The good people of JaGoFF spend a lot of time on worthy causes. Over the last couple of years, Chicago has been under threat of an ill-conceived ‘Chicago Promoters’ Ordinance’ and the JaGoFF crew have been raising awareness, pointing out the huge holes an ridiculous impact it would have. This Promoters’ Ordinance, if passed into law, would effectively “drop a bomb on Chicago’s independent music community, if not nuke it entirely.” according to Jim DeRogatis at the Chicago Sun-Times.

To break it down:
*You would be required to submit to fingerprinting and background checks.
*If approved, you would be required to purchase a renewable license for $500 – $2000, even when working with a fully licensed venue.
*You must acquire $300,000 in liability insurance, even if working with a fully insured venue.
*You must notify chief of police seven days prior to event.
*The definition of “promoter” is vague and open to wide interpretation.
*The Ordinance targets the little guy while providing a big business exemption.

Although the Ordinance has currently been tabled, that does not mean it has disappeared; it can rear it’s ugly head in a mutated form at any time. It has also inspired Philadelphia to try and construct an equally-ridiculous set of rules that will crush the independent creative community.

JaGoFF have filmed a documentary to prove it. Do yourself and everyone a favor – Watch it, embed it, download it, share it… DO SOMETHING about it.

The Chicago Promoters’ Ordinance Kills Independent Music: A Documentary from the Street.
Part 01 of 07 (Head to The Record Industry’s Youtube Channel for all seven parts)

Filmed live in Chicago by: Sir Real, MOFO, 3Phaze & Joel Cote in the summer of 2008.
Produced & Directed by: JaGoFF
Presented in conjunction with: TheRecordIndustry.com
Film narration contains select excerpts from the white paper: “Why Chicago’s Event Promoters Ordinance Should Be Rejected” – courtesy of: Henry H. Perritt, Jr.; Professor of Law & Former Dean of Chicago Kent School of Law.

NOTE: All issues discussed reflect the time of filming and may not include recent revisions resulting from ongoing closed-door negotiations with “invited” members of the entertainment industry. However, the proposed ordinance as written is unconstitutional and should not pass in ANY form whatsoever.

Reaction to the ordinance:
“… a threat to the creative communities throughout the country and sets a very dangerous precedent – as one city goes, so goes another. Rinse and repeat.” – TheRecordIndustry.com

“… will pretty much drop a bomb on Chicago’s independent music community, if not nuke it entirely.” – Jim DeRogatis, Chicago Sun-Times

“… it doesn’t meet any public need and is very ill-suited to Chicago’s independent music community – as written, it is unconstitutional.” – Henry H. Perritt, Jr., Professor of Law, Chicago-Kent College of Law

“I cannot imagine a major metropolitan city, a world class city with the stature of Chicago having an ordinance like this on the books. It’s frankly embarrassing …” – Greg Kot, Chicago Tribune

“this really has a chilling effect…” – Shawn Campbell, CHIRP [Chicago Independent Radio Project]

“The ordinance will reduce the amount of music in Chicago, make events more expensive for consumers, dampen the large and growing economic engine that is Chicago music, and create a much less supportive business climate for Chicago’s small music business community.” – The Chicago Music Commission

For more info on the Promoters’ Ordinance and what you can do to help visit: http://www.TheRecordIndustry.com/

Lee Jarvis

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We’re giving away a 16GB iPad exclusively through Facebook!

We’ll also be giving away additional US Music Jobs annual subscriptions to four lucky runners up. To be eligible to win, all you need to do is register for free as a member of US Music Jobs first. **No purchase necessary, and no credit card information is taken.** Then, to receive the exclusive link that will allow you to enter the contest, simply head to our US Music Jobs Facebook Page and click “Like”.

Once you’ve “Liked” us, we’ll be sending out an exclusive update* via Facebook on Tuesday, July 27th. In the update you’ll find the link to enter yourself to win a 16GB iPad and an annual subscription to US Music Jobs.

