The Musicians Middle Class Has Got to Go!!!

Mind you, I am only speaking about the terms "musicians middle class" or "musical middle class", I completely support the movement. I just feel that those terms, which have been adopted by bloggers and writers of all things music 2.0 (another term I would love to move past) are not empowering enough and they do not clearly define what I believe they are attempting to define.

I am not sure exactly who coined either term but back in '07 Bruce Houghton at Hypebot defined the musicians in this category as "artists selling 20-100,00 copies and making a living through direct sales, touring, merch and other streams; and because there are fewer outsiders taking a cut. They are empowered by the viral marketing and direct sales that the net enables."

Even though the artists Mr. Houghton described are aspiring to become sustainable and earn a "middle class" income with their music, this does not mean that they are part of a "musical" middle class and I doubt that any artist would refer to themself as a "middle class musician". Even if the terms are being used to describe the large space that falls between the garage band and the major-label artist and the artists that occupy that space, I will still argue that there has to be a better term(s). Besides, I am not a big fan of using the class system to describe any group, let alone a group that contains members from all walks of life.

When it comes down to it what we are really trying to define is the artist/musician as an entrepreneur. You can find many different wordings for the definition of entrepreneur but the one that I feel sums up the what I mean came from good ol' Wikipedia."Entrepreneur in English is a term applied to the type of personality who is willing to take upon herself or himself a new venture or enterprise and accepts full responsibility for the outcome."

I propose that today we replace "Musical Middle Class" with the term "Entrepreneurial Musicians Movement". Sure, the term doesn't flow off the tongue very well but I think it is an accurate description of what is actually going on and increasingly more powerful than "middle class". I, for one, am switching gears and I will no longer use the term "middle class" when referring to the Entrepreneurial Musicians Movement and I will be replacing the term "do-it-yourself" or "DIY" musician with "Entrepreneurial Musician" . I beg of you to do the same.

Not happy with these terms? Please make a case for something you like better. I am not married to the terms that I proposed here, I just want to make a change.

Thank You For Reading My Blog. Where's Yours?

I'm going to continue to beat this social online networking horse, so if you haven't suited up to be a knowledgeable jockey yet then it's time... Seriously! You can stop reading my blog (there probably aren't too many of you out there at this stage), but it won't make the digital revolution go away.

Think about where you get your news from. I guarantee you that my mother, the "I sit on the patio drinking coffee at 5:30 in the morning and read the tree-killing newspaper", isn't reading this. The digital wave is beyond her. I do give her respect for the fact that she is trying to learn to navigate through facebook in order to keep up with my nephew who is spending the first few years of his life in Puerto Rico. Every time I'm home I have to walk her through something on the computer. I actually love it. It helps me practice my patience and makes me feel useful.

I was at a BBQ in this little place called Frog Town (it's nestled right around Silver Lake and Echo Park) apparently. I suddenly realized that I needed to write my blog that was to post the next day and gasped, which got everyone's attention. One of the girls there replied very snottily with, "Oh my gah. Blogs are so stupid". I attempted to stand up for myself and explained that it's a part of my job to put my knowledge in blog form every week. It didn't help. I had already been deemed uncool.

I want all of you artists out there to throw caution to the wind and not care about what a hipster thinks about you blogging. In fact, if you happen to be a hipster, get over yourself and open up your mind. Take a look at these little nuggets of information I managed to find from research done by Mediapost.com back in November 2008.

*87% of 18-29 year-olds believe bloggers have become opinion shapers

*68% use blogs to keep up on issues or topics of interest

*46% use blogs to conduct research

Those numbers are from almost a year ago, so imagine where they are at now.

Going even further, a study done by the Harvard Business School determined that if your album is blogged about by 250 bloggers then your sales go up two fold. If 400 bloggers talk about your album the sales go up five fold. It can be done by any blogger too. From the one in New York at a prestigious company with a corner office to a kid in Kansas with a twin bed.

So... are you blogging yet?

Cheers!
Creed

Keeping in Touch with New and Potential Clients

I have already talked about how important it is to follow up with your referrals (i.e. clients) in a timely manner. But just because you follow up with them quickly, does not mean they will end up working with ArtiSans. Working with ArtiSans will not be an impulse purchase for a band. Sometimes the band isn't at a point where they are ready for the services ArtiSans offers. These referrals are STILL valuable and it is VERY important to keep in touch with them. Then, when they are ready to move forward with their plans to record, you have built a relationship with them, and ArtiSans has remained fresh in their minds.

Be Personal with Communication: Sometimes people get too wrapped up in the business aspect of things. Show that you, and ArtiSans, are human! Communicate with them on a personal level. Business professionals who make the effort to establish a more personal relationship with their potential clients, attract more notice and interest than they would in a cut and dry business relationship.

Don't be Afraid of the Phone: I am guilty of this point...I have gotten used to the alternate ways of communicating. I prefer email actually, and would rather send a quick text than talk on the phone. But the phone allows you to engage the other person in a conversation. It forces you to pay attention and fully concentrate on your conversation. And, it cuts down any possible confusion that might occur from an email (I have learned that sarcasm isn't conveyed in an email very well).

Picking up the phone and speaking with someone personally is very important. It shows you are genuinely interested in building a relationship and a dialogue. It may seem awkward at first, but it gets easier with each call you make, and each time you speak with the person. If you don't want to get stumped - write down a few conversation topics to keep the conversation going.

Maintain a professional but friendly image: Don't get too wrapped up in the business end of your call. Be personable, be friendly, get to know a little bit about the person outside of the business realm. Find out what is important to them and what is going on in their lives. Take notes! Then the next time you call them you can follow up on the conversation and get an update on things you have discussed in earlier conversations.

