Janis Ian chooses Oasis Green Forestry Digipaks — Now available with 100% recycled trays

When Grammy winning singer and songwriter Janis Ian’s autobiography was due to come out on Penguin Books, she called me up because she wanted to release a companion greatest hits CD collection. And she wanted to go over her best packaging options.

The two of us zeroed in quickly on something other than the plastic jewel cases she had used earlier in her career. “This time around, I really wanted the packaging to be special — it’s not every year you get to release an autobiography and a CD that goes with it! I was also trying to keep it eco-friendly, but still affordable.”

Considering several options, we ended up with a double-CD Digipak. Because, really, what a Digipak says is “premium.” That you have invested in what it takes to give your audience a top-quality product. Janis’ other interest — environmental friendliness — is also addressed in Oasis Digipaks. We have 100% Green Forestry Practices certification for the board stock we use, and use 100% recycled plastic for the trays (up to 100% post-consumer, depending on the tray option you chose).

I hope you’ll let us send you an eco-packaging sample kit (click here or on the link below my signature) if you are planning a CD or DVD project.  Sample kits do not include CDs and are only shippable within the U.S. presently, for which I apologize.  Thanks so much for your interest!

Micah Solomon

President and Founder
Oasis Disc Manufacturing

Roadtrip Nation goes green with Oasis packaging

Are you up on the Roadtrip Nation phenomenon? It grew out of some friends working through a dilemma together that had stumped each of them: “What do I want to do with my life?” Fresh out of college and unsure about the career paths in front of them, they were determined to expose themselves to more than just traditional life roads. Painting an old RV green, they hit the road to talk with inspired people from all walks of life to find out how they came to do what they love for a living.

Today, Roadtrip Nation has evolved into a PBS series, three books, an online community, and more. And when Roadtrip Nation wants to spread the good word about their show, they do it with discs packaged in the Green Forestry line of disc packaging from Oasis. To date, they’ve used Green Forestry Sleeves (pictured), and the new 100% post-consumer-trayed Oasis Bottletray Digipak. These formats are lighter and lower-impact than other options, giving them the youthful, eco-friendly feel that suits them. If you’re interested, I’ll be happy to send you a free  Oasis Environmental Packaging Sample kit now which I believe you’ll find useful to help start planning out your new project.

I encourage you to catch Roadtrip Nation’s latest adventures on your local PBS affiliate, or check them out online at www.roadtripnation.com.

Micah Solomon
President and Founder
Oasis Disc Manufacturing

P.S. Like all complete Oasis packages, musical projects packaged in full-color Green Forestry Sleeves and Recycled Tray Digipaks include complete Oasis Tools of Promotion:  We send your music (the track of your choice) to 400 or more radio stations in your chosen genre, provide you with distribution at  iTunes, CD Baby, Brick & Mortar retailers (on demand), free web hosting and your own website, a full year of Sonicbids, and more.

If you want assistance with any Oasis packaging format, my team is happy to help you if you  click here to chat live immediately with one of our client advisors, or call us at 1-866-409-8170.

Get your copy of the latest Oasis CD catalog

A New Year’s Greeting from Oasis

I’m thankful that this has been the most productive year in our history – for Oasis and for our clients.  We’re extremely lucky to have such a creative, productive, and loyal group of customers, and I wish you the very best heading into the new year.

I also want to send out a heartfelt thank you to the more than 600 Oasis clients who requested we make contributions in their name to the Jazz Foundation of America. This is an overwhelming outpouring, and will help the Foundation to continue its important work. The Jazz Foundation of America is a national organization dedicated to saving and enhancing the lives of jazz and blues musicians in need. Every day the Jazz Foundation prevents homelessness and eviction by paying rents and mortgages, offering free medical care and operations, and creating employment through its programs.

Since Katrina, the Jazz Foundation has increased its caseload five times over by serving all ages of musicians who suffered from the disaster, including many with young children still at home. The Jazz Foundation now cares for approximately 1,000 musicians with 1,600 emergency cases a year.

Thank you again for sharing 2008 with Oasis. We have made many new friends and enjoyed doing great projects with our old ones. Best wishes for the start of 2009.

Sincerely,

Micah*

Micah Solomon
President, Oasis Disc Manufacturing

* if elink doesn’t work on your system, you can always reach me directly at micah@micahsolomon.com

Musical screen gems from Screen Archives Entertainment

I’m convinced each and every day that Oasis clients do the best work in our industry.  Of course I’m tickled pink when Oasis clients get signed to major labels or have their music featured on network TV

Ingrid Michaelson • Keep Breathing •  Grey’s Anatomy

but as often as not we’re working in what’s called “the long tail”–in genres, niches that the mainstream may not even have considered. That is often where you’ll find the Oasis family creating great stuff and thriving.

In that spirit, I want to briefly shine a spotlight on a unique Oasis client and the work it does, which just blows me away.

Screen Archives Entertainment (SAE) is one of the largest distributors of soundtracks and movie music in the world. Just as fascinating, SAE produces exhaustively restored film music recordings under its own label, working with major studios, composer estates, and universities to preserve music that would otherwise be lost to deteriorating celluloid.

