The New Music Network

In the spirit of innovation in music, a couple of us have started sharing ideas on how to make music business more personal, more approachable, more fun, and just plain better. No idea too big or too small and all that care to discuss music business are welcome! So come on over to http://modernrevival.ning.com and start talking!

The Writing is On Several Walls

So, idea after idea comes crashing down and I scatter them all over on pieces of paper, notebooks, voice recorders, etc. I never seem to catch them all in one collective place. I need to work on that. Right now I'm organizing my thoughts in one (hopefully coherent) place.

One of my favorites has to be the Digital Download Card Fundraiser. Who wants candy bars when they could have a full length record of music for the same price?! Exactly.

What do you think? Would you buy a $3.00 download card to support your local charity, sports team, or sorority?

Helping Great Blogs.

This ----> http://chuckwestbrook.com/great-content-no-readers/ was not my idea, but I'm happy to link it and pass it along to anyone else (besides me) who think it's brilliant.

Free Music Movement

Music is not a product. It is an emotional trigger.

That said, we should be giving more of it away, more frequently. Here are some of my ideas as to how and where:

1. Hang Tags on clothing. What if you put a redeemable download code on clothing that sold in music-related stores like Hot Topic or PacSun (although I hear the later is going out of business soon) and made the songs genre specific to the style of clothing that was being purchased (i.e. - hip hop or punk rock on a Famous Stars and Straps shirt, etc?)

2. Free download codes on fliers for events that feature bands, music, etc. Simple, no additional cost to add the code, etc. Could be a great way to drive business to your site(s).

3. On all your stationary AND your business cards. By adding a little value to something that is usually worthless, you'd secure yourself some notoriety (at least in some circles). Again: easy, affordable, and innovative.

That's just a few ideas, if you have more I'd love to hear them!

Collaborative Art...Let's Try This Again

On the flight home this past week I had a thought about how we could truly create a collaborative piece of art together that would be something truly killer. The basics aren't new and it's not so completely futuristic that it can't be done, but it takes some motivation.

With Pro Tools recording gear at an all time low, laptops at an all time awesome, and more graphic artists graduating from design programs than ever before it just seems to make sense to me. Let's get together and write, produce, record, mix, master, design, paint, photograph, and more as one.

I want to release something unlike everything before it. Something that incorporates every possible kind of new media possible. Books, Music, Movies, Pictures, Poems, and more; nothing that can be done should be left out.

What do you think?

Economic Fixes (at Least in the Entertainment Wing)

Let's look at something real quick:

The economy = craptastic. Right? Which drives prices down because no one has any money and so business won't sell anything unless they conform to the current situation. However, commercials, movies, TV shows, and other entertainment continue to need music to help them complete and/or promote their products.

Why then, in a down economy would you not make yourself more accessible to independent artists, whom, being one of them, would gladly give you some music in exchange for less money and more promotion? It seems beyond me that the process of even getting a hold of someone who knows someone who might be able to get you a phone call with someone who will steal half your money and also overcharge for your music (so that no one wants to use it ever again) is nearly impossible. And if that's impossible, well then getting direct help from the companies who need the music, well, forget it.

If you work for a company, know a company, or have the spare time and want to help me contact these companies, let's let them know we're here and we're willing to help them through this economic mess for some strategic help on their end. We can save them money and they can save us time, what better trade is there?

My Squidoo Lens

In an effort to begin rallying as many music lovers online as possible, I have started my Guide to Saving Music Business Lens on Squidoo.com! I would love your feedback, so if you have a minute, please check it out (and, if you like it, rate it 5 stars and email it to a friend.)

CLICK HERE TO VISIT MY SQUIDOO GUIDE TO SAVING MUSIC!

Thanks for the help. I appreciate you.

Independent In-Flight Music Petition

In the previous post I asked you to help me get unsigned, indie music into in-flight radio programming. Here is the aforementioned petition; please click on the link below, add your name, and send it to a friend or ten!

Independent In-Flight Music Petition

Thanks for the help!

Why Only Top 40 and Chinese Pop?

When my wife and I booked our end-of-year vacation, we booked it online and went with Continental Airlines as our courier. We've flown it before and it's long flights are the most comfortable of any coach seating. This time around though, I noticed a major avenue that they are ignoring that would as simple as adding a click on a keypad: an independent music station on their in-flight radio programming.

They literally have Chinese Pop, Top 40 Hits, Rock Hits (featuring at least 5 3 Doors Down Songs...not a joke,) Jewish Hits, Japanese Pop, Kids Pop (with one random Phil Collins song thrown in the mix...again, not a joke,) and three or four other random areas of music that aren't any less obscure than unsigned indie music.

I say we petition the airlines to add and indie music channel to the mix, Hell, I'll even find them enough music to give it a try for free! Help me out with this!

Airports and Retail Thoughts

It's 5:45am EST and I'm sitting here at Tampa Int'l Airport waiting to take off to Houston where I will sit and wait, again, to board my second and final flight of the day. While I've been trying to stay coherent I came up with an idea to combine all media retail items and like-products together in one area so as to 'up-sell' more effectively.

By this I mean: if a movie is coming out on DVD and there is a soundtrack and a tee-shirt, or any other merchandise, it should be placed together in almost a package on a shelf. This way, those who love the movie and come to buy it might be inclined to pick up the soundtrack, a picture book, the novel the film was undoubtedly based upon, etc. It just seems like, in a poor economy, you should make it as easy as possible for people to find what they didn't know they might want.

Maybe this idea would have helped a company like Circuit City? Who knows?

MusiCruise: Solutions at Sea

MusiCruise: I've got the idea to invite 100 hand-selected musicians and music business visionaries together on a cruise ship for three days with the topic being INNOVATION and figuring out how to make music more personal and entirely free for everybody.

CRUISE MISSION TOPIC: HOW CAN WE MAKE ALL MUSIC FREE, ALL THE TIME, AND STILL MAKE MONEY.