Category: Independent Artists News

Happy belated Christmas everyone! I hope your day was as merry and bright as mine was! Today is the time for yet another music review, this time on the Indie Band known as Nightmare of You. A rock band from New York, New York, the group has toured with many popular bands like Fall Out Boy and She Wants Revenge, and won Yahoo Music’s “Who’s Next?” competition in April of 2006. Little to say, this indie band is definitely worth a look, with rich sound and a unique way of viewing the world through the music they play.

My favorite sound I’ve heard from this band so far is called “My Name is Trouble.” The video caught my eye one day on you-tube, telling the story of clone who well, just can’t act like the real thing. It has quite the catchy tune, and the video is well worth watching in terms of entertainment. Other favorites include “The Days Go By Oh So Slow”, and “I Want to Be Buried in your Backyard”, all videos of which can be found on YouTube.

All in all though, Nightmare of You is one of those Indie Bands that have the capability of becoming mainstream very soon. Keep your eyes out for these ambitious artists as they make it through the music world one step at a time.

Step 1: Record a collection of tracks. Properly.

Contrary to what some people may think, few people are going to notice your abilities as an artist by listening to a rough demo. Either hire some studio time, enter into an agreement with an up-and-coming producer, or buy some studio gear. Gear is not expensive nowadays, and $800 should get you up and running.

Haven’t got the money? Save up for a while. There are thousands of artists doing the same thing – why not you? An A&R person wants to listen to a polished product. Represent yourself.

Step 2: Get some decent promo photographs made.

Myspace site got a picture of you taken with a web cam? Using your phone to shoot pictures? Not good enough, sorry guys. You’re going to need some great photos of yourself, airbrushed, the works.It’s the first thing an A&R person sees, I’ve found it has a huge bearing on whether your music get listened to or not.

Sounds harsh? I think so too, but that’s the way it is, so make your photos count.You can get great results with a digital camera, and some free photo software. It need not be expensive.

Step 3: Get a proper website.

This is a big one, and possibly one of the most important things you can do. Everyone has a myspace site, but to set yourself out from the crowd, I’ve found a proper website with domain (eg: www.youonline.com) is the way to go.

Web hosting is extremely cheap nowadays, and web development software is free, so there’s no cost barriers to getting this done.Your website must display three things clearly.

1) Your music. Try to have a track start playing when the site is opened.

2) Your photos.

3) Contact information. This is make or break. Make it clear and obvious.

So why the website? Why not stick to myspace? Well, I’ve found that A&R people usually have a million things going on at once. Their offices look like a war zone for the most part. They won’t be searching the web for sites – instead, they may have received a tip-off or recommendation about you.

Your website will be looked at in passing, so you don’t want to cloud the A&R persons attention with a glaring, comment ridden myspace page. Secondly, everyone has a myspace page. My brothers cat has a myspace page..

So set yourself apart from all the other players.But keep the myspace page as well. It’s good for everyone to see you have thousands of friends and fans too..

Step 4: Play out.

Now you’ve got your package together, start playing to audiences. Anywhere you think industry types may be. And it’s not just A&R people you’re after. Promoters, managers…all these people may see you perform. If you’re good, word will get passed around quickly enough, and opportunities will present themselves. Which leads me onto..

Step 5: Attract the attention of a music attorney.

Want to know who are the most under-rated, yet important people in the music industry? The music attorney. These people know everyone…A&R execs, managers, the works. If you manage to meet one (and it’s easier than you think..) doors will open for you, especially if the attorney becomes involved with you on a professional level.

Step 6: Go to industry days and events.

Here’s a story. Whilst I was promoting an artist, there was a music event on in town: A gathering of music equipment manufacturers, open to the general public. In the small print of the flyer, a “demo session” was advertised as part of the music event, giving folks the opportunity to take their demo CD’s along for the critique of music professionals.

So I went to the demo session, armed with a CD thinking they’d be a huge demand for this, and that there was only a small chance my CD would get listened to. I was wrong. There were about 6 people there, including me. So whilst downstairs, in the main hall, thousands of up-and-coming artists were playing with the new toys from instrument companies, I was upstairs with the attention of attorneys, managers and A&R men, all to myself. Can you believe this? It’s true.

The moral of this point? Keep your eyes and ears open for every chance you get.

Conclusion.

Hopefully, this has given you some ideas on how to get the attention of A&R folks. So what happened when the A&R guy from Sony came to my house? Well, he wasn’t impressed when he found out my artist didn’t write her own material..but that’s a tale for another day!

