There are a lot of people talking about music education today. We all know that funding for the arts is under fire around the world. And ironically, it’s been proven time and again that kids who study music and the arts do better in school and life in general. But for some reason, our politicians continue to ignore this and cut funding. Today I’d like to share with you an opportunity to positively impact the school music education program and young musicians in your neighborhood.

I recently “adopted” the music students at our local high school by purchasing subscriptions to a music education magazine called In Tune Monthly for them. I did it because this unique monthly magazine brings the real world of music to kids. It enables them to learn about the challenges and opportunities in creating, recording and distributing music. I want to give them a head start, and I’m encouraging you to adopt a class of kids in your neighborhood as well.

Very few music teachers include songwriting in the classroom. Even fewer teach recording and the basics of the radio, publishing and touring businesses. But In Tune does. Adopting a school music program is something I can do to make sure that the kids in my neighborhood learn about copyrights, how a microphone works, or what an A&R person does. Thousands of teachers are starting to use this amazing magazine as a supplementary text, and for $9.95 per student, I know I’m making a difference.

I support In Tune because I believe in what they’re doing, and because I wish I’d had a formal training in the real world aspects of making music when I was a kid.

If you’re interested in adopting the music program at your local middle school or high school by providing subscriptions of In Tune Monthly, here’s what to do:

1. Speak with the band, orchestra or chorus director and ask if they’d like to distribute In Tune to their music students.
2. If they’re interested, get their shipping address and decide on the number of kids you’ll “adopt” (there’s a 30 student minimum at the $9.95 price, though other pricing and quantity options are available).
3. Go to www.intunemonthly.com and click on “Subscribe to In Tune.” Fill in the appropriate fields and submit your subscription order. (You can use a credit card or be billed later.)

Your music teacher will start receiving issues of In Tune in January or February and they’ll continue monthly through May 2006.

I very rarely endorse private entities, but this magazine is published by two longtime friends of mine and I know their hearts are in the right place. Broadjam has no financial interest in this venture and will not benefit financially from this. We’re simply trying to help the educators and the students who will benefit from this curriculum.

I just received an update from my friends at In Tune. They’ve heard great things from students and teachers and I’d like to share a few comments with you:

FROM A STUDENT:
My band director let me browse your magazine, and the education you guys presented has sparked an interest in my writing, producing, or singing. I am 16 years old.
Aleshia, GA

FROM A TEACHER:
Finally a music journal that targets our young musicians on their terms, in their language and with music and musicians whom they identify with today. We constantly see young musicians walk through our door who love music, want to play an instrument

Several times a week, we get asked the question, “Will someone steal my music if I put it on the Internet? Or, Is it secure?”

Audio is not secure on the Internet. Audio files can be made secure, but during playback, the audio itself is vulnerable. As long as there are two cables running out of the back of a computer, a copy can be made in five minutes. It’s currently impossible to stop this with modern technology. Companies have embedded watermarks in files so they can track when it’s moving on the Web, but that doesn’t stop the piracy, it just attempts to track it. Other companies have developed brilliant software to protect the files, but not the audio.

I guess the big question really is, Do you want people to access your music without compensating you? I’m not suggesting one way or the other is right for you. Only you can determine this.

A friend of mine was telling me the story of a well-known band that was dropped from a label three weeks before their tour was to begin, but kept the rights to their recently finished album. Uncertain about their future, they decided to give away their new record on all of their fan sites for free. Some thought they were nuts. In fact, everyone did. For the first time in their history, they sold out every venue and ended up selling loads of physical copies at their concerts. Merchandising was up, sales were up and the fans got the music for free.

This is just one example of the possibilities the Web can offer. Because most of us will take music when it’s given to us, it makes sense this strategy worked. I’m not suggesting you give away your music, I’m just suggesting that you should consider it as a marketing tool, especially if you’re touring.

Years ago I was given a CD by a label. The CD was a singer/songwriter named Todd Snider who was signed to this label. I listened to his record and thought, “Someone just got bumped off of my list of ten must-have albums on a desert isle.” I wore it out. I passed it around the office and the entire staff was blown away with this guy as well. We noticed that he was going to be in town and 12 of us went to the show. Every single person who didn’t have a copy of the CD bought one that night. In fact, a visiting music attorney from New York City attended with us and has told me several times how many people he has told about this guy, and this story.

These aren’t really amazing stories. Long before recorded music, musicians made their living playing live. And if you’re primarily a live performer, you might want to consider using your songs to sell tickets. It might just work. Promotions could begin at local record shops

This past weekend I was in Texas for the Dallas Songwriters Association’s annual song contest awards banquet. This is one of the premier songwriting organizations in the country and they certainly know what they’re doing when it comes to putting on an event. Besides emceeing the event, I was asked to be the Grand Prize Judge for this song contest. I am a sucker for this, as there is nothing I would rather do than listen to independent music.

