INDIE NEWS BEAT December 4, 2006 Edition

 
* Well Hungarians Win 2006 New Music Weekly Best Country Duo / Band
* New Kids Entertainment Act Strikes A Chord With Adults
* MusicWorld3D: Avatars With Guitars
* MusicDish Network Artist Miko Marks Named Best New Country Artist
* Organic Entertainment Enters Into Strategic Partnership With Digital Music Marketing
* We've Got You Covered II - Bigger & Better" Art Exhibition & Sale 12/1/06
* MidemNet Forum 2007: Power To The Consumer!
* Rough Trade Inducted In The Indies Hall Of Fame At The 2007 Indie Awards

Well Hungarians Win 2006 New Music Weekly Best Country Duo / Band

The Well Hungarians, popular Saint Louis based Country Artists, were winners in the category of Best Country Duo / Band at the 2006 New Music Awards given by New Music Weekly Magazine last Saturday night, 11/11/06, at the Avalon Theatre in Los Angeles.

At the awards ceremony the Well Hungarians won in the category over nominees which included: Sugarland, Blue County, Emerson Drive, and Hometown News. Nominations for the awards are made by Music Directors and Program Directors from radio stations who report their "spins" to New Music Weekly Magazine.

The Well Hungarians were founded in 1993. Their last single release, "Diamonds and Love" reached several of the national Country Music charts including New Music Weekly, where it ranked #10 on the Indie Country Chart. This chart monitors spins of releases by labels other than the three "majors." In this chart "Diamonds and Love" was competing with other indie label releases including Tim McGraw on Curb Records, Rascal Flatts on Lyric Street Records, Little Big Town on Equity Records, Craig Morgan on Broken Bow Records and more..

Current members of the Well Hungarians are Johnny Holzum (bass and vocals,) Todd Jones (lead guitar and vocals,) J. Michael Hildreth (guitar and vocals, ) Jim Ed Hodges (violin,) and Lynn Brown (drums.)

"Diamonds and Love," was reviewed by noted country music critic and historian Robert K. Oermann, published in the February 17, 2006 Music Row Magazine. "These Saint Louis boys take on a touching sentimental ode with excellent results. This is as well written, performed, and produced as anything on a Music Row major label. Spins please."

The Well Hungarians record on Saint Louis based American Eagle Recordings. Their manager, Charles "Max" Million of Million Dollar Artists, noted after the win, " This award is a tribute to the great music and talent that is the Well Hungarians, and the dedication of their fans. . The group has released four singles since 2003. All have made it to the national country music charts."

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New Kids Entertainment Act Strikes A Chord With Adults

The trend of many children's music performers is to offer radio-quality rock and pop. However, Little Nashville offers a unique twist by performing today's "hot country" for children while stressing important family values in an entertaining way. In fact, no other children's group performs adult-style kid's music in the genre of today's Country.

Yet lead singers J Juliano and Adrienne Grove have proved they can stand toe-to-toe with some of adult country's best aspiring new artists. After all, how many children's performers can claim to have played at the Grand Old Opry? In January, Juliano and Grove will do just that. As winners of the Midwest Regional Title in the Colgate Country Showdown, Juliano and Grove beat out 50,000 adult country music acts and will play against four other adult acts for the national title of "Best New Country Act" at the Grand Old Opry in Nashville. The songs they perform in that competition are different from the songs they perform for children as Little Nashville, but the rockin' good sound is exactly the same.

Parents, children and critics have already been impressed by the exceptional quality and appeal of Little Nashville. In September, Little Nashville won a 2006 Best of Rockford award at the On The Waterfront festival in Rockford, IL, which is renowned for helping launch major label artists. The planning for Little Nashville's 2007 tour is well underway and includes venues across the Midwest and Southeast circuits with several popular street festivals in their home territory of Chicago. The team has gained a dedicated following throughout the Midwest, where authentic country music is in short supply.

"Having a child of my own and listening to the majority of the music out there made me want more," Juliano says. "When my son was born I felt the need to create a concept that could have long-lasting effects on traditional family values." Juliano left his successful adult country band and began focusing on making family-oriented music that systematically weaves important life lessons into every performance.

