The Importance of the Internet to Musicians

Before the Internet, music was consumed completely offline. The discovery process was very organic and generated mostly by word of mouth, live music and television/radio advertising. It could be difficult for smaller bands to get discovered and a lot of the time they would have to settle for playing to the local market or small venue tours across the country. However, with the Internet's arrival, the music scene has exploded and levelled the playing field for all involved.

This is somewhat of a mixed blessing though. It does mean the audience potential has expanded exponentially, however it also means that there are so many other bands and musicians doing the same thing. The competition has increased at an alarming rate, too.

As a band or musician, what can you do to ensure that you don't get lost in the crowd?

First of all, you will need a website. Yes, social networking is great and everything but a website is a fundamental basic that every band or musician should have. It acts as a reference point if nothing else. It also projects a more professional image (provided it has been well designed). Social media does not replace the need for a website - it can be a very useful means of promotion and musical discovery but should work alongside any other online presence you have.

Social networking is also a definite must have. At the very least, set up a Facebook and Twitter profile so that you can communicate with your existing fans and interact with your new audience. Communication and interaction are so important with music now as there are so many bands and musicians present on the Internet - you need to make yourself stand out from the crowd and personal connections are a great way of doing this.

Don't be afraid to get creative in your approach too. Try video and photo sharing sites. Come up with an interesting idea that could become viral and promote it to friends and existing fans on your social networks. If enough people share it, you could increase your fanbase almost instantly!

A good website which is optimized for search engines, a strong social media presence and a daring, creative approach will ensure that your band are discovered. Don't be afraid to ask friends and existing fans for help getting started - spreading the word can be the toughest part, particularly at first. If you need any further assistance, there are companies and freelancers who are happy to take on your online band promotion or provide advice on promoting your music online.

Keep an eye out too for any artists who find creative ways to market themselves online. Take note, and do something which is in line with your style and will appeal to your target audience. Creativity and persistence will be the key to your success.

Online Band Promotion

How The Live Music Industry Has Bucked The Financial Trend

Sales of concert and festival tickets have, without doubt, boomed over the last four or five years. Surprisingly, this has coincided with a global recession that has seemingly decimated consumers' spending power across virtually every other market sector. But is this a coincidence? Is it all down to the fact that people can forget their financial troubles whilst losing themselves in the excitement of a live concert? In reality, the exponential growth in concert ticket sales is neither a coincidence, nor a natural reaction to the doom and gloom generated by irresponsible banks and sky-high interest rates charged by credit card issuers. What's happened with ticket sales in the concert and festival sector is all about the changes that have taken place in that sector over the last ten years, and nothing whatsoever to do with other external considerations.

When I first started going to concerts in the mid 1970′s, the shows were wonderful, the excitement tangible, but, if I'm being honest, my memories are tinged with the warm glow of nostalgia and are viewed through the rose tinted spectacles that the passing of time inevitably provides. Reality check! The sound was usually terrible - a wall of muddy noise blaring out from inadequate PA systems; the stage lighting could probably be compared to what you'd see at the average school play in this day and age; the security guards were usually local, neanderthal thugs looking for a good scrap, and if you went to a concert in a cavernous arena that had a capacity of more than 5,000, then the band you were supposedly watching were little, dancing dots somewhere very far away in the distance. I remember going to see Bob Marley and The Wailers in a giant shed with 8,000 other reggae fans. It was an absolute privilege to be there, but the PA system was so poor that I could barely recognise my favourite songs, and I was so far away from the stage that I can't say that I even "saw" the great Bob Marley. But I was there, and at the time, that was enough. I can also remember my first time at an outdoor festival; mud (ok, we've still got the mud), terrible sound, poisonous food and dreadful sanitary conditions. Of course, I loved it, but it was an ordeal nonetheless.

But things are very different these days. The advancement of technology has resulted in PA systems becoming 'state of the art', stage lighting that would put the lights on the spaceship in 'Close Encounters Of The Third Kind' to shame and screens and video-walls that enable even a concert goer stuck in a far flung corner of a football stadium to have the same birds-eye view of the stage as any fan in the front row. The food is gourmet (if you want to pay for it), the alcoholic drinks are varied and sophisticated, the toilets actually flush and the thuggish security guards have been re-branded as friendly, helpful 'stewards'. Also, the advent of the internet offers the ticket buyer a plethora of options in regard to how we transact a ticket purchase. We no longer have to queue outside a theatre box-office in the freezing cold, we can now buy our concert tickets from the comfort of home or office with a few clicks of a computer mouse. And even when we're on line, we are offered multiple purchase-points, ranging from reputable ticket agencies to ethical ticket exchanges.

However, it isn't just technology that has improved the general concert going experience; the attitude of promoters and artists has gradually changed over the last twenty years, to the point where the paramount concern is giving the punter who buys a ticket more bang for his or her buck. This scenario should've happened a lot sooner, but maybe the correct perspective on this should be that evolution, if it brings about the right, lasting changes, is just as commendable as the quick fix of revolution. So when we rush to buy our concert and festival tickets, we do so in the knowledge that, as consumers, we're being treated with the respect that we deserve.

So are there any lessons that other market sectors could learn from the concert and festival industry? Maybe there's just one...if you take your customers for granted when times are good, you can be sure that they'll desert you when times are tough. I'm glad to say that the live music industry fixed the roof whilst the sun was shining, so it's not surprising that they're selling bucket loads of concert and festival tickets, even though we're being soaked by a proverbial rain-storm.

Sell Hip Hop Beats Online

To Sell Hip Hop Beats on the internet whether or not you have connections or a budget so start out with. The truth of the matter is, beat selling is not a hard task.

