Tag: Interview

English · Interviews

Interview with Thomas Rodenbach

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GER, Thomas Rodenbach

Please tell us something about yourself, Thomas.

I am a singer/songwriter (English Pop-Music) living in Munich/Germany. In the past I already had success with songs that I wrote for female artists – but also for my own, e.g. as only solo-artist and finalist in a music competition for the famous German TV station “ARD”. Two years ago I decided to work on my debut-album, which currently appeared on the 15th of November this year!

Why have you decided to become a member of Music2Deal?

First of all with “Won`t let you down” I wrote my first song for the album 2 years ago. Later I decided to look for a platform, where a) I could present this song a closed community of people working in the music area and b) furthermore do some networking. Soon I found “Music2Deal” and was positively surprised by the variety of different options that I was offered. So I decided to become a member and uploaded my song “Won`t let you down”.

You told us that you have made a really good deal on Music2Deal. Can you tell us more about it?

For the next 3 months “Won`t let you down” was ranked in the TOP 5 list of all songs due to the good votings by different members all over the world. I got very positive feedback and every day I made more new contacts. Then I used the search function looking for a label that was open for a newcomer. Later I got signed by 7us media group GmbH, an excellent label in Winnenden!

You released your debut album “Stars” on the 15th November. Are all songs written by yourself? How long have you been working on the album? 

All in all it only took 1 year to have the songs written for my debut-album “Stars”. In this year we also produced my first video on the first single release “Won`t let you down”, which actually has > 22.000 clicks on YouTube! The song was released on 4th of October and already made it into the TOP 100 German radio mainstream charts! A really great start – further pushed through my label!

What are your plans for the future and your musical career?

My big target is to emotionally reach people all over the world with my songs, passion, my voice and the piano! Actually starting in Germany to enlarge my fanbase. So I am in contact with different booking agencies in order to get gigs. I am open for new requests and would also play as support act for famous artists. I can play solo – but also have a great band with professional musicians! Also, I am still searching for a music manager. If you are interested, you can send me an email (tothomas.rodenbach@gmx.de) or get in contact with me through Music2Deal!

You can also get more information about me on my Facebook fanpage:

https://www.facebook.com/pages/THOMAS-RODENBACH/353567724716263

Check out my video: “Won`t let you down”:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pHbpZC2_R0M

You can download my debut-album via amazon, musicload, itunes…!

Thanks again to Music2Deal – which already opened some doors… Excited what is still to come!!

by Sara Shirazi

English · Interviews

Interview with Steve Bootland (Music2Deal Representative Portugal)

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Steve, you are the new representative of Music2Deal Portugal. Why did you decide to become a member of the team?

Music2Deal shares many of the ideals and practices of “The Portugal Music Scene”. We proactively seek opportunities for artists within the international marketplace. Networking with the ability to showcase your artist, music, talent, skill or service to other active industry reps with the same interests fits our business model perfect and showed positive results within hours of using the platform. Joining the team simply made good sense.

Please tell us something about yourself. What kind of experiences do you already have in the music industry?

I was lucky enough to start at a young age in the live side, first playing rhythm guitar in a band (not very well), working as a roadie, backline tech, production manager and eventually tour manager for years. It was an incredible insight into the workings of many bands, labels, agents, promoters and management companies being right on the front line of both success and failure. Constantly learning about release planning, promotion, the live show, the ins and outs, and much more. Throughout these many years of touring I put to practice some new skills by jumping in the deep end with my own label distributed by a subsidiary of Sony. As well I managed friends bands and promoted the occasional event. I eventually moved into the international development side and away from touring though I do sometimes miss being on the tour bus, plane, train, car, taxi, van, and the laughs and tears.

Is there a particular reason why you settled to Portugal?

It was really just a life change move after living in London for 23 years. Obviously sunshine and beaches attracted me after the first holiday here years ago but it was the feeling I had when I first looked in an estate agent window. I wan´t just dreaming, I was window shopping.

What can you tell us about the music industry in Portugal? What can Music2Deal do to improve the situation?

