Taylor Hicks Goes Independent

Taylor Hicks is finding out what it it like to be a bluesman. Corporate music companies who have squandered and destroyed the music business and radio ( I mean when is the last time you have seen music on MTV, or VH1, Could you name anyone in the current top 40??) now are seeing musicians going independent. Of course, us in the blues business have been doing this for years. Hicks has talent so he should be alright for awhile, but like most soul and blues artists it is tough sledding out there. (BTW, I have only sold 1 Cd since releasing my independent CD a couple of months ago, so it is very tough out there!!!)

Here is a press release with details of Taylor Hicks new CD.

"LOS ANGELES, Oct. 7 /PRNewswire/ -- He's "Takin' It to the Streets" on "American Idol" -- now Season 5 winner Taylor Hicks will be takin' it more directly to the people. Celebrating his birthday today, Hicks has tapped the independent artist services company Artist To Market (A2M) to release his much-buzzed-about new album, due in stores on February 10, 2009. The platinum-selling singer-songwriter will be releasing the new title with complete control of direction and ownership of his masters on his solely owned and operated, Modern Whomp Records label. Hicks is currently in the studio with producer Simon Climie (Eric Clapton, Carlos Santana, Faith Hill).

"In this digital age, when artists can connect more directly with audiences, this is a partnership that makes a lot of sense," says Hicks. "I'm very much enjoying being in the studio with Simon working on the new album and look forward to releasing it through A2M early next year."

"We at A2M are very excited to be working with the team at Modern Whomp Records on this release," said Paul Ignasinski, General Manager of A2M. "As the industry continues to evolve, it's exciting to see significant artists approach the marketplace in a new way, and truly take control over their own destiny. This is exactly why A2M was built in the first place -- to provide a service platform for these artists to prosper on their own terms."

During the last two years, Taylor Hicks has seen his self-titled Arista debut album certified platinum, performed with the likes of Willie Nelson, Widespread Panic, The Allman Brothers and Jackson Browne, toured through Asia, penned the brisk-selling Random House memoir Heart Full of Soul, spent time in NY this past summer for his three-month Broadway debut as "Teen Angel" in Grease, and will take Grease on a national tour beginning December 1.

In August Hicks' Modern Whomp Records released Early Works (a reissue compilation of his two independent albums, In Your Time and Under the Radar) through the Welk Music Group. Hicks is also planning the release of Whomp at the Warfield, a DVD showcasing a live performance by Hicks and his band at the Warfield Theater in San Francisco.

About Artist To Market Distribution:

Launched in 2005, Artist To Market Distribution (A2M) is an independent music distributor and artist services company designed to work directly with artists, labels, and content owners to streamline the supply chain, provide flexible service solutions, and deliver new product to the marketplace at a lower cost. Over the past two years A2M has partnered with a diverse group of platinum and multi-platinum artists including Dolly Parton, Tracy Lawrence, Tommy Lee, John Michael Montgomery, Sinead O'Connor, Unwritten Law, and Tracy Byrd, in addition to critically-acclaimed newcomers, The Cool Kids. More information can be found at http://www.artist2market.com".

Short Big Bill Broonzy Film

This is a great little film of honorary Iowan, and former Iowa State employee, Bill Big Broonzy performing in Belgium in 1956. Bill sounds great as always, and it is always nice to find films of Big Bill, because they are hard to find. BTW, it is important that you get ahold of your congresmen about the BS deal that Viacom has with Google/youtube. Trust me they are up to no good. Viacom will have your IP address and know your viewing habits. Not only that, but trust me they are looking for people who post videos and plan to sue them. Read this article from the Washington Post for more info.

Enough politics check out this cool Big Bill concert!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Big Bill Broonzy - 1956
Uploaded by pigfoot

Sick Again! More About Videos!

Well, I was doing good until today. I hadn't really been ill, except for a slight cold over Easter, so that means I had gone almost three months without being sick. This has been a bad year for me. I swear I was sick for most of December, and then again in January. So waking up this morning with this crud again really sucks! I hope I can avoid the Doctor because I can guarantee that he will put me on Antibiotics, which is not one of my favorite things to do. I think that for the most part these are virus that I have, but the doctors take one look at my throat and they go STREP! I suppose it is the hazard of working with kids.

For those of you following the video saga. Youtube deleted a ton of videos over the last few months. In particular a lot of Bobby Darin videos. I found out that the guy who posted them didn't have permission (duh!!!) and the Darin Estate pulled the plug. I know that myself and a few others have gone out and bought some Bobby Darin CDs and DVDS after seeing the clips so I think the estate is being a little shortsided. Besides I have found a few of the old clips are back up under different users. I think it is a lot like the Elvis videos they don't last long! I bet the Elvis Estate must have a full time guy who sits at a computer all day looking for videos of Elvis to pull! Again I think it is too bad, because it is great advertising, and it keeps these artists alive.

If you would like to see all the videos on Blues Historian (they are embedded videos from other sites, if you represent an artist and want them gone please go to the site that the video originates from) CLICK HERE or on the title of this post.

Dead Videos And Links

I have well over 600 videos embedded on this site. Most are from Youtube, but a few are from some other video sharing sites. Unfortunately I have a ton of videos that are not working right now. It seems that at least one person who I posted a lot of his videos has run afoul of the corporations that control individual artists performances, and they pulled his videos from the site. It is unfortunate that corporations are so short sided that can't see how giving away video clips actually help promote artists, and get us to go out and buy their stuff. Of course I know that the younger college age crowd probably uses peer to peer file sharing, and torrents and all sorts of stuff that I don't understand to get free music, but the bulk of the people here like to buy stuff:-) So when we see a video of an artists we like we buy their music. So when the big bad corporations start pulling the plug on the videos they are just shooting themselves in the foot. It is painfully obvious that people are more likely to follow an artists once they see them, or hear them. Most people will not go into a music store to buy a CD if they have never seen or heard the artist. Of course the corporations that control and make the most money are trying desperately to keep alive the goose that laid the golden egg. The actual CD costs as far as production is far less than the 15 to 20 bucks they charge, and of that money the artists get a pittance. As any blues performer can tell you, they make money off performances not CDS, unless they self produce the music themselves, then if they play enough, and sell enough they can make some money.

I will try to delete as many of the dead posts that I can find, and if I can replace the videos I will, but I doubt that some of the rarer clips are replaceable and that is a shame for both the artists and their fans.


UPDATE

I am up to about the middle of may of last year and so far I have deleted 35 videos that are no longer working. I have no idea when I am going to get back to updating new videos. This may take awhile. It also looks like Daily Motion at least gives you a warning that the video is gone. Unlike Youtube which you actually don't know if it works or not until you play it. Don't you just love corporate America:-)