Sep. 26, 2009

The music business is a hard business to be in these days.  This is true both for people who are “signed” (by record labels) or who are independent.  Because of this, there are musicians, singer and songwriters who are incredible but are not heard widely enough, in my opinion.  While both veteran and up-and-coming musicians are selling fewer and fewer records, they are giving away more and more.  Because of the web you can hear, see, and read about these artists for free.  I would like “promote” some artists who I believe are making music that needs to be heard.  I use the word “promote” loosely because I don’t have a huge “fan” base (I use the word fan very loosely), but if you like some of the people that you hear about on the spotlight, there are a number of things that you can do.  First, buy their music.  Don’t download it illegally, don’t ask a friend to burn it for you - buy it.  Secondly, if you are able, book them for a show.  Before you rule this out, please consider that many musicians do a number of different “types” of bookings.  Yes, we still love it when you let us bring the full band, but, many of us love doing house concerts, cafes, etc.  Finally, tell other people about these artists.  A simple status update or a video link can go a long way.

I am really looking forward to introducing you to some people you may not have heard before.  I will do my first artist spotlight by noon on Monday October 5th.  I will let you know via Facebook (http://www.facebook.com/philaud) twitter (@philaud) and Myspace (http://www.myspace.com/philaud).