A call to arms against the predatory financial industry that brought us the housing & credit crisis
Koko Dozo will headline a diverse gang of committed, pissed-off musicians out to get YOU pissed. Focused on the legalized loan-sharking that has fueled the subprime crisis and predatory credit card practices and school loans.
LINE-UP:
* Koko Dozo, w/ special guest & MC, La Bruja * Brooklyn’s Soulchild Theophilus London (norm Rex) * Joe Bendik * One Word Song * William Rottman * Prez Powerz * Mammi-ama Ofori
Reality Check by Danny Schechter ‘The News Dissector,’ journalist, Emmy award-winning filmmaker, author and agitator
WHEN: Wednesday, October 1st, 2008 WHERE: Public Assembly (formerly known as Galapagos) 70 N. 6th Street between Kent and Wythe Aves. Williamsburg, Brooklyn 11211 Subway Line: L to Bedford Ave. TIME: 8pm COST: $5
Home Sweet Home was written in 1823; and though the language sounds really ancient and drippy — it gets to the heart of the fact that a person’s HOME has deep primal importance; but to the financial corporatocracy a home is just a piece of property that gets bought, sold and scammed for profit. The millions of Americans who signed onto subprime mortgages and other scams believed they would have homes that they would eventually pass onto their children. Many of those mortgages were offered to high risk buyers that the lenders knew would ultimately be unable to pay off. By selling off the debt to hedge funds and other securities, the lenders could offer dangerously risky mortgages with no risk. They cared nothing about the people who would invest in the risky debt and — worse — cared nothing about the people whose lives would be devastated by the loss of their homes.
With three and a half million families facing foreclosure because of this government-sanctioned crisis, why aren’t millions of people out in the streets demanding rescue and justice? The Home Sweet Home Project hopes to get people up off the sofa and out into the streets. This is not a liberal or conservative issue. It’s a national disease that is striking people of every economic class — even the rich are losing homes due to foreclosure, every ethnic group, red states and blue states. That is why we want musicians of every type: rock, rap, country, blues, r&b, folk.
We want to post your version of Home Sweet Home on the site with links to the lyrics. We want these songs to reach people and spearhead a movement for change. Not only is this song familiar in one form or another to practically all Americans — it’s also in the public domain so we don’t have to license it. Here’s the rules:
You’re free to change the lyrics on the verses. But use the chorus lyrics as is — sung or rapped. On the verses you can be loose with the melody and feel free to reharmonize (alter the chord progression); but — again — on the choruses stay pretty true to the original. Instrumental versions are welcome too.
The idea is to work the issue of people losing their homes because of predatory mortages. That covers a lot of topical and emotional territory that can be explored: from sentimentality to rage. My own political songs tend to be pretty hard edged (Duck, News Goo, D.C. Whore recorded by Koko Dozo) but the Polarity/1 version of Home Sweet Home is very sentimental — a first for me. No need to try to kick every aspect of the issue — it’s probably best to find one angle and make a strong message.
This is not about getting ironic or parodying the sentimentality of the original song. The whole point is to get people active about regulating the financial industry and informing those at risk of foreclosure about where they can get help. Everybody is victimized by this — whether it’s mortages, school loans or credit cards that jack up their interest rates at will.
KOKO DOZO truly is music for the Space Age. It’s ultra modern and it’s made using the latest technology and olde skool organic matter. Are other people out there in space? Who knows? Koko Dozo believes that such beings have been sitting around for billions of years waiting for the music to start. And Koko Dozo is bringing the party to the space persons. TheyÍre beaming up sound waves that vibrate in the key of GROOVE, dipped in the house special surreal sauce. Urban organica. Celestial demonica. Yeah…Space Is The Face.
Nashville, Tenn. - Indie Extreme/Black Shoe Records recording artist Matt Brouwer’s latest CD, Where’s Our Revolution, produced by Grammy award-winning producer, Michael Omartian, has received nominations for two Covenant Awards by the Gospel Music Association Canada. Brouwer’s first single Beautiful Now, from the just released album Where’s Our Revolution, was nominated for Pop/Contemporary Song of the Year. Matt was also nominated for Male Vocalist of the Year. Winners will be announced during the organization’s annual awards ceremony in Calgary on Oct. 24.
