Site Last Updated on
December 06, 2011
The Indie Bible
12th Edition 2011
by David Wimble
America's 15 Best Indie Record Stores
CEV Supports Independent Record Stores
Indie Revelations
by Alex Cosper
free e-book
Musicians Cooler Podcast:
Trading insights on technology, internet sites, marketing
ideas, and everything else regarding running your band, getting more gigs, and
building a fan base. In a nutshell, it's music, marketing, and mentoring. It's
where musicians trade advice.
Books to
Look For
Ripped
by Greg Kot
Perfecting Sound Forever
by Greg Milner
Appetite for Self-Destruction
by Steve Knopper
Rocking Your
Music Business
by Simon Cann
This Business of Music 10th ed.
by M. William Krasilovsky
This Business of Concert Promotion and Touring
by Ray Waddell, Rich Barnet and Jake Berry
This Business of Global Music Marketing
by Ted Lathrop
How to Be Your Own Booking Agent
by Jeri Goldstein
Million Dollar Mistakes
by Moses Avalon
I Don't Need a Record Deal
by Daylle Deanna Schwartz
Artist Development
by Eugene Foley
Spotlighting Great Female Oriented Music Wherever It May Be Found
Alternative, Mainstream, Indie and Self-Released
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Fay Wolf's Spiders |
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Spiders |
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Cutting Edge Voices Album Spotlight
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Michael Foster, editor CEV Blog |
October 20 2011 I'm going to start using this space to highlight, spotlight and just share with you some of the music that I am running across through my travels around the net and through Rhapsody. I'll still share my opinion but in smaller doses and more directed at the artists that I am currently listening to on my stereo or here at my computer. The big labels might not be doing so hot these days but the music is pouring out onto the net through smaller indie labels, through artists self-releasing their music and via streaming services like Rhapsody, Spotify and Pandora. So much to keep up with and so much to sort through to find the gems that might have been overlooked by those who didn't have the time to go looking for it. Let's face it, not everything that comes out is worth listening to or knowing about. That will always be a fact of life when it comes to music. Even moreso now that just about anyone can put their music up on the web for sale. I'll do my best to steer you towards the music you should be listening to and buying. So without further ado let's get this party started. |
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If you have a news link you'd like to editor at cuttingedgevoices dot com and I will share it with the rest of the |
Exposed: 10 Female Guitarists You Should Know - Many of you may be under the impression that there aren’t a lot of female guitarists worthy of a mention on GuitarWorld.com. Oh no! That is where you are DEAD WRONG! In fact, we have come across so many kickass players, across every genre and era, that we thought we’d give you a tasty tidbit of a few that stand out from the pack. YouTube expands as music destination, adding merchandise store and deals with indie labels - YouTube has been very good to bedroom singers, who have found a quick path to fame, and major labels, which have benefited from some of the largest digital audiences for their top music videos. Throwing Muses Did It the Hard Way - The 20th anniversary hoopla of Nirvana's Nevermind has only pointed out how weak and boring rock music is nowadays. The kids deserve better, Kings of Leon and Coldplay just ain't cutting it. Thankfully there's Kristin Hersh, the powerhouse behind seminal indie rock band Throwing Muses, who has been releasing her dark, sinewy songs under the mainstream's radar for 25 years now. The Muses' sound is indescribable, with bits of punk, country, surf, folk, even speed metal at times. Though the Rhode Island natives were the first American band to sign to British label 4AD headed by the groundbreaking Ivo Watts-Russell, Miss Hersh is no wispy ethereal girl or Moany Joni, she's more of a Scary Mary.
Lunocode,
at work on their previously
announced full length debut album, made available a teaser for the song
"Kevin's Telescope", originally by The Gathering.
The track was recorded and mixed in rough at the band's own studios, and
features some ints that will be present on the album Celestial
Harmonies, like the flute parts by Dora Chiodini of Ashes
& Reflections (http://www.myspace.com/ashes_reflection), the percussions
and some ethnical instruments or acoustic guitars. This cover was made basically to have you to listen to Daphne's
voice, as she joined the band after the release of the EP "Last Day Of The Earth".