Article Source
About the Author:

Al Fraser is the Producer and Manager of Smoothbeatsonly.com, a website supplying R&B Beats and Instrumentals to up-and-coming artists. He also publishes tips on music recording and promotion via his blog.

Visit Smoothbeatsonly here:
http://www.smoothbeatsonly.com

New Music Billboard allows the public to listen to music for free from their favorite Indie Artist. Traditional Billboards cover mostly mainstream music, but New Music Billboards features new and up and coming Singers and Bands.

New Music Billboards features music that runs along side more mainstream or commercial music and has frequently used the term Indie music. Small labels or individuals marketing their own music often participate in the Indie Music scene. It is important to uncover unknown bands because there is so much music talent out there who simply lack ample marketing.

During the 1990s, Indie music became widespread and answered an increasingly larger market of people who were looking for alternatives to the mainstream music institutions. In the same way that “alternative” was used before it became an actual genre of mainstream music, Indie is sometimes used in place of “underground” as a term to describe music.

There are many places online where you can download Indie music for free. One of the better resources is our site at Newmusicbillboard.com

Becoming involved in the Indie music scene typically, and sometimes still does, require one to move to a city or town where there’s an active Indie music scene. Traditionally, hooking up with other artists and fans was a way to build your career as a new artist.

Seasoned musicians and new artists now have the opportunity to record and publish their music from the comfort of their own studio. Income can be made from building a fan base and by selling merchandise, concert tickets and traditional CDs.

Some Indie groups are now picked up by Indie record labels or even major record labels. A good resource to find Indie Music Labels is Newmusicbillboard.com

While Indie music is still considered off from mainstream music scene, it is a place where new artists can build a fan base and begin many of the marketing components that they are going to need to be success in the longer term.

Music contracts are constantly on the mind of everyone in the industry. Whether they are looking to sign one or they have one they need signed they are simply all around us in the industry. Lately you have been hearing horror stories of people signing bad contracts or getting basically screwed out of what is morally there’s. But what can you do?

Well, there is nothing you can do to save those people from their signing or horrible music business contracts, but you can learn from their mistakes. You can also get a lawyer but not many struggling or up and coming musicians can afford that. So, the best thing to do is educate yourself a little on recording contracts and music contracts.

Your best hope is for your music contracts to be artist-friendly. Fairness is above all the most important quality and they shouldn’t contain a bunch of mumbo-jumbo language that only a person with a 10 year degree in music business contracts could understand.

The top few things they should contain are as follows:

1. Profit sharing is pretty understandable. You want to split all proceeds fro the recording, manufacturing and marketing straight down the middle, 50/50.

2. Royalties. If you are an artist this is not an unfamiliar term. Your royalties as an artist or if you are naming royalties for an artist, royalties should be clearly stated and proportionate. For instance, if your album retails at $10.00, and your royalty is 20%, then you should receive $2.00 for every CD sold. Also make sure royalties are defined for each category, cd sales, merchandising etc…

3. Check for deductions of royalties, namely for packaging. This is not as common as it used to be because there is only a small cost associated with packaging and distributing your records. Be on the look out for Downloading clauses. There should be no deductions for sales derived from downloads and don’t accept it if there is.

4. Find out where your music business contracts cover you, this is known as the territory. Is it the continental U.S. or is the world? You should find this out!

5. Check for the clause referring to tour support. If you are signing with an independent label then be extra careful in this area. But keep in mind that it is normal for a label to recoup their cost in aiding the artist on tour.

6. Lastly, you have your merchandising. Unless your label is actively creating, advertising for and promoting your merchandise then they should have no right to your profits. On the other hand, if they are truly aiding in promoting this stuff then by all means they are entitled to some profit share.

I’ll tell you what, music contracts and recording contracts can be tricky to the untrained eye. The bottom line is though that you have to be trained. You need to know what to look for and you definitely need to brush up on your terms. Let’s face it, an entertainment lawyer is out of a lot of people’s reach so sometimes you have to do it yourself. Just make sure you are thorough and careful before signing anything in writing!

Author: Ty Cohen
Source

Today, the Internet provides unprecedented opportunities for independent music to find an audience. Unsigned bands and solo singers can now build a fan base that will not only listen to their music, but to buy MP3 downloads.

