Free Music eBooks

A couple weeks back, I got an email from a musician thank me for my list of free music eBooks for my online music promotion website. I put that list together over a year ago. I'm glad to see people are still accessing it.

It got me thinking that I'd love to write or find other free music ebooks, but I just don't have the time. So instead, I decided to compile this short list of music eBooks to share what I have found. Not all are free music eBooks, rather, I just picked some of the ones that look pretty cool. Happy reading!

  · Guerrilla Music Marketing Handbook
  · Celtic Music Directory
  · Song Publishing Secrets Revealed
  · The Secret to Free Music Downloads
  · 14 Tips for a Better Music Website (download ebook pdf here)
  · Americal Idol Auditions
  · MieNet's Ode to Friendship
  · Midi Cribe Music eBook
  · Fife & Drum History
  · Take Control of Making Music with GarageBand
  · 197 Promotion Tips, Tricks and Resources for Independent Musicians
  · Professional Home Recording (download ebook pdf here)
  · 72 Free Music Downloads

Get Your Music Industry Message Heard!

For several years now, I've published the Bards Crier Music Marketing and Promotion Ezine. This now monthly newsletter goes out to a good 5,000 music industry folks from bands to indie labels, music promoters, agents and you name it.

The newsletter has received critical acclaim because well, it's totally 100% independent, and it offers some great innovative music marketing and promotion tips for unsigned bands and musicians. It also comes from an independent musician featuring the tips I learn on my way struggling to to the top of my particular music market. It's free and offers low-cost or free, guerrilla music marketing promotion tips. That's what makes it so cool.

Since it's independent, and since I write it because I love helping musicians the newsletter is not packed with advertising or junk. Short, sweet, and to the point without someone trying to sell you on the latest tip.

Okay, I lied. That's not entirely true. I have one sponsor per issue, and I'm currently looking for someone interested in sponsoring the next edition of my music industry ezine. So if you have a message you'd like to share, or you know someone who might, tell them about it.

In any case, if you're a musician, take a moment to subscribe for music promotion tips to sell more CDs.

You won't be a bit surprised at why it's one of the most-popular independent music business sites out there.

Irish Song Lyrics and Folk Music Inspiration

I've started putting together a new website of Irish Songs & Lyrics starting with they lyrics from my Celtic Lyrics - Scottish & Irish Folk Songs directory from The Bards website.

I can't help but to snicker a wee bit. Here I'm listening to The Corries and being swamped with inspiration. Since I first started my Celtic Lyrics Directory, I've wanted to make a huge site filled with Scottish and Irish songs and lyrics and streaming MP3 audio tracks so people could listen and learn. Course, it'd also serve to help sell our Celtic folk CDs, but mostly, I just want to have THE site that people swarm to for those Scotch-Irish lyrics.

Alas, there's just not enough time in the day. And I have too many projects under my belt to spend that much time with it. But as I listen to The Corries, I can't help but to feel that neurotic drive to race home and start recording song after song of lyrics. Hundreds upon hundreds of great folk songs. The definitive site out there. Ah well...

Mayhaps next year when Celtic music is my full-time career, I'll make it happen. Shoot, sadly, even my Free MP3 Music Download of the Month has suffered due to laziness, fatigue, and depression. But new stuff is coming soon.

After all, we're currently mixing a new live CD of mostly Irish songs along with a bunch of filk. And then there's the Scottish CD coming soon.

So who knows. Mayhaps one day, I'll achieve my goal. It's a slow process, but as long as I keep listening to The Corries, The Dubliners, and all of those great Celtic folk singers, the inspiration will keep coming back.

Celtic Irish Songs Lyrics

Listening to The Dubliners and The Wolfe Tones during my early days as a Celtic musician, I fell in love with Celtic & Irish Songs. Those groups, plus, Andrew's love of the Irish Rovers and The Clancy Brothers, inspired us to record a CD of Irish songs called Songs of Ireland. It features nineteen great Irish songs that have brought thousands of Irish descendents closer to their Irish heritage. I bet it will yours too.

Here are the Celtic & Irish Song lyrics from the album. You can also hear some sound clips. So listen and enjoy!

