How to Promote Your Music

Promoting indie music can be a daunting task, especially for independent musicians who do not have the resources or budget to compete with major label artists. However, with the rise of digital platforms and social media, independent musicians now have more opportunities to reach a wider audience and build their fan base. In this guide, we will discuss the strategies and tactics that independent musicians can use to promote their music and increase their visibility.
1) Define your brand
Before promoting your music, it is important to establish your brand and identity. Identify what makes your music unique and what you stand for as an artist. This will help you create a cohesive message that resonates with your audience and differentiate yourself from other musicians.
2) Use social media
Social media is a powerful tool for promoting indie music. Choose platforms that align with your brand and audience, such as Instagram, Twitter, and TikTok. Use these platforms to share your music, engage with your fans, and promote your upcoming shows.
3) Collaborate with other musicians and industry professionals
Collaborating with other musicians and industry professionals can expose you to new audiences and help you gain new fans. Reach out to other musicians and collaborate on new projects or consider working with a producer or manager to help you promote your music.
4) Use targeted advertising
Targeted advertising can be a cost-effective way to reach your ideal audience. Platforms like Facebook and Instagram offer options to target users who match specific demographics, interests and behaviors. This can help you reach people who are more likely to appreciate your music and become a fan.
5) Create compelling visual content
In addition to great music, creating high-quality visual content can help increase your visibility and reach. Consider creating music videos, cover art, or behind-the-scenes content that showcases your creativity and personality as an artist.
6) Play live shows
Playing live shows can help you connect with your audience on a personal level and build a loyal fan base. Consider performing at local venues or festivals, and promote your shows through social media and other platforms.
7) Get your music on streaming platforms
Getting your music on streaming platforms such as Spotify or Apple Music can help increase your visibility and reach a wider audience. Consider using digital distribution platforms to help you get your music on major streaming platforms.
8) Build an email list
Building an email list can help you stay in touch with your fans and promote your music directly to them. Consider offering exclusive content or early access to new music in exchange for their email address.
9) Engage with your audience
Engaging with your audience is important for building a loyal fan base. Respond to comments and messages on social media, ask for feedback on your music, and create opportunities for your fans to connect with you.
10) Be persistent and patient
Promoting indie music takes time, effort and patience. Don't be discouraged if you don't see immediate results. Consistency and persistence are key to building a successful music career.
Conclusion
Promoting indie music requires creativity, hard work and a willingness to try new things. By using social media, collaborating with other musicians, creating compelling visual content, playing live shows and leveraging digital platforms, independent musicians can increase their visibility and build a loyal fan base. With persistence and patience, independent musicians can successfully promote their music and achieve their dreams of a successful music career.

Shaky Ground

It All Counts

Helen Counts has created powerful and passionate vibes of Indie rock in her latest indie rock track ‘Shaky Ground'.

The song has both current and retro vibes, and it delves into an intense topic that the songwriter loves to explore.

The natural born singer works with an up to the minute production house called Demo My Song® and 5050 songs Music Publishing in New York City. She began her musical career singing in coffee houses in her 20s on the East coast and then self published her own CD 'Into Your Arms' in 2002.

She first broke into Spotify with her single 'That Look' on 7/21/2021, followed quickly by 'Some Healing' on 12/01/2021 which delved into the emotional impact of the pandemic..

She has now released “Shaky Ground” on 3/29/2022 with an even stronger indie rock sound. All her songs have both lyrical and visual intensity that captivate her listeners, and she has a very loyal following. She can write songs with varying musical styles and sounds which shows her broad interests and skills. She is busy working on her next single. She is based out of Madison, Wisconsin US.


Her links

https://helencounts.com

https://Twitter.com/HelenCounts85

https://Facebook.com/Helen.Counts.Musician

Hit Songwriter Launches New Album

NUMBER ONE HIT SONY/BMG SONGWRITER RELEASES NEW ALBUM

Award-winning, hit songwriter, Tom Tikka is back with a brand new album packed with what his record label calls, “hit after hit.”

The album, entitled “Better Man”, is released on 20th May world-wide on every platform from the Minds Behind the Music Record label. The distribution is via their mainstream deal with Sony Orchard.

Tikka has been working closely with Minds Behind the Music on the album. It all started when his song “Venetian Rubber Boots” was selected to the label’s upcoming environmental fundraising compilation album to support the fight against climate change.

Now Tom and MBTM have released Tikka’s sophomore effort entitled Better Man. The album features the hit single “By 2022” (#14 on iTunes Canada), a song that’s been reviewed in multiple music blogs and is also now nominated in the single of the year category at the ISSA awards 2022.

