We’ve been posting Kingsfoil for the last 2 years because I’ve enjoyed your music, it’s different yet melodic and catchy. Your new
record is finally breaking through, it debuted #42 on the iTunes Rock Charts.
How long have you been a band for?
(Jordan) Tristan and I grew up together playing in different bands and writing music together. We played acoustic for awhile and put a lot of time into getting better at writing songs, around 5 years ago we added Tim and went full band. Since then we have worked hard and put in the time to really build out band from the ground up.
You’ve had some line-up changes, correct?
(Jordan) yes, Tim is the second bass player and frankie is the second drummer. otherwise.. that’s the only lineup changes we’ve had.
Who generally writes the songs? Is it a collective effort?
(Jordan) Most of the time I will write a song on guitar or piano, or Tristan and I will write something and bring it to the band, at that point, everybody adds their two cents. Sometimes ideas happen as we are all jamming or working together.
Tells us about the record making process.
(Jordan) after we get a song down and everybody has their parts written we will demo the song and send it to our producer Dustin Burnett, he will give us feedback on it… we often will re-demo the tune a couple times. We like to get the song feeling good well before the studio. Then when we go in to make a record we have a strong base of a song, we can then spend some time and try and couple more things in the studio… recording is a blast for me.
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Katy Tiz is a pop artist straight out of the UK, is signed to Lava Records home to UK Diva Jessie J, and her debut single is called “Famous”. 
You recently signed a recording deal with Lava Records/Universal Republic home of Jessie J. How did that come about?
I have been working for a long time but the final pieces of the puzzle came together quickly. Arjan writes did a review of one of my tracks called fire fire. That was on sunday, Harinder Rana called me on Monday. By friday night I was downing shots celebrating my first record deal!
When did you start singing and at what moment did you realize that you wanted to become a full time artist?
I was a late starter, I didn’t sing a note until I was 17 and I didn’t start full writing until I was 21.
I knew as soon as I stepped on stage for the first time that this is what I wanted to do.
It’s the only thing that comes naturally to me! I’m rubbish at everything else (my spelling should prove this)
Do you write lyrics? Co-write?
I write lyrics constantly, Im the girl who look like she’s on Facebook when I’m in a date but i’m actually writing lyrics. When you have as much to say as I do, it’s always on my mind.
I started by writing with my bro’s George and Rick, they crafted me and I learned by watching them. I like to co-write to bounce off other people! I believe some of my best songs have been written when there’s two points of view in a room.
Explain the record making process. Easy or Brutal?
I love it! Nothing in life is straight forward. Who wants to hear a entire record about how easy life is or how in love you are? Thats bull*%#. I want people to relate to every lyric I write!
You have a strong voice. Do you credit vocal lessons? Or did your voice develop naturally?
Thanks! *blushing* I think its a mix of both. Vocals lessons are an essential part of being an artist. Your voice is a muscle so you need to keep it strong so vocal lessons are about knowing how to achieve that. They are also about building your confidence.
Confidence is a big part of how you sing.
Who are some of your artist influences?
I love, Alicia Keys, Laryn Hill, India Arie. Those are the artists I will always go back to, they are the reason I fell in love with music.
Please describe you music...
Pop with a lick or urban and a lick or reggae. Boom!
Are you a fan of singing competitions like American Idol? The ‘X’ Factor?
I think they make great TV! Personally I wouldn’t do one myself, firstly because my language is fuc%&! terrible so nothing I do could be aired and secondly, I answer back to much! I admire the people that have the patience and self control to do the show. I have neither of these things.
Is an upcoming tour in the works?
I’ve been in the studio finishing the record for the past few months, but now we are at the end – It’s all starting to take shape now and the next step is to start touring.
Who would you love to tour with?
ooooo…right now, Rihanna
Describe your live show….
I’m not describing it to you! then you wont have to come to one! Come and see for yourself…
Most musicians think the time to hire an attorney is not one minute before you
absolutely have to. All too often, the artist finds out that they needed a lawyer much
sooner than they thought—and sometimes that lesson is very expensive. We spent the day for an exclusive interview with Martin F. Frascogna, a lawyer who’s workingto change how—and when in their careers—musicians and lawyers come together.
