“All Things Digital College/Alt. Rock” Artist Contest
Throughout the month of August, AirPlay Direct, Gorgeous PR, Arketype Film, Apples and Cats Media and CDman will be running our first “All Things Digital College/Alt. Rock” artist contest for our artist / label members.
We will be awarding one Grand Prize package, winner takes all. The winning song/artist will receive the Grand Prize package which will include a 8 week national PR / media relations campaign (print and online) and an internet radio campaign from Gorgeous PR ($10,000 value), Arketype Film, Inc. will produce a music video for the winning band in a completely custom and tailored manner. This will not be a run of the mill concert and backstage video, it will be a full production “broadcast-quality” video with intricate detail to the mood and style of the band ($12,000 value), a 12 week national radio promotions campaign to 500 college radio stations from Apples And Cats Media ($3,600 value), a merchandise package from CDman that includes 500 professionally replicated CDs in jewel boxes, 100 full color posters, 25 digitally printed t-shirts ($1,000 value) and a premier “Featured Artist” advertising package from AirPlay Direct ($1,500 value). The Grand Prize Package is valued at over $28,000.00…!
This contest is FREE TO ENTER and very simple… the best song wins. 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 College/Alt. Rock genre and you must submit your AirPlay Direct DPK prior to the official deadline of August 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. Submit your AirPlay Direct Digital Promo Kit/DPK to . Please make sure to note that you are submitting for the College/Alt. Rock contest. Deadline for submissions is August 25th. The winner will be announced and “Featured” in the September Radio Programmers Newsletter, as well as in a company press release to all media outlets.
A little about Gorgeous PR:
Gorgeous PR, Inc. www.gorgeouspr.com was born out of a pure love and appreciation for the arts — music, film, fashion, theater, dance, photography, traditional art and more. The personal and passionate approach of this boutique firm sets it apart in its ability to carefully craft images and campaigns for individual clients in the media, with an eye towards nurturing their growth over time and creating successful careers in their chosen fields.
Thanks to many years of developing relationships with journalists, talent bookers and national and international contacts of all varieties, Gorgeous PR has been able to individually tailor its efforts by targeting members of the media who will specifically champion its clients. These personal relationships with the clients and media alike provide Gorgeous PR with a deeper understanding of each one’s needs and talents, as well as the fuel to create the fresh, attention-grabbing angles for which the firm has become well known. Gorgeous PR is fearlessly creative in the pursuit of press coverage for its clients, a
dedication inherent in the fact that, as an independent publicity firm, it chooses carefully which projects to take on. The Gorgeous PR staff is dedicated and enthusiastic and regularly goes beyond the call of duty, securing any opportunity that would be beneficial for the clients, whether it falls in the realm of conventional publicity or career development.
A little about Apples And Cats Media:
Apples And Cats Media www.applesandcats.com is a boutique radio promotion company. A &C’s mission begins with providing a dedicated promotional home to a select roster of bands and individual artists, we can get behind 100%. Our specialty is college radio promotion, and guiding indie bands and labels through the sometimes murky waters of the music industry. (If we can’t help you, we know someone who can.)
It is our absolute pleasure to help smaller bands, labels, and artists rocket onto the radar of the college radio community. Although we aren’t opposed to working with people who already have an established name… many of our clients who fall into this special realm are people that we’ve grown with over the years, or have some prior history with us. [Or we are just crazy uber-fans of them.]
We are in the game for the thrill of making something happen that is truly amazing vs. just simply expected.
Arketype, Inc. is a unique company specializing in music composition for film & multimedia projects and film & video production. Arketype was founded in New York by composer Sean W. Malone in an effort to become more involved in the production of films he was eventually to score, and to provide an innovative, artisan-quality solutio for the custom-tailored music needs of a wide range of film & video projects. A swiftly growing company, Arketype has joined forces with L.A. producer Mark Petro of Studio Katis, who now heads the film-production division.
