The Best Ways to Listen to Radio Online

Internet Radio, also referred to as Online Radio, is the new worldwide hip alternative to traditional AM/FM radio. In this article we will discuss the reasons why and how to listen to radio online.

The increasing popularity of online radio is largely a result of advertisers and marketers stronger use of today’s chart-topping songs to increase brand awareness for new phones, automobiles, clothes, household products, travel destinations, and almost all consumer products. It’s become relatively easy for anyone to start and run their own online radio station. Users can easily setup personal and commercial radio stations through such leading companies as Live365 and SHOUTcast. Many of the successful online radio owners are able to make a substantial amount of cashflow from their operations.

More than two-thirds of Americans now have access to the Internet and a large majority of the recent growth occurs in the workplace. Nearly eighty-percent of the Americans with Internet access use the Internet each week. Internet radio offers users the ability to listen to radio, tv shows, talk shows, new music without missing a beat. Why sit at your desk for eight hours listening to your co-workers radio when you can listen to radio online?

Free Listens vs Monthly Fee
There can be several drawbacks while listening to radio online with the biggest complaint being the excessive advertising that comes with the online radio players. Some players have annoying pop-ups, pop-unders, banner ads, audio ads, video ads, and just about any other online ad medium available. These added components are often necessary to foot the legal and licensing bills, royalty payments to artists, and provide the music free of charge to end users. The ad frequency and length varies among all radio players but is unavoidable nonetheless.

While there are numerous ways to listen to radio online, it’s best accomplished if you know specifically what you want to achieve from your music listening experience By charging a monthly fee ranging from $4.95 to $14.95, online radio stations are able to offer subscribers an ad-free listening experience. While XM Radio and Sirius Radio are seemingly the most rapidly growing radio stations on the planet, users can save money by taking advantage of the ability to listen to radio online.

Listen for your style of Online Radio
One great way to pick a good online radio player or station is to know what style of music you are most interested in listening. It’s a fact that some radio stations have a larger song selection than others when it comes to certain styles of music. Another great factor that will help in your quest to listen to radio online is to being aware of the enviornment in which you listen to your online radio. You may find that some radio stations and features will work very well at home when the computer processor usage is much lower than while at work or vice versa. As simple as it may sound, keeping these factors in mind will determine the quality of your online listening experience.

In part two of this series, we will cover some of the best online radio stations, pricing options, and features to look for while you listen to radio online.

Howard Britt is the owner of http://www.musicoxygen.com the site for free music downloads from major and independent music artists. Give your ears a breath of fresh air and listen to free music now.

Howard Britt is owner of http://www.musicoxygen.com website, a new music network that exposes the best quality music from newcomer, unsigned, and signed artists. Please visit Music Oxygen to learn more about free radio stations and how to listen to radio online.

CD Review: The Best of Sade

The Best of Sade is indeed that. A collection of sixteen of the very best songs she’s produced to this point.
With her exotic beauty and steamy voice it seems as though it was her destiny to be a star. Her voice is the very definition of smooth and has over the years become her trademark.

She showcases the very best of her vocal talents on tracks like Smooth Operator, The Sweetest Taboo, and the emotionally gripping Jezebel.

I’ve always felt No Ordinary Love is a very powerful song. Gives me that feeling that it is being delivered from deep inside the soul of this outstanding artist. As do a lot of Sade’s songs.

This is truly one of those rare CDs you can literally get lost in. Every song as good as the one before it.

Overall The Best of Sade is an outstanding release. What I call, must have music. I give it two thumbs up.

While this entire CD is outstanding the truly standout tunes are Your Love Is King [track 1], No Ordinary Love [track 11], and Kiss Of Life [track 13]. My SmoothLee Bonus Pick, and the one that got Sore […as in “Stuck On REpeat”] is track 7, Never As Good As The First Time. Very nice!

Release Notes:

Sade originally released The Best of Sade on April 3, 2001 on the Sony record label.

