Talent alone doesn’t make you a star: self-marketing is equally important, which is why Olympus is making a new OM-D E-M5 Mark II system camera and an LS-100 PCM Recorder available to up-and-coming bands for a period of at least two months free of charge. It will allow them to make high-quality video and sound recordings. Bands can apply for the equipment now, via Olympus’ music blog http://music-open.olympus.eu/
A professional exchange with other musicians and an international platform for their projects - that's what the Olympus music blog offers up-and-coming bands. It’s a place for bands to share their experiences of using the Olympus equipment and at the same time present their own projects, thereby extending their reach. “With our blog, and above all our promotion to lend out professional equipment, we want to support talented newcomers to develop high-quality material for their self-marketing,” says Torsten Lenk, from the Audio Product Division at Olympus Europa. After all, good equipment normally costs a lot of money. But Olympus is lending the LS-100 PCM Recorder and the new OM-D E-M5 Mark II without a rental fee. The two devices are the perfect match for one another: the LS-100 is already greatly appreciated by musicians. It enables separately-recorded sound sources to be mixed together to create a single sound-stream. That gives users the flexibility to adjust each recording or to re-record or edit until the result is truly perfect. Moreover, when using the OM-D E-M5 Mark II, you can take outstanding video recordings and photos with no need for a tripod, Steadicam or gyro-rigs, thanks to the camera’s unrivalled image stabilisation system.
A helping hand for an international break-through
Bands from all European countries can apply for the equipment. All they need to do is to fill in an online form at http://music-open.olympus.eu/ with a brief project description and explain why they want to use the Olympus equipment. The pilot for the blog has been up and running since the start of the year. And since the re-launch, Olympus is now also offering tips on self-marketing for bands via the music-open music blog. This includes, for example, tutorials on video-editing and contributions from well-known guest writers including trainers and artists, as well as video or sound experts.