Tikka said: "Better Man is my attempt to write one of those records that I grew up with. I thought it’d be nice to try to reproduce some of the magic that the great singer-songwriter albums of the 60s and 70s had – albeit with a modern twist. This was also an era when the Top 40 was a lot more eclectic than it is today. There could be many artists from radically different genres on the same week’s Billboard chart: Uriah Heep, Elton John, Paul McCartney, Kris Kristofferson, Roberta Flack, Marvin Gaye and Three Dog Night. This was yet another aspect I wanted to revisit."

Formerly the songwriter of the Sony/BMG & Warner Music band, Carmen Gray, Tom Tikka has managed to build a rather successful career for himself as a solo act. Tom’s previous album, This Is My Happy Face included three international iTunes smashes. Both "Doormat" & "With Eyes Closed" were #1 hit singles, while “Heart’s on Fire” made it to #2. Tikka has been featured on Huffington's Thrive Global, Authority Magazine, Melody Maker Magazine, Ballroom Blitz, The Hollywood Digest, VENTS Magazine and many others, while his music videos have won at film festivals around the world.

Tikka is also an ISSA Award winner (Emerging Male Artist of The Year) as well as a Josie Music Awards and Hollywood Music in Media Awards nominee.

"Tikka has been at this a long time so I rue not discovering him sooner…" – THE HOLLYWOOD DIGEST

"I don’t normally use the word genius for many musicians, however the cap fits with Tom Tikka." – TUNEDLOUD


Contact: MBTM for press packs/photographs officialmbtm@gmail.com

Record Label: https://mindsbehindthemusicrecords.carrd.co

Album available here https://orcd.co/betterman_tomtikka

Who is Tom Tikka?

Tom Tikka

Tom has had an illustrious career with number one hits, awards and more. In 2021, Tom Tikka won the ISSA award for International Male Emerging Artist Of The Year. He was also awarded four Josie-Award nominations as well as a nomination in the prestigious Hollywood Music In Media Awards. His new album, Better Man, is due out in 2022 under the Minds Behind the Music Record label. We thought we’d get to know him better...




If you had to name one song from any genre that really speaks to you, which one would it be and why?

“Rain” by Uriah Heep. It’s been in my Top 5 since I first heard it when I was fourteen. I adore it.

It’s a standout vocal performance by David Byron, a singer who sang many great lead vocals. Yet, there’s something about the way he sings “Rain”. It’s a slight miracle. I mean nobody sings that well. For any singer, listening to “Rain” is a humbling experience. Check out the bit where David laughs a little, right before the line “It’s kind of a shame” and the way he phrases the last line of the song “See what you’ve done to my life” – a truly superhuman performance.

“Rain” is also one of Ken Hensley’s best tunes. Just like David’s lead, the song itself is miraculous. It’s one of those bone-chilling melodies and lyrically, this is Ken Hensley at his finest. To anyone with any real-life experience, the following lines speak volumes:

Rain, rain, rain, in my tears
Measuring carefully my years
Shame, shame, shame, in my mind
See what you've done to my life

Upon listening to this as a kid, I never thought that I’d find myself measuring my own years, asking myself the burning question time and again, “Do I really have time for this?” Hensley very cleverly and accurately portrays the feeling you get when you stay with someone who doesn’t make you happy. You feel ashamed for being weak and staying.

Anyway, I love the track and I could go on and on but I won’t. Check it out, you won’t be sorry.

Are you a Mulder or Scully? Do you believe aliens have visited planet earth and if so what do you think they think about mankind?

I’m a Mulder. Mulder was the one who believed in supernatural things, right? I’m not an X-Files enthusiast.

My grandma was like that. She was very superstitious and also believed in extraterrestrial life. In a way, she instilled all that in me, the belief in spiritual beings and beyond. I’ve always sensed that there’s something behind the wall of consciousness, something more, another reality. It’s not anything I want to mess with but I know it’s there. I’ve had too many weird occurrences and unexplainable coincidences in my life to dismiss the existence of the spirit realm.

I have an example. My mom and dad were in Venice a long time ago, this was before I was born. They were sitting at the lobby of their hotel, drinking coffee and just happened to meet a Norwegian couple who were on their way to a Greek town called Igoumenitsa by ferry that afternoon. They really hit it off with them and the Norwegian couple decided to stay in Venice for one more night, there was another ferry to Igoumenitsa the next day. It turned out that this odd coincidence saved the Norwegian couple’s life as the ferry they were going to take sank due to a sudden storm and everybody aboard died. Sometimes life is all about serendipity … or is it?

The aliens … yeah, sure why not. Just because I haven’t seen them doesn’t mean they don’t exist. They’ve probably been here and most likely thought we’re crazy. I know I do. So many things people do make no sense. Why do we iron our clothes for instance? Who was it that decided they look better ironed? Whoever it was, I hate that guy! Our priorities are also strange. We’ve been to the moon and back but we haven’t figured out how to choose a perfect spouse or how to heal colic. Go figure.

