TEACH MUSIC AMERICA coming in March 2015

The month of March has been officially designated by the National Association for Music Education (NAfME) for the observance of Music In Our Schools Month (MIOSM®). This is the time of year when music education becomes the focus of schools across the nation. MIOSM began as a single statewide celebration in 1973, and has since grown to become a month long celebration of school music beginning in 1985.

This celebration aligns perfectly with the mission of "Keep Music Alive", so we have decided to make 2015 the first year we will also celebrate Teach Music America across the United States (and eventually beyond).

What is "Teach Music America"? "Teach Music America" will be celebrated the 3rd week of March (3/16 - 3/22) and during this week we are asking all music teachers to find at least one new students to teach a free 30 minute lesson to that week. We are also asking all interested music students (children and adults) to try and find a music teacher participating in "Teach Music America" so they can take one free lesson that week.

Why is this important? We all know that sometimes the biggest hurdle to anything is just getting started. We believe that by encouraging music teachers and potential students to reach out to each other during the month of March, many of them will continue to teach and learn music from each other long after the month is over. Our goal is to get as many new students starting to learn how to play music as we possibly can. Only by creating interest in new students will the art of music continue in our society.

The purpose of "Teach Music America" and "Keep Music Alive" is to help remind people how important and valuable music is and all the reasons why. We believe that the combination of

• The switch from CD/MP3 sales to music streaming
• Cuts in arts & music education
• Less live music venues

are collectively leading music down a troubling path. With “Keep Music Alive” we are looking to push back in the other direction as much as we can so that future generations will continue to enjoy quality new music. With regard to music streaming, that ship has sailed, but we want to see artists and songwriters fairly compensated for their music by the numerous streaming services. We also would like to see music consumers reminded of the value of music they are listening to - Music is not free and needs to be paid for in some manner if we want quality new music continued to be created. We don't have all the answers of how this can happen but we want to help be a part of the discussion for sake of future generations of music makers and music lovers.

"Keep Music Alive" is also publishing the book "88+ Ways Music Can Change Your Life" in May 2015. "88+ Ways" will feature inspirational music stories & quotes from musicians, music educators and music lovers from all over the world. The book will also summarize some of the latest research on the importance of music along with ideas and examples on how schools and communities can help their own music programs.

For more information on Teach Music America and Keep Music Alive please visit www.KeepMusicAlive.org where weekly updates will be posted beginning March 1st.

That's all for today it's been a busy month of February already as we near our story submission deadline for "88+ Ways Music Can Change the World". We are both thrilled and honored at the number of artists, songwriters and others who have graciously submitted an inspirational story or quote for the book. Collectively we are going to absolutely raise the awareness of how important music is to all of us. We thank you all from the bottom of our heart for joining us on this journey!

Music, Love & Laughter

Vincent James @ www.KeepMusicAlive.org
www.TeachMusicAmerica.org

APRIL is Here & Lets Keep the MUSIC ALIVE!

After a winter that just wouldn't quit - 15+ snowfalls in our area and a total of over 5 feet of the white stuff - the month of April is FINALLY here Hallelujah! I hope that all is well in your world now that spring has finally, actually sprung :) With spring comes new beginnings and the start of a new mission for us here at LoveSongs.com .

Will anyone buy music 10 years from now??

Does anyone else notice that more and more, music is becoming devalued in our society? Over the last 10 years we have switched from buying physical CDs to instead buying MP3s online via Itunes, Amazon, etc (and sometimes just downloading songs for free on other sites). What's funny is that now that the increase in online music purchases has finally evened out the loss in physical CD purchases, we're starting to see the online purchases are also beginning to go down. That's right, our newest technology friend is music streaming (think Pandora, Spotify, Beats and at least a dozen others).

Billboard Magazine - Digital music purchases shrunk in 2013

So now we're firmly entering the music streaming world with YouTube, Pandora, Spotify and IHeartRadio leading the way. While these services do all compensate songwriters and artists, its becoming apparent that the money available is greatly reduced compared to royalty rates on physical CDs and actual song downloads. I'm sure this doesn't have a huge impact on superstar artists like Bruno Mars, Miley Cyrus and perhaps a few dozen others each year. But for the 10s of thousands of other songwriters and artists that used to count on music to earn their living it may be another story.

