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CONTENTS Notes from homebase > 3 Sponsored Events 4 Calendar of Events/Featured Event 5 Songsalive! Opportunities 6 Chapter News 7 More Chapter News 8 Songsalive! News/On Our Forums 9 Songsalive! Backstage 10 Member of the Month 11 Featured Partner 12 Get Involved 13 Back page
Welcome to the October 2011 edition of Songnotes! We hope everyone’s fall is off to a great start! We have some fantastic sponsored events coming up this month. The Independent Music Conference takes place Oct. 21- 23rd, and the Billboard and Hollywood Reporter Film & TV Music Conference is happening Oct. 24-25th. Songsalive! is also proud to be a sponsor of the International Songwriting Competition (ISC). Also, check out page 4 of Songnotes to see all of our Songsalive! events taking place this month. Applications are now open for our Songsalive! CD Sampler 12, and we have a new program called SongCollab, which is for PRO Members to work/collaborate with other Songsalive! members from around the world. Our Member of the Month is Magazine Gap, whose new CD is entitled “Light & Shade.” Our Partner of the Month is Musician’s Atlas, who is offering a special discount to Songsalive! members. In this issue, you can read event reviews from each of the Songsalive! Chapters. You can also find out about features on our new website, as well as what is going on Backstage. If you have any questions or comments about the new changes taking place, feel free to email me at songsalivepr@gmail.com. Have a great month! Mary Lemanski Communications Manager
Songnotes is designed, edited and published this month by Mary Lemanski. We tend to spread the workload around each time.
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IndieGate.com is proud to present the
SPONSORED EVENTS
at Musicians Institute 6752 Hollywood Blvd, Los Angeles, CA, Oct. 21-23, 2011 Founded in 2002, the IMC has been presented eleven times in cities all over the U.S. including Philadelphia, Dallas, Charleston, Northampton and Los Angeles. Songsalive! has been involved since its inception. Come to the LA IMC and see Songsalive! President Gilli Moon speak on panels, visit the Songsalive! booth, and meet fabulous artists and music industry representatives. More information at www.songsalive.org/sponsoredevents.htm The International Songwriting Competition (ISC) is now accepting entries for the 2011 competition. Now is your chance to enter what the NY Times calls “the songwriting competition to take note of� with $150,000 (US) in cash and prizes - including $25,000 (US) cash for the grand prize winner alone and the best judges for any songwriting competition worldwide. Judges for 2011 include: My Morning Jacket, Tom Waits, Tori Amos, Jeff Beck, Massive Attack, Kelly Clarkson, Wynonna and record label executives- both major and independent. .
The Hollywood Reporter and Billboard join forces to deliver a cuttingedge, two-day seminar on the role of music in film and television. Now in it's 10th year, this Conference offers attendees the unique opportunity to learn from, network and expose their music directly to the best music supervisors, composers, directors, music editors, songwriters and producers in the business. The event also provides a dynamic forum for the exchange of ideas - featuring roundtable discussions and other networking cocktail parties and sessions. The conference will take place on October 24-25th at the Renaissance Hollywood Hotel. 1755 N. Highland Ave. - Hollywood, CA 90028
More information at www.songsalive.org/sponsoredevents.htm
More information at www.songsalive.org/sponsoredevents.htm
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CALENDAR OF EVENTS Wednesday, October 5 6:30pm Long Island Songsalive! Workshop
FEATURED UPCOMING SONGSALIVE! EVENT SONGSALIVE! LOS ANGELES PICNIC & SONG CIRCLE
Thursday, October 6 7:00pm San Francisco Songsalive! Showcase Saturday, October 8 11:30am Chicago Songsalive! Songwriter Song Critique Tuesday, October 11 8:30pm New York Songsalive! Showcase & Open Mic
Sunday, October 16 12:00pm Los Angeles Songsalive! Workshop Monday, October 17 6:00pm Las Vegas Workshop Tuesday, October 18 7:30pm Orange County Songsalive Showcase 8:30pm New York Songsalive! Showcase & Open Mic Friday, October 21-23 Sponsored Event: Independent Music Conference
WHEN: SUNDAY, OCTOBER 16, 2011 TIME: Starts @12:00 noon WHERE: Sherman Oaks Park 14201 Huston Street Sherman Oaks, CA 91423 (off Hazeltine) Come join us in our Songsalive! Fall PICNIC where musicians and songwriters can get together and have a casual music and song circle. Others welcome of course. This is where we can jam together, present live songs and lock into making relationships with others in our group. Also a great way to ask questions about Songsalive! and how we can help you with your songs. What to bring to the OCTOBER PICNIC: Bring your own picnic lunch, (and food to share), picnic blankets, instruments (note there is no power at this stage so come self-sustaining). Guitars/percussion/voices all welcome. Anybody have a CD player on batteries? This could be great too, to share songs. See our Events page at www.songsalive.org for more details
Monday, October 24-25 Sponsored Event: Billboard & The Hollywood Reporter Film & TV Music Conference www.songsalive.org/events.htm for Calendar and Upcoming Events www.songsalive.org/chapters.htm for details on our Chapters.
