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Ghost Rider by Hartwig Koppdelaney

Hi, I hope you had some fun for Halloween. I always dress up and this year I was Palpatine, the Dark Emperor of the Galactic Empire (that’s a Star Wars thing). It turns out he can easily be mistaken for the Grim Reaper. Oh well.

Upcoming Online Radio Interview

I want to let you know that Christina L. Ibbotson, author of the novel “Love Amid Chaos.” will be interviewing me on her ChrisCross Radio show on on Saturday, Nov 21, at 7 pm EST. You can call in to chat with us too. I’ll send exact details out later. For now this is the link to her radio station:

http://www.blogtalkradio.com/ChristinaIbbotson

Royalty Free New Age Music Download

My last meditation instrumental music download “Autumn Boy” has surprisingly become my most downloaded song. That’s why the Internet is so interesting - I never would have guessed that. You can check it out, along with the instrumental version of last week’s “Dublin Forever” I just added on my home page.

I really enjoy creating and listening to chill out music with instruments from around the world that has a modern twist. So I set out to mix up some native vocal samples, the Indian tabla, Arabic santur (a stringed percussive instrument) and some electric guitar and world pop beats.

What came out reminded me of some of the cds from artists like Enigma so the best label I could put on this song is “New Age Music”. However, this is allot darker than more popular new age artists Yanni or Enya. I was recording this around Halloween so I was trying to come up with a scary haunting sound - that’s why I named this Riding the Banshee.

Instrumental Version: RidingTheBansheeInstrumental.mp3 - CC Licensed

New Age Music Free MP3 Download: RidingTheBanshee.mp3 - CC Licensed

Thanks to the podcast A Pagan in the Threshold for already playing Riding the Banshee.

Great New Free Sound Effects Library - FreeSFX.co.uk

The Webmasters over at FreeSFX.co.uk contacted me to see if I would upload my tracks to their new free creative commons sound effects library. They created a music tracks section just for my material, so I was happy to put all my instrumentals on their site. Many people have been discovering my music through FreeSFX so that’s awesome.

Check them out If you need MP3 files of any kind of audio sounds like machines, screams, dogs, computers, sci fi, bleeps, telephones, heartbeats or whatever else you could use for a movie or radio show. This is one of the most user friendly libraries I have come across.

A very special thank you to Hartwig Koppdelaney for the use of his creative commons photo Ghost Rider. His work is incredible - please take a look.

Peace,

Dan-O

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http://www.flickr.com/photos/sarahandiain / CC BY-ND 2.0

Hi! and I hope you are having a great week.

Autumn has arrived here in New York and the leaves are turning. This is my favorite time of year and the fall always comes as a quiet surprise.

I have been working on a drum and bass remix. I’m playing the music production DJ on this one by mixing dance loops and samples of some gritty reggae boy MCs.

This has a  techno feel in some sections and then gets atmospheric at some points in the track. I’ll add the instrumental version to my collections on the home page eventually:

Free Drum n Bass Vocal Sample MP3 Remix:

DublinForever.mp3 - CC Licensed - More

You have my permission to download and use this song for free and royalty free on YouTube, games, slideshows, photo galleries, Websites, etc.

Just check the creative commons music license out for details.

Flamenco Dancer by Wendy Starland

Pop Star and Starmaker Interviews

I really enjoy getting to know other artists and people in the music industry.

Recently I had the chance to connect with a real up an coming pop star - Universal Records Recording Artist Wendy Starland. Check out my interview with her, she has a really awe-inspiring international pop sound, and I could not help but be impressed that Donald Trump chose her to sing on the Apprentice.

I also got to ask the ever-elusive behind the scenes mega-star Music Manager Jason Davis, CEO of Fahrenheit Media Group about what it takes to match up talent like Kelly Clarkson and hit songwriter Jimmy Messer. In the interview Davis also talks about what he thinks about the current state of the music industry.

This was a rare chance for me to get the inside scoop about what is really going with the “music business” right now. Pretty cool.

Listening to Books and Thoughts

Virtual loot…virtual music…virtual me

I just finished listening to “Play Money: or, How I Quit My Day Job and Made Millions Trading Virtual Loot” by Julian Dibbell also a writer for Wired Magazine. This book is an in depth year long personal journal of how he became a trader of virtual gold and real estate in several massively multiplayer online role-playing games (MMORPG) like Second Life. During his best month he made over $4,000 in real U.S. dollars trading…nothing real at all. It’s true.

