So what are the different venues for surviving as a musician? Stop number one would be the street musician who serenades the people of any good town or city with beautiful rhythmic music. The people in turn tip the musician and he or she is lightly compensated for his or her time. Though this will never make you the big bucks, it pays better than minimum wage.

Now onto some more glamorous means of making a living as a musician. I did a little research to find out how much money musicians make from touring and playing concerts. It turns out that only the primo bands such as Bon Jovi make a handsome profit from touring. In 2008 the Gross concert sales for Bon Jovi was over 210 million. Keep in mind, there are a plethora of expenses also. The record label takes their cut and then all the road expenses are paid. However you can rest assured that Bon Jovi probably took tens of millions of dollars from the 08 tour season. Remember if you are considering touring, you typically lose money as a new band when you tour. In touring you are going to have to pay travel, lodging, and food expenses. Really you are only trying to get exposure to increase record sales. That is where you will make your money back.

So where does that leave us? Really the best ways to make money as a musician are to play local gigs (low transportation costs and no extra lodging expenses) and to sell records. It is only when you become a true star that you can make a hefty salary from touring.

Labels: Music Careers

For those of you who are in a band or who play the drums, you might want to consider the electronic drums. First of all you can play and practice by yourself without ever disrupting your roommates, family, neighbors ect. However I think one of the greatest benefits of the electronic drums is the ability to easily record. You simply plug your drum set into your computer and presto, you are off and recording. You don’t have to worry about sound acoustics in your room and you don’t need any mics.

For those of you who have a band but no drummer, you might actually be able to hook up with a drummer from anywhere across the globe. You could upload your music to one of the countless music forums which matches your genre. Once this is done you could seek out a drummer on one of these forums. Let the drummer listen to your music and then upload his or her own sound to complement your music. You have to admit, it is at least a mildly interesting concept. Making music with someone you have never met, heard, or seen.

For those of you who use the electronic drums, what downside is there? In my mind they seem to be more convenience and offer more flexibility. They are even smaller so you can pack up the set and travel. This might be a case where technology has provided a better way to get the same job done.

Have you ever heard of the Creation Station Audio Computers by Sweetwater? If you haven’t let me explain quickly: Sweetwater computers are state of the art machines that are constructed specifically for audio production and development and are made to function quietly for studio recording. Sweetwater has just unveiled their newest line of Creation Station computers. They are built using two towers and are excellent for hobbyists and professional musicians alike. Basically Sweetwater computers are super fast with a reputation for strong reliability and functionality. These units have plenty of jacks and connection options.
Down to the knitty gritty – some specs:
6GB of Ram
2.66 GHz Core i7 Processor
500 GB hard drive
1TB audio/library drive
Duel output VGA/DVI port
Multimedia card reader
This machine is developed for portability so that you can take it on the road or leave it at the studio. It will function prominently either way. Perhaps one of the greatest benefits of the Sweetwater units is that they come backed with the Sweetwater tech support team. If you encounter a problem, they will connect via sweetcare remote support. With this technology professionals will be able to solve your problem without ever actually seeing your pc. This provides for maximum efficiency and reliability for your machine. Let’s face it, the last thing a musician needs to worry about it tech problems.

The President of Sweetwater stated that these units are industry leaders and are the most affordable Sweetwater PCs they have ever released. If you want to learn more or check out the rest of the specs and pricing visit:

http://www.sweetwater.com/

Labels: recording equipment, Sweetwaters Creation Station Computers

Famous Guitars on Ebay

I don’t know if any of you have ever had the chance to check this out so I will highlight a few famous guitars on ebay.

When you get to ebay, you will see tons and tons of world famous guitars. Right now, the most expensive guitar selling on ebay is for 75,000. It is a 1964 Fender Jazz bass SPARKLE GOLD 64 Pre CBS Vintage. This thing is quite a beauty; it is in absolute pristine condition.

Perhaps even more interesting, is this 1954 ORIG FENDER STRAT OWNED BY HANK WILLIAMS Jr

Jimmy Page Gibson EDS 1275 Aged /Autograph Double Neck

While most of us will never own a guitar nearly as sweet as any of these, I think it is still fun to go and peruse the selection of rare and sometimes “priceless” guitars.

