Ariel Publicity

Cyber PR announces the exciting addition of Cyber PR Books, a new division for authors and book-lovers stocked with free chapters, book trailers, podcasts of authors reading their work, advance review copies, and much much more!

If you are interested in reviewing or being notified of any books that will be available through Cyber PR Books please sign up here: http://www.cyberprbooks.com/blogger

Our two inaugural presentations are fast, thrilling, and deliciously spine-chilling:

JACK WAKES UP

In the three years since Jack Palms left Hollywood and kicked his drug habit, he’s added 14 pounds of muscle, read 83 books, and played it as straight as anyone could reasonably expect. But the residual checks are drying up and the ascetic lifestyle is starting to wear thin, so Jack’s happy to cash in on his former celebrity by showing some out-of-town high rollers around San Francisco’s club scene.

But when people start turning up dead, Jack realizes he’s been playing tour guide to a pack of former KGB agents turned coke dealers. Soon he’s got too many gunmen after him to count – including a South American drug cartel, a mountain-sized Samoan enforcer, and a mobbed-up strip club owner with an army of thugs. Not to mention his gorgeous new girlfriend who may be planning on shooting him in the back… and the homicide cop who’s just given Jack 24 hours to bring down the Bay Area’s biggest drug dealer.

But the thing that scares Jack the most? He’s starting to have fun.

Visit CyberPR to listen to the first episode!

“If Chandler had been tapped to write the first DIE HARD, and somewhere along the way Tarantino had been called in for rewrites à la TRUE ROMANCE, the result would have been a JACK PALMS tale. Hook-a-minute hardboiled dialogue and relentless action”

Seth Harwood became an online publishing sensation when he created the Jack Palms Crime Podcase Series in July 2006. His podcast audience grew into a size-able world-wide following, gaining the attention of the San Francisco Chronicle and other media outlets.

In March 2008, Breakneck Books published JACK WAKES UP and Seth’s online audience (the Palms Daddies and Palms Mommas) jumped all over Amazon.com and bought enough copies to raise the book to #1 in Crime/Mystery and #45 overall in books. JACK WAKES UP was subsequently purchased by THREE RIVERS PRESS (Random House) and will be re-released in May 2009.

Seth’s other jobs have included commodities floor trading clerk, bartender, copy-editor for Avon Products, rare book cataloger, librarian, English teacher, and freelance journalist. He lives in Berkeley, CA with his wife Joelle and their dog.

DARK WORLDS TRILOGY
BOOK 1: PROJECT 31

Careview seems like such nice place to live. With its small town feel and family owned diners, visitors easily describe it as quaint and charming while passing through.

But those that stay long enough begin to hear the whispers in the dark, the rustling in the closets, the murmuring under the beds…and maybe notice the strange way bodies disappear from the morgue, and serial killers seem to be too frequently on the loose.

There is a darkness in Careview. It lies in the shadows, waiting.

Moving back and forth between 1977 and 2008, PROJECT 31 interweaves the stories of four Careview residents…a diner waitress with exotic looks, a doctor with a traumatic past, a plainspeaking handyman who knows everyones secrets, and a bratty teenager determined to get exactly what she wants. Together they must brave a storm that has been brewing for nearly thirty-one years, but trusting each other might be more than half the problem.

From the mind of Zack Daggy comes the first installment of The Dark Worlds Trilogy, a breathless, page-turning, light-speed read that hooks you in and doesn’t let go. An original horror series that’s sure to remind you why you should fear the dark.

“Zack Daggy’s work achieves what ever writer aims for: it sounds effortless, as if he got it right on the first try. His stories remind me of folk tales told in gravelly voices under low theater lighting–the kind you still hear in your memory after you turn out the lights at home.”
— Christine Taylor, co-author of The Rosewood House

“Dark Worlds is a trip through the twilight of everyone’s nightmare’s…and a few new ones.”
— C.J. McKee, Author of Dragon Sage

Visit Cyber PR to listen to a podcast!

Zack “The Mothman” Daggy is is an Internet DJ and new media entrepreneur of wide acclaim and a cult fan base. A self-professed workaholic, Zack is the host and creator of a number of original programs including The Mothpod, The Shameless Plugcast, To The Flame, and producer of The Pod 5.

