YouTube News

YouTube News

A band called Walk The Moon released a song this year called "Shut Up and dance" the music video now up on YouTube, is fun, simple, and refreshing.  It's the perfect pick me up on a rainy day.  Do yourself a favor and watch here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6JCLY0Rlx6Q&list=PLW9J35yUmMBKqtP3fKvzy23AEiLBbIvsq

At Pro Music Records & Entertainment Media, we have a team of professional videographers specializing in music videos.  You can check out some of our work on our personal YouTube channel here: https://www.youtube.com/user/proentertainmenttv. We are a team of artists ourselves who enjoy helping other artists. Our pricing is always set in the intentions of other artists.  We're all just trying to do the same thing you are, which is to share our talents with the world.  

What better way to start the new year than with a new music video show casing your new work.  If you are an artists looking to shoot a music video check out our website at: promusicrecords.com.  If you are an artist who still needs mastering done on a song, we can introduce you to our producer.  We would love nothing more than to be that helping hand you've been looking for and get your music were into the hands of the right people.  Take that next step, get your professional video ready for the new year! 

10 Simple Rules of Songwriting:

Do Not Be A Perfectionist

Write as much as you possibly can.  Have songs constantly going out.  As stated in the title, do not be a perfectionist.  The idea is to improve over time, not to sit down and instantly have the song flowing out of your mind onto your paper.  Give yourself the time and freedom to experiment without pressure.  This way you will develop the creative side of your brain instead of the over analytical part.  

Get Feedback Often

Be fearless with your songs.  It IS okay if you write a terrible song.  What’s not okay is trying to convince everyone that it’s a wonderful song.  That just makes you look bad.  Allow people to give you their honest opinions.  Take note, and start to learn what actually works.

Hot And Cold

I am talking about combining opposites such as spiccato and ligatto (short and long). When you have long held chords, try a shorter or snappier vocal line. Have a funky bass line? You might want to opt for a simpler, more solid guitar part. It’s simple stuff, but worth thinking about when writing or producing.

Learn To Unlearn 

As you learn to write songs we naturally analyze what works and what does not work.  We absorb new chord structures and develop an obsession for doing things the correct way.  This is great for improving song writing, but somewhere along the way you may lose the ability to invent something new.  Don’t be afraid to break the rules.  If it sounds good to you then do it.  Bring your own unique flare to the song.  

The Disadvantage of Talent 

It’s okay to fail because thats how you learn what works or more so what doesn’t work.  You do not have to start out with a load of born talent.  If this is something you love doing.  Bring that passion and love to your song writing and then, just like anything else you can become one of the best talents in the industry.  Believe in what you do.  Own it or else no one else will. 

See The Bigger Picture

Once you have the technical knowledge you need to write music, try to develop the part of your brain that can listen to and analyze the whole picture rather than simply focusing on tiny details.
You should be able to hear what is needed to make your songs work.  Does it need more emotion? More energy?  Is the vocal melody boring?  If you were only the listener and not the writer would this song catch your ear after the first listen? In focusing on the whole picture you are able to find the answers quicker by being honest and brutal with yourself. 

Say It Differently

We all know that there are common lyrical themes in music.  I would guess that the topic of love is the most widely used lyrical theme.  Using tried-and-tested themes can be a good thing, but you should always try saying it differently.  Bring your own unique flare to the situation of the song. 

Simplicity Is Key

So many musicians agree that the best songs are the simplest, yet they cannot seem to write simple songs themselves?  It’s like a musicians curse to assume that complicated means better.  Get used to writing simpler songs that have more hooks and adhere to common (natural) arrangement structures.

 Working With Others

Even if you don’t like working with others, try it! You will see that in most cases more creative brains put together (not too many) are usually better than one.  Working with other artists forces you to move away fro your comfort zone and potentially write better songs.  This also allows opportunity for in put from other artists.

