izzy-has-a-trombone - Tumblr blog

[izzy-has-a-trombone]

Hey guys! Make sure to take a listen to my new single "Twenty"

Available on SoundCloud and YouTube now!

[izzy-has-a-trombone]

The World Can Be Sorted Into 2 Categories

Those who prefer the Aerosmith version of "Walk This Way"

And those who prefer the Run D.M.C. version.

[izzy-has-a-trombone]

Live Sound Assignment 4

NPR Live Sessions- Jason Isbell, Live at the House of Blues, Boston

https://livesessions.npr.org/playlists/live-concerts

The not-so-live Live Event I chose to watch was Jason Isbell’s performance on NPR’s Live Sessions. It took place at the House of Blues in Boston, MA.

Instrumentation includes lead vocals (mic appears to be a Dynamic Shure Beta 58 on boom stand), 5 backing vocals (mics appear to also be Dynamic Shure Beta 58, also on boom stands), violin (lapel mic), keys (pedals, DI), rhythm guitar (pedals, amp, DI?), lead guitar (pedals, amp, DI?), bass guitar (pedals, amp, DI?), drum set (3 OH Shure SM81 on boom stands, 1 Shure Beta 52 on Kick, 1 Shure SM81 over HH, small pencil condensors?? on snare and toms), in ear monitors, 3 stage monitors, amp rig in the backline. The mixing on the vocals was clear and dry, however, while I appreciate the fact that each word sung is identifiable (something not often achieved at concerts, I find), the vocals could be turned down a bit, as they drown everything else out, aside from the violin. The snare and kick drums could also be louder, as well as the lead guitar and bass. However, as it was a country/blues concert, these mix settings may have been a stylistic choice. 

Oh, and the keyboardist had a Boba Fett bobble head on his rig. Mad props.

[izzy-has-a-trombone]

Promotional Assignment

My Mission:

I want to make music until the day I die; how I want, when I want, and where I want. I want my music to be accessible to whoever wants to hear it. I also want to help others get their music out into the world, as well as help others compose, arrange, and play. Mostly, I want to perform. On stage is the place I feel most at home, and performing for others gives me an energy surge like no amount of any drug ever could. Performing music allows me to connect with others on a far deeper level than my awkward verbal communications skills, and hopefully, my music reaches my audience on that deep of a level as well. Above all else, I want my presence on the stage to inspire others to pursue their dreams, just as I am pursing mine.

Metrics of Success

3 Months: I want to start off my time at Berklee with an impact. I don’t want to be just another musician trying to get through the curriculum and tuition costs- I want to thrive. I want my presence to be known from the start, and I want to form a reputable career from the start of this next leg of my journey. I want to focus on making as many contacts as I can, from as many different paths of life as possible.

6 Months: I want to be finishing my first album. I want to have recorded, mixed, copyrighted, and sent my album off to be mastered by the end of this point. As I am able to perform most the the instruments I write into the arrangements of my songs, and I am in the process of buying a personal condenser mic and interface, it won’t cost too much to record it.

9 Months: I’ll be halfway through my first year at Berklee, and while I’m there, I want to focus on amassing as much knowledge as I can. Providing the COVID-19 quarantine lifts up, I will be in Spain, and I want to spend my time immersing myself in the musical culture of the southern Mediterranean. I want to spend my time really improving myself, both in musicality and my character as a brand.

1 Year: I’ll be finishing up the school year, and I want to have amassed enough musical knowledge to start really pushing my compositional boundaries, so I can start compiling more of my songs for a second, and more musically interesting album.

Product Market Fit

My PMF would include people whose other favourite artists include Queen, Nina Simone, Stevie ray Vaughn, Ella Fitzgerald, Post-Modern Jukebox, and Adele. It would also do well with people who are searching for soulful lyrics and tunes, such as people in an existential crisis. People who are creative, and/or musicians themselves would also be a target for my music, as it is not usually written in black or white and easily discernible.

Content and Strategies

My content consists of commercial music, mostly blues, jazz, and rock. I am a creator that creates deeper and more complex music over a longer period of time, like the traditional musician before Youtube took over and Constant Creators became a big thing. I want to market it by playing as much as possible. Of course I’ll use social media strategies and other adverts and promotions, but I’ve found that finding a place in the music world is a near linear slope. The more you bring yourself out to play, the more others bring you out to play. Exposure through performance is key for me.

Omissions

I specifically want to leave any bad attitudes with me when I leave. I try to keep a positive attitude in the workplace, but I am human, and there are moments when I become overly frustrated, which often leads to me expressing that on to others. That is not something that I want to be included in my brand, so I’m treating this move from Bakersfield as a shedding of any negative attitudes. I also refuse to turn down a job in music because of its style.