The Music industry in Portugal is much the same as anywhere in the World, however one of the main problems we face here is a lack of information about The Portugal Music Scene getting out of the Country. The government simply does not spend on music export. It talks about it but very little money reaches the hands of organisations who set up to do the governments job promoting culture. To give you a little idea; 2 years ago Portugal and Spain were featured at Canadian Music Week in Toronto. We were part of a group set up called Mission Canada. We lobbied government, chased ministers, had the best press any band would kill for, approached national companies for investment and had a record breaking 22 bands invited to play. In the end only 8 bands could make it due to lack of interest from any government body or National industry leader. Spain on the other hand had over 20 bands, the tourism minister was present, they hired their own venue so more bands could play and they had over 25 official delegates. Saying all that though, Portugal is a hotbed of amazing talent. Once known only for Fado, Portugal has an amazing live scene, incredible indie scene, Jazz, Blues, you name it. The festivals in Portugal are some of the best in the World and favoured by many big touring acts One of my favourite parts of my job is to send someone a track from bands we work with. The reaction is always … “Wow, they´re from Portugal?”.

To answer “what can M2D do to improve the situation? It is HOW members of Music2Deal use the platform which can help any change. The Music industry in general is changing and has always been changing. We can sit around complaining like we are the injured party and “rebrand as a survivor” (as David Byrne recently put it in the Guardian) or we can look for opportunity in change. M2D offers a platform to help people at work in this industry. Taking 10 minutes to start setting up a profile and starting to network is the only hurdle anyone faces. Get through those few minutes of your life and M2D will already be helping.

What are your next steps concerning your work as a Music2Deal representative?

The first step is making people aware of M2D, helping brand it in Portugal and getting buy in from somegreat industry leaders here. Building our fanbase like we would for any artist we work with and learning about our fans. The feedback is already great and will grow I´m sure. I am looking forward to many music industry reps around the world discovering the wealth Portugal has to offer.

Steve Bootland on Music2Deal: http://music2deal.com/pt/theportugalmusicscene

by Sara Shirazi
English · Interviews

Chartburst: Connect To Major Labels & Get Serious Feedback!

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Francis Gane (Chartburst) compressed

Francis Gane (Founder)

Chartburst is the place to be for unsigned musicians looking to connect to and get feedback from major record labels. We have spoken to founder Francis Gane and found out all you need to know about the platform.

Can you tell us a bit about Chartburst – How did it come about?

I’ve helped run the family recording studio (Bryn Derwen) in North Wales for the last few years and in that time have seen many talented musicians come and go through our doors. Many whom we believed should have ‘made it’ were never heard of again and this was always a disappointment. This, combined with my urge to work on my own terms within the industry I love produced the concept of Chartburst one evening whilst brainstorming the whole problem of unsigned artists getting discovered.

How can our users benefit from registering with Chartburst?

Musicians can benefit from getting involved as we provide a place where they can get their unsigned tracks heard by the biggest labels and music brands in the industry for deal consideration and feedback. We specialise in connecting artists with the people whom they need to impress to get places in music.

Music lovers use Chartburst as a place to find great new music and to influence the future of popular music discovery with the power of their vote. We’re the only place where the public decide who gets the opportunity to be heard by major record label talent scouts and other top music brands whom can open doors for emerging artists.

What does it cost to register at Chartburst?

It’s totally free for music fans and musicians to use Chartburst. It only costs musicians a small fee ($5/£3.50 per month) if they want to submit their music to our charts (where they can potentially be heard by major labels etc).

Are all genres welcome?

We try to cater for the full spectrum of contemporary popular music. Our genre-specific charts currently include Hiphop, Rock, Metal, Indie, Pop, Acoustic, Dance, Folk and Country.

What advice would you give artists looking to be discovered or get serious feedback for their music?

Artists looking to get discovered: throw yourself at as many opportunities as you can. The more places you put you and your music, the better! Get to gigs, promote your social pages etc and just be prepared to put in the hours. When looking for feedback, handing demos to promoters is still a good way to get some initial input.

What are your plans for the future?

We are planning our full sites launch which will be in the next month or two. The launch is going to be amazing. We have an incredible new site to show the world!

What do you think about Music2Deal?

We’ve been fans of Music2Deal for a while and are very happy to be working with them. It’s obviously run by people who know what musicians need from the internet in terms of a networking site!

chartburst logo transparent

                Visit Chartburst at www.chartburst.com

by Sara Shirazi