Freio Music

Ride Festival 2017 – Lineup

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RIDE Festival 2017 = Diverse Lineup

RIDE Festival is in its sixth consecutive year of world-class music, camping and mountain adventure that only Colorado can deliver. Event headliners include BECK, Ben Harper & The Innocent Criminals, The John Butler Trio, Rival Sons, The Temperance Movement, Kaleo, Jackie Greene, and Boulder’s own Rose Hill Drive among many others.

TICKETS ON SALE NOW

Set to take place in downtown Telluride’s Town Park, the event features an unparalleled backdrop of Telluride’s idyllic landscape, world-class musicianship, Colorado’s finest microbrews and daily adventures for outdoor enthusiasts and music aficionados alike. Past RIDE performers include Pearl Jam, David Byrne, The Lumineers, Cage the Elephant, Widespread Panic, Jonny Lang and many others

The undisputed gem of south-west Colorado, Telluride is well-known by Colorado locals to be among the very best mountain destinations and has been called “number one for both scenery and character” by Forbes and Ski Magazine. With world-class hiking, rafting, climbing, fishing, mountain biking, and hot springs all within 40 miles of the festival, as well as a perfectly integrated farmer’s market downtown on Fridays, RIDE Festival is the can’t-miss mountain festival of 2017.

 

RIDE Festival will feature another star-studded lineup in 2017 including a rare Telluride performance by the Grammy-Award winning singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist, BECK. Celebrated for his sonically experimental and lo-fi style, BECK rose to fame in the early 1990’s for creating musical collages encompassing a wide genre of styles. With a highly anticipated release on the horizon for 2017, fans may be treated to an early taste of the producer’s latest tunes during the 6th annual festival.

Known for his high-energy live performances, prominent activist and American singer-songwriter Ben Harper will perform for the first time in Telluride since his 2012 performance at the RIDE Festival.  This year, Ben will be appearing with his talented band The Innocent Criminals.  A rousing performer, Harper has taken home numerous awards including Grammy Awards for Best Pop Instrumental Performance and Best Traditional Soul Gospel Album in 2005 and Best Blues Album in 2014.

With additional performances spanning multiple genres of music including rock n’ roll, reggae, gospel and soul, RIDE Festival has something for everyone.

For more information about the RIDE Festival including ticketing and official festival details check out www.ridefestival.com

FULL LINEUP
Beck
Ben Harper & The Innocent Criminals
The John Butler Trio
Kaleo
Rival Sons
The Temperance Movement
Jackie Greene
Rose Hill Drive
Big Something
The Marcus King Band
Colter Wall
Carolyn Wonderland
Muddy Magnolias
Maggie Koerner

 

More Links:

WEBSITE   |   FACEBOOK   |   TWITTER   |   INSTAGRAM

World’s Finest

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The Domino Room-February 17th, 2017


Last Friday at the Domino Room in downtown Bend, Oregon, we were able to catch Leftover Salmon’s opener, World’s Finest. Featuring an electric banjo, saxophone, and vintage guitar, they had a rustic and organic vibe. Blending elements of ska, bluegrass and reggae, they were able to touch on several familiar sounds while adding their own character and a bit of a twist.

Juggling genres and different styles, it was obvious the group drew inspiration from assorted backgrounds. There were many moments of feel-good-bluegrass easily associated with Portland and The Pacific Northwest. Both upbeat and rock influenced it reminded me of groups like Fruition. Other times they would tone things down and switch over to reggae and ska. Some highlights included “Rub-a-dub” reggae and well timed breakdowns to group acapellas. With flexible musicianship, they were able to showcase a few covers as well.  My favorite was their funky-bluegrass cover of “Pick Up the Pieces” by Average White Band.  The nostalgia of the song, accompanied with their provocative saxophone, was a great way to close out the set.

Full of fun energy and a feel good vibe, World’s Finest had very personable crowd interaction and seemed to thoroughly enjoy their time on the stage.

Check out the links below for music and more on the World’s Finest!

