Artist : Sheff
Title : Indigo EP
Label : Echoes rec.
Format : Digital download
Release date : jan 2010

Tracklist :
1. Indigo
2. Indigo (Piatto remix)

Good news, or bad news ? Another significant protagonist in the Trance saga has succumbed to the charms of cultivating a secret garden, and the fruits are now ripe enough to be presented to the public. Sheff is the new alias under which Reshef Harari, one half of the well-known act Quantize (with their first opus Time out in 2008 at Iboga), has decided to come out with his long standing love for Techno. After Litvak & Ophir opened the way with a hit and Magitman launched a new solo tech career, the list of Israeli artists joining the Techno/Proggy tech Producer club is already long, and hardly no day passes without a new subscriber: Ace & Rocky recently joined forces as Easy Riders; Felix Nagorsky (Timelock) and Zombi were picked up on the musical radar as Week-end Heroes With Indigo, the Israeli Echoes Records inaugurates a string of Sheff releases, set to come out on imprints such as Italo Business or Open Records, who have already signed up this new project.

Indigo is a night banger, designed to hit at the darkest hours of the party. It delivers energy, concentrating on sheer throbbing bassline and heavy kick power. The theme is rather simple and plays on the acid register. It is twinged and pitched up in the break, while the orchestration evokes rather metallic or indus soundscape, which is not so surprising, given that this track mines the same somber vein as his Litvak-Ophir peers. Without yet offering, IMHO, the same aural pleasure and demented twang.

The remix is signed, as it will be again for Sheffs second published track at NOIA, by the much in-demand Alessandro and Davide Piatto, one of the hottly tipped Techno acts of the moment. As well as appearing on their own Italo Business and N.O.I.A. imprints, they have been featured on reputed labels like 303 Lovers, Hell Yeah, Stereo Seven, 1605 and Diva Records. Their approach injects a lot more groove and warmth with the addition of a more driving bassline and percussion arrangements well designed for the dance. In this sense, their remix falls in line with Fergies or Spektres dance floor shakers.

Bottom line.
It is a good news. Piatto’s version has my preference. Sheff is a name to watch for.

Related link:
http://www.myspace.com/echoesrecords

Aden

In the face of insurmountable odds I feel a competition is in order.

Here’s a pretty telling graph – Recorded music sales over time since 1999.   This is the truth.

If you are trying to make money selling recordings, or producing them you are selling into a market that is auguring into the earth.  If you are a pure-play label – either cash out soon and go home before it’s really too late, or start writing a new business plan.  It is time for you to start over.

If you really want to do 360 deals, then get the capacity, personnel and expertise to actually produce results or you are toast.  Todays nimble entrepreneurs and emerging music service environment is going to eat your lunch.  Specialization is in, generalization is out.

If you are a record producer or engineer, create other products to produce.  Broaden your horizons.   What are you going to be a producer of?  What “insanely great” product can you create?

If you think you can survive in the recorded music business, find something else to sell.  Simple as that.  There is no recovery from this decline.  Sure songwriters and publishers can still make money licensing for film, TV and new media (like ring tones), but the engine that has driven the music business for the past 60 years has run out of steam.

Recorded music as a propellant into prosperity is no longer viable.

Accept this fact, move on and adapt.  Use this as a jumping off point.  Reinvent yourself or your business.

This has been my mantra for the past 6 or 7 years.  If this RIAA graph above is not evidence enough, then I don’t know what is.  If you think being signed by a “record label” is your ticket to ride, then nice to have known you.   Enough already.  I can’t believe how many people still want this.  American Idol?

And if you are the RIAA, and think trying to preserve recorded music as a “business” is a sound investment, I would advise you look for another job, and soon.  Gaming Soundscan to count T-Shirts as a way of propping up the numbers and thinking everything is ok is self deception.  Look around you.

This is the truth people.  Recorded music sales are going to end as a viable business driver ’cause it is just not working anymore and is an outmoded concept of what music was all about.  “Digital” tracks are not going to cut it as they have been conceived thus far because it is just the same thing in a different form.  Fixing music in time makes no more sense.  Music is more fluid than ever.  Subscription revenue and streaming licenses are not going to support anyone when they are optional.  We need something new, something bold.

With this as a background I created Music Power Network.  To help people discover the future of music for themselves, and create a plan to take their careers forward.

We have to dig deep here.  This is a time to be honest with ourselves.  What is your music career all about anyway?  How are you going to survive?  What are your goals and your dreams?  How do you define success?  You can’t eat passion and you can’t spend perseverance.  What is your business plan?  What is your marketing plan?  We need some new ideas.  What are you going to do?

It is too easy to say that a 360 model is the way to go.  360 for who?  You or the “label”? What do you really need?  Who is actually going to provide the services required?  What does the team look like?  Where is the value, talent and capital going to come from?  Who is going to back your vision?

Think you have it figured out?

I am going to put together a team of people to search for the best new music business plans for musicians, songwriters and producers.  In the coming weeks we will put this competition together and announce it officially at SXSW or sooner.  Details will be forthcoming on how to enter, who the judges are and what the prizes will be.  I promise you it will be worthwhile and interesting.

So start working on your strategy and your business plans.  To be notified when the competition is announced, please click here and enter your email on the bottom of the page.

Please leave comments below on any ideas you have for judges, prizes, people to reach out to, etc.

Dave