Arketype, Inc,’s film division is currently producing several TV & internet-based pilots and is acquiring financing for their next feature, and Arketype is in pre-production for a high-quality music video for the independent artist Kameron White. This music video will be a fully produced, “broadcast-quality” piece which will be uniquely innovative and carefully crafted with intricate detail to capture the mood and style of the artist.
Arketype, Inc. is proudly opening new offices in Los Angeles soon and as always is on the forefront of emerging internet technologies and is available for composition and production projects from around the world.
A little about CDman:
CDman www.cdman.com produces, in their own factories, solutions to brand your music and identity. They expertly print t-shirts, hats, posters CDs, DVDs, concert tickets, tour jackets, HD & Blu-Ray replication, custom branded MP3 players, CD-R low volume duplication and much, much more. Call 1-800-557-3347 and speak with a dedicated professional who can help build your brand awareness into custom made products.
AirPlay Director Founder Robert Weingartz Discusses Digital Music Delivery with Amplifier Magazine
It wasn’t long ago that the notion of delivering broadcast-quality music to radio stations via the internet was an exciting, albeit unattainable concept. Thanks to evolving technology and ever-broadening bandwidths, the service is now here - much to the pleasure of independent artists and radio promotion companies who spend most of their toiling hours pressing promo CDs, preparing expensive press kits, and dumping a good percentage of their budget into postage costs.
Leading the charge on internet delivery of music to radio is AirPlay Direct (http://www.AirPlayDirect.com), an Atlanta-based company birthed from the passions of a few hard-working veterans from the music industry. The service is a no-nonsense, easy-to-use interface to link record labels, radio promo firms, and independent artists with radio stations (terrestrial and internet) worldwide.
On the back-end, labels and artists can upload broadcast quality tracks and create extensive profiles and digital press kits. The front-end of the service is specifically designed for radio station programmers to stream and/or download tracks from all artists signed on - all in a secure, copyright-protected environment. As of now, the service is free for both front and back-end users.
The ultimate objective of APD is to create an online exchange where artists and record labels can deliver new music to radio stations without the labor and expense of sending out CDs and press kits. I had a moment to sit down (virtually!) with AirPlay Direct Founder and Chief Marketing Officer Robert Weingartz to discuss the revolutionary concept of digital music delivery and APD’s role in its ever-shifting landscape.
What prompted you to start Airplay Direct?
I had produced and released an album on an Americana artist I manage, Clay DuBose, in early 2005. We had a very successful domestic radio campaign with the album breaking into the “Top 10″ and going all the way to #6 on the AMA/ Radio & Records Americana chart. But there was no budget to send out hard copy artist packages to all of the stations globally that were requesting the record. I started thinking about how much of a problem and an expense radio distribution was for all Indie artists globally and believed that I could create an easy to use digital distribution platform that would solve those problems. A few days later I Founded and started AirPlay Direct.
What is your ultimate vision for APD? Do you see massive growth potential?
Ultimately AirPlay Direct will evolve into an artist development and advocacy platform that will focus on helping artists and record labels to continue to educate themselves on the industry and grow their businesses. With respect to growth potential, there is no limit.
Are there other online venues for digital music delivery to radio? And if so, how does APD differ from them?
There are only a handful of companies globally doing digital distribution to radio. The biggest difference between AirPlay Direct and them is that our services are free to our members. AirPlay Direct is the only company in the world that offers our suite of digital “smart-tools” free of charge to our members.
With the exception of a handful of major label artists, APD’s roster is almost exclusively unsigned nd independent artists. Do you feel your model is sustainable under this scenario…or is your long-term success dependent on getting more well-known indie and/or major label artists on board?
Yes AirPlay Direct is focused on the Indie artist community. However we are seeing more and more wellknown artists and record labels utilizing our services. I do not believe that our long-term success depends on us attracting major label artists. More so I believe our long-term success will be dependent upon our on-going commitment to indie artists and labels and AirPlay Direct’s continuing commitment to create, develop and deploy exciting new ’smart tools’ aimed at helping to educate and empower the professional independent music community.
