Shawn Thomas on iMuzic.com
Since the release of his first album "Come My Way" in 1993, Shawn Thomas has proven himself one of the most diligent and persistent performers and recording artists. Pursuing his talents in many directions including songwriting, producing, musical theater, dance and choreography, choral direction, and voice instruction, Shawn Thomas emerges not only as a
competent performer and singer, but as a dynamic and versatile entertainer.
After a decade of resisting the encouragement of others to incorporate his faith into his music, in 2003 Shawn released his first "spiritual" project, "Everything I Am". This began a completely unplanned journey for Shawn into music ministry, and over the past four and a half years has introduced him to a way of worship through music he previously thought impossible. "I was afraid to sing
religious music, because I didn't think I would be allowed to do the kind of music that I enjoy. I grew up being exposed only to traditional hymns and classically based music in church, so I didn't think of contemporary music as something that could be used in worship and praise." Now, in a world now saturated with American Idols and Star Search moments, Shawn Thomas brings to the world of
music a truth beyond reality programming. With his dramatic new CD release, "Faith Unashamed", Shawn portrays an array of emotion and thought with the artistic delivery for which he is known, combined with a more deliberate message of spirituality and love. In this wide-ranging 23 track CD, his songwriting, performance, and production techniques are showcased in a variety of style and mood,
framed with dramatic skits and edgy lyrics, all with the intention of reflecting God's grace.
Released on his own label, Aaron's Rainbow Project, "Faith Unashamed" is the follow-up album to Shawn's previous CD, "ChangeD", which was nominated for a 2006 OutMusic Award for "Outstanding New Inspirational Recording". Shawn also received Stonewall Society's "Dance Award for Pride in the Arts" for the number one single "The Beat of the Lord" and was voted Indie-Music's "Best Songwriter
for 2004" after the release of his first Spiritual/Christian Music CD, "Everything I Am". Shawn's first CD project as an "out" (openly gay) artist was released in 1999. "Out in This World" peaked at number one twice, and hit number 7 for the Top 50 albums of 2000 on OutVoice.com.
With the energy and drive of singles such as the title track and "Kickin' Back", and the power and emotion of "The Human Part of Me" and "Where I Am", Shawn delivers his newest music with new found purpose and meaning, as he expresses to the world, to the Universe, and to God, "Faith Unashamed."
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Jacob Blue " Consists of Four Men dedicated to spreading God's message of hope and salvation
through their own unique sound.
Jacob Blue has a knack for creating never before heard melodies. It has always been vital to them not to absorb themselves into other's music, therefore producing a copycat sound. They like being fresh, new, and original. Their style has been influenced by 60's style artists such as Bob Dylan, southern gospel style music, 70s and 80s style rock, and country music.
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Record Label Alternative for Christian Indie Artists
LINCOLN, NEBRASKA. - November 29, 2007.
McConnell Entertainment has been concurrently developing two new music sites that aim to change the way Christian music is commercialized. These disruptive companies are HookUps and MusicStir.com, a duo that is catching the eye of many music industry veterans in Nashville and beyond.
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CDDVD Now! offers Flexible Thin DVD Disc Replication and Premastering Services
CDDVD Now! adds to their suite of products and services by announcing their Flexible DVD Disc production. These 4.7Gb discs are thin and flexible to make their way through the high speed conveyors and rollers in the United States Post Office's automated mailing centers without cracking or breaking and are ideal for direct mail, magazines or packaged applications.
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Independent Musicians Discover the Secret to Success
Seattle, WA – There are over 203,000 independent musicians in the US alone, according to the most recent census. And these are just the ones who officially claim to make a living at it.
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CDDVD Now! and Indie Artists Alliance partner with Fanbridge
"As a provider of services for musicians and business, we know the advantages of staying connected with customers through e-mail while developing our brand and community" states CDDVD Now!/Indie Artists Alliance founder Phil Peretz. "Offering the FanBridge service to our clients will allow artists to effectively stay connected and to manage their lists easily and
affordably."
