Band Advice

Top Ten Rules Of A Good Domain

Top Ten Rules Of A Good Domain

Most bands don’t start off as serious. But many bands start off as a joke to do on the weekends (or just something to do in college), but end up having enough chemistry to become a hundred times bigger than ever planned. So even if this is “just for fun” you should keep in min that it may end up being a curse that follows you for life. Most of the legendary bands were started as “just for fun”.

1. Dot com is best
If you can get the website with the dot com that is best. Net is good if a squatter steals the com. The squatter site will not rank as high because it is a squatter site. If you can spell your band’s (or company’s) name by including the domain sufix, that can be good as well. As in Carr.as because someone else (not connected to me) already has Carras.com. That is known as a domain hack.

2. The shorter the better
The shorter the domain name the better. So if you can’t get Slayer.com don’t use MySlayerWebsiteOnline.com instead. Find another band name.

3. No dashes
If your band name is Stupid Twats, don’t get the domain name Stupid-Twats.com. Stick with stupidtwats.com instead. If that is taken try stupidtwatsofficial.com or stupidtwatsonline.com instead. The dash is very bad.

4. Make it easy to spell
I once had the domain name AbrasiveRock.com I love the domain, but so many people were constantly asking how to spell it. Some of them highly educated. So I changed the site to RockMyMonkey.com just because it was easier to spell. I haven’t had a problem since.

5. Stay Away From Numbers
If your band name is Priority One you will have some issues. Is the domain priorityone.com or priority1.com? Also stay away from words that can be spelled in several different ways. It causes the same issues.

6. Is It Marketable?
If you passed a billboard with this name on it, how quickly would you remember it after you drive by?

7. Search Engine friendly?
When Raymond and Christian (both ex-Fear Factory) wanted to start another band they wanted a name that would show up on Google really well. So they made up a word. Almost instantly when they launched their website it got top ranking fo that search term. So try to stay away from words were there is tough competition for those Google search terms. You want top ranking when people are searching for you.

8. Make Your Band Name Your Website!
Ok, not everyone will be able to do this. Nevermore will never get Nevermore.com I doubt that Overkill will ever get Overkill.com, but if you can get your band name as the website address do your best to do that. If not, try to get as close to that as you can.

9. Stay Clear Of Copyright Issues
Don’t try to be too cleaver by using a known brand within your website or band name. This can cause legal issues later. Plus lame jokes like this get really old if the band takes off. Ask the band The Devil Wears Prada about this self inflicted curse.

10. Don’t be “Inside Baseball”
Do not use inside jokes. Do not reference things that the majority of people will understand. Many bands may claim when they are young that they don’t want to be some big sell out band. Well you can say you want to stay in the small dirty clubs all you want, but the truth is that bands that stay at that level too long don’t stay around as long. Your family (you will have one someday) will need to eat and they need a roof over their heads when you are on the road. So don’t pick a website name that will hold back the mainstream crowd from your band or website.

Events On Social Networks Are Useless

Events On Social Networks Are Useless

Are You Training People To Reject Your Invite?
I follow a ton of people from all over the world on most social networks. So I get invites to things all over the world. The problem is that I loose money on my music industry related activities already. So there is no way I am taking a private jet to your local club show. I know, what’s the harm when all I have to do is take a few seconds to click ignore on the event that was mass blasted to everyone on that persons list? Well, it’s kind of like when the “Are you sure you want to delete that” pop ups that our computers give us before hitting delete. Does anyone even pay any attention to them at all? I am so used to hitting that ok button that even if a part of my brain is questioning the deletion, my hand has already deleted the item before I can even save it. The same thing happens with your events. When I see that question of “Will you attend this event”, I hit no before I even stop to check the location. I click that no button before I even look to see what that event is.

Why Did You Promote The Event On Facebook?
Because everyone just blasts everything to everyone, everyone is jaded to the event invites. So no one really pays any attention to them at all. Sure your best friend will click yes. Your girlfriend will click yes. Your bandmates will mostly click yes (sorry but your drummer is dumber than a rock and doesn’t get it), but will this improve attendance? Not one bit. You will be lucky to get one person to attend that would not have attended otherwise. Wasn’t that the point? To get more people to show up than who would have otherwise? Then stop blasting it to everyone because you are training people to reject your events without even thinking about it. It is a knee jerk reaction because of the constant blasts we all get from every band from all over the world.

Have You Ever Even Mentioned The State Or City?
Most band’s don’t even mention the state or city. So I have rejected events and found out later it was a local show at a club I had never heard of before. At least list the state and city or your event post failed right out of the gate.

