The 2014 ASPA Singer Songwriter Online Competition Starts May 16th!

We're proud to announce that the 2014 ASPA Singer Songwriter Competition starts May 16th! 

Starting May 16th, you, your band, trio, whatever can enter the ASPA Singer Songwriter Competition by submitting your best mp3 recording or video performance for a chance to win a prize package that GROWS depending on how many contestants we have!  And since it's an ONLINE competition, you can enter the contest and submit from anywhere in the world!

The Grand Prize will start off as a 3 song EP, professionally produced in a top-quality studio, with all instruments / musicians paid for, with songwriting assistance if needed, and some radio airplay for you or your group!   The more people that enter, the bigger the prize, meaning that 3 song EP will move up to a 5 song EP, to 7 songs, and even a full 10 song CD that is high quality and ready to sell and distribute to industry contacts! 

And--not just for the winner of the singer songwriter contest, but any contestant that the judges feel has potential, their songs and information will be passed directly to some record label execs, producers, and publishers!  The ASPA is currently forming our own in-house record label, too--which could mean a record deal and getting out on tour faster than you ever thought possible--even if you don't win the competition!

Being a member of The ASPA, among other advantages, enables you to submit an unlimited number of songs or videos for the competition, at $25 per entry.  Those that have a basic or free ASPA profile can submit up to 3 songs or videos at $35 per entry. That means, as a member, you'll have a lot more chances to send us something impressive-- which could make a big difference because you never know what song or video is really going to catch the eye or ear of the judges!  And, as you can see the entry fees are about 30% cheaper as a member.

So stay tuned--we'll have more great information about the contest coming soon!  Get those mp3's and videos ready for the 2014 ASPA Singer Songwriter Competition!

Any questions, hit us up at support@theaspa.com

 

The ASPA

The American Songwriters and Performers Association

America's Premier Music Organization and Musician Social Network!

http://www.theaspa.com

Email: info@theaspa.com

15 Minutes of Sunshine Per Day: So Important for Your Health

It's true that the sun's rays, in high amounts, isn't good for your  skin. But more and more research is proving that getting just 10-15  minutes of direct sunlight a day can be one of the healthiest things  you can do for yourself.

Literally, just getting out of the house, the studio, whatever and  walking around in the yard or down the street on a sunny day for just  10-15 minutes can give your body enough vitamin D to ward off a whole  host of diseases.

 

In fact, vitamin D deficiency has been named by top  experts as one of the main contributing factors for cancer, diabetes,  heart disease, hypertension, multiple sclerosis, osteoporosis,  psoriasis, rickets, schizophrenia, tuberculosis and more. And yes,  vitamin D3 supplements do help, bu it's not the same as the form of  vitamin D produced when the sun hits your skin and your body produces  it.

And it's not just vitamin D that sunlight helps with.  A little  sunlight each day helps with better sleep, more positive attitudes due to increased levels of serotonin (your brain's happy chemical), protection  from autoimmune diseases, and even reducing or preventing Alzheimer's  symptoms.  

 

And with us musicians inside all the time, playing all  night and sleeping all day, we're REALLY prone to vitamin D deficiency  and this could be why a lot of musicians end up with health  problems--other than some other more 'obvious' causes.

Best of all, getting a little sunlight is FREE!  So every day that you  see the sun shining, take 15 minutes, call someone you care about and  absorb some of that health-giving sun--you'll be in a better mood and your body will thank you down the road.  If you'd like more  information on this subject, here are a couple of good articles--or  just hit us up at support@theaspa.com

Host of Health Benefits Attributed to Sunlight:http://health.usnews.com/health-news/family-health/articles/2008/06/24/host-of-health-benefits-attributed-to-sunlight

Sun Exposure Benefits & Safety:http://www.mercola.com/Downloads/bonus/benefits-of-sun-exposure/report.aspx


To Your Health and Success!

 

Rex Murphy

The ASPA

http://www.theaspa.com

America's Premier Music Association

Jessica Meuse on American Idol: She's in the TOP 6 Contestants!!

Season 13 American Idol contestant and ASPA member Jessica Meuse is in  the TOP 6!  After Dexter's elimination last week, there are only 5  other contestants that she has to beat to make it to the WIN!

