SXSW

· Is a stop at SXSW worth it for artists / bands?

I think it depends what one would think is worth it. If a band is looking for experience and a time to be surround by many other musicians, then yes I think it is worth it. If a band is looking to gain many more fans then no I do not think it is worth it because most people aren't there just to check out new bands to love.

Music News!

The band fun. is absolutely amazing! Okay that part is old news. But the new news is that they picked up a couple awesome awards after having 6 nominations. New artist went to fun. as well as the song of the year which was We Are Young. They also put on a spectacular performance showcasing the lead singer Nate Ruess's amazing vocals and even had indoor rain. I'm just really happy for them because they are such a talented band and they deserve so much! Here's a video of their performance:

Fun - Carry On - Grammys 2013 by IdolxMuzic

Music News!

So apparently in the past the Grammy's has had issues with how some of the stars had dressed. This year there was an actual dress code that was to be followed. It was basically just what you would expect; no showing any body parts that are meant to be hidden and to dress appropriately. The stars adhered to the code most would say, but some definitely took it right to the limits. There was lace with skin tone underlay, cut-outs in well thought out places, even cleavage showing on many women. I think it's interesting especially because artists always seem to want to come across as sexy and stand out. I think the dress code was probably a good idea because the Grammy's are watched by many people, families included, and as the years go by, the amount of clothing that is acceptable to wear is becoming less and less. It's not the end of the world to show a little modesty on national television.

Music Discovery Pt. 2

PASSENGER All The Little Lights  is an album that just came out in August of 2012. I heard one of the songs on Cities 97 so I went to check it out along with the rest of the songs on the album. It turned out that all of the songs were incredible! I bought the album on iTunes and then did some non-stop listening. Mike Rosenberg is the singer and songwriter for Passenger. About a decade ago it used to be a 5 member band. The rest of the members went their own way in 2007 but Rosenberg is now the independent artist of Passenger and it really works out quite well. He was born in the UK so he does have an accent but I love it! The songs never get old and they give a nice easy going feeling. The lyrics are also amazing. As listed on his Facebook page, his influences are: Bonnie Prince Billy, Van Morrison, Blockhead, The Smiths, Neil Young, Nurcof, Allen Ginsberg. My favorite songs from the album are:

• Holes
• Keep On Walking
• Patient Love
• The Wrong Direction

Music Discovery Pt. 1

HARPER BLYNN is definitely one of the first bands that pops into my head when someone asks me, "What's your favorite band?" or, "Who is your favorite artist?". Umm, THEM. They are incredible and I have fallen in love with all of their songs. I went to their show about half a year ago not knowing who they were at all. My friends and I just liked the opening artist so we went to check it out. We ended up loving their music and they were awesome live. I really want to go see them again now so I can sing along to all the songs...since I know them now because we bought the music. Their most recent album is Busy Hands and I can't even pick a favorite song from it. The album came out in April of 2012. They also have other comparably awesome albums from 2011 and 2010 but this is the newest one. I don't really know who they compare to so if anyone checking out my blog thinks they sound like another band they know, please let me know! If I had to choose my favorite songs from the album, these would be my picks:

• Come Home To Me
• I Think I'm Falling In Love
• In Another Life
• Summer In Exile

Best place to listen is either on iTunes which has all of these songs and then the other albums as well (I suggest checking out the EP. It's amazing.) or on their music page there are a couple. They don't really have any music videos or any video at all from this album so I couldn't post a YouTube link. You just have to take my word and at least listen to ONE song. 

Music News!

So apparently Fall Out Boy is coming out with a new album. I really liked them in middle school then they slowly started dying away it seemed like. Hopefully this spring they come out with a good one! On Monday they announced it along with a world tour. The group had tried to go their separate ways for the past 3 years but admitted they were never broken up. This announcement to me sounds a little bit like maybe the solo careers didn't work out too well...Hopefully the new album compares to "From Under The Cork Tree" That would be awesome.

Crowdfunding

People are always coming up with awesome ideas. The only problem that some people run into is that they don't have the money to actually carry out their project. These people can be artists. They can be inventors. They can be singers. They can be gamers. Basically just ambitious and innovative individuals that believe they can create something amazing. And BELIEVE is a keyword. They must have a determined mindset.

So at this point, these people would choose a crowdfunding site to pitch their idea. Choose a time frame of how long the campaign will run and how much money they're aiming for. This may sound easy...but even those two aspects of the campaign must be well thought out. Obviously they want to make it look professional. Maybe put together a video showing who they are, their idea, the reason they really want this to happen. They need to be authentic. Getting support is extremely important. Absolutely necessary actually. They're depending on other people to donate to their project. People looking to donate to the project should think, wow this is incredible and if I donate I can say I helped make this happen! Crowdfunding is not for the selfish individual.

On most crowdsourcing sites, project creators have the chance to show the donators that there is an advantage to donating. At different pledge amounts, there can be a prize or a benefit to donating that given amount. For example, if I donate $20 to their campaign, they will give me a signed copy of their new album! Now not all crowdfunding sites are the same. Some do not award the creators with the money if the goal wasn't met. Some let them keep any amount of money they earn. Researching which site is best for the project they are working on is definitely a good idea. I have posted pictures of what I have found to be the top three crowdsourcing websites. 

Kickstarter:

• Goal must be met to keep the $
• 5% of your money earned goes to Kickstarter
• List of campaigns that will not be approved ("Pay my college tuition" is not allowed

indiegogo:

• Goal does not have to be met to keep the $
• If goal is met, 4% of money earned goes to indiegogo
• If goal is not met, 9% of money earned goes to indiegogo

GoFundMe:

• Personal donation campaigns are acceptable (Weddings, memorials, benefits, trips)
• A percentage is taken out of money earned depending on what kind of project it was