Give the Gift of Music with Starr

I have blogged about Judd Starr before and talked about how great his music is. Right now is an awesome time for you to check out Judd Starr. CD Baby is temporarily offering both "Spirit and Skin" and "Luminescent" CD's for only $9.99 each. Also if you order 2 you also get 20% off your order.

These CDs would make great gifts for any music lover and at the price now being offered at CD Baby you can’t pass it up so head over there now and get your own copy of either "Spirit and Skin" and "Luminescent" or better yet pick up each. Make sure to buy for those music lover’s on your list too.

Go here to check out Judd Starr if you aren't familiar with his music.




Off Topic – Click to get barcode scanners

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

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





Off Topic – In Need of assistance with your diet. Check out these diet pills.

Judd Starr - Download a free song

More news about Judd Starr. If you still haven't checked Judd Starr out then now might be the perfect time for you to do so. Judd is going to be sending out a Newsletter for those who want to recieve it and now if you go and sign up to get the newsletter you can also get a free download of his Song "What if I'm Fine' off his new CD "Spirit and Skin ". "What If I'm Fine" is currently the #1 song on the PMC Top 10. For those of you who are not familar with The PMC it is sort of the "Billboard" of internet music sites and podcasts. They keep track of which songs are being played the most on these internet sites and they have over 100,000 listeners, including listeners on FM radio. So now is great time to check out Judd Starr and get a free song download while you are at it. What if I'm Fine is my Favorite song off the albumand I am sure you will love it to.

Judd Starr Spirit and Skin

Some of you familiar with my blog or my other writings may already know about Judd Starr. But what you may not know (or those new to this blog may not have heard of him) is that Judd has a new album out. Spirit and Skin, the CD is filled with great music by Judd so please check him out today. www.myspace.com/juddstarrmusic www.juddstarr.com

Judd Starr Interview

Yesterday I posted that I had a interview with Judd Starr it has now been published.

Interview with Judd Starr
A Musician with More Than Just a Wonderful Voice
By Cindy Wright
You may not have heard of Judd Starr yet. I had not heard of him until a few days ago. I found the video "Firefly" and it caught my attention so much that I was immediately interested in finding out more about Judd Star. I wanted to share this music with more people.
Here is some background information about Judd Starr before we get to the interview. Judd Starr writes, plays all the instruments, mixed and recorded each song on his CD "Luminescent". Judd has recorded music that has appeared on MTV and NBC television shows as well as movies and more. Judd's fans or supporters, (which is what he prefers to call them), support him completely. One such supporter said something to me that I think sums up perfectly what his supporters think of Judd Starr, as a musician and how he treats those who support him. I am sure she does not mind me quoting her; Debbie said this about Judd "This man is VERY devoted; he knows each of us and is grateful for the support and friendship. I love him, so many of my friends are now his friends and fans and many have become Judd addicts and have purchased his album. By the way, it is VERY good; He is truly a music genius."

When did you get started with music?

Judd - Probably 9 or 10 years old, I remember teaching myself the piano (we had a really beaten-up piano with broken keys), figuring-out which keys sounded good together, etc. Then at about 11 years old, I took 2 tape recorders, which were lying around the house, taped myself playing the piano on one, then recorded myself singing on the other, back and forth....so I was laying tracks without even knowing it. My mom and dad were pretty shocked when they heard it. I still remember the song. That eventually led to my first professional recording at 14.

What inspires you to write your songs?

Judd - Knowing there are people interested in listening to what I do. That inspires me.

Which song on Luminescent is your favorite?

Judd - Aside from "Firefly" I think "Anything" or "The Letter".

Read the rest here.

Taylor Hicks Thursday

It’s Thursday, which means it is Taylor Hicks Day here at “Live.” Taylor is on hiatus, taking a well deserved break and writing music for his second CD. Because of this there isn’t much new news to report about Taylor. So I’ve been thinking what I want to discuss about Taylor Hicks.

Music is something that we can all relate to. We may not all like the same artists however we all know we could not live without music. Different moods make us want to listen to different types of music. How do we find out the new artists that are out there? Most of us rely on radio and television to show us new talent. This is how I had been my whole life.

Then when Taylor was discovered because of American Idol, I went on line to see if I could find some more information about him. I found out he had 2 Independent CDS. “The Fall” was the first song that I listened to of Taylor’s pre-idol music. It has been my fav ever since. I also love “Heart and Soul”, “The Deal”, “Hell of a Day” and “Soul Thing.”

Then I started wondering how I had never heard of Taylor Hicks before. The songs on “In Your Time” and “Under the Radar” are great. Taylor’s voice is one of the best voices I have ever heard. The record producers just ignored Taylor, for ten years he pounded on doors trying to get someone to just give him a chance, to let America hear his voice. We all know this did not happen. Until the day he walked into American Idol. The judges passed him through long enough to where America got to vote. We the listening audience knew Taylor was just what the music world had been waiting for. He was a change that we had been waiting for and we proved it each week, voting for him until he won the show.

So after all this I realized if all I did was listen to radio and television waiting for them to introduce to the next great person I might be waiting for along time. I knew Taylor Hicks had been out their performing and he had a fan base before he even went on Idol. I just had never heard of him until AI. That’s when I realized if I wanted to discover music that I truly enjoyed and was not force fed on me by radio stations playing their choices over and over, I was going to have to find the music myself.

I started looking on Myspace for Indie artists, or just those I had never heard before. Over the past year and a half since Taylor’s win I have found some artists that I truly enjoy and am so glad to have discovered them. Such as Ross Copperman The Hughes
Relient K and most recently Judd Starr, who I just interviewed and the interview will be published soon. Below you will see his video “Firefly.” I really love this video and his other songs on his CD. I am sure if you go searching for undiscovered or not highly promoted artists you will find some great new music to add to your own play list.