Splits are these days one of the most important things that you can do in order to grow your band. I think for a long time a lot of people have felt that splits were really just the place of hardcore bands trying to cross-promote with their friends or simply just do a record with another band that they like in order to save costs. Yet as with most of the ideas in the hardcore scene we are starting to see the culture of splits starting to infect the rest of the underground music world and it’s a really good thing in my eyes. Splits are a great way to diversify markets, to reach out and try new ideas without committing yourself to a full record and even get a chance to work with new people. Look around at major bands in the heavy underground and you are starting to see splits left and right. There’s a reason for that. And while the profits aren’t as significant that’s okay in my eyes because there are a ton of other benefits, benefits that we are going to get into, as well as strategies for best marketing and creating your side of a split. Continue reading →
Gibson Brands and instruments, which started out as Gibson Guitars, synonymous with music, especially classic rock and metal for 116 years. is facing dire times and potential bankruptcy. They have had a series of financial setbacks that may force a sale or dissolution of the iconic brand. The brand also has an electronics arm and Baldwin Pianos.Continue reading →
The music industry has seen a lot of changes over the past twenty years, but one thing that hasn’t changed has been the presence of Season Of Mist. The independent label is celebrating twenty years of ruleage this year, and they want to send a special thank you to fans all over the world. Continue reading →
Legendary Los Angeles music studio and rehearsal space Alley Music Studios will be the focus of a documentary film, planned for release in 2016. Executive producer Todd Bellina and his team have been collecting footage, interviews with artists, and archival photos from the owners Bill and Shiloh Elkins, who have built and run the venerable studio used by a who’s who of headline acts for forty years, since opening its doors in 1973. The location continues to be a favorite of modern artists as well, as an alternative to the typical Hollywood studio experience.
The producers of the film have shared their synopsis of the film:
In the NoHo district of North Hollywood, California, quietly hidden behind a small burger joint, is a very unique and very special musical venue known as “The All3y”, a music rehearsal studio that has attracted some of the finest musical talent of the last four decades. From David Crosby to The Red Hot Chili Peppers to Jackson Brown and many more.
The Red Hot Chili Peppers, photo credit: Alley Music Studios
Photo credit: Alley Music Studios
Among the plans for the run up to the films’ release includes up to a 12-part mini series of episodes and live streaming. A partial past client list of the studio can be found on Alley Music Studios website, and some of these artists will be involved with the documentary:
David Lindley
Kiss
Deftones
The 4 Seasons
Ziggy Marley
Julian Casablancas And The Voidz
Lita Ford
Aimee Allen
The Black Crowes
John Bonham
Terry Bozzio
Jackson Browne
Lindsey Buckingham
Rosanne Cash
Stanley Clarke
Vinnie Colaiuta
Michael Des Barres Band
The Doobie Brothers
The Eagles
Melissa Etheridge
Little Feat
Bryan Ferry
Mick Fleetwood
Rayford Griffin
Joey Heredia
Red Hot Chili Peppers
Billy Idol
Etta James
Jim Keltner
Robby Krieger
Russ Kunkel
Jean Luc Ponty
Steve Lukather
The Meters
Rod Morgenstein
Steve Morse
Michael Mcdonald
Leo Nocentelli
System Of A Down
Nigel Olsson
Ozzy Osbourne
Gram Parsons
Missing Persons
Simon Phillips
Iggy Pop
Jeff Porcaro
Smashing Pumpkins
Bonnie Raitt
Billy Ray Cyrus
Chris Robinson Band
Linda Ronstadt
Katey Sagal
Carly Simon
Steve Smith
Steve Stevens
Mike Stinson
The Stooges
James Taylor
Stone Temple Pilots
Toto
Eddie Van Halen
Jack White
Lucinda Williams
Gary Wright
The Young Royals
Dweezil Zappa
Warren Zevon
The creators of the project are still seeking production partners, directors and contributors to the film of artists with memories of Alley Music Studios to share. You can contact them here:
Long running specialty metal label Century Media Records has been acquired by Sony Music Entertainment for 17 Million dollars. Although not yet confirmed by the label themselves, this news has been long rumored and now reported by Music Business Worldwide, a reputable industry source of news.
