Grammy Award Nominations

MunckMix is thrilled that 3 of our live recordings from the 2008 New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival have been nominated for 2008 Grammy Awards!  In addition to offering a well deserved artistic nod to the three nominees, the Grammy nominations (and 3 of them!) also demonstrate the incredible caliber of performances so typical of the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival.  The 3 Grammy nominees are:

- BeauSoleil & Michael Doucet for Best Album in the Cajun/Zydeco Category
- Del McCoury Band for Best Album in the Bluegrass Category
- Steve Riley & The Mamou Playboys for Best Album in the Cajun/Zydeco Category 

We extend our warmest congratulations to the nominees and hope that all of you who read this consider taking a trip to the Crescent City sometime to attend the New Orleans Jazz Fest.  It will be an experience you'll never forget!

A Return to Basics

Gone are the days when album sales were the main source of artists' incomes.  Nowadays, musicians make the bulk of their income from performing - whether at clubs, theaters, or arenas.

In a way, a musicians life is reverting to the basics, much the same way it was over 300 years ago during Mozart's time.  In those days musicians earned their income from performing, or from being "sponsored" by kings, bishops, and aristocrats.  Today, everyone from the smallest bar band to The Rolling Stones rely on their live performances for the bulk of their income, and the sponsors now have names like "Jagermeister", "Shell" and "Miller Lite"!

Sales of recorded music through traditional retail channels have declined to nearly half of what it was just a handful of years ago, and the downward trend continues.  However, thanks to the rapid change in technology, the volume of recordings distributed through non-traditional channels are up.  These channels include everything from a band selling demo CDs in a bar to...live recordings distributed by MunckMix!  Fans and music lovers still have a great appetite for good music, and they are searching out live performances to satisfy it.

We will continue our mission to make more live recordings available to music lovers at a fair price, while helping musicians generate auxiliary income from their live performances.  To see what's new in our offerings, check out our on-line music store at munckmusic.com.  The recordings are available on CDs as well as DRM-free downloads so they can be played on any iPod or device of your choice.  New artists and concerts are posted continuously.  Have a great concert season, and enjoy the music!