Shock Value Music Webzine

Volume 2 Issue 2 August, 1998

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CONTENTS

Jeanine Michaels, Artist of the Month
FOCUS ARTICLE: Music Publishing
Interview: Barbara Slane, EMI Music Publishing
Concert Dates
What's Hot on the Internet
Mainstream Music News
Gossip
The Charts

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Jeanine Michaels
Artist of the Month

Jeanine Michaels' resume reads like a novel, she is a singer, songwriter, musician, mother, teacher, writer and an actress, but not necessarily in that order. With a full plate like that, it's a wonder she was able to get into a studio to record Dinosaur's Musical Day at all. Dinosaur's Musical Day is a unique genre for Shock Value, it's the first of its kind to be featured in an Artist of the Month article. If you couldn't tell by the title, it's a CD for kids (and their parents). If you have kids or nieces and nephews, etc. that visit often, I'm sure you've had your fill of Barney tunes, and Dinosaur's Musical Day could be just the thing to get you out of that dino-rut. It's a musical journey of a day in the life of a little boy who thinks he's a dinosaur. It's sweet upbeat tunes will get those kiddies singing and dancing in their little dino-worlds. Each song is a short story of it's own, as well as contributing to the whole, and the characters are going to be part of an illustrated book and story that go along with the CD. Dinosaur's Musical Day was independently produced by Jeanine and her company, Mother's Heartlight Music.

Jeanine started playing piano at the delicate age of six, then moved into guitar and voice training which eventually lead to her musical career. In the early 70's, Jeanine sang her way across parts of Europe, including an eventful evening performing in Majorca for King Juan Carlos of Spain. Dinosaur's Musical Day is her first release, aside from several demos, but Jeanine is also coming out with an "adult" album soon. Jeanine has dabbled in many genres of music, including Top 40, R & B, Reggae, Folk, Country, Gospel, and Jazz, which is evident in the many musical styles of this CD. She has done pretty well with her acting career as well. Her first big gig was playing an Indian in the movie, The Trial of Billy Jack. (Her character worked with Billy Jack at the Indian Center.) She has also had parts in several television shows, including Dallas, Beverly Hills 90210, St. Elsewhere, and as Abby's secretary on Knott's Landing.

Jeanine hails from the Los Angeles area, and draws inspiration from her husband and two children. Children are a prime focus in her life, especially teaching them music and singing as she does in many elementary and preschools. Dinosaur's Musical Day will take you and the children in your life on an educational journey through magical adventures. You'll cozy up to teddy bears, and snuggle buggles, and be entertained by a piano playing hamster. Where else could you visit an Upside Down World, and a Magical Vegetable Garden? One thing I like about this CD is Jeanine doesn't talk down to the kids. The ABC song isn't the only thing they are capable of singing along to. Her lyrics are for kids, but she doesn't assume they are simple minded. One example is a great song about a piano playing hamster named Elise. The song, Furry Elise features intelligent kids' lyrics like "Nighttime concerto in Hamster, A Flat...Arpeggios running away from the cat." It's a fun song, and kids are perfectly capable of understanding, not to mention singing along. It also has great piano solos. This CD is great for parents who don't baby their kids. Kids are capable of so much more than they are given credit for and Jeanine is well aware of that.

Teachers and care givers are using Dinosaur's Musical Day for education and entertainment in the classroom. The first cut, Dinosaur Day, will teach them all about the different kinds of dinosaurs there were. It has an interesting bluesy kind of swing to it. This isn't your typical kind of kids' CD. You can hear the Caribbean sounds of Monkey Revolution, a cute feel good song about monkeys living in a deteriorating rain forest looking for a new home. The lyrics range from the serious, "We live in a vanishing world, It was a tropical paradise," to the childlike sentiment of "Help us find a home in the banana zone." The Caribbean beat goes on in Give Up The Lemon For The Lime, which starts off with the sound of the ocean and evolves into a tropical vacation adventure. Upside Down World has that early 50's feel, while Teddy Loves Me is more of a folk tune. Country has a strong influence on a lot of Jeanine's songs, like Driving Around, and the classic country tune, Test My Wings. Magical Vegetable Garden had an interesting mix of a kind of light acoustic Mexican salsa, and rockabilly is evident in the very cute, Snuggle Buggle. There's even a soft rock lullaby called Home Soon that end the musical journey. I must give honorable mention to Mrs. Johnson's Chihuahua, it reminds me of several songs on the Cats soundtrack, and really highlights Jeanine's operatic voice training.

