Freddy Litwiniuk's blog

Massive Radio Play

Sometimes it's tough to be an independent artist, competing for radio play with major label artists.  I know that many stations won't even take a chance on an independent artist, and that's why I want to send a thank-you out to the following Canadian stations for playing my latest single, Massive:

CJLM, Joliet

CKVM, Temiscamingue

CIHO, St. Hilarion

CJHG, Gaspe

CJPN, Fredricton

CINN, Hearst

CFRH, Penetengusheinne

CFNJ, St-Gabriel-de-Brandon

CFVD, Degelis

CFLO, Mont-Laurier

CHAI, Chateauguay

CHAA, Longueull

CIPC, Port-Cartier

CFIM, Iles de la Madelaine

CH2O, MRC Maskinonge

CFUT, Shawinigan

CFLX, Estrie

CFAK, Estrie

If you're in listening distance of one of these stations, and you're enjoying Massive, let me know, or better yet, let the station know!

 

 

Oops! My Song on TV - NEXT week

There was a little mixup, and I reported that my song Fade Away would be in the April 7, 2009 episode of Cupid, on ABC.  Turns out that I had the episode wrong, and it's actually supposed to be on NEXT week - Tuesday, April 14th.  At least, I'm pretty sure that's when it will air.  Also, I reported that the episode title was "Live and Let Spy", but I got that wrong, too.  When I know the episode name, I'll be sure to pass it along.

Sorry to those who tuned in especially to hear it!  I hope you'll try again next week.

My song on TV!

I got an email yesterday from my publisher, Tanvi Patel at Crucial Music, that my song Fade Away (alt. title Change your Mind), is going to be on an episode of ABC's new show, Cupid!  The episode, entitled "Live and Let Spy", airs in the United States on Tuesday, April 7th, on ABC at 10:00 p.m./9:00 p.m. Central.  Excellent!

If you're a creator of broadcast-quality music, be sure to visit Crucial's website, and submit your music.  It's free, and before you know it, your songs could be on TV or in films.

Don't forget to add me on myspace: www.myspace.com/freddylitwiniuk

And follow me on Twitter: www.twitter.com/freddymusic

And check out my website: www.freddynet.com

 

Do You Ever Feel Like Quitting? Read This.

Music is a hard business, and it's getting harder every day.  Very few people will make it in music, and the competition is fierce.  So what sets you apart from the competition?  Except in rare circumstances, I believe the ultimate deciding factor is persistence: the main difference between successful and failed musicians is that the successful ones did not quit and were able to outlast their competitors.  The one thing I've heard repeatedly from music industry people is: If you want to make it in music, don't give up.

I often read Tim Ferriss' blog.  Tim is the author of The 4-Hour Workweek, and a guest lecturer in Entrepreneurship at Princeton University.  Independent musicians are essentially entrepreneurs, and so much of the same advice applies to both.

Today I read a post on Tim's blog entitled The Prescription for Self-Doubt: Watch This Video.  Here's an excerpt from the post, which I recommend reading in full:

Business icons, superstar professional athletes, billionaires — it doesn’t matter how rich or how accomplished — I’ve had them all tell me the same thing…
There are moments when you feel the world is too much. Days and even weeks when you want to (or perhaps do) pull up the covers and half-sleep in bed until nightfall, avoiding a feeling of hopelessness that seems insurmountable. Long-awaited deals fall through without warning, haters attack you without reason or fact, circumstances turn good decisions into awful realities — sometimes it just feels like the deck is stacked against you and there is nothing you can do about it.

Have you felt that way?  Has the music business provided you with tremendous ups and soul-crushing downs?  You are not alone. 

But will you quit?

Garageband.com Track of The Day

Hey, my tune Massive was Track of the Day at Garageband.com!� Check it out:

Massive MR

Best Start to a Year... Ever!! My Song is on TV!

I'm really excited, because I got a really cool email the other day from my publisher Tanvi Patel at Crucial Music.  She told me that my song 'Still Believe' is going to be used in a television show called Kyle XY, which airs on the ABC Family network.  We don't get that network here in Canada, so I had to look up the show to find out more about it.  This is the synopsis from Wikipedia:

Kyle XY is an American drama television series filmed in the Vancouver, British Columbia area. The show centers around a boy named Kyle (Matt Dallas), who wakes up in the forest outside of Seattle, Washington with no memory of his life up until that point. The series follows Kyle as he tries to understand the mysteries of who he is and why he has no memory of being a child. He is sometimes shown with his shirt partially off and no belly button can be seen.

It turns out that the show is rated first or second on ABC Family in terms of viewership; millions of people tune in to watch, not just in the U.S., but around the globe.  Sadly, it seems that Canada is one of the few countries that doesn't get the show, so I'll have to watch it online.

About the song: Crucial changes the names of the songs they publish.  This ensures that they only get paid for the placements they get for a given song.  That means, when the song is used under its original title, be it on radio, on TV, sold on a album or as an mp3, the artist retains full rights and ownership in the song.  As you can see, this is good for the artist, so if you are a creator of music, I highly recommend that you go to Crucial's website and submit your brodcast-quality music for consideration.  You never know what kind of music will be suitable for television.  Crucial has placed my songs multiple times, and I've been very happy with them.

The only problem with changing the names of songs, is that sometimes I forget the original title!  This time around, I Twittered about the placement and had it on my Facebook status, so many people were asking me what song was being used, and I couldn't tell them.  I had to go back to my publishing contracts and look it up.  The original title of the song is 'Thinking It Over', and it's the 10th track on my first album Things You Never Thought I'd Say.  I've posted it below so you can listen if you like.  If you're in an area where 'Kyle XY' is broadcast, be sure to tune in and watch.