Marketing Budget

Considering I am going to be buried in student loan debt, my marketing budget is going to have to be small and creative. I will have to start by posting Instagram and Twitter adds with the most popular hashtags in both music and generally popular tags, to reach  the most amount of people, for free. I will also use the mass email sender to reach all the people that have subscribed to my website. A tactic that I will utilise that will cost some money, is buying adverts on social media and other websites to promote my bigger projects such as album releases and tours.

SWOT Analysis

Strengths: knowledge, ability, and experience in performance, composition/arrangement, music theory, and music technology, ambition

Weaknesses: young in experience, lack of funds, immature,

Opportunities: Berklee, living in 2 vastly different cities in 2 years (Boston, Valencia, Spain), meeting new people who’ve walked different paths in both life and music, new collaborations, learning new things from new people and environments

Threats: people better/know more than me, people willing to unjustifiably slash others’ reputations to make themselves look better

Responsibilities

Make sure I’m the best I can possibly be through hard work, practice, and studying

Push to get myself in income-earning positions to start paying back loans

Be constantly improving my playing

Be making connections with as many people as possible

Keep writing

Keep exercising my skills in music technology

Keep positive vibes

Concepts from the Reading that Relate to My Plan

1.) “Inspiration Quests” pg. 89, Chp.  3

I want my music to be as much of a journey for the audience to listen to as it was for me to write and experience. By going out and experiencing new things (which I already love doing), I can have a broader view of the world, which will be reflected in my music.

2.) “The Artist Aesthetic” pg. 110, Chp. 4

One of the very first things I was told at the start of my professional music career in terms of me as an artist, was that I have an intriguing aesthetic. It’s still one of the greatest compliments I’ve ever received. Throughout my career, my aesthetic both on stage and in my compositions will continue to be one of the most important aspects of my music to keep in mind.

3.) “Be a Leader” and “Set Expectations” pg. 234, Chp. 6

Perhaps I’m just a bit of a musical nazi when it comes to how I want my music to sound, but I’m all about having people in a band that are 1.) better than me, and 2.) aren’t lazy when it comes to playing something to make it sound right, even though it might be a hassle. I have high expectations for myself and my music, and I expect the musicians I hire to have the same attitude. I have also been leading bands for a few years now, and I can honestly say that pushing myself and my other band mates to the top with practice, energy, and good building vibes has become greatly important to me as a person and as a musician.  

[izzy-has-a-trombone]

Blogpost Chp. 14

Sync Licensing companies I’d consider using in the future are: 

1.) TuneCore

- Address: 63 Pearl Street, Brooklyn

- Contact: By Mail

- Important Person: Chris Dampier (VP, Sync Licensing) 

- Used by: Nine Inch Nails, Cheap Trick, Drake

2.) Sentric Music

- Address: 1st Floor, 29 Parliament St, Liverpool, Merseyside, L8 5RN

- Contact: support@sentricmusic.com

- Important Person: 

- Used by: Boston Manor

3.) Music Gateway

- Address:

- Contact:  support@musicgateway.com

- Important Person: Sam Loughlin (Sync Licensing Manager)

- Used by: Indie Artists 

[izzy-has-a-trombone]

[izzy-has-a-trombone]

Live Sound Assignment 3

Austin City Limits- Patty Griffin/The Revivalists, season 45 episode 4505

https://www.pbs.org/video/patty-griffin-the-revivalists-zhoiv8/

The “Live Event” I chose to report about from my computer was the “Austin City Limits” production with performances by Patty Griffin and the Revivalists. It took place on 2 November, 2019 at the Moody Theatre in Austin, TX. 

Patty Griffin’s performance included the use of multiple acoustic guitars, 1 electric guitar, 3e wired vocal microphones (on boom stands), guitar pedals, a grand piano, an electric bass guitar, and a small drum set. While she remained in the same position in the centre of the stage with vocals and guitar, her two backing musicians traded off between guitar, piano, drums, and bass. Guitars must have been going through DI’s, as no amps were visible on stage. Her performance went without a technical hitch, and her vocals were well mixed and clear. There were also 2 on-stage monitors. Everything sounded like it had a high pass filter on it, which, given the genre of music and its acoustic feel, worked well. However, one thing I would have differently in the mix is turn up the acoustic guitars, as they were almost buried under the vocals.

