Sometimes a (Good) Band Is Hard to Come By....

     Or, The Trials & Tribulations of DeDe's Search for a GREAT band-And how has it all panned out? Let's just say it's A Happily-Ever-After Ending:)!

DeDe & the DayDreams perform at a company Christmas Party on Dec. 17th, 2015.

Left to right: Damien Clark, Alan Steinmetz, DeDe & Jim Embry (not pictured: Larry Wedekind)

     Over the past 8 months, Texas Singer/Songwriter DeDe and her awesome DayDreams Band have had a whirlwind debut in Houston, and all over the USA! They literally burst onto the Houston music scene with 3 Festivals right out of the gate since their start in mid summer of 2015. In August 2015, they were honored to attend the Cutting Edge Music Conference in New Orleans where DeDe was a Spotlight Artist at the famed New Orleans House of Blues. Then DeDe was chosen to be a Featured Performer in September at the Light at the Lighthouse Inspirational Festival in Los Angeles. Then within less than a month, DeDe & the DayDreams again appeared on the Budweiser Mainstage at the The Houston StreetFest near Navigation in October! About "birthing" a new band DeDe says:

     "It's amazing that we have any band at all at this point, we had so much changeover in the beginning. At the first of the year, I'd joined a band and it was mostly jazz. They had another male vocalist who really didn't want a female (vocalist) added, and they weren't really getting any bookings, so I took off, but I took along their amazing drummer, my (now) close friend, and very talented Alan Steinmetz!  We must have gone through like 6 guitarists, and 3-4 bass players, but it's always been Alan and me from the first of the year.

     Friends tell me that to find good band members who all like each other, like the same music and all get along is really hard and you have to go through a lot of players to find the right combo. But the hardest thing for me to find in my bandmates has been the commitment to practice weekly, learn my original music, and the willingness & flexibility to do the gigs and commit to them -no matter what. That's what was really hard to find until we added Damien Clark on guitar. He not only looks great onstage, but he's toured with some music legends and shared the stage with pros, and he's a real pro himself (and a great guy), all the way. He plays just about anything by ear or with music. And now we have a band, and it's a real winner!"

   The band also had many corporate parties and events in November & December, and then DeDe took a solo tour to Panama after Christmas, and over the New Year where she performed 3 sold-out concerts! Talk about not getting a breather- and the band just keeps on playing!  A corporate ribbon cutting in the Heights at the end of January, and another invite to be featured on Live From Center Stage TV in Massachusettes, a feature in the Feb. IMC Magazine an Indie music magazine, and the list goes on and on....

Flyer for one of DeDe's shows in Panama

     On top of all that, DeDe's furiously working to finalize her new album that's currently been getting a lot of Nashville and radio attention: "Dream of You", finally out in February '16 (overdue because of illness (DeDe's), and a much-needed management/production venue change back to Houston from Nashville).  

DeDe's new album cover!

     So what's next? Now DeDe's ready to take a break and then tackle her next Big Project: her upcoming Valentine's concert with Soprano Meagan Stapleton at the New Bender Performing Arts Center in Humble (350 seats and brand new on the site of the old Humble High). This concert will feature jazzy standards (many from DeDe's first album Clear Skies Ahead), as well as some more classic styling: songs from Meagan's Soprano and DeDe's Mezzo-Soprano classical repertoire!  Talk about a change of pace!  

     On April 9th, DeDe and her band are performing at the Barefoot in the Park showcase for the New Grand Central Park Housing Community Development in Conroe, location TBA. In May you'll have the chance to catch DeDe & the DayDreams as they perform songs from DeDe's original new album, Dream of You- again, at the Bender Performing Arts Center. Says DeDe: "I'm very happy to be honored to be selected to perform at this beautiful new Center for the Arts right here in Humble near Kingwood where I live. Me and the band are really excited, this will be one of our largest audiences because the center is brand new and it holds 350 people! We are hoping to fill it completely with markeing and promotion help from Richard Mintz and all the great staff at the Humble PAC and City of Humble. I also promote all of my local public shows on social media to my over 100K internet fans, so hopefully we will really get the word out about this great center and all the new shows they are scheduling this spring, summer and fall in their 1st & 2nd seasons!" Read more about this new historic arts venue & the upcoming show schedule at: www.Humblepac.com

