Breaking Out with Julie Ciero!
Julie Ciero is a pop singer from Miami, Florida and multi-Auddy Award winning artist on uPlaya. Unlike a lot of artists today, she writes all of her own songs and she has a knack for churning out “crossover lyrics and slick melodies that are as good as any male counterpart.” Inspired by some of the industry’s leading ladies like Britney Spears, Jennifer Lopez, and Janet Jackson, she produces music as fierce, well-structured tracks. Talented, ambitious, and au fait in the music market, Julie has connected with and established personal relationships with top DJ’s and music industry professionals. Step into any one of Miami’s top night clubs, and you will likely see a crowded dance floor with people getting down to one of her songs.
So what’s next for this go-getting, tell it like it is artist? She’s prepping for her, highly anticipated debut album! Check out her demo here!
What Emerging Bands Can Learn from Small Businesses: Adding a New Member to Your Group
Bands are like small businesses in many ways, one of which being you have to have the right people if you want to be successful.
Four tips emerging bands can steal from small companies when evaluating a new band member (adapted from 4 Tips on Hiring New Team Members on ReadWriteStart.com, a professional resource for start-up companies):
"Ask questions that matter." Ask the potential new band member what value they can bring and what plans they have for the spot they’re hoping to fill. Are they energetic, but still realistic? You need someone who can not only come up with a plan, but execute. Even if it’s a casual interview, find a way to ask circumstantial questions and see how they’d react to various scenarios. Get a sense of how their mind works so you can see if it’s a good fit.
"Let them work remotely." Thanks to new technology (like Skype) you don’t have to limit your candidate pool by geography. Working remotely with an exceptional musician is much better than working in the same room with a mediocre one.
Band chemistry is key to creating great content - the chemistry between our recent Featured Artist, MTHDS, is evident in their music and videos
"Put them to the test." If you’re willing to take a chance, let them play a show with you. At least invite them for several jam sessions over a period of time. You could even do test runs with multiple candidates at the same time – one can play with you on Tues/Thurs, another Mon/Wed. Find out who can walk the walk. Some people can make a good first impression but can’t hack it once they’re on the spot.
"Never hire out of desperation." It’s tempting to quickly accept a new member when you’re desperate and don't feel like searching anymore, but never make big promises early on. You could end up with a temporary fix, but all the time and investment you spend developing the relationships will have been wasted when they don’t work out. (And kicking someone out of the band can be painfully awkward.)
The author ends with “Find the exceptional candidate that can get the job done and are able to scale with you.” Find a bandmate who is not only the best musical fit, but an individual that will continue to grow and adapt with the band and be a lasting and genuine member.
On the flip side, are you a band member wanting to get out of a band? Learn how to get kicked out.
Add your own tips, stories and advice to the comment section below:
Get YOUR Mobile Recording Studio
Don’t miss the chance to win your own Mobile Recording Studio!
In the Mobile Recording Studio Contest, one artist will win a brand new iPad 2, stocked with recording apps, GarageBand and StudioTracks.
It's FREE to enter and takes less than 5 minutes. Submit as many songs as you like.
Seriously, what are you waiting for?!
SUBMIT MUSIC NOW
Grammy-Winning Alt-Rock Band Records Entire Album on iPad
Check out the music video below, Revolving Doors from Gorillaz latest album, The Fall. Gorillaz recorded the entire album on the iPad, and in just 32 days while on the road for their North American Tour. On the Gorillaz blog, Damon Albarn said he “did it because there’s a lot of time you just spend staring at walls essentially.” The iPad gave him a way to create music while out of the studio. “And it was a fantastic way of doing it.”
“I fell in love with my iPad as soon as I got it, so I made a completely different kind of record.” Said frontman Damon Albarn (NME). Listen to the full 14-song album here.
Gorillaz aren’t the only ones making use of this cutting edge technology – The Ultramods released an album recorded on the iPad 2 and the GarageBand app.
Mobile Recording Studio Contest Details
Cost to Enter: FREE
Deadline: April 30, 2011 at 11:59 EST
More Info
More Resources for Creating Music on the iPad:
Free Upload for uPlaya Facebook Fans
Announcing
Facebook Fan Appreciation Week
Tuesday April 19 - Tuesday April 26
Thanks for being part of our community! To show our appreciation, for one week only we're giving all of our Facebook Fans a FREE UPLOAD.
We really enjoy the daily discussions and feedback we’ve gotten on our Facebook page. That’s why we decided to dedicate this entire week to saying THANK YOU.
And what better way to show our appreciation than to give you a present?
For one week only, our Facebook fans can get scientific analysis and promotion tools for another one of their songs for free. This offer ends on April 26, so visit our Facebook page and claim your upload right now.
To Claim Your Upload visit the ‘FREE’ tab on our Facebook page
Not a Facebook Fan yet? Do you want to be? “Like” our page before Monday April 25 and you can get the free upload too!