If you want to see more of these guitars or learn more about guitar sales on ebay, head to www.ebay.com and type in guitar. Better yet, just click this link http://shop.ebay.com/items/__guitar_W0QQQ5ftrkparmsZ72Q253A1205Q257C66Q253A2Q257C65Q253A12Q257C39Q253A1QQ_trksidZp3286Q2ec0Q2em14QQ_sopZ16QQ_scZ1

This link is set up so you will get the most expensive guitars on ebay first. If you know of any other great guitar auction sites, please let us know. I am always interested in browsing rare and classic guitars. Keep in mind that ebay doesn’t just sell the priceless guitars I was writing about. If you want to pick up a new or used electric or acoustic guitar, check out www.ebay.com they typically have a good, affordable selection.

Labels: ebay, famous guitars

What can be done about our potential loss for musical education? We’ll get to that. Let’s recap. Yesterday I discussed how schools will have fewer funds for music because their parent grant organizations will not have the funds to trickle into the schools. When the economy becomes healthy again, funding will likely resume.

The second problem we are facing is that there is now less money in the school systems. Even if the school did not operate on grant money before, it is likely that they will cut music and art programs for lack of funding. I lived in an affluent neighborhood for my childhood. We almost had our art and music programs cut so many times because there wasn’t enough funding. This has been a reality for schools in recent years; most have toyed with the idea of cutting arts programs to focus on the sciences more. However it is a likely possibility that we will lose music programs in our schools because the taxpayers in every county in America have substantially less money than before. Something has to be cut, and it’s not going to be math, science, English, or humanities.

Here is my question: if times get rough should we cut music education? What if there are no funds to support musical education in schools? Should we cut it and allow students to pursue personal music lessons after school?

There are many things we can do to try to solve this problem. One of the most effective means to keep arts in your schools will be to write letters to your government and school boards.

For some creative ideas, check out

http://www.americansforthearts.org/public_awareness/?gclid=CMzD37bpnZkCFQ8gDQodu2SfCg

Let’s face it: the recession affects each and every one of us. If your pay hasn’t been cut and life is still pretty much the same for you, you will still be affected in the following way: you are probably experiencing fear because it is an epidemic in this country now. People are permanently afraid that the global economy will crash even further. Even people with money aren’t spending nearly as much as before because they are stockpiling in case the storm gets worse. What does this have to do with Music in our school systems? If this recession continues, (which is pretty guaranteed) funding for music education is going to be cut for many schools. A great number of schools fund their musical programs through grants from philanthropic organizations (I discussed where to apply for these types of grants in a recent post). However these organizations who give money are experiencing fewer donations because businesses are now operating at a loss. When you operate at a loss, you don’t need to donate any money because you have no taxes for your business. Therefore donations are going to become less and less common. If donations are less common, grant organizations will have less money and the schools who operate on grants will be forced to shut down the programs.

eMedia is the best selling guitar tutorial company in the country. They have just announced their newest product for teaching kids to play guitar called My Electric Guitar. The product is for children nine or older and teaches kids using multimedia lessons with plenty of on screen demonstrations and helpful hints. The program uses state of the art interactive games to keep kids interested and learning at a quick pace.
Kids start with learning how to tune their guitars and strum basic chords. Eventually the games and lessons teach kids to play songs and riffs. One of the best aspects of this teaching method is that kids will actually learn the chords and how to read sheet music. Typically this task can be somewhat difficult but the interactive gaming software makes it a fun and easy to remember process. The program also teaches kids how to read tabs. The program is fairly customizable allowing kids to speed or slow lessons so that they can learn at their respective speeds. You can even loop certain sections of a song until you have mastered the difficult parts. This software comes with so many other cool functions which help kids to learn music.
For just 30 dollars, this product is a cheap way to teach your kids how to play music. To learn more check out.
http://books-videos-music.musiciansfriend.com/product/eMedia-My-Electric-Guitar?sku=950142
You can also find this product at computer shops nationwide. Honestly it is cheaper than one lesson from a music teacher so I’d say it’s worth a shot.

As stated in my post yesterday on this issue, I believe that as a whole the younger demographic of our nation is becoming more interested in music because of first person music games such as Guitar Hero and Rock Band. Songs that are played in Guitar Hero sell 100% to 200% better than songs excluded from the game according to the President of Universal Music Group.

Perhaps you have played the Aerosmith Guitar Hero game. Interestingly, this game generated more revenue for Aerosmith than any other album they have ever released! It is not uncommon for musicians to release new songs to Rock Band and generate more revenues there than on iTunes. These two games are a powerful force that is capable of shaping the music industry. For example, Motley Crüe’s single “Saints of Los Angeles” was put up for sale on Rock Band as an additional song. When the song was up for download, there were five times as many songs purchased through Rock Band as there were purchased through iTunes.