I received 29 songs to review that were the finalists in each of the genre categories, and my job was to sort through them and pick the best song. Like the previous years, the judging is done in a blind listening format, meaning I don’t know who the artists are. You may think this is easy, but I have to say, it can be quite challenging. I commute a considerable amount of time each way to work, so after listening to each song several times over a few days, I narrow it down to the standouts. Then I listen on my studio speakers for more clarity and less noise.

Below are the eight songs that made it to my final cut. Remember, this is a song contest and not a production or performance contest. If it were a production contest, only three of these eight would have made it this far. Also, these are simply my personal opinions, which are no more valid than yours. I truly believe there are good features in every song and a few things that could be improved with each one as well. With that said, listen to the eight songs below and let me know which are your top three. I’m sure the writers would appreciate the feedback as well. I’ll let you know what my picks were in a few days.

Army Man

The Love You Can’t Have

Covered In Red

Heaven and Earth

Everything

Gotta Get Me Some Of That

Last Time I Go First

The Long Way Home

As I mentioned in the opening, the DSA is an organization that songwriting groups should model. They are organized, hard working and dedicated to helping songwriters everywhere. Many of the submissions came form overseas and many from other parts of the U.S. Thanks again to the Dallas folks for being such great hosts.

Let’s hear your thoughts.

Roy

Thanks for all the great feedback on our first blog topic. Broadjam is fortunate to have a lot of great “ears” on the site and I appreciate hearing from you. We’re also lucky to have so much music, speaking of which…

Here’s a song by Signorino TJ called “Cyberlove” that I initially reviewed awhile back. It has lots of different things going on and is very interesting to listen to. Take a listen and let me know what you think.

As we celebrate our sixth anniversary this month, the Broadjam team is really grateful for the fabulous music on our site. We’re all passionate musicians and music lovers who are constantly amazed by the wealth of talent coming to us from all over the world. We very much appreciate the opportunity to serve the members of Broadjam. We consider it a privilege and we love what we do.

Speaking of great music, I plan to use this space to focus on songs on the site that catch my attention. We all hear music differently, so I’ll share my “ears” with you and I’d love to hear your opinions as well.

Here are my thoughts on a tune by rock artist Tarsha:

Tarsha is one of the best rockers on Broadjam and anywhere else for that matter. If I were an A & R person, he would be signed to my label before the end of this sentence. His voice is classic and his songwriting is perfect for his genre.

Some notes about Tarsha’s song “You Are Everything” play: A strong vocal performance delivered with passion. Song seems to be written and performed from the heart and that’s probably why it’s so good… Lots of dynamic change and power in this song. Classic song structure A/A/B/A/B/C/BB.

The song opens with tasteful fingerpicking and a soft vocal in the first verse… Love the quiet, rough voice… In the phrase “By my side” at the end of the first verse, the “B” in by seems to drop a little. Competing with the volume of the plucked guitar string or maybe an edit with a slower attack… Cello sound in the second verse is very classy. Great accent, doesn’t get in the way… In the first chorus, at 1:18 on “thing” in the word “everything” there is metallic sound slightly behind the “th” in “thing.” It is there throughout the song. I thought it was a glitch at first, but it is clearly intended to be there. I would lower it in the mix… Drum accents in setup number 2 don’t work for me. Rather than randomly accenting the singer, maybe a more rhythmic build into the chorus… Great chorus, well produced. Powerful guitars supporting a powerful voice and vocal performance… Love the tag “I try to be.” Good hook and tag… Great guitar part in the second half of the third verse, simple and strong. This guitarist clearly knows what to play and “what not to play.” A very good player… The note at 1:34 sounds like it was punched in. Needs to be lower in the mix… The Tag makes a great intro into the bridge… Bridge doesn’t seem to be as strong musically as the verses and chorus, but is still very good… Chorus is powerful at the end.

Pros:
Strong artist, song, singer and a good production… This song is perfect for radio. Note that he is in the third verse at 1:30 into the song, this is perfect for radio… As I said in the opening, he should be signed. I have listened to a lot of Tarsha’s material and most of his songs are of this quality or better.

Cons:
Drum sounds are weak. Drum replacements are needed. Good drummer, just need to replace the sounds with an editor… Drum hit at 3:01 is starting to get closer. Sounds like that one was punched in compared to the other sounds. The snare could use some more high end to remove the “cardboard” like sound… Also, I would add about 200 ms of verb and let it ring a little. It’s a little dry… On a small set of speakers, the kick is almost inaudible as well.

So, those are my thoughts for now. Please let me know what you think about Tarsha’s song or any other subject relating to Broadjam or the music industry.

Warmly,
Roy