My favorite tune on Dinosaur's Musical Day, though, must be Making Music. It just has great kid appeal. It has a choir of kids for the chorus, and an amazing arrangement of various instruments, including horns, oboe, and flute among many others. It definitely has marketability. Jeanine is proud that her CD is being used by teachers to educate and entertain their students. She has plans to follow-up to Dinosaur's Musical Day with a collection of songs for parents, about children. As I mentioned earlier, she also has an "adult" CD coming out soon, called Luminescence, and also plans to continue her work educating children. Jeanine Michaels dedicates her life to educating and enlightening children. The days of The New Zoo Review are over, it's time for Dinosaur's Musical Day. To be considered for Shock Value's Artist of the Month section, please send a press kit and CD to: Shock Value, P.O. Box 303, North Bend, Ohio 45052

Jeanine Michael's

CD, Dinosaur's Musical Day, is now available
From Mother's Heartlight Music
The cost is $15 plus $2.00 postage and handling per CD
Send a check or money order to:
Mother's Heartlight Music
P.O. Box 33494, Granada Hills, CA 91394 Check out Jeanine's website
Or Click Here for sound clips.
E-mail Pelicaneen@aol.com for more information.

FOCUS ARTICLE: Music Publishing

Once upon a time, all you needed to be a "music publisher" was a printing press and a relationship with a local musician. Since musicians have been notoriously known to have little money before they're discovered, these printing press owners would make deals with the musicians, taking a cut of the proceeds from the sale of the sheet music in exchange for their services. The printer/publisher would sell the sheet music in his store and even commission door to door salesmen to sell it. And thus, music publishing was born. But, like all things, it has changed and evolved over the years. In the late 1800's, vaudeville was taking the country by storm. This sprouted the birth of Tin Pan Alley. At that time in New York City, the industry trade paper, the New York Clipper, along with the William Morris Agency, and many vaudeville theaters made their home on W. 28th Street. This made that area an excellent location for new music publishers to take root, and they did, in droves. These publishing companies would put a piano in every room and hire songwriters and lyricists to compose new material all day. Then, the publisher would head out toward the nearest theater and try to persuade entertainers to include the song in their act. This became known as "song plugging." If an act picked up a song, it could mean ten times the sheet music sales. There was no air conditioning back then, so everyone's windows were open three out of four seasons a year, therefore, the sound of all of those pianos would clammer together down in the streets. Some said it sounded like someone banging "tin pans" together, hence the name Tin Pan Alley. The music business would never be the same.

Things have changed since those Tin Pan Alley days. Back then, sheet music was the major source of income. If publishers were lucky enough to score a Broadway show, they could make big money there, but it was mostly the vaudeville stage that they thrived on. That is until...two big revolutions happened in the 1920's, the first of which was talkies. Music publishers made some money composing piano music to enhance silent movies, but they stood to earn a lot more with the invention of talkies, especially when the movie musical became all the rage. Popular composers and their publishers made their fortunes with musical movies. Also in the 1920's, radio started to boom, and vaudeville stars became radio stars. Now, not only did they have sheet music sales, but also royalties from radio performance and the sales of recordings. Then, in the 1950's television boomed and radio stars became television stars. By that time, though, radio was so popular that the classic piano sounds were out, and rock and roll was in. Music Publishers could dabble in television, but radio was their real market. In the early days of radio through the birth of rock and roll, most popular singers didn't write their own songs. It wasn't until the Beatles invasion in the mid 1960's that rockers realized the value of penning their own tunes. During Elvis' reign as the king of rock and roll, many music publishers, like Stoller and Leiber, made it big. Music publishers were the most powerful people in the music industry in that era, stars didn't get hits without them. Television didn't really effect music publishing too greatly until...the 1980's. MTV was born and an entire new medium emerged, allowing music publishers to increase their profits. Now, there's VH1, CMT and TNC, among others, not to mention multimedia outlets, and other mediums. These are only a few ways the music publishing business has changed over the years.

Today, most music publishers spend the least amount of time printing or arranging for the printing of sheet music. You usually won't even deal with the print aspect of music publishing until you have a hit song. The exception to that rule is when you write orchestra or choral pieces, in that case, you would contact a print publisher right out of the gate. Music publishers these days perform many different duties, mostly related to the promotion of your music. They are promoters and exploiters of songs. They are also involved in the administration of songs, as you will see, and even help you fine-tune your craft, and guide your career, that is, if you find a good one. Now that you know a little history of the business, we can get down to numbers. A song has two main sources of income: mechanical royalties, which are made from the sale of the recordings, and performance royalties, which come from license fees paid out for the public performances of songs. Once you have even one song written, copyrighted, and recorded, you may wish to contact a music publisher. After you have a publisher, you need only write the songs, your publisher should arrange for copyrights and studio time. You also need your songs registered with a performing rights organization, it's up to you whether to do that right away or wait until you have a music publisher. Just remember, you can't collect royalties until you have done so. You may not know it, but if you are not signed with a publisher, you are, in effect, your own publisher. You can claim yourself as the publisher on your application to the performing rights society of your choice. You can always file a new or amended application once you sign with a publisher. If you do decide to become your own publisher, ASCAP, BMI, SESAC and the Harry Fox Agency all have services that will help you learn how to fill out all of the paperwork involved in music publishing. The first three mentioned are performing rights organizations, the Harry Fox Agency is an organization that helps publishers collect mechanical royalties.

