Pay attention touring (and hoping to tour) indie artists! Hop onto www.diytouring.com right now to sign up for an easier road ahead.Diytouring.com is the most comprehensive database of venues across the nation.

Whether you’re an acoustic one man show looking for the best coffee shops with open doors to your kind or you’re the most brutal metal band around, Diytouring.com has information for you to make booking a virtual breeze.

Partnering with Veil Arms Clothing to offer additional services, the site itself offers a myriad of information on venues ranging from basements and churches to clubs and coffee shops, whatever your band prefers. Not only are the venues listed in an orderly fashion but the establishments themselves have donated their contact information to the site so say goodbye to cold calling! You’re now a part of the same network making connections all the more easy.

Booking for a state or venue you’ve never played or even heard of before? Check out the reviews done by correspondents in the various sites as well as by your peer bands who have played there before. Find out if the sound is good, if the promoter is legit, how the numbers were and more. There is nothing like this out there!

For a small fee your band will have access to this information, putting the power into your hands and making it easier than ever to begin touring or to continue your already successful runs by eliminating unnecessary stops in places that you have never been or know nothing about.

Additional services include: Merch design and printing, publicity and more to come.

Please visit www.diytouring.com for more information and to sign your band up.

For the past month, on-demand radio platform Mixcloud and friends have been celebrating the concept of curation in an age of machines and mediocrity. Mixcloud invited 31 of their favourite editorial voices across the web to curate a special Cloudcast (radio show, DJ mix or playlist) – one for each day of August.

The celebration came to a close last week and the results have been ear-bending and mind-blowing, with some fantastic original content created especially for the occasion.

Scotland’s Radio Magnetic and Barcelona’s Scanner FM have put together top quality shows full of live recordings and interviews from the likes of Roots Manuva, Marlena Shaw, Booka Shade and many more.

Just Like Music, Discobelle, Pretty Much Amazing and Moovmnt have represented for the bloggers, proving why blogs are now one of the most important channels for music discovery.

All the bass-lovers out there, you’ll not be disappointed. Knowledge Mag, Drum & Bass Arena, Fabric and GetDarkerjoin the lineup for a mix of nostalgic and upfront drum & bass, dubstep and garage.

Some of the coolest content came from specialist community sites WhoSampled (with their cut’n'paste hip-hop and funk extravaganza) and DJ History (no less than a history lesson in disco and house).

The super-editorials are in full representation in the shape of Dazed Digital, Vice, FACT, XLR8R, Drowned in Sound,Mixmag and Data Transmission. Yes, you read that right! Check these out for a taste of what’s on the stereo in the offices of some of the coolest music sites in the world.

Special contributions from radio were from Red Bull Music Academy Radio, Roundhouse Radio, Ibiza Sonica, Laid Back and Green Man Radio. We like to think diversity enriches.

Don’t Stay In delivered the goods for the grand finale with a live recording of Carl Cox, live at his birthday party at Space in Ibiza.

We urge you to listen to the fantastic audio delights here.

Hootsuite.com has made it easy to manage your social networks and keep your sanity doing it. The site offers more than just a website link shortener for users to utilize.

The Twitter focused site lets you add and update your social networks including Facebook, WordPress, LinkedIn, Myspace and Ping.fm.

This site has recently streamlined its interface to make it easier to use. You can now customize your streams, tabs and columns on the dashboard.

A key feature is the ability to schedule your updates, which makes it easier to post timely news or links that you want to share with your fans.

Track results by viewing your statistics for the updates that you post. View how many clicks you are getting for the ow.ly links you throw out there.

The “Team Collaboration” feature manages multiple band member’s updates and data without sharing personal passwords.

Other features include:

• Customize URL’s
• Manage Followers
• Monitor Mentions about your band’s name
• Assign Tasks to band members
• Manage Twitter Lists

The site also has an iPhone and Android to help you manage your accounts on-the-go.

Check out Hootsuite.com to create a dashboard.

Former vocalist of Come & Live’s Holding Onto Hope, Cory O’Keefe has launched his long awaited project, LUVD.com.

“LUVD is certainly not mine, it belongs to everyone. This is 100 percent a family,” O’keefe explained. “Each one of us has the capacity to inspire and uplift another human – the first step is just believing we are capable.”

The site is designed to be a community for the arts. Whether its music, fashion, photography or whatever you feel your creative calling to be, LUVD.com has something for you.

O’Keefe believes that people need purpose and that love will play an integral part in our generation’s future character and legacy. This is more than trend, more than what is on your back - LUVD is a lifestyle currently expressed through clothing, online community, and non-profit services.

