I’ve mentioned Pandora a few times as the future of internet radio, at least here in the states. If you’re still not clear as to why I’m in love with it, check this video out.

Last weekend I played a show for the awesome crowd at FWA. There’s something about the convention that puts everyone into a fun-loving, energetic mood. I really want to play more conventions like this, even make a tour out of them if I can.

I Need Your Help!

Because I spend so much time releasing two new songs and a live recording every single month, I really don’t have much time left over to email conventions and festivals repeatedly.

If you want to help out, you can do that for me! All you really need to do is:

1. Pick your favorite geek conventions (comic, anime, furry, sci-fi, whatever) and track down the people in charge.
2. Then send them emails or call them up and try to get them interested in booking me as a live performance. Send them MP3′s, point them to my live performance videos, whatever it takes. Just keep emailing/calling them until they tell you NO or they want to get in touch with me.
3. Don’t worry about things like payment or travel, once they’re interested in the music I’ll deal with them directly. The hard part is getting their attention in the first place and getting them interested in booking a show!

What I Don’t Need

I don’t need a list of websites to check out or names of conventions I should contact. Like I said earlier, I don’t have the time to follow up on every suggestion people throw at me. What I need are people to get in touch with these conventions directly and have them contact me.

I don’t have a “my people” to contact “their people”, you are my people. You are the only people that matter. If you’ve got a favorite convention you go to every year and they need live music, then I need you to take action and get me out there.

I’m counting on you, just as I always do. Thank you.

Okay, so this isn’t the only post I’ll be making about FWA last weekend, but it’s certainly the first. Until I have the time and sanity to go into further detail, here’s a little candid clip courtesy of Robby Davis…

As musicians, most of us just want to write our brooding love ballads or electric tuba concept albums and have people line up around the block to buy it. While we’re waiting for that to happen, though, there are plenty of marketing agencies making ads, promos, and campaigns that absolutely need original music.

On that note, Creative Directors and agencies are facing budget cutbacks that would make a public librarian shudder. In fact, most of the people I worked with back in 2007 had to jump ship to other companies as their budgets sank with the stock market. Musicians like me that run small, professional-grade studios are a Godsend for these folks. In the past, small budget meant weak sound, but there is enough power in an iMac with Garageband to create truly compelling albums. Imagine what a guy like me can do with his own independent studio.

My Name is Matthew Ebel, and I Produce Audio

That’s right, I make more music than you can find here or at Matthew Ebel dot net. I’ve done behind-the-scenes work for Coca-Cola, Porter Novelli, Bigelow Tea, and more. If you think I only write about robots and ninjas, believe me there’s a lot more going on here. Check out some of the stuff I’ve done for business clients in the past:

The Down & Up Theme for the Depression is Real Coalition

Life is Ikea for an internal pitch by Porter Novelli (This was my first attempt at something like this. Ah, those were the days.)

There is plenty more where that came from at matthewebel.com/worksforhire – If you’re intrigued at all, I’ve got a Demo Reel here:
Producer Highlights

Why This Works For Me… AND Creative Directors

Why pay a big studio tens of thousands of dollars for a 30-second clip that could be done just as well by an independent artist at half the cost? It’s a match made in heaven, the only real difficulty is making that match in the first place.

I’ve been able to establish myself with these companies as a guy who can get the work done in record time, but I’d love to hear how other musicians and producers pair up with agencies. Whether you’re the Creative Director or the musician, what’s worked for you?

Photo by Psyberartist

Check out this awesome article on the future of the music business from Techdirt. Here’s an excerpt:

Matthew Ebel is a singer in Boston who started building a fanbase by playing live and actively participating in social networks and other sites…Ebel has discovered that he’s making enough so that music is his full-time job…Connecting with fans and giving them a real reason to buy has made it so that he can have career as a musician.

I especially like the focus on connecting with you guys. Sure, I jumped onto Podcasting with both feet, started a new service over at Matthew Ebel dot net, and I play shows via UStream, but the technology is totally just a means to stay in contact with you. That’s what’s important.