A music publisher's first duty is promoting your material. Beware, the majority of music publishers are one of two things: a giant corporation that's only interested in collecting royalties and not trying to advance your career, or a one-person operation that's only interested in collecting copyrights and usually doesn't have the connections needed to advance your career. You have to find the one in ten that's not either of those things, and it's not easy. You have to do your homework. A publisher should contact major record labels in order to get one of their artists to record your song. Most of Shock Value's readers want to perform their own songs, but keep and open mind about allowing other performers to record a song you've written. This is a great way to get an "in" in this business, not to mention a great way to get funds to continue your career. If an artist records your song, you stand to make a pretty penny, especially if it's a popular artist. Each CD sold gives the writer and publisher mechanical royalties, so if it's a hit, you'll reap the rewards. Publishers issue mechanical licenses for this purpose. The mechanical license gives the artist permission to record your song in exchange for mechanical royalties for you and the publisher.

Music Publishers also contact major motion picture studios trying to get them to feature your song. If you can get a song into a major film release, especially if it's the title song, or credit's song, there's a lot of money to be made there as well. For starters, there's the mechanical royalties from the sale of the soundtrack, if you manage to get included on it. Also, in exchange for use of your song, the movie studio pays a license fee to you and your publisher. This agreement is put into writing in the form of a synchronization license. The fee is negotiated at signing and is split between the publisher and the writer. There could also be a video clause, giving you a per sale fee, although in most cases, there is a flat fee with a video buyout option. When it comes to film media, though, the attention and exposure could be worth more than the licensing fee, especially if you are the artist. Look what it did for Lisa Loeb. If you are just starting out, there are independent films that could use your song, and those sometimes make as much as the major releases. In the case of low budget films, your publisher would put a clause in the contract stating that if the movie makes over a certain amount of money, you will then receive a higher fee. Synchronization licenses can be complicated, your publisher should make sure you understand everything you sign. Even if you have a publisher, you need to know everything that's going on with your music, don't get lost in shuffle.

A music publisher also collects if your song makes any money from your performing rights organization. Performing rights organizations pay out royalties on sales of your recordings, and for public performance of your copyrighted song, including radio and TV airplay. They also pay out for the publishing and printing of sheet music. Each company has it's own way of keeping track of your radio and television airplay, see our article about performing rights organizations for more information about their methods. Radio airplay is simple, they play your song, you get royalties. Television is a little different. It depends really on what your song is being used for. It could be used for commercials, which can be lucrative because you're paid for every time it airs, ditto for radio commercials. Your song could also be used in a television show, which is similar to motion pictures and goes back to the flat licensing fee. "Public performance" also covers entities that broadcast or perform music like restaurants, night clubs, concert halls, festivals, etcetera. Those businesses pay a monthly license fee to the performing rights organizations and they, in turn, pay out royalties to the writer and publisher of the song. The television station I work for pays all three of the big licensing agencies rather than limiting themselves to just one catalog of music. We pay ASCAP about $12,000/month, BMI gets about $8,000/month and SESAC gets about $800 a month, so we're not talking small potatoes. Not all businesses pay the same fees, though. Some of the smaller businesses may not be able to afford such means and may go with only one licensing organization. Some other uses for your song that can land you some big money are: videos, plays, multi-media entities including video games and interactive projects, MIDI projects, muzac, even business presentations, and the list goes on and on, anything that uses music in some form.

A music publisher also takes care of some administrative duties, mainly copyright administration. They keep track of all of your royalties and pay them out accordingly. This involves a lot of accounting. They also do a lot of negotiating when trying to deal with licensing. There's a lot involved in that negotiating. They have to decide what your song is worth for the particular situation it's being used in. You may get one fee for having your song in a movie, and a much lesser fee for having it included in a television show or vise versa, one movie may pay a lot more than another, nothing is set in stone. The negotiating goes deeper. For instance, when deciding the fee for a movie, the publisher must take into account the length of time your song will air, at what point in the movie the song will air, and the movie company's circumstances as well. Are they a big name studio that can afford a large license fee? If they can't, is a per sale video deal worth your while? What kind of movie is it? It's questions like these that music publishers are trained to deal with accordingly. This same negotiating applies to commercial and television licenses also. There are also a lot of duties involving copyrights, and lawsuits. Music publishers typically get sued every so often and the publisher has to follow the case closely and keep their eye on all litigation of that nature. Big publishing companies can be involved in litigation on a daily basis. A publisher deals with reissues as well. Reissues are collections of tunes, like those decade CDs you see in the record store. Those are brought to you by the music publishers.

Publishers have a certain power over you when you sign with them, but they're not nearly as powerful as they used to be. Keep in mind that they will control the entire copyright, so be sure your publisher is the right one for you, once you sign, that's it. As I said earlier, in rock's golden age, the industry was crowded with successful music publishers. These days their control factor has diminished and changed. Today, music publishers have gone techno, doing business on the net. All of the major players include their catalogs online now. They even accept applications for submission online. Some businesses have popped up completely net run. MusicPublishing.com is one example of the next generation of music publishers. They include their catalog online, with an emphasis on lyrics. They record their catalog as Shockwave files so you can sample every song online. All music publishing companies will eventually have sites like this, however, you will always need one on one support, so be wary of strictly net run businesses.

