Bandzoogle Artists Reach $1 Million In Commission-Free Indie Web Sales

Bandzoogle.com, the leading website builder tool for musicians, has announced its member artists have exceeded $1 million in music and merchandise sales direct from their websites - a milestone made sweeter for members by the fact that Bandzoogle doesn't charge fees or commissions on those sales.

"The fact that Bandzoogle lets artists keep 100 percent of their sales sets us apart from the vast majority of e-commerce solutions for musicians," says Chris Vinson, president of Bandzoogle. "And our team is proud to have helped our members reach this million-dollar milestone," he says. "It demonstrates how our tools are helping musicians succeed on the web."

The store function is one of dozens of features that can be added to individual artist websites on the Bandzoogle platform. It uses PayPal to process transactions, allowing musicians to accept credit cards and sell direct to their fans instantly with a very low fee per transaction. What's more, artists can set up their website stores to let visitors purchase not only physical merchandise like CDs and t-shirts but also digital goods such as mp3 singles and albums... all in a single checkout.

About Bandzoogle

With membership plans ranging from $15 to $20 per month, the Bandzoogle platform lets musicians build a professional website in minutes with features including a custom website store, mailing list, music player calendar and much more. The system's integrated imaging software allows artists with no web skills to create and launch websites with custom looks and functionality.

Founded by Chris Vinson, formerly a major-label musician and website designer for multi-platinum bands, Bandzoogle runs on Amazon Web Services platform with state-of-the-art servers and reliability. He was inspired to launch Bandzoogle after developing a control panel that allowed label managers to update content on their bands' web sites.

Bandzoogle operates a distributed team with employees in Canada, the US and the UK.

More information is available at http://www.bandzoogle.com

Tryxo Indie Invasion 'Call To Arms'

Online music retailer Tryxo issued a 'Call To Arms' for the best American and German bands to join its upcoming Tryxo Indie Invasion Tour in Germany. The tour will be held in 7 different universities across Germany between June 1 - 15, 2009. Tryxo Indie Invasion Tour is being organized by Fachhochschule Bonn-Rhein-Sieg, a German University where dedicated 14 students coordinating everything from logistics, to marketing, to communicating with the other participating schools.

Tryxo is seeking up to three (3) US-based Bands and up to two (2) German bands in the Rock, Alternative, Pop-Rock and Eclectic genres to join the tour. All costs will be covered - food, travel, hotel, equipment rental... etc. there are no fixed payment to the artists. Simply register for free at www.tryxo.com (sign up for free, upload songs, register for tour).

*** Submission deadline: May 1, 2009 ***

Tryxo is an online music store offering DRM-free digital downloads of the best independent music to music lovers worldwide. Focused on providing artists with the best retail solution in the industry, the company offers free account registration and 75% royalty on all digital music sales. Recognizing the importance of providing a compelling music shopping experience in a competitive market, Tryxo offers uniform download price of $.59, high-quality music pre-approved by its staff as well as unlimited downloads/copies of purchased music for multiple computers and music players. Tryxo will be launching online radio streams to better promote its artists to customers.
http://www.tryxo.com

Internet Pirates All At Sea

Enforced regulation regarding internet piracy took a giant step forward last week, with news that the operators of notorious torrent site The Pirate Bay had been charged with digital theft by a Swedish court, fined $3.6m and sentenced to one year each in jail.

The news was welcomed by the creators of Glasgow-based Kerchoonz.com, the first integrated social networking and media site to legally enable streaming and download of music, videos and on-line games whilst paying the artists and creators of music.

Co-founder of Kerchoonz.com and renowned US artist Indiana Gregg, has had personal conflict with The Pirate Bay. She says, "As a performing artist myself, I take great offence with torrent sites making a profit on the backs of musicians, who in turn, aren’t paid a penny. A small number of torrent tracker sites, including The Pirate Bay, refuse to do remove material on request and are arrogant enough to believe they are above the law. Whilst I certainly would not wish anyone to be incarcerated, this recent sentence sends a clear message to existing and would-be file sharing hosts - illegal downloading is a crime, you can be traced and sooner or later you will be prosecuted".