Take Breaks 

Have you ever worked on a song for hours upon hours and been completely disappointed with the end-result?  It happens! Doing anything creative can lead you down a road of endless ideas that without breaks will cause you to walk down the most frustrating of roads that possibly leads to complete kayos.  So give yourself a break, relax, and enjoy what you are creating.   
Now, can’t wait to hear your song playing on the top ten! Own it! 

The 2015 Grammy Nominees:

This Friday (December 5, 2015) “CBS this morning” unveiled the 2015 Grammy Nominees! 

Best Urban Contemporary Album:

Sail Out, Jhené Aiko

Beyoncé, Beyoncé

X, Chris Brown

Mali Is…, Mali Music

GIRL, Pharrell Williams

Best Rock Song:

“Ain’t It Fun,” Paramore

“Blue Moon,” Beck

“Fever,” Black Keys

“Gimme Something Good,” Ryan Adams

“Lazaretto,” Jack White

Best Rock Album:

Ryan Adams, Ryan Adams

Morning Phase, Beck

Turn Blue, The Black Keys

Hypnotic Eye, Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers

Songs of Innocence, U2

Best Country Album: 

Dierks Bentley

Eric Church

 Brandy Clark

Miranda Lambert  

Lee Ann Womack.

Best New Artist:

Iggy Azalea

Bastille

Brandy Clark

HAIM

Sam Smith

Song of the Year

“All About That Bass,” Meghan Trainor

“Chandelier,” Sia

“Shake It Off,” Taylor Swift

“Stay With Me” (Darkchild version), Sam Smith

“Take Me To Church,” Hozier

Best Rap Performance

“3005,” Childish Gambino

“0 To 100/ The Catch Up,” Drake

“Rap God,” Eminem

“i,” Kendrick Lamar

“All I Need Is You,” Lecrae

Best Alt Music Album

This Is All Yours, Alt-J

Reflektor, Arcade Fire

Melophobia, Cage The Elephant

St. Vincent, St. Vincent

Lazaretto, Jack White

Best Rap Album

The Marshall Mathers LP 2, Eminem

Because The Internet, Childish Gambino

The New Classic, Iggy Azalea

Blacc Hollywood, Wiz Khalifa

Oxymoron, Schoolboy Q

Nobody’s Smiling, Common

Best Country Solo

“Give Me Back My Hometown,” Eric Church

“Invisible,”Hunter Hayes

“Automatic,” Miranda Lambert

“Something In The Water,” Carrie Underwood

“Cop Car,” Keith Urban

Best Pop Duo/Group Performance

“Fancy,” Iggy Azalea feat. Charli XCX

“Sky Full Of Stars,” Coldplay

“Say Something,” A Great Big World feat. Christina Aguilera

“Bang Bang,” Jessie J, Ariana Grande, Nicki Minaj

“Dark Horse,” Katy Perry feat. Juicy J

Best Music Video

“We Exist,” Arcade Fire

“Turn Down For What,” DJ Snake featuring Lil Jon

“Chandelier,” Sia

“Happy,” Pharrell

“The Golden Age,” Woodkid feat. Max Richter

Record of the Year:

“Fancy,” Iggy Azalea featuring Charli XCX

“Chandelier,” Sia

“Stay With Me (Darkchild Version),” Sam Smith

“Shake It Off,” Taylor Swift

“All About That Bass,” Meghan Trainor

Best Pop Vocal Album: 

Ghost Stories, Coldplay

Bangerz, Miley Cyrus

My Everything, Ariana Grande

Prism, Katy Perry

X, Ed Sheeran

In The Lonely Hour, Sam Smith

The 57th annual Grammy Awards will take place on February 8, 2015. More nominations will roll out throughout the day and we’ll keep you in the loop as they do. But you’ll have to wait until tonight’s one-hour “A Very GRAMMY Christmas” special to find out which releases are up for Album of the Year.

If you’re "Grammy Nominee worthy" but have yet to be discovered, See promusicrecords.com.  We work with artists who aren’t quite ready for the hollywood scene and still need mastering, music videos, bios, etc.  all the way to artists who already have their work ready to go.  We work on placing songs to get your name out there, and help to get you making a living off of what you love doing.  We also work on getting artists signed.  Now, check us out, and lets get you to the next Grammys! 

