Musicadium Blog

Cover art for this week comes from Triggersound’s Vernakyewlar. A three-piece electronic outfit, Triggersound utilise a diverse sonic palette that blends acoustic and synthesised instruments to create a sound that is dancey and ambient. The album’s artwork looks awesome and is a pretty good visual representation of how their tunes sound.

Vernakyewlar is available for download on iTunes. Get it here

Musicadium is excited to be a part of the chain in the General Pants Major Label singles club!  This month’s releases for the label are:

Underlights

Formed in 2008, their sound is a melting pot of folk, blues and indie pop all laced with a classic Australian aesthetic. The band spent 2009 honing their craft on stages all over Sydney and supporting bands such as You Am I, Children Collide and The Howling Bells.

http://www.myspace.com/underlightsband
Track: Love Me
Genre: Rock
Region: Sydney

Made in Japan

Formed in mid 2008, Sydney four-piece, Made in Japan have become well established within the Sydney music scene. To date Made in Japan have produced a range of eclectic but unique material spanning indie, punk and progressive sounds. They are currently working on their debut album, which is due for release late 2010.

http://www.myspace.com/japanmade
Track: Pairs
Genre: Indie
Region: Sydney

Tin Can Radio

Tin Can Radio is an unashamedly high-energy band who has already established a strong following. Their infectious flavour of synth-driven indie dance music infuses their unique melodic stylings to driving disco punk and dance rhythms.

http://www.myspace.com/tincanradio
Track: Hot Trash
Genre: Indie/funk
Region: Brisbane

WHERE: Turbine Platform, Brisbane Powerhouse
WHEN: Tuesday, 27 April, 6 – 8pm
WHAT: Models are Hot

For musicians these days, there is a sobering reality about the distribution of music content; wake up and smell the peer-to-peer! How can you ask for the cake and get to eat it too?

This panel will explore new models of distribution, collaboration and commerce emerging around music in the digital age. It’s one thing for Girl Talk, Nine Inch Nails and Yoko Ono to give away their music, but what about at the other end of the scale? The panel will discuss new opportunities in the changed media environment, using Melbourne band Ancient Free Gardeners as a case study.

Chair: Brian Fitzgerald (Creative Commons Australia).

Panel: Elliott Bledsoe (Creative Commons Australia), Tim Price (Musicadium), and James Milsom (Ancient Free Gardeners).

Music By Ancient Free Gardeners.

RSVP to the Facebook event invite.

In June last year Musicadium artists Montpelier were fortunate enough to have the opportunity to fly over to the USA to make a record with a producer named Kevin Augunas.  Kevin has made records with Cold War Kids, Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros and Yves Klein Blue to name a few.

This video serves as aa look at their time in the studio and in th United States, but features their fantastic indie-pop rock tunes.  A perfect soundtrack to accompany four young, bright musicians recording their debut EP.

If you like what you hear, check out Montpelier at http://www.myspace.com/montpeliermusic or buy their music on

“Un-Convention is about music. Plain and unadulterated. It is about looking to the future of music; how it will develop and flourish in the technological age. It is about being independent. Held over 2 days, Unconvention is a music conference that is specifically for the grass roots of the industry.”

This symposium was conceived in the UK in 2008 and has since expanded to other parts of the world. It strives to connect like-minded people to address issues facing the industry and discuss ideas as to how independent music will adapt and prosper in the age of technology.

2010 sees Un-Convention being held in Brisbane over two days at our new digital arts space, The Edge with aims to connect young and emerging practitioners with each other and; provide them with practical and achievable strategies to develop careers in and around music.

The event will be broken down into sections that address different aspects of the industry such as music as a service; music as a product; music and media; music, technology and entrepreneurialism and; music as culture as they relate to independent music in Brisbane and Australia. These sessions will be run and delivered by distinguished industry professionals including Musicadium’s own Tim Price and Sarah Hamilton. Joining them will be Triple J presenter Maggie Collins, who in addition to her radio work, manages local stars Skinny Jean and The John Steel Singers, industry-commentator and freelance writer Andrew McMillen, Nick Braban, who runs Barsoma, Regurgitator’s manager Paul Curtis, who also tours and promotes bands as well as operating a small label, Rave Magazine editior Chris Harms and many others.

This conference presents a great opportunity for not only artists, but also anyone involved in the industry. It’s potential to harness the already-tight-knit nature of Brisbane’s music scene to promote synergy across its different facets could yield some great results. This can be summed up by the tag on their website “Un-Convention doesn’t believe in ‘do it yourself’. We believe in ‘do it together’”. Coupled with the wealth of knowledge that the presenters will bring to the table, we can hope to see some great things come of this.