Born in 1985 with a rare genetic disorder, Zack’s boundless energy and irrepressible imagination lead him to create fantastic worlds of suspense and horror, always shot through with humor. He wrote his first story at age seven, and has been nominated for The People’s Choice Podcast Awards. Zack lives in Indianapolis and can be visited at www.zackdaggy.com.

If you are interested in reviewing or being notified of any books that will be available through Cyber PR Books please sign up here: http://www.cyberprbooks.com/blogger

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Most bands and artists have to reckon with the moneymaking part of making music for a living. I have had countless conversations with musicians who are struggling to earn a living from making music exclusively and with the “new” music business it’s everybody’s guess how exactly to earn money with CD sales at record lows. Last May, a friend turned me on to an extraordinary book called Secrets Of The Millionaire Mind which has dramatically altered the way I think about and earn money. This book discusses strategies to increase your Income and change your way of thinking about money and your money “blueprint.”

Since all bands and artists are entrepreneurs just like I am, I want to share this wonderful book with you. If you are interested in receiving this book, please send me your mailing address, and I will send you a free copy (first 5 people that respond to my email).

This book led me to a seminar that the author puts on called Guerilla Business School and in February I spent 5 days in Orlando getting a crash course in business fundamentals.

Spend 40% of Your Time on Marketing & Sales

The most important thing that they drove home (which really struck me as a great tip for musicians) is in order to be successful in ANY business you need to spend 40% of your energy on sales and marketing, 30% on product, and 30% on operations. And the ONLY time you ever get paid is as a direct result of sales and marketing (think about it) I know all musicians want to do is spend time practicing and writing music BUT the reality is you have to spend real time on marketing and sales. In summation: rich people spend their time on sales and poor people spend their time on operations.

So a great exercise I suggest for you to do is visualize how much time you are really spending on sales and marketing, and if it’s less than 40% of your energy make a list of 5 things you can do right now to beef up your sales and marketing time!

Some notes compiled from panel discussions at PODCAMP NYC, and The Folk Alliance:

A wonderful panel called “Getting the Most Out of the Internet” took place at The Folk Alliance conference and here are the highlights that struck me:

Put Your Music in Many Formats All Over the ‘Net

People want their music their way. As technology gets faster and faster more options are available to listeners each day. Within the next 2 years it will be commonplace to hear MP3s on all cell phones, web streams will greatly improve, and Podcasts will become more commonplace, and you need to be in charge of how you get your music out there and getting out to as many outlets as possible.

Internet Radio – Internet radio is still in its very early stages and there will be more extensions for local devices developing every year. In the future, there will be much more reach for Internet radio and the Internet will roll out over wireless networks and Internet radio will be available in places we never thought possible.

Amazon.com – A lot of artists are annoyed that Amazon takes too much of a percentage, but please know that many, many people exclusively buy music on Amazon and no where else so make it your business to have some product available at Amazon.com

So, have your music in as many different places as possible. Unless you have name recognition, no one is going to visit your website. So, you need to get out there onto other music websites and make it available for purchase in as many places as possible.

Music on Your Website

You should definitely have your music on your website, on your home page where it is easy to find it (If you don’t have a link to a player put a link to your MySpace page where people can get at it from the home page). If you are going to put a player on your site, I suggest putting a button that says “listen to my music” with a player. This way that when visitors press it they can play your music as they choose. Never, ever have your music play when people land on your page because they could be checking out your site from work and it won’t be good for them.

Build a Cell Phone E-Mail List

This tip was a great nugget! – At your gigs, before you start playing ask your audience to shut off their cell phones, but before they do this have them text your cell phone their SMS / Mobile # and information.

After the gig, you can capture their cell phone numbers and create a list for each market, and the next time you’re coming through an area, you can e-mail them your upcoming show directly to their cell phones.

Start a Blog

It’s a great way to engage your fans, get linked up to the net and keep yourself FRESH in everyone’s eyes. Go Here:
http://www.wordpress.com

Consider Recording Podcasts

You already have a home studio and you know how to record – this is half your battle! Create interesting fresh content (even if it’s only a few minutes per week) and distribute your podcast around the net. Interview other bands that you play with and like or include interviews with friends, mentors, other artists and let them help you promote your podcast to their fan lists (it’s like a built-in endorsement). Link your podcasts to your blog and RSS feed them to the World!

