Headline Artists - Boot Camp

In response to ongoing requests to manage bands, I have worked on a programme that will allow me to pass on knowledge and assistance to artists and bands who are interested in elevating their product’s levels of professionalism. As a result, we are proud to announce the launch of Headline Artists Boot Camp!

The idea behind this programme is quite simply to help you prepare for a career in the music industry. Originally designed with musicians in mind, this programme will suit support personnel as well, including managers, publicists and agents.

The programme will be accompanied by a workshop to be held over 2 Saturdays (in successive months), commencing at 10am and ending at 1pm. Workshop attendance is compulsory for all band members/artists intending to participate in Boot Camp.

The total duration of Boot Camp will be 3 months and during this time you and your band will be included in the Headline Artists stable as a ‘managed band’. You will operate as a Headline managed band, except that you will be responsible for your own booking throughout the duration of Boot Camp. This, with the exception of one show at the end of the 3 months to be organised by Headline Artists at either: Mercury, Zula or Assembly.

At the end of the 3 month Boot Camp, a full management contract with Headline Artists will be negotiated based on the band’s performance during Boot Camp, workload limitations of the agency and the band’s willingness to continue the relationship.

For the duration of Boot Camp you will have access to Headline Artists facilities and regular bi-weekly consultation sessions will be available to you and your band members, upon request.  At these meetings you will receive mentoring on strategic planning for your band and your career and you will be provided with the tools necessary to build a sustainable brand.

The Boot Camp Workshops will cover the following topics:

1.       Industry Entities:

-          Song writers

-          Performers

-          Recording Studios

-          Manufacturers

-          Retailers

-          Performance venues

-          Promoters

-          Band management team

-          Producers

-          Engineers

2.       Business model for your band:

-          Is it necessary to have a manager, lawyer, agent, publicist, publisher etc? Roles and relevance in the industry.

3.       Starting your band:

-          Content ownership

-          Prepare for departing member(s) or break up

-          Structuring tasks and responsibilities

-          Preparing material; rehearsals; practice (what’s the difference?)

-          Booking your first show(s)

-          Effective booking schedules

-          Short, medium and long term strategic planning

-          Building your brand

4.       Marketing initiatives / Technological developments:

-          The digital landscape

-          Marketing platforms on the web

5.       Recording contracts:

-          Basic contractual terms

-          History

-          Current trends

6.       Potential revenue streams:

-          CD Retail

-          Merchandise

-          Live performance revenue

-          Performance rights organisations in SA / Royalty revenue streams

-          Synch licensing

-          Publishing

7.       Recording strategies:

-          WHEN to record

-          Producer Engineer

-          Studio costs

-          Manufacturing

-          Technological developments in recording

Principle contributors to this programme will be Brian Currin of Brian Currin Online Marketing and myself. We will be joined by guest speakers from various areas of the music industry, who will be sharing their personal knowledge and experience of their areas of expertise; previous contributors have included Peter Lacey, Musketeer Records and Theo Crouse, Bellville Studios.

Costs for the programme will be R1600.00 per month (per band) and will include workshop fees and all consultation sessions with me for the duration of Boot Camp. Fees will be paid monthly in advance.

Please indicate your intention to participate in Boot Camp by mailing  headlineartists@gmail.com and you will be furnished with details of date and venue (which are reliant on the numbers attending) of the introductory workshop.

Please note that should artists choose not to join the full Boot Camp programme, but are still desirous of participating in the workshops, they are open to the public and will cost R600-00 per person per day.

I look forward to your participation,
Sean Wienand

Black Moscow

As of February 2011, Black Moscow are under Headline Artists management.

Black Moscow started in May 2010, aiming to make music that is intelligent and without pretense. The band has a solid grounding in musical theory courtesy of guitarist Marc Röntsch and bassist Luke Otto’s training at The South African College of Music, UCT. The line-up is completed by guitarist Stephen Alfreds - a graphic designer; drummer Rob Ruhrmund - who owns studio and production house Def Empire; and Xavier Van Der Zandt - who performs vocal duties and is a freelance writer and student at UCT.

Links for Black Moscow:

 Facebook | Vimeo | Twitter | Soundcloud

Audio Portfolio

We are in the process now of updating our online audio portfolio. Selected songs by our Managed Artists can be found on our Soundcloud Page

Links to each artists' individual Soundcloud, where applicable, can be found via the Headline Artists page.