Brouwer will participate in the Canadian GMA week festivities including leading at the kick off “Worship Night” concert at Calgary’s First Alliance Church, speaking at the music and songwriting seminars, and performing “Beautiful Now” at the Covenant Awards Night ceremonies.
“I’m thrilled to be nominated for a Covenant Award and to perform at both the GMA Canada’s opening kick-off concert and the Covenant Awards Show,” said Brouwer, who released the single in June of 2008 throughout North America and has watched it rise to #1 on both the CRW Global AC and CanCon Pop/Contemporary charts.
Brouwer’s has previously landed hits on the Billboard CCM records chart (I Shall Believe); CCM CHR chart (Water); and the New Music Weekly Hot 100, AC, Indie AC, and Top 40 charts (Surrender). Where’s Our Revolution, marks a huge step forward for Brouwer, being hailed by critics as an artistic and production bench mark for the artist. The success of Beautiful Now points to a very successful run as the album is full of radio friendly pop singles.
Indie Extreme, a Nashville-based independent record label management firm, provides Brouwer’s Black Shoe Records with label administration services such as marketing support, distribution, administration, e-commerce, book keeping and inventory management. Black Shoe Records is the first label that Indie Extreme has signed to a management deal.
“It’s an honor working with Matt and his independent label, Black Shoe Records,” said Indie Extreme CEO Kathy Douglas. “The Where’s Our Revolution CD has been a result of years of preparation and growth in Matt, both as a writer and musician. He is a unique individual with a clear yet gently confrontational message to his generation, one of love, hope and authenticity.”
Boston, MA — If you’re riding the wave of the indie music revolution you’re about to get a huge boost. Music career coach Peter Spellman has just released the second edition of Indie Marketing Power: THE Resource Guide for Maximizing Your Music Marketing - a 388-page resource-rich handbook designed to help all music entrepreneurs navigate through the hundreds of marketing and promotional opportunities available today.
“This is a guide you can refer to again and again because it is full of easy-to-apply best marketing practices any music company can benefit from,” says Spellman. “Just put this Indie Marketing Power on your desktop and you’ll have a reliable marketing tool kit to refer to for all your promo and marketing needs.”
Derek Sivers, founder of CD Baby has this to say about this new book: “INDIE MARKETING POWER is the most helpful book for musicians promoting their music that I have ever seen. I’m considering this not just essential reading, but REQUIRED reading for every musician I know!”
Indie Marketing Power delivers market intelligence, smart strategies and fresh perspectives on essential music marketing ideas and practices. It covers everything from discovering your unique market niche and assessing your current marketing practices, to tapping the power of your audience, securing profitable license deals and expanding your music overseas. In between you’ll discover the best promotional practices for live performance, selling merchandise, working the media, using ecommerce, building your mailing lists, securing radio airplay, finding the right distributors, attracting sponsors, and much, much more. The final chapter walks you through the process of writing a results-driven marketing plan, and three glossaries and a 38-page Further Resource Guide top it off.
Indie Marketing Power sells for $24.95 (eBook) and $34.95 (print) respectively and is available exclusively from Music Business Solutions (mbsolutions.com/books).
Additional MBS Guides include “Plan Your Band!,” “Your Successful CD Release” and “Indie Power: A Business-Building Guide for Record Labels, Music Production Houses, and Merchant Musicians.”
Author Peter Spellman is Director of Career Development at Berklee College of Music, Boston, and a recognized expert on music business development and grass roots music marketing. He is featured in the documentary film, “What is Indie?” and his Guides are used in universities across the country and in over twenty-five countries around the world.
Los Angeles, CA - BFM Digital, a leading digital music aggregator and distributor of independent music, announces that it will be using Mi2N’s PR Gold Service to promote key album releases from BFM’s growing catalog of indie labels and artists.
Mi2N, one of the most popular sources for delivering music news, has created a special, premium version of its successful PR Gold service exclusively for BFM’s content providers. The exclusive package focuses on delivering broad online distribution and awareness of their press release directly to their intended audience: fans and music professionals. In line with this more ’street team’ approach to PR marketing, Mi2N will include distribution through its newswire network, over 100 online communities and music blogs utuilizing SoundCloud.
