Against Closed Eyes In Marketing

It always amazes me at how many bands and musicians don’t have audio on their web sites. Doing so increases sales of your album and makes it easier to get people to come out to gigs, so why wouldn’t you?

There are usually two reasons:

1. People are scared to giveaway their music because “people don’t buy what they get for free.”

This isn’t true and the best example I can think of to illustrate the point is bottled water. People can get water for free, of basically free, but they pay a premium to have it in a nice container.

Why wouldn’t they do the same with your music?

2. People don’t have the technical skills to do it.

If this applies to you, get Audio Generator because you simply upload your music to their servers, they give you a snippet of HTML to add to your site, and you’ll be up and running within a couple of minutes.

Another great thing about Audio Generator is that you can call in a message via telephone and then send out an “audio greeting” to your mailing list. This is VERY powerful for getting people to take action.

For example, you could record a message which said, “Hey, this is Dan from Band X and we’re playing tomorrow night at Club Z. Mention this message and I’ll buy you a beer.”

Whatever… You get the idea.

Audio is a powerful way to strengthen your relationship with your audience.

Thanks to Music Business Radio and the audio books I’ve released, a lot of people know what my voice sounds like, but before I had all of this, I had to work twice as hard by hitting people face-to-face.

Don’t work so hard! Use technology to help you create and expand your customer relationships.

And speaking of voice stuff, I highly recommend Audio C4. This book has excellent instruction on how to create audio messages that sell. In addition, you’ll come off like top voice talent, rather than some guy who has never spoken to a crowd before.
About the Author

David Hooper is the founder of Kathode Ray Music, an artist development organization specializing in promotion and marketing of independent musicians and bands. Visit http://WWW.MAJOR-RECORD-LABELS.COM/ for more tips and hints for musicians, bands, and songwriters.

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Did you hear about the strange little book, written in 1892, that predicted such wonders as bullet trains, digital watches, television and women's liberation decades before those things came to pass?

The book leapt into the news in early 2005 when a rare first edition sold at auction for more than $2,000.

The strangest thing about the book is that it is not a work of science fiction, as we would generally understand the term, nor some obscure tract of religious prophecy. Instead it's a novel about, of all things, golf.

Written by a 19th-century professional Scottish golfer named J. (or Jay) McCullough, about whom very little is known, Golf in the Year 2000; or, What We Are Coming To also predicted the advent of golf carts and international golf competitions.

Published under McCollough's pseudonym, J.A.C.K., the book chronicles the tale of a character named Alexander J. Gibson who falls into a near-comatose state on March 24, 1892. He awakens 108 years later (on March 25, 2000) into a world, where, among other things, women dress like men, run businesses and hold most of the top government positions.

Gibson also learns, to his considerable delight, that women do all the work in this evolved society while the men play golf full time. Upon being informed of this fact, he cries out that it's “the dream of my former existence come true! I am, indeed, a lucky man to see it. … The world is evidently getting things ship-shape. … Oh, how I would like to wake up some of my old chums. I know a few who would appreciate the arrangement.”

But Gibson finds that his beloved golf has changed radically, too. He has to adjust to the existence of driverless golf carts, golf clubs that automatically register their user's score and jackets that yell “Fore!” whenever the golfer begins to swing. He finds the jackets to be particularly grating, but it's the rule at every club in Britain: you can't play unless
you're wearing one.

He also gets to watch — via a television-like device that works through an elaborate mirror arrangement — a golf competition between Britain and the United States, much like the Ryder Cup (an event which did not begin until 1927).

And, he learns that wars have ceased, at least among the European powers, because international disputes are now settled by … golf matches.

One thing about golf hasn't changed, Gibson reflects following a round of golf in which he emerges the victor–and has to listen to his defeated opponent grousing about bad luck. “The same old excuses, I thought. Among all those inventions, surely they might have got something new in that line.”

The main character's adventures in the year 2000 also include taking a ride in an underground tubular railway, which people familiarly call the “tub,” and reading about a new London-to-New York speed record of two hours and 32 minutes, which is achieved by a bullet-type train traveling beneath the Atlantic Ocean.

Little things, too, amaze him: He no longer has to shave every day; instead, he brushes a miraculous preparation of some sort over his cheeks once a week and this is sufficient to keep down his beard. Similarly, he uses a hairbrush that keeps his hair at the length of his choosing, so he never needs to visit the barber (which is good, since barbers no longer exist).