What are your current thoughts/predictions on the current music industry landscape? Do you see massive changes ahead due to the increased ease of digital music delivery across the internet?
Well the music industry is obviously in a very transitional state at this juncture. It is a very unstable and confused global marketplace currently. I believe there will be unprecedented changes and opportunities in the industry over the coming months with respect to the way new artist deals are structured and how labels will bundle and deliver products for sale.
Labels will want a percentage of all of the artist’s income streams such as touring, merchandise, publishing, etc. They will also start bundling products as never before; a strong blend of physical products (CDs, t-shirts, concert tickets, etc.) and digital products (music downloads, ring tones, videos, etc.) will be the way of the future. As an industry I believe we will also finally learn how to incorporate more consumer/fan input into our sales and marketing efforts.
Most importantly artists and labels will be looking to cut costs, increase their global distribution footprint and increase their speed to market. Digital music delivery to radio is a service perfectly positioned for this purpose and I predict it will be a major force in helping to shape a newly digitally evolved music industry.
–Jeff Shelton
For more information on AirPlay Direct please visit www.AirPlayDirect.com
AirPlay Direct… go straight to the source!
“All Things Digital Hard Rock/Heavy Metal” Artist Contest
Throughout the month of July, AirPlay Direct, Vigilante Music, Inside Strategy and the Indianapolis Metal Fest will be running our first “All Things Digital Hard Rock/Heavy Metal” artist contest for our artist / label members.
We will be awarding one Grand Prize package, winner takes all. The winning song / artist will receive the Grand Prize package which will include a 12 week full PR / media relations campaign (print and online) in the UK and Europe from Vigilante Music ($8,000 value), a 4 week digital promotion campaign (on-line radio and media) from Inside Strategy ($2,000 value), a premier “Featured Artist” advertising package from AirPlay Direct (value $1,500). and the Indianapolis Metal Fest will provide an opening live performance slot for the winner (invaluable…!). The Grand Prize package is valued at $11,500.00 plus the appearance at the Indy Metal Fest…!
This contest is FREE and very simple… the best song wins. 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 Hard Rock/Heavy Metal genre and you must submit your AirPlay Direct DPK prior to the official deadline of July 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. Submit you AirPlay Direct Digital Promo Kit/DPK to office@airplaydirect.com . Please make sure to note that you are submitting for the Hard Rock/Heavy Metal contest. Deadline for submissions is July 25th. The winner will be announced and “Featured” in the August Radio Programmers Newsletter, as well as in a company press release to all media outlets.
A little about Vigilante Music:
Vigilante Music is a rock PR company specialising in European rock press. We cover most areas of the key territories in Europe , dealing with hard rock. We have recently undertaken campaigns for Vixen, Twisted Sister, WASP and Violent Storm. We are also active in National Radio promotions in the UK for all styles of guitar based music. We also offer a label management program where we can set up and run your label for you. We have a full worldwide distribution network, as well as marketing partners in other territories outside of the UK . www.peroxidemusic.com/vigilante.
A little about Indianapolis Metal Fest:
Indianapolis Metal Fest www.indianapolismetalfest.com is one promoter’s attempt to bring our community together to celebrate our genre and network with those in the actual business of Metal. This is no small undertaking, I assure you. In the beginning IMP had an extremely modest budget by anyone’s estimate. As of today we’ve more than tripled that budget, and it’s still growing! If we price IMP tickets at $30.00 each, we could not break even unless we sell more than 1,000 tickets.
But we’re not selling tickets at $30.00 each, friends and neighbors. We’re selling tickets for $15.00. Even if we sell out completely, we cannot possibly cover even 50% of our operational, promotional and talent expenses. Anyone who knows me knows that I’m not a wealthy man, so you may be asking “How” and “Why”? The why part is easy: I live and breathe metal. I listen to it, I buy it and I perform it.
The how? Well, by aligning with sponsors who also live and breathe it, who share our vision and commitment to metal. These are people who make their living by working with metal bands on a daily basis.
