SONG CONTEST BLOG

We Are Listening, the company that brought to you The Singer/Songwriter Awards, Lyric Writer Awards, New Music Videos Awards and Breaking the Band, together with YouLicense.com, online music licensing marketplace, unveiled a brand new initiative today: VIRV indie music television!

For the first time, indie music lovers can tune-in to a high-quality, music video playlist on the web with picture as sharp as DVD and sound as crisp as CD. The music web station, already broadcasting 24 hours a day, features high quality video clips by the likes of Bright Eyes, Fujiya & Miyagi, Architecture in Helsinki, Of Montreal, Dappled Cities, Aesop Rock, Cursive, Budos Band and many more.

As part of VIRV’s commitment to servicing independent music artists – and their fans – and contributing to the growing demand for music discovery and independent artist and label exposure, Lior Shamir, Founder of We Are Listening, and his partners, will be reviewing indie submissions for VIRV’s playlist. Access to the channel and playlist submissions are completely free at www.virv.tv

Please only enquire about sending your music videos for consideration if they meet the standards of those currently on the playlist. Submissions go to nadav@virv.tv

Bloggers: contact us to embed the VIRV player on your blog or website now at admin@virv.tv

Earlier this year, We Are Listening partnered with web video player provider, RayV, and online music licensing startup, YouLicense.com, for the development of a live, internet-only indie music television channel. Broadcasting 24 hours a day, VIRV.TV has already secured music clips by renowned ‘indie’ artists such as Bright Eyes, Architecture in Helsinki, Of Montreal, Fujiya & Miyagi, Dappled Cities and many others.

As an extension to We Are Listening’s music video contest, “New Music Video Awards”, successful participants have been hand-picked to be included in VIRV’s playlist and have their video broadcast back to back with more established artists.

We Are Listening is currently considering indie music videos for VIRV.TV. Interested parties should send a link to n.young@wearelistening.org

Al Foster, one of the most exciting drummers in the world of Jazz arrived in Israel this week for a series of performances with a virtuosic crew consisting of Eli Degibri (Sax), Aron Goldberg (Piano) and Doug Wise (Bass). At 63, but seemingly at the peak of his youth, Foster has over a decade with Miles Davis under his belt and a resume of recordings and performances so vast that you shall probably discover his trademark if you own a couple of Jazz greats in your repertoire.

Credits aside, Foster brings to the stage such flare and sensitivity that even the impartial to Jazz immediately fixate on him before attempting to wrap their heads around the effortless wizardry of his motley three. Yes, it’s his gig but his leadership is subtle and spontaneous. What you hear from this quartet is a musical relationship founded on the mutual joy of hearing one another play.

Last night’s performance was, as expected, fabulous. Although many of us came to see Al Foster cook, the spotlight shuffled from one musician to another as each took his turn improvising over the forms of classics such as “So What” (Miles Davis), “Cantaloupe Man” (Herbie Hancock) and “Blue and Green” (Bill Evans). In terms of a Jazz exhibition, it is fair to say that what we witnessed was nothing short of genius.

Toward the end of the show, I asked a fellow Englishman which he would prefer, to be able play like ‘that’, or play professional football. “Close call”, he replied.

On the heels of a splashy McCartney release, Starbucks is now broadening its music strategy considerably. The coffee giant is putting the final touches on an unsigned band competition in the New England area, according to information shared exclusively with Digital Music News on Friday afternoon. The concept, known as the Starbucks Music Makers Competition, will loosely follow the structure of American Idol, and could one day rival it, according to one partner. Music Makers will solicit music through an online destination powered by Boston-based Sonicbids, and the program will be promoted both online and off. The push includes an in-store awareness campaign, one that will encourage aspiring bands to upload their materials online. Sonicbids is a company that enables bands to easily upload digital assets for consideration by competitions and festivals.

With over ten thousand shops in twenty nine countries, the precision Starbucks brand is shaking its beans to the beat of the nicest guy in music: Sir Paul McCartney. With projected exposure to the tune of six million coffee drinkers, the former Beatle is part of an unprecedented move that is, arguably, proportional in scale and scope to MTV Europe’s introduction with “Money For Nothing” by Dire Straits in 1987.

Many brands with a global, consumer reach – perhaps most notably, Levis – have launched fledgling artists to the top of the charts. However, Starbuck’s distinctly music-centric ethos and trademark flavor for the arts make this deal particularly powerful on all fronts.

I have always associated the coffee chain with obscure World music and lounge Jazz but don’t mind stirring my latte to more mainstream sounds. I can only imagine that anything Starbuck’s chooses to place in heavy rotation will surely become popular, mainstream or not. So why Paul?

With the assumption that Starbuck’s music label, Hear Music, wanted to launch with a bang (exit Afro-Cuban congas and improv sax), surely other major acts were on the menu as worthy contenders? I wonder who Hear Music went after first. Are Peter Gabriel or Carlos Santana, for instance, not a better fit for their renowned infusion of non-Western cultural musical motifs and bi-lingual lyrics in their music?

A deal like this is a God-send to any artist, especially with the knowledge that his or her record is the only item on the playlist. I hope that Hear Music will swiftly follow up with something more unique to the palette than Paul McCartney and somehow preserve the eclectic environments we identify with Starbucks’ coffee bars. But I’m not holding my breath as this signing alone has taken the best part of a year to secure.

Could it be that Starbuck’s is tirelessly looping the same record over and over to discourage its customers from hanging around too long? Now there’s a thought.. and who would ever blame Paul? He’s just such a nice guy.

So, has anyone heard the record? I don’t really do Starbucks.

Nashville is Music City in every sense of the term. One of the locals I met boasted that it’s the only place in the world where a bank will accept a record master as collateral for a loan.

