Things are pretty hectic here in Boston for me as of late. Finals for school, the record release of "Yeraz", a new job, and trying to make plans to move to Armenia in the near future all have kept me nicely busy. I guess all of these things are interconnected. The good news on this end is that "Yeraz" is now available at record stores across the country as they have been popping up in the Armenia section of the World Music departments all over. For now, Los Angeles, Boston, and New York are the test markets. We will also be carried in Canada by a distributor there. The music business is pretty competitive and just getting a title in one of these major stores is a struggle. Since the record industry is controlled by about 6 major companies such as Sony, Epic, BMG, etc. it becomes a slugfest to find quality titles of an independent or world music nature. I personally love www.narek.com and www.cdbaby.com because of their focus on Armenian and independent music respectively.
I've gotten a lot of requests asking me when Gor Mkhitarian is performing in Armenia or in Europe and North America. Here are some answers. In Armenia, Gor should be performing throughout the summer at venues to be announced shortly. I'll make sure to post them. But for now, all of you going to Armenia this summer should drop him a line at mcgor2000@yahoo.com and get a personal update on his Armenia tour schedule. Plans for a North American and European tour are in the works, but it may take until early next year to finalize those plans. If you haven't seen him perform, try to catch him in Armenia. He's a very laid back perfomer who is as real as can be. No purple suits, bouffant hair styles, or wearing of sun glasses when it's well-lit indoors.
I've got about 6 more Armenian music projects in the works for my label, www.pomegranatemusic.com. It's been a great experience this past year connecting with Armenian musicians while in Armenia or through Gor when here in the States, then deciding which artists to push and promote. I really like the feeling of connectivity to Armenia even though I am taking care of school and work here in the Boston area. I do envision running this business from Armenia at some point, but, until then, it's been a fun ride learning about the ins and outs of Armenia's music scene based on my own observation and the observation and knowledge of my friends in Armenia. The label is all about bridging the gap between Armenia and the diaspora by bringing music from Armenia by real Armenian musicians to the homes of listeners everywhere. I think we all can have some type of passion that we can apply toward Armenia whether it's business related or not. If you can't be there, there are plenty of ways to be connected to Armenia. Just hook up with a network of people and they'll show you the way. Or for the experienced, just pick a project and do it.
Since I have no problem or shame in plugging products, I must suggest that if you are going to Armenia soon, pick up a great Armenian guidebook by a friend of mine. It's the most thorough and comprehensive book out there about Armenia, especially if you need a detailed guide of where to go and how to get around Armenia. It's called Rediscovering Armenia and just click on this link to get it. It's like $15 bucks and there is nothing like it on the market. I found it invaluable on my second trip there in May of 2001.
Back to finals.
I've gotten a lot of requests asking me when Gor Mkhitarian is performing in Armenia or in Europe and North America. Here are some answers. In Armenia, Gor should be performing throughout the summer at venues to be announced shortly. I'll make sure to post them. But for now, all of you going to Armenia this summer should drop him a line at mcgor2000@yahoo.com and get a personal update on his Armenia tour schedule. Plans for a North American and European tour are in the works, but it may take until early next year to finalize those plans. If you haven't seen him perform, try to catch him in Armenia. He's a very laid back perfomer who is as real as can be. No purple suits, bouffant hair styles, or wearing of sun glasses when it's well-lit indoors.
I've got about 6 more Armenian music projects in the works for my label, www.pomegranatemusic.com. It's been a great experience this past year connecting with Armenian musicians while in Armenia or through Gor when here in the States, then deciding which artists to push and promote. I really like the feeling of connectivity to Armenia even though I am taking care of school and work here in the Boston area. I do envision running this business from Armenia at some point, but, until then, it's been a fun ride learning about the ins and outs of Armenia's music scene based on my own observation and the observation and knowledge of my friends in Armenia. The label is all about bridging the gap between Armenia and the diaspora by bringing music from Armenia by real Armenian musicians to the homes of listeners everywhere. I think we all can have some type of passion that we can apply toward Armenia whether it's business related or not. If you can't be there, there are plenty of ways to be connected to Armenia. Just hook up with a network of people and they'll show you the way. Or for the experienced, just pick a project and do it.
Since I have no problem or shame in plugging products, I must suggest that if you are going to Armenia soon, pick up a great Armenian guidebook by a friend of mine. It's the most thorough and comprehensive book out there about Armenia, especially if you need a detailed guide of where to go and how to get around Armenia. It's called Rediscovering Armenia and just click on this link to get it. It's like $15 bucks and there is nothing like it on the market. I found it invaluable on my second trip there in May of 2001.
Back to finals.
posted by Raffi at 5:30 AM
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