A little about Inside Strategy:
Inside Strategy utilizes the internet and creative digital strategies to promote Hard Rock/Heavy Metal acts to over 5,000 radio and media outlets globally. Inside Strategy www.InsideStrategy.net leverages digital distribution, industry outreach and relationship marketing to increase media coverage and brand awareness for established and emerging artists.
AirPlay Direct… go straight to the source!
Radio Programmers Newsletter: July 3, 2007
AirPlay Direct is pleased to announce our sponsor for the July edition of our Radio Programmers Newsletter, Inside Strategy. Inside Strategy is a new media promotions firm that specializes in the digital promotion of Hard Rock/Heavy Metal acts to on-line radio and press outlets globally.
Your AirPlay Direct digital delivery services are always free of charge thanks to wonderful sponsors like Inside Strategy. If you are a Hard Rock/Heavy Metal artist or record label and are looking for an effective digital radio/media promotions firm, we highly recommend Inside Strategy www.InsideStrategy.net .
A little about Inside Strategy:
Inside Strategy utilizes the internet and creative digital strategies to promote Hard Rock / Heavy Metal acts to over 5,000 radio and media outlets globally. Inside Strategy www.InsideStrategy.net leverages digital distribution, industry outreach and relationship marketing to increase media coverage and brand awareness for established and emerging artists.
Throughout the month of July, AirPlay Direct, Vigilante Music, Inside Strategy and the Indianapolis Metal Fest will be running our first “All Things Digital Hard Rock/Heavy Metal” artist contest for our artist/label members.
We will be awarding one Grand Prize package, winner takes all. The winning song/artist will receive the Grand Prize package which will include a 12 week full PR/media relations campaign (print and online) in the UK and Europe from Vigilante Music ($8,000 value), a 4 week digital promotion campaign (on-line radio and media) from Inside Strategy ($2,000 value), a premier “Featured Artist” advertising package from AirPlay Direct (value $1,500). and the Indianapolis Metal Fest will provide an opening live performance slot for the winner (invaluable…!). The Grand Prize package is valued at $11,500.00 plus the appearance at the Indy Metal Fest…!
This contest is FREE and very simple… the best song wins. 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 Hard Rock/Heavy Metal genre and you must submit your AirPlay Direct DPK prior to the official deadline of July 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. Submit you AirPlay Direct Digital Promo Kit/DPK to office@airplaydirect.com . Please make sure to note that you are submitting for the Hard Rock/Heavy Metal contest. Deadline for submissions is July 25th. The winner will be announced and “Featured” in the August Radio Programmers Newsletter, as well as in a company press release to all media outlets.
A little about Vigilante Music:
Vigilante Music is a rock PR company specialising in European rock press. We cover most areas of the key territories in Europe , dealing with hard rock. We have recently undertaken campaigns for Vixen, Twisted Sister, WASP and Violent Storm. We are also active in National Radio promotions in the UK for all styles of guitar based music.
We also offer a label management program where we can set up and run your label for you. We have a full worldwide distribution network, as well as marketing partners in other territories outside of the UK . www.peroxidemusic.com/vigilante.
A little about Indianapolis Metal Fest:
Indianapolis Metal Fest www.indianapolismetalfest.com is one promoter’s attempt to bring our community together to celebrate our genre and network with those in the actual business of Metal. This is no small undertaking, I assure you. In the beginning IMP had an extremely modest budget by anyone’s estimate. As of today we’ve more than tripled that budget, and it’s still growing! If we price IMP tickets at $30.00 each, we could not break even unless we sell more than 1,000 tickets.
But we’re not selling tickets at $30.00 each, friends and neighbors. We’re selling tickets for $15.00. Even if we sell out completely, we cannot possibly cover even 50% of our operational, promotional and talent expenses. Anyone who knows me knows that I’m not a wealthy man, so you may be asking “How” and “Why”? The why part is easy: I live and breathe metal. I listen to it, I buy it and I perform it.
