Portland Music Foundation

Membership with the Portland Music Foundation brings with it not only educational programs & services, but many perks, including local business discounts and free admission to all PMF events. Most importantly, it connects you to the music community of the greater Portland area, and shows your support for local music. Membership costs only $20 annually, and proceeds of all membership dues are used to fund all PMF activities and events.

PORTLAND MUSIC FOUNDATION CELEBRATES OUR 1st YEAR!>>>>> Happy Birthday PMF! This June marked the Portland Music Foundation's first year of existence. The PMF incorporated as non-profit in the state of Maine one year ago last month, and has begun its mission to help organize, support, nurture and promote the music community of greater Portland.

Our first year has been an eventful and successful one. Starting with our Diageo Speakeasy fundraiser and Launch Event in the fall of 2007, and continuing with our Educational Workshop Series and Mixer Series in 2008, the PMF has been hard at work providing quality services for the musicians of greater Portland. Our membership perks have also steadily grown, and we will work hard to further expand them. The PMF Membership base has grown throughout the year to more than 200 members!

The PMF has many exciting plans for the second half of 2008, including: an official Portland Music Foundation online message forum (see below); a new round of Educational Workshops in collaboration with the Maine Center for Creativity; a new round of mixers; and a second annual Launch Event Sept. 17 (okay, it’s more like an open house, but we like the idea of a “second annual launch”). Stay tuned for more details.

1. What can the PMF do better in the second half of 2008, and beyond? VOTE HERE

2. What topic would you most like to see addressed in our next educational workshop series? VOTE HERE

We are asking for any and all suggestions you may have for us to better serve YOU. That is why we are here!

NEW MEMBER BENEFIT FOR LOCALLY PRODUCED SWAG>>>>>
The Portland Music Foundation has teamed with Dominic D'Alessio & the Arm Factory, a collection of local artists based in Westbrook’s Dana Warp Mill, to secure reduced rates on design services and reproduction of T-shirts, posters, flyers, handbills, and stickers. They even offer custom CD and vinyl package design. GET RATES HERE

Yes, you can get cheaper stuff in the Internet if you look hard enough, but the Arm Factory has some highly talented artists who are willing to work with you on logo, T-shirt, and poster design, and the quality of the end results is top shelf. Plus, you’re keeping your spending local, which means more people have money in their pockets to come to your shows and buy your discs!
To receive the rates below, mention your PMF membership when you call up the Arm Factory at 207.233.0742 or thearmfactory@gmail.com, or visit their site at www.thearmfactory.com.

FREAKY BEAN COFFEE RELEASES “PMF MUSICIAN'S BLEND”>>>>>Now area music fans can help out their local scene just by drinking their morning cup of coffee. The Freaky Bean Coffee Company has collaborated with the Portland Music Foundation to release the PMF Musician’s Blend, a coffee blend now available in 12-ounce bags at all Freaky Bean and Maine Roasters Coffee Company locations and will be available at the end of June online at www.freakybean.com.

One dollar from the sale of each bag of PMF Musician’s Blend will go towards the Foundation’s efforts to educate area musicians on such topics as booking, press relations, publishing, recording, and legal concerns.

The blend is part of Freaky Bean’s partnership with the PMF, which also includes hosting PMF networking events at its locations and supporting area singer/songwriters by having in-store performances. The Musician’s Blend will also now be available for sale at PMF events going forward.

“When we founded Freaky Bean back in 2005, my business partner and I really wanted to create a contemporary coffee house with more of an old-school come in and hang out kind of vibe,” said Andy Kessler, Freaky Bean’s VP, Director of Creative and E-commerce. “Since music is such a vital part of our lives and our community we see this as a perfect fit and are thrilled to be able to support such an incredible organization.”

“The Freaky Bean came to us as music fans who really want to support the local scene,” said Adam Ayan the Grammy Award-winning mastering engineer of Gateway Mastering & DVD and the Portland Music Foundation’s Founder and President. “When they stepped up to the plate we immediately saw that they get what we are trying to do and really are devoted to strengthening Portland’s music scene. And we are also big fans of their coffee.”

Portland Music Foundation members will have the opportunity to perform at Freaky Bean locations when they book through the company’s music coordinator Mike Jones. Further, PMF musician members will also be able to perform at Maine Roasters Coffee Company stores in Yarmouth and Falmouth, which are wholly owned and operated by Freaky Bean.

