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2ND ANNUAL LAUNCH EVENT
(The PMF Re-Introduces Itself to the World with Bands, Board Members, and Partners)

Continuing on our mission to serve as a clearinghouse and educational forum for the Portland music community, The PMF will hold its 2nd annual Launch Event and Open House, on Wednesday Sept. 17, at 6 p.m., at One City Center.

At the event, musicians and anyone interested in fostering organization, cooperation and professionalism in the Portland music community can network with like-minded people and sign up for membership in the PMF. Local music will be playing and local businesses who have partnered with the PMF will be on hand to talk about how they would like to offer support to the local-music community. There will also be a community networking table where anyone can leave information that might be of interest to PMF members.

This event is similar to the kick-off event held last year, which generated 100 memberships in the PMF, but this year the organization has added an after-party and has a lot more to talk about. At 9 p.m., attendees will move to Empire Dine and Dance to see live music from Gypsy Tailwind and Hiss & Chambers, plus DJ sets from Moshe and rocket.one.

Tickets to the after-party are ONLY$5.00, but the first 50 attendees of the Launch Event will receive FREE TICKETS! (Must be 21+)

At the Launch Event, PMF board members will be on hand to discuss what the organization has accomplished in the last year and what is to come. Since September 2007, the PMF has done the following:

• Signed up more than 200 members

• Held four educational seminar nights, where area musicians, music professionals, and experts from around the country discussed working with the media, booking gigs, publishing your music, gig professionalism, and working with a recording engineer.

• Attained 501c3 federal tax status, allowing individuals to make tax-deductible donations to the PMF

• Launched an online forum at http://portlandmusicfoundation.lefora.com/, where area musicians and music professionals can discuss the PMF, the area music scene, their upcoming events, and anything relevant to working in the music industry

• Held six networking nights at area businesses

In 2009, the Portland Music Foudation will continue these initiatives, as well as announce a number of exciting developments that will allow the organization to continue its goal of helping area musicians and music professionals attain their industry goals.

PMF membership costs $20 annually, and offers benefits like 20 percent off band ads in the Portland Phoenix, 20 percent off advertising at Citadel Radio, 10 percent off purchases at the Drum Shop, $10 off an hour of studio time at the Studio, 10 percent off the hourly rate at Port Media recording studio, special pricing at the Arm Factory, which produces promotional materials for bands, and free lessons at the Maine Academy of Modern Music. In addition, membership allows entrance into all PMF educational series and events, which will resume in October and November.

For more information, email: info@portlandmusicfoundation.org


FREAKY BEAN COFFEE RELEASES “PMF MUSICIAN'S BLEND”>>>>>Now area music fans can help out their local scene just by drinking their morning cup of coffee. The Freaky Bean Coffee Company has collaborated with the Portland Music Foundation to release the PMF Musician’s Blend, a coffee blend now available in 12-ounce bags at all Freaky Bean and Maine Roasters Coffee Company locations and will be available at the end of June online at www.freakybean.com.

One dollar from the sale of each bag of PMF Musician’s Blend will go towards the Foundation’s efforts to educate area musicians on such topics as booking, press relations, publishing, recording, and legal concerns.

The blend is part of Freaky Bean’s partnership with the PMF, which also includes hosting PMF networking events at its locations and supporting area singer/songwriters by having in-store performances. The Musician’s Blend will also now be available for sale at PMF events going forward.


“When we founded Freaky Bean back in 2005, my business partner and I really wanted to create a contemporary coffee house with more of an old-school come in and hang out kind of vibe,” said Andy Kessler, Freaky Bean’s VP, Director of Creative and E-commerce. “Since music is such a vital part of our lives and our community we see this as a perfect fit and are thrilled to be able to support such an incredible organization.”


“The Freaky Bean came to us as music fans who really want to support the local scene,” said Adam Ayan the Grammy Award-winning mastering engineer of Gateway Mastering & DVD and the Portland Music Foundation’s Founder and President. “When they stepped up to the plate we immediately saw that they get what we are trying to do and really are devoted to strengthening Portland’s music scene. And we are also big fans of their coffee.”


Portland Music Foundation members will have the opportunity to perform at Freaky Bean locations when they book through the company’s music coordinator Mike Jones. Further, PMF musician members will also be able to perform at Maine Roasters Coffee Company stores in Yarmouth and Falmouth, which are wholly owned and operated by Freaky Bean.