1 Rocky Road To Dublin
2 Rosin the Beau
3 Lish Young Buy-A-Broom
4 Johnny at the Door
5 An Irish Lullaby (Too Ra Loo Ra Loo Ra)
6 Spancil Hill
7 Finnegan's Wake
8 Come Out Ye Black and Tans
9 Lanigan's Ball
10 Jug of Punch
11 Patriot Game
12 Rising of the Moon
13 The Unicorn Song
14 Satisfied
15 Join the British Army
16 Big Strong Man
17 Danny Boy
18 Paddy McCollough
19 Bog Down in the Valley

If you're looking for other Celtic, Scottish, or Irish Song Lyrics, check here. Find more Irish Song Lyrics here.

Kazaa's Free Music Downloads

I've mentioned before that I'm a fan of Kazaa for free music downloads, but that's not entirely true.

You see, Kazaa's biggest problem is that they are one of the first propogators of SpyWare and AdWare which I absolutely abhor. So when a computer repair friend mentioned that there was an alternative I got excited.

The cool alternative is Kazaa Lite. Kazaa Lite takes advantage of all of Kazaa's free music downloads system, but it took out the spyware and adware features that really kill your computer system.

Course, the downside to Kazaa in general is that not all the free music downloads are legal free music downloads. I know it sounds strange, but I'm mostly just a big proponent of legal free music downloads. That's because I despise the RIAA as the true criminals of the music business. That's one reason I started my Celtic music magazine and my free music downloads ezine, to promote independent free music downloads and inspire people to buy direct from the artists who will actually EARN money from your CD purchases.

Keep it Indie!

Free Music Downloads Ezine

Free Music Downloads is a free monthly free music downloads ezine featuring great free mp3s by some incredible artists.

I really hate pop-ups. But it seems 95% of the free music downloads websites spam you with pop-ups OR you have to pay to access the free music downloads websites.

Now I'm not against paying for great content. Heck, I'm a big fan of Kazaa Lite myself.

I started the Free Music Downloads ezine for two reasons: (1) to help promote some amazing independent music groups, and (2) to offer an environment that is not packed with spam.

Each issue features over twenty great independent music groups with free music downloads. It comes out once or twice a month. And every style is included from pop rock to hip hop, easy listening to classical, folk to jazz to world beat. You name the style and you'll see it featured at some point.

There are currently over 10,000 subscribers who love free music downloads. If you're one, sign up for the Free Music Downloads Ezine today!

Irish Pub Songs Recorded Live

This weekend, we head back to the The Irish Dragoon Pub for two nights of great Irish pub music. But we have some bonus plans as well. We plan to finish recording a live CD of Irish pub songs, so we'll have it done by the end of the summer.

The idea for this pub CD started based around one song really... the Jedi Drinking Song.

Yes, I know it's not a bit Celtic. It's a song that was written by Celtic rockers, the Dust Rhinos. It was such a fun song, we decided that we should add it to our own repetoire. Since we started playing it nearly two years ago, we've had fans begging non-stop to record this song.

We carefully plan each CD that we release. And "Jedi" just doesn't fit in with our previous releases. It also doesn't fit in with our next release, Real Men Wear Kilts (check out the free stickers).

But since we're worried about going to DragonCon and being lynched if we don't record the song, we decided a live CD is the perfect solution. Plus, we can get a bunch of other Irish, pub, and filk favorites out while we're at it. Oh! And even throw in a few recordings of songs that disappeared when we discontinued Marked By Great Size and Gullible's Travels.

So, the big date is set. The Nagians are notified and are travelling from all over Texas AND the surrounding states. I know we've a couple Nagians coming in from Louisiana.

So if all goes well, this CD of Irish Pub Songs or Celtic Pub songs, or pub songs will be done by the end of the month and will make it its debut in September. So join our Celtic mailing list to find out how you can get a copy.


ADDED: The live recording did not come together, however, we did pull together to fun CDs of St Patrick's Day Music, and we're still finishing up our comical filk music CD.

Comedy Radio feature on DFSX Radio's 'I Still Get Demented'

I just got word that songs from my Folk CD will be featured on David Tanny's radio show, "I Still Get Demented", Mondays 8-11pm ET, 7-10 Central, repeats at 11pm ET, 8 Pacific for Western listeners.

You can find out more about the show at the DFSX Radio website.

Please go listen to the show and vote for my songs.
And don't forget to make a request for them to be featured again on the ISGD show Monday nights.