At the heart of every performance is Little Nashville's good For country fans who want to share their love of music with their children, Little Nashville is arguably the best kids' country act in the market today. Hear free clips of the group's CD on their web site, www.littlenashvillemusic.com. Be sure to tune in to the nationally televised broadcast of the Colgate Country Showdown at the Grand Old Opry, which will be broadcast in March 2007 on Great American Country (GAC) and another network to be announced. Without a doubt, Little Nashville's star is on the rise.

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MusicWorld3D: Avatars With Guitars

Virtual Media Promotions, Inc. has opened the doors of a new Web 2.0-style service that caters to the needs of independent musicians, fans, and the industries that support them.

The concept is called MusicWorld3D, and the company is offering a number of free, advertising-supported services, including a free interactive virtual 3D chat environment with live and recorded music and video streaming, instant messaging, and games to play, as well as free hosted websites and virtual homes for musicians and bands, and an online forum where bands, industry persons, and fans can interact and collaborate.

The company was created by independent musicians and fans and is dedicated to helping them promote themselves using this new platform and combination of technologies. They hope that by combining these approaches, their musicians can network, collaborate, find new fans, and generate sales by being introduced to new areas and new people. They also have a 24-hour, 7 days a week internet radio station, allowing independent artists air play that they may not get with regular FM stations.

This also provides a platform for advertising they feel is like none previously produced. Between live show intermissions and radio commercials, virtual billboards and signage, and virtual stores and venues, they hope to likewise provide advertisers with a great deal of flexibility in how they communicate with the community.

They already have set up relations with a club in Melbourne, Florida, called the Metro Underground, to stream live video of the bands that play there into a virtual theatre inside the virtual reality world. Concerts are usually held there Friday and Saturday nights at approximately 9-10pm EST and lasting until about midnight.

They are also developing a new CD format that allows the independent music fan to interactively view videos and images, and link to artists' websites, as well as listen to their music using their standard Windows PCs.

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MusicDish Network Artist Miko Marks Named Best New Country Artist

Country singer/songwriter Miko Marks dazzled at the New Music Weekly Awards on November 18th, where she was named Best New Country Artist of 2006. Miko is the first African American woman ever to receive an award for achievement in country music. The award comes on the heels of her successful debut album, Freeway Bound, and a busy year of touring across the United States.

Miko signed up with to the MusicDish Network's online marketing/artist development program last summer in support of her third single release and first music video "Mama," featuring Grammy winning Erykah Badu in the title role. Once she was nominated for the New Music Weekly Award, MusicDish Network launched a supporting campaign to drive votes which was a factor in the awarding. "It's been such a pleasure working with Miko and helping her blaze a trail through today's country music," commented MusicDish Network's Eric de Fontenay.

As the first nominee performer of the night, Miko rocked the house with the title cut form her CD, Freeway Bound. The star-studded program was hosted by American Idol's Carmen Rasmusen and syndicated radio host Buck McCoy. Celebrity presenters and attendees included Steven Seagal, Judy Tenuta, Frank Stallone, Sally Savalas and others.

As a songwriter, Miko's lyrics are personal and intimate, delivered by a voice that is clear and riveting. Miko is already working on songs for her sophomore album to be recorded in Nashville.

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Organic Entertainment Enters Into Strategic Partnership With Digital Music Marketing

Manhattan-based indie promotions and PR firm Organic Entertainment recently entered into a partnership with Digital Music Marketing ( D.M.M.), a digital distributor and online retail promotions company located in Los Angeles.

"We are not a record label, at least not yet and not in the traditional sense of the word," comments President Margo Drgos. "Brick and mortar retail sales have been in a significant slump for some time now and further evidenced by Tower Records declaring bankruptcy in August. This is just another value added service that we want to offer our clients."

D.M.M. is a boutique new media firm specializing in digital only music. The company exists only to help record labels and recording artists promote and sell their music on the World Wide Web.

Both Organic and D.M.M work with labels and acts that make music steeped in the Album Adult Alternative, Alt. Country, Americana and Rock genre formats.

"At D.M.M., we put Internet technology to work for you, to not only expose your music, but also deliver and sell your music. D.M.M. believes new technologies benefit both music fans and artists alike and need to be embraced for the recording industry to survive and grow," comments D.M.M. Founder and President, Mick Wainman.