5:30 am Mornings in the Frascogna house are a finely orchestrated kind of chaos.
It would be easy to mistake this scene for just plain chaos, but turn up the volume,
and you find that the routine is quite by design. As an entertainment lawyer
who specializes in International Music, Marty Frascogna’s work hours have to
accommodate half a dozen time zones on any given day.
On this particular morning, he has a 6 am call from Ireland with artist Senekah.
They are discussing the previous night’s performance, progress on a music video
concept, and Marty is briefing his artist on the strategy he’s using for the negotiation
of a label deal. Frascogna usually takes his first call and gets through his first round
of email at home, allowing him to be part of the family’s early morning routine of
feeding dogs and changing diapers, and also be accessible to his growing family of
clients.
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We recently reported that Justin Bieber is set to have the biggest debut of the year with his new album ‘Believe‘ which is projected to sell 400k within the first week. But to put everything in perspective Bieber is falling below expectations and could be a sign that his star power is cooling off. His most recent single ‘Boyfriend’ was floundering on the charts and his label had to beef up marketing and promotion to give it new life. Showbiz says this:
“His TV special last night on NBC, “All Around the World,” was a bust. For an 8pm show aimed at pre-teens, it finished fourth out of five shows at that hour. Bieber got a very lackluster 0.9 rating in the 18-49 demo and scored just 3.3 million viewers– about half the number of top rated “So You Think You Can Dance” on Fox. It was also beaten by “Dogs in the City.”
“On the charts, Bieber released a new album this week called “Believe.” On iTunes, it’s number 1, hands down. But on amazon.com, “Believe” is struggling both digitally and in physical sales. Amazon has it doing best at number 9 of all its different versions. But in reality “Believe” is no knock out hit. Hitsdailydouble.com is claiming that “Believe” will end up around 410,000 copies for the week. That seems high given that the impact is low and the reviews–if they mean anything–are not great.
Indeed, Justin Bieber is starting to hit the Britney Spears trend. His original deluded fans are growing out of their age range, and new fans are hard to come by. I have never understood how or why he was popular. At best, he’s a YouTube creation using a heavy dab of Michael Jackson and Justin Timberlake. He has the sex appeal of celery. He also really doesn’t have any songs anyone knows. I defy the average person on the street to name one of his hits.
This was the Jonas Brothers’ problem, too. And look what happened to them. Teen fame is fleeting.It won’t be long before Bieber is playing the Artful Dodger in “Oliver!” on Broadway.
When you walk into a movie theatre you will see rolling credits listing the most important members of the production as well as the cast and crew involved in the project. Music services like Pandora, iTunes, Spotify, and Amazon along with others do not list credits of those who were involved.
“That’s the basis for a metadata movement being spearheaded by producer, mixer and engineer Count (aka Mikael Eldridge), whose ‘credits’ include artists like DJ Shadow, Radiohead, The Rolling Stones, Frank Sinatra, New Order, No Doubt, Galactic, Zoe Keating, and Tycho. ”
(Digital Music News)
Count wants his name included in these artists’ digital works – just like physical formats – which is why he’s pushing to properly credit performers, producers, and engineers on all online music services. He offers a solid case as well.
“If Led Zeppelin had only sold albums digitally when they started, it’s very unlikely that many people would know who Jimmy Page or Robert Plant are because the digital music files you purchase for download or streaming can’t show you who played on them.”
(1) Better credits make better user experiences. For example, if I like Radiohead or the Roots, I would want to know who produced them, what other albums they’ve done, and who’s performing on the recordings. Chances are I might like their other work.
(2) This is Marketing 101. It’s an opportunity for these companies to share and sell more music.
(3) Hollywood does it, so why don’t we? The Screen Actors Guild, Directors Guild, and Writers Guild along with the studios would sue if the credits were not there.
(4) This is not about egos. It’s about survival. Producers, engineers, and musicians need these credits in order to survive in this business. Nobody knows the producers work without credit.
(5) It’s an easy fix. Internet distributors to simply require the following info for all releases: list all performers, producers, engineers, mixers, and mastering engineers for each song and provide their preferred web link. Without this data, the release simply shouldn’t be accepted by distributors.