LUVD is meant to uplift and inspire people to use their gifts and live a life of true purpose, and complete joy.

Please visit www.LUVD.com to sign up for news and developments regarding the site and community itself. Each item you purchase from the site will be kept track of and will be equaled at various clothing donations throughout the year.

“Overall I want hearts changed for people do what moves their soul. To crawl out of the mentality that it is all about us and little about others,” O’Keefe said. “To let our deed speak so loudly that people can hear our words.

“To not look back or focus on the end, but to be content in the journey and adventure that is this life.”

31 days, 31 curators, 31 exclusive Cloudcasts.

Mixcloud is all about discovering great radio presenters and DJs, and bringing together curators from around the world to one platform where you can find the very best mixes, radio shows and podcasts at your fingertips.

As Mixcloud approach their first birthday they will be showcasing some of the biggest editorial voices around, who they have been proud and honoured to have worked alongside in the last 12 months.

Everyday throughout August an exclusive Cloudcast from their pick of the best curators will be available to listen to exclusively on Mixcloud.  The line up has been announced and includes the likes of Vice, Mixmag, BBC 1Xtra, RedBull Music Academy, Fabric, Don’t Stay In and many more so this is a campaign well worth checking out everyday.

Click here for the full line up, more info and to listen to our first Cloudcasts of the campaign.

The indie music website, Mixest.com, is all about the music and nothing more. The site’s mission is to “maximize your exposure to new indie music.”

The look of the site is simple with a streaming music player and three commands including pause, next, and more obscure. The ‘more obscure’ option allows users to skip that song indefinitely.

The site also has a ‘just listened’ section which keeps a running list of the 3 most recently played songs. After a simple registration process, users are allowed to create and store a playlist of their favorite indie tunes.

Indie artists who want their music played on mixest.com should send a bio, pictures, and music to new@mixest.com. On the contrary, those artists who do not want their music played on the site can request removal of their material.

Cell phone users can listen now with mobile safari. Look for Android and iPhone apps coming soon.

Indie musicians and indie fans go to www.mixest.com for more information.

Did any of you follow the whole Old Spice Man nuttiness that went down a few weeks ago? Old Spice used the online popularity of their recent commercials to stage a social media blitz. They invited users from all the major social networks on the web to ask questions to the Old Spice Man, and he answered them via YouTube videos.

The unique thing about the Old Spice Man videos was the speed with which they were released. Someone asked a question on Twitter, and minutes later, a hilarious video response was up on YouTube. Social media experts say this campaign was so successful because there is an ever-growing demand for live and real-time video online.

What Does This Have To Do With Music?

We’ve finally hit that point where our computers and internet connections are fast enough for live streaming video to actually be successful. And people love it. The reality and the intimacy of this type of connection – not just with friends, but with brands and celebrities and political figures – is slated to be the next big thing. Which is why it’s time for musicians to get on board.

And yes, we’ve seen it before. Big media companies and businesses have been hosting live feeds of concerts online since 1996 (Free Tibet!), and DJs have been webcasting jams and shows on video streaming platforms for a while. But now the time is ripe for independent artists hosting live video events, DIY style. No “And now, the iPad brings you Bon Jovi!” brand sponsorship necessary.

Success Stories

Just today, Mogwai hosted a live online screening of their new concert film, Burning, followed by a live Q&A with members of the band and the film’s director. Several thousand fans tuned in and chatted about the awesomeness of the event as it was streaming.

By using Ustream, Mogwai was also able to have the screening hosted on 45 different websites and blogs, all of whom – of course – helped them promote the event like crazy. The screening took place to support the launch of Mogwai’s upcoming live album, Special Moves. On their website, the album can now be purchased along with the film, in digital or physical format. The entire promotion was set up by the band’s own label, Rock Action Records. Again, no brand support necessary.

Putting together a live, hopefully interactive media event isn’t simple, of course, and there are big companies out there to do it for musicians. Marc Scarpa, who specializes in organizing live streaming concert events, recently told CNN about the marketing potential inherent in such a broadcast:

“While [fans] are watching they can buy songs, merchandise. They can buy tickets to see that band at another date on their tour. It’s not just about broadcasting a live concert, but making the tour, the album, the videos all part of a cohesive strategy for the band and the audience.”

But You Can Do It Yourself

Lucky for independent artists, the technology is simple, the promotion can be done independently, and the audience is watching. Services like Ustream and Livestream are free (or premium), and bands have been having success with not just concerts, but jams, interviews, live chats, and simply having fun parties where they can hang out online with their fans.

