Musicadium Blog

As far as I can see, the power in the music industry shifted along with the advent of digital music and (digital) distribution became possible for everyone.

Great, right?

Absolutely.  What it does mean is that it has created a generation of musos who are doing everything for themselves and are more skilled, knowledgable and educated on how to self-manage, distribute, book and hold the power and rights for their band, where traditionally a label and management have done everything for the band and kept them at arm’s length of the business side of the industry. There’s a good and bad point to the old arrangement.  Good that the artists get time to be artists (i.e.creative) and bad, that they don’t see what’s going on and very quickly lose control and knowledge about what is going on in their own band (and often money that is rightfully theirs.) Remembering that knowledge is power, that’s a bad position for bands to be in.

Somewhere along the way, an imbalance happened and musicians became expected to do and know it all themselves ALL the time.  It seems to me that there is a middle “working class” of bands, who lose out both ways. They are expected to create amazing music as well as do all of the management tasks, book the band’s tours, manage all the promotion and publicity, be the graphic designer, get the album/EP distributed, document all sales, co-ordinate studio time and much more.

Solution? Well, that’s where the music industry shift has been great too.  As it turns out, the shift in power in the music industry has given rise to an entrepreneurial spirit and industry workers are now drilling down on specific elements in the music industry and working as consultants or contractors to combat the loss in numbers of 9-5 jobs in the music industry. This means that there are a lot of opportunities for bands to work on a non-exclusive, one-off/periodical basis with industry workers, with possibilities for creating long-lasting relationships.

It seems to me that the best way for an artist to multi-task, once they hit a certain level (most likely when the band has too much on their plate business-wise and hopefully enough money to pay) is to start building a team around them who can be delegated tasks.  A trusted group of skilled individuals/businesses who can be called upon and hopefully paid when tasks need to be achieved. It’s exactly why non-exclusive, fee-for-service, no lock-in, term based contract services where artists/labels hold all the rights are the most viable and lucrative to artists (long-term career wise) at this point in time.

The band or the manager can now be the label, negotiating distribution deals, while hiring publicists and a plugger for radio, as well as working in conjunction with someone to gain sync opportunities.

The biggest question to ask is: What does the band need to do themselves and what can be delegated and paid for?

Who do you want on your team?

We love this video here at Musicadium!  It’s hard to be down and unhappy when you have tunes like this playing in the office.  The bright, colourful tones of this song are matched by the crazy brightness of this quirky, funny, happy clip. A relative newcomer to the Brisbane music scene, Ball Park Music nailed a single of the week on iTunes earlier this year.  If you don’t believe us on how good they are, check out what Time Off Magazine had to say..

‘After a short break Ball Park Music take the stage with a lazy brass intro to ‘Black Skies’, before launching into the real track with the tremendous energy which has become a staple of their live performances. The band can hardly be seen from the back of the room as the crowd rush to the front, blocking the view of anyone more than 20 metres away from the stage. ‘Culture Vultures In The Year 2008’ is a number that truly takes the crowd to another level – with its fast tempo and catchy chorus line, the track allows the crowd to have a great time without them even realising it. The band is truly impressive this evening, with The Troubadour obviously being a venue which suits them perfectly. The many tones of their various instruments are not lost or blurred in this set: their sound is clean, crisp and quietly delightful. It’s performances like this that show exactly why Ball Park Music are as popular as they’ve recently become in the Brisbane indie-pop scene – this band is certainly one with an exciting future in front of them, although only time will tell exactly how exciting that will come to be’

- Time Off Magazine 10/2/10

Check them out at MySpace at http://www.myspace.com/musicfromtheballpark or buy their music from

In the last decade, Mobile Phones have become an integral part of our modern day lives. Everything that’s been happening so far only offers a tiny glimpse of what’s to come in the next decade or two.

The launch of the ‘iPhone’ has given way to a $4 Billion Culture of ‘Apps’, that turn your iPhone into a lifestyle applicator.

Do you want a Customized iPhone or Android APP Built for your band??

Why do you need an iPhone app? To promote events and gigs, game and match schedules, sell merchandise and tickets, get fans even more invested in their favorite Music, Festivals, Venues, Radio Stations, TV shows, Sports Teams and Athletes, by engaging them on a personal level.

This product has many uses across many industries. It is the most exciting new Social Media and Mobile Marketing product to hit our shores since, Google, Facebook and Twitter.

Musicadium is proud to present ShowClicks’ Mobile Roadie iPhone apps - completely customisable and created just for you and your band - guaranteed to be approved into the iTunes store.