What was the happiest day of your life and why?
I’ve had six happiest days of my life. I have six sons and every time one of them was born, it felt like the happiest day of my life. I love them all so much. There’s absolutely nothing I wouldn’t do for them. Don’t get me wrong, parenthood is hard work. But at the end of the day, it’s also the most rewarding thing in life. I understand it’s not for everyone but I wouldn’t change it for anything.

If “God” (whatever your idea is on that) were stood before you now, what one question would you ask him/her and why?
I’d like to know how my dad and grandparents are doing and if I’m ever going to see them again. I love them so much and miss them. It’d be comforting to know they’re waiting for me.

The thought of passing on is scary. I hate the idea of leaving everyone and everything I love behind. Regardless of all the hardships and disappointments, I still love life. I wouldn’t mind staying here forever to be honest. I know it’s impossible. Hence, I’d like to find out what’s awaiting.

As an expressive artist in the music industry, how does the state of the planet make you feel?
It makes me very worried because it seems that the masses don’t truly understand how acute and severe the condition of the planet is. The glaciers are melting and earth’s atmosphere is thinning. In reality, we are staring into the barrel of another ice age. Those of you who haven’t watched Al Gore’s An Inconvenient Truth should watch it. It paints an unnerving picture of what will happen in the next fifty years if nothing’s done.

My dream is that we’re all somehow able to come together to make a change but it’s obviously going to be very hard as long as folks can make fortunes by destroying the planet. I don’t know how to change that. I doubt anyone does.

Do you think as a person of some influence that there is a duty on us to help influence humanity for the better?
Absolutely. I’m not sure how big an impact what I say or do will have but I won’t stop trying.

I once asked a wise, old man I encountered on my travels why humans keep having the same issues one generation after another. His answer was, “As long as we suffer from selfishness and inflated egos, wars and suffering will never cease.” This was in Cyprus and I was very young but I still remember it like it was yesterday. This guy was in his seventies and he had seen it all: he had fought in the Second World War, he’d been married four times, lost his kid to cancer and he had travelled the world extensively. Having that random conversation with him that day was a turning point in my life. What he was saying transcended, I became aware of how difficult living a good life truly is. He introduced me to Socrates’ writings quoting him more than a few times. The quote that for some reason still stays with me is the humorous:

By all means, marry. If you get a good wife, you will be happy. If you get a bad one, you will be a philosopher.

I know my grandad Torbjörn would have agreed.

If you were stood before the leaders of the world, what would you say to them?
Put an end to the unjust war in Ukraine and while you’re at it, stop wars altogether.

Having said that, it’s easy for us to demonstrate and be in the opposition, isn’t it? I watched an interview of George W. Bush recently where he talked about his years as the president of the United States. He said that the most frustrating thing about being in office was the fact that there was a reality to the job. Solving problems wasn’t as easy as one might think. By solving one problem you’re usually creating two new ones. I believe it. It’s the same thing with everything. A kid who wants to be a movie star does not know about the challenges of that career, he only sees the fancy cars and luxurious houses. So, he says to everyone, “I want to be a movie star. Then my life is perfect.”

All I’m saying is that if wars and all sorts of other crimes against humanity were easy to solve, we would have most likely already solved them. My grandma used to say, “Nothing’s ever perfect because people are flawed.” I think she was probably right.

And finally my last question is in fact one written by Freddie Mercury in the song “Is This the World We Created”?
Yeah, it is. This is what we wanted. I know most people reading this will think that I’m nuts saying that but another thing I was told as a kid was that every choice you ever make comes at a cost. This might not be the world we planned to create but it sure as hell got created while we were busy stroking our egos and running after things that facilitated the creation of the current reality. I’m no better. I could have done more and I could have been more tuned into what’s happening far earlier. The problem for all of us is that doing what’s right for the world and others is usually much more challenging than doing what’s right for you. This is the reason why we are where we are. Can you take a break from recycling if you are tired and your kid has the stomach flu? This is the quandary.

Another thing is that so much of what is wrong with the world and humanity can be traced back to privileged people exploiting either their less fortunate brothers and sisters or planet earth itself. It’s as simple as that. And I get it. Nobody wants to leave an awesome party, right? It’s just that some parties, like burning fossil fuels, will have to come to an end because they are destroying our home, the Earth. It’s hard to continue the party if the venue has been blown up.

Yet, it’s all very well to be on a high horse and explain how different the world would be if I were the leader of it. The reality is that I have no idea what I would do, nobody does. Until you are in that position you can’t really tell. I’d like to believe that I’d make the right decisions but I don’t want to be arrogant or big headed and just assume that it’d be as simple as ABC because it isn’t.

Find out more about Tom here https://www.tomtikka.com

Mellow Yellow

Mellow Yellow: The Donovan Interview!

