Vision Music USA is a proactive and progressive music service firm with the interest of their clients the driving force that makes them successful. President Josh Epstein and CEO Nick Stamoulis are focused on helping the Independent artists to maintain control of their career by saving them time and their hard-earned dollars. Josh took some time from his busy day to talk to me about their growing company.

MuzikMan: How did you and Nick meet? What interest and goals did you share that brought you together? What are your backgrounds and what qualifies you to provide all of these services to Independent artists?

Josh: Nick and I met in Boston. I was working as the Publicist at the Mama Kin Music Hall co-owned by Aerosmith. Nick and I care very much about music and musicians. Both Nick and I have always wanted to work in music. Specifically, we want to work on our own terms. Individually we have worked with people who care more about money then actually helping artists. We have seen hard working musician’s be deceived by manipulators posing as true professionals. Our goal is to own and run a company that is a true resource for independent musicians. We both bring very specific talents to our company. Vision Music USA is Nick and Josh. A major prerequisite to gaining employment with Vision is to share not only our beliefs but our work ethic.

What qualifies Nick and I to assist others with their careers is our ability to relate to the artist. We have both spent several years in the trenches, similar to hard working musicians. Nick and I have worked in several key aspects of the music industry (booking, radio, marketing, artist development, promotions, management, etc). As the Showcase Coordinator for the NEMO Music Showcase and Conference I evaluated over 2,000 bands and musicians. I credit my ear for music and my eye for critiquing press kits to that conference. We chose to work with independent musicians for many reasons. One, with our assistance they might not be independent for long. Two, we have always wanted to provide the resources independent bands need to take their career’s to the next level. This is what is so exciting. This is what makes going to work a pleasure. It’s knowing that you are making an immediate impact in someone’s career.

MuzikMan: Where did you get the name Vision Music USA? How long have you been in business and how does an artist know that you are the real deal and really a “No Bullshit Firm” that you profess to be? Do you have actual testimony from customers that supports that statement?

Josh: Vision is simply the artists own vision. It is where they perceive their career is headed. This is all before we start with them. Once we start with an artist we take their vision to the next level. Vision Music USA has been in business for about two years. “No bullshit firm” is Nick’s idea. It is very true. It means that we don’t give the artist the runaround. We know how important their time is. We see it as a privilege to be working with the people we do. An artist sees this when the two owners of the company are constantly involved or supervising their project. We are very proud of our testimonials. When our customers take the time to express their happiness with our work it truly makes our day. All of our customer testimonials are on our website.

MuzikMan: What happens if a particular artist is not satisfied with something you have done, what is your recourse?

Josh: The customer is always right. I learned that at an early age from my father who owned a clothing store. We make our clients feel like family. If there is a problem with a portion of a service we do our best to appease the situation. Nick and I will always find an amicable solution for both parties.

MuzikMan: Are you both available to communicate with on the phone or by e-mail during normal business hours? How long does it take you to respond to a clients query?

Josh:e are very busy. However, we are very accessible. Nick and both give our email addresses out freely. If we are busy, our procedure is to return all calls in 24 hours. For the most part, most people contact us and our employees via email.

MuzikMan: What made you decide to take the chance, quit your day jobs, and make this a full time gig? Most people are not willing to take that chance, what makes you different?

Josh: We both knew it was going to work. We have put countless hours of time into Vision Music USA. We feel that we have an innovative idea. We provide services to those who need it. Additionally, our services are very cost effective. This isn’t a get rich quick scheme. Nick and I are interested in making money long term while helping musician’s attain their individual goals.

MuzikMan: What can an artist expect to get in return for all of your services? What is the goal for each specific client?

Josh: First and foremost, we are consultants. It is our job to customize a client’s service to fit their needs. With our assistance, the artist will have a far greater understanding of where they stand and where they need to go. For example,if an artist purchases a Press Kit Development package we completely critique their original work. After this critique we give them the recommend suggestions they need. We point the artist in a direction they are comfortable with. The goal is to bring them more recognition and make the press kit more effective for the artist. Each client’s goals are assessed on a customized basis. This is our philosophy.

MuzikMan: Where does Vision Music USA want to go from here?

Josh: We would like to maintain our growth. We will be developing more products and services for our customers. It is important to Vision Music USA to maintain and continually develop relationships with other companies. We have a few other ideas but that’s another interview.

MuzikMan: Do you both feel that eventually labels will not exist and all artists will have complete control of their work in the aspects of production, distribution and promotion? A lot of that is happening on the Internet right now, do you think it’s a good thing? Are there some drawbacks to this radical departure from the status quo?

