I read on Ultimate-Guitar.com once that Gerard Way refuses to allow his band to be known as an emo group, which is fair enough. It’s not his fault, after all. I read another article in Kerrang! ages ago about a girl who claimed that “MCR Saved My Life“. That’s a prime example of what I’m talking on about. How can a band save your life? It’s not like they ran into a burning building to save her… Anyway, I’m losing track of my point.

A band is never really emo, are they? Sure, they can be depressed/depressing, but so was Kurt Cobbain, he wasn’t classed as emo and never will be classed as emo. He will always be classed by many (but not by me personally) as a rock god who dressed and acted like an everyday American citizen.

Now you may say “What about the music?“. If you listen to “emo” bands and compare them to a punk band, the structure and musicianship are essentially the same. Power chord rock, fast agressive guitar solos, hard-hitting 4/4 drum beats… Where’s the difference? What they’re singing about? Maybe. An “emo” band sings about hating themselves and the people around them, punks bang on about hating the establishment and wanting to destroy various things (I’m sterotyping, I know, but these are just examples). Essentially, both are about hating things, both are negative… There’s a pattern forming here.

Tokio Hotel, often called an Emo band

Anyway, onto another thing; Dress. I like some of the dress sense that comes with “Emo” (I wear black a hell of a lot and swear by Converse – I’ll never proudly wear guy-liner though), but how can your dress sense be set into a class of fashion that ultimatly decides your taste in music? Is it because your favourite band dresses like that or because you want to make a statement? Probaby both…

With punk, most people dressed the way that they did because they wanted to rebel and make a statement with it. Others just did it because they thought Johnny Rotten (or whoever) was a God, and thought that following his beliefs was the way forward. With emo, they dress like they do mostly because they want to copy the band they love so much (these bands have no real stature or oppinions that the fans follow – they just want to be copied – big difference) but when they do it, they emphasise one little thing called ‘emotions’, most of which include them crying in a corner somewhere, usually over the most trivial things. This really reflects onto the band (or bands) that they’re following. They may love the band, but they’re killing their reputation without even knowing it.

So, I will ask again, do you still think there’s a viable reason for creating a new style of music for something that is just Punk but… dressed up? Sure, you may think that MCR or whoever you happen to worship deserve a whole catagory to themselves just because they’re gods in your eyes, but they already have a catagory, and it’s called pop-punk.

That’s all the emo is. Dressed up punk, or (as I said) pop-punk for short. I know that an article like this one isn’t going to really effect the minds of the masses a great deal, but I just want people to take heade of the fact that emo isn’t (and should never be) a style of music. It will only ever be the dress sense that a group of fans have adopted – nothing more.

Slash's Arcade Rocker app

The newest game is worth playing at despite anything though (especially at the $.99 price tag). Slash’s Arcade Rocker allows the guitar legend’s die hard fans to play along with three pre-loaded songs from Slash’s solo début album – By The Sword, Watch This and Doctor Alibi – as well as any Slash song in their music library (and not only Slash, just as in the regular AR you can play thousands of songs if they are in your iPod music library).

In addition to the music/rhythm game, the Slash Arcade Rocker app provides access to the latest news, blog, tour dates and other exclusive content from Slash’s official website, which was as well developed and is hosted by Ultimate-Guitar.com as part of its partnership with the guitarist.

“The Arcade Rocker iPhone app is one of the coolest apps I’ve seen yet,” said Slash. “I’m having a blast with it!”

The mobile version of Slash Arcade Rocker is available for iPhone/iPod touch/iPad users from the iTunes Store for $0.99 (a limited time offer). A free online version is available at slash.arcaderocker.com.

Don’t be greedy for a buck :) Share your thoughts in the comments if you buy the app!

The full interview is available at this location, read few excerpts from it below (the most practical ones, in my opinion):

What sort of tips can you give to new music bloggers and new musicians looking to establish the direction of their own blogs?

As Seth Godin recently warned, “the Internet is almost full”. Picking readers’ attention is harder and harder and harder each year and even month or week. I don’t think you need to afraid to fail though, remember that it’s all about fun (good luck if you began blogging to get rich). Experiment, try things that no one or only few have done before, see the results and either stick to the new direction or try something new again. Your goal is to stand out against the crowd of blogs in your niche, so experimenting by itself will do a lot for you.

If you are a musician, of course just blog in any way you can, even if your grammar skills suck. Don’t do it for the sake of being trendy, do it for fun. Keep your posts short if you are not wordy (most readers will appreciate that!), but say something cool each time you leave a post. You are a rock star, and your life IS interesting to others by default. What seems boring to you will sound spicy to others, especially your fans.