    As for DeDe, well, she's not taking a break any time soon, with demand for her music and original shows in Panama and other parts of the US and Texas on the rise. Recently they were invited to perform at the New Orleans Mardi Gras Festival, but sadly, due to the loss of a bass player, they had to turn down that particular booking. DeDe's been contacted by a number of great Venues and booking agents all around Houston, and so far has managed to keep herself, and her band, very busy indeed. For bookings, and to hear all DeDe's music and get information about Dede and her Daydreams Band visit: Reverbnation.com & to order her new album, Dream of You, visit www.DeDe-Music.com.

DeDe & husband Larry ring in the new year in Panama at the Rock Restaurant!

My December to Remember Christmastime News...

Hi there,
A very merry and joyous Christmastime & a Happy New Year in 2016 to you!  Thanks for being my fan, and for purchasing, sharing & listening to my music, and for all your support in 2015! Many exciting things are happening, but above all I wanted to wish you all a truly memorable & blessed Christmas! 

Just a few updates:
My New Album "Dream of You"

As many of you know, my album is scheduled to be out very soon. We had a setback because I was ill for over a month, and couldn't sing! But it's back on track and we're almost finished mixing in Nashville, and on  to mastering, and then the album will be out-hopefully in time for Valentines! If you want to reserve your signed copy, please feel free to email me or respond to this email with your address and the number you want. I'll hold one (or more) for my email family for just $10 plus $2 shipping each in the Continental US (shipping is for up to 4)!!   This is a great deal because it will cost over $15 ea. to get one hardcopy if you order it after release...The songs are beautiful and a little different than my "usual". They're very honest & personal, with a bit of a folk, country-pop edge. I call it Amerifolk Pop-Country. There's also a little Latin jazz and even some rock-n-roll!

I think you'll enjoy the songs, and really relate to the lyrics. BTW- One original Single, "Stronger", already won Song of the Year at the 2015 IMEA Awards in Atanta on Oct. 24th, 2015, & Prime of Life was awarded Top 5 Finalist on Song of the Year.com, and nominated for Song of the Year at the 2015 IMEA awards! This album is actually based on the story of my life.  A story all of us can relate to: the dreams of youth, falling in love, aspirations, challenges & regrets, moving on, dealing with changes, and finally: love & acceptance. I sing about romance, the real meaning of love, the importance of family bonds, disappointments & heartbreak, finally growing up! and being happy and content right where you are now.

Please listen to some of the new songs here: www.Reverbnation.com/Deborahwedekind & please let me know what you think of my demos of "Stronger", "Prime of Life", "Recipe of Love" & "Dream of You" ok?

Upcoming Shows

Since we've been working so hard on this album, we only have a handful of shows coming up, but I still wanted you to know about them...Most are private company Christmas parties, but I have a few shows coming soon:

New Years Show...in Boquete, Panama!  Stay tuned, I'm sending info to my Latin American/Panamanian friends soon! This show will be much different than my Christmas show at the Rock- more Jazzy and more dance music!

Feb 13, 2016, 7-9pm  Valentine's Show at the Bender Performing Arts Center, Humble.   Featuring jazzy-pop standards by classical Soprano Megan Stapleton, & Mezzo Soprano DeDe Wedekind :) More show information TBA!

Have a wonderful Christmas and God bless you & your families!

DeDe & Larry (Cookie & Sugar too!) Wedekind :)

DeDe's Official Website:  www.DeDe-Music.com  Hear samples of DeDe's music and get albums!

Facebook Fan Sites: www.Facebook.com/DeDeWedekind & www.Facebook.com/DeDe

YouTube: www.YouTube.com/1DWedekind

Twitter:  @DeDeWMusic

All Songs on Reverbnation:  www.reverbnation.com/Deborahwedekind   &    www.reverbnation.com/DeDeandtheDaydreams

Sign the Petition....for the US to STOP Music & Copyright Online Piracy!