The event runs over the 12^th and 13^th of June at The Edge and tickets can be bought from Oztix at $20.00 a pop.

For more info on Un-Convention, visit http://www.unconventionbrisbane.com/ .

Some music can be like an addiction. We’ve all had bands or songs or even lyrics that for some reason you need to spin over and over again. There’s an indescribable constant craving to hear how it all fits together, and there’s no explaining why you love it as much as you do.  Since Ross from Disco Nap dropped into the Musicadium office a few months ago, the band’s tunes are always one of the first to be played from the Musicadium iTunes playlist. If you haven’t listened to them, do it now. You’ll be touting ‘I told you so’, to anyone with an ounce of musical taste who’ll discover them in a week or so. They’ve had spins on JJJ, and the single ‘The Soft Sell’ debuts on Rage tonight and is a taste of what is to come from their debut album Running Red Lights. For a band that had their first gig ever at the Sounds of  Spring festival in 2009, you can expect a lot. Don’t worry, they more than deliver.

We caught up with Disco Nap’s frontman Ross Hope, and asked him a few questions about the new project and his music.

Disco Nap’s music strikes a real mix of crossovers in different genres, what would you say were the main influences in the writing and recording stages?

There were a variety of influences in the writing and recording stages of the Disco Nap album, notably: my favourite songwriters, favourite albums and favourite TV shows. Artists like Ben Gibbard (Death Cab for Cutie/The Postal Service), Elvis Costello, Robert Smith (The Cure) and Conor Oberst (Bright Eyes) were huge influences on the songwriting.  After listening to one of their albums I always felt inspired to write better lyrics, better melodies and to become a better songwriter in general by telling stories and conveying emotions.  I didn’t know at the time if the songs I was writing would ever be used for anything but I knew they were different to the songs I’d written for my previous band Iron On and I became interested in different production ideas.  I even went and listened to a lot of electronic music, something I hadn’t really done much of previously.  During the writing process I also watched the box set of Six Feet Under and that definitely influenced the themes of the record and some of the imagery in the lyrics.

You’ve collaborated with and worked with some great musicians who’ve helped out on the album. Do they play live with you? How does it alter the recording process having featured special guests?

I feel very fortunate to have had some of my favourite musicians lend their talents to the recording process. At the time of recording I hadn’t actually thought through what I was going to do once it came time to play live, I just wanted to be able to hand-pick the guests and worry about the live sound later. I’d been a big fan of Dean Shwereb’s (Screamfeeder) drumming since I was a teenager so he was my number one choice in that department. Of course I knew that when I asked people like Scott Bromiley (John Steel Singers) Pip Branson (Something For Kate, Infusion, Pip Branson Corporation) and Seja Vogel (Sekiden, Regurgitator) to help out that they weren’t going to be able to be in the live band, I was just happy to be able to sit back in the studio and watch them do their thing.

You have said that the music was inspired around the central themes of life, death, love, family, and rebirth, tell us a little bit about how this came about?

The combination of what was going on in my life while I was writing these songs and the feelings I had as a result of watching the box set of TV series Six Feet Under led to those themes becoming central to the album and The Soft Sell in particular. At the time my previous band had just broken up and I felt like I was at a bit of a cross-roads both musically and in my life in general. I wasn’t even sure if I wanted to continue writing songs and releasing music. Gradually though these different kind of songs started coming to me and I tried to not have any judgement about what they sounded like or what they were for. The themes from Six Feet Under – life, death, love, family and rebirth - really just reinforced the process I was already going through and the ideas I was grappling with – as one things ends another starts, as something dies something else comes to life.

You guys have just come out of the studio recently recording your debut album “Running Red Lights”, was it a big process? and have you found it rewarding?

It was a big process and a slow process but absolutely essential to how the album turned out. Unlike my previous recording experiences where I’ve been in a band that’s booked out a three-week block of time at a studio, the The Disco Nap album was recorded sporadically over a six-month period. Basically whenever Darek Mudge (Producer) had time and I had money we’d work on it for a few days. The best thing about this process was being able to take my time with everything and make sure it was right. The process of starting with 12 acoustic demos and ending with a fully fleshed-out album was very rewarding, it just required a lot of patience.

In September 2009 Disco Nap won Triple J’s Unearthed to play at the Sounds of Spring festival, this was your very first show. How was the experience of playing your first show at a festival and what other opportunities has come from this?

It was very exciting but also fairly terrifying. Stein our bass player had only been in the band for about three weeks when we got the call from Triple J, so to play our first show on a festival stage was a bit daunting. I think when you’re presented with an opportunity as good as that you pretty much have to jump in and make the most of it. From all accounts the show actually went well and being an ‘Unearthed artist’ has created a lot of other opportunities since that first gig. It also hasn’t hurt to get our debut single The Soft Sell on rotation at Triple J.

