Independent band Stars Go Dim! Can they compete with the likes of Train or The Script

As a music lover, I find nothing more exciting then hearing and discovering a new band long before my friends. With a few of them gathered around and I crank up the speakers, a slight smirk appears across my face as the first note fills the room...I don´t even need to question if they´re going to like it. Bragging rights do come into play when a week later I notice that those same friends have now added that particular band to their playlists and they´re singing along to every song.

One particular discovery over my time with Fame Games has been the 4-piece Tulsa group Stars Go Dim. What kills me about SGD is not only their sound, but lyrically...they stand far and wide from most Billboard 100 artists. Take for instance current top radio aritst Kesha´s Blah, Blah, Blah... "Just turn around boy, let me hit that, " and then later, "Come put a little love in my glove box." Yup, that´s exactly what I would want my daughter to be hearing the car on the way home from school. I could go on and on with just that song...check out the lyrics and see what you think!

The brilliance behind Stars Go Dim´s debut CD Love Gone Mad is that the album is one long love story from Song 1: Get Over It all the way to song 12: Walk On. This is more than just 12 songs selected for an album, it´s a complete experience with a beginning, middle and end!

But, let´s face the facts, can an Independent band as good as SGD really and honestly compete with top radio bands of today like Train or The Script? If money and promotion was on an even-keel, would Stars Go Dim stand a chance? Follow this link and listen to a few of their tracks and let me know! Or click here to listen to one of my favorites, it´s their title track Love Gone Mad.

Saving the World from Bad Music,
Kristen

Sacrifice, Making It, Hard Work & Honesty

I've been following this guy Bob Lefsetz for awhile now and he never ceases to inspire me.

Perhaps if you need some extra wind in your sails today this particular article will inspire you too!

Hugs,
dj crier xx

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I don't like to write after midnight anymore, I end up so jazzed-up, so laden with adrenaline that I can't fall asleep for hours. But standing in the kitchen eating pineapple I realized that Howard Stern does what Johnny Carson used to, before David Letterman reinvented late night TV as scripted comedy bits and the informational interview bit the dust.

I couldn't leave the car. I wanted to hear what Lewis had to say.

They were talking about the Tonys. Lewis blew a gasket. Thought the whole show was an advertisement not to come. Was he bitter? You betcha. He wrote forty plays and made no headway. Even now that he's a famous comedian they won't produce his plays. He's written three books, but Broadway just doesn't give a shit.

He didn't turn to comedy until he was forty. Well, he didn't go professional until then, he worked stand-up on an amateur level. Now he's 61 and he headlines theatres, goes on the road in a bus with a road manager and a merch guy and a sound guy...he can't get over the fact that 2,500 people a night come to see him, he's thrilled.

Making it...

Howard asked Lewis if he resented the low brow comics. I figured Howard was referencing Dane Cook, but Lewis talked about Larry the Cable Guy, from twenty years before, when he was working under his real name. Lewis said he couldn't resent the guy, even though he was horrific then and funny in an horrific way today, because Larry did the work. Every morning he woke up and called radio stations.

And then there were the great comedians, like Dom Irrera, who never got their due, never broke through.

Howard put it to Lewis directly. Did he sacrifice his whole life, not get married, not have kids in pursuit of his dream of being a playwright.

OF COURSE!

He was a schmuck in his parents' eyes. He borrowed money from his more successful brother. Girls thought it was cool he was a playwright for three dates, and then dumped him.

Making it is so hard. You've got to do the work. And then sometimes it still doesn't happen.

And it sustains only when you're honest. Lewis gave shit to the baby boomers, said we should invade BP like we invaded Iraq. He was testing the limits, intellectually, and it was stimulating.

I get it, I get it, Howard Stern can be juvenile, talking about farts and doodies, but if you don't think he's good, just look at all the people who tried to follow in his footsteps and failed, like Diamond Dave and Adam Carolla.

Howard's a pro. His show is as well-oiled as Letterman's. But instead of poking fun at life, Howard Stern's show is life itself.


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Fame Games Announces FREE Radio Special

(JUNE 2010) – Envision Radio Networks® in collaboration with Meer Music International are pleased to announce a FREE two hour radio special from Fame Games Radio, available now for advance broadcast during the month of June and Independence Day Weekend. Hosted by DJ Crier and Paul Sedkowski of Fame Games Radio, the radio special features music from the hottest artists of today with a spotlight on the new up and coming bands that they support and love.

The Fame Games team will be joined by the members of Green Day, Dave Matthews, Sting, Ryan Dusick of Maroon 5, and Simon Cowell’s big brother and biographer, Tony Cowell. The special will feature smash hits from bands and artists that include John Mayer, Jason Mraz, Coldplay, and Paramore. Stars Go Dim is one of the most popular and played bands on Fame Games, and they’ve got the ear of John Mayer who has been very supportive of his protégés as they recently toured with him on his Mayercraft trek. We’ll hear new music from the band and additional new music from Two Spot Gobi (Jason Mraz calls them his “superband”), Fame Games artist Will Champlin (part of a homage to the movie Twilight), and All Day Sucker.

The Fame Games Radio Special is FREE and available for broadcast via internet download, beginning Wednesday, June 2nd through July 5th. Contact Matt Wardlaw at mattw@envisionradio.com or 216-831-3761 for broadcast details.

Fame Games is the exciting international radio show that offers unsigned and independent artists a platform for worldwide exposure while turning radio listeners on to fresh talent and original music via the highly interactive Fame Games website.

Broadcast twice daily, Fame Games has an international audience reach of 200+ countries with daily 5 minute competitions broadcast on radio stations each day, Monday through Friday. An additional one hour broadcast each weekend collects the best artists from the weekly segments to compete in the weekend finals.