The how? Well, by aligning with sponsors who also live and breathe it, who share our vision and commitment to metal. These are people who make their living by working with metal bands on a daily basis.
A little about Inside Strategy:
Inside Strategy utilizes the internet and creative digital strategies to promote Hard Rock/Heavy Metal acts to over 5,000 radio and media outlets globally. Inside Strategy www.InsideStrategy.net leverages digital distribution, industry outreach and relationship marketing to increase media coverage and brand awareness for established and emerging artists. The winner of the AirPlay Direct “All Things Digital
Country” contest is Leslie Satcher and her new single “Texas Rubye”!
Listen to and download “broadcast-quality” tracks at http://www.airplaydirect.com/LeslieSatcher
The long awaited second CD by critically acclaimed singer/songwriter Leslie Satcher is finally complete as her first independent project. Leslie is well known for the songs she has written that have been recorded by artists such as Randy Travis, Willie Nelson, Bonnie Raitt, George Jones, George Strait, Gretchen Wilson, Trisha Yearwood, Patty Loveless, Vince Gill and dozens more. Now, she has finished her own “creation” from start to finish on her own terms. This “creation” exposes her Texas roots and tells us the story of her journey through the hard red dirt, heartaches & frustrations and the joy of finding true love.
With the best musicians in the business and the guest vocals of Vince Gill, Alison Krauss, Carl Jackson, Wes Hightower & Jeannie Winn all produced by Grammy winning Luke Wooten, this is a truly a gem for the discerning music lover.
Throughout the month of June, Airplay Specialists, Webster & Associates PR and AirPlay Direct co-sponsored our first “All Things Digital Country” artist promotion contest for our artist/label members. This was a Grand Prize package, winner takes all. The winning artist, Leslie Satcher will receive the Grand Prize package which will include a 14 week terrestrial and digital radio promotion campaign from Airplay Specialists www.airplayspecialists.com a national press release announcement of the winner by Webster & Associates PR www.websterpr.com and a premier “Featured Artist” advertising package from AirPlay Direct. The Grand Prize package is valued at over $7,500…! We will combine the radio promotion expertise of Airplay Specialists, the media relations experience of Webster & Associates PR with the power and speed of AirPlay Direct’s digital “smart-tools” to promote the winning single to Country / Americana radio stations and media outlets throughout the U.S. and abroad. There were a lot of very cool songs submitted. AirPlay Direct would like to thank all of the entrants.
AirPlay Direct Featured Artists for July
Listen to and download “broadcast-quality” tracks at http://www.airplaydirect.com/FirstRoundKnockout
In our current landscape singers don’t sing, they lip-sync and players don’t play, they pantomime to backing tracks. Many artists act as if it’s an imposition to perform to their fans, and it shows. Enter First Round Knockout aka 1RKO, with over 63,000 hits on their website, 1RKO is proving that authenticity does matter. With raw musicality, infectious energy and the purpose to headline stadiums this band is at the peak of their expression staking out the territory where talent does make a difference.
Listen to and download “broadcast-quality” tracks at http://www.airplaydirect.com/Karlex
The roots of black music stretches across the ocean from Africa and America to the Caribbean islands and Europe. This journey of a people and their culture - a journey of joy and struggle - is mirrored in the personal story of Karlex. Singer and songwriter Karlex blends the scratch ‘n’ riff guitar sounds of classic funk and soul with the fat-bottom bass of dub and roots reggae to create a frothy musical blend called Afro Groove.
Listen to and download “broadcast-quality” tracks at http://www.airplaydirect.com/TruckeeBrothers
The Truckee Brothers have been quietly breaking in their new album, Double Happiness, with a monthlong residency at a dive bar in a seedy area of San Diego. The wall to wall crowd is self-absorbed, unresponsive, and typically short on attentiveness; in other words, perfect to rehearse the new songs in front of. If they can win THESE people over at THIS watering hole…well…
Listen to and download “broadcast-quality” tracks at http://www.airplaydirect.com/JacksonTaylor
Jackson Taylor tells stories about what he knows-life. Jackson’s lyrics paint tales of lives filled with passion and joy as much as of a life tainted by sorrow and disappointment-his life. Jackson sings of heaven and hell, beauty and grit-Jackson sings or real life.
