The Main Reasons Why You Probably Don’t Have A Record Deal, Yet!
By: Sahpreem King




1. Skills: You can get mad and storm off. You can get pissed and start to cry. You can get angry enough to toss a pitcher of water in the faces of the audition panelist. But no matter how heated you may get, nothing will change that fact that you might not be as talented as you think. All your life your family and friends have said, "Wow! You’re really talented," and it has started to go to your head. You could very well be the next J-Lo or Nelly, at least according to your peeps, but if no one outside of your support network has ever heard of you, you might be in for a rude awakening. The best way to test your talent is to let other people critique it for you. Believe me, a perfect stranger will tell you exactly what others have been afraid to tell you all your life, you suck! On the other hand, the opposite may apply. If you got the got skills, strangers will let you know with enthusiasm. Exposure, exposure, and more exposure is the key to measuring your talent. Whether it’s rapping or singing, or a little of both, you gotta get out there and be seen and heard. Take every opportunity to perform, big or small, and show the musical world what you have to offer. In addition, I suggest you obtain a written evaluation of your talent from a reputable music industry professional, and leave the rest up to luck.

2. Game Plan: Just like a football team has to practice in order to win, so do you. At the beginning of training camp, as the players arrive to the first practice, each player is handed a playbook. This play book is a detailed plan of action to guide the team to its ultimate goal, success. Your play book doesn't have to be quite as elaborate as the NFL's, just a simple pencil and pad will do. The entire concept of a game plan is to map out where it is you want to be, and how you’re gonna get there. Start with the end product (the goal) and then work your way backwards. List all of the steps it may take to reach your goal, then right them down in reverse order. Now, you have created a map of your game plan, review it and make changes if necessary. Then fold it up and tuck into your wallet, for easy access, this way you can constantly remind yourself of were your going and cross off where you've been.

3. Product: Face it, you wouldn't be too impressive of a plumber if you didn't own an adjustable wrench, and you certainly wouldn't be much of a clown without the funny make-up. So what makes you think you'd even have a snowball's chance in hell of succeeding in the music business, if didn't have a demo. Very few people have ever gotten a record deal by bum rushing a record executive at a night club or mall; even less have gotten a deal via telepathy. Being that fate is not on your side, get off the couch, put down the PlayStation and head out to the nearest recording studio and record a demo. You can usually find a good recording studio listed in the Yellow Pages, trade magazines, or on the Internet. Most if not all recording studios have staff producers that can help you develop your sound. Once the recording process has been completed, its time to put together a press kit. Start off by putting three of your best songs on a CD; make sure that the label has your name, the song titles, and contact number in plan view. Next, you'll need a recent photo of yourself, or group, with your contact information written on the bottom. Lastly, you'll need an artist biography (resume) that highlights any detailed information about yourself, including who you are, where you’re from, and where you want to go. Also include any press write-ups or articles that may showcase your achievements. Once you have gathered all of these items, stick them into a nice little package. Make sure your package is professional and unique enough to set you apart from everyone else.


About the Author: Sahpreem A. King, Multi Platinum Record Producer, DJ, Music Consultant, and Author of the book Gotta Get Signed How to Become a Hip Hop Producer on Schirmer Trade Books

Make Music with your

Make Music with your Computer: An Introduction by: Calab Coleman
Intro
Well guys, I’ve decided to write a short article on how to make music with your computer. When I started out, I couldn’t find anything to help me. I didn't know what to buy, or where to start. Hopefully this short article will help you in your quest to making music a fun and productive hobby or future profession.
Loops and SONY ACID Software
When I first started to create music I used SONIC FOUNDRY'S ACID MUSIC 3.0. It's a piece of software that enables you to create music with loops. Loops are small pieces of music, like a drum line or synth line. These loops are only a few seconds long, but, obviously, they loop. This means that you can draw the loop in for 30 seconds, 60 seconds, whatever length you’d like with no distortion or other strange noises when the loop starts over at the beginning. There are many websites and companies that create loops for production use. A lot of them are Royalty Free; this means that you can use them in commercial (for-profit) songs. Each of the companies that create these loops has their own license, which you’ll want to read if you’re going to release an album. The license is usually just a set of rules or terms that say what you can and can’t do with a loop. Most the time you can use these Royalty Free loops in commercial recordings, but you can’t, for example, resell the loops by themselves. You have to abide by the license.
As far as I know SONIC FOUNDRY was bought out by SONY, so if you’re looking for this software….
- Do a search for ACID PRO, or visit the link at the bottom of the article
- There are different versions of the software; one of the versions is absolutely FREE
The Reason to create
The piece of software I’d like to talk about in this section is PROPELLERHEADS REASON. This piece of software is much different than ACID. REASON is focused less on loops, and more on programming. When I say programming, I mean using individual sounds, for example, a kick drum, snare, or piano sound. You then use the awesome devices to create patterns. REASON includes a powerful list of devices. Some of the more important are the ReDrum Drum Machine, Synthesizers, and all new in 2.5, the mastering devices. I’m not going to get into this too much, because there’s just too much to tell in this article. If you’re interested in using REASON, I recommend that you get the tutorial CD-ROM from M-AUDIO. It will give you a good idea of how to get started with REASON, and if you think that it will be good for you.
Putting it all together
The great thing about the two pieces of software that I talked about in the previous two paragraphs is this:
- You can use ACID for all your loops
- You can use ACID to record vocals and/or guitars if you have the equipment
- You can use ACID to render your final recording to mp3, wav, aiff, and more
- You can use REASON to program patterns for drums, synths, etc.
(Keep in mind that these two programs can do way more than what’s displayed above)
The coolest part of this whole thing is that you can connect these two programs. Using a technology named “REWIRE”, created by PROPELLERHEADS you can have both of these applications synchronized. Add a loop in ACID, make a pattern in REASON, and have them play back together. When you’re done, you can render in ACID to have the synchronized music as one file, or track.
Wait! I have no sound
Okay, so now you have the software to start creating some awesome music. So the thing you’re missing is sound, speakers, headphones, etc. I use an external sound card by M-AUDIO, called OMISTUDIO USB. This thing connects to my pc with the USB port. It has two headphone connections and two instrument/mic connections with preamp power. It also contains several speaker connections, as well as other connections for mixers, etc.
There are several different types of these external sound machines. Most of them are either USB or FireWire. Most have headphone, speaker, and mic connections and come with the necessary drivers for your computer.
It’s all over
I hope that this short article gave you some ideas to start making music. I plan on writing more articles as time permits. See ya soon!
Links
ACID PRO and other SONY Software - http://www.sony.com/mediasoftware
PROPELLERHEADS REASON - http://www.propellerheads.se
M-AUDIO Products - http://www.m-audio.com