Visit www.famegamesradio.com for more information.

Envision Radio Networks® provides content and services to more than 1,000 radio stations and reaches over 40 million listeners weekly. Envision Radio Networks, Inc. is the largest independently owned affiliate relations company in the country and supplies all types of programming and services to radio including morning show prep, short-form vignettes, live syndicated morning shows, long-form weekend programming, comedy services, remote broadcasts and event programming, off-air tools and web content, album releases and artist specials. Envision Radio Networks® is based in Cleveland, Ohio, with offices in New York City and Los Angeles.

Contact: Matt Wardlaw (Broadcasters only)

Phone: 216-831-3761

Fax: 216-514-4699

Email: mattw@envisionradio.com

Web: www.envisionradio.com

Get Envision Radio Networks press releases via RSS: www.envisionradio.com/pressreleases/?feed=rss2

ERN on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/EnvisionNews

Fame Games Artists please contact:

Paul Sedkowksi, paul@famegamesradio.com, or

Laura Krier (dj crier), laura@famegamesradio.com

The Fight for Airplay

It's Laura (dj crier) here! I know, where the hell have I been? Well, as usual, keeping my nose to the grindstone, leading Indie artists in the fight for airplay, and let me tell you, it's a good thing I've had some army training. *flexing my muscles* ;)

It's been almost 6-months since moving from ABC Radio Networks to our fabulous new network, Envision Radio Networks. During this time Envision have been pitching the show to stations all across the USA, getting feedback for the concept and for your music. It is an up-hill battle. The biggest challenge we face is convincing stations to not be so fearful of new music... Then again, some say it's all about money, power and familiarity. "Put a celebrity on the show" "Throw $250k into marketing" ... Sell your soul to the devil.... (Ah yes, sell out... Not here, not us, no way.)

Little do they know that our flagship stations in Europe - most namely Spectrum FM (105.5FM / 92.6FM and their new station on 106.3FM) are totally rocking out to Fame Games. I can also tell you that 75% of requests on the show (and we get a lot of them!) are for Fame Games acts: Beta Rays, Full Turnout, Derek Stroker, Stars Go Dim, Chix 6, Marc Black, Philos, Krista Herring, Will Champlin, No Second Troy, Oliver Pigott ... I could go on and on! And the listeners are split right down the middle for who will win the Season Finale - Team Stars Go Dim vs. Team No Second Troy. It's such a thrill to speak to our listeners and be affirmed by their involvment and excitement for your music... for new music.

It's as we always suspected - listeners are starved for music that they can relate to. For artists and bands who stand for something, who have edges, who are are human and aren't just another sound alike act spit out from the corporate music conveyor belt.

In fact, I'm so proud to tell you that Spectrum FM are going where no station have gone before and will be putting winning Fame Games acts into rotation this summer. Spectrum is also in the midst of re-branding the station. A new website is to follow that will include on their menu bar the Spectrum FM "Talent Search" - a concept we're developing as fast as we can that will have localized Fame Games pages for every affiliate's website. These pages will also help local artists and local venues hook up, draw crowds for gigs and raise support and awareness of getting your music on local radio regularly, i.e, voting for your music to be aired on Fame Games!

Yes, our European affiliates LOVE you and love the show... and it's about time!

Four years ago a mission was thrust upon us to lead Independent artists in the fight for radio airplay. From a bedroom studio we created a website and a radio show, invited our closest friends to help with it & within a few weeks we had hundreds then thousands of Independent artists & bands seeking us out. Getting signed to ABC Radio Networks in 2008 seemed like the answer to our prayers, but again, it was the beginning of an even bigger battle.

And here’s the thing, everything we have built – the website, the community, the database, the show, the core mission – it’s all grass roots stuff borne out of the huge cry from the Indie community that says "What about our chance to be heard?" After all, cover singers have American Idol, but what do songwriting artists & bands have? (Sorry for the comparison, but hey - A.I have done a pretty good job of making a lot of singers successful in the past decade!)

To our loyal and dedicated Fame Games community, please know we are fighting day & night to get your music on-air. We are fighting for the mission to give the best Independent artists and bands a radio platform to be heard. We are fighting for you to have recognition for your talents so you you can get the gigs, the music sales and have a fighting chance to build an artistically driven and musically creative career.

But the old saying is true - nothing good is ever easy. Your continued support of us at Fame Games during this extremely challenging time means the world to us. So keep spreading the word, visiting the website and hey, drop me a line! laura@famegamesradio.com

Big hugs,
Laura (aka dj crier) xx


Coming Up - something else we've been working on!
Exclusive - Fame Games 2-Hour Special featuring some of the hottest artists of today and the acts from famegamesradio.com they support and love! Special appearances from Ryan Dusick of Maroon 5, Green Day, Rob Thomas, Sting, Dave Matthews, Sheryl Crow, Tony Cowell and Johhny Rzeznik of the Goo Goo Dolls.

Fame Games Update: May 24th, 2010

Fame Games Update: This week Fame Games will be airing reruns of week 253. You can listen to these episodes by visiting http://www.famegamesradio.com/.

FAME GAMES will resume current shows from edition 257 as soon as all new U.S. stations are aligned.

Meanwhile, MAKE SURE you listen to all the shows you have time for. On the front-page player, click on ´´Recent Shows´´ or on the extended front page, click on the weekday tabs to get to hear the latest as well as previous shows, where you can also read (and write) reviews and vote. Stay tuned!

Artists are still sending in great original songs, head over to the website and check these songs out in the auditions, backstage and greenroom areas. Support these artists by voting for them, friending them on Facebook or signup as a reviewer and review their songs! Support the mission, support independent music!

Lotsa luv
The Fame Games crew
xxxxx