Canadian Recording Industry Association (CRIA) Becomes Music Canada
Was It All in Her Head?: An Interview with Sam Phillips
British releases account for nearly 12% of world record sales For Indie Bands, the New Publicity Is No Publicity
Behind the music: Where are the women at the biggest festivals? - full article Forget the nonsense about 'male' and 'female' instruments: the real reason women are under-represented on stage is that too many men judge them by their cleavage
Allison Crowe's New Double-A-Side-Single, and Album Plans Musician Allison Crowe, one of the world’s great songwriters and live performers, releases a double-A side digital single this Summer featuring a piano-based original song “Arthur” and an interpretation of Patty Griffin’s “Up to the Mountain (MLK Song)” on guitar. The bicoastal Canadian artist is in pre-production of her eighth album -advancing a series of critically and commercially successful recordings. In a recent interview with Helen Jayne Reid of CornerBrooker.com (@ http://cornerbrooker.com/2011/05/coffee-afternoon-with-allison-crowe ) Crowe reveals some of the creative impetus to her next full-length release. She cites the heavier, industrial, production sound heard in “from the choirgirl hotel”-era Tori Amos, and the recordings of Nine Inch Nails. NIN’s Trent Reznor is also exemplary as a creator not bound by the corporate calculation of popular music today. Recognizing the truth of John Lennon’s lyric, “Life is what happens to you while you're busy making other plans”, Allison Crowe is giving a window of 12 – 18 months to solve intricate production puzzles with the current album collection of ten songs and a poem, ‘Snow”. While in pre-production this Summer, Crowe performs a single live show – as part of TNL's Gros Morne Theatre Festival concert series in Cow Head, near her Atlantic home of Corner Brook, Newfoundland. Allison Crowe’s double-A-side single, “Arthur” and “Up to the Mountain” is set for release next month (July, 2011 – on iTunes et al).
Amy Gerhartz to Release EP Entitled Vol. 1 June 28, 2011 Atlanta GA- Atlanta based singer songwriter Amy Gerhartz is set to release the first EP in a series of four on June 28th. The EP is aptly titled Volume One. This is Gerhartz first new work since 2004, and such an ambitious project promises to keep Amy and her fans busy for the foreseeable future. For the first installment, Gerhartz stays close to home. Enlisting producer and multi-instrumentalist Brian Fechino, Amy explores her southern roots, the ups and downs of life, and her family. "This was a period of self discovery for me," recounts Gerhartz. "At a time where I needed to figure out who I was, where I was going, and what I was doing to get there. I don’t have a journal, I don’t kick and scream much. I just let everything out in my music." The result is a five song collection that can be best described as blend of pop, folk, and country and draws comparisons to Norah Jones and Natalie Merchant. But most notable is Amy’s ability to communicate exactly what she wants to say. Whether in the playful and driving opening track "Freight Train," ("C’mon baby, don’t you feel it, we’re running faster than we ever have. C’mon baby, don’t you need me, cause I know I’m wanting you so bad") to the honest and emotional plea to her brother in the military in "I Miss You," ("Damn to hell what they believe if they ever take your life from me, please be safe, and I miss you.") Amy Gerhartz holds nothing back.
Music Industry Sings a Sad Song on Sales Despite a Sharp Drop-off in Piracy - full article Recorded music sales in America plunged another 7% to about $6.2 billion last year as the sharp 16% drop in CD revenue more than offset gains in digital-media sales, according to a report released this week by consultant Strategy Analytics. Overall sales fell despite the fact that far fewer people are illegally downloading music tracks through peer-to-peer services than did a few years ago, according to a separate report. Over the Rhine: Great Christian Music - full article I don't listen to Christian music. Lord knows I've given it enough chances. I've listened since the early days of the "contemporary Christian" genre when Amy Grant and Michael W. Smith were the only options. And time and again, I've been let down by the quality of musicianship, preferring instead the secular counterparts that Christian artists often try so hard to imitate. Music Industry Will Force Licenses on Amazon Cloud Player — or Else -full article Amazon’s decision to launch its new Cloud Player without securing additional music licenses has been described as a “bold move” by many observers. It takes serious guts for Amazon to simply declare that it doesn’t need licenses — especially when even casual observers know the music industry thinks otherwise. Still, this isn’t a one-dimensional issue, and the law has yet to deal much with services like Amazon’s. Record companies fantasize about huge revenues from streaming services, and they fear digital lockers like the plague. ‘The word streaming and the word download are nowhere in copyright law’ — MP3tunes’ CEO Michael Robertson If the record labels don’t come to a licensing agreement with Amazon soon, they will either be forced to take legal action or implicitly allow other music companies to ditch cloud licenses too.
