Jessie - by Keith Birmingham

Jessie

*****

Jessie - Keith Birmingham
Copyright 09/03/2012

Well this world can be an ugly place,
I’ve been here for so long.
I have seen the damage life can do,
My friends have come and gone.

I have often tried to place the blame,
On others in my past.
But, I know by now it wasn’t them,
I take the blame at last.

Jessie, I feel so much better
Since you came into my life.
You have given to me everything
Missing in my life.

You have eased the pain of loneliness.
You keep me warm at night.
You are someone I can talk too.
You listen and you cry.

And, so many times I’ve made mistakes.
My life has been a mess.
And Jessie, if  I cannot sleep,
You take away the stress.

Jessie, I feel so much better
Since you came into my life.
You have given  to me everything
Missing in my life.

Jessie, I still need you baby,
To give comfort to my soul.
Jessie let me hold onto you,
When my world is dark and cold.

Jessie, when I fear I can't go on,
Your there to comfort me.
When you see me doing something worng,
Your there in front of me.

Jessie, I feel so much better
Since you came into my life.
You have given to me your everything
Missing in my life.

Jessie, I feel so much better
Since you came into my life.
You have given  to me everything
Missing in my life.

First iPhone post. Test.

Selling Your Own Beats

By Jeremy N Fischer

Many musicians are earning incredible money through their songs in the music business. You would think that, to be able to do this, you would have to be some kind of superstar, or a very famous artist.

This is not true! By selling your beats, either from home through an online service, or directly to an artist by contacting them, you can make very good income. Both methods will be discussed below.

Online Beat Selling Services

If you want to sell your beats from home, the best way to do so I on the internet via Soundclick. On Soundclick, anyone, whether a professional or an amateur, can set up an account to sell their beats through, or buy beats for using in their own work.

By giving artists free samples, and by building an audience using social media such as Facebook or Pinterest, you build and market your 'brand'. This is a very important aspect of selling beats online: building a following of people who like your music. Because even if you produce amazing beats, it won't matter if people don't know who you are!

By using Soundclick to sell your music, you can start right now! This may sound appealing, and it is, but you do need to know the right way to do it. It is important to learn the skills necessary to become a well-known producer on the internet. There are courses available on the internet as well as e-books that teach the basics of proper internet marketing. It is well worth investing in one of these courses.

Contacting Artists to Get Sales

You can also make money with your beats the old way - by selling your product directly to your client: the artist. If this is what you will be doing, a few things are very important.

1. Keep practicing and getting better at producing great beats. To be able to convince an artist to purchase your beats, you have to believe that they are indeed very good. Create a portfolio of many music samples, and pick the best ones to offer to your clients.


2. Do some research on the musical niche or genre that will most likely be your buyer. Also, listen to previous works of the artist you will be working with and anticipate on what he or she will want to hear.


3. Market yourself! Go to conferences and talk to people who are well-known figures in the business. Make sure people know you exist, and ask people you have worked with to keep in touch. Let the awareness of your existence grow naturally.

Thoughts and Beliefs

To really be successful in any business, it is important that you really believe it is possible, and that you will get where you want to go. It is most likely that you will fail multiple times before achieving success. However, this is part of life, and if you regard setbacks as lessons instead of thinking you have failed, you will be able to use it to your advantage.

In short, keep practicing, keep building your network, keep faith and most of all, have fun! You will never succeed in this business if you don't enjoy what you are doing. Good luck and I look forward to hearing your creations on national radio someday!

Jeremy Fischer has been active in music business for over 16 years now, and is presently helping musicians achieve their goals, mostly through his website. For more articles and free information and tips, feel free to visit http://www.recordingbeatmaking.com/.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Jeremy_N_Fischer

Planning My Show - Keith Birmingham, 04/06/2013

One of the primary reasons an artist of any kind will fail in business is that they fail to make a plan for their performance. The good news is that taking the time to plan your every move helps to secure your success as a business. And, there is not much reason beyond success for doing any project. The following article shows my basic plan for what I need to do from start to finish.

My goal is to find a “pitch” where I can be seen and heard without getting in the way of, the people passing by while engaged in their daily activity. Each of those people are my prospective audience, and I want to do nothing that annoys them.

I want my show to move at a steady pace. But, I do not want to appear to be in a hurry. I want my audience to see that I am there to entertain them, and not get in their way. The songs that I play are each 3 to 4 minutes in length. I figure that I will spend an average of about a minute between each song engaged in chatting with my audience. Of course, most of the time I will be starting my act with absolutely no audience. So, I need to start my act with a “catch” song. But, I cannot afford to let my audience loose interest in what I am doing, so I have to keep “good” entertainment coming at a steady pace.  And, I want to finish my show with a couple of my strongest tunes.

Until I figure have enough experience to figure out just who will be my audience I am including new and old tunes that are basically from the country, rock, rockabilly, and blues genre. So, I keep a list of songs to practice on a continuing basis that rotates about 100 songs. I do not, however, go out thinking that I will play 100 songs, and go home. I will plan each day of work to be 2 sessions, and be between 20 to 35 minutes in length. That is enough time to play 6 to 8 songs for each session, and 5 to 10 minutes of chat. I will then take a break. What I am counting on is that my audience will enjoy my music enough to want to converse with me between songs, and following my act. So, basically, I will spend a few seconds before each tune to introduce the tune, and mention something about who I am doing a “cover” of.  At the end of each song I will converse with the audience before introducing the next song.