Recently signed to Smith Entertainment Group (Billy Joe Shaver, Cross Canadian Ragweed, Stoney LaRue) Jackson Taylor is ready to take country music by storm with his latest release, aptly entitled Dark Days which was produced and engineered in the mountains of Washington State at Cascade Studios. The CD (produced by Jackson Taylor & Ronnie Belaire and engineered by Allen Larsen) contains 12 tracks and features his first single “Lonely”, a tale of emotion that Jackson knows all too well. Other tracks include “Outlaws Ain’t Wanted Here No More” which is a true account of Jackson’s experiences in the country music industry that eventually pushed him to take his own musical path. Also featured on the new album is a cover of a tune “Honky Tonk Heroes” written by Billy Joe Shaver one of Jackson’s favorite
music outlaws.
Listen to and download “broadcast-quality” tracks at http://www.airplaydirect.com/JED
Ten years running, JED continues to pen multi-faceted compositions that challenge and break away from the typical verse-chorus formula of mainstream rock music without losing popular appeal. JED delves below artistic surfaces, into colorfully enigmatic dimensions, but yet doesn’t stray into anything that feels overly experimental or avant-garde. The music and message are darkly grooving, heavy, melodic and dynamically and stylistically contrasting enough to thwart any one musical niche.
AirPlay Direct… go straight to the source!
For more information on Inside Strategy please visit www.InsideStrategy.net
For more information on Vigilante Music please visit www.peroxidemusic.com /vigilante
For more information on the Indianapolis Music Fest please visit www.indianapolismetalfest.com
For more information on AirPlay Direct please visit www.AirPlayDirect.com
Leslie Satcher Win’s AirPlay Direct’s “All Things Digital Country” Artist Contest
Throughout the month of June, Airplay Specialists, Webster & Associates PR and AirPlay Direct co-sponsored our first “All Things Digital Country” artist promotion contest for our artist/label members. This was a Grand Prize package, one winner takes all.
Listen to and download “broadcast-quality” tracks at http://www.airplaydirect.com/LeslieSatcher
The winning artist, Leslie Satcher will receive the Grand Prize package which will include a 14 week terrestrial and digital radio promotion campaign from Airplay Specialists a national press release announcement of the winner by Webster & Associates PR www.websterpr.com and a premier “Featured Artist” advertising package from AirPlay Direct. The Grand Prize package is valued at over $7,500.00…! We will combine the radio promotion expertise of Airplay Specialists, the media relations experience of Webster & Associates PR with the power and speed of AirPlay Direct’s digital “smart-tools” to promote the winning single to Country/Americana radio stations and media outlets throughout the U.S. and abroad. There were a lot of very cool songs submitted. AirPlay Direct would like to thank all of the entrants.
The long awaited second CD by critically acclaimed singer/songwriter Leslie Satcher is finally complete as her first independent project. Leslie is well known for the songs she has written that have been recorded by artists such as Randy Travis, Willie Nelson, Bonnie Raitt, George Jones, George Strait , Gretchen Wilson, Trisha Yearwood, Patty Loveless, Vince Gill and dozens more. Now, she has finished her own “creation” from start to finish on her own terms. This “creation” exposes her Texas roots and tells us the story of her journey through the hard red dirt, heartaches & frustrations and the joy of finding true love.
With the best musicians in the business and the guest vocals of Vince Gill, Alison Krauss, Carl Jackson, Wes Hightower & Jeannie Winn all produced by Grammy winning Luke Wooten, this is a truly a gem for the discerning music lover.
For more information on Airplay Specialists please visit www.AirplaySpecialists.com
For more information on Webster PR please visit www.websterpr.com