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How the Internet Changed Music

The internet is a huge place. There are no limits on where you can visit or what you can discover with the internet as your guide. The internet has changed music and continues to change it more every day. Before the internet and sites such as Face Book, MySpace, Live Journal and Yahoo Groups to name just a few getting your music out to those who would enjoy and appreciate it consisted of relying on a record contract or doing live gigs and getting a following that way. With the internet you can post your music online and get it out to many more people. Even if you do not have a record deal you can still get a large fan base that love and appreciate what you do. The internet has changed music so much.

The artist can interact more with their supporters though blogging, emails, journal entries and so many more ways. You build a more intimate relationship with you fans with the help of the internet than ever before. The fans feel more connected to the artist and are very supportive of everything they do. It almost builds a friendship of sorts between the artist and the fans. An artist who spends their time building the fan base and devoting some of their free time becoming personally involved on some level with the fans reaps the benefits for the rest of their career.

Many artists use the internet for this very purpose. For examples I will name a few that I follow.

To read the rest of the article go here

JOOST LAUNCHES WEB-BASED VIDEO SERVICE WITH COMMUNITY FEATURES

Most internet users are familar with YouTube and Gofish. These are great places to find videos on all sorts of subject matter. Joost is a new Flash-based, download-free global web video service. Check out the Press Release below.



JoostTM today launched its new Flash-based, download-free global web video service at www.joost.com. In addition, Joost features a number of social tools which are designed to help people navigate through the largest online library of legal video programming and to integrate user expression directly into the service.



“People have always relied on their friends’ recommendations to figure out which movies they want to watch, or talked about their favorite TV shows and moments with friends and colleagues – and now Joost has combined those real-life experiences in one online destination,” said Mike Volpi, CEO, Joost. “Our integrated social tools make it easier than ever for people to find the shows, film and music they want to watch, and to form communities around that content, which ultimately enriches their overall experience.”



The new website features a number of ways that people can interact with video and with other people on Joost: they can voice their opinions about video through comments, “shouts” or tags; they can find out what their friends are watching by adding friends through most major online webmail services via the Friends section; or they may interact with others in the Joost community through groups around their favorite shows, characters or artists.



Also new is the JoostFeed, which aggregates all of the activities that are happening on Joost in order to help guide a person’s Joost experience. The JoostFeed is viewable on Joost or can be exported to any online social tool or website. Joost also is working with a number of third-party platforms, including Boxee, chumby, Delicious, Digg, FriendFeed, Lifestream, Meebo, Mister Wong, Netlog, Netvibes, reddit and VideoSurf, to make it easier for people to use and access Joost across the web. In addition, Joost will implement Facebook Connect, which allows people to enjoy Joost within the context of their real identity and friendships on Facebook.



Today, Joost has more than 46,000 professionally-produced videos for a total of more than 8,000 hours of video entertainment. Some of Joost’s partners include CBS (Entertainment, News and Sports, and classic library content), Showtime, Last.fm, Wallstrip, Moblogic; Viacom, including Atom, BET, CMT, Comedy Central, LOGO, MTV, The N, Nickelodeon, Spike and VH1 programming; television series and full-length feature films from Sony Pictures Television; and the Warner Bros. Television Group, which is partnering with Joost on three branded channels in the U.S.: The WB (featuring complete episodes of hit series, including “Friends,” and original digital productions from TheWB.com), Classic WB TV (boasting full-length episodes of classic favorites from the Warner Bros. collection of series) and WB Sci Fi Fix (featuring complete episodes of the Studio’s most popular science fiction titles).



Since January 1, 2008, the number of videos available on Joost has nearly doubled, while the total number of hours has increased by more than 50 percent. Significantly, Joost’s music catalog now includes more than 18,000 music videos from major record labels as well as a number of independent labels.



In addition to the new social tools, Joost has implemented a new programming guide which organizes content into three main categories: Shows, Music and Film. Shows are divided into nine main genres – action and sports; animation; comedy; culture and style; drama, docs and reality TV; news and gossip; science fiction and horror; sexy; and tech and gaming – and then further classified into subgenres, like anime in the case of animation, or retro TV in the case of comedy. Music and film titles are classified by genre, such as pop for music or drama for films.



About Joost

Founded by Janus Friis and Niklas Zennström, Joost brings video and social interaction together online. All of the video on Joost is professionally produced and streams on-demand to people around the world for free in a high-quality format. Today, Joost has more than 40,000 program elements, including more than 400 television series and 1,200 movie and short film titles. For more information, visit www.joost.com.







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What is Indie?

Wednesday is Indie Day here at Live Mic. Yesterday however I did not have time to create a post. I had a car accident the first part of September and I just finally got my car settlement money yesterday. I spent all day and evening looking for a car. I found a great little 1995 Chevy Beretta. Since I was not able to make the post yesterday, today is Indie Day. Do you know what Indie is? Do you know what the downside and the upside is to being an Independent artist is? Well there is a very informative documentary that will answer all these questions for you. So for your viewing pleasure today watch the Trailer for the movie “What is Indie?”





