TAKE a FREE songwriting course at
http://www.SongU.com/ifs
plus they do so much more it will truly blow you away as well as
take your songwriting to a whole new level.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~
~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Dear IFS Friends,

I hope this email finds you well.
A lot of cool things have been going on

Last week I attended the Texas Grammy event at the 4 seasons hotel
where Charlie Sexton interviewed Jimmy Jam.

Jimmy JAm and his partner Terry Lewis are so impressive
do yourself a favor read everything you can on
http://www.flytetyme.com
(ESPECIALLY if you write killer POP R&B songs, you might find a
super treat on their website)

at the end of this IFS I've included their writings on

What A Producer Looks For

~ ~ ~


I'm on the ballot to serve as a Grammy Governor for the Texas
Chapter. If you're a Grammy member with the Texas Chapter I'd very
much appreciate your vote.

I faced the challenge of having to write a 50 word or less bio that
would explain who I am and why I'm qualified to serve. I sent my
first 50 word draft out to several friends and asked them for help
to recraft my message. Big thanks to Sandy Knox and Brian Austin
Whitney for guiding me in what to write:

so my first draft was:

ANDE RASMUSSEN – Austin, TX:
Ande's a songwriter with over 20 cuts. He's the editor and publisher
of www.SongWriterBlog.com (3,900 recipients) He served as president
of the Austin Songwriters Group in 2003. Ande works at Merrill Lynch
as a Wealth Management Advisor and serves several music industry
clients.


My final draft was:

ANDE RASMUSSEN Austin, TX:
Former President Austin Songwriters Group; worked with Sandy Knox,
Steve Seskin, Allen Shamblin, Paul Overstreet, and Jan Mirkin;
Cuts with John Arthur Martinez; ASCAP; Creator/Editor of IFS
(http://www.SongWriterBlog.com) (3,900 Members); Respected Music
Community Educator; Advisor for http://justplainfolks.org (40,000+
Members); Wealth Management Advisor at Merrill Lynch specializing in
Music Industry Clients

~ ~ ~

I've cowritten a new song with john Arthur martinez and he's now
testing it out at gigs.

I'm working on a new cabaret / music theater song with Dennis
Livingston.

I've got a couple cuts in the works.

Google alerts let me know that Abi Tapia mentioned my name in her
journal
http://www.abitapia.com/journal.htm



What's going on with you?

Ande

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

A Message From Neil Portnow and David Foster

March 21, 2006

Dear Academy Member:

On behalf of the Board of The GRAMMY Foundation, we are writing to
encourage
your active support of an important and exciting program.

Recently we announced that The GRAMMY Foundation will conduct its
second GRAMMY
Camp from July 15-31, 2006. Building on the phenomenal success we
experienced
in our first year, we are expanding Grammy Camp to two full weeks.
We will
accommodate 120 young musicians ages 15-19 at the Citrus College
Entertainment
Technology Complex, as well as other venues throughout Los Angeles.

Students attending GRAMMY Camp will have the opportunity work
directly with
highly regarded industry professionals in a program designed to
explore 14 music
career tracks. Artistic, technical and business curriculum will be
integrated
together to culminate in a CD recording and showcase performance.
Because of The
GRAMMY Foundation's history, experience and connection to industry
professionals, GRAMMY Camp is an interactive educational opportunity
unlike any
other currently available.

Our goal is to reach out to as many accomplished young musicians as
possible.
We are almost tripling our student enrollment and doubling the
length of GRAMMY
Camp for 2006. An important part of our mission is to insure that
we can
include qualified students regardless of their financial status.
You can help
us reach this goal by funding a GRAMMY Camp scholarship. A full
scholarship
($5,000) will cover all costs for one student including room, board
and
instructional materials. A scholarship contribution form is
attached. Please
print this form and return it to The Grammy Foundation.

Educating young people about the myriad career opportunities in
music is central
to The GRAMMY Foundation's philosophy. GRAMMY Camp is a clear
example of
bringing this philosophy to life. As a Recording Academy member we
urge you to
join us.

Our thanks for your commitment and generosity in support of GRAMMY
Camp.

Neil Portnow
President
The Recording Academy

David Foster
Chairman of the Board
The GRAMMY Foundation

~ ~ ~ ~ ~
~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Question from an IFS reader

hi ande,

i was hoping to get a bit of advice from you, as you seem well
versed in this type of thing (just from what i've gathered from your
IFS letters!). i received the following email:

"Meg, My name is Brian and I live in Texas. I'm writing and
producing a short film for a local film festival (and maybe SxSW
next year) and I'm really interested in using one of your songs
(which I heard on garageband.com) for the short. I'd be happy to fax
some kind of form or something to your label stating exactly what
the song would be used for, when in the film, etc.. Honestly, since
I'm pretty much self-financing this short, and I'm never going to
make any money off of it, I don't think I'd have the means to pay
much in the way of fees, but I'd be interested in listening to
proposals for fees. The best thing would be if I could have the
right to use a :30-:45 or so clip of some songs in exchange for a
copy of the short film on DVD to show off. Please let me know some
information as soon as possible as my deadline for submitting the
film to a local film fest is April 1st. Thanks!"

