Kussu Productions Has Invested 2,5 Million Euros In African Music Publishing

African Music Publishing's core competency will be in helping African songwriters, artits, producers in building their repertoire, copyright administration, licensing services, supporting them with marketing, collection and distribution of royalties.

In response to the strong music trend in Africa, especially in the urban muisc scene, professional guidance is needed.

AMP, headquartered in London (UK), plans to open offices in Germany, US and Africa. A full market entry is scheduled for 2009.

About Kussu Productions

Established in 1994, kussu productions® is a music content company with global businesses in music publishing and recorded music, includes artist development, management and music library as specialities.

kussu productions® is home to a collection of active publishing companies such as Murder Riddims Publishing USA, Indie Songs Publishing UK, Indie Songs Publishing Scandinavia, Latin Music Publishing Group USA, Latin Music Publishing Group Europe and Kussu Music Publishing. Independent records labels including Universoul Vibes, Murder Riddims Records, and F!cking Dope Records, Inc.

http://www.kussu-productions.com
http://www.africanmusicpublishing.org

All Things Digital Alt. Rock / College / Indie Rock Artist Contest 2008

Throughout the month of October, AirPlay Direct will be running our FREE to enter "All Things Digital Alt. Rock / College / Indie Rock" artist contest. The Grand Prize package will include:

A fee waiver for the contest winner to carry their CD in Best Buy and one performance at a Best Buy branded event (value - priceless)

A recording studio package for a master quality EP (5 songs) from Slot-1 Studios (a $5,000 value)

A full album mastering package from Skyline Sound (a $3,000 value)

A professional microphone package from SHURE microphones (a $1,500 value)

A 12 week national publicity / marketing package from Pres Pak Public Relations (a $9,000 value)

A 6 week national radio promotion campaign to approx. 350 college stations from Powderfinger Promotions(a $1,400 value)

A promotions and development package from iMergeAndSee Artists Promotions and Development package(a $3,280 value)

'The Banquet' media promotion package from HyperDIY Media (a $2,400 value)

'A 'Featured Artist' advertising and PR campaign from Mi2N (a $750 value)

'8 vocal lessons and a copy of Jeannie's vocal enhancement materials 'The Contemporary Vocalist' Series from Jeannie Deva Studios (a $1,000 value)

'A 'Featured Artist' advertising / promotion package from AirPlay Direct (a $1,500 value)

'The Grand Prize Package is valued at over $28,000...!

'This contest is FREE TO ENTER and very simple. The only three requirements to enter are that you must be an AirPlay Direct artist / label member (free to join), your music must fall into the Alt. Rock / College / Indie Rock genre and you must submit your AirPlay Direct DPK to office@airplaydirect.com prior to the official entry deadline of October 25th. Whether you are an indie artist or a well established record label with a roster, pick your best songs, you can submit from 1 to 3 tracks per artist. Please make sure to note that you are submitting for the Alt. Rock / College / Indie Rock artist contest. Deadline for submissions is October 25th. The winner will be announced and "Featured" in the November Radio Programmers Newsletter, as well as in a company press release to all media outlets.

'A little about AirPlay Direct: http://www.AirPlayDirect.com

'AirPlay Direct is a new revolutionary, efficient and very cost effective way (FREE) to securely deliver your "broadcast-quality" music and electronic press kits to radio programmers and music industry professionals around the world.

'AirPlay Direct is an easy to use digital file transfer system that was developed to streamline radio / artist promotion activities for today's music industry. AirPlay Direct's FREE digital services replace the unnecessary time and expense of putting together and sending out costly traditional artist packages and press kits via snail mail.

'AirPlay Direct... go straight to the source!

MusicDishTV: Sound Liberation - "Luck" - Blue Note, NYC

Sound Liberation performing live at the legendary Blue Note performing LUCK. featuring Chanda Rule, Charles 'Das Kooner' Coleman, Gene 'Noizepunk' Pritsker, Dave 'Criminal Cello' Gotay, Franz Hackl, Greg 'B-man' Baker, Dan Cooper, Pablo Rieppi. www.soundliberation.net

"Seeing Sound Liberation perform live is unlike anything else you have ever seen before. This particular performance of 'LUCK' has it all - rapping, guitar and trumpet solos, male/female shared vocals, and even a cello. Who would have thought that a jazz/hip-hop combination could sound so good? Sound Liberation is a band that needs to be seen to believe." - MusicDishTV

MusicDishTV is more than an online video channel; it is the place to find out what's happening in the music world and hear brilliant new talent before they hit the radio airwaves. Artists & bands can submit their videos at http://tv.musicdish.net

Dangerous Diversion Recommended

Electro-pop vocalist ellee ven announces her new album's release, DANGEROUS DIVERSION, in stores November 18. ellee ven has made her mark by fusing different genres together on her albums or even within a song, resulting in experimental dance jams and ballads created by veteran and up-and-coming producers.