Click here to ‘Like’ the campaign to credit performers, producers, and engineers on all online music services.
“It’s absolutely unbelievable that I can go online and instantly have access to Roger Federer’s obscure tennis stats but I can’t even see who is singing a song on iTunes or Pandora.” – Count
Monte Pittman is an acclaimed rock musician, guitarist and songwriter, who just released his second album, “Pain, Love & Destiny”. Monte has also been the live guitarist and a co-writer of Madonna’s since 2001, the live guitarist and music director for Adam Lambert, and former member of Prong . He is also the #1 top-funded rock musician in the history of Kickstarter, having raised a staggering $65,500 from fans to finance the new album.
You started out teaching guitar to Guy Ritchie and consequently Madonna as well. Soon after, you appeared with her on Letterman and joined her band. This was only about 10 years ago and things have been flying for you since then. Have you taken the opportunity to reflect on the wild twists and turns in your journey to this point, or are you a ‘head down and keep pushing forward’ kind of person?
I just keep looking forward. The 11 year mark of the Letterman performance just passed and its hard to believe how fast the time has gone by.
You have been Madonna’s live guitarist and a co-writer since 2001. Please elaborate on your experience touring and writing with a breakthrough artist like Madonna.
It’s the best job in the world. There can be as many as 200 people on tour with you. You usually don’t get to meet them all. We all become a close family on the road and have a great time in each others company. You can see that in the performances. Read more…..
Grooveshark is an online music search engine, music streaming service and music recommendation web software application, allowing users to search for, stream, and upload music for a charge that can be played immediately or added to a playlist.
I sat down with Grooveshark’s SVP Paul Geller discussing artist payout, Spotify, and how Grooveshark positioned itself as one of the leading providers of music streaming in the industry.
Tell me about your history in music. You mentioned that you began as a musician signed to a label performing in an emo band.
I started playing violin when I was 4. I think my mom was a Tiger Mom before it was fashionable. I always had to be playings something. In middle school I took up alto sax, then piano/keys and finally landed on an instrument I considered fashionable. My dad bought me a beat up Japanese Strat. To this day it’s my favorite guitar even though I have quite a collection. After a few years of playing alone I started a band with a couple other buddies from school. The band was called Keepsake. We signed a deal with Eulogy Recordings when I was 15, put out a record and went on our first tour when I was 16. I think I did about 3 records before my 19th birthday and had been up and down the East Coast a dozen times. I have vivid memories of sleeping in an uninsulated utility van on Christmas Day in Wilkes-Barre, PA. Read more….
Luke Ebbin is a twelve-time platinum, five-time Grammy nominated record producer, songwriter, composer, and new media entrepreneur. As a record producer, Luke is considered to be the architect behind the makeover and comeback of Bon Jovi with his production of their hit record, “Crush”, which featured the worldwide #1 smash single “It’s My Life
Luke has produced and written songs for Melissa Etheridge, Plain White T’s, Rival Schools, the All-American Rejects, and Will I Am. Additionally, Luke produced and/ or composed the television themes for Entertainment Tonight, The Insider, CBS News 50th Anniversary, The CBS 1998 Nagano Olympics, among many others.
In the Kings of A&R interview Luke discusses his work with Bon Jovi, how new aspiring producers can make a mark, and breaking well-known classic artists in the digital world.
Tell me how you began your journey into the music business.
I had a pretty wild entry into the music business. I was 16 at the time and an obsessed drummer. My brother and I went to see The Pat Metheny Group play at a shed near my hometown early in the summer and we struck up a conversation with the front of house engineer. At some point it came up that I was a drummer and he mentioned that they were looking for a new drum tech for the tour and asked me if i’d be interested in the job. Of course I said yes. He said he’d let the road manager know and if interested, they’d call me the next day. Sure enough the call came the next morning and before my mother could say “absolutely not”, I was on a plane to New Jersey to meet up with the tour and spent the rest of the summer on the road. Needless to say, it was somewhat of the modern jazz version of “Almost Famous”- and one hell of an experience for a 16 year old. Read more…