Now that you know all about it, you'll need to know what to send them. Before you send your package, you need to evaluate your music. Decide who you think would be the best artists to pitch your song to. Find out if they record other's songs, what publishing company they work with the most, and what publishing company their record company uses. These are the places to look to first, don't let the big company name intimidate you. First, you need to call to get permission to send your package. Unsolicited submissions are an annoyance and will most likely be thrown away. Always keep a log of your conversations with a publisher and get the name of the person you spoke to. Your package should be short and sweet and contain the following:

Your demo, clearly labeled with your name, phone number, including area code, copyright notice, and song titles.
A cover letter, stating what songs you are submitting, what artists you are interested in having record them, who told you it was O.K. to send a package, who referred you (if applicable), a short plug (like people love it, whatever), and always end with a thank you.
Lyrics sheets for every song, make sure they are set up properly, see our sample Lyric Sheet for more information.
Envelope, make it bright, colorful, eye catching, and small. The bigger the envelope, the closer to the bottom of the pile the mail room puts it. A SASE is optional.

Make sure you follow your package up with a call. You probably won't get hold of the person you sent it to, but any contact is better than no contact. Also, make sure your name and phone number are on every single item in the package, and try to use letterhead with matching, professional stationary.

As with everything, there are some drawbacks. One drawback is the bigger companies take a huge percentage of the song's income and they don't have your career interests at heart. The smaller companies generally take 25%, but the bigger companies could ask for as much as 50%. The publisher will also effectively own the copyright to your song, they have complete control, which can be hard for some to give up. Eliminating yourself from the copyright could create problems down the line. It also means that they call the shots. If you're a republican, they could use your song for a democratic fund raiser, which wouldn't make you very happy, but it's their perogative. You could also come across some great deal on your own, but you can't do anything without the publisher's permission, so if they don't go with it, you're just screwed. A lot of people have to be in complete control of everything in their career, and may not be willing to relinquish partial control to a publishing company.

Once you sign with a music publisher, it's their ball game. Some words to the wise: Always have an attorney look at any contract before you sign on the dotted line. A music publisher should NEVER want ANY MONEY from you for any reason. They are like a manager, they get paid only if you do. A lot of artists feel they can be their own music publisher, and that's great, if you're capable, but most of us do not have the necessary connections nor the much needed business savvy to take on this endeavor. Music publishers also get sued a lot and the bigger companies can certainly afford a team of lawyers that you could never afford on your own at this stage. Keep in mind you should be able to renegotiate your contract when you become more successful. Remember, once you sign with a publisher, no one can do anything with your song without the publisher's permission. And, finally, if you do set off down this road alone, be sure to join a publishing organization like The Association of Independent Music Publishers, or The National Music Publishers Association. If you'd like to know more about music publishing, pick up the book, Music Publishing: A Songwriter's Guide by Randy Poe. Always remember, a reputable music publisher will NEVER ask YOU for money not even to produce a demo of your song, if anything they will give you money as an advance. Anything mail order is a scam, good luck, and beware of song sharks!

If you'd like to suggest a focus article subject, or would like to write one yourself, please send your submission to us via e-mail: SVwebzine@aol.com

Interview--Barbara Slane, EMI Publishing

EMI is one of the largest publishing companies in the world. Barbara Slane, Manager of Creative/East Coast for EMI graciously took the time to speak with us this month about the music publishing business. EMI was recently honored as BMI's Pop Music Publisher of the Year. Their membership includes many prominent performers, such as: Ziggy Marley, Paula Abdul, Alana Davis, Mighty Mighty Bosstones, Meredith Brooks, Usher, Deana Carter, Dishwalla, Third Eye Blind and Matchbox 20, just to name a few. Their list of awards and accomplishments goes on and on from the Canadian Music Industry's Publisher of the Year award to more than a hundred Grammy Award Nominations their writers and artists have scored this year alone. Obviously, Barbara, along with the other professionals at EMI, has a busy schedule, and we appreciate her taking time out to speak with us:

Shock Value: Could you explain some of the major roles a music publisher plays to a songwriter?

Barbara Slane: A music publisher has two essential functions- ADMINISTERING the rights to the songs in its catalog & - EXPLOITING those rights to earn income. Administering the rights means watching over our songs and taking care of all that is necessary to protect and maintain their copyrights, such as collecting & distributing royalties and licensing. We Exploit our copyrights in a variety of ways such as PUBLIC PERFORMANCE - concerts, theaters, restaurants, jukeboxes; SYNCHRONIZATION - TV, movies, videos; PRINTING - sheet music; MECHANICAL - our songs contained on records, CDs and cassettes. Our songwriter hands in a song to us, and we pitch the song to an artist looking for a song. We sometimes develop a songwriter who wants to pursue a record deal as an artist themselves. We can set up writer collaborations with other writers or artists.

Shock Value: In your opinion, could a songwriter be their own music publisher.. (why or why not)?

Barbara Slane: Yes, a songwriter could be their own publisher, but they would not have a company behind them networking their material with major record labels, looking out for income that needed to be collected in US as well as overseas, giving them advances to pursue an artist deal or to record demos. The networking received through a major publishing company is priceless. The responsibility becomes solely the songwriters.