Remain Upbeat and Positive: One negative comment can take over the entire tone of the conversation. Use the skills you would use in an interview...no trash talking people, gossiping, talking negatively about things. You want them to associate only positive things with ArtiSans. Also, no one wants to talk to a "Debbie Downer"!

Invite people to subscribe to our newsletter: I don't think anyone at ArtiSans uses this tool enough! ArtiSans newsletter is a way for us to keep people informed about what is going on at ArtiSans, and brings more people into ArtiSans' Circle of Influence. Plus, the newsletter will discuss specials and promotions going on at ArtiSans Label and Studio. To sign up for the newsletter, all people have to do sign up via the link on the main page of the ArtiSans Label website.

Go see the Band's Shows: Did you refer a band? Are you keeping in touch with them to try to get them to sign with ArtiSans? Then go see their shows! This is the easiest way to keep in touch with your Referral. Showing up at their gigs shows your interest and commitment to the band, and that you want to support and help them. It is essential in building a trusting relationship with them.

Earning the confidence and trust of one potential client will almost always lead to recommendations in the future. People want to work with, and buy from, people they know, like and trust. Building strong client relationships is the basis for many types of businesses. Keeping in touch with the clients and potential clients will increase the potential that that client will work with ArtiSans. And for the RADAR advocates, more clients for ArtiSans = more rewards for the advocate!

Studio Etiquette For the Artist

Hello kids. Today we are going to discuss studio etiquette for the artist. There are certain things you don't want to do in the studio for several reasons. Most importantly, it's not a good idea to annoy and/or distract the person in charge of your projects sonic quality. And almost as important, these things are just plain rude and if you decide to make too many of the wrong people upset with you you're going to eventually find it difficult to find people work with you. So here they are...

Talking and Cellphones
Here's a simple rule that's always good to live by. If you're in the studio (especially in a session where tracking is happening), then at the least put your cellphone to silent. This will help you avoid the two biggest no-no's: 1) Having your cellphone go off in the middle of a take. This will annoy everyone involved in the project (including yourself) and, worse, will cost your more money when you have to re-cut that take. 2) Your cellphone ringing in the control room while the engineer is tracking (or mixing, or editing, or whatever). The only thing worse than that is answering it. Do not do this to say anything more than, "Hey. Sorry I'm recording, I'll have to call you back." ("What? Gramma's dead?!" is also acceptable.)

What goes in line with number two is talking in the back of the control room while everyone else is working. If you want to have a conversation with a band member, or whomever happens to be there, then go outside to do so.

Basic message: Do not be a distraction. It costs you money and respect.

Food and Drinks in the studio
Always ask if it's allowed. Don't ever assume you can just walk in to the control or tracking room with any food or beverage. If it is allowed then make sure to keep it away from any and all equipment. Setting a cup of coffee on the mixing console is never a good idea, even if the engineer does it. If you happen to spill something, find something to clean it up with and do so. I have yet to record any royalty; we can all cleanup after ourselves.

Visitors
Again, always ask if and how many are allowed. Some studios don't care, and some don't like the distraction (especially mastering sessions). If you are going to have some arrive, then always try to plan on them arriving at the beginning or during a scheduled break. There's nothing worse than the unscheduled visitor showing up while you're trying to nail something that's just so close to working. They just become a distraction, and will cost you more money in the end.

Being Late
Watch your scheduled time and do not be late. A lot of studios start the clock when you are scheduled with or with out you. The only thing that stops that is you calling ahead. Even then, pay close attention to their cancellation or late policy.

Look for studios who have complimentary load-in times (like us...30 mins to be exact). If your session starts at 11 AM and they have a complimentary 30 minute load in time prior to session start, get there at 10:30 and get loaded in. If you do this every session, then you're bound to save some cash on your total for recording costs.

For those who have been following along, what's the common theme? It's the simple fact that sticking to studio etiquette guidelines will save you money in almost every situation. When you don't distract, then things get done faster. When you're not late, then you don't waste studio time. And when you don't spill coffee on a $50,000 to $90,000 console, you don't have to spend the rest of your life paying it off. Remember these things (as well as all the advice I've given over the months), and you're recording experienced is set up to be a pleasant one.

Sites That Can Help With Band Business

Lately, I have become obsessed with websites that cater to the business of being in a band. I love hearing about new ones and I love diving in and seeing how they work. Here is my current list of favorites in no particular order.

Reverbnation: Reverbnation is a phenomenal tool for the band that is interested in getting a little more organized.The site is packed with tons of great widgets that help the artist to spread their music and images all over the web and others that help artists collect emails or display their upcoming shows. They have a utility that lets you send out mass emails where Reverbnation will handle any opt-out situations (not that anyone will want to stop getting your emails but just in case). They have a gig finder tool that will help you find venues based off of location and even who has played there before. They even have some pretty good metrics tools that let an artist gauge the success of their efforts. One of my favorite parts of Reverbnation is that they are constantly adding new services and they recently partnered with Microsoft for a song sponsorship program where artists can get paid for people downloading their songs for free. Oh, did I mention that most of their services are free?

ArtistData: I first found ArtistData a few months ago and I was blown away. If you are tired of updating every social networking site out there each time you have a show, this is the site for you. ArtistData allows you to publish content on multiple sites at once from a single location. Update your calendar and status at Myspace and Facebook from a single log-in. Plus you can generate newsletters and tour books as well as post your shows to numerous concert databases. This is a website that can seriously help you cut down on the amount of time you spend away from making music. Oh, did I mention it's free?