It’s Not All Bad News
So is this nothing but bad news? No. You can stop it. We all need to do our part to stop people from blasting everyone for an event that only 10% of their followers are even capable of attending. Most of the social networks have a way of selecting only the people from your area. Can we start a campaign to not just click no, but to say why in the comments. When an online friend invites you to an event in another state or country, link to this article. Or you can just type “Stop inviting people from out of state, it hurts us non-spamming bands jerkface!” Ok, make up your own line if you want. I just think it would be funny if EVERYONE started using that one. If they don’t list the city and state post that you have no idea what part of the world the event is at and that is why you will not attend. It will take more of an effort than most will be able to muster, but if enough of us do this we can change the pattern and maybe a few habits. Or maybe this is just a way for your band to rise above the rest?

Has flipping off the camera become the new brick wall?

Has flipping off the camera become the new brick wall?

Ok, to be clear I am not the least bit offended by people flipping the bird. In fact just the opposite. I’m bored. I’m jaded. I’m thinking it has become so standard that it is the uniform metalheads have tried so hard to avoid. It has become the proverbial “brick wall promo shot“. Think about how many bands take promo shots in front of a brick wall. It is the worst cliche and there have even been several blogs devoted to making fun of bands with brick wall promo shots. Why? Because it shows a major lack of imagination. How do you expect your band to stand out from the crowd if you are doing the same thing as every band out there? Doing a promo shot in front of a brick wall just screams “I don’t want to stand out from the crowd and my band has nothing new to offer!” Seriously, before you read the rest of this article, CLICK HERE and check out some great examples of what I am talking about.

Well, I say that flipping off the camera has become the same thing. One of the major rules I have learned in life is that if you want to stand out from the crowd you need to stop doing what every other band is doing. If the popular trend is stuck doing one thing, do something else. When the late Ronnie James Dio started throwing the devil horns at shows so many decades ago, no one was doing that. It made him stick out like nothing else. In the early 90’s there was a very select few bands that did the extreme vocal in metal. It was rare enough that the few bands that did it were able to find a unique way of doing it and they all stuck out. Now I could play 20 bands in a row and have extreme metal fans not recognize a single song. Why? They are all doing the same thing and they don’t stick out at all!

I get it, it’s a rebel thing. You are showing that you stand against the status quo. But that is the problem. You are following that status quo! It’s not a rebel thing if everyone is doing it. It is the status quo! It is that uniform we all claim to hate. Think about the legends that truly stand out in metal. I mean the ones that have lasted more than a couple decades and are able to earn a respectable living at what they do. Everyone of them have something in common. They were able to be unique enough to stand out from the crowd. So think really hard about the next time someone sticks a camera in your bands face. What will you do to make that image stick in peoples minds? What will make that photo stand out from all the rest? Make that one unique thing the first thing people notice when they see photos of your band. It is your new calling card. Leave the unimaginative cliches to the unimaginative.

Stop Auto Play Websites!

Stop Auto Play Websites!

I am still amazed when I run into websites that start blasting music at me the second the page loads. Are we stuck in the 90’s? Even MySpace has made it so the default for a band page is to not do this. They now make a band dig into their settings to make this happen. Why? Because it is just bad form. It’s rude and it turns people off. They also got tired of paying for the bandwidth for people that didn’t want to hear the music in the first place. It is why “Band Spam” on MySpace was getting such a bad reputation! For the most part it is looked down on, but people still do it. I recently made a post on several social networks ranting about this practice. Most of the people of course agreed that it drove them nuts when bands do this. A few wondered why it is frowned on.

It is very frowned on for several reasons. Listening to the band’s music is only one of many reasons to go to a band’s website. You could be going there to check tour dates. You could be reading up on a new release. Maybe you are a music journalist just looking for a band photo. I could go on and on. The point is that blasting away at someone without giving them the choice is rather presumptuous and a little rude.

So why is it rude? What if I am in bed doing one of the many things that can be done on a band website other than listening to music. I forgot to turn my speakers off and the site blasts away before I can click the mute button. That band just woke my wife up because they assumed I could only be at their site to listen to music. Or what if I am trying to review a cd of THAT VERY BAND? I already have a cd playing. Now I can’t surf around their site without songs stopping and starting with each page load. Most people listen to music on their computers and your browser doesn’t have it’s own specific volume control.

