Sunday, September 28, 2014

Fall News for DeDe


  
  
 It's fall here once again, and it amazes me that just like the seasons, how many changes are all around us...I've been taking a little bit of a break in August & Sept. traveling and working on my music. We've got 2 close friends who are new parents/grandparents for the 1st time! Aren't babies the absolute best? They're so cute and so innocent. They remind us all of how sweet yet fragile life is, and how fast time flies!  Speaking of, I recently co-wrote a song with my new team at Dominion, about dealing with life's changes and time passing, and I hope you like it. It's going to be on my new album slated to be released in Spring/Summer 2015.

      We've been traveling a lot for work, and taking some time to be with friends and family. Starting to think about things like Halloween, Thanksgiving, and even Christmas...Holidays, and spending more time together and doing more of the things that matter. Speaking of, Kevin D., the President of my new label, has been spreading the word about my Christmas album "World of Christmas" out in LA. He says "This's probably one of the best Christmas albums of the past 10 years. Whenever I'm tired or a little out of sorts, I listen and it cheers me right up!" (Yes, he's been listening to Christmas music in California in September, in all that heat!) I know it may sound crazy, but to me as a songwriter, that's the best part of doing this: when my music can make a difference and brighten someone's day.  So hopefully I'll continue to write more and more relevant music that moves and inspires people.

     Did I mention how much I appreciate you for being my fan? Below are a few fun things going on with me in Sept./Oct. Please come/listen/join if you can!  And, I always like hearing from my fans, so please send me a quick note with your news, okay? Oh, and a free download is below, just for you :)
Thanks!!  DeDe :)


Saturday, Sept. 20, 2014  Chief Guests & Performers at the new Gujarato Samag Indian Community Center Project Fundraiser in Houston TX, at Moguls Restaurant in Clear Lake.

Oct. 4th:  IMEA Awards in Ashland KY. I'm nominated in 9 Categories...I'll also be traveling there as a presenter. To join the IMEA: http://www.imeaawards.com

DeDe performs at the Purple Ribbon Luncheon benefitting Family Time, Friday Oct. 10, 10:30am-1pm  
(Kingwood Country Club). Tickets: $60 per person:  http://Familytimeccc.org/Purple-Ribbon-Luncheon/

Kingwood Trade Days in Town Center Sunday Nov. 2, 2-4pm 
-FREE event! Food, music, fun, shopping...Bring your family and get your Holiday shopping done early and support great local vendors! http://www.kingwoodmarket.com

Alive in the Park, Sunday Nov. 9, time TBA. 
An Inspirational Concert and Speaker event for the entire family! FREE EVENT! Http://Www.kingwood.com/Events/Event_details.php?Event_id=3518&Event_date_id=14521

DeDe @ Amedeos for Post Thanksgiving Holiday Dinner & Show! Friday Nov. 28, 2014 6:30-9:30pm. Last year this was a sellout, why cook? Bring your family to a great meal with appetizer and drink specials and Holiday, Original & All-Hit music! www.Amedeos.net

DeDe @ Liberty Opry CHRISTMAS SHOW, Saturday, Dec. 20th 2pm & 7pm!  Join the fantastic band and guests DeDe & Larry Wedekind for a fun and memorable country Christmas with a touch of classics and rock and roll!  Get your tickets NOW before they sell out: 936-336-5830 or www.libertyopry.com

Please Visit my website here:  http://www.DeDe-Music.com

See my New inspiring VIDEO: "The Plans I Have for You": Https://Www.youtube.com/Watch?V=L5QkeeIXO8s&List=UUX18J5CYy2m3_wTIUqvrsgg

Get FREE MP3 download, SIGNUP for NEWS & HEAR DeDe's MUSIC: Http://Www.reverbnation.com/Deborahwedekind/Songs scroll down to "Blame It On the Summertime" and click on DOWNLOAD (the 2nd time you see it, near the bottom). 

Sunday, September 14, 2014

What does U2’s Deal With Apple Mean for the Music Industry?



