well, it wasn’t quite like that but then I said “I’d rather be in this world than that world” and I got up.
15. 3 Forevers - A special love gave me this one. She said it will take - 3 Forevers - She used it as a measure of time. I wrote her a poem and titled it 3 Forevers. You’ll be my friend for - 3 Forevers. I love you BRR~
The Pitch - Advice From A Pro
Wednesday, April 8th, 2009
Here is an article from Ruth Ratny’s ReelChicago e-newsletter. What gets me is the claim - networks are dead. The Internet is the new media outlet. WOW! And there’s lots of Internet. Lots of people/companies/Indie projects needing songs.
We need a group of go-to songwriters who can create song material quickly. Songwriters/artists with radio quality recording equipment that can lay vocal tracks over backing tracks in hours. If that’s you, shoot us an e-mail and we’ll chat. ~ R
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‘Always accept a beverage when offered’
Laurie Scheer advises on how to ace a pitch session
| Laurie Scheer connects the Heartland to Hollywood |
There will be thousands of visual media outlets in the next few years, said “media goddess” Laurie Scheer, talking to filmmakers eager to learn first-hand from this Hollywood insider in our midst at last Saturday’s IFP conference
With the proliferation of outlets providing so many opportunities to sell content, “you must think beyond the traditional 60- to 90-minute format,” she asserted.
“Networks are dead,” she proclaimed. “You must think online, because that’s where it’s going to be.”
Scheer, who has been teaching at Flashpoint Academy this year, is preaching the gospel of multiplatforms — matching content ideas with multiple outlet opportunities in order to sell your project.
“Know that your content is needed,” she said. “Know that whatever cable show is doing well, say on the Discovery Channel, be assured the producers are looking for companion pieces.”
In order to pitch like a pro, you have to know what’s going on in the ever-changing marketplace, Scheer’s strongest advice is to research.
“It’s all there on the internet. Read the weekend box office grosses, learn who the leaders are, what topics or stories are selling right now,” she urged. “Your idea must resonate with the current culture.” A good place to look for trend is, in all places, the Wall Street Journal.
The reason for all this homework? “So you won’t look like an idiot when you get a chance to pitch.”
And when you are in the producer’s office pitching your idea, “Present yourself as the only one who could be attached to this project. You’re the expert.
“Tell them what your involvement in the production will be. Do you want to sell the idea? Direct, produce? You know what you know, and they know you know what you want.”
Your pitch must be down pat,” she said. “You must speak with authority, anticipate questions about the project and have different versions of your pitch ready.”
In addition, at the session you will need a one page synopsis and a short 3-5-minute trailer on what your show is about.
Scheer then offered a piece of advice you don’t get in books. “When offered a beverage, take it. Then be very specific about how you want it. ‘I’ll take a decaf latte with soy milk,’” as a way to display your confidence.
Scheer’s advice comes from many years in the forefront of cable programming. She was VP/programming for WE Women’s Entertainment, and developed and produced shows for other cable companies.
Scheer is the pitching coach at NATPE’s convention and L.A. TV festival and will speak at the upcoming NAB on multi-platform and digital marketing.
In addition to teaching at high level colleges, she is a mainstay of Media Bistro seminars. You can catch Scheer in action May 6 at a Media Bistro seminar on “How to Write for Online,” at the Theatre Building, 7-10 p.m. See mediabistro.com/courses/cache/instr176.asp. —Ruth L Ratny