The Sign of Sia
I caught a glimpse of GLEE last night on TV (no really only a glimpse). It had the Glee club member singing with a group of kids who were also signing the words to Imagine. All very nice and all that, but I couldn’t help but think of the glorious Sia who delivered one of...
The Sound of Fonts
When we describe the business value of Sonic Branding to clients, inevitably conversation gets round to comparing our approach to creating the sonic identity of a brand to the work involved in creating the VISUAL identity of a brand. There is nothing more visual in the visual identity of a brand than the font. And...
Wake Up Everybody…RIP Teddy Pendergrass
Time out from music marketing, sonic branding and looking after… Always been a big fan of Harold Melvin & The Blue Notes. Teddy Pendergrass at his best…
The Sound of Brands and The Bells, The Bells…
Been contemplating the sound of bells. Not the whiskey (not a fan) the big things that hang from churches… Now I am not someone who is a fan of campanology. I am fascinated by the role that church bells have played within certain communities. These seems to be three purposes for the bells. A time-keeper,...
RATM vs Joe: They are on the same label. So what are you raging about?
So the biggest fake fight for number 1 is thankfully now over. Rage Against the Machine is the Xmas number 1, instead of the X-Factor winner Joe something or other. We can all pat ourselves on the back to show how democracy and the power of crowds can overcome the establishment. Power to the people?...
Is this the DIY Xmas number 1!
Since citizensound set up, we have been providing more and more help to artists: From old school A&R services to fanbase management, from songwriting help to brand sponsorship and revenue generation ideas. Which is why we set up our Artist Development division. Then we met MIA ROSE, a talented singer/songwriter and a youtube phenomenon. Besides...
Perfect Bedfellows
DIY culture is throwing up some interested new record labels, that are more than just labels, but are building on the relationship with the visual arts. Home Tapes, based in Portland, Oregon is home to a group of bands and musicians such as left field Hip-Hop stars CYNE and the excellent Slaraffenland, and a bunch...
Dear Musician & Brand – Is your sound irresistible?
Robert Wolf, London musician and drumming teacher to my son, is finishing up his album right now. Getting noticed is a big challenge for every musician, but there was something he said to me today that really resonated. He said is is going to make his music sound irresistible How many musicians aim for that?...
Dear musicians – Does album running order matter any more?
Once upon a time, artists struggled with the perfect running order of the songs for the LP (that’s a big round flat bit of plastic that sound came out of when it came in contact with a needle, and often came packaged in hideously/beautifully designed cardboard). Which songs should be on side 1, which on...
And the winner of the 2009 Mercury Music Prize is…
…Speech Dabelle. Wish I’d had the common sense to put a few quid on this, the citizensound favourite for this year’s Mercury Music Prize. And YES once again we got it right! Former Mercury Award winner and fellow citizen Paul Martin, who won it with Roni Size Reprazent in ’97 (famously beating Radiohead’s OK Computer)...
See me, Feel me, Touch me, Hear me….
I admit to being a teenage vinyl junkie. The way the sleeves looked and felt, the way the vinyl sounded, and even smelt, made it a truly sensory experience that became almost a life long obsession. But in the late 80’s, like so many, I was lured by the portability and ease of use of...
The Sensory Experience of a restaurant
Been around for a while but still the concept of a restaurant that shuts off your ability to view food is a splendid thing. The Nocti Vagus restaurant in Berlin provides an experience of food that demands you to depend on your sense of smell, taste, sound and touch. Much like Gordon Ramsay goes on...