1.  iPhone  APP  - Musician/DJ/Producer.
$997.00  plus hosting fee  $45/month  (plus standard volume $0.01 per download after 1st 1000)

2. iPhone and Android APP- Musician/DJ/Producer.
$1,897.00  plus hosting fee  $90/month  (plus standard  volume $0.01 per download after 1st 1000)

3. Added Value - Push Notification one time setup fee - iPhone  $399 Android $199.

To get in contact with Showclicks about getting your band an iPhone app, e-mail jack@showclicks.com.au with the subject line: Musicadium Showclicks smartphone apps.

All of us here at Musicadium are very pleased to present “Lady Electronica”. This night of upcoming Australian pop, electro and trip-hop will feature an all female frontline including three of Musicadium’s artists; Sietta, Edge of Colour & Dizzygotheca. This line up will be bringing the ultimate combination of bass and beats along with live VJ visuals to complete the entire audio-visual experience.

Sietta had all of us dancing at our recent White Noise showcase and are winning crowds over across the country. Their futuristic beats and powerful lyrics have gotten them plenty of great reviews. The Brisbane based, Edge of Colour will bring their unique show to the Globe with moog synth lines with a retro-sequined fashion show. Their distinctive sound has been comparable to The Presets, Bjork and Moloko, which has seen them rise to the top of the Triple J Unearthed charts and gain much industry exposure. And lastly but not leastly Dizzygotheca will kick off the electric atmosphere by playing their mix of bittersweet folktronica.

This is all taking place at the Globe on the 23rd of April and kicking off at 7pm.

And don’t forget there will be door prizes for the most excellent fashionistas wearing frocks and sequins! Beats, bass, sequins and lace… this is set to be one night you can’t miss!

From 15th to the 20th March, Musicadium presented six days of Music Industry advice, professional development and great networking and collaborative projects.

Musicadium (Sarah Hamilton, Tim Price and the Board of Directors) would like to thank all of those involved:

The Musicadium Intern Team: Julia Bridger, Jamie Hunter, Anna Stodart, Michelle O’Rance, Will Dawson, Ross Hagan, Ash Roulston, Jordan Shertock, Trent Moody, Brendan Cox, Jordan Wiggins, Geoff Smith and James Black.

The Speakers/Industry professionals: Craig Spann (AMIN, Sugarrush Records), Dave Carter (Griffith University), Maggie Collins (triple j, The John Steel Singers), Ben Preece (Mucho Bravado, Hungry Kids of Hungary), Andrea Smith (Metropolitan South Institute of TAFE), Ben Collier (Ben Rama - Fans club nights), Glenn Esmond (The Butterfly Effect), Francesca De Valence (Singer-Songwriter), Elliot Bledsoe (Creative Commons), Chris O’Neill (APRA), John Kenny (Kenny and Co Solicitors), Hannah Shepherd (Kenny and Co Solicitors), Phil Smith (Singer-Songwriter), Anamari Goicoechea (AMG Entertainment), Simon Grant (Manager, Free Agent Crew)

Auxilliary helpers/professionals: Tuscany Grey, Elleni Toumpas, Jane Matthews, Natalie Dodds, Ainslee Maguire, Tim Williams, Roxy Burt, Blythe Smethurst, Steve, Andrew,

Media: Faster Louder, Time Off, mX Magazine, Rave, OurBrisbane, Four Thousand, Qmusic

Sponsors: JMC Academy, Brisbane Backline, LightSounds and Nutrient Water.

Venue: Suzanne Misso and the fantastic crew at The Edge.

Participants: The Belligerents, Sietta, Dane Tucquet, The Estates, Charlie Mayfair, My Escapade, Citizen Loud, Claire Whiting, Sarah Collyer, Jackal, Cardhouses, Moonjog, Reality Pixie, Alicia, Mr Rascal, 3 Days Off, Tenda McFly, Liliane Pearl and Katie Wighton.

To see all of the Twitter chatter from the week, as well as Twitpics of the goings-on, view the #whitenoise2010 hashtag thread.

To see a gallery of shots from the Saturday night showcase, go to The Last Beatniks’ website here.

To read the glowing review of the week’s activities and specifically, the showcase, check it out at the Brisbane Creative Industries Blog.

In the coming weeks, Musicadium will be uploading the PodCasts of a selection of the week’s sessions to iTunes to be made available for all to download. Links will be provided when they are live.

