Issue Date: September 21, 2003
Where struggling artists hit it big
Working at a record store while recording original tracks in his makeshift studio-in-a-bedroom, Alex Stiff had little time to shop his music. So how did this unknown land one of his songs in the movie "From Justin to Kelly" and a few beer commercials?
It's due mostly to his association with Luke Eddins and LukeHits.com. Created last year, Eddins' site matches unsigned artists with people who make films, TV shows and commercials. For his services, Eddins charges between 30% and 50% of the song's revenue. Stiff made as much as $14,000 with his song "Workin'".
Another Eddins-facilitated success was getting a song called "The Lost Coast" by bluegrass artist Ivan Rosenberg in "Kangaroo Jack". Then there was the time DreamWorks needed 30 seconds of Smashing Pumpkins-style music for "The Ring" but didn't want to shell out $80,000 or so to license an actual Pumpkins song. The studio turned to Luke Hits, which got them "Hey John" from Austin, Texas, rockers WideAwake.
A former garage band musician, Eddins knows how difficult it is to get noticed. He sifts through 500 songs a day in search of good music few have heard of. "I focus exclusively on the underdog," he says. "I'm a song bounty hunter."
Also helping budding musicians is tonos.com, founded by Grammy winners Carole Bayer Sager, David Foster and Kenneth "Babyface" Edmonds. They all offer advice to those hoping to break into the business.
At digicirc.com, unknown acts post songs while inviting the public to invest in the rights. This way, young bands get needed cash, and fans get to participate in their future success. Of course, as any music-industry pro can tell you, guessing which songs will be hits is an art in itself.
-- Paul Bond
|