All I’ve seen thus far is the preview (many thanks to Hypebot for the heads-up), but this is something I’m telling EyeTV to record when it airs on PBS. This looks like it will be a great feature on sampling, remixing, and all the other developments that have blurred the line between “fair use” and “stealing”.

An actual email exchange, in chronological order. Emphasis in bold added for punctuation/comic effect.

On Dec 24, 2009, at 7:22 PM, scott wrote:

hello matt
this is scott from [some metal band]
could we do a metal version of this and put it on out new cd? we arent signed and all that jazz and would give ytou full credit for the song and all and even link it to you inside the cd jacket or anything else we could do? hit me back man please!!!

So far we’ve got three things:

1. They want to use one of my songs (that they didn’t name) on an album, presumably something to sell at shows and online.
2. They are not signed to a label.
3. Scott can not spell, punctuate, or capitalize.

It’s all good, though. Read on for my reply: Read More…

I just listened to a retrospective post from the talented Slau, the guy that produced Podsafe For Peace and I’m suddenly remembering what it felt like to be excited about podcasting again. If you were around for the birth of New Media (or if you’d just like to know what it was like working with all the other big names in New Media Music), you’ve got to take a listen to this. Slau released this as the latest edition of his own podcast, Sessions with Slau.

And yes, the Podsafe For Peace song is at the end of the episode!
Download Episode

The 1980′s are still trying to make a comeback, bringing their overinflated sense of self-importance with them.

A few weeks back I was featured in a WBUR on-air segment about performing live via UStream and selling my songs as a fan-driven Subscription Service rather than just making round pieces of plastic every year or two. The people at the radio station thought what I’m doing was innovative enough to give me nearly 8 minutes of air time during the morning drive. Then I got two comments like these:

That idea doesn’t sit well with everyone, including Boston musician and rock critic Dave Wildman. “I don’t know, it freaks me out,” he says with a laugh. Wildman likens Ebel to a talented street performer on the information super highway.
WBUR.org

It’s success if that’s what he wanted, definitely. If not…then no, he’s still got more work to do.

My guess? Dude still has a lot more work to do.
Justin Boland, comment on Hypebot.com

These two comments, though lamentably myopic, are understandable. Believe me, I can level with these opinions by making only one assumption: Their definition of “success” is stuck in the coke-filled limousine of Motley Crue, 1985.
Read More…

I give Nickelback a lot of crap, I know. I also know that 3.7 gazillion people love that band. I hold up acts like Nickelback and Miley Cyrus as shining examples of boring, tepid major label waste product (which they are). Is it because they’re not edgy enough for me? No, there are plenty of bands that are edgy to the point where I can’t listen to them. The entire punk genre, for example, or some of Ben Folds‘ earlier work. Just because something is too misshapen to fit in the focus-group approval box doesn’t mean it’s good either.

I propose that music is like any other recipe; there are main ingredients and there are accents. A plain lump of chicken breast (Nickelback) is not, by itself, a meal. If all you ate were plain chicken breasts your taste buds would most likely atrophy and fall off your tongue. On the other hand, a diet consisting entirely of black peppercorns (punk) would burn your mouth and leave you starving to death.

This, I believe, is an oversight on the part of most major labels and some indie artists. So that mellow, 90-bpm rock song sold 20 million round discs. It’s a good cut of meat, sure, but it’s only one part of the meal. You don’t want the entire album (or the band’s entire catalog) to sound like that one market-ready radio-friendly überhit ’cause the fans will get bored.

Here’s a secret: The artists will too. Most artists (songwriters at least) have a diverse range of output. This is what drives guys like Garth Brooks to become Chris Gaines or George Carlin to be Mr. Conductor. An artist’s output should reflect their humanity as a whole, not just the radio-friendly side or the dirty underground side. An album, especially, should sound like a well-balanced meal tastes.

If you don’t believe me, open up a restaurant that serves only unflavored pasta and chicken. Let me know how that goes for you.