This book made me realize that everything we do online is really just a virtual representation of our actual selves and that even having some unreal fun - has real value. Some of the non-fictional characters in the book take the simple act of mining “virtual gold” with automated game characters called “bots” and develop an offline multi-million dollar business selling the virtual gold on eBay. Wow, and I thought I had heard it all.

Derek Sivers, Founder of CDBaby reminded me in his post Not happy with existing venues? Make a new one that my new exclusive largest venue for my music is no longer the local coffee shop, art gallery or open mic. It’s this Website and blog. So as of this month, one year after starting danosongs.com, the “virtual me” has touched at least 10,000 times more people all around the world than I did in 20 years of playing live. All this playing around online actually does have real value!

Why I am Pronoiad on my Birthday

First off, Pronoia is the not the same as “paranoid”.

This week my 3 year old son Kalen and I shared a birthday. I am not normally a fan of horoscopes but for those of you that know me, and listen to my lyrics, I still believe in things we can’t see. Could be God, ghosts, aliens, or other dimensions… I’m open.

That being said, Rob Brezsny is the one astrologer that just blows my mind with his horoscopes. You can check him out at Free Will Astrology.com.

Well Rob has a book called “PRONOIA Is the Antidote for Paranoia: How the Whole World Is Conspiring to Shower You with Blessings.” and it is every bit as challenging to the current workings of my mind as his horoscopes. I got the book for my birthday and this is my favorite quote:

1. If the game is rigged so you can’t win, find another game or invent your own.
2. If you’re not winning because you don’t know the rules, learn the rules.
3. If you know the rules but aren’t willing to follow them, there’s either something wrong with the game or you need to change something in yourself.
4. Don’t play the game in a half-baked way. Either get all the way in or all the way out.
5. It shouldn’t be necessary for others to lose in order for you to win. If others have to lose, re-evaluate the game’s goals.

- Garry Hamilton

Did that make you think? That quote immediately put a few areas of my life in check.

Podcast and YouTube Props

Here are a few choice YouTube videos and podcasts using my music this week.

Tales From the Old City - Machinima - View on YouTube - a dark professional animated love story.

An Empty Sun - Is Gravity being Induced? - View on YouTube - mad professor rethinks gravity!

DJ Alan Music Hare at BRCFP - Listen on Live365 - cool dude with great music taste found me on myspace.

Pirates Week Podcast - Listen at PiratesWeek.info (I love anything having to do with Pirates, plus they have a deadly hip looking site.)

This Weeks Creative Commons Photo

Kelburn Castle attributed to sarahandiain at Flickr

Why? I was looking for a Dublin or Irish castle with graffiti on it to go with the song name.

Peace,

Dan-O

P.S. Forgot to mention my new wacky banners gallery you can use instead of a text link.

P.P.S. Oh yeah, I have been playing Big Head Boy lately.

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New Site design by Screamadelica Studios

Jason Davis, President and CEO of Fahrenheit Media Group has been involved with the careers of Michael Jackson, Kelly Clarkson, Pink, Miley Cyrus, Britney Spears and R Kelly to name just a few of his mega-star associations.

His company just launched a new Website FahrenheitMediaGroup.com and I’ve been given the rare opportunity to interview this elusive behind the scenes hit music manager!

I was very curious to hear the details of working on such a high level in the music industry, what he thinks of the “new” music industry and what his message is for others in the business.

What struck me most is Jason’s passion for music and commitment to helping artists which shows in his hard work. Here is what he has to say…

Even though certain segments of the music industry are in a revenue decline, what gives Fahrenheit Media Group it’s unique advantage in the new music business?

Fahrenheit Media Group is not a major corporation. We have a small, dedicated team that never takes on too much work. We have the ability to incubate talent, focus on details and test songs. We work with artists on a much closer level than a major label would. We’re not just looking for an artist that is established to throw out to the public like a major label would be. We are looking at artists of all levels, trying to find a seed of possibility in somebody and we are able to spend years with that artist nurturing them.

I understand that your company specializes in “sidelining”, can you explain what that means and give a few examples of your day to day business?

