JPF Home Page Forums General Messages Brian Austin Whitney Blog Wednesday, October 31st, 2012

Welcome to Just Plain Notes
Just Plain Notes: Volume 2.002, October 31st, 2012
Written by Brian Austin Whitney
Visit the Website: www.jpfolks.com
Mail CD's @ 5327 Kit Drive, Indianapolis, IN 46237
Copyright 2012 Just Plain Folks Productions.
Just Plain Folks Member Population: 50,119
Just Plain Folks on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/JustPlainFolks
Brian on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Brian.Austin.Whitney
Brian on Skype: Brian Austin Whitney
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Would you like to join the JPF Networking Message Boards? It's quick and easy. Just click the link and choose a password and user name and you'll be posting in no time! We'd love to hear from and about you. You can get peer feedback on your music or lyrics, find people to co-write with, get answers to just about any music related question and promote yourself and your gigs on the appropriate boards. It's a very friendly place where 20,000 of your peers hang out!

To register: (It's a separate registration from JPF membership):
http://www.jpfolks.com/forum/ubbthreads.php?action=agree
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Just Plain Quotes:


"Ancient Rome declined because it had a Senate; now what's going to happen to us with both a Senate and a House?" -Will Rogers

"I'm not going to be the person I am expected to be anymore" -Blue de Chanel

"Most people are other people. Their thoughts are someone else's opinions, their lives a mimicry, their passions a quotation." -Oscar Wilde

"Show me a failure and I will show you someone getting closer to not failing."
-Brian Austin Whitney

My Take:

I am back in the USA and of course we're in the middle of two massive events, the US Presidential election and the aftermath of a storm known by the name of "Sandy." As our US membership is as split on politics as the rest of our nation, I will simply say that negativity about candidates on both sides leave a feeling of doom no matter who wins. But that's often based solely on the opinion of oppositions forcing their own biased narrative, usually having little to do with truth no matter which side you are on. And all of this venom boils over and causes friend to hate friend and family member to disavow family member all too often based on a lot of false propaganda.

Contrast that with the storm that just hit 25% of our US population very hard. The results of which are cold hard facts. And as bad as those facts are (and they ARE bad), people of all political stripes come together and lend a helping hand without any of the manufactured animosity that has been heaped on us over the past 6+ months.

So what does this have to do with you? More than you might realize. We often base our feelings as artists on criticism from those who may have agendas, who may have a lack of true knowledge of what you're even doing or who simply can't envision that your way of life could or would even deserve to succeed much less thrive. Many of us let this negative propaganda dominate our decisions or hamper our movement forward. And it's often all a bunch of hot air from people who don't know any better.

On the other side of things is legit and measurable criticism and feedback based on a desire to help you move forward efficiently and effectively. They help you with finding and growing your audience as well as offer an education on creative techniques that can solve problems in reaching your real artistic vision and potential. Sure, the facts, much like the storm, might sometimes be against you, but when you are dealing with reality and truth, you can come up with an action plan and make tangible progress towards making the best music and finding the largest audience for what you do possible. If the truth says you failed, I say show me a failure and I will show you someone closer to not failing. And with facts rather than baseless propaganda on your side, success may be closer than you realize.

Brian, back home in Indiana, October 31st, 2012! Happy Halloween!

Learn, Succeed and Thrive. We're all in this together!
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Table of Contents:

If you live in one of the areas affected by the storm and happen to see this, please check in and let us know how you are doing on the JPF message board linked at the top of this newsletter! You are all in our thoughts!

01. Support our Sponsors: It's a win/win/win!
02. Just Plain Folks finally has a Facebook Page!
03. 2013 Just Plain Folks Music Awards Early Entry Information

Note About Our Website: We are working on a brand new Wordpress style website which we can use to feature your videos, bios and music files. Don't be fooled by the outdated home page which shows our 2009 Award winners. It's simply a placeholder until we launch the new site. The message boards are very actively daily!
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2012 Just Plain Folks Community Partner Sponsors!

Disc Makers: Nobody makes CD or DVD manufacturing easier and no one delivers faster. When you need CD or DVD replication, short-run duplication, complete printing and packaging options, sturdy duplicators and printers, or affordable blank CDs and DVDs look no further. They've got it. They also now handle licensed merchandise for you (t-shirts, hats etc.). Mention you're a Just Plain Folks Member and get a $50 Discount off your initial CD Orders! Sign up for a free catalog and booklet on Mastering your Music, Achieving Success and the Fast Forward Newsletter at www.discmakers.com/jpfolks

TAXI: The world's leading independent A&R company, has been successfully helping Songwriters, Artists and Composers get their music heard and signed by top Publishers, Major & Indie Labels, and Film & TV music supervisors since 1992. TAXI, is your best bet! See them at www.TAXI.com.

CDBaby: The best place to sell your CD's or music files on line. They also have the best on-line hosting service called Hostbaby. Nobody else even comes close. See them at www.CDBaby.com and www.Hostbaby.com.
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Just Plain Folks (Finally) Has a Facebook Page:

Okay, so I avoided it for a long long time. But I finally gave in and dipped my toe into the Facebook world. I barely have my own page and the JPF page is mostly a stub so far but I'd love to have you join us. And, anyone who considers themselves a Facebook expert, please help us out to build a nice community page there! Like the page or better yet, join us there! Here's the link:

Official JPF Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/JustPlainFolks
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2013 Just Plain Folks Music Awards

We are waiting for some information from our long time partners before we can launch our next music awards. If you are chomping at the bit and simply must send you music in right away, we always accept your CD's in hard copy form if you wish to send it to us. Right now is the calm before the storm so here's what you need to include if you'd like to submit your music for our next awards. We'll hang on to it (as we have all previous CD's received) until the next cycle begins.

Inside your package, please include ALL contact info including full name and position (singer, artist, drummer, manager, publisher, attorney, whatever), your full mailing address, your phone number and cell number, and if your CD case does not include a listing of all song titles and songwriters, including whether or not the song is a cover or public domain, you MUST include a listing of this information for your music to be considered in the awards process. Please include your contact info on the physical CD's itself (meaning unwrap it and write it with a sharpie or in some other clearly readable way) because CD's are quickly separated from their cases in our screening process and if your CD has no contact info, band name, album name and song listing, we may not know who you are and would have no way to find you.

Once you've met those requirements, you may also include band bios or whatever else you want (I collect JPF band/artist T-Shirts and/or Hats so if you want to send me one, I wear 3X shirts).

Send the package to Just Plain Folks, 5327 Kit Dr., Indianapolis, IN 46237.

We do NOT return CD's and we cannot do feedback or critiques simply because we receive thousands of CD's a year and during the awards the numbers are much higher. But we do listen to all the CD's we receive in the order we receive them.

Note to those waiting to enter digitally: We will announce info on the digital entry process ASAP. Please be patient!
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Copyright 2012 Just Plain Folks Productions

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