Ariel Publicity

Click to continue...

This week’s newsletter Q&A features Cyber PR artist Jaik Milller from the Jaik Miller Band, who got the chance to interview Bill Prevost of RIF Radio.
 

Jaik Miller Band Genre: Rock, Americana, Soul http://www.arielpublicity.net/clients/2195
 
Guitarist and songwriter/singer Jaik Miller had a major presence in the 1990′s New York rock scene. His “wusscore” band XANAX 25 played with everyone from Son Volt and Me’Shell Nd’geocello to King Crimson and Dave Matthews Band. Jaik has written with Warren Haynes, Barry Reynolds, Oliver Ray [Patti Smith Band], Elijah Blue Allman’s DEADSY and Sabina Sciubba (Brazilian Girls).
 

RIF Radio http://www.rifradio.net
 
A radio station dedicated to all of the Men and Women serving our great nation. This station plays a great assortment of Rock and Roll.
 

Q: What made you want to start your own radio staion?
 
A: I got fed up with the “mainstreet media” bashing the very people that protect them and nake it possible for them to use their First Amendment Rights all for the sake of an agenda. When I started rifRadio it was to give our troops around the world a little taste of home via the internet, (w/o the commercials). When they visited the website, they saw that I would report their accomplishments, (infrastructure, education, welfare, etc. that they supplied to the people of Iraq). It’s faded from that now because of the great success there. But I still take the time to thank and acknowledge them every chance I get. we owe a lot to these people, your relatives or neighbors, everyday people that chose to put their lives on the line for something that they belived in. I admire them for that.
 
Q: Why R.I.F. radio?
 
A: This is easy if you haven’t figured it out yet. The rif in rifRadio stands for Radio Iraqi Freedom.
 
Q: What kind of reception did you get from the folks at armed forces radio?
 
A: It took about a year, but I have been told that I am one of the few, if not only in some cases, internet station allowed on the bases.
 
Q: The F.C.C.?
 
A: Nothing from the FCC. I lke it that way.
 
Q: I think podcasting is awesome. I am constantly finding out about new music through this medium. A recent study found blogs to be more effective than myspace in generating album sales; do you feel that podcasts have the same power?
 
A: The closest I’ve come so far is offering the rifRadio shows on the new website, www.128thnote.com . Although I believe that my streamer, Live365 is making it possible now with Radio365 Mobile and TIVO access. That will be a matter of economics. Right now I do this solely out-of-pocket. I am, however, working on a way to make the station self-supportive. I do like the concept of “mobile” because of the new technology available. This will give me more exposure.
 
Q: You told me about an article in wired magazine a while back about how artists like Radiohead and David Byrne are creating a new paradigm in the music industry. Will you talk about that a little bit?
 
A: David Byrne, (Talking Heads), and Thom Yorke (Radiohead) have brought to the forefront the “unspeakable”. The fact that, in the real world, the majority of the artists that you’ve heard through the years didn’t make much from their talent. To get a contract they would sign away their rights to their own music and settle for minute royalties. I think that Thom had a great example of this. Radiohead released their last album themselves over the internet. They offered it for whatever people felt they should pay for it. Their response was that around 40% paid for it, an average of around $6 each. They still made more on that one album than all of their previous albums combined that were under recording company contracts. Technology today is incredible. It’s possible for bands to do it all themselves. It takes a small chunk to start, but the benefits, if they do it correctly, are incredible. for too long the record company execs have been more concerned about lining their pockets at the expense of the artists and consumers. they made the money off of the artists talent and hard work, and forced, yes forced, the consumer to buy no-talent crap by sexing it up and flooding the market. With people like Byrne and Yorke letting the proverbial “cat” out of the bag, I see a chance to revolutionize the entire industry.
 
Q : Since you started rifradio, what changes in content laws, broadcasting rights, et cetera have affected you most?
 
A: You’re just baitin’ me on this, aren’t you? Well here goes. The new digital copyright act is going to change a lot, including rifRadio. To a point. I am going to have to move away from the “whole album” format. The new laws won’t allow it. However, I will be able to play 3 songs by one artist in a certian time frame. This means that rifRadio will no longer be an “Album” station. Instead we will become a “block” station. Just means more work for me until I find a new software that will make it easier. The record company lobbyists managed to buy enough of our honorable politicians to get this through, so we just comply as we must. But we can push the envelope. These stations are for the artists and the listeners.
 
Q: How has the project evolved since its inception and where do you plan to take it in the near future?
 
A: We’ve gotten away from the news format and to some extent, the military format. Still there are many good military links and blogs on the site. Because the big record companies have taken it upon themselves to decide that we don’t know what they like, and they do, I’ve chosen to go into a dynamic support process for the Independent Artists that want to actually make a living from their talents. Music is making that cycle again back to it’s roots. Alternative, even Rock, is starting to sound like it should and I want to be there to support this. You don’t need to have music with dancing babes, shaking their…… Anyway, I’m a red-blooded American male, but when I listen to music, I do just that, listen. Even Country music has gotten away from it’s roots. When Country singers start doing Rap, something is definately wrong.
 
My goal is to eventually build a studio that Indie Artist can rent, cut their albums, reproduce their albums, promote them through my site, podcasts, and many other sources at a reasonable price. And they don’t sign away anything.
 
Q: Alvin Lee or Warren Haynes?
 
A: That’s tough. but of course I’m going with Alvin Lee. The guy has two arms, two legs, and a guitar. I’ve never heard anyone that can make the transition to so many genres. Rock, Pop, Rockabilly, Blues (I love blues), even some Gospel. I eventually want to learn to play for myself. when I do it will be on a big red Gibson.
 