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We've Got You Covered II - Bigger & Better" Art Exhibition & Sale 12/1/06

An exhibition and sale of record album & CD cover art from the RockPoP Gallery collection, hosted by Just Kids Nostalgia in Huntington, LI, NY

Opening reception: Friday, December 1st, 2006 from 6-9pm

Lynyrd Skynyrd drummer & fine artist Michael Cartellone to be in attendance to meet fans & show latest prints from his "Road Series" collection

An impressive collection of iconic music album/CD cover and promotional artwork (illustrations & photography) will be on display, representing musical acts such as Pink Floyd, Jimi Hendrix, Bob Dylan, Led Zeppelin, The Grateful Dead, The Mothers of Invention, Joe Cocker, The Sex Pistols, Santana, The Who, Genesis, The Ramones, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Peter Frampton, David Bowie, Mars Volta, Green Day and many others.

The show will feature over 40 works of art from many of the best-known graphic artists and photographers in the music business, including Richard E. Aaron, Jay Blakesberg, Michael Cartellone, George DuBose, John Entwistle, Richard Evans, Karl Ferris, Jeff Gaither, Howie Green, Brian Griffin, Elliott Landy, Manuscript Originals, Bob Masse, Jim McCrary, Stanley Mouse, PlasticGod, Jamie Reid, Cal Schenkel, Winston Smith, Storm Thorgerson & Hipgnosis, Paul Whitehead, and others.

Of special note ­ Michael Cartellone, drummer for 2006 Rock And Roll Hall of Fame Inductee band Lynyrd Skynyrd and widely-collected fine artist, will be in attendance for the show opening on December 1st, and will be available to autograph and personalize any of his art prints purchased at the opening.

Images of display items are available upon request.

The exhibition is being curated by RockPoP Productions, a Huntington, NY-based online music-related art retailer whose Web site - www.rockpopgallery.com - was launched last year by former music TV executive Mike Goldstein. The site features over 300 different works of art, with prices ranging from $100 to $2500.

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MidemNet Forum 2007: Power To The Consumer!

The 2007 edition of international music and technology event MidemNet Forum will be putting consumers at the centre of its two-day conference programme entitled "Power to the Consumer". A fully-fledged contact and communication platform, MidemNet 2007 once again confirms its international status and welcomes industry leaders from all over the world. MidemNet Forum will take place in Cannes, France on the 20-21 January 2007.

Today more than ever before, consumers are in a position of power due to the emergence of user-generated content, blogs and social networks. MidemNet Forum will open with the screening of a filmed analysis of a panel of young consumers questioned about their consumption habits. The operation was headed up by a Focus Group organised in partnership with the research and analysis consultancy MusicAlly (UK), and the results used to evaluate the industry's potential for bringing consumers into the equation for producing and distributing musical content.

Consumer habits are not the only elements driving current changes. The sensational arrival of brands and the rise of the music market's "long tail" (selling less of more), the future of niche markets and ad-supported music are other key topics that will be discussed during these two days. The Asian market, currently in remarkable growth mode, will also be examined, in particular during a special Asia focus.

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Rough Trade, Pioneer Canadian Rockers, Inducted In The Indies Hall Of Fame At The 2007 Indie Awards

Rough Trade, pioneers of Canadian alternative-rock, will be inducted into the Indies Hall of Fame on Wednesday, March 7, 2007 as part of the 7th Annual Independent Music Awards ("The Indies"), presented by InDiscover.net.

The groundbreaking rock duo, made up of Carol Pope and Kevan Staples, burst onto the Canadian music scene in the 1970's with a group called O ­ inspired by the book "The Story of O". The project lasted through 1969 ­ 1971 until the two moved on to create the Bullwhip Brothers, which in 1974 evolved into Rough Trade.

To coincide with their Indies Hall of Fame Award, True North will be releasing Rough Trade's Weapons album on CD for the first time. Their 4th album will be re-mastered by Peter Moore at the E Room and will include the 12" mix of "Deca-Dance" as a bonus track. Like their previous three albums, Weapons went gold in Canada.

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Provided by the MusicDish Network. Copyright © MusicDish LLC 2006 - Republished with Permission