The appeal of Golf in the Year 2000 is perhaps stronger today than it was when it was first published. Golfing fans, as could be expected, enjoy it for its wry commentary on the sport as practiced in the 19th century and in the “future” (our present) as imagined by a contemporary of H.G. Wells, who was also writing speculative fiction about things to come. General readers have fallen in love with it, too. Not only is it fun to go through it tallying up author McCullough's hits and misses on the predictive front, the book radiates a kind of Victorian charm that is reminiscent of a Sherlock Holmes story.

Now, the world is rediscovering this little literary fantasy.

In January of 2005, news services reported that an American collector named James Espinola had paid $2,240 at auction for a rare first edition of Golf in the Year 2000. Although Espinola is said to be in the process of selling off his own huge collection of golf memorabilia, he was quoted as explaining that he can't resist buying the occasional “odd thing” at auction–and this was one of those things.

The Edinburgh, Scotland, auction house of Lyon and Trumbull had guessed that the book would fetch less than a quarter of what it ended up bringing. The auctioneers' golf specialist was quoted as saying that the final price “took us a bit by surprise.”

Although original editions of the book are extremely rare, it has occasionally been reprinted in facsimile editions from time to time. No one thought to make it available to the vast audiences of the World Wide Web, though, until recently.

On February 26, 2005, a little over a month following the news about the auctioned first edition, Golf in the Year 2000 made its debut on the Web. The full text of this odd and
engaging book is finally available for anyone, anywhere to read–without charge.

At the end of the book, the main character declares that he does not intend to wake up and find himself back in 1892 again, and that his amazing adventure was all a dream. “No, no; I'm in 2000, and in 2000 I mean to stay.” Like him, the tale of his adventure seems to have found a secure place in our time.

Copyright © 2005 Steve Smith

About Steve: Steve Smith is an editor and writer who lives near Chapel Hill, North Carolina. His Web site, Golf In The Year 2000 (www.golf-in-the-year-2000.com), contains the complete text of the book by that name.

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Ares music downloads are another link in the long chain of free music sites on the web. Much like Kazaa, you can get your Ares music downloads from the main site or from the Ares Lite program. In the beginning of the copyright battles Kazaa received the most attention because it was the natural leader, picking up where Napster left off.

In that time, Ares Galaxy built up a nice following among free music fans that it still maintains today. They used to work off a Gnutella network but they switched their protocol later on to function more like Kazaa with super nodes and stems. Ares also had a chat room feature that allowed online users to connect real time while trading music files.

The last time I checked up on this service, their website was down and there have been no mention of their service on any of the free music boards. Ares music downloads were known for their quick file transfer times. They were usually faster than the other music services and better. In addition, Ares remained spyware free for a very long time.

In the end, even though they claimed to be spyware free, many of the top spyware and virus detection programs would list this program as spyware if it was detected on your hard drive.

No one seems to have figured out the discrepancy between what users say, and what they detection programs have said. In either case it doesn’t matter because their file sharing network is no longer active.

So what should you do?

If you are still looking for Ares music downloads, try going to one of the many other online music sites to get your mp3 downloads.

You won’t run into the spyware, viruses and other malicious programs that plague the free music services and you won’t have to worry about hiding your IP address from the recording industry watch groups.

About the Author

This article may be freely distributed as long as there’s an active link to http://www.rapidlingo.com
Syd Johnson
Editor

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Located in the historic centre of Cagliari, in front of the harbour and via Roma, the main shopping street of the city, a few steps from the train station, the hotel Miramare is the perfect starting point to visit the art marvels of the principal Sardinian town, and the most renowned Sardinian tourist areas.

The hotel, housed at the second and third floor of Palazzo Devotto, one of the most prestigious late 19th century building of the city, is the ideal choice for leisure and business travellers alike. On-site amenities include well-appointed rooms and a bar corner.

The hotel Miramare convenient location will allow you to discover by walk the charming down town of Cagliari, easily reach the nearby beaches or tour the Sardinia, a land characterized by natural beauties.

The hotel Miramare offers comfortable furnished single, double, triple and suite rooms, each featuring private bathroom with shower and hairdryer.

Each room is furthermore equipped with air-conditioning, colour TV high-speed Internet connection and heating.

Specially equipped rooms for disabled guests are available upon request. The suites enjoy a panoramic view over the harbour.

PROPERTY FACILITIES
Access for disabled
Credit card accepted
Historic building
Lift/elevator
Pets accepted
Room service - limited hour
Front desk - 24 hour
Front desk - fax service
Front desk - safety deposit box
Luggage room
TV Room
Bar

If you think that Hotel Miramare is not exactly what you are looking for, click here to visit our catalogue for Hotels in Italy, and make a search for another hotel in Cagliari: we are pretty sure that you can easy find the Cagliari accommodation that can best fit your need for a perfect stay in Italy.