CD track list follows:

1. Your Love Is King
 2. Hang On To Your Love
 3. Smooth Operator
 4. Jezebel
 5. The Sweetest Taboo
 6. Is It A Crime
 7. Never As Good As The First Time
 8. Love Is Stronger Than Pride
 9. Paradise
 10. Nothing Can Come Between Us
 11. No Ordinary Love
 12. Like A Tattoo
 13. Kiss Of Life
 14. Please Send Me Someone To Love
 15. Cherish The Day
 16. Pearls

To listen to samples of each song on The Best of Sade by Sade go to:
Sade CD - The Best of Sade MP3 Samples

Clyde Lee Dennis, a.k.a. SmoothLee is a life long music fanatic. In addition to writing CD Reviews like this one for several music related websites he also hosts an internet radio show, and invites you to join him daily for some of the best soul soothing smooth jazz you’ll ever hear at http://www.SmoothJazz247.com

Create Your Unique Singing Style

What does it mean to create a singing style that is unique and distinct to you? We all attempt to develop a singing voice that brings out all the “best” qualities in our voice, but how is that achieved? How do we take our “best” vocal qualities and develop them in a way that is different from everyone else? How can we make our style engaging and pleasing to the listener?

First, you need to understand the fundamentals of vocal technique. Second, and more specific, you will need to learn where tone is produced and how that tone is transformed into a sound that radiates from the point a singer projects the voice, to the point where it softens and eventually fades out completely. This is referred to as resonance. It is the result caused by air traveling through the vocal cords, producing a tone and pitch that is carried outward on sound waves. In other words, resonance is what you hear when you sing using proper vocal co-ordination.

Resonance may be more easily understood when thinking of the speaking voice rather then the singing voice. Public speakers and business professionals, for example, will fall into two categories. They will either speak from the throat only where tone is produced resulting in a harsh shouting sound for men and a shallow squeaky sound for women or they will speak from a place that produces a slight “humming”. This “humming” combined with tone from the vocal cords will project a firm and confident voice that smoothly and warmly communicates each word. All great speaks have learned to achieve a balance between tone production and resonance.

When we produce tone only and do not modify it with resonance, blending the deeper pitches from the chest with the higher pitches from the head, the result is unbalanced and unpleasant to listen too. Lack of resonance will result in long-term vocal cord damage and will keep you from reaching your potential. You will be unable to sing in a contemporary manner and will limit the variety of styles you can sing.

Guidelines for Creating Resonance and your UNIQUE Singing Style:

• As tone is produced in the vocal cords, lifting the tone above the vocal cords and placing the sound forward in the front of the mouth will allow you to have creative freedom and the ability to locate the exact spot where you resonate your unique sound.

• Use proper breath control to move the tone upward and into position.

• Keep your mental focus on the front of the mouth and not on the throat to avoid unnecessary pressure around the vocal cords.

• When practicing, work up the scale singing gently. Let the feeling of singing the scale guide you. Do not maneuver or impose the sound, as this will not give you the results your need.

Once accomplished, you will be free to focus on creating your unique singing style rather then being concerned about cracks, breaks or pitch. You will be able to sing up and down your entire range easily, without tension. Your larynx will stay seated, not rising up to high notes. You will feel a vibration in the head and/or chest. While similar for everyone, each person is slightly different, so you will need to experiment.

It is very easy to fall into old habits. Don’t! Stay focused on the long-term benefits and resist short-term thinking that will limit and likely stunt your ability to develop your voice and grow beyond your current limitations.

The exact point where you create resonance is the same place where you create your singing voice, modify and amplify the sound, and make any adjustments necessary to express a song in whatever way you choose. This is where all of your training takes action. Enjoy the process, push your creative boundaries and dare to be who you are musically. Everyone will be glad you did.

BIO
Over the years, Donna has developed a complete mind / body / spirit / voice method designed to access the energy from the body to eliminate any pressure that may prohibit us from singing our best. She combines specific breathing rhythms and patterns along with exercises designed to building proper breath support while gently working the entire vocal range, top to bottom. Donna is a member of SOCAN.