Glenn Proudfoot is one talented man. A self-taught guitarist, he has conquered Australia and Europe as a solo artist, touring in popular covers band Dr Elephant and as the lead guitarist for one of Europe’s most respected rock bands, Prazsky Vyber.

Now he is set to release a solo album that is 20 years in the making. Covering every range of musical genres from heavy rock to blues to acoustic to country, the album was recorded and produced in Prague in 2009/2010 by Glenn and his team.

Recently Glenn kindly took a few minutes out of his busy schedule to answer a few questions for the Musicadium team.

You began playing the guitar at age 11 and are self-taught which is an amazing feat,
what made you want to play the guitar to begin with?

It was Angus Young from AC/DC that got me hooked on guitar, just hearing that sound and the solo’s and watching the way he moved sent pure electricity through my body! Nothing had ever made me feel like that before; from that day onwards all I ever wanted to do was play!! At the time I was 10 or 11 and we never had much money growing up but my oldest brother had just started working and he spent his entire pay cheque to get me a guitar as a surprise. From that day I never put it down!!

You have toured extensively around Australia and worked with some of the best in the business, what
is your favourite memory from these tours?

There’s no specific moment, but being on stage alone playing a guitar solo in front of 40′000 people is something that I can’t describe. The energy and feeling you get is out of this world! Also having the privilege of meeting and spending time with some of my heroes like Steve Vai, Joe Satriani and Slash has been simply incredible.  Something I will never forget!

So how did you manage to find yourself on the other side of the world as the lead guitarist in a Czech rock band?

I was playing guitar for Brian Mannix from the Uncanny X-Men at the time, Brian was and still is a massive support in my life and music. Brian had told me about this drummer, Klaudius Kryspin, who
he had met. Klaudius was a big rock star in Europe. In turn Brian was talking me up to Klaudius. We eventually met in Melbourne and I had prepared a video of myself playing a 5 minute guitar solo
(great to watch hard to listen to…. hahaha!) which I gave to Klauda in the hope that he would watch it. Turns out he did watch it many times; so he took it with him to Europe and showed the other
guys in the band. But it wasn’t until 7 years later that they called me and asked if I would like to come and record with them. Before I knew it I was in the band and on stage in front of 40′000 people!
It was truly unbelievable.  The solo I wrote for that video took 3 months and had over 5′000 notes in it, people thought I was crazy but it worked!

You have said that you used to practice for 8 – 12 hours a day, how often do you practice now?

Yes that is true, I was very serious about guitar right from the start and figured the best way to be the best I could was to work the hardest I could, so everyday I would practice between 8 and 12 hours and sometimes even 14 hours! There were no exceptions for Christmas or Birthdays or anything! Now I spend most of my time playing shows and writing music, very rarely will you catch me without a guitar in my hands!  If I’m not touring or recording I will still practice between 2 and 4 hours everyday. The guitar for me is a release; some people go for a jog or play video games for release but I simply need to play.

What advice can you give for young aspiring musicians out there?

Never lose sight of the joy that music brings to yourself and others. Admire your peers and learn from them but be yourself, they are themselves thats why you love them so much! Practice makes perfect, a lot of people have natural talent but most of the time its the people who work the hardest that are the best!

Click below to buy Glenn Proudfoot’s album Lick ‘Em on iTunes:

Ride on down to The Edge this Saturday afternoon (13 March 4:00pm) for the first ever Show Pony – The Edge’s own creative mash up.

Check out some of the weird and wonderful things our Catalysts have been up to over the last couple of weeks and find out how you can help them take over The Edge.

There’ll be live music by Catalyst Ian Rogers (AKA Ambrose Chapel), a showcase of participants from Musicadium’s  workshops, as well as the debut performance by Hologram Carver (AKA Catalyst Andrew Gibbs).

Live visuals will be produced by Edge Catalyst and Createdigitalmotion.com co-founder Jaymis Loveday including footage from The Edge Opening Event.

Catalysts Sandra Landolt (sculptor) and Stephen Stockwell (journo) will also be around to talk to you about upcoming workshops at The Edge.

Kick back with a coffee and a muffin and see what The Edge Crew is up to. This is also a great time to sign up for free workshops (learn everything from Cardboard Engineering through to music software), and check out the space.

Free Entry, All Ages from 4pm.

After an overwhelming response, the artists and speakers for Musicadium’s White Noise have been selected.

R&B-soul outfit Sietta (Melbourne) and local electro-rockers The Belligerents are two of the artists that will be undertaking the workshops on the 15th-20th March this year.