If you don't know who this music legend is, then go google him. So without wasting digital ink I will just get straight on with the interview. 

We know most politicians were born in the fiery pit of hell as the spawn of Satan, but what’s your opinion of the politics of the world today?

Democracy is better than Tyranny. Pericles Speech to The Athenians set the model. It has been modified of course. I was brought up by a Socialist Father who showed me the great strides for freedom that The Unions achieved. Communism has proved to be flawed . The Brother and Sisterhood of Mankind is only to be realized through Transcendental Awareness.

What's your favourite Monty Python film and why?
Satire is healthy for a Society. The Celtic British are masters of Satire. Satire is good if it is not ridicule. That's why all Monty Python Work I love.

If you were an alien visiting planet earth, what would you do? Would turn around and go back? Or stay and try and help? Or maybe conquer?
I am an alien visiting Planet Earth. I see the situation as I meditate. The source of suffering is ignorance. Knowledge of the inner world of Bliss Consciousness is the answer. I tell the Earthlings to visit the David Lynch Foundation Website, as soon as possible.

What has been your greatest achievement so far?
Announcing The Bohemian Manifesto in 1966 with my album Sunshine Superman. An act which unfolds and is not historical.

What has been mankind's greatest achievement?
The invention of lipstick.

If you had the chance to speak to every human being on earth, what would your message be?
SAVE THE WORLD !

Is it really true that you started the rumour about banana skins and LSD? And if so, kudos, very funny! No ..it was not me. It was Country Joe ( and the Fish ). For 40 years the story confounded me. Then one day I was signing The Psychedelic Exhibition Book at the Cleveland Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Museum. Country Joe sat beside me signing also. A long line of fans snaked off into the distance. At one point Joe whispered to me, "It was me man." I turned to Joe, he still wore his khaki 'Flack Jacket' but short hair. " The Mellow Yellow shit Man, it was me". I suddenly knew that the tale that had followed the song Mellow Yellow about smoking dried banana skins would now be revealed. I said, "Joe after we break , you are coming with me".

The signing stopped and I took Joe to a dark and quiet corridor in the museum, and Joe began.

"It was 1966 Man and me an the band needed to advertise our gig, so we put the whole band on a truck and we went down to a spare lot where some old Carnival Shit was dumped, we found a giant banana and put that on the truck too..then we drove through The Haight , playin our stuff really loud!" I stood listening with baited ears . "Then ma girlfriend who was into PR said lets call the radio station an tell them you can get high smoking dried banana skins"Joe paused for effect.

"That prank would have lasted a couple days but that Friday Donovan. You released your single Mellow Yellow!" Joe is a radical and he has done so much to raise consciousness with his work.

If your life depended on it, which Soap Opera would you do a cameo in?
Are you ill?

If a tree falls in a forest, and nobody is around to see or hear it, does it make a sound?
* No its only you.

The 60's and 70's were a great transitional period in human history aided very much by folk music like your own, is it time for another revolution in the spirit of man?
There is only now, it’s an illusion we call the future past and present. The complete instructions to save the planet are announced in the sixties, Buckminster Fuller wrote the book 'Operating Manual for Spaceship Earth' and I write a song with the same name for 'Bucky'. Don't be foolish and think there is need for another revolution. We in the sixties gave it all to you, use it well and see that even those who questioned the knowledge revealed , now see they need it to survive.

Be cool and prosper. I was the herald with Sunshine Superman album , and soon the Bohemian Manifesto was let loose and invaded popular culture. It is clear is it not?

Have you ever felt pressured by the fact that what you sing about affects society? Have you ever wondered whether you were doing the right thing?
We Poets are in service to the tribes of man .We release the obscure emotions of the heart and lead the way within to The Unified Field.

A good friend of mine, Wes Dolan, is a singer/songwriter that we discovered busking in the streets of a local town. I'm personally paying to get him recorded because of his folk music message and skill as a musician. Apart from the obvious question, how about a duet!, what advice would you give to musicians today? And what's your opinion of the highly engineered and marketed music we see in the charts today?

Forget the industry. Without the singer in the club or street or bedroom of their dreams, no future music can be made. It's all made by beginners. there is no music business with the makers of music .forget that you see the industry as powerful. They are powerless without us.

Why do you think music and words seems to work so much better than just words as a means to get a message across?
Poetry and Music are one. They were separated by those who wish to control dreams. Poetry is now returned to the world through the sixties revolution of thought and heart and mind. be cool and prosper.
What kind of movies do you watch and why?
Only classic masterworks and that includes David Lynch.

What are your opinions about the power of the internet?
We imagined the internet in the sixties and it manifested.

Do you think man is created in the image of God or the other way around?
We create ourselves, and for the first 3 weeks we are all female. Gnosis is knowledge. Knowledge is revealed when you transcend. Why are you asking what you already know ?

