NARM and Sonicbids Present: InSights & Sounds 2006 Club NARM Performance Opportunity

Sonicbids is once again offering member artists a showcase opportunity at InSights & Sounds.06, the 48th Annual Convention & Marketplace of The National Association of Recording Merchandisers (NARM). The Convention will be August 2-5, 2006, at the Gaylord Palms Resort in Kissimmee, Florida. Working with NARM, Sonicbids is sponsoring a performance slot at Club NARM, the Convention's high-profile nightly showcases of artists who have current or upcoming fourth quarter music releases they would like to present to an influential audience of music industry executives that includes retail buyers, wholesalers, distributors and labels.



Club NARM consists of three nights of artist performances on August 2, 3, and 4. Each night features four discrete 20-minute performances. The Club opens at 9:30 PM each night, and concludes at Midnight. The first performance of each night starts at 10 PM, and there is a 10-minute break between artists to allow for set changes. A basic production package covering labor, soundchecks, sound, light, and staging is covered by the sponsorship; however, artists or their labels are responsible for their own backline needs, travel costs, hotel, meals and any additions to the basic production package.



The performance slot being sponsored by Sonicbids will be Thursday, August 3, from 10-10:20 PM. NARM will select one Sonicbids artist to perform at the Club NARM Showcase. Two other artists have been confirmed for the night: Powerman 5000 (from DRT Entertainment/Fontana), and Missez (from Interscope Geffen A&M Records). The closing act for the night will be confirmed shortly. WEA Corp. and EMI Music Marketing are each sponsoring the artists on the other two nights of Club NARM. The artist selected through Sonicbids will receive $2000 USD to help cover travel and production costs. Also note that a rider of the stage layout and equipment that NARM will be providing will be sent to the selected artist once confirmed. International acts are welcome to apply.



Over the years, superstars-in-the-making such as Whitney Houston, Anita Baker, Mariah Carey, Charlotte Church, N*Sync, Josh Groban, and Lisa Marie Presley, Paul Wall — among many others — have made their industry debuts at NARM. And now Sonicbids, by sponsoring one of the artist showcases at Club NARM, is giving one act the opportunity to be showcased at this very exclusive event.


NARM's retailing members include Anderson Merchandisers (Wal-Mart wholesaler), Best Buy, Starbucks, Borders, Circuit City, Handleman (Wal-Mart and K-Mart wholesaler), Hastings Entertainment, Newbury Comics, Target, Tower, TransWorld (On Cue, Media Play, Sam Goody, Suncoast, Coconuts, FYE, Spec’s, Record Town, Strawberries, Wherehouse), Virgin, Amazon.com, eBay and the iTunes Music Store, as well as “tastemaker” independent retail coalitions and smaller individual specialty stores.



NARM’s distributor and entertainment supplier members include EMI Music Marketing, Sony BMG Sales Enterprise, Universal Music Group Distribution, and WEA Corp. — and the labels they represent, including Atlantic, Blue Note, Capitol, Capitol-Nashville, Columbia, Curb, DreamWorks, Epic, Hollywood, Interscope/ Geffen/A&M/MCA, Island Def Jam, J, Jive, Maverick, Mercury/MCA Nashville/Lost Highway, RCA Label Group, RCA Music Group, RCA Victor Group, Rhino, Sony Classical, Verve Music Group, Walt Disney, Warner Bros., and Wind-up. This list extends further to vibrant independent labels and distributors such as ADA, Allegro, Alligator, American Gramaphone, Big Daddy, Caroline, Collectables, Concord, Epitaph, Koch, Narada, Navarre, Putumayo, Righteous Babe, Rounder, Ryko, Scorpio, Spitfire, Tommy Boy, TVT, Ultra, and Welk, among many others. All of these members come together at the Convention to network, make deals, preview new artists or new music, and learn the latest research and industry outlook.


NARM is offering a special deal for Sonicbids members who wish to attend NARM. Sonicbids artists can attend for $299 ($100 off the registration rate)!



About NARM:

Founded in 1958, the National Association of Recording Merchandisers is an industry trade group that serves the music and entertainment retailing community. NARM’s diverse membership includes brick-and-mortar, online, and “click-and-mortar” retailers; wholesalers; distributors; content suppliers (primarily major and independent music labels, but also video and video game suppliers); suppliers of related products and services; artist managers; and consultants, marketers, and educators in the music business field. The Association’s retail and wholesale members represent almost 85 percent of the music and entertainment retailing marketplace, from the big national and regional chains to the “tastemaker” independent retail coalitions and smaller individual specialty stores to the major online music sellers. NARM’s distributor and entertainment supplier members account for almost 90 percent of the music produced for the U.S. marketplace.



Please note: The selected artist will be required to provide NARM with a bio and hi-res photo for promotional purposes. Please be prepared to provide this by June 21, 2006, in the event that you are selected to play.