* Your article and name will be up on the blog for more exposure to you, and we will give you a link back for writing for us.
    * Another means of expanding your company’s reputation and profile
    * Expose your companies expertise, services and products to a wide variety of audience
    * Drive more traffic to your corporate website or blog
Go take a look at our blog at www.weddinic.com/blog/

Its a great opportunity for you and us. If you are interested and ready to start, please feel free to reply to this email and we will give you more details.

Kind regards

Darret King | CEO, Founder
Weddinic.com

1) A  Wordpress theme I sponsored with my link attached to was a runaway success and it had garnered some 80,000 links for one of my pages

2) Because the site was doing so well, I had stopped using Add Words at the same time.

I am not exactly sure what triggered the penalty, it might have been one or both.

The penalty of course dropped business by 90%. Fortunately for me, I have been involved with some other websites plus brick and motar businesses and this has kept things going for me, unfortunately not for many of the musicians who  used to get regular gigs from my company and the two staff whom I had to let go. I feel sorry for the older musicians I use to get lots of work for because they still have no clue how to get on the web beyond paying someone to build a website. Which basically means they will get no work from the web in the near future.

I have lived and breathed SEO for Six or Seven Years now. So my question is do we continue to build businesses on the Google Gamble, i.e build something to be profitable based on lots of guess work SEO? How much is enough? when is it enough? do we have to use a different model? it seems pretty easy to Google Bowl someone as this has happened to one of my sites when I woke up one morning and found it had disappeared from the Searches and it had 200+ links from porn sites……

I do respect Google for keeping the searches clean of spam and I do realise they have to do what they have to do, mainly to increase their addwords revenue as well.

But Ultimately do we go for the Google Gamble?

Demo Tracks 

sweet_home_alabama - Sweet Home Alabama

gimme_some_lovin - Gimme Some Lovin

vibetown_-_love_fool

vibetown_-_romeo

“…Excellent musicians, fantastic performance…” – Danny Cope (LCM lecturer attending Leeds showcase Dec 2006) 

Vibetown are a 6 piece function group who formed at Leeds College of Music In 2005. They are a confident and notably talented unit capable of bringing a warm exciting atmosphere to any venue, party, corporate function or wedding.

Whilst Studying for their Popular Music degrees at Leeds College Of Music, the group found a common passion and foundation for their grooves through Funk, Soul, Rock and Pop and also enjoy the challenge of adding new genres and amalgamations of styles to their repertoire. Individually the members have received numerous awards and achieved outstanding 1st marks for all performance modules. The musicians were handpicked for their virtuosity, versatility and individual flair for instrumental performance, as well as a great personal and professional attitude, in order to establish the right Vibetown.

“…Tight musicians, great tunes and fantastic performance, thanks so much, when can you play again?…” – Rich (Entertainments Manager, The Wardrobe, Leeds – June 2008)

Vibetown initially started out establishing themselves in the Leeds music scene, cutting their teeth at such prestigious venues as The Wardrobe, The Faversham, Hi-Fi Club and Bar Room Bar amongst others, as well as playing gigs further a field in York, Sheffield and London.

As well as club gigs, the band are becoming increasingly popular in the functions scene, receiving regular bookings for weddings, parties and other private functions.

“…Before they finished the first song everyone in the room was dancing!…” – Sharon Story (Bride, November 2006)

Electric Minds introduce their 5th release, Chaz Jankel’s Compass Point Sessions (Yam Who ? Reworks)
“The Compass Point Sessions” are named after the studios based in the Bahamas and home to some of Disco’s finest artists including Gwen Guthrie, Grace Jones, Talking Heads and of course the place where Chaz Jankel recorded “Without You” and “You’re Too Funky”. As co-writer of ‘Hit Me With Your Rhythm Stick’, Chaz achieved a number 1 record in the late 70’s with Ian Dury & The Blockheads and it was after this that he went to the Bahamas to work on his solo material.
In 1983, at Compass Point, Chaz teamed up with engineer / producer Steven Stanley who at the time co-wrote Tom Tom Club’s “Genius of Love” as well as working with Grace Jones and Sly & Robbie.  The pair recorded “Without You” and whilst working on “You’re too Funky” brought in Tom Tom Club’s “Laura Weymouth” to lay down the vocals.
Yam Who? & Chaz Jankel have worked together on this project adding a seriously modern, edgy & twisted interpretation on these two classic tracks. With Chaz being able to supply the original tapes and outakes Yam Who ? has worked carefully to include all of the original parts within the two new recordings.
Chaz has long been considered a dance hero and his popularity continues to grow with recent appearances on Strut/K7 compilation as well as Tirk’s recent compilation of his material which includes the original of “Without You”. “You’re Too Funky” however, is unreleased and the Yam Who ? rework makes up the B-Side to this very special 12” release.
Not only confined to the world of dance music Chaz Jankel is currently in Los Angeles co-writing Robbie William’s latest album with 18 tracks completed so far.

To hear the new material you can stream from www.myspace.com/electricmindsrecords. Please also check out our new website at www.electricminds.co.uk where you will be able to find links to all of our our vinyl and digital distribution partners as well as press releases and DJ reactions. To buy directly please click here. Digital distribution will be via What People Play exclusively for two weeks and then all normal outlets from mid July ‘08
Lastly keep a space free in your diary on the 9th August ‘08. Electric Minds will be teaming up with Late Night Audio to bring you 9 hours of mayhem in Dalston’s favourite video bar. The line up has been confirmed and will feature:
Stevie Kotey (Chicken Lips / Bear Funk)
Loud E (Ambassadors Reception / Re-edit obsessive !)
Toby Tobias (Rekids)
Danny Clark (Late Night Audio)
Dolan Bergin (Electric Minds)
wicked venue, nice drinks and an awesome Funktion One rig, more details coming soon !
www.electricminds.co.uk
www.myspace.com/electricmindsrecords
 

The Slammin’ Band is among an increasing number of performers turning to weddings and private parties between gigs and recording dates. It’s not as glamorous as pop stardom, but at least it’s a paycheck at the end of the night. And that counts for a lot in today’s economy, and in an industry struggling with steadily decreasing album sales (down almost 10 percent last year).

