TAKE a FREE songwriting course at
http://www.SongU.com/ifs


Here's a TRULY EXCELLENT article about
"God Blessed The Broken Road"
which is nominated as Grammy Song of the YEAR
I HIGHLY RECOMMEND ALL SONGWRITERS read it:
http://tinyurl.com/9r9o2

you can hear Marcus Hummon's version of Broken Road at:
http://cdbaby.com/cd/hummon6/from/ande



Dear IFS Readers

I hope this issue finds you well

If anyone's in Austin for the folk alliance
please call me and say hi, my office is 2 blocks from the event
maybe we can have lunch or something. 512-217-2728

Last Saturday my mailman handed me a wonderful surprise, he was
delivering a package I needed to sign for and he held our mail in
his other hand, in the batch of mail was a letter from my cowriter /
artist Jen Rathbun http://www.jenrathbun.com
It was for royalties from CD sales and Itunes downloads from her
"Coffee Chocolate and Men" CD

my cuts and cowrites on her CD are:

7. Married, Buried or Gay
9. Coffee, Chocolate & Men
11. Seven

you can find Jen's CD at
http://cdbaby.com/cd/rathbun2/from/ande

I think these are the first royalty payments I've gotten for Itunes
downloads

thanks to Jen, CDBABY and Itunes,


It surprises me that more people don't invite me to cowrite,
sometimes I stumble upon some really great song ideas and they just
sit there burning a hole in my journal.

IFS IDEAS
I created the IFS_Ideas yahoogroup to archive future IFS story ideas
So if you would like to submit an IFS story idea or BLURB for me to
consider, send an email to

IFS_Ideas@yahoogroups.com

Write the topic in the SUBJECT FIELD

I look forward to seeing your submissions

SOON IFS is gonna run another
LET THE WORLD KNOW ISSUE
LTWK

it's in our archive find out what it's about.

Ande


~ ~ ~ ~ ~
~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Feb. 21 2nd DECADE OF THE ASCAP/DISNEY MUSICAL THEATRE WORKSHOP IN
LA Directed by Stephen Schwartz Tues., February 21 Mon,,
February 27, Tues., February 28, Wed.. March 1, Thurs., March

March 15th-19, SXSW, Austin Tx http://www.sxsw.com

May 19th- 21st Wildflower Festival, Richardson, Texas
www.wildflowerfestival.com
Wildflower Festival Performing Songwriter Contest
Deadline March 21, 2006

http://www.wildflowerfestival.com




~ ~ ~ ~ ~
~ ~ ~ ~ ~

http://www.imdb.com
you can pull up just about any movie or TV show
you can click on memorable quotes and you might stumble upon a song
idea

~ ~ ~ ~ ~
~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Dallas SongWriters Group Has created 2 yahoogroups
1) for general announcmencements
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/dallassongwritersassociation
2) another for members only with pitch opportunity information
=============================================
13. YAHOO GROUPS & NEWSLETTER - Tell Your Friends
We have 2 Yahoo Groups -
MEMBERS ONLY: dallassongwriters@yahoogroups.com - for members only.
An easy way to get timely e-mails about singers and publishers
searching for songs and last minute events. Members may also inform
the group about performance dates and ask industry related questions
of the membership. Members are verified for current membership and
will have paid a membership fee.
and
ANYONE WHO WANTS E-NEWS:
dallassongwritersassociation@yahoogroups.com . A general list for
anyone interested in keeping up with songwriting events and other
interesting stuff. Generally you will get 1 or 2 emails a month.
This is a Distribution only group - meaning that only
the "moderators" can send out emails, and they go out to all the
members of the group. The group is listed in the Yahoo directory,
and open for ANYONE to join.
Go to http://groups.yahoo.com/group/dallassongwritersassociation and
click on "JOIN THIS GROUP".

The Dallas Songwriters Association is a non-profit educational
organization dedicated to educating it's members on the craft and
business of Songwriting. Monthly meetings, showcases, workshops,
newsletter, quarterly lyric contest, yearly song contest and
networking events. Join this group to keep up with what's happening
in the music industry.
For more information call 214 750-0916 or visit the
website at www.dallassongwriters.org.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~
~ ~ ~ ~ ~

http://www.broadjam.com/

Exposure is everything, and the more places you can sell your music
the better, right? These pages explain how you can sell music
downloads on Broadjam. They also explain how you'll get paid, how
your music will be priced, and how to manage your earnings.