The best websites to promote your beats would definitely be Soundclick and MySpace. Both of them are full of rappers, meaning full of potential clients who may purchase from you in the future.

Making really dope beats is the first step to selling beats online, promoting is actually less important for the time being. It sounds like some obvious stuff, but this is why many producers fail before they even start. Don't promote yourself until you know, beyond a reasonable doubt, that your beats will sell.

You definitely don't need to be one of the sickest producers on this side of the universe in order to sell, but you should have "sellable" rap beats all over your page. Don't try to be too original and weird, and in the same way don't be too generic and bland.

The best types of beats to sell include hardcore, R&B, sampled and club beats. In my experience, those types of instrumentals simply sell a lot faster than any other kind. Being too original is a bad move, and sounding too generic is terrible as well. It's funny because it's hard to tell when you're ready.. The best way to know is to ask extremely talented rappers who's sound is very high quality. If the guy's who are making the most professional sounding music like your beats, then you may be ready. If not, you may need some work.

Once you have some hot beats, you need to promote them effectively in order to sell them. The best places to promote your beats include Soundclick, MySpace, MyBeatShop and RocBattle. The problem with RocBattle and MyBeatShop is that they're websites made to attract producers more than rappers... This means that your target audience may be harder to find.

I have written 3 eBooks on the subjects "How to Sell Beats on Soundclick", "How to Sell Beats on MySpace", and "How to Sell Beats on Forums + General Information to Boost Sales 300%". Check out the eBooks and be ready for more articles to come. I promise you won't be disappointed. SellBeatsNow.com

Creating Hip Hop Beats With Your Computer

Hip hop beats are used in combination with samplers, sequencers, drum machines and other instruments to create the background for rapping or instrumentals for dance clubs. Some artists use music maker software like Cakewalk or MAGIX. The programs make it possible to create the sounds without the more expensive equipment.

Professionals and amateurs alike are using the computerized programs. It is nearly impossible to tell the difference between sounds created in this way and sounds created with the traditional synthesizers. At least, that's what most people say. Traditionalists might argue the point.

In today's production studios, various kinds of computer programs are used. The programs allow for recording, playback, editing and all of the other aspects of producing unique sounds.

Computer programs are making it possible to do other things, as well. For example, you can learn to play an instrument and write lyrics or instrumentals. You can record all of this to create a demo tape. You could do it in your garage or basement, if you wanted to.

The internet has created new venues for sharing your production. You can produce and publish a video on YouTube or one of the social networks. Getting feedback from friends could be the first step towards a career in the industry.

Programs like MAGIX music maker software include a number of pre-recorded hip hop beats that you can use as background for a rap you have written. Or you can write your own beat, if none of the pre-recorded ones suit the piece.

MAGIX can also be used to DJ, although it is best to plan ahead for the show. Not many party-goers would be enthused by waiting on you to put something together. You can use the record option and play back your list at the party.

Music maker software prices start at less than $50. On the high end of the scale is the Apple Logic Studio, which retails for nearly $500.

If all you are interested in is Hip Hop beats, you might want to choose the less expensive music maker software, especially if you are a beginner. If you are a beginner, look for a program that is easy to use. MAGIX is one that most people are successful with.

There are even some free Hip Hop beats that you can download from the internet. If you're just looking to have fun, you could start with those. The more expensive versions are designed for professionals.

Discover the secrets of making hip hop beats like a pro by using simple insider techniques. In addition, find out how to assemble and arrange hot rap beats.

Start Your Own Hip Hop Production Studio - 10 Quick Steps

Everyone across the world is mesmerized by the influence of hot beats beats. From the way it makes people dance, to the way it allows for freedom of expression by its artists.

There are many reasons that draw musicians to its compelling allure.

When you decide to build your own hip hop production studio with Sonic Producer, there will be a list of things to keep in mind before doing so.

10 Steps to produce a hot hip hop track

1. You will want to get your hands on an online beat maker. This can alleviate the need for expensive hardware instruments as well as the need for learning from a steep software curve that can leave you uninspired.

2. Next, you should think about the kind of hip hop you will be wanting to produce. Are you looking to create melodic tracks with elements of funk, or are you looking for a raw beat to sit in the background while you flow?

3. You will want to get your kit together. This will be the backbone of your track and can either kill your mix, or enhance its sonic impact on the listener.

4. Next you need to think of a infectious bass line to compliment your kick. Remember that it will have to play off the drum kit, so make sure that the frequencies take up their own spaces in the sound stage.

5. Add the melody to your beat, as well as sound fx and vocal samples. This can be the part of the track that captivates your audience.

6. Save your beat as a MP3 to use for your future hip hop beats production needs.

7. Run your MP3 rendering from Sonic producer through a mastering suite like Cubase, or Ableton to bring your hip hop beats into crisp, and professional audio clarity.

8. Burn the MP3 to cd to be able to DJ with the likes of a good CD turntable, like a Pioneer CDJ 1000.

9. Make mix tapes with free audio recording software in order to compile the perfect mash up of your unique sound.

10. Lastly, continue to build your deadly hip hop beats arsenal daily by programming them in Sonic Producer.

So, there you go 10 easy steps to produce the next blazing music track.

If you want to network with other DJs, music producers, models, artists and fans check out our EZINE!

JJ Dunn is co-owner and chief editor for Hip Hop Honey Online Magazine. Are you a music artist seeking media attention? Are you an aspiring hip hop honeys model trying to build your fan base and get recognized by major industry insiders? HHH is an interactive, web-based magazine and social networking site. Our goal is to keep our patrons up-to-date on current events within hip hop and around the world. We bring a new platform for fresh talent where you can display your work. HHH is the best source for breaking news stories, exclusive celebrity interviews, free promotion, latest tracks and music videos. There is no place better on the Net right now!