Her argument isn’t that users should have to pay for downloads, quite the opposite in fact. She reasons that users should be able to listen to their favourite tracks for free, but that the artists should also be given some form of payment.

Kerchoonz.com does just that. Scheduled to launch in June, it allows users to access free downloads, whilst artists, whether internationally acclaimed or as yet unsigned, are paid each time their work is streamed or downloaded. Revenue gained by unobtrusive advertising on the site is used to fund these payments, ensuring that everyone benefits.

"Already over 32,000 have signed up", says Indiana. "Although there are obviously other sites out there who offer free legal downloads, Kerchoonz.com is the first to absorb the offering into a social networking environment, ensuring full integration with Facebook and Twitter".

It is inevitable that other, similar services will appear on the internet over a very short space of time, as increasing numbers of illegal file sharers are prosecuted or close down of their own accord, before "The Internet Police" knock on their virtual door. This can only spell good news for the thousands of artists who have, since the dawn of the internet, been royally ripped off.

Kerchoonz, founded by Indiana Gregg and Ian Morrow in 2008, is a group of veteran record producers, artists, songwriters, music and technology industry professionals. Kerchoonz.com is a social networking platform that allows free exchange of music, art, ideas and entertainment. It enables fans to search and discover new music, play games, meet people, watch and upload video, keep up with news and post blogs.

Kerchoonz.com is an ad-funded model that allows artists and musicians to be paid for their audio and video streams, as well as their free downloads.doesn't want to give their music away for free, they are free to sell it and provide links to their on-line shop. But, they can still opt to be paid for streams.

http://www.kerchoonz.com

Mainstream Isn't So Bad...Is It?

Check out their write up of Rufus Cappadocia's Transformation video: Mainstream Isn't So Bad...Is It?

Indie Extreme Adds Universal Music Christian Group/Fontana

Indie Extreme has announced its newest strategic partner in Universal Music Christian Group (UMCG) a division of Fontana Distribution/UMGD. This is a multi-year agreement allowing Indie Extreme's artists to have both physical and digital distribution through the entertainment industry's most admired partner.

"This recent alliance further allows our independent artists an opportunity to compete on a level playing field compared to any other major label artist or group." stated Kathy Douglas, founder and CEO of Indie Extreme. "We look forward to building upon our relationship with Universal and all our other strategic partnerships which assist each of our artists and labels in promoting their talent."

About Indie Extreme, LLC (www.indieextreme.com):

Indie Extreme, LLC (with offices in Houston, TX and Nashville, TN) provides marketing, management and administrative services for independent artists and record labels worldwide. Serving as a business process outsourcing (BPO) company since 2006, the Company allows independent artists and their labels to focus their efforts and energies on their creative pursuits while leveraging the Company's infrastructure for all of the administrative aspects of their business/career.

About UMCG/Fontana Distribution:

Fontana, the independent arm of UMGD, provides unparalleled sales and marketing support, as well as back office services, for a diverse roster of labels and their artists. Fontana distributes more than 60 labels including American Gramophone, Angeles Records, Big Vin, Delicious Vinyl, Ipecac, Mad Science Recordings, Nitro, Quango, Rendezvous, Six Degrees, SMC, Telarc, Trustkill, Upstairs Records, Vagrant Records, VP Records, Warcon, and many others. Universal Music Christian Group is a newly formed division of Fontana, offering labels quality service at all levels, from retail marketing and sales to digital initiatives and administrative services. UMCG distributes more than 20 labels including Executive Music Group, Arrow Records, Concord Records, Desert Music Group, Geffen, Music World, Island and many others.

A Twist of Smooth Jazz: Alexander Shulgin's My Moscow MP3

Song: My Moscow (Moya Moskva)
Composer: Alexander Shulgin
Performers: Paul Drew, Steve King, Simon Rushby, Jon Howells, Chris "Beebe" Aldridge
Album: Triptych. Shulgin's Songbook, Part 1

