Sheena Metal: Get Up, Get On And Get Off - The Early Bird Catches The Record Deal!

The following are a few tips that will help you to get up, get on and get off in a timely, professional manner that will impress the powers-that-be and leave you fans wanting more:

1.) Have Everything Set Up Before You Set Up---It’s not like you just found out you were playing five minutes before. Gigs are booked days, weeks or months in advance so there’s no reason not to be well informed and well equipped prior to your arrival and set up. Guitars and drums should be tuned, drum kits and guitar pedals set up and dialed in, and song lists printed and distributed so that set up time is minimal.

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Sheena Metal: www.sheena-metal.com

Most Fans Paid $0 for Radiohead Album

Radiohead let its fans decide how much to pay for a digital copy of the band's latest release, "In Rainbows," and more than half of those who downloaded the album chose to pay nothing, according to a study by a consumer research firm.

Some 62 percent of the people who downloaded "In Rainbows" in a four-week period last month opted not to pay the British alt-rockers a cent. But the remaining 38 percent voluntarily paid an average of $6, according to the study by comScore Inc.

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Prince threatens to sue his fans over online images

He's a singer who has made some odd career moves in his time, from changing his name to an unpronounceable love symbol to scrawling "slave" on his cheek in protest at his record company.
But industry experts yesterday warned that Prince's latest decision might be the most controversial of all.

He has threatened to sue thousands of his biggest fans for breach of copyright, provoking an angry backlash and claims of censorship.

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Vinyl May Be Final Nail in CD's Coffin

As counterintuitive as it may seem in this age of iPods and digital downloads, vinyl -- the favorite physical format of indie music collectors and audiophiles -- is poised to re-enter the mainstream, or at least become a major tributary.

Talk to almost anyone in the music business' vital indie and DJ scenes and you'll encounter a uniformly optimistic picture of the vinyl market.

"I'm hearing from labels and distributors that vinyl is way up," said Ian Connelly, client relations manager of independent distributor alliance IODA, in an e-mail interview. "And not just the boutique, limited-edition colored vinyl that Jesu/Isis-style fans are hot for right now."

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EMI to axe unproductive musicians

Music group EMI, home to Robbie Williams and Lily Allen, has suggested it will axe artists that are not working hard enough as it takes a fresh approach to the music business under new private equity owners.

Guy Hands, head of buy-out group Terra Firma, said in a memo to EMI staff that his initial views on overhauling the recorded music division included more rigorous demands on artists.

"I do see a need for fundamental change in how we approach the music business and how we deliver the interconnected triangle of the consumer, EMI and the artist," he said in the memo, obtained by the Financial Times and posted on its website.

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Do you support Metallica wanting album royalties for being on Guitar Hero?

Metallica’s logic seems to be: “if we help to sell that, we want a cut”.

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Plain White T’s Dave Tirio: Former Shy Guy

When Plain White T’s guitarist Dave Tirio was a kid, he never dreamed about the rock star life. Being shy stopped that line of thought pretty quickly. An artistic person by nature, he had always pursued various forms of self expression and loved music from an early age, but that didn’t translate into dreams of stardom for a man who likes to hide from the spotlight.

“I’m really, really shy . . . if you had told me I’d be in a band performing for people years ago, I would have said you were crazy,” Tirio said. Originally the band’s drummer, he used to hide behind the drums and use them as a security blanket to protect him from his fears of performing.

“When I switched to guitar, I was shocked because I couldn’t hide behind the shield of drums, so I had to go out and look at people’s faces. It scared the crap out of me.”Tirio has worked to grow as a performer, though he’s still not completely confident in his abilities. What gets him through is his love for the music that he plays and the fun he has being part of the band.

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Neverset earns success through tour schedule

In today’s music industry, touring is more crucial than ever. For young bands, the goal is to jump on a major tour and open for a national headliner. Dallas-based alternative hard rock band Neverset has accomplished this goal by touring with well-known acts such as Candlebox, Breaking Benjamin, Hinder and Static X.

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Band Review: Rustcycle

Rustcycle
Hometown: Colorado Springs, CO

Maybe I'm getting old or maybe it's just that I don't "get it". Ambient trance just sounds like something I'd hear in the background of a horror movie or a meditation class. Overall, while this isn't the type of music that I could truly appreciate, fans of instrumental and prog-rock may love it. I just kept waiting for something, but it never came.

Website: www.rustcycle.com
SonicBids: www.sonicbids.com/Rustcycle

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Band Review: (S)HE

(S)HE
Hometown: Philadelphia, PA

I'm a sucker for well produced R&B pop music - especially when the harmonies are so dead on. The songs are well written and certainly hook-y enough to capture a mass audience. TLC, Destiny's Child and any other major selling female band would make for excellent comparisons. The music has real flavor that reinforces the harmonies.

"Da Hotness" is a sure-fire hit. It could very well be the conduit for guitarist Matt Tuttle in reaching the modest goal of selling 10,000 albums. "Club Shy Guy" is another very powerful tune. "Last Sunday" has a heavy reggae influence, but where I'd usually shy away, (S)HE makes it work quite well.

Website: www.sheurbanrock.com
SonicBids: www.sonicbids.com/SheRocks

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Woe of Tyrants: Local band fulfills west coast dreams

A local band is overwhelmed at getting its big break in the music industry.

Woe of Tyrants, made up of talent from both Ross and Pike counties, was recently signed to the Metal Blade Records label in California.

"We are extremely excited about working with Metal Blade and feel that we have a lot to offer the label and the heavy metal community," said bass player Adam Kohler.

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