DANGEROUS DIVERSION is different than ellee ven's prior releases in that it features rap ingénue Prodéje from SOUTH CENTRAL CARTEL, a group that stood alongside fellow early-'90s West Coast collectives such as NWA, Compton's Most Wanted and Above the Law.

ellee ven grabbed the attention of DJs internationally with the release of Project 11, a compilation series featuring remixes of ellee ven originals. "It was recommended to me that I record more up-beat material, so I'd be able to connect more with the DJs. It was fun because suddenly I was working with people from all over the world just sending files back and forth!"

"ellee ven's music is smooth and trance-like, a big club favorite" writes the HARRISBURG PATRIOT-NEWS. "She held the audience in her hand," writes the TOLUCA TIMES. "Ven is confident, engaging. This artist is quite appealing and her contemporary songwriting style should do well with audiences", wrote national publication MUSIC CONNECTION.

ellee ven is enjoying the attention her music has received since her Los Angeles Music Awards win for ELECTRO POP ARTIST OF THE YEAR, and a South Bay Music Awards win for VIDEO OF THE YEAR along with a string of performances at some of Independent Music's best festivals.

The singer was nominated for 2007 POP ARTIST OF THE YEAR & INDEPENDENT CD OF THE YEAR at the South Bay Music Awards. In 2006 UNSIGNED MUSIC MAGAZINE declared ellee ven a favorite by making her a cover girl, nominating her for ARTIST OF THE YEAR, and for ALBUM OF THE YEAR. ellee ven's video UNDER MY SKIN won VIDEO OF THE YEAR.

All of ellee ven's releases can be found on line and in select retail outlets. ellee ven's site ( http://www.elleeven.com ) showcases the range and diversity of her music which she self-titled, GROOVETONICS: a mix of electronica, pop and rock. DANGEROUS DIVERSION was produced by Antony Lee and Prodéje and is set for official release November 18th, 2008. There will be a record release party scheduled November 20th in Los Angeles.

The Connective Series - How International Bands Can Break In US Market

The Connective (tm) Series hosts its next panel on Tuesday, October 21, 2008 in Manhattan at ASCAP, One Lincoln Plaza, ASCAP Building, 5th Floor Cafeteria in New York City at 7:00 p.m. The Connective (tm) Series educates emerging artists, musicians and music business professionals on, serves as a networking opportunity, and raise awareness and funds for charity. The Artist Against Hunger & Poverty Program of WHY (World Hunger Year) will benefit from this event.

The Panel "How International Bands Can Break in the US Market" will cover issues such as management, touring, booking, publishing and recording contracts. Panelists include: Paul Adams of Magus Entertainment, a full service artist management firm, Millie Milgate, Creative Director of MusicNSW (Australia), Ari Nisman, President & CEO of Degy Entertainment, an artist management and booking firm, Jim Powers, owner of Minty Fresh, a Chicago-based music label, David Rothblatt, Owner of Hypnote Recording Concern, a multi-purpose music services organization based in NY and London, Robert Singerman of the French Music Export Office (North America), and Michael Lee Stack, President, A&R for Verse Music Publishing, a full service publishing firm. Jennie is a member of WHY's Artists Against Hunger & Poverty Program (AAHP) & ASCAP. Panelists will accept artists CDs. Please submit a 3-4 song CD only with your contact information included on the CD. No Press Kits.

Media Sponsors: ASCAP, Los Angeles Music Network "LAMN Jam", Music Connection, SESAC, UK Trade & Investment, MusicDish. Event Sponsors: Overplay, Music Connection, Sonicbids. Silent Auction Sponsor: The Indie Bible and The Music Business Registry.

Panel fee is $20.00. $15.00 for ASCAP & SESAC members and NYU, SAE Institute & Juilliard students. Up to 50% of profits from the Connective Series will go to charity (WHY and Opus 118, Harlem School of Music.) RSVP at jennie@jenniewalker.com. Registration and Payments must be made in advance. Purchase tickets at www.jenniewalker.com on the Nimbit feature or at www.theconnectiveseries.com. Registration and check in is from 6:00 p.m. until 7:00 p.m. The Panel runs from 7:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. with networking afterwards. A limited number of walk-ins allowed.