Website

Facebook

 

Pigeons Playing Ping Pong

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The Volcanic Pub Theater-February 12th, 2017

Wildly entertaining, eccentric and funk-nasty. The words that come to mind after last nights show at The Volcanic Theater in Bend, Oregon. I knew to expect some funk with an East Coast jam band influence. What I didn’t expect was a roller coaster of spacey interludes, mambo break-beats, and jazz waltz noodling. And yes, of course there was always a sneaky funk breakdown to tie it all together. On point transitions and tight coordination amongst the group allowed for fresh switch ups and genre blending. It’s hard to explain exactly how I would classify their style, but just take my word for it, you don’t want to miss them live. Its beautiful, musical madness at its finest. With a packed house on a Sunday night, Pigeons Playing Ping Pong definitely have a following and were a perfect fit for the wacky Bend crowd, looking to get the most out of their Sunday night.

It’s rare that you come across such an animated front-man as lead singer and guitarist Greg Ormont. Sporting pajama pants and a frizzy Afro, I’m pretty sure he never blinked. His wide array of facial expressions were both engrossing and humorous. My initial hesitation slowly grew into captivation and it became hard to look away. Incredibly skilled guitarist Jeremy Schon really took it to the next level. It was clear that this type of seasoned musicianship demanded a bigger stage. With a calm, natural presence on stage, Ben Carrey laid down filthy, funk bass lines to back the group. Drummer, Alex Petropulos playfully transitioned between different tempos, genres and moods with ease. All together, this group was a tight knit team. Their raw and playful energy on stage really reflected their confidence to push their music to new boundaries.

This group is big news and word is spreading fast. They had so much support that they were able to fund their new studio album “Pizazz” through contributions from their followers. It should be releasing sometime this Fall. Also, make sure and check out their new live album “The Great Outdoors Jam” coming out February 17th!! For those of you out in Colorado, Pigeons Playing Ping Pong will be playing at Red Rocks, August 13th with Moe and Twiddle!

Written by Greg Powell

Photography by Molly Buckiewicz

For more info on upcoming tour schedule, music and the band check out the links below!!

Music, buy album
Website
Tour

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Sonic Bloom Lineup Pt 1

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The 12th Annual SONIC BLOOM Announces First Wave of Artists

SONIC BLOOM, the nation’s premier boutique electronic music festival returning to Hummingbird Ranch in Spanish Peaks Country, CO, announces the first wave of the 2017 lineup.

This year’s headliners include: Gigantic Cheese Biscuit, a unique lineup never before assembled featuring members of 3 pioneering live electronic bands coming together for a one-time very special set of music: Dominic Lalli, Jeremy Salken (Big Gigantic), Michael Kang, Michael Travis, Jason Hann (The String Cheese Incident / EOTO), Marc Brownstein, Aron Magner (The Disco Biscuits), along with The Polish Ambassador, The Floozies, Claude VonStroke, Ott, Haywyre, Minnesota, Random Rab,The Funk Hunters with Chali 2na and many more.

Melding the world’s most talented musicians, performers, visionaries and artists, SONIC BLOOM, is an inspiring showcase of the best of Colorado’s vibrant live and electronic music scene and is at the forefront of the transformative festival movement. SONIC BLOOM is known for booking and discovering fresh, progressive electronic acts with styles that span the musical spectrum; from the highly celebrated to the relatively unknown.

The music isn’t all there is to be excited about. SONIC BLOOM also engages with participants by offering world class artists and a full art gallery, active workshops, visual arts, learning experiences and yoga with much attention paid to the stunning environment that is created to indulge all the senses of the festival attendees. And with the addition of the SONIC BLOOM Academy last year, people now have the chance to enhance their educational experience leading into the 4-day festival with a 3-day deep dive into several intensive full-day workshops making for an incredible full-week experience.

4-Day General Passes include entry into the festival on Thursday, free on-site camping and free drinking water. VIP 4-Day Passes, parking passes, limited car camping passes and RV passes are also now on sale. For more information on SONIC BLOOM, please visit the official website: sonicbloomfestival.com

SONIC BLOOM’S Network:
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/sonicbloom
Twitter: http://twitter.com/sonic_bloom
YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/user/sonicbloomfestival
SoundCloud: https://soundcloud.com/sonicbloomfestival
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sonic_bloom_

Ticket Link: http://ticketf.ly/1O7NtSa

Sonic Bloom 2016

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    Sonic Bloom 2016 has a stacked lineup producing incredible performances too numerous to describe here.  It is safe to say, “SonicBloom has become one of the best electronic music festivals in North America!”  It is worth noting the international talent attracted to the base of the Colorado Rockies to share their vision, talent and art.  To see the full lineup click here.  