A recent scientific report stated that religion will eventually die out completely. What's your opinion on that? A good thing or a bad thing?
Religion is a description. Faith is a comfort. Awareness is discovery of the Self. Meditation of a technique lost for millennia in the west, now re-introduced. There is no need for organised faith when all are one.

Is "free will" the whole of the law? Can man ever be truly free?
Free Choice is when you realise what you want and know it will manifest.

I understand you once sang backing vocals on an Alice Cooper track. Who else have you worked with, why and who was the biggest pain in the ass?
Kate Bush was brilliant.

You are one of the giants from a period full of giants. Who, from that revolutionary period, do you admire and why, apart from The Monkees, which goes without saying!
Ray Davies for his humour and Music Hall, and Leonard Cohen for his pretended seriousness and famous blue raincoat, Buddy Holly for his 3 chord symphonies and Neil Young for his True Americana.

Do you back Nuclear Power? If not, why not.
Split Wood Not Atoms!

Do you believe in Ghosts? UFO's (i.e. aliens visiting planet earth)? God?
Dimensions exist and other planes. Mushrooms reveal The Matrix which is the whole universe within our consciousness and flowing through our cellular chemistry. From the invisible world to the diamond crystal , all kinds of ghosts and UFO's appear.

Have you ever experienced altered states of consciousness? How, why and was it beneficial? And would you recommend it to all politicians, business and religious leaders?
The altering is in fact the wrong word. We are mostly fixated in a complex and brainwashed by school , fear and dogma. When the sacred plants are taken as a sacrament, the real universe reveals itself to us. The only thing that's altered is the conditioning is broken, for often brief periods only, then its back to what we laughingly call reality. This so called reality is a paltry portion of the great and luminous being that we are.

What's the craziest thing you've ever done?
Haven't done it yet.

What would you still like to achieve?
Living in the Evernow

Would you ever record a duet with Justin Bieber?
Never heard of him.

Do you believe in manmade global warming? Or is it natural?
Lighting a cigarette then pulling a plastic bag over you head is probably going to heat things up a bit.

And lastly. Please feel free to say anything at all you want to the world of readers.
Sit quietly on your own soon after you wake each day. Breathe easy and slow.

Boney Maizie

The Boney M Interview

Maizie Williams from Boney M talks to Minds Behind the Music in an exclusive interview.
By the Rivers of Babylon, Daddy Cool, Brown Girl in the Ring, Mary’s Boy Child, Ma Baker. All these massive hits and more tell a tale of success that is the Boney M story. Compared with Abba, The Beatles and Bee Gees, Boney M are one of the all-time legends of pop.


My first question is, what would you most like to be remembered for? Is it the music or the meaning?
Both of course, but more the meaning.

We know most politicians were born in the fiery pit of hell as the spawn of Satan, but what’s your opinion of the politics of the world today?
It is a mess but there are some good ones who are trying to make a difference.

Can you tell us all about your past, present and future?
My past was truly blessed thank god, in more ways than I could ever have imagined.

Tell us a little about your kind of music please!
If you are asking about the Boney M music, then obviously it is a type of music that stays throughout the years. Mainly because what it represents - a very melodic music, lyrics that are easy to sing along to and enjoy, for all age groups. But if you mean what kind of music I personally like, then it would be all types of music from times way back, like blues, soul, jazz, classical and gospel.

Which decade was best for music, 70’s, 80’s or 90’s or the 00’s?
The 70’s of course!

If you were an alien visiting planet earth, what would you do? Would you turn around and go back? Or stay and try and help? Or maybe conquer?
I think it is such a mess but, if I thought that I could make a difference, then I think I would stay - but that’s a big IF!

What has been your greatest achievement so far?
That would be to have been fortunate to be a member of a world famous group - Boney M

What has been mankind’s greatest achievement?
Satellite communication.

If you had the chance to speak to every human being on earth, what would your message be?
My message would be about salvation. If we don’t have God in our life then we would have nothing.

If your life depended on it, which Soap Opera would you do a cameo in?
I hope my life wouldn’t have to depend on it – but if I was asked it would be East Enders.

If a tree falls in a forest, and nobody is around to see or hear it, does it make a sound?
Yes, it definitely makes a sound! The eye does not have to see it fall for it to make a sound.

Have you ever felt pressured by the fact that what you sing about affects society? Have you ever wondered whether you were doing the right thing?
I have always thought that I am doing the right thing and to do it well and leaving a good impression to society. For me – that’s important.

What advice would you give to musicians today? And what’s your opinion of the highly engineered and marketed music we see in the charts today?
There is some good stuff out there talent wise and music wise, but also some not too good, of course. My advice would be to follow through with your dream and do the best you can, to leave a good impression on society.