Download Alexander Shulgin's "My Moscow" MP3

"I believe that most people in the world like good music, regardless of the genre. If it's good, it's good. However, there are some genres of music out there that are quite polarizing like heavy metal or smooth jazz. Alexander Shulgin song, "My Moscow" would certainly be considered smooth jazz, and right off the bat, that may turn a lot of people off. However, the acoustic guitar playing of Paul Drew adds a sort of flamenco feel that comes from the minor scale pattern used, and also is a result of the nylon strings (which I believe guitar players often under-appreciate). Chris Aldridge adds a clean sax sound and his tone works well for this style. Though Shulgin's skills as a composer are more clearly on display on other tracks, his compositional chops are still present here, regardless of the simplicity. So, if you can get past the whole smooth jazz thing, you should be able to enjoy this track." - Will Cohn, MusicDish e-Journal

Alexander Shulgin's My Moscow -- musicdish

About Triptych. Shulgin's Songbook, Part 1
An instrumental album of the music of feelings and mind, romantic lounge, recorded together with the most famous English instrumentalists - Simon Rushby, Steve King, Jon Howell, lead guitars by Paul Drew. Album was recorded in spring 2008 in Great Britain, at DWB Music record studio, situated at the ecologically pure district of London, where the ecologically pure music is born. The record was produced by young English producers Paul Drew, Greig Watts and Pete Barringer, who have the great experience working with the wide range of different music - from pop and rock to the academy music.

www.myspace.com/shulginalexander
alexandershulgin.musicdish.net

Shakespearean Actress-Turned-Musician Amy Speace Remembers The Bard On The Anniversary Of His Death

If music be the food of love, play on,
Give me excess of it; that surfeiting,
The appetite may sicken, and so die.
- Duke Orsino, 'Twelfth Night' I.i.1-3

April 23 marks the 393rd anniversary of William Shakespeare's death, and remembering The Bard's famous words regarding music and love is uniquely relevant for singer-songwriter and former Shakespearean actress Amy Speace.

While lovelorn Duke Orsino may have hoped to cure his pain through overindulgence in both music and romance, Speace knows firsthand music's capacity to cure ailments of the heart: Speace turned to songwriting to heal her broken heart after she and her husband of ten years separated. In the process, the Amherst College-grad wrote all twelve songs on her new album 'The Killer In Me' (out June 30 from Wildflower Records).

Before finding herself as a musician, Speace toured with the prestigious National Shakespeare Company, and for her role in a non-traditional 1998 production of 'Henry V' (staged entirely in a parking lot), the New York Times said, "Ms. Speace makes a believable, desirable Katherine" (8.15.1998). Though she's still passionate about Shakespeare and the presence of music (and love) in his work, these days, Speace is earning praise for her "clear voice and innocent vulnerability [which] make her sweet, twangy folk warm and intimate" (Time Out NY 4.9.09).

http://www.amyspeace.com
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Amy-Speace/6091046107

MusicDishTV: IXTHEIS - Alles Meres

IXTHEIS is Greek rock/alternative band who made their musical breakthrough opening the Reamonn concert Thessaloniki. They followed that with their debut release "Einai Polla Ta Lefta..." in 2007. The video for song "Alles meres" (Other Days) speaks of how the losing of childhood innocence is killing hope. IXTHEIS tells us to stay in touch with the 'child in all of us' and look to the future for brighter days. www.ixtheis.gr

"Kai perimeno alles meres /
otan tha fygi to skotadi /
kati tha dihni na allazi /
kai tha 'houn hroma i skies"

"and I'm waiting for other days /
when the darkness will be gone /
something will seem to be changing /
and the shades will be coloured"

Historic Painting Up For Bids, Song Mentions And Other June Fest Updates...

The 2009 Nashville SongWriters Festival on Music Row is now opening up email bids for this large 2 1/2' x 4' collectible oil painting on canvas by 6th year fest volunteer Deb Ziems. The autographed painting was signed by Featured Writers that attended the 2008 fest such as Tom T. Hall, Stella Parton, Brian White, the Wilburn family, Grammy winners and many more including the famous and not so famous.
Bids will be accepted by email online.

The bid deadline is June 15, 2009, Midnight. Proceeds go to Fest 2009 activities. To enter you bid, see a larger detailed image of the inspired work or get more info visit The Nashville SongWriters Festival on Music Row web site at www.SongWritersFestival.com .

The Nashville Fest has also released the top 24 Song Mentions from attendees who have submitted their CD's. They are listed in alphabetical order.