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Beauty comes from within, we as women can wear all the make-up we want and yes it can make a difference as far as self esteem, enhance our features, improve the look of our skin. But if the body is not healthy due to being obese, certain organ dis-stress, the body can be out of balance in Mind-Body and Spirit. There are certain Holistic modalities that are used in my practice to bring about balance and our Wingspan Wellness Weekends, enhance the healing due to rest, relaxation,and concentration on self.

Renate Bodden is a Doctor of Naturopathy, Reiki Master and certified Yoga Instructor. Renate resides in Houston, Texas, and is very passionate about Wellness, her Holistic Health modalities include Kinesiology,Nutrition, Bachflower Therapy, Reiki Therapeutic body Treatment and Yoga.

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technology to shadow customers and record their every move
Management strategists are touting a miraculous new computer system that promises to revolutionize the way manufacturers and retailers track consumer goods from factory to cash register. But pranksters and profiteers could co-opt the technology to shadow customers and record their every move a chilling prospect that business must anticipate and prevent.

The concern surrounds radio frequency identification, or RFID, a 21st-century digital marvel that involves a grain-sized microchip attached to a microscopic antenna that is “printed” on a clothing label, a can of tuna, a banana or virtually any other consumer item. The chip broadcasts a unique identifier to a radio-wave sensor that relays the transmission to a computer, which decodes and processes the data. And the manufacturer or retailer can see which goods of which size, style, color or weight have been assembled, packaged, sold or shipped.

A new believer in RFID technology is Italian clothier Benetton Group SpA, which will soon be sewing “smart” labels into every garment it sells in its high-end Sisley line. By learning exactly which item is coming from an offshore factory, is held at a warehouse or is displayed on this or that store shelf, Benetton will manage its supply chain more efficiently than ever. Orders from its 5,000 independently owned stores in 120 countries will be more accurate, and deliveries speedier. The company follows luxury clothing retailer Prada Group, another Italian firm, which has already introduced RFID inventory tags. And Procter & Gamble Co., Wal-Mart Stores Inc. and U.K.-based supermarket chain Tesco plc are all pursuing a smart-tag strategy for restocking, anti-theft and even anti-counterfeiting purposes.

Retailers predict that the breakthrough technology, which is widely used for tracking component parts through the manufacturing process at Dell Computer Corp., Toyota Motor Corp. and Ford Motor Co., may one day render bar codes obsolete. It’s faster, more reliable and doesn’t require that merchandise be unpacked and hand-checked.

It can also be used legitimately by business managers, who maintain detailed information about a loyal customer’s buying habits to spur further sales when she makes a purchase. So, for example, when a salesperson sees that a customer bought a size 8 gray cashmere sweater last year, she can be offered the beautiful red one that just came in.

But the eerie possibility looms large that unauthorized marketers, unwelcome infomediaries or crooked opportunists might exploit RFID’s snoop potential to the hilt. After all, chips can follow shoppers home, record their movements and transmit personal information about them to cyber-intruders who surreptitiously gather, and even share, dossiers on them.

Benetton has pledged to disable its chips at the point of sale. But other vendors haven’t. And RFID can betray every factoid of our existence what we wear, what we eat, what medicines we take, what we read, where we go and how we get there. Since any purchases we make may eventually be catalogued and tracked, each of our lives may soon be a perpetually open book, to be read by marketers, stalkers and hackers.

RFID tags belong in factories and stores everywhere, checking the routing of pallets and crates. But when smart tags are used on consumer goods, a business owes its customers a duty of disclosure. They’re entitled to know if tags are embedded in the merchandise they’re buying. And unless they want to themselves to the retailer by opting into a brand loyalty program, RFID tags should be automatically disabled at the checkout counter. The threat to privacy demands no less.

About the Author

Marc Lane is a business and tax attorney, a Master Registered Financial Planner, a Registered Financial Consultant, and a Certified Investment Specialist. Marc is the author of 30 books on business organization, taxation, and personal finance. His newest book, “Advising Entrepreneurs: Dynamic Strategies for Financial Growth” draws from his experience working with those who have successfully built their businesses. Marc is an Adjunct Professor of Law at Northwestern University and an Adjunct Professor of Business at the University of Illinois. His practice areas include Individual Taxation, Corporate Tax Planning, Business Tax Planning, Estate Planning, Investments, Retirement Planning,Elder Law, International Trade, Business Law, and Wills, Trusts and Estates. Additional articles, case studies, and a free email newsletter are available at www.marcjlane.com.