Why do you think music and words seems to work so much better than just words as a means to get a message across?
Because the music delivers what the words are saying.


What kind of movies do you watch and why?
Movies with a good story lines, and all classical ones. And a good comedy. I do love a good laugh!

What are your opinions about the power of the internet?
I personally think it is a great invention, but it also has some bad sides when viewed inappropriately.

Do you think man is created in the image of God (or Goddess) or the other way around?
God.

A recent scientific report stated that religion will eventually die out completely. What’s your opinion on that? A good thing or a bad thing?
The word of God will never die.

Is “free will” the whole of the law? Can man ever be truly free?
Free will is not the law, but to love God with all your heart, soul and mind and to love your neighbour as yourself. THAT is the fulfilment of the law.

Do you back Nuclear Power? If not, why not.
I do not back Nuclear power, it is a completely evil invention.

Do you believe in Ghosts? UFO’s (i.e. aliens visiting planet earth)? God?
God.

What’s the craziest thing you’ve ever done?
Running the marathon!

What would you still like to achieve?
That’s hard to say because there is still a lot I would like to do, not just for myself, but for others I would like to say that I have run the race.

Would you ever record a duet with Justin Bieber?
Who knows????

Do you believe in manmade global warming? Or is it natural?
It is a little of both.

Corr Blimey

In Conversation with Sharon Corr

The Corrs have gone Platinum four times. They've been awarded honorary MBE's. They've had massive international success with singles such as Runaway. Now Sharon Corr has released her solo album (Dream of You) and here she talks to Minds Behind the Music about her music, life and things that go bump in the night…. Oh, and Johnny Depp.

Can you tell us all about your past, present and future?
Started learning violin at 6yrs old, taught myself the piano, went to school- wasn't nuts about it! Ran a record shop at 18. Gigged with Jim as a duet. Corrs as a band formed 1990 to audition for commitments film and it grew from there, wrote songs, recorded, worked our ....s off! Sold 35 Million Albums. Got married, had 2 babies - Cal and Flori .. awwwwwwww. Started writing and recording solo album Dream Of You and here I am! (Of course a shed load of stuff happened in between but that's it in a nutshell)

Tell us a little about your kind of music please!
I have two voices - vocal and violin. I love writing, sometime it's a pop song, sometimes it a classical, sometimes it's trad, sometimes it's a mix of all three that's me! Who knows where it comes from I just let it out!

If you were an alien visiting planet earth, what would you do? Would you turn around and go back? Or stay and try and help? Or maybe conquer?
Considering the state we've got ourselves into - I'd probably - if I were an alien - put the UFO in reverse!

We know most politicians were born in the fiery pit of hell as the spawn of Satan, but what's your opinion of the politics of the world today?
Run by humans unfortunately. We could learn a lot by putting more women in positions of power - less ego - more nurture!

So come on, how does it really feel to be desired by millions of blokes around the globe?
No idea! Sounds fab tho!

What has been your greatest achievement so far?
My kids, my music.

What has been mankind's greatest achievement?
Johnny Depp

If you had the chance to speak to every human being on earth, what would your message be?
Don't hurt each other

If your life depended on it, which Soap Opera would you do a cameo in?
Dallas, I need me some shoulder pads! Oh and Johnny Depp has to play JR!

If a tree falls in a forest, and nobody is around to see or hear it, does it make a sound?
Of course it does, funnily enough - it makes the sound a tree makes when it falling. Duh!

Have you ever felt pressured by the fact that what you sing about affects society? Have you ever wondered whether you were doing the right thing?
Never - that's the beauty of doing what you love and loving what you do. Music has always been my best friend.

What advice would you give to musicians today? And what's your opinion of the highly engineered and marketed music we see in the charts today?
Find your own unique voice, never follow the pack. Learn your craft, know it, own it and never make excuses for who you are. "The industry" - seeks out what its heard before, but the public wants what touches them. If it comes from your heart - it will touch people.

Why do you think music and words seems to work so much better than just words as a means to get a message across?
Music makes language complete, really it's two languages merging to create a deeper- truer expression of ourselves and our world. Words on their own speak to the mind, music and words combined speak to the spirit and the soul.

What kind of movies do you watch and why?
Love old black and white movies and period films, like- All about Eve/ Remains Of The Day and Dangerous Liaisons. I suppose because they are so removed from today that I can truly escape and experience without prejudice.

What are your opinions about the power of the internet?
It's incredible -I love it and I hate it. The access to information is fantastic. But in away I feel it's too fast for us, that really we now have too many options - too many things we can be doing at the one time and therefore to little time to focus on who we are and who we love and what we should be focused on. I wonder also does it ultimately- rather than bring us together - bring us an imagined world of togetherness but lose the actual physical community around us?

Do you think man is created in the image of God (or Goddess) or the other way around?
I believe man is an animal that has evolved.