Stonecollar Managed by Headline Artists

Press Release by Stonecollar:

Stonecollar are proud to announce that they have signed a management agreement with Headline Artists! The band is looking forward to joining the Headline stable and working closely with their team.

Sean Wienand & co have been running Headline Artists since 2006 with many more years industry experience behind them. 2011 will be a big year for Stonecollar - launch & promotion of our debut album “Trial by Fire”, many crazy shows...and rock domination!

We will do this, together with Headline Artists and the amazing ‘Collar Crew (more info on the album launch show to follow in time to come...)

Stonecollar

Stonecollar is an exciting up and coming hard rock band based in Cape Town, South Africa. It features Léshem Petersen on bass and vocals, Sean Tait on lead guitar, Clinton Jurgens on rhythm guitar and Bryan Nicol on drums. Their sound is characterised by heavy riffage, bluesy melodies and distinctive vocals, supported by solid drumming and meaningful lyrics.

The Stonecollar story started when Clinton and Bryan started jamming early in 2004. The sound they came up with was heavy, but strongly influenced by Southern American blues, the roots of the rock genre. It took two years' worth of auditions to find a singer that suited the style. Léshem's vocal training, impressive range and soul background gave his voice a melodic quality not often found in rock bands, plus he was a mean bass player. They began jamming regularly in rented studio space and called themselves Stonecollar. The final hurdle was to find a lead guitarist who, after several disappointing auditions, finally arrived in the form of Sean Tait. His creative and technical solos rounded off what would become the distinctive Stonecollar sound.

Links for Stonecollar:

Website | Facebook | Reverbnation

Art's Not Dead - The Movie

On Wednesday 1st December 2010 Art played his farewell show at Mercury Live. The events surrounding the lead up to this show, including the gig itself, were documented for "Art's Not Dead". This includes interviews with musicians who have played in bands with Art, backstage footage and the live recording of the performances by Coal, Andy Lund, V.O.L and Three More White Guys.

This documentary is being screened at the Labia on Monday 21st February 2011:
Art's Not Dead - Premiere Screening

The premiere reception for this film will take place from 18:00 for 18:15. Tickets cost R20. There are limited seats available and booking will be opened soon - join the Facebook Page and RSVP to the event page to be kept up to date.

Kill Disco

Constantly flirting with elements of pop punk, swing and dirty rock, Kill Disco are a young, fresh, alternative, rock band hailing from the South of Cape Town, South Africa.

Kill Disco burst onto the Cape Town music scene as "The Kings of Vegas" in the summer of 2007, quickly becoming a crowd favourite, with their energetic live performances and infectious brand of rock n roll. They changed their name to Kill Disco in 2010.

More recently, they have shared the stage with some of South Africa’s hottest bands (Cassette, The Dirty Skirts, Taxi Violence, Shy Guevaras and The City Bowl Misers).

They were also very well received at Splashy Fen Music festival (Oldest SA Fest), where they brought the house down during their fierce live performance. So much so that the preproduction Demo of their first single “Murder under the Mirrorball” was included on the festival compilation CD.

Kill Disco completed recording in Serotonin Sound Studios, for their much anticipated debut EP album, entitled "Murder Under the Mirrorball". The EP was released in August 2008.

The band officially began late in the winter of 2006. Zack Emmanuel (Bass) joined up with childhood friends, Wesley”Doonk” Daniels (Drums), Wesley Currin (Guitar) and Ryan Weiderman (Guitar), formally of Scarlet System. Four became Five, several months later, when Richard Kronk (Vocals / Synth), former front man of Humanera, joined to complete the line up and Kill Disco was born. The boys draw from an eclectic base of musical influence and styles, which culminates into their unique brand of music.

Links for Kill Disco:

Website | Facebook | YouTube

Coal

With themes of nursery rhymes, dark tales, Irish fables and legends of men going off to war - never to return - Coal create an ethereal, dark and subtle romantic mood for the audience in both their music and their stage act.

Allow them to seduce you with their vocal harmonies, transport you with their music and mesmerise you with their performance.