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Every woman needs a little romance in her life. But a clean romance novel can be hard to find. Look no further than Marcia McClure’s page-turning tales.
Every woman needs a little romance in her life, yet in today’s culture, finding a romance novel that isn’t profane or downright pornographic is hard to come by. Along comes Marcia L. McClure and her delightful series of page-turning mystery romance novels that satisfy your need for romance without polluting your mind. Marcia’s heroes are ever the gentlemen, but don’t let that fool you into assuming they have no passion! Marcia has a rare gift for descriptive heart-pounding romance that refuses to offend your moral sensitivities. The following are two she has to offer:

The Visions of Ransom Lake

In The Visions of Ransom Lake, young, innocent and starry-eyed Vaden Valmont lands in the rough, adventurous old West and finds herself intrigued by the mysterious reclusive Ransom Lake. Everyone in the town fears him, but Vaden sees something more to Ransom than meets the eye. Her pursuit to unravel the mystery of Ransom Lake irrevocably changes Vaden and introduces her to love, joy, passion and the darker side of life…despair, guilt and heartache. The question of whether Ransom Lake will be Vaden’s dream come true or her complete undoing keeps you turning the pages in this delightful tale.

Shackles of Honor

Young, innocent Cassidy Shea finds herself the unwitting pawn in an arranged marriage in Shackles of Honor - set in the days of British dukes, lords and ladies. Her handsome, angry and disturbing betrothed appears on the scene and her once happy and blissful home is now tainted by a deep dark secret which her parents refuse to divulge. Everyone but Cassidy and her devoted brother seem to know what is going on, but Cassidy is expected to leave her home with this mysterious, unpredictable stranger without explanation. Mason Carlisle seems no happier about the arrangement than she and assures her that she is his duty and nothing more. As Cassidy finds herself drawn to her mysterious betrothed, she struggles inwardly knowing that although she may love him, she will never be anything more to him than the shackles of honor. Filled with jealousy, intrigue, and even murder, this mystery goes deeper than anyone suspects.

Pick up your copies of these delightful page-turners and learn more about Marcia’s other novels - Heavenly Surrender and soon-to-be released Dusty Britches at http://www.distractionsinc.com

About the Author

Marnie L. Pehrson is a wife, mother of 6 and consultant who helps talented professionals discover, define and deliver their message to the online world. She may be reached at marnie@pwgroup.com or reach her various Web sites through http://www.pwgroup.com .

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We all know what they mean but we don’t know whether we should like them or hate them. I recall an Original Reality Series named ‘Candid Camera’ few years ago. Some persons on the street(who had no idea there was a camera waiting to film them) were caught in ridiculous and funny situations usually provoked by the team of this show. Nowadays, we watch instead those ‘Funniest Home Videos’ programs.

The old-fashioned

Afterwards,the whole idea changed in what Original Reality series were concerned: the idea of taking a group of people into a house and filming them for every instant of their staying there crated ” big brother”(originated in Holland) was the first one. As I have mentioned before, some persons were take into a house where cameras were on 24 hours a day. People could decide on the phone who should stay or leave the house. Another Reality show worthwhile to mention is ‘ survivor’ where a group of people is facing a series of hostile conditions brought about by the natural environment, similar to a jungle; they were filmed while trying to find food, water or shelter and, as Big Brother, some of them, the public deciding, were out.

Newest Idea

Big Brother was the first to open the range of this type of original reality series. We can name now ‘Masterplan’ where certain tasks are given to the participants by ‘the Master’. Another one is ‘the Bar’ where the competitors live and work together in a bar i the evenings.In ‘Popstars’ the young participants struggle to gain the position in a band. In ‘Pop Idol’ is quite different because there is only a winner whose next record is ought to be successful. The British ‘ Pop Idol’ the success is guaranteed. A connection between Big Brother and Pop Idol has led to ‘Fame Academy’ where participants live in a luxurious house and practice singing and dancing, while being filmed as in Big Brother.’Prticipants suffer here too:smoking is forbidden and alcohol is brought in few quantities. The ‘fear factory’ is the one in which participants must face the things they fear the most: being covered by bugs or climbing outside a window at the twentieth floor.

So what’s all about it?

Critics say these programs should be banned as they are somewhat immoral and exploitative, yet people watch them. For the viewer is an opportunity to watch people doing things he or she thought could never been done. Another aspect is the one of watching people in the sense of observing them; they are different and interesting. The TV is the source of many things looked for; it is comfortable, easy to access and relaxing unlike cinemas or theaters, where people must keep their most deep reactions inside them.