Go Viral

Every musician longs to know how to go viral with their music.  It’s a completely creative process that is different every time.  The “magic” process is hard work.  It’s all about you, and the vital energy you put into your promotional outreach should be of the same intensity as the passion that you are putting into your music.  With that, there are a few core principles that can significantly help independent musicians.

Live in The "Now"

Rather than cripple yourself by thinking of how much you have to do before you can be successful in the future, focus on the now.  What can you start doing TODAY, right now, that will push you further towards your goal of success.  It’s great to be a dreamer.  I am one myself, but, when you think too far into the future it can become much like your same dream of winning the lottery.  The practical details get lost and we end up discouraged, defeated, and far more likely to quit. 

I get it, you want to get in Rolling Stone but, do you ignore the hundreds of independent publications who would be more willing to help you?  

Also, do you want to be signed to a label when you haven't even played outside of your circle of friends and family, advertised your social media, or made any press noise? While it’s completely fine to have an end goal, your primary focus should be on the steps to getting there and not the outcome.  Do you really want to get noticed in Rolling Stone?  Well, then look at all of the very small tasks you need to be taking care of to make that happen from advertising to search engine optimization to PR outreach, to radio, to licensing, and more.  Do all of this one step at a time and suddenly your path to success isn’t so overwhelming.  Don’t forget the reason you started this journey in the first place.  So yes, it takes a lot of work, but don’t become so overwhelmed with the final destination that you forget to enjoy the journey.  

Personalize, Ask for Advice

When you reach out to anyone, whether it be an industry professional, a company, a blogger, or anyone you respect, it is important to personalize your messages with genuine opinions on their work.  Save a draft e-mail as a template and adjust a few sentences every time.  Ask for their advice or expertise rather than asking for help.  Often with the advice will come a helping hand. Always stay humble. Don’t be needy.  Nothing is worse to someone who is busy with a million other offers on their table than a desperate beggar.  Be confident and show that you can stand on your own two feet. Mention that you want to learn and let your music speak for itself.  Not everyone has to love your music.  With time and effort the right people will want to lend a helping hand on your project.  

Music Scene

When you release your music professionally, you are a business owner.  You’re not just an artist.  Its critical that you get your mind out of the music scene by constantly keeping up with the business aspect of the music industry.  Remember that this is always changing so keep up with it by either hiring help or research, read books, etc.  This will give you ideas that you will never find within the indie artists sphere, and many more of them are more applicable than you’d realize.  Think outside the box. 

Get popular, Not Instantly Rich 

Be everywhere for everyone, regardless of income.  Music listeners have become increasingly segregated.  Some only discover new music through Rdio, Spotify, etc.  Some people browse iTunes or CDBaby.  Others look to underground music websites, music discovery platforms and torrent blogs.  Do not horde your music waiting for 99 cents. Popularity is the most critical goal for independent artists.  Money follows popularity.  Remember that.  

No Such Thing as a Big Break

Yes, sorry to break it to you, but, there is no such thing as a “big break” in the idea that fame and success happen over night.  

Artists you are just hearing about have actually been around for years. 

Shocking, isn’t it?  Believe it or not, the artists who are on mainstream radio right now didn’t just start making music a week ago.  Most of the artists who create a big name for themselves have been doing their own thing for years-sometimes 5-10 years of performing independently.  No one “makes it” over night. 

A “big break” is actually a slow build

If the average artist truly understood this, they would take their day-to-day pursuits much more seriously.  Every big goal is the sum of a ton of small goals.  Exposure doesn’t just drop out of the sky for you.  It involves countless days of hard work. Even when you feel your small goals are too small, they’re not. Let one build upon the other and you’ll start to see things come together.  Your “big break” is a series of many small successes.  

It is all about who you know. 

