Square Room Records – Latest News on Music and Record Industry

With the steady expansion of internet users who enjoy listening to streaming radio, advertisers are ramping up their efforts to cater to these users by increasing advertising amounts almost ten times over as opposed to budgets spent on advertising for this medium of entertainment.

What should this tell you about the radio station online?

First, the numbers that are involved when it comes to listeners are expanding so rapidly that more and more advertisers are able to showcase their products to people who belong to a wide demographic. Some say that these advertising revenues for websites that offer radio programming will reach almost half a billion by 2009-10.

What does this mean for listeners around the world?

Very simply, in order for these websites to get the most traffic, they not only have to offer a wide range of genres for people to listen to, but also provide the very best in radio content with the right technology to cater to listeners from around the world.

No matter whether your listeners is a fan of 80s music, jazz, rock, pop, or even talk radio, helping them to enjoy listening to the radio, while making it a personalized experience, will make all the difference.

And if you haven’t found the right programming content to listen to, there is no doubt that this surge in advertising will change all that, as there will be many listeners like you with refined tastes. And if there are advertisers, you can be sure that there will be free radio programming content to find.

All in all, this benefits the user most of all due to the fact that radio will continue to remain free, and with the advertising revenue model now kicking in, this is how things are going to remain for a long time to come.

There is no doubt that for some of us, certain eras of music hold special memories, like for example listening to our parents’ records of 70s music, and that they still hold dear even if we have moved into the new millennium.

While it is undeniable that music has changed drastically since then, there are some things that have not yet changed, with the radio being one prime example. While certain elements about how music is presented through radio might have changed, it now has found a new way to reach out to a global audience through the form of the internet radio.

All you need now is a computer and a broadband connection.  No matter where you are in the world, if you want to listen to music online that are offered by a slew of radio stations, the online version is readily available.

But it is not just the established radio stations that wish to reach out to a global audience with their quality programming but also the enthusiastic entrepreneurs who have a passion for music in a variety of forms be it pop, rock, or jazz music.

What this means is that radio continues to be free.  And for people who never got the chance to listen to music from other cultures, this truly presents an opportunity to enjoy the music and lives of people who live thousands of miles away.

It was only last week that Amazon launched two new services namely, Cloud Drive and Cloud Player, and while providing this ‘locker’ service might not be anything new, the combination of streaming music and online storage provided to its customers might just be the next best thing.

While this allows users to stream any music that is stored in the Cloud Drive to any browser or compatible device, there is no doubt that Amazon is encouraging its users to store music, whether purchased or not, to their Cloud Drives in automatically syncing their purchases to the Cloud Drive immediately.

And why these services are considered to be industry-changing is because the music industry has been very fierce about protecting their content by not allowing people to download a song more than once, and yet this is where Amazon changes the entire landscape with its contract due to the fact that they can so easily download songs from the locker with the help of this new service that is being offered. This is where Amazon gets off on a technicality!

Similarly, there was an issue with videos being stored online with another company, and while copyright infringement was pretty vague, the company decided to only allow content that it produces to be stored by means of online storage provided.

And this is where Amazon differs because it only owns a license to distribute another’s products, and even though they clearly explain that these new services are merely to allow users to manage and play their own music, there is no doubt that questions might be raised very soon, and in doing so, legal fireworks might ensue as well.

If you want to make it big as a professional musician, most people suggest that you deal with the practicalities first, such as getting a day job which will help you transition into your professional music career gradually.

Unfortunately, this does not work in most cases, and here are a few reasons why:

Reason #1: No effective exit strategy

While getting a day job will pay you a lot of money, the truth is that you will not be able to gradually drop the number of hours that you work while transitioning into your career as a professional musician because it just does not work that way.

For this, you must find work that allows you to drop or lift the number of hours depending on your time requirements to focus on becoming a professional musician, thus, a full-time job will not help.

Reason #2: Lifestyle changes

While most people take full-time jobs that give a better pay, the transition into a music career will not be easy, especially if you have a family of your own.  Having a full-time job means you will have to quit at some point in order to pursue a career in music. And as an amateur in the industry, you will not be paid that much in the beginning.

Reason #3: Inability to take advantage of opportunities

Just in case you have been putting some great music together with your band while working at a day job, what will you do then if a record label signs you on yet offers something not much? Will you leave your day job then?

It is a difficult position to be in, do you agree?

Reason #4: No quality time and energy left

Working a day job means that you will spend the most productive time in your life doing things that are not related to music. This will definitely not help you start a music career, and will require much longer time to get you where you want to go.

One of the new ways of listening to music is by means of the web radio. With a global audience tuning in, there is no doubt that this is one of the most important ways by which you can check out  the latest developments in music, talk show radio programs, and even the specific type of genre of music that you have always enjoyed.

Since the Internet has come up with solutions that could have not been thought of as possible over the last few years, there is no doubt that users could have never imagined that they will be able to listen to a radio station online, especially the ones that are not available in the area that they live in.

With an increase in listeners, this means that radio stations can ensure their survival as the advertising companies that show interest in their programming also increase.  It has been in the best interest of radio stations around the world to include online advertisements.

The biggest advantage of listening to radio is being able to listen to any of these radio programs for free, regardless of whether you listen to music online or tune into your favorite radio station in your local area.

There is no doubt that while you play music in the studio, one is allowed to have several retakes whereas when playing live, there is absolutely no room for error when you are on stage. And one has to be well-prepared to not only keep the crowd entertained while also playing their music correctly as well.

