Bruce, as you know,I'm neither a musician, nor a recording vocalist, nor do I aspire to be a musician or a performing vocalist. Furthermore, I have never held any paid or volunteer position in the music world or in the public relations field. I am "just" a person who likes various types of music. I am also a person with a curious mind who finds the subject of the changing world of marketing music interesting from an intellectual standpoint. And I'm a person who has a friend who is a singer songwriter, musician who I want to see do well in this business because he is my friend, and because I believe his music is very worthy of being heard by others.

Bruce, I appreciate your response to my question about whether you had an agent or a business manager. But you didn't answer my question about what folks can do besides purchase your CD, and visit your YouTube clips, your website, and your MySpace page.

From my position of being on the outside looking in at your quest to break into this business again, it seems to me that one thing that I and other well meaning people can do-and have done-is to continue to offer you encouragement to keep on keepin on. And it seems to me that another thing that well meaning folks who know you or who know of you can do-and I'm certain have done-is to offer you suggestions.

Of course, you probably will,and probably should, discard 9/10s {oh okay, maybe 1/2} of the suggestions that I and other people make. But some of these suggestions may be helpful to you in the short or the long run.

I'm sure that I don't need to remind you that you wrote this post
in the Bruce Murdoch CD-Matter of the Heart thread that invited people to share any recommendations that they have about your MySpace page. My assumption is that you are also open to suggestions about your music in general or the way that you might further your goal of breaking into the music business again. And I fully recognize that it is your call to accept or reject any or all of suggestions that folks might make since this is your art and your life and your business and not ours.

I gather from your comments that you don't have as much access to the Internet as you previously had. So perhaps this thread can serve as a one stop place for practical {business} or aesthetic suggestions for you-if Mudcat members or Mudcat guest have any such suggestions.

And, Bruce, I'm certain that it won't suprise you to know that I have some suggestions for you. Following my suggestion about one purpose for this thread, here are four suggestions for your consideration:

1. Your feature for purchasing your CD is not prominently displayed on your MySpace page. Also, there's no way that a person can purchase individual songs, but I recognize that may be something that you might not be able to do at this time.   

**

2. The instructions on your MySpace page for purchasing your CD lead to your website. Imo, those instruction aren't forceful enough and those instructions involve too many steps. In addition, imo, those steps for purchasing your CD work against your best interests {that is to say, your wallet}.

Currently your instructions for purchasing your Matters of the Heart CD read:

"If you wish to purchase a CD and do not have Paypal, simply e-mail me at:

irishancestry{at}*gmail.com

I will send you one. You can then send $20 via cheque or postal money order.

Thank you.

* the {at} is substitution for the email symbol
-snip-

First of all, imo, it seems to me that you are downplaying your product. Imo, these instructions are written in such a way that they imply that folks are doing you a big favor by purchasing one copy of your CD. Why for instance did you say "I will send you one" {CD}? It's possible that a person might want to purchase more than one CD, you know. It's not what you say but how you say it. It seems to me that this wording is another example of you being too modest about your music. Folks aren't doing you a favor when they purchase your CD. You have done them a favor and made the world a better place by writing and recording your songs.

Secondly, you're receiving a request from folks {many of whom-I would assume-are unknown to you. Let us say three unknown people send you two separate emails requesting one CDs a piece. According to your instructions, you then have to pay the shipping and handling for those CDs, and then-when those unknown people receive your CD-you have to trust that they will send you the purchase price for those CDs. This is absolutely not good business practice.

I would have liked to have seen some short reviews raving about the CD on that page, and then something like:

Purchase Matter Of The Heart CDs!

Send $20.00* for each CD to:
irishancestry{at}*gmail.com

"Matters of the Heart"- beautiful, heart warming music for all those who are in love or have loved.

*Purchase price includes shipping and handling. Allow up to two weeks for receipt.

-snip-

Moving right along, suggestion #3

3. I'll repeat what I posted on that Bruce Murdoch CD-Matters of the Heart thread: It seems to me that your old songs could help push your new songs.

I'd love it if you could feature one of your old songs {such as "Come Across To You"} and "Rough Night In Jericho"} on
your website-perhaps one at a time, in rotating order. Although there is a write-up on your page that mentions your prior recordings, imo, the point that you previously recorded a number of wonderful songs, isn't as prominently featured as I think it should be on that page. And there's nowhere online where people can hear those great songs. Consequently, some people may reach the erroneous conclusion that you are just starting out as a singer/songwriter.

Bruce, you have fans from the past who are longing to hear your songs again. I hope that there is some way that you can show that you recognise that you have written some songs twenty years ago or more that folks still want to hear today, and that new fans can appreciate if they had opportunities to hear them. It seems to me that you not acknowledging that people still love these songs shows that you don't care as much as you should about your fans, and also seems to me that you are acting like you're starting from stratch in music when you're not.

**

4. Finally, Bruce, your MySpace page has two photos about you in your firefighting role. One of those photos mentions a calendar. It seems to me that you are missing opportunities to do targeted marketing to firefighters/first responders throughout Canada, the USA, and elsewhere. It seems to me that-at the very least-the information about you in your role as firefighter needs to be better integrated {more prominently integrated?} on your MySpace page-and your website-and more information needs to be posted about that calendar. For instance, what is this calendar, who benefits from its purchase {is it the fire station that you volunteer with?} and how do folks purchase that calendar if they are so inclined to do so? It seems to me that a secondary benefit of promoting that calendar, and your role as a volunteer firefighter/first responder would be to promote your music.

-snip-

Again, I'm offering these suggestions to you knowing that you can take them or leave them.

Regardless of your response, I wish you well.

-Azizi