Country music was popular amongst the people in rural areas of the west and south. This music evolved from ballads and folk tunes. Country music is commonly referred to as Hillbilly music, country, western music or country and western. It comprises of a wide variety of music. Whether people listen to classic or contemporary country music, the Internet is an excellent source of free country music downloads.

With the development of Internet technology, the music industry has benefited from online music sources. Free Internet resources offer vast collections of country music that can be downloaded by following very simple procedures. The best method to find these searches is to ask around for authentic sites or collect information regarding them from reviews and magazines. Free country music downloads are a popular selection. The time taken to download a song varies and depends on the size of the file and speed of the Internet connection. The downloading procedure is effortless and automated.

Search engines offer a huge list of free country music downloads. Most music collectors prefer to download their music in MP3 format. Free downloads allow people to build their own unique music collections and may even offer classic numbers that are difficult to find elsewhere. Free country music downloads allow choose the songs or albums they want easily, rather than seeking things out that stores may not even have.

When involved in free country music downloads, it is important to keep in mind the legal repercussions of violating copyrights by downloading from a peer-to-peer network. It is advisable to assess authentic websites only as music piracy is a punishable offence.

Country Music provides detailed information on Country Music, Country Music Lyrics, Country Music CDs, Country Music Videoes and more. Country Music is affiliated with Classical Music Downloads.

Country music used to be associated with cowboys and cowboy singing ballads under a setting sun. However, all you have to do today is watch one of the thousands of country music videos to realize how the country western image has changed. Country music offers fans all kinds of performing artists like Johnny Cash dressed in black singing about his prison days, or Shania Twain’s sassy, country rock. Country music means a lot of different things to a lot of different people and you can see it all on video.

In the U.S. there are at least three cable network dedicated to the genre of country music. CMT, VH-1 Country and GAC are widely followed by music enthusiasts in the nation. These stations feature country music videos, and they offer entertaining programming that includes the history of country music and the latest gossip about country music stars. One stations featured the Country Music – Music Awards and the best music video of the year went to “As Good As I Once Was,” by Toby Keith, directed by Michael Salomon.

If you ever make you way to the Country Music Hall of Fame in Nashville, Tennessee you can view live videos in a theater like setting presented by hosts like bill Cody. These videos present artists who have defined country music in the past as well as today. A new show is taped and performed live each week. While visiting this famous landmark, you can also tour the historic RCA Studio B where superstars like Elvis Presley, Chet Atkins, Eddy Arnold and the Everly Brothers once recorded.

The Festival is organised by the Playa Chiquita Lodge and is a grand affair that lasts for about a month. The Festival typically falls between the months of March and April, and the concerts and performances are held on weekends in the amphitheatre at the Playa Chiquita Lodge or any other adjacent areas. Regardless of the exact locations, particular effort goes into ensuring the ambience is conducive for the festival events.

During the Festival, there will be numerous performances by local artists and bands. The genre of music features is diverse, from reggae to classical to local. Each year the range broadens and changes, encompassing more and more music from all over the Caribbean. You will surely be mesmerised by the quality of music, which has been consistently excellent for the past few years since the inception of the Festival.

Although music is definitely one of its celebrated highlights, the Festival does not solely focus on music. Dance performances and dance recitals are also held to ensure an exposure of all forms of art. There are also a series of workshops offered throughout the month to teach music to local children as well as to foreigners who are willing to give it a try. Most importantly, there is an important emphasis on food. The experience would not be complete without the superb traditional Caribbean cuisine which you are supposed to enjoy as you chill out at the concerts.

The Festival definitely provides a unique travel experience, especially for those who love Caribbean arts, music and cuisine. It is also an opportunity to meet up with people who share similar interests, as the Festival draws people from all over the world. Besides the Festival, Costa Rica has many other tourist attractions that can occupy you on your way to or from the Festival.

Most of us know that Loretta Lynn grew up as a Coal Miners Daughter. In fact, she was born in Butcher Hollow, Paintsville, Kentucky on April 14, 1935. Her parents were Melvin and Clara Webb. She was the second oldest of eight children, including a younger sister who is also a country music star (Crystal Gayle).

Not quite 14 years of age, Loretta married Oliver Vanetta Lynn (who is commonly known as Mooney). They promptly moved to Washington. By the time Loretta was 17, they had four children. At the young age of 29, Loretta was all ready a grandmother.

Like most performers, Loretta began her musical career by performing in clubs. Her big break came when she entered a performing contest in Tacoma, Washington. The contest was hosted by Buck Owens and was seen by Norm Burley who was founders of Zero Records. He arranged a recording session for Loretta in Hollywood where she recorded four of her songs: I\’M A HONKY TONK GIRL, WHISPERING SEA, HEARTACHE MEET MISTER BLUES and NEW RAINBOW.