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Opportunities SONGSALIVE! OPPORTUNITIES
NEW SONGSALIVE! PROGRAM: SongCollab Our SongCollab Program is an opportunity for Pro Members to work/collaborate with other Songsalive! members from around the world on new song ideas and music projects.
In the SongCollab Forum, you ask (create a 'Question') for what you are looking for (composer, lyricist, singer, partner); talk about yourself and where you are from; and members can post their interest in working with you AS WELL AS Songsalive! helping to link you up with the right people. You can read more about this program under 'Programs.' Others can post their interest to your initial post. Once you have posted in the Forum, Songsalive! will get in touch and provide personalized assistance and support in creating collaborations between our members. More about SongCollab under 'Programs' www.songsalive.org/songcollab.htm And to get started, Log in as a Pro Member to our Forums: www.songsalive.org/forums/ PERFORM AT A SONGSALIVE! SHOWCASE
Applications open for CD Sampler 12 Songsalive!, the largest international non-profit organization supporting songwriters and composers, is now accepting submissions for its twelfth compilation CD Sampler aptly called Songsalive! CD Sampler 12. The Songsalive! CD Sampler series is a cost-effective, highprofile medium for songwriters to reach the music industry worldwide. The submission deadline in Nov. 4, 2011 More information at www.songsalive.org/ cdsamplerapplication.htm
Songsalive! Showcases are around the world and are the best kept secret in discovering the latest talent. Perform at a Songsalive! Showcase near you or on your tour.
APPLY NOW www.songsalive.org/showcaseapp.htm (Pro Members click on Backstage)
www.songsalive.org/chapters.htm
More details about Showcases on our Programs page www.songsalive.org/programs.htm or find a Chapter Group near you and see their Showcase details www.songsalive.org/chapters.htm
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CHAPTER NEWS REVIEWS OF RECENT EVENTS
OUR CHAPTER NEWS
Songsalive! Chicago September Showcase – On September 22nd, the Chicago chapter of Songsalive! held their bi-monthly showcase at the Heartland Cafe. We had three wonderful songwriters perform. Mary Lemanski performed a set of high energy pop-rock tunes on her keyboard, accompanied by a drum machine. Simeon Peebler, who has an incredibly beautiful voice, played an enjoyable set of folk-rock on his acoustic guitar. Finally, Joe Nelson and his band blew the roof off the place with their awesome alternative rock. The audience loved it, and everyone raved about what a great organization Songsalive! is! Songsalive! September Las Vegas Workshop – At the September Songsalive! Las Vegas Workshop, Jamie Hosmer was just wonderful in explaining how to “network” to stay “working” in the industry. He gave some tips on the do’s and don’ts of how to handle difficult situations and how to always think outside the box when being offered opportunities in the industry that may or may not be your actual “job title”. He shared some stories of his working experiences in the past, and we then had an opportunity to go around the room and ask each attendee what it was that they loved about music and why they came to Songsalive. It was a perfect evening of getting to know the members that were there and diving deeper into the songwriter’s mindset. After the workshop, Jamie invited us over to The Palms Casino to hear him perform with Santa Fe later that evening. It was a great night and a few celebrity singers stopped in to perform with the group. One of the lead singers from Tower of Power just happened to be in the audience and sang a few songs with the group. It was a very fun evening.
