Nat Geo Music, the music division of the National Geographic Society, has launched a full-service music label under the same name, Nat Geo Music. The label will record, release and promote modern music from around the globe from a variety of artists and genres. The label will be headed by Nat Geo Music General Manager Mat Whittington. The label will work with World’s Fair Label Group for marketing, radio promotion, press and logistical support in the United States. Nat Geo Music, a division of National Geographic Entertainment (NGE), was established in 2007 to inspire people to care about the planet through the power of music. Visit worldmusic.nationalgeographic.com.
Country artist Katie Armiger and Great American Country (GAC) are teaming up for a nationwide sweepstakes entitled “Kapturing A Love Song with Katie Armiger.” A grand-prize winner will be chosen and flown to Nashville, TN, to write and record a love song with Armiger for iTunes. The event, now underway, runs through February 27th. Fans 18 years and older can enter at www.GACTV.com. There will also be 10 first-prize winners who will receive an autographed copy of Armiger's album Believe, an autographed poster and a $50 gift certificate courtesy of FYE stores. The Grand Prize Winner and First Prize Winners will be selected from among all eligible entries received in a random drawing held on or about March. For more information visit www.katiearmiger.com.
Submissions for live performance slots as well as nominees are now being accepted for the 5th Annual Los Angeles South Bay Music Awards, Saturday, February 21, at the L.A. Sports Arena. For more information call (310) 542-5479 or email
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. The 5th Annual SBMA's precede the Hip Hop 101 Music & Arts Festival featuring Ludacris and Common, also at the Sports Arena that evening. For more info log onto www.southbaymusicawards.com and www.hh101.com.
The Southwest Guitar Festival (the largest acoustical guitar festival in the U.S.) takes place Feb. 4-8th. Thirty-five of the world’s top student guitarists will be in San Antonio, TX, competing for $10,000 in prizes. In addition, the festival also offers an array of concerts by international acoustical guitar performers. Preliminary rounds begin at 9 a.m. on Wednesday, Feb. 4. On Thursday, Feb. 5, Bosnian guitarist Denis Azabagic performs. On Feb. 6, the Los Angeles Guitar Quartet and the San Antonio Symphony team up for the World Premiere performance of Sergio Assad’s Interchange for Guitar Quartet and Orchestra. The student competition wraps up on Feb. 7. To purchase tickets or find more information, visit www.swgf.org/tickets.php
The 2009 Temecula Music Fest is accepting submissions for performers, bands, artists and vendors. The festival will feature many different styles of music, each day with a certain theme: May 15 will focus on young local bands; May 16 will feature performers geared to the 20- to 40-year-old crowd including touring, local and up-and-coming bands signed to indie labels; and May 17 will be Family Day. Every person or band who submits a complete packet gets a three-day pass for the festival. Artists are welcome to make and sell art onsite, sell previous works, or just display art. Bands, artists and vendors have until Mar. 31 to submit entries. For more info or to download entry forms visit www.TemeculaMusicFest.com.
Heavy Rotation Records (HRR) presents Dorm Sessions 6, a compilation CD featuring rock, indie-pop, folk, singer/songwriter, hip-hop and R&B by Berklee students and alumni. The album will be available on CD, iTunes and this year on vinyl. Heavy Rotation Records is a class that gives Music Business/Management majors at Berklee hands-on experience in running a record company. Under the guidance of faculty advisor Jeff Dorenfeld, former manager of the band Boston, the student staff oversees all of the label's functions, including A&R, marketing, sales, touring, web development, media and accounting. The A&R group chose nine artists – from hundreds of submissions – to be featured on the CD. For more information visit www.HRRecords.com.
Veteran entertainment attorney Spencer Martinez lays it all out in this concise, east-to-grasp article showing anyone how to avoid the pitfalls that can lay in wait when an artist covers another person’s song. Check it out now in the new issue of MC HERE.
Upon the February 24 release of Lamb of God’s new album, Wrath, the first 100,000 fans that purchase any physical copy will have the unique opportunity to participate in a lottery that could result in winning one of the following 100 amazing prizes, including: Trip for two to a Lamb Of God concert in the United Kingdom (2 available); Golden Laminate that allows access to any one Lamb of God show this year (5 available); and a Barbeque with Randy Blythe at your house (1 available). The product manager at Epic Records for Lamb of God describes the lottery as a more interactive way of giving back to fans. See www.lamb-of-god.com for complete details.
Music Connection, together with name-brand retailers, gives away FREE amps, guitars, software, lessons, and other musical products EVERY Friday as part of our “Friday Freebie” giveaway. A recent winner was Ricky Rodriguez of Los Angeles who won the set of 10 guitar finish protectors from Scratch Pad. It's easy to win because not that many people know about it yet! Go to the Music Connection website and look up in the top right corner for the words "FRIDAY FREEBIE". www.musicconnection.com.
Bronx, NY-based rapper Firan (pronounced '4-on') Chisolm contends that a company he’s recently started dealing with has increased his sales and fan-base dramatically by offering portable media players loaded with the rapper’s music at the artist’s shows. “ has tripled my music sales within a 2-month period.” Chisolm says company head Eric Short “started loading Portable Media Players with my entire album, videos, photo gallery, and lyric sheets. These players are being sold at my live performances. I literally press hundreds of CD's to sell at my shows, but people buy less than one-third of them. But I order 50 Media Players and they all sell out at every show. And I make more profit per unit.” For complete info, contact
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.
MusiCares® and The GRAMMY Foundation® are hosting GRAMMY® Charity Online Auctions In celebration of the 51st Annual GRAMMY Awards. This auction offers close to 100 exclusive items including once-in-a-lifetime VIP experiences, memorabilia from world-renowned celebrities and official GRAMMY merchandise signed by participating stars backstage during rehearsals and show day of the anniversary telecast. The lots are available for bid in two cycles now through Feb. 19 at www.ebay.com/grammy, presented in partnership with Kompolt. All proceeds will benefit MusiCares and the GRAMMY Foundation.
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