Helping a Friend: Darcie's Mom

Greetings Loyal Readers,

I'm on my way out to the Bon Jovi show at Staples Center tonight, but wanted to take the time to ask a huge, huge favor for a friend.

Over on the MusicBizAdvice.com main site, you may have read articles by music business consultant Darcie-Nicole Wicknick. You know our articles on Publishing and Royalties 101, and the article about different types of record deals? That's Darcie's hard work, breaking it down for you. Darcie also sings with band Velvet Stylus, and is the co-founder of the Boston Hip Hop Alliance.

Darcie's mother Shelby (my hero), an amazing musician in her own right, has been battling Lupus, and its effects, for many years. She's battled it so hard, she even beat it--a feat that's nearly unheard of with Lupus. (Like I said, she's my hero.) But the effects of the battle have left its scars, and as a result she was recently hospitalized with a stroke and faces a long, new road.

As you no doubt know, medical care in the US is ridiculously expensive, even for those with health insurance. There is also currently no law that requires doctors to accept Medicare, Medicaid, or MediCal patients, even as a small percentage of their practices. As a result, many patients who most need medical help can't get it, or can't get the best care. It's a sad reality that can happen to any of us.

We want Darcie's mom to get the best possible care, just like you'd get for your own mom. So a fund has been started to help cover some of her medical costs. If you follow this link, it will take you to Darcie's website where you can read her mom's story. There's also a Paypal button where you can donate:

http://askdarcie.tripod.com/id90.html

Any donation, great or small, is appreciated and really helps. The donations will be used to help defray the cost of Darcie's Mom's home health care provider, as well as costs for the accompanying home medical supplies.

Meanwhile, see the Amazon.com button on the MusicBizAdvice.com website at the bottom of the left hand menu? (See it? It's under the Hard Rock Cafe ad.) If you click on that exact button to order stuff from Amazon.com, MusicBizAdvice.com will donate 50% of all our Amazon proceeds to Darcie's mom's medical fund through December 31, 2008. (The other percentage we use to defray MusicBizAdvice.com bandwidth costs, keeping the site free for you guys.)

Darcie did not ask me to do this. But she's a good friend who's good to us, and she's been good to you guys through her informative articles. So your help is much appreciated.

Thanks for reading this, and for whatever you can do. It really means a lot to me, because as someone who also lives with an autoimmune disease, I know just how lucky I am to be headed out to that Bon Jovi show tonight.

Thanks again.

Randi Reed
Founder/Editor in Chief, MusicBizAdvice.com

Are You Kidding Me??? (aka How Not to Play Live)

Heard on the car radio by MusicBizAdvice.com's Researcher Extraordinaire on the ride home tonight:

A guy from a signed band who's currently an opener was saying how he's getting quite an education from Dave Grohl on how to work an arena. Then came the kicker: "Hats off to him, because I don't think I could play for two hours straight."

WTF???

Loyal readers, if this is you, we implore you...

Get crackin'.

We can't even imagine stamina being a factor with the bands we grew up listening to (or even the first bands we were in or managed), because they were constantly either practicing or jamming. And being the 80's, there were pretty good odds they were um...impaired.

What the hell are you doing? Get off the computer and go practice.

Playlist Easter Weekend March 22 and 23, 2008

Rolling Stones: Let It Bleed
Rolling Stones: High Tide and Green Grass Greatest Hits
Manic Street Preachers Send Away the Tigers
Arcade FireNeon Bible
Sixx AM: The Heroin Diaries Soundtrack
Beatles 1
Buddy Holly Greatest Hits
Loretta Lynn (with Jack White of the White Stripes): Van Lear Rose
Elvis Presley: Greatest Jukebox Hits
The Strokes Is This It
The Killers Hot Fuss
Elton John: Madman Across The Water
Patsy Cline: 12 Greatest Hits
album track: I Don't Love You Anymore London Quireboys
album track: Levon Jon Bon Jovi, from Two Rooms Elton John and Bernie Taupin tribute Album
album track: The Bitch Is Back Tina Turner, from Two Rooms Elton John and Bernie Taupin tribute Album






Disclosure of Endorsements/Recommendations/Financial Compensation or Business Relationships per FTC Blog Disclosure Regulations in effect December 1, 2009: The MusicBizAdvice.com website, and by extension, this blog, sells Amazon products, including music, as an Amazon Associate.

Another Lennon-McCartney night on American Idol?

So American Idol is changing the performance schedule in order to do another Lennon-McCartney night.

Another night of butchering the Beatles. Heaven help us...

When the first one was announced, the eternal optimist in me had high hopes that a contestant or two might rediscover a lesser-known gem, rearrange it, and have a performance as good as David Cook's amazing "Hello" a couple of weeks ago.

After seeing the performances, I came to my senses.

As every decent musician knows, Beatles songs are something you sit around playing and singing at home with your friends on acoustic guitars.You don't dare actually sing one in public, because no one will ever do them as well as they did, so you can never really make them your own.

Not even the best of the best will go there, other than as a fun encore at the end of the night (often with a playful McCartney-style headshake in acknowledgment). Or at a tribute event for one of the fallen Beatles. In other words, those that dare perform them in front of an audience know the deal: those songs, and the Beatles' performances of them, were perfect.

So it's reeeeeeally awkward watching the less-than-the best use those songs to try to get their careers happening.

