Audiosprout

02/13/2014

The mention of Beats, the company behind the ubiquitous, bass-heavy Beats by Dr. Dre headphones line, probably will trigger some kind of response from you, whether it be a borderline obsession for the company’s popular high-end, well-designed headphones or a hatred for the company’s overpriced, musi...

02/07/2014

What is your favorite venue in New York?

With the closing of Brooklyn’s 285 Kent recently, it can feel as if New York’s independent music scene is closing in on itself and becoming smaller and smaller every day. That may or may not be true, but there are definitely some fantastic venues ranging from legitimate to questionably legal. If you...

01/31/2014

What are some key tactics for bands to get their albums reviewed by journalists?

Music critics are lazy people. If you’re trying hard to get your album reviewed, don’t necessarily find yourself at fault if it fails to earn desired results. It can often take a perfect storm of packaging, promotion, connections, and spoon-feeding to even get your email opened by a reviewer. It’s h...

01/28/2014

Check out this review of Juniper Rising's 7", Days of Heaven. "Juniper Rising builds living, breathing tributes to the traditions of the past while constructing something different and firmly planted in the present."

With Ennio Morricone ferocity, Juniper Rising’s Days of Heaven 7” begins boldly and dangerously, howling unreservedly into Leone’s and Tessari’s gritty desert plains on the opening titular song, “Days of Heaven.” Whereas the film of the same name feels like a gentle, meandering dream, this song is a...

01/23/2014

Music Journalists: Is there a point to writing a bad review for a band, song, or album?

Sometimes I wonder if being both a music writer and a record label owner is something of a paradox. Running a label, I will always be leery of any and all journalists for any time in the past a writer gave the bands I release a bad review, and as a writer it seems it’s my job to be eternally grumpy…

01/22/2014

Juan Wauters of The Beets is not just a New York legend, he may as well be an American National Treasure. So, for a musician originally from Uruguay, it’s actually fitting his first solo album is entitled North American Poetry. For someone contributing more to the modern American myth than almost an...

01/21/2014

Music is all about wanting to be better at it - Geddy Lee, Rush

01/16/2014

"While label execs don’t seem to mind the trending transition from digital sales to streaming services, or at least that’s the ruse they’re putting on for now, the story’s a bit different for artists."

When physical album sales began to drop at the beginning of the 2000s, music labels were comforted by the rapid growth of digital music sales as music lovers began transferring the massive music collections from their CD binders and media cabinets to their hard drives. But in 2013, for the first tim...

01/14/2014

We review Lael Summer's debut album, Burden to Bear. "Summer’s vocal prowess and lyrical honesty offers a fantastic first album, with a lot of promise for more greatness to come."

New York City’s Lael Summer is set to release her debut album, Burden to Bear, produced by Tomás Doncker and James Dellatacoma for True Groove Records, January 21st. A pitch-perfect, spot on serving of stylistic soul courtesy of a group of musicians that act like a greatGamble and Huff session group...

01/09/2014

What moves do you make to brand your band?

If there’s one thing that makes a successful band stand out from the crowd, it’s branding. From ABBA to ZZ Top, great bands and musicians know that creating a consistent and cohesive message that your fans identify with is key to elevating any great musical act to the big leagues. Now I know what yo...

01/08/2014

YouTube is already the go-to source for most people to see the latest music video from their favorite artists or to discover the viral music video all their friends are talking about. For many, it’s become a free, on-demand jukebox where they can create playlists and listen to major releases from ma...

01/06/2014

Music journalists often put up barriers in their own field. Many leading publications will act like a good old boys club; I know, because I’ve written for them. Again, there isn’t a shortage of great female music writers, in fact, the ratio of quality might very well tip towards women, but there can...

12/23/2013

Should you self release your on vinyl?

Last time around, I discussed self-releasing your own music and cassettes being a perfectly affordable and respectable medium for it. There is one more obvious specialty medium that is definitely worth discussing, and seen by many to be even more pure. More than tapes, vinyl records have made even b...

12/20/2013

Have you ever considered releasing your music via cassette?

Self-releasing your own music may at first seem like giving up or forfeiting on trying to find a label, but in reality it is actually a viable and respectful method for getting your music out there, if done right. Obviously, the easiest way is just to burn some CD-Rs and pass them around, but there…

12/17/2013

Jason Escalera drops knowledge on the basics of theory and why you shouldn't be intimidated, but excited by it

If there is anything that causes people drop their instruments and run, it would be music theory. After all, it is a huge subject with just as much information surrounding it. Just like many other things, it may take a lifetime to learn everything about it. Plus, there are those who are quick to poi...

12/16/2013

I always believed in the music we did and that's why it was uncompromising - Jimmy Page

12/13/2013

Check out this blog post on Musicgoat.com and find out why AudioSprout.com was founded!

Managing your band like a business. It’s a dirty concept for fans, conjuring up memories of bands once admired, taking their sound in a cheap, yet marketable direction. But it doesn’t have to be. See why.

12/12/2013

Where do you look when searching for new bandmates?

That drummer? He was unreliable anyway. The guitarist who quit? 4 chord hack. And the vocalist... You could've filled a lake with an ego that size. Bands usually go through their rounds while finding the right both in the early days and during the golden years when things might just get to be "too m...