All Things Must Pass

It is with regret that I write this entry to inform you that one of my recently conceived online newspapers, "Music And Arts In Tasmania" shall be no more. The decision was a rather simple one. I was finding that paying as much precision that I could to #tags, relevancy to stories to be featured and actual stories published beyond my control I was finding extreme overlaps in content. I put myself in the shoes of the readers. I'd be annoyed after a while.

I have come up with a solution that I have no doubt will ensure a much more smooth operation and enjoyable, relevant read for my loyal subscribers.

I shall be maintaining the newspaper "Tasmania Today," whilst adding more emphasis on music and arts. Due to the fact that it has no competition there should be more targeted headline and featured stories. I am also certain that the single publication format will permit me the 'movement' from blogs on other sites, relevant tweets from Twitter.


If you have a story that you feel may be of interest to readers of "Tasmania Today,", please don't hesitate to contact me on Twitter @scotsbob. It's 100% free to have your story published and 100% free to subscribe.

Bob Findlay 2010 Music Review

Like most people I started 2010 full of ambition and big ideas, only to be side-tracked by what 'seemed like a good idea at the time.' 


Despite a thirst to continue album recording I began finding an awful lot of changes in the music industry....and every single one included music companies making more money. I didn't want to sit here and bag these companies so I decided to write a book. I released "Online Music Traps" in March and was amazed at the simplicity of writing it and the amount of positive responses. This was followed by about 3 months blogging any article relating to independent music. The next thing I knew, I was almost half-way through the year.


Earlier in the year, New Zealand musician Tommie Brewster told me of a site called Bandcamp. At the time she hadn't used it but thought that I may be interested. She was right. Bandcamp allows musicians to upload files in any high-quality format and put their own price on an album or single; 100% goes to the musician. It also allows the musician to use codewords for certain albums that provides listeners with designated discounts. Customers can download whichever format that they choose & can also use PayPal.

If you look at the "Redemption" sound-player to your left, simply enter the codeword lusty and view the discount on the already discounted album. "Redemption" was an experiment....an experiment that went well. I had recently received a new 'wave' of fans via my website and the Bob Findlay Music Page on Facebook.


Another experiment that I undertook was to re-release some of my material on iTunes and Amazon. My reasoning behind this move followed a lengthy discussion with friend and artist Stuart Reeman who dragged me beck to the obvious 'power in numbers' theory. At the time of writing this it does appear to be working also.


My second and final album for the years, "Mean Business", was put together at the request of the aforementioned new wave of fans and contains more upbeat numbers; twelve in all. The codeword for "Mean Business" is thistle

Why A Blog?

Having written numerous blogs, the majority of which are music related and more succinctly related to the independent music scene, I have recently received more than a few requests from people to write a blog about myself. To be perfectly honest, as much as I truly enjoy writing, I don't know where to start so I'm doing this by the seat of my pants....as I tend to.


I was born in Kilmarnock, Scotland in 1967 and emigrated to Tasmania in 1979. I currently live in Stanley, a small village of less than 500 people on Tasmanias far North-West coast. Serenity reigns supreme....usually.


I took to playing the guitar after seeing The Rolling Stones perform "Start Me Up" on T.V. For the next 3 years, night after night, hour after hour I would painstakingly work on my guitar playing. I have played in several bands since the age of 16. I quit the band scene in 1995 due to family commitments. I did, however, play occasional acoustic gigs and began recording late in 1998.


I seemed to have a bit of a knack for music recording....probably because I was recording myself and was playing all instruments, thus knowing my limits on all fronts. I had several years away from recording altogether due to a very serious alcohol, namely vodka, problem. I'll spare you the gory details; I think I've put them in print elsewhere and I make no secret of it.

In late April 2007, my abuse reached crisis point. Long story short....I returned to recording purely as a form of therapy. I then discovered a multitude of free music sites where one can upload their songs. Initially, I was over the moon with this and had a friend start my own website. Slowly but surely I started noticing the seedier side on online music for the independent musician....namely money. It seemed that if one paid for this, that or the other 'privilege' in the online music industry, then the better one would fare. This is not necessarily the case. Far from it.


Over the last 12 months I have sat back and watched more and more 'paid upgrades' and 'pay for distribution' sites emerge.

Earlier this year a colleague put me onto Bandcamp. The site is a no-frills, no-fees, high-quality sound-file options and fan discounts. If you look at the player to your left, you can press 'play' and listen to the album in its' entirety as often as you wish. Individual tracks can be downloaded. If you wish to download the entire album, enter the word thistle at checkout to view the hefty discount. Even at this point, you are under no obligation to make a purchase.


Earlier this year I released my first book, "Online Music Traps." The book, which can be downloaded is a comprehensive overview of the internet and providing advice to independent musicians on how to minimize cash outlay where it isn't needed. I am currently working on a second book.


As it stands at the moment, between writing my second book, having recently commenced recording my next album, blogging and family commitments, I'm keeping myself busy. I mention this because boredom is perhaps the biggest trap for the recovering alcoholic.


So....the next time I have a few minutes on my hands and have something informative and hopefully humorous I'll post another entry.

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Having written numerous blogs, the majority of which are music related and more succinctly related to the independent music scene, I have recently received more than a few requests from people to write a blog about myself. To be perfectly honest, as much as I truly enjoy writing, I don't know where to start so I'm doing this by the seat of my pants....as I tend to.


I was born in Kilmarnock, Scotland in 1967 and emigrated to Tasmania in 1979. I currently live in Stanley, a small village of less than 500 people on Tasmanias far North-West coast. Serenity reigns supreme....usually.


I took to playing the guitar after seeing The Rolling Stones perform "Start Me Up" on T.V. For the next 3 years, night after night, hour after hour I would painstakingly work on my guitar playing. I have played in several bands since the age of 16. I quit the band scene in 1995 due to family commitments. I did, however, play occasional acoustic gigs and began recording late in 1998.


I seemed to have a bit of a knack for music recording....probably because I was recording myself and was playing all instruments, thus knowing my limits on all fronts. I had several years away from recording altogether due to a very serious alcohol, namely vodka, problem. I'll spare you the gory details; I think I've put them in print elsewhere and I make no secret of it.

In late April 2007, my abuse reached crisis point. Long story short....I returned to recording purely as a form of therapy. I then discovered a multitude of free music sites where one can upload their songs. Initially, I was over the moon with this and had a friend start my own website. Slowly but surely I started noticing the seedier side on online music for the independent musician....namely money. It seemed that if one paid for this, that or the other 'privilege' in the online music industry, then the better one would fare. This is not necessarily the case. Far from it.


Over the last 12 months I have sat back and watched more and more 'paid upgrades' and 'pay for distribution' sites emerge.

Earlier this year a colleague put me onto Bandcamp. The site is a no-frills, no-fees, high-quality sound-file options and fan discounts. If you look at the player to your left, you can press 'play' and listen to the album in its' entirety as often as you wish. Individual tracks can be downloaded. If you wish to download the entire album, enter the word thistle at checkout to view the hefty discount. Even at this point, you are under no obligation to make a purchase.


Earlier this year I released my first book, "Online Music Traps." The book, which can be downloaded is a comprehensive overview of the internet and providing advice to independent musicians on how to minimize cash outlay where it isn't needed. I am currently working on a second book.


As it stands at the moment, between writing my second book, having recently commenced recording my next album, blogging and family commitments, I'm keeping myself busy. I mention this because boredom is perhaps the biggest trap for the recovering alcoholic.


So....the next time I have a few minutes on my hands and have something informative and hopefully humorous I'll post another entry.

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