It helps to have a space online where you can sell music to your
fans. Your best fans would love to get your music the day it was
finished. Post your latest stuff and sell it to your fans up to
minutes after it's completed.
Broadjam lets you sell downloads for $.99 and keep over 80% of the
sales. In a market where distributors have the control, this gives
you a rare opportunity to level the playing field.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~
~ ~ ~ ~ ~

I really like Daniel Powter's "Bad Day" song
http://www.myspace.com/danielpowter
It's super catchy
http://www.danielpowter.fr

~ ~ ~ ~ ~
~ ~ ~ ~ ~

John Corbett: 'Acting Simply Meant Money To Launch My Music Career'
http://www.starpulse.com/news/index.php/2006/02/07/john_corbett_actin
g_simply_meant_money_t

~ ~ ~ ~ ~
~ ~ ~ ~ ~

From: "James Moore" <jemoore667@...>
Subject: Calls for new Christian Music

Hi Eric and the rest,

I wanted to let everyone know that we've added a great new feature
to the Christian Songwriter's Network (CSN) forum, where you can
place calls for music (this is the only place in our forum that you
can post without registering, to make it super easy). If you're
looking for some new original music, please give the CSN a try - we
now have almost 650 members - there's just about bound to be a
good fit for the type of song you need. The link is:
http://forum.christiansongwriters.org/viewforum.php?f=25

(this is of course a free resource...)

Thanks and God bless,
James Moore
Panama City Beach, FL

http://forum.christiansongwriters.org <- my forum for Christian
songwriters
http://movingtowardchrist.com <- my personal music ministry site
http://liveagain.freelife.com <- my Himalayan Goji Juice site (or
read about how Goji juice has helped me come off pain medications
for my back at http://gojifactorfiction.com )
Pastors, worship leaders, prospective artists, etc.: email
info@... for access to my hidden free mp3
download page.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~
~ ~ ~ ~ ~

http://www.texasmusicawards.org/

Voting has started for this year's Texas Music Awards. jAm is a
finalist in the "Entertainer of the Year" category. The competition
this year is formidable, so every vote for jAm is important.
Encourage
your friends, neighbors, and family to vote, too.

The winners will be announced March 25.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~
~ ~ ~ ~ ~

NPR often features stories about singersongwriters

Here's

How to Pitch Story Ideas to NPR

http://www.npr.org/about/pitch/

Suggesting Story Ideas to NPR
The producers, editors, reporters and hosts of NPR programs are
always eager for new stories, fresh ideas, and articulate guests to
communicate those ideas and stories. NPR programs cover every
subject: international news, science, health, business, media,
sports, education, the arts, and entertainment. A number of programs
offer analysis, commentary and opinion, and we are always interested
in the remarkable things people do and the odd things that happen as
a result of life's quirks and coincidences.

How do I submit a commentary or essay?
Please visit our commentary guidelines page.

How to suggest a story: listeners or PR professionals
Please use our story idea submission form.

How to suggest a story: journalists and producers
Most news reports by freelancers and member station reporters come
to NPR's programs via one of our four newsgathering "desks"--
foreign, national, science and arts information. These desks take
pitches and also solicit coverage. Desk editors work with reporters
to shape and focus the story for broadcast. Please do not e-mail our
programs if you want to do a story; contact our liaison to
independents at: freelance@.... Besides news stories, NPR also
accepts audio postcards from freelancers.

Where can I send an idea for a new NPR program?
Please contact Stacey Foxwell, Executive Assistant to the Senior
Vice President for Programming

What is the best way to contact NPR?
The most efficient way is via e-mail. We apologize in advance, but
because of our small staff and budget constraints, we are unable to
respond to telephone enquiries. Although we read every suggestion,
we're unable to personally answer each one. Please use the addresses
listed on the Contact NPR page.

~ ~ ~ ~
How to Suggest a Story Idea
Surprise us. Like all journalists, we are looking for true stories,
events or people that present something new, important and
interesting to a nationwide audience.

Is it for us? Would your story be more interesting to your neighbors
than to people across the country? If so, contact the news
department at your local NPR member station.

Keep it short. One paragraph is best. In all cases, it needs to fit
in the space below. The box will hold about 200 words.

Be specific. Tell us why your story would interest our listeners:
e.g., "For 100 years scientists have assumed they knew all the
orders of insects. Biologist Jim Witherspoon has just proved them
wrong."

Give us a peg. Let us know whether the story is time-sensitive:
e.g., "Witherspoon's story will be published in this week's edition
of Insects Today." Or: "This would be a great story to run with the
anniversary of the Smithsonian next month."

Don't write us with your opinions. This space is for story ideas,
not opinions. You can send your opinions about NPR programming to
the Ombudsman. If you want to submit a commentary, contact a show
directly.