Q: If you walked into your studio and found a mother badger nesting amongst your hard drives, which one would you try to save before she ripped your face off?
 
A: LOL! Been there, done that. Neither! I run like hell! (Good one Jaik)
 
Q: Where do you find the music for your programs?
 
A: I have over 700 albums, CDs, and tapes that I’ve converted to several hard drives. Backups and backups of backups, etc. Took me two years to get ready for the station. I guess you could say I’m committed, (or at least should be).
 
Q: Other than rifradio, what do you think is the best podcast and/or internet radio station out there?
 
A: I refuse to answer on the grounds that someone else may go listen to it. The “broadcasting fifth amendment.”

Click to continue...

I attended a wonderful conference last week called Blogher Business and I had an incredible time.
 

As I always like to filter things through the eyes of:
 

How can people in the music industry benefit from what is going on in the online space ?

 
I offer my wrap up of some highlights:

 
This conference was made up of many bloggers (a lot of mommy bloggers which if you don’t know are just as powerful as indie rock bloggers in the tastemaker category except their readers actually BUY what’s being blogged about) and PR and marketing professionals who have been running successful campaigns with bloggers, or were there to figure out how to do so.

 
I was fascinated and excited to get out of the music industry for a few days and learn about what’s going on in the world of the non-music blogosphere.

 
Day One – Cool Stats:
 
In 2006, 39% of all online users were reading blogs
 
In 2008, it’s up to 53% of online women who are engaged in the Internet are reading blogs.
36.2 million women are participating in the blogsphere every week, and 15.1 million are publishing to their own blogs at least weekly.
 
21.1 million are reading and/or postings comments on others blogs weekly.
 
49% of Generation Y (ages 18 to 24) are downloading Music
 

Why People Blog
 
65% of people blog for fun
 
60% say they’re doing it to express themselves
 
40% say they’re connecting with others like them
 
16% are doing it to earn money, which is, of course, not surprising at all.
 
26% are blogging to educate and give advice
 
25% are blogging for feedback
 

To Summarize:
 
The blogging community is passionate.

 
In the blogosphere: it’s really about me and us, not about you

 
Blogs are totally in the mainstream.

Click to continue...

Click to continue...

Electrical language is a weekly music podcast of 4 or 5 podsafe songs by independent artists from around the world. The music ranges from acoustic to electronica to catchy pop to good old indie rock. It is hosted by me, Gabor Kovacs, from Hampshire, United Kingdom.
 

Q: With the Electrical Language Podcast in operation since December of 2005, how have you kept your content fresh for so long?
 

A: The basic format has been the same for about 2 years: I usually play 5 songs, of which 2 are by the same artist. Sometimes it’s hard, and there are times that I have felt that it’s perhaps getting stale.
 

What really keeps the content fresh, what re-invigorates me, is finding some great new music. Periodically I find something, or have a song sent to me, that is just so good. I get the same feeling I had as an 18 year old in 1977, going to loads of gigs by struggling young bands. It really is all about the music.
 

And the icing on the cake is when I get e-mails. Not so long ago a listener from New York e-mailed to say he’d been listening almost since I started electrical language, and listed about a dozen albums by artists from all over the world that he’d bought as a result of my play. That list included one band I’d never heard of, so I checked them out and got to play their songs as a result. And earlier this month an artist from British Columbia told me he’d made a sale to an electrical language listener in Hungary. Things like that give me a real buzz, and help keep me excited.
 

Q: Since that time, what changes in content laws, broadcasting rights, etc. have effected you most?
 

A: I have always taken great care only to play podsafe music. I know of podcasters who have been forced to take an episode off the server and remove a song. I can do without the hassle!
 

What I have noticed in the course of the last couple of years has been an increasing use by record companies of podcasting as a means of marketing artists, new and established. There are definitely people out there who use podcasters as part of a viral marketing strategy. I’ve even been asked to play a song by Duran Duran! I avoid playing artists who already have an established name. There are so many people out there with so much talent, and music is a cut-throat competitive business, and so I see the mission of my podcast (I’d never thought of it as having a mission before!) as being to help promote bands and artists who are trying to establish themselves.
 

Q: How has the show evolved since its inception?
 

A: I’ve noticed that my own musical tastes have evolved, no doubt about that. I think the answer to this question is that I have grown with the show. I still don’t like heavy metal, though!
 

Q: A recent study found blogs to be more effective than MySpace in generating album sales, do you feel podcasts have the same power?
 

A: Yes, I can understand that if you take the view that word-of-mouth is a major part of using the internet to spread the word. I play music that I like, and every week I send out what amounts to a tape of songs I like, saying “Hey, you should check these guys out”. The funny thing is I have no idea who about 90% of my listeners are, but I suppose those who stick with me do so because their tastes and mine are similar. So my podcast is a kind of audio blog, listened to by people who want to hear the kind of music I play, which could be seen as a start.
 

MySpace does seem to be something of a blunt instrument in comparison. I suspect that to use it well as a sales tool, you need to do more than send out friend requests and post bulletins.
 

Q: What’s coming up in the future for the Electrical Language Podcast?
 

A: I am trying to get more listener and artist involvement in electrical language. Every week the show opens with an ident by a listener or an artist. Sometimes I ask a band or to record a couple of minutes of audio to link two of their songs. I’m still working that idea through. I suspect I ought to take the plunge and try Skype interviews!

Click to continue...