Media matters

Some recent news for bands who like to keep up with the latest means of communication, beginning with good news for anyone wanting radio airplay, especially in the US:

New Cuts of Bluegrass is a service designed to deliver the latest releases from the bluegrass world to radio stations, DJs and programmers. Each month, New Cuts of Bluegrass will compile song releases from major labels, independent labels as well as independent artists on one CD. These compilations will be mailed to over 400 radio stations including traditional, internet and satellite broadcasters. New Cuts of Bluegrass’s comprehensive distribution ensures an efficient way to get new music into the hands of Bluegrass Radio. Contact New Cuts of Bluegrass today to be included in next month's issue!

Contact New Cuts of Bluegrass by e-mail or 'phone (+1 615-294-6536).

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The young US band Nu-Blu proudly announce their new free 'smart phone' APP, now available on iPhone and coming soon for Android. This is the first APP by a bluegrass band and offers fans direct interaction and access to the group, plus live feeds from the original Bluegrass Blog, WorldWideBluegrass.com, Napster, Last FM, and Nu-Blu News. The APP is sponsored by D'Addario Strings and includes a special endorsement video that can also be viewed at the band's youtube page. See all the details here.

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Fans of the Toy Hearts (UK) can read and/or download their December 2010 newsletter here, with exclusive behind-the-scenes footage from the video shoot for the recently released single 'Femme fatale', the title track of their latest album!

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Brian McNeal, host of Prescription Bluegrass Radio, announces the creation of a brand new radio program called 'Front Page Bluegrass', a syndicated weekly news digest of events and happenings in the world of bluegrass music. According to Brian, 'There are plenty of ways for folks to find out what's happening on the internet with blogs and e-mail alerts, but it was hard to find something specifically tailored for bluegrass radio broadcasts.'

'Front Page Bluegrass' is a 90-second audio feed containing current bluegrass topics such as CD release information, awards, bluegrass milestones and more, and is available free to any terrestrial or internet radio station. The feed will be available each Monday morning on the Prescription Bluegrass Blog.

'This is really a service for those bluegrass radio listeners who don't keep up with things like the Internet and its blogs', McNeal said, noting that the average age of the bluegrass fan is almost parallel to the baby-boomer generation. McNeal, a veteran broadcaster of more than 30 years, said the program has been in the testing phase for the month of December, and will launch officially on Monday 3 January 2011.

Bluegrass and country music radio broadcasters interested in carrying 'Front Page Bluegrass' should contact McNeal (e-mail) for specifics to subscribe and download the feed, but no contract agreements are necessary.