The term sidelining is the outsourcing of services that a few years ago would have been done in house at a major record label. Basically as record labels are merging and the staff is getting smaller inside the actual buildings they are relying more and more on outside help to promote, push and market their up and coming records and songs. So in a nutshell “sidelining” is a term for outsourcing.

What are your insights into how the music business can recover from all the disruptive influences of technology. How is better artist development a solution?

I think that artist development is the only solution. There are so many ingredients that caused the destruction of music and caused technology to take shape as it has. The key ingredient that forced the music industry into its current position is simply that the music of today is not as good as the music of yesterday. There is no band today that can touch what The Beatles did from a song-writing perspective or as an artist. There is no Pop artist today that can touch what Michael Jackson did. The only hope is that there is a heavy focus put into artist development. Artist development is what allows you to develop someone into a great songwriter or musician. It’s the only hope there is.

How have you helped Kelly Clarkson’s hit songwriter Jimmy Messer and can you give the readers a glimpse of the relationships that form behind the scenes of developing such a megastar?

Just being in the music industry I meet all kinds of talent; from talent that is just starting out, to talent that is already on top of the mountain doing well. Jimmy Messer is a guy that used to work with Enrique Iglesias and a group called The Veronicas. My work with Jimmy is to focus on trying to make sure he is busy with projects and listening to his songs. Guidance, management and encouragement.

As far as making a star like Kelly Clarkson? It is all due to the fact that deep down she is such a megastar. She’s a great actress and an incredible singer. Kelly has worked really hard on her voice, much harder than most. As to how a relationship like the Kelly Clarkson / Jimmy Messer is formed. It’s all just a matter of pairing an incredible singer that possesses amazing talent, work ethic and is a very focused individual with an equally talented, focused songwriter / producer that has an equal work ethic and that is as great at writing and producing songs as Kelly Clarkson is at singing them. It’s the marriage of a hardworking, incredible singer and a hard working, incredible songwriter / producer.

What are some other experiences you have had with breaking songwriters like Jimmy Harry’s work on Sober by Pink! and Roy Hamilton’s “Number One” released by R Kelly? What is Fahrenheit’s role in these deals?

Fahrenheit Media Group is the gatekeeper to these songwriters and producers and we help manage their career. Really what we do is support them, making sure that they feel supported, loved and appreciated. We take songs that they write and send them to record labels and campaign for them. There is not a lot of work to do though because as everyone knows it is very easy to sell a great product. When you have a songwriter like a Jimmy Harry, Chris Fudurich or Roy Hamilton the music that they create really sells itself. From a management perspective it is about having the connections and the relationships where we can take what these guys are creating in a studio and bring it to the right people.

I see that you are accepting new music for consideration at your Website. How do you handle establishing relationships with new talent - not only artists, but songwriters and producers as well?

That’s a great question. Anybody in the world who is looking for music or talent, whether it is a major record company, a brand new company starting out, or a company like Fahrenheit Media Group that is already established in the music industry is looking for something inspiring. Something where the artist, producer or songwriter has already done enough work on their own that they really have developed their craft and there is something exciting there that can be worked on, developed and grown. It really boils down to how good the music on show is. How good is that singer, how good is that song, or how good is that recording? How much promise is there? If there is someone that can write good songs out there that’s obviously something we would be very interested in.

What are the three most important things you want others in the music industry to know about Fahrenheit Media Group?

a. Fahrenheit Media Group deeply cares about music, people and what music can do for people. I as the head of Fahrenheit Media Group understand that music is very powerful and can save, or change a life. Even if it’s just one life that’s a very powerful force.

b. Fahrenheit Media Group works very, very hard and everybody we work with works very, very hard. Fahrenheit Media Group is a company that cares and we are a company that works much harder than most

c. Fahrenheit Media Group is really looking for the next big thing. We are really aggressive, much more aggressive than most companies in trying to find great talent. We have a lot of relationships and resources that help us find that talent.

What new Fahrenheit Media Group projects do you want music fans to know about - what is hot and coming soon?

Something we are very excited about is that we are forming a publishing company in Nashville. We are in the process of signing very big and very successful hit country songwriters.

Also, there is an artist that I am a personal fan of that we are working with right now. She is 13 years old and she has one of the best personalities I have ever seen for a young artist. She has an extremely original voice, is focused and hard working. It is something we have not seen before in pop music. She has already recorded songs and has a bit of a Youtube following going on, her name is Alexandra Demattia.

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