Music Business Blog by Jason Feinberg

I am a music snob. However, I’d like to think I’ve earned the right to be one.

I’ve been in the music biz for 12 years. I’ve been a musician, a DJ, a music director, a studio engineer, a label employee, worked at the Grammy awards (NARAS), and have been independently marketing and promoting music for 3 years. Add to that my enormous CD collection across every genre on the planet, and well, I’d like to think I know what I am talking about.

So, having stroked the old ego a little, I figured something useful would be a regular series on bands you will love if you only knew about them.

Some of you are certainly going to know about these bands, but the point is to discuss underrated bands. Maybe you’ve heard of them but never heard the music. Maybe you’re a fan but haven’t listened in a while. Whatever your story, check out the bands I link to.

So, the first one, as I am listening to it this very second, is Gang Of Four.

From allmusic.com:
Formed in 1977 by Leeds University students Jon King (vocals), Andy Gill (guitar), Dave Allen (bass), and Hugo Burnham (drums), Gang of Four (along with the Fall, Mekons, and Liliput) produced some of the most exhilarating and lasting music of the early English post-punk era of 1978-1983. Fueled by the fury of punk rock and radical political theory, Gang of Four successfully welded the two in an inspired display of polemics and music that addressed the vagaries of life in the modern world (including love and romance) as matters of political inquiry. Despite the fact that this sounds rife with the potential for being long on rhetoric and short on groove, such was not the case. What made Gang of Four’s polemical clang’n'roll so compelling was that it worked as harsh, bracing, and ultimately liberating rock & roll. With Allen and Burnham combining as a formidable and frequently very funky rhythm section, Gill didn’t play guitar as much as emit thick wads of semi-tuneful distortion, while King “sang” in a dry, declamatory fashion similar to that of the Fall’s Mark E. Smith. The rhythms were stripped down and jagged; at times Gill would dispense with guitar solos entirely and “play” non-solos, which were (surprise!) silence. Song titles sounded like the titles of radical political essays: “At Home He’s a Tourist,” “Damaged Goods,” “It’s Her Factory,” “Love Like Anthrax,” “To Hell With Poverty,” all of it openly challenging the audience’s preconceived notions about rock music, performance, the cult of celebrity, and the nature of politics. And in doing so, GOF conveyed rage, confusion, and loss of identity as well as any band of its time.

After three consecutive sensational albums, as well as a handful of EPs and singles, Allen left in 1982 to form the more danceable and less overtly political Shriekback, while Gill, King, and Burnham recorded the misguided “radical soul/R&B” record Hard with veteran American producers Ron and Howard Albert (who’d previously worked with Stephen Stills’ Manassas and Firefall). A near total disaster, Hard signalled that the end was nigh. Gill and King, who by this point had final say-so on the band’s musical and political direction, sacked Burnham, and the now “Gang of Two” released a so-so live album (At the Palace) and called it quits in 1984. But legends die hard, and Gang of Four experienced a mini-renaissance in the early ’90s with the release of two excellent collections (A Brief History of the Twentieth Century and The Peel Sessions Album). King and Gill put together a new Gang of Four and released the tepid but not disgraceful Mall in 1991. Another reunion, from 1995, yielded Shrinkwrapped. Three years later, a double-disc compilation — 100 Flowers Bloom — surfaced on Rhino, and the original lineup reconvened in 2004 to tour extensively and release 2005’s Return the Gift, featuring re-recordings of their early material. They have always remained, to the ears of those opened wide by punk rock, an extremely important band.

My suggestion: Start with Entertainment. This CD was remastered and bonus tracks were added, making it even better than the original release (hard to believe that is even possible!!!).

Key tracks: ALL OF THEM! Seriously. This is a CD you can listen to from front to back. Every single song captures you. However, if I had to pick a few standouts, I’d suggest “Ether”, “Damaged Goods”, and “At Home He’s A Tourist”. But seriously, they are all so damn good, it’s almost painful to pick a few.

From Amazon.com:
Some of the most powerful, energized, and memorable music of the U.K.’s potent post-punk era of the late ’70s and early ’80s came from the trailblazing band Gang of Four, and it all started with 1979’s stellar Entertainment! Dave Allen, Hugo Burnham, Andy Gill, and Jon King fused punk, funk, explosive prog-rock, and literate and often incendiary lyrics into a signature, groundbreaking sound that would influence countless bands to come. The original album’s brilliant 12 tracks are now remastered and bolstered with four tracks from the rare Yellow EP, plus four never-before-released-songs-making this watershed disc sound bigger and better than ever.

Enjoy!!!

The 10 Most Common Publicity Mistakes – Don’t Sabotage Your Success!

by Bill Stoller,

MusicDish Network Sponsor

The number one rule of being successful in the world of publicity (or in just about any other field, for that matter): Don’t sabotage your efforts with dumb — and easily correctable — mistakes. Here then are the dumb things that publicity seekers do. Avoid them, and you’ll be well on your way to scoring great coverage!

1. Thinking Like an Advertiser

The more you remind a reporter that you’re a commercial entity seeking promotional exposure, the less chance you have. Blatant ad copy, excessive use of trademark symbols, overblown quotes, puffed-up claims and other techniques better suited for advertising copy are sure ways to assure that your release gets trashed. You must think like an objective journalist and have a sense of perspective about who you are and what you sell, and communicate that in your materials. If you just can’t do that, chances are you’ve been…

2. Getting Too Close to Your Product

If you spend all day eating, breathing and sleeping packing tape, it’s easy to start believing that the slight change you made in the thickness of your company’s new packing tape is an advance on par with the printing press and the polio vaccine. Now, if you’re planning on working with Packing Tape Monthly, perhaps the editors of that fine publication will agree. But the guys down at USA Today may hold a different opinion.

