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The MPG Launches The First In A Series Of DIY Record Label Sessions

In response to the changing landscape of the Record Industry, more Producers and Artists are looking to start their own record, publishing and production companies. The Music Producers Guild is holding a series of networking events designed to investigate the ins and outs of starting your own DIY record company.

The first successful DIY event was attended by more than 70 people and was moderated by MPG director and producer Tommy D. It was designed to give an overview of the process of DIY. It attracted speakers from AIM, The Musicians Union, BASCA, and some of the MPG's own members who have gone down the DIY route themselves.

The next event will take place at 7pm on March 30th 2011 at Metropolis Studios, Chiswick, London. It will explore marketing and distribution and the panel will include Karen Emanuel from Key Production, Jonathan Quarmby from AWAL, Michael Fuller from AIM, James McGuiness from Absolute Marketing and Distribution, and Tommy D, MPG Director, who says:

"The first DIY event was so informative and well received that we felt that putting on a second event that delves into the mysteries of setting up your own record company was a 'no brainer'. We have a fantastic panel for this one, which will reveal some of the methods of distribution and promotion. If you're thinking of setting up your own operation or are already doing it, this seminar will be invaluable."

Tickets for the event cost 25, with a 25% discount for members of AIM, MU, BASCA, APRS, MMF, Music Tank and FAC. Usual MPG discounts apply - Full Members and Associates with a season ticket: Free, Associate Members: 12.50. Early booking is advised for those who want to secure a place as this event is open to other organisations as well as the MPG, and the previous DIY event was sold out well in advance. To obtain a ticket please visit the MPG website (a further 5% discount is provided for pre-booking on-line).

The panel members confirmed so far include:

Karen Emanuel, Key Production
Karen Emanuel set up Key Production over 20 years ago in 1990, having started in music by booking bands and DJing at college then working for Rough Trade Distribution. Key quickly earned a reputation as a company that produces high quality product on time at competitive prices. Key manufacture all types of product, Vinyl, CDs, DVDs, USBs, merchandise and bespoke and ethically sourced packaging as well as giving its clients free marketing and publicity at www.backstagepassmusic.com

Jonathan Quarmby, AWAL
Originally founded in 1997, AWAL now stands at the forefront of the new media revolution. AWAL has empowered independent artists and labels to take control of their own destinies and bypass the gatekeepers of the old music industry. The function of AWAL is logical and simple. Large record companies have direct deals with iTunes and other digital stores, however these stores cannot deal directly with the hundreds of thousands of small labels and independent artists who want to sell their music on line. Consequently, AWAL acts as a conduit, uploading and encoding the music into the stores then accounting to and paying its clients. AWAL currently represents over 6,000 artists with a catalogue totalling over 150,000 tracks, and has sold over 20,000,000 downloads.

James McGuiness, Absolute Marketing and Distribution
Absolute Marketing & Distribution is a leading provider of tailor-made sales, marketing and business management solutions for independent record labels, single-artist labels and brand-owned music labels. Established in 1998 as Europe's first 'one-stop' label management specialist, London-based Absolute provides everything it takes to run a successful independent record label - from label administration to television advertising.

Michael Fuller, AIM Head of Legal and Business Affairs
AIM, The Association of Independent Music represents over 800 member companies, from the largest and most respected labels in the World, to small start-ups and individual artists releasing their own music for the first time. AIM promotes this sector globally and provides a range of services to members.