Band Metrics: This site monitors and analyzes an artists digital identity. How many hits your social networking sites are getting, how many friends you have, how many time your video has been viewed. Now you can see how many hit your Myspace page received after you did that radio interview or played a big show. On the surface metrics might seem a bit boring but with a little creativity you can use this data to help increase your fan base and keep track of which of your efforts are paying off the most. This site is still in beta and it is only occasionally letting in new accounts so go sign up for the updates so you can be the first on your block to have an account. Oh, did I mention its free?

Bandize: This is an incredible site for band management. This site has great business features that are tailored to the business of being a band. It has a digital ledger that allows you to not only keep track of band money and expenses but you can easily keep track of what expenses came out of who's pocket. You can easily log merchandise sales, keeping track not only of the cash but of your inventory. A band can delegate and keep track of tasks. Keep a contact list online that every band member can have access to. Keep note on each contact. I only recently found out about this site and I was pleasantly blown away by it. This is the only site that I am mentioning that has a monthly fee ($15 per month with unlimited log-ins per band) but if you are serious about organizing your band, this might be well worth-it.

What are you using to manage your band? Drop it in the comments section and I will check it out.

What Genre Are You?

JC sits in my general vicinity at the studio and runs his mouth a lot, so I get to hear most of the stuff that he says... even when my headphones are on and Coldplay is blaring. However, I must give him credit in that he triggered the idea for this blog.

A few days ago he was submitting metadata on Gracenote for a band's CD and was going through all of the different genres to choose from. Below is a very short list of the absolute best ones that he found:

Shoe Gazer, Dream Pop, Outsider Music, Post-Modern Electronic Pop, Jangle Pop, Paisley Underground, Folktronica, Turntablism, Queer Core, Mercy Beat, New Wave Quirk, Diva Style, Space-Age Bachelor Pad and Quiet Storm

A music genre is defined on the Art & Popular Culture website as "a category (or genre) of pieces of music that share a certain style or 'basic musical language'". That's great, but it also goes further than that. It can be categorized by techniques, styles, context and non-musical things such as geographical origin.

Personally, I have a hard enough time just explaining what bands CONJOB sounds like. I don't need a bunch of other ridiculous categories to try and shove us into. Too many choices isn't usually a good thing as it often induces an anxiety attack, which provokes anger. It's gone from just being "Rock", "Reggae" and "Hip Hop" to "Midland China Rock", "Jawaiian" and"Mad Chester"!

My thought is that it is nearly impossible to classify all music in a consistent way, which is why all of the subgenres have popped up. I say be done with it. Don't define your genre. As the soulful Joss Stone says, "When I'm listening to the music I'm creating, it's not really in any genre, 'cause it hasn't been created yet. When it is (written), we just put it down and it's there and it's like, yeah, it's soulful and it's felt. Some may call it R&B. Some may call it blues. I don't really give it a name; this is just me singing, just me feeling it out."

Feel this out!

Cheers!
Creed

RADAR Quarterly Meeting - Program Update

Last Sunday we had the 2nd quarterly meeting for RADAR, and it was a great success. In attendance were our current RADAR Advocates, as well as many potential advocates and other special guests of ArtiSans Label and Studio.

We had a nice mixer and got to get to know our current advocates and some of the new advocates that have registered since the meeting. It was exciting to have the current advocates, potential advocates, current clients, and potential clients and vendors meet, and to put faces to the names of the people we deal with daily.

I did a short presentation on ArtiSans and the RADAR program. The presentation covered a little bit about ArtiSans Label, and why it makes sense and stands out from the more 'traditional' labels. The bulk of the presentation came from most of the blogs I have written for ArtiSans, and my goal was to help the advocates achieve success in the RADAR program. My presentation covered the RADAR website navigation; The RADAR program details, benefits and rules and conditions; Where to look to find musical artists; Gow to approach artists, what to talk to them about, and what information you should give and get from them.

We fielded a lot of questions from the advocates. It was brought to my attention that some advocates hesitate to submit referrals when they meet a band, because they want to follow up with them, and get the conversation about ArtiSans going a little more. Then they end up delaying their contact with the band, and end up never submitting the referral. The solution - SUBMIT THE REFERRAL IMMEDIATELY, then we will take care of the rest. There were also questions about the 'type' of musical groups we work with, if we only work with specific music genres. ArtiSans Label offers services to any artist of any genre, at any career stage. We want to help and educate artists so that they can be successful, and concentrate on the most important thing - their music. These are very good questions, and we are glad that we can have an open forum where these questions are asked, and where other people can learn the answers and solutions.

We also launched a new promotion for the RADAR Advocates. This promotion will be posted to the main page of the RADAR dashboard, so that the advocates are reminded of what they can win every time that they sign in.

We have set the next RADAR quarterly meeting for Sunday, November 8. We hope to achieve some serious goals by the next meeting. The first goal is to get the RADAR website overhauled so that it is completely functional, and so that it is helpful to the advocates, leading to more referrals and rewards. The second goal is to build my relationship with our current advocates. By doing this, I'll be more in tune with the advocates and their needs. I'll also know what changes I need to initiate to help them stay motivated and to make the communication process easier. (So look out for more calls from me, my RADAR advocates!) The third goal is to find more advocates who are a good representation of ArtiSans and want to help spread the word about how ArtiSans can help bands.

I have gotten some of the FAQ and How-to-Strategy information up on the RADAR site, and will be adding additional information in the next few weeks. I had a great time meeting everyone who came out last Sunday, and look forward to working with you within RADAR.