We all inherently know the value of music in our lives and many of us also know the value music brings to education and numerous types of therapy (it's that right brain thing). Imagine if we reached a point where no new music was being created, for the simple fact that there was no longer a business model that supported musicians and songwriters. Now this is far-fetched of course, since there will always be musicians and songwriters creating art. However its not such a stretch to imagine the quality of new music going down the tubes (some would argue that it would be continuing trend already in progress. With less new quality music, fewer and fewer kids would take up learning instruments compounding the current issue of music programs being cut from schools.

I don't know what the answer to all this is, but I do see a problem and have to say something about it. Music has always been very important in my life whether I was earning money playing & writing music or not. I want to live to see the importance and value of music re-established in our youth, in our schools, and in our culture. Here at LoveSongs.com, we will be looking for ways to help share this message and for ways to recognize the value music is giving to all of us.

Let Her Go - Passenger

Okay now off my soapbox and back to the music :) One of my favorite songs playing this month is "Let Her Go" by Michael David Rosenberg, better known as Passenger - Apparently Michael fronted the UK band Passenger from 2003-2009 and when the band broke up he kept on using the name. "Let her go" is a really beautiful mid-tempo tune that reminds us to always appreciate what we have while we have it instead of waiting till...

"Well you only need the light when it's burning low
Only miss the sun when it starts to snow
Only know you love her when you let her go...and you let her go"

That's all for today folks - look for a new posting shortly and also news about new & updated features launching at LoveSongs.com this week!

Music, Love & Laughter,

~Vincent James @ LoveSongs.com

Happy New Year 2014!

Yes I know about 10 days late to the party, but I had some very important errands to attend to :) Seriously though, there is so much commotion on Jan 1st, I sometimes like to wait a week or so till that dies down before I express my love for the New Year. Also just in case the new year is not going so well I could just choose to skip the year altogether.

The Death of Digital downloads - But WAIT there's more!

Everybody's saying it...we were finally hooked on the concept of owning our music digitally when digital download sales dropped in 2013 for the very first time (6% down). Before we get too upset it seems the lack of digital music sales has been offset by a 32 percent increase in digital music streaming. Trouble is of course, artists and songwriters make a lot less from a song streamed then digital sale. But a song can be streamed over and over again (from your phone, tablet, computer, car?) and if there is advertising or other money supporting that stream then its a good thing for the music industry. I think its way too early to tell how this is really gone turn out, but for my sake and millions of other musicians on the planet I hope there will also be a way to compensate musicians and songwriters for the art and craft.

Here's a few recent articles from Rolling Stone, Variety and Forbes magainine alll discussing the download/streaming changeover:

Rolling Stone - Digital-music-takes-a-dive-as-record-sales-slip-again-in-2013

Variety - Music-in-2013-purchases-down-6-timberlake-tops-album-sales

Forbes - The-music-industry-moves-kicking-and-screaming-into-a-streaming-world

Tune into Space Radio - Music from the Moon

You might think I'm making this up folks but I'm not and it's pretty cool. You can tune into Crater radio and literally hear the sounds of space interpreted by music. It takes data fro From NPR: "The CRaTER streaming radio station essentially gives a weather report by playing samples of instruments in various keys and pitches, interpreting conditions in space by a set of established rules. The musical instruments range from a piano to a banjo. The raw data comes from six different detectors on the spacecraft — so in a sense, it's like hearing a musical sextet from space." For the full article and to learn how to tune in click on the link below. I'm listening now and it's pretty interesting that's for sure.

NPR - Space-music-how-to-hear-solar-flares-from-the-moon

Well that's all for today kiddies - we'll be back to you next week with another edition of the love songs blog with some new and interesting music news for you.

Music, Love & Laughter

~Vincent James @ LoveSongs.com