Do you want your audition submissions to grab the judges’ attention? Wouldn’t you love to have your songs selected by music supervisors for movies or TV shows? How about your band’s YouTube video going viral because it is such an awesome performance? Well the key to this is the passion and emotional sincerity of your vocal performance.

I’ve met many singers who think they have to be perfect in every way before they begin singing for audiences. This misguided belief impedes them from becoming truly passionate, confident and fully developed singers.

Here’s why.

Reach Out and Touch Somebody

Singing is about communicating and sharing feelings, concepts, images, dreams and spirituality with others. We always remember performances that have moved us emotionally, inspired or transported us and ignited our inner fire.

When you begin to perform for a live audience, you start to develop the different facets of singing and emotional expression that culminate in that all important talent: touching their hearts. Singers who rush into the recording studio before they have enough live performance experience are most likely to lack the magical quality of emotional believability that separates the great performers from the rest.

Create a Focus Group

Receiving good feedback will speed your growth as an emotionally impactful performer. Arrange to have a few friends/family members present at your performances as a kind of “focus group.” Beforehand, let them know you’ll be asking them about each of the following elements so they can observe more accurately. If you’re doing this to prepare for a recording, have them listen with their eyes closed.

Then, after your performance, find out the following: What did you do to engage them? Did you do anything that distracted them from experiencing a complete involvement with each song? As part of critiquing a live performance, also get their input on how you transitioned from one song to the next, how you moved on stage and handled the stage environment.

If you performed with others, how did you interact with the rest of the band and them with you? Did you handle the mic and mic stand in a professional or disruptive manner? Get them to respond to as many details of your performance as possible. All of these details combine and culminate in an emotionally impactful, engaging and memorable performance.

Don’t unquestioningly accept all feedback.  Evaluate it and accept only what makes sense to you; align it with your own vision of what you’re striving to create; discard anything with which you disagree. Make use of only the positive critiques that will advance your skill when you implement them. Positive does not mean only “you were awesome.” It means getting feedback that will help you grow. This could include: “When you held that high note I felt a lot of emotion.” Or: “I noticed that your voice fades at the ends of your phrases.”

End Notes

When you can be yourself, sing with passion and touch your audience emotionally, then you are ready to go into the studio and record a convincing performance.  Develop your performance skills with live audiences if you want to record songs that will catch the judges’ or music supervisors’ attention. Time spent cultivating your artistry and your craft are well worth the rewards.

I’m cheering you on, Jeannie Deva

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Jeannie Deva is a Grammy member and recognized as one of the top celebrity voice and performance coaches. The originator of The Deva Method®, Complete Voice Technique for Stage and Studio™, Her clients range from Grammy award winners and multiplatinum recording artists to finalists of American Idol and America’s Got Talent and singers for Pink, Stevie Wonder and Celine Dion. As a recording studio vocal producer and session vocal coach, she has been endorsed by producers and engineers for Aerosmith, The Rolling Stones and Fleetwood Mac. Her eBook: “Singer’s Guide to Powerful Performances” is available in all tablet bookstores.

Visit here for information on her popular video exchange online vocal school.

For information on her method, books and training CDs and services visit here.

Printed with permission © 2014 All Rights Reserved. Jeannie Deva and The Deva Method are registered trademarks owned by Jeannie Deva Enterprises Inc.

A heavy hitter in the Australian and NZ country music scene, Don Allen’s, Old Guitar, is now #1 on Australia’s Root’s Chart. Recently Don partnered with Musik Radio Promotions for worldwide radio campaign.

Don’s music career began at the tender age of 11 and from there he has gone on to carve an enviable reputation within the entertainment industry.

That big velvety voice of his earned him numerous awards as well as many television and radio appearances throughout Australasia. Don’s talent was widely recognised in many parts of the entertainment industry so much so that he was approached by the production company for the New Zealand production of “Jesus Christ Superstar” to play the role of “Judas”. This was a very successful production and tour of New Zealand and Don’s performances earned him an abundance of accolades.

Shortly after, Don moved to Sacramento, California. Again the success was forthcoming. More television appearances were had and numerous headlining performances at live shows. After a successful stint in the USA Don moved to Australia. There he released his first full album “Let It Be Me” . He was quickly signed by USA label “Comstock Records” who took the album on a very successful campaign throughout Europe where to this day songs from that album are still being spun. Don released a further two successful albums “For The Life Of Me” and “One For The Road”

After four successful decades in the industry Don is showing no signs of slowing down. In fact, 2014 will see Don embark on the release of what is touted to be his best album ever.  “Only Time Will Tell” Recorded in Nashville, Tennessee with the professional and extremely talented team at CMG Records comes 12 amazing original tracks penned by Don and also some very seriously talented writers and musicians.

