Grammy Awards Dominated by Indie Artists

Well...I'm not sure if you call 56 of 110 of the 51st Grammy Awards Domination but over 50% is officially a majority.

The American Association of Independent Music reports:

"The continued growth of independent music is underscored by the success of independent artists and labels at this year's Grammy's. Music released by artists on independent labels scored 56 Grammys Sunday night out of a total of 110 awarded including Album of the Year and Record of the Year (Robert Plant & Alison Krauss), Best Alternative Music Album (Radiohead), Best Reggae Album (Burning Spear), Best Comedy Album (George Carlin) and Best Jazz Instrumental Album (Chick Corea & Gary Burton). Last year, independents won 36 awards."

Some people are asking the question, but I am making it a statement: This is the uprising of the Musical Middle Class. This is the time when production and power is being put into the hands of the people. This is the time when people, not corporations, both choose and make the music we listen to. Will you be part of the Revolution or just read about it in the History Books?

TOP 10 New Home Recording Products from NAMM 2009

NAMM 2009 TOP 10 Products Review
I just returned from NAMM 2009, the annual January show for musical products in Anaheim, California. No time for Disneyland, but I did walk past miles of costumed figures and musicians as giddy as children to bring you what I think are the most exciting home recording products for 2009. So here are my top ten with the main reasons why I think we should care as studio owners. Many of these products were announced but not yet shipping. Make sure you check out the links if you are interested in learning more or always feel free to shoot us an e-mail with comments and questions - sales(at)revolutionaudio.ca
#	Product	Product Link or Video
10	The Warp Lever on the new Cakewalk / Sonar V-Studio 700 I know they call it a "T-Bar" and it's used for useful things like controlling surround sound mixes, video or fading in your effects. And I know it's attached to an amazing motorized console that is perfect for integrating with Sonar. But when I checked out this T-Bar lever on the V-Studio 700, I felt like I was able to push it forward and take us all into warp speed. And anything that makes me feel more like the captain of the enterprise deserves a place in my studio and a mention in my top 10. Shipping / Pricing TBA Click here for more info on the Sonar V-Studio 700	Click here for more info on the Sonar V-Studio 700
9	M-Audio Axiom Pro These new Axioms don't just have a cool new look. They have an upgrade touch sensitivity and a technology called "hyper-control" which I thought was really cool. Other keyboard controllers have preset maps, but this one senses your DAW and automatically maps the controls (on Pro Tools, Cubase, Logic and Reason so far). Available in three sizes - click here for more information!	Click here for more info on the Axioim Pro
8	MXL Gold 35 Microphone You can't hear a thing at NAMM. So for my selection of the coolest microphone this year, I had to work strictly from looks. This MXL Gold 35 Mic was stunning. Yes that is real gold plating. They say it sounds as great as it looks...	Click for more info on the MXL Gold 35 at MXLMICS.com
7	IK Multimedia Stealth Pedal Combining a 24bit USB interface with a wah pedal type guitar controller was a very good idea. It can be used as an interface and/or controller. The Stealth Pedal has a rugged feel and comes packed with some great sounding software like Amplitube 2 Live. Availability TBA	Click for the full list of IK Stealth Pedal Features
6	UAD-2 SOLO/Laptop Effects Card I've been a big fan of the UAD cards for quite a while. They combine great, classic sounding effects with DSP power (so they do not bog down your computer CPU). At NAMM they announced a UAD-2 SOLO laptop card for Mac or PC. Now you can take the extra processing power and amazing effects on the road with your portable DAW. Available Spring 2009 Prices TBA.	Click for the UA Press Release on the UAD-2 SOLO/Laptop
5	Steinberg Cubase 5 For most users, here are the biggest upgrades for Cubase 5: 1. It's 5 and not 4 and so it must be at least better by 1. That's a 20% increase right there. 2. Some cool new tools for Beat Creation and Loop Mangling (see video #1) 3. Vocal editing and pitch correction built in - saves you from having to add a 3rd party plug-in and works like Melodyne in a drag-and-drop way or in keyboard style like the classic Antares Autotune (see video #2) 3. Integrated Convolution Reverb 4. Better hardware integration 5. Groove Agent One included * Note some of these features are only available in the Full version of Cubase 5 and not Cubase Studio 5 Click here for a complete comparison chart between Cubase 5 and Cubase Studio 5 Shipping in Canada early Feb 2009	Click for our exclusive web video reviews from NAMM 2009 Cubase 5 Video Review Pt. 1 - New Features Cubase 5 Video Review Pt. 2 - VariAudio - Built in Pitch Fix Cubase 5 Video Review Pt. 3 - Hardware Integration
4	Pro Tools 8 For me, the biggest upgrade in Pro Tools 8 is the ability to edit MIDI in a separate window. For Cubase and Sonar users, they have had this feature for about 15 years, but Pro Tools has finally become a full fledged MIDI editor in version 8. Marry this with built in Sibelius note editing, this new software is a big upgrade from 7 in the MIDI department. They have also upgraded the new version to 48 tracks and added a number of new MIDI and audio plug-ins. Click here for more info on Pro Tools 8 - now shipping with all new Digidesign Hardware and as standalone Pro Tools 8 M-Powered for use with M-Audio hardware interfaces like the Profire 610, the Profire 2626, and the Fast Track Ultra.
3	Recoil Stabilizer While not a brand new product, EQ magazine said about these simple devices "..they could be the most cost effective upgrade you can make to your monitoring setup." The recoil stabilizer decouples your monitor in such a way that tightens up the bass and helps with detail on the high end. Plus they are a Canadian company, which is an added bonus. I say if they are good enough for Daniel Lanois.... Available soon!	Coming soon to Revolution Audio click here for more info at the Primacoustics site
2	Native Instruments Maschine This integrative hardware / software beat production tool is going to blow away anyone who is into making beats. It's like a computer based MPC and 808 all in one device. You just have to check out the video. Availible soon!	Click for the exclusive NAMM 2009 Maschine Demo!
1	Melodyne Editor - the First Melodyne with DNA Melodyne's DNA first made waves at Music Messe in Germany. It is the first commercial software that is able to extract individual notes from a stereo file. You just have to check it out. The video does not show the whole process, but the individual notes from the guitar where extracted from a simple stereo file before he started manipulating them. It is amazing. Shipping in spring as a plug-in. Shipping Spring 2009 - free upgrade for anyone who purchases Melodyne now	Click for Melodyne Editor Video from NAMM 2009