Do-it-yourself shows: A 'Creature' feature

Musical do-it-yourselfers have played a key role in developing Athens culture.
Without them, this city's music scene might never have developed into the vibrant, dynamic indie entity it is today.
The B-52s made their debut live performance at a friend's 1977 Valentine's Day party. R.E.M. played their first show in April 1980 at St. Mary's Episcopal Church - a repurposed building in which Michael Stipe, Peter Buck and others lived at the time.
And more recently, a spot known as the Secret Squirrel long has provided sanctuary for those who refuse to stop partying at 2 a.m.
In the late '70s and early '80s, when the downtown area had fewer venues to accommodate music, DIY shows were an inevitable and crucial part of a scene's existence. But as Athens currently has no shortage of traditional music venues and bars, why bother with house shows nowadays? House showgoers and hosts have their reasons, and lately, live music often is audible around downtown Athens well past closing time at the clubs and bars.
Winston Dangler likes the atmosphere of the DIY concert because it's "more relaxed," he says, with band members talking to the audience and creating a comfort level not possible in a traditional venue.
"It's also more comfortable for bands that are just starting out," Dangler says. Musicians get to play in a pressure-free environment to ease themselves into the world of live performance.
There are restrictions that don't apply to house shows as well - many downtown venues are strictly 21 and up, but a house show generally is open to all ages, giving younger folks with alternative tastes something other than church- or school-related activities to do on the weekends.
Up-close Creature feature
Eddie Lezama and others like him are keeping the spirit of DIY entertainment alive. For a few months now, Lezama and his roommates have been hosting some combination of touring and local bands on the weekends at their house/venue they've labeled "Creature Castle."
Just outside the downtown area off Broad Street, this old and isolated house makes a perfect weekend party spot; there are no sleeping neighbors to be bothered, and the place is easy enough to find for wary newcomers.
Creature Castle doesn't charge a cover. Donations are collected to support traveling bands, but Lezama's main goal is for "people to come out and have as good of a time as they can."
Lezama, who organizes the shows, says the events' high turnouts are due largely to word of mouth.
Sure, flyers are posted and Facebook events are made, but the real excitement springs from an alternative community dying to experience something outside of the status quo.
Even so, "House shows kind of pop up and die off around here," Lezama says.
He cites the recent shuttering of a house venue called Spillage (located on Milledge Avenue) for creating more DIY demand. When the powers-that-be shut down Spillage, Creature Castle stepped up to satisfy the new demand.
Lezama contacted some musician friends from Florida and some local bands to fill the first bill, and word of mouth is bringing more traveling bands to the house.
Rose Dasher, who lives at Creature Castle and relishes the weekly concerts, says she enjoys that "you can get personal with the bands."
"The lack of a stage makes the show more personal and gives it a more powerful impact," Lezama adds.
It's a symbiotic relationship: Traveling bands get a venue and place to crash in one, and people like Dasher are afforded the opportunity to "get really close to and interact" with people from different parts of the country.
A messy Creature
A show last month at Creature Castle featured local acts Manger, Gripe, and Lezama's own band, The Fuzzlers, and certainly appeared to realize the up-close interaction aspect of the venue.
The scene: a tiny room filled with slam-dancing punk rock and metal kids, all moshing on the same floor as the performing band.
Obscuring the division between the performer and the fan, this show had an air of community, camaraderie and comfort that would be difficult to replicate in a downtown club.
Of course, there are drawbacks to hosting shows like this.
Straddling the line between a public and private event complicates the behavioral expectations of fans and bands alike. At the end of every weekend, the occupants of Creature Castle have an enormous mess to clean up, and according to Dasher, showgoers "don't respect your home" like they might respect an established venue or a friend's house.
But Lezama is willing to take the bad with the good. After all, house venues like Creature Castle potentially could spawn Athens's next generation of legendary musicians. Being so informal, creativity takes precedence over everything else in this setting.
"The shows usually end with impromptu jam sessions, which sometimes start good new bands," Lezama says. "Sometimes it's a mess of slop, or something very creative. ... I don't even know what you'd call it ... some sort of explosion that happens after a show here."
 
By Kevin Craig - Correspondent

• Kevin Craig is a Marquee intern from the University of Georgia's music business program.

Dave Grohl Goes DIY Route For Foo Fighters' 'Rope' Video

By now, you've probably heard Dave Grohl sum up his directorial body of work as having "lots of hair" (while, at the same time, remaining strangely "waxed").

But despite that assessment — and his work on the Foos' brand-new "Rope" video, which premieres Thursday at 7:54 p.m. ET/PT on MTV and MTV.com — you'd probably be surprised to know that Grohl doesn't really consider himself to be a director at all.

"I'm not a director. I don't even know how to use the equipment, but it's fun to try," he laughed. "[And these days] any kid can do exactly that and have a million people watch it. That's awesome."

He's talking, in part, about the video for "Rope," but also his shot-on-VHS quickie clip for another Wasting Light song, "White Limo," which was filmed in just six hours on an old handheld and has since gone on to eclipse the 1 million-view mark on YouTube. To Grohl, they're basically the same thing: proof that, in this day and age, bands don't have to break the bank to make a video. They just have to have a killer idea (and maybe a cameo by Lemmy too).