If you have no idea what in the heck I’m talking about a GREAT place to educate yourself is on my friend Jason Van Orden’s fab website: http://www.jasonvanorden.com/

Learn how to podcast and blog to establish thought leadership, extend your brand and engage your target market from podcasting consultant and author, and Jason was in a touring band for years – so he understands your needs and explains everything in English. He explained Podcasting to my mother at Podcamp NYC, and she actually understood him perfectly. Trust me, that was no mean feat!

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Are you too lazy to blog? Are you sick of everyone telling you that without an updated blog you are not a band? Does blogging feel like a huge, annoying, and daunting task that is evocative of being a kid again being assigned homework?

Well, fear not. I’ve got a great and easy blogging solution!

http://www.flickr.com

They say a picture says a thousand words, and it’s true.

This issue of Sound Advice will walk you through yet another handy dandy Web 2.0 site that is on my top 10 list of sites to join. I am In Love with Flickr! It’s one of the most user-friendly Web 2.0 sites and it’s owned by Yahoo so millions of potential new fans are waiting for you to discover them and make friends. Flickr works in many ways just like MySpace or Facebook. You create a profile, upload your main image, join groups, and make friends, and you can also direct message people and leave comments on any photo you like.

Photos Tell A Complete Story of YOU!

Flickr is a great way to show yourself as multi-dimensional. You can post photos of things other than your band activities (such as vacations, kids, your home, and hobbies) to show your fans you are a well-rounded individual. And if you go to conferences, this is a great way to get people to link back to you and pay attention to you (remember – the most interesting thing for people is THEMSELVES).

Create A VIP Photo-Sharing Experience For Your Fans Your photos can be marked private so only approved fans and friends can see certain photos. Flickr lets you choose which sets to share. I suggest creating a VIP area of fun / special photos that only your registered fans / friends / street team can have access to as an added bonus to link to you.

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Just an old soul who decided he needed a place to express himself and stumbled into blogging.

http://bondsbigleathercouch.blogspot.com

Q: How long have you been blogging?

A: I began back in 1972 on the campus of RIT in Rochester, NY. I then went on air at the local FM station for a time. I have also worked with a company that distributes content to stations around the country who need to fill air time. Recently, my music disbursement is mainly through my blog “Bonds Big Leather Couch” (http://bondsbigleathercouch.blogspot.com), where I review new artists, new CD’s and also put together history’s of artists and bands. I am also affiliated with BlogTalk Radio, where I am part of the team of hosts for “Doctor Blogstein’s Radio Happy Hour”. We have had many new artists on the air for interviews and are always looking for new talent to feature. I am also in the middle of trying to get airtime on the local community radio station here in Memphis.

Q: In your opinion, what does a good song need to consist of?

A: For me, a good song contains real musicians playing real instruments. I tend to lean toward rock, but enjoy all genres. When listening to a new CD, I am listening to the interplay between the rhythm section and the lead instruments as well as the depth of the music itself. A great song does not have to be complicated in it’s arrangement. Some of the great songs of our time are simple 2/4 – two chord songs. Lyrics are also important. I am looking for the story…the guts to what the composer was trying to get at. Of course, it is not always a straight line to their meaning, but that is part of the fun.

Q: What is your favorite band or favorite genre of music and why?

A: Favorite band has to be the Allman Brothers. They opened the door to so many other bands from the south including Skynyrd, Charlie Daniels, Marshall Tucker etc…I am partial to the Southern Rock genre, but also have a deep love for the San Fransisco sounds of the 60′s and the Delta Blues artists of early last century including Sonny Terry, Howlin’ Wolf, Pinetop Perkins…and I could go on for 3 pages!

Q: What changes in content laws, broadcasting rights, etc. have effected you most?

A: Not sure I have been effected by the new law changes, as I honor the artist’s rights to own their music. I tend to shy away from music that uses graphic language or that promotes violence, so i don’t have to worry about content, though that really is not a new concern.

