Category Archives: Music

The Institute is delighted to announce the 2011 scholarship winners

Posted on April 4, 2011 by Planet-Musician

The Institute of Contemporary Music Performance in partnership with their industry sponsors held a series of scholarship live finals last week in which more than £30,000 of course places on their renowned Higher Diploma were awarded.

Each finalist in guitar, bass, drums and vocals had an interview with a panel of judges consisting of representatives of the industry sponsors and Institute tutors, followed by a five minute live performance with their fellow finalists and guests in the audience.

The guitar scholarship winner, which is sponsored by Yamaha and Total Guitar, was Claudio Pereira de Almeida who impressed with his stylistic versatility and his commitment to the study of his instrument and his musicianship. In the bass scholarship sponsored by Ernie Ball Music Man and Bass Guitar Magazine the winner was Ellen O’Reilly who impressed the judges not just with her playing but in her attitude to her pursuit of a career in music. The Mapex and Drummer Magazine scholarship went to Eric Gyingy, a musician who showed confidence on the kit while still displaying an abundance of potential and an awareness of where he needs to improve. The vocal scholarship was awarded to Magda Fouad, selected by Shure and R&R World for her versatility, her energy, her performance and her strength of character.

The Institute and their partners would like to thank all who entered the scholarship this year; the level was high indicating the strength in depth of talent looking to pursue their studies at one of Europe’s leading schools of modern music.

For more information on courses at the Institute, contact us directly:

Posted in Education, Music

The Aussie Floyd Show 2011 reveals worlds first use of 3D Stereographic Visuals on tour

Posted on February 8, 2011 by Planet-Musician

The live touring sensation, The Australian Pink Floyd Show (TAPFS), are back on tour with a series of headline shows across the UK and Europe featuring a world first for rock concerts – 3D Stereographic Visuals.

The band have recruited Hollywood visual effects legend John Attard who has worked on films such as Gladiator, Last Samurai, Harry Potter, Holes and many more. Attard realized that by augmenting the shows with 3D elements he could bring the level of audience involvement in the show to a whole new dimension. The whole show is a visual overload of the senses. Not only from the visuals but from the immersive quadraphonic sound.

Pink Floyd were always a multimedia experience and it seems fitting that TAPFS should be the first to bring the 3D experience to a rock concert. The 3D used in TAPFS is the same as that used in cinemas. The Audience wears 3D polarised glasses, stereo images are then sent to the eyes and the brain sees the whole thing in 3D. Look out for the song Eugene where the audience experience high speed 3D explosions of TV’s!

Add to all that the incomparable laser light show, the quadraphonic sound system, and of course the inevitable inflatables and you have an incredible, spectacular experience waiting for you on TAPFS 2011 Tour. You can see a preview at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PGhgbsjx3Sg

UK Tickets are now on sale and can be booked through www.aussiefloyd.com or www.livenation.co.uk or 0844 576 5483 (24 hours). Tickets are selling fast and three shows are already sold out with limited availability on some of the remaining venues! Tickets are priced at £27.50 regional and London £29.50 and are subject to a booking fee.

For further information and European Tour ticket information please see the bands website at www.aussiefloyd.com

Posted in Events, Music

The Aussie Floyd Show announces 2011 UK Greatest Hits Tour

Posted on January 10, 2011 by Planet-Musician

Live Nation and SJM are proud to announce that The Australian Pink Floyd Show is set to return with a series of headline shows across the UK in March 2011. Tickets are now on sale and can be booked through www.livenation.co.uk or 0844 576 5483 (24 hours). The Australian Pink Floyd Show is a live touring sensation which has sold over three million tickets worldwide, and they have created their most ambitious and spectacular show ever for the 2011 European Tour. This theatre tour will see the debut of the new quadraphonic sound system and represents the first time ever that a live music production has used 3D stereographic technology. Tickets are selling fast and two shows are already sold out with limited availability on some of the remaining venues!

