Bob Baker's The Buzz Factor

Looking for another great source of helpful music news? (Besides this Indie Music Promotion blog, of course :-) Take a gander at GarageSpin.com.

Editor Michael B is a vocalist-guitarist who has worked as a product manager for RealNetworks and in licensing and business development for The Harry Fox Agency. His regular GarageSpin blog posts point readers to the latest developments in podcasting, digital home recording, music marketing and more.

Here are some recent items that caught my eye:

The Podsafe Music Network. Adam Curry, "the PodFather," just launched this new site. Calling all musicians -- Submit your music immediately. Basically, the network is a library of "podsafe music" (i.e. music allowed to be downloaded freely and/or used in podcasts) submitted by independent bands and used by podcasters everywhere.

Music Plus TV: Independent and Unsigned Music Videos. Plus TV has launched its independent and unsigned Internet music video channel. Their focus on commercial-free, independently funded content may win them a psyched fan base. A cable network will follow in January 2006. Unsigned musicians can submit music (as well as videos, short films and animations) for review and possible broadcast.

Interview With Nathan Albee of HotLocalMusic.com. A Q&A session with the CTO of HotLocalMusic, about the company and the mobile marketing services it provides, including ring tones, text messaging, e-mail management, blogs, etc. According to Michael B, "It's a cool example of technology being made available to indie artists, enabling them to empower themselves and promote their music to a targetted audience."

Cool Band Names. All about choosing the perfect name, including links to random band name generator web sites and band name registry sites.