2013 Top Event Ticket Sales To-Date

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Another very busy year for event ticket sales is expected in 2013, and so far we've already seen signs of record breaking numbers once again. The concert world has been rocked with the recent announcement of her "The Mrs. Carter Show World Tour", and she owns the #1 spot for concert tickets sold this year. In sports, the Advance Auto Parts Monster Jam continues to be the top selling sports event as they visit hundreds of venues across the country throughout the year. And of course, Wicked remains the #1 theater show in the world as it has been for years on end. Check out the full lists of top 20 events listed by category so far in 2013...


Top Selling Concert Tickets:

1. Beyonce
2. Taylor Swift & Ed Sheeran
3. Fleetwood Mac
4. Luke Bryan, Thompson Square & Florida Georgia Line
5. New Kids On The Block, 98 Degrees & Boyz II Men
6. Justin Bieber
7. Bon Jovi
8. Pink
9. Elton John
10. Bob Seger
11. Carrie Underwood
12. Cowboy Rides Away Tour: George Strait & Martina McBride
13. Kenny Chesney, Eric Church, Eli Young Band & Kacey Musgraves
14. Jason Aldean
15. Tim McGraw, Brantley Gilbert & Love and Theft
16. Zac Brown Band
17. Kid Rock
18. Miranda Lambert & Dierks Bentley
19. Alicia Keys & Miguel
20. Daniel Tosh

Top Selling Sports Tickets:

1. Advance Auto Parts Monster Jam
2. Monster Energy AMA Supercross
3. New York Knicks 
4. New York Yankees 
5. Miami Heat 
6. The Harlem Globetrotters
7. WWE: Raw
8. Tampa Bay Lightning 
9. New York Rangers 
10. Boston Bruins 
11. Houston Livestock Show & Rodeo: Bruno Mars
12. Houston Livestock Show & Rodeo: Luke Bryan
13. Boston Red Sox 
14. Spring Training: San Francisco Giants 
15. Spring Training: New York Yankees 
16. Spring Training: Minnesota Twins 
17. Spring Training: Philadelphia Phillies 
18. Spring Training: Detroit Tigers 
19. PBR - Professional Bull Riders
20. Brooklyn Nets

Top Selling Theater Tickets:

1. Wicked
2. The Book Of Mormon
3. Disney On Ice: Dare to Dream
4. Jersey Boys
5. The Lion King
6. The Book Of Mormon
7. Disney On Ice: Rockin' Ever After
8. Disney On Ice: Treasure Trove
9. Les Miserables
10. Disney On Ice: Worlds of Fantasy
11. Cirque du Soleil - Quidam
12. Andrea Bocelli
13. Mary Poppins
14. Wicked
15. War Horse
16. Disney On Ice: 100 Years Of Magic
17. Million Dollar Quartet
18. Blue Man Group
19. Disney's Beauty And The Beast
20. Sister Act

Source: TonsOfTickets.com

The Producer's Overdub Checklist

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Here's an excerpt from The Music Producer's Handbook regarding a checklist for overdubs. If you want your overdubs to go fast and easy, follow this list. It works every time.

•  Do you have a list of overdub priorities? Do you know which overdubs absolutely must get done and which ones are less important? A list will keep you on track budget-wise and time-wise.

• Can you record in the control room? Most players prefer to record in the control room because they like to hear what you’re hearing and they like the immediacy of the communication.

• Are there too many people in the control room or studio? The fewer people, the fewer the distractions. It's best to keep all friends, associates, entourage and hangers-on out of the studio when you're working to keep the distractions to a minimum.

• Did you move the vocal or instrument into the big part of the studio? All instruments sound best when there’s some space for the sound to develop, so move it to the big part of the studio for overdubs (after you've done any basic track fixes). You can cut down on any unwanted reflections from the room by placing baffles around the mic and player.

• When doubling, are you trying to do something a little different on each track? A different mic, mic preamp, room, singer, or distance from the mic will all help to make the sound bigger.

• When doubling or adding more guitars, do you have a variety of instruments and amplifiers available? Two guitars (a Les Paul and a Strat, for instance) and two amplifiers (a Fender and a Marshall is the classic combination) combined with different pickup choices will allow a multitude of guitar tracks to more effectively live in the mix together.

• Are you making it sound better, not just different? Changes aren't always for the better. Is there a big difference between what you just recorded and the original part? Does the new part make everyone in the studio go crazy in a good way?

• Would it be better to try the part tomorrow? You'd be surprised how much more you can Will you accomplish more when you're fresh?

• Do you have the studio talkback mic on? Can you hear the musicians in the studio at all times between takes? If they're talking to you and you can't hear them, they'll feel isolated.

• Do you have the control room talkback mic always on? Can the musicians hear you at all times in between takes? Periods of silence can be a mood killer.

• Does the player want to play it again? If a player feels strongly about playing it over, he probably can do it better. Be sure to keep the last recorded part before recording again.

Just another quick plug - If you're looking for some tips and tricks for using social media, check out the Music 3.0 Guide To Social Media, a compendium of posts taken from the Music 3.0 blog. Available as an ebook, for only $4.99.