A recent scientific report stated that religion will eventually die out completely. What's your opinion on that? A good thing or a bad thing?
Good. Then hopefully we can get back to understanding how similar we are and how similar our needs are without the barriers of religion to tear us apart.
Is "free will" the whole of the law?

Can man ever be truly free? 

We are preconditioned by our genes, we are also evolving - there's the freedom.

Do you back Nuclear Power? If not, why not.
I feel it is a power beyond our control, it frightens me, our time would be better spent developing natural sources of sustainable energy, like wind and wave.

Do you believe in Ghosts? UFO's (i.e. aliens visiting planet earth)? God?
I believe in people, truth, love and hope. The rest I am open to but I'd much rather rely on what I see and know in my heart.

Have you ever experienced altered states of consciousness? How, why and was it beneficial? And would you recommend it to all politicians, business and religious leaders?
I would recommend that politicians re-introduce themselves to the truth of peoples' lives. Music enhances my consciousness and takes me to a place nothing else can.

What's the craziest thing you've ever done?
Went sailing with my husband round the Whitsunday Islands for a week in a 35ft sloop yacht when neither of us had any sailing experience, which one is port?

What would you still like to achieve?
More!

Would you ever record a duet with Justin Bieber?
Absolutely no idea........

Do you believe in manmade global warming? Or is it natural?
I honestly believe it has become a ridiculous "either/ or" debate when it is highly likely to be both.

Got Any Broken Pottery?

Just as the Phoenix rises from the ashes once more...

Kintsugi 金継ぎ - The Japanese art of mending broken pottery by filling the damaged areas with lacquer.

This is the story and inspiration behind Matt Jaffe (Twitter: @MattJaffeMusic) and the new album ‘Kintsugi’.

In January 2019 Matt unfortunately suffered a seizure onstage, landing on and wrecking his acoustic guitar that he had owned for 12 years. After approaching several luthiers to try and have the guitar repaired, Matt had almost given up hope. That was until Schoenberg Guitars (SF) took on the job and provided Matt with a superb result, filling in the space between the shards of wood with a caramel-coloured epoxy.

As several of Matt’s friends noted the similarity between the repaired guitar and Kintsugi, and also after the surgical reconstruction of his skull following a 2015 craniotomy, Matt decided that he had the perfect name for his album.

Just as a Phoenix will rise from the ashes once more, Kintsugi is a story of destruction and rebirth which Matt has found through his new music.

Matt is a talented singer and songwriter from San Francisco and I had the pleasure of listening to Kintsugi today. Featuring tracks such as ‘Cut Me Down the Middle’ and my personal favourite ‘Voodoo Doll’, the album portrays his story perfectly.

Being a fan of artists such as Bowie, Neil Young and E.L.O, I found the listening experience of ‘Kintsugi’ an absolute pleasure and have added it to my own personal playlist!

However Matt is truly unique and tells a story that everybody needs to hear, which is so beautifully and perfectly reflected in his music.

I highly recommend checking out the album on Spotify HERE

If you want to keep up with what Matt is doing, you can follow him on Twitter HERE

Review by Anthony Hurney (Twitter HERE)

Get A Grip of Yourself

IMAGE CONSCIOUS!

One of the biggest issues I see as I come into contact more and more with indie artists is the lack of clear marketing. The fact is, the next "big thing" in music will be pushed upon us by the marketing machines of big labels. It won't have anything to do with good music. 

So, what do indies need to think about? Firstly image. Yes I know, folk will be screaming at the screen now and say it's the music. But for this article, we are assuming there is an audience out there for your music already, you just need to find it. 

This article is not a list of things to do, more, it's a things to think about. Image is really important. It has to come from the core of what you are about. Not created to fit with what the people want. If you are honest with your image, your target market will come. 

Marketing is all about selling a product and your music is more than "art" it's a commodity that you want to sell. 

First thing to think about is a "unique selling point". This is what makes you different. What makes you stand out and what makes you different to all the others? Seriously, it matters. It's what made people like David Bowie stand out. A genius of recreation. But always honest to himself. 

Secondly you have to understand the basic marketing premise of AIDA. This is simple really, but hard to do.

A = Attention.

How do you grab the attention of your prospective listener? Image, colours, music, movement. All these things are "natural" elements used by marketing men for generations. 

I = Interest.

Once you have caught the gaze of the listener, you need to keep them interested. This is basically smaller "attentions", movement, colours, sound. It all depends on you and your music. More of the core revealed. 

D = Desire.

Once you have their attention and you're keeping them interested, you need to build a Desire to buy. Often this is by "association" whether that's you being played by Lady Ga Ga or your political opinions etc. Association is massive and all encompassing. She's eating that chocolate bar and she's sexy so I need it too!

A = Action.