In deciding (a) what’s newsworthy and (b) how to present this news to the media, it’s vital that you take many steps back and view your company as a marginally interested outsider might. If you can’t do that, ask friends, family and other outsiders to help.

3. Getting too Close to a Journalist

I’ve worked with lots of reporters whose company I enjoyed. I’ve shared meals and drinks with a bunch of them. One thing I’ve never done, however, is forget who they are and what their jobs are. If a reporter is interviewing you, whether in person or on the phone, never say anything you wouldn’t want to appear in a story. Journalists have different interpretations of what “off the record” means, and it’s foolish to try to test those limits.

Carefully think about everything you say, don’t be pressured into commenting on things you don’t feel comfortable about, stay on message, don’t gossip, backbite or share secrets. In short, just as the journalist has his or her job to do, so too do you. Stay smart.

4. Obsessing Over the Big Hits

Maybe you really will get on Oprah. And maybe you’ll win the lottery and never have to work again. In either case, it’s probably a good idea to have some backup plan in place in case you don’t beat out the 10 million or so other folks who harbor the same dreams.

It’s fine to think big, but smart publicity seekers know that time spent getting actual press coverage is a better investment than chasing dreams. So go ahead and send that press kit to Oprah but, in the meantime, work your butt off to get placement in weekly papers, syndicates, e-zines, local radio and other less glamorous places. Scores of successful businesses have been built on such “small” publicity. You don’t need Oprah or Newsweek or The Today Show. You need coverage – anywhere and anyway you can get it. Dreamers dream. Publicists get publicity.

5. Reading from a Script

It’s pretty annoying to pick up the phone at dinner time only to have some guy reading a script about how great vinyl siding is. Now imagine how a journalist, who’s busy working on deadline, feels about “publicists” calling up to do the same thing again and again.

If you’re planning to phone pitch a journalist, never read from a script or repeat a rehearsed spiel. She’s a human being, so talk to her that way. (And always start your call with “Is this a good time to talk?”. Never just launch into your pitch.)

6. Using Outdated Media Lists

News flash: Look magazine is out of business. So too are about half of the new magazines launched in the past decade, for that matter. Your media list is the lifeblood of your publicity seeking efforts. Take the time to keep it fresh and up to date, or you’ll be wasting your time.

Invest in Bacon’s media guide (www.bacons.com), visit websites of publications that interest you, visit your local library or bookstore’s magazine rack. Do a little homework and you’ll get a big edge.

7. Not Understanding Timing

A non-savvy publicity seeker would ask, “Why do a story about Christmas publicity in June?” A smart publicity seeker understands completely. It’s all in the timing. If you’re not thinking months ahead, then it’s probably too late. In early summer, you should be working on “back to school” releases for newspapers and other short-leads (it’s already too late for long- lead magazines). Have something to offer for Thanksgiving? Start planning now. Learn the lead times for various publications, plan out a yearly schedule. Plan ahead. Plan ahead. Plan ahead.

8. Not Being Accessible

If a journalist wants to use your release, he may call to get some more information, get some clarification or even to see if you actually exist. If he gets voice-mail (or a busy signal) and doesn’t hear back from you, you’ve probably blown it. On your releases and pitch letters, include the most accessible phone number you have (your cell phone, perhaps, if you’re on the road a lot) and an e-mail address you check throughout the day.

If you miss a call from a journalist, or receive an e-mail, get back to him immediately. Don’t put it off — he could be on deadline and have calls in to your competitors.

9. Not Telling the Truth

There may be worse people to lie to than journalists — detectives, IRS agents, the guy who’s administering your lie detector test — but not many. Think about it folks: these men and women are trained to discover the truth. They know how to do research and how to talk to others in your fields to determine whether or not you’re being truthful. So don’t take any chances.

Don’t even think about inflating your sales numbers, or making up a story, or pitching something that’s mostly BS. Not only will they figure it out, your attempts to bamboozle them may even make it into the press.

10. Being Sloppy

Typos, bad printing, hideous press kit covers, poorly shot photos, improperly formatted press releases…these are the signs of an amateur. Amateurs don’t get coverage. Before you send out anything, proof it. Then proof it again. Then give it to someone else to proof. Then proof it again.

Reprinted with permission from “Free Publicity, The Newsletter for PR-Hungry Businesses.” For more information, to contact the author, and to sign up for the author’s newsletter, click on the author’s name at the top of the page.

Provided by the MusicDish Network. Copyright © MusicDish LLC 2006 – Republished with Permission

It’s something like 1:30 in the morning. Been at DFest since Thursday. What an amazing time, have met no less than 500 amazing musicians, label owners, managers, and locals. Have seen some great bands and have participated in some amazing panels.

Conferences like this are amazing, especially when you are on the panels. You not only get to educate rising talent, but you also have the opportunity to learn from fellow panelists, the organizers, and the audience. Been a blast.

Check out their site. If you are involved in the independent music industry, you really should consider going next year. Every artist I’ve talked to has been bowled over and thoroughly grateful for everything they’ve learned.

Well, bed I suppose. Back to Los Angeles in 12 hours.

From NY Times:

Cassette music sales fell a whopping 54 percent in the first half of 2006, peddling only 632,00 units, compared to the 1.3 million tapes sold in the first two quarters of ‘05.

I am surprised 632,000 units were sold.. I wonder what artists – seems to me this might be specific to a genre or two.. You so rarely see cassettes for sale anywhere but Sav-On drugstores and truck stops..