Nationwide Exposure on XM Radio

by Chris Wright
(freelance writer and composer - cwdirect@juno.com)

In case you're wondering why you're starting to see blue shark-finned antennas on cars, they signal OPPORTUNITY for unsigned bands and independent musicians. The antennas are for XM Satellite Radio's 100 channels of adventurous CD-quality music and news, with few or no commercial interruptions beamed to paying subscribers all across the country.

Washington, DC-based XM Satellite Radio, one of the two companies in the market, has signed up 136,500 subscribers in its first 8 months of national operation. XM devotes an entire 24-hour channel to emerging artists, and Program Director Billy Zero wants to hear from YOU.

Billy was instrumental in starting live music broadcasts from the studios at WHFS-FM. His new job at XM is like a dream come true. Not only is the building filled with cool equipment like digital music servers and parabolic speakers, he gets to spend most of his time `going where no one has gone before, exploring new CD's he receives from undiscovered talent. He still gets chills when he discovers something great. "I'm transported," he says.

And this means any kind of music; his own music collection includes, Yes,Yanni, Elton John and Johann Sebastian Bach. "Commercial radio has done listeners a disservice by only playing a tiny sliver of the music that's available," Billy said. Billy and the channel's Artistic Director Pat DiNizio (of the Smithereens) pride themselves on having open minds and giving the music a chance regardless of genre, instead of just sticking to what they already know and like.

XM Unsigned flows from one genre to the next, recapturing the spirit, excitement and variety of Top 40 radio and progressive FM.. You will hear rock & roll followed by alt-country, hip-hop, nuevo flamenco (Luna Loca from L.A.), blues, bluegrass, electronica and adult contemporary.

XM Unsigned has played 800 bands and emerging artists since its start. Billy expects Space Race, a band that got a break on Unsigned, to ink a record deal soon.

When a song is accepted, it goes into rotation and is played about 15 times a week for a couple of months - more if the staff really likes the song and less if the staff accepts more than one song from the same band. Some songs cross over to other XM channels. Stink Bug, from Dallas, is now played on XM's Liquid Metal channel.

There is also a website (http://unsigned.xmradio.com) with a calendar of events and links to 400 bands that have gotten airtime on XM Unsigned. Soon, by popular demand, the site will stream recorded on-air interviews.

On just about any evening, the D.J. will ask the artist or band being interviewed to play something. XM also has multiple studios for live performances. The largest studio cost $2 million to build, features a Sony Oxford 96-channel mixing console, and can accommodate a 40-piece orchestra. XM Unsigned has already broadcast 80 live performances from its studios. DC-area band Lake Trout performed three songs live and was reviewed in Blender magazine.

If you want to get your music played on XM Unsigned, here's what Billy advises:

• Send your music on CD, not .mp3, email attachment or any other format. CD singles (two copies, please) are appreciated.
• Be sure to include a way for Billy to get in touch with you. Billy has had submissions with bad email addresses and no other way to contact the band.
• Attractive packaging helps. Include a press kit or at least a play list. Billy can't help but judge a book by its cover. He figures the music must be about the same quality as the presentation, so think twice before you just mark up your CD with a Sharpie and send it in with no track listing.
• Billy gets 25 packages a day. Because he personally opens each package and listens to anything that goes on the air, he has quite a backlog. He says, though, that persistence is the key.
• Call him to follow up if you haven't heard anything in 90 days. If he asks you to call again in 30 more days, stick with it.
• You don't have to offer him money or a night on the town (which has actually happened). There is no cost.
• Vocals get priority over instrumentals.
• Cover songs are favored, especially if they give the original work a fresh treatment. Billy figures they are a good hook. Listeners will be attracted by something that sounds familiar but different, and will stay on the channel to find out what else is happening.
• BMI/ASCAP/SESAC artists will be paid royalties (the arrangements are being worked out now).
• Billy gives priority to touring bands - serious musicians who are working at it full- time and trying to make a living from their music. People sitting at home creating MIDI files in their spare time are less likely to make it, Billy said.
• Hip-hop gets played, but in this genre Billy is looking for something out of the ordinary - tracks that are uplifting and positive with intelligent lyrics.

Billy emphasizes that these are guidelines, not hard and fast rules. In the end, it's all about the music and finding people who are passionate about what they do.