Hi there,

As an independent Singer/Songwriter, Anti-Piracy's a subject that's near and dear to my heart: my music copyrights, sales, and revenues have been personally all but destroyed by online music & video internet piracy, and this is happening worldwide unfortunately. These folks are not just stealing our songs, they're stealing our copyrighted art, our identities, and our very livelihood: the income we rely on to support ourselves & our families, and to keep on writing and performing music!  I liken it to this scenario: would we tolerate it if someone walked in to a museum and took an original painting off the wall, copied it- and sold it to millions of people along with the original?

Whether you're an artist or just enjoy music, I sincerely hope you'll take just a few short minutes to read a very brief article below by William Buckley of FairPlay Inc., and SIGN the Petition on the site link below.  Online piracy effects all of us in one way or another, so keep all of the great new music & videos coming-take action now!

Thanks so much!
DeDe   www.DeDe-Music.com  & www.youtube.com/1DWedekind

Please share this important message with others...

Musicians, songwriters, filmmakers, authors & photographers have lost billions of dollars to online piracy due to a loophole in our existing copyright laws.

Stop penalizing creators and close the loophole that has provided a ‘Safe Harbor’ for online piracy since 1998.

Every creator who has tried to have their work removed from an infringing website knows the problem.  The rightful owner of the work files a ‘take down’ notice, the infringing site deletes the file temporarily and then reposts the same work using a different url.

Under current U.S. law this is perfectly legal and used by every pirate site to avoid prosecution.

Last year alone over 350 Million take down notices were filed with little or no impact on internet piracy.

Sign the Petition Here

Why in the World Would I Enter a Songwriting Contest, What the Hec is the IMEA? & Some GREAT Artists to Check Out!

So many of you musicians have asked me about winning awards: how do you win songwriting awards?, how and why do you enter song contests? etc., etc.  So I put together some basic info for you, below. I would love it if you would read about some of these extremely talented artists and see how many of them have recently won some pretty big awards.  Considering there're probably 100's of 1000's of good musicians out there, I believe that some of these awards in your pocket really can motivate you, get you the recognition you deserve, and set you apart from the crowd....

To Pre-Order hardcopies of my NEW album, “Dream of You” for only $10, just click HERE.

Also, what’s the IMEA?  Read below about what’s happening with the 3^rd Annual IMEA Awards Show in Atlanta on Oct. 24, 2015, and please don’t forget to VOTE for DeDe HERE thru Oct. 7!  (Just click, enter your email, vote for DeDe for #2 & #22, and click on "SUBMIT" at the end. Simple, and thanks so much for your vote!!

___________________________________________________________

WE ARE LESS THAN ONE MONTH AWAY FROM THE 2015 IMEA AWARDS. I. REPEAT. WE ARE LESS THAN ONE MONTH AWAY FROM THE 2015 IMEA AWARDS.

Wow, this year is just rolling by so quickly. It seems that just yesterday I was on a conference call with the Nominating Committee finalizing the submission forms and booking the venue. Now, we are in the final stage of planning.

Over the past two months, I've exchanged an infinite amount of emails with IMEA members who are nominated. Many of them have been a part of the awards in the past years and many of them are new this year.

One of the things that I liked to tell newbies about the event is that it is like a homecoming or a family reunion. Although many of us meet for the first time on the weekend of the awards, it is an instant connection and feels as if we have been best friends or relatives our entire lives. That's beautiful. Many organizations, and award programs, are competitive. I am so glad that that is not the case with our organization.

I would also describe the event as a magical experience. From the hustle and excitement of the red carpet to the moment you step foot into the theatre, you immediately know that you are surrounded by talented and artistic people. You can feel it in the air. Another beautiful thing.

We have been working extremely hard to make this program a success and we could not do it without all of you. Thank you so much! If there's something you would like to see us doing that we aren't or if you have a suggestion on areas that we can improve our organization, please let me know.