ABOUT FREAKY BEAN
Established in 2005, Freaky Bean Coffee Company roasts all its coffees to bring out the unique flavor of all its beans and is dedicated to educating its customers about specific coffee flavor profiles. The Freaky Bean is the only coffee company in Maine to offer tastings in its specially constructed Cupping Room in the Westbrook location. The Freaky Bean is a community-oriented business that encourages customers to hang out and relax over a great cup of freshly roasted coffee or espresso based drinks. Presently operating three retail locations – 855 Main Street, Westbrook, and 360 US Route 1, Scarborough and 2 Cabela Way in Scarborough, the company will soon open another location, on Broadway in South Portland. Once opened these stores will make the Freaky Bean Maine’s largest coffee retailer/roastery.

For more information, www.freakybean.com, or email info@portlandmusicfoundation.org


PORTLAND MUSIC FOUNDATION ATTAINS 501c3 STATUS>>>>>  The Portland Music Foundation recently attained its 501c3 federal tax status, making the PMF eligible for a number of grants and making donations to the organization tax deductible.

“Acquiring our 501c3 federal tax-exempt status from the IRS is an enormous step forward for the Portland Music Foundation,” said PMF president Adam Ayan. “This status now allows us to accept tax deductible donations, as well as solidifies the organization as an official public charity, allowing the PMF to continue its mission of supporting, organizing, and nurturing the Portland music community.”


Lawyer David Ordway helped the Portland Music Foundation navigate the bureaucratic hurdles necessary to gain 501c3 status and provided instrumental advice. Accountant Tom Lee helped the organization prepare tax documents.


Over the past year, the Portland Music Foundation has organized two series of educational seminars, held at the St. Lawrence Arts Center, and a series of mixers and networking events held at six local coffeeshops and watering holes. The PMF currently has more than 200 members, who’ve paid $20 for a year’s worth of discounts at area businesses and access to the PMF educational seminars.


PMF events will continue starting with its Second Annual Launch Event (with after party), Sept. 17, and its next educational series, which starts Oct. 8.


PORTLAND MUSIC FOUNDATION LAUNCHES ONLINE FORUM>>>>>
Thanks to the efforts of area musician and web programmer Dan Bodoff, the Portland Music Foundation now has an online forum where you can ask questions of PMF board members, discuss just about any topic you want with other area musicians and music professionals, exchange gigs, and look for and sell musical instruments.

That’s right. The PMF is all geeked out.


Find the forum @ http://portlandmusicfoundation.lefora.com/


The Portland Music Foundation board members and a number of our Board of Trustees members are moderators of the forum and try to monitor it as best we can. We hope it’s a place people can exchange ideas about making bands, clubs, and the rest of the local music industry more successful. Or more fun. Or better. Or whatever. Just be nice to each other.


NEW MEMBER BENEFIT FOR LOCALLY PRODUCED SWAG>>>>>
The Portland Music Foundation has teamed with Dominic D'Alessio & the Arm Factory, a collection of local artists based in Westbrook’s Dana Warp Mill, to secure reduced rates on design services and reproduction of T-shirts, posters, flyers, handbills, and stickers. They even offer custom CD and vinyl package design. GET RATES HERE

Yes, you can get cheaper stuff in the Internet if you look hard enough, but the Arm Factory has some highly talented artists who are willing to work with you on logo, T-shirt, and poster design, and the quality of the end results is top shelf. Plus, you’re keeping your spending local, which means more people have money in their pockets to come to your shows and buy your discs!
To receive the rates below, mention your PMF membership when you call up the Arm Factory at 207.233.0742 or thearmfactory@gmail.com, or visit their site at www.thearmfactory.com.


PORTLAND MUSIC FOUNDATION CELEBRATES OUR 1st YEAR!>>>>>  Happy Birthday PMF! This June marked the Portland Music Foundation's first year of existence. The PMF incorporated as non-profit in the state of Maine one year ago last month, and has begun its mission to help organize, support, nurture and promote the music community of greater Portland.

Our first year has been an eventful and successful one. Starting with our Diageo Speakeasy fundraiser and Launch Event in the fall of 2007, and continuing with our Educational Workshop Series and Mixer Series in 2008, the PMF has been hard at work providing quality services for the musicians of greater Portland. Our membership perks have also steadily grown, and we will work hard to further expand them. The PMF Membership base has grown throughout the year to more than 200 members!

NOW WHAT CAN WE DO NEXT FOR YOU?

The PMF has many exciting plans for the second half of 2008, including: an official Portland Music Foundation online message forum (see below); a new round of Educational Workshops in collaboration with the Maine Center for Creativity; a new round of mixers; and a second annual Launch Event Sept. 17 (okay, it’s more like an open house, but we like the idea of a “second annual launch”). Stay tuned for more details.

So now the questions for you, fellow PMF members, are:

1. What can the PMF do better in the second half of 2008, and beyond? VOTE HERE

2. What topic would you most like to see addressed in our next educational workshop series? VOTE HERE

We are asking for any and all suggestions you may have for us to better serve YOU. That is why we are here!