Emerging back in 1988, the original and credible Floyd act TAPFS has been getting bigger and better ever since. The band were described by Floyd drummer Nick Mason on BBC 5 Live as “Very good, probably better than we are,” and even engaged by David Gilmour to perform at his 50th birthday celebration!

MARCH 2011

  • 10 Glasgow Royal Concert House – SOLD OUT
  • 12 Blackpool Opera House
  • 13 Manchester O2 Apollo
  • 14 Newcastle City Hall
  • 15 Liverpool Echo Arena
  • 17 Southampton Guildhall
  • 18 Basingstoke Anvil – SOLD OUT
  • 20 London Hammersmith HMV Apollo
  • 21 Birmingham Symphony Hall
  • 23 Brighton Dome
  • 24 Cardiff St David’s Hall

Tickets are priced at £27.50 regional and London £29.50 and can be booked through www.livenation.co.uk or 0844 576 5483 (24 hours). Tickets subject to a booking fee.

The Australian Pink Floyd Show has already been described by Sunday Times as “The best tribute band in the world”, but the 2011 show is simply on a different level and must be seen to be believed. Come along and enjoy the greatest show that The Australian Pink Floyd has ever staged – prepare to be amazed.

For further information please see the bands website at www.aussiefloyd.com.

Posted in Events, Music

Institute Unveils 2011 Music Scholarships Worth Over £36,000

Posted on November 26, 2010 by Planet-Musician

The Institute is delighted to announce, in conjunction with its leading partners, the launch of over £36,000 worth of scholarships for deserving students to study Institute’s renowned one-year Higher Diploma course. The scholarship categories are as follows:

  • GUITAR: Supported by Yamaha Guitar and Total Guitar Magazine
  • BASS: Supported by Musicman Bass and  Bass Guitar Magazine
  • DRUMS: Supported by Mapex/Paiste and Drummer Magazine
  • VOCALS: Supported by Shure and R & R World

Each category includes one full scholarship (worth over £5,000 to the winner) and one partial scholarship (worth £2,500 each). The Higher Diploma is a specialist one-year full-time course, developed by the Institute to train and develop students of guitar, bass, drums and vocals for a career in the music industry. It was the first full-time course of its kind ever developed in the UK and achieving a place on the course continues to be an aspirational goal for young musicians. The Institute, widely recognised as one of Europe’s leading schools of modern music, counts on an unrivalled teaching and visiting faculty, many of whom regularly work and tour with some of the music industry’s greatest artists.

Previous Institute students can be found throughout today’s music industry, working with high profile artists such as Radiohead, The Noisettes, Kylie Minogue, Eric Clapton and Paolo Nutini.  Previous scholarship winners can be seen performing with successful artists across the world including Estelle, N-Dubz and Lauren Hill.

Closing date for entries is 17th February 2011 and there is always a great demand. The scholarships are open to anyone from the UK or internationally and the application form is available to download from www.icmp.co.uk.

Posted in Bass, Drums & Percussion, Education, Guitar, Music

Hit Talk Interviews Far East Movement, Offers Uploads

Posted on September 8, 2010 by Planet-Musician

Hit Talk, a music production website, teaching aspiring musicians how to produce hit singles just released it’s latest interview with Interscope/Cherrytree recording artists Far East Movement out of Hollywood, CA.

This in-depth Hit Talk interview reveals and discusses the music business strategies and promotional strategies Far East Movement used to achieve such impressive musical feats as touring with Lady GaGa, N.E.R.D., Jay-Z, and the Black Eyed Peas, plus landing major features for their debuting album: Lil Jon and Snoop Dogg.

In addition to rare industry insights from FM’s music interview, Hit Talk also offers a chance to connect directly with the band by inviting aspiring musicians to upload their best musical works for Far East Movement and their management to consider first-hand for possible collaboration.