The Second Stage of Mixing: Tracking

I mentioned a couple weeks ago that mixing does not begin during or after tracking, but before during the writing process. I hope you all read that, if not, here it is. Today we will elaborate on all of that and enter the tracking process, or stage two of mixing.

The most important thing is a theme I often touch on: always, always keep your end goal in mind. Specifically this time, your sonic end goal. Know what you want your songs to sound like before you go into any project. This is yet another place where an experienced producer comes in handy. If you don't have the budget for one, then start going through you music collection and finding albums that have similar sonic qualities your looking to have on your record; i.e. guitar tones, drum tones, vocal effects, over all feel, etc.

These things are sometimes very hard to identify for the untrained ear, but find things you think sound great and get them to your engineer (or preferably a producer) weeks before tracking begins so that the whole team is on the same page.

During tracking, banish the motto "oh, we'll fix it in the mix" on day one. That is usually an excuse to not do it right the first time. Instead of thinking, oh we can just EQ the hell out of it when mixing, get the right tones when tracking through instrument choice and the experience of your engineer and/or producer. (See my blog on preparing for recording: Tuning and pre-production.)

For guitar tracks, pick the right guitar, the right amp, and in all cases, an engineer who knows what microphones to choose and how to use them. If you don't have the right guitar or amp (or any of the following things) go on a borrowing campaign. Find friends, or other bands who like your music, and beg if you have to. If you need helping choosing or finding those things, consider hiring a producer :-).

When it comes to drums, make sure they're tuned and make sure the pieces you have are going to get you the tones you want (such as a lower or higher pitched snare drum). If the kit you have doesn't fit what you need, and the studio doesn't have a house kit, then beg/borrow to get what you need. Offer to put new heads on the drum that you borrow and tell the owner they can keep them when the recording is done. Trust me, the cost of a new drum head will be worth it because if you don't record the right sounding drum and have to use a sample in the mix, you'll end up paying more than the cost of the head in time spent placing the sample.

When tracking bass, make sure you have a good sounding instrument and possilby replace the strings (again, depends on the sound you're going for). If your bass rig doesn't sound that great or is super muddy, then do not insist on using it during tracking, you'll just be wasting time. Instead, you could just record direct or, or preferably borrow a great sounding rig. If you can't borrow the good amp by the time you're supposed to record your parts, track them direct and re-amp later.

All that said, the "oh, we'll fix it in the mix" strategy is sometimes your only choice. When you've exhausted all your borrowing options for better gear and come up empty handed, and when there's no budget for rental, then you just have to do the best you can and sometimes use some mixing sorcery to get it where you want it. This, however, should never ever be the first option. The first priority of any engineer and/or producer should be getting it right the first time using things like microphone choice and placement techniques. If you're working with a production team that wants to make "fixing it in the mix" their first option, then you should seriously consider finding a new place/team to record your album. Just remember, there's nothing worse than doing it right the second time.

How Do You Keep The Needy Fans Loyal?

Last week I talked about how thirsty fans are for information about what band members are up to at all hours of the day. Today, I'm going to give you a tip on how to keep those fans coming back for more and bringing friends with them. The trick... are you ready for it? Treat them with respect.

For some of you, that is common sense, but not every band is sensitive to the needs of others, especially the people who are closest to them. The first thing, which I've just about exhausted in this little string of blogs, is to stay in contact with your fans. They will walk away from you if you ignore them. It's so important to respond to these fans who are going out of their way to be a part of your music and your success. The easiest way to keep them posted and stay in touch is to use the social networks that should not be avoided.

Get creative. Mike Giangreco, a long-time promoter, is very versed on how artists attract and deal with their fans. He suggests, "You need to make your show an event and create a memory." The best idea that he ever came across "was an act that offered to buy drinks for the first 20 people that showed up. That was a win-win for everybody. The fans loved it, the venue was happy and everyone talked about it afterwards." It's about offering fans material that helps make them feel special.

My absolute favorite thing of the moment is what Jason Mraz is doing with his Gratitude Cafe Tour. He's always been incredibly thankful and respectful of his fans because he knows he would not be a success without us. At his shows he is offering seats that have no service fees attached. He calls them "Grateful To Be There" seats, and when you're grateful to be somewhere you don't complain about the little things... like being in the back of the venue. To be completely honest, I prefer sitting in the very back and taking in the whole experience. The lighting and stage theatrics are choreographed for the show, so I prefer the back. Plus, that's where I tend to find the interesting people... like myself.

As usual, I digress, so let me wrap this up.

Give your fans something that they deserve from you. That something is respect.

Cheers!
Creed

How to Approach and Talk to Bands: 30 Second Introduction.

As I was preparing for the RADAR quarterly meeting, I realized that there was more information I could provide to the RADAR Advocates on how to approach bands.

I gave a lot of tips on how to talk to the bands, what type of questions to ask, and how to introduc ArtiSans. But after a show is not always the best time to try to have a conversation with bands. A music venue is often loud, and it is hard to talk to anyone effectively. Band members are usually tired and hot, and have fans and friends all vying for their attention when the show is over.

We want you to be confident and comfortable when talking to bands about ArtiSans, and we want them to be able to concentrate fully on your conversation. If the situation does not cater to having the conversation that you need to have with the artist, you can quickly introduce yourself and get their information so that you can call them to discuss their band and ArtiSans. Here is what you do:

Have your RADAR advocate business card ready. Also have something to take down the band member's information on, whether its a notepad, your phone, or the band referral form ArtiSans provides you with.