     The mindfulness and vision to attract the top talent from across the globe, must be recognized and commended.  The three official stages vibrated with historic house music. This festival is the nexus of the Colorado electronic music scene.  The location is perched atop a beautiful space of land with the foothills of the Rockies to the west and windmill filled fields that go on to meet the eastern horizon.  The festival has succeeded at curating a fertile ground for the world-wide cutting edge of musical maneuvering. 

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      The sound systems are tuned to the valley and can bump through the entire festival grounds.  The security is appropriately staffed and energetically aligned.  The friendly faces can be found throughout the campgrounds, stages, in swinging hammocks, in high fiveing security guards, or the dancing chefs who happily serve nourishing food at reasonable prices.  The ice, in high demand in the hot sun is the only noticeably overpriced product at $1/lb.  The showers run at full capacity as people line up for their chance to clean off that layer of accumulated dust and dirt that is kicked up from all of the movement.  The sunny and beautiful weather also brings with it the dryness enabling the dirt to turn to dust.   The wind is welcome and the stream is an oasis for people looking to take a dip and cool off. 

Photo by M.Morahan © Freio Music 2016
Photo by M.Morahan © Freio Music 2016

     The unofficial or ‘renegade’ stages include tipis and camp sites stacked with speakers and subs.  The colorful crowd and the apex of art have arrived to create an immersive experience that people are willing to dedicate four days to.  Some of the crowd has traveled from across the continent to enjoy the this dreamed up reality. 

      This festival has become a small close nit group of people who are looking out for one another to form a utopic village for just under a week.  The production continues after the last set as everything needs to return to its original order; stages must come down, lasers, lights, projectors, sound & lighting boards, 1,000’s of yards of electric wiring, speakers, microphones, instruments, and framework to name a few.  The thankless work of setting up all of the stages and hauling in the gear was executed with time to spare and enough technology to entertain even the most avid of festival goers. 

      People in their ‘A-Game’ costumes come energetically into the festival entrance in groups.  Everyone has made 10+ new friends and friendly neighbors.   The exchange of ideas, paints, music and visual art permeate the mind of every attendee.  One cannot help but be inspired by something of unique beauty.   

Day in the Life; at Sonic Bloom:

Winds whip down the hills and across the plains. Dust moves in a hurried Eastwood direction. Every walk of electronic culture strolls through the grounds interacting with experiences, sonic vibrations and frequencies across the perceptible spectrum. Cars have been rolling in for over 12 hours at a steady pace filling up the campgrounds. The lucky and wise are nestled among the 6′ shrubbery whose neighbors are bushes and trees. My neighbors on the other hand-made the pilgrimage to SonicBloom from Louisiana. A tightly packed vehicle of four young energetic and enthusiastic beautiful artistic human beings.  As a group, it does not seem possible to gather so many like-minded humans in a place to enjoy and thrive in a collaborative environment.

Friendly staff greet the goers. The hippy chicks and the electric glowers.

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      From the lighting to the sound, from the stages to the camp ground, there are smiles to go around. With the hammocks from Yammocks, and the beats from the peeps the festi is full of fun-loving music geeks.

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      Three stages of stacked sets featuring some of the top electronic acts from around the world.  American electronic music lovers treat this event as an annual pilgrimage to discover and reunite with the music, people and source of creative energy that is the foundation of a festival.  Creativity flows from the ornately decorated stages and sublimely composed tracks that suddenly take hold of the listeners and create a simultaneous bodily expression of enjoyment including but not limited to twerking, spinning, jumping, dropping, exploding or floating.

         The breeze kicked up into a howl for Nightmares on Wax’s last song featuring one of the most recognizable guitar riffs around.  The high energy Bonobo set was filled with masterfully woven bass lines pulsing through the night.  The crowd can be heard cheering for miles. 

Photo by M.Morahan
Photo by M.Morahan

      The late night stages rage like there is no finality to human diurnality. The artists continue to stoke the flaming crowd into the next adventure and from one set to the next. The solitude of night embraced with the warmth of bass and faces.With the evolution of the performances, the pulse of the festival was amplified and magnified by the exemplified beat technique. The audible entertainment abruptly ended, with a slow retreating high pass filter that faded out for 15 min or more notifying the audience that the silent disco was starting. With headphones on, the party rolls on…

The nexus of Colorado electronic music counter-culture is here; at Sonic Bloom, on the beautiful property at Humming Bird Ranch.  