To read the exclusive Hit Talk interview with Far East Movement, plus upload your music for an chance to connect with the band, visit: www.modernbeats.com/hit-talk/far-east-movement-music-interview/

Posted in Industry, Music

The Australian Pink Floyd Show announces 2011 Greatest hits World Tour

Posted on September 6, 2010 by Planet-Musician

The Australian Pink Floyd Show, fresh from the success of a sell out tour in 2010 will be back in Europe in 2011 with an even bigger and better show. Beginning in January, the 2011 tour starts in Poland and brings with it not only the trademark lighting and laser show, but a brand new quadraphonic sound system and cinema quality 3D visuals.

The band is very proud of and excited about the new show which includes for the first time 3D stereographic video. This technology is the same as used in 3D cinemas, where the audience wears 3D polarized glasses to create the illusion of images reaching out. The new technology combined with the quadraphonic sound system will give fans a truly amazing spine tingling concert experience not to be missed!

Steve Mac, singer and guitarist with The Australian Pink Floyd, said “we can’t wait to get back on the road. This show is the biggest and best yet. With the state of the art 3D effects and the amazing quadraphonic sound we have some real surprises planned for our fans. We have never been so strong”.

Their upcoming Pink Floyd Greatest Hits World Tour 2011 showcases the most spectacular Floyd tribute of all time. With over two hours of the absolute best of Floyd live, it is the sort of spectacularly ostentatious setting that all true Floyd fans will relish.

The first tour dates confirmed and on-sale now are as follows:

  • Poland: 22 January 2011, City: Rzeszow , Venue: Na Podpromiu
  • Poland: 23 January 2011, City: Plock , Venue: Orlen Arena
  • Poland: 24 January 2011, City: Gdansk , Venue: Hala Sportowo – Widowiskowa
  • Poland: 25 January 2011, City: Bydgoszcz , Venue: Luczniczka
  • Poland: 27 January 2011, City: Warszawa, Venue: Torwar
  • Poland: 28 January 2011, City: Lublin , Venue: Globus
  • Poland: 29 January 2011, City: Katowice , Venue: Spodek

The Australian Pink Floyd Show takes the Pink Floyd tribute experience to a new level.

More UK and European tour dates will be announced very shortly so please check for further information the bands website on www.aussiefloyd.com.

Posted in Events, Music

Modern Beats launches ‘Song Submit’ music-forwarding service

Posted on March 30, 2010 by Planet-Musician

Song Submit is Modern Beats’ new music-forwarding service that connects musicians to major Record Labels, Recording Artists, Music Producers, and Film/TV Music Supervisors who are seeking music to sign and place on projects. Musicians aiming to make connections and get their music noticed can upload their music to Song Submit placement opportunities to have their music reviewed, considered, and selected for forwarding to a variety of music executives.

Recent Song Submit opportunities include:

  • Island Def Jam needs R&B Beats
  • Shady Records needs Rap Beats
  • Britney Spears needs Pop Songs
  • Kelly Rowland needs R&B Songs
  • Jesse McCartney needs Dance Beats
  • Beats needed for MTV’s Jersey Shore
  • Beats needed for NBC’s Last Comic Standing

Musicians subscribing to Song Submit’s music-forwarding service receive the following benefits when uploading their music:

  1. Each song uploaded is guaranteed review with detailed feedback.
  2. Selected music is guaranteed to be considered by music executives.
  3. Musicians can check the status of songs 24/7 and are notified of their songs final status at the closing of each opportunity.
  4. Musicians can upload as many songs as desired, plus receive a $20 Off Modern Beats coupon for each opportunity uploaded to.

For more information about Song Submit and its success stories, visit: www.modernbeats.com/song-submit/.

Posted in Music, Promotion, Special Offers

ModernBeats Releases ‘Ethnic Music Chopz 2′ Samples

Posted on January 12, 2010 by Planet-Musician

Featuring over 840 24-bit samples of rare ethnic instruments from around the world, ModernBeats releases the “Ethnic Music Chopz 2″ soundset. The sample library includes hundreds of live performance samples of 10 rare ethnic instruments including hooks, riffs, and licks specially designed for modern urban and pop music production.