The Revivalists’ performance included 2 electric guitars (with pedals), electric bass (with pedals), lap guitar (with pedals), keyboard, drum set (kick mic, snare mic, rack mic, tom mic, overhead mics), percussion (1 overhead mic), 3 visible vocal mics (lead vocals had a second vintage-style mic clipped to the same stand as main wireless mic), 1 clip-on mic for the saxophone, 1 wired mic on a boom stand so the keyboardist could lean over and play the trumpet a bit, multiple guitar and bass amps, 3 on-stage monitors for the lead vocals, and in-ear monitors for the other musicians. It did seem like a there was a brief moment where the lap guitarist was playing but there was no sound, but it was short lived. Everything, overall, was well mixed and sounded like a studio recording. Can’t say I’d change anything. 

[izzy-has-a-trombone]

Blogpost Chp. 13

1. SoundExchange: I haven’t connected this to my royalties stream yet. I eventually plan on utilising this service, as I intend to be my own songwriter and publisher at some point, as well as play most if not all the instruments on my tracks. I haven’t made use of this service yet because I have no recorded material to put out into the world as of now.

2. TV Royalties: I haven’t yet utilised this possible source of royalties income. I want to use this stream source because it can possibly bring in more money than royalties from the radio. I once again haven’t engaged with this possibility yet because I have no recorded material ready to present.

3. I own up to 100% of my compositions. I write the music, the lyrics, and the solos, as of right now. Because of this, I will be able to absorb more of my money from royalties. This is something I am currently involved with, because I am constantly writing songs and arranging all the parts for them.

[izzy-has-a-trombone]

Blogpost Chp. 12

My preferred crowdfuning site is GuFundMe. I use it myself, their service fees are low, and more people know about it than other crowdfunding sites.

[izzy-has-a-trombone]

Music Modernization Act

What it is: The Orrin G. Hatch-Bob Goodlatte Music Modernization Act: Also known as the Music Modernization Act, or MMA, was signed into U.S. legislation on 11 October, 2018, that allowed copyright issues to be viewed and evaluated under the circumstances of modern media and technology, as before hand copyright issues were scrutinised under decades-old laws.

Title III: Under Title III of the MMA, sound engineers, producers, or other music technicians who worked on a song will be allowed to collect royalties as they are to be considered part of the creative process of the making of a song.

Opinion: Overall, I think the MMA is a beneficial movement, especially for artists. As the government was trying to punish any person who illegally downloaded or sent a copy of a song or album to another person, the streaming services available were the ones truly robbing artists the money they were entitled to. Under the MMA, it helps artists make a far more reasonable earning, although the amount of pay is still criminally low. I think this will allow fans to follow their favourite artists’ music without the hassle of older technology and the fear of government persecution. It also will help artists by incidentally raising streaming payouts over a brief number of years.

[izzy-has-a-trombone]

Copyright Infringement Case: Queen and David Bowie vs. Vanilla Ice

“Under Pressure” by Queen and David Bowie, 1981

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FKiBG8y2UsY

Publishers:

Beechwood Music Corporation, Screen Gems-EMI Music Inc., Tintoretto Music

“Ice Ice Baby” by Vanilla Ice (Matthew Van Winkle), 1989

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rog8ou-ZepE

Publishers:

Beechwood Music Corporation, EMI Blackwood Music Inc., Ice Baby Music, Johnson Music, QPM Music Inc., Screen Gems-EMI Music Inc., Tintoretto Music

Case: Matthew Van Winkle, more famously known as Vanilla Ice, used the bass line from Queen and David Bowie’s collaborative hit “Under Pressure” in his rap song “Ice Ice Baby.” Van Winkle initially argued that his bass line was entirely different, as he added an extra note in between two of the beats.  However, as this argument did not hold up, he later claimed that this statement was said to be a joke.

Ruling: Representatives of Queen, David Bowie, and Vanilla Ice settled out of court, and Van Winkle paid an undisclosed fine. He also received a poor public image from this case, and “Ice Ice Baby” remained his only hit, although it still has the scandal attached to its name. Mercury, May, Taylor, Deacon, and Bowie also received songwriting credit on “Ice Ice Baby.” The case is seen as important because it raised awareness in protecting not only the financial interests of artists, but their creative interests as well. This discussion arose as an argument that Queen and David Bowie are forever in a collaboration with Vanilla Ice between the two songs; a collaboration they did not willingly enter into.

[izzy-has-a-trombone]

Blogpost Chp. 11

THE BIG 10

--Traditional Artists--

1.) Local Artist: Studio “O”

 https://www.facebook.com/pages/category/Musician-Band/Studio-O-Rhythm-Section-105455170337795/ 

Studio “O” is a local band that focuses mainly on covering tunes, in order to reach the widest range in gig variety, from private house parties to public concerts at the Padre. On social media, Studio “O” focuses on Facebook, as most musicians in Bakersfield do. 

