By now you’ve probably read a myriad of articles with individuals who claim to have all of the answers and secrets to getting your songs heard and cut – for a price of course. I will not claim to have all of the answers and neither will I promise you fame and fortune, but I will give you some solid advice as to how to get your songs heard. As a former talent booking agent with the William Morris Agency, I can attest to the number of individuals out there who really don’t have a clue as to how to not only write and produce their song demos, but how to market their songs and themselves as viable acts. Let’s look at some key ideas that I’m sure will help you and hopefully further your writing career.

As we say at ReelMusician.com, a song worth hearing is a song worth [...] Continue Reading…

Starting her music career at a tender age of 8, Lara Fabian knew that she would become a singer one day. She also emphasized this on her show From Lara with Love, broadcasted by PBS, when she told the audience about her encounter one day when she drove with her dad and vocalized exceptional high notes she heard on the radio, without any problems.
It is not everyday you get such a talented, vibrant person and it is these artists that fans love all over the world. She has a beautiful voice, a beautiful face and a beautiful personality. Everything you need to become famous, and famous Lara became.

Yet her name is not a household name like Celine Dion or Enrique Iglesias, but she has all the talents these great performers have. She is frequently compared to Celine Dion but just like Celine, she also performed the soundtracks of movies [...] Continue Reading…

This is the perfect playlist for HALLOWEEN!

I figured these tracks would work great for this time of year when everyone gets dressed up and goes out to parties or trick or treating. I figured a mostly electronica mix would work great so this is what I have come up with.

I start things off with The Hacker of Miss Kittin and The Hacker fame. It’s a great spooky, dark track of minimal electro sounds that The Hacker is known for. The album comes off of his latest release Reves Mecanique. Those of you who are Miss Kittin fans can also find a track that she guests on.

I then head off to the Campy Industrial sounds of My Life With The Thrill Kill Kult. This track comes off of the Confessions Of A Knife album and it’s a great track in this mix. It works perfectly as it has the sampled [...] Continue Reading…

It’s been said that you achieve true fame if the world knows you by just one name. Madonna Louise Cicccone, or else Madonna, kept just one name but reinvented her image countless times, becoming one of the most successful performers of all times. Educated in Catholic schools as a child, Madonna danced her way to a four year scholarship at the University of Michigan and then New York’s Alvin Ailey School.

After recording her debut album in 1983, her rise was meteoric, aided by the popularity of MTV, as she shocked and dared the public with her visible black lacy brassieres, bare midriff, outspokenness about virginity, abortion and out-of-wedlock births.

Madonna was born in Bay City, Michigan, the eldest of eight children (surely an error here as she is the eldest daughter, but third eldest child). Her father, Tony, was an engineer at Chrysler, her mother, whose name she was given, [...] Continue Reading…

Learning how to play guitar can be rewarding in numerous alternative ways. Learning this skill will give you a sense of accomplishment. You can play at different events and occasions, it can even help you make some money when you become experienced. New guitarists should know that there isn’t any straightforward way in learning the way to play. You have to practice regularly, and it takes patience. It does not come easily, but you shouldn’t get frustrated, this new skill will develop over time.First comes first. Buying a guitar can be confusing and overwhelming. You should go to a music shop and pick them up and hold them try to choose one that feels comfortable and if you still can’t decide talk to the shop assistant and see if they have any tips and tricks for picking the right guitar. Don’t be fooled by the price tag most of [...] Continue Reading…

The kind of music that refers to a style of electronics dance music is known as house music. The earliest form of house music was played in the early to mid 1980’s. House music was developed by club DJs in the city of Chicago in United States. The influence of certain elements like the funk infused dance music style and disco style can be seen heavily in house music.

The origin of the name house music is uncertain. Some suggest that the name is derived from the name of the club called The Warehouse. In the late 70’s and early 80’s warehouse parties that were held underground were very popular in the city of Chicago. Now one of these underground parties that were frequented mostly by Latino and black gay man was known as the warehouse.

The Dj at The Warehouse Frankie Knuckles mixed European synthpop music with mixed classic disco [...] Continue Reading…

Having played the guitar for over 20 years, the one question I most often get asked is what is the best place to get online guitar lessons for beginners?

When I first started out playing the guitar I taught myself but soon moved on to guitar lessons.

I was fortunate to have a friend’s father down the street that showed me several chords and some basic technique.

I listened to CDs, to find out what my favourite bands were doing and had some success with this but it was very limited.

Of course there are much easier ways to learn the guitar today, when I started, by using books and fumbling around and learning what I could as fast as I could.

But now when I’m asked what is the easiest way to learn guitar, particularly for online guitar lessons for beginners. there are more options today. You have the traditional method of [...] Continue Reading…

As a jingle singer myself, singing on numerous commercials such as FOX TV, UPN, O’Charleys and many others, and as a former talent booking agent with the William Morris Agency booking many a household name artist, I have concluded that there are many reasons to strategize in background vocals as opposed to an actual artist career.

The reasons are many, but mainly because, like many of us, I like creature comforts. I like knowing what bed I am sleeping in, or the comfort that I am watching TV at night sitting on my own sofa. Sound shallow or superficial? – I don’t know, but what I do know, is that I have enjoyed a career in background vocals since my early teens when I started singing radio spots and continue enjoying session work to this day.

As you begin to ponder while reading this article, trying to figure out your own [...] Continue Reading…

One of the best instruments to learn when you want to make music is the guitar. But how would one go about learning to play this instrument? Well, you have three choices – pay a personal guitar teacher, buy a guitar learning book, and use guitar lesson video downloads.Click Here For Guitar Super Stars Instant Access Now!The problem with paying for personal lesson is that it can be very expensive in the long run. In addition, you may find it difficult to fit the lessons into your day’s schedule since you have to fix the exact time of the lessons with your teacher way ahead of time. With guitar teaching books, the problem is that it is just impossible to learn an instrument by reading about it. You have to near the notes being played, hear the rhythm, and see the hand move from one chord to the next [...] Continue Reading…

In the beginning, hip hop was nothing more then a positive movement for those in a negative struggle. The beats were infectious yet simple, the rhymes were elementary yet profound. The pioneers of the hip hop culture gave the urban centers a gift. A gift that was intended to be used as a platform for the poor and hopeless! Hip hop was something pure and innocent that wasn’t meant to be commercialized nor was it meant to be abused with profanity and vulgarities. I often wonder what the pioneers of this industry think when they see their gift not only being abused but also neglected and sold to the highest bidder. Hip hop is at a stage where it is as successful as it has ever been yet the people who have followed it since the beginning are not joyful.

Let’s face it! Money is the bottom line in every [...] Continue Reading…