iTunes has announced a new affiliate program. If you become an affiliate, iTunes will send you a special link to add to your website. You will earn a 5% commission on all iTunes Music Store sales generated through that link. So you can funnel your own website traffic to your Orchard music on iTunes and earn extra money!

Click here to learn more and sign up.

ORCHARD CMJ PARTY: If you're in NYC during this month's CMJ Music Marathon, come to our CMJ party!

WHEN
Thursday October 14, 3pm to 6pm

WHERE
The Delancey (map) Subway to Delancey St. on the F, J, M or Z trains

PERFORMING
The Raveonettes
Daniel Johnston
Communiqué
�plus special guest DJs

FREE ADMISSION, RHEINGOLD BEER and SNACKS!

Congratulations to all Orchard artists and labels showcasing at CMJ, including Lookout!, French Kiss and Nature Sounds Records!

Explosions in the Sky, The Earth Is Not A Cold Dead Place – Rock (Temporary Residence Records)
If you see Billy Bob Thornton's new Universal Studios film �Friday Night Lights,� keep your ears peeled for Explosions in the Sky's moody and atmospheric (and frequent) contributions to the soundtrack. Hot on the heels of a recent hometown gig opening for Modest Mouse, instrumental Texas-based quartet Explosions in the Sky will spend October touring the United States. The U.S. jaunt will be immediately followed by a November 6 slot at the All Tomorrow's Parties Festival in Long Beach, CA, alongside Lou Reed, Sufjan Stevens and others.

Reid Paley, Revival – Rock
Reid Paley and his trio will open for The Pixies at NYC's Hammerstein Ballroom on Thursday, December 16, and in Boston the following week. UK folks who want to witness a �red-blooded Brooklyn storyteller whose gruff, barking vocals and guitar playing will boost your foot tapping into stomping� [Village Voice] can catch Reid on his UK tour October 20-31.

Ted Leo, Shake the Sheets – Rock (Lookout! Records)
Energetic New Jersey pub rocker Ted Leo will be looping the country with his Pharmacists October 21-December 11 in support of his new Lookout release �Shake the Sheets.� SPIN magazine is scheduled to run a three-page feature on Ted in its November issue. "Shake the Sheets" drops on October 19, after a digital pre-release from October 12-19.

Howard Emerson, A Tale To Tell – Folk
Guitar virtuoso Howard Emerson recently performed on the local New York cable channel Plum TV. He will celebrate the release of his latest CD �A Tale to Tell� with an October 30 party at the Mandolin Brothers guitar shop in Staten Island, NY. Howard is a national touring clinician with the C.F. Martin Guitar Company, teaching fingerstyle, bottleneck and open tunings.

Daniel Johnston & Various Artists, The Late Great Daniel Johnston: Discovered Covered – Rock (Gammon Records)
�Discovered Covered� finds acclaimed Austin singer/songwriter Daniel Johnston surrounded by high-profile admirers like Beck, Tom Waits, Flaming Lips, Eels, Death Cab For Cutie, Mercury Rev, Vic Chestnutt and many others. The double CD, which contains one disc of Johnston-performed originals and one disc of covers, has stirred up massive press from Blender [four stars], Paste, Uncut [four stars] and Rolling Stone.

eMUSIC

Congratulations to Orchard sister company and trailblazing digital subscription service eMusic, who re-launched in September with new editor-in-chief Michael Azerrad, author of Come As You Are: The Story of Nirvana and Our Band Could Be Your Life: Scenes from the American Indie UndergroundX, 1981-1991. eMusic is the only major music service exclusively devoted to promoting independent artist and labels.

The new site boasts:

• enhanced search and browse functionality of eMusic’s 500,000+ tracks.
• new message boards and user community rating systems
• new editorial content from a first-class stable of established music critics
• new live music content from eMusicLive [formerly Digital Club Network].

Drop by www.emusic.com to sign up for a free trial!

THE INTERNATIONAL SONGWRITING COMPETITION (ISC) - is an annual songwriting contest that offers aspiring and established songwriters the opportunity to win thousands in cash and prizes. Artists looking to gain exposure in a professional and international arena can get their music heard by the top record label executives and recording artists who judge ISC submissions. The deadline for entry is October 15, 2004. For more information, visit www.songwritingcompetition.com.

INDIERADIO.ORG - IndieRadio.org is a listener-supported online independent radio station with stations that play dreamy indie pop, crunchy indie rock, catchy electronic pop, emo, college lo-fi, garage and riot grrl music. If your music falls into any of these categories, check out www.indieradio.org/submitrecordings for more information on how to submit your music for potential radio play.