Rhapsody Celebrates First Year as Independent Company - full article SEATTLE, April 1, 2011 /PRNewswire/ --One year ago, Rhapsody, the leading premium, on-demand digital music service, spun out from RealNetworks with a challenging road ahead. Today, the company is stronger than ever. It has gained more than 100,000 subscribers since April 1, 2010, bringing the total count to more than 750,000; all while winning awards and praise for its mobile apps on every platform.' Review: Rumer, Grand Opera House, York - full article Kate Nash's Rock 'n' Roll Club for girls - full article When we speak she seems exhilarated by her first visits to Avonbourne School in Bournemouth and the City of Portsmouth Girls School. She's been introducing her idea of creating a new generation of teenage Joan Jetts with a talk and a video of "cool female artists that I know", and then interviewing the pupils about their musical aspirations. "It's been scary but really fun. The girls are really smart and funny and fresh," she says. Jenny Dee & The Deelinquents Have Soul - full article You’d be forgiven if you thought you stumbled back in time when you walked into a Jenny Dee & The Deelinquents concert. The 10 piece band on stage, belting out Soul hits, wearing matching outfits. The three women singers coordinating their dance moves. It feels like the ’60s. But it’s not. “Jenny Dee” is better known to Boston music fans as Jen D’Angora. She’s the singer-songwriter for garage rockers The Downbeat 5. She’s also with the punk group The Dents. D’Angora and her husband, bassist Ed Valauskas, went from garage rock band to Motown machine. Linda Perry Starts Pink’s Party, Defends Christina Aguilera, Is Legendary - full article Linda Perry has been out from day one of her career as the lead singer of the early 90s rock group 4 Non Blondes — at the 1993 Billboard Awards she performed their one-hit wonder (and current drunken karaoke fave) “What’s Up” with the word “dyke” emblazoned on her guitar. When the group broke up she retreated a bit from the music industry, instead releasing two emotional and creatively fulfilling noncommercial solo records.
How Amazon beat Google and Apple to the music cloud - full article NEW YORK (CNNMoney) -- Amazon on Tuesday launched the Amazon Cloud Drive, an Internet service that lets customers store music and other digital files on the company's servers and access them on computers, smartphones and other devices. Amazon (AMZN, Fortune 500) will give customers 5GB of Cloud Drive storage for free, and if users buy an MP3 album through Amazon, they'll be upgraded to 20GB of cloud storage for a year. The Cloud Player works on PCs, Macs and Android devices. Elizabeth and the Catapult Releases New Single – Go Away My Lover -full article Martha Redbone charts her own distinctive course, marches to her own beat -full article New York—Recording artist Martha Redbone’s Native American-infused soul is all her own. Redbone is an independent artist who is as likely to include a powwow drum as she is jazz riffs in her highly danceable music. Her second album, “Skintalk,” is a sophisticated blend that is powered not by electronics but by a funk-rock band of veteran musicians. Released in 2005, she has toured behind it for five years—pausing only to have a son in 2008—bringing her songs to the indie-music scene in New York City and to festivals on reservations and across the U.S.
How One Music Startup Is Defying the Odds By Breaking the Rules - full article Working against the notion that most online music startups are dead on arrival is newcomer Soundtrckr. The young startup breaks all the rules; it offers listeners unlimited streaming access to 10 million songs on the web, across a smattering of mobile platforms and soon the television. Plus, Soundtrckr has social and local components on lockdown — you can listen to the “stations” of friends or people nearby. And it costs nothing. No subscription fees, no mobile surcharge, no ads, nada. So, where’s the catch? The United States Of Women In Music - full article Rocks Off is no He-Man Woman Hater's Club. We like women quite a bit, actually, especially those women brave enough to wade through the rivers of bullshit in the male-dominated music business. If you'll page back a few weeks, you'll remember the discussion of our favorite female artists from the decade most of us came of age. And so when we realized our map "The United States of Music" a few weeks ago came out 98 percent male - and thanks to commenter "Sohardtopickausername" for the push - we took that as a challenge. Could we do it again with women? Female rockers bring girl power to China music scene - full article China's veteran punk rock queen Kang Mao fiddles with her faux pearl necklace and leopard skin scarf as she dodges a journalist's questions before a quiet acoustic set honoring women. As the lead singer for SUBS, she is one of the first women in China to front