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Independant Music

Up until a couple years ago I knew next to nothing about music. I knew what I liked but that was all I knew. I had no clue when a artist I liked had a CD coming out. I only knew when it came out. (sometimes) I didn’t know what it took to get a song to be played on radio. I thought if a person released a new Album then their music would be on the radio. I thought a Independent artist was someone who wasn’t any good and tried to sell their music to a few who might like it. I was so very wrong.

Once I became a fan of Taylor Hicks I realized if it had not been for American Idol I would not have a clue who Taylor Hicks was and I would be missing out on some great music from a man with a Great voice. It was then I decided to start looking around for artists that were doing it on their own. Realizing I was probably missing out on some great music by not broadening my search for music.

I also now know that being an Independent artist is a good thing if you can get your music promoted and out to your fans. You get to keep the money you make, it doesn’t go to a huge record label and you can decide how your music gets out there.

American Idol Season 5 winner Taylor Hicks recently announced his move to the Independent market below is the press release.

Taylor Hicks Exclusively Partners With A2M to Release Album, Due Winter 2009
Birthday Boy Hicks Signs Cutting Edge Deal Unlike Any Other Idol

By: PR Newswire
Oct. 7, 2008 09:01 AM

LOS ANGELES, Oct. 7 /PRNewswire/ -- He's "Takin' It to the Streets" on "American Idol" -- now Season 5 winner Taylor Hicks will be takin' it more directly to the people. Celebrating his birthday today, Hicks has tapped the independent artist services company Artist To Market (A2M) to release his much-buzzed-about new album, due in stores on February 10, 2009. The platinum-selling singer-songwriter will be releasing the new title with complete control of direction and ownership of his masters on his solely owned and operated, Modern Whomp Records label. Hicks is currently in the studio with producer Simon Climie (Eric Clapton, Carlos Santana, Faith Hill).

"In this digital age, when artists can connect more directly with audiences, this is a partnership that makes a lot of sense," says Hicks. "I'm very much enjoying being in the studio with Simon working on the new album and look forward to releasing it through A2M early next year."

"We at A2M are very excited to be working with the team at Modern Whomp Records on this release," said Paul Ignasinski, General Manager of A2M. "As the industry continues to evolve, it's exciting to see significant artists approach the marketplace in a new way, and truly take control over their own destiny. This is exactly why A2M was built in the first place -- to provide a service platform for these artists to prosper on their own terms."

During the last two years, Taylor Hicks has seen his self-titled Arista debut album certified platinum, performed with the likes of Willie Nelson, Widespread Panic, The Allman Brothers and Jackson Browne, toured through Asia, penned the brisk-selling Random House memoir Heart Full of Soul, spent time in NY this past summer for his three-month Broadway debut as "Teen Angel" in Grease, and will take Grease on a national tour beginning December 1.

In August Hicks' Modern Whomp Records released Early Works (a reissue compilation of his two independent albums, In Your Time and Under the Radar) through the Welk Music Group. Hicks is also planning the release of Whomp at the Warfield, a DVD showcasing a live performance by Hicks and his band at the Warfield Theater in San Francisco.

About Artist To Market Distribution:

Launched in 2005, Artist To Market Distribution (A2M) is an independent music distributor and artist services company designed to work directly with artists, labels, and content owners to streamline the supply chain, provide flexible service solutions, and deliver new product to the marketplace at a lower cost. Over the past two years A2M has partnered with a diverse group of platinum and multi-platinum artists including Dolly Parton, Tracy Lawrence, Tommy Lee, John Michael Montgomery, Sinead O'Connor, Unwritten Law, and Tracy Byrd, in addition to critically-acclaimed newcomers, The Cool Kids. More information can be found at http://www.artist2market.com.

SOURCE Taylor Hicks

http://uk.sys-con.com/node/701997
So in honor of Independent music I have included some videos from some great Independent artists. First is Taylor Hicks song The Fall off his pre-idol independent album In Your Time.
Taylor Hicks – The Fall


Toby Lightman- Holding me Down





Jonalee White – I Break



Have a Little Faith



Judd Starr Firefly





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Indie Wednesday - Phillip Meredith

Indie Wednesday’s is back. Each week I will feature an Indie artist that I feel has that something special to make it in the business. This Indie Wednesday my Indie Artist choice is Phillip Meredith. I found out about Phillip today when I got a request to add him to a fan site at my MySpace that I take care of. I went and checked out this guy. I am very glad I did. I love country music and Phillip’s music and voice is wonderful. I love what I am hearing. I think we will defiantly hear much more of Phillip Meredith in the country music genre and I for one cannot wait. Go check out Phillip’s MySpace now.


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Top Selling Super Group of Summer 2008

Live Mic is all about the concert experience and live music. With that theme in mind I decided to see who the top selling concert tour was this summer. Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers won the title. They earned over $32 million dollars. They were also the only super group touring this year that sold past the 30 million mark according to Pollstar. So below check out 3 videos of the number one selling band this summer, Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers.









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It’s time for a commercial break.

Cell Phones are great but it seems like you always lose your signal when you need it the most. The other day my car broke down and I could not get a signal on my cell. I had to walk to a stranger’s house to use their phone. That is the main reason I got a cell phone I did not want to have to ever walk to a strangers house to use a phone. So now I am looking into getting a cell signal booster. If anyone knows a good one to get please let me know. Once I get one I will let you all know how much it improves the signal of my cell. Now back to your regularly scheduled music blogging.