I have lost count on how many times I have had to stop listening to a cd I was trying to review because I was trying to surf around a band’s website to check some facts on my article. I had to stop listening to the cd I was writing about so I could mute my volume while I surfed around the site! Now of course if browsers had their own volume control this would solve the problem, but the best solution is to leave it up to the person visiting your site.

Now it is not just bands that do this. I have even seen charity sites that have little to do with music inflict this on people. Bandwidth is expensive, so why pay for bandwidth just to annoy people and turn them off to your band? Not only is making people click the play button first create a better experience but it saves the band money. How hard is it to click a play button? Not too hard if the website design is done well.

So please everyone, do your part to convince bands, record labels, and everyone else to stop auto play websites. It’s just bad business.

Why are bands still so anal about taking concert photos?

Why are bands still so anal about taking concert photos?

I remember back in the 90’s when I first started going to shows and trying to take photos I understood that you had to have a special pass to take photos. There were many reasons, but one of them was so they could stop people from using flash and blinding the band. They also knew that these photos could be sold. Of course there was also quality control.

Then ten years later cameras started getting smaller and smaller. This was also when the first mobile phones came out with the ability to take photos. I remember clearly talking with a friend about how there was no way the annoying photo pass rules could stay around much longer when every single person at a concert will have a camera in their pocket. So how in the hell are there still such strict rules?

Most concert venues will not let you in with a pro level camera without a photo pass. So then only horrid low quality photos taken with crap mobile phone cameras are allowed. So much for your quality control. Same goes for many top level artists. Back almost half a decade ago Ozzfest was a full scale touring event that went coast to coast. Now it is a shell of it’s former self, but I’m sure the rules are the same. If you have a photo pass you can take photos of every artist on the tour except Ozzy. So the only photos of Ozzy are done with mobile phone cameras. I had a staff member for my site RockMyMonkey who fought to the front of the stage to get me photos of Ozzy. This girl did a great job, but I was asked not to use the photos. It was hinted that if I posted any photos of Ozzy that my site would never be granted photo passes again. So a great majority of the photos you see of Ozzy are low quality stuff that makes him look like crap. Does Sharron not want him to look good? If she let people with photo passes take photos it would help a ton with quality control. So if you want your artist to look like crap, make it hard for serious photographers.

Then there are dinosaur artists that just don’t get it at all. These are the bands who can barely pack a club and don’t tour the U.S. much because so few are paying attention any more. They could use some good press! They will get extra security to hunt down anyone that even looks like they are going to take a photo of the band with even a mobile phone camera. They also threaten and bully photographers to insane levels! Do they wonder why they have no draw?

So for the sake of quality control can we please set the cameras free? Otherwise only the lowest quality photos will be posted of your artists. Press agents, managers, performing artists, and record labels, you are only hurting your artists. It’s time to wake up and see that the horses have already left the barn. There is a local venue run by a large casino that wouldn’t even let me take photos when I had a media pass! In fact The Emerald Queen has the chairs so close to the stage that a photographer couldn’t take photos without getting in some fans way. The view must suck for those fans either way, so maybe it wouldn’t be so bad? The point is that even when the artist hired a press agent to make sure I was allowed to take photos, the venue security ignored the media pass!

Then make sure that only people with pro level cameras are allowed in the photo pit. It’s getting crowded in there. Too many people make it hard for the serious photographers to get a shot that makes the bands look good.

Don’t Forget The Social In Social Networking

Don’t Forget The Social In Social Networking

This could also be titled, “What Have You Done For Me Lately?” I follow a ton of people on social networks. So many that there is always someone asking me to go vote for their photo in a photo contest, their baby in a baby contest, and of course their band in a battle of the bands contest. Why should I care about the thing you care about?

Understand what you are asking me to do. Most of the time I have to register to some site I don’t care about, give them my personal info (so they can sell it to some spammer), and then vote for this thing I couldn’t give two shits about.

Now it may seem like I’m saying this just to be an asshole, but I do have a point. Keep in mind that people will feel like they have to go vote for that “cute” baby picture if you have voted on their stuff. Have you been active on their site? Have you shared a link of theirs? If so they will probably be active on the stuff you want them to be active on. That is what social media is all about. So go post a comment on their blog. Spread a link to someone else’s site on your Twitter and Facebook. Scream it loud and proud. Make sure to make a big enough deal about them that they want to return the favor.

Oh, and if you want me to feel the need to help promote your stuff just be active on HeavyAsHell.com. That is what I’m passionate about. If someone was to start submitting links there and spreading the HAH link around to get votes, I would have no choice but to do everything in my power to help them with what they needed help promoting. I say this only to make a point. In social media, cheerleading begets cheerleading. If you work your ass off to promote others, they will work their ass off to promote you.