You can rest assured that the wave of music games is just beginning. I heard that there will be a music game which is solely based on the Beatles which will debut sometime in the next year. I am sure that there will be countless others like it. One thing is for sure, musicians are benefiting from Rock Band and Guitar Hero.

Have you ever stopped to think what games such as Rock band and Guitar Hero are doing to our society? They are causing a younger generation to become excited about music again. For example, my brother in law who is in 7^th grade was an avid player of Rock band. He and his friends started a “rock band” band where they would consistently play the game together. Weeks later, they decided to start an actual band. Believe it or not, this happens pretty commonly with these games. They have a habit of empowering the user. Even the most rhythmically and musically challenged individuals can get a confidence boos playing guitar hero on easy mode. Let’s face it, the game actually makes you feel like you are in control and that you are playing the songs. This is just another example of the radical way that video games are transforming our society. Typically the transformation is not always a positive one; however I believe that in this case it is positive. If games such as these inspire confidence in children and adults alike, and reignite their interest in music, I think it will allow for a more enriched society altogether. Let’s face it; the arts are becoming less common among a younger generation. I believe that first person games such as Rock Band and Guitar hero are helping to get kids interested in music again. Who knows, maybe the next famous musician of our time will be inspired playing one of these games.

Labels: guitar hero, Rock Band

If you haven’t checked out Lick Library yet, I would highly recommend it. There are so many good music websites and products out there. One of my primary goals with this music blog is to highlight a few each week. For today, I will show you how to learn Lynyrd Skynyrd with Lick Library.

Unfortunately this product isn’t free but it might very well be worth your money. This two DVD set includes teaching for Sweet Home Alabama, Simple Man, Tuesday’s Gone Gimme Three Steps, and Freebird. The best part about this teaching kit is that it breaks up the songs so that musicians of every level can digest the material. You will learn intro riff’s, chorus, solo’s, verse, and more. It takes each song step by step one note at a time so that you can learn to play your favorite songs.

So you’re not sure whether you want to dole out the money? Check out a sample:

http://www.licklibrary.com/downloads/lynyrd-skynyrd/949/simple-man#Top http://www.licklibrary.com/videos/lynyrd-skynyrd/951/simple-man#Top#

If you want to check out a free interview with Gary Rossington of Lynyrd Skynyrd check out:

http://www.licklibrary.com/videos/lynyrd-skynyrd/950/gary-rossington-interview#Top

If you want to purchase this product or others like it, check out:

www.licklibrary.com

Lick Library provides tons and tons of other great musical help including teaching sets on Pink Floyd and many others.

Labels: learn music, Lynyrd Skynyrd, music education

Do you ever have trouble with pitch? Could your recognition of notes, intervals, scales, chords, and degrees of scale improve? Do you need to train your ear to recognize melodies, rhythms and chord progressions? Regardless of your skill level, PerfecTone has something for everyone. This is a pretty sweet little device that you can listen to on the go. It uses state of the art technology and teaching methods to train your ears to recognize all of the musical attributes listed above. It is perfect for beginners as well as well experienced musicians.

Samgo Innovations, the developer of PerfecTone joined with Musician’s Friend to sell perfect tone on the Musician’s Friend website. If you are interested in checking it out (which I highly recommend) take a look at:

http://www.perfectone.biz/eartraining

At the above site, you will find an abundance of insightful information about this neat little gadget. With helpful tools like this, how can you say no to technology? And on the above website you can watch a demo video of this device.

Dr. Stephen Prosser of Berklee College of Music in Boston stated, “I believe it has great potential to aid music students in training their ears; The small portable device provides versatile exercises which give the user flexibility in setting the level of difficulty and in the choice of 127 different onboard MIDI instrument sounds to work with.”

In the event you decide you might want to purchase PerfecTone, here is the website:

http://accessories.musiciansfriend.com/product/Perfectone-Ear-Trainer?sku=580854

If you know anything else about this product, other insights are appreciated!

Yesterday I discussed funding your music education with grants and scholarships. However since there are so many different ways to do this, I thought that it might be good to dedicate another post to this subject.

Funding pre college musical education

Generally there are grants available for both college students as well as people under 18 who are not yet enrolled in college. If you are not yet in college but perusing musical education, some of these sites may be able to help.

http://www.mockingbirdfoundation.org/funding/?gclid=COy3ndP7i5kCFQ4MDQoduws_mQ

This site is something of a long shot. They typically only fund about 1 percent of applicants so try at your own risk . Just remember the key to getting funding is to distinguish yourself. With most grants or scholarships they will want to know how you will use the money. You must be creative with your response and set yourself apart from the crowd. Make them feel like giving money to you is the best thing they have ever been able to do. How do you do this? Tell them what you will accomplish with the money and how it will impact you and the society you live in.

http://www.mhopus.org/teachers.asp

The above site is great for funding music education in schools. There is also a scholarship for kids grades 8 or under who need money for a musical instrument.