Did you do any research to learn new and more effective ways to establish and promote your blog? If so, where did you receive the best information from?

I had been spending hours reading dozens of blogs dedicated to that, like Copyblogger, ProBlogger, Blogging Tips etc. They are all great, that is fact, but these sites are mostly recycling the same information over again. I’ve learned absolutely essential things from such blogs, but also understood that there is no need to constantly keep up with each of them to get your website running great. Instead of falling into the learning trap, like I love to do, just open your online editor and write a new blog post!

Did blogging present new avenues for networking and establishing connections with people that may not have been available to you through social networks?

Yes and this is one of the most amazing things about blogging to me. Owning a blog gives great opportunities in finding new connections in your industry. Most of the people nowadays realize the influence of blogging, so you’ve got very strong chances to get a response from a high profile person even if you blog is young and small.

How can a blog network benefit new bloggers looking to establish their own brand?

If you want to build a name in your niche (and I know that you do), you should find as many blogs of the same topic as possible and start not only reading them, but constantly leaving comments in their posts, contacting their founders, asking to do guest posts. And if you do a guest post, share the best stuff you’ve got!

Networking is crucial for establishing a successful blog and spending more time on networking is one of the top priorities in my to-do list for Dotted Music.

How long did it take you to establish a ‘voice’ within your writing? Do you have any tips for new bloggers looking to find their own voice?

I think I’m still establishing my voice! Writing in English is an exciting challenge by itself, as I’m Russian. But I have to note that expressing ideas in a language different from your native one proved to be healthy. You don’t have a too wide scope for writing unnecessary stuff, and so this is my advice to everyone – keep it clear and to the point.

If interested, read more over here, and be sure to check out other articles from the series – very inspiring.

Also, using a chance, I want to apology for writing here so rarely lately. You will see a lot of interesting stuff on Dotted Music very soon, so stay tuned!

Thanks for reading :)

Josh's mega, mega justification

Ohhhhhh Boy! I can’t wait for it to arrive! It matches my yellow and black Nike’s (courtesy of my mama)

“Doc, is it bad that I bought a guitar to match my shoes?”
“No, son, it’s called having an image.”

I can no longer justify guitars as tax breaks, even though they are. I am writing this one off in my mind as a necessary expense of visibility, which is what I’d like to discuss today.

I learned a lesson the easy way last year when I was playing my first stadium gig. OK, I was one of many local musicians playing at a sub-minor league stadium for a charity event, and only a smattering of people noticed me, but – there were close to three thousand people there, and I did get to say “What’s up, Waldorf? Are you ready to ro000ccck?”

One of my buddies said he showed up, and saw my rig set up from across the stadium. He wasn’t sure it was mine, but then saw the Plutonium orange Ibanez RG and said “oh yeah, that’s Josh’s setup.”

Visibility, be it literally, such as highway safety colored guitars, or from a multitude of positive interactions with people, is something worth boosting. Get out there and shake hands (and don’t give ‘em the dead fish grip), look people in the eye, and say “Hi, I’m here to rock your face off. Hope you enjoy!”

What can you start doing right now to boost your image in the industry and the scene?

Here’s what I’m doing – maybe you’ll get some ideas (remember, I have an over-the-top persona, blending close to a musical comedian). I know they’re specific, and may only work for me. Take it with a grain of NaCl2 (salt).

• Zany colored guitars. I’ve got the M-16 (photos coming soon; friend me on Facebook in the meantime to see it there), and the Tiger is on the way. I plan on spray painting a strat, and that’ll be my AK-47. Add that orange Ibanez, and I’m literally visible from space, bro!
• Shoes. Talk about a great conversation starter, and something for people to remember you by. My current favorites are a pair of Nike’s that match the Tiger guitar (yellow, with a black swoosh). I’ve gotten money playing street music because people liked my lime green wrestling shoes. Ironically, they walked away when I started playing, which was discouraging, but hey, I got the buck!
• Positive, professional interactions. Be polite, be on time, smell nice, thank people after the gig, and be that consummate pro that you’re striving to be.
• Talking to the crowd. It’s just fun! People seem to like it, too. Hey, it makes me feel like a million bucks. For all my cynical comments, I genuinely like people, and connecting with them from the stage, including them in the music, lifts the whole room to a better place. Are you ready to ROCK?!
• Stupid props. I’ve got a cordless drill a la Paul Gilbert (check it out on YouTube) that alternate picks really fast, and makes a cool sound with the pickups! Now that’s 9.6 volts of pure memories.
• Of course, playing good! I’m working so hard on writing, playing, and putting on the best show that I can. For me, time onstage has helped me a lot. Practice does indeed make perfect, or at least a good rock show. Well, I’m gettin’ there. I’ve come far enough to see how far I’d like to go!
• Free stuff. I’m working on my marketing strategy right now… OK, just pondering it. But it seems that an investment into free stuff like stickers, CDs, etc, is probably the best advertising budget. I’m not sure yet, and I’ll report back to you when I figure it out.