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Information about Barcodes for CDs and DVDs
This article is provided by CDDVD Now! and Indie Artists Alliance.
Why do I need a barcode?
If you are going to sell your CD in stores, through CD Baby, want it to look "Retail Ready" or want it tracked by Nielsen SoundScan, you need a barcode. If you are sending out promo CDs or are just selling your CD at shows, you don't
really need one.
What is a barcode?
According to Wikipedia (Open Source Encyclopedia - used by permission) the definition of a barcode is:
a machine-readable (uses dark ink on white substrate to create high and low reflectance which is converted to 1's and 0's) representation of information in a visual format on a surface. Originally barcodes stored data in the widths and spacings of printed parallel lines, but today they also come in patterns of dots, concentric circles, and hidden within images. Barcodes can be read by
optical scanners called barcode readers or scanned from an image by special software. Barcodes are widely used to implement Auto ID Data Capture (AIDC) systems that improve the speed and accuracy of computer data entry. http://www.wikipedia.com
Where can I get one?
GS1 (formerly The Uniform Code Council) dispenses all UPC bar codes.
http://www.gs1.org/
Indie Artists Alliance: http://www.indieartistsalliance.com/barcode/barcode.htm
CDDVD Now (when you produce your CD) http://www.cddvdnow.com How much do they cost?
If you subscribe directly to the GS1, the base cost is $750.00 plus a yearly renewal fee.
If you register with Indie Artists Alliance, you can register your project for $9.95 and receive your UPC barcode via e-mail (www.indieartistsalliance.com)
If you have CDDVD Now produce your CD/DVD, they provide a barcode for free.
What is Soundscan?
http://www.nielsenrei.com/
Nielsen SoundScan is an information system that tracks sales of music and music video products throughout the United States and Canada. Sales data from point-of-sale cash registers is collected weekly from over 14,000 retail, mass merchant and non-traditional (on-line stores, venues, etc.) outlets. Weekly data is compiled and made available every Wednesday. Nielsen SoundScan is the sales
source for the Billboard music charts.
SoundScan is only able to track those CDs that have a UPC bar code.
Because of CDDVD Now's affiliation with Independent Artists Alliance, CDDVD Now's customers get a free UPC code when they produce their CD with us. This is potentially a savings of $750.00.
Registering your CD
Once you get your barcode from CDDVD Now/Indie Artists Alliance or directly from GS1(formerly the Uniform Code Council), you will need to register your product SoundScan. Download and fill out the SoundScan Title Addition Sheet:
Download U.S. Word version
Download U.S. pdf version
Download
Canada Word version
Download Canada pdf version
The Title Addition Sheet can be submitted to the Soundscan Database Department by email at dbase@soundscan.com Once a title is submitted to SoundScan, it can take up to 10-15 business days for it to be entered into the system. Once entered, the title has the ability to be tracked by SoundScan. Note: In
order to find out if a title is already registered with SoundScan, you may contact Client Services by email at clientservices@soundscan.com (If emailed please include the full UPC code), or call us at (914) 684-5525.For further questions visit the SounScan website at http://www.soundscan.com
What is BDS?
http://www.nielsenrei.com/
Nielsen Broadcast Data Systems is the world's leading provider of airplay tracking for the entertainment industry. Employing a patented digital pattern recognition technology, Nielsen BDS captures in excess of 100 million song detections annually on more than 1,600 radio stations, satellite radio and cable music channels in over 140 markets in the U.S. (including Puerto Rico)
and 30 Canadian markets.