If you’ve already “Liked” our US Music Jobs Facebook Page, you’re all set, and now just keep an eye out for our exclusive update* on Facebook.

Thanks again and we look forward to rewarding you!

* Updates can be located within your Facebook message center in the lefthand column, or you can visit this link: http://www.facebook.com/home.php?sk=updates

Full Terms & Conditions
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Join me in completely ignoring all off-topic intentions behind lyrics and forget all preconceived notions of particular artists… Some songs are just so feel-good funky-fresh that they were made for summer listening – with the windows down and the volume UP!

This Music Jobs playlist was compiled via Grooveshark, and moves through sing-along pop-rock, funk, disco-influenced grooves and a few classic moments from Supergrass, Roxy Music, Kings of Leon, Don Henley, Jamiroquai and more…

Lee Jarvis

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PRESS RELEASE

As The Digital Media Era Rapidly Expands and Shifts from Platform to Platform, Transition Music Corporation Takes It’s Next Major Step

TRANSITION MUSIC CORPORATION (TMC) EXPANDS UNSOLICTED MUSIC SUBMISSION POLICY TO NEW AND DEVELOPING ARTISTS AROUND THE WORLD. TMC’S NEW “SONG ONLY” LIBRARY: ULITMATE EXPOSURE PROVIDES INDEPENDENT ARTISTS WITH NEW SOURCES OF GLOBAL REVENUE AND EXPOSURE IN THE DIGITAL MEDIA WORLD.

LOS ANGELES, June 30, 2010, Transition Music Corporation new “song only” library: Ultimate Exposure provides independent artists with new sources of global revenue and exposure in the digital media world.

In BMI’s 2009 Annual Review, television remained the largest revenue source with a total of 46% between cable, satellite, and broadcast television. Next in line was radio with 36%, General Licensing with 16%, and New Media with 2%. It is clear that with the downfall of the record industry, artists must aggressively shift toward licensing deals in the media for substantial income and not to mention, survival. In a report from CNN, former head of Yahoo Music said “The CD is still disappearing and nothing is replacing it in its entirety as a revenue generator yet however, digital licensing revenue had reached toward $100 billion in 2009, and we expect it to grow even further in the next couple of years.”

Ultimate Exposure will expose new artists to opportunities in the visual media world while also providing them with the opportunity to work with an already established and pre-approved music library. The target is television, advertising, and film. Not only is Ultimate Exposure opening doors for artists but it’s making the process to find break out music easier for our clients. Donna Ross-Jones, president of Transition Music Corporation said “The old model of music exposure and distribution is over and these are exciting times for new artist. Music featured in the TMC library will continue to be hand-chosen from all genres with a focus on quality recordings – not big names – that are innovative, unique and reflect current music trends. Each month, a particular artist or song from Ultimate Exposure will be featured on TMC’s website (transitionmusic.com) and blog (http://transitionmusiccorp.blogspot.com) instantly exposing them to the decision makers in licensing.”

Transition Music Corporation is a LA based music company established in 1989. TMC provides music for visual media; film, TV, commercials, games, and the internet. TMC currently provides weekly music for more than 21 series and 6 channels. TMC services include- music supervision, custom music and music clearance. For more information contact: Anais Plasketes 323.860.7074

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Last week, on Jimmy Kimmel’s late night TV show a music video premiered that was a collective creation by rapper Drake and Jimmy Kimmel. The video centers on the idea of writing Drake’s next hit, which Jimmy comes up with the “genius” idea that it should be made up of tweets. The video is too good to be missed.

According to Billboard, “‘Tweet Tweet’ is a catchy duet in which Drizzy urges fans to “follow me, follow me/ Tweet, tweet” and quotes other celebrities’ frivolous Twitter musings. Among the more notable faces quoted are Larry King, Britney Spears and Justin Bieber. The two also sport matching white suits (and Drake wears a doo rag!), dance and emulate Twitter’s signature Bluebirds for good measure. “Why write a song yourself when celebrities are tweeting so many great things?,” Kimmel asks Drake. Why, indeed.”