...so my first inclination is just to say, sure! that sounds great!
anything you need! let me know how it goes! but i'm sure that may
not be the wisest way to go, and i was hoping you'd have some advice
as far as how i should respond. i don't have a label or a manager or
anything like that, and obviously the idea is to keep it quick,
painless and simple while protecting my music and me from getting
screwed.

i don't want to take up too much of your time, but if you have any
advice that you don't have to think about much, i'd appreciate it!

-meg in motown

Ande's Response:

hey there,

I'd be inclined to say yes you may use my song
with stipulations that my permission is just for use of the film in
the film festival circuit and if the project became better funded or
took off or sold lot's of DVD's
you'd participate with that and get paid more

but it's great to have a credit in a film
and he doesn't seem to have much of a budget

you could also find out what he could afford
my cowriters and i licensed one song in a film for $100

ande

~ ~ ~ ~ ~
~ ~ ~ ~ ~

I found this in a myspace blog
maybe you can relate

What a blessing it is to pursue your passion, I thank the Lord
everyday....
however, as it should, and as it does, it comes with "the struggle".
We all know the struggle at some point. With every endeavor that we
pursue, that comes from within us, an earnest desire to do something
or be something great, we confront adversity, from dental school, to
relationships to the music biz. There are all kinds of adversity,
both external and internal. But the kind of Struggle I am talking
about, is mostly the Internal battle, whats going on, on the inside.
How the external influences how we think, and feel about ourselves
and what we are diligently trying to accomplish with our lives. I go
through this regularly, as I am attempting to forge a path in the
music industry, the interrogations I put myself through; what makes
you think you can do this? are you cut out for this? is this really
gonna happen? What if the critics are right, or wrong? Really now,
what are your chances???Gosh, the emotional stuggle it can be.
Yesterday someone asked me "so why did you decide to get into the
hardest business in the world?" , wow, that's a good question...
sometimes I ask myself the same thing! Why something so hard,
brutal, harsh,corrupt, impossible as the music business seems? I
guess I will answer with this; though I have tried more than once to
escape it, I can't deny music, I can't let it go, can't quit, I
can't walk away from something that won't leave me alone. This is
beyond a choice, it's a responsibility and obligation to use what
you're given. And this is what we have to come to grips with, that
we must be who we are intended to be, whether we think we are cut
out for it or not. And yes the stuggle is there, but for good
reason, to remind us of our need for constant improvement, growth,
motivation, will power and of course humility. I guess what I really
should fear is the urge to be complacent, that would be the
scariest, and most dangerous place to be. So I guess you just have
to cry your tears, give in, but ONLY for a moment till you're on the
other side. Bring on the struggle, let it mold me into what I need
to be, I say that with some trepidation, but with conviction that
it's going to be okay, it's going to be more than okay, it's going
to be great.

PS...One of the comments left in response to this blog, brought some
enlightening thoughts, a little peice of truth. See...this is what I
love about myspace. This thought being, you do what you do for the
Love of it, and the rest will take care of itself, it will relieve
the burden and give us hope. So I add this great thought and thank
you Allison, for reminding me that which is of the greatest
importance, that is to LOVE first.... like they say (they being the
beatle's)... All you NEED is love...
http://www.myspace.com/brookewhite

~ ~ ~
reply:

WOW! ANOTHER CHICK SINGER WHO GET'S IT!!!

Preach Sista!! I can C O M P L E T E L YYYYYYY RELATE to everything
you are saying. I found your site by chance... and really love your
voice. Then I saw your blog and the title struck a chord in me, so I
read on. Only to find another sister soul mate in the music world
w/ the same thoughts and feelings. I'm sure there are a lot of us
out there w/ the same views, but it seems to be the one's WITH the
talent, who struggle and doubt the most. You really sound great,
look great and have a lot going for you. Sometimes life is not just
about 'making it' but being who we are 'created' to be and using the
gifts we have been blessed with WHILE enjoying the journey. It does
get to a point where most artists consume themselves w/ the struggle
and forget to just relax and enjoy what we do (not always... but
sometimes). I'm glad I've stumbled upon your site and hope to share
some encouragement and light into your world as you have mine.
Hope to hear from you soon and keep in touch. Great voice - would
love to jam with you sometime!! I may be making a trip out to LA
for some radio stuff... we should meet up and grab a coffee and
chat. YOU ROCK GIRL!! YOU ARE RIGHT... it can be hard... BUT IT'S
GONNA BE GREAT!! Keep being YOU!!!

Soul Sista!

