So here is another Sonicbids how to video. For those of you who don’t know about it, we have an advanced search tool that you can use for drilling down in our listings to pull even more relevant gig listings. Narrated by our very own Tess, and in the background is the song “Montañas” by Taken By Name.

So here is a nice little tour that will give you the rundown on what happens to a submission after you hit the submit button on Sonicbids. You get a good look at the inside of a promoter account, and get a rundown of the different status types.

Also last but not least enjoy the grooving upbeat sweet tones of Joe Cameron and the band with their song “lovely” check em out at sonicbids.com/JoeCameronMusic

This article was written by Ira Greenfield at the USA Songwriting Competition, currently in its 14th year.

Many songwriters have asked me what makes a winning song. As VP of development of USA Songwriting Competition for the past 14 years, I have heard winning songs years through the years, and I think a winning song should be creative in both music composition as well as the lyric composition. A good example is the top winning song of 2008 competition “Home” written by Jordan Zevon, Jordan Summers and Morty Coyle. Musically, it displays surprises in Chord changes and the lyrics about coming home are not the clichés of what you hear on radio. It didn’t hurt the song that chorus was catchy.

Another example is the winning song of the country category in 2007 “I Can Live Without You,” written by Mary Danna and Troy Verges. One would think the song is about someone who doesn’t want to live with another. However, there is a twist at the end of the sentence in the chorus “But I just don’t want to.” They have taken a love and heartache song and given a “surprising twist” in the end. Also, the bridge was short, surprising and also emotionally high (with the melody hitting a high note at the end) and yet sad. That song still remains a favorite at the USA Songwriting Competition. (more…)

In case you are looking at the gig listing pages and not sure what to do. This is a handy little tour that should give you a much clearer idea about what your are submitting too, and making use of all the research tools provided.  Enjoy the soothing sounds of Lou’s Voice.

Also note the incredibly funky background music by the Chicago based Spare Parts with their song “Disco”. Which you can check out here : http://www.sonicbids.com/SpareParts

This tour will give you a rundown of how the EPK Inbox functions when reviewing submissions. If you have a promoter account this should give you the know how of all the features we include that are at your disposal for reviewing submissions.

Also note the incredibly funky background music by the Chicago based Spare Parts with their song “The Junction”. Which you can check out here : http://www.sonicbids.com/SpareParts

The live events at SXSW are amazing. Because of the limited time allotted to most bands (which I think encourages bands to “pull out all the stops“), and the fact that the barrier of entry is pretty high, you’d be hard pressed to find another convention anywhere in the world with as much concentrated talent in one location.

Complementing the live music scene at SXSW are panels held throughout the week at the convention center. From Jim Griffin talking about his Choruss idea, to Ian Rogers moderating a panel on “Making a 360 Deal with Yourself,” the overall theme of the panels I attended this year revolved around the ways that artists and music business companies can identify and optimize alternative revenue models as the music business shifts away from traditional record sales. Music licensing, while nothing new, is a hot topic right now among content owners (songwriters, labels), managers, and artists. Licensing offers the possibility of incredible visibility to artists, and depending on usage, it could also provide a fairly solid revenue stream.

Here is my takeaway from the “Placing Your Music in Film and TV” panel with Jennifer Czeisler (VP Licensing, Sub Pop Records), Marianne Goode (VP Music, Lifetime Networks), Season Kent (Music Supervisor, Relativity Media LLC) Alexandra Patsavas (Owner, Chop Shop Music), Alicen Schneider (VP Music Creative Svcs, NBC Universal TV Music), and Madonna Wade-Reed (Music Supervisor, Whoopsie Daisy): (more…)