Monday, November 30, 2009

Cyber Monday Almost Over!

Jeez Louise - this has been an absolutely insane day! Founf tons of great sales - my favorite was from the Discovery store, The DVD series Planet Earth for $19.99 (retails $79.99) PLUS I got FREE shipping cuz I got a few things there that totaled over $75.

This was nuts! I am pooped! However, Cyber Monday continues for just a few more hours, and I am putting in my last reminder that Stardust ids on sale for the lowest it will EVER be - $9.99!! It retails at $24.99 - That is an over $15 dollar savings! But remember, once the clock strikes Midnight, we will all turn into pumpkins. No, wait. Wrong story. At Midnight the price on Stardust CD's will go back to it's regular $24.99, so don't miss out on these savings.

It is only available through CDBAby - with this link: http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/cgklosner

Happy days everyone!

Friday, November 27, 2009

Cyber Monday Sale!!

Heads up!!! You guessed it...Cyber Monday - ONE DAY ONLY!!!! You will be able to get our Multiple Award Winning CD, Stardust for the absolutely lowest price we will ever see - $9.99!!! Holy Toledo!!! It normally retails for $24.99! This is huge. Now is the time to stock up on the baby gifts for the upcoming year! This is only good on physical cds , and is only available at CDBbay, (not through our website.)

Here is the link: http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/cgklosner

Enjoy, my friends!!!

And while you're there, check out our new Christmas Sampler!!! It just became available at CDBaby!! http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/cgklosner7 It will be out on iTunes in the next week or so, but you can purchase it through CDBaby and import it into your iTunes.

I'll post more on this after Cyber Monday.

We hope you all had an awesome Thanksgiving! I'm still high from the day - definitely my favorite holiday of the year. Hanging out with about 70+ family members, eating super delicious food, sipping Grand Marnier and singing carols and old favorites til the late hours of the night... A little slice of heaven...

xoox Cher :)

Thursday, October 29, 2009

Los Peces en el Rio

Years ago, I would never have been able to pronounce the title, "Los Peces en el Rio" let alone sing a whole song by that name - in Spanish! Yet, we just did, thanks to the help of Tina (Banina), Diana (Ariss), Erica A., Vicki P. and all my "kids" in Paramount, CA. The song is coming out on a LONG overdue "Winter Sampler" which is going straight to digital (iTunes, Amazon, etc.)

We just finished up recording 3 songs - we were shooting for 4, but ran out of time. The sampler will still be a 4-pack though, and will include "Ave Maria", "O Come O Come Emmanuel", "Los Peces en el Rio" and our previously released Christmas single, "I am a Carpenter." The cool thing is that because of the way digital sales work, a person can buy a single or the whole sampler (brings me back to the days of 45's and 33's - yes, I was alive way back then ;) ) and even be able to listen to a portion of the songs before buying them! Halleluia!!! Gone are the days of buying a whole flippin' CD, having heard one good song on the radio, then bringing home the CD, poppin' it in the stereo and the rest of the album stinks. It's about time!

Next year, once we are done recording 5 more Christmas songs, if we do release it on a CD, it will all be based on demand,and limited runs. So let us know if the demand is there, cuz we're listening. In the meantime, fire up those iPods - and get ready to sing along - in Spanish, Latin and English. :)

Follow us in the studio on twitter http://www.twitter.com/CherGeneKlosner

Saturday, October 10, 2009

I'iiimmmmm Baaaaaaccckkkk....

So, we're going back into the recording studio Monday - can't wait!! We decided to document the whole recording process, so you can feel like you are right there in the studio with your buds, Cher & Gene Klosner! :)

Just to give you some updates - Stardust is doing well, but I'm itchin' for a sale!! Anyone ready for a sale? :) More on that later on in the week.

Recording - we have already done the prep work - chosen the songs, chosen the instruments we want to use on each song, booked the studio, and lined up the musicians. The biggest change going into this is that we are looking at this as a non-CD project! We are recording these with the intention of putting them straight up on to iTunes, with out a physical product. That is really strange for us, but is it ever exciting!

Being independent artists and owners of a small label, one of the biggest hurdles is coming up with the capital to fund the recording. The normal process is we record a project, then pay the expenses of the recording from CD sales. The expenses for a good quality project, include studio time, musicians' fees, royalties paid out, (if you were not the songwriter) distribution of the CD, distributors's and the store's cut, and, one of the biggest expenses, the artwork, manufacturing and duplication of the physical CD's.

What is so cool about the way the music industry is changing, is that CD's are becoming a thing of the past. It's not the coolest thing for a record store or a honkin' record label, but for small labels like us, going straight to iTunes and other digital distribution sites("digital stores"), like CDBAby, Amazon, allows us to get into the studio regularly, a song at a time, and have something for you in a matter of weeks instead of what used to take years to complete and deliver.