Angel
http://www.myspace.com/angelnash

~ ~ ~
Reply:

Remember in the middle of all of this struggle that if you do it for
love it will be easier, which you are learning as you grow. The
critics are neither wrong nor right: they are motivated from their
own complexities and environments, and they are confident that they
will be heard. Let anyone's opinion be a mere satellite around your
art, neither touching it nor changing its atmosphere, but its own
enitity independent of what you have created, linked to you only by
what power you bestow upon it. I wish you strength and beauty in the
lovely way you are working through your destiny. And I understand :)
http://www.myspace.com/allisonsattinger

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Song doesn't get old

`ONE SHINING MOMENT' GETS 20TH YEAR OF PLAY

By John Ryan
Mercury News

The ball is tipped, and there you are.

You're sitting on your couch, waiting for a star.

Beginning today, NCAA tournament die-hards will make mental notes
about the buzzer-beaters, tear-jerkers and cheerleaders likely to
reappear on the ``One Shining Moment'' highlight video after the
championship game April 3. David Barrett has gotten pretty good at
it. Of course, he might know what CBS is looking for.

The song Barrett wrote on a whim celebrates its 20th year as the
tournament's soundtrack. Barrett isn't involved in editing the
highlights, which is a good thing because he's too busy anyway. He
wrote a short book with the same title and has a Web site
www.oneshiningmoment.com
There's a CD, and the song is available for download on iTunes.
Not bad for an idea that started in a bar in East Lansing, Mich.,
with no real intended target. Barrett played the song for friend
Armen Keteyian, who was then working for Sports Illustrated and sent
it on to a friend at CBS (where Keteyian now works).

``I have no idea'' why he wrote it, Barrett said this week. ``I will
say that the minute I wrote it I knew I had written something
special, that's the truth. But I've never tried to limit what I
wrote about. I've written about several subjects, some more
successful than others.''

Barrett's long career has included two Emmy-winning scores, but this
is his . . . his . . . his masterpiece. (You didn't think we'd say
it was his Shining Moment, did you?)

Coach K is probably the only more identifiable image of the
tournament's past two decades. Barrett's voice, featured through
1996, has given way to Teddy Pendergrass and now Luther Vandross.
(``Yeah, a lot of people confuse me and Luther,'' Barrett says.)
More crossover appeal: Earlier this year, ``The Daily Show'' sampled
it, to hilarious effect, as a tribute to retiring Federal Reserve
Chairman Alan Greenspan. As Greenspan scampered across a busy street
to the line ``you're running for your life . . .''

How significant is the song? Put it this way: In three weeks, no
matter the length of the end-of-tournament credits that precede the
song -- and they get looooooonger every year -- we'll watch.
So start guessing.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~
~ ~ ~ ~ ~

from http://www.flytetyme.com

What A Producer Looks For

MANY MUSICIANS WANT TO KNOW WHAT A PRODUCER LOOKS FOR WHEN CHECKING
OUT A DEMO. HERE'S WHAT I LOOK FOR:

I want to know everything that can possibly be known about what's
going on. You should:

* Detail the recording equipment and explain how the demo was
recorded. Your demo may have the greatest sound in the world, and
maybe it was done on a four-track. If so, that tells me you really
know sounds, and you worked to get the demo happening.

* Explain the demo's purpose.
What am I listening for?
Do you want to be a producer?
A writer?
Do you want to be a singer?
A lot of times I get a tape from someone who wants to be a singer,
and the singing is horrible, but the song is great.
Well, did you write the song?
I don't want you for a singer, but I can use the song.
You just got to communicate.
You got to let me know what I am listening for.
The more I know, the more accurately I can make a decision.

* Keep the songs short and avoid long intros. When I listen to a
tape, I put it on, and I listen to the intro for about 10 or 15
seconds. If there isn't a verse starting or something happening in
the first 10 or 15 seconds of a song, forget it. I'll fast-forward
to the next song.

* Start the song at its strongest section. I don't have time to sit
and listen to the whole song. So if the hippest part of the song is
two minutes into it, just start the song at the two-minute point!
* Name your influences.
* Include a photo.

What About Casting

For a song demo, cast the material. When you're sending a song,
indicate the artist you think it would be a good song for. Is it a
good Madonna song? A good Janet Jackson song? A good Johnny Gill
song? What is it? Who did you have in mind?





Dealing With Rejection

You have to realize that if someone turns on your demo, they may
like the music, but it's not what they're looking for. They might
pass it along to the next guy. There are different people we'll send
tapes to. A producer might call us and say, "This could be good, I
don't really know. What do you guys think?" Maybe the third or
fourth person who hears your tape is the one who snaps their fingers
and says, "Hey, this is it. This is what I've been looking for."


Summary

Let me know what I'm listening for, get to the point as fast as you
can, and make the information as thorough as possible. When I look
at your package, I should have everything I need in my hands-a
photo, videotape of a live performance, lyrics, cassette tape,
information on the instruments you used and how you recorded your
demo, and who your influences are.

from
http://www.flytetyme.com




Write On,

Ande