Participants receive a free 6 month trial subscription to Sonicbids and a free issue of Music Connection magazine. A one year Sonicbids membership will be up for auction, a one year subscription to Music Connection, as well as a copy of The Indie Bible, and The Music Business Registry.

For more information, please contact Jennie Walker at 212-541-7456 or via email at jennie@jenniewalker.com.

For more information on WHY, go to - http://www.whyhunger.org

For more information on the Connective (tm) Series, go to http://www.jenniewalker.com or http://www.theconnectiveseries.com

Popkomm Puts Berlin On The Map, Once Again

I'd like to express my heartfelt thanks to Patricia Schwan and the whole Popkomm team (especially my booth assistant Carolina) for a truly world-class music conference. ( http://www.popkomm.com )

For those who may not have had the pleasure of attending the conference, it serves as a platform uniting over 843 exhibitors ranging from labels, publishers, businesses and organizations, primarily from Europe. And while I didn't get to see half the bands I would have liked, the fact that 8 of the showcase clubs were congregated at the Kulturbrauerei (it is what is says), certainly didn't hurt.

One particular highlight was DCIA's inaugural Popkomm P2P & Music Conference - I hope it won't be the last! http://www.dcia.info/activities/p2pmcde2008/

This is my 3rd Popkomm, and despite those veterans reminiscing when it was held in Colone, ich bin ein Berliner. So I hope you'll join me there in September 2009.

Eric de Fontenay

Kris Searle to Perform LA Music Awards Voting Party at Whisky-a-go-go

Music Artist Kris Searle -- Nominated For Best Record Of The Year & Best Male Vocal By Los Angeles Music Awards -- Showcases At The Historical Whisky-a-go-go

The prestigious LA Music Awards has nominated Kris Searle for Best Record of the Year and Best Male Vocal. The World famous Whisky-a-go-go, in West Hollywood will host the voting party for the 18th Annual Los Angeles Music Awards, featuring Kris Searle and his award winning band on October 16th, 2008. Doors open at 8:00pm. Press, industry members and music lovers of all ages are invited to attend and be part of music history that the Whisky is ultimately known for.

http://krissearle.com/lama.htm

London recording artist Kris Searle's new Album Slowly Diabolical has been receiving rave reviews and accolades from music professionals worldwide. "This is "Brit-Pop/Rock at its finest", "Blasting tracks with enormous melodies and shout-out-loud lyrics" played by Kris and his incredible star studded band of musicians. This is Indie music at its finest, featuring some of the most talented musicians in the business, and this album truly has platinum potential. This exceptional album of originally composed music by the artist was produced by Dino Maddalone of Dino M 4 Recording Studios of Torrance, California and is available now online through iTunes, CD Baby, Music Dock, mp3, Amazon, Rhapsody and other music outlets.

About Kris Searle: Media from the UK to LA are raving! "His music draws from life experiences and projects raw emotion, a refreshing break from all the futile pap that fills much of today's pop charts."Jay Clarke of Attitude Magazine. "Sensitive and engaging", is how BBC Radio describes British-born singer-songwriter Kris Searle's music as UK audiences would like to claim the fast-rising talent as theirs alone. Kris, now promoting his new album ‘Slowly Diabolical' and showcasing in Southern California, is rapidly building a career that's also attracting the interests of Los Angeles' own music industry heavyweights. Bob Leggett of Music Connection says "Searle's music touches the heart and stimulates the Soul, and deserves industry support and placement in a myriad of shows and movies. Searle is ready for the big time now!" "Kris Searle is something of a phenomenon here at ROCKWIRED, this U.K. crooner, having released his Indie CD ‘Slowly Diabolical' has taken his music and his life into his own hands and is making it happen" - Brian Lush, Rockwired. "Honest and introspective songs from the heart, a voice from the soul, and a sound that appeals to a broad audience." Greg Bennett, premier designer Samick/Greg Bennett Guitars. To book Kris Searle, arrange guest appearances or interviews please forward requests to management.

Register To MIDEM/MidemNet Before October 15

Register To MIDEM/MidemNet Before October 15
SAVE UP TO 590 Euros

Come and meet 9,000 key professionals from 90 countries at MIDEM, the world's music market.