Songsalive! September L.A. Workshop – The September 2011 LA Workshop had a unique event with Giilli Moon presenting her Rockstar Performance Workshop - a hands-on tutorial for songwriters on how to perform their songs - from booking the gig, set-up, to the dynamics of performance. Every songwriter should take this workshop! Songsalive! September Orange County Showcase – A pair of familiar faces and veteran performers came up on our stage at this month's Songsalive! Orange County Showcase on Sept. 20th -- joined by a third! Gil Hager began with his bluesy bluster, joined on stage by Jimi Yamagishi playing... well, just about everything, including kazoo! They sounded great together, even as Gil took things off into some pretty exotic tunings! Following Gil and Jimi, Kip Corley got up on stage with his gorgeous 12-string guitar, and gave us all a spirited performance with his smooth and passionate voice, taking us from sad to silly and back again. It was an evening of fine music and fancy black hats for everyone. Songsalive! September Chicago Workshop – Songsalive! Chicago hosted a fun workshop on September 10th. Five people shared their songs, and the feedback each received was constructive and very helpful. In place of a guest speaker, we worked through a songwriting exercise using a "Love Song Template." We wrote a verse and chorus together. It was a fun exercise, and many people said that they would finish their own version of the song for next time. Great workshop!
www.songsalive.org/chapters.htm
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MORE CHAPTER NEWS REVIEWS OF RECENT EVENTS
OUR CHAPTER NEWS
Songsalive! Long Island September Workshop – The Songsalive! Long Island Workshop on September 7th was by far the BEST event out of the 5 that we’ve had so far. It was well attended and very well received by everyone. One person who attended, Mark, was a phenomenal piano player/composer, and he added a lot to the overall workshop. He explained a lot about music and theory and was very helpful in passing along his knowledge to everyone at the workshop. Songsalive! San Francisco September Showcase – Songalive! is running a San Francisco showcase series every first Thursday of the month, currently held at Velo Rouge Cafe in San Francisco, CA hosted by local artist Katie Garibaldi, which features Songsalive! members performing outstanding original acoustic music. The most recent showcase took place on September 1, with local artist Deborah Crooks filling in as host and Redwood City's Paul Fifield and Southern California songwriter Mike V featuring. Mike V and Paul both played 40+ minute sets of originals on their respective acoustic guitars to an appreciate audience. Mike V emphazised the blues-rock side of the music spectrum during his set while Paul held up the heartfelt, literate songwriter tradition. All of the artists were well received by their listeners and mingled with the audience after the show.
www.songsalive.org/chapters.htm
Songsalive! L.A. September Showcase – The Los Angeles Songsalive! showcase at Hallenbecks on Sept. 2nd had a great lineup with some of the best Songsalive! Songwriters in town. This was an evening featuring wonderful original songs from John Stowers, Deanna Pino, James Hurley, and Tracy Newman and the Reinforcements. Each of the artists premiered new songs to the delight of all who came. This showcase is known for quality and we continued in that tradition to a good turnout.. Most of the audience stayed to the end and there was a big buzz in the room when we were done. Another great night of music! Songsalive! Orange County September Workshop – An unplanned patriotic theme at the September 25th Songsalive Orange County Songwriting Workshop. Three of four songs presented dealt with our love for the good ol' US of A. Doug Hansen and Craig Smetana started off with a salute to soldiers past and present. Rod O'Riley had a brand new rocker about defending the Bill of Rights. And Craig Smetana finished up with a brand new song about flagwaving in the heart of Texas. In the middle of it all, Ariana Attie (whom we haven't seen in a while, and were happy to see again) brought a change of mood with a great "laundry list" song full of metaphors about lighting up the dark corners of your life. After we all finished presenting our songs and chowing down on food from Spires Restaurant, we all brain-stormed on the question of what to do immediately AFTER you've written a great song. Among the ideas that popped up were: * Perform it live to see how it really works * Make a demo CD of the song * Run it by your frequent collaborators to see if it gives THEM ideas * Make a band arrangement of the song * Make an MP3 version to put up on your web site * Do what you need to protect and copyright it * and, of course, take the song to workshops like ours!