Music is for Uploading - Top 5 sites to share your music online

Have you made some music in your home studio? I hope you have. Why not share it with the world? It's amazing these days: Free distribution worldwide is just a click away on the internet. Here are my top 5 picks for sharing your music online for free:

#1: Myspace.com Still the top website for distributing music for free online is Myspace.com . Sure, we all like Facebook for keeping up with our friends, but every musician should have a presence on Myspace. If you signup, make sure you click here and signup for a Band account so you can upload your music. The interface is easy and myspace is a great place to connect with other bands as well. Click here for a free article by Ty Cohen on 5 Ways to promote yourself on Myspace as well as a link for a special ebook full of myspace music secrets.

#2: Garageband.com This has no connection to the music software by the same name, but it is a great place to put your music into circulation and get feedback on your tunes. Enter the contest and work your way up the charts to fame and fortune! Well...at least fame.

#3: iSound.com A clean, music-only site makes this a nice stop for a hosting your mp3's. It's highly searchable by google. It's a good idea to get a place holder at a number of these sites even if you don't use them primarily for your music. You can see my own personal isound site here for an example: Jason Paul Johnston on iSound

#4: iLike.com You can give away your music or include a link for purchase. Listeners can use iLike to dedicate your song to people on facebook for some viral marketing of your music. Forget being big in Japan - how would you like to be big in Facebook?

#5: C|Net's Download.com It's not just for shareware and demo software anymore. Download.com features over 111,000 (legally) free mp3s for downloading from independant artists. And, with music being uploaded at 192Kbps, it offers a higher quality than most of the other sites.

So, don't let lack of opportunity keep you from sharing your music with the world. The internet is waiting for you! If you would like to learn more about Music Distribution in a Digital world, please attend my workshop at Revolution Audio on January 31st, 2009. Click here for more information or to signup. This is part of an entire month of classes we call Operation Indie Music :: Click here for info on all our Indie Music Month Classes