Here are some others which have both funding for pre college and college students:

http://midatlanticarts.org/?gclid=CLDIobf9i5kCFQ4MDQoduws_mQ

http://www.teacherscount.org/teacher/awards.shtml?gclid=CPCf--P9i5kCFQ8eDQodbG3Ulw

http://edu.monsterlearning.com/v/scholarships/index?utm_medium=ppc&utm_source=mln_google&utm_campaign=mln_mln_search_general_scholarships&utm_content=education%20scholarship

http://musiced.about.com/gi/dynamic/offsite.htm?zi=1/XJ&sdn=musiced&cdn=education&tm=4&f=00&su=p504.1.336.ip_&tt=2&bt=0&bts=0&zu=http%3A//www.vh1.com/partners/save_the_music/

So you like music but your Mother and Father don’t feel it is a secure enough field for your future. I have heard this argument so many times it makes me nauseas. True a degree in business or management will have more potential opportunities. However you have to remember we live in America, this is where people make things happen and accomplish their dreams. If you have dreams of studying music in college and pursuing it as your career, music scholarships could get you one step closer to that goal. There is also the fear of going into debt for a career that will not pay well. However if you can at least partially fund yourself with scholarships and grants, you will not come out deep in the hole.

Each state has different need based grants so to figure out if you are eligible, go to http://www.fafsa.ed.gov/

Once you fill that out, you will know what kind of help you will get from the government. In Indiana, if you are in the lower income bracket, it is easy to get about 9 thousand a year in grants from the federal and state government. A good music college program will likely cost you about 25,000 a year including room and board. Therefore you can pick up some of that cost by finding music scholarships. One sight which will help you in that task is

http://www.scholarships.com/music-scholarships.aspx

For a site which specifically has music grants go to https://www.guitarcentermusicfoundation.org/grants/index.cfm?sec=info

This site gives music grants to people OF ALL AGES so long as you are in a music program. Check it out for your kids it may cover some of their music lessons. Grants on this site range from 500 to 5000 so it is worth browsing.

Labels: music grants, music schoarships

For those of you who ware college musicians, you might want to consider a music internship. You can intern with recording companies as well as musical studios or orchestras. I will tell you up front, if you want to intern with a good music studio, like in LA, the competition is formidable and the pay is usually 0. I know that 0 dollar paycheck doesn’t sound particularly delightful in this economy but you have to look at it as an investment for your career. Plain and simple, college students who complete an internship are 40 percent more likely to have a job lined up right after college. A considerable number of those students will end up employed with the companies they interned for.

So where do you go to look for a music internship? For one you could check out a site like http://www.creativejobscentral.com/music-internships/ While you do have to set up an account, it is free to job seekers. Those who wish to post a job here do have to pay though. For some practical tips on finding a music internship and some tips for the interview check out http://www.musicbizacademy.com/knab/articles/interns.htm

In all actuality, there are plenty of other sites which you can find simply by typing “music internships” into google. However a tool which will likely give you a better chance is to utilize your real world contacts. Whoever you know that is into the music industry, tell them your interested in an internship. You will be surprised how fast you get a response if you put enough plugs out there. Remember, the end will be worth the means, once you land yourself the music career of your dreams.

Also, don’t underestimate showing up in person to fill out an application. You always have a better shot in person than via internet.

If you are reading this blog, you are obviously interested in music. I will take it one step further, you likely play an instrument or are involved in some sort of band. If that is the case, I have something for you to consider. If music is your hobby and your passion, could it destroy that passion to make it your profession? Being honest, I don’t know a lot of professional musicians. Professional musicians could include music teachers, recording artists, professional bands ect. There is a psychological principal which suggests that once you start paying someone for something, it will take the fun and pleasure out of that activity. Do you believe in this principal? Is it worth the risk to lose your catharsis by creating a profession out of your hobby? Anyway it is really just a thought for you to consider. I have heard it said before “the quickest way to lose your passion is to start getting paid for it.” In reality, I think that this is something which will differ on a case by case basis. It goes back to your attitude and your view on life. If you approach it from a positive mental position, I believe being a professional musician could be a very rewarding lifestyle. You would be getting paid to do what you love most. Isn’t that what we have been encouraged to do since childhood? Most guidance counselors/therapists will council you to find something at which you love and then make it your career.