It's a brand new day! What a relief.

Come back Monday, and follow along on the journey!

Til then,
hugs :)
Cher

Tuesday, August 4, 2009

Where Have I Been? (Part Two)

It has been a whirlwind of a spring and summer - where has it gone? I'll tell you: To insanity and back...

Just when you think you know where you are headed, that whole throw-us-for-a-loop factor pops up and we're off in another unplanned direction.

So - we have been recording jingles, singing at cool events, and have also taken up two positions heading up the music ministry at a local parish, St. Elizabeth Anne Seton, and at a local high school, Marian High School, the latter of which is my old alma mater. It has been a wonderful year!! Working with musical kids again has just ignited my heart, and putting together a strong music program at a church with so many talented and wonderful people is just the greatest.

So where is Stardust? Doing wonderful, but I haven't had a minute to promote it. We're on the top of the charts at CD baby, hopping around in the Top 10 for Lullabies and in the Top 20 for Adult Contemporary! Not too shabby for two little Omaha kids...

But I want more out of this blog in the future. I want to somehow be "of service" - somehow. Haven't quite figured out how yet - free guitar lessons? Free choir instructions? I don't know - just something that can help others. That is when I am at my happiest - giving to someone else.

So, I'll return when I have something more to give :)

Til then,
hugs,

xox Cher

Thursday, February 26, 2009

"I'm So Ready for Spring" Sale! 30% off!

Hey all! Just want to let you know that we're running an "I'm So Ready For Spring" Sale! 30% off of our 2-disc lullaby CD, Stardust, winner of nine national parenting awards! This is only available to our mailing list, but we want to pass it on to our blogger buddies as well, if anyone is looking to stock up on baby gifts this Spring! And please feel free to pass this on to other friends who might be interested!

MSRP $24.95 Now $17.47!

Visit http://www.StardustLullaby.com/shop.html for more details!

I need sunshine - I am so ready for SPRING!!
Cher :)

PS Anyone on Twitter? You can follow me there too at stardustlullaby

Tuesday, February 17, 2009

Where Have I Been?

Great question! Seems like I dropped off the face of the planet for a while... may as well have...
We've taken on some extra work in music - some at a church, some at a school and one as a "judge" for a pretty huge music competition that is going on.

I'm being introduced to a lot of new music and artists I've never heard of before. As with any contest, there are plenty of not-so-great submissions, but I tell ya, I've found a few pearls and I'm pretty stoked about several of them, and I'll be blogging about these new (and not-so-new,) undiscovered artists shortly.

Right off the bat, though, let me post my disclaimer :) I am not paid to endorse any artist - in addition, I don't know these artists personally, so there are no "favors" going on here. I'll simply be writing honestly about what and who I like, for whatever reason. I won't bother posting about artists I don't like - what's the point? Lastly, I have a wide range of music styles that I like - right now, however, I am mostly being introduced to the music of female singer/songwriters, so that's where I'll be starting. The styles are anywhere from Joni Mitchell to Sarah McLachlan to Fiona Apple to John Mayer (yes, I am aware he is not female - the style, people, the style ...) The content of my choices will also be extremely wide - I don't care if the musician is gay or straight, Christian, Jewish or Buddhist, purple or green, single or divorced or swears...if it is good solid music, I will write about it.

The up side to all this new work is, it's steady and allows me to spend more time composing at home, and to do homework with/play with my son. The down side is I don't have as much free time to perform outside my city, or market Stardust, or do much social networking. We can't do it all. But I am okay with that.

Which brings to my first artist - check out Jenny Bruce. http://www.goodgirl.com and http://www.myspace.com/jennybruce

She is an awesome singer/songwriter whose last blog (under "journal") on October 8 2007, http://www.goodgirl.com/newjournal.html#October_8,_2007, is titled exactly that - You Can't Do It All.

She is the real deal - an amazing writer, singer, mother who put the career on hold a little while back for her kids. I know first hand the struggle of being in music and being a Mom and trying to do it all - trying to do it all well. I can't. But I have a great kid, and for now he is my most important composition. My hat is off to Jenny Bruce - her latest CD, "Left of July," is solid good music from beginning to end. There wasn't a single track I didn't get pulled into. Her songs have been featured in network shows, and she is a Billboard song contest winner. She gets a high five from Cher-Baby and 5 stars for being a great musician and a cool mom.

Check out Jenny Bruce's CD, "Left of July," available online at her website, at CDBaby and on iTunes. Check out her other CD's while you're there.

Okay, off to the other work :) Glad to be back.