Josh: If people can do things on their own that was never possible, then go for it. Artists should have more control over their own work in general. I think the internet is amazing. Considering what I do for a living. I feel there are too may artists who don’t fully understand what a record deal is. Too many artists think getting signed is the goal. I think it should be the start.

Take your Career to YOUR next level with Vision Music USA!

Vision Music USA is a TRUE independent musician’s resource!

Some services include: Artist Development, Booking, Merchandise, Graphic Design,Website Design, CD Duplication and much more!

About The Author

MuzikMan writes reviews, interviews and articles covering Independent and Major Artists

khannaleck@yahoo.com

What is perfect pitch? It’s when tones can be identified when heard. For example, if I play a G note on the piano and someone can name that note correctly, they are considered to have perfect pitch.

Is perfect pitch necessary in order to play and create music? NOT AT ALL!

You don’t even have to know what notes you’re playing in order to make music. Having perfect pitch is not the great asset some would have you believe it is. Yet many students want to acquire this skill.

Let’s see what having perfect pitch can actually do for you. It can let you know what key you’re playing in. Nice, but we have key signatures that make this task obsolete. Most musicians are already aware of the key they’re playing in before they sit down to play. Even jazz musicians determine key before playing. True, they may deviate from the original key but having perfect pitch is not required for this.

You can tell what note you’re playing when you play it. So what! A typist knows what letter they’re typing when then input it into the keyboard but knowing what the letter is doesn’t make for good writing.

Having perfect pitch is not really a skill anyone should waste their time learning. If you do have it (and some people are born with this ability) then great. If you don’t, please save your time and energy and don’t be sold on the idea that knowing what note you’re playing will make you a great musician. It won’t. It will make you aware of what note you’re playing and that’s that. Nice for the ego. Unnecessary for making music… no matter what instrument you play.

Edward Weiss is a pianist/composer and webmaster of Quiescence Music’s online piano lessons. He has been helping students learn how to play piano in the New Age style for over 14 years and works with students in private, in groups, and now over the internet. Stop by now at http://www.quiescencemusic.com/piano_lessons.html for a FREE piano lesson!

First came the computer which allowed people, mostly computer
geeks, to assimilate large amounts of information and crunch
numbers in a fraction of the time that it used to in the past.
Then came the internet which allowed people to communicate
almost any topic instantaneously. Finally, the digital age
arrived with computers, cell phones and PDA’s (personal data
assistants). Along with all the digital wonders emerged the MP3,
a digital recording device used primarily for recording music.

Once the MP3’s had established their popularity, the musical
download services came into being. Some of these offered free
downloads which touched off numerous legal battles pitting the
music industry and recording artists on the one hand against the
music download services and music recording public on the other.
As you would expect the fight was over money. The music industry
and artists were claiming they were losing money in the form of
residuals. After much wrangling, a settlement was reached
between the two sides. Now all one has to do is pay a small fee
and you can download to your heart’s content.

The offerings for downloading are as numerous and varied as
there are individuals. All forms of music are available such as
Classical, Country and Western, Jazz, R&B, and Rock. One only
has to download their favorite song or music and then they can
take it with them on their portable MP3 digital music player.
Being digital, the MP3 player has the advantage of being
smaller, lighter in weight and is able to record more musical
tracks on the storage medium. In essence, the listener becomes
his or her own DJ. You can not only pick the artist you like but
also your favorite songs by that artist as well. Or you can
customize your music to your own tastes and mix and match
similar types of music from various artists. The possibilities
are endless.

Predictably, with the success of the digital MP3 players has
come a whole new diverse set of downloadable products and
support gear. Now with the new hardware and software one is able
to not only download to their computer but also “burn” their
music onto CD’s. Now you have the capability of making your own
permanent music collection for your CD player. Being connected
to the internet gives anyone instant access to millions of
titles and artists from around the world.

This revolution in entertainment isn’t limited to music. There
are now downloads to your computer of things such as free public
domain sheet music, movies, cartoons, TV shows, documentaries,
and even movie trailers of coming attractions. Many of these
downloadable audio-visual programs will be able to be enjoyed by
your own cell phone in the near future. Some companies are
trying to create the ultimate in portable
communication/entertainment devices. The cell of the future will
be a phone capable of seeing the person you are speaking with,
MP3, PDA, and theater. The future is now.

Interested in this subject? Try this link for more of the same