Radio formats monitored include Adult Alternative, Adult Contemporary, Album Rock, Classic Rock, Contemporary Christian, Country, Modern Rock, Oldies, R&B (including Rap and Hip Hop), Spanish (including Latin Contemporary, Regional Mexican and Tropical Salsa), and Top 40. Additionally, Nielsen BDS monitors 12 U.S. Music Video Channels and 9 Canadian Video Channels. Executives from all
facets of record companies, radio stations, publishing firms, performance rights organizations, music retailers, independent promoters, film and TV, and artist management are among those who query more than 10,000 reports daily from Nielsen BDS products - ENcore, BDSRadio.com, BDSexpress.com and BDS RealTime. Nielsen BDS information is utilized exclusively by Billboard, R&R (Radio &
Records) and the Canadian Music Network in determining their radio airplay music charts. Nielsen BDS announces Virtual Encode! Now you can submit your CD's and MP3's, free of charge, electronically through our secure Virtual Encode website. To submit your music via Virtual Encode:
Send an email with "Virtual Encode" as the subject to our Client Services Department at clientservices@bdsonline.com for a username and password. When submitting your request, PLEASE include the following information in the body of your email: Your Full Name
Company or Label Name
Contact Number
Primary Email Address
Any Additional Contact Information
You will receive login information and instructions for the Virtual Encode website, via e-mail..
To submit your music by mail
visit http://www.bdsonline.com/submit.html
VideoScan
VideoScan and ACNielsen (a partnership since January 2000, and sister companies under the VNU banner since 2001) seamlessly integrate point-of-sale (POS) data collected by both companies to provide a comprehensive view of the VHS and DVD sell-through business. VideoScan, a leader in video market research since 1993, manages the business on behalf of the partnership. With its strong history
and relationships with studios and electronic/specialty retailers, VideoScan provides industry-wide expertise and perspective. ACNielsen, the leader in data services to the consumer packaged goods industry, brings its powerful analytic capabilities and broad coverage of the discount mass, grocery and drug retailers to the partnership. Together, VideoScan and ACNielsen are the acknowledged
leader in consumer research for the VHS and DVD sell-through industry. The partnership between VideoScan and ACNielsen is known as Nielsen VideoScan. Sell-through POS (consumer purchase) sales data are collected weekly from traditional channels of video distribution including mass merchants, audio/video and video specialty retailers, electronics outlets, grocery stores, drug stores, and
some Internet sites. Nielsen VideoScan maintains this weekly POS data in one of the largest databases of VHS and DVD products in the country. Data is collected on more than 40,000 VHS items and 12,000 DVD items. Virtually every UPC code in sell-through release since 1993 can be found in our extensive database. Complete sales data in all retail channels are available as far back as January
1999 (however Wal*Mart data is included only through 7/28/01). Prior to January 1999, limited information is available in most channels going back to 1993. Nielsen VideoScan's VHS and DVD sell-through data are made available through the Nielsen VideoScan web site and the ACNielsen NITRO data delivery system. Some of the types of reports we have available: Title Reports with sales for each
title categorized nationally, regionally (by DMA) and by retail channel.
Sales History Reports providing week-by-week title sales since 1999 or release date (if later).
Summary Reports providing industry overviews comparing sales from previous years as well as weekly comparisons to the prior year.
Market Share Reports giving annual and weekly market shares by distributor/label.
Top 100 Charts for numerous categories rank the top titles by unit sales. Charts are available for the current week's sales or for cumulative year-to-date sales. Prior year-end charts are also available. Chart categories include distributors and selected genres.
While most of their clients choose annual subscriptions, they also work with customers on a project-by-project basis. They can handle everything from sophisticated marketing and sales research and planning to simple one title sales ad-hoc requests. Nielsen VideoScan's VHS and DVD sales charts are currently published in Billboard, The Hollywood Reporter, Video Store Magazine, The Los Angeles
Times, The New York Times and others.