Launching the careers of countless commercial and critically successful rock and metal groups, the label was founded in 1988 by Robert Kampf with co-owner Oliver Withöft coming on a year and a half later. Withöft died in 2014.
Century Media’s parent company, The Century Family has several sub-labels under its umbrella such as Another Century, InsideOut Music, People Like You, and Superball.
GWAR’s Dr. Michael “Blothar” Bishop gave an independently organized TED Talk in Richmond, VA last week. Bishop, who teaches at University of Virginia, is best known in GWAR as the original Beefcake The Mighty, but has had other musical projects such as Kepone and Misery Brothers. The main topic of the talk was “How Was GWAR Was Representative Of The Culture of Richmond, Virginia”. You can see the video at this link or below:
Dr. Michael Bishop as Blothar of GWAR, photo by Meg Loyal Photography
GWAR is prepping their annual GWAR B-Q in Richmond this coming weekend. You can still get tickets for the event at this link: http://gwarbq.com/buy-tickets
Aimed at bringing together a cross-section of the best of the music industry in the UK, Rockcomm London is launching their inaugural conference June 8th and 9th. Many panelists and presenters have been announced including Billy Anderson (CEO TeamRock), Scott Rowley (Editorial Director TeamRock/Classic Rock/Metal Hammer/Prog Magazine), Horace Trubridge (Assistant General Musicians Union), Mike Weatherley MP – Advisor to the Prime Minister & Founder of Rock the House,Dan Tobin (A&R Director Earache Records), Thomas Caser (Vice President Napalm Records),Dante Bonutto (Label/A&R Manager Spinefarm Records), Mark Palmer (Managing Director UKNuclear Blast Records), Rob Ferguson (Owner Transcend Music), Arthur Brown(Singer/Artist), John Davis (Owner Chic Festivals, Hammerfest, Hard Rock Hell), Ian Richards (Promoter Academy Music Group), Kai Harris (Director Advance Promotions/Takedown Festival), Paul Ryan (Vice President The Agency Group), Adam Saunders (Senior Booking Agent X Ray Touring) and many more.
The events organizer Seven Webster from 7pm Management remarked about the conference:
“With so many great rock music based companies from across the World wanting to be involved in our inaugural event it has made sense for us to extend the event into two full days and give everyone in attendance an even more rewarding overall experience as well as offering more opportunities and time to network which is the conferences primary objective.”
Belgian label Tanquam Aegri Somnia is now officially a sub label of Kaotoxin Records, bringing more impressive, dark, intense and heavy artists to the world, such as Cult Of Erinyes, Merda Mundi, Yhdarl and Zifir.
To celebrate the deal, the label is teaming up with Merda Mundi to bring you a brand new free digital EP Ilwcas, featuring a song from VI (“Khaos”) and a previously unreleased Anaal Nathrakh cover version, which can be downloaded here. VI will be released on July 7, 2015 in North America and July 6, 2015 for the rest of the world.
Finnish symphonic metallers Nightwish have sold 18, 342 copies of their new album Endless Forms Most Beautiful in its first week of sales in the United States and hit #34 on Billboard US Top 200. The album was produced by Tero “TeeCee” Kinnunen and the album features the participation of London’s The Metro Voices choir group, London’s Young Musicians Children‘s Choir, and the Orchestre De Grandeur led by the esteemed orchestral arranger Pip Williams, who teaches Music and Music Technology at the London College of Music. Professor Richard Dawkins not only narrates the introduction to the album’s opener, “Shudder Before The Beautiful,” but also the album’s closer, “The Greatest Show On Earth,” which takes its name from his 2009 book on evolution.
They will be out on tour with Sabaton and Delain across North America and dates are posted here.
NIGHTWISH members include:
Floor Jansen – Vocals Tuomas Holopainen – Keyboards Marco Hietala – Bass & Vocals Emppu Vuorinen – Guitar Troy Donockley – Pipes, Flutes, Whistles Kai Hahto – Drums
earMUSIC, the international record company of Edel Group has signed an exclusive US distribution deal with Entertainment One. Their release schedule has been announced with the following:
May 12: Deep Purple – Long Beach 1971 Angra – Secret Garden SOTO – Inside the Vertigo