ABOUT FREAKY BEAN
Established in 2005, Freaky Bean Coffee Company roasts all its coffees to bring out the unique flavor of all its beans and is dedicated to educating its customers about specific coffee flavor profiles. The Freaky Bean is the only coffee company in Maine to offer tastings in its specially constructed Cupping Room in the Westbrook location. The Freaky Bean is a community-oriented business that encourages customers to hang out and relax over a great cup of freshly roasted coffee or espresso based drinks. Presently operating three retail locations – 855 Main Street, Westbrook, and 360 US Route 1, Scarborough and 2 Cabela Way in Scarborough, the company will soon open another location, on Broadway in South Portland. Once opened these stores will make the Freaky Bean Maine’s largest coffee retailer/roastery.

PMF TIP OF THE MONTH>>>>>GET NOTICED!
By Wendell Clough, Director of Community Marketing, WCYY/WBLM

This month’s tip comes from radio-land, as I asked a number of radio programmers from Maine and away what is the single most important feature of a local act’s submission that catches the eye or ear. The radio people not lounging on a summer beach and sipping cold drinks responded, and, interestingly, even they had trouble narrowing it down to just one factor:

Tim Moore, Program Director Q 97.9 and WHOM, Portland, ME
Eye? A package that says “we're serious”; not fancy, just not sloppy
Ear? Production values, something professionally recorded, a good mix with mics not buried to mask lack of vocal talent.

Ted McEnroe, Director of Digital Media, NECN.com, Boston, MA, Former Program Director, WBRU-FM, Providence, RI
A photocopied, cheap-looking disc with no art and magic marker titles on it tells me they aren't too serious. In this day and age, when eight-year-olds can put together snazzy looking reports, bands should be able to do it, too. If you don't know how to do it, some of your fans do.

Herb Ivy, Program Director WCYY and WBLM, Portland, ME
The MOST important thing is to get me your strongest stuff. Don't get me what you think will be the second single. Get me the very BEST songs you have. You literally have about 40 seconds to get my attention.

Susan Groves, Operations Manager, Mid-West Family Broadcasting, Springfield, IL
What I do appreciate is when the actual CD has the contact info and “focus tracks” printed on it. Pieces of paper don't stay with the disc. If all the info is on the CD case it's very professional.

Charlie Gaylord, Host, Greetings from Area Code 207, WBLM, Portland, ME
Good design and printing quality on the CD packaging (not a fuzzy picture of the artist standing on Maine's rocky coastline holding his/her guitar). A well-written, concise, one-sheet with the basic PR info (remember why they are called one-sheets). Package addressed to the correct person (make sure they still work at the station).

Jan Wilkinson, Local Music Director, WMPG, Portland, ME
I love to see numbered track listings on the CD packaging (as opposed to the disc itself, where you can't see them when they're in the CD player), along with recommendations for airplay and an indication of which tracks are (or aren't) 'FCC Clean'. Band contact info (email address, website, MySpace) is also always a plus!

Chris O'Brien, Program Director, WOZI FM, Presque Isle, ME
I get so many acts submitting burned CDs that they wrote the name of their band on with a marker. Nine times out of 10, there is no bio, picture or even song title. Because I believe in our local talent I tend to listen to them anyway, but it's really a turnoff when the package is not right.

What can you take away from these responses? There is no one single thing, no magic bullet that will get your music heard by the ears that matter, for one thing. An overall professional presentation is essential. Looking as good, if not better, than the rest of the local submissions is a great distillation of the above answers to the question. And Herb Ivy’s point that you have mere moments to both catch the eye and ear is a good one to remember. It may seem crazy to put weeks of effort into something that others may only glance at for a few seconds, or only listen to for a minute, but that’s the one shot you have as a first timer. Wait until you are big and famous and when the media is simply salivating over your next release to be cryptic or haphazard.

An extra tip that I would share: Get an appointment with someone at your target station and listen to the music together. That’s what the big labels are doing. They hire full-time representatives to do just that, and it works. That personal touch is memorable and setting yourself apart is a big part of the challenge. If your stuff is not up to snuff (the other huge part of the challenge), you’ll get valuable feedback in person from a professional.