In closing, if I didn’t vote for that thing you wanted me to vote on there might have been a reason. If I go out of my way to help someone and they do not return the favor, I don’t do shit for them until they do. Most won’t admit it, but they are the same way. So don’t forget the social part of social networking. I don’t give a shit about your thing, but I’ll pretend to if you pretend to care about my stuff. Deal?

Book Review: Crush It! Why Now is the Time to Cash in on your Passion

Why do I think this book is a must for every band in Hard Rock And Metal?

So I don’t read a ton of books. I have a book beside the toilet that I read a few pages from every time I end up in that location for a few minutes. It has taken me years to get even half way through. I have too many things to do to spend the amount of time most guys do in there reading. When I was in school I was like a crack head though. I used to drive the librarian nuts. I was in there all the time looking for my next fix. Over my 3 years I spent at one school I read pretty much every story they had to offer. In 3rd grade I had a kid tell me I couldn’t read the entire volume of Encyclopedias the teacher had in the classroom. I said “I bet I can!” So I did. No joke. I read every page. Yes I was even nuts as a kid.

So despite my insane lack of time, I really miss books. Well I found a great new dealer. It’s this website called Audible. It is owned by Amazon. They do audio books. I remember the first time I heard about audiobooks. It meant a huge stack of cassette tapes. A book was just one book, so I kept with the print version. Now audiobooks mean one file on a tiny media player. So I have started listening to my books instead. It has let me bring back my former addiction. My first purchase from Audible was a book I had heard about from several people. Now let me first say that I think that motivational speakers are a bunch of annoying parasites who are more full of crap than television preachers stealing grandmas Social Security check. But Gary Vee is not really a motivational speaker. I despise motivational speakers, but yet I found him inspiring. I think that is because he is just a guy who tells a good story and has had an interesting life. The book Crush It has been called a motivational book by many, but I think that discredits the book and devalues it. It is just a guy that was born into a very poor immigrant family. His dad came to America expecting streets paved with gold. Instead he ended up being a stock boy for a liquor store. He then worked his ass off until he had used the contacts and knowledge he gained from that job to open his own store. By this time a very young Gary started helping dad with the family business. Gary has now taken over the family business and turned it into something so powerful it is changing the wine industry. He signed a 10-book deal with HarperStudio for over $1,000,000 and I think that this book is just the beginning.

Now I have only listened to the audiobook and I have to say that I have zero interest in the print version. Why? I think the audiobook is the better deal.
Gary goes “off script” constantly while doing the audiobook. Does he do that in the print version? I don’t think so since that is the script. The audio has things in it that are missing from the print. So even if you get the print, buy the audiobook and do a “read along with Gary” thing. Otherwise you are missing out.

Now many might wonder what the hell some wine guy has to do with a blog that talks about music, music industry, and advice for bands. Well, a lot! Because the book makes the point that it is all about passion. It is about how to focus your passion into a profitable business. If you don’t think that has to do with your band and it’s struggle to succeed than please stop reading this blog. If you can’t make that connection than you will never get it and you will never make it. Every musician that reads this blog must go buy a copy of this book “Crush It! Why Now is the Time to Cash in on your Passion,” now! Just stop, go buy this book, and when you are done tell me I’m wrong. I dare ya!

CLICK HERE to buy the book!

To Gary Vee: Thank you for your inspiration. It is a big part of why my passion and life long dream has been turned into HeavyAsHell.com Can I get a phone interview? Also, ever thought a Metal podcast would want to interview you?

Top 10 Tips To A Good band Name

Ok, so as a follow up to my “Top Ten Worst band names Ever!” post, here is my top 10 tips to a good band name. I figured it was only fair since there might be a few of you second guessing calling yourselves “I went To The Store To Buy A Grape For Lunch”. Please notice that I am calling these tips and not rules. Why? Because rules are made to be broken. Tips are something to consider. So sure there will be exceptions. I know there are great bands that defy these tips. That is why they are just tips. Not rules. For the most part however, they hold true and should be strongly considered.

1. Keep it short.
Although a one word band name will most likely end up with you in court with ten million other unimaginative losers who thought of the same band name, you don’t want anything too long. Two words is a little more safe, but three words is the limit! Anymore than three words and your band name is very likely a inside joke that will get old very fast and most won’t even get. This will cause most people to just dismiss your band before they even hear the first note. You say the band isn’t serious anyways? Most of the greatest bands around were started off as just something to pass the time. So make sure the band name isn’t something you will think of as a curse when things shockingly get serious.