And since several things do go wrong every now and then, one can only attribute this to a lack of preparation, and so here is a list of tips to remember before performing live:

Tip #1: Rehearsal, rehearsal and more rehearsals

If you rehearse with your band in the same manner that you will perform live, then you will find that you blend well and sound much better together than otherwise. It is also a very good idea to practice with equipment that you will use when performing live.

Tip #2: Agree to a Set List

In order to ensure that there is no confusion about the songs chosen for that night, ensure that everyone in the band knows the order of the songs before you go on stage, and in doing one can seamlessly move on to the next song without any errors.

Tip #3: The Sound Crew is very important

Making friends with the sound crew is vital as they will be able assist you with a sound check and even be able to give you the equipment you need, without leaving anything to chance.

Tip #4: Warm up

Never, never go on stage ‘cold’… play a short song together before going on stage in order to warm up.

Digital music sales can be mind-blowing. Being a rock star is not entirely necessary. Just play, write and record your own music and you’d be amazed at the results.

People will buy music online which they find interesting regardless of the fact that free-to-download music is available. There are two things you should keep in mind to skyrocket your online digital music sales:

1. Write music that people love – This is a no brainer.

2. More products = more sales. Maintain a large catalog with over 100 tunes. It does not matter how many sales you make per tune, what matters is the total volume of sales.

Remember, fantastic websites, widespread distribution and great press are all bonuses to up your digital music sales; however, it is not everything. It is the music that counts. If you write and produce music that people like well enough to share with their friends and family, then you’ve got the right mix.

When making your music focus on the tunes and the song writing. Keep these factors in mind:

- First focus on your music and song writing.
- Next: the recording and production of the song. Have a good friend help you if you are not very familiar with the ‘how to’ aspect. It is incredibly important that sound quality of the song is up to a specific standard.
- Once you’ve produced your song, then, turn your attention to the marketing, distribution and promotion of your music. Create word-of-mouth, send around a few emails to friends, put up the link on your Facebook and Twitter account – the results will be amazing!

The music industry has been constantly changing and evolving since it all started. MP3′s replaced CD’s, which replaced cassette tapes, which replaced vinyl records. How has the constant evolving of musical medium changed the music industry?

Peer to peer file sharing has led to MP3 files getting more and more popular. The widespread digitization of physical media may be doing more harm than good. Users are now able to purchase a single song for 99 cents through companies like iTunes. Cassette tapes used to cost around ten dollars and CD’s can cost up to twenty. Users are now able to download their favorite track immediately, rather than having to go to the store and purchase an entire CD for one song. 

Some would say that not having to go all the way to the music store and purchase an entire CD for the one song that you like is worth not having the physical copy of a CD. Others would say that peer-to-peer file sharing is destroying the music industry. The music industry has lost millions of dollars due to internet piracy in the last year alone. Many record labels have reported a major decline in sales over the past five years and experts believe that it is directly related to online file sharing. 

With the recent increase of peer-to-peer file sharing and internet pirates taking music for free, CD’s may soon find themselves in the same boat as vinyl records. They may become more collectible in coming years because some believe that a CD holds a better sound quality than a MP3 file. Hopefully the music industry is able to survive the coming cyber evolution and resume their stand as the leaders of our generation.

Radio has been around for several decades, and while the advent of television seemed to slow down its progress for some time, the internet has resurrected it back to its former glory in the form of internet radio.

However, it’s not just about how radio has been presented but also the content that has been a part of everyone’s lives for so long now. Take for example, gospel music, which has no doubt experienced a sea of change ever since DC Talk made “Jesus Freak”, and the idea of creating devotional music for ‘cooler’ audiences has caught on.

Of course, while the other genres have continued to evolve while incorporating “old-school” styles but keeping in touch with the latest trends of people everywhere. A classic example of this is definitely country music which has seen so many artists come and go over the past few decades.

Rock has been no exception either, as the 60s form of rock n roll has evolved as well to progressive and even soft rock, which caters to very different audiences. However, where Christian music remains true to its roots is the message that it propagates about Jesus’ love for mankind and so on and so forth.

So while the medium of radio has changed for the better, there are some genres in this world that will never change, and then there are others, who experience a paradigm shift of sorts. But no matter what these changes, fans who know their way around the internet will only stand to gain.

The top picks for most favorite music video’s ever made, is probably quite controversial, depending on your taste in music. A few did stand out as some of the most watched though.

Some would consider Michael Jackson‘s “Thriller” video as one of the most popular , and although it was one of the most expensive to make, and was very popular, it wasn’t number one.

When a music company did a survey, asking which music video’s were best liked and would be most remembered, a large majority of them chose “Rabbit in your Headlight’s”, directed by Jon Glazer. It was shown in 1998. Consumers stated that they would remember it best for the powerful sense of emotion it gave them, and the message it had.

Another music video chosen by those asked in the survey, was 80′s music “Take on Me”, performed by A-Ha, and directed by Steve Barron in 1985. This was one of the first music video’s ever shown on MTV, and worked it’s way to number one shortly after being aired. It was one of the first to follow an actual story line.

Not far behind as a favorite was the video produced by Dire Straights, called “Money for Nothing”. It was made with computer programs. It apparently isn’t well known or liked for it’s graphics or story line, but for the feeling of nostalgia it gives the viewers.

A more modern music video that has become one of the top 100 favorites, is by Alicia Keys. The song title is “No One”. It was a Grammy winner and spent over four weeks on the number one billboard charts and sold more then 700,000 copies.