-Colt Chambers

IMEA MEMBER NEWS:

DEDE

DeDe Wedekind, or just “DeDe” as she often goes by, is an award-winning singer/songwriter from Texas. Over the past 3 years of her 4-year career, DeDe’s been a repeat FINALIST in many International Songwriting Competitions including: the International Songwriting Contest, the UK Songwriting Contest, the 2014 Annual Dallas Songwriting Contest, and Song of the Year.com’s 2015 Songwriting Contest.  She also won 2 Albums of the Year (and one Song of the Year), from the International Music & Entertainment Awards in Oct. 2014. The Adult Contemporary Album of the Year was her 2nd album, "Love and Fairy Tales", and the IMEA Holiday Album of the Year was "World of Christmas”, DeDe’s 3rd album. 

She’s currently collaborating with Los Angeles-based Multi-Platinum Producer & Songwriter, Kevin DeClue (who’s worked with Hillary Duff, Charlie Midnight & Rihanna), on her highly anticipated 4th album, "Dream of You", releasing on Oct. 27, 2015. For "Dream of You”, which just wrapped recording in Nashville, DeDe wrote or collaborated on the writing for all the songs, including one of her new singles, “Love Is”.  On Sept. 19th, DeDe performed and recorded “Love Is” in Nashville’s Studio 515, with Multi-Platinum mega-hit Songwriter & Producer, Andrew Fromm (songwriter for the ‘NSync “Millenium” album, the Backstreet Boys, Marc Anthony & many others), who not only helped arrange the piano part, but also played the piano on this track for DeDe's album.  Two songs from this album have already been nominated for major Music and Songwriting Awards: "Prime of Life" was a Song of the Year.com Finalist in July 2015, and both "Prime of Life" & "Stronger" are nominated for Song of the Year in the 3rd annual IMEA Awards in Folk and Adult Contemporary respectively!  DeDe will be a Featured Artist at the 3rd annual IMEA Awards in Atlanta on October 24, 2014.

Crossing many genres and styles, DeDe is becoming known for her inspiring melodies and vocals, and her honest, yet uplifting lyrics. A nationwide terrestrial major market radio campaign by a leading Nashville Radio Promotion Company starts early this Nov. for 2 hit singles which appear on her new album: “Stronger” and “Prime of Life”.  Hear and purchase DeDe’s music at: www.DeDe-Music.com & Become a Fan and receive monthly news, shows & song updates: www.Reverbnation.com/DeborahWedekind.

YURI

Russian-born and Israeli-raised guitarist Yuri Liberzon ranks among today’s foremost classical guitarists in the United States and the world

His playing has been described as “Transcendent technical prowess at the service of gracious musicality. He is a natural born guitarist”. Washington D.C. Guitar Society wrote: “Mr. Liberzon was terrific. World-class mental acrobatics. Very pleasing results.”

His debut album Ascension was released to both domestic and international listeners on Friday, July 17th 2015.

It wasn’t long before the album received a stunning review from classical music critic Dan Cohen at The Muse’s Muse. He writes: “...he's all about melody, all about communication, all about heart. It's his Ascension, to be sure, but he wants to take us with him. My advice to you-- drop everything and go!” The album has also been submitted to the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences for first-round consideration at the upcoming 58th Annual GRAMMY® Awards.

It showcases the talent and resources of the San Francisco Bay area: performed on a 2011 Gil Carnal (a Santa Cruz luthier) guitar, recorded at the Robert Blitzer Art Gallery in Santa Cruz, mastered at Michael Romanowski Mastering in San Francisco, and produced by Yuri Liberzon and Nahuel Bronzini.

Yuri’s success in the United States began with full scholarships to study with two of the world’s leading guitar figures: Manuel Barrueco at the Peabody Conservatory of the Johns Hopkins University, and Benjamin Verdery at Yale University School of Music. Mr. Liberzon went on to successfully complete his Graduate Performance Diploma and Bachelor’s degree from Peabody and finally a Master’s degree from Yale. His skills have also earned special recognition by the USCIS; Mr. Liberzon was granted Alien of Extraordinary Ability United States Permanent Residency based on his achievements in the music field. In addition to arrangements and transcriptions, his expertise has also been called on to judge competitions in the United States, most notably the Beatty Music Competition for the Classical Guitar in Washington D.C.​

STAGE REPUBLIC

When Dutch recording artist and actor Corjan de Raaf (Raven) founded Stage Republic at the end of 2013, he had no idea things would take off as they did. "Firstage", the debut album produced 3 singles that made it into the Dutch national indie chart, with "All Out" topping the list on #1. Outside the home country of the Netherlands "Firstage" was playlisted at over 200 US College Radio Stations and became a pop hit in South-Korea. A double IMEA Award nomination (Best Alternative Album & Best Alternative Group) became the icing on the cake.