Go up to the band member, smile, shake their hand. Say something like:

"Hi! I just wanted to let you know I really enjoyed your set. I think your band is awesome! I am an avocate for ArtiSans Label and find bands to refer to them. I'd love to get your contact information so that I can call you at a more convenient time to find out more about your band and to tell you a little bit about ArtiSans."

Practice what you want to say ahead of time, and make sure you can keep your introduction short. Take their information, so that you can call them to follow up, and obtain their permission to refer them. Be sure to get their name and phone number, and write down their bands name and whatever other information you will want to remember when you speak to them. (i.e. their style, how many members in the band, any other performance items you want to speak to them about.)

CALL THEM THE NEXT DAY!!!! I can not stress this enough. The longer you take to call them, the less likely it is that they will remember you, or that you will remember them.

Be sure to be prepared before you call them. Write down the questions you want to ask them. Have some notes prepared on ArtiSans so that you can explain yourself clearly and confidently.

Also, be prepared to have to leave a voice mail if they do not pick up. Be sure to leave your name and number clearly, that you met them the night before at their show at (insert venue name here) and gave them your business card. If you don't hear back from them in a few days, call one more time.

Any way in which you choose to approach and speak to an artist, the most important thing is to follow up immediately. Don't let them forget you!

Refer bands into the system as soon as you meet them, speak to them, and get their permission to refer them. The longer you wait to enter the referral into the database, the less likely you are to actually refer the band. We will do the follow up! We will educate them about ArtiSans and how ArtiSans can help them to achieve their goals. And you will get the reward for the referral!

Why are You Creating Music?

So you have a band huh? You guys have a rehearsal space and practice three or four times a week? You’re in the studio recording the next White Album? You even did some research and found the best price to press the disks? Your band is on top of it and bound for success, right? Wrong. If you think writing, practicing, recording, playing shows and waiting for your “break” is all it takes, then you should quit your night job and stick with the day job.

There are two types of artists, those who play music for the sole purpose of creating art, and those who are trying to make a living at it. Not one of these paths is less important that the other, but they are different.

Here is the biggest difference:

Say someone sits down and happens to write the greatest song sense “Hey Jude.” In Artist 1’s case the song will be heard by friends, family, perhaps even attendances at the local coffee shop. Then one day someone else hears it, records it, copyrights it, and sells it to a publishing company for 2,000,000 dollars. Now if artists 2 had written the song, it would be recorded, copyrighted, pressed, sold online, reviewed in publications and blogs, placed in film and TV, and shared with the world.

This is a very extreme case in both scenarios but the idea remains the same. You need to decide now why you are playing music. Are you serious about making is a career, or are you making music for the sake of art. Regardless of which path you choose I’m warning you now, it is not easy. By treating your band like a business you will be working more hours and will receive less pay (at first) then just about any other job.

But here is the encouraging part. If you are diligent, resourceful, and completely relentless, you can work for yourself doing what you love. How many people do you know who are making a living doing what they love? We are artists. We have to work for ourselves. We are an eccentric, free spirited, stubborn, inspired, strange, obsessive race that must create. By working hard and taking care of the business first, it allows us to give in to our creative nature, dreams, and imagination while simultaneously building a good life for ourselves as well.

Now let’s go out and do something that matters.

-B

Live Tracking Tips

Hello all. I've had many bands ask me in the past if it' s best to track live or lay the song down instrument by instrument. The honest answer is: there is no right way to do it. But there are things to keep in mind...

What to Track, and what not to track...
When tracking live it is usually best to stick to doing the basic tracks and maybe some scratch vocals if they're needed to keep the band on the same page. In a typical set up this means drums, bass, guitar, and maybe keyboards. Actual vocals, backing vocals, guitar leads, other keyboards parts, and percussion need to be saved for over dubbing...which can be difficult and messy depending on some of the following factors.

The most important thing...
Be Tight! You need to be well rehearsed otherwise live tracking will be a disaster. If there is guitar, bass and drums all recorded together and off from one another, there is absolutely nothing the engineer can do to make it better. Translation: You're S.O.L.

More about the click track...
This comes up even often in live tracking situations. If you are an extremely well rehearsed band sometimes tracking to a click can take away from the "feel" of the song, and when tracking live that's something you're definitely trying to capture. The problem you can run into is that if you track live with no click, then you have potentially tied the hands of the engineer and hurt your wallet. Because you didn't use a click, you're music isn't "on the grid", meaning locked into a specific tempo and grid lines inside your tracking software. Now when it comes to doing overdubs and editing, it becomes either impossible or an extremely time intensive task (which easily equals more money out of your pocket). For example, lets say the entire band played the second verse one progression too short or with an incorrect chord change. If you successfully tracked to a click and were around being on the grid, it could be fairly easy to simply pull a progression from the first verse and edit that into the second verse where the mistake was made. If, however, no click was used, then you likely wouldn't be able to do so because the tempo probably varied slightly from the first verse and any such edit would sound very unnatural. In worst case scenarios, you have to re-track the entire tune, which takes more time and costs you more money.

See my previous blog regarding the importance of a click track for some background.

The round up...
The main thing to take away from all this is taht live tracking isn't a good thing or a bad thing. It completely depends on the sound you're going for, but you had better be prepared. Be extremely well rehearsed and make sure you have all your parts down. This process will test your salt as a band more than tracking instrument by instrument, and nothing is worse than having that come as a surprise while paying for studio time.

Time spent

So you are trying to make it in music? I have a question or two for you: How much time are you spending on it? The average dead-end job that you hate runs 20-40 hours a week. The average full time career that you vied for takes up 40-60 hours a week and the typical entrepreneur will spend 80-150 (!) hours per week building their career. So, I'll ask again; How many hours are you putting in to build your career in music.