For those who haven’t heard your new single ‘The Soft Sell’ yet, could you describe what it’s about in a sentence?

The Soft Sell is a song about taking a risk and letting go of all that has previously felt comfortable to you in order to find something new.

Click below to purchase Disco Nap’s Latest Single The Soft Sell on iTunes:

A new music store website called Guvera claims it will tackle piracy, and bring a whole new way of consuming music to the public. Guvera works like this: users can download free tracks off the website which are paid for by companies that advertise on the site. The customers just have to answer some basic questions about their lifestyle in registration which helps cater the advertising to you by your demographic profile. The site offers over three million songs from both major and independent labels. This sounds like a win for consumers, with the offer of free music straight to your iPod, just for looking at a couple of pretty pictures of a Big Mac. It also sounds like a win for advertisers who can advertise in more effective and cheaper ways. But what does it mean for the artists?

I am a songwriter myself and play in a pop band called This Means That. We are currently in the process of recording our debut EP and at the moment we are reaching the difficult decision of either using this release as a way of earning profits by selling the disc at shows and online or, using them as promotion, and giving them away for free to our listeners. A site like Guvera has the potential to change this however, as artists would have the potential to both offer their music for free to the listener, as well as also making royalties in return. This places artists in a good situation, by being able to capitalise on possible fans without having to sacrifice income. Although by setting the price for your release as $0 on one site and offering it for $16.99 on the other artists may be lowering the value of their music - meaning that no one would buy the album off iTunes if they have seen it advertised for free elsewhere. It is also important to not that at the moment Guvera still only carries content for labels, however they have speculated that they will open it up to independent artists soon.

One thing that struck me as odd is the lack of social networking integration. For such a new website seeming to be on the cusp of technology, it came across as a poor decision not to include features such as Facebook connect or a Twitter API. These integration features would allow the customers on the site to seamlessly tell their friends through Facebook, Twitter or Myspace about the purchases they had just made. This type of technology has been recently announced for iTunes and will mean a big boost in free promotion for the artists. However features like these should be in the pipeline for Guvera and seeing as the site has just been launched, I wouldn’t be surprised if these applications were added later on.

The ability to directly link fans through to a track was also missing. This will make it a little harder for artist to direct their fans through the site, although this could be a positive as it creates a larger divide between the product people have to buy, and the free track. Guvera could also add a new or featured artists section, to further promote the less well known artists on the site, as the home page at the moment is quite bare.  This would create a really powerful promotion tool as people who log on to access a well known acoustic folk track could then be offered several other less well known acoustic folk tracks, based on their previous purchases and demographic profile. The fact is people won’t be scared to click download on your track that they have never heard of before, as it won’t cost them anything.

A platform like this is a powerful tool for artists to offer their music to their fans and shouldn’t be shirked at. There are still a few problems at the moment, however I have no doubt that these will be ironed out over the coming months. When it comes to releasing music, consumers want as many options as possible to access it, and by not offering your music on one particular service it may annoy fans. Any outlet that is able to release music and generate income for the artist is important; however it is the successful management of all of them that creates real success.

So if you were able to put your tracks on Guvera, would you?

Photo Credits: Kelly Samardak for Just An Online Minute.

The Queensland University of Technology and Arts Queensland are calling for application for the WriteOn workshop with Ralph Murphy.

Nashville-based songwriter and internationally renowned educator, Ralph Murphy, will deliver a two-day song writing workshop in Brisbane 23 & 24 June 2010.

The workshop is designed for writers in both country and pop genres.

Canadian, English and American songwriter Ralph Murphy has achieved near-legendary status throughout his career as a performer, producer, songwriter, publisher, and most recently, Vice President, International and Domestic Membership, ASCAP.

To find out more about Ralph Murphy’s ‘Laws of Songwriting’ visit his website: http://murphyslawsofsongwriting.com

•    Applications Open: 12th April
•    Applications Close: 10th May

All applicants will be notified of the outcome no later than 31 May 2010.

http://www.ici.qut.edu.au/writeon/

Application process hosted by QMUSIC.

STUDIO 301 - NEW EP RECORDING MIXING & MASTERING PACKAGES

Economy EP Package: Record, Mix & Master up to 5 tracks In Studio 6

6 days recording & mixing in Studio 6, 5 track mastering with your choice of Mastering engineer and a bunch of extras!
Cost: $4500 + GST

First Class EP Package: Record, Mix & Master up to 5 tracks in Studio 1

Includes 7 days recording & mixing in Studio 1, 5 track mastering with your choice of engineer and also a bunch of extras!
Cost: $10,500 + GST, overtime & additional materials

Production Packages begin at an additional $300 per Song depending on choice of Producer. Studio 301 are also happy to tailor a custom package to suit your project to include additional tracks etc.