All I can say is...if they must, I hope they go deep into the catalog.

You can read more about song selection and choosing cover songs here.

Nikki Sixx's The Heroin Diaries: Recommended Reading for Managers, Aspiring Rock Stars, Addicts, and Loved Ones

Although it's been out for a while now, this week I finally read Nikki Sixx's book, The Heroin Diaries.

Excellent book...It's a very brave book that explains addiction better than anything I've ever read. I highly recommend it for anyone who, like myself, has had friends or loved ones who have struggled with drug or alcohol addiction.

It should also be required reading for every artist manager or aspiring rock star.

If you're unfamiliar with the book, The Heroin Diaries came from Nikki Sixx's personal diaries from 1986-1987, the height of his drug addiction. It also coincided with the height of Motley Crue's career. He had vowed to himself to document everything in his journals...and he did, warts and all.

Nikki Sixx is donating proceeds from the book and his band Sixx: A.M.'s accompanying The Heroin Diaries Soundtrack to a music program he's started at Covenant House called Running Wild in the Night. Very cool.

More info can be found at MySpace.com/HEROINDIARIES, and at Nikkisixx.net.

This post is dedicated to Bob Timmons, who helped many people, including Nikki Sixx, get clean and sober.



Disclosure of Endorsements/Recommendations/Financial Compensation or Business Relationships per FTC Blog Disclosure Regulations in effect December 1, 2009: In the 90's I worked for a concert promotion company that presented many Motley Crue shows. Since that time I've received no financial compensation or free product in direct connection with Motley Crue, Nikki Sixx, or their associated companies. MusicBizAdvice.com (and by extension, this blog) sells products, including books and music, as an Amazon Associate.

New Section Over at MusicBizAdvice.com

Hi Everyone,

When I'm coaching someone in live performance, and in articles I write over at the main MusicBizAdvice.com site, I often refer to specific artists, songs, or performances as an example to get the point across...

...And since the beginning of MusicBizAdvice.com 10 years ago, we've wanted to implement video examples into the site by including video of artist's specific performances. Until recently, performance royalties and bandwidth expense made it impractical.

Therefore, we give you The MBADC Performance Coach. You'll find it in the left-hand menu over at MusicBizAdvice.com.

When you click on it, you'll find links to video clips, along with what you can learn from each performance, and what to look for that made us cite it as an example. (Where applicable, you'll also find a link to the MusicBizAdvice.com article in which we've cited it as an example.)

Each clip, and each artist, has something you can learn...whether or not the artist is in your musical genre, or whether or not you even like that particular artist. It's all about learning from the best, and expanding your creativity.

More links to video are coming weekly, as we find them. In most cases have specific performances in mind, so it sometimes takes a little while to track it down and find the best version.

In fact, as soon as I post this I'm off to continue the search for a clip of this one band that...well, I'll leave that for you to see later.

Make something great happen today,
Randi Reed
Founder / Editor in Chief, MusicBizAdvice.com

Getting a Rock Star on the Phone, or Getting a Doctor's Appointment: Which is Easier? (The State of Healthcare in America)

Hi Everyone,

I just spent about 20 minutes deciding whether or not to post this...

Usually I keep my professional life separate from my politics, so I try to keep this blog reflective of that. But as someone who lives with a chronic illness, the debate on healthcare in America is driving me crazy. I cannot stay quiet, and I will make use of my favorite swear word (in a way that filters will accept, but believe me, I'm thinking it):

It is f'ing ridiculous that in America, using equal time and effort, I can get a rock star on the phone easier than I can get an appointment with a physician with a good track record in treating my immune system disorder. (And that's with a close relative in the healthcare industry. I'm one of the lucky ones.)

In fact, I'll go one better: I can get a meeting with a rock star more easily than I can get the above-mentioned doctor to take my appointment.

For those who may mistake my meaning, that ain't bragging. With all love and respect to my colleagues and contacts, I think it's f'ing disgraceful.

And you know what? Although I can't speak for them, I'll bet Bono, Jon Bon Jovi, and Bruce Springsteen would think so, too.

(I'll spare you the email: No, I don't know them, and no I can't get you tickets.)

I'm half tempted to call one of my media contacts to see if they'd take me up on the challenge. But I already know the outcome, so half of the experiment would be an exercise in exhaustive frustration. And I really need that energy for keeping the CFIDS disease monster in check.

So instead, I encourage you to send the link to this blog to everyone you know, and to every politician you know. And encourage them to really think: Is this the kind of country, and the kind of healthcare system you want?

I love my country dearly, but friends in Europe with comparable incomes who have similar immune system diseases are doing far better financially. Hell, they can even afford really nice vacations to relax, and they're given a paid month off in which to do it!

The above-mentioned physician, a rock star in his field with a proven track record, won't see anyone without verifiable proof of $1.5 million in expendable cash. (Insurance won't approve the tests he needs, and most of the treatment isn't covered.)

Makes you think, doesn't it?

(And because someone always asks--or makes assumptions based on my profession...Before I got sick, I didn't smoke, rarely drank, didn't do drugs, and worked out every day.)

Thanks for indulging me. Meanwhile, never give up on your dreams: you may need those millions to pay for your healthcare!

All the best,
Randi Reed
Founder/Editor in Chief, MusicBizAdvice.com

(Edited to change to smaller font 3/13/2008)