take your songwriting to the next level
TAKE a FREE songwriting course at
http://www.SongU.com/ifs
PITCH your songs
Get professional critiques and mentoring
Network with talented songwriters

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If you want to RECEIVE IFS or CHANGE YOUR ADDRESS with IFS
SEND an EMPTY email to
difs-subscribe@yahoogroups.com

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Dear IFS readers,

I hope this email finds you well.

I first want to welcome all the new IFS readers I hope you enjoy it
and I encourage you to explore the message archive, which contains
every issue we've ever sent.

Lot's of stuff is going in my life, last Friday I flew into Little
Rock Ar then drove to Cleveland, Mississippi to swim in a meet.
While I was there I gathered wonderful imagery to place in a song
I'm writing about the south.

In the past few months I felt like I was going through a songwriting
drought but lately I've been gushing. Hopefully I'll have some new
demos for you to hear soon. there's also many wonderful opps behind
the scenes but it's too early to write about them. But I will say,
it's important for each songwriter to make a list of important
contacts and stay in touch with them.

Lot's of Grammy Stuff is going on:

The nominee list is out
http://www.dailynews.com/entertainment/ci_4798217

I have a Grammy board meeting next week

I got an email about getting tickets to the actual grammy events in
LA and I plan to go.


Grammy chapters might be looking for applications for folks who are
willing to serve as governors. If you'd like to serve submit an app
to the chapter you belong to, you must be a member of the chapter.
http://www.grammy.com/Recording_Academy/Chapters/Texas/


There are Chapters in:
Atlanta
Chicago
Florida
Los Angeles
Memphis
Nashville
New York
Pacific Northwest
Philadelphia
San Francisco
Texas
Washington, D.C.

Also NOW is a great time to join the Grammy org
send in your app.


I'm happy to say that Blue Holiday that I cowrote with John Gilliam
won the Acoustic / Folk category of the Texas SongWriter Cruise song
contest
http://www.txsongwriterscruise.com
unfortunately it did not win the grand prize
Next Year's event is: Dec 1, 2007


I'm also happy to say that tiffany desrosiers
http://www.myspace.com/tiffanydesrosiers
recorded a not for sale demo of
We Ran Out of Time that I cowrote with Betsy Foster
Tiffany's vocals gave me chills.
you can hear her stuning vocals at:
http://www.songramp.com/mod/mps/viewprivtrack.php?trackid=48767
please have a listen and let me know what you think

The slideshowcompany.net asked to license 3 of my songs and they
offer songwriters an excellent opportunity.

I exchanged a few emails with Randy Miller
here's a little info about him
he's a partner in the a label and manages
Blue October, Bowling For Soup, & Zayra Alvarez

he's involved with
PRIMARY WAVE MUSIC PUBLISHING
- Kurt Cobain
- Nirvana
- Hall & Oates
- Daniel Johnston
- The Matrix
- Holly Knight
- Justin Furstenfeld/Blue October

and does RjM ENTERTAINMENT MARKETING
- Cirque Du Soleil Musique - Unwritten Law

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check out
www.Esession.com

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Are You the Next Country Music Sensation?

Here's your chance to shine. Submit an original video performance so
you can compete against the nation's best undiscovered talent. All
styles of country music are welcome, including bluegrass, folk,
Southern rock and Americana. You have until Jan. 31, 2007, to get
your video in, so start singing now!

This "CMT Music City Madness Video Contest" (the "Contest") gives
participants the opportunity to produce their own music video
featuring their original musical composition. The details of the
prize and how to enter the Contest are contained in these Official
Rules.

One Grand Prize:

A trip to Nashville, Tenn.
An opportunity to record a performance of the winning submitted
video at CMT's Studio 330 Sessions


Before entering, please remember:

You must be a legal U.S. resident.
You must be at least 13 years old and have your parent's or
guardian's permission.

For complete information, please see the Contest Rules.
CMT urges users to refer to the contest rules, privacy policy, and
Terms of Use info before entering any of our sweepstakes or contests.

Rules
http://www.cmt.com/asm/contests/madness/rules.jhtml
http://www.cmt.com/asm/contests/madness/

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congratulations to Gary Powell

Gary Powell, Disney launched the
Disney's Ultimate Swashbuckler 10-Song CD Collection
that is exclusively sold through walmart
Gary recorded 6 of the songs and wrote
Pirates of the Black Tide
more details at:

http://www.garypowell.com/blogs/?p=93

gary and I are actually going to lunch next week


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Remember to study songs you wish you would have written.
one of my fav's right now is Aerosmith's Lay it Down

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I read this on Jeffrey Steel's website
**If you have a story to tell about one of Jeffrey Steele's songs,
particularly "My Wish" please visit our contact page and submit your
stories. We would love to hear how this song has touched your life.
http://www.jeffreysteele.com/main.htm


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the other day I heard
All I really want for Christmas
By Steven Curtis Chapman
I thought it was really great

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Wednesday, November 29, 2006

we are looking for songs with the word "Ghost" in the lyrics
Current mood: scared
Category: Music


Hi

for a very cool film, we are looking for songs with the word "Ghost"
in the lyrics. Please send us a message and/or email us an MP3 to
info@... please include your contact info!

thank you

Ms. LoveCat

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folk-pop singer-songwriter Autumn celebrated the premiere of her
video "Sugarcane," the title track of her debut album, with a free
viewing party and show by Autumn with Walt Wilkins &; The
Mystiqueros, Tina Mitchell Wilkins, Ryan Turner, Sam Baker and other
guests on Wednesday, November 29 at the Six Lounge in Austin
http://mcguckinpr.com/mcguckin/autumn/autumn111506.htm
Also see
www.autumnonline.com
www.myspace.com/autumnonline