Hopefully these actions gave you a few ideas of your own. The point is – take action! All the World’s a stage… Own it!

Hey, maybe visibility can be my mega, mega justification of my new guitar on the way. Can you see me now? World, are you ready to ROCK?!

This is a guest blog post by Josh Urban. Josh is a musician with a unique perspective on music. Always a thinker, he gains insight wherever he can find it, be it in the clubs as a working musician, busking on the city streets, or teaching in the classroom. A naturally enthusiastic fellow, he is always fired up about bringing the lessons he’s learned to his readers. Maintaining a website, a blog, and a monthly newsletter, he aims to make musicians stop, think, and play with a little more intensity, integrity, and inspiration. You never know who’s listening.

Asked by Joe, What has been the most important lesson you have learned from being in the music business?, Lu said:

Photo credit: Kentaro Murai

That there is no music business now, but the only thing I have learned is to not trust anything that has got to do with the business and only just play with your friends and connect to the people who you really share a passionate interest with music. Also keep your mind open and never dismiss anyone, never condemn anyone and never think you know everything.

Always keep your ideas open and go and see as much music as possible. And don’t clam up because if you become despondent and depressed, you will clam up.

And if you think you are really successful and are the bees’ knees and there is no one else better than you, you are going to clam up too and you are going to stop absorbing and stop connecting. And either of those two things are your nemesis. You have to stay calm and stay open. That is my advice.

This part is what I like: don’t ever stop absorbing and never stop connecting.

Read the full interview when it’s up on UG tomorrow here, and don’t forget to enter our latest giveaway for a chance to win 1,2,3’s colored Confetti 7″ vinyl for simply “liking” the Dotted Music Facebook page. It’s really simple.

For those musicians who are wanting to break into the industry, do you have any business advice?

Clint Lowery

The whole landscape of marketing is a lot different than when Sevendust first started. It’s got its pros and cons. The great thing is that anyone can get exposure through the Internet. There are so many avenues and so many ways to get yourself out there.

If you have the music to back it up, sometimes it just takes a small seed of promotion to get out there. If you have the music and the whole package to back that up, you plant that seed and it’s going to grow. If you have something that people want to hear and want to see, they are going to come and see it and buy it. They’ll spread the word. People want to be the first people to tell other people about this cool new band.

If you have the goods, you’ll do good. If you have an average band that relies on the smoke and the mirrors, you’re only going to go so far. If you have a real niche and something that’s new and liberating, people are going to get it.

If you have an average band, you’re going to get average results.

Read the full Amy Kelly‘s interview with Sevendust guitarist Clint Lowery when it’s up on UG later this month.

Myself, FYSed

Upon completion, the photos can be saved and sent to either Facebook or Twitter. Or posted on a blog, like here on the right (I decided to keep it simple, as I look dumb even with only those sunglasses added).

As the announcement says, Four Year Strong have always embraced the idea of not taking themselves too seriously and now, they have spread that philosophy with FysYourself. Hours after its launch, FysYourself reportedly attracted the likes of Pete Wentz, Paramore’s Hayley Williams and over 10,000 other viewers.

Fans will have the opportunity to enter a contest with their FysYourself “masterpieces,” and the best entry will receive the ultimate Enemy of the World prize package: FYS Skatedeck, vinyl, CD, shirt, poster, pin pack, and tickets to see the band live.

What has been done here is relatevely simple technically wise, which only confirms that a viral idea doesn’t require an enormous budget.

My advice: if you are thinking of what game concept could be adopted for your own brand, just go to a random online collection of Flash games for inspiration – you will get dozens of ideas. But if you don’t care about viral promotions, or just goofing off at your computer: go FysYourself.

Ultimate-Guitar.com, the world’s biggest guitar tablature database and musicians community, has officially announced a joint venture with internationally renowned artist Slash.