The 2nd half year of 2014 saw the release of "Seconder" the EP with another charting single for the band in "Us Against The Rest". After that it was time to start working on new material. The song "Big Blue River", nominated for this year's IMEA "Best Pop Song" category, had all the elements of a clear new direction for the band. Where "Firstage" was centered around Raven's mantra of "refuse to think it's hard", in the new material the artist explores what is happening to us and how that affects our lives. The phrase "Had to drown to come clean" from the nominated song sums that up nicely. Still, the trademark Stage Republic messages of hope and perseverance are always there as are the electro-pop 80s roots, be it less dominant than before.

Stage Republic frontman Raven will be one of the proud presenters of this year's award ceremony.

BLACK JEWELZ

Black Jewelz latest video "#100 BARZ" was released September 7, 2015. The video "#100 BARZ" provides the audience with exceptional imagery coupled with raw lyricism. This follow-up to "The D" is the second video from the "illethal" Mixed tape.

THE MAJOLLY PROJECT

Based in Bangalore, India, The Majolly Project has already proved their mettle by winning ‘Best Emerging Artist’ and ‘Best Song’ for their debut single "Dark Room" at the Global Music Awards. This single is also currently nominated as Rock Song of the Year at IMEA presently.

A young band (founded in September 2014), concert pianist, teacher, singer and choir director Neecia Majolly is the frontswoman/songwriter/arranger, with Anish Thomas Panikkar (keyboards/arranger) and Ashwin Shekhar (drums/percussion). Coming from different musical backgrounds ranging from Western Classical to Electronic to Indian Classical to Progressive Rock, The Majolly Project has just released their explosive second single Whitebone showcasing their unique sound which they call CEPR (Classical/Electronic/Progressive Rock) based on the disturbing issue of ivory poaching.

The Majolly Project can be found on facebook, twitter, youtube and reverbnation. Both singles are on sale on www.cdbaby.com.

DYLAN GALVIN

After a very productive trip to LA, I will be collaborating with producer Matt Champlin, who won a grammy for his work on the new Sam Smith album. 

I will be having an album release party with my other project, Iz'em, a polyrhtymic, textural, modern rock group, in D.C. at the Velvet Lounge on U-Street October 9th.  Baltimore's 98 Rock will be broadcasting the entire show live to listeners.  The photo attached of our band was taken by the phenomenal Richie Downs, I highly recommend him to any musicians looking for a high quality photographer on a budget.

Also I'm working on some new music, including some finger tapping techniques and beatboxing that my audiences are really loving. 

I hope this puts you in a trance. #dubstep #beatboxer pic.twitter.com/xR9JyTHb8m

— Dylan Galvin (@DylanGalvin) September 24, 2015

You can stay up to date with me at www.dylangalvin.com.

FIND IMEA ONLINE...

www.Facebook.com/IMEAOnline

www.Twitter.com/IMEAOnline

www.Facebook.com/IMEAAwards

www.Twitter.com/IMEAAwards

CONTACT US

info@IMEAOnline.com

I hope you enjoyed this latest artist, contest and IMEA update! 

Thanks and have a great Fall!

DeDe J

http://www.DeDe-Music.com

http://www.Facebook.com/DeDeWedekind

https://twitter.com/dedewmusic

http://www.youtube.com/1dwedekind

Some upcoming shows and my music...DeDe

Hi there,

For the past several months, I've been working on my new album with 9 original songs, and set to record next week...to be released in early Fall 2015.

I realized some of you haven't heard my music yet, so here's my link:

DeDe on Reverbnation.com

And here's my upcoming show/tour schedule (more shows coming soon!):

DeDe's Official Website-Shows

Thanks so much for being my fan, listening and sharing my music!

