CYBERSPACE

* Marketing Music: The International Music Products Assn., still known by its former acronym, NAMM, has loads of information on its site about this week’s International Music Market ’98 in Los Angeles. The site (https://www.namm.com) also has membership information, an industry calendar, research, statistics and links to members’ Web sites. The government affairs section has articles on how to contact lawmakers in Washington and NAMM policy resolutions, and the industry development section has a Gallup survey on American attitudes. Make sure to visit NAMM University--19 courses NAMM has developed for members and music product retailers and manufacturers.

* No Strings: Electronicmusic.com (https://www.electronicmusic.com)is the place where electronic musicians and technicians gather to talk about their craft. The site also has electronic music audio clips you can download, reviews of hardware and software, events and games.

* Tuned In: Oh, who sang that song, you know, the one on that album? One place to find out is the All-Music Guide (https://www.allmusic.com/amg/music_root.html), a searchable music database of albums, people and song titles. The site also has job listings, music essays, a music glossary and maps that trace the roots of various music styles.

A similar site is Music Search (https://www.musicsearch.com). This site has a searchable database as well as forums, a reference section, regional music information, news and reviews.

* Outside Looking In: Only the privileged can make it past the Velvet Rope (https://www.velvetrope.com). But if they do grant you a password (you have to apply), you’ll be privy to all sorts of music industry insiders’ dish.

* Key Source: Harmony Central (https://www.harmony-central.com) bills itself as the online resource for musicians, with industry news, industry trade shows, a Java-based ear-training program, links, tablature and classifieds. Rock on.

* Virtual Collaboration: Ever wish you could jam with people around the world from the privacy of your own home? Worldjam (https://www.worldjam.com) provides something called an open studio session, in which you download basic song tracks, add your own riffs and upload them back to the original composer. If that sounds a little complicated, don’t worry, there are instructions. It’s a new site, but it will eventually have archives of past Worldjams.

* Rock of Ages: This Week in Music History has trivia only a real music fan could love. A sampling? “Heartbreak Hotel” was released this week in 1956; Capricorn Records went bankrupt in 1981; Janis Joplin was born in 1943, Sam Cooke in 1931; and, in 1969, the Beatles performed live for the last time. There are also archives of past weeks and artist and music links. Point your browser to https://webhome.idirect.com/~moondog/thisweek.html

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