----------------------------------Help support this blog. Any purchases made through our Amazon links help support this website with no cost to you.
You should follow me on Twitter for daily news and updates on production and the music business.
Don't forget to check out my Music 3.0 blog for tips and tricks on navigating social media and the new music business.

"Can't Help Myself" Isolated Bass

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Motown's James Jamerson is ones of the giants of the bass world, so it's always a pleasure when we can get to closely study his work. Here's a video of his isolated bass in The Four Tops hit "I Can't Help Myself (Suger Pie Honey Bunch)." As you listen, take notice to a few things:

1. The leakage of the rest of the band onto the bass track. Most of the recording of those early Motown hits recorded in Detroit were done on an 8 track tape machine, which means that many of the instruments had to be recorded together on the same tracks. The bass was the exception as it always had its own track, but that didn't mean that it was totally isolated. Since it was recorded through an amp, you can hear the rest of the band playing as well, which is something that we probably wouldn't stand for today. Didn't seem to hurt anything here.

2. Listen to how Jamerson's articulations change throughout the song. Sometimes he has a smooth release and sometimes it's staccato and chopped off. This is something else we would probably replace today, asking him to play it one way or another throughout the song.

3. There's a mistake that Jamerson makes throughout the first third of the song as he plays a major against a Dm (the third chord in the pattern) over and over. At some point he realizes the mistake and makes the change (it's only one fret difference). Not that this has ever bothered the millions of listeners that have enjoyed the song. In fact, if it weren't for the isolated track, no one would probably hear the difference.

This track is a perfect example of how modern production techniques have changed from the 1960s. Today we look for more precision and isolation, but we often lose the feel and groove as a result. That said, the track is proof that a hit is still a hit, mistakes and all.




----------------------------------Help support this blog. Any purchases made through our Amazon links help support this website with no cost to you.
You should follow me on Twitter for daily news and updates on production and the music business.
Don't forget to check out my Music 3.0 blog for tips and tricks on navigating social media and the new music business.

Muzak Changes It's Name

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Although Muzak has been a company since 1934, it's also become one of those words like "Kleenex" that's become so widespread that the name identifies the product. In the case of Muzak, that means elevator music or the music we hear in grocery stores and shopping malls. It's the dumbed down hits of the yesterday and today.

You may be surprised to know that Muzak the company is no more after being purchased by its new owner Mood Music from Concord, Ontario. The type of background music will remain, but today there's a lot more science behind the product that you ever thought was possible. In fact, what we used to term "elevator music" now also has a new name - "sensory marketing."

It seems that Mood Music is not only into the background music business, but also signs, interactive displays and scents that reach over 150 million people a day at more than 500,000 locations around the world. Essentially they're in the game of being the unconsciously connector between their clients and their customers in such a way that it enhances the buying experience, which hopefully causes the customer to buy more.

The company painstakingly matches the music to the environment to get the desired result, which in essence means "spend more money." The interesting thing is that the music is no longer easy-listening versions of new and old hits. In fact, since 1984 Muzak had been hiring composers to design music specifically for certain environments.

Music is such a powerful device and anyone who loves it knows how much your emotions can be evoked when listening. Is it any surprise that a company has been so successful in manipulating our buying habits as a result?

As far as the Muzak name, it's probably a good thing it's been retired as it's become a bad cliche over the years. Mood Music almost identifies what the music is really all about. The name is missing one word however - how about "Marketing" in the middle?

----------------------------------Help support this blog. Any purchases made through our Amazon links help support this website with no cost to you.
You should follow me on Twitter for daily news and updates on production and the music business.
Don't forget to check out my Music 3.0 blog for tips and tricks on navigating social media and the new music business.

Fandalism: A Social Network For Musicians

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Fandalism is an interesting social network designed especially for musicians. It's not like ReverbNation or BandCamp in that it's not designed around the business of being an artist; instead it's more like a cross between YouTube, where artists can upload videos of their performances, and Matchmaker, where compatible musicians can find each other.

To register, you answer basic questions like where you're located, what instrument you play, your influences and musical history. You can then share your work through photos, videos, lyrics or Soundcloud audio. After you've set everything up, you can follow other musicians, give them "props" (likes), and send them private messages.

One of the cool new features on Fandalism is the ability to distribute your songs to iTunes, Spotify and Google Play. It's cheaper than either Tunecore or CD Baby in that you get unlimited uploads for only $19.95 per year, as compared to Tunecore's $29.95 per album per year or CD Baby's $49 per album (plus a percentage of the sale). Fandalism also gives you the first upload to iTunes for free.

There's been a lot of attempts to create a musician's network and none of them have caught on. Fandalsim already has over 550,000 members and has the feeling of something that is simple and non-intimidating enough to finally break through in a big way. Here's a video overview.

Sorry for the cross-post from my Music 3.0 blog, but Fandalism applies to both.



----------------------------------Help support this blog. Any purchases made through our Amazon links help support this website with no cost to you.
You should follow me on Twitter for daily news and updates on production and the music business.
Don't forget to check out my Music 3.0 blog for tips and tricks on navigating social media and the new music business.

