D.I.Y!

Everyone knows that DIY stands for do it your self. In the music business, it should be, do everything your self. Which at this stage of the game is alright with me. The DIY movement is giving artist like myself an opportunity like never before. Of course, doing everything your self can mean wearing a lot of hats. Not only do you have to write the music, but you also have to arrange it, perform it, engineer it, record it, edit it, and produce it. Then, you have to mix it and master it. When all of that is done, you've got to promote and market it. Luckily when it's time to distribute it, a DIY artist has a lot of options. With the advent of the computer and the internet, an artist can now have their music placed in emusic stores all over the planet. Distributors like Tunecore, The Orchard, CD Baby, and Amazon.com, now make it all possible for a reasonably small fee. So, how about promotion? I've been looking very closely at a few ideas that deal with video. Many DIY artist are posting their performances on YouTube. And, in a case where the artist or band doesn't tour, a single show can be seen all over the world. Also, singer/songwriters are going to Vloging, using video blogs to keep their fans and music enthusiasts current and up to date on all the latest happenings. Tuncore and CD Baby offer CD replication, merchandising, and an opportunity to get air play on internet radio. All of this, plus a chance to have your music sold along side all of your musical heroes and music legends makes it an opportunity that's too good to pass up. And, you get to sound like you want to sound. Fans and music lovers get greater variety from a wider selection. Behold, a new business model is being born.

The 70s?

Some people who enjoy my music tell me that I have an "old school," or a 70s sound. That may be true. However, from time to time, I like to add certain other elements to my compositions. Lately, I've been leaving off the strings and horns, in an effort to make my sound more of a self contained nature. At any rate, when it comes to the 70s' I'd have to say that there's a few good reasons for that. First of all, it's not about that era being the great era of recorded music. What it is about, is the coming together of of several musical traditions and practices,combined with the element know then as, artistic freedom. The three 3:30 song form was around for years before artist of the 70s gave it some real power. Artist lie Stevie Wonder and others, negotiated recording contracts that gave them free reign over what the could put in a song. They also got to control what the overall sound of their music would be. And, in a lot of cases, they may have even gotten to produce their own work. Now,with this in mind,artist began to relate experiences form their own lives, as part of their work. but, wait, there's more. Because they had control over their projects, they began to indulge themselves. They started adding different arrangements that my not have been what had previously been the norm. They fused they own sound with the sound of the musical genres that they loved. The song became a work of art as they labored to try and do as many things as they could do in a 3:30 track. It seemed that every genre of music, for Rock, R&B, Jazz, Funk, and Country all had one ideal that worked like magic for them all, and that was, make a quality recording. Now that's not to say that, that didn't or hasn't happened since the 70s, by all means, no. But when Disco ended, or diminished artistic freedom, things began to sound a little more "corporate," in nature. So, when it comes to 70s' music, for me, it's about doing the music the way you want to do it. It's about using all the tools of composition and arranging that you can bring to bear. It's about liking what you've created as opposed to following a trend. I think that's why I like the DIY movement. It's a chance for me to share my musical vision with the rest of the world.

Latest release!

Nprogram's latest single release is now available at iTunes. Check the Tunecore media Player for a full length stream of that song and several others!