Is A&R Dead?

Founder and Chairman of Tommy Boy Entertainment, Tom Silverman,
Reflects On The Past & Future of The Record Industry


http://www.musiciansatlas.com/newsletter/jul09/tomsilverman.asp

It’s Back!

            The legendary New Music Seminar

            re-launches in New York City

           

           

             

                Music Resource Group – publisher of The Musician’s Atlas & creators of
              The Independent Music Awards is proud to sponsor this low-cost /hi-value event that is sure to deliver  a fresh look at the new music industry.

             

 
Get Details & check out NMS diva-in-the-making footage of Madonna speaking about new music and the importance of music videos circa 1984…






             

WATCH US LIVE ONLINE TONIGHT AT 8:30pm
www....com/imabuzz




 


The Independent Music Awards Presents: Story Songs featuring IMA artists in NYC at Symphony Space, home of the popular series “Selected Shorts” is SOLD OUT!



 
While nothing replaces the intimacy of a live event, music fans without a ticket can tune into UStream. tv .. to enjoy Richard Julian, Amy Speace and Kristy Kruger sharing their stories and songs on stage with the legendary Anthony DeCurtis.
 


Sorry we won’t be seeing you at the show or at the pre-show industry mixer but stay tuned for more IMA news and great performances showcasing incredible talent supported by The Independent Music Awards.



And don’t forget to go to IndependentMusicAwards.com http://www.independentmusicawards.com/ima_new/jukebox2009.asp to discover and support the best indie music at the  IMA 8th annual Vox Pop Jukebox. Voting closes on May 12th so go spread the love.
 

Music Resource Group on Folk Alliance Panel

Martin
Folkman, Director of the Independent Music Awards and Publisher of The
Musician's Atlas, will be speaking on the "Presenting in the New
Millennium" panel at Folk Alliance on Friday at 12:30pm.



Details:




Presenting in the New Millennium



A
look at the current and future creative options available to presenters
to build excitement and increased attendance for their shows and
events. What is working, what is not, and how do we sell more tickets.



- Dick Renko, Muzik Management Productions (moderator)

- Michael Johnathan, Woodsongs

- Jess Byers, Shining City Artists & Productions

- Peter MacDonald, OCFF

- Martin Folkman, Music Resource Group

- Anne Saunders, Falcon Ridge

- Chris Frayer, Winnipeg Folk Festival



ALSO BE SURE TO STOP AND VISIT MRG AT BOOTH #44!



Get a deep discount off the completely updated 2009 print Atlas plus 3 Free months of the interactive AtlasOnline!



And
pick up your copy of the IMA Winners CD volume 8 & a shot or 2 of
the freshly brewed Atlas Tonic - the sure cure for the music biz.

The Bergen Record
recently paid a visit to the MRG offices and ran a feature on
us-ironically- in print and online!  read below!

CLIFTON --Composing and performing a crowd-rousing tune is tough enough.

Then
there are booking gigs, managing venue accounts, keeping in touch with
fans and landing a distribution deal. At a time when anybody can string
together a few notes and upload the result to the Web, attracting and
maintaining an audience can challenge a musical artist’s pluck.

It
was to elevate such talented, flying-under-the-radar performers that
Martin and Jude Folkman created the Independent Music Awards nine years
ago. At times, they discover singers and bands with a local or regional
following who just need a nudge to go big.

These aren’t
“American Idol” competitors with a part-time hobby. “The artists we
support are the ones who do it because they can’t imagine not doing
it,” Martin Folkman said.

No cash or prizes are given out. Each
year’s winning songs are sent in CD form to radio and television
stations and made available as downloads through emusic.com.

For the artists, there is also the pride of praise from some of the biggest names in music.

Judges
for the most recent awards included Peter Gabriel, Roger Daltrey of The
Who, country star Clint Black, alternative rocker Suzanne Vega and
blues guitarist Buddy Guy, each of whom selected winners in specific
categories from a pool of five finalists.

Last year the program attracted 8,000 entries from around the world in 56 categories.

Richard
Julian, a pop- and folk-influenced songwriter from New York City, won
the Album of the Year category in 2003 for “Good Life.” He’s since
signed with EMI’s Blue Note Label Group, and is a member – along with
Norah Jones – of the Little Willies.

“Anytime you’re doing
things on your own indie-style, something like this can lend
credibility to it,” he said of the IMA award. “I did well by letting
people know I’d won and persuading them to go back and give it [the CD]
a fresh listen.”