Speaking at MIDEM / MidemNet
* David Eun, VP Content Partnerships, Google Inc
* Jay Marciano, President of Madison Square Garden Entertainment
* Jin-Young Park, Founder & President of JYP Entertainment

MidemNet: 17 - 18 January 2009
MIDEM: 18 - 21 January 2009

The earlier you register, the less you pay, register now at http://www.midem.com

Behind Kerchoonz - the interview part 2

An interview with Kerchoonz co-founder and Scotland-based, singer-songwriter Indiana Gregg (part 2 of 2)

In part 2 of MusicDish e-Journal's interview with Indiana Gregg, we learn more about Kerchoonz, the site's multiple features and it's Choonz origins.

[Eric de Fontenay] The site is jam-packed with features and interactive areas. What other ways will you be attracting fans to the site?

[Indiana Gregg] There is a big online gaming area, video, live chat, TV, radio, news dig, and a lot of other stuff to have fun and be creative with. There will be a music discovery and recommendation engine to help fans find new music as well as a chart system for the various genres.

Hopefully, a lot of people will benefit from the free & legal model. Our focus is on helping artists get compensated for their work. But, we've made it fun for fans too. In fact, you don't even need to be a fan to find your "niche" at Kerchoonz. And fans are actually financially supporting their favorite artists without it costing them a dime.

Artists can track downloads and streams of their music. They will know what region or even city their fans are coming from. So, it can help to better target their audiences and plan their gigs. We're hoping that artists and labels potentially earn more through Kerchoonz than they may have done with traditional CD sales in recent years.

[Eric de Fontenay] Word-of-mouth marketing is today's holy grail. What tools does the site provide to empower fans to support their favorite artists?

[Indiana Gregg] One way is through the use of "KWIDGET," interactive widgets that help spread the word. The "referral KWIDGET" promotes the site by allowing users to paste a banner on forums, other sites and in emails. For every band or pro member that joins the site through one of these referral kwidgets, the user who pasted it receives $5.

Users can help support their favourite musicians too. If a user from our site pastes an artist's music elsewhere on the internet by embedding one of our music players, the artist still gets paid for their streams when other user's click and listen or download a song through a kwidget. If they login and register for a band or pro account, the user who pasted the kwidget again gets $5. So, even the public can earn real money by referring bands and creative people to Kerchoonz. It's spreading the word with a fun and financially interesting motivation.

[Eric de Fontenay] What role will the Industry Pros play on the site?

[Indiana Gregg] As we are going to be adding two additional "User Types" - Label & DJ - Industry Pro type users will be expected to be Publishers, Management Co's, Music & Media law firms, Engineers, Producers, Video Production Co's, Hire Co's, Accountants, Design Co's, etc.

[Eric de Fontenay] Do you handle differently artists with a large discography or labels with a catalogue?

[Indiana Gregg] Yes, labels will be allowed to upload more media and create more Sub-Profiles than a regular 'Artist/band' profile. Also, there are Gold and Platinum upgrade packages available to all users types offering more facilities relevant to each user type.

[Eric de Fontenay] What role does video play in Kerchoonz? Will video creators also be compensated for the use of their works?

[Indiana Gregg] Yes, if it is a music video and the video ISRC is entered into the Video ISRC field, the play counts and revenue will be reported back to the Video Performance Limited (VPL) body in the UK or local equivalent.

As the site develops, it is our intent to include licences with non-music genre broadcasters for their content.

[Eric de Fontenay] How will Kerchoonz attract artists who currently sell on retailers such as Amazon or iTunes? More importantly, how will it attract fans that love music but are primarily using file sharing to acquire music?

[Indiana Gregg] We aren't competing with Amazon or iTunes. So, if an artist doesn't want to give the music away as a free download, they can simply turn that function off. They can direct their fans to any online store they choose. However, they will still get paid if someone listens to their music through Kerchoonz. The streams are encrypted, so they can upload the full song without worrying about someone simply "stealing" it. If they change their mind or just want to give away a few tracks, they can do that too. Kerchoonz is flexible this way. We want to give artists, musicians, labels, bands and filmmakers interactive tools and let them choose how they want to use them.

People who use file sharing to acquire music may want to listen to the music before they download it. So, by listening to the music on Kerchoonz, they will have helped benefit the band/artists before they decide whether they want to download it or not. We hope that if they like the music, they might go ahead and support the band by downloading it either through Kerchoonz or going ahead and buying it elsewhere. If they don't like it, well, they might not want to download it anyway. But, at least they have a safe and legal way of accessing it that helps the artists and the people who were involved in creating it. This helps give bands and artists and even labels the finances that they need to continue creating. And that's what Kerchoonz is all about.