Please, no attachments. You cannot include any attachments with your
message. You can include links to web sites. But don't just send the
link. If you only write, "Hey, look at this!" and include a link,
your idea will not get much attention. Pique our interest with a
message.

Provide contact information. Give us your name, email address and
daytime phone number so we can get in touch with you if we need to.
We will not share this information with anyone outside NPR.
Suggest a Story Idea

~ ~ ~ ~ ~
~ ~ ~ ~ ~

i found Sara Baker's cute post on Damien Rice's myspace page
http://www.myspace.com/damienrice

check out his song from the movie "Closer" "Blowers Daughter"

I won't shamelessly plug my music or put a huge ass banner that just
annoys most people. I just have one question for you...
will you marry me
http://www.myspace.com/sarabarockstar

~ ~ ~ ~ ~
~ ~ ~ ~ ~


"Those Lascivious Biddies could teach us all a thing or two"
CBS Evening News

"Manhattan's hippest Girl Group"
The Washington Post "If The Donnas are rock's answer to girl power,
then
"Angelic vocal harmonies, wordy humor, jazz chops and pop moxie"
Time Out New York

"They're witty and wacky and, to judge by their name, maybe a little
naughty too."
The Boston Globe
www.Biddies4Ever.com for all things Biddy
www.BiddyCast.com for the podcast
www.Biddies4Ever.com/vpk for high-res photos, MP3s, bios, video &
more!

~ ~ ~ ~ ~
~ ~ ~ ~ ~

I discovered Renee Olstead on myspace.
She impressed the heck out of me

http://www.reneeolstead.com/

~ ~ ~ ~ ~
~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Your Secretary Can sing


Susan Haynes is a study in contrasts. Beneath her petite frame lies
a steely resolve that willed her to follow a creative path in life
when everyone around her often took the safe route. Her sweet voice
sings with strength about the fragility of honest emotion. She's a
spirited southern belle, cursing and praising with equal ease. And
though she's a perfectionist when it comes to her music, she's
finally found acceptance with being less than perfect herself-an
evolution that's in its full glory on Crooked Little Heart.

"I never said out loud, 'I want to be a singer,'" she surprisingly
admits. "I always wanted to, but I was raised in an atmosphere where
it wasn't appropriate to claim a lot of space or call attention to
yourself. So it took me awhile to be willing to put it out there."

Still, Susan spent her girlhood doing what came naturally, in spite
of a more conventional upbringing. "I have a childhood friend who's
still mad at me," she laughs, "because I always wanted to be Olivia
Newton-John and I made her be Pat Benatar. She brought that up at a
high school reunion. I was like, 'You're a brunette, I'm a blond-
it's not my fault.' There was constant, ridiculous lip-synching. In
the fifth grade I was Snoopy in 'You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown.'
I sang in high school and college productions. I sang 'Xanadu' on
roller skates one year, and 'Fame' wearing legwarmers. I've got
videotape-it's all very humiliating," she smiles.

The Atlanta, Georgia native-daughter of a corporate litigator father
and a homemaker mother-Susan says singing has always been
her "default" mode. "No matter what I'm doing, I'm always making up
melodies in my head or singing a song. It's always been there, but I
never saw anybody pursue a creative life in my family. I thought
music would be a hobby, although it was always at the very core of
who I am."

So much so that, as a college freshman in Nashville, she finagled a
coveted internship at BNA Records in the A&R department. Upon
graduation, got a job as studio manager at Loud Recording Studio,
owned by legendary producer James Stroud. "I had instinct enough to
say, 'I want to stick around this business just in case,'" remembers
Susan who, at the time was still a "secret" singer. "I thought maybe
I'd be typing a memo and singing loudly and somebody might discover
me," she jokes wryly. "Or maybe somebody would knock on my door one
day and say, 'Hey is anybody here looking for a record deal?'"

As studio manager at Loud-a job title which she says is a "fancy
term for receptionist, cleaning lady and coffee maker"-Susan saw a
string of other singers coming in one by one, recording their albums
or singing demos. "I'd think to myself, 'I can sing as well as
her,'" she jokes. "Whether or not that was true, I don't know, but I
realized, 'Maybe people really can do this for a living.' The more I
was around it, the more it seemed feasible."

And then one day, Susan was discovered almost exactly how she had
once daydreamed. "I was typing up a lyric for a male R&B artist who
happened to be in the studio," she remembers. "It was a song I knew,
and I was singing the lyric so I could type it more easily, from
memory, and he overheard me singing. He went to James Stroud, his
producer, and said, 'Did you know your receptionist can sing?' James
came out and said, 'You sing?' And I stammered, 'Um, maybe...I don't
know...is that bad?' He said, 'Well when you do something, I want to
hear about it.'"