Most TV companies are prone to create these original reality series because they are cheap, entertaining and usually lead to a growth in its rating which is the best way to create a good image of the TV channel.

Another question to be answered is ‘why do people ever participate in this shows?’ Basically for popularity and money. Few decades ago, TV wasn’t for average people: you had to show certain skills like acting or having great fluency. Nowadays, it has become an attraction for every person as we are used to filming weddings, births, generally, special moments in our lives.

So, what’s next?

It is usually claimed that these original reality series look fascinating at the beginning but, as time passes, they are less watched as they become redundant. Maybe people have learned to judge the things are being brought in as these series. All they have to do is to vary certain aspects so as to make it more interesting.

About the Author

Learn about the next original reality series at http://www.hangareight.com . It’s more than a destination, it’s a moment in time and you’re invited.

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What a good full body detox does is also remove impurities from the blood through the liver. This type of diet will provide sufficient energy for exercise while helping you to lose weight. Meat is often very tough for our system to deal with so giving yourself a break from consuming meat can be good for your health. Fruits such as lemon grapes and oranges and best suited to be included in fruit detox diet. Learn more at about Colonic Machine! They should also use full-cream milk and dairy products instead of the fat-free varieties.

Juice Recipes Cleanse Colon:
Natural cleansing is critical to remove body toxins and protects from re-depositing them somewhere else in the body. The diet may be accompanied by other holistic health techniques such as the administration of nutritional supplements hydrotherapy and physical activity. The modifications that you have to make in detox diet includes fasting with juice fasting and water fasting increasing the consumption of fish like salmon restriction in calorie intake and using a herbal detox or master cleanse called the lemonade diet. Do view more on Colonic Machine. Some doctors advise the use of a lemon diet yet some do not however it is known across the world for its effectiveness and is used by a rapidly increasing number of people. Of those many emergency workers over half are now dead and over 250000 more are dying from various types of cancer.

Wild Rose Detox Recipes:
Detox is equivalent to giving your body a break. By staying away from foods that are a challenge to metabolize and taunt your blood sugar levels you will be able to generate enough energy required to regenerate and cleanse yourself. it’s the day after day ingestion and build up of them which can lead to degenerative diseases as well as Colonic Machine. To make this mix combine 1/4 cup of extra-virgin olive oil or cold-pressed canola oil and 1/2 cup (1 stick) of room-temperature butter. A diuretic is an medication that causes your body to release more urine and Kelp is a natural diuretic on its own.

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Contact:
Al Basile
Sweet Spot Records
PO Box 4723
Rumford, RI 02916
Phone & Fax: 401-438-7431
E Mail: basile@albasile.com
Website: http://www.albasile.com

Rumford, RI–March 24, 2005–Al Basile has a range of influences including Frank Sinatra, Sam Cooke, Marvin Gaye, Nat Cole, Solomon Burke, Muddy Waters, and Lonnie Johnson. However, it all started for him when he heard “All or Nothing at All” by Sinatra with the Harry James orchestra on a 78 that his mother had around the house.

Several decades later, a culmination of events coupled with experiences and influences evolved and Basile recorded the jazz album Red Breath. He was not interested in doing the typical covers or a bland contemporary recording. Something different and memorable was in order. Tireless research of favorite Vernon Duke and Rodgers and Hart compositions that were virtually unknown but just right, yielded songs selected for the album. Although it is a departure from his blues work released in the past with Duke Robillard and Roomful of Blues and several solo albums, you will recognize Basile’s unique stamp on the music.

Basile is not only the featured cornet player on Red Breath; he provides vocals that are hard to forget. He follows in the footsteps of Sinatra and Bennett, using the two great vocalists as models to set the foundation for the album. There is a strong influence of Louis Armstrong present in his cornet playing-featuring the large, warm, dark nature of tone that he has worked so hard to develop over the years.

Red Breath has a strong sense of danceable rhythm and timeless quality. Surely, it will find its way as one of the classic albums of modern jazz. It is an archetypal depiction of mixing the old with new for a fresh new outlook on jazz music.

For More Information: http://www.albasile.com or
Contact: basile@albasile.com
Phone: 401-438 -7431

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About the Author

Keith “MuzikMan” Hannaleck conducts interviews, writes reviews, biographies, press releases and articles for Independent and Major artists Worldwide. Articles are dispersed on a vast network of websites. Links to sites with great music content are provided on my Homepage and Links Page.

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