“That song sounds familiar” – why is there so much copying in music? When I put a song together there often comes a point where I think, “Wait a minute, haven’t I heard this tune before?” For any musician with integrity this is a tough moment. No one wants to be accused of ripping off […]
Save the right to perform: #saveirishbusking
Dublin is famous for it’s busking tradition. Tourists love it, locals appreciate it . Busking provides a free platform for bands and artists carving their craft of performance. The list of famous buskers on Grafton Street includes names like Bono, Kodaline, Passenger, Sinead O’ Connor, Paddy Casey, Damien Rice, Rodrigo y Gabriela, The Riptide Movement, […]
youbloom artist spotlight: Kingdom Of Crows
Having formed Kingdom of Crows as a one man acoustic project in 2011, Stephen Kelly invited two guests, Bob Power and Brian Brennan to record a demo with him in the studio in 2012. Due to the unique sound this resulted in, Kingdom of Crows played some Dublin based shows as a three-piece acoustic act […]
Music career support, advice and a £25k giveaway
There’s £25K out there, with your name on it. Yes, you… you the aspiring artist. You the songwriter, right there sitting on the end of your bed with relentless harmonies running through your head. And it’s not just for you… it’s for bands, guitarists, directors, DJs, producers, innovators, dreamers. Music Gateway are giving it away. […]
Music & emotions: can music make you a happier person?
There is a saying that “When words leave off, Music begins…” Music is very much essential in day-to-day life. When there are no words to speak at that time music speaks… Music is said to be a universal language… Music is an important part of life. It is a moral law. It gives soul to […]
Rock ‘n’ roll job for musical adventures: Pat Baker’s story
From Rolls Royce mechanic to rock ‘n roll roadie… that’s the story of Pat Baker, legendary music tour manager. The elements decided his fate when he was working in a Rolls Royce Mercedes-Benz dealership. A local contact approached him, said he needed a truck driver for two weeks. Pat said yes and found himself driving […]
Taylor Swift, Spotify and the digital music divide
Taylor Swift: Singer, songwriter, actress, model… warrior? Her latest endeavors have many pegging her to be the latter as she wages a war against online music streaming service Spotify. She’s not the first artist to do so; Radiohead’s Thom Yorke voiced his opinion on the service over a year ago. Swift, however, has drawn considerable […]
Keith Cullen follows his dream
Keith Cullen is a singer songwriter from Dublin. This week he will perform at the international youbloom music festival, showcase and conference in Los Angeles. Keith is the guy who gave it all up to follow his dream. He ran a very successful marketing company with his sister Jennifer in Dublin. They started with nothing […]
It Ain’t Over Till The Fat Lady Sings: 10 Steps To Self Possession
Music, verse, song and sound are the manifestation of an emotional experience captured and expressed by the writer, singer or musician. “Three chords and the truth ” as Willie Nelson famously said describing country music. So, as an aspiring artist how do you find a commercial platform that can connect your emotional expression with people […]
Top Music Producer meets Dublin’s hottest new Band
The Hot Sprockets closed out the final night of the much acclaimed youbloom@Dublin Festival at The Mercantile on Dame Street. They came straight from stage to couch where legendary producer Rupert Hine delved into the essence of their sprocketing and gave them the pearls of his wisdom. Those people who missed the youbloom@Dublin conference in […]
How to be a great lead singer
Mike Murphy explains that fronting a band is no easy task and examines the issue of how to be a great lead singer. Anyone that thinks being a great lead singer is easy does not understand the skill. Sure, anyone can stand up in front of a band and pose as a lead singer and […]
Top 5 Tips to Impress A&R Scouts at a Live Show
Thanks to Laurence Malpass from Music Gateway for this article. Jon Skinner (Music Gateway’s CEO) will be speaking at the Conference in June. Despite the digital age creeping into every area of our lives, A&R scouts still have a large presence at live gigs, and the art of appealing to them is a subtle but […]