Submit your music to:
Billy Zero, Program Director
XM Satellite Radio
ATTN: XM Unsigned
1500 Eckington Place, NE
Washington, DC 20002

Workshops, Conferences, Seminars, Grants

East Coast Jazz Festival

The 12th Annual FMJS East Coast Jazz Festival will take place February 12 at Bethesda's Walter Johnson High School and February 13-16 at the Double Tree Hotel Rockville. The festival includes 23 main stage ticketed events, 86 free and open to the public events, and 40 vendors and exhibitors. More information is available at fmjseastcoastjazz.com.

Folk Alliance Conference

The 15th Annual International Folk Alliance Conference takes place in Nashville, Tennessee, February 6-9, 2003. The conference includes a reception on Friday, February 6, at the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum. In addition, The Woody Guthrie 90th Year Celebration Concert will take place on Wednesday, February 5, at the historic Ryman Auditorium. More information is available at folk.org.

Just Plain DC Folks

Just Plain Folks (JPF), an international Internet community of songwriters, recording artists, music publishers, record labels and more, is forming a chapter in the Washington DC area, which will be headed by Carey Colvin. Since its beginning in 1998, with 50 members, the population has grown to over 19,000. JPF's purpose is to provide a networking environment for the benefit of all members and to share experiences, ideas and news. JPF also organizes annual road trips with shows featuring members in cities across the States and overseas. Those interested in participating in JPF can e-mail washingtondc@jpfolks.com or visit the website at www.jpfolks.com.

Guide to Grantmakers

The Foundation Center and the Washington Regional Association of Grantmakers announces the availability of the latest version of the Guide to Greater Washington DC Grantmakers on CD-ROM. The guide profiles more than 2,000 grantmakers in the DC region and funders from 36 different states that have an interest in DC area non-profits. The Guide is available for use at the Foundation Center Library (1627 K Street, 3rd floor) or may be purchased. Contact The Foundation Center for more information at (202) 331-1400.

Creative Capital

Creative Capital, a new national consortium made up of 23 foundations and individuals, was launched in January 1999. Its purpose is to fund individual artists whose work hold the potential to significantly impact arts and culture at the local, national or international level. For more information visit creative-capital.org.

New Book: Top Songwriters Share Secrets

American Songwriter Magazine and Heffernan Publishing's new book, Top Songwriters Share Secrets, is a collection of interviews with successful songwriters from all styles of music. Released simultaneously, Music Business Basics provides answers to many songwriting-related questions about the music industry. The books are $8 each plus $1 shipping and handling. For more info visit: www.AmericanSongwriter.com/books/books.html; or call 800-739-8712, or 615-321-6096.

Future of Music Coalition

The Future of Music Coalition is a not-for-profit collaboration between leading independent musicians and experts from the worlds of technology, public policy, and intellectual property law. The FMC seeks to educate the media, policymakers, and the public about music and technology issues, while also bringing together key stakeholders in an effort to come up with creative solutions to some of the challenges in this space. The FMC also aims to identify and promote innovative business models that will help independent musicians and the public benefit from new technologies. The project is made possible in part by a grant from the Center for the Public Domain.

ListPro.net

ListPro.net offers pre-configured databases designed exclusively for bands and performers, providing affordable information management solutions for mailing lists, web site management, street teams, band management and more. LostPro.net can also create and implement customized databases. More information is availabe online or by calling (540) 943-9797.

Recording Arts

Recently finished projects at Fairfax's Recording Arts studio include CDs by Nancy Dougherty, Viqui and Keith Dill (The Dill Pickers), A Month Of Sundays, Martini Red, 33 West, Andrew McKnight, Jennifer On Sunday, Donal Leace, Cletus Kennelly, Odd Box, and Ben Dixon. Artist projects currently underway include recordings by Michelle Swan, Amikaela Proudfoot Gaston, Gadget White, October Skies, Don Bridges, Virginia & the Blue Dots, The Furies, Janine Wilson, Mike Grebb, and Nikki Rouse. Projects scheduled to begin production this winter include recordings by Patty Reese, Carey Colvin, Esmirelda, and The Seductones. Fairfax-based musicians emmett swimming are also back at Recording Arts, working on a new CD that's slated for release at their New Year's Eve show at the 9:30 Club.

