The London Garcia Radio Show BLOG

Hey Everyone! Please support my friends EVOLOVE in the FreeCreditScore.com Band Search.  They were interviewed on “The London Garcia Show” a few months back and they are now one of the finalists to be the FreeCreditScore.com band.  These guys are REALLY good and super duper nice too!

Watch their commercial here http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lcCpDgUxTIs and VOTE DAILY until Aug. 9th & Spread the word http://www.vote4evolove.com

Evolove National TV Spot

If you missed last week’s shows or would like to hear them again, just click here:

“THE LONDON GARCIA SHOW”:  http://www.latalkradio.com/Players/London-122709.shtml  (very important topic and special tribute at the end of the show)

“RADIO SAVES LIVES”:  http://www.latalkradio.com/Players/RSL-122709.shtml  (GREAT music from the 2009 Warped Tour and the internationally famous “Intern Bri”)

One of my MUSIC BOXX artists, Sahra Indio (located in Honolulu, Hawaii) just won the award for “Best Female Artist” for the 2008 AMMA Awards.  Check her out on MUSIC BOXX in the MISC category (she is a reggae artist).

Once again, CONGRATULATIONS Sahra Indio!

We continually receive an overwhelming amount of requests to review a band’s/artist’s music, to air music, to be one of the bands or artists on MUSIC BOXX.  If you are interested in being a part of MUSIC BOXX, go to:  www.londongarcia.com/musicboxx - click on “MUSIC BOXX APPLICATION” (in the top right section) and you need to go through that application process first to be considered.

If you want music reviewed, aired, or to request an interview on the The London Garcia Show, you need to email London Garcia directly at:  hollaback@londongarcia.com - this does NOT mean you automatically get music reviewed, aired, or get an interview.  That is just where you initiate your request.  We receive a large amount of requests of all of these things.  The criteria is high.  The best thing you can do for yourself is to be very professional in your request and be specific about what it is you’re seeking.  We do want to help bands and artists get exposure and reach their goals and it is the best of the best that get noticed.  And as with anything good, it takes work and diligence.  London Garcia does not shortcut her work for bands and other artists.  Our recommendation is that you don’t shortcut your approach because it will only shortcut your career.

THE BEST OF SUCCESS TO ALL OF YOU!  XOXO

Check out MUSIC BOXX for new info added in the section “ATTENTION ARTISTS:  Advice and Tips”

www.londongarcia.com/musicboxx

The sponsorship program for bands, London Garcia’s MUSIC BOXX, operates from the spirit of ‘pay it forward’ and ‘help others achieve their dreams however possible’.  If you are a band (or know of one) interested in being chosen as one of my Top 40 bands for any quarter, operating from that same spirit is one of the things that will help you stay in the program.  I held a conference call for the bands last week and it was really great to have so many bands from around the country on the phone at the same time.  Somebody asked me, “How on earth did you handle that many people on the phone at the same time?  Didn’t it get out of control?”  I guess I never thought it would be a problem….after all, when I’m doing my radio show, I’m multi-tasking and managing a zoo at the same time.  I guess you just get good at it with practice.  And having that edge of ‘ghetto-fabulous-ness’ sure does help because ‘a girl will regulate when she needs to’!  While on that conference call, I shared many things with the artists including:  plans for MUSIC BOXX (a “MUSIC BOXX” concert, how my street team will help them…..the street team is so juicy, you will flip your wig!!…and just many exciting things).  I also shared that, yes, of course I want something out of this (uh…derrr…..I’m pursuing a dream here too…..and you don’t get what you don’t ask for).  And it’s basically one thing…..attention back to my show.  What helps me achieve my own dreams with this show is more listeners, more fans.  And that will lead to the manifestation of my other plans.  Anybody who knows me knows I’m a straight up kinda gal.  I told the artists that if anybody seems to be a “taker” rather than a partner in this program, they likely won’t last in the program.  I communicate regularly with the Top 40 so I’ve provided everything they would ever need to understand what this program is all about.  And I guarantee you, there is nothing like this out there for musicians/bands/artists.  No kidding.  I created it from my heart, not from anything I’ve ever seen in the music industry.  How boring would that be if I just duplicated what everybody else is doing?  That is SO not me.  And people are WAY over the “same ol same ol” in the music biz anyway.  Uh…hello?  There’s a reason for it.

I love this program, MUSIC BOXX, so much and what it provides to artists and how it’s becoming more and more a place of open doors for artists.  That was one of my #1 intentions.