By the way, practicing in your bedroom doesn't really count, you are expected to be good at what you do. So besides practicing your chops in your bedroom and the occasional show; What are you doing?

The Internet has narrowed the distance between you and your fans but more importantly it has narrowed the distance between you and potential fans. Now you can be from Southern California and have some avid fans in a place you have never been on the other side of the planet. Welcome to the worldwide local scene. This is great for music but can be really bad for musicians. Instead of trying to rise above the few bands in your zip code, you now have to find a way to stand out in a crowd of billions of bands and musicians world-wide! Do you still think all you need to do is practice and play shows? Do you still think all you need is a kick ass CD? Do you still think stonewashed jeans are socially acceptable? (By the way, your answer here should be NO to all of the above)

Breathe. I know that this is starting to seem overwhelming but think about it for a second. First off, do you want to make a living making music or are you fine keeping it as an extra curricular activity? This is the choose your own adventure part of the story: If you would like to make a career in music please read on. If you are happy keeping music as a hobby please click here.

All right, you are reading on so I can deduce that you want to build a career in music. I am going to give you the key to building a career in music in the current version of the music industry.

Fans.
You need fans
You need to get new fans
You need to keep current fans
They all need to spend money on you

This is a constant, it has always been and it will always be. So, what are you doing to grow and maintain your fan base?

As the perception of music becomes increasingly devalued by the digital generation; What, besides music, are you offering your fans?

Being that fans are not consuming music the way they used to; Are you exploring other ways to make money with your music?

No one can answer these questions for you and the only truly wrong answer to any of them is "I'm not doing anything." But, you need to be careful not to be delusional that what you are doing is enough. The artists that will be successful will not only have a large list of things that they are doing for each question, they will also have a list of things that they are adding to their routine. The artists that are going to make it in the new music industry are the ones that ask themselves these questions on a daily basis and manage each time to answer with something new.

So, what are you doing? Let me know.

Need help? Send me an email jc@artisanslabel.com

"Whether You Believe You Can, Or You Can't, You Are Right"-Henry Ford

Why Fans Have Become So Needy And Why You Are Obligated To Give Them What They Want.

Attracting and maintaining fans is no longer about a band's music. If you didn't read my blog from last week, you can make it up to me by reading it now and then commenting on how fantastic I am. Actually, go back and read the last two because they touch on how to find fans and get them to actually come out and pay your cover price at the door.

Scott Welch, a manager who has worked with the likes of Alanis Morissette, contends that art comes from the bottom up instead from the top down like it used to. "Fan management is the only part of the business that's left... it starts and ends with the fans. They determine who will make it. If they like you you're gold. If they don't, you're in trouble."

Fans these days are much more demanding than they used to be. With the introduction of social network marketing, fans want to constantly be updated on where you are, what you're doing, who you're with, what you're eating, etc.

P. Diddy has a question of the day on his Twitter. He asks a simple question, such as the one from today, "what's your favorite MJ song?" Then he waits for his million plus followers to respond. He has also apparently launched PTwittytv... Yes, real time video of him that he posts on Twitter. He's slacked on posting them recently, but the fact that he has even taken the application to a whole new level shows how innovative and forward thinking things are these days. I hear you in that he has his minions who do his bidding. Who knows if he even came up with the idea, but his fame is what makes it take and make the world take notice.

What's my point? My point is that it seems tedious and unnecessary, but silly things like Twitter are so incredibly important in keeping fans on the hook. Mike King, Director of Marketing at Berklee Music says, "You can't just leave it to chance and hope for the best. Today it's especially important to be proactive. The internet and mobile communications have made fans much more demanding. If you don't pay attention to them, you'll lose them."

The fans are as important, if not more so, than the music now. If you don't have the fans, then the music will be lost by the wayside. They are the reason you are successful, so keep that in mind my arrogant band friends.

Cheers!
Creed

How to Approach and Talk to Bands

Last week I went over some basics on how to start a conversation. This week I want to go more specifically into how to talk to bands. As RADAR advocates, you need to not only go see bands to refer to ArtiSans, but you need to speak to them and introduce ArtiSans Label, and how ArtiSans can help them.

I have said before that I am in a band, and there are two pieces of advice that I have as a band member. First, do not talk to any band members when they are setting up, breaking down, loading or unloading their gear. This is my biggest peeve as a band member who has a LOT of equipment to setup and breakdown. Bands usually have a very short setup and breakdown window. If you go over your allotted time setting up, it can cut into your set time. If you take too long breaking down, you cut into the next band's set up time. No matter what the situation, this is my least approachable time. It is very hard to follow a conversation and pack up at the same time, especially since when I speak to someone, I want to be able to give them my full attention. (Usually the lead singers) have nothing to break down, but give them a few minutes to unwind after a show before approaching them as well.) Once I am unloaded and packed up I stick around and check out the other bands, talk to people, hang out at the merch booth, etc. THAT is the time to speak to me. THAT is the time to approach band members.

The second piece of advice I have is regarding alcohol consumption. If you plan to have a productive conversation, and especially if you are planning to talk to a band about ArtiSans, lay off the alcohol. It is very hard to take someone seriously when they are slurring or reek of alcohol. You are automatically going to be brushed off (nicely) if you appear to be hammered.

Regarding how to speak to bands, try to do the following:

• Begin with a compliment: Butter them up, start the conversation on the positive note. Make it believable though...if you thought they sucked they will be able to tell by your tone. Have a few good things from the show that you can refer to and think of them when you tell the band how wonderful they were.