DeDe :)

Are you a Music Genre Hopper?

Okay, so many of you are asking yourselves, "Am I a Genre Hopper?" Or maybe you're asking, "What is a Genre Hopper?"  Well, in music a genre is a style or certain type of sound of music. Each song technically can be classified as falling generally within a certain musical genre, such as jazz, pop, rock, classical, country, blues, etc. Most songs fall within one type of music genre, but certain songs can be considered belonging in two or more genres such as Latin & Jazz (Latin Jazz); or Pop, Singer/Songwriter & Country, (Alternative pop-country) etc.  A genre hopper is someone who loves so many genres, that they can't seem to focus on which 1 or 2 genres they prefer to write/sing/listen to.

Here's a great article if you're a musician (or just a music lover), that talks about why genre is so important to music listeners and to music creators/performers. If you're like me (and most people), you probably like and listen to many different genres of music.  For example, I like most pop and adult contemporary, some classic rock, some folk or singer/songwriter, some country, some smooth jazz, many jazz standards, and some motown and blues. I also listen to 80s & 90's pop music since I'm sort of a product of those generations. However some people only like one or two genres: I know a few folks who only listen to or write classical music. I also have friends who only like Christian music or who only listen to and write country music.

Genre hopping can create a certain amount of excitement for many listeners and especially for singer/songwriters, (and yes, I admit that there are times and albums where I've been accused of being quite the "genre hopper.") This is all fine and dandy if you like variety when listening to music for your own enjoyment, however, if you're a singer/songwriter like me, it's a good thing to narrow your sound down a bit more (to one or two genres max), so that you and your sound are unique and easily "recognizable" by listeners.

Think about Dolly Parton, do you ever hear her and confuse her with another singer?  How about Cher? I didn't think so. That's because these talented pros have learned how to maximize and focus their sound, thus creating a following with their own personal musical style.  I hope you enjoy this great article about genre hopping from Cari Cole...

Commitment vs. Genre Hopping: Why You’re Genre Hopping and You Need to Stop

April 22, 2015

by Cari Cole

If you’re like most artists you hate being put in a “box” and you despise labels. I get it. It’s natural, especially when your brain is wired to explore and create like a mad scientist!

Exploring and experimenting are good, just not on your album.

But truth is, unless you jump the proverbial “fence” and cross the line into marketability, you risk wasting all of your hard earned money and time on a record that hears nothing but crickets.

That said, why is it so hard to commit to a sound, style. Like I said, who likes being boxed in?

Here are 5 reasons why it’s hard to commit to a genre: 

(See if you find yourself in one of these scenarios below)

1.   Commitment phobic

If I commit to a genre then I might be stuck with it forever. What if I commit and everyone loves it and then I am stuck with it for my career. I hear about other artists who try to jump genre after they are established unsuccessfully.

2.   There’s so much more to me than just one genre

You find yourself having trouble committing because you like a LOT of different kinds of music and you like to sing/play in several genres. Choosing one (or two) is like parting with your arm.

3.   Your creative brain hates being limited

That’s okay, you’re supposed to be ridiculously creative with thousands of ideas, you just need to herd them into one corral.

4.   Something else always catches your ear

You find yourself never being able to nail your “sound” and are easily distracted with the latest trends or stay stuck in the past. Yup, as a creative music brain this is always going to happen. Stay current, but see this as being “inspired” and don’t jump genres. It’s GOOD to listen outside your genre and weave in threads of other influences. That’s what great music is all about.

Three Techniques for Honing Your Genre Commitment Skills  

Genre is there for a reason. Don’t think of it as a box, think of it as a definition tool. The closer you get to defining your sound, the easier it is for people to identify with you and make bonds. That’s what you want – right? Here’s 3 ways to help you hone your genre commitment skills and help you own your domain in music ….

1.   Pretend You are Your Own Manager

Pretend that you are your manager. A manager will have more objectivity about what you sound like vs. what kind of music you like. You can like a lot of different music, but you can’t play it all on your record and be successful with your career.