A few things that have happened already…

• One of the artists on the Top 40 was able to get a meeting with one of the biggest labels in the music industry because she shared that she is one of the Top 40 artists on MUSIC BOXX.  Hey, that even surprised me.  Maybe it shouldn’t.  I hear of some pretty amazing things everyday through emails and calls.  Although she is not signed with this label as of yet, I got a call from her manager that she just got a deal to work with Dr. Dre on at least 1 track.  Not bad.
• The creator of an amazing TV show in development has brought me on as a producer for the show (because of hearing about MUSIC BOXX).  I really never expected that but I sure did jump on that opportunity!
• One of the artists is an amazing artist as a painter and even though that has nothing to do with the program, he was able to get hooked up with someone who runs a few of the most prestigious galleries in the country (he sent me pictures of his art just to share, and I passed it along to friends).
• I’ve been told that reps from Disney, Sony, VH1, MTV, Warner Bros, and a number of other high profile companies have heard of MUSIC BOXX and are checking it out.

I truly believe (and it’s proven to me all the time) that the more I give and open up myself to be of service to as many people as possible, the more I win.  If you could see what I see, really, I AM on the winning side by going about it ‘arms wide open’ and just giving anything away everyday.  NOW THINK ABOUT IT.  It’s not rocket science.  But it IS a kind of science.  The laws of the universe.  It’s been taught for thousands of years through many spiritual groups and books, gurus, and a bunch of names/descriptions I’m certain I’ve never heard.  But they all teach pretty much the same thing.  It’s from those things I created the premise of my ‘business plan’:

1. Find the thing that makes you happier than anything in the world.
2. Do everything you can to have that thing present in your life as much as possible.
3. Be yourself 100% of the time.  Your true self is not up for negotiation.
4. Maintain your integrity as if your life depended on it.
5. Connect with as many people as possible during this journey and give to them, help them, appreciate them, believe in them, and love them without limits.
6. This will create feelings of gratitude and love (feelings you feel toward other people and their feelings toward you).  The most powerful emotions that attract back to you the things you want are gratitude and love.  So even if you’re not feeling them yourself first, when people direct those feelings to you, it spills all over you anyway.
7. As this multiplies, you become a stronger and stronger magnet for the things you love.
8. The things you want and love start to come to you and many times, they come to you even bigger and better than you imagined.
9. Always remember step 1 and stayed focused on it, keep repeating steps 2 through 5, and steps 6 through 8 will follow naturally.  And just keep repeating this process until they put you in the ground and throw dirt on your face.  Why would you stop?  That would just be silly.

Hey, I didn’t write the rules of the game.  I just play it.  And good golly, it’s fun!

Updates about MUSIC BOXX:

BIOS:  Most of the artists sent bios as I had requested.  I have saved all of them and instead of posting those bios on the MUSIC BOXX page, I am using the bios and the information they contain to market the artists individually and highlight special things about them when I contact industry professionals (decision makers in TV and film including music supervisors, other radio professionals, investors, and others I meet along the way…which is many and often).  Artists on the Top 40:  I assure you that the bios that you sent me will be put to very good use.

ADVICE:  I’ve added a section on the MUSIC BOXX page that has advice and suggestions to help you get further in your career and entertainment endeavors.  The section is called, “ATTN ARTISTS: Advice and Tips“.  This is obviously available to anybody who visits MUSIC BOXX.  Go check it out.  There’s some great info there already, contributed by one of the Top 40 artists.

TO EVERYBODY:  Lastly, I have a personal request.  Take a listen to the Top 40 artists and find a few favorites.  Take a look at their website, MySpace, and any other links you find for them, and if at all possible, purchase at least one of their songs.  It’s usually only 99 cents.  If alot of people do this, it will make a huge difference for the artists.  Thank you.

www.londongarcia.com/musicboxx

BANDS/ARTISTS/MUSICIANS:  READ THIS ENTIRE PAGE BEFORE YOU EMAIL ME WITH YOUR QUESTIONS!  THIS MAY ANSWER SOME OF THOSE.

“The London Garcia Show” Sponsorship Program for Bands (now  “London Garcia’s MUSIC BOXX”) is very unique.  At the onset, we had a completely different plan in mind, however it evolved into something completely different, something that provided far more benefits for the bands as well as my show.  It also enabled us to open up the opportunity to more bands than I initially was able to work with within the original plan.

Here’s the background on WHY I created  London Garcia’s MUSIC BOXX:

Before getting into radio, my involvement in the entertainment industry was in TV, film, stand-up comedy, and things related to all of those.  Since the early 90’s, I’ve established many great relationships with professionals the entertainment industry through my involvement in various projects.  Since about 2003, I “stepped it up a bit” so I could increase my list of contacts in a shorter period of time.  Most of these contacts are filmmakers and other decision makers in TV, film, cable, and connected projects.  The list is considerably extensive and continually growing (specifically for the purpose of this program to open up as many doors as possible for bands/artists).

