Remind me again why she's not signed?

She has opened for Sara Bareilles, Colbie Caillat, Cary Brothers and even Katy Perry! She has been awarded the iTunes Single of the Week spot to put her in the public's eye. Her music has been featured in shows like One Tree Hill, Ghost Whisperer and 90210.

Singer/Songwriter Holly Conlan (@HollybackGirl) of Hollywood, California certainly has made her mark on the music scene. I first heard her when her single , "OK", which appeared on One Tree Hill came up featured on iTunes. Her success as an unsigned artist is a testament to her ability to license songs to highly visible television shows, and she is currently working on her third studio album.

Perhaps she has been successful because of her independence, but it's a wonder labels haven't picked up on this gem.

Check her out on:

twitter

facebook

myspace

official site

last.fm

Spotify---Giving iTunes a Run for its Money?

This past week billboard.biz announced that Spotify, the widely successful music service that took Europe by storm, has come to America at long last. With spotify, users will be able to search for any track, share music, and even use mobile devices and an offline mode if they become premium members.

Billboard is projecting that the market for music listening services as a whole will improve as a result of this new software. Although iTunes is probably still the most well-known program, competition will likely be healthy for the music service market as programs like Spotify and Rhapsody continue to compete for subscribers.

Just yesterday, I received an email telling me that my own Spotify account was ready. This morning, I eagerly logged in, started perusing the program, and began searching for artists and creating playlists. Like most programs nowadays, Spotify allows you to sync with facebook and share musical tastes a la Last.fm. It also syncs your iTunes library so that you can access all of your current music through Spotify.

Spotify bases a lot of music sharing around user-generated playlists, that can then be switched on and made public to other users. The one thing that I don't really enjoy are the advertisements that come up in the side bars which, unfortunately, can be characteristic of applications that require the internet. I do, however, love the fact that Spotify helps to advertise artists by playing little previews of their music and encouraging users to click to listen on Spotify. It's an informative way to discover new music.

As the software continues to develop and as it gains speed in the states, I look forward to hearing feedback about Spotify and discovering further innovations in the way that we experience music.

The Earth is a Man---A Chicago Math Rock Band that SHOULD be Signed

So, as an homage to my fellow Nettwerk intern, Sara, who's blog I've been following over at tuesdaymorningmusic.blogspot.com, I've decided to write about an unsigned band that I think is fantastic...and really should be signed.

The Earth is A Man is a four-piece instrumental Math Rock band, consisting of Maxwell Allison on bass, Doug Kaplan and Zach Robinson on guitars, and Will Crouse on drums. As a student out in Chicago, I've grown accustomed to the experiments of the Chicago Music Scene and the Psych/Jazz/Alt Rock fusion that is sweeping the midwest. Their self-titled debut album, which was released this past February, clearly demonstrates this style, and proves incredibly engaging despite the lack of vocals. Upon listening to the opening track off their self-titled album, Loud Loop Press writes:

" “Dymaxion,” the opening track off the group’s self-titled debut, is a bastion of beautiful guitar notes backed by rumbling low bass tones that echo like backing vocals while the drums stand busy conducting its choir. Fellow Chicagoans Maps & Atlases are an obvious influence on The Earth is a Man, incorporating their use of sweet, twinkling melodies."

Having met the band members personally, I can say that the Chicago-based band, Maps & Atlases, certainly are a huge influence on The Earth is A Man, especially for fearless leader Doug Kaplan, who is working on going solo as an experimental musician with prog and math rock motives. He recalls giving the band numerous spins at WNUR: Chicago's Rock Experiment when he was a DJ and then the GM at the Experimental Radio Station.

In addition to Kaplan, Zach Robinson, the other guitarist for The Earth is A Man, is working on a solo project, D/A/D or Day After Discovery, which showcases Robinson's talents as an electronic artist.

This experimental band is on the verge, having just begun collaborating with Banter Media Management to promote their new album.

Check them out on:

Myspace

Twitter

Tumblr

Facebook

Bandcamp

And Check Out D/A/D's 2009 Release, "Super Motives" Here:

D/A/D Bandcamp

Tracking Ladytron? Seducing Gravity? Cool.

So, as you may or may not know, Ladytron, (@ladytronmusic) the UK synthpop band, is preparing the release of its 5th studio album, Gravity the Seducer, this fall on September 13th. Subsequently, the band will be returning to North America for a tour to promote their new album.

The band has already released two singles from the album, "White Elephant" and "Ambulances" to wet the appetites of loyal fans. Personally, the announcement of this new release and tour is extremely exciting to me. I've been a fan ever since I heard "Playgirl" on the Showtime series, "the L word".

As part of my job here at Nettwerk, I help to track social media posts regarding artists. This serves as a way of at least partially measuring how effective promo is in reaching fans and generating a buzz, which is becoming increasingly difficult in our over saturated digital era.

Yesterday, as the presale started for Ladytron's planned fall return to North America, it was really exciting to be tracking fan responses via twitter and facebook, and to notice which announcements from NME, Pitchfork, and Nettwerk's own press blog were being Retweeted.

The special pre-sale for fans kicked off, leading to a slew of positive responses from the twittersphere, with fans anxious for the tour and the release. Yesterday, the San Fran pre-sale was sold out in 3 hours! And today, the Philly pre-sale sold out too!

Check Ladytron out on:

Facebook
Twitter
Myspace
Official Site

Even the Old Folks can get with the Digital Age

Some Paul Simon, some Joan Baez, some Jason Mraz, some Shawn Colvin

Put it all together and what have you got?

Adult Alternative---with a twist?

This morning, Billboard announced that AARP has launched a new digital media player in conjunction with Concord Music Group. The player is simplified to include only a pause button, play button, and forward to switch through songs.

The internet radio station plays anything from Woodstock hits of the '60s and '70s to blues, jazz and contemporary music on it's 18 free streaming channels. I spent this morning trying it out and was definitely surprised by the variety. A primary goal of the radio is to help baby boomers enjoy the music of their youth, while bringing them closer to artists of today. This unique player, with an older target audience can introduce its listeners to today's primary medium for hearing music and represent music of the past that baby boomers enjoyed. By establishing this special player, folks who remember the vinyl can now participate in the digital age.

This older demographic is often overlooked as media becomes less and less accessible to them. With the baby boomer generations, and even older generations becoming proficient with computers and even purchasing music off of amazon or iTunes, they have proven that they wish to embrace technological advances. Even my great uncle, who is in his '80s, has a facebook page. This station certainly makes a step toward including older generations in today's new internet listening culture and, perhaps, opens them up to further possibilities for online music dialogue and social networking.

http://www.aarp.org/entertainment/music/