Thinking It Over

Freddy

The Revolutionary New iPhone/iPod Feature

When it's Macworld time, people get excited to hear what Apple's Next Big Thing is going to be, myself included.  But every year I'm disappointed when my dream feature for iPod or iPhone is not announced.  This year was no different.

There is a revolutionary feature that I've been longing to have in my iPod.  I know it's a long-shot, but I'm going to ask politely that the next generation of iPods and iPhones include...

A UPC scanner.

What?  Why would anyone want that?  Well, UPCs are ubiquitous, at least in North America.  They are found on nearly every product, in nearly every store.  They are unlikely to be replaced any time soon.  So, what would I do with a UPC scanner?

UPC-A-036000291452

For starters, I would need some killer apps to go with my scanner.  For example:

I want a grocery shopping app that would allow me to scan products at my home, as I use them up, so I can make an automatic grocery list.  Better yet, when my list is complete, I could email it to my grocer, who would have my groceries ready for pick-up or delivery.  Even better yet, my list could be fed to price databases from local stores, and the app could calculate which store provides the overall lowest price for my list, allowing for time and distance from my house.

Maybe the same app would allow me to scan products while I'm at the grocery store for instant wi-fi price comparisons, or easy calculations.  If I were to preset a budget, I could scan each item as I put it in my cart until I had reached my limit.  At the checkout, my iPod or iPhone would simply communicate with the self-service till, allowing me to pay very quickly, perhaps with my Apple ID.

I would also like to have a general shopping application.  When I'm looking for a new TV, I could scan a few different models to compare features.  The app would also tell me if the store down the street has the same TVs at a better price, or if I could save by instantly ordering online.  It would also allow me to scan and buy anything in a store immediately, using my Apple ID or a credit card.  On my way out, the app would communicate some proof of purchase to an employee of the store, indicating that I had pre-paid.

I'm sure advertisers and promoters would get in on the act as well.  Imagine standing in line at the supermarket, or waiting for the bus or the train.  An advertisement next to you reads, "Doublespeak, the new album from Freddy, available now on iTunes.  Scan here to hear samples, and for a free download of the first single, Massive."  OK, I used myself in the example, but it could be Coldplay, or Sting, or Toby Keith, Lily Allen, whoever.  You might just scan it and check it out.  If you liked it, you could buy it immediately.  Indie musicians could use it to make it easier for people to pay for UPC-branded music and merch at shows.  Or print up stickers or flyers with barcodes and a message about the music and plaster them all over town.  On impulse, people could scan and check out your music.  The same could be done with books, magazines, video, games, and so on. 

I'm sure there could be so many more applications for this technology.  Scan anything and: pay with your iPhone or iPod, get instant product and price information, make lists, keep on budget, sample new things, and so much more.

Please, Apple, will you put a UPC scanner in my next iDevice? 

A Very Special Christmas Blog

Merry Christmas, Steve and Bob!

After 9 years away, what better gift could a Canadian lad want for Christmas than to spend it at home with his family in Bowmanville, Ontario?  Erin and I could think of only one thing.  It would be difficult, but not impossible to do.  We thought it only fair that, as we searched high and low, we would also make him - with the help of his dad - search high and low!  Which bring us to the point of this post:

Steve and Bob, if you are reading this, you've completed your Christmas scavenger hunt!  Your reward awaits, and Steve's gift is also Bob's.  What more could a boy want? The answer we came up with is: to go to a Leafs game with his dad.

Have fun at the game!

Love,

Erin and Freddy

Time to Twitter

I've decided to try Twitter.  If you care to follow me I'm at twitter.com/freddymusic.

7 Excellent Reasons to Support Independent Music

Every so often, I hear a variation of this justification for downloading music for free:

"Record labels have been screwing us for so long, with high CD prices, and albums with only one or two good songs!  Those record-exec fatcats, with their expense accounts and private jets; they deserve this.  I'm just sticking it to the man!"

Free downloads have their place in music, especially as an important promotional tool, but the labels aren't the only ones who make money from record sales.  When you "stick it to the man", you're also sticking it to the artist, the musicians, the mixing engineers, the producers, and many others.  Granted, the music business suffers from "middleman disease" -  so many people want a piece of the money pie as the music makes it from the artist to the consumer.  Part of what makes Independent Music so great is that it removes so many of the barriers between artist and listener.

If you really want to teach the labels a lesson, don't stop buying music altogether, just stop buying music from them.  Instead, seek out true independent musicians - not faux "indies" but real independents who are doing it for themselves.  Discover something about them.  Learn their story.  When you find someone who is really good, reward them by buying their album.  Vote with your wallet.  You are and your fellow consumers are the true starmakers, not the labels.

7 excellent reasons to support independent music:

1.  Cure "middleman disease" - the money will go directly to the artist;
2.  Good music will be rewarded;
3.  Artists may make enough money that they might not feel the need to hand a huge percentage of their earnings to a label in return for support and promotion;
4.  Opportunities for real discussion and even friendship - independent musicians are much more likely to respond to personal emails;
5.  You might be the first to discover a new, up-and-coming artist or band.  Tell all your friends.  Don't forget to buy a t-shirt;
6.  Indie artists are just like you.  They are your friends and neighbours.  They work hard.  They could really use the money;
7.  You'll be sticking it to the man.