And it won't be long before the WINNER is chose, but REGARDLESS, Jess  will out on tour with the rest of the IDOLS starting June 24th in  Binghamton, NY and moving on to 40 other cities for an amazing summer  tour!   For more information on the tour, dates, etc, here's the link:http://www.americanidol.com/news/american-idol-summer-tour

And we're down to the last few weeks of the show, so THIS WEEK---we  all need to show some love and VOTE for Jessica, as it does come down  to the vote for who wins American Idol Season 13!  

 

That's Wednesday at  7pm Central Standard Time on Fox, Channel 6, or maybe 1006 for HD (if  you have cable, etc)
 You can vote three ways--and up to 50 times per voting method:  vote at  http://www.americanidol.com/vote or call 1.855.443.6510 or TEXT  number 10 to 83676! #teamjess #jessmeuse #slapout
And DON'T FORGET---we're giving away a FREE 1 Year ASPA membership for  the most TWEETS / RETWEETS of this message below on Twitter.com!  It's  already set to 140 characters--just copy and tweet!
Vote Jessica Meuse Wednesday! http://www.americanidol.com/vote or 1.855.443.6510 or TEXT number 10 to 83676! #teamjess #jessmeuse  #slapout
GO JESS!!  TAKE NO PRISONERS THIS WEEK!  YOU'VE GOT THIS!!

Rex Murphy
The ASPA
www.theaspa.com

The ASPA: The Future of The Independent Music Business?

Like everything else these days, things are changing---and that’s true for the music industry, too. Yes, the major labels are still there doing a great job, but in answer to not only the economy but also to the growing desires of independent artists, musicians, and bands to get a ‘better share of the pie’, new companies are emerging to help the independent musician get where they want to go with better, more ‘interdependent’ deals.  

Now the same rules apply, in general—you’ve got to have the goods, be professional, and willing to work so it’s not ‘easy street’ by any means. But, with companies such as The ASPA (The American Songwriters and Performers Association), you can submit to song & music video contests and win valuable top-level recording and radio packages that used to only be available once you got the coveted ‘record deal’. And then your material gets presented to label execs and other industry professionals that can offer a deal that will be more beneficial for you financially and get you out on tour with the rest of the movers and shakers in your current music genre. In the past, you couldn't 'just do that'--well, win one of these contests and you can.

Sounds good, doesn’t it?  Well, it is, and now, instead of signing your life away or waiting your life away trying to get noticed, you can simply become a member of the ASPA and put yourself in the spotlight of this organization---not to mention all the other great features and member benefits, such as real discounts on music equipment from Sweetwater Music, recording services, entertainment law services (from one of the best law firms in Nashville with A list clients), plus a great, simple social network built into the ASPA website that doesn’t include all the other crap and game requests associated with some other social media sites.  Best of all, you can sign up for a free profile to get started!

So if you’re a serious, hardworking artist, musician, band, songwriter, or other performer looking for a good songwriter competition or music association to join that can really help your music career take off, check out The ASPA.  The next ASPA Singer Songwriter Competition starts May 16, 2014, so you definitely want to get in on that---and you can enter as a singer, band, duo, etc. Oh yeah—they have a monthly ASPA HotSheet that lists up and coming artists, bands, etc that goes directly to record labels, publishers, producers, and investors—if you’re a member and you’ve got some great sounds, you might just be included in that! 

 

So go check out The ASPA and definitely sign up for a free profile and take a look around!  You'll be glad you did.

 

Rex Murphy

The American Songwriters and Performers Association

www.theaspa.com

5 Hit Songwriting Tips You Can Use Now

There are so many songwriters in the world using a ton of different ideas, approaches, structures, etc. And of course, if you stay over on the artistic side of things, one can appreciate just about any of these and recognize the creativity, enjoy the differences, etc. When it comes to writing marketable, sellable songs, however, things change quite a bit. 

 

Yes, you can still infuse that unique creativity that's all yours, but there are certain things that have been proven to make the difference between sellable, popular songs and those that just sit in a catalog or desk drawer.  Here are 5 tips that you can use in your songwriting now to make them better and increase the chances of getting something financially rewarding out of it:

1) Listen to the hit songs in your style--if you listen carefully, you'll notice common patterns that you should probably use, as well. Are we saying 'sell out'? No, but it does make sense to try to incorporate some of the patterns of a song that reached gold or platinum sales status. And many of those patterns you hear aren't just 'stylistic' patterns of the artist--they're proven psychological patterns that cause the listener to pay attention, remember the tune, and buy it.

