Tag Archive for 'Martin Atkins'

TOUR:SMART PLUS TAKE 2

Published by AidanR on October 12, 2009 in Artist News. 0 Comments Tags: , , , .

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Back in August, we wrote about Martin Atkins’ Tour:Smart Plus weekend seminar in Chicago. The three-day weekend (this time from October 23-25), geared towards educating musicians and industry professionals on all the astounding D.I.Y. possibilities within  today’s music scene was a great success. Such a success, they’ve decided to do it again! From networking opportunities to learning how to market yourself, graphic design to video editing, writing engaging biographies to screen printing, this next three-day seminar three will undoubtedly brighten your musical future. Even better, you get a $100 dollar discount for registering with the OurStage discount code ($50 more than last time); just enter “ourstage” in the discount code box on the registration page. With the same limited class size of 30 students, and the same jaw-dropping rate of $79/ night in the gorgeous Chicago South Loop Hotel, it would be a mistake to let this chance pass you by. Be sure to secure your spot before they’re all gone. Register today!

Martin Atkins

Martin Atkins

Invisible Records logoRevolution Number Three

How to Register:

1)    Visit http://www.eventbrite.com/event/424755455/

2)    Click the “Enter Discount Code” tab under the “Ticket Information” tab

3)    Enter “OurStage” in the text field when it appears

4)    Fill our the registration page information and you will be all set!

Don’t believe the hype? Check these videos and see what last seminar’s attendees had to say about the event!

And if Martin Atkins and the other attending guest speakers don’t already sound cool enough, just watch this video:

THE NEW MUSIC SEMINAR ANNOUNCES FINAL PROGRAM FOR OCTOBER 6th EVENT IN CHICAGO AT PARK WEST

Published by KB@OS on September 23, 2009 in OurStage Partners. 1 Comment Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , .

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The New Music Seminar announces the final program for the Chicago NMS Symphony. This one-day educational and networking event for Artists, Managers, music labels, and others in the music business,  will reveal the secrets of the emerging new music business; its new paradigm and new opportunities,  as well as tools and examples of how to achieve success in the new era.

The New Music Seminar, which for 15 years was the #1 music conference in the world, will again be the number one place for networking and building business partnerships that will become the foundations of the new music business. The NMS will provide delegates with opportunities to meet with the leaders of the new music business, get the advice, information and tools to do it themselves.

The New Music Seminar has replaced the old “panels and moderators” approach with a Symphony of ideas in four Movements. Each Movement will have a Conductor and four or more Players. The following is the full listing.

Keynote Address: Michael Spiegelman-Head of Yahoo! Music

1st MOVEMENT

WELCOME TO THE NEW MUSIC BUSINESS: EVERYTHING YOU KNOW IS WRONG

Setting your targets to the new definition of winning.  The Story of 1000 true fans. Fan Relationship Management and an introduction to the new science of The Fan Pyramid and how to maximize revenues from your different types of fans.

Conductor:  Tom Silverman-Tommy Boy/NMS

Players:

Emily White – Whitesmith Entertainment

David Hazan – The Bizmo

Lou Plaia – ReverbNation

Martin Heath – Lizard King Records, UK

2nd Movement

Expose Yourself! Marketing for the next music business; MySpace, Facebook and Twitter are not enough.

Radio and Video are no longer the gateway to success for most developing artists.  Breakthroughs happen on line, at shows, occasionally at press and college radio and specialty shows. But they happen slowly over a longer period of time.  How do you get enough exposure to escape from the cursed swamp of obscurity?

Conductors:  Paul Resnikoff – Digital Music News

Players:

Brian Calhoun – Soundexchange and Music Business Toolbox

Dean Raissen – Raise Up Music and Booker, Viper Room, Los Angeles

Ariel Hyatt – Ariel Publicity and Cyber PR

Corey Denis – Reapandsow

Greg Estes – Mozes

3rd MOVEMENT

THE CREATIVE PROCESS AND RADICAL DIFFERENTIATION

The creative quartet and how to stand out in songwriting, production, image and the live show.