Running the IMA is only part of the Folkman
story. The couple’s company, the Music Resource Group, also publishes
an online and annual print version of The Musician’s Atlas, an
information guide and directory of music industry contacts. And they
send out a monthly electronic newsletter to 89,000 music industry
entrepreneurs.

The first edition of the atlas came out in the
fall of 1998. The Folkmans sought to provide the information often
neglected by larger, pricier guides – the stage size at each venue, the
quality of sound systems and availability of a sound engineer, for
instance.

Big labels use the print guide for talent development.
And at $49.95, artists can afford to keep one in their backpack.
Online, they can find updated contact info for venues around the
country and practical advice on nearby hotels and restaurants.

Managing
Editor Lauren Veteri said the atlas provides answers to the concerns
she hears most often from artists, who often distribute their music on
their own rather than pursue major labels.

“A
lot of bands don’t know how to turn their art into money,” she said.
“Some creative types don’t understand the business side of it or even
just hate that aspect of it.”

Until last month the
Folkmans ran their 11-year-old company out of their Montclair home,
where space was so tight that one employee a week had to work off-site.
They moved into a Clifton warehouse last month.

Everyone at the
company has some sort of musical background; the editor of their club
section, Robert Fontana, is a former winner in the IMA’s pop/rock
category. They plan to hire more staff soon, including at least one Web
designer.

Jude Folkman had entrepreneurship in her blood: her
father, Melvin Cohen, founded Handi-Hut Inc., a manufacturer of bus
shelters, and Dome’l, a door and skylight maker. Both are based in the
same Clifton building the Folkmans now occupy.

Martin first
learned music appreciation while sitting at his mother’s feet as she
played piano and his father sang. He still plays guitar, although
generally not in public.

“We really appreciate the artistry and
chutzpah it takes to put your thoughts and energy into a piece of music
and then put it out there for the world to hear,” he said.

He
and his wife previously ran a public relations and marketing firm, with
many of their clients connected to the music business.

“We decided it was no longer fun to promote other people’s products – we wanted our own,” Martin said.

At
the time, the promise of the Internet was fast becoming clear, as
artists such as Ani DiFranco bypassed the major labels to put out music
independently.

“As we looked around we saw that independent artists in all genres were beginning to strike out on their own,” Jude said.

To further those efforts, the Music Resource Group plans more live events in New York City.

“Artists performing live in front of an audience will always be the best way to make those connections,” Martin Folkman said.

E-mail: crouse@northjersey.com

We want to interview you for The Musician's Atlas monthly newsletter, Atlas Plugged!

Get your band's name out to 90,000 fans and industry.

Email joelle@musiciansatlas.com 

CALLING ALL SCENESTERS

Are You Passionate About Your Piece of the Music Biz?

Share your scene and your unique perspective with the global music market.

No matter what corner of the indie music scene you call home, Music Resource Group, publisher of The Musician's Atlas and AtlasPlugged eNewsletter, invites you to join, even start the conversation.

The online & interactive MyScene housed at The Musician's Atlas site (www.MusiciansAtlas.com) and featured in the monthly AtlasPlugged newsletter (www.MusiciansAtlas.com/Newsletter/Archive.htm) is a great opportunity to share your knowledge of a regional market, genre, profession or issues affecting you and your fellow music mavericks & entrepreneurs.

We seek people who are passionate about making indie music successful, knowledgeable, reliable & willing to commit to a deadline - all for no $$$$! As a regular contributor you will receive a Free Annual subscription to the interactive AtlasOnline, the most qualified contact database and music biz program, plus bio (photo optional), contact info & clickable links to your website.

For a sample of a recent "MyScene Miami," click here:
www.musiciansatlas.com/newsletter/may06/miamiscene05_06.htm

For a sample of a recent "MyScene Management," click here:
www.musiciansatlas.com/newsletter/apr06/dottedline04_06.htm

For a sample of a recent "MyScene Green," click here:
www.musiciansatlas.com/newsletter/dec07/mysceneromano.asp

Send your bio, link & contact info to MyScene@MusiciansAtlas.com

LAST CHANCE to submit your music to the Independent Music Awards!


All entries MUST be postmarked by TODAY,  August 17th  at midnight.

 Special offer for TODAY ONLY: 

 
Submit 2 music entries and enter your merch for free!  

For more details, visit www.indpendentmusicawards.com or call us at 973-509-9896.

Success In The Music Business Depends  On Who You Know And Who Knows You.

Step Into The Atlas Artist Spotlight
And Reach The People You Need To Reach

By popular demand, The Musician's Atlas is now accepting submissions for The Musician's Atlas Artist Spotlight - a dynamic stage for you and your music.