On Feb. 1, 1960, Loretta Lynn signs her first recording deal with Zero Records. Also in 1960, Loretta made her first appearance on the stage of the Grand O\’le Opry.

In 1962, Loretta Lynn was signed with Decca Records. Her single SUCCESS rose to number six on the country music charts. This began her streak of top singles that stayed on the top ten spots for the rest of the 1960\’s and throughout the 1970\’s as well.

In 1966 Loretta\’s song YOU AIN\’T WOMAN ENOUGH was the first song that hit the charts from a feminist point of view. It took country music and music itself by storm. Soon her music became more personal and she began telling more about her own struggles as a woman and as a wife. (DON\’T COME HOME A DRINKIN, WITH LOVING ON YOUR MIND).

But her most controversial song may have been THE PILL which she released in 1974 and was about birth control.

Loretta Lynn will also always be remembered for the songs she recorded and the relationship she had with the legendary performer Conway Twitty. They began singing together in 1971, to their fans delight. From 1971-1975 they had five consecutive number 1 hits: AFTER THE FIRE IS GONE, LEAD ME ON, LOUISIANA WOMAN, MISSISSIPPI MAN, AS SOON AS I HANG UP THE PHONE and FEELING.

In 1976, Loretta Lynn, released an autobiographical book entitled: COAL MINER\’S DAUGHTER. The book quickly rose to number one on the New York\’s best sellers list. In 1980, the book was turned into a movie and Sissy Spacek starred as Loretta. (Sissy won an Academy Award for playing the role) The movie was a favorite among fans because they were able to learn more about the struggles that Loretta, the woman, the wife, and the singer faced throughout her life. It may have even caused the fans to love her more, if it was possible.

Once you’ve saved enough money for this excursion, there are then further worries. Unless you are a regular visitor to recording studios, you may not quite know what to expect. You may not be able to communicate your ideas for your sound clearly to the engineer, who really only understands technical jargon.

As the hours tick by, you will be under the stress of wondering if you’ll be able to complete your project before your money runs out. Artists under stress don’t generally perform well, but you won’t hear this because you’ll be out there performing, instead of listening to the performance.

If you have also hired musicians in for the session, you’d also better be a good personnel manager. The longer they have to sit around waiting to be told what to play and how to play it, the more it is going to cost you!

It is in your best interest to use a studio that is the best you can afford. But have you taken the above problems into consideration? Have you planned out your time in the studio in the fullest detail? Do you know enough about the multitrack recording process to know exactly what tracks your song needs? Are you, or your band rehearsed enough to play every track on its own, and in perfect time with all the others in the arrangement? Can your drummer play to a click track? Or do you have detailed drum parts already programmed for your songs? Have you written detailed score sheets for all the session musicians? Do you know what kind of sound they need, and what style to play in? Have you already tried out various mix ideas and sound effects at home, and know how to explain these ideas to the engineer?

If not, you will most likely end up with a recording that isn’t quite what you expected. And it will have cost you a small fortune! At best, you will get a good recording that sounds something like you thought it would. But does it sound original to you? Has it captured your unique sound, and conveyed the essence of what you are as an original artist? Does it convey the emotion of the song correctly to the listener?

There is another way to approach the recording process that will solve all the above problems, and could even get you a professional recording for FREE!

All the above jobs are part of the work that is generally done by a PRODUCER.

A producer is someone who has the experience to hear, not just the music, but the essence of what you are as an original artist.

A producer will know instinctively when you have made the perfect take, and will get you onto the next stage of the process without having to waste studio time playing back every take first.

A producer will have your whole sound in glorious 3D in their head before a single note is played.

A producer will have the technical knowledge to know how to translate every part of the process to something the engineer can understand.

A producer has a long list of business contacts who he can call upon at short notice to add whatever is necessary to make the sound you need … session musicians, arrangers, writers, synth programmers, track editors, equipment rental companies.

Sounds expensive, doesn’t it?

Not necessarily!

Although some producers will charge a flat rate for the job of perhaps several thousand pounds (or dollars!). Many work from their own studios, with their own “in-house” session musicians for a royalty plus expenses. Therefore, they become somewhat like a “record company”. They will produce a recording for any artist they see potential in, in the hope that their recording will eventually be signed to a major label and make money. Of course, in these instances, you will still have to pay the studio and session musician costs.

