7.08.2008

Stores in San Antonio that have The Killing Floor’s CD in Stock!

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(Downtown San Antonio)

The Killing Floor's full-length CD finally became available ..July 1, 2008.. on the net everywhere.

Locals in San Antonio can now buy "La Danza Macabra" at these following record stores in which CDs will be in stock.

Flipside Records
1445 SW Military Dr.
San Antonio, Texas
78221
Ph: 210-923-7811

Hogwild Records
1824 N. Main Ave.
San Antonio, Texas
78212
Ph: 210-733-5354

The Rock Box
4307 Thousand Oaks
San Antonio, Texas
78217
Ph: 210-650-9095

CD Trader 10724
Perrin Beitel Rd.
San Antonio, Texas
78217
Ph 210-590-0045

Music Town
4714 Broadway Street
San Antonio, Texas 78209
ph: 210-826-2737

Waterloo in Austin will stock by the end of this week.

If you have a favorite record store in mind that you would like our CD to be. Please let us know and we will work on it right way. Thank you, ~The Killing Floor

7.06.2008

Unsigned Acts and Drawing Fans....



Unsigned Acts and Drawing Fans....

Part 3

A Commentary, by Professor Pooch

(C) 2008 David J. Spangenberg

"Promotion" is the most obvious step that comes next in most people's minds. Artists promoting themselves, telling their fans and potential fans that they're playing at this venue or that venue.

But first, my question to you is, "What is it you're actually promoting?" That is, when you're promoting yourself, what will be your potential fans perception of what you're promoting? Will you just be one more "amateur artist" playing somewhere?

Let's step back to that Big Picture we discussed earlier and take it a few steps further. What is the perception that your still-in-the-closet-potential-fans will be expecting that will make them want to come out to see you?

"Well, we're playing at so & so's club or bar or venue." In other words, "Come out to our gig".

Let's face reality, if people have never heard of you, why should they come out to see you? What are you offering them that a thousand other unknowns can't [or don't] offer? Let's face it, if you perceive your appearance as "just a gig", what do you expect your potential audience to see it as!

It's useless spending lots of time, energy and money promoting something if people's preconceived perception will be, "Oh, why should I go there, never heard of them, no one's talking about them, so they must be boring, a waste of time."

My point: When you go out to see a favorite star performer in the big arenas, are you going to their "gig"? Or, are you going to, what is perceived to be a "Can't-Miss EVENT???

Now, it is up to the Artist, for one, to make it appear as one! And to appear as one, it should BE one. And it CAN be one, WHEN the Artists perceive it as one!

Every performance at every venue should be thought of, and looked at as an EVENT, a SHOW, a SPECIAL OCCASION, an EXPERIENCE, an important reason for people to leave their house, put gas in their car, pay the cover charge, etc., and come see you.

You must start thinking of your performances as if you were performing at a scaled down arena show. You have to take those "extra steps" ensuring people that your performance and your "show" are special, and that you're not just another band getting up in front of a microphone and playing and singing. Lots of people can get up and sing and play – and those are the Artists who will get nowhere in today's society.

Unless you've been in a cave over the last few years, you've noticed that this is a Visual Society, inundated with multimedia that is competing with your band – and people often don't have to leave their houses anymore to be entertained.

"Hey man, I'm a serious Artist. I'm not selling out for no one!". Hey man, yourself, I'm not asking you to give up any integrity - I'm just asking you to come alive! I'm not asking you to be anyone but yourself. I'm just asking you to look at this performance as a fun and rewarding event. And if you don't see it as one, how do you expect anyone else to think it's one?

All you need to do is wake up, make a slight attitude adjustment, and take whatever extra steps that you can conceive of and afford that fits your image and makes your show stand out.

Now, it is not up to just the Artists to make your shows stand out…

Artists' Managers, street teams, representatives of every sort: What are you doing to help? Are you looking at each performance as a special one, and are you being just as creative on the biz and promotion end as your artists are on their music end? And are you making sure the Venues are on the ball?

Venues: What are you doing to make people's perception be that you're the "In Place" to go to be entertained? And, are you being just as creative on the biz and promotion and public relation's end as the Artists are [should be] on their music end.

To sum it up, the Artists, Managers and Venues must work together to create this perception: an event that people will be coming to that will be extra special.

But we're wasting a lot of time here unless everyone involved understands and takes the steps to ensure that everyone's perception doesn't become another let-down. You can't, and shouldn't even try to fool your audience. You actually have to make this event be not just another event, but an event to be remembered! And, you CAN!

To be continued…

Yes, you may repost this, and yes, please have everyone who's interested in a successful career in the Music Business, read this...

Professor Pooch

Unsigned Acts and Drawing Fans Part 2



Unsigned Acts and Drawing Fans

Part 2

A Commentary, by Professor Pooch

(C) 2008 David J. Spangenberg

The 2nd main reason it's hard to draw new fans revolves around the word "Perception". Perception includes, in part, the Artist's perception or view of their "job", and how it affects the potential fans perception of the "Unsigned Artists Scene".

Note: Let me say here, the problem of perception and the answers to this problem do not lie totally on the Artist's shoulders, but also fall on the Artists' Managers, Venues and Fans, which I will also cover later and throughout…

It should be made clear here, that Artists should still care about attracting both the over 21 crowd as well as the younger potential fans. For everyone, even those over 21, there is still the need to discover something new and different, something "to do" that people will know will at least be a lot of fun; an escape.

And one main perception problem I see with Artists is that most do not see, or have a very narrow slant on: "The Big Picture". Too many Artists believe their job is to just write and learn songs, practice them, go out and sing and play them.