• Begin with words: When; What; How; Why; Where: If you use these words, the person you are speaking to knows that you are about to ask a question. How long have you been playing together? What is the meaning of your band name? Where do you usually play?


• Ask questions that cannot be answered with a simple 'yes' or 'no': There is nothing worse then attempting to have a conversation and getting only one word answers. So ask questions that require explanation or a more detailed response and enable you to start a dialogue. Who are your musical influences? How did you come together as a band? What is your favorite part of being in a band?


• Encourage the other person to reveal feelings: This builds trust! What are your concerns about your career? How do you feel about the current state of the recording industry?

How to work ArtiSans Label into the conversation:

This is obviously going to be different in each situation. Once you build up a rapport with the person you are speaking with, get an idea of what their plans are as a band regarding recording and/or releasing an album.

• Are you looking to record an album soon? What are their plans? Perhaps they are already recording, or looking for a place to record.


• If they are already recording an album, find out if they have worked out the details of their album release. ArtiSans Label can coordinate all the details for their album release. There are often MANY ASPECTS of a record release that bands do not realize they have to deal with.


• Let the band know that you are affiliated with ArtiSans Label, and are looking for bands to refer. ArtiSans Label can reliably support, manage and coordinate all aspects of their music release, from concept to consumer, so that the Artist can concentrate on what is important - their music. ArtiSans can work with any budget, and does not keep any copyrights or sales profits. ArtiSans is all the benefits of a label, without the hassle.


• Get the band's information: Band Name, main contact name, phone number, email address, website, etc. Take notes on the artist referral form that you receive in your welcome packet. Obtain their permission to refer them to ArtiSans, and let them know that they will be contacted by an Artist Coordinator within a few days. Then give them your ArtiSans RADAR Advocate business card, so that they can contact you with any questions, and give them the ArtiSans Label brochure. Giving them these materials is VERY IMPORTANT because it gives them something tangible to refer to.

Here are a few Do Not's to keep in mind as you speak to artists:

• DO NOT MAKE ANY PROMISES TO THE PERSON! At all! We want to build a trusting relationship with our artists, and YOU are a representative of ArtiSans label. We do not want to start our relationship by making promises that we can not keep.


• DO NOT MAKE UP ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS!! If you do not know the answer to a question that you are asked, just let them know. Say something like, "That's a great question! I don't know the answer and do not want to tell you something wrong, so let me find out the answer and I will follow up with you about it." Then write the question down...If you forget, and do not follow up - then you miss an opportunity.


• DO NOT ENTER INTO ANY AGREEMENTS ON BEHALF OF ARTISANS!! This seems obvious, but it's not. Verbal agreements (i.e. promises) are included in this category. You are representing ArtiSans, but you are not authorized to enter into any contracts with an artist.

I hope that these tips and conversation starters help you as you speak to bands and spread the good word of ArtiSans!

The First Stage of Mixing: Arrangement

One could argue that mixing is the most important stage in the record making process. I've mentioned before that it is the point where the album/EP/whatever will be made or broken, and I stand by that statement. What seems to be a mystery to many is that mixing does not begin during or after tracking. It begins long before in the arrangement stage and instrument choice (both type and quantity) is the most important step.

The biggest thing to remember when entering this process is always keep your end goal in mind. This may not always be clear at first, but once it is, never forget it.

It can be cool, depending on the style of music, to have many instruments going on at once. What you want to keep in mind is there is a threshold of too much. This, again, is extremely important if you're going for a clean and clear production style. If you're going for a big, chaotic sound then pile away but still remember that if you're looking for two or three things to specifically poke out in the mix, you still want to have a limit to the madness.

The other thing you want to keep in mind is the frequencies those instruments are occupying. This is especially important when you're implementing a healthy amount of synthesizers or electronic instruments in addition to live drums, guitar and bass. Certain synthesizers can occupy a lot of the same frequencies as overdriven or distorted guitars and the dominance battle will shortly ensue. If you're adding electronically produced drum loops/samples over existing live drums, then make sure you’re keeping that end goal in mind, decide which you want to be the prominent sound in the mix, and program accordingly.

All of the above decisions will be tested when it comes time for the mixing engineer to tackle the project. He or she can do much to carve out the appropriate frequency range for each instrument but there are only so many desirable frequencies to attenuate or increase in the spectrum. The more instruments you add, the more frequencies they'll take up and the more cluttered the mix will become. The biggest damage will come to your wallet as the more specific carving the engineer has to do, the longer the mix job will take, and the more money it may cost you.

The intensity at which you follow the advice I've laid out before you depends heavily on the sound and style of music you write and the production style you're going for. If you want the Phil Spector "Wall of Sound", then you don't have to be as picky although the choices you make are still important. If, however, you are looking for a much more clean sound where each of the instruments and elements can be heard in its on pocket of the mix, then follow this advice closely as it is extremely important and valuable for the quality of your end product.

Looking For Someone to Shoot Your Next Video? How About Big Brother?

Here is a band that understands what it takes to set yourself apart in the new music industry. They are called The Get Out Clause and they are from across the pond. They shot one of the coolest videos ever and they did it for next to nothing by filming in public places and using public security cameras. Then they acquired the footage using the UKs Data Protection Act which is similar to our Freedom of Information Act here in the states. Please watch and then read on.



I hope you enjoyed that as much as I did. When I think about the amount of planning that went into that video it blows my mind! Plus they had to acquire the videos from their government. I am not sure how it works in the UK but I am assuming it was the equivalent of a trip to the DMV times however many cameras were used to make the video. Most bands that I meet would have given up in the planning stage, but these guys pushed through and have created a truly great piece of 2.0 media.