Divide Music Festival – A Mountainous Escape

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The Divide Music Festival, taking place July 22-24, 2016 in Fraser Valley, Colorado will feature top acts from across the nation including Kid Cudi, Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros, The Fray, CAKE, Passion Pit, Blondie, Miike Snow, Bleachers, Saint Motel, JR JR and more. The festival will also include surprise guests and local Colorado favorites.

The inaugural weekend-long concert and camping experience will kick off Friday, July 22, 2016 and end Sunday, July 24th. Attendees will have the opportunity to attend one-day performances or stay at the designated RV and tent-camping grounds for the three-day event. Event producers, Team Player Productions, have put together an eclectic mix of performers from Grammy Award-winning hip hop artist Kid Cudi to Billboard Music Award-winner The Fray. In addition, fans can hear from indie folk musicians like Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros, Swedish psychedelic pop group Miike Snow, and all-time American favorite rock band Blondie. Attendees will also have the opportunity to participate in outdoor thrills including mountain bike tours, guided trail runs, morning yoga sessions and other group-inspired activities. The event will also feature the finest Colorado craft beers, local food vendors, and crafters and artisans from across the country.

“We are creating a one-of-a-kind experience where world-class artists and music fans from across the
country gather in the Colorado Rocky Mountains for a weekend of unforgettable fun,” said Jason
Ornstein, owner of Team Player Productions and founder of ‘The Divide Music Festival’.

Divide Music Festival 2016 from Team Player Productions on Vimeo.

With a great bus system in place that offers round trip rides to and from Denver and Boulder to the festival, it is appropriate to mention the vender lineup.

This year, the Divide Music Festival is teaming up with three major Colorado craft breweries to offer a range of styles for tasting enjoyment. For the beer connoisseur, this year’s inaugural festival is showcasing the following flavors to make this event the ‘hoppiest’ music festival set in the Rocky Mountains:

• Great Divide Brewing Co: New Denver Pale Ale, Titan IPA, Hoss Oktoberfest Lager and Colette Farmhouse Ale

• Ska Brewing Company: Mexican Logger, Modus Mandarina IPA, Modus Operandi IPA, True Blonde Ale

• Odell Brewing Co.: 90 Shilling Ale, Drumroll Pale Ale, Loose Leaf Session and IPA

*Special brews will be showcased and served for VIP ticket holders.

 

 

For More info and to buy tickets visit:  DivideMusicFestival.com

LIB 2016 sold out

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11th Annual Lightning in a Bottle

Tickets are  SOLD OUT – Thank You!

 

Lightning in a Bottle – Bradley, CA – A week out from the West Coast’s premiere camping, arts, music and yoga festival, Lightning in a Bottle is thrilled to announce that tickets for the 11th annual gathering are officially SOLD OUT! Growing consciously since the festival’s first year in 2005, LIB is proud to have hit full capacity just ahead of its largest festival to date at 20,000 tickets sold.

While both the 2-Day and 4-Day festival passes are now sold out, several 4-Day passes can still be obtained with the purchase of a Boutique Camping package. Additionally, current pass holders can also upgrade to Boutique camping packages as well as purchase Lightning Bus tickets and/or an Early Arrival Pass, which will allow them to enter the festival a day early on Wednesday May 25.  

LIB production house Do LaB, and its vast array of magic-makers, would like to thank everyone for their amazing support for Lightning in a Bottle 2016!  Celebrating in the office, Jesse Shannon, aka Y2, Director of Marketing says, “This day is 11 years in the making. From 2005 when we first sold tickets to 2016, this is the first time Lightning in a Bottle has sold out before gates open. I’m so proud of the team and it’s a testament to all the hard work that everyone does to create such an incredible festival.” These sentiments are echoed in the laborious efforts put forth by Do LaB in the days leading up to the festival, with most of the team already on site creating, constructing and injecting love into every aspect of LIB.

 

Watch the teaser video here and feel the excitement:

 

 

Taking strides to ensure LIB 2016 is the biggest and best to date – Do LaB is pulling out all the stops curating a genre-bending, stellar lineup, cultivating wondrous immersive environments, and expanding into new adventures in Bradley, CA.