2. Can You Chant It?
Try chanting the name Slayer. Pretty easy eh? Now try chanting any of the bands from my worst band names list. Sucks, don’t it? Even if you are playing to 100 friends at the local tavern, you will want a name that will remain fun to chant for years to come.

3. Is it taken already?
Check every source you can. Check Amazon to make sure there isn’t a cd from a band with that name. Then check Wikipedia. Then check MySpace music section. If you are a Metal band check Metal-Archives. They have a database of Metal bands that is so big it is ridiculous. Check Cd Baby too. Then check to see if you can get the dot com domain. If you can’t get the dot com website don’t bother. Once you check all of those, grab those spaces as soon as you can before someone else does!

4. What Does It Say About The Band?
I hate to reference Slayer so often, but what does that name say about the band? They are going to slay! You know right off the bat they they are not some wimpy acoustic folk band. There was a local band around the Seattle area in the 90’s called Forced Entry. What does that say about the band? What does Trans-Siberian Orchestra say about that band? With that you know it is going to be some epic music with some really well thought out arrangements. You know that there is going to be some really great orchestral instrumentation. Pick a name that sends the right message for the band.

5. Make sure it doesn’t sound like that other band
So if you have a band name that confuses people into thinking you are another band, you will get some pretty ticked off people showing up at your concerts. Imagine if a band was called something like “Epic Nirvana”? Or how about “Anthrax Exodus”? That last name might be good for a Thrash Metal tribute band, but otherwise it would suck the taint of a dead pigeon (if a pigeon has a taint)!

6. Don’t use any brand names
It might be funny to name yourselves “Microsoft Blue Screen” for awhile, but the joke will get old when the lawyers come knocking at your door.

7. Enough with the name dropping!
I have seen a trend where bands will use a famous actress or actor in their band name. Stop it! It makes it hard for your fans and friends to find you on the internet because all they will find is that actress. It also might land you in court. Plus, joke names get old really quick.

8. No swear words
Notice how many of these rules could be reduced down to a rule of “No joke names”? They get old real quick and create more problems than they are worth. You will have a hard time putting up flyers, coming up in search engines, getting on even the local band radio shows, or even sometimes getting shows.

9. Think about search engines
In this day and age you need to think about search engines. Do you have at least one word that will help your band own that “phrase” in search? I have to say that I thought the band name Arkaea was stupid at first. Then I started putting it into search engines to research for an interview with the band. They always came up first because it isn’t a real word. They made the word up so they wouldn’t have to compete with anyone in any way. Smart guys I have to say.

10. Can fans spell it?
Yes, I know I just gave the band Arkaea points for coming up with a name that gets great Google juice, but I have to look up Fear Factory every time to remember how to spell the damn thing! Your band won’t have that reference, so make sure people can spell it!

Now I know that if you try to think of a band name that fits all these tips you will drive yourself crazy. That’s ok. A little insanity has done Ozzy well, right? Seriously, if you have the imagination to write great songs this should not be a problem. I remember a few years ago people started complaining that all the good website domain names were taken. Since then my wife and myself have grabbed RockMyMonkey.com, HeavyAsHell.com, QueenOfCheese.com and many others. If you have the imagination it will happen. If you can’t pull off a good name, you don’t have what it takes to write great music anyways. This is the first test. Will you pass?

Top Ten Worst band names Ever!

A band name is a tricky thing I know. First off you need something that hasn’t been taken yet. The best one word band names were taken a couple decades ago. Slayer, Bitch, Overkill, Motorhead, and many more. A band with imagination however can still come up with something cool. Look at Goatwhore! That has to be one of the best band names in history and they have only been around since 1997!

So what makes a great band name? Look for another top ten list coming very soon to this blog! Until then here are the Top Ten Worst Band Names EVER! In case you think I made any of these horrid names up, I have linked to the websites of each and every one of them. Enjoy?

1. Iwrestledabearonce
Ok, I have no issue with the gay connection. Rob Halford is gay and one of the coolest people I have ever had the pleasure to interview. But that is more like a sentence than a band name. Try and chant their name for a few seconds and then try and chant Slayer and see which one roles off the tongue better.

2. Scary Kids Scaring Kids
Why not just be Scary Kids? This name is just plain retarded. It shows zero imagination and that is something a band might need people to believe they actually have.