An Artist's actual performance aim should be to entertain people, to help people escape from reality, that is, to help them forget about their busy and/or crazy and/or problematic and/or boring life, to grab them and take them with the Artist on a mini-vacation - that both the Artists and the Fans will remember even after they leave the show…

So, I have the following questions for the Artists,

1. "Why should potential fans really want to come to your shows – even if they knew you existed?"

2. "When they DO get to see you, what will make them not only want to see you again, but also want to buy your CDs and Merchandise?" And…

3. "Will they love you so much that they will desire to tell others, through word-of-mouth, print, internet or however, "You Gotta See This Band!" ?

Yes, what are YOU, the Musical Artist/Group/Band offering them that's special and really stands out? What is so unique about you that can grab their attention and keep them as fans.

Well folks, with the advent of all this computer and networking technology, you're not only competing with a ton of other Artists, you're also competing with tons of other forms of diversions, entertainment and escapism.

Of course there's always the basics, as they say, "You can't polish shit…." You obviously have to be talented as Songwriters and Artists…

But when you practice, what else are you doing besides learning songs? Whether you know it or not, you are developing [hopefully] your own "Sound". A Sound that [hopefully] makes you sound like you, and no one else. That when you hear the first 15 seconds of a Performance, you are not just grabbed in, but they also know who you are!!

Your Sound makes up one integral part of your overall "Image". And, your image is a major point to consider and develop. Your image could be described as: What you play, the way you play it, the way you come across to people, and the way you look.

Therefore, although during practice music is usually the main area of concentration, there are other just as important considerations that most Musicians don't think about. That is, does your Group look "wasted", dead, or very much alive? What does your equipment look and sound like? What kind of relationship do you wish to develop with your audience? Are you Singing and Playing, or Performing, communicating with your audience and drawing them in to you?

Simply put what will affect your potential fans perception of you? That once they know you exist will talk about you to no end.

But there's one more very important Perception Factor that must be overcome that is necessary to draw your potential fans out of the closet, so that you actually have the chance to give them a chance to get to know and love you…

To be continued…

Yes, you may repost this, and yes, please have everyone who's interested in a successful career in the Music Business, read this...

Professor Pooch Music Business Guidance, Education & Direction Music Business Contract Services

Unsigned Acts and Drawing Fans – Part 1

Unsigned Acts and Drawing Fans

A Commentary, by Professor Pooch

(C) 2008 David J. Spangenberg

I look around the "Big City" and I see Musical Artists/Bands looking for places to play for as large an audience as possible, wanting to be heard, wanting to gain new fans, wanting to earn a living doing what they like to do – Creating and Playing their Music.

Of course, naturally, they are going to go where they can be hired, which most of the time consists of different Bars, Clubs and other drinking establishments...

Well, in theory, this should work pretty well; you have places to gather and nurture fans, and you're doing what you love to do - play Music. But, as I'm sure most of you have found out, this rarely works very well…

Why? The 1st of a couple main reasons is actually very simple when you really look at it…

I remember my pre-teen and teenage years, when I, a potential Music fan like anyone else of my generation, was introduced to, and developed a taste for Music, and the Artists who delivered it.

This Music seriously affected me in one way or another in these formidable years. Music, and the Artists who presented and represented this new music to me, appeared as one entity. And this entity, and the other influences at that time of my life really affected me and became a major part of my life during this ever-important time of my life. A time when I, this young, growing person, became ME.

That was "My Generation", but you and every other generation living and growing socially and otherwise through these same important preteen and teenage age years, accumulate[d] your own tastes, including whom you are/were influenced by, etc. You, like me, and everyone else are attracted to certain kinds of music and the lifestyle associated with it, formulate your taste, which you associate with this very important part of your life. Your social, and therefore your musical life, are formulated together – by Music, and the Performing/Recording Acts that brought this Music to you…

So, let's look at the situation and do some simple math:

On one side we have: Unsigned Acts who are usually forced to play where they can, most often in Clubs, Bars, what have you. Clubs, in most localities, equals ages 21 and above, where liquor is served.. And, of course, the establishments want you to draw lots of fans, to drink up and make them money. [A fact of life – the venues don't care often how good you are – just how many people you bring in.]

But, your potential fans, being over the age of 21, are already pretty set in their tastes. They want cover-bands and songs from their generation, or they go to arena-type concerts where the "Stars", whom they associate with these songs that made up these important years, perform.

On the other side we have: Those under 21, who are stuck listening to what ever is programmed into their head for them to hear, usually coming from the Major Labels, or their Subsidiaries. They have no idea what they are missing – they are not given the opportunity to see and hear some great local unsigned acts that they could discover and call their own, because they can't see these Artists and hear their Music - because they're not allowed in the door!!!

Yes there is, of course, a seemingly obvious answer to this problem. But, all-ages shows have there own issues, and only partly solves the overall situation even when these gigs are available… The real answers run much deeper...

To be continued…

Yes, you may repost this, and yes, please have everyone who's interested in a successful career in the Music Business, read this...

Professor Pooch Music Business Guidance, Education & Direction Music Business Contract Services

7.01.2008

The Killing Floor's full length CD is now Available!!


The Killing Floor's "La Danza Macabra" CD is finally here!

Here's the track list...

1. Live
2. What I Dream To Do
3. Day By Day
4. Mary Jayne
5. Its Not Me
6. Savvy
7. Hole In My Heart
8. Streets
9. Devil's Alley
10. Manic Depression


Go to our MySpace Page to purchase your copy, here's the link for details.

www.myspace.com/thekillingfloor