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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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From the Gut.

It's The Drums Stupid / Or/ It's The Stupid Drums

Haven't made a recording for a long time and I always had plenty of reasons not to, or so I thought. Actually the real reason I haven't started anything new for years is because I always hated putting the damn drum tracks down electronically. Just one big pain in the ass. I had thought of contacting the many drummers I know to come in and do it for me acoustically, but I doubt I could screw up my timing enough to play along. Nix that idea. I'll keep thinking. Send your hate mail

ATom2

2
From the Gut.

Living Clean = Living Happy?

Well, finally a topic I am gaining some knowledge on. About January 8th I decided to pitch the cigarettes and although it was hard it was well worth it....., I think! The reason I am not sure goes as follows. Problem #1 -Seems like during the entire quiting process I found myself not knowing what to do with myself other than going to bed. Problem #2 - Unable to fall asleep. You see, well before I ever got to this point I used beer to help me fall asleep...we're talking years peo

ATom2

0
John Moxey's Blog

Writing An Instrumental

It's been ages since I've written an instrumental. I've only written 2 before, and they were for a whole band. With that in mind I've decided to write an instrumental for the guitar. At the moment I'm thinking of using an alternate tuning. I've experimented from time to time with different guitar tunings, but so far I've not written any pieces using anything other than standard tuning. My guitar style does often use a lot of open chords, so I think it should lend to an alternate tuning, but

john

0
From the Gut.

Imus Be Nuts! Or Imus Or I Musn't.

So much for a title. Hell don't ever expect much from me. I am not a trained writer, just potty trained. I now spend most of my days wondering, just where in the hell did the country I knew and loved disappear to. Beats me, but I'm looking toward others further up the food chain than I!?! Now we have another "very important front page news item". Bombing In Green Zone?" nope! Mr. Imus did nothing different from his daily broadcast of trash except this time someone of self-proclai

ATom2

0
John Moxey's Blog

Pro Sound Cards

I'm a little out of touch with latest soundcards. My Carillon is now 6 years old. It's got two Creamware sound cards fitted. They've been pretty excellent soundcards, but they are old style pci. Contemplating upgrading my Carillon has of course prompted the question about the latest sound cards. So, I checked out the Creamware range again, but being honest the whole uncertainty over Creamware's future after yet another bankrupcy and take over puts me off. Sure the new companies taking over

john

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From the Gut.

The Start.

Hello all, I plan to not plan any of my entry's. There may be days with multiple hits and others with nothing. Shoot from the hip as they say. Also, I should warn that in this blog I may not come across as the ATom2 from the forums. If I did, what would be the purpose of doing this? Anyway, sleep well and I'll see you, well, when I see you. T

ATom2

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John Moxey's Blog

Ray Lamontagne

Hey Just chillin' and listening to the Ray LaMontagne album "Trouble". A great album with some well written songs. Not the happiest of albums, but it does resonate with me in some way. It also reminds me of what can be done with essentially an acoustic and an emotional vocal. It's one of those albums that, for me, evokes a feeling of "you could do this with your own music". If you know what I mean. Not write and record Ray's album, more that if Ray can get an album of this quality out there

john

1
Rudi's Blog

Cabers

Scortlund the breeve und cabers Tha problum uz ah see ut Uz that thears no enough cabers luft The Sassonaches huv all made off wi um Tae make thear poncey log cabbuns fur thear holideezs Wun I wur a wee bairn, thear wuz cabers ull oo-er the place! Up the hulls un in the strets. Ma Da were ulways fallin oer em commin haem frum the boozurr. We need tae grow more thuck trees und get un practice toosin the cabers agun ye see Thun wheel try un get ut established at the olumpi

Rudi

5
John Moxey's Blog

Writing Some New Songs

Hey I've been writing quite a lot lately. I've got about 7 songs with partial lyrics and about 5 new tunes that I think are ready to get some lyrics. It's put me in mind of the problem of selecting suitable topics for a lyric, a subject I've been meaning to write an article about for a while. It's a problem that seems to affect a lot of writers after they get passed the vibrancy of youth and grind to a crawl in their late 20s. I mean once you've notched up some experiience you kind of

john

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John Moxey's Blog

Improve Your Lyric Writing

Hey Lyric writing comes from the heart, but not the heart alone. Writing lyrics uses several aspects of our mind, not just our feelings. Improve Your Lyric Writing Drop by and have a read. Feel free to post any comment in the Music Forum

john

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Songstuff Stuff

Band Promo Videos

Over the last year there has been a big increase in the number of bands making promo videos, but not much in the way of help or critique. Look no further: http://forums.songstuff.com/forum/86-the-cutting-room/ The Cutting Room is available for bands and artists to post links to their promo videos and get help from other artists and video makers to hone their videos into professional standard products.