3. Horse the Band
Ok, so the band name Horse was already taken? Why not something like “Horse Rider” or Horse Trainer” or “Horse Lover”? Now that last one I might be able to believe.

4. I Set My Friends On Fire
Really? Now this could be used as a cd title and no one would have said anything. Sure it’s about as stupid as it gets but it sounds like a cd title. Not a band name.

5. Attack Attack!
Ok, so if a band name you want has already been taken, just repeat it until you can claim it as yours? If this band was talented at all they could have come up with a better name.

6. The Devil Wears Prada
Now I interviewed this band a few weeks ago and even they regret the name. While many may get the message of anti-materialism, most will just think they named themselves after a stupid chick flick.

7. The Number Twelve Looks Like You
I understand that this is a name taken from the title of an episode of the The Twilight Zone. But it is still lame as hell. This is another one that might pass off as a really weak cd title. As a band name it just smells like yesterdays diapers.

8. Circle Takes the Square
Seriously? They named themselves after a cliche from a game show my grandma used to watch? A band name should make a statement and this band obviously wants you to know they both suck and blow.

9. See You Next Tuesday
Yes I know that this is a reference to C U Next Tuesday. Which spells out the word you never call a female unless you really want to piss her off. Most of the bands on this list have a band name that would make a worthless cd title, this band name would have made a great cd title. It’s just a bad band name.

10. Starring Janet Leigh
Have we run out of ideas this bad? Really? Do I even have to say why this band name screams a lack of the same imagination that is required to make good music?

Podcast Review: This Week In Start Up

So there are several podcasts I listen to religiously. I think I should start blogging about the best ones and tell you people why I care about these shows. Many of the readers of this blog will have no clue who @jason is or why he is so damn important. Well, he has kicked off tons of tech companies and made more money than most of us will ever see. He is addicted to starting new companies and kicking maximum ass. He is also just as addicted to helping others gain the level of success that he has. He is never one to hold back information, tips, and tricks to us dreamers. Unlike 99% of the people who like to spew advice, he actually knows what he is talking about! I have learned a ton from listening to his 2 hour weekly (sometimes twice a week) podcast This Week In Start Ups. If you see me use the hashtag #twist on Twitter, that is what I am talking about.

Grain Of Salt
He is more about tech companies that have tech product, so not everything will apply to you bands and music industry types that read this blog. However, a ton of it does! It is about doing business on the internet. His advice centers around helping people create the next Google, YouTube, or Facebook type company. So doing the Hard Rock and Metal websites I end up releasing don’t fit everything he says. But because it is about doing business on the internet a ton of it can be used. In fact most of it should be heard by anyone trying to run any business on the internet. He tells people they have to move to Silicon Valley. Well, that is one of the rare things I don’t think fit me. My “start up” is more of a music site than a tech site. Silicon Valley can’t give two shits about Hard Rock and Metal. Honestly there is probably only a few other things that he says (on a regular basis) that I dismiss.

Cut The B.S.
There are several that prefer to dismiss him as an arrogant ass, but I think they do this out of insecurity. Jason is a man who will make you feel a little insecure if you do not have your shit together. If you have not done your research he will call you on it! He pulls no punches and some misconstrue that as arrogance. But think about this. If there is someone who knows a ton about business and is willing to guide you, how would you want them to act? Would you want them to spare your feelings? Would you really want kid gloves? Not if you want to succeed! He is brash, harsh, and sometimes over confident about things. In the end though, you know where he stands. People talk all the time about how they want to cut through the bullshit, but when someone does they call them an asshole. Jason cuts through the bullshit and you know where he stands. I respect that.

So why should you all start listening?
I don’t care if you are a band, webzine, record label, music press agent, or whatever else. You run a business! He talks about business. He knows what he is talking about. If more people in the music industry listened to guys like Jason the music industry would not be having the problems they are. So please just listen to a few episodes and see what you think. His podcast feed seems to be the slowest download on the net, but it is worth it. It also seems to kind of mess up when using some podcatchers. My podcatcher keeps trying to download episodes I listened to weeks ago. But it doesn’t download a single byte. It just lists it as trying to download it. Small price to pay for such great content though. Highly recommended to anyone doing business online. As with all the podcasts I listen to, it is free. There is also a great video version that is even better if you have the time.

Important Links:

• This Week In Start Ups – The point of this entire post
• The Jason Calacanis Weblog – His personal site
• Mahalo – His current web start up company
• TechCrunch50 – Great Start Up conferance he co-hosts
• Open Angel Forum – Another tool for Start Ups he founded
• @jason – His Twitter account