from the press release:
New York — July 14, 2010 – The New York Songwriters’ Circle (NYSC) founder/artistic director Tina Shafer, and business partner Billy Gaus, today announced plans to dramatically grow the 20 year old company and expand services beyond its New York City roots. Immediate changes include a new company name, SongCircle, a distribution and label services agreement with EMI Music, a new community Web site (www.songcirclemusic.com), and the addition of seasoned music industry professionals David Chidekel, a partner with the law firm Ritholz Levy Sanders Chidekel & Fields, LLP, to head up business, legal affairs and business development, and well-known music publisher and artist manager, Allan J Tepper, to run the company’s publishing and licensing business.
Different from any of its competitors, the SongCircle is a hybrid online and offline community, part MySpace, part American Idol and the best of old school music business entrepreneurship. The SongCircle site is unique in that it offers musicians, songwriters, recording artists and fans all over the world the opportunity to network online as well as to participate in SongCircle’s live performances and educational events. The online platform also acts as a virtual “farm team” to identify and direct the best aspiring artists through the SongCircle’s unique music charts as well as monthly live performances in major US cities, including New York, Boston, Philadelphia, Chicago and Los Angeles, and assists musicians with distribution, publishing, merchandising and navigating licensing networks. Ultimately, the most successful artists will participate in the SongCircle’s worldwide talent contest and possibly go on to become the next global superstars.
“We have always been known in the music industry as a company that finds, nurtures and develops great talent,” said Shafer. “We are now in a great position to market, promote and sell the music created by our talented recording artists and help them achieve their goals.”
“This is a tremendous opportunity for us to continue to build on the rock solid foundation that has been laid over the last 20 years,” said Gaus. ” Through our new relationship with EMI, as well as with major music publishers, booking agents and managers, we are now ideally positioned to properly launch the careers of Mieka Pauley (our year 3 contest winner), Reed Waddle (John Oates protégé, and year 4 winner), as well as the forthcoming 2010 songwriter winner who will be announced in November. And this is only the beginning.”
About The New York Songwriters’ Circle:
Led by Tina Shafer for over 20 years, the New York Songwriters’ Circle has been producing and directing bimonthly shows at the legendary Bitter End club, in New York City’s West Village. Through its international talent contest, The Circle has launched the careers of notable artists such as Kate Voegele, Company of Thieves, Norah Jones, Jesse Harris, Lisa Loeb, Vanessa Carlton and Gavin DeGraw. The circle has quickly become one of the most popular music events in Manhattan, attracting not only the best up and coming songwriting and performing talent from around the world, but also becoming a beacon for top music industry executives looking to discover “the next big thing.”
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