Hitting the three glorious main stages at LIB (The Lightning, The Thunder and The Woogie) are the most progressive up-and-coming artists alongside an acclaimed selection of powerhouse acts, forming the most dynamic lineup Do LaB has unveiled to date!  Headliners performing over this Memorial Day Weekend are Chet Faker, Grimes, Moderat, Big Gigantic, Cashmere Cat, The Polish Ambassador, and Four Tet. Joining the headliners is a roster of the best talent in house and bass including Tokimonsta, Mija, Mr. Carmack, Autograf, Guy Gerber, &ME, Lane 8, Sacha Robotti, Eprom, Minnesota b2b G Jones, and Bleep Bloop.

What makes Lightning in a Bottle truly magical, are the trove of stunning stages, art installations, wondrous immersive environments, classes, and workshops to explore. Trailblazers who wander off the beaten festival path may find themselves transported into the many weird and wonderful realms nestled on the grounds of LIB, each micro-environment ripe with exciting expansions, new offerings, and scintillating music for 2016. With over 300 classes and experiences to be had and shared, be sure to check out The Village,The Temple of Consciousness, The Grand Artique, Amori’s Casino & Burlesque, the Visionary Art gallery, and many other micro-environments during your stay at LIB!

Do LaB is excited to welcome those who purchased the Early Arrival Pass on May 25th to help kick off LIB weekend with a multitude of activities before the music begins! A cacao ceremony, Village Permaculture Action Day hosted by LIB 2016 artist Polish Ambassador and access to the newly-established High Grounds camp are among new initiatives in 2016. Purchase your Early Arrival Pass here.

 

Go GREEN! In addition to the Action Day, Do LaB has several other leading initiatives in place to ensure the grounds stay beautiful for years to come! Recycling, compost and landfill receptacles will be found on the festival grounds, and as always, LIB 2016 will be a “pack-it-in, pack-it-out event,” meaning that Do LaB asks that all guests take everything they brought into the festival out with them after the festival ends — campground trash included. A friendly reminder that plastic water bottles are not sold at LIB, so don’t forget to bring your own reusable container!

Familiarize yourself with Lightning in a Bottle and the grounds ahead of the festival. Look over Do LaB’s Thrive Guide for a refresh on festivaling with intention and mindfulness, Camp like a champ and find your way to San Antonio Recreational Area.  And don’t forget to plan your dance party for the weekend — the set times for 2016’s lineup are out now.

 

Lightning in a Bottle – So hot right now! See you all soon.

 

STAY CONNECTED:

Lightning in a Bottle: Website | Facebook | Event Page | Twitter | Instagram

Do LaB: Website | Facebook | Instagram | Soundcloud |Twitter

 

 

 

Sonic Bloom 2016 LineUp

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Sonic Bloom Announces Headliners

 

Once again Sonic Bloom displays their taste for cutting edge producers and artistic performers by attracting some of the best talent.  Artists will travel from around the world to gather for a celebratory event known as Sonic Bloom.  This year, Sonic Bloom’s lineup includes local artists from here in Colorado, talent scattered across North America and will even feature select international acts including a gifted Kiwi headliner.

 

SonicBloom 2016 Music Lineup - FreioMusic
FreioMusic reveals Sonic Bloom’s 2016 Lineup: International Talent and Headliners that will Sufficiently Supply your Face with Bass

 

The 11th Annual SONIC BLOOM will once again be held during the Summer Solstice, the weekend of June 16-19, 2016, in Colorado (location TBA).

 

SONIC BLOOM has a reputation for and history of finding and helping bring to light some of the best and brightest stars.  Previously featured acts include The Glitch Mob, Beats Antique, Big Gigantic and Pretty Lights. 

 

4-Day General Passes include entry into the festival on Thursday, free on-site camping and free drinking water. VIP 4-Day Passes, parking passes, limited car camping passes and RV passes are also on sale.

SONIC BLOOM’S Network:

Website: SonicBloomFestival.com

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/sonicbloom

Twitter: http://twitter.com/sonic_bloom

YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/user/sonicbloomfestival

SoundCloud: https://soundcloud.com/sonicbloomfestival

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sonic_bloom_

 

Other Articles about SonicBloom on FreioMusic:

Sonic Bloom 2014 – Author: Hari

Sonic Bloom 2014  – Author:  Molly 

Sonic Bloom 2015 – Authors: Molly & Greg

 

 

 

 

Gem and Jam Festival 2016

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Gem and Jam Festival 2016

Tucson celebrated their 10th anniversary of Gem & Jam Festival over the Valentine’s Day weekend with a star studded lineup accompanying a plethora of beautiful art, rocks, and performers. Every musical act performed flawlessly as if they each could have easily been the main act of the night. Nearly every show had performers across the three intricately designed stages whether they were flipping fire or moving to the groove. For the first time, Gem & Jam added onsite camping to allow attendees to make the venue their temporary home. Every single soul Freio Music met over the weekend was extremely kind and loving, making it easy to feel welcome outside of our home state.