Mp3’s - The Future of Music?

Mp3 music is audio that has been digitally encoded and compressed to make the amount of data smaller without compromising the overall sound quality. It’s a revolutionary technique with incredibly good results; mp3 music is frequently indistinguishable from music found on a CD (though some audiophiles with very sensitive ears dispute that statement).

The popularity of mp3 music made available on the Internet is a trend reaching gigantic proportions; these encoded songs are everywhere. Websites called mp3 blogs offer rare or hard-to-find mp3 music and avid fans sometimes spend hours at a time sifting through the piles of downloadable material. Newer recording artists that would often fall under the radar without the help of a well-known label are now able to convert their songs into mp3 music and make them available on the Internet, allowing huge numbers of people the chance to hear songs that they otherwise wouldn’t have been exposed to. It’s an extremely popular thing, mp3 music, one of those rare pop-culture phenomena embraced by nearly everyone.

But regardless of its massive popularity, mp3 music is surrounded with controversy. Many programs that allow users to transfer mp3 music directly from computer to computer offer the services for free, eliminating the possibility of royalties for the artist and label. Fearful of losing tons of money to fans downloading records instead of buying them, large factions of the music industry fought to make free mp3 music illegal — and succeeded to a degree. The laws, however, have loopholes, and many websites or P2P programs have exploited them for all they’re worth.

Additionally, laws regulating mp3 music in the United States aren’t necessarily applicable to other countries, so new websites and programs (particularly, for some reason, in Russia) have popped up offering the free services railed against in America. Because of the hotly argued ethical issues surrounding mp3 music, many shy away from the topic (and practice) completely. Others embrace it, citing huge record costs as justification enough for free mp3 music. It’s an argument not likely to end anytime soon; the ethical issues will be debated as long as free mp3 music is available somewhere.

In any case, MP3’s are here to stay, and wise is the musician who learns about them and takes advantage of them.

(With Mollie Wells)

Duane Shinn is the author of over 500 music books and music educational materials such as DVD’s, CD’s, musical games for kids, chord charts, musical software, and piano lesson instructional courses for adults. His book-CD-DVD course titled http://www.chordpiano.com/>”How To Play Chord Piano In Ten Days!” has sold over 100,000 copies around the world. He holds advanced degrees from Southern Oregon University and was the founder of Piano University in Southern Oregon. He is the author of the popular free 101-week online e-mail newsletter titled “Amazing Secrets Of Exciting Piano Chords & Sizzling Chord Progressions” with over 57,400 current subscribers.

Guitar Practicing or Guitar Playing?

Just because you’re holding your guitar doesn’t mean that you’re playing it, and just because you’re playing your guitar doesn’t mean that you’re practicing. There is a real difference and it needs to be acknowledged if you want to improve your level of playing skill. Some people say they have spent the entire day practicing their guitar when in reality, all they’ve done was sit in front of the TV all day eating cheesy poofs. The sad thing is that they really do believe it was practicing since they had their guitar on their lap next to their cheesy poofs all day. Most of us know someone who does this and we may even be guilty ourselves.

In order to truly improve your skills you really need to avoid any distractions, no TV, no food, no friends and no phone. Just you, a guitar, an amp and maybe some reference materials. Speaking of amps, keep the distortion turned down. Remember, this is practice, not playing. The distortion will only hide your mistakes. You need to hear your mistakes clearly so you can correct them.

If you’re a beginner you might want to practice basic guitar scales or guitar chords. Make sure you have the necessary reference material handy so you don’t spend your time doing things wrong. Keep in mind that what you practice is reinforced so if you’re practicing your scales wrong, then you’ve not only wasted your time; you’ve also reinforced your mistakes.

So what should you practice? Since I’ve never heard you play I can’t tell you what you need to improve on, but I can make suggestions to make your practice more effective.

Don’t turn your amp up to 11 and play every solo you know. This is playing the guitar not practicing the guitar. It might be fun and a great way to blow off some steam, but it won’t improve your skills.