The ‘Ethnic Chopz 2′ Sample Library was recorded at 4 tempos (87 BPM, 92 BPM, 97 BPM, & 102 BPM) and in 4 key signatures (A minor, C minor, E minor, & G minor). A total of 40 software sampler presets are included that auto-load all ethnic samples into your software sampler of choice: Reason NN-XT (.SXT), EXS24 (.EXS), Kontakt (.NKI), Battery (.KIT), Halion (.FXP), Soundfont (.SF2), and WAV (.WAV).

A list of ethnic instruments included:

  • Arabian Rababah
  • Balinese Gobijen
  • Turkish Cumbus
  • Moroccan Gimbri
  • Greek Bouzouki
  • Arabian Mizmar
  • Aztec Slit-drum
  • Japanese Koto
  • Egyptian Ney
  • African Udu

Ethnic Music Chopz Volumes 1 & 2 are offered as a download and priced at just $39.95 each. For more information and audio demos, visit: www.modernbeats.com/soundsets.php.

Posted in Audio, Loops, Music, Samples

Motion Samples Releases Trance Melody Sessions vol. 2

Posted on November 9, 2009 by Planet-Musician

Trance Melody Sessions vol. 2 $50 Wav Files

Trance Melody Sessions vol2 is back with an all new series of even more expressive sounds and songs for producing melodic progressive trance music. Inside contains 350 quality loops of the latest trance sounds including big verby leads, stacked synths, digital bass lines, multi-effected plucks, side-chain pads, chord progressions, piano, guitar, fx and plenty more. All sounds are sorted into 25 session folders so it’s in key, on tempo and easy to create your own melodies just by layering loops together. If you’re a fan of volume 1 then you’re gonna’ love this one too!

Visit www.motionsamples.com for more information and audio demos.

Posted in Audio, Loops, Music, Samples

RiffBook – Organization for Musical Ideas

Posted on October 30, 2009 by Planet-Musician

Apparatus Company, Inc. announces the release of their new music software product for Macintosh called RiffBook. RiffBook is a computer “notebook” for music where riffs can be quickly recorded in the form of audio, video, music notation, tablature, and text notes.

RiffBook has come about because so many musicians have lost some of their best works because they couldn’t remember that neat riff that they’ve played the day before. Eventually musicians began taping their sessions, only to end up with a dubious pile of unlabeled tapes with little hope of finding anything again. With RiffBook, musicians can quickly record a piece of music using their computer’s built-in microphone or, with the Professional Edition, record a video with their computer’s iSight camera. With RiffBook, it is not about getting pristine, production-quality recordings; it’s about capturing the moment quickly without the hassles of equipment setup.

Transcriptions and tablature may be entered by dragging and dropping notes onto the staff. Text notes can be added to for just about any purpose such as describing performance notes or to include song lyrics. External document files from other programs may also be linked to a riff. When a file is linked with RiffBook, RiffBook makes an “Open” button that allows for quick opening of the file with the application that created it. This is great for linking files such as Logic Pro recording sessions where with one click, the document opens in Logic Pro. Using linked files in RiffBook, all of a musician’s work can be brought together and organized in one place.

RiffBook is great for storing and cataloging riffs that a musician really likes, but has no use for yet in a song. Over time, the riff library in RiffBook will grow so that later, during the songwriting process, RiffBook can be used to search for riffs that meet certain criteria such as chord progression or style. The riff library can also be browsed in order to generate song ideas. Riffs can be organized into song folders within RiffBook in order to group them and to designate them as being already used. This management of in-process work allows musicians to keep track of where they are in the songwriting process.

RiffBook is available in two editions: Standard and Professional. The Professional Edition adds the ability to record video riffs and provides a handy metronome feature. RiffBook Standard is priced at $49.99 while the Professional Edition is $79.99. A full-featured, 30-day demo is available for download at www.alienapparatus.com/RiffBook.html.

Alien Apparatus Company, Inc. has been providing show control systems and on-stage products to musicians since 2003. Alien Apparatus Company’s mission is to develop innovative solutions for live music performance, making shows more spectacular, easier, and more fun!

Posted in Audio, Music, Sheet Music, Tab, Technology