Well, DMusicians, it's been a long time coming. We kept promising you a monthly newsletter, and here it is! We will be covering the following topics in this and upcoming newsletters. The first newsletter is going out to everyone. You won't receive future newsletters unless you've checked "yes" under DM Newsletter in your user settings.

- DMusic news and stats
- New features at DMusic
- Suggested DMusic artists/tracks to stream or download
- Suggested playlists by DMusic listeners and staff
- Independent Music Industry News submitted by users and staff
- Independent Artists news submitted by users and staff
- RIAA news relevant to the independent artist.
- Artist interviews and spotlights
- Copyright, trademark and music industry hints.
- Equipment reviews (software, hardware, instruments, etc.)
- Featured articles
- DMusic helpful hints
- Your idea here - that's right folks, what features do you want to see in
a newsletter?

Let us know at leflaw@dmusic.com


DMUSIC NEWS FOR MAY 2005

There is so much to tell behind the scenes. As many of you may or may not know, DMusic has a long and varied history. It was originally started in 1998 by an 18 year old, Angelo Sotira, and sold to Michael Ovitz's Lynx Technology. It was purchased by Larry Feldman in 2001, and was run first by Angelo, and then by Michelle Robertson, Michael Robertson's sister, from Mp3.com. Since 2002, it has been run by Larry Feldman (leflaw) and Joe Knapp (fu-dog).

Van Kapeghian (furiousBall) is DMusic's new director of business affairs. Van is the perfect person, as he is a consummate musician who is disciplined enough to work at a bank! Van used
to work for Angelo at DMusic and for Michael Robertson at Mp3.com. My favorite furiousBall tune is "A Fog" http://furiousball.dmusic.com. No wonder it has 100 comments!

Michael Johnson (mux) http://mux.dmusic.net has also joined our staff working on various code projects under Fu-dog's supervision. This newsletter was one of them. He is also rewriting most of the site code to make it more (gulp) developer friendly. Check out Spiral Galaxy Collision, a collaboration between mux, furiousBall and Kingo Sleemer. http://spiral.dmusic.com

We recently had a meeting with about DMusic sponsoring the Philadelphia Folk Festival and shows at the Keswick Theatre in Glenside, Pa. (a nationally known venue with 1300 seats). http://www.keswicktheatre.com/ We are also discussing our first DMusic convention, probably to be held in the fall. David Baskin, a longtime Philly Folk Festival organizer, is helping us with this project, tentatively called Operation DMusic Concert.


DMUSIC STATS


Our Alexa ranking is also moving up. We have broken the 40,000 rank, and are slowly moving up, without the benefit of any outside promotion or viral marketing effort.

http://www.alexa.com/data/details/main?q=dmusic&url=http://www.dmusic.com/

We have:
Members: 524418 Artists: 22650 Tracks: 70304


NEW DMUSIC FEATURES

Copyright your music at Dmusic.com/copyright

We all know how important copyright has become in society. Whether or not you want to let your music out there for free, you ought to consider registering for a copyright.

We have made it easy. Now you can copyright your tracks right from DMusic! DMusic can get you a federally registered copyright for your tracks. In order to use your tracks online, to sell them at the DMusic download and CD store, to sell them through DMusic on Walmart.com and Real/Rhapsody, to do anything, they must be protected. For $99.95 plus registration fees of $30, you can get your copyright registration reviewed by an attorney and registered with the U.S. Copyright Office.

http://dmusic.com/copyright/index.php?sec=form

K-AMP mp3 player at your Website
DMusic recently teamed with K-Amp to make available a customizable
flash-based mp3 player. If your Web site needs a player that doesn't
require users to have an mp3 player installed, this is the way to go. http://www.dmusic.com/index.php?sec=k-amp

DMusic Awards
If you've been hiding under a rock, you might not have heard about our first DMusic Awards. The results can be seen here: http://news.dmusic.com/article/13949 Listen and find out who rocks at DMusic!

DMusic Store
We've revamped our Yahoo store and added tons of new albums, including works by artists of Lost Gold Records, which was acquired by DMusic in mid-2004. If you haven't stopped by lately, now is the time to give the new site a try. We've had problems in the past, but Van is taking charge. We will be starting to add more DMusic artists shortly http://store.dmusicstore.net/

Dub.dmusic.com
This is the fastest and cheapest way to get your CDs produced in large or small runs, without leaving your seat. Made especially for DMusicians, too. http://dub.dmusic.com/

DMusic Job-Bank
We're now filling numerous intern positions; we're looking for everything from programmers to journalists, from marketers to graphic designers. There are positions available that do not exist yet. How, you ask? The online music realm is constantly changing, and we don't have *all* the bright ideas. Maybe you do. If you want to work with us, let us know. http://www.dmusic.com/contact/

DMusic Advertising
Online, the name of the game is still advertising ... you've got to get the word out! Find out what we have available and spread your word (or ours). http://www.dmusic.com/advertising/

DMusic Survey
In order to help us help you, please respond to the following (just type your answer and e-mail it back!)

1. Would you be interested in selling your CDs at the DMusic store for a
price chosen by you?

2. Would you be interested in selling downloads of your tracks at the
DMusic download store for a price chosen by you?

3. Would you be interested in selling downloads of your tracks at online
distribution services such as Walmart.com and Real.com through Dmusic?

4. Do your tracks and CDs need copyright protection?

5. Do your CDs have a UPC number?

6. Would you pay $20 for a UPC number in order to sell your tracks and
CDs?

7. Do you write your own lyrics and music?

8. Do you want to be paid when radio stations, TV stations, Internet
sites, etc. perform the lyrics and music you wrote?

9. Have you registered with ASCAP, BMI, SEASAC or any other agency in
order to collect these performance royalties?

10. If no, would you want help in registering with ASCAP, BMI, SEASAC or
some other agency in order to collect writer's royalties?

11. Have you started your own publishing company or signed on with Harry
Fox publishing company to collect mechanical royalties for sales of your
tracks and CD's?

12. If no, would you want help in starting your own publishing company or
signing on with Harry Fox?

13. Do you have a federally registered trademark in your band's name?

14. Would you be willing to pay $100 plus registration fees for a
federally registered trademark for your band's name?