Shock Value: What is the first thing you do after you sign on a new client.. what process do you go through?

Barbara Slane: When a writer gets signed they sign a contract, they are introduced to everyone on the creative staff and what each person does and what they can do to help the writer, are taught procedures in servicing new songs, they are usually given some type of advance depending on their contract.

Shock Value: What similarities exist between music publishers and a record label's promotions department?

Barbara Slane: The similarities between music publishers and promotions departments are that both are pushing for a product, the music publisher for a song specifically and the promotions department for the success of the record, which both coincide with each other.

Shock Value: What is an average percentage for a music publisher to request when they sign with a new independent artist?

Barbara Slane: A co-publishing deal usually is a 50/50 copyright split between writer and publisher.

Shock Value: Does the music publisher own the copyright of the song after an artist signs with them...and if so does that mean the writer no longer has any rights to the song?

Barbara Slane: It usually depends on what is decided in the deal. In an Administration deal the copyright is solely owned by the writer. In a co-publishing deal the equity in copyright is split.

Shock Value: Do you work with unsigned artists...and if so, do you assist them at all with getting signed with a record company?

Barbara Slane: Yes, we often help our writers who are unsigned artists shop for a record deal.

Shock Value: What is the most challenging part of music publishing...and what is the best part?

Barbara Slane: There are so many talented writers/artists out there, the most challenging part of being a music publisher is to have the ears and insight to believe in the right ones. The best part is to get paid for listening to & working with Music, America's favorite past time.

Shock Value: What could up and coming artists expect if they sign with EMI? (i.e. services, efforts...how often is EMI in contact with the artist...does the artist work with one contact person or many people...etc.)

Barbara Slane: It's really a two way street. We are available for our writers as much as they want us to be. It all depends on the individual writer and what their needs are. Usually the person who signs the writer is the contact person, but the rest of the department is always available to help.

Shock Value: What advice do you have for unsigned/independent songwriters?

Barbara Slane: Unsigned/independent songwriters should affiliate themselves with a performing rights society like ASCAP, BMI or SESAC. They should collaborate with as many great writers as possible, and if they are artists, once their act is perfected, they should play out as much as possible. Having a manager and/or attorney can help in getting a publishing and/or record deal as well. Acts looking for record deals should somehow start a buzz about their act.

Shock Value would like to thank Barbara Slane for participating in this interview. If you'd like to know more information about EMI, please visit their website.

Concert Dates
Unsigned/Independent Artists

This section of previous concert dates has been deleted. For current concert dates for unsigned/independent music makers, please visit the latest issue of Shock Value Music Webzine. If you'd like to know about mainstream tour dates, visit POLLSTAR. Please send us your concert dates: SVwebzine@aol.com

What's Hot on the Internet
Websites For Unsigned/Independent Music Makers

Welcome to the latest addition to Shock Value Music Webzine. What's Hot on the Internet features websites that aid unsigned/independent bands, singers, songwriters and musicians. Basically, any site with your interests at heart. We will even include our competitors! Ouch. Our goal has been and always shall be to help advance your career, and if that means advertising for our competitors, we'll do it. If you know of a website that deserves mention here, by all means, send the URL via e-mail, and we'll check it out. We will try to avoid any "for $$$$" sites. As we mentioned in our focus article this month, anyone asking you for money up front is probably a song shark. We hope to avoid sharks here, please let us know how we're doing. There is no rating system here, it's not a contest for the flashiest webpage, it's simply letting you know what's out there. Some of these pages may offer free services, along with paid services, so make sure you check out the site for detailed information. We may also throw in some mainstream artist's websites here and there too.

http://members.aol.com/Pooorman-- Poorman Presents, Anti-Radio. Anti-Radio appears on KPLS AM 830 In Los Angeles every Monday through Friday from 3 p.m. til 5:30 p.m. Anti-Radio features Unsigned and Independent Artists. It's the only daily show I've heard of that features up and comings. The website is nothing flashy, but it includes demo submission information, and that's the important part to Shock Value readers.

http://kelani.com/musicring/-- Music Ring. Music Ring is a free service for independent bands and musicians. If you don't know how a web ring works, it's like a circle of pages with a similar topic, all linked to each other. You just display the link graphic on your page and people can click on it to go to the next page in the ring. They must approve your site before you can become a member. Check out the site more detailed information. Web rings are a great idea and can generate a lot more hits for your site.

http://www.musician.com-- Musician.com. Musician.com offers free services to musicians. It includes a free referral service, a list of free special events, and free musical instrument technical assistance. They offer The John Lennon Songwriting Contest which includes a $20,000 prize. This site includes a RealAudio Tour, CyberFolio, and Shop Talk Articles. You can even visit Hollywood's Rock Walk�. It also has a great link section leading you to other great sites that aid unsigned/independent music makers.