a band pumping out loud punk music and was the opening act for a Beijing show marking International Women's Day on March 8. I'm still a girl. Please don't call me a woman," she said with a wry smile."Tonight we are playing unplugged, no distortion, just clean, acoustic guitar," she said, adding that the band is playing with "wooden instruments" or "muqin," which in Chinese is a homonym for "mother." Kang Mao, a stage name meaning "fighting cat," refuses to reveal her real identity, age or hometown. Probably in her late twenties or early thirties, she insists she comes from Mars. Singer gives girls a lesson in how to make it in music - full article SINGER-songwriter Kate Nash injected a massive dose of girl power when she visited a school on a mission to boost the profile of female musicians and songwriters. The 23-year-old international star chose City of Portsmouth Girls’ among just five schools nationwide to launch her after-school music club scheme. |
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Daylle Deanna Schwartz |
Daylle Deanna Schwartz's Newsletter: News & Resources Having read her book I Don't Need a Record Deal has made me appreciate the common sense advice that Daylle seemed to radiate throughout its pages and with her permission I thought it might be a nice ongoing feature here on Cutting Edge Voices to reprint her newsletter for those who have not discovered it as of yet. Daylle's advice comes from first hand knowledge of the music business and that is what makes it so valuable. If you are a working musician and would like hints and tips about how to move your career forward to the next level then pick up a copy of her book and be sure to catch her newsletter right here or sign up via e-mail with Daylle to have it delivered straight to your in box when it comes out. Issue number 36 August 2010 |
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Chloe March
Divining |
Divining CEV talks to Chloe March Chloë grew up deep in the middle of the english countryside, played a lot of piano, read a lot of books and listened to a lot of music - the sound of her mum practising the piano was the soundtrack to her life. From early on she started to improvise and write songs and record them in her brother's caravan at the bottom of the garden. Her inspiration has always been from the landscape, and from history, myths, fairytales, folklore and archetypes. Chloë has released two albums ~ Snowdrop and Divining and has composed music for theatre productions and choreographers, the most recent being a 40min original score for the dance/theatre piece ‘realPolitik’ choreographed by Julie Hope and performed at the Michaelis Theatre, Roehampton University, May 2008 As keyboard player with 'Cousteau' in 2005 Chloë toured the U.K and Italy, appearing at venues such as Bush Halls, King Tuts, The Borderline, the amphitheatre at Recanati, Rome, Puglia, Sardinia, Tarvisio and in the video of 'Sadness' and on live tv, radio etc... Click here to read the entire interview with Chloe March. |
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Coby Grant
Fanfare for Love Available now |
Artist Spotlight on Coby Grant With influences like Carole King, The Eagles, Eric Clapton and Joni Mitchell, and a sound compared to Regina Spektor, Colbie Caillat, and Ingrid Michaelson, this Australian native has something different, something extra, something special - an uncanny ability to connect with her audience through her charming and earnest lyrics about life, love and everything in between, breezy acoustic simplicity, beautiful melodies, sweet voice and infectious grin.
After promoting her latest EP, Fanfare For Love, to sold out houses in Perth, Melbourne, and Sydney, Coby is suddenly seeing an influx of international fans. This is in part due to the placement of her single, “A Song About Me,” in a multi-national Scandinavian television commercial for Coca Cola’s water brand, Bon Aqua. Coby’s success as a touring artist can be attributed to not only her undying work ethic, (the independent artist has single-handedly booked the sold-out shows mentioned above), but to her significant studio credits as well. She has worked with Grammy Award-winner Vlado Meller, early Norah Jones producer and blues guitar legend Peter Malick, and Grammy-winner Anthony J. Resta. Both Malick and Resta produced tracks for her first EP release, Coby Grant Is In Full Colour.
Visit Coby Grant's website by clicking here or on |
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Music Reviews Here and Around the Web
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Having spent years absorbing music videos during MTV and Vh-1's heyday I thought this might be a nice feature to include on CEV. I wanted to share with my readers the videos that I have ran across out on the web that will give you a more visual appreciation for some of the artists that I feature here on Cutting Edge Voices. Enjoy!!
