cool tool for websites: the red fez

We’re redesigning our website at the moment, so most of my reading material kind of centers around that topic. The Big Red Fez by Seth Godin (yes, another Seth Godin book) is one of the current ones I am reading. It’s about having bananas on each page of your site. And if you don’t know what that means, and your band has a website, you should get this book. It’s worth reading, and it’s a quick read.

cool book: purple cow

Love Seth Godin, and love this book, Purple Cow. About being remarkable in business. Or music, in this case.

cool tool: iphone

After 8 months of anticipation, I finally
got my iPhone a few days ago. I can’t even begin to tell you how much I love my new companion
- suddenly I have access to booking emails, band contact information, driving directions, pictures from
our latest photo shoot, our websites, youtube videos, music business podcasts, and, oh, about 2000 songs -
all without having to take my laptop anywhere. I love this phone – and I am posting this entry from it!

cool site: starpolish

Just found the advice library of starpolish, and it is very good! Lots of information – on copyright, on mailing lists, networking, creative promotional tools. Some of the information is a bit outdated, but there are enough resources that work for me to recommend the site.

cool site: obscure sound

Found this site a few weeks ago, and am really enjoying it. Obscure Sound is a music blog with artist reviews, cd reviews, and mp3s. I love the fact that their entries are in-depth, with lots of background, and that I often find music I have never heard and end up loving on this site. A few examples: What made Milwaukee famous and Kara Keith.

cool podcast: music business radio

I seldom listen to radio anymore – having switched almost entirely to podcasts voer the course of the past year. A podcast I love – I have mentioned this before but I have noticed I have a lot of new readers and this is by far my favorite music biz podcast: Music Business Radio. In-depth interviews with music business professionals from very diverse backgrounds. Free, of course. You can download it from the above-mentioned site or directly from iTunes.

cool site: squidoo

So this is not a music-specific site. And I have to admit I am new at it. But Squidoo is a site that allows you to build lenses – a lens is one person’s view on a topic that matters to him/her. It’s an easy-to-build, single web page that can point to blogs, favorite links, RSS feeds, Flickr photos, Google maps, your eBay auctions, CafePress designs, Amazon books or music. It’s free, it’s quick, and I have a feeling it can be a great tool to learn new things as well as promote your music, your band, or any other creative effort.

I just created my first lens – check it out: great music business blogs.

cool blog: shaun groves

I love Shaun Groves as an artist, and I love his blog. Or, excuse me – his shlog . Here’s an artist who not only makes great music, but also has something to say in the broader sense of the word. I highly recommend that you add him to your RSS feed.