May 2006
  Music
MARK WINTERS 

Well it's May! The summer festivals will be upon us soon!

I should imagine it will be a great summer, weather permitting, for all the new talent that has emerged over the last 12 months. It is nice to see that music still provides us with new talent, even though Record Companies do not seem to develop new talent, like they used to.

I often ask myself, what is the point of an A&R Department these days. As most of them only want a band or artiste when everyone else wants them, which is generally when they have been done their own development, the band that is, doing gig after gig and building a loyal fan-base.

More and more bands and artistes are putting their tracks on download sites, which not only promotes them, but provide valuable income.

When you actually think about it, bands and artiste, I will say artistes from now on meaning both, they can actually make more money from a few thousand downloads than they could from selling thousands singles with a record company and they will still own their own masters, as opposed to the Record Label owning it ! !

How? I hear you ask.

Ok, let's say with a record label you get an 18 point deal, which actually means you will receive 18 pence in the pound on recommended dealer price, not retail. So you may earn roughly 54 pence per single. Although from this certain cost will be taken, but we will ignore these at this time as my model will become too complicated.

Now to downloads, companies vary between paying 50% to 70% per download, so if the download is £1 then you will receive 50p or 70p. If it is £1.50 then you will receive 75p or £1.05. So you can see how you can earn considerably more as an artiste, by arranging your own download deal than by the conventional method through a Record Label.


THE RAT PACK LIVE FROM LAS VEGAS 2006 UK Tour

Following the huge success of the Olivier Awards' nominated "Rat Pack Live from Las Vegas" on the West End stage (currently booking through to November 18th at the Savoy Theatre and now in its fourth London year), the smash hit show takes to the road once again. Which if my loyal reader remembers I predicted that this show would run for a long-time, even though the theatre critics panned it !!

Playing block bookings across Europe and the UK, "The Rat Pack Live from Las Vegas" is the ultimate feel good show.

With a stunning new cast, superb dancers and the sound of a real life big band, the production takes all the 'razzle dazzle' of a night at the legendary Sands Night Club to theatres nationwide

Frank Sinatra, Sammy Davis Jr and Dean Martin were the hippest, coolest cats around. The epitome of style, they were inseparable friends as well as being superb entertainers with voices to match. They were legends in their own time, lauded wherever they played, huge stars both on and off the silver screen and now icons to a whole new generation.

"The Rat Pack Live from Las Vegas" highlights the incredible talent of these three world famous performers. It celebrates some of the finest music and song ever recorded and presents, once again, that magical time that was truly larger than life.

Frank Sinatra, Sammy Davis Jr and Dean Martin – the all-singing, all-dancing all-round Rat Pack – injected not only their songs into the era but also their lifestyles, the lifestyles that everybody wanted. Together they made the Sands Nightclub the hottest joint in Las Vegas.

Filming "Oceans Eleven" by day, the guys would play two shows at the Sands by night, crooning, quipping and boozing their way through performances that were all about having a good time. Tickets were like gold dust and stars would travel from all over to be there – it wasn't unusual to see Gregory Peck, Cary Grant, Marilyn Monroe and JFK in the audience.

Icons of the 20th Century, idols of the music industry and superstars of the movies,
Frank, Sammy and Dean were, above all else, renowned for their distinctive voices. Sinatra-mania long preceded Elvis and Beatle-mania while Sammy Davis Jr, the performer's performer and the first black man to gain mainstream acclaim, was legendary for his enthusiasm to tread the boards. Dean Martin, who sadly died on Christmas day 1995, was the definitive American performer for over 50 years.

Although the three men received critical acclaim relatively late in their careers, when they did they stormed the world and stayed resolutely at the top. Even now, as their recordings constantly chart high across the globe (Sinatra still sells c.1,000,000 albums a year) these American stars repeatedly prove their music is as alive today as it ever was. Their unique contribution to 20th Century popular music is second to none.

The longevity of the Rat Pack's appeal is unprecedented and "Frank, Sammy & Dean, The Rat Pack Live >From Las Vegas" brings the whole glorious phenomenon vividly to life once more. Jack Kennedy loved to party with them - and so will you!


UK & IRISH REGIONAL TOUR 2006

18th – 22nd April : Newcastle Journal Tyne Theatre : 0870 145 1200

24th – 29th April : Cardiff New Theatre : 02920 878 889

1st – 3rd May : Limerick University Concert Hall : 061 331 549

4th – 6th May : Cork Opera House : 021 427 4308

8th – 13th May : Blackpool Grand Theatre : 01253 290 190

15th – 20th May : Bath Theatre Royal : 01225 448 844

22nd – 27th May : Manchester Opera House : 0870 401 9000

29th May – 3rd June : Hull New Theatre : 01482 226 655

4th – 9th June : Southend Cliffs Pavilion : 01702 351 135

8th – 10th June : Peterborough The Broadway : 01733 316 100

12th – 14th June : Torquay Princess Theatre : 0870 241 4120

15th – 17th June : Oxford New Theatre : 0870 606 3500

19th – 24th June : Southampton Mayflower Theatre : 02380 711 811

26th June – 1st July : Nottingham Theatre Royal : 0115 989 5555

3rd – 8th July : Liverpool Empire Theatre : 0870 606 3536

10th – 15th July : Woking New Theatre : 01483 545 900

All evening show times are 8pm except for Cardiff, Hull, Southampton, Nottingham and Liverpool where the curtain goes up at 7.30pm. Matinees are Thursdays and Saturdays except for Peterborough (no matinee) and Southampton (Wednesday and Saturday). Ticket prices vary according to theatre.

Well that's the lot this month keep the e-mail's coming in [email protected]

Bandit A&R Newsletter
Helping unsigned acts/songwriters target their material to the right people. [email protected] / http://www.banditnewsletter.com


Songlink is for Songwriters who need to place their songs www.songlink.com
If you are a performer and you want to showcase to the industry then this is for you www.kashmirklub.com
Also don't forget the song for little Sarah, who was so brutally murdered www.asongforsarah.co.uk

Want to get your music into films ???
Then you need to check this out. Cuesheet Music Report
http://www.cuesheet.net
[email protected]

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