2) Don't take too long to get to the chorus---yep, even if you think you've got a great song, if you take more than 50 seconds or so from the first note to get to the chorus, history has taught us that you lose the listener in most cases, and that song generally isn't going to be hit. Are there exceptions to this rule, yes, but in over 80% of hit songs, this one remains true.

3) Keep your intro short--intros should take no more than 10-15 seconds if you want to keep someone's attention and keep them listening to the song. Yep, the lyrics should start in 15 seconds or less if you want a shot at a hit song.

4) Write your lyrics carefully--sometimes lyrics do just 'come to you', but if they don't make any sense or they're just 'stupid', that's exactly what the listener's going to think, too. You've done that yourself when you heard something ridiculous and turned it off.  So, start writing out a paragraph's worth of the story behind the song and write some bullet points on the most important aspects of the story, contradictions, main things you want to say--those bullet points will probably be good chorus material. Then ask yourself all the questions that the chorus creates.  Then, write your verses and rest of your lyrics around those questions, answering and relating to the chorus in every line. If you do this, your lyrics probably won't suck.

5) Keep your song in the 3:00 to 4:00 minute range, and preferably 3 to 3.5 minutes. That's another proven tip from the majority of hit songs--they're almost all between 3 and 3.5 minutes. Yes, cut back on all the guitar solos and instrumental passages--for hit songs, that stuff doesn't really help; it distracts the listener from the main hooks of the song--and it's the hooks (lyrical hooks, musical hooks, groove hooks, etc) that make people to 'buy in' to a song and, well...go out and buy it! 

For some incredibly good information on hit songwriting, check out Robin Frederick's Shortcuts to Hit Songwriting  --  amazing book, to say the very least!

I hope this helps you write better tunes and enjoy bigger, better, faster success as an artist or songwriter!  If you have any questions, hit us up at support@theaspa.com

To Your Success!

Rex Murphy

The ASPA

http://www.theaspa.com

The ASPA: A New, All in One National Songwriter & Musician Organization and Social Network!

If you’re a singer songwriter, artist or band, you’re probably constantly looking around for tools, connections and people to help you get where you’re going faster. So, you probably join lots of songwriting organizations, social networks, enter lots of competitions, etc to help with this. Wouldn’t it be nice if all of that was in one place?

 

Well, finally—it is! The ASPA (American Songwriters and Performers Association) was created specifically to make things easier and give you, the musician, artist, band or songwriter, the tools you need, people you want to contact, and a simple, uncluttered social network, all in one online destination. Truth is, we’re musicians and artists, too—that’s how we know what works and what doesn’t in the music industry—and what would help people just like us do what we do—better.

 

We’ve got a great online singer songwriter competition and other contests coming up, discounted products and services for our members (uh, yeah—saving money is good), a classified ad section coming shortly, maybe even a referral program and even a retirement program. We created The American Songwriters and Performers Association to one thing very well—support the independent artist, songwriter and musician in ways that make a difference.

 

We even have publishing services and will soon have our own in-house record label. Yep—all that good stuff in one place. Like someone commented recently—wow, man—someone needed to do this! Best of all, you can join and get a free profile, no strings attached and receive many of the benefits—of course, you do have to be a member (for a low yearly fee) to have all of the advantages and discounts—we’ve got to pay the bills somehow, lol! Again, we’re musicians so we knew this had to be affordable!

 

But seriously – if you’re an singer, songwriter, musician or artist and you want to connect, find opportunities and manage your online presence much more easily, and all in one place, you owe it to yourself to check out The ASPA. It’s a lot more than a music association—it’s a new social order for musicians.

 

The American Songwriters and Performers Association CONNECTIONS--DISCOUNTS--MUSICIAN’S SOCIAL NETWORK
http://www.theaspa.com
support@theaspa.com

Raw Almonds: A Powerful Cheap Snack for Energy and Health

As musicians and artists, we're constantly burning energy creating and performing and often we need some kind of good snack to help keep energy levels up. A lot of us will grab a bag of chips, crackers, candy or something else unhealthy, just because it's quick, cheap, and that's all they had at the convenience store at 3:30am. 

 

If you have the time, you can pack your snacks to take with you, which is a far better, cheaper, and healthier idea than paying retail for junk late at night. And for stuff to pack, one of the best natural snacks we've found to add to your stash is raw almonds. Not the roasted, salted kind--just plain old almonds in the raw.