Don’t let practice get stale. You need a variety of things to keep your mind from wondering. Practice your scales for an hour then work on chords or music theory. Mix it up. Just be sure not to over do any one area because you’ll get bored and at that point your practice won’t be as effective.

Don’t just go through the motions. Part of a good practice session is finding problems and figuring out solutions. If you’re having trouble fingering a particular chord, then analyze the problem and try to find a solution. You might think that your fingers are to small or weak, when the reality is that you only need to improve your technique. When I first learned to make barre chords I had a rough time making all six strings sound clear. Now I can make them all sound clear with very little effort. I would also add that I don’t believe my hand strength has much to do with it at all.

Use a metronome when practicing. This will help you improve your timing and make everything sound better.

Learn the basics first. If your beginning guitar you should know and understand the basic relationship between chords and scales. This will help you to better understand the logic of the chord patterns when you learn songs and what scale you should use to solo over top of that particular chord pattern. Check out my lesson “Guitar Scales and Chord Triads” at “www.guitarmetal.com” for a visual reference that might help.

Pick a time of day to practice when you feel most alert. If you’re groggy or unfocused, your practice efforts will be compromised. You might work better if you break up your practice session into several times throughout the day. For example, maybe practice an hour in the morning and a couple hours in the evening. You know when you feel the most alert so take advantage of those times.

Be prepared with things to work on. Don’t just sit down and noodle around for a couple of hours. Before you sit down you should already know what you’re going to work on. This will help maximize your time.

Edward D Cupler is the owner of guitar lessons website guitarmetal.com Offering free guitar lessons to beginners and advanced students. Ed is also the owner of Digitalgreys.com

The Language of Music is One that All Arts Aspire to

It was Schopenhauer who first said that all arts aspire to the condition of music. What he was referring to was the abstract qualities of music. The path between music and audience is a direct one, without the intervention of a medium of communication that is used for other ‘everyday’ purposes, which is unlike many other art forms! The architect expresses himself in buildings, which have some utilitarian purpose. The poet uses words, which we use on a daily basis in conversation. The painter usually expresses himself by representing what he sees i.e. the visible world. Only the composer of music is perfectly free to create a work of art out of his own consciousness, which performs no function, other than to please.

A testimony to the mystical nature of music is the unknown Polish classical composer who’s “Symphony of Sorrowful Songs” sold more than pop icon, Madonna, in the year it was released and more than any other classical composer in the entire history of the world! However, this remarkable achievement only occurred 17-years after he composed it.

Polish Composer in Translation

The composer’s name is Henryk Gorecki and his success is nothing short of a miracle. When he wrote the symphony (his 3rd) in 1976, he and his wife were declared ‘non-persons’ under the communist regime and their passports were confiscated. His name was unknown, and according to records in Poland, he did not even exist. Gorecki had been born in Czernica, in the coal-mining belt of Silesia on The Czechoslovakian border. It is 20-minutes from the town Oswiecim, which the Germans would later name Auschwitz. This piece of music was so inspired, as to be a warning to future generations and to bear witness to what had occurred there. Corecki commented: “The fact that 17 years later, it seems young people all over the world have heard what I said, and understood: that my warning will not go forgotten into the world”.

Beauty and hope are firmly embedded in this piece of music that is played by taxi drivers and royalty alike. 300 000 copies were sold worldwide when it was released, unheard of for a classical piece which would hopefully sell 10 to 20.000 copies in a lifetime, and that’s about it.

A Symphony of International Value

The road to fame of the “Symphony of Sorrowful Songs” is an interesting one. 1976, the year it was composed saw the first performance in a Paris concert hall. After the performance a music critic whispered ‘Merde!’ into Goreck’s ear. The first recorded version appeared in Britain in 1987, and was basically ignored by the classical music magazines. In 1989, the piece reappeared; this time in concert at the Queen Elizabeth Hall, after the London Sinfonietta decided to champion Gorecki’s work.