2.) Regionally Touring Artist: La Marcha

https://www.instagram.com/lamarchasound/

La Marcha is a Bakersfield-based group, however tours regionally throughout California. They focus most of their social media attention on Instagram, where they post about upcoming shows and new music releases. 

3.) Indie Label: the Black Keys

https://www.youtube.com/user/theblackkeys

The Black Keys is a indie blues/rock band that signed its first label with Alive. They have their attention focused on YouTube, although they are not a CC, and produced thematic, high quality content less often. 

4.) Nationally Touring Artist: Franz Ferdinand

https://twitter.com/Franz_Ferdinand?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Eauthor

Franz Ferdinand is rock group from Glasgow that tours throughout the U.K. as well as internationally. They focus on producing high quality albums less frequently, however maintain a presence on primarily twitter.

5.) Major Label Nationally Touring Artist: Shinedown 

https://twitter.com/Shinedown?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Eauthor

Shinedown is fantastic rock group that tours nationally, and produces high quality content less often than a constant content creator, but still regularly. I hear a new single on the radio every month or so. While I imbedded the link to their twitter, they also maintain a regular presence on Facebook, YouTube, Instagram, and Spotify.

--Constant Content Creators--

1.) Christopher Bill

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCr-U9BPniu4AQA16baIPHYQ

Christopher Bill is a classical trombonist and composer who puts a focus on music tech as well. He puts out new content, primarily on YouTube, at least once a week, whether it be a short song he made by looping himself playing various instruments, arrangements of popular songs and scores, of blog videos about gear and the likes. He also utilises Twitter (@classicalbone), Instagram (@classicaltrombone), and Facebook.

2.) Scott Bradley / PostModern Jukebox

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCORIeT1hk6tYBuntEXsguLg

Scott Bradley is a pianist/composer/arranger that produces new content every week or so, usually under his group title, PostModern Jukebox, which brings in new musicians for every video. He takes popular songs and gives them a 1920′s jazz feel. He mostly utilises YouTube for his content, however PostModern Jukebox also has Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook profiles. 

3.) TwoSetViolin

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCAzKFALPuF_EPe-AEI0WFFw

TwoSet Violin is a duo between Brett Yang and Eddie Chen in Australia. They produce blog-like content that covers current trends in music and otherwise, such as the COVID-19 outbreak and piano tile apps, and turn them into funny, musical content. They also support profiles on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

4.) Stephan Hauser

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC09GemGjss3hPdljwtJ8TPA

Stephan Hauser is a Croatian cellist, known for his participation in his group Two Cellos, that cover modern pop and rock songs in a classical style. He produces near-weekly content on YouTube, varying from his own music to his participation in national orchestras. He also has his music on Spotify and Apple Music, and has profiles on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook.

5.) PMTVUK

https://www.youtube.com/user/NevadaMusicUK

PMTVUK is reviewing channel that gives tips, tricks, and insights on guitar pedals, recording equipment, and other music tech. The channel posts at least once a week, reviewing or delving into the specifics about a different piece of gear each time. While they focus mainly on YouTube due to their longer videos, they also have a presence on Twitter (@PMTVUK)

SOCIAL MEDIA PLAN

At the moment, I have Twitter, Instagram, Tumblr, and Youtube profiles. My YouTube has a few videos, but I plan on adding more when I have thoroughly thought out content to put out. I don’t use Twitter for much, aside from publicity, as I find it does not reach as many people who want to view content that lasts longer than about 20 seconds, whether its a quick worded funny/exciting tweet, or a short and bold video. However, my online presence is not going to be my main focus, as I tend to work more on my artistic and performing skills. I want to put out higher-quality content less frequently, as I tend to be a bit of a perfectionist when it comes to my music and art. 

All the while, I know I do need an online presence. I am going to continue to focus on Instagram as my main social media platform, as I know its workings the most. I can target a wide variety of audiences using hashtags with popular trends. For example, everything I post now, I tag with #meme, #musicmeme, etc. Because memes are one of the hottest things on the internet, a lot of people will see it either on their feed or in the suggested content section. When I post things, I usually post sneak peak content on my story to create a suspenseful “ClickBait” feel to rope people into know. I’ve found a focused, bold photo with a clever caption grabs the most attention. 

[izzy-has-a-trombone]

Gain Staging

For this project, I used a Shure Beta 58 for my source (mic), and an Alto ZMX862 for my mixer. I don’t have a PA yet, but I’m thinking about investing in some k10′s or DXR12′s. The mic is an industry standard, and the ZMX862 packs quite a punch for such a tiny thing. 