2.   Play “Match My Genre”

Match your genre with the kind of music you play when no one’s looking.  It might be a few things. Write it down.  Spend a whole month or two doing this exercise. Then review the results. You might be surprised at what you think you like. And you might be twisting your music to be “commercial” or what you think the industry likes vs. who you really are.

3.   Try a Genre Mashup

This one is fun ;). Mix 2 or 3 genres to come up with a fresh spin on what you’re offering. You might land on something new that strikes a chord, or be careful because you might end up too far left of center. Keep tweaking until you arrive at something that’s in the ballpark and that sounds  totally YOU.

Here are some genre lists and maps to have fun with!

http://www.musicgenreslist.com/

Light Reading about Copyrights from ASCAP

Hi there,

I wanted to fill you in on some music news, but be warned. This is a very meaty article lots of fancy terms and such about the wonderful world of music copyrights (and other copyrights).  I got it from an ASCAP email I received, and thought some of you who are musicians or music supporters would want to read what's happening in the big world of music copyrights. These are some thoughts supporting artists and artists rights (which as an artist and songwriter, I also support!), which are being debated now in the US and elsewhere around the world since the advent of the internet and free downloads, music streaming, etc.

http://illusionofmore.com/copyright-critics-dont-get-artists/


Anyways, enjoy this "light" reading!
Musically yours,
DeDe :)
www.DeDe-Music.com
www.facebook.com/DeDeWedekind
www.youtube.com/1dwedekind

The Music (Ministry) Business: What Labels Are Looking For

A great post from my friend, Eric Copeland, producer extraordinaire and CEO/Owner of Creative Soul Records up in Nashville.
-DeDe :)

(Okay, so this is about the music biz, but is also applicable to a lot of other opportunities/relationships in life...)

The Music (Ministry) Business: What Labels Are Looking For: "A work of art is the unique result of a unique temperament." - Oscar Wilde So as a Christian artist, you perhaps may thi...

How to Make a Cool (Cheap or FREE Music) Video!

Hi there Friends, Musicians, and Assorted Countrymen (and women!),

Well, now that I sort of have your attention once again, here's some loving advice from a good friend regarding making music videos, or any videos really.  This falls into that new category that I call: TRUE THAT.  You NEED to be on YouTube if you are a musician or songwriter. Period. Yes, ahem I'll say it again: "True That".  If you are not on YouTube you will fall by the wayside if you're trying to promote yourself, your music or a song, etc. Long gone are the days when you could avoid Social Media like the plague and still make it or try to make it (well, you can still TRY...)

You can even do fun lifestyle-type videos for your fans (or even your family & friends), or one to promote a new business or something, but whatever you do, be sure that you make them look and sound as professional as possible. And, there's no need to spend megabucks on them right now. That is, unless you are a super-mega watt superstar raking in the cash-ola, and in that case you should be making them really really professionally (read: totally expensive!), or you may just look cheap.

DeDe :)  www.youtube.com/1dwedekind       www.DeDe-Music.com
Personal Disclaimer: If you look at my vids, some of them are professional like "One Child" and "The Fairy Tale Song", and some are more, shall we say, amateur. But I TRIED to only post ones that I thought had interesting content, and good sound/video, but this isn't always the case! :)

Written by: Gregory Douglass

So many bands and musicians have had success through viral music video outlets like Youtube. The demand for video is only increasing so it’s time for you to get in on the action. Youtube is still the second largest search engine in the world, and in case you forgot, that’s how Justin Bieber was discovered (how could you forget?) You could easily spend thousands of dollars on a sharp looking, professionally-produced music video – but if you’re just getting started, you probably can’t afford that. That’s no excuse for bypassing music videos altogether though. As a musician, you can’t afford not to have them these days, so here are six steps on how to make a music video on your own for free for those of you who are brand new to the world video:

1. Choose your strongest song. Assuming that you’re a recording artist, you probably have a least a handful of brilliant songs already recorded that you can choose from. Be sure to pick your strongest song, but don’t just take your own word for it – get some second opinions! Chances are, your favorite song isn’t necessarily your strongest song – at least not according to everyone else. Ask your fans, friends, and family what they think is your strongest – then do yourself a favor and take their word for it. This should set the stage for more consistent results from the music video you’re about to make. Understand that your music video will be an incredibly powerful promotional vehicle for whatever song you choose, so make it a strong one!