Bob Hurwitz, head of Warner’s Elektra Nonesuch label decided to attain the symphony for his label. In 1990, Hurwitz recorded it with the London Sinfonietta using young American conductor David Zinmaan and the soprano Dawn Upshaw. In September 1992, classic FM, Britain’s first commercial classical music station was launched and picked Gorecki’s symphony as the station’s first classic ’sure thing’. In October that year a sudden demand caused chart sponsors W H Smith to stock the symphony. In November BBC Radios 3 and 4 followed, then Radio 2, and finally, DJ Simon Bates on Radio 1.

A Multicultural Moment

January 1993 was a watershed moment for ‘Symphony of Sorrows’ as the album jumped from 71 to 27 in the Music Week pop charts. In February that year Gorecki received a gold disc for sales of 100,000.

Fascinating to think that a symphony, 54-minutes long, scored for a large string orchestra, would climb so high up the charts and sell more than a contemporary musical legend. It is a true testament to the universal language of music, the genius that lies in certain compositions and the infinite power of music to move people.

The language of music is the most common denominator between different cultures and nations. The Bilinguagroup team are all multilingual and from various international backgrounds - they have a true understanding of different cultures and languages. As an international recruitment agency they know what is required of their candidates to live and work abroad and as a translation company they have the capabilities of translating anything from Polish to Punjabi - which is what helps them stay at the forefront of the rich pageant of multicultural life.

Paul Thomas Yoder Releases Jazz Album Dreamin’

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Los Angeles, CA–November 9, 2005–Paul Thomas Yoder has a passion for music, and like many of us must separate that from his daily life in order to make a living. Like all artists, he would like nothing more than to record and play to support himself. Dreamin’ about making that happen only comes natural. Being an indie artist is tough, but guys like Yoder have what it takes to move their career to the next level - talent.

Yoder plays an inspired trumpet, flugelhorn, and brings on the vocals with passion and purpose on his new release Dreamin’. From Herb Alpert inspired tracks like “Sadeness” to rockers like “True Faith,” he goes from one end of the musical spectrum to the other. Following in the tradition of great jazz fusion artists before him, Yoder leaves nothing to chance by offering his listeners a taste of many moods and atmospheres in his music.

With focus and determination, Paul Thomas Yoder has put together a solid release that gives everyone high hopes of more great things to come. Making the dream a reality gets closer every day someone discovers his music and certainly, the word will spread quickly- “There is a jazzman in the Los Angeles area that is playing to win.” One listen of the new album Dreamin’ concludes that the horizon looks clear and the new day bright for Paul Thomas Yoder.

Paul Thomas Yoder

c/o Brass On Ivory Productions

P.O. Box 845

La Canada, CA 91012-0845

(626) 319-8004 (phone)

(818) 242-0551 (fax)

Email

Website

EPK

PR Created and Distributed By MuzikReviews.com

Confessions of a Master CD Sales Woman

A couple months ago, I wrote The Rogues to ask them directly what it is that makes them so successful at selling CDs, and why they are one of the top 10 bands on CDstreet selling CDs. Sharon Wothke wrote back:

“As head sales person for the band, I think that I would be the one to talk to. The Rogues are definitely unique in what they do, and if you will indulge me, very good at what they do.

As a sales person, I know that the way the guys play their music definitely is the biggest factor in their sales quotient. When the music, which can be described as infectious, is smoking hot, and everyone is having a good time, the sales are usually pretty good. Most people who come to a Renaissance Festival, where the band still does the lion’s share of their gigs, do not come
expecting to buy a CD with bagpipe music on it. The Rogues have converted many people to this form of music. So in other words, they create a unique atmosphere which is conducive to sales.

If the guys are doing their job (making great music), it makes my job a lot easier. I just have to be available and approachable to people and looking like a I am a part of the show for people to feel comfortable in coming up to me. We started from the very beginning employing the use of a roaming basket. It is very effective and other groups have successfully copied our approach.