There’s only two major issues that must be addressed if you’re going to use webcasting to successfully promote an album:

1. Hype the webcast! Mogwai did a great job of this by working with music blogs, who were thrilled to promote the event. Amanda Palmer has success with her webcasts by running an active blog which counts down to the live events she hosts.
2. Test your equipment! It’s still a reality of webcasting: anything that can go wrong, will. So set up well in advance, and test your cameras, test your mics, test your cables, instruments, and internet connection, because you’re still playing to a zero-attention-span audience, and technical glitches will lose watchers.

The business of being a music lover has always been as much about voyeurism as it is about listening, which is why live video is becoming so successful. And while bands with an existing audience are going to get more traffic than unknown up-and-comers, the fact is that any talented musician can start building an audience just on the strength of the human impulse to watch. While prerecorded videos are a dime a dozen, the power and energy and weird magnetism of live is where it’s at in terms of promoting music today.

Attention indie  bands and artists, Headliner.fm wants to help you connect with other musicians and ultimately reach new fans and better promote your music. The website is a “promotion exchange” for bands and artists to help build awareness for each other.

Bands who sign-up on Headliner are able to join forces with and promote other bands on each other’s Twitter, Facebook, and Myspace profiles. Members are rewarded a number of “band bucks” (proportionate to how many followers they have on their social media sites) which can be used to buy requests from other bands to give your band promotion on their social media profiles.

The website outlines the steps to success once you sign-up:

Headliner Rewards Bands and Artists

• Converts your existing social media fans to band-bucks which you can use to get new fans for your band.
• Rewards your band for having kick-ass fans.
• Rewards your band for accepting promotion messages from bands you like.
• Transfers fan info to bands: learn which band’s fans are the best fit for YOUR band.

headliner.fm Sizzle Reel from headliner.fm on Vimeo.

Headliner was created by Mike More (CEO & Founder) and Bill Cromie (President & Founder). The website’s mission is for bands/artists to reach new fans, connect with other artists, and promote their music.

Currently over 70,000 fans are registered on headliner.fm, with numbers growing. As the old adage says “it’s not what you know, but who you know,” so connect today!

Reports are a brewin’ about  a new “social network” called Google Me after a tweet was posted by Digg’s Kevin Rose. That’s right, Facebook, you allegedly have a competitor being released into the social media realm soon.

It brings me to ask questions about the upcoming social network…

Will it be artist friendly? Is there going to be a music player for bands and artists? Are they going to take aspects of Myspace to help the cause?

Whoa! Would this mean the end for Myspace if they do cater to bands and artists? With a solid consumer and fan base, Google has the potential to dominate social media.

Google has provided solid products recently with Chrome and Android devices, so I’m expecting the best to come from the company.

Chrome has just taken the three spot from Apple’s Safari and is becoming quicker and more innovative with every update. Android smartphones are side-by-side with the iPhone with the releases of Sprint’s Evo 4G and Verizon’s Incredible.

I recently wrote about Facebook.me (Facebook.me: BeneficialApplication for Indie Bands) that was supposed to help bands promote themselves on Facebook. But we haven’t heard anything about it since Facebook’s F8 Developer Conference.

It was stated that your band would be able to showcase promotional photos, live concert pictures and news (status updates) and apply the links to the themed profile to your website.

Would your band add Google Me to the list of social networks?

Koolhaus Games just announced a new international contest for unsigned bands to enter to win the chance to have their music featured on the soundtrack of the next version of the iMP: Surf the Music game for iPhone/iPod Touch/iPad game available on iTunes Music Store.

According to the website, iMP: Surf the Music is an interactive funkadelic music rhythm game for the iPhone and iPod Touch.

Unsigned bands may enter songs until July 2, 2010 midnight (PDT). Submissions will be posted on their contest website and the winners will be voted on by fans from all over the world.

Voting will take place from July 5th, 2010-July 19th, 2010 midnight (PDT). The top 10 winners will be featured in the next version of the game.

The contest is free to enter, and any use of material would be on a non-exclusive basis with all intellectual property rights remaining with the artist. Winners will receive a revenue share from iMP: Surf the Music game sales. For contest rules and submission guidelines go to www.impmusicgame.com.

About the company:

Koolhaus Games develops high quality, innovative, fun and immersive electronic games for all ages and genres, using current and emerging technologies. Koolhaus Games is located in the center of Canada’s premier gaming community in Vancouver, British Columbia and has developed games for Activision, Square Enix, Electronic Arts and others.

Is your band going to enter?