Follow the link below to check the video out for yourself.

Drake and Jimmy Kimmel have created their own music video together – and it can’t be beat.  Tweet all about it.  The images of celebrities physically tweeting like the Twitter bird is pretty ridiculously awesome, and just further hits home the point of how status updates are now all the rage – and being that much closer to a celebrity’s every move somehow continues to intrigue us…

In any event, the video is yet another hilarious production and will definitely crack you up.

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Everyone by now has heard of and has most likely seen an episode of “Glee” – the breakout hit just had it’s second season finale the other week and the music used throughout the series just keeps getting better. Many artists have lent their catalogs and provided permission for the show to use their music in various episodes already. However, before everyone knew what Glee was and how amazing the show and the music would be… There was some skepticism. Some bands and musicians were nervous about giving their permission for this, at the time, unknown show to do who knows what with. Some of these skeptics included Coldplay and Bryan Adams.

According to an article by Rolling Stone, “Before Glee became Fox’s newest musical juggernaut, invading shopping malls, concert halls, record stores and the Tony Awards, rock stars weren’t sure what to make of the concept of young theater actors portraying high school students remaking their tracks. And while some artists eagerly let their songs get covered by the members of New Directions, others held back — namely Coldplay and Bryan Adams, the show’s creator Ryan Murphy revealed at the Hollywood Reporter’s Emmy comedy showrunners roundtable.”

Ryan Murphy did not want to provide episode details in advance to the shows airing and stuck to his guns. Unfortunately that didn’t convince a few artists. However, it paid off in the end as Coldplay has come back to Glee and is now granting permission to the show to use their catalog. So many artists have been featured throughout the past two hit seasons already, and each artist has seen a huge bump in downloads of the tunes sung by the cast. In fact, the songs sung on the show have become so popular that “Glee has partnered with Columbia Records to release music from the series, and the resulting albums have been rocketing to the Top 10 of the Billboard 200, including The Power of Madonna , the disc named after the full episode of the show devoted to the Queen of Pop’s catalog, which hit Number One. Digital downloads from each episode have dominated single sales, as well. The cast’s version of Journey’s “Don’t Stop Believin’ ” has gone gold. Total sales for the cast’s singles, according to the Los Angeles Times, tallies up to a massive 4.1 million copies.”

To many artists that’s a lucrative outlet to get their music back in front of a new audience and skyrocket in popularity – whether the tune is an oldie but goody, or simply the new kid on the block. This is a new avenue for artists in the music industry, with this specific type of show. I wonder if the music industry will find a way to screw this up too… Let’s hope not.

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These days ticket prices are continuing to skyrocket and fewer and fewer people are going to shows, or are able to go to shows as frequently as they have in the past. I remember in college, about seven years ago, going to concerts every weekend. Even multiple concerts in one weekend! It was an amazing experience to see a favorite band or listen to new music at one of the best venues in downtown Chicago. The Metro played host to local bands, nationally known bands, etc. All at reasonable prices – even the big guns. Nowadays it costs a hundred plus dollars for a pair of tickets to see a concert. It seems only the monster acts are going on tour these days, and the lesser known are far too unknown to create a draw. Even some of the big timers are having a hard time selling out, and as a result have cancelled shows and even whole tours. When will the music industry get it right and start thinking differently on how to make music and break new artists. There’s too much crap out there now, and so few chances to make an impact. For those artists who have made that impact, for example Lady Gaga, how long will they continue to hold our attention? These artists can only keep shocking us for so long. Don’t get me wrong, I am a Lady Gaga fan – but does she and other artists in the same boat have the sustainability?