This is the most simple one. How do they now get your music (or chocolate bar - vegan of course)? These are now more often than not links to where to download. Make sure you have a linktree or something similar because people buy from all different places and if they don't see iTunes they might not buy. Twitter is a big promo tool these days and SO MANY bands and singers don't have a pinned tweet with links. It's madness not to use this facility. 

All of the above relates to your website, your videos, twitter, instagram and even press releases. Try to think like the newspaper man and come up with a grabbing headline! Journalists don't want to have to work too hard, give them the ideas! 

So, there's a brief overview of the basics of marketing. The complexities all come from breaking these elements down and that's where a lot of people fall down. Understanding who you are and portraying that well, in a clean, crisp and uncluttered way. 

I'm always open to helping so if you need help, just say! 

Our website is HERE and our twitter is HERE. 

Run For Your Life!

JOHN CORABI

Extract from Minds Behind the Music Book. More HERE

They don’t get more rock ‘n’ roll than John Corabi. A legendary guitarist and lead singer for The Scream and Motley Crue. In fact the list of mega rock bands John has been part of is rather long and I’m trying to save money on ink, so I won’t name them all. Needless to say, the dude is awesome. Thankfully he came down to earth to speak to little old humble me.


As an expressive artist in the music industry, how does the state of the planet make you feel?
In a word....WORRIED!!!! Everybody doesn't agree on the "global warming" issue but there was one statement that made sense to me in that documentary that Al Gore did. "From the beginning of time til 50 years ago when Al Gore was 10 years old, we amassed 3 billion, and in the last 50-60 years we've almost tripled that number!!!!" So just looking at that blueprint, common sense says we're using more OIL, WATER, and NATURAL RESOURCES, and putting much more stress on the planet....So yeah, I'm worried...

Do you think as a person of some influence that there is a duty on us to help influence humanity for the better?
Duty???? No.... But as a concerned PERSON/CITIZEN I try to do what I can. I will NEVER tell anyone how to vote. (That's their choice)... I don't believe in telling people how to live their life, but I do believe in doing what I can to change things that bother ME. There's a fine line between entertainment and standing on stage and "ranting" about the state of the world. I think people are paying me to sing, and play music, and escape the insanity of daily life. So the last thing they're wanting is me talking about how SHITTY things are. I look at it like the band that kept playing music on the deck of the TITANIC while it was sinking. But I also understand and RESPECT people that are really vocal about how they feel. And it's their RIGHT to say what they want...That's why GOD invented channel changers...If ya don't like the program...you can change the channel....lol

What one cause would you say you feel most associated with and why? Whether it’s equality, poverty, politics, the environment or other?
I just believe in being KIND to everyone....PERIOD!!!! If you can help someone in need, then help. If you can treat someone with respect...DO SO! Even if they're different from you. So I do TOTALLY support equality for women/people of color/religious freedom. I would love to figure out poverty. I would love to figure out how to make the planet a better place...I just believe in being the best HUMAN I can be each day...It's really not that difficult if you think about it…

Read the rest of the book with over 80 music legends! Available everywhere! Or HERE

Copyright Minds Behind the Music 2021

Is It Foggy on the Tyne?

Exclusive Interview with Rod Clements of Lindisfarne

Ivor Novello Award winning singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist of that wonderful English folk band, Lindisfarne, Rod Clements is also a bloody lovely man, which is much more important in my eyes. But for all you music fans out there you will remember that massive hit song, “Meet Me on the Corner” from 1972 and the fact that Rod was also a founding member of Jack the Lad, working with such greats as Ralph McTell.

And so to the interview.

As an expressive artist in the music industry, how does the state of the planet make you feel?
I am depressed about the state of the planet but I don’t think that’s anything to do with me being an “expressive artist”.


Do you think as a person of some influence that there is a duty on us to help influence humanity for the better?
I doubt that I have the influence that your question implies. But I feel that it is incumbent on all of us to influence humanity for the better. The problem arises when we try to define “better”. After all, Hitler was “a person of some influence” who no doubt thought he was helping to “influence humanity for the better”. We all need to work together on this.


What one cause would you say you feel most associated with and why? Whether it’s equality, poverty, politics, the environment or other?
Firstly, I believe that the “causes” cited in your question (equality, poverty etc) are all part of the same problem. Secondly, I don’t feel associated with any particular “cause” in that abstract sense. I just try to do the right thing.


If you were stood before the leaders of the world, what would you say to them?
I’d ask them to work together on an urgent united global policy to tackle the climate crisis and the worldwide social and health problems created by poverty and inequality. I would remind them of Gandhi’s assertion that “there is enough in the world for everyone’s need, but not enough for everyone’s greed”. They would then nod in agreement, then go away and do nothing about it.

Read more of this interview and 80 other music stars in the book, Minds Behind the Music Minds Behind the Music