"There's something shiny under that Coal"
Mike Smith, Your LMG

"Word was out about this band long before they even stepped on stage for the very first time and Cape Town’s music lovers arrived in their droves, enough to pack out the Mercury Lounge. All expectations are that this band will very quickly fill in a large gap in SA music left by the departure of Lark (and before them Fetish). I for one cannot wait to watch them grow."
Jon Monsoon, Your LMG

"Breath-taking requiem of post-rock, shoe-gaze and baroque pop... this powerful combination of virtuousic musicians arouses both fervour and anguish, a soundtrack to the perfect tragedy"
Girl Banned, Your LMG

Links for Coal:

Website | Blog | Facebook | Soundcloud | Twitter

Heroes Wear Red

A band born of melody, song writing maturity and focused vision, beyond its mere three year existence. This is the pedigree with which HEROES WEAR RED presents its self to the world.

As is the developmental process of a band, HEROES now finds its self settled, in the form of a four piece, able to create melancholy, light and shade, with the precision of pop appeal.

HEROES, founded by bassist Gavin Wienand and vocalist Timothy Kroon, prove to be a formidable song writing team, rounded off by the new addition of drummer Patrick Smith and guitarist Tumi Mothei. The subtle use of programming, combined with energy of a rock band that delivers strong pop songs is a formula which proves to be fresh and widely appealing.

2008 saw the independent release of the band’s debut album, “SURVIVING SEPTEMBER”. The limited and exclusive release to retail will in 2009 step up a gear.

HEROES have joined forces with MUSKETEER RECORDS to further improve on the success of this already critically acclaimed album. Co- produced and mixed, with additional programming by American producer Rae Dileo, known for his work on Filter, Veruca Salt and Henry Rollins, to name a few, brings international quality to the album.

HEROES plans to carry its sound work ethic into a new phase of this album with national tours and a new wave of promotion. Exclusive merchandise, new and unreleased material on line, and videos all to come, NOW is the time to listen!

Links for Heroes Wear Red:

Facebook | Website | Myspace | Twitter

The Sleepers

Formed in 2003, The Sleepers have been gathering a rabid following with their incendiary live shows. They have cut their teeth playing regularly in and around Cape Town, gracing some of Cape Town’s renowned stages.

Their releases (2005’s Still EP and their debut album A Signal Path 2008) have been well received. Reviews and interviews have been featured in Levi’s Music Magazine, One Small Seed Magazine, The Cape Argus, Your LMG, Independent Newspapers and Blunt Magazine.

In late 2010 they released a free download of Luminaire One (exclusively available online in partnership with Channel24) and are currently recording more material for their next release.

Links for The Sleepers:

Website | Facebook | Blog | Myspace

Wendy Oldfield

Wendy first made a name for herself on radio performing the hit 'This Boy' with rock outfit ‘The Sweatband’ in the early eighties. After further success with songs like ‘Tonight’, ‘Shape of Her Body’, ‘This Boy’ and many years of touring and performing, she left the group to start a solo career.

Her first solo album ‘Beautiful World’ set the wheels in motion for a succession of hits, including 'Real World', 'Acid Rain', 'Miracle' and 'Don't Stop Believing'. Wendy's vocal performance on the album won her the Octave award (1992) for Best Female Vocalist and a nomination for Song of the Year (Miracle).

Wendy also branched out into composition and arrangement, writing soundtracks for commercials, film and television. She was nominated for an MNet film score award in 1995 and wrote soundtracks for Leon Schuster’s “Sweet and Short” and “There's a Zulu on my stoep”. Her song Acid rain was chosen as the theme song for a 180 episode series “Nature on Track” which has appeared on networks around the world.

In late 2008 a collection album was released with 13 of Wendy's most performed tracks, including 2 previously unreleased tracks – Lilah and Burden.

In October 2010, Wendy released the ambient world music album – In The Womb – and has also completed work on the first single, New Dress off her still to be recorded album. The new album will be an ongoing and quite organic project, according to Wendy, and it is intended as a ‘single-by-single’ release. The intial phase will see singles being released primarily through digital formats culminating with an album manufacture process that includes ‘value-add’ items for the fans.

Wendy performed at the opening kick-off concert of the Soccer World Cup and wrote the theme song for the launch of the Gautrain in 2010.

Wendy signed to Headline Artists Management group in June of 2010 and joins Musketeer Records in November of the same year. These developments underscore the fact that Wendy continues to challenge herself with the projects and business developments within her versatile and exciting career.

[Wendy's full biography is available on her website, linked below.]

Links for Wendy Oldfield:

Website | Facebook | YouTube | Soundcloud