http://members.aol.com/McWebber/index.html-- McWebber's Help Pages. McWebber has set up several pages designed to help you get your webpage produced. Every not-so-rich-and-famous music maker should have a website. You don't have to have a domain, every internet server, including AOL, has free webpages for their members. McWebber specializes in AOL pages. AOL has counters and guestbooks for their members, but a lot of people don't know how to utilize them. McWebber can help you with that and a whole lot more. He does, however, request that you check out every page before you ask him any questions via e-mail. Even so, he has always answered all of my questions, even if I completely brain farted and the answer was right in front of me. His site is going through construction, but it's well laid out, you should be able to find the help you need easily.

http://www.kathoderay.org/-- Kathode Ray Music. The main reason I list this site is for their great College Radio List. The list is organized by state, and includes the call letters, phone number, address and frequency. For unsigned/independent music makers seeking airplay, it's essential. Kathode Ray Music also features Promotional tips, free classified ads and a free music business chat area. They have a free music business forum as well. Everything mentioned here is free, however, they do offer many paid services such as publishing, consulting, and catalog sales. Kathode Ray Music also runs the Indie Ring, which is similar to the above mentioned Music Ring.

If you have a website that you would like us to feature, send us e-mail, and we'll check it out.

MAINSTREAM MUSIC NEWS
The Other Music Business

Here's Where it Gets Tricky

Our friend, Tricky is following the example of many other entertainers recently by assaulting a journalist. The attack reportedly took place backstage after Tricky's performance at the Glastonbury Festival last month. Reports allege that someone in Tricky's entourage initiated the unprovoked assault, then Tricky jumped in, kicking the reporter in the head. Security escorted both of the offending parties out of the backstage area. The journalist in question refused to press charges, so the police were not even notified. Tricky apparently has an aversion to reporters, he has reportedly threatened several in the UK after he was given poor reviews of his latest album, Angels With Dirty Faces. There were apparently plenty of music industry professionals on hand to witness the series of events. Hopefully, they all had a great view, and will invest their money in someone else, maybe even someone worthy, hell maybe even someone that's not going to make a jackass of themselves every chance they get. Could smokin' too much Acapulco Gold do that to a person? ;)

Daz and Snoop daz some tokin'

Speaking of Acapulco Gold, rappers, Snoop Doggy Dogg and the more intelligently named Daz Dillinger, entered no contest pleas during separate hearings in Beverly Hills Municipal Court in answer to charges of marijuana possession. Back in May, a bunch of rappers and wannabes were tokin' backstage at a No Limit Records' event at the Universal Amphitheater in California. Surprisingly enough, it was Snoop that did the intelligent thing by calling the police. However, when the police arrived, they smelled ganja all around. Upon searching the obviously stoned rappers, they discovered marijuana in their possession. Snoop, whose real name is Calvin Broadus, had to pay a $100 fine and a $170 penalty assessment, plus a $100 donation to the Victim Restitution Fund. Dillinger had to pay a $75 fine, and a $136 penalty assessment.

Old Dumb Bastard

Old Dirty Bastard, from Wu Tang Clan almost bought the farm on June 30th, but not quite. He was, however, shot twice in a robbery in his home in Brooklyn. Two black men reportedly entered the home through an unlocked door (DUH!) in the afternoon hours, shot him, then made away with cash and some jewelry. The 29-year-old ODB was treated at St. John's Hospital for gunshot wounds in the arm and the back. ODB, who recently requested to be called by a different, much loftier title, that I refuse to oblige on the grounds of blasphemy, so let's just use his real name, Russell Jones, is expected to make a full recovery. Grammy organizers are probably hoping his arm wound will prevent him from stealing any microphones any time soon. A millionaire with unlocked doors, uh HELLO! But, it doesn't stop there, last month, ODB was accused of shop lifting in a Virginia store, and his Range Rover was stolen as well. Obviously a glutton for punishment, ODB also plans on a solo tour of the U.S., maybe then the ol' selfish bastard will realize how lucky he was just to have been invited to the Grammy's.

MTV Video Awards

Madonna leads the list of MTV Video Music Awards nominees, released last month. Garbage received eight nominations for Push It, and Prodigy rang in with two nominations for their messed up, completely whacked video. L.A.'s mayor, Richard Riordan, along with Hole's Courtney Love (whacked combo!) announced the nominations. Courtney will be performing with Hole at the event which will be hosted by The Universal Amphitheater in Los Angeles on September 10th, 1998. For a complete listing of nominees, visit MTV's Website.

Crave Takes a Crash

In June, rumors were flying that Mariah Carey was going to make Andre Harrell the new head of her label, Crave Records. But, in July, it was shut down for good. There's been constant speculation that Mariah's ex-hubby who just happens to be Sony's Chief, Tommy Mattola, was going to pull the plug ever since the couple's split, but Sony and Carey were always vowing that the label would continue. Sony reportedly moved employees to different divisions. No announcement has been made yet about the future of Allure, and other Crave Records' acts, but it's assumed they will be moved to different Sony labels. Can you say "REVENGE"? ;)

An Oasis of Money for One Fan

Just when you thought we were through, yet another alleged druggie/millionaire is in trouble. The notoriously anti-fan Oasis singer, Liam Gallagher, ended up paying out a reported $96,000. This, after settling a lawsuit out of court with Oasis fan, Ben Jones, who Gallagher allegedly assaulted. Jones says that after he took Gallagher's picture in Brisbane, Australia, Gallagher, who was reportedly on cocaine at the time, head-butted him then punched him, breaking Jones' nose. OUCH! The attack was witnessed by Jones' girlfriend, Emma Gellatly, although Gallagher has maintained his innocence. Gallagher was arrested for the assault but Jones claims he couldn't afford trip back to Australia to pursue the criminal charges. I think he can afford that trip now! Ha!