Don has pulled out all the stops for this album. Not only has he been recorded by that amazing team at CMG who have also given the first song released from the album “Old Guitar” a great head start with some radio play and interviews etc but he has also brought in some big hitters to promote this single to worldwide radio. Extremely successful US indie label Musik and Film will be implementing their far reaching radio promotions campaign for “Old Guitar”.

2014…and “The Don” seems destined for success again.

Big Rome  and Musik Radio Promotions recently parternered to begin a worldwide radio campaign for the single, Strictly4Radio.  It  has now been  featured on  Yo Raps, Europe’s No. 1 Online Magazine!

W.K. Jerome Higgs is his birth name. He was born in a small town in Southern Missouri. He moved with his mom to Arkansas back in 1985 where life got in the way of dreaming for better things. Getting involved in street politics landed him in the Department of Corrections for 3 years.

Upon his release, he found a new purpose and a new focus. He started a new movement with his mentor, T. Rodgers. Their vision was to teach kids to stay out of street gangs and to learn how to love themselves. Big Rome joined a community Masonic organization known as Spring Grove Masonic Lodge #305 in his community.

The entertainment industry knows him as Big Rome, a man of many talents. Being a member of the Famous Poets Society has bought him wins in their annual poetry contest, In 2002 winning poet of the year & in 2003 winning honorable mention. He is an amazing writer and rapper, being able to put his life story into a swag and a funk that your body automatically moves to. He has seen success with music placements in T.V./Films/Video Games ect. He is definitely an artist to watch.

“Music Is My Passion” Says Big Rome. Don’t Expect For Him To Stop No Time Soon!

The  Mona Lisa Twins debuted at #1 in the UK and #20 globally on the ECMA Charts.  Musik Radio Promotions began a global campaign of their single, The Wide Wide Land, and immediately began receiving an enormous amount of airplay.

The MonaLisa Twins, with 19 year old twin girls named Mona and Lisa being the core of the band, are one of the very few modern groups who write original songs in the 60’s Beat music tradition, reviving the genre with a fresh twist without sounding pop-ish or trivial. On their debut album “When We’re Together” (2012) they present finest Rock ‘n’ Roll and Beat music, skillfully venturing out in Psychedelic, Folk and even Latin genres, inspired by the likes of The Beatles, Bob Dylan and Simon & Garfunkel.

Their signature features are polyphonic harmonies and a wiry, bright guitar sound. The even mix of fun and depth in their music and lyrics brings back the spirit of this time and therefore speaks to a wide range of international audiences, especially on the Anglo-American music markets. They’ve already played lots of live-shows, and their high quality music videos have garnered a total of over 2 million views and thousands of subscribers on YouTube and Facebook so far.

The Mona Lisa Twins have received amazing reviews:

“The likes of Bob Dylan or Sir Paul McCartney wouldn’t turn down performing one of these songs“
Music News

“These girls have some great things ahead of them if this is what they are capable of at 19. The Next Big Thing? The Mona Lisa Twins“
Soletron

“I was pretty shocked after hearing the guitar playing on their album „When We‘re Together“ that these two cute Austrian girls are only 19. The guitar work is more intricate than what was on the radio during the sixties. Their strength is their songwriting, their voices are never over emote and stay honest in their inflections.“
Hiplanta Music Blog

“The MonaLisa Twins are bringing back the POP in pop. They present pop the way it used to be: sweet, harmonic, with easy breezy lyrics that are impossibly catchy. The two have managed to capture the essence of what art is and what it means to people.“
Celebrity VIP Lounge

“Big things could be on the horizon for the MonaLisa Twins, because at 19, they are already accomplished musicians and have a firm direction for their music. Harmonies seem to come natural to them and if they continue to write slick, catchy pop songs that you can tap your feet to, then there’s no reason why they can’t keep the sound of the 60s alive for a good time to come.“
What Culture

Their signature features are polyphonic harmonies and a wiry, bright guitar so MonaLisa Twins – Press Quotes

“The likes of Bob Dylan or Sir Paul McCartney wouldn’t turn down performing one of these songs“
Music News

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As an Indie Artist, you want to make a living out of your music which means going into business for yourself.  All business has to advertise or no one would know they exist and would not have any business.