I set my trim at around 10 dB, since apparently this mixer doesn’t go below 0 dB. Strange. But hey, live sound likes to live loud. Had I had PA’s, I would’ve put their sensitivity somewhere in the 5-10 dB range as well. I’m in a 9 sq. foot room in the suburbs. I’m “shure” my neighbours appreciate it. My mixer doesn’t have a high or low pass filter, but it does have a basic EQ, with highs secured at 12k Hz, mids at 2.5k Hz, and lows at 80 Hz. While the mixer doesn’t specify the Q on the parameters, the fact that the frequency is specific is a hint that it’s probably a bell curve. 

[izzy-has-a-trombone]

Blogpost Chp. 10

Here are a few potential sponsors for me to reach out to further down the road

Temblor might actually be a current possibility., as I spend my time and money there. I have played at Temblor many many times, both at the Bakersfield Jazz Workshop and other shows, including working live sound there in part of an outside, private company. 

With Antoine Courtois, I own two trombones, a jazz tenor and an alto (both rose gold :D) and as someone who hopes to also be prevalent in the jazz community, having them as a sponsor could greatly benefit the both of us, farther in my career.

As for Hot Topic, I’ve been shopping there for. . . a long time. Probably close to half my life. I wear their clothes a lot, and even when I’m not, my clothing style still matches their aesthetic relatively well. I also want to have a good foundation in the indie/blues/rock world, as well as graphic design and art, and they mostly cater to those two aspects of our current culture. 

[izzy-has-a-trombone]

Bi Amplification Explained

Sending Power to Amplify High Frequencies

Driver 1, Tweeter

Sending Power to Amplify Low Frequencies

Driver 2, Woofer

[izzy-has-a-trombone]

Blogpost Chp. 9

1.) Bakersfield College

Office of Student Life

- Email: studentlife@.edu

- Phone: (661) 395-4614

2.) CSU Bakersfield

Office of Student Involvement

- Email: GetInvolved@csub.edu

- Phone: (661) 654.3091 

3.) CSU Northridge

Associated Students

- Phone: (818) 677-2966

4.) San Diego State University

Student Union

- Phone: (619) 594-5278

5.) San Fransisco State University

Student Activities and Events

- Email: activities@sfsu.edu

- Phone: (415) 338-1111

6.) UC Berkeley

Student Union Program

- Email: superb@berkeley.edu

- Phone: (510) 652-7477

7.) UC Los Angeles

Programming Board

Email: programmingboard@orl.ucla.edu

Phone: (310) 825-3401

8.) California Institute of the Arts

Student’s Union

- Phone: (661) 253-3047

9.) Laguna College of Art and Design

- Phone: (949) 376-6000

10.) USC

Student Affairs

Email: stuacts@usc.edu

Phone: (213) 740-5693

Hello (School Name)

I am a musical performer/composer touring college campuses around California. I offer both quiet, lowkey acoustic sets, to fit small, intimate settings, as well as loud, amped sets to fit in larger events and venues. I play a good mix of original compositions, as well as original arrangements of covers for the audience to sing along to.

Thank you so much,

Izzy Foster

www.tromboneizzyfoster@wixsite.com/estonia

[izzy-has-a-trombone]

Blogpost Chp. 8

1.) 

Estonia is a blues, jazz, indie, and rock artist that focuses on complex lyrics, and intense and diverse stylistic musical choices. The visual aesthetic has a rough, pragmatic vibe that focuses a lot on urban colour schemes, and blue, black, and white colour schemes. While the recorded music will be on digital and streaming platforms, the songs themselves will be performed on live instruments, primarily composed of drums, guitar (acoustic and/or electric), bass (acoustic and/or electric) piano, horns, and vocal. Synthesized sounds will play minimal to no roles, as the music is aimed to have an “authentic/real sound.”

2.)

Bakersfield

- World Records

   - Blues, Rock, Indie, Jazz, Country

   - Draw: 100-300

- Temblor Brewing Co.

   - Various

   - Draw: 75-150

Malibu

- Harvelle’s

   - Blues, Rock, R&B

   - Draw: 50-100

- The Write Off Room

   - Jazz, Blues

   - Draw: 50-100

Laguna

- The Observatory

   - Blues, Rock, Jazz, Alt.

   - Draw: 350-700

- The Drake

   - Jazz

   - Draw: 75-125

Temecula

- The Old Town Blues Club

   - Blues, Jazz

   - Draw: 50-100

- Crush & Brew

   - Acoustic, Indie, Jazz, Blues

   - Draw: 100-125

San Diego

- The Music Box

   - Various

   - Draw: 250-500

- Dizzy’s

   - Jazz

   - Draw: 75-125

3.)