Here’s a part from the press release:

Slash

Under the agreement, Ultimate Guitar and Slash will co-develop and co-own digital assets associated with Slash’s online initiatives, including his official website, www.slashonline.com, which launched today. In addition, the Joint Venture will develop and release a variety of Slash-branded mobile applications as well as instructional videos featuring Slash.

“As a musician & fan there’s nothing cooler than to partner with Ultimate Guitar. They’re THE source for gear info, tabs, music & artist news & the list goes on & on. There is no online site that comes close to UG for supplying such comprehensive music information. I’m proud to be onboard,” said Slash.

“Slash is the ultimate guitar god and his brand resonates with the Ultimate Guitar community like no other musician. He is one of my favorite artists and a major inspiration when I started Ultimate Guitar in the first place,” said Ultimate Guitar founder Eugeny Naidenov. “This partnership creates a unique opportunity not only for Ultimate Guitar to leverage the Slash brand but also for our worldwide community of guitar enthusiasts to interact with and get close to a revered artist, and vice versa. For an artist of his stature to tie his brand and web property to an online social community is a forward looking approach that truly breaks the mold.“

Noticed the “Slash-branded mobile applications” part? We are in fact going to release a co-branded iPhone application in a week, you will love it.

Meanwhile, Slash‘s self-titled album is released tomorrow (April 6th), be sure to check it out – dope LP.

During the week, I have discovered three brand new movies that I take the liberty of describing as “inspiring” even before actually watching them (yet). Here they are, for your consideration:

72 Musicians

72 Musicians asks the question, “Why the hell do we chase this music dream, anyway?” The film was made and released by Topspin’s VP of Product Design Bob Moczydlowsky, so the creation, pretty obviously, uses Topspin platform for marketing and distribution (which is a unique and a promising collaboration on its own).

The documentary chronicles the struggles of 72 Kansas City musicians, “speaking with a single, anonymous voice about art, poverty, booze, lies, class, hardship, food and failure. Oh, and day care. And rock ‘n’ roll.” It features interviews and/or performances from members of Spoon, White Whale, The Architects, Coalesce, The Get Up Kids, The Republic Tigers, Mac Lethal, The Life & Times, Roman Numerals, SSION and more.

The movie has been released in a variety of formats, from an $8 iPhone version to HD downloads and DVDs with T-shirts and posters, to 50 DVDs in bulk, all the way to a $400 version which comes on a hard drive with all the assets, Creative Commons-licensed to edit and release your own version. Go read more at Topspin’s Ian Rogers‘ post here.

Don’t Quit Your Daydream

Don’t Quit Your Daydream was created by Los Angeles-based musicians Clark Stiles and Nathan Khyber from the band The Good Listeners and was produced in association with JLoar, Inc and Adrian Grenier’s Reckless Productions.

“It is a story of two musicians approaching their 40th birthday unwilling to relinquish their love of music. Not wanting to give up the dream of being rock stars after hitting 40, the duo set off to do what most said they couldn’t – record the album of their dreams on the road and document every second creating this film. Leaving their day jobs behind, they set off on a 24-day cross-country road trip in an RV recording and filming both the album and documentary, Don’t Quit Your Daydream, while spanning 12 cities across the heart of America.

“Stiles and Khyber were on a mission to find the answer many musicians search for: why risk it all for a pursuit in music? To answer this question, Stiles and Khyber set up their recording studio in each city, collaborated on a song with a local musician and asked them why, like themselves, were they drawn to do what they love most… which is to play music.”

The Runaways

The Runaways is the music-fueled story of the groundbreaking, all girl 1970s rock band, with Kristen Stewart and Dakota Fanning starring as Joan Jett and Cherie Currie. The film is written and directed by Floria Sigismondi, and Apparition will release it on March 19, 2010.

“The two teenage valley girls with punk in their blood, meet and become the heart and soul of the seminal all girl band, The Runaways. Floria Sigismondi brings The Runaways to the big screen in this story of a group of extraordinary young women as they rise from rebellious Southern California kids to rock stars of the now legendary band that paved the way for future generations of girl musicians. Under the Svengali-like influence of rock impresario Kim Fowley (Michael Shannon), the group evolves into an outrageous success and a family of misfits. With its tough-chick image and raw talent, the band quickly earns a name for itself — and so do its two leads: Joan is the band’s pure rock’ n’ roll heart, while Cherie, with her Bowie-Bardot looks, is the sex kitten.”