TRIAL MASTERING FOR ALL STUDIO CLIENTS

If you are booking into 301’s Recording or Mixing Studios why not get a sample Master done by one of their reputable Mastering Engineers?  Free one track sample Master for studio clients and only if you dig it will you have to pay for it!! No strings.
Usual terms and conditions apply, contact:
Anita / anita@studios301.com / 02 9698 5888

Check out Studio 301’s facilities in Byron Bay and Sydney at their website - http://www.studios301.com

We’re told, among other things, that isolation instills an acute creative awareness. Then it should be of no surprise that out of the mythical isolation of North West Tasmania can emerge a band who creates musical sound and performs with an obvious demonstration of an acute sense of creativity. A band whose four comrades shared a modest musical upbringing in the mythical ambience, and remote wilderness, of North West Tasmania. A band who had the audacity to call themselves my+escapade.

The world is taking notice, as they scored the highly coveted iTunes single of the week position. Download ‘It’s Your Move’ for free this week here on

1.     Congrats on being chosen for iTunes Single of the Week! Did you at any point realize that this track was going to stand out as the single? Was there a magical moment in the studio?

During tracking this song I remember sitting back, listening to the track come to life, and realising that this song was something special, but had no idea it would go to the places it’s gone so far.

2.    You’ve had your music featured on television show, Rexona’s ‘Australia’s Greatest Athlete’. A lot of artists out there are interested in sync and similar opportunities. How did this come about? What advice would you give to young musos out there about getting their music placed on television or movies?

It came about because of a number of fortuitous events. Our manager Jonathan Tibbits from White Cub Management was able to get the track to the right person, they heard it and loved our music. It’s Your Move seemed to sync particularly well with the TV show, even though it was never written with that in mind. It was almost strange to see it on a sports TV show. I’d never encourage anyone to write songs with something like a TV show or product in mind, song writing has to be real and genuine for people to connect with it. If it happens to work with some form of product, great, but its always got to be about the art.

3.    You’ve moved from beautiful but isolated Tasmania to the Gold Coast – polar opposites in lots of ways. How has the transition been? How do the music scenes differ?

Stepping out of Tasmania has been an interesting journey for all of us. Tasmania was a great place for us to nurture and establish our sound as there’s basically no music industry there at all. We gigged around with a lot of other local bands, and supported a lot of the bigger mainland artists coming on tours to our home state, until we felt that it was time to bring what we had created to a broader audience. We’ve had a lot of fun since we arrived. We’ve quite enjoyed checking out the local scene in Brisbane and the on Gold Coast. Been enjoying some of the bands.

4.    Your music has been likened to the Temper Trap and Coldplay – two astounding acts. Have they influenced your sound? Which artists and bands out there do you find inspirational?

Thanks for the compliments. Two fine artists indeed. I think people tend to hear elements of artists they’re already familiar with, we often have people say we sound just like an artist I’ve never heard before. I’ve only actually just recently discovered The Temper Trap, so it’s interesting to be compared to a band that we weren’t drawing influence from at the time of recording Soul’s Reflection. We probably share similar influences, which give us those similar sounding elements. Vocally I’m a big fan of Jeff Buckley and Adele, throw in a lot of jazz stuff too. We all come from very different musical backgrounds - Chris knows a lot of jazz, Alan’s more classically influenced and Simon and myself grew up in punk bands - quite the mixed bag.

5.    Your website is a great introduction to you as a band. Did you play a part in it’s design?

From the start we’ve always had a strong idea about who we are and who we want to be. We worked closely with our manager, who primarily designed the site, in developing something we were happy with. We’ve got a lot of ideas for further creative expansion. I do a lot of photography work also so that side of things has always been a passion for me. From artwork to press stuff we always stay pretty heavily involved - we’re working with some acutely creative people and there is a lot of collaboration going on within the my+escapade lair.

6.    Finally, what’s in store for My Escapade over the next few months?

We’ll be continuing to promote the Soul’s Reflection EP. We’ve got a few shows lined up around Australia to coincide with Single of the Week, and we’ve also been lucky enough to be involved in a promotion with the new iTunes U program, so there’s things happening in all quarters. In the near future, we’ll also be releasing our next single, All That Confronts You, with the accompanying film clip - which was filmed in our practice room back in Emu Bay - an abandoned classroom that we’d been rehearsing in for the last year or two. We’re really looking forward to all that the next few months have in store. Be sure to watch this space closely. Thanks!