Greetings,

So you’ve taken all the steps to ensure your CD presentation package looks professional, attractive and irresistible enough for an A&R person to give your music a listen. In most cases, you only have one shot at this. Is there anything else that you might be overlooking? What about the sonic quality of your music or CD? Even if the songs were well written, arranged and recorded, it may not sound its best if they were not professionally mixed and mastered. This month, Eu Jin Chan, the founder and CEO of Pappa E, which specializes in providing world-class sound design and audio mastering services brings his thoughts on the importance of mixing and mastering. Read the entire article at: http://www.onlinerock.com/howto/mixmaster.shtml

LINE 6 GIVEAWAY – Our April winner was Rikki from San Diego who gets a free Line 6 GuitarPort. This month we’ll give away another Line 6 GuitarPort and a three month subscription to GuitarPort Online. The GuitarPort gives you the ability to jam with and learn hundreds of songs and guitar lessons that you download from the Internet. It also includes models of 16 classic guitar amplifiers and 19 stompbox and studio effects that work, sound & feel like the originals. Just connect the shiny red GuitarPort hardware to your Windows PC with the included USB cable and connect GuitarPort's stereo output to multimedia speakers, headphones or your stereo. Then install the software and plug your guitar into GuitarPort and you're ready to jam! Register to win at: http://www.onlinerock.com/line6form

FEATURED ARTIST PROFILE – This month we feature Audiophile from Florida, an edgy combination of hard rock, alternative, and funk. Complex guitar riffs that mirror the likes of Dream Theater, bass lines that are funky and groovy, a la Red Hot Chili Peppers, pounding drum rhythms, evoking the heavy grooves of Metal, along with a clean clear vocal approach complete with 2 and 3 part harmony. Check them out at: http://www.onlinerock.com/profiles/audiophile_profile.shtml

We've partnered with Sonicbids to accept profile applications. Sonicbids let you create an electronic press kit (EPK) in as little as 20 minutes and email it to anyone, anywhere. Sonicbids offers exclusive one-click submissions to hundreds of events and daily email alerts about festivals, competitions and other music events that you should know about. Submit your music by going to: http://www.sonicbids.com/onlinerock

CD REVIEWS – We’ve got a few new CD reviews up from FM, Call Me Alice, Summer Rain, Tillis and Terramara. OnlineRock will review your CD and post it on our Web site. These reviews can be used for your promo kit, Web site or in a press release. To submit your CD or check out the latest reviews, just go to: http://www.onlinerock.com/CDreview

FORUM QUESTION – It seems like CDs are the new business card in today’s music scene. At SXSW or CMJ, people (including myself) have come home with nearly 100 CDs. The Web also allows musicians the opportunity to give away their music. Still others would never give their music away and proclaim that by giving it away it devalues the music and lowers the bar. What is your take on this? Do you give it away or sell it? Please let us know by posting your thoughts at: http://www.onlinerock.com/cgi-bin/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic&f=2&t=000188

ANNOUNCE IT! - Do you have a CD or a gig you would like to announce to thousands of musicians and music fans? OnlineRock regularly sends out a newsletter to its members. Over 20,000 bands and solo artists have registered at our site. The number of members is growing rapidly, as are the services, features and information OnlineRock offers them. For only $10.00 you can add your announcement to our newsletter. http://www.onlinerock.com/announceit

FEATURED CD – This month’s Featured CD comes from Rock Out Records. “The Life and The Game" features 21 tracks from various artists including Dynamite Boy, Yesterdays Rising [Fearless Records] and the acoustic stylings of Mike Park [Asian Man Records]. Also included is new music from Longspur, the Pennyroyals and Stradlatter as well as Deagle, High Speed Chase, Keep Breathing, Trip, Narchitect, Another Day Wasted, Acitone, Lost in Line, Missing Gef, One Way, Shikasta, L.E.I., Mistie and All Grown UP. Take a listen at: http://www.onlinerock.com/RockOutRecords

If you have any comments for OnlineRock, just drop our Webmaster a line at webmaster@onlinerock.com. We’re always open to your ideas and suggestions.

Rock On,
Steve Beck
Founder