The Runaways is produced by John Linson, Art Linson and Bill Pohlad. Joan Jett, Kenny Laguna and Brian Young serve as executive producers.

Have you had a chance to watch any of the movies? (Or have you decided that you should go to The Runaways premiere?) Share your thoughts in the comments!

Have you ever tried to offer a hamburger to a Vegan?

It didn’t go over very well did it? In fact, they were probably very offended. So why do so many bands constantly do this to their audience? Are you offering your fans something they don’t really want? Are you sure?

If you want to develop a bond with your newfound Vegan friend, you probably want to find out a lot more about them first. Then the embarrassing and sometimes bridge-burning moment of offering them a hamburger could be avoided. More so, in all likelihood you would be offering them something they really want instead, and putting a big smile on their face.

If you want to develop a bond with your newfound fans, you probably want to find out a lot more about them first. Then you can avoid the embarrassing and sometimes bridge-burning moment of offering them pink kitten buttons and give them the black, logo-driven t-shirt they really want, making them want to buy more from you.

Photo credit: derxdennis on Flickr

What is an “ideal fan”?

Let’s take a moment to examine your ideal fan, that person (however real or make-believe) that you wish all your fans were like. Top marketing experts agree that to focus your efforts towards this sort of “super fan,” you will immediately attract the attention of every person that fits 70% of the ideal fan’s description. Can you imagine how many fans you will have when you easily begin attracting everyone that fits 70% of your ideal fan’s description? That’s a LOT of people! Maybe you can’t imagine that yet. And that’s because you have yet to describe your ideal fan.

Often, our ideal fan is an extension of ourselves. Think about it… you are your #1 fan. Anyone else can claim to be your #1 fan, but when it comes down to it, no one is a fan of your band more than you are. So take a deep look at each of you in the band, and ask yourself what it would be like if you could combine all your likes, dislikes, interests, hobbies, and habits into one single, super human.

Describe your audience

Take a few minutes to describe your ideal fan in writing. Don’t fret; it can take some time to get used to examining your fans in this way. Think about who you want to surround yourself with. What are the types of people that you love to have backstage hanging out with you? Get specific. Get very specific. The more detailed you can describe your ideal fan, the easier it will be to find them and turn them from fans into fanatics.

What does a day in the life of your ideal fan look like? What’s his or her name? How old is he? Does she go to school? High school, college, something else? What does he do during the day, from waking up to going to bed? Is she religious? An Atheist? What hobbies does he have? What about movies she likes? Books? TV shows? Video games? What type of work does he do? What other types of music does she listen to? What about specific bands? What are his friends like? Where does she like to hang out? What websites does he go to the most?

This person is your band’s life-blood. They are the person that will buy every piece of merchandise you put out, listen to all your music, tell everyone they can about you, and ultimately put food on your table and give you a long-lasting career in music. Know them.

Why it’s important

If you want to sell a hamburger to a Vegan, you better make sure that it’s a Vegetarian burger. If your fans are mostly high-school age, would you be getting college sponsorships for your shows? Why not make a good friend of a high-schooler, who will build your street team in the right place? Or how about a house party? What if ideal fans are college-age church-goers? And what avenues do you have for reaching them if they’re middle-aged businessmen?

What about the coffee shop they like to hang out at? Or was it tea? Would that be a good place to promote your shows, or possibly sell your CD? How about the place most of them buy their clothes?

Shows, promotions, sales, image, sound, performance, you name it; Your marketing and direction will become very clear once you know who exactly it is that you’re catering to, where to find them, and what they would like from you.

So now you have a bunch of Vegan high-schoolers having house parties that the police have to shut down because there are way too many people and way too much noise. Isn’t it great?!

If you know your fans well, you will be offering them things they want to buy from you. You will be giving them exactly the music and story they want and expect to hear from you. You will be making friends, and gaining a following, instead of the left-overs from the band that played before you. People will fall in love with you. You will be experiencing what many bands never get to experience… a clear, well-informed knowing of who your audience is and what you have to offer them. Most of all, you will have a whole lot of friends, who all want to reciprocate what you’ve done for them. That beats just having nameless fans, any day.

What can you do to reach your fans, now that you know who and where they are, and what they’re looking for?

On the tough and often dangerous path to “making it” in the music industry, Draven Grey has been described as a friend, guide, and schoolmaster. Draven is a professional musician, producer, and artist development specialist for Rockstar Mindset. To find out more, visit Rockstar Mindset, or sign up for our FREE 12-day mini-course on how to turn your rock band into a success.