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SONGSALIVE! NEWS What's New On Our Website? GET RADIO PLAY - We have teamed up with our Partners to deliver you ways you can get Radio Play. Welcome Jango, Indiebible, Music Submit and Sound Cloud. C'mon, what are you waiting for?
FIND A GROUP NEAR YOU AND JOIN THE SONGWRITING CONVERSATION - Join a Group or Chapter in your area. Go COMMUNITY, then Groups. Whether you live near our Chapter Cities (running showcases and workshops) or you live in the middle of nowhere, allow our Songsalive! Groups to connect you with other members.
Read more at www.songsalive.org/websitenews.htm
ON OUR FORUMS PRO Members, log in an read the Latest Member opportunities listed in our Forums: Songsalive! Songshop -Vintage Jazz and Swing Songs (and cast) needed for Theatrical production -Bay area Female soprano vocalist looking for sophisticated Pop/Jazz/RnB -MUSIC LIBRARY SEEKS INDIE/DANCE CROSSOVER TRACKS -Licensing opportunities from YouLicense.com -London artist is looking for a song. Budget $400
Music Opportunities -Get on the next Songsalive! CD Sampler - Deadline Nov 4, 2011 -Audition for a Record Deal and a Gig at Kona Music Festival -LA: Volunteers needed to teach kids music classes
To access opportunities www.songsalive.org go COMMUNITY > FORUMS
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SONGSALIVE! BACKSTAGE (PRO MEMBERS ONLY)
Partner Directory Pro Members, take advantage of our BACKSTAGE and check out some exciting new features. One is our Partner Directory, filled with opportunities to get our music out there. MusicResearch.com was just added, and we have so many more (like 100 partners!)
Downloads for PRO Members Songwriters! Need co-writing agreements, music licensing, publishing, recording contracts or any legal agreements related to your music business? Then find them here! Members can access an array of songwriting, recording, publishing and business agreements as part of our Resource Center.
Knowledge Wiki Our Wiki is an ever expanding knowledge center that is comprised of Articles, Resources and our program "Songsalive! Touring Map Of The World" - written for our songwriters, by our songwriters. Yes, you can contribute to this Wiki too! Simple create a page, add a category, and off you go. Keep your content accurate and original. Don't plagiarize and quote the author if you mention someone else. Let's build out our Wiki to be a one stop shop for everything a songwriter needs to know!
Go Get 'em www.songsalive.org/backstage.htm
Or click on Backstage from any page at www.songsalive.org 9
MEMBER OF THE MONTH Congratulations to our Elite Member of the Month featured here! Listen to their song, “Silver Lining,” playing now on our home page! YOU COULD BE THE NEXT SONGSALIVE! MEMBER OF THE MONTH. Pro Members log in to BACKSTAGE at www.songsalive.org to find out how.
MAGAZINE GAP
"The moment I started to listen I was transported to somewhere in New Orleans or the Mississippi, and then James Keen’s angelic, yet edgy, voice came on and it became clear I was listening to a sound from the world stage. “Light & Shade”, the new album by London based band, Magazine Gap, was recorded all over the world, from New Orleans, to London to Los Angeles to New York." Find out more about Magazine Gap in their Songsalive! interview at www.songsalive.org/members.htm
LIGHT & SHADE Album Review Opening track “The Promised Land” sets the scene of a truly promising album by this British band, having been recorded and is about New Orleans. Not a stranger to their sound, I first discovered lead singer James Keen’s unique voice when he landed a slot on my Art Of Men Cd Compilation in ’09. I was blown away by his voice which sounds like James Taylor, Sting, Phil Collins, and I hope he doesn’t object, but also Tracy Chapman, with a very similar vibrato and lilt to his croon. Then, he brought our his new band Magazine Gap to play at our album launch at The Mint, Los Angeles, and I and the entire room were absolutely mesmerized by James’ stage presence and the band’s performance. Read more of their review and other MEMBER REVIEWS at www.songsalive.org/blog.htm
Congratulations Magazine Gap on your new CD and on being named, Songsalive! Member of the Month!