Sometimes they will even do the whole job for FREE, or for a minimal flat rate to cover expenses. How can they do this? Well instead of taking a royalty from your advance or sales, they take ownership of the copyright in the sound recording they make. This is fair, because, after all, they put a lot of their own money and special skills into the making of it. So what do you get in return? Of course, you get full use of the recording for your promotional needs!

Furthermore, many producers with their own studios, now also have their own record label. Wobbly Music is one such producer. Whilst you are looking for a recording or publishing deal elsewhere, or whilst promoting your record as an independent artist, your producer will have the right to sell the recording (from which you, as the artist or composer, will be paid royalties) in order to try and recoup their losses or even profit from this mutual deal.

There are now a great number of producers doing deals similar to this. It means you can have a demo made, or release your own recordings for little or no money up front, whilst still retaining the freedom to sign with whoever you wish, or remain as an independent artist. So in effect, you will have a record deal working for you to earn extra royalties in the background, whilst you concentrate on doing what you do best, which is writing and/or performing great songs!

Since this kind of arrangement may not be costing you anything, it is worthwhile trying a few different producers to see whose ideas and style of production gel best with your own view of yourself and your sound.

All producers have their own unique style, just as you, as an original artist, have yours. This “sound” can be heard throughout all their productions with various artists. Look for a style that seems complimentary to your own. In other words, don’t use a Hip-hop producer to make your records if you are a Country artist!

Many good producers have a wide range of musical skills, and may also be able to write lyrics, compose melodies, write arrangements, or even play various instruments, such as guitar, piano or drums. All these extra skills could be utilised to give your recordings an extra edge at minimal, or no extra cost.

Finally, now that you are off to find your own producer, here are some things to avoid…

Don’t rely on pictures of their studio, and lists of top quality recording equipment to tell you how good they are as a producer. Any piece of specialist equipment can be hired if necessary. A good producer can produce radio-ready recordings on even the most basic equipment, whereas a poor producer, will not achieve such good results on even the best and most expensive equipment.

Don’t sign with a producer who doesn’t make samples of their previous work available to you. You need to know what experience they have, and get an idea of the audio quality and styles that they can produce.

Don’t sign with a producer who comes solely from a DJ background. These producers specialise in remixes of existing records, or “beats”. Not in the creation of a new artist’s unique sound, or a recording from scratch.

Don’t sign with a producer who specialises in a genre of music that is totally different to yours … Unless you want to change your style to that new genre!

Don’t sign with a producer who has no creativity or commercial flair of their own. You don’t want a producer who is just going to record everything exactly as you already have it, just to please you. A good producer will see things that you have missed, and will add hooks and sounds to your songs that will attract new listeners, and interest from music industry professionals.

Don’t sign with a producer who is asking you to assign publishing rights to your songs. You want to be free to sign your songs to record companies or publishers who may be able to do more for you in the marketing or promotion of them. Once you assign the copyright of your songs to someone, they have exclusive rights to them for the duration of your contract, or even for perpetuity! All a producer needs from you, is your written permission to record your songs, and perhaps sell their recordings or release them on their own label. If so, make sure you get at least the statutory mechanical royalties (currently 6.5%) from these sales!

Don’t sign with a producer who only works with one set of musicians. Although many have their own preferred set of “in-house” session musicians, there will be times when your music wont be suited to the way these musicians play. Make sure that your producer has a wide range of musical contacts to draw from.

Don’t sign to a producer who promises to make your song into a hit record. Even if the producer has already produced several hits, there is no guarantee that your song will be a hit. Marketing gurus and sales teams make hit records, not artists and producers!

Finally, some producers may ask you to sign an exclusive contract for a certain time period (perhaps 1-5 years). These producers must also be “song-pluggers” or “promoters” who need to protect their interest in you whilst they are working to get you a deal with a major label, using the recordings they have produced. Before signing any exclusive deal, always have the contracts looked over by a lawyer specialising in the music business. Make sure, by examining the production company’s track record, that their promise of a major deal looks likely to happen within that time period. You don’t want to be wasting five years of your life whilst your best songs are sitting on someone else’s shelf, doing nothing!

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If you are a Country music writer, you can go to a Nashville demo studio and get amazing sounding recordings using top Country music session musicians. If you are only pitching songs to that specific market, that is great, but every recording they produce sounds like the last.