In the 70′s Janis had many live songs where she would drop the F-bomb and we tended to not worry about it for a one time shout.

I do believe the record companies have gone to the extreme with the rash of court cases against individuals over peer-to-peer sharing. The rash of artists taking control of their own music through self-recording, or making individual distribution deals and by sharing their music on sites like MySpace and Facebook or on their own individual web sites is bringing the power back to the artist and stripping the record companies from owning everything.

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

A: As a blogger, I want to agree with that statement. I am not a user of the MySpace area, though i have visited the sites of artists I have been introduced to and want to find more about.

I can speak from experience that a number of the new artisits or albums I have reviewed have generated a response from my readers and they went out and purchased product.

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http://community.livejournal.com/mossip/

Mossip is a community made by people who love music. We are here to provide you with Concert/Album Reviews, happenings in the music world and last but not least music gossip.

Q: How long have you been blogging?

A: The mossip blog is fairly new. We’ve only been up and running since July.

Q: In your opinion, what does a good song need to consist of?

A: A good song has to have a great lyric, a melody that’s going to stick in your head and a good vocalist to sing it. The best song in the world will be ignored if the singer is terrible. Just as a great lyric can only take you so far if the music behind it is awful. Take The Beatles All You Need Is Love, which is a great example of a good song. Its got a simple yet great lyric with a message. The horn section in the chorus is what makes the song what it is. Then there’s John’s lead vocal. Combine all three of these and you have not just a great song, but pop perfection.

Q: What is your favorite band or favorite genre of music and why?

A: The favorite band question is a tricky one, I love so many. My top two artists right now are The Moody Blues and Elvis Costello. I love both of them because of their unique songwriting, even though the Moodies and Costello are about as different as night and day. You might guess that I’m a classic rock kinda girl. I always have been. It seems like the artists from 20 + years ago were the lucky ones. Technology and Mtv hadn’t taken hold, so music was made by people that really cared about music, more so than image. You don’t see many artists like Cass Elliot today. If you don’t look like you could be on the cover of a magazine your chances of making it big diminish greatly.

Q: What changes in content laws, broadcasting rights, etc. have affected you most?

A: Thankfully there haven’t been any that would touch us too much. Our site provides reviews of albums old and new, musical gossip and discussion of things going on in the music world.

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

A: Blogs are a bit more organized than MySpace, so I definitely can see that. Both have their pros and cons though. The main thing that can make a blog more attractive, is its not confined to being on just one server, like Myspace and that allows for better site design and the ability to add whatever content the webmaster allows. Let’s face it, attractiveness is what draws people in. With blogs you have more ways of showing off your product, with Myspace you’re limited to what Myspace will allow you to do.

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http://www.singleoftheday.com
http://www.myspace.com/jodywhitesides

Essentially this is a daily blog that will be a song that fits the mood the writer is in for the day or what’s currently happening in the world. It will always be a band or artist the writer thinks the audience should know about, and support by purchasing the music or seeing them play live. Who knows, you might dig his taste in others enough to even support him in his creative endeavors as well.

Q: How long have you been blogging?

A I’ve been doing the Single of the Day blog since June 27th, 2006. That puts me at a little over the two year mark and counting. That’s a post for every day! It’s not always easy.

Q: In your opinion, what does a good song need to consist of?

A: Being that I’m a songwriter I’m probably more critical of the music I select for the blog. If I come across a song that somehow grabs me and does fit my normal ideals, I’ll point that out on the blog. I’ll explain what it is that grabs me in the song.

First off an intro that has a vibe that either piques my ear or draws me in is a major plus. That could be a hook of any sort, be it a vocal, a guitar, a piano, a bass, a drum, something that clearly denotes that song as soon as I hear it. Once the song comes in it has to have some sort of flow. A vibe, often times a bounce or swing. So much music these days lacks flow. How good the people playing their instruments are comes into consideration as well. Being in tune helps a bunch. With that typed, production rarely makes a bad song better. The real trick is getting me to feel it in some way. Then come the lyrics, can I remember them? Is the melody supporting those words? Does the music support that melody? Does the singer sing in tune? Do they have a voice that is pleasing to my ear? Do I get a nice journey in the lyrics? Tell me something that I can relate a portion of my life to and do it in a way that is unique.