In this town, folks in the music business are surprisingly approachable. At no point did I feel surrounded by moguls nor did the landscape suggest music empires. At Warner Chappell, I sat in an office bare of furniture and ornaments. The only desk in the room was pushed back to make room for a stage, lighting gear, a Wurlitzter and Orange amps. Very cool. Universal’s offices are a converted, two story house with a wooden porch. The infamous Music Row is a quite street of residential housing with lawn trimmings and picket fences. Walking through a major publisher’s door is no feat.

I’m told that you’re four times more likely to get a Country song cut than a song in any other genre and this rings true with Nashville’s consistent output of Country chart toppers in the US. The city offers an occupation in songwriting like no other place on the planet. Writers flock to the city in search of a publishing deal that will pay their monthly salary (advance against residuals), allowing them to write full time for a living. Quite literally, hundreds of writers wake up each morning, travel to work, write songs and check out at six. Publishing companies will often keep several ‘writing rooms’ vacant and songsmiths will get together to bond – probably over coffee at Fido’s on 21st Ave. – before attempting to collaborate on a future hit at any number of cosy locations arranged by their Creative Directors. Co-writes are common practice and often involve shipping writers out and importing them in. How is that for a day in the office?

The live scene is awesome and rich in variety. Deceptively Country, Nashville has a well-established and esteemed rock scene. Come to think of it, I didn’t see a single cowboy hat and pair of boots during my four day visit. I returned to London with a stack of CDs by fledgling indie, emo and garage acts. Did you know that Kings of Leon are Nashville natives? A far cry from Country music, I know, but they too started out as Country writers before renowned artist manager, Ken Levitan (Vector Management), suggested that the brothers form a rock group. So with that, a parting shot from the band that made it big almost everywhere but back home in N’ville:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ltqZPy3rY2w

John Mellencamp

We Are Listening is proud to announce a new, great opportunity for independent artists to have their work exposed to the world of TV and Film. Freeplay Music – who has been successfully promoting the work of professional composers for the past 5 years – just recently added an indie artists section to their website! The artists joining their catalogue will have their work exposed to the most traffic of any web-based music production library in the world and to an impressive list of clients in the US broadcast industry.

To submit your music to Freeplay, please visit www.freeplaymusic.com/submit

Just about the hottest international song contest has kicked-off again for Round 3 and we welcome Paul Zamek to the distinguished panel of Judges.

Paul’s 37 year tenure in the music and entertainment industry includes serving as the US President/CEO of European Multimedia Group Inc. (EMG), Co-President of RPM Record Group, and a member of the Board of Directors of the South African based Gallo Group whose record label and music publishing representation includes Sony/BMG, Warner Music Group and Universal Music Group. Paul also served as VP/General Manager of Capitol/EMI Records, South Africa.

As President/CEO of his own Zamek World Marketing, Paul has performed a wide range of services for clients, including artist management, entertainment marketing, licensing consulting, publishing and master catalogue representation and procurement, branding strategy and sponsorship procurement.

Among the corporate sponsorships and licenses that Paul has acquired are Remy Martin Cognac, Jim Beam, Coca Cola, Pepsi Co., Proctor & Gamble, Campbell Soup Company, Jack Daniels, American Airlines, Tommy Hilfiger Apparel, Miller Beer and South West Airlines.

Paul has also worked in various capacities for a long list of dignitaries and recording artists from around the world. Among others, the list includes Nelson Mandela, Archbishop Desmond Tutu, the late Frank Sinatra, Elton John, Conway Twitty, Stevie Wonder, Paul Simon, and Tina Turner.

His current clients and business relationships include Rock and Roll Hall of Famer and guitar legend, Duane Eddy, Naomi Judd, Laura Turner, The Beach Boys, BB King, George Jones, Kenny Rogers, and the estates of Elvis Presley, John Denver and Roy Orbison.

In addition to performing artists, Paul’s corporate client list continues with Apple Corporation UK, Yahoo Music, Mobile Entertainment Forum, AARP (American Assoc. of Retired Persons), REED MIDEM Organization, Warner Brothers Consumer Products, Warner/ Chappell Music, Warner Music Group, Wal-Mart Stores, DreamCatcher Entertainment, Capitol/EMI, SONY/BMG (SBMG) Music, Curb Records, Curb Entertainment, Jive Records, Sanctuary Records Group, Koch Entertainment LLC, Eagle Rock Entertainment, Barbara Orbison Productions, Atlantic Records, BMG Europe, Universal Music Publishing, Universal Music Enterprises, Navarre Distribution, Virgin Records, CAA, ICM and the William Morris Agency.

I had the pleasure of mingling with friends at an LGi Lab and AOL sponsored social event last week, aptly dubbed “iDrink”. Some of the most successful – and richest – IT professionals and venture capitalists in the world attended to talk shop and storm the free bar.

Pictured to my right is Maor Ezer, Co-Founder and CEO of YouLicense. The online destination allows artists to license their music to A&R in a legally water-tight and user-friendly environment. Maor is a good friend and a fan of We Are Listening. As the YouLicense site is open by invitation only, he suggested that members of the We Are Listening community – that’s YOU! – contact him directly and he will personally set you up with a free account. Simply send an email attentioned to Maor at admin@YouLicense.com with the subject heading “We Are Listening” and include a link to your website, MySpace page or EPK.

Pictured to my left is Dana Reich, Business Development at Spotback. The maverick team at Spotback developed a revolutionary ‘widget’ allowing users to rate content on the web and receive personalised recommendations and top rated content in seconds. You will find this widget at the bottom of each post on our blog. Give it a try. It’s amazing!

www.YouLicense.com
www.Spotback.com