Conductors: Steve “Silk” Hurley – S & S Records

KB, OurStage.com

Players:

Bad Boy Bill – Artist

Amy Phillips – Pitchfork

Howard Greynolds – Overcoat Management, The Swell Season

Plus surprise guests

4th Movement

YOUR LIVE SHOW AND TOUR:
SIMPLE STEPS TO CUT THROUGH THE GLUT and REACH THE MAGIC 300 TICKET MARK

Conductor:

Dave Lory – Chairman/CEO, Worldwide Entertainment Group Inc.

Players:

Martin Atkins – Author, Tour:Smart & CEO Invisible Records

Tom Windish – The Windish Agency

David Cooper – Founder, Foxman/Direct to Fan

Joe Carsello – Talent Buyer, The Metro

Martin Folkman – Musician’s Atlas/Independent Music Awards

In between the Movements, delegates will network and visit the NMS Partners in attendance who are supplying complimentary promotional and marketing tools to the delegates and other useful items to assist them with their careers.

The NMS After Party Schmoozathon at Park West begins at 8pm. This private event will include artist performances by the stars of the New Music Business DIY movement.

On Monday night, October 5th, the New Music Seminar will hold their opening night reception where registered delegates can schmooze with the Conductors, Players and other heavyweights attending the Seminar the following day and make new contacts to promote your career.

For more information on The New Music Seminar, you can go to www.NewMusicSeminar.biz. To receive a 10% discount, enter NMSCHICAGO24986 through “Google Checkout” on the registration tab.

Q&A WITH MARTIN ATKINS

Published by KB@OS on August 12, 2009 in Interviews, OurStage Partners and Rock. 2 Comments Tags: , , , , , , , .

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Martin Atkins is the quintessential punk rock renaissance man. He’s been a member and/or session musician for some of the most influential names in alternative music; specifically the post-punk and industrial genres. Founder of Invisible Records and author of “Tour: Smart”, Atkins is also a professor at Columbia College and is leading a DIY music business revolution through his seminar series Revolution Number Three. In between revealing the mysteries of how to have a shot at a career in music, Martin Atkins had time to answer a few questions for OurStage.

KB: Having toured with bands such as Public Image Ltd., Killing Joke, Ministry, Nine Inch Nails and Pigface, you’ve performed for audiences at sold out stadiums as well as in intimate settings for the discerning few. What has been an epic moment for you in terms of live performances?

MA: Well, there are a LOT. Helicopters and riot police on horseback in LA in the early 80’s (PiL) to stadiums in Europe with Killing Joke… small sweaty places, seven drummers onstage with Pigface…there have been many epic moments but it’s the tiny intimate experiences that I remember most. Like the coffee shop in Florida where we projected my lecture slides onto some old curtains thrown over some plywood in the front garden, hanging out before an event and meeting everyone in the crowd — that’s the stuff I like. The shows where the audience becomes one huge vibrating mass are GREAT but have a sheen of something or other, an impenetrability of the audience fueled by distance and inaccessibility that frustrates at times.

KB: In contrast, what was a less-than-shining moment in your career as a touring musician?

MA: Oh God, back in my drinking days I messed up a Pigface show in New Orleans. I thought that we had already played. We hadn’t and I was in bad shape. It was a tiny club and fortunately a few people in the crowd threw some shit (cigarettes or glasses or both) so we bailed to avoid further embarrassment. Fortunately it was only a handful of people. I think that its captured on the Son Of A Glitch Pigface video.

Continue reading ‘Q&A WITH MARTIN ATKINS’

TOUR:SMART PLUS

Published by AidanR on August 6, 2009 in Artist News and OurStage Partners. 0 Comments Tags: , , , , .