[Eric de Fontenay] Since you mention "what Kerchoonz is all about," where does the name come from?

[Indiana Gregg] Well, the name of the site came from the Choonz. Choonz are little purple people from a far off land who frequent the earth and bring us 'ideas'. The Choonz wanted to help us find a solution to the recent crises that the music and film industries have been facing on the blue planet. On their visit, the Choonz told us that they know music makers and filmmakers have been getting ripped-off and that we must do something about it for the sake of future creativity. To avoid wars and crusades, they were able to find a peaceful solution several thousand years ago on their own planet, Kerchoonz.

Choonz believe music should be free and accessible to everyone, and so they showed us the light and helped us create a way where music can be free to the public while enabling musicians and creative people to earn a living from their streams and downloads. We wanted to help out, so, out of respect for their wisdom, we named our social networking site after them: "Kerchoonz." At Kerchoonz, we think that the future of music won't work if musicians aren't compensated for their work. So, that's us, the purple website called Kerchoonz.
Go Choonz!

www.kerchoonz.com

Melissa Auf der Maur... sneak peek of new album "Out Of Our Minds"

I am excited to announce I will be playing my first show in over three years. It has been far too long, but I was held back by contractual red tape for what felt like forever. I now emerge a thoroughly independent artist preparing to release my first 3-Dimensional concept album: "Out Of Our Minds" (OOOM).

OOOM is a combination of cutting-edge technology and feminine intuition. It’s a journey into the future, and I invite you to take the first step with me at the Lion d’Or on November 1, 2008.

“Travel Out Of Our Minds, and into our hearts standing by”… MAdM
For more sneak peeks please visit: www.xmadmx.com and www.myspace.com/xmadmx
Tickets/billets: www.admission.com et Cheap Thrills + L'Oblique

MusicDishTV: Buffalo Killers - "Get Together Now Today"

Buffalo Killers - Get Together Now Today from their album Let It Ride, produced by Dan Auerbach, on Alive Records. www.buffalokillers.com

"'Get Together Now Today' immediately throws you into a rock groove with its core-shaking bass. The deep beat sends you back to a time when life was easy and the music was always streaming out into the streets, while the Guns N' Roses-like vocals sing out to anyone who's ever felt pain." - MusicDishTV

MusicDishTV is more than an online video channel; it is the place to find out what's happening in the music world and hear brilliant new talent before they hit the radio airwaves. Artists & bands can submit their videos at http://tv.musicdish.net

PEI Songwriters Podcast Series Is Now Available Online

An 11 episode podcast series that features the music of songwriters from Prince Edward Island Canada will soon be available in its entirety on line. The series features the recorded music of those songwriters from their various albums, along with a series of "specially" recorded acoustic tracks created especially for the series, as well as the writers’ in their own words. It was created and produced by Sandbar Music and engineered and co-produced by Jon Matthews at his Big Grey Studios in Charlottetown PEI.

The first 5 episodes are now available for listening and download from www.closetothecoastradio.com. The series is also now available from the iTunes podcast directory and will be available through a number of other directories on the web. You can also subscribe to the series so you will receive new episodes as they become available. Two new episodes will be released each month until the series is fully available in January 2009.

The series features songwriters from many genres and styles of music across a broad spectrum found on PEI. Featured songwriters include: Eddie Quinn; Nikkie; Chas Guay: Tim Chaisson; Donald Younie; Liam Corcoran; Jon Matthews; Meaghan Blanchard; Dan Currie; Pat Deighan; Mark Steel; Andrew Murray; Jeremy Gaudet and Dennis Ellsworth.

Each episode runs approximately forty five minutes in length. A unique feature of the series is that the final 3 episodes include only the acoustic tracks recorded especially for this series along with the writers in their own words

"We wanted to create a vehicle for getting songwriters exposure beyond PEI", says Lloyd Doyle, one of the people who helped put the series together. "Podcasting is a great tool for promoting artists and songwriters. We put the stuff out into cyberspace at very little cost and who knows who is going to hear what?" he adds. "We will also be doing a songwriters’ drop card and a major mail out to publishers, artists and music supervisors of tracks by selected PEI songwriters to create more awareness of the potential of our Island songwriters." he goes on to add.

A new songwriter podcast series is in the planning stages for production in 2009, as well as, a series of PEI artist profiles.

Visit Sandbar Music at www.sandbarmusic.com to purchase the music of artists and songwriters from PEI.