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TAYLOR SWIFT's "Tim McGraw" hit the top 10

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12/10 Sunday 10am - 4pm
FREE DAYLONG MUSIC SEMINAR & NETWORKING

Presented by the
LA & OC Chapters of Just Plain Folks &
Holiday Boutique by Los Angeles Women in Music

Schedule &; Presenters

Hi Musicians, Songwriters, Artists!
On Dec 10th Sun 10am-4pm @ the Bel Age Hotel in West Hollywood come
meet your fellow indy artists &; local musicians while you soak in
all the experiences, advice &; insight from successful folks in the
industry like:


Lis Lewis (Vocal Coach from the hit TV show Rockstar SUPERNOVA)
Rich Dickerson (Emmy-winning Composer for TV/Film)
NBC TV Music Supervisors Kerri Kirchheimer &; Nicole De La Torriente
and NBC Universal Film Music Supervisor David Buntz
Daniel Ho (Grammy-winning Indy Artist &; Record Label Owner)
And many, many more...

See the full schedule below. It's free, fun, &; an empowering way to
celebrate the holiday season &; your growing music career. For
questions contact me. See you then... remember to bring biz cards &;
flyers to put on our networking table!

Happy Holidays,

Faith Rivera
LA Chapter Coordinator
Just Plain Folks
10-10:15am Welcome / Meet &; Greet
by LINDA KRAEMER, Orange County Chapter Coordinator for Just Plain
Folks

10:15-10:45am Hit Songwriting
ALAN O'DAY
Hit Songwriter from Cher to Little Mermaid to Three Dog Night talks
about the how-to's in Hit Songwriting.

10:45-11:15am Vocal Power
ELIZABETH HOWARD
Worldwide Vocal Coach &; founder of the Vocal Power Academy shares
her secrets of powerful singing.

11:15-11:30am The Power of Uniting Local Musicians/Artists
PETE BROCK LA Musicians United
See what LA Musicians United can do for you ~ a growing online
community for LA musicians/artists.

11:30am-12:30pm Singing for a Living / Unions
GERALD WHITE
Top LA Session Singer, Artist &; Vocal Coach shares tips on making a
living as a singer. Gerald will be joined by Vocal Contractors &;
other session singers to discuss SAG &; AFTRA and possibilities in
doing union work.

12:30-1:30pm Placing Your Music in TV &; Film
RICH DICKERSON, KERRI KIRCHHEIMER, NICOLE DE LA TORRIENTE &; DAVID
BUNTZ
Emmy-winning composer Rich Dickerson joined by NBC TV Music
Supervisors Kerri Kirchheimer &; Nicole De La Torriente and NBC
Universal Film Music Supervisor David Buntz talking about the do's
&; don'ts of getting your music into TV &; Film.

1:30-3:00pm Indy Artists with Major Label Success
DANIEL NAHMOD, DANIEL HO , ERNIE HALTER
Successful Indy Artists share their secrets to success - Daniel
Nahmod with over 50,000 CDs sold, Daniel Ho with a recent Grammy win
&; a thriving label with other artists as well, &; Ernie Halter with
sold out shows around the country &; a growing base of over 72,000
fans on myspace alone.

3:00-4:00pm Singer Troubleshooting Tips
LIS LEWIS
Vocal coach to top artists/bands &; on the hit show Rockstar
SUPERNOVA presenting Singer TroubleShooting Tips:
As a lead singer, you have very specific problems and concerns. No
one else in the band, none of your business associates, not even
your producer can really help you. Who can? Other singers of course.
Bring your vocalist problems to this discussion and we will explore
solutions. For that matter bring your solutions. And let's not leave
out background vocalists. We will talk about all kinds of vocal
problems such as pitch, range, volume, tone, strength and endurance.
But also what about stage fright, recording studio issues, band
problems, charisma, auditioning, in ear monitors, fronting a band,
choosing the right style, comping vocal tracks and much more. Come
with questions; we'll find answers.

In addition to the awesome presenters we'll have lots more fun going
on...
*Holiday Boutique Sale hosted by LA Women in Music
*Raffles for prizes
*Gift-wrapping services
*Breakfast &; Lunch available at adjoining TEN20 Club
*Musician/Songwriter Organizations (listed on the bottom left -
COSMO)
*Popular industry music books &; their authors (like John Braheny,
Bobby Borg, David "Cat" Cohen)
*A Networking Table in our room to share your services and/or
postings for collaborators, etc.

Like the presenters, we are all donating our time to bring this
wonderful event to you! Please bring your friends &; attend the
whole days worth of fun, music biz tips, &; networking...let's
show 'em the kind of success &; unified power we have as indies :)

RSVP for the Event


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From The American Idol News Blog - Chris Daughtry Talks Exclusively
About His Debut Album!

already performed on Good Morning America and did a pre-recording
for another network. With a new album that also dropped today, it s
safe to say that Chris Daughtry is pretty busy these days and happy
very, very happy. He and his band, aptly named Daughtry, are
extremely proud of the work that they've done on their self-titled
debut CD.
Chris found the work particularly rewarding, having written three
songs by himself. He co-wrote all but one song. Reluctant to take
all the credit, however, Chris makes sure to mention all the blood,
sweat and tears that went into the CD on the part of his band.

Not only did they want to write and perform catchy tunes, but they
were also looking for songs that had a good radio hook, and he
definitely feels like they ve succeeded with this album.

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Write On,

ande rasmussen

does anyone ever read IFS to the very end?