A.I.R. Gospel

We're thrilled to distribute over 100 albums from the award-winning Atlanta, GA-based Gospel music label A.I.R. Gospel [Atlanta International Records].

A.I.R. Gospel is home to three 2005 inductees to the International Gospel Music Hall of Fame - Rev. F.C. Barnes, Luther Barnes & The Sunset Jubilaires, and Rev. Timothy Wright - and songbird Dottie Peoples, who was nominated for a 2005 "Best Traditional Soul Gospel Album" Grammy for The Water I Give.

Their vast catalog also features soul-stirring titles from Clarence Fountain & The Five Blind Boys of Alabama, The Dixie Hummingbirds, The Swanee Quintet, Maurette Brown Clark, Evelyn Turrentine-Agee, James Bignon & Deliverance, Rev. Ernest Davis Jr.'s Wilmington Chester Mass Choir, Rev. W. Leo Daniels and many others.

Welcome, A.I.R. Gospel!

BEST WISHES TO ALL SXSW PERFORMERS [March 16-20]

Confirmed Orchard-distributed performers at the U.S.'s largest music conference include Amy Rigby, The Apes, Bloodthirsty Lovers, Blowfly, Burden Brothers, By the End of Tonight, Communique, The Czars, Daniel Johnston, DMBQ, The Donnas, Eluvium, Ez T, Hitch, The Hold Steady, The Immediate, The Lashes, Laura Cantrell, Lazarus, Mark Mallman, Matisyahu, Mono, Ojos De Brujo, The Oranges Band, Oxes, Palomar, Parker and Lily, Parlour, Pretty Girls Make Graves, The Queers, The Raveonettes, The Reputation, Robbie Fulks, Robert Skoro, Steve Poltz [Rugburns], Tammy Faye Starlite, Turing Machine, and World/Inferno Friendship Society. Apologies to anyone we missed!

An extra "howdy" to Orchard-distributed labels hosting SXSW showcases: French Kiss, Monitor and Temporary Residence.

If you're attending SXSW, drop by The Orchard's booth [F6] at the Austin Convention Center and say hello!

SHOWCASE SUBMISSIONS AND DEADLINES

Visit The Orchard for details and submission deadlines.

RDB & Sahara, Saathi (All Together) – Dance/Bhangra (UntouchablesUK.com)
A heartfelt Orchard salute goes to U.K.-based bhangra act RDB & Sahara, who released Saathi (All Together) to raise funds to benefit victims of the tsunami tragedy. RDB [Rhythm Dhol Bass] is a mainstay on the U.K. bhangra charts. Adil Ray of the BBC Asian Network says, "RDB are by far the most important thing to happen to British Asian music in the past couple of years." Thanks to RDB & Sahara and UntouchablesUK.com for their noble efforts.

Barrett Martin, The Painted Desert – Rock/Experimental (Fast Horse Records)
Congrats to Barrett for his appearance on last month's NPR.com All Songs Considered show. Barrett Martin was an integral part of the 1990s grunge explosion, drumming for Screaming Trees and Mad Season [with Alice In Chains' Layne Staley and Pearl Jam's Mike McCready], followed by sideman and session gigs with R.E.M., Luna, Air, Stone Temple Pilots, Queens of the Stone Age, and many others. The Painted Desert is his first solo work: 12 compositions of Afro-Brazilian-inspired rhythms and haunting desert-influenced melodies.

X-Ray Sun, Minotaur – Punk
Players of the import version of the new hit Sony Playstation 2 game Gran Turismo 4 can tear around the streets of Seoul, Paris, Tokyo or New York to the tune of "Animalised" by U.K. band X-Ray Sun. X-Ray Sun describes their music as "tense, dark, stripped down sci-fi punk clashing with the sterile, programmed beats of a damp London basement." Sounds like the perfect soundtrack for zoooming!

Suni Clay, Suni Clay – Hip-Hop/Rap (Kick Ass Records)
Juno-nominated Ontario, Canada-based rapper Suni Clay won first prize in the rap category of the 2004 U.S.A. Songwriting Competition with his song "Lil' Man." Faced with over 35,000 applicants in over 15 different categories, a panel of music industry reps from companies like Warner/Reprise Records, Walt Disney Music Publishing, Sony Music, ASCAP and Tommy Boy chose "Lil' Man" as the best rap track, making Suni the first Canadian rapper to win the competition. Congrats, Suni!

Jason Harwell, Alive in the Fall – Rock (Rebuilt Records)
Athens, GA-based singer/songwriter Jason Harwell recently won the grand prize at the International Acoustic Music Awards for his "Declaration Song." Jason was also recently named "Artist of the Week" on XM Radio's R>A>D>A>R Report, a weekly feature on XM's "Radio Unsigned" channel. Online review site The Phantom Tollbooth compares Harwell to Pete Yorn, Toad the Wet Sprocket, The Elms, Coldplay and "the softer side of Weezer." If you're in Georgia, catch Jason's March 12 set at Eddie's Attic in Decatur.

MSN Music [http://music.msn.com]

Launched in October 2004, MSN Music’s U.S. store offers over one million tracks. Most individual tracks cost 99 cents and most albums cost $9.99. You can buy music directly through your web browser at http://music.msn.com or through the new Windows Media Player 10.

MEDIAGUIDE
Mediaguide's proprietary technology monitors nearly 2,500 college, non-commercial and commercial radio stations across the US 24/7 - that's more than the combined number of stations monitored by its closest competitors. As a result, Mediaguide's MusicMonitor� and ArtistMonitor� information services can support the entire lifecycle of music promotion, artist discovery and development for independent/DIY artists, labels, promoters, managers, retailers and others.

Special Orchard Discount: Orchard artists and labels can receive a 15% discount on Mediaguide's services. Just send an email to musicreferral@mediaguide.com with THE ORCHARD in the subject. Within the email, please provide your contact information, whether you want ArtistMonitor or MusicMonitor, and the specific releases you want Mediaguide to track.

For more information: www.mediaguide.com