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Martin Atkins

Martin Atkins

True or False? Artists need to be willing to drop a lot of dough if they want to make it big these days. False. Very False. While this common misconception may have been a dream-derailing reality in the past, the ability for artists to Do It Yourself (D.I.Y.) these days are astounding. Screen printing your own merchandise, booking shows, writing interesting bios, composing engaging marketing campaigns, studio techniques, even video editing; they’re all within reach. Now imagine an intensive short-term seminar capable of immersing you IN the music industry and teaching you about these D.I.Y. possibilities. Believe it or not, this utopia actually does exist. It lives in Chicago under the name of  Tour:Smart PLUS, and is run by industry sage Martin Atkins (Ministry, Pigface, Killing Joke, Author of Tour:Smart, Invisible Records CEO). From Friday, August 21st – Sunday, August 23rd, this course—which is usually 5 weeks long—will be crammed into 2.5 days, stuffing your head full of so much invaluable information it just might explode. And with a limited invisible-records-logo1class size of 30 students, you’re guaranteed to get your money’s worth. As an OurStage artist, you get a $50 discount; just write “ourstage” in the discount promo code text box.  Tour:Smart has secured a fantastic rate of $79/night in a gorgeous hotel that includes free parking! Details can be found on the event registration page (listed below). Here’s what some past students  and industry folks have had to say about this truly revolutionary program:

“With their chic spectacles and slick audio-visuals, [Jarvis] cocker and [Martin] Atkins joined a list of rockers who have made the transition from the stage to the lecture circuit, including David Byrne, Lou Reed and Brian Eno.” – Greg Kot, Chicago Tribune

“At the first two day seminar…I got my money’s worth in the first five minutes.” – 2005 seminar attendee

“Martin Atkins is the best speaker on the planet.” – Paul Natkin, Chicago Music Commission

“In my 6 years of college, Martin Atkins was the man to clarify all the … He prepared me for this r3_logoindustry in a single semester.” – Michelle Cho, PETA

“Great insights into how a business moves forward, gets started and stays competitive.” – Elliot Callighan, r3 Alumni

With first come, first serve enrollment, be sure to secure your seat as soon as possible!

HOW TO REGISTER:

1. Visit http://r3weekend0809.eventbrite.com/

2. Under the “Ticket Information” tab, click the “Enter Discount Code” link.

3. Enter “ourstage” in the text field when it appears.

4. Fill out the registration page information and you should be all set!

MARKETPLACE NEWS: SPOTLIGHT ON TOUR:SMART

Published by BethanyLeavey on August 5, 2009 in Marketplace News. 0 Comments Tags: , , , , , .

The OurStage Marketplace connects artists looking for gigs with venues looking for new talent. With amazing opportunities both around the USA and the world, the OurStage Marketplace is the place to be for up-and-coming artists!

Martin Atkins

Martin Atkins

This week, we’ve got some tips from touring guru Martin Atkins about how to make the most out of your tour. Martin has spent the last 30 years touring and recording with bands like Public Image Ltd., Killing Joke, Ministry and industrial supergroup Pigface. During this time he has seen the good, the bad and the ugly side of life on the road. In 2007, Martin decided to compile his touring experiences and those of other musicians into a guidebook for touring bands called Tour:Smart. Check out some of the things Martin thinks every touring band needs to know:

“Play for nothing. It makes your show immediately more attractive than many of the others that week —or just makes you more attractive as an opener to another show. People will have more money for beer and merchandise.”

“Don’t overplay any market. The simple rule of thumb for this is play every 9 to 12 weeks OR whenever you have a new t-shirt design. Don’t ask your friends if playing every two weeks is too much —they are your friends—it’s their job to lie to you.”

“Use the Internet and find out where your fans are and play there! It’s easier to deal with problems of equipment, staging or no dressing room than it is to be well taken care of but not have anyone buy a ticket.”

“Book yourself. YOU can make decisions about playing the RIGHT venue for nothing because it’s a great long term career move. It’s very difficult for your agent to do that!”

Any artist can put these tips to use when booking shows in the OurStage Marketplace. Want more touring tips? Stay tuned for more Tour:Smart announcements coming soon.

For more info about Martin Atkins and Tour:Smart click here.

For more info about the OurStage Marketplace, visit our Marketplace FAQs section.