ANGELINA'S by DONNA ADLER, www.myspace.com/donnaadler, Americana/
BIG DREAMS COME IN LITTLE STEPS by SHIRLEY OBIE www.digitalrodeo.com/shirley , Country
CALL COLORADO by MARTY RIVERS, www.myspace.com/martyrivers , Country
CHRISTMAS TEDDY BEAR by SHIRLEY OBIE www.digitalrodeo.com/shirley , Country
COWBOYS AND TRAINS by LETHA ALLEN www.myspace.com/lethak , Country
DON'T TAKE THE U OUT OF US by KRYSTAL MARIE www.myspace.com/97490449 , Country
FLUTTER OF WINGS by SHIRLEY OBIE www.digitalrodeo.com/shirley , Country
FOR BETTER OR WORSE by BRETT WALL www.myspace.com/brettwall , Country
FRANKIE IRISH by PAUL WILSON paulw919@bellsouth.net , Americana
HANDPAINTED DREAM by LOIS AKIN www.myspace.com/loisakin , Americana
LEAN ON ME AWHILE by TOM TEMPLEMAN www.myspacecom/tomtempleman , Country
LOOK WHAT I STUMBLED INTO by JOE TYLER Contact # (321)480-3454 Country
MISS MAGGIE ROSE by MIKE CULLISON www.myspace.com/mikecullisonmusic , Country
STARS OVER EGYPT by MELISA JAVORS www.myspace.com/mellisajavorsmusic , Folk/Pop
THANK YOU FOR TRYING by LINDA McGRATH www.myspace.com/linda_mcgrath , Country
THE SWEETEST WORDS by DAVID TIMMONS davidtim25@yahoo.com , Country
THE WALMART SONG by DAVID TIMMONS davidtim25@yahoo.com , Country
THE GRAPES OF WRATH by MIKE CULLISON www.myspace.com/mikecullisonmusic , Country
THERE GOES MY HEART by GEORGE ALLEN HICKS www.myspace.com/georgehicks1 , Country
THREE(3)SQUEEZES by JOHN HANSON , Country
WHAT COULD HAVE BEEN by CHRISTIE THOMPSON (502)316-0470 Americana
WHAT I SEE IN YOUR EYES by BREWER/HODNETT-Pen-Write Pub.Co.(706)398-7066 - Country
WHEN I'M NEXT TO YOU by JOHN HANSON ,Country
WHY I STOPPED YOU by TOM TEMPLEMAN www.myspacecomtomtempleman , Country
Remember to stop by the Fest Info Booth to drop off your CD for 2009 song submission. It's Free!

Also other Fest Updates from Nashville SongWriters Festival on Music Row June 19-21.........

Pictures from 2008 added to Photo Gallery.

Sam Ash Music to be at the fest demonstrating why they have been "Famous for discounts since 1924."

Lifetime Achievement Award is being hand crafted and polished as we speak for that special someone.

Volunteers coming from Vermont, Texas, California and all points in between to lend a hand.

The October 2-4 Songwriter's Festival at Loretta Lynn's Ranch is becoming a family reunion of sorts, business and pleasure. Writers who have written for her, publishers who have worked with her and friends gather at the Ranch in early October 2-4.

To get more details, news and updates visit http://www.songwritersfestival.com

Kerchoonz Live Episode 1 - The Fortunate Sons

Kerchoonz Live Episode #1... two fantastic songs from The Fortunate Sons performed at House Of Rock Studios, Glasgow.

"The 'House Of Rock' setting was really intimate with dim lighting and candles all around. We were in the middle of performing of a new song called 'Walk on Fire' and I was bashing a tambourine with my foot, when my foot slipped and smashed the candle holder leaving a sprawling flame rolling out toward the camera's and igniting the floor. I'm surprised I was allowed to stay! It was certainly the right song choice!" - The Fortunate Sons www.kerchoonz.com/thefortunatesons

About Kerchoonz
Kerchoonz.com, currently live in beta and scheduled for official launch in June, is a revolutionary social networking site which allows musicians to upload their music and be paid for every stream and every download of their music. Bands can opt to offer their music either for free download, or simply allow it to be heard through streaming on the site with 'buy' buttons next to every track.
http://www.Kerchoonz.com