Motley Crue Fan Wants To A-Crue Money

A Florida woman is suing the rock band, Motley Crue, following an injury she received at the Livestock Rock Festival last year. The injury occurred when bassist, Nicki Sixx, smashed his guitar and threw it into the audience, allegedly hitting the 35-year-old woman in the forehead. OUCH! The woman was taken by ambulance to the hospital, and is suing Motley Crue and Sixx, whose real name is Frank Ferrano, for big bucks no doubt. Cha Ching$$$ :)~

Good News and Bad News for the Houston/Brown Clan

Whitney Houston and hubby Bobby Brown just celebrated their sixth wedding anniversary. They were also celebrating because the assault charges against Brown have been dropped. Brown was supposed to appear in court on charges of sexual battery after a young woman accused him of abusing her at the Beverly Hills Hotel in June. Brown had been accompanying his wife and their daughter, Bobbi, for Houston's tour in Germany. Authorities say the charges were dropped due to "insufficient evidence." In the meantime, though, other problems have arisen for the super couple. A 19-year-old woman claims that she was raped last month in the New Jersey home of the Houston/Brown family. Houston and Brown were in Germany at the time the alleged attack took place, but Houston has expressed her shock at the news, and says she knew nothing about it. The young woman claims that she attended a party at the Houston/Brown home and was assaulted by an unidentified assailant in the guest house. Details are still sketchy.

TIDBITS

The magnificent Luciano Pavarotti is recovering nicely at Lennox Hill Hospital in New York. The legendary tenor recently hip replacement surgery.

Janet Jackson's most recent gold single, Get Lonely, made it official: She now has more gold singles than any other female solo artist ever. Cool.

Legendary rocker, David Bowie, is becoming a webmaster! Bowie is launching his new internet service provider, Bowienet, this month. Bowienet will include all the standard features, including e-mail and access to the world wide web, but it should also have some extra goodies as well, including some of Bowie's unreleased songs and photos. Bowie is also planning a Ziggy Stardust comeback in the form of a movie based on the character, along with the soundtrack which will be the old album with some new sounds mixed in.

The estate of late rock legend, Roy Orbison, is suing Sony Records for more than $12 million over a dispute about Orbison's song royalties. This is an amendment to an earlier suit the estate made against Sony, the earlier suit did not state a cash amount. The estate says that Sony distorted European royalty rates to increase their cut. Sony denies any wrong doing.

R & B singer R. Kelly got off scot free when prosecutors dropped the charges against him. Kelly was arrested on April 6th after violating Chicago's noise ordinance, refusing to cooperate with officers who asked him to turn his car stereo down, disorderly conduct, and failure to produce a valid driver's license. The latter two charges were dropped in May, and the remaining were dropped last month. Don't you hate those idiots that play their car stereos loud enough for God to hear? The only thing they're doing is destroying their hearing and annoying the people around them, not to mention it makes them look like a complete moron, music is a gift, it shouldn't be destroyed by being played entirely too loud. They love their music, and that's great, but I have my own car stereo, thank you very much, I'd like to hear it, not yours! (Now exiting soap box :)

Adding to the list of alleged drugged-out millionaires, Stone Temple Pilots' frontman, Scott Weiland, was a no show for a recent court date for drug possession charges. Earlier this year, Weiland was arrested in Los Angeles for allegedly being in possession of heroin and a hypodermic needle--UHG! A warrant was issued and Weiland was arrested in Los Angeles after spending 10 days on the run. This isn't Weiland's only arrest for possession, he was also recently picked up in New York. It is my hope that every Shock Value reader becomes a famous artist and acts more responsibly than these people. I can appreciate and have fun with my millions without the aid of illegal drugs, thank you! This is why we need to take the music business back from these unappreciative punks.

Just a few short years after The Verve split up just to reunite later, their ranks are in disarray again. Guitarist, Nick McCabe, announced last month that he was bailing out on the current tour. McCabe claims that stress is the culprit. It was his departure that caused the band to split a few years ago, but The Verve say they will go on without him. They brought in B.J. Cole, a 45-year-old guitarist who has worked with the likes of Depeche Mode and Beck, among others. The Verve are also carrying on without their planned opening act, Massive Attack. Massive Attack have rescheduled an independent tour for North America. You can visit this website for more details.

INXS has decided to drudge on without their late lead singer, Michael Hutchence. The remaining five members will continue with a new name, The Farris Brothers, which, incidentally, was their original name all those years ago. Michael Hutchence, hung himself either accidentally or on purpose (who knows?!) last November in a hotel room in Sydney. Kirk Pengilly will reportedly take over on vocals.