In addition to these exciting artists, who will spearhead the final showcase, a third act from the workshops will be picked to perform.

Sarah Hamilton, Artist Relations Manager for Musicadium, was delighted with the calibre of the applicants. “Educating artists to be able to further their own careers is a big part of what we do at Musicadium, so this event is a way of giving back to the music community of Brisbane. We are all looking forward to helping these artists understand their path in the industry” Miss Hamilton said.

Musicadium’s White Noise will take place at South Bank’s latest creative space, The Edge, and offers a unique opportunity for artists to gain invaluable insight into the music industry. Guest speakers and mentors will provide the participants with insider knowledge and practical skills to help kick-start their music careers.

Speakers include Mucho Bravado founder and Hungry Kids of Hungary manager Ben Preece, triple j presenter and John Steel Singers manager Maggie Collins and David Carter, a Senior Lecturer in Music Technology at the Queensland Conservatorium.

These speakers and more will work intensively with the artists over the course of the week, in sessions that range from songwriting and recording to legal issues and marketing and branding. A full list of speakers and artists will be made available to view at www.musicadium.com/whitenoise.

Doors will open to the public for the free, all-ages showcase from 6pm on Saturday the 20th of March.

The White Noise Timetable is now available on the Musicadium White Noise Page.

Download the PDF here.

Speakers for each session and Bands for the showcases will be revealed shortly!

Recently, Musicadium were lucky enough to score an interview with Dan Brooks, vocalist and guitarist of Sydney quartet Cabins. With a handful of achievements already in 2010 including current ITunes Single of the Week for their awesome new track ‘Catcher In The Rye’, as well as a recently announced national tour with buddies the Mess Hall and Bridezilla, Cabins are a band not to be missed this year. Check the guys out at http://www.myspace.com/cabinsband

1. After a crazy 2009 you guys are being hailed as one of the biggest prospects in 2010. Are you feeling the pressure or enjoying the ride to success?

Wow. That’s quite amazing to hear. Now we are feeling a little nervous……

I guess 2009 was pretty crazy but crazy in the way that things started to happen quite fast. Before we knew it we were in the studio recording, touring a whole lot more and really finding our feet as a band. Its been great.

2. Is there a story behind the name “Cabins” or do you just really hate tents?

Aha we do like to camp but man when its cold of a night and hot in the morning in a tent, its not so good.
The name actually came from a song we had called the cabin; the song was about being content with the homes/places we were in at the time.

We really like the name, sometimes its tough to come up with something that defines you. We don’t think it really puts us in a category or genre as such which helps. It’s a neutral name.

3. Supporting Mess Hall around Oz in March must be a great feeling. Looking forward to touring? Any funny/scary/interesting tour stories you can share with us?

The Mess hall are an amazing band, not only on record but to watch live. We take great inspiration from bands like the Mess Hall and take pride in our live set. We have played with them a couple of times so going back on the road with them and our good friends Bridezilla for the entire tour will be great. Places like Perth, Hobart and Adelaide are a first for us which is pretty exciting. We will report back with the funny/scary/interesting after….

4. Your next mini album is due for release very soon. Can you give us avid admirers a peek of what to expect?

If you have seen us live we would say to expect an album that stays true to our live performance. This is an album that is us now, its a part of us and documents this time for Cabins. We feel really good about the record and were able to work with a great producer (Woody Annison) and some special guests on one of the tracks. It’s quite dark and we experimented a bit in studio so the outcome is a little different…

5. You have really interesting and almost maudlin melodic arrangement. Is this inspired by anyone in particular?

Yeah I guess you could say the songs are that way. The artists we admire like: Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds, Tom Waits, Bob Dylan, The Walkmen, etc have that edge or side to them. We find that darker emotional maudlin side to music/songwriting interesting, gives us a lot more to sing about. Telling stories about the darker experiences we’ve had, tales of journeys and strange murders (those which are fictional of course).

6. Finally, what’s in store post- Mess Hall tour and album release? Surely a holiday is in order?

We are writing at the moment, so we are going to have a whole lot more music by the time the end of the year is up.

We enjoy writing music and playing shows so in a way a holiday is not needed. We have been sitting on these latest songs, eager to have them out, so to be able to put out this mini album is a big relief/accomplishment/drive to record more.

Plus, even if we really needed it, I think a holiday would be out the cards. 2010 will still be packed with more touring.
Maybe after that ……

Downoad Cabins’ ‘Catcher In The Rye’ for free as ITunes Single of the week here