Omega Recording Studios

Omega Recording Studios reports that it recently recorded a pre-production soundtrack for the Turner major motion picture Gods and Generals, conducted by Omega's own Ed Petersen. JaRule recorded backing vocals at the studio for the upcoming release by Dreamworks recording artist Jerzey; Jarod Barnes, drummer for the Isley Brothers, produced a release for new artist Jemari; Lance Bass and Joey Fatone of N'Sync recorded vocals for Michael Jackson's What More Can I Give? project while in town for the United We Stand concert at RFK; and Davey Yarborough and students from the Duke Ellington School completed their New Washingtonians CD project. Also,WKYS hosted live mini-concerts in Omega's Studio A with artists Bilal and Brian McKnight; the World Children's Choir and Fairfax Symphony Orchestra recorded With One Dream, and a portion of this session was broadcast live on FOX5; and the National Wesleyan Choir and the Metropolitan Baptist Church continued work on their upcoming CD projects.

Bias Recording

Bias recently installed the Digidesign Pro Tools HD 24bit/192k hard disc recording system in Studio A. It serves as the companion piece to the Mark of the Unicorn Digital Performer 24bit/96Khz recording system in Studio B, which is also available in Studio A using the Pro Tools HD hardware. Bias is one of the first studios in the area to mix a High Definition/High Resolution audio format and does this using the Tascam DSD98 Direct Stream Digital Recorder. Working with Airshow Mastering Colorado, Bias offers mixing and mastering for SACD (Super Audio Compact Disc). Bias has also just added the Lexicon 960 24bit/96k digital reverb unit in Studio A.

Airshow Mastering

Airshow Mastering recently finished three titles from the Twin Cities-based Artegra Records, a new label specializing in high-resolution, surround-sound SACD titles. The two jazz discs, The Sound of Water by the Pete Whitman Quintet, and The Bridge by Chris Lomheim, plus Akta Spelman's Swedish Fiddle Music, were recently finished and mastered by David Glasser.

Sound Madness Recording Studio

A new recording studio is now open in the DC area. Sound Madness Recording Studio, located in Landover, MD, was designed by Richard Oliver Productions. Its two private studio suites offer analog and digital recordings with full automation and total recall. Providing recording, mixing and mastering services, the studio utilizes an SSL 4048E console, a Mackie D8B Console, Pro Tools, and more. To find out more, call 301-386-1923 or visit www.soundmadness.com.

It's never to late to say thank you. WAMA would like to thank all the volunteers who helped out at the 2002 Wammies. The success of the event was made possible by people such as yourselves who showed up and lent your time and efforts in any and every way possible. It's people such as yourselves who make our organization and our music community what it is. We appreciate all of your contributions. Chuck Moran, Dan Aylestock, and Wyatt Brown helped out with security and kept things tight and professional backstage. Anne Harrison did a great job in the hospitality suite and made sure all the performers were comfortable and properly looked after, and Carl Kress very capably made sure all the performers and presenters got checked in and situated as they arrived. Kevin Nordlie and Joe Devlin proved indispensable distributing awards stageside, and Kevin, as a regular WAMA volunteer, put in a lot of time at the office preparing tickets for will call in the days before the event. Charlene "Cha" Ross-Estes and Tina "Ms. Spice" Turner were fabulous in getting all the Wammies sponsors and patrons seated at their tables. Shelley Brown, Laurie Delk, Sherry Narodick, and Temika Moore represented WAMA up front and made sure everybody got a good first impression. Gordon White seemed to be doing a little bit of everything. Joel Pomerantz, Rick DeMarco, and Jim Halley made sure everybody got their programs, and Rex Lallmang, Pluto Cohn, Eric Meany, and Gary Knight also helped out up front taking tickets. In addition to all the contributions of volunteers at the Wammies, special thanks has to be given to the folks who came all the way out to the WAMA office and helped out the day of the event. Ruth Logsdon, Randy Ihara, Janine Wilson, and Paul Steinmetz were all invaluable in getting things like the scripts and the tickets organized. Steve Raborn for organizing the volunteers. Also, special recognition should be given to Carey Colvin, Granger Helvey and DJ Plaksin who took on the task of stage management after the stage manager became ill a half hour before the event. Colleen Shanley assembled and organized the awards - it's a huge job; which she has organized for many years. Without folks like you and the contributions you made that day, there would have been no Wammies for us to enjoy.