Performing Music Gets Us High

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Non-musicians are always confounded as to why musicians struggle so much for their art. If you look at it logically, there's really no reason why some of us would give up promising careers in "legit" businesses to groval for a few bucks in an effort to keep on groveling for one more day. And this is all in the hopes of someday "making it," which usually means that we can continue making music, just without the day-to-day groveling.

But there's a reason why we do it. Performing music makes us high. Every musician who's ever gigged has experienced the rush on stage when you played something so cool that they rest of the band would give you that acknowledging smile. Or when the whole band does something at once in such a tight fashion that it's like thinking with the same mind. Or hearing the whistles and applause at the end of a song. That's what keeps us doing it.

No matter if you're just starting out in the garage or a superstar at his peak, you can't get enough. We all know it on some level, and we all crave it. And it never goes away. Even if you haven't played in a band in 20 years, it takes about 10 seconds after the first downbeat to get back into it again. And if you're "retired" as a player, the thought of performing is consciously suppressed because you're afraid that you'll miss it so much and get pulled back in. All it takes is just one small taste.

We know we're addicted, but to what exactly? Now according to a study published in Evolutionary Psychology, it turns out that performing actually releases measurable amounts of endorphines (the body's natural opiates) during performing. That means we're not only psychologically addicted, but physically addicted as well.

The study was conducted at Oxford University by Professor Robin Dunbar, who wanted to see if performing music would increase a person's pain tolerance. Three experimental groups were studied; church singers involved with communal singing, clapping and lots of upper body movement, people in a drum circle, and finally a group of musicians rehearsing. What he found was that performing released endorphines that resulted in "a mild opiate 'high' corresponding with a feeling of well-being and light analgesia (the absence of pain)."

I've also felt that performing music goes a step beyond the physical to the spiritual, if I can get metaphysical here for a moment. A musician "in the zone" is unknowingly performing a ritual that's touching somewhere above the physical plane. It's a place that's so compelling that we want to go there again and again, but it goes beyond that. We also open this spiritual link to the audience as well, which is why they want to come hear us play. It's something they can't easily reach for themselves, and need us as a gateway. Our music speaks on multiple levels, and has the ability to take us and our audience to places unknown.

So keep on playing as much as you can. When done well it's good for you, and for everyone around you. You are more special than you know.

----------------------------------Help support this blog. Any purchases made through our Amazon links help support this website with no cost to you.
You should follow me on Twitter for daily news and updates on production and the music business.
Don't forget to check out my Music 3.0 blog for tips and tricks on navigating social media and the new music business.

The Producer's Overdub Checklist

To contact us Click HERE
Here's an excerpt from The Music Producer's Handbook regarding a checklist for overdubs. If you want your overdubs to go fast and easy, follow this list. It works every time.

•  Do you have a list of overdub priorities? Do you know which overdubs absolutely must get done and which ones are less important? A list will keep you on track budget-wise and time-wise.

• Can you record in the control room? Most players prefer to record in the control room because they like to hear what you’re hearing and they like the immediacy of the communication.

• Are there too many people in the control room or studio? The fewer people, the fewer the distractions. It's best to keep all friends, associates, entourage and hangers-on out of the studio when you're working to keep the distractions to a minimum.

• Did you move the vocal or instrument into the big part of the studio? All instruments sound best when there’s some space for the sound to develop, so move it to the big part of the studio for overdubs (after you've done any basic track fixes). You can cut down on any unwanted reflections from the room by placing baffles around the mic and player.

• When doubling, are you trying to do something a little different on each track? A different mic, mic preamp, room, singer, or distance from the mic will all help to make the sound bigger.

• When doubling or adding more guitars, do you have a variety of instruments and amplifiers available? Two guitars (a Les Paul and a Strat, for instance) and two amplifiers (a Fender and a Marshall is the classic combination) combined with different pickup choices will allow a multitude of guitar tracks to more effectively live in the mix together.

• Are you making it sound better, not just different? Changes aren't always for the better. Is there a big difference between what you just recorded and the original part? Does the new part make everyone in the studio go crazy in a good way?

• Would it be better to try the part tomorrow? You'd be surprised how much more you can Will you accomplish more when you're fresh?

• Do you have the studio talkback mic on? Can you hear the musicians in the studio at all times between takes? If they're talking to you and you can't hear them, they'll feel isolated.

• Do you have the control room talkback mic always on? Can the musicians hear you at all times in between takes? Periods of silence can be a mood killer.

• Does the player want to play it again? If a player feels strongly about playing it over, he probably can do it better. Be sure to keep the last recorded part before recording again.

Just another quick plug - If you're looking for some tips and tricks for using social media, check out the Music 3.0 Guide To Social Media, a compendium of posts taken from the Music 3.0 blog. Available as an ebook, for only $4.99.

----------------------------------Help support this blog. Any purchases made through our Amazon links help support this website with no cost to you.
You should follow me on Twitter for daily news and updates on production and the music business.
Don't forget to check out my Music 3.0 blog for tips and tricks on navigating social media and the new music business.