According to Rolling Stone,

“This summer has brought one disaster after another for the concert industry with acts from U2 to Christina Aguilera canceling shows expected to rake in big bucks. Not everybody is bombing though: Jay-Z, Lady Gaga and the Carole King/James Taylor double bill are selling out everywhere and grossing around $1.3 million a night. Here’s a look at some of the surprising hits and misses:

• Billboard Boxscore reports that Spandau Ballet,Tears for Fears and Jack Jones grossed $1,509,660 over two nights in Sydney, Australia. Who knew that Aussies were willing to shell out big bucks to hear “True” and “Everybody Wants to Rule the World” again?

• Pearl Jam usually sell out every venue they play, but their May 13th show in Bristow, Virginia, only moved 13,706 out of 23,385 available tickets according to Pollstar. Shows that same month in Noblesville, Indiana, Kansas City and Cleveland all sold out, though, and the Bristow show still grossed $717,175. The poor showing is more likely a result of fans’ unwillingness to sit on a lawn and shell out big bucks for parking and drinks.

• Julian Casablancas will have a huge payday when the Strokes reunite this month for a European tour, but his solo tour has had its struggles. According to Pollstar, he just sold 49 percent of the house when he played the Houston House of Blues on April 12th.

• Even in Indianapolis, nobody wants to see George W. Bush. He spoke at Canseco Fieldhouse and according to Pollstar he just sold 28 percent of 8,442 tickets — which was pretty much his approval rating by the time he left office in 2009.

• You’d think there would be at least 200 people in the Washington, DC area willing to pay to hear a live version of “Mmm Mmm Mmm Mmm,” but according to Pollstar, the Crash Test Dummies only sold 132 out of 200 tickets for their show at the Jammin’ Java in Vienna, Virginia.”

What are your thoughts on the state of touring musicians and concert prices?

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Electronic Dance Music has undergone something of a revolution over the last 15 years. Not least because music production and performance equipment has become cheaper to purchase, and the internet has opened up a heap of tutorials, forum advice and video demos. Being able to set up with an entire ’software studio’ for a fraction of the price of a ‘traditional’ one, means that more producers are able to experiment and share their creations.

This may result in some under-par productions being out there, but luckily, it is still as easy as ever to tell good music from bad. As I am often working away to a soundtrack of 125bpm or so, I thought I would try and round up some of the biggest names in dance music and share them as a Music Jobs playlist. This is also something for fans of other styles, with modern artists pulling in youths and inspirations from Depeche Mode, Bowie, Disco and more.

Artists include: Fatboy Slim, Dennis Ferrer, Todd Terry, Mark Farina, Mike Monday, Jackson and His Computer Band and more… Go to http://www.myspace.com/usmusicjobs/music/playlists/electronic-1214353 to listen!

Lee Jarvis.

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Looking to make a music video to help promote your music? Well, you could learn a lot from OK Go’s unique work. Here are a few videos that you can also learn from, and by that I mean avoid these mistakes at all costs…

5) Get Technical

Do not adjust your set, this video was filmed in black and white. In a forest. And possibly in the dark.

4) Choreography

If you are going to have some kind of group dance scenes in your video, it may be worthwhile getting some moves choreographed. Or practicing.

3) Flow

Even if you do just slap together random home video clips of you and friends from over the years, it’s probably best to skip the shower scene. Read the rest of this entry »

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There’s a great new website out there for developing artists and bands, although it covers a wide variety of other arts in addition to music. It’s called Indie Go Go.

(Click to enlarge)

The site is unlike anything I’ve seen before, it’s quite a unique concept. The gist of the site is that it allows you to post a project that you need to raise money for. For example, look at this band using this site: http://www.indiegogo.com/shapesstarsmake. The band wants to go on tour, but in order for them to be able to do so they need a van and some additional funds in order to make their dream happen. Indie GoGo aids their efforts by giving them a unique platform to promote their cause to everyone they know and millions of people they don’t know. They customize their tiers of giving, as well as providing rewards and incentives for those who give to their cause. It’s a great way to get the help you need, raise awareness about your band, and ultimately get one step closer to actualizing your dream. Read the rest of this entry »

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