“We have already used the PR Gold services to successfully promote some of our high-profile album releases. It is the easiest and most effective method for targeting prospective fans and consumers,” says BFM CEO, Steven Corn. “Offering such packaged services as this reflects our commitment to help our artists expand their online presence.”
BFM will make this service immediately available. Utilizing their current digital assets, BFM will provide a turnkey process. In adition, Mi2N will create a customized ordering system to permit BFM’s labels and artists to easily submit their album features and press releases.
“It was important to develop a simple-to-use system that adressed the specific needs of labels such as BFM Digital’s members: more exposure reaching more eyeballs and ears,” noted Mi2N Founder Eric de Fontenay. “We look forward to helping introduce BFM’s family of labels to the online music community.”
BFM Digital, LLC Connecting music to the world since 2004, BFM Digital is an innovative digital distribution company committed to serving the independent music community by helping them maximize their catalog’s potential through global digital distribution. BFM Digital offers labels, artists and content providers access to all major online and mobile store fronts. BFM represents hundreds of catalogs in every genre and works closely with labels to ensure top placements through ongoing promotions with retailers and target campaigns for key releases. BFM is also affiliated with leading global publishing companies such as The Royalty Network, Inc. For more information, please visit www.bfmdigital.com.
About Mi2N (Music Industry News Network) Mi2N is a leader in delivering music news to music industry professionals and fans since 1998. With over 20,000 subscribers and free news submission, Mi2N has become a major marketing tool for promoters, independent artists, PR agencies and marketing departments across the music industry. For more information, please visit http://www.mi2n.com
New York, NY - The September 30th deadline for submissions to the New York Songwriters’ Circle’s (NYSC) annual Songwriting Contest is quickly approaching. For over 18 years such notable artists as Vanessa Carlton, Norah Jones, Gavin DeGraw, Jesse Harris, Lisa Loeb, Charlotte Sometimes, Avril Lavigne, John Oates and Chris Barron (of the Spin Doctors) have all been a part of this legendary circle. This year’s grand prize winner will take home over $15,000 in cash and prizes, including a performance spot at the world renowned Madison Square Garden, The Live Nation Jones Beach Concert Series, recording sessions with Grammy award winning producer Glenn Barett and so much more. The contest winner will also be featured on Jonathan Clarke’s highly rated “Out of the Box” radio show on New York’s most popular classic Rock! station, Q104.3. For the first time ever, the NYSC will present two additional awards at the contest finale, an International award to an outstanding songwriter from anywhere outside the US, and a Young Writer award, for songwriters ages 8 to 18.
The New York Songwriters Circle contest annually gives performers the rare opportunity to perform their music live in front of top music industry professionals and excited music fans as part of the New York Songwriters Circle’s ongoing showcases series in Philadelphia (at World Café Live), Boston (at Johnny D’s in Somerville), and the legendary Bitter End in New York’s Greenwich Village. Past contest winners include Kate Voegele, (currently starring in the hit TV Show “One Tree Hill”) and “Company of Thieves,” (recently featured as a breaking artist on Billboard Magazine).
The Live Finale events on November 5th and 6th at the Bitter End in New York will spotlight the twelve contest finalists and include rare special guest appearances by Grammy Award winning Singer/Songwriter Marc Cohn and Indie music sensation Dave Barnes. Aside from his own impressive music catalog, Marc Cohn has worked with such notable artists as Tracy Chapman, Jackson Browne, David Crosby, Shawn Colvin and many more. Currently, Dave Barnes is touring with “Los Lonely Boys” and has achieved both critical and commercial success as an indie recording artist.
The panel of judges includes Grammy-Award winning producer Russ Titelman, 785 Records/Publishing and Denise Rich Songs President Mark Eichner, Rolling Stone and New York Magazine contributor and author John Colapinto and many more. Sponsors include 785 Records, Denise Rich Songs, Ascap, Bmi, Sesac, MorningStar Studios, Broadjam.com, SongU.com, Dubway Studios and Sam Ash Music.
For more information and to submit your music please visit http://www.songwriters-circle.com
Contact: Tom Gibson GIBSON Communications, LLC W (201) 476-0322 C (201) 264-3646 Email: tom.gibsoncommunications@gmail.com
Nashville, Tenn. - Indie Extreme/Black Shoe Records recording artist 
Los Angeles, CA - 
