Texas Music Office
http://www.governor.state.tx.us/music
If you access the main page on of website, you’ll find the standard self-promoting political gobbledy-goo. However, if you peel back the crap from the home page and go to the Texas Music Office Page, you’ll be rewarded with a treasure trove of information that would benefit any musician – particularly the ones who are trying to break into the business.
If you lived in Texas and wanted to promote yourself in Texas, you probably wouldn’t need to go anywhere else for Media info. This site has the addresses, contacts and format for every radio station in the state, as well as addresses and contacts at newspapers and almost any other Media outlet in the state that you could possibly think of. The site also provides listings of events, promoters, and links to thousands of music-related Web sites that are either Texas-based or Texas-friendly. Want a listing of Grammys won by Texas musicians? It’s here. There couldn’t be much about Texas music that you’d want to know that you couldn’t find here.
Even if you don’t live in Texas, you should find this site – at the very least – interesting. If you are a hard-core fan of Texas music, this site has a comprehensive directory of Texas Internet Radio Sites for your listening pleasure. If you are a musician – especially a beginner who is trying to figure out the laws and rules related to the business – you might find this site invaluable. I wouldn’t let it be a substitute for a Music Industry lawyer, but it is chock-full of the type of information that can give a beginning indie musician enough knowledge to avoid a lot of the most-common mistakes and help him stay out of trouble. It covers everything from how to license copyrighted material to basic tips on getting started in the music business. They even offer indie band packet as well as tips on how to develop an effective music-related website. I highly recommend it as a musician’s resource. It’s also a pretty good read.