That encouragement spurred Susan to finally start pursuing her
goals. That, and an unraveling marriage. "I got married at 24 and
divorced at 27," she explains. "Before, I had put it off because I'd
been in a real unhealthy marriage that had taken all my energy. I
really didn't do anything to further my career. But when that ended,
I went, 'I have no excuse now.' I knew I had to honor that part of
my spirit if I was going to be happy. And that meant getting to it."

Susan got to it by playing some of her demos for Dann Huff, who was
then Stroud's right hand man and an aspiring producer. He offered to
produce her, but by the time Susan felt she'd found her artistic
voice, Dann had gone from "aspiring" to "most-wanted" producer. He
was at the helm of Faith Hill's multi-platinum Faith album, and a
host of other big names in country music. Susan suddenly found
herself waiting at the back of the line for Dann's busy schedule to
open up. She used the time to develop her writing, as a staff writer
for EMI Publishing.

"That was a turning point for me," says Susan, "because I'd gone
through the divorce and then I finally found my artistic angle. In
that experience, I learned how to be more authentic, genuine and
honest about who I was. Once I discovered that part of myself, I
thought, 'Okay now I'm truly ready to sing something.' Until then, I
didn't even convince myself when I sang."

It was during this time that Susan wrote "Crooked Little Heart"-the
song that is now the first single and the title cut of her debut
album. It's a tortured confession of someone stuck in an unhealthy
relationship, and an unflinching admission of personal
imperfections. The song's tone is a theme running throughout the
album. The musically upbeat "Damn This Tangled Mind" (one of the
five songs Susan co-wrote) speaks of being unable to move on from an
old love; the raucous opener, "Drinkin' In My Sunday Dress,"
celebrates a bed-ridden bender with tongue squarely in cheek; and
the aching ballad "Being Gone" eloquently describes the ending of a
co-dependent relationship.

"I am much more likely to be the person that says, 'I messed up,'
than to look at you and say, 'You did me wrong,'" admits Susan. "For
a long time, as most people do, I tried to hide my imperfections.
You try to hide that part of yourself you don't like very much. I
hit a real wall when my marriage failed and I didn't have a job. My
life wasn't turning out the way I thought it was supposed to. I had
to figure out how to like myself, having 'failed' on several levels.
I would argue now that it wasn't truly a failure. It was something I
needed to go through. It helped me to embrace what wasn't perfect,
and what was flawed and very vulnerable about myself."

Susan brought this newfound self-awareness into the studio when she
finally was able to record with Dann. "It was surreal," she recalls
of that first day. "I was so nervous I made myself sick. I didn't
sleep for three days. I'd gotten so wound up because I'd waited for
so long. But then I walked into the vocal booth and did the first
song. And I went, 'Good God, I could do this every day of my life,
all day long.'

"To hear something all of a sudden in its big fat glory coming at
you through the headphones-it takes on an energy and a life all of
its own. It's overwhelming. It was a good day," she smiles.

Susan says Crooked Little Heart is an accurate reflection of her
personality and her music, as well as the transformation she's
undergone in the process. "I've cut the apron strings from what I
thought I was supposed to be," she states with pride. "This record
truly honors who I really am. And I'm comfortable with that. I'm
perfectly happy with being perfectly flawed."


http://www.susanhaynes.com/

~ ~ ~ ~ ~
~ ~ ~ ~ ~

when things start happening for you like they have for Abigail
Washburn
http://abigailwashburn.com/

NPR might do a story or two about you
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=5049815

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=4840756


Ascap might do an audio portrait about you
http://www.ascap.com/audioportraits/abigail_washburn.html


you might have you booking done by a booking agency like
Monterey Peninsula Artists, who have an impressive roster of the
following clients
Abigail Washburn, Jason Michael Carroll, Ricky Skaggs, Aubrey
Collins, Jerome McComb, Robert Earl Keen, Blaine Larsen, John
Pierce, Rodney Atkins, Brenda Lee, Junior Brown, Sawyer Brown,
Charlie Robison, Kasey Chambers, Scotty Emerick, The Del McCoury
Band, The Kentucky Headhunters, Shooter Jennings, Doyle Lawson &
Quicksilver, Lane Turner, The Skeeters, The Drew Davis Band, Mac
McAnally, Steve Holy, Ennis Sisters, Marty Stuart, Toby Keith, G.B.
Leighton, Montgomery Gentry, Tommy Emmanuel, George Canyon, Mountain
Heart, Total Nonstop Action Wrestling, Grand Funk Railroad, Night
Ranger, The Tractors, Hilljack, Old Crow Medicine Show, Travis
Tritt, Hootie & The Blowfish, Paul Thorn, Uncle Kracker, Jack
Ingram, Reckless Kelly, VilleBillies