...but wait, there's more! (R.I.P. Billy)

Visit their website and you will find that if you order now you can get their CD in limited edition packaging, created and assembled by the band. There is even a video of them making one so you can see how much work and craftsmanship goes into it! I was so impressed, I ordered one. But it gets better, the CD has the video on it and a music player that will be updated with new music from the band as it is released. Did I mention that these guys are unsigned!

I love seeing how creative artists can get using the tools available to everyone. This is a great way to cut through the clutter created by the new music industry. Take a look at the tools that everyone has access to and find a new way to use them, next thing you know it might be your band that everyone is talking about.

Now get out there and try something new!

The Power of Word-of-Mouth

by Stephanie Arriaga

Thinking of a recent situation with a local band made me wonder what kind of effect WOM or word-of- mouth had on marketing music or more specifically local musicians and bands. As product information individuals transmit to other individuals, WOM tends to be more reliable and the information is more likely to be believed by the population than formal and traditional marketing tools. Therefore, if used in a positive context, WOM can be a very successful tool in creating buzz and interest in the product or music. As an up and coming musician, it is important that you generate a buzz in and around your community, more importantly a buzz with a positive cogitation. Unless you already have chart topping songs and established yourself as a successful artist, and even then, musicians cannot afford to lose fans or respect with negative word-of-mouth. Not all publicity is good publicity.

With positive word-of-mouth, potential consumers have a greater chance in actually purchasing and adopting the product, or in this case, your music. You can dramatically increase your audience at shows, your fan base, play at better venues, or play with more known bands or musicians through WOM. Just talking about your music can have a very powerful affect when someone who is unfamiliar with your music. It provides an introduction of what can be expected and you can make a better argument of why someone should listen and support your art. With today’s technology, WOM doesn’t only consist of talking in a conversation face-to-face, but it also includes phone calls texts, emails, and the use of social networking web sites. Word-of-mouth can potentially make or break you.

Since negative word-of-mouth is weighed much more heavily than positive word-of-mouth, it is critical for you to been seen in a positive light, even as a person not just as a musician. As a local musician, rumors can spread fast and can greatly affect how successful you are, so it is important to be aware of your status and credibility in the community. Negative information can then lead to misconceptions and false rumors about you and/or your music. And as we all have learned playing the game telephone, when information is repeated, the meaning of what is said will most likely be changed and the message interpreted differently from what was initially intended. So be cautious of what you say and do because it may end up burning you in the future.

This inexpensive way to market yourself can be a great advantage when marketing to your community and essentially competing with other local talent for an audience. Becoming aware of the content of your conversations can benefit you in how you want to get your message across and in this case, how you want to present your music. And the more people you talk to the greater the impact. So the moral of this story is to network yourself, it’s impossible to get too many contacts!

You have "friends", according to myspace. But how do you turn them in to actual friends?

Last week I talked about how to find your potential fans. Let's say you've managed to find them in this last week, how do you get them on the bus? Unfortunately, these days, it takes a grand gesture or something incredibly interesting to get their attention. What type of grand gestures? Bands often bombard fans with videos, photos, texts, contests... anything that will grab attention. However, it's all been done and most fans are over it. Bands can do only so much face to face time with fans and are left to attempt a friendship through online social networking... it's so much easier just talking to people.

Sometimes I have the choice to either call a client or shoot them an e-mail. As easy as an e-mail sounds because it's a little less involved and doesn't require too much commitment, it slows down the communication process. When calling someone, I've got to be on my game because I don't get the chance to mull over what I'm going to say and take the time to cleverly put it all down into a safe, not too involved e-mail. Make the phone call. Often times, which I'm sure most of you are aware of, tone gets lost in e-mails and texts. I'm a relatively sarcastic person, so I often write in my texts to (read this like it's dripping with sarcasm). I've learned that words are easily lost in translation and that I must be very clear and politically correct when texting with people who don't know my sense of humor very well. Is this a bad thing? No. I should probably learn to reign myself in a lot of the time, but The Jen Creed usually shines through somehow.

Social online networks now make it so that bands can show off their number of friends on myspace. Believe me, those "friends" could usually care less about your career or voting for your band to open for John Mayer. Most of them won't take the time to sign up on a new website just to support you. I've got so many other sites to sign onto to get my necessary networking done daily that I don't want to sign up for anything else or remember another password just to support a band that asked me to add them as a "friend".

So how do you get these "friends" to actually become fans and supporters of your music? Playing shows and getting out there to personally interact with people will help turn them from myspace "friends" into real life friends, who are more willing to come out to your show and pay the cover price. Unfortunately, we don't always have the opportunity to formally meet a lot of our fans, so we have to utilize the internet. On the plus side, it allows us to not only interact more often with fans in the tri-state area, but with fans throughout the world.

So get out and play! Talk with your fans! Don't have a rock star attitude regardless of where you are in your career. Nothing bothers me more than a band who won't return phone calls or e-mails because they think they're too good for it. Their heads are bigger than they should be and that doesn't make me want to pursue them. I've got other bands to speak with who actually want to know more about what I do as well as who I am as a person. I'd rather talk to bands whose music may not be my favorite style, but they are genuine people who want to connect with their fans and have a conversation with us.

So if you meet me at a show, let's talk like people. Not as a band and a girl who works with a record company. I may not be a huge fan of your music, but we aren't defined by what we do, so I may end up being a huge fan of you.

I hope you can end up saying the same about me.

Cheers!
Creed