 

Lyrics Born

 

The festival was held over the perfectly weathered weekend as it saw temperatures reaching to almost 90° during the day and dropping to cool summer-like desert nights just in time for the music. Entry into the venue and will call was seamless as there were never burdening lines despite attracting the largest amount of attendees in their history. The venue, located at “The Slaughterhouse,” was a perfect size, allowing minimal walking from one stage to the next. After the music was over for the night, Gem & Jam kept the music going almost until sunrise with three afterparties each night. Two were in downtown, and one inside the venue at the Onyx Stage.

 

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Stunning art was spread throughout the entire venue with a constant crowd watching their creation. Artists were constantly tending to their paintings and putting out some of the most spectacular pieces of art ever seen. There were artists beside each and every stage as well as their entire surroundings, providing their own show of creativity.

 

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It was overwhelming to see so many amazing musical acts under one bill. One could bounce from one stage to the next and see a nationally or internationally renowned act throughout the entire day! The Quartz Stage was beautifully hand decorated with laser cut wooden sculptures and plenty of artsy structures providing both shade and something to gaze at. Pretty Lights Music’s Michal Menert and Eliot Lipp each brought their own uplifting beats and Tycho’s downtempo set took over the main stage Friday night closing out with Minnesota’s heavy bangers. The Jade Stage housed Colorado’s very own Magic Beans who jammed heavily until the festival’s close.

 

Magic Beans

On Saturday, the great music started with Dirtwire’s “swamptronic” music and didn’t stop until Beats Antique and their extremely well choreographed performers who closed out the second night. The night also saw many headline-worthy acts like the always entertaining dance moves of Polish Ambassador, the pulsing beats of Desert Dwellers, and UK’s OTT who definitely got the most people dancing during the whole festival. Once Arizona locals, Brothers Gow are always a pleasure to see as their jammy takes on old songs as well as their own can really get the crowd involved with their awesomely funny dance moves.

 

 

On its final day, Gem & Jam certainly did not slow down in terms of musical acts as many quickly-rising electronic acts took over the Jade Stage while legendary DJ’s and numerous live acts shook the main stage. Mark Farina brought his smooth “mushroom jazz” that laid backbeat to some very chill hip hop like A Tribe Called Quest. Marvel Years performed before going back-to-back with Manic Focus who brought the electro-funk to Tucson. Lyrics Born was the biggest hip hop act and gained many new fans with their lively show. Closing out the night, Lettuce’s funk music brought Gem & Jam to a bittersweet end. But before Lettuce, was our favorite of the weekend, Break Science with the Shady Horns. The horn section from Lettuce collaborated with Adam Deitch and Borahm Lee and provided a wonderful addition to Break Science’s electronic sound. Manic Focus even joined the party to put on quite the fun show.

 

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Tucson, Arizona treated us well with open arms and Gem & Jam held a beautiful gathering of thousands of kind-hearted people. Everything from the extremely kind security (thank you), to the savory foods, to the great music provided us with an unforgettable Valentine’s Day weekend. The experience was top-notch and certainly stands out from the other festivals of this time and we are beyond excited to see what they have in store for us next year.

 

 

7 Clever Ways to Profit From Your Music

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Seven Clever Ways to Profit From Your Music

 

In this blog post you will learn some of the best proven strategies used by some of the most successful musicians around today.  If you have been a professional musician for decades or are just starting out today this article is for you.  These seven clever ways to profit from your music have been tested and proven by some of the best musicians out there.  This article will help you monetize and maximize the impact of your new musical release.

 

7:  Sell Stems

An other strategy that caters to musicians is to enable people to buy the ‘stems’ (individual tracks or instruments) that comprise a song. This strategy will likely only make you money from other fellow musicians. For instance a rudimentary version of this strategy is to sell an instrumental version of your track and remove the vocal stem from the final product. You could also sell just the vocal stems. Perhaps if you are Carlos Santana you could sell the guitar parts only. It is up to you how you slice up your songs and sell the parts. Some musicians refuse to show the listener ‘under the hood’ of the artwork. It is revealing when you tear apart a song into its components. The purpose (from the consumer’s end) is to isolate individual sounds to create a better remix or sample of the song. If you want to encourage others to remix or sample your song, you should consider releasing the stems to one or all of your songs.