Monterey Peninsula Artists
124 12th Ave South
Nashville, TN 37203
www.mpanashville.com

you might have a cool label like

Nettwerk
1650 W. 2nd Avenue
Vancouver, BC V6J 4R3


Web: nettwerk.com

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

NBC.com To Launch Music Competition Show
by David Goetzl, Friday, Feb 3, 2006 6:00 AM EST
NBC THIS SUMMER WILL LAUNCH a talent-search reality show that will
appear exclusively online.
The show, "StarTomorrow," seeks to tap into the popularity of
both "American Idol" and music on the Web. The program will feature
100 bands competing for a record deal over the course of 16 weeks.
In "Idol" fashion, record mogul Tommy Mottola and guest celebrity
judges will offer their opinions of the bands, but the public will
determine the finalists and winners via Internet voting.
For the first half of the competition, 20 bands a week will audition
in hopes of advancing to the finals. Then, the second half will
include a battle of the bands to determine a champion.
The series will be ad-supported, although no details were available.
Consumers will be able to view the series in non-linear fashion,
picking and choosing which auditions and head-to-head battles they
want to view--even opting to make their own judgments sans the
opinions of Mottola et al.
Word of "StarTomorrow"--NBC's first online-only series--comes only a
few days after NBC made unaired episodes of cancelled series "The
Book of Daniel" available for on-demand viewing on its Web site.
Mottola, a series executive producer, is the ex-chairman-CEO of Sony
Music Entertainment. The "StarTomorrow" winner will receive a
contract with a Mottola label that's part of Universal Music Group.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~
~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Fan Memo to Music Industry: Lower Prices

http://www.forbes.com/entrepreneurs/feeds/ap/2006/02/02/ap2494187.htm
l

~ ~ ~ ~ ~
~ ~ ~ ~ ~

http://blogcritics.org/archives/2006/02/02/135334.php

Famous Faces Gather to Promote Folk Music
February 02, 2006
Connie Phillips
Over two-thousand artists will gather on February 10 in Austin,
Texas, for the 18th North American Folk Music and Dance Alliance
convention. They will spend four days listening to and discovering
new talent as well as discussing how to effectively market folk
music around the world.
The conference, which studies the business world of traditional and
contemporary folk music and dance through showcases, films and
educational workshops, will feature many well-known names as keynote
speakers including Arlo Guthrie, Kinky Friedman and Peter Yarrow.
There will also be special concerts every evening; performers
include Judy Collins, Peter Yarrow, and Lowen & Navarro. The trade
show, which is sold out, has 115 booths of artists, publications,
recording companies and other aspects of the industry.
Over 200 artists will perform for promoters, booking agents, and
record label representatives. The attendees will also have the
chance to mingle with radio and print media, music publishers and
others in the music industry. During the conference, registrants
will attend panels that provide useful insight for achieving success
in the field of folk music and dance. A complete "Performance Alley"
showcase schedule is up on the web at folk.org.
This year there will be special focus on Texas, with the series of
events called "Texas Trails" which will highlight the blues,
conjunto, Texas swing, mariachi, and cowboy music. It will also
highlight Texas photographers, Austin music business professionals,
and Texas singer/songwriters groups.
On February 13, the first Folk Music Awards and Folk Alliance Music
Business Awards show will be held. It will be hosted by Ray Wylie
Hubbard and feature such names as Jonathan Edwards, Marshall
Crenshaw, Danny O'Keefe, Willis Alan Ramsey, and Susan Gibson.
Lifetime achievement awards will be presented to Tom Paxton, Clifton
Chenier, and Kenneth Goldstein.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~
~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Drew Barrymore and Hugh Grant Unite for "Music and Lyrics By"

Two Romantic Comedy Favorites Team Up for "Music and Lyrics By"
Two audience favorites unite for the romantic comedy, "Music and
Lyrics By." Hugh Grant ("Love Actually") and Drew Barrymore ("Fever
Pitch") are set to take starring roles in the rom com from
writer/director Marc Lawrence.

Lawrence's story follows the romantic antics of a lyrics writer and
music writer (hence the film's title).

Drew Barrymore's Flower Hills production company partner Nancy
Juvonen will executive produce the film along with Village
Roadshow's Bruce Berman.

Filming is expected to begin in late March with Warner Bros hoping
to release the film during the 2006 holiday season.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~
~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Write On,

Ande