Adam Ayan
President, Portland Music Foundation

 


WBLM & SHIPYARD RELEASE GREETINGS FROM AREA CODE 207 CD VOLUME 7>>>>>102.9 WBLM-FM and Cornmeal Records, in association with Shipyard Brewing Company, Casco Bay Brewing Company and The Inn On Peaks Island, are proud to announce the release of "Greetings From Area Code 207, Volume 7", a compilation CD of songs from Maine bands and musicians. As with "Greetings From Area Code 207 Volumes 1- 6" (compilation CDs released in 2000-2005), 100% of the proceeds will go to benefit The St Lawrence Arts Center on Munjoy Hill in Portland. The six volumes (plus a best-of CD, "Maine Tracks", released by Bangor Savings Bank in 2007) have raised over $100,000 to date.

Headlining Volume 7 are previously unreleased songs by Ray Lamontagne, Rustic Overtones, Phantom Buffalo, Sara Cox, The Coming Grass, As Fast As, The Boneheads, Darien Brahms, Adam Gardner (Guster), Jon Nolan, Steve Jones and Seekonk, along with 9 others. The disc was mastered at the world famous Gateway Mastering studios in Portland by Grammy Award winning engineer Adam Ayan. The new CD will be available at all Bull Moose stores (located throughout Maine and in Portsmouth and Salem NH) and at Borders Books and Music in South Portland. It will be available on-line at www.bullmoose.com and at www.cornmealrecords.com. “I guess I say this each time we release one of these compilations, but this is the best one yet“ said Charlie Gaylord, the CD’s executive producer and principal of Cornmeal Records. “It is a testament to our local musicians and music scene that, pound for pound, we continue to be asgood as any city in the country”.

Of special note on Volume 7 are the two live tracks recorded at One City Center by Ray Lamontagne and Rustic Overtones. Lamontagne, with a solo acoustic song, is appearing on his fourth consecutive GFAC 207 CD and The Overtones recording is from their historic comeback show held on July 27, 2007 on the BLM patio, overlooking Monument Square, in front of an estimated 6,000 fans. These two tracks are not available anywhere else.


NEW BENEFIT ADDED FOR PMF MEMBERS>>>>>We're constantly working to drum up new member benefits. This month, we've signed up Port Media, a relatively new recording studio down in Kennebunkport. Built in an 18th century farm house and designed by Tom Marks of Los Angeles, Port Media's relaxed atmosphere is designed to inspire creativity.

Equipment includes: Pro Tools; Neumann, AKG, and Shure microphones; Millennia Media and Universal Audio microphone preamps; and Universal Audio's 1176ln compressor... just the tip of the iceburg of gear!

Port Media is offering a 10% discount off of its hourly rate to PMF members.

Check out www.port-media.com for all the details, or email Michael McNerney, the proprietor.


“MISTAKES WERE MADE” EVENT OFFERS PLENTY OF LESSONS>>>>>
On April 16, a brave crowd fought against the sunny weather and the impulse to watch the Sox play the Yankees to hear nine professionals in the local music industry talk about the lessons they’ve learned through some of the mistakes they’ve made as they’ve built their careers. Here is a synopsis of the major points:

Sonya Tomlinson, aka Sontiago: Don’t assume people know who you are. Don’t try to promote your disc nationally without a paid publicist. Don’t forget to sign up with ASCAP or some other publishing firm. Don’t forget you can write all your music expenses off as part of your taxes.

Herb Ivy, station manager, WCYY, WBLM: Don’t forget to communicate and plan. Calling something a McPigeon sandwich on the air is a bad idea if McDonald’s advertises with you radio station. As the stakes get higher, plan more.

Dan Connor, musician, Goud’s Thumb, Gypsy Tailwind: Don’t name your band Goud’s Thumb. Make sure you think about your band name, have a story behind it, and use the English language.

Kate Schrock, solo musician: Make sure you understand the motives behind the decisions that are being made for you by people who work for you, like publicists and agents. Don’t forget that people make bad decisions for bad reasons, and sometimes it can sidetrack your career.

Todd Richard, musician, publicist, jack of all trades: Don’t forget to take some of the money your band makes for yourself. Even a little bit for a few beers or gas money means a lot. If you’re a Christian band, don’t worry about how many Jesuses per minute you have in your songs. Seriously. Check the credentials of the people offering to work with you or for you.

Yasmin Craig Vitalius, violinist, Portland Symphony Orchestra (and other ensembles): Always be prepared, whether it’s for an audition or a gig. You might have five minutes that will affect the rest of your career. Don’t practice so much you injure yourself. Make sure to take care of your body and treat it as nicely as you treat your instrument. Stop if you hurt, but take it to the limit if you can.