Many artists hate the word “networking”.  I get it, it can be consuming and feel like you’re giving up on the idea of getting by with your pure talent.  But, how can you expect your talent to “break out” if the people holding the key to your door aren’t hearing what you’ve got?  You need to show up! These people need you just as much as you need them.  Remember this and believe in yourself.  With dedication and hard work your art will bloom. The right people will see this, and can help you get to the top.      

Could Pro Music Records be the key to your unlocking your door to success?  Check us out today at promusicrecords.com.  

Surviving The Music Biz

Wondering if there’s any secrets in the music biz?  Think maybe there’s something magical that will get you to the top?  Well, maybe there is...

You must know at least the basic rules to live by in order-to succeed at all in the music biz. 

The Basic Rules To Survive In The Music Business:

1. A musical product that consists of at least a cover song.  An original song is great, but a cover song that is already being searched by fans means potential fans for you.  Just make sure you have your own original twist on the song.   The first 20 seconds of the song should be flawless in order to keep your listener interested in the rest of the song.  Imagine how easily you, yourself can flip through different artists/songs if you aren’t interested.  In order for someone to buy your music, they need to really be moved by you.  
2. Drive.  Unending belief in yourself.  Most artists who are successful didn’t “make it” over night.  They committed to the long haul before the public even knew who they were. The chances of having huge success in the selling market are small, but if this is your dream, don’t let that stop you. The sooner you start the better, but it’s also never too late.  As Lou Rawls once said, Do what you believe in. If you believe in your music, then sooner-or-later the public will, too.”  
3. Business savvy.  Most artists HATE acknowledging this.  They believe the idea of “business” and “artist” are complete opposites.  Just because you’re taking over the business side of your art doesn’t mean you’re “selling out” as an artist.  It means you’re being smart.  Constantly search for new ways to teach yourself about the music industry.  It changes all the time.  Keep up with seminars happening in your area and get yourself connected.  Learn about places like Pro Music Records.  Where you create the opportunity to have your music submitted and placed to multiple different labels, TV shows, etc. Check out promusicrecords.com  today to get yourself started on a new path to success.  Check out our twitter and Facebook to see updates on what we're looking for! 
   

Looking to scare your online competition

Pro Entertainment Media can help you reach the #1 position in Google´s Search Results!

Halloween is just around the corner! 

We want to you help to scare your online competitors, and drive more traffic to your website! 
Our top SEO Tips will help you boost your online visibility and scare your competitors away.

Our TOP 10 SE0 Tips: 1. Don't optimize (for) individual keywords, rather develop topics/tag clouds and produce semantically rich,  context-oriented content.  2. Design a technically sophisticated site and optimal page  information architecture.  3. Facilitate user navigation to the key pages through good, relevant internal linking.  4. Guarantee fast load times.  5. The brand path is a path worth following.  6. Even smaller sites can achieve top positions in their specific  topic-related niches - and rank higher than the big brands.  7. Enrich content with media such as images and videos,  in order to optimize the user experience.  8. Relevant content is often longer, contains semantically related terms, and, with regard to readability, is tailored to the target group.  9. Ensure the quality of the link profile. Backlinks are also an important  relevance factor, but it's quality, not quantity that matters.   10. Leverage social media as a brand and interaction channel,  but don't lose your focus by simply collecting "likes",  enhance the user experience with relevant content and  optimal technical performance, in order to improve user signals (time on site, bounce rate). Increase your fan base Pro Music Records & Entertainment Media primary purpose is  to help independent artist, small to mid–sized labels and  entertainment companies increase their revenues  and profits through the development of easy–to–use,  yet extremely powerful marketing software systems  and processes that deliver effective, comprehensive  online marketing solutions.

For those of you who haven't heard, as of last Monday, Nominees for the 2014 American Music Awards have been announced.  

Just a side note for all of the dreamers out there,  if you're wishing of having you're name on that list and you have this crazy drive in you that knows you can accomplish such a goal, then take the initiative to help yourself out here.  It's hard work, but there's curtain companies out there that can do the heavy lifting for you, and actually want to help you get your name on that awards list.  