Why almonds? Not only are they loaded with energy supporting vitamins like manganese and copper, minerals, and key fats that give you energy, they can help protect you from a variety of illnesses such as cardiovascular disease, diabetes, helps you lower and maintain your ideal weight, prevent gallstones, and a whole list of other benefits. Not to mention, they're really pretty tasty and satisfying--so you don't get hungry again in 30 minutes like what typically happens when you eat that bag of chips.

 

Almonds can even help boost one of the body's key anti-oxidant enzymes superoxide dismutase (SOD), which helps get rid of tons of pollutants in the blood--like, uh, the smoke you're breathing every night at the club...?

In fact, we generally recommend adding them to your regular diet, putting them in cereals, cooking with them, and snacking on a regular basis because the nutritional benefits of almonds are so high.  Now, if you have any kind of food allergy, allergic to nuts or anything like that, you might need to check with your doctor about adding or increasing your intake of raw almonds. But if everything's ok, you'll probably find that it's tough to find a better snack to help keep those energy levels up and improve your health at the same time! 

Here's a really good link for more information on raw almonds--you might be surprised: http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=20

To Your Health!

Red Murphy

The ASPA

http://www.theaspa.com

It's 80's Week on American Idol--Wonder What Song Jessica Meuse Will Sing?

Well, it's 80's Week on American Idol where the 'Great Eight' will be performing their rendition of top 80's hits!  I wonder what song ASPA member Jessica Meuse will sing?

 

There are a ton of great artists she could choose from--wonder who it will be?  Along with her original tunes, she's been practicing singing a ton of cover songs in the last few years at open mics, bars and restaurants--I guess that's a pretty good way to prepare for something like this!  Well, we'll just have to tune in TONIGHT at 7pm CST on Fox 6 to see what she does!  

If you want to check out some of Idol Season 13's latest and greatest, you can check out some behind the scenes pics here: http://www.americanidol.com/photos/album/behind-the-scenes-top-9  and for music : http://www.americanidol.com/news/tag/download-music  where you can download all of the contestants performances!  There's really some great stuff here--check it out!  Might want to download some of these while you can--a lot of times if someone gets a record deal, they'll pull some or all of the songs and pics from before and then it's not available anymore!

TONIGHT---PLEASE VOTE for Jessica Meuse and help her win this thing!  You can vote three ways: : http://www.americanidol.com/vote or 1.855.443.6510 or TEXT number 10 to 83676!   

ROCK ON JESSICA!  YOU GOT THIS!

Rex Murphy

The ASPA

http://www.theaspa.com

Jessica Meuse On American Idol: She's In The Top 8!!

Alabama artist Jessica Meuse rocked Fleetwood Mac's 'Rhiannon' last week in true Jess Meuse style and moved up ANOTHER NOTCH to the 'GREAT 8'!  Yep, there are only 8 contestants left....the winner will be chosen soon!

This week she's, of course, been rehearsing and getting ready for tonight's big performance, and taking a little time for herself out by the pool! I mean, who wouldn't want to soak up some of that California sun!?  

 

She also spent some time with Majesty Rose, who was cut during last week's results. It's clear that Jess has made many new friends (especially the other contestants) and it's tough every time one them is eliminated. At the same time, Jess remains grateful and grounded and feels privileged to continue and receive all the love, support and votes coming her way each week. That's because she's a class act--all the way through.

You can check out Majesty's last performance of Happy by Pharrell Williams here--I think she did a great job--see what you think!: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P9GcwqOFpgk&feature=player_embedded

As Jessica has said many times, 'Anything is possible!'--so if you're dreaming of something, stop dreaming and GO DO IT!  Before long, you'll find that some amazing things start happening to support you and help you on your way!

And don't forget to VOTE TONIGHT for Jessica Meuse!  You can vote three ways: : http://www.americanidol.com/vote or 1.855.443.6510 or TEXT number 10 to 83676! #teamjess #jessmeuse #slapout  

And don't forget---we're giving away a FREE 1 Year ASPA membership for the most TWEETS / RETWEETS of this message below on Twitter.com!  Already set to 140 characters--just copy and tweet!

Vote Jessica Meuse Wednesday! http://www.americanidol.com/vote or 1.855.443.6510 or TEXT number 10 to 83676! #teamjess #jessmeuse #slapout  

GO JESSICA!  The ASPA is SO PROUD OF YOU!! YOU'RE GONNA WIN THIS SINGER SONGWRITER COMPETITION!

Rex Murphy

The ASPA

www.theaspa.com

JOIN FREE!  www.theaspa.com/register