For more information contact: http://www.videoscan.com/contact.html
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Singing Wolf Records This'n'That and Georgia Notes
Cartersville, GA - November 15, 2007 - Tomorrow night, Friday, November 16th, Arvel Bird and One Nation are appearing at the Grand Theater in Cartersville. This is the only time this year the band will be in Georgia. Don't miss it! Check with the Booth Museum, co-sponsor of the concert, for ticket availability. Or you can take your chances at the door. (770) 387-1300. Regalia dancers,
refreshments, CDs and face time with the band. Concert begins at 7:00pm. Channel 11 - 11 Alive - "Wes" Side Story Arvel had an amazing interview today at the incredible Booth Museum amongst the new Indian art and artifacts exhibit with Channel 11 News Anchor Wes Sarginson. You can view the segment which aired on Thursday night's 6pm news Wes Side Story. NPR Interview - WABE, 90.1FM
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The Satellite Nation releases New Record
Hailing from the stunning beaches of the Central Coast, just out of Sydney, Australia, The Satellite Nation consists of childhood friends; dynamic frontman Adam Byrne, Grant Matzen on bass, Glenn Fraser and Daniel Aird, both on guitar and Brendon Williams on drums.
The Satellite Nation has had a dream start to their music careers. In just over 3 years, they have released two EP's Hopelicity and Wake The Silent Day as well as their debut album Innocence Is Running Out, all to critical acclaim and commercial success. They have toured Australia extensively, building a killer live show and a solid, loyal
fan base. They have received high rotation on radio and won numerous awards, guaranteeing their place in the Australian Music Scene.
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Spring Equinox Concert and Ritual - One Soul Sounding
Resonate With The Soul and A Healing Among Nations (a 501c3 non-profit) present:
Spring Equinox Concert and Ritual - One Soul Sounding
featuring vocalists Linda Tillery, Evelie Delfino Såles Posch, Lisa Rafel, and Eda Maxym, with Stephen Kent, Gary Malkin, Tim Rayborn, Kris Yenney, Arisika Razak, and Luisah Teish
Saturday, March 15, 2008
7:30 PM at Lake Merritt United Methodist Church - 1330 Lakeshore, Oakland, CA 94606$24/$15 students and seniors - wheelchair accessible For information and tickets: go to www.lisarafel.com or call 510-654-3234
One Soul Sounding is back again this year for another transformative night of singing, story-telling, dance and audience participation in celebration of the Spring Equinox. Last year, the sold out audience departed the concert so happy, openhearted and feeling interconnected, it inspired all of the performers to return again this
year.
One Soul Sounding was created out of a desire to encourage a shared experience of cross-cultural community. Because of its success, Lisa Rafel has committed to producing the concert as an annual event. Even in an urban environment, when we participate in the seasonal changes of the earth, and reconnect with our own natural
rhythms through song and ritual, we can experience a sense of meaningful renewal and joy. For this one night, ten world-class musicians form an ensemble.
Through music, story telling, and ritual, the performers play with and for each other, becoming a community onstage and supporting each other seamlessly throughout the evening. The audience becomes an integral part of the evening as they join in to sing-a–long and become a part of the non-denominational ritual that celebrates the Spring Equinox, new beginnings,
and re-birth. The Equinox is the only time when the whole world is in balance, which makes it a perfect setting for a cross-cultural community celebration.
One Soul Sounding is a rare opportunity to enjoy the talents of these extraordinary musicians and performers in one place. Vocalists Linda Tillery, Evelie Delfino Såles Posch, Eda Maxym and overtone chantress Lisa Rafel join didgeridoo wizard Stephen Kent, pianist and award winning composer and performer Gary Malkin, world-music virtuoso Tim Rayborn, cellist
Kris Yenney, dancer Arisika Razak, and master story-teller Luisah Teish to create one power-packed, lively event. Collectively, they blend the diverse cultures of Africa, Europe, the Middle East, Australia, Mongolia, the Philippines, England, and America.
This concert is co-sponsored by the Holistic Health Departments of San Francisco State University and JFK University, and the Women’s Spirituality Dept and Holistic Studies Program of the California Institute of Integral Studies.
For more information, music, photos or interviews, please contact: Susan Haim: staff@lisarafel.com or 510-654-3234 Pictures and more information available at www.lisarafel.com
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