Songstuff

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The Writer's Blog

A Kaddish For Carol Ackerman...

I wanted a kaddish in memory of Dick Ackerman, our blues harp player, who died December 29 (his 80th birthday). The kaddish is an old Jewish tradition that, while I’m not Jewish, I’ve always liked. It’s called the “song for the dead,” but it’s not FOR the dead, precisely—the dead are either in a better place or otherwise don’t care—but rather for the living, for those left behind. The idea, as I understand it, is that a person lives on in the ways they have touched other people’s lives, and t

roxhythe

0
indieshoegazer's Blog

New Year

Spent the past couple of days visiting with the in laws, gorging myself on food, drinking, watching our babies play together. It was entirely satisfying, but didn't get any songwriting done. Thought about it a lot though. Watched this video with Nellie McKay on All Songs Considered - she's given 3 days to write a song and she writes a really complicated 1920's musical theater pastiche that's really impressive and intimidating http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=89287187 . An

indieshoegazer

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The Writer's Blog

Happy New Year...

Got to watch another band perform on New Year’s Eve. True, I’d rather have been playing on stage, but this was a good opportunity to observe the competition at work (over a decent shrimp dinner)—and these guys are getting paying gigs, and we’re not. I really should do more of this competition-assessing (though my fingers get itchy watching someone else play). 6-piece (I guess) band—lead and rhythm guitars, bass, drums, sound guy (I want one of those) and lighting guy. I don’t know if the

roxhythe

0
indieshoegazer's Blog

Songframe Review

Here are some of my thoughts after using Songframe for a couple of weeks. IAC midi driver needs to be configured to use Chirp as a MIDI controller - this is documented, but was an obstacle to getting set up quickly. Interface looks very basic, compared to cool looking DAW interfaces of Logic and Abelton Live - I know it's not a DAW but the 'kiddie' interface makes you less inclined to spend all your time in Songframe. Adobe Air is not a good software platform for developing mac

indieshoegazer

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How i see it

Our 2009

Reflecting on last year has taken some time for me; after all, it has been quite a year. Our year started in Dundee with an acoustic set @ Druthey’s, we had been invited up by Andy who looks after The Trade a Forfar band, it was a real experience I have to say I was very nervous , the guys made us very welcome and it has been great getting to know them 62 is the total of gigs we have done over the last 12 months venues such as Cosmapol both in Glasgow and Clydebank The Bank house, The

musicthom

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The Writer's Blog

Happy New Year (I Think)...

Got to watch another band perform on New Year’s Eve. True, I’d rather have been playing on stage, but this was a good opportunity to observe the competition at work (over a decent shrimp dinner)—and these guys are getting paying gigs, and we’re not. I really should do more of this competition-assessing (though my fingers get itchy watching someone else play). 6-piece (I guess) band—lead and rhythm guitars, bass, drums, sound guy (I want one of those) and lighting guy. I don’t know if the

roxhythe

0
The Writer's Blog

Happy New Year (I Think)...

Got to watch another band perform on New Year’s Eve. True, I’d rather have been playing on stage, but this was a good opportunity to observe the competition at work (over a decent shrimp dinner)—and these guys are getting paying gigs, and we’re not. I really should do more of this competition-assessing (though my fingers get itchy watching someone else play). 6-piece (I guess) band—lead and rhythm guitars, bass, drums, sound guy (I want one of those) and lighting guy. I don’t know if the

roxhythe

0
indieshoegazer's Blog

First Entry

I took piano lessons as a kid starting around age 6 to like sophomore year in high school. By the time I quit piano lessons I was playing classical pieces at a very high level, but I was also really sick of playing piano. What I always wanted to do was play guitar, but I never got the opportunity because I was so focused on piano. It was only until much later, in 1999, when I decided to learn guitar. I had a roommate at the time that let me play her acoustic and taught me a few basics. I ev

indieshoegazer

0

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