The new full length album from Leticia Wolf is out and available.  The CD release show at Grimey’s in Nashville was standing room only and a great time was had by musicians and fans alike.  Check out photos from the show on Leticia’s Facebook.  Better yet, test drive some of the songs from the new album on Leticia’s MySpace.  Then, stop by iTunes, download the album and go catch Leticia and the band on one of her southeast Tour Dates.

EchoXS Entertainment will release Leticia Wolf’s first full-length album early next month. “The Fire and the Flood” is a follow-up to Nashville artist’s acclaimed self-titled EP.

“For me, its a coming of age record,” states Wolf.  “It follows me through the last couple of years as I made new discoveries about money, love and cold.  There are songs about letting go of the impossible and songs that revisit the painful.  It’s got classic whiskey and cheating tunes, but I tried to make it more than that.  It’s about learning how to dream the right dreams … and hold on to them.”

“Leticia is truly a breath of fresh air in a musical world gone stale,” says EchoXS co-founder John F. Bradley. “She is unafraid of putting her feelings on paper and bearing her soul for the world to see.  She provides real insight into a person who has lived a life and paid dues.  Some may say dark while others find the hope that lies within.”

“I’m amazed by the new album … even the unmastered tracks.  I think back to the time I played a small show at Liquid Smoke in Murfreesboro (Tennessee) where I caught the attention of producer and EchoXS co-founder Mark Hornsby.  I’m so glad I played that show.  Our meeting that night started me on a journey that has changed my life and my musical direction profoundly,” says Wolf.

“The Fire and The Flood” will be available everywhere on February 8th .

Leticia Wolf will play three shows at the Miami Music Festival on December 10-12, 2009. The festival is the nation’s newest showcase and conference for emerging musical acts. Independent artists and those invited by record labels and showcase sponsors will perform on more than 25 stages in clubs, restaurants, tents and hotels in downtown Miami during the three-day event. The Miami Music Festival will present artists performing all genres of music including Rock, Alternative, Pop, Latin, Urban, Caribbean and Jazz.

“I am very excited to return to Florida and the Miami Music Festival main stage,” says Leticia. “The audience and festival attendees enjoy original, unique talent, so I am eager to perform some of my latest work.”

All of us at EchoXS are excited to see her return to Florida!

MySpace Records, Inc. has selected writer/performer Leticia Wolf to be a member of their Friends and Family group, providing exclusive online promotions and access to Leticia’s music and videos. Leticia already has already enjoyed a strong MySpace fan following with her weekly song blogs and growing fan base. (www.MySpace.com/leticiawolf) To date Leticia has already created over 50 video blogs garnering thousands of plays Read more »

The term “360 deal” has gotten a lot of mileage over the last couple years in the music industry.  Mark thought I should write a blog on it so here we go. Lets answer the obvious questions: what is it; why is it here: what does it do, and should it be feared?  A “360 deal” is an agreement between an entertainment company/record label and an artist in which they share in all forms of revenue streams available to that artist.  In exchange for the record label’s promises, they are rewarded with a percentage of recording, publishing, merchandising, tour, fan club and other entertainment related income.  The 360 deal is here because income from sales and licensing of music recordings are down dramatically.   A record label can no longer expect to earn significant income from one source and now seeks to partner in other areas. Read more »

The recording of Leticia Wolf’s song “Comfortable in Hell” features a small string section comprised of cellos and double bass.  When we were coming up for the arrangement of the song, our good friend (and arranger) John Hinchey used the latest version of the music notation software Sibelius to write the score.  Through a various chain of events, the guys at Sibelius liked the song so much that they asked us to use it and John’s score in a short video for their website.  In the video, Leticia’s demo is being played back with John’s arrangement while using the orchestral sounds that come with the software.  You can check it out here:

Leticia Wolf Sibelius Demo

Sibelius is a world leader in music notation software and an Avid Technology company.

Wow, what a busy week at FMF!  Between keeping the street team organized, making it to all five (that’s right: five shows in three days) of Leticia’s shows and making the rounds with our industry friends-we all had our work cut out for us.  Many thanks to everyone that helped out:  Nick D’Virgilio, Donnie Merritt, Mandy Wolf, Alejandra Bradley, Claire Balgemann, and Dan Criswell.  Also, special thanks to David Beame for all his support.  To all those FMF attendees that picked up one of the thousands to Leticia Wolf flyers we papered the streets with, we hope you enjoy the free download.  To everyone else in the Orlando area that now has a killer looking picture of Leticia Wolf, you too should download the free song and be instantly transformed into a die hard Leticia Wolf fan!

This week Echo is on the road at the Florida Music Festival in Orlando, FL for the official company launch and to showcase our first new artist, Leticia Wolf.  We worked hard to set up an eventful week and boy, do we have our work cut out for us.  Here’s Leticia’s performance schedule for the week:

• May 14:    5:00pm    Hot Topic at Orlando Fashion Square (in store appearance)
• May 14:    7:45pm    Cafe Annie’s (solo acoustic performance)
• May 15:    6:00pm    Hot Topic at Ovido Mall (in store appearance)
• May 15:    9:00pm    The Copper Rocket (full band show)
• May 16:    7:30pm    FMF Main Stage II (full band show)

The full band shows are comprised of Leticia on vocals/guitar, the lovely and talented Nick D’Virgilio on drums, bass, and background vocals (that’s right, he’s playing both bass and drums at the same time–certainly worth checking out), and yours truly on keys, loops, pads, sound effects and other inspiring noises.

Our street team will be off and running with special download cards for FMF attendees. Fans will be able to log into Leticia’s website and download this month’s featured song: “God Killed My Love” for free.

Lots to do, lots to see. Stay tuned for more news from the road. Also, check out Leticia’s blog/twitter (@tishmon) for real time pandemonium updates.

It’s no news that the music business has some major problems. Record sales are down, music is being pirated, dogs and cats are living together, so on and so forth.  However, one of the cool things happening is the birth of opportunities that are now out there for independent artists. In fact, isn’t that where it’s all going?

Everyone is now an independent artist.  Paul McCartney did a direct distribution deal with Starbucks, then the Eagles did a deal with WalMart. That was just the beginning: Metallica (among other bands) did a cooperative release with a major video game manufacturer and AC/DC is the latest mega rock band to strike a deal with WalMart. (A company who, in AC/DC’s hay day, would have never stocked their albums) Hell, Cracker Barrel is even selling their own releases. So, where am I going with all this? In theory, the days of the manufactured stars are numbered. Today it takes more. The audience demands more. If music fans are expected to pay their hard earned money on your music, it better be something unique or at least be free in a box of Cocoa Puffs. Originality is making a comeback and we need it more than ever. Enter: Leticia Wolf. Read more »

The EchoXS model is really pretty simple.  As are many inventions, it is the child of necessity.  In this case the necessity was a void in the music market place.  This was caused by the proliferation of a digital product and delivery system combined with crashing sales of the majors and a corresponding restriction in the market.  This collision of arguably good and bad events was the genesis of the necessity to come up with a new model.

As we are all aware the digital age has fully come upon us.  An artist and his/her production associates can arguably create a digital product which is on par with a professional studio.  While money for extravagant studios and equipment is always a variable, generally there are many other players who can now line up on the same playing field.  The equipment necessary to record this acceptable product can be set up in a bedroom and has become a lot more affordable (within reason) to a much larger group of artists.  Certainly, ProTools has become the recording vehicle of choice and it has spread across the globe into more and more increasingly capable hands.

Read more »