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  • Songstuff Writer and Artist Development Challenges

    By john

    Independent writers and artists face several large disadvantages when they are compared to signed, mainstream writers and artists.  Disadvantages that add up to making it a competition that indies can’t win. Hell they can’t even compete.   Lack of budget and poor contacts are fairly obvious disadvantages. Lack of experience and a lack of knowledge restricts songwriters and artists alike. Lack of an overall strategy, and a limited set of incomplete tactics, makes for a critical problem
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Songstuff Stuff

Vocals - New Area On Songstuff

We have just introduced a brand new site area for singers: Vocals Site Area The Vocals area will include articles and tutorials, and links to useful resources. Subscribe to the Songstuff blog for regular updates as the Vocals area develops and grows. We hope that you enjoy this new resource. To accompany the new area we have introduced a new Vocals board Come along and take part in the vocals board where you can talk about all things singing related.

Songstuff

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How i see it

Rhinestone Cowboy

Hello what a very foggy cold afternoon it was and more to come me thinks What do you know I actually managed to get most of my Christmas shopping , in one day Oh! and yes before Christmas eve Result!!!!!!! Mind you I still have some stalking fillers to get Its so funny why does it always lead to thoughts of past Christmas's, were the presents really huge? Was the turkey better ? Was that Santa I really heard in the room ?Who knows As I write this blog my mind suddenly shot back

musicthom

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The Writer's Blog

To Do: Dvds & A Website...

One way to keep warm while it’s bitterly cold outside is to clean; got daughter, cousin and daughter’s boyfriend coming this weekend, and wanted to be partway presentable. So I verified the upstairs does have a floor, and it is now clean, and things are organized and put away. Job interview this afternoon, music at City Hall tonight, band practice Saturday, and practice again on Sunday with Chris (drums), John (bass), and Bruce (keyboard)—we’ve been invited to play at the City-Port Christmas p

roxhythe

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The Writer's Blog

Practice With The Band...

Practice yesterday with the band. We got through 14 of the 24 songs in 2-1/2 hours. Every single one was good, and some were perfect. In each case, I found myself thinking, “This here is what it’s supposed to sound like.” A 5-piece band—drums, bass, rhythm guitar, “whiny” lead (harmonica) and “non-whiny” lead (guitar), is ideal, I think. Those who come to the Failed Economy Christmas Concert are going to get one heck of a show. We practice again next Saturday. It’d probably be good to hav

roxhythe

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The Writer's Blog

We Won The "doing Dylan" Contest!

BREAKING NEWS… An e-mail from England advised that “No Good Songs About the War” has WON FIRST PRIZE in their “Doing Dylan” contest we entered back this summer. (They wanted to know where to send the prize check for 100 pounds to.) “Deathgrass” (me, John, Dick and Chris) will split it four ways—that was our original arrangement. Here’s what the judge, John Tams, said: ‘1st “No-one Writes Good Songs About The War.” Ramshackle recording measured against some of the high quality pro

roxhythe

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Songstuff Stuff

So You Want Your Song Played On Radio?

Getting airplay for the independent artist has never been harder. Radio consultant Richard Wilkinson discusses changes in the industry and speaks plainly about getting airplay for your songs in the UK. So You Want Your Songs Played On Radio?

Songstuff

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The Writer's Blog

Skype-Ing...

There’s a songwriter over in England I’d really like to talk to, and it was suggested I check out Skype, a program for making long-distance calls for free with the computer. Yes, “Alice” the ‘puter has the brains to handle Skype (though it would help to have those extra RAM chips installed), and our local version of high-speed Internet should work, even though it’s pretty slow compared to what most people in other areas have. Skype says I need a microphone and a webcam, and I have both, but th

roxhythe

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Dahlnotes

Finished Mischke Ad ~ Studio 11/28/09

...You Hoo, Mischkeeeee! Brotha coulda toad sumbahday the finished ad wiff my vokes innit. All Inc Ad - TD Mischke & Donna Dahl Vocals +++ 7 + hours in the studio. Two songs - rhythm guitar, drums, lead vox on each. Yes, I am tired to the point of having NO GOALS presently. We recorded again at The Monitors (aka Passive-Argh!ressive Studios) on St. Paul's Eastside. Was playing rhythm scratch tracks before 10:00am, drums already set up! I know I'll have a lot mo

Donna

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The Writer's Blog

A Publisher, Again...

Hope everyone within earshot (or eyeshot) had a good Thanksgiving. I baked a whole salmon (traditional), so there’s a lot left; I’ll be making salmon quiche, and salmon fried rice, and other things, out of the carcass for a few days. There is a Nashville music publisher that apparently came up with the same idea I did, of marketing the songs of unknown writers to regionally well-known artists looking for material—bypassing the Big Boys and the Big Record Companies that aren’t interested in

roxhythe

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The Writer's Blog

Christmas Rock?

Well, part of the Tascam’s problem was a dying power adapter, and I was able to get a Radio Shack replacement. The Tascam still has Volume Issues,.and I need to dump all my mixes into Audacity these days and boost the volume. My biggest headache, though, is my favorite soundhole pickup in the guitar—the one that makes the acoustic guitar sound like an acoustic guitar—is about dead, and I don’t have a replacement. (John has been miking my guitar at all our shows since July.) Nonetheless,

roxhythe

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The Writer's Blog

What I Did (And Didn't Do) In 2009...