Our sellers walk around holding up the product so people can see them. Our sellers try to blend in with the show and not be pushy, just visible. I personally enjoy interacting with the crowd, spoofing off of what is being said on the stage and telling jokes to make the audience laugh. And I will talk and be nice to everyone, even if they don’t buy a CD simply because I enjoy people and I am trying to be an ambassador for the band. They may not buy today, but chances are they will think about it and buy a CD at another time.”

Straight from the Master’s mouth. What does it take?
1. Great music
2. Great live performance
3. Roaming sales people with baskets of CDs
4. Sellers hold up product DURING the show
5. Sellers blend in an interact with the show

The Rogues use CDBaby to sell their CDs. Why? See for yourself?

Bard Marc Gunn of the Brobdingnagian Bards has helped 1000’s of musicians make money with their musical groups through the Bards Crier Music Marketing and Promotion Ezine and the Texas Musicians’ Texas Music Biz Tips. Now you can get personal advice by visiting http://www.bardscrier.com for FREE “how-to” music marketing assistance.

No time to visit the site? Subscribe to the BardsCrier.com distributed weekly for Free. Just email subscribe@bardscrier.com

iPod Nano vs iPod Shuffle

The iPod Nano is the newest digital audio player from Apple. It received an overwhelming welcome when it was released on September 7, 2005 and quickly sold out completely in many Apple Stores. The iPod Nano combines features from both iPod shuffle and the standard iPod, and replaces the iPod mini. (The iPod mini was discontinued as soon as iPod Nano had been released.)

Compared to the iPod shuffle, the iPod Nano is equipped with a considerably larger flash memory despite being much smaller physically. The first launch included two types of iPod Nano - the 2GB and the 4GB. The 4GB iPod Nano is capable of storing up to 1000 songs.

Since the iPod Nano is smaller than the full sized iPods, such as the iPod shuffle, the iPod Nano consequently comes with a smaller click wheel and screen. The screen is just 176 by 132 pixels and has a diagonal size of 1.5 inches. The screen is however coloured and capable of a much higher resolution than the common greyscale iPod screen. This has made it possible to fit one extra line of text in the screen of the iPod Nano compared to the screen of the equally small iPod mini.

Read more at www.newipodnano.com/ipodarticle.html

Piano Improvisation Tips - Enjoy the Process First!

“I’m having problems staying with the music,” wrote one student. “I can’t seem to get it. What I mean is, I get stuck or blocked only after a few seconds of improvising. What can I do?”

The above complaint is a very common problem among newbies at improvisation. They don’t understand how to keep an improvisation going. Why? Because they have it backwards!

You’re not supposed to keep an improvisation going. No. That’s the wrong approach to improvisation. The right approach is to let go of your need to control the outcome. Then and only then will your intuition come to your aid.

Listen, you may want to create something beautiful on the piano, but it is exactly your desire that is creating blocks! How? Because the ego is never satisfied and wants a perfect music, a good music, or something that will satisfy it. The ego is insatiable and is never satisfied.

That’s why when you focus on and enjoy the process of improvising, you free yourself from this trap.

Many of us are obsessed with creating a product. Something we can be proud of and show off to friends and family. Look, there’s nothing wrong with wanting to have something you can call your own, but when you are only concerned with creating the end result, your creative self (inspiration) will dry up and leave you feeling empty.

But, if you put process over product, not only will you enjoy the whole experience more, the outcome will be far superior to any forced ego product you may end up having.

To enjoy the act of making music, we must let up on ourselves and adapt an attitude of exploration. We must allow for mistakes and listen for where the music itself wants to go. This idea may be strange to some of you. I can understand that but once you really let go of trying to control the outcome, wonderful things begin to happen!

Edward Weiss is a pianist/composer and webmaster of Quiescence Music’s online piano lessons. He has been helping students learn how to play piano in the New Age style for over 14 years and works with students in private, in groups, and now over the internet. Stop by now at http://www.quiescencemusic.com/piano_lessons.html for a FREE piano lesson!