 

 

6: Sell High Quality Files for More Money

One clever strategy is to enable the purchase of your music in multiple file types. MP3s, the most common musical file type, is compressed. Compressed files are great to conserve space and to pack as many songs as possible on an iPod or your phone. Compressed files are not high quality. Some careful listeners (a.k.a. Audiophiles) will be able to notice the difference between a compressed file and an uncompressed file if the song is played on high quality speakers or headphones. If you want to make more money from your music, sell different file types at different price points. One great platform that enables you to sell different audio files is Bandcamp.

 

 

5:  Sell a Package Deal

Give your customers incentive to buy all of your albums or an album rather than a song.  Some clever musicians prevent the purchase of particular single songs on iTunes and encourage people to buy the album to gain access to that particular song. You can also sell a package that includes your music as well as apparel or memorabilia.  You can give a relative discount, compared to buying each item separately,  to your fans for buying the package.

 

 

4: Touring Up-sales

As you tour, you can and should maximize your reach by selling products at the show. You can sell apparel such as hats or shirts. You can sell memorabilia such as posters or stickers. You can sell your music by offering physical sales of your album. The key to this strategy is hiring someone to manage and run your merchandise table while you are focused on preforming. You need to make sure that your sales will continue while you are on and off stage. Collect emails and make sure to reach out to your fans!

 

 

3: Raise Money From A Crowdsourcing Platform

This technique is especially useful for young musicians or musicians who are tight on cash. Are you ready to get into the recording studio but the price tag is intimidating you from pulling the trigger? As your fans for support in exchange for an exclusive offer or bonus. Your fans can help you raise the money needed to get into the recording studio and create that album you have always dreamed of. Crowd funding reduces the risk of launching your album to the sound of crickets and a negative bank account. Every musician should understand that there is a huge investment of time and money to create, record, and promote their music. With some support from your fans, you will know that people want to hear what you are working on.  Not only will you be assured that people are interested in your upcoming release, after your first sale, you are in the green and making profit.  You no longer have to worry about ‘breaking even’. Your expensive recording costs will disappear.  Your ‘studio time’ will be already covered and you now have a solid base of fans to help you promote your work when the launch date arrives. There are many crowd funding platforms that are popping up but two of the most popular platforms are: Kickstarter, and Indiegogo.  For a great resource to compare the two platforms: click here

  

 

2: Pre-sell Your Album

If you have an established fanbase, one of the more lucrative strategies is to presell your upcoming album. Pre-sales create excitement, anticipation, and money for you, the artist. When the album is finally released you can be sure that all of your pre-order customers will be thrilled to finally get their ears on your music. Your pre-order customers will help generate a boost to the awareness of your music. Your music depends on word of mouth and people becoming aware of your music. By pre-selling your album, your album will launch from a solid base of passionate fans who will help you every step of the way. Imagine launching your album knowing that you already have 1,000 people who have already bought your album at $10. That is right, you just earned $10,000 prior to the first day, and you now have 1,000 excited fans sharing your album all over social media! Compare that to launching with no guarantee that your album will sell to anyone. Of course if you do your homework by creating incredible music, touring to create enthusiastic fans, and promoting your music on all of your platforms you will likely not launch to the sound of crickets. What is there to loose? Nothing. By Pre-selling your album, you will only extend the time you are able to sell your music. You can even use some of that revenue prior to launch to hire the best mixing and mastering engineers to give your album even more value.

 

 

1: Sell Your Free Music

How can you sell you free music? Great question and the answer is not necessarily obvious. You can sell your music in exchange for an email address (example: enter your email to download). An other strategy is to take the middle path. You can also leverage multiple platforms and cater to those customers. For example: Pretty Lights a Colorado native has demonstrated this strategy with extraordinary prowess. Pretty Lights enables free downloads from his website while simultaneously selling the same music in iTunes. Derik Vincent Smith, the mastermind behind Pretty Lights, has said that he earns $100,000 from iTunes per month! (Source: Fast Company)

 

 

Thats it! You have now know the 7 Clever Ways to Profit From Your Music.

 

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