Spencer Albee, musician, Rustic Overtones, As Fast As: Don’t put your high-minded ideals about taking advantage of good opportunities. If you have a chance to play in front of everybody who’ll be distributing Arista’s albums for the next year, don’t just play the songs you think are cool and impressive. Play your hits. If a famous producer like Daniel Lanois wants to work with you, don’t try to dictate the terms. Just make the record. But also make sure you listen to your instincts and don’t make something that isn’t yours.

Brett Wickard, co-owner, Bull Moose Music: Always remember what’s in it for the other guy. Make sure the bar does well the night you play, or the store that sells your record makes money off it. If there’s nothing in it for them, why would they contribute to your success? Always make sure you treat the frontline people well, whether it’s at a record store where you’re making an appearance or at a club where you’re playing. The owner of the place will judge you by how you treat the counter people and the waitstaff, so don’t shit on them and then suck up to the owner. That won’t get you anywhere.

Scott Ordway, owner, Ideal Entertainment Group, management firm: You need to treat your music like a career, and it can be your career if you treat it that way. Focus on the business aspects, learn about contracts, make sure you network and develop contacts. Like any business, whom you know is as important as what you know or how you play.


PMF IN-DEPTH SESSIONS HIGHLIGHT NEED FOR CYBER LITERACY>>>>> If you missed our first members-only, in-depth educational sessions back in February, here’s a tip: make sure your email skills are polished and refined. For the roughly 75 members in attendance at the St. Lawrence Arts Center, the message that came through loud and clear in both the Press Relations 101 and Gigging 101 sessions is that journalists, booking agents, club owners and virtually anyone else in the business likes to be contacted digitally, not by phone, and definitely not with a hard-copy press kit (dang, those are like soooo 1996).

In the Press Relations 101, Press Herald scribe Aimsel Ponti emphasized the need for a decent subject line, to help her wade through the hundreds of inquiries she gets daily. She said she responds to everything, but maybe will get back more quickly to someone who gives her a frame of reference and lets her know that she’s covered that band before. Chris Dahlen, writer for internationally known web site www.pitchforkmedia.com and national magazine Paste, said he unfortunately can’t reply to all of the emails he receives (not many at all, actually), but he’s looking to establish a connection with band, and hopes that bands contacting him have an idea of his past writings and why he’d be likely to review them. Sam Pfeifle, music writer at the Portland Phoenix, agreed with both Ponti and Dahlen that nothing should be mailed without a request. An initial email can say that a CD is being released, and ask if the writer would like a copy. Once bands get a”yes,” they’re much more likely to have their postage rewarded with a review than if an album showed up unannounced on a writer’s doorstep.

In Gigging 101, Lauren Wayne, talent buyer and promoter for Live Nation and the White Heart, agreed that all communication should be done via email, and emphasized that bands looking to get opening slots should be able to present a business case for why they should be included. Pat May, northeast agent for Skyline Music, a talent seller, agreed with this, saying bands need to develop their “stats”: how many can you put in a room, how often, and where? How many plays do you have on Myspace? Mark Lourie, May’s colleague at Skyline, emphasized that bands shouldn’t get ahead of themselves. “These bands come to me saying they can draw 300 in their home town and say, ‘Let’s tour the country.’ No. The next step is playing in cities reachable on one tank of gas.” Alias, a hip-hop artist who’s toured the U.S. and Europe with the anticon label, pointed out that Portland is a great place to be for just that reason: Within a day’s drive you have Boston, Worcester, Northampton, New York, Burlington—all of them with music scenes and live clubs.

Finally, Recording 101 didn’t focus much on emailing, but did emphasize that bands prepare for their studio experience so that they make the most of it. Jim Begley, recording engineer and producer at the Studio and elsewhere, said it’s sometimes the simple things that need to be taken care of—getting new strings, new drum heads, getting guitars properly intonated, etc. Walt Craven, guitarist and vocalist for Goud’s Thumb, 6gig, and Lost on Liftoff, said it was important to record yourself, and listen to yourself, often before even entering the studio. Just a boombox in the corner of the practice space is often all that’s necessary for a band to realize that all the parts don’t quite fit on a song. There was also much talk of the role of a producer. Adam Ayan, mastering and recording engineer at Gateway Mastering and DVD, said most producers he’s worked with have very much been in it for the art and the artist, but that bands need to learn to trust producers if they’re going to get anything out of the experience.

This, of course, is just the tip of the iceberg of what was discussed, as attendees were treated to four hours of presentations.The next round of educational courses will be offered April 16 and May 14. Click here for info.


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