I will then watch my audience to see if they move on with their day, or are they hanging around to hear more music. If they are moving on I will wait until my audience is almost entirely new before I do another session. The trick to setting up a successful pitch, I believe, is to be playing at a time when the people passing by are not in a hurry to get to their destination, perhaps on a lunch break. Or, perhaps while they are shopping at a leisurely pace.

At this time I do not plan to be on any pitch for more than 1 to 1.5 hours each day/night that I play. However, if I am up to it, and if the audience is up for it, I will go as long as I can.  Actually, I do not plan to busk more that once or twice a week. My plans are to try to get gigs playing for veterans and seniors at local centers close to home. This, I think will leave me time to work with my passion of photography, and to practice and make changes to my act.

It's Up To You

It's Up To You - Keith Birmingham
140bpm @4/4

You can blame someone,
When your day goes bad.
You can blame someone,
For the life you’ve had.
But, all in all, it’s up to you
So stand up, and see it through.

Life can pick you up,
Higher than the stars
Or, kick you even
When you are down.
But, all in all, it’s up to you
So stand up, and see it through.

You can be a star
On a New York stage,
Or a bum sleepin’
on the street.
But, all in all, it’s up to you
So stand up, and see it through.

Life can pick you up
Higher than the stars
Or, kick you even
When you are down.
But, all in all, it’s up to you
So stand up, and see it through.

You can be a rock star
Living out in L.A.
Or a governor
In the state of Maine.
But, all in all, it’s up to you.
So stand up, and see it through.

Life can pick you up
Higher than the stars
Or, kick you even
When you are down.
But, all in all, it’s up to you
So stand up, and see it through.
So stand up, and see it through.

Travel Photography - What Camera Gear Should I Take?

By John Kilmerstone

Probably the most popular type of photography today is travel photography and millions of people take photos during their holidays around the world, in the most beautiful travel destinations. But not every tourist with a camera can be truthfully called a photographer and not all images captured during our travels can truly be called photographs.

Nevertheless, many people that like to travel have also become photographers along the years, either as a secondary hobby, or just to keep beautiful memories from the places they visited. The majority of people though, still do not know the difference between a picture and a photograph.

If you are planning a trip and need to know a few basic tips and advice about what to take in your baggage in terms of camera gear, below you might find some valuable information in that matter. Travel photography is all about the ability to take good photos on the go.

While traveling, you need to be prepared all the time to seize the perfect moment, you need to be able to get around fast and easy and that means reducing the size and weight of your equipment to the minimum.

Unless you are serious photographer, traveling to a destination on an assignment, you should try to take with you just the strictly necessary camera gear. You cannot enjoy a trip carrying a huge backpack with several camera bodies, half a dozen lenses, tripods and so on.

Camera body - If you have a compact or bridge camera, then just take that with you, but if you are serious about photography, you should own one or more DSLR camera bodies. Just take one of them, the most versatile and lightweight you have, the one that you love the most and offers good results in all situations.

Almost all camera manufacturers have a huge lineup of models available, some of them better suited for travel photography. Depending on your personal preferences, try to also consider the size and weight of the equipment.

Lenses - In terms of lenses, things are not as simple as it might seem. There is a huge variety of models that vary in terms of several characteristics. The basic recommendations would be to just take one or maximum two lenses in your travels.

Either choose an all around lens with excellent quality, or a wide lens and a short telephoto lens in order to cover all your angles. Also, try to take good quality lenses, that give good results in most lighting conditions and also consider the weight of these lenses.

Accessories - Although hard to believe, most people forget these accessories when packing for a trip. They usually pack their cameras and forget the charger or the memory cards. You might not be able to find the right accessories at your destination, so try to make a list with the basic accessories you will need. First of all, pack your charger and spare batteries, as many as you can.

Also, take more than enough memory cards with you. These are extremely small and light and also easy to carry. If you think you need a tripod and you have the space for it, try to find a smaller one. Lastly, try to pack some cleaning kit for your camera, as while you travel, the equipment will surely get pretty dirty.

Discover the Wonders of the World through Travel Photography.

Download John Kilmerstones's Beautiful Photos at www.ExtremeTravelPhotography.com

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=John_Kilmerstone

I Was Young by Keith Birmingham

I Was Young
Copyright: 04/20/2011, Keith Birmingham
                                
Life was good when the weather was fair and the sun was shining.
The women danced through my mind like the songs that I was singing.
The booze it flowed like a river and I never knew that I was sinking.
But, I was young. And, I was dumb.

With dark gray clouds rolling in I began my search for shelter.
And, I found warmth in the arms of a woman I thought would care.
But, the love she had was the love of my misfortune.
And, I was young. And, I was dumb.

So, I moved on in my search for the love that I was after.
Elusive dreams that I had would haunt me everyday.
I count the cost of the friends and the family I have squandered.
And, I was young. And, I was dumb.
And, I was young. And, I was dumb.

Now those dreams have faded to a life in the here-after.
But, I have found the love that I have searched for anyway.
And, it really doesn't matter how the world thinks that I got here.
'Cause I was young. And, I was dumb.
I was young. And, I was dumb.