“I always believed that if you have real talent, put out great music and have a great band to perform with, success would naturally come. “- @bluemoonharem
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Episode #314 : A.V.A Live Radio Behind The Music with Jacqueline Jax : http://www.blogtalkradio.com/avaliveradio/2016/04/13/episode-314-ava-live-radio-behind-the-music-with-jacqueline-jax
GETTING TO KNOW BLUE MOON HAREM
by Jacqueline Jax host of A.V.A Live Radio
Interview: Demetri Joannou Lead Guitarist
Music business…
the music business is clearly the hardest and most competitive business I’ve ever come across. When I was young and quite naïve, I always believed that if you have real talent, put out great music and have a great band to perform with, success would naturally come. I’ve come to learn that there are hundreds if not thousands of roadblocks that will present on the journey to success. Many of them are political. One of the hardest factors musicians and bands have to face is that were in a new era and many of the old rules have changed. People aren’t buying music as they had decades ago. In today’s digital world, its very easy for music to be pirated. And even if your music does stream on many of the popular sites, the payback to the artist are grossly inadequate.
Pros and cons have you experienced…
as previously mentioned, music sales are very hard to come by. Now a days Very few venues pay bands to perform as there’s always s many bands willing to play for a small percentage of the door and in many cases free, This inmho is a reason why so many venues across the country had to shut their doors in recent years. The venues decided that it’s cheaper to get free entertainment than to pay for quality acts. After a while the venue gets a reputation for providing cheap entertainment and eventually the patrons leave. The whole scene suffers as a result.
Hurdles and pitfalls…
We continue to have faith that our passion, hard work and determination will eventually lead us to where we need to be.
Social media…
I like the fact that with the aid of the internet and social media, We are now able to reach audiences on a global platform. Our music can be heard in a much grander capacity than that of our musical forefathers. The pitfall however is that it also enables nearly everybody with minimal recording equipment to flood the internet with their music and songs. There’s really no screening process involved. . It creates a very saturated environment and makes it tougher for the bands that should be heard.
I like to release a single at a time…
I feel it’s a better way to get our music heard and appreciated. I think its easier for new listeners to digest one song at a time as opposed to a whole album. It also creates more longevity for the album as a whole. By releasing song at a time, we can spread out the campaigns over a longer length of time and create more demand for the next song.
I would love to have 5 minutes alone with….
I would like to one day meet Jimmy page, guitarist of the band Led Zeppelin. He was my first role model as a teen. I got a lot of inspiration from his writing and playing.
Music Trends…
rather than trying to be trendy, we focus rather on writing material that we feel is fresh and uplifting.
My personal definition of success is..
that during our journey, we find that we are inspiring others to be creative and to take a chance and follow their dreams. It’s every musicians dream for their music to be loved by the masses and remembered for decades. ,
3 Ways that I challenge myself…
1) I challenge myself to try to keep optimistic and firm in my belief that our message as musicians will spread. We want our music to inspire peace and creativity.
2) I challenge myself to never let our haters and critics get under our skin.
3) I also challenge myself to continue to expand my musical horizons by learning different styles and genres of music.
I was inspired to play guitar at the early age of 8…
I naturally fell in love with the instrument. Just the way it looked made me want to play. I started taking lessons and practiced day and night. By the time I was a teenager, I knew that music was going to be my life long ambition.
My Front Door..
This song like many of our songs touches on the human experience. In this case, Love, and yearning. How at times we build protective walls in our heart to keep us from getting hurt again. Song can be purchased at https://itunes.apple.com/ky/album/my-front-door-single/id1057685074
Our Yet to be released album entitled “Deep into Blue”…
will be our 3rd album release which takes into account our many years of experience as recording artists and performers, but more importantly it is an album which many people will relate to. This album touches on the human condition and it brings light to the many struggles, test and tribulations we all experience in life.
All four members of the band live in the suburbs of Boston….
The music scene in town has suffered significantly in recent years with many of the long time iconic rock clubs being forced to shut their doors because of slow business, thus there’s not many places left for new bands to be heard.
I enjoy traveling to places that I have never been. I love hanging out in with friends in NYC.
Social Media:
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC2MW3ujdLtAbvddWqEqao-g
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bluemoonharem/
Reverbnation: www.reverbnation.com/bmh
Twitter: https://twitter.com/bluemoonharem