Ready for the opportunity of a lifetime? How about a collaboration single with one of the hottest MC’s in the industry? Starting December 4th hip hop artists will be able to compete in one of OurStage’s brand new Premium Channels for a chance to work with Gucci Mane! Artists are encouraged to submit up to 2 of their best original hip hop tracks into the competition channel. To compete in OurStage’s new Premium Channels, users pay a $15 dollar fee per song —payable by Visa or Mastercard—which goes toward covering costs associated with prizing.

One high-ranking artist will have Gucci Mane record and drop a verse on a new single release. Wondering how the song is going to reach the masses? The track will be released on Gucci Mane’s record label and distributed by Asylum/Warner Brothers Records.  Check back on the OurStage blog later this week for more information on how to enter.

The Massachusetts acoustic, guitar-wielding duo Tall Heights offers a refreshing pop twist on classic folk and blues. The songwriting partnership between Tim Harrington and Paul Wright give listeners more soulful harmonies and clever story telling than anyone could ask for. Tim and Paul gave us the inside scoop on their socially-conscious track “Sellin’ My Soul” for this week’s ‘Liner Notes.”
Continue reading ‘Liner Notes: Tall Heights – “Sellin’ My Soul”’

The OurStage Marketplace connects artists looking for gigs with venues looking for new talent. With amazing opportunities both around the USA and the world, the OurStage Marketplace is the place to be for up-and-coming artists!

This week, we’re spotlighting some new gigs in the OurStage Marketplace as well as some gigs with fast-approaching application deadlines. Take a look at the gigs below and find one that’s right for you! Keep checking the OurStage Marketplace, accessible via the “Marketplace” button on the main navigation bar, for the most up-to-date gig listings.

Continue Reading Marketplace News: New Gigs and Gigs Closing Soon

We Three Kings: Geographer

Dancing to a somber song can be a strange sensation, but one that’s oddly cathartic. San Francisco’s Geographer offers unlikely material for hipster dance parties in the form of triumphant indie rock drenched in reverb, electronics and introspection. West Coast by way of Jersey, the trio is comprised of singer/guitarist/keyboardist/bassist Mike Deni, bassist, cellist Nathan Blaz and drummer Brian Ostreicher. It’s Deni’s lyrical content — broken promises, emotional dissonance and all the trappings of human relationships — that gives what would otherwise be effervescent melodies a sobering counterpoint.

In “Each Other’s Ghosts,” a rock steady beat is brightened by keys and the urgent whinny of guitars, while the low rumble of cello provides the only hint of unrest. “Rushing In, Rushing Out” also begins with a cheerful Casio keyboard sequence, anchored by the cello and Deni’s deep and languorous singing style. Like the instrumental echo of Deni’s heavy heart, the cello brings a little ache to the upbeat electro-rock arrangements, gently reminding that sometimes even the happiest melodies can come from sad experiences.

Over the past ten years, drummer Samantha Maloney has made a name for herself as the go-to rock drummer who makes everyone sound better. After studying percussion and graduating from the High School for Performing Arts in New York (the “Fame” school), she was signed to Columbia Records in the band Shift.

Then, in 1998, 22-years-old Sam auditioned for Hole. She was hired and toured the world with Courtney Love and the gang extensively for the next two years. She wasn’t idle long; Sam was hired in 2000 to tour with Mötley Crüe, playing the Tommy Lee parts that inspired her to become a drummer in the first place.

Continue reading ‘Fine Tunings: Samantha Maloney, Chelsea Girl – Cover Girl’

With all the upheaval in the music industry one might think that EVERYTHING that used to be true in the old world order has changed forever. As easy as it is to believe this, it’s simply not the case. Of course some major things about how the industry functions have been changed forever—but it’s important to understand which key success factors that used to be important are gone and which ones remain valuable.

Here are some of the key steps to success in the old world order:

1. TALENT/PASSION/HARD WORK/CHARISMA – The Artist needed to display raw talent, passion, work hard, charisma and that certain “it” factor.

2. LUCK – He/she had to get a lucky break by attracting the attention of a record label exec.

3. LABEL – The artist then had to get signed to a label, the gatekeepers to the following:

3A. FUNDING – Label bank rolled the (expensive) recording of an album;

3B. PRODUCER/TEAM ASSEMBLY- Behind the scenes the artist’s music, lyrics, image and business decisions were directed by the label via a the team of experts assembled to assist the artist;

3C. DISTRIBUTION – Most distribution was physical and the labels had a hammerlock on the process.

3D. FAME CREATION – Everything from marketing to PR to payola for radio play, again directed by the label.

4. ARTIST DEVELOPMENT – Many of the greatest household-name superstars took several years to take off and find their fame—even after being signed to a big label. During this process the heads of the labels made the key strategic decision to invest in and develop these artists, working with them and with the best producers money could buy, on successive efforts to find and perfect the artists’ work until the world came around to fully appreciating their greatness.

This old-world order path to success is less and less relevant with each passing day. But this does not mean that all components have become irrelevant. It’s important to understand which factors no longer matter and which ones are still important today.

During November fans judged the best emerging talent in Rock and Urban music on OurStage for Converse’s “Get Out of the Garage” Music Contest. The competition was steep: over 6,500 artists entered to for a chance to play one of two grand prize opening slots at the upcoming Levi’s/FADER Fort showcase in Austin this March. Now that the judging has ended 10 finalists from each “Get Out of the Garage” channel have been selected by the fans for grand prize consideration.

Take a look at who made the cut!

This week’s country catch was netted way out in Idaho in the form of Raising Cane. A veteran to country music—having lived in Nashville for years—the man behind Raising Cane is a seasoned professional at making his own music soar. With twelve Top 10 wins and three Number 1 Channel prizes since 2008, Raising Cane is raising quite a ruckus amongst OurStage country listeners.

This undeniably catchy music is, without question, in the vein of good natured traditional country, but some of Raising Cane’s music transcends the country genre with hints of rock and blues. Just take a listen to Raising Cane’s “You Came True,” a song about not needing to do anything fancy or extravagant in order to be happy—like sail the seven seas or wish upon a star—because you already came true. One thing is for sure, my wish for amazing country music came true when I discovered Raising Cane! Check out his fanclub for more awesome country hits you’ll be sorry to miss.

Fun Facts: State Tree; Magnolia, State Insect; Honeybee, State Song; “Go, Mississippi”

Home of: B.B. King, Muddy Waters, Elvis Presley, Afroman, Milton Babbitt, Sam Cooke

The Venues:

Blues and the South go hand in hand. Many would argue that there is no other community in the country that holds such a strong bond with its musical heritage. As is to be expected, the Deep South is flourishing with blues festivals of all kinds. In Mississippi, the non-profit Mississippi Delta Blues and Heritage Festival is the pinnacle cultural celebration. The second longest continuously operating blues festival in the country, Continue reading ’50 States in 50 Weeks…Week 25: Mississippi’

Imagine for a second that you’re Scott “Wino” Weinrich of Saint Vitus and The Obsessed fame, and you have had a shortage of musical projects to work on. Maybe you have a few friends and colleagues who are in a similar situation. Wouldn’t the obvious choice here be to form a band or project with those fellow musicians? Of course it is the obvious choice, and so that is exactly what Wino did.  A few years ago, he teamed up with Scott Kelly (Neurosis), Al Cisneros (Sleep) and Dale Crover (Melvins) to form the supergroup Shrinebuilder (although the exact point when the group went from speculated project to fruition is still a bit unclear). The group’s self-title debut came out in October of ’09 to much excitement and critical acclaim.

Read more about the successes and failures of metal supergroups after the jump