Hi, DeDe here,

Personally, I love U2, and I think this was a very smart move for them. Bono has proven over and over through the years that he's not just a super-talented musician, he's also a true marketing genius. Look how he keeps re-creating his music, yet keeps it true to the U2 sound, and it's stayed more or less, quite popular...for almost 30 years.

However, this just shows how truly bad the situation has gotten for almost all of the artists in the music industry. What everyone's not telling you is that U2 got a huge paycheck (~100Million) behind the scenes from iTunes, Apple, etc. But for us non-famous, unknown, hardworking musicians and songwriters, this may be a signal of the final kiss of death for album and CD sales, which 99.9% of us still rely on for survival and in order to keep creating music....

There's got to be a solution here that protects artists, and pays us a fair amount for our new music-keeping copyright protections in place, while at the same time keeping music affordable and available to consumers. I'm open to your thoughts on this, any suggestions or ideas?... http://www.DeDe-Music.com



What does U2’s Deal With Apple Mean for the Music Industry? The world's biggest band have given their new album away for free on iTunes. But what's in it for them?

-From entertainment.ie, Sept. 2014

U2 sent shockwaves through the music industry last night by announcing at the launch of the new iPhone 6 that their new album 'Songs of Innocence' was to be given away completely free of charge on Apple's iTunes online music store.

To say that this is an unconventional method to release new material would be an understatement and it could potentially be seen as a seismic shift in the way music is delivered to its audience. Since the advent of iTunes and, more lately Spotify, the means by which people experience music has been subverted. Purists suggest that this is to the detriment to the concept of the album as a standalone collection of music, as today's listeners seem more content to download or stream a series of individual tracks as they grow their personally curated collections. It's the musical equivalent of separating the wheat from the chaff.

By partnering with Apple and giving their entire record away for free, U2 have embraced the digital age in a way that many of their contemporaries have appeared so hesitant to do and also encouraged fans to download and listen to the albums as a whole rather than to cherry-pick their way through it by downloading the odd single here or there.

But what exactly is in this for U2? Quite a lot, it turns out. Bono has said on many occasions, and as recently as last week, that he doesn't believe in "free" music so it would be naive to suggest that this is an entirely philanthropic gesture by U2. Various figures are traversing the internet this morning about exactly how much U2 will earn from their "free" album and it's entirely possible that this could generate Bono and co. more than any other album they've released in the last two decades.

The Wall Street Journal quotes a source "familiar with the talks" who said U2 were paid an astonishing $100 million for their participation, with Apple only too happy to realign with the group they previously worked with ten years ago to release a special U2 iPod. This move was also presumably designed to incentivise the purchase of U2's back catalogue in iTunes to a younger audience and to highlight ticket sales for the eventual tour on the back of 'Songs of Innocence' (though it's unlikely they would have needed to much help in that regard).

Jimmy Iovine, record producer and co-founder of Beats, explained Bono's intentions further to Time.

"The charts are broken", he said. "The old music industry has reached a low point and hasn't kept up with the digital world. He wants to see the artists' reach measured by how much they're listened to, by whatever medium or method."
U2 are following the lead of Beyonce, Jay Z and Radiohead who in the past have released music either unannounced, packaged with a tech company or free. In fact, Beyonce sold around 800,000 units of her last album within a week (though fans had to pay for it) when it was made instantly available on iTunes and U2 are expected to far eclipse that figure.
What can we take from this? It's a pretty strong indicator from U2 that they think the traditional means for music distribution is broken and what they have done with 'Songs of Innocence' is set a very appealing, if completely unsustainable, precedent. When the sales figures are released in a week or so we expect there'll be a few happy faces around the Vico Road but where does this leave the bands who are relying on album sales to generate income or recoup losses?
Releasing an album for free (or by having Apple write you a Euro Millions sized cheque) is a luxury only afforded to the 1%, leaving countless other bands trying to keep their balance on the shaky ground that is today's music industry.When the world's biggest band acknowledges that the system in place to sell music to the public is broken, where does that leave the little guy? U2's free album will no doubt be a delight to many but it might just be the clearest indicator yet that the system we have in place is irreparably damaged.