Russo - You've Changed Me
Other Videos to Check Out Devonian Serene by Autumn's Grey Solace
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By Allen Johnston
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Cutting Edge Voices Articles A True Story Of Industry Abuse This story was written after receiving a phone call from a distressed parent, attempting to make their child's entertainment dreams a reality. They had gone to an industry related association meeting and heard how wonderful members of this group treated new artists and their projects. This parent believed the stories of success and made sure to get the contact information from the people they thought could assist them. For the full article click here. |
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By Anne Freeman
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Is Your Songwriting Artist-Centric or Writer-Centric? Put another way, for whom are you writing your songs? There are several answers to this question, and no answer is right or wrong. But, if your heart is set on hearing one of your creations sung by a voice other than the one in you head, then you owe it to yourself to answer the question posed in the title of this article, because knowing the answer may help you to move closer towards achieving your goal. When we first embarked on the journey that is songwriting, the creative process was new, exciting and, appropriately, self-absorbing. Creating takes energy and concentration, especially when we are first learning the craft. The professional songwriters I studied with rightly encouraged me to go wherever the Muse took me, and not to worry about song structure, audience, commercial viability, and the music business in general. Those concerns would only distract me from nurturing my budding creativity. Read any book on learning the craft of songwriting and you will find similar advice. When you are learning, your time should be spent enjoying the wonder of creating for its own sake. For the full article click here. |
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Rejection is Just An Invitation to Resubmit. Always RSVP I started writing songs when I was seventeen. This was in the 60s when life seemed like one opportunity after another, waiting to be fulfilled. I played in a band, and we did original songs, inspired by Dylan, The Beatles, etc. I wanted to record, found a studio through an ad at the back of the Village Voice. I had $600 saved from caddying that bought me twelve hours of studio time. I was off to the races. Demo complete, I read the credits on album jackets of the bands I liked, then went to the telephone directory and got the names and addresses of their publishers. At first, I sent them tapes but the responses, when there were any, were generally highly impersonal and non-specific. So I decided I'd be better off taking them into the city, which I did, and started knocking on doors. Showing up in person got me in. Then the hard part began. For the full article click here. |
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By Moses Avalon
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What Are The Vegas Odds Of Success On Today’s Major Label Record Deal? In Las Vegas, the odds to each game are readily available: roulette, 33:1; blackjack, 1.5:1 (if played optimally); craps, anywhere from 2:1 to 9:1. But what about the chances of getting signed and having a successful career recording albums? Sure, there a lot of factors, like if you’ve got talent—but what about the raw odds? The “Vegas odds”? I did some research and was intrigued to find that there are no published stats on this. Here, perhaps for the first time, are the “Vegas odds” of record deals and going major verses staying indie. (UPDATE: While tweaking this piece which was originally published in my new book, released in March of 2011 a new article came out on Music Think Tank with more data on this subject. See the bottom of this page for the link.) For the full article click here. |
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Madalyn Sklar |
Madalyn Sklar
started IndieMusicCoach.com in an effort to provide
one-on-one consulting and coaching to indie musicians. She founded
GoGirlsMusic.com, the oldest and largest online community of indie
women musicians, with a vision of bringing together and empowering
musicians from around the country. Ten years later it has become a
welcome destination for women in music through networking and events.
Madalyn produces the GoGirlsMusicFest, Invasion of the GoGirls, Battle of the GoGirls
and more. |
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Kenny Love |
Welcome to a brand new feature here on Cutting Edge Voices and also welcome a new contributing writer to these pages as well. Kenny Love will be joining us on a regular basis to share his wisdom about the music industry with anyone who is looking to give their own music careers a shot in the arm. Practical advice from years of experience in the music business is what this new column will offer you and we here at Cutting Edge Voices hope that it will benefit you and that you will stop back on a regular basis to catch the latest edition of Kenny's column. This week we present.... Ace in the Hole/Fallback Day Jobs |
Sounds to
Listen For
Passenger
by Lisa Hannigan
The World Will Follow
by Andi Starr
All Things Will Unwind
by My Brightest Diamond
Tour dates
Counting To Zero
by Collide
Impossible
by Diamante
(single)
I'm Leaving EP
by Emina
Dirty Blonde EP
by Astraea
Let It Break
by Gemma Hayes
Late Bloomer
by Allie Moss
California
by Shannon Hurley
Volume 1 EP
by Amy Gerhartz
Little Red Boots
by Lindi Ortega
Masquerade
by Lelia Broussard
A Journey Into the
Sun Within
by The Travellers
My Kamikaze Heart
by Kat McGivern
Lights
by Ellie Goulding
Wounded Rhymes
by Lykke Li
After Dark
by Halie Loren
Reversible Lobotomy
by Ms. Maura
Sung From the Heart
by Adison Skye
The Memory Machine
by Julia Stone
The Fool
by Warpaint
Oh Deer
by Adrienne Pierce
Well Well Well
by Duffy
Many Great Companions
by Dar Williams
The Underneath
by Jenni Alpert
Doorway to a Dream
by Ann Licater
Chocoloate Paper Suites
by Krista Detor
Dance in the Reign
by Fall Back Plan
Ready
by Reni Lane
Lovelier in Black
by Stimulator
Red Velvet Car
by Heart
Kaleidoscope Heart
by Sara Bareilles
Laws of Illusion
by Sarah McLachlan
Catching a Tiger
by Lissie
We Are Born
by Sia
The Family Jewels
by Marina &
The Diamonds
The House
by Katie Melua
Solitaire
by Edenbridge
Point of You
by FeelAbouT
Lilith 2010 Compilation
by Various Artists
Staring Down the Brilliant Dream (Live)
by Indigo Girls