http://Liquidesert.comhttp://www.BeatStorm.com

Legal Free MP3 Downl

Legal Free MP3 Downloads - Is It Possible ? by: Guro Moy
Downloading free mp3 music from the internet its a great thing to do. Mp3 downloads can give you thousands of free mp3 songs and hundreds of hours of listening just by using your fingertips. However, the common way to do download mp3 music is illegal... but there is an other method.
Its a fact that companies and individuals are getting sued for encouraging and downloading illegal music. The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) and their sister organizations in other countries have recently been passing out large fines trying to prevent illegal mp3 downloads. A bunch of music download networks, like Napster, Kazaa, Winmx has been stopped, Grokster and Morpheus faces an uncertain future.
So what will the future bring ? Can I still download free mp3 music ?
The answer is YES, you can still keep your mp3 players cookin`. There are tons of websites in various sizes and shapes that are publishing free legal mp3 music, and they are just waiting for you to start download.
After the close down of the big file sharing networks there are many pay sites that have licensing agreements with the entertainment industry, such as Rhapsody, iTunes and Yahoo Music. Unfortunately these top profile download sites often charge a too big fee for their mp3 download access.
Alternatives have arisen that gives you the same amount of content, but for free. Search the net for the free alternatives to Rhapsody, iTunes and Yahoo Music and you will be amazed of what you will find. The huge amount of free mp3 downloads you`ll download will keep both your heart and your wallet happy.
A comprehensive list of websites that gives you access to free mp3 downloads can be found http://bestmp3links.com.

Hip Hop Mixtapes If

Hip Hop Mixtapes, If You Don’t Have Them, You’re Left Out by: Brent Wilson
Hip hop mixtapes are one of the foundations of the hip hop music genre. It is often through mixtapes that music gets out for the first time. And, it is through these tapes that many hip hop artists got their first start. No matter what your thoughts are as far as who to consider as hip hop’s first artists, there is no doubt that they had a mixtape. First, a definition of what a mixtape is. It is often a homemade taping that is a complication of homemade recordings. In some cases, individuals will record sountracks that are copyrighted music but then change them to fit their needs. But, in the hip hop world, they are a little different.
A hip hop mixtape is the customized recording of DJ’s. In the 1970’s when artists such as Grandmaster Flash and Furious Five were playing in clubs, they would often record their mixtapes to then sell to others who wanted them. Individuals would often purchase a one to three hour tape for as much as $75. Hip hop mixtapes are unique in that they were an expression of each individual’s concepts of the music. Other artists of the time frame that used hip hop mixtapes include Kool Herc and the Herculoids, DJ Breakout, Afrika Bambaataa, and many more. In today’s world, mixtapes have really become replaced by cd’s and mp3 players.
But, you can still purchase a variety of mixtapes. In fact, some of the hottest artists in hip hop right now are putting out mixtapes as recordings of their DJ careers. If you would like to find mixtapes that you can purchase, check the websites. On the web you will find a large amount of the best in hip hop mixtapes. You will find that these are often the best ways to listen to hip hop in general. To find them, all you need to do is to look on your favorite hip hop websites or the websites of hip hop artists and radio stations. You will then have a large amount of options to choose from. You don’t have to go without your hip hop mixtapes!