2. Choose your video equipment. Assuming that you already have a laptop, computer, smartphone, tablet, or camera with video capabilities – you’ll have plenty of equipment options to choose from. If you don’t have access to any of these devices, you probably have a friend who would be kind enough to let you borrow something. All of these devices come with some sort of internal camera and video recording capability, so choose whatever works for you. Since you’re making a music video, the audio component of whatever device you choose won’t matter because you’re eventually going to replace the audio with the pre-recorded audio of your strongest song. I use a Canon Vixia consumer camcorder myself – which is HD quality for a reasonable price – but you can use your shiny new iPhone 5, MacBook Pro, or something as affordable and easy to use as a Flip MinoHD Camera.

3. Create your concept. What kind of imagery comes to mind from the song you’ve selected? What kind of music video do you want to create? For example, you can choose to create a more traditional, story-driven music video, or a live performance-style music video. With a story-driven music video, you might consider doing some acting or filming various places, people, things, or circumstances that support your storyline or imagery. Get creative here and make the most out of what you have to work with already. Is there anything just lying around the house that you can incorporate? Include footage of you lip-syncing a performance, lip-syncing a studio recording session, or capture footage your band performing the song. This will also work exclusively for a live performance-style music video, and you’ll be better off lip-syncing to your pre-recorded song verses singing it live for sake of better audio quality.

4. Choose your locations. Keep it simple and stick to 1-3 locations for your music video. They can be anywhere that supports your storyline or imagery – even three different rooms in the same house works. Is your song dark and brooding? Consider darker locations with softer lighting. Is your song happy and inspiring? Consider brighter locations with wide, open spaces. Shooting outside during the day always offers ample lighting, and cloudy days are particularly helpful in regulating the light because clouds act as natural light diffusers – so long as it’s not raining on your video equipment! If you want more indoor lighting regulation, be sure to have some good lighting options on hand – such as strong overhead lights with dimmers or spotlight lamps – and experiment with each lighting source.

5. Shoot your video. Experiment with various camera angles and positions before you start recording full takes. You might discover you have a more visually striking side or angle, and you might discover the same about your location. Once you’re ready to press record, plan to perform or lip-sync to your song 2-4 times, and aim for 2-4 takes for everything you decide to film as a general rule of thumb. This will give you more than one option for every point in the song, just in case you had something between your teeth during the first take. Nothing is more discouraging than putting the time and effort into filming just to realize you have to do it all over again, so always create options! This rule of thumb is particularly helpful when you’re filming yourself because no one will be behind the camera to keep an eye on things while the camera is rolling. Consider various different angles for each take so your options are diverse when it comes time to edit. Different angles might include a wide shot, a waist shot, a close-up shot, and a handheld shot.

6. Edit your video. Editing your own music video can be as much fun as creating a concept and shooting your music video, so don’t be afraid to learn. It’s exciting to bring your footage to life, and it requires more of your own creativity. There are some powerful video editing software options available for premium prices – such as Final Cut and Adobe Premiere – but since we’re talking about making a music video for free, lets take a loot at the freemium alternatives. If you have a computer, you should already have access to free video editing software that is easy to use and simple to figure out on your own. If you’re on a mac for example, you should already have iMovie, and Windows Movie Maker for PC.Youtube even has its own built-in video editing application, though I can’t say I’ve tried it yet. Whatever software you use should have the option to eventually mute or disable the audio from your video footage once you import/upload it into a new project. You might want to keep it enabled until you’re finished editing though, as it will be a necessary point of reference for the song as you extract each clip you want to use to lay over the recording of your song. Once a clip is added to your video timeline and matched up correctly to the appropriate section of your recorded song, you can then disable the video clip’s audio channel. Get creative and play around with all the different takes and angles you’ve captured until you have built a completed music video that you’re happy with, free of charge!