The seed of the company sprouted when entrepreneur Craig Spaulding opened a retail store with a sideline in eclectic music LPs. Spaulding cultivated soundtrack contacts across the globe and soon became known throughout the U.S. as the place to go for obscure and rare scores.

He sold the store, but kept SAE as a conduit for preserving rare recordings, focusing on pre-1960 Golden Age films with cherished soundtracks. Universities and studios soon came calling for Spaulding expertise in creating restorations that captured the excitement of each project — from the inclusion of the composer’s own personal notes to the finest mastering of the music, to the effective marketing of the final product.

Today SAE has contracts with composers, their estates or heirs, and major record labels to for these lovingly produced soundtracks for collectors, released in limited quantities.

The lure of these recordings is intriguing.  Even if you’re not formally a student or collector of this work, it is transformative to hear these soundtracks as you go about your formerly mundane daily life. Nothing, for example, makes a morning commute more triumphal than hearing one of these classic soundtracks surround you on your ride.  Just don’t be tempted to jump the gap if you see a drawbridge is going up–no matter how the music swells, I still suspect that only works in the movies, folks.

Oasis acts blow them away at Arlene’s Grocery

An astounding array of talented friends (more than 300 strong) turned up for the Oasis New York office’s grand opening last night. Thank you so much! The music was wonderful and it was great to see our friends at this event. There was lots of low-key schmoozing, and those who were here for the music and musical interaction were more involved than I’ve ever seen. The performers returned this love with a respect for the audience, knowing that they were performing for some of their best peers at this event.

I’m not kidding about this. Just one example: who’s the audience member looking so poetical below?

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He’s looking poetical because he is poetical: He’s Jack Hardy. Legendary songwriter Jack Hardy. Gracious enough to attend our event and keep the songwriters actually on the stage on their toes. This is the caliber of crowd we had.

Shanna Zell, the rapt audience member you see here, is our NYC rep and a wonderful up and coming musician herself.

The rest of this post tells the story of the concert and party. Hope you enjoy it!

—–Up first was the wonderful Jen Chapin Trio — Jen Chapin, Stephan Crump, Jamie Fox — who I had been dying to hear in person for the longest time.

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Next: Sean Altman, who also graciously emceed the event for us, and who the crowd just devoured. Even though I made you work clean, Sean.

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Next: Kenny White, who quickly had the Oasis staff in particular howling immediately by weaving his New York-centric view of the Blue Ridge into his opening number (not, perhaps, quite having fully digested his handler’s dossier on Oasis’ Virginia roots). No hard feelings, Kenny, you’ll work in this town again. I’m sure.

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And finally, Internet phenom Jonathan Coulton,

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who happily surprised many of us by proving he exists in the flesh, not just in the blogosphere, by showing up early for the soundcheck that wasn’t and staying to the not-bitter ending after midnight. Thanks to everyone! What a great night.
–Micah
Micah Solomon • President • Oasis Disc Manufacturing • www.OasisCD.com • (888)296-2747

PS: I hope you’ll be sure to come visit our New York office: 250 West 57th Street Suite #1218 (W57th and Broadway, The Fisk Building) when you have a chance! Our new local number is 212-395-9460.)

Again, thanks to: Bob W, Courtney, Steve L and tv in addition to the usual wonderful Oasis suspects. This thing wouldn’t have worked without you.

Christine Lavin’s XM Radio show shines spotlight on Oasis Sampler

FILE UNDER: OASIS CLIENTS HELPING OASIS CLIENTS

Christine Lavin – folk pioneer, founding Bitchin’ Babe,

and an Oasis CD client herself – hosts the XM Satellite Radio program Slipped Disc with producer Bill Kates. She was kind enough to send us a note recently saying that she’d be airing a generous chunk of the latest OasisAcoustic sampler CD on her show; the segment will air four times.

Tracks featured included “I Should Go” by Levi Kreis, “Ain’t So Green” by Carsie Blanton, and “The Starbucks of County Down” by long-time Oasis client Greg Trafidlo.

They also featured work by other long-time Oasis clients and friends such as Janis Ian and Grace Griffith.

Christine and Bill also discussed on the air Oasis as a manufacturer who “goes the extra mile” for independent music clients.

Thanks Chris!

–Micah

Micah Solomon

President, Oasis Disc Manufacturing

An Astounded Jenny Reynolds “wins” Oasis prize in Austin

At the poolside party in Austin where the grand prize Oasis Disc Manufacturing drawing was held, the winner was none other than incredible Arts supporter Vic Heyman, who — with no personal plans to start a recording career — later that night transferred his winning entry to local Austin songbird Jenny Reynolds. (Jenny is pictured above, astounded and claiming unworthiness for Vic’s gift.)

Jenny has two upcoming CDs (studio and live) and will be applying the Oasis prize to them.

See more re. the exciting Southwest Regional Folk Alliance conference (SWRFA) and other Oasis goings-on in Austin here.