mike

Hey everyone!

It’s Emily. I’m in DC, and we have a show coming up this Saturday, the 26th. We’re playing at the Rock n’ Roll Hotel with some great bands, and if you haven’t been to this venue, you have to go! It’s one of the biggest all-ages venues in DC, and even though it’s not a real hotel (you can leave your sleeping bag at home), the sound system and atmosphere are top-notch.

We’ve also got a really cool deal this time around. It’s very simple. Bring a friend, get a free CD. SO! Bring your parents, bring your brother, bring your cousin from Canada, and between every two people, you get a CD.

Here’s the skinny:

• 8 pm doors / 9 pm bands
• $10 cover
• Rock n’ Roll Hotel: 1353 H Street NE Washington, DC
• you + friend = free CD
• Facebook event

See you there. 🙂

– Emily

In the past few weeks we have made some announcements. If you’ve read those, thanks for putting up with us. It means something that you’ve even read this far. You passed the test. You’re exactly who we want to talk to: the people who care, even just a little bit. We’re interested in what you think we’re doing well, and what we’re not.

Basically, we want to inform you. If you know what our situation is, you might be as excited as we are to get out there and win this thing together. Here’s what’s going down:

Power Pirate is in a national contest, going for earning $5,000 for school music programs. If we receive enough votes, we will compete for this prize live in California, and the #1 band performs in Germany. That’s what we’re aiming for.

– Top prize: $5000 to local school music programs, we perform in Germany and California cash for [pp] to upgrade equipment. There are also non-top prizes that are exciting and cool.
– The voting system isn’t perfect, but we’re doing everything within our power to make it easy.

[youtube]mnVmN_Tahxc[/youtube]

To make it easier:

• http://powerpirate.com/vote – Vote here. This is the main hub.
• http://bit.ly/d3UJUI – Daily reminders. Click here if you want to help, but aren’t sure you’ll remember every day. (PS- I’m signed up myself…)
• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mnVmN_Tahxc – Video about how to vote. It’s kinda confusing, I know. Sorry about that- it’s beyond our control.
• Want to help? Talk to friends, family, and teachers. Email and Facebook are always good. Here’s an email template to make it easier. http://powerpirate.com/emailtemplate/

WOW. This has been a novel. Sorry about that. To sum up: please vote and spread the word. This means a lot to us.

Thanks!
-Mike

The shirts are in our new web store. We’ve also got CDs, stickers, and a killer combo pack. Everything is all in one place, and there’s no middleman so you’re supporting us directly. We really appreciate that.

There are several really cool things going on there. First of all, all orders over thirty-five bucks get free shipping. That’s a given. Below that, we’re just charging a couple dollars for shipping (anywhere in the world!) to help cover some of the cost.

But, what you really want to know about is the super-fan sharing bonus. If you do any of these, you’ll get twenty percent back from your order:

• Suggest the [PP] Store to a friend. Just have him or her add your email address to the personal comments box on the PayPal checkout page.
• Invite all of your friends on Facebook to like our page. (email us a screenshot. If you’re not sure what to do, just reply to this email with a question.)
• Send a picture of 3 people or more wearing a [PP] shirt or holding a [PP] CD.
• Blog about us. If you have creative space in a blog, newspaper, radio station, or cook book, write an article about us. Send us a link or clipping, and we’ll hook you up.

If this didn’t make any sense, you hate guacamole, or you just want to chat, send us an email.

contact@powerpirate.com

I’m at the 2010 Future of Music Policy Summit at Georgetown University. I came out here last year, and had a great experience. This year does not disappoint. We’ve heard about marketing, tips for emerging artists, and info about the effect of the new health care reform on musicians.

The 10th Anniversary Future of Music Policy Summit puts the focus where it belongs: on the artists who are the very reason for our existence. It is the talent and creativity of musicians, songwriters and composers that bring clarity and focus to the pressing issues facing the entire music community.

The current panel is Bred for Cred: Indie Labels in 2010. If you’re interested in the business, I suggest you check out the FMC website.

-Mike