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FEATURED PARTNER SONGSALIVE! PARTNER OF THE MONTH: MUSICIAN’S ATLAS Songsalive! has arranged for its members to receive a special discount price for the best-selling contact directory professionals turn to all year long, The Musician's Atlas and the AtlasOnline make it easy to connect with club talent buyers, radio programmers, music journalists, film & tv music supervisors, college bookers, college music directors and all others who support your performance, promotion, marketing, distribution & sales efforts. Songsalive! highly recommends every Artist should have their own copy of the Musician’s Atlas! Get your Copy Now! www.songsalive.org/link-directory.htm About the Songsalive! Partner Directory: Discounts to our friends’ products, promotions, resources, services and events to help you with your songwriting career. Music resources, books and directories/Online websites and services for marketing, promotion and social networking/Artist development, production and training/Music Licensing (Film, TV, Ads, Games and A&R contacts/Music creation, sales and distribution/Songwriting learning and writing tools/Legal Services/Sponsored Events). Behind the Songsalive! Backstage, you can access 100 exclusive discounts, only for our Songsalive! Pro members. www.songsalive.org/backstage.htm for all Pro Member exclusives, or access the Partner Directory here: www.songsalive.org/link-directory.htm
Go Pro today! Join Songsalive! on our website.
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Join The Songsalive! Team
GET INVOLVED "Volunteering is an act of heroism on a grand scale. And it matters profoundly. It does more than help people beat the odds; it changes the odds." - President William Jefferson Clinton
Advertise your services
in
Songnotes
Sponsor us or become a partner Contact us at www.songsalive.org/contact.htm
Volunteer Positions Open: 1. Songsalive! Web Coordinator - iCoordinator 2. LA Chapter Coordinator 3. Austin, TX Chapter Coordinator 4. Songsalive! Special Events Coordinator Songsalive! Web Coordinator - iCoordinator To update and maintain our website and social networks content, look and feel, as well as engage our members and new, potential songwriter members, to interact in our organization through blogs, social networks and our website. LA Chapter Coordinator Manage the membership, programs, events, and team for the greater Los Angeles area. Austin, TX Chapter Coordinator Manage the membership, programs, events, and team for the greater Austin area. Songsalive Special Events Coordinator Organizes and manages the set-up and staffing of Songsalive booths at events. Includes developing a plan and logistics, getting volunteers to staff the booth, set-up and supplies, sales of Songsalive! Merch, actively promoting Songsalive! and enlisting new members, and writing a post-event report. Apply at www.songsalive.org/volunteer.htm
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BACK PAGE The Songsalive! Community
Make sure you're on our Discussion Groups/Lists eNotes - free weekly discussion list where the art and business of songwriting meet online. Regular posts from our partners - music business professionals offering opportunities, plus up to the minute posts from our program SONGSHOP (looking for songs). Songchat - free weekly discussion list to self promote! Dedicated to self-promotion, gig and music news, plus interaction with songwriters and composers around the world.
Our Social Networks Facebook Group LinkedIn Songsalive! Video Blog on YouTube MySpace Twitter
Access ALL at www.songsalive.org/community.htm
Confirm your email address: Please confirmed your email address on the site to continue with your membership. It's important that you either: a) click on the link within the email you may have received, or b) go to the website and LOG IN with your username and password (which may then ask you to confirm your email address).
Update your profile There are hundreds and hundreds of other songwriters, artists and music business professionals waiting to meet you! Update your profile on the website with some info about you, some pics, and even use our integrated music player, where you can show off up to 10 of your own songs! Pro members can also create their own blogs, groups and add videos. Woo hoo! Songsalive! exists because of the songwriters and composers community at large. We feed it, and we feed off it. We are all about community. Get involved today! JOIN A CHAPTER GROUP - READ AND CREATE BLOGS - COMMENT ON BLOGS - ADD PHOTOS AND VIDEOS - FIND OTHER MEMBERS.... Have FUN! ACCESS: All at www.songsalive.org Join as a Pro Member today!
Contact us with questions www.songsalive.org/contact.htm usa@songsalive.org – USA/World general inquiries membership@songsalive.org – for the obvious songsalivepr@gmail.com ONLY for Songnotes questions. Looking for Songsalive! Australia? Go to www.songsaliveaustralia.org.au
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