STOP THE PRESSES

As much as I love being your source for all things music, I have grown increasingly bored of this tiresome style of events sharing that has become commonplace. When it gets to the point where it puts one to sleep while writing it,  it can’t be much fun. Without passion, it is hard to keep any fire going.

Some people send me email and many create events on Facebook and invite me to the shows. Along with that, I search for music events in cities all over the state and click “Interested”. Currently,  I have nearly 500 upcoming events that I am interested in and that number grows daily. Doing this has allowed me to see just how much is out there. It is really mind-boggling.

With readership on the increase I have been building a team behind the scenes to help make this a better site for music lovers and enthusiasts. In the days ahead I am hoping we can create a forum for people to inset into a calendar that extends out as far as we allow it. I personally, like the idea of keeping a quarterly calendar. That way people have time to plan and prepare for some of the upcoming shows. We are currently tampering with capabilities of this site and thinking of ideas on simplifying things, so all information is included, the way I like them.

At the end of just a few days of contemplating a new blog direction, I can say with great confidence that I have grown tired of the keeping the calendar and delivering it at the last-minute.

My deepest passions in life rest with music. I most specifically like dancing to swinging beats and two-step shuffles! I also enjoy using words to bring the artists together with the people who appreciate live music and I like bringing the people to the places that offer the music. It is a small part in the grand scheme of the music business, but it is my niche.

As far are home page content, here are some of the feature sections I  would like to develop.

Artist Spotlight

The Advocate’s Corner

Tavern Times

Restaurant Recap

Pause For the Cause

This Music Business 101

Boogie Chillin’ with Tracey

Regional Roundup of Events

Open Mic Madness 

New Releases

Tour News

Festival Features

In the end I hope to bring readers more informative news in the music season which is just starting to get underway with the arrival of Spring.

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Dream Developments

Tracey Stones Productions, LLC was recently created to bring some integrity to music promotions. Established in North Carolina;  TSP, LLC  is owned and operated by yours truly, Tracey Stones.

Basically, for the past year I have dabbled in the idea that I might make a return to the music business. I peeked and poked around to find out what kind of a scene might be out there and thanks to social media, I found there is an abundance of awesome music around our state and it is happening each night in areas near and far.

The other observation I made was, that if you asked most anyone what was happening musically, often you would hear the vaguely uninspiring  phrase, “I don’t know”.

With finding so many things happening and adding to it my background in writing a weekly column that offered upcoming events, listed calendar options, highlighted artists, spoke of new releases (personally, I lean on the promotions side, meaning I am not a critic.); it seems to me that I could be offering readers so much more than just a long list of who is playing where.

When you take your passions and expose them in a new arena, you never know what is going to come of it. I still am pretty up in the air about how to make this home page more awesome for my viewers. But I will rely on your feedback and good advice to guide me as it has all along. I am still exploring the capabilities of the home page and learning how much content I can add to the other pages as well.

Somewhere in this journey I remembered that my two favorite parts of being a music columnist were, the artist interviews and talking about the shows I had the honor of seeing. To me there was no greater joy! Nothing has changed in my time away from the scene. In my return I find the most intrigue in watching the artists as they grow and I enjoy telling their stories.

In the end, I want this site to be a stage for effectively promoting live music events. I want to educate people about music, the players that are making it and how to best support their efforts. The best way to do that is by keeping people informed. I wish to share my journey as I grow my management and promotions business, Tracey Stones Productions, LLC.

It’s an exciting journey and I am glad you are here to watch and read about it first.

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This Music Business 101

Last week I introduced a new topic called The Advocate’s Corner. In that first rant I talked about how some venues do not follow through with their agreements to pay the agreed price. Often times these agreements are made via phone and there is no written proof to prove anyone’s side. Tricky! My thing is , don’t just stop at accepting a date. Follow up and get a signed agreement so that you can be sure to be paid the agreed amount.

As a means of assisting those who have not thought about doing this, here is a simple general performance agreement that you can start using tonight when you book shows in the future.

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1quXiOZyMGPFPN1Arek8-uLMuZ_sWMdiPeZ2DBd0Jy-0/edit?usp=sharing

This is a great practice because often bar managers are not the entertainment agents. Also it is impossible for the bar staff to know what the management agreed to pay weeks previous.

Once you have this in your routine, you will have a back up document for all to see. There will be no question on the day, the time, the price or who made the agreement.

This will help you stand up in a small claims court situation if you get burned and care to collect. Without some written agreement, it will be difficult to prove your case.

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Monday’s Morsels

The Kohlers will be live at Savage’s Woodburning Pizzeria, located at 303 Metcalf St. New Bern, NC. Come out tonight at 6 pm and enjoy some of the Mellow Monday Pasta Specials that Savages is serving up, while the Kohler’s dish out a side of the blues. Come enjoy dinner and a show in New Bern. And remember free music is never free and a $5.00 donation is appreciated.

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Tonight is Open Mic Night at Nick’s Blacksheep Tavern, located at 1140 Old Maplehurst Rd. Jacksonville, NC. Hosting tonight’s event is local strummer Daryl Lucus. Come sing up and call your friends. This is a great place to hang out. Shoot some pool, have a drink, hang with friends and make memories, jamming tonight and each Monday night. Come support live music and enjoy the local talent. Poets, Comedians, and Musicians are all welcome. Start time is 7:30 and quitting time is 10:30 pm. Come be a part of music memories at NBT tonight!

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Live tonight at Common Grounds Coffee & Music House you can enjoy the sounds of some picking, to go with your freshly brewed java.

The Bluegrass Jammers will be shaking things up from 7-10 pm. Come out and enjoy the sounds of some fun bluegrass and dance!

Common Grounds Coffee & Music House is located at 20 Cheves Rd. Bunn, NC.

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That is all my news and all of the gigs that I found for your dancing pleasure for the evening. I hope you get out and enjoy the sounds of live music sometime soon. I am dedicated to making sure you know where to go to find it. If you like this blog please sign up and get an email each time we publish. I appreciate my readers, the musicians and the venues who all do a part in keeping live music alive! Thanks for keeping me informed!

Please take kindness with you today and hug strangers. Don’t forget that life is short and could end in a moment, so make sure you take time to enjoy the dance.

Send all of your event invites to me on Facebook and you will end up in the list of options in the days ahead. I can be found on Facebook by following this link:

https://www.facebook.com/TraceyStones69.

I also read emails daily. You can send those to:

tracey.stones.writer@gmail.com

Please include the day, the date, the time of the event, the time of your scheduled performance, what time doors open and the price of tickets. Pictures are also helpful. I share links to band websites, so send those along as well. Thanks so much for taking the time to fill me in on the details, together we will reach the people!

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