Reverend Bastien: Winner of uPlaya’s Search for the Best UPK Contest
uPlaya recently held a contest on Facebook to find the best UPK, and we found just what we were looking for in Reverend Bastien’s press kit. In addition to his savvy ability to build an excellent and powerful UPK, the Reverend also has a lot of wisdom and life lessons to share that draw on his journeys on the road with nothing but the guitar on his back. His music blends varieties of Jazz & Ska Punk into American Roots Music to create a heartland rock sound reminiscent of his influences like Tom Petty, Warren Zevon, and Leonard Cohen.
After the release of his first album “Campfire Stories” in 2009, the Reverend set out on an Open Mic tour from New York to San Francisco. His encounters along the way inspired his next goal to create a minimalist rock band that would interpret a well around a campfire or on stage. After his return home and with his new goal in mind, the Reverend assembled one of the band’s stand out features-The Bare Drum- which is a combination of Bass & Snare Drum tones, a mounted shaker, and splash cymbal.
To make the band complete, Reverend Bastien enlisted long time friends El Hefe LaVallee to take the sticks on his highly innovative, homemade drum kit and recruited Frenchy DeSilva to round out the sound on the bass. What was then transpired was The Congregation of the Traveling Empire.
A lifetime of music
Here's a beautiful musing from Sergei Rachmaninov to alleviate another Monday morning ...
“Music is enough for a lifetime, but a lifetime is not enough for music”
Sergei Rachmaninov
Stay close, we'll be announcing the winner of our Press Kit Contest this afternoon around 3 p.m. EST!
Build Your Fan Base With These Five Facebook Features
Allfacebook.com is one of the best resources for staying on top of, well, all things Facebook. We loved one of their recent posts, 5 Facebook Features to Jazz Up Your Marketing, so we re-purposed it for indie artists looking for inexpensive ways to build relationships with fans.
Five Useful Facebook Features for the DIY Musician:
1. High Resolution Photos. According to AllFacebook, you can upload high-res photos up to 2048 pixels wide and high. Not only are images a great way to capture someone’s attention and keep them engrossed in your content, it gives you an opportunity to quickly tell a fan everything you’re about. Images should be professional but also interesting and representative of your music. You never know, if the quality of the image is high enough, a music blogger or critic may pull the image from your Facebook page for a review of your music.
2. Focused Groups. Create an exclusive group just for your super fans. Think of it like an old school Fan Club, but much more interactive. This can be a great way to turn a group of fans into a dedicated street team. Make the members feel special by giving them access to exclusive content. Reveal secret tracks, give away backstage passes, provide insider information on the band, release songs to the group a few days before releasing them to everyone. Once you build a strong community here, they certainly won’t mind helping out every now and then by spreading a message when you need it (like getting the word out about a new album or show).
3. Facebook Questions. Having a hard time making a decision about your music? Ask your fans. Facebook’s new “Questions” tool makes it easy for you to ask and easy for fans to answer. Good questions include where you should play your next show, what you should title your next song or album, where to film a music video, or even what you should eat for lunch. Sometimes the goal will be market research, other times the goal is simply to start a conversation.
4. Places & Deals. Utilizing the Places feature is a no-brainer for musicians – encourage and reward fans for checking into your shows. You can create deals for albums, merchandise, tickets and packages of your content. A few artists (like Rihanna) have experienced some success with offering the group deals on content.
5. Like Buttons. If you haven’t added Facebook’s Like button to your other sites and blog, do it now. Generating more Likes on your Facebook page gives you more people to market your music to.
Add your favorite Facebook Features in the comment section below.
Featured Artist: Secondhand Habit
It’s no surprise that Canada is quickly becoming a new breeding ground for up and coming indie bands, and this week’s featured band on uPlaya is living proof. Formed in the Spring of 2010, Secondhand Habit makes music that pulls from a medley of iconic alt-rock bands like Weezer, the Red Hot Chili Peppers, and Rage Against the Machine. With the release of their debut EP “Badass” on February 14th, 2011, the band has their eyes set on jumping the border to bring their music to the U.S.!
We’re Hiring!
We’ve got a ton of work to do on an awesome new product and we need help.
Who are we looking for?
We're looking for someone who “gets” working in a startup. You’ve got to understand the pressure involved and time required to launch something, and the crazy, stupid optimism to believe it will succeed. You’ll be smart, creative and willing to do the right thing even if it seems a little daft at the time. If this sounds like the kind of place you want to be, we're interested in talking with you.
This is our office building! It's also home to two historic Savannah landmarks - Leopold's Ice Cream and the SCAD Trustee's Theater
Job Descriptions: Savannah Office
As if you needed more perks
We’re located in downtown Savannah above Leopold’s Ice Cream (quite honestly some of the best ice cream in the world), and close to everything happening around the heart of Savannah. We’re pretty fun to work with, have great coffee (always keep a decent stock of Fancy Lad) … and we’ve got some amazing technology to play with.
If you’re interested, let us know here.
Learn more about uPlaya / Music Intelligence Solutions
“The heart and soul of a company is creativity and innovation.”
Robert Iger
Downtown Savannah has 24 beautiful squares. This is Reynolds Square, which is right behind the uPlaya office
** Photo Credits:
Leopold's / Trustee's Theater: http://www.youlleatitandlikeit.com/category/favorites/
Reynolds Square: http://www.oglethorpeblog.org/2010/05/savannah-here-we-come/