"It's nice now that there's not as much importance put on videos as there was in the past. People used to spend, like, $5 million making a video. You think people do that now? They don't," Grohl said. "They get a VHS camera, and they make a video in six hours, and today, over 1 million people have watched 'White Limo,' the video we made with a VHS camera. And it's cool. Anybody can do that. That's f---ing rad."

By James Montgomery (@positivnegativ)

Songtrust Announces Partnership with Myspace Music

Songtrust announced today a new partnership with Myspace Music to bring Songtrust’s revolutionary music publishing management services to Myspace Music’s industry-leading audience of DIY songwriters and bands.

Songtrust is the first online rights management solution that empowers all songwriters to take control of their music publishing and related rights. By streamlining the complex process of registering song copyrights, collecting royalties, and maximizing licensing opportunities, Songtrust empowers independent songwriters to track how and where their songs are being used around the world.
“Songtrust provides a much needed music publishing administration solution for the millions of do-it-yourself artists on Myspace Music,” said President of Myspace Music, Courtney Holt. “We’re very excited to deepen our relationship with Downtown Music and to promote this new, innovative service that helps songwriters take control of their music publishing.”
“Songtrust was designed to help a new generation of songwriters and artists better manage, protect, and monetize their publishing assets,” said Downtown Music Publishing President and Songtrust Co-Founder, Justin Kalifowitz. “The Myspace Music community represents the largest and most diverse community of DIY artists in the world, and we are thrilled to partner with them in introducing Songtrust.”
Myspace Music will promote the Songtrust service to their entire audience of musicians, showing their continued commitment to offer artists the tools they need to build a more successful career in music.

Contacts

Songtrust
John DeCicco, 917-621-4345
jdecicco@attentionusa.com
or
Myspace Music
Sarah Joyce, 310-969-2802
sarah@myspacemusic.com

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D.I.Y. works A-OK for NOFX

If playing in a punk rock band past the age of 40 is considered strange, don't tell Fat Mike. The 43-year-old lead singer of NOFX still feels like a kid.

"In 25 years, my life hasn't changed at all. Being in a band really is the best job in the world," he says.

His enthusiasm stems, in part, from the success that NOFX has achieved without the help of radio stations or MTV. "That was the best decision we made, never to go to a major or MTV or anything like that," he mentions proudly. "We've always been D.I.Y."
Even without the exposure that most bands seek, NOFX has sold more than 6 million records since forming in 1983, headlined countless Vans Warped Tour stops and toured through places as exotic as the Philippines and Indonesia.

"The Philippines may have been the worst… The show just wasn't that rad," he says, but that doesn't mean the band didn't appreciate the opportunity to play there. "We don't go to crazy countries like that all the time; we just wanted to do it."

Unlike many punk bands that spend the majority of the year touring, financial success has allowed NOFX to take a more laid-back approach.

"We don't tour like normal bands. We tour for three weeks and we take two months off… It's good for our livers."

They're on now, hitting Revolution in Fort Lauderdale Friday night.

The free time between tours means Fat Mike has time to focus on other things. Since 1990, he's headed up his own San Francisco-based record label, Fat Wreck Chords. The label has released music by punk stalwarts like Screeching Weasel and Lagwagon, and also counts among its catalog releases by Rise Against and Less Than Jake. The label has been releasing NOFX's music since the band left Epitaph Records following 2000's "Pump Up the Valuum."

He's quick to mention that Fat Wreck Chords is a labor of love, rather than a profit-driven venture.

"My business plan was never to sign bands just to sign bands to keep business going strong," he insists.

More recently, he's taken advantage of opportunities outside of the music world. He's an investor in a new restaurant in Brooklyn's hip Park Slope neighborhood called Thistle Hill Tavern.

"I just invested because a couple of my friends wanted to open a place," he says.

He also recently purchased a house in Las Vegas which he plans to redecorate and rent to vacationers.

"It's a super punk rock house, one room has six bunk beds in it," he shares, before mentioning the putting green and pool table.

After completing the current tour of the Southern U.S., the band plans to head to Europe in April, followed by more U.S. and Canadian dates through the end of 2011.

With the band's 30th anniversary only a few years away, Fat Mike has become used to the questions about how long NOFX can go on.

"I see no end in sight for the band. It's just too fun and our fans stay with us. We don't work that hard anyway."