So, I’ll step back a little here.    For several years, I’ve been approached by bands, very good established bands, to represent them and act as their liaison in getting their music submitted in TV and film or to manage them in some capacity.  Because of their requests and persistence, I started setting up contracts with each band, one by one.  It was basically a traditional contract that would have them pay me a percentage fee when their music is picked up for any TV or film projects (as well as other projects).  However, because of what I do (my talk show) and my focus, I decided to restructure the arrangement.  I still wanted to help the bands get access to these opportunities but I needed to create a different arrangement (including what is required of the bands, which quite honestly, is easy).  Here are some of the reasons I decided to create something new:

• Everything involved in setting up contracts and the attorneys involved is more than I’m willing to add onto my plate.  I figured, “Why would I go through that?  After all, bands are the ones who pursue me.”  (and honestly, if you were in my position, you’d probably feel the same way)
• The time I would have to invest in this to be an effective liaison would have me focus on THEIR career more than MINE, another thing I’m not willing to do.  Yet, I knew that I could create something that would achieve just about the same things for bands/artists.
• I would be doing too many things that an agent or manager typically does and again, I’m not interested in working in that capacity.  My #1 priority is the growth and success of my show and connected projects.

Those are a few reasons among others.  So again, I changed the entire set up.

The first thing I did was create a web page just for bands/artists/singers in such a way that would work for both parties.  The marketing of the bands is done online as well as the regular meetings, calls, and referrals I get, specifically from the folks in the TV and film industry seeking new music.  These professionals go to the music page and get to see who you are and hear some of your music.  If they want to pursue anything, they contact you directly.  My agreement with the bands is verbal, kind of a “handshake deal”.  They don’t pay any fees to “The London Garcia Show”.   If it isn’t already obvious, the huge value in this is that the artists are part of a select group being marketed to hard-to-reach individuals and companies.  And I’ve already explained above how that was established.  And as rare as it is in the music industry, I’m not interested in taking advantage of bands nor interested in taking chunks of their hard earned money.  We know about some of these unfortunate stories in the music industry and I am about something else entirely.

Not only do the sponsored bands/artists get exposure to the folks that place music in film, TV, etc., but they also get marketed to other radio stations and their executives nationwide, investors that focus their funding on entertainment projects, big name advertisers looking for a “hot band” to endorse, and some other random entertainment industry professionals that cross my path regularly.  And it’s not just a nice music page where you display your music, pic, and profile.  You can and probably already do that through Myspace.  Although Myspace is a great and useful tool, you are among hundreds of thousands of bands hoping to get a peek by the right person.  THIS IS NOT THAT.  “The London Garcia Show”  music page, which is officially called London Garcia’s MUSIC BOXX, features a very small group of bands/artists (the most at one time has been 40 and many times is less than 20).  The agreements are quarterly.  This doesn’t mean the band/artist can’t be on the page for a long time, but at the end of every quarter, we evaluate the relationship and the band/artist does need to re-qualify.  Some of the qualification critieria remains the same and some changes.  This is always based on what is in the best interest of London Garcia’s MUSIC BOXX, the bands/artists, and other involved parties.

The agreements are set up according to calendar quarters.  They start January 1, April 1, July 1, and October 1.

I do my best to extend as many opportunities and as much goodwill as I possibly can to really great bands/artists who are talented, hard working, and who seem to have the same kind of “pay it forward” attitude about their career and life.  The bands need to be crystal clear that they do need to fulfill what is required of them to be a part of London Garcia’s MUSIC BOXX as well as maintaining a good, “two-way street” kind of relationship with London Garcia.  It’s also important that they have a good reputation among professionals.

For more information about  London Garcia’s MUSIC BOXX and how to apply, simply go to:  www.londongarcia.com/musicboxx.  The front page has basic information and if you peruse the page and the links on the page, you will find all information you would need to pursue the opportunity available for bands/artists.

“The London Garcia Show” will soon be launching an opportunity for bands to be sponsored by the show.  We’ll be sending out an email to our contact list but if you don’t receive our email announcements and you are a band (or know of a band) who would want to know more, email us with an inquiry.  Email is:  hollaback@londongarcia.com

This is an excellent opportunity for bands to gain exposure into many areas of the entertainment industry and get their music out there on a larger scale.

If you know of a great band in your area that would like to get more exposure or they just haven’t had the right opportunities, have them contact us at the email above.  We welcome bands from all over the world.

XO

London Garcia