JasonShadrick

• 08:41 RT @jeffpulver: Celebrities who make the investment to follow and engage (some) people will get more out of twitter than those who don’t. #
• 11:04 Terry Syrek is a funny dude. Make sure to watch it until the end…..Trust me. bit.ly/GNh7h #
• 13:24 What is a good way to stream music from your blog? #
• 13:51 Just added myself to the wefollow.com twitter directory under: #guitar #marketing #workshop #
• 14:49 Trying to figure out how to spend a surplus in the advertising budget. #
• 20:02 RT @MusicDish: new article: Embracing Encouragement In the Music Community bit.ly/bSWvT #
• 20:17 @RichMurray You interested in checking out our workshop in Chicago? #

Lately there have been a few things that have really caught my interest and I wanted to pass them onto you.

Blogoholica: 360 Deals, iTunes, Nimbit, Radio & Lefsetz VS Simmons – Eric Hebert has written a great post essentially listing some more noteworthy music business items including free legal paperwork for a 360 deal and the great Bob Lefsetz battling Gene Simmons.

Involver Adds Automation to Facebook Page Management – If you manage any kind of Facebook “Fan” page, check out Involver’s new ways to make it better. (via Mashable)

Trent Reznor Discusses New Business Models and More.  Just great stuff.

I know by just reading the title of this post, many of you will have a preconcieved notion of what to expect.  Even I had to admit that I thought I knew what John Zorn was all about.

That is until I read the excellent JazzTimes cover story on Zorn written by Bill Milkowski.  This is easily one of the best interviews I have ever read.  I first heard Zorn’s Naked City album while an undergrad and at the time I was not ready for it (who really is?) but it was interesting to me because it featured one of my favorite guitarists, Bill Frisell.  It was like a bunch of jazz nerds got together and made an amazing heavy metal/hardcore album.  Since I was a metalhead back in the day, that was my “gateway drug” into the world of John Zorn.

With some casual searching on the web it is easy to see that Zorn is arguably one of the most prolific and diverse musicians EVER.  Who else could write an album of string quartets like Magick (2004) develop a unique sound like the aformentioned Naked City project in addition to leading a longstanding quartet (Masada) that performs traditional sacred Jewish music in a jazz context?

His skills as a composer and musician are well documented, but after reading this interview it totally dawned on me that Zorn is also an amazing entrepreneur and a leading advocate of artistic expression.

For example, consider the following:

• Since 1995, he has been the driving force behind Tzadik, a record label that although small is easily doing better than any of the major labels.
• He recently opened a non-profit music venue, The Stone, in the East Village in New York City.  As per the website:
  • All expenses are paid for by the MUSIC itself – through the online sale of special Limited Edition CDs released yearly on the Tzadik label. Each month a different musician is responsible for curating the programs with 100% of the nightly revenue going directly to the musicians.

To me, this should be the model for every music venue in the world.   For the last 35 years Zorn has been relentless in his approach, drive and vision.  His music might not reach everyone, but musicians and businessmen alike should look to him as a model of where the music industry is heading.  I hope that both Gary Vaynerchuk and Bob Lefsetz are paying attention to artists like Zorn, because I assure you he isn’t the least bit interested in what they (or you) are doing.

Via MusicianWages.com

MusicianWages.com, Music Careers at About.com and KnowtheMusicBiz.com are organizing a group blogging event for all music and musician bloggers. MW recently received a comment from a reader concerned about her teenage son’s file-sharing. We believe that this is a topic with as many answers as there are musicians and invite you to join us in a synchronized response.

If interested, please write a response to the following question and post it to your blog on April 16th, 2009.  Send an email to webmaster@musicianwages.com with the URL of your response and we will post a list with links to all of the participating blogs.

Suggested title: To a Mother Concerned About File-Sharing

I have a teenage son who tells me his pirating music is no big deal. Since he is a musician himself, I point out to him that someday that’s going to be his money people are stealing. But he remains unphased.

He tells me the record sales make money for the record label, not the artist. He says that the artists make all their money from touring and live concerts. He thinks the pirated music promotes the concerts and therefore helps the artist make more money. I still don’t allow pirating in my house.

But tell me what you think – as artists out there having your work “shared,” are you just glad to have it being enjoyed, or does it bother you? Admittedly, he is stealing music that is recorded by major record labels, so maybe its different than the independent musician working for his living. But I’d still like to hear what you think.

Thanks,
Valerie

I will be posting a response on the 16th.  Please pass this along to anyone you might think would like to take part.

I came across this earlier today.  One of the most ingenious ways to use the internet to make practice time more effective.

Gary Willis, who is a renowned bassist has a great flash website that will test the limits of your reading ability.

Check it out here.

Simply amazing.  It will give you a random line of pitches and suggested rhythms.  You can choose the frequency of sharps or flats and even use a predetermined range.

Make sure to pass this on to any of your students and friends!