If, on the other hand, you think your music has wider appeal, or you are a performing artist yourself, you will want to be noticed in the crowd across a wider marketplace. You need to accentuate the part of your sound that is unique to YOU. A good producer will be able to recognise that which is unique to you, and will make sure that your recordings take advantage of that.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Lynn Monk has experienced over 30 years in the music business as a musician, concert sound & lighting engineer, DJ and record producer; and is now the proprietor of Wobbly Music. An indie record company dedicated to supporting the “Mature Independent Artist”. Lynn can be contacted at lynn at wobblymusic dot net

Find out more about our artist services & recording contracts, at http://www.WobblyMusic.net

Learn all the Internet marketing techniques that will help you to be successful as a recording artist, at
http://www.DoThisToWin.com

Learn how to acheive a residual income as an affiliate to support you whilst you are building your music business, at
http://www.Music45.com

Rock/Pop/Hip-Hop

Where would any serious discussion of contemporary Canadian rock be without including Nickelback, originally out of Hanna, Alberta, but now based in Vancouver. With smash hits like Photograph and How You Remind Me, its hard to come up with a more successful Canadian group over the last few years. Ontario based Shaker is an up-and-coming act that is beginning to show great promise. Their first full-length release, Throw Your Good Side On, is scheduled to be released this year (2006). Shaker reminds me of a less-bluesy version of The Black Crows, however, the inflection of vocalist Daniel Brooks is like nothing so much as a latter day version of fellow Canadian vocalist Tom Cochrane. Nelly Furtado continues to impress with her latest effort, Loose. As usual for Furtado, she continues to explore new ground with her songwriting and looks to continue doing so well into the future. Vancouver based Jakalope is an interesting act that fails to be categorized, alternately sounding like anything from The Smashing Pumpkins to Evanesence to a methed up Madonna, they never fail to be interesting. In the world of hip-hop, no Canadian group seems as poised for superstardom as Dead Celebrity Status. Their first album, Blood Music hit the streets to great reviews. Originally formed as a duo, Project Wyze, in 1988, they have since added mix-master DJ Dopey and have shared a stage with Ozzy Osbourne and Public Enemy. Their impressive performances have given them the juice to add appearances by Dave Navarro, Joss Stone and Bif Naked to their recordings. I failed to mention Crash Test Dummies, one of the more promising bands from Winnipeg, due to the uncertainty about their future status. They were enormously influential from about the mid-1990s to their last release in 2004. It is unfortunate that apparently artistic differences have taken their toll on the Dummies.

Country/Folk

Canadian singers have made tremendous strides in country music over the last several years and dusky voiced Kathleen Edwards is no exception. Her 2005 release Back to Me won her critical acclaim in the U.S., appearing on the David Letterman and Jay Leno shows and opening for Bob Dylan and the Rolling Stones. No less interesting, though decidedly more alternative, the Cowboy Junkies have made a career of turning country music on its head. From sultry renditions of Patsy Clines Walking After Midnight on their 1998 disc The Trinity Session to the folkie Two Soldiers from 2005s Early 21st Century Blues, which is eerily reminiscent of the 1970s protest anthems of Dylan and Lennon. Ontario bred Grievous Angels is certainly one of the most interesting country acts to come along in recent years. Blending new beats, along the lines of the country-pop sounds of Keith Urban and the Dixie Chicks, with the twangy sounds of early 1970s country music. Unfortunately, their once promising career appears to have stalled with the entry of singer Charlie Angus into the political arena having been elected to Parliament in 2004. It is hoped that once Mr. Angus has served his term that he will return to making music once again, however, at this time that prospect remains uncertain. One also cannot forget the irrepressible k.d. lang, though to refer to her as a purely country act would be selling her short. Langs amazing vocal talents have been employed on everything from contemporary country to torch songs to pop standards and back again. Her versatility and vocal range are legendary and not listing of Canadian musicians would be complete without her.

Other
Alas, this article is too short to be truly inclusive, but I could not get by without listing two of my all-time favorites. Sue Foley and Diana Krall are two of the most impressive musical talents Canada has to offer, and as a citizen of the U.S., I must thank Canada for these two wonderful chanteuses. Foley, a blues guitarist/singer/songwriter from Ottawa, honed her chops primarily in Austin, Texas, but oddly enough, is rarely recognized in the U.S. except amongst blues enthusiasts. A true virtuoso on guitar with an unusual but delightfully reedy quality to her voice, she has managed to impress some of the biggest names in the business including, B.B. King, Buddy Guy and Koko Taylor. Sues latest CD, New Used Car (2006) was recently released to excellent reviews. Diana Krall, who hails from Vancouver, is as lovely to look at as she is to listen to. Enchanting is the best way to describe her hypnotizing smooth Jazz sound. She really broke through in the U.S. in 2000 when she toured with Tony Bennett. Her work with Elvis Costello (who she married in 2003) served to further increase her popularity. Though she currently resides in New York, she has maintained her Canadian citizenship and was made and officer of the Order of Canada in 2005