The RIAA (Recording Industry Association of America) says on it’s website, “When you hear a song on the radio — this didn’t just happen! Labels make investments in artists by paying for both the production and the promotion of the album, and promotion is very expensive.”

The same goes for you as an indie artist. You may have the best music in the world, but unless you advertise no one will know you exist.  In this case your advertising budget includes going to radio – which is still the most viable way to get heard and to be able to tour.

Any business that advertises receives leads. Unless they follow up on their leads they will not make the most of their advertising. The same goes for your music.

How does an indie artist get leads?

There are many radio promotions services that use different methods to get a track to radio stations. In the case of Musik Radio Promotion campaigns, the artist receives a “real time” link to check for radio stations that have downloaded the track for airplay. The radio stations are your “leads”.

How does an indie artist make the most of their leads?

(1)    This is a process that takes 3-4 radio promotion campaigns a year. One release will not endear an artist to the stations’  PDs.

(2)   Use the radio promotion reports to find the radio stations contact information. Contact the stations that are playing you and thank them.

(3)  Offer the stations’ radio liners, radio interviews and most importantly, offer to send them a dozen promo give- away cds. Radio likes to offer their listening audience  “give- aways”. To give your cds away, they play you more, mention who you are more and increase your exposure. Once you have done this you are that radio station’s friend.

(4)  Once you make a friend, ask the stations that are playing you who their advertising venues are. Get their contact information. Call and email those venues. Tell them you are playing on xyz radio station in their town and want to come to their town to perform.

(5)   Inform the radio stations know you are going to do this and they will back you because if the venue hires you the venue will hire them to advertise the performance. This will get you even more exposure on that radio station. Radio will love you because they got the venues advertising dollars because of you. You get a performance date that is well advertised and a radio station that is playing your music and supporting you. Most likely when you go to perform you will have a full house of people who came to see you.

(6)  You will sell merchandise, gain fans and if you do a good performance be asked to come back again. Everyone wins

A smart artist will not be under the illusion  the world will embrace them with open arms. The artist will understand that no matter how good they may be, radio is not going to play your music unless you market to them, giving them business reasons why they should play it.

This will not make you a superstar overnight, but it will build your business as you continue to promote yourself.

The Poor Musician Gets Poorer

Does Sony or Apple give their products for free?

It was a cold dark rainy night when a fleet of tractor trailers backed up to Sony’s and Apple’s warehouse and loaded up every computer. Then they put up a big ad everywhere that read – free computers – Sony and Apple were enraged. They demanded justice. Their warehouses had been robbed of it’s entire inventory.

Once upon a time, Sony and Apple and every other company on earth that offer digital streaming thought it would be a wonderful idea to break into every musician’s warehouse, load up all their music that had costs the musicians thousands of dollars to create, then put up a big sign and gave all the musicians inventory away.

Now ask yourself – what is the difference – giving away free computers or free music?  It is still an end product that has cost money to create that was stolen.

Does Sony or Apple give their products away free?

I have been in this business for over 3 decades and thought I have seen it all but I guess not. I have been in the music business most of my life. I was with a major label in the 80’s. I still am a writing and performing musician.

I got into digital distribution at its inception well over a decade ago. At first, no one paid any attention to digital music. Everyone wanted a cd. But after a few years into digital, it became a viable source of income for Indie artists.

For years I had a good digital income along with many other artists. I know many who made a good living off their digital sales. No one ever asked my permission to allow my music to be streamed and given away; or if I wanted to be paid $.000023 cents a listen. So what gave any of the services the right to stream my or anyone else’s music? I agreed to be digitally distributed and for my music to be sold – not to be streamed for free. Harvard Law calls streaming, “piracy”, and it is just that.

How would Apple or Sony like it if someone other than them decided to give away free computers? They would scream like Banshees. It cost them money to manufacture those computers. Well it costs musician’s money to record their music. Then they try to sell us this misconception,  “Look at the exposure for your music”. The same applies to them give a few thousand computers away and “Look at the product exposure”.

I had heard rumors that the majors said that they welcomed streaming because it leveled the playing field for them. That indie artists were becoming a threat. Who gets the minute airplay royalties? Not the artists. Who’s making money? Not the artists.

What’s going to happen is no one will pay to record their music because it is just stolen from them anyhow. Then there will be no more new music,  because of greed and control. Once again, the Indie artist is squashed making the poor musician poorer.

Contributed by Stephen Wrench.  Stephen has been in the music industry over 30 years as a singer/songwriter with a major label and indie artist, a label executive, producer, manager and now owner of Musik and Film Records.