For the rest of everyone, here are the nominees:     

Aussie rapper Iggy Azalea comes in at the top with a total of 6 nominations. John Legend, Katy Perry and Pharrell Williams are all up for five nominations each.  Lorde is in the running for four honors.  Beyonce, Eminem, Imagine Dragons, OneRepublic, and One Direction were all nominated for three awards.  Drake, Luke Bryan, Sam Smith, and Bastille each received two nominations for the fan-voted awards show. 

Winners will be announced along with live performances on November 23 through a live broadcast held at the Nokia Theatre at L.A. Live in Los Angeles, CA on ABC starting at 8p.m.  

Artist of the Year
Iggy Azalea
Beyonce
Luke Bryan
Eminem
Imagine Dragons
John Legend
Lorde
One Direction
Katy Perry
Pharrell Williams

New Artist of the Year as Presented by Kohl's
5 Seconds of Summer
Iggy Azalea
Bastille
Sam Smith
Meghan Trainor

Single of the Year
Iggy Azalea Featuring Charli XCX "Fancy"
John Legend "All of Me"
MAGIC! "Rude"
Katy Perry Featuring Juicy J "Dark Horse"
Pharrell Williams "Happy"

Favorite Male Artist Pop/Rock
John Legend
Sam Smith
Pharrell Williams

Favorite Female Arist Pop/Rock
Iggy Azalea
Lorde
Katy Perry

Favorite Band, Duo or Group - Pop/Rock
Imagine Dragons
One Direction
OneRepublic

If you are ready to take your music career to the next level and be apart of the biggest events in the music industry submit your best songs to submissions@promusicrecords.com. 

How to gain a strong fan base

Having a strong online presence is vital to a musician’s career, but standing out and gaining a following in today’s YouTube/Social Media generation is no easy task. It’s easy to get buried in an internet search-pile and remain unknown and unnoticed. 

1. Create a visually stimulating website that effectively communicates the musician’s style and message. 

1. Develop a strong reputation on major social media accounts that exhibits professional photos, music recordings, and videos.

The key to an artists’ success is to learn how to effectively promote oneself so that he or she can find, build, and maintain an active, engaging fan base. 

The most essential tools at an artists’ disposal are to: 

While these are the cornerstones of developing a fan base, (and an image that record labels will find desirable), these tasks alone not enough. 

Without integrating strong SEO (search engine optimization) methods into your website and onto your social media accounts, you can still get lost in the already-inundated market. 

In a matter of months, Pro Music Records & Entertainment does for artists what takes artists years to do on their own, (without the struggle, guesswork, and uncertainty). 

From guiding, developing, and recording top-of-the-line work, to creating and maintaining a fan base, Pro Music Records & Entertainment uses our experience, research, knowledge, and personal guidance to help launch lasting careers in the music industry. 

5 Music Submission Mistakes

When a music manager or A&R department receives music submissions, they often tend to skip over e-mails that are incomplete or require too much work when it comes to listening. Moreover, an e-mail that barely contains a message, bio, or any contact information is most definitely going to be moved to the trash. While the quality and content in your music is of primary importance, getting your foot in the door is the first step. Don’t make the following mistakes and you can rest assured that your music is, at the very least, being listened to.

1 - Sending Incomplete Tracks. There’s no point in sending something that doesn’t represent you as an artist to the best of your abilities. Waiting until your song is mixed and mastered allows the concept and personality of your music to shine through.

2 - Attaching the Song with No Concept. A lot of times, when a song is downloaded from an e-mail it shows up anonymously (ie. “track1.mp3”). This offers no information about you or your story. You’d be much better off attaching an EPK, or at the very least a photo, so that the receiving end actually has some insight into what they are listening to. Adding links to your site and social media pages also shows that you have an online presence.

3 - Messy Files. When you attach too many of your files to an e-mail in a disorganized way, managers get fed up and are more likely to skip to the next submission. Your best bet is to put your soundcloud, reverbnation and bandcamp links in the body of your e-mail. This showcases your work in a clean and efficient way, allowing people to listen to even more of your songs without the hassle on either end. Use safe links to popular platforms.