Reserve your spot in The Atlas Artist Spotlight And Reach more than 500,0000+ including:

• Club Talent Buyers
• Conference & Festival Bookers
• Regional Promoters
• Booking Agents
• Public, College & Commercial Radio Programmers
• Film & TV Supervisors
• Managers
• Music Journalists
• Publishers
• Promoters
• Label A&R and more.

This unique promotional opportunity combines the power of worldwide print distribution and readership with the enormous reach and interactive impact of the Internet.

IN PRINT
An artist Profile including photo, contact info, band description & genre will appear in a special section in the best-selling industry contact directory, The Musician's Atlas volume 2007.

• Your Profile will be read by more than 250,000 members of the Global Music Marketplace
• The Musician's Atlas is distributed to Book Stores, Record Shops, Music Instrument Stores, Direct Mail Catalogs, Onlline Retailers, College Campus Book Stores, Newsstands, etc. throughout North America, South America, Europe, Australia & Asia
• Your Profile will be distributed for FREE to hundreds of Film & TV Music Supervisors. The Artist Spotlight section will be bookmarked when delivered to these key contacts
• All Artists featured in this special section will receive a free copy of The Musician's Atlas 2007 (a $50 value)

ONLINE

• Your artist/band photo, genre, band description, contact info with clickable links & streaming music will be featured for a full year in a Spotlight area of the Musician's Atlas website - viewed by more than 340,000 unique visitors/month
• Your interactive Artist profile will be featured in an issue of the AtlasPlugged eNewsletter, distributed to 89,000+ opt-in subscribers
• Your interactive Artist profile will be sent to thousands of radio programmers, festival talent buyers, music press, club bookers & promoters
• Atlas Spotlight Artists Receive a free 3 month subscription to the interactive, AtlasOnline (a $60 value)

For more information, please visit us at: http://musiciansatlas.com/pages/spotlight.asp.

For details, updates and application go to: www.IndependentMusicAwards.com.

Pity our mailman. Each year as the summer temperatures soar, a civil servant, aka the Music Resource Group mail carrier, struggles with bins and bins and bins and bins of Indie music addressed to the Independent Music Awards. Our response to his query "is this like the Grammy's?" is a resounding "No".

The IMAs celebrate the very best in Independent music and design and this year's crop of entries is the most diverse and talented in the award's six-year history.

A-list Artist judges including Peter Gabriel, Wynonna, Ozzy Osbourne, Suzanne Vega, Cyndi Lauper, Paul Oakenfold, Afrika Bambaataa, Bill Frisell and others join influential Industry judges ranging from high profile Music Festival Artistic Directors, Record Label Executives, Film, TV & Gaming Music Supervisors and Music Journalists to determine this year's winners.

Entries from Argentina, Australia, Bulgaria, Canada, Cuba, Denmark, Dominican Republic, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Guam, Israel, Italy, Ireland, Japan, Moldova, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Russia, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Tobago, Trinidad, United Kingdom and the United States reflect the program's stature and reach throughout the international independent music community, not to mention the universality of indie music.

"If it's true that music is the universal language, then it's equally true that today's musician must also speak the language of the music business - promotion, distribution, sales and fan management" said IMA Director, Martin Folkman. "Artists tell us that they enter the IMAs specifically to benefit from the program's unique focus on yearlong marketing, promotion and distribution premiums - artists who enter the IMAs are generally more interested in tangible career advancements than gear and trophies" said Folkman.

Co-sponsored by mega retailer, Borders Books & Music, radio promotions company, the Planetary Group and terrestrial & internet radio tracking service, MediaGuide, IMA Winners are promoted to more than 9 Million Music Fans, Radio Programmers, Talent Buyers, Film, TV & Gaming Music Supervisors, Journalists and other key industry decision makers. An IMA Winners CD is serviced to 500+ college and public radio stations. For the past two years, the CD placed in heavy and medium rotation at more than 300 stations, with several tracks charting on the Top 5 thru Top 25 on the CMJ airplay charts.

For the first time, this year's Winners and Finalists will be considered to participate in an IMA Showcase series in New York City scheduled to launch in Spring, 2007. Also new to this year's program is the song category, Sing Out For Social Action that will provide artists with the opportunity to inspire social action with their music. Folkman discusses the creation of this new category in a featured interview in Encore Digital Weekly Magazine.

Also new to this year's program is an online voting booth that will allow industry and fans to vote for their favorite Finalists. Details and the 1st round of IMA Finalists will be posted at the Independent Music Awards and Musician's Atlas sites in October.