Q: What is your favorite band or favorite genre of music and why?

A: I used to have favorites when I was learning to play. Once I got to a certain level of playing ability on my main instrument I no longer had favorites. Then my focus shifted to songwriting, a different beast from being a technically good/great musician. Some bands have had great players that are/were great writers. At this point, I really don’t have favorite bands anymore. As for genres, well… I primarily dig the all encompassing field of Rock. However, I’m very much into combining that with other genres. For my listening though, I really will listen to a lot of genres and if a song really grabs me, I’ll buy it. If the whole album is really strong, I’ll buy the album. I much prefer an album over a single. But it has to kick ass front to back. That’s hard to do, even for me (with my own releases). I think the real question is: What music gets one to part with their hard earned money? Anything that can do that is probably able to be listed as a favorite.

Q: What changes in content laws, broadcasting rights, etc. have effected you most?

A: I’m probably about to shoot myself in the foot with this answer. My rep at SESAC, Derek Sivers, Brian A. Whitney, and many of my musical peers, were all really excited to hear about the blog when I started it a couple of years ago. I’m actually amazed I’m still doing it. Every single day. I tend to focus mostly on non-signed or blog/podcast friendly artists. Which makes it easy for them to give me permission to have their song play when someone visits the site. I could allow the player to play the music in the RSS feed, but I’ve opted not to do that incase I get attacked with some arcane law. In a way, I get the feeling, I’m sorta flying under the radar. Who knows what the future will bring. I don’t make anything substantial off the blog, maybe a few pennies here and there based on google ads. It’s not much money, certainly not enough to justify why I do it. I don’t take money or bribes to be on the blog either. It’s strictly stuff I choose that shows I love music, it’s that simple. If I got hit with a lawsuit, I’d first see if there’s some arrangement to avoid the lawsuit. Otherwise, I’d probably have stop the idea of playing the music and continue by only talking about it.

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

A: At risk of being a dick (I have a sticker that says, “Don’t Be A Dick”) I will say the following about Myspace. Myspace screwed themselves with poor usability. At first it was an ok way to find music and match it with fans. The closed system did not, and still does not allow for easy personalization of a page – not exactly what I would define as ‘my’ space. It took 3rd party developers to come up with ways to make myspace more useful. Smart peeps used the programs to target very specific profiles and gain fans. There was some weird belief that if you had X amount of friends on Myspace you’d get signed. So bands would spend hours a day on myspace looking for anyone to friend them.

Since I’m not a fan of promoting my music to other bands and vis versa, I don’t accept band requests on my myspace page. Of the 19,000 or so peeps I have there, maybe 50 are band pages in my friends list. But they’re all bands I know personally or have written with. My reason on that is: it’s a waste of time if it’s not making a sale. Which is probably why Myspace failed to really generate amazing sales for most bands, attempting to sell to other bands. I’m sure a few people got something out of myspace. I doubt you’ll see any new band come out of it now. Why? Myspace killed off all the ability to mass communicate. They’ve turned their back on the artists that helped create the site and are now bowing to the major labels. I understand it from a business sense. But it’s going to prevent them from returning to the “cool” status they had two years ago.

Blogs on the other hand are a whole different beast. They are generally much more personal. A way for a human to expose themselves. If that exposure of the self is something others happen to like, it ends up creating a community. When Single of the Day first got off the ground, I had a lot of people offering me suggestions to check out music. Some were great suggestions, lots of others not so much. The idea of an artist doing a review of other artists seemed to be something people really liked. My blog has morphed a bit. I’ve incorporated way more of my own musings of what I go thru as an artist into it. I remember the blog post where I made that switch. I then attempt to relate me to the song I pick in some way shape or form. I actually have no idea if people truly read it or not. My desire is readers get something from it. That something is the song. It always surprises me when people tell me “oh you know when you wrote…” it shows they are paying attention. I know artists have made sales because of Single of the Day. That makes me feel good. I also get emails from readers saying how much a song meant to them so they buy it, that’s great too.

I would say that if the blogger is worth reading, people will follow. It can make a great way to connect music. We all still need a filter system and a blog is a very nice niche filter.

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