Shut up

by Quendrith Johnson, Los Angeles Correspondent

How many of you picked up an instrument during COVID-19 lockdown, or heard some twangy old school Silvertone from a neighbor’s garage? Everybody loves music, even the President, as he keeps getting shut down by name bands for playing their tunes at a rally. Now, wouldn’t it be great to have an outlet for all that sonic frustration? Welcome to InstaBAND, from Florida-based filmmaker Bob Rose, out now from Gravitas Ventures. To lazy-quote the press notes: “InstaBAND is a film about today’s music artists, and their hustle to achieve music stardom, in a streaming world that no longer buys music. Featuring bands from across the country, InstaBAND offers an inside look into today’s music industry.”

In other words, this reality-music jaunt is about how digital music is coming-of-age on mobile platforms, even the IoT (internet of things) eventually, and the throng of new talent who are making it happen. InstaBAND, the title itself, sonically mimics social media platform Instagram, owned by Facebook, because this is a Social Media DIY market-yourself adventure. Featured players include: Paul McDonald (“American Idol,” “The Twilight Saga”),  Sam Tinnesz who is Billboard’s #1 Most Synced Artist, PHANGS, Stealing Oceans, and Ray Wimley (Viral Sensation). Amber Stoneman, of Nashville Unsigned, is also one of the stand-out voices in InstaBAND.

Then there’s a very sexy piece of legislation on this indie hit parade: The Music Modernization Act. What does this mean for musicians? Glad you asked. This citation is from the official Copyright dot gov website: “The Orrin G. Hatch-Bob Goodlatte Music Modernization Act (Music Modernization Act) is the most significant piece of copyright legislation in decades and updates our current laws to reflect modern consumer preferences and technological developments in the music marketplace. The law is organized into three key titles, outlined below: Title I—Musical Works Modernization Act; Title II—Classics Protection and Access Act; and Title III—Allocation for Music Producers Act.” Read all about MMA later.

Meanwhile, InstaBAND is a great viewfinder to assess your own musical odyssey, how to make it back to Penelope, lolz. Apologies for the Homeric fun there, but as Penelope waited 20 years for Odysseus to return, most musicians have waited at least a decade or so for their epic rise to begin.

InstaBAND will inspire you, and challenge you to add your voice to social media through new tools and apps designed to make breakthrough a reality in this reality-style documentary. Watch and learn wannabes, could-be’s, future Traveling Wilburys…;)

Get this bad boy/girl streaming right now:

iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/movie/instaband/id1516576206

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/InstaBAND-Paul-McDonald/dp/B08B3DNND9/ref=sr_1_2?dchild=1&keywords=InstaBAND&qid=1595954761&sr=8-2

Google Play: https://play.google.com/store/movies/details/InstaBAND?id=-kL0t3q9trw.P

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fcVKuywNE6k

VUDU: https://www.vudu.com/content/movies/details/InstaBAND/1440591

Microsoft XBOX: https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/p/instaband/8d6kgwxn6nsr?activetab=pivot%3aoverviewtab

Vimeo OnDemand: https://vimeo.com/ondemand/instaband

Fandango Now: https://www.fandangonow.com/details/movie/instaband-2020/MMV7E91315D0B125175001AC4B7C35641F23?ele=searchresult&elc=Instab&eli=0&eci=movies

Jump on the bandwagon socially:

Website: instabandmovie.com

Facebook: @instabandmovie

Instagram: @instabandmovie

Twitter: @instabandmovie

Remember kids, you can quit trying to be a rockstar when you’re dead… until then, play on!

Digitally update bonus joke – How do you get to Carnegie Hall? Online, ps.

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