“We’re musicians, so we can execute anything necessary,” said Willie Moore, bassist for the Slammin’ Band. “But when you go from playing R&B and fusion to playing this other stuff, it’s kind of — different.” Different means all styles, from Sinatra, to country, to show tunes (”Sunrise, Sunset” from “Fiddler on the Roof”).

Like the musicians in the popular movie “The Wedding Singer” — which was transformed into a Broadway show whose touring version is at the Bushnell Center for the Performing Arts in Hartford through Sunday — versatility is the key to paying the bills while bands pursue other projects as well.

“The perception of a wedding singer is less-than-real or a step underneath, but we’re all songwriters as well … and we’re all in other projects,” said Jim Munson of the Out of Touch Band, based in Fairfield. “But we know what pays the bills, and we have no problem playing the ‘Brown-Eyed Girls’ and ‘Margaritavilles’ of the universe if it makes somebody happy.”

Gigmasters.com, based in Connecticut, is seeing unprecedented traffic, registering more bands than ever before. Kevin Kinyon, president and founder, said by far the largest portion — 40 percent — of its 1,500 monthly bookings are weddings. The site lists about 50 wedding performers in Connecticut and nearby.

Playing weddings comes with its own set of challenges, not the least of which is persuading brides to spend the money on bands when DJs are popular and cheaper. Munson says looking for work as a live band takes perseverance.

“It’s not easy if you sit back,” he said. “People can just look to the new generation of DJs. Or plug in your iPod, put it on shuffle and there’s your wedding.”

Getting booked for a wedding is just the start.

Moore says it’s harder than it looks because it can be difficult to surrender your band’s sound to the musical whims of the bridal party. And then there are the stereotypes, reinforced in part by Adam Sandler’s role in “The Wedding Singer” movie in 1998.

In the movie, a paean to ’80s camp, Sandler plays Robbie Hart, a lovable but hapless struggling musician with an unfortunate haircut. A decade later, regardless of the changing world of weddings, lots of people still remember the character — and the mullet — when they picture a wedding band.

“That’s the stereotype that guys like me fight so hard against,” said Jason Ebert, owner of CT Party Pros, an entertainment booking company in Orange. “They think we’re one of those guys.”

It’s not all fiction, though. Jerry Costanzo, who has recorded an album of Rat Pack-era classics, said he regularly plays at least one of the songs that appeared in the movie.

“Every time I play the song, ‘That’s All,’ I think of Adam Sandler,” he said. “Sometimes people come up to me and they say, ‘Hey, you’re the wedding singer!’”

“Weddings and parties pay the bills,” Costanzo said. “I have higher aspirations.”

Despite the frustrations of the business, Munson said he loves playing at weddings. He likes the movie (”I’ve seen it a hundred times”) and said that although his band just released a CD, he wouldn’t go back to playing concerts and clubs.

“The Wedding Singer” continues at the Bushnell Center for the Performing Arts in Hartford through Sunday. Tickets: 860-987-5900.

Contact Anne VanderMey at avandermey@courant.com.

For more photos from the stage production of “The Wedding Singer,” go to connecticut.metromix.com/weddingsinger.

We would like your help in promoting our wedding CDs,
now in many Wal-Mart Stores across the country.
 
We would like to offer you A FREE CD of your choice by
helping us show that our music will sell well in Wal-Mart stores.
 
A Day to Remember vol I and II by The O’Neill Brothers
are available on the “Value” CD shelf in the music section
of Wal-Mart stores for $9.96 each.
 
Wal-Mart is carrying the wedding CDs to see how they sell
in their stores. If successful, then all Wal-Marts will start
carrying other O’Neill Brothers’ CDs, including holiday music!
 
Here’s how to help us out and get your free CD:
1)  Shop in a Wal-Mart store between now and Sunday (6/29) and
    buy one of our wedding CDs from the “Value” CD shelf.
2) Mail us your receipt, along with this contact form below, and we will
    mail you a free CD of your choice (and be eternally grateful to you J).
 
Choose your CD from our music collection at: www.pianobrothers.com
 
If you do this, it would help convince Wal-Mart stores that they should
carry more of The O’Neill Brothers’ CDs. Then you could buy them locally,
more conveniently and at a low $9.96 price! (And it would really help us out
to share our music with so many new people!)
 
We hope that your summer is off to a great start J
 
Thank you for supporting our music!
Tim & Ryan
The O’Neill Brothers
—————————————————————
Print, fill-out and mail in this form with your Wal-Mart receipt to:
 
The O’Neill Brothers
P.O. Box 41
New Prague, MN 56071
 
Free CD of your choice:____________________
 
Name:               ___________________________
 
Address:           ___________________________
 
                        ____________________________
 
City, State, Zip: ____________________________
 
Phone number:  ____________________________
 
Walmart store location: ________________________
 
Other comments:           ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
 
If the store you visited does not have the ‘A Day to Remember vol I or vol II’ CD on the “Value” CD shelf, please ask for it. If they are sold out already, we will still send you a free CD of your choice for taking the time to go into the store!
 
The Wal-Mart stores in these states have our wedding CDs:
CT, IL, IN, MA, ME, MI, NH, NJ, NY, OH, PA, RI, WI, and VT