A simultaneous rock concert is planned for New York City, Rio de Janeiro, and Vienna for New Year's Eve, 1999. It's going to be brought to you by the same people that brought you Woodstock II. Simultaneous? Did anyone tell them about the time difference?

In Shock Value's hometown of Cincinnati, Ohio, three Van Halen fans were stabbed after their show at Riverbend Music Center. The stabbings were apparently the result of a fight that broke out between the victims and two unidentified assailants that fled the scene.

In other news from our neck of the woods, Cincinnati will be where Aerosmith will resume their tour on September 9th. The rockers had to cancel 13 dates of their American tour to allow drummer, Joey Kramer, to recuperate from second degree burns he suffered when his Ferrari caught fire. The accident happened in Scituate, Massachusetts while Kramer was fueling the vehicle with the engine still running. Turn the engine off kids!

Believe it or not, there's one more tidbit out of Cincinnati to tell you about. Rapper C-BO pleaded no contest in court here after being arrested for possession of a loaded firearm and nearly a pound of marijuana. The rapper, whose real name is Shawn Thomas, rapped for his freedom. How the judge made out the words, I don't know, but judge Marsh apparently likes rap music because she let off with a slap on the wrist...2 years probation.

Toad The Wet Sprocket have called it quits. After much bickering amongst the quartet, they've decided to call it a career to avoid hating each other, or that's how the story goes anyway. The California rockers had a pretty good run, though, they lasted a pretty lucrative 12 years.

Births

On July 8th, 1998, William Gregory Buckingham was welcomed to the world by his parents, Fleetwood Mac's Lindsey Buckingham, and his girlfriend, Kristen Messner.

Lilith Fair's Shawn Colvin delivered a healthy baby last month in Austin, Texas. Daughter, Caledonia Marie, weighed in at 7-lbs.

Deaths

Chico Ryan, from the popular fifties band, Sha Na Na, has passed away. Ryan, whose real name was David Allen Ryan, appeared with the band in the movie musical, Grease, which was recently re-released in theaters. He is survived by his wife and daughter. Chico Ryan was 50.

For more mainstream music news, check out these sites:
MTV Online
VH1 Online
AOL members:
Entertainment News
MTV On AOL

Gossip!

Mariah Carey has dumped Creative Artists Agency, for the more prestigious William Morris Agency. Her goal? The same as every other diva out there, she wants to be a movie star.

Also catching the diva-turned-actress bug is teen country sensation, LeAnn Rimes, who is leaving her Dallas home for the glare of the silver screen in Los Angeles.

John Lennon's oldest son, Julian Lennon, has publicly chastised his former step-mother, Yoko Ono, for tarnishing his father's legacy. Julian claims his father was "not about commercialism" and complains that Ono is selling Lennon's artwork on ties and coffee mugs. I know it's not a huge revelation, but the British press eats this stuff up.

Puff Daddy's longtime live-in girlfriend, Kim Porter, has called it quits. She moved out of the New York apartment she shared with the rapper after numerous reports by the tabloids that Puff was having an affair with actress, Jennifer Lopez.

If recent reports are true, rocker, Billy Idol is on the comeback trail. Idol has allegedly hooked up with producer, Glen Ballard. Ballard co-writes with and produces Alanis Morrissete. We should hear something from Idol by the end of the year.

You've probably already heard about the lavish July, 4th wedding of diva, Barbra Streisand to actor, James Brolin. What you probably don't know are the details of prenuptial agreement. There are all hearsay, of course, but here is the speculation: Brolin gets a $32,000 annual salary (the going rate for house husbands today?), and all of his tax bills, alimony bills, and other debts will be paid in full to the tune of $1.1 million, in exchange for Brolin not getting any of Streisand's $140 million fortune if they divorce. Here's the kicker, if he manages to last 10 years with the reportedly wicked show tune diva, Brolin stands to receive an $11 million bonus. I dunno, $11 mil for TEN years?

The New York Post recently questioned: "Which married rock legend shagged which famous - and attached actress - just after a recent wedding they both attended in their native England?". Some speculate that it's a reference to Mick Jaggar and Elizabeth Hurley, I was kind of hoping it was David Bowie and Kate Winslet, cute couple, no? Well.....not if you ask his supermodel wife, Iman, so...maybe not.

For more gossip than you can handle, check out Jill "The Gossip Diva" Stempel's site: Cyber Sleaze

TOP TEN ALBUMS
(As of the 1st)

Beastie Boys Hello Nasty
Souindtrack, Armageddon
Jermaine Dupri, Jermaine Dupri Presents--Life In 1472 The Original Soundtrack
Wu-Tang Killa Bees, The Swarm
Soundtrack, City Of Angels
Cam'Ron, Confessions Of Fire
Soundtrack, Dr. Dolittle: The Album
Brandy, Never S-A-Y Never
Backstreet Boys, Backstreet Boys
Barenaked Ladies, Stunt

For more chart information, follow this link: Billboard
AOL members can visit Top of the Charts

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