It was about this time last year that I did the “Year in Review” assessment, to see how many (or how few) of the year’s goals I had managed to accomplish. In 2009, I didn’t do well. I think I spent most of the year waiting for something to happen, and it never did, and if there’s a plus in that, it’s that I finally figured out there’s no point in waiting, and I just have to move on. What I’ve accomplished that was on the list: FIND/CREATE A BAND. Did that. “Deathgrass” are the best gro

roxhythe

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The Writer's Blog

Promoting The Christmas Show...

More Christmas concert promotion: I caught radio station DJ Tommy Boye (Coast105 FM) just as he was finishing his show, and gave him Christmas concert posters; I’m now scheduled for two 15-minute promotional slots, one two weeks before the show, and one the day before. (John suggested he and either Mike or Doc come down with me, and the three of us play “I’m Giving Mom a Dead Dog for Christmas” on the air. That’s a great idea. I wonder how we could fit us in Tommy Boye’s little bathroom-size

roxhythe

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The Writer's Blog

Songbook And Structure...

The 2009 Joe Songbook is done. (Mostly. I’ve found a couple more corrections I can make. I like to be perfect.) The product is a 1.67MB Acrobat (*.pdf) file, that can come on a CD with a cute Depressionistic label if people want. I can sell the CD for five bucks, including mailing, and recover costs. Or e-mail it for free. (Anyone within earshot (or eyeshot) who’d like one e-mailed for free, contact me through the Usual Outlets and I’ll take care of it. I will need your name and e-ma

roxhythe

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The Writer's Blog

Rules For Writing (Sort Of)...

Well, the so-called Big Storm is past—they recorded winds of 89 m.p.h. at the Coast Guard tower, and the power went out four times. We have maybe a day’s respite before the next one (I can see the wall of clouds offshore). I had someone tell me this week, “Your songs don’t follow that verse-chorus-bridge pattern like you’re supposed to. But they’re good.” It was tempting to applaud them and say, “You got it!” It is not necessary to follow that pattern to write something that’s good. I

roxhythe

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Dahlnotes

For Real - 1St Music Video Is Up

The video shoot: On Tues Oct. 20th or 27th, I called Jeff F. "Dude, maybe we should shoot - NOW!" It'd been a miserable Oct. in the Twin Cities and Jeff kept saying we just need one good day for the fall shoot which never really came. Jeff said, "get over here asap - we only have about an hour of light! Grab clothes, jackets, scarves, whatever you have!" I felt my heart kinda sink - so little time and ya can't go shoot a video without some primping + drive time. I'd told him of Da

Donna

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The Writer's Blog

Updating The Joe Songbook...

Just finished updating THE JOE SONGBOOK with the 2009 songs. The book is now 103 pages long, with 65 songs (with discography, links and photos—I can’t resist dressing things up). For the record, only 14 of the 65 songs are about dead animals. (Those are still the ones people remember best.) A copy of the songbook is going off to Lorelei Loveridge in England tomorrow. She said she was interested in performing some of my stuff, and I’m happy to encourage it. I don’t know what (if anythin

roxhythe

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The Writer's Blog

Playing For Christmas Dinner...

Chris, John and I—what you’d call the core of “Deathgrass,” I guess—have been asked to play at the City and Port of Garibaldi’s Christmas potluck dinner, on 16 December, three days before the Christmas show. We (and our spouses) are all invitees to the dinner: John’s the city administrator, Chris works for the Port, and I’m on the Urban Renewal District’s budget committee. We’ll have a keyboard player—Bruce, the husband of Mary the city finance officer. And I’m told these City and Port fo

roxhythe

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Dahlnotes

1St Music Video Is Up

An updated audio version of 'Out To Storm' - Dan Coffeen did lovely strings/piano. I don't think we were done w/ the mix - or the footage! We did 8 takes that day in October and I kind of expect Jeff F to put them ALL up. I didn't even know he'd done it, Harkness told me! I'd thought The S. King was referring to the Jackson 5 youtube I'd put up on my FB page ("Maybe Tomorrow"). Amusing conversation. Second Version Will add if there's more he puts up, at least to

Donna

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The Writer's Blog

The Christmas Show Is On!

I think the Failed Economy Christmas show is a go. Setlist is done, the Rap is done, and we have a lead guitarist—Mike Simpson, the music teacher for the school district. (Mike was the organizer of last month’s “Rocktoberfest,” and has trained a couple of neat middle-school rock bands.) And we have “Doc” Wagner—probably the best blues harp player in the Northwest. I think it’ll be one heck of a show. Wish we could record it. I delivered CDs and setlists to everybody today (with lyrics f

roxhythe

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The Writer's Blog

Christmas Show Setlist?

Here’s a tentative setlist for the Christmas show: SET #1 (12 SONGS): Dead Things in the Shower (fast two-step, in C) Armadillo on the Interstate (slow & sleazy, in C) [NEW] Santa’s Fallen and He Can’t Get Up (fast bluegrass, in C) Tillamook Railroad Blues (deliberate blues, in D) Things Are Getting Better Now That Things Are Getting Worse—Burnett (fast two-step, in C) Eatin’ Cornflakes from a Hubcap Blues (slow & sleazy quasi-blues, in C) For Their Own Ends—Southern

roxhythe

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The Writer's Blog

The Making Of The 'rufus' Video...

The music video of “Me and Rufus, and Burning Down the House” is finished, and uploaded to YouTube. Link is http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rp2G7K8znZ8. The video footage was shot last Sunday at Sara’s house, and is of Rufus the English bulldog doing Dog Things out in the yard; I matched that up with the soundtrack, and used still photos with text overlays during the Rap. It came out kinda cute. I doubt I’d change anything, though there are things I’d do differently next time around. Wha

roxhythe

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