4 - No Contact Info. Too often e-mails get sent without any contact information. As silly as it may seem, make sure you write your full name with your phone number and e-mail address so that if someone likes your work, they can actually tell you!

5 - Little-to-No Bio or Press Release. A poorly written bio or press release is an immediate turn-off. Providing too few details or even too many can instantly send a message about your professionalism as an artist. While there is no need to write a life story, it is important to create a brief and relevant bio about where you’re from, what kind of music you create, and what you’re doing now. 

Pro Music Records & Entertainment Media can make sure that you have the tools to send a complete e-mail music submission that gets you heard. From a website to a well-written bio to a thorough press release, we do it all. Visit us at www.promusicrecords.com for more information.

Your Band as Your Business: Promotion Tools

Independent musicians often tend to think they can do it all, but the reality is that everyone needs help. Running a band like a business requires tools and outsourcing. Not only is it necessary to be a great musician who plays great music, but you’ll also need to promote yourself. This can be done in a number of ways, but an important one is building and nurturing relationships with fans. 

                   

Turning strangers into fans is your main goal. You can also achieve this through your social media profiles by interacting with followers. Those fans are the ones that are going to spread your music like wildfire and attend your shows with their friends. Commenting on their content is going to keep them interested in your work. You can also use these platforms to build excitement and momentum before releasing your singles and videos.

But, in order to be successful, you have to be in it for the long haul. Daily work of promoting, booking, designing posters and mercy, selling, and touring is all part of the game. To keep progressing, you need to leave time to write your music, of course. Setting up a promotions and marketing plan is going to allow you to focus on what you do: music. Pro Music Records can set you up with a Project Manager to keep your social media up and running by posting new content and attracting more fans. A website, blog and merchandise shop can also be set up so people have even more ways to find your music. Allotting some of your budget now to maintaining these crucial aspects of running your business will guarantee you success for years to come.

How a Music Video Can Make Your Career

If you haven't seen this music video for "Big Booty" by Jennifer Lopez featuring Iggy Azalea, you need to press play asap. This video is at 33 million plus hits and counting, and it only came out 5 days ago. Now not all the feedback is positive, but people are watching regardless. There's a lot artists can learn from a video release like this one.

First of all, the ad at the beginning of the video is making J. Lo and her record label tons of money, but ads only come once you're bringing in enough traffic. In other words, popularity can go a long way even if not all the responses to your content are positive (let the haters hate). That being said, however, you should absolutely strive to create relevant, engaging and high-quality videos. 

Though music videos aren't necessarily played on network television like MTV anymore, that doesn't mean you can't leverage them to help boost your career. They can definitely make money on sites like YouTube and anywhere else they're promoted, but more importantly they keep your fans interested in your work. Releasing content, from a full performance or narrative video to behind the scenes recording your new album, is just another way for you to reach out to fans. These videos can then be promoted on your social media sites, which gives them the possibility of going viral and you the possibility of becoming the next #1 artist. 

New Rules for Making Music in the Digital Age

1. Put it in perspective. The number of YouTube hits you have on any one video can communicate more than the number of sales that were made. For example, a video that has 50 million views may only have sold 50,000 units. Though this number may seem low, today’s industry actually deems it a success.

2. It’s what you can do for others. If you can prove that you will bring ticket sales and a line out the door, promoters, agents and club owners are far more likely to book you. Record labels will want to sign you if you already have an audience they can sell to. 

3. Money will most likely come later. Real success doesn’t happen overnight and you’ll need to grow your audience little by little. The longer it takes for you build your fan base, the more likely you’ll have a long-lasting career instead of being a one-hit wonder.

4. Create music regularly. With so much music available on the internet, fans have a shorter attention span than ever. Keep them excited about your music by putting out songs, even if they’re just acoustic covers or lyric videos, to stay at the forefront of their minds. 

5. Cultivate an organic audience. Friends and family are great for spreading the word about your career, but they don’t count as real fans. Finding an audience that loves your music without even knowing how great you are as a person will result in a loyal fan base.