The Internet’s Grassroots Movement

It’s indisputable that the Web has created a paradigm shift in the way we live our lives. We’ve come to depend on the Internet for communications, information gathering, shopping, and so much more. With the advent of what is widely known as Web 2.0, the Internet has once again shifted into what could best be summed up by one word: democratization. For example, journalists are no longer affiliated with mainstream media outlets; they’re researching, blogging, and breaking some of the top news stories of the day. Experts no longer sit in their ivory towers and publish papers in academic journals; your family members, neighbors, and co-workers are constantly refining the compendium of expertise known as Wikipedia. Throw in MySpace, YouTube, and other social networking sites, and the top-down information structure is tossed out the window, replaced by a bottom-up, grassroots movement.

The Music Industry is Reeling

Nowhere is this revolution more apparent than in the music industry. The Internet hasn’t sent the industry rockin’ and rollin’ – it’s sent it reeling. Napster, the progenitor of music sharing on the Web, is now viewed as ancient history, but the insurrection lives on. While iTunes is here to stay, some major record labels continue to resist the opportunities that the Internet provides, instead opting to distribute music only through traditional sources.

During the first part of October, these dinosaurs faced another challenge to their survival when Radiohead released their much-anticipated “In Rainbows” on the band’s website. The kicker? Fans could get online downloads for free, or pay as much or as little as they wanted. So much for the business model that the music industry has traditionally employed.

How Independent Music Finds a Voice

Prior to the widespread use of the Internet, musicians and singers had to pound the pavement, sending demos to music labels and radio stations in the hope of breaking through to the big time. Today, however, independent music can take a page from Radiohead’s playbook, and speak directly to potential listeners and fans. Indeed, specialized music sites have sprung up to showcase independent music, and to give musicians, performers, artists, and bands a platform for promoting their work. These sites offer MP3 downloads for less than the cost of an iTune, while supporting artists’ work by giving them a 50-50 split of the proceeds. This is in start contrast to the deals that music labels give even the hottest bands, which typically receive only about 20 percent of the revenue generated by their music.

The Music Aficionado’s Advantage

From the perspective of the music fan, independent music sites are a dream come true. In the music mainstream, a tremendous amount of talent is overlooked by labels in favor of “packaged” acts that are perceived to be revenue generators. Now, thanks to the Internet, music fans from around the world can hear and experience songs that might otherwise never have found an audience.

By Tom Gauger

As writers, it’s often difficult to be objective about writing and any aspect related to writing and creating the demos that are used to shop songs. As a former talent booking agent with the William Morris Agency, I can tell you that with all of the vast array of talent and gifted writers, only a few make it to the inner circle. There are various reasons for this, but none that come close to what we will spend the remaining time in this article talking about. Many a hopeful writer and artist walked through the doors of William Morris only to find that the magic they thought they had come upon, vanished in a moments notice. Why is that? Why do some get the writers and artist deals with virtually no writing innovation, while others, with up in your face talent, not getting the due recognition and artist album cuts so richly deserved? Let’s spend a few minutes together talking through a few basic concepts to hopefully get you moving in the right direction.

As founder of ReelMusician.com, it is and has always been my goal to see rising talent succeed and make it to the top. We strive to always remain approachable, authoritative with music industry resources and information and provide relevant services such as creating master quality song demos for rising song writers, top notch jingle demos for singers trying to break into singing commercials and effective press kit writing for artists trying to establish their careers. We are already in that mode of how to help singers and writers break through, which is the foundation to why we exist and with all of that in mind, I want to share with you some ideas that will help you get your career jump-started.

Always remember that content is king. You can’t very easily take a story without a decent plot and try to pitch it. Same thing holds true for your writing and career. One of the problems today, is that many would be artists and writers clutter the playing field by utilizing technological advances and use their friends computer, keyboard and mic to record music and think they have a chance. And because music equipment and software has become so affordable, many who would not ordinarily approach the idea of writing or becoming an artist now feel that they have to have their chance at stardom and so the A&R, managers, booking agents and all other ancillary music industry offices are flooded by material that is not even close to being a go. It’s a waste of everyone’s time. The thinking is just because so and so made it, I could make it to. Well that might be true, but for the every one of the so and sos that make it, there are thousands to possibly millions that don’t. Think about that. Go for your dream, but make sure that you have a decent plot to back up your artist story line.

Once you have established that you have credible talent, and the fact that you are reading this article is probably a good indication that you have some credible talent, you will want to figure out the best approach to selling your songs, artist deal or break into jingle singing, whatever the case might be. I will tell you, as I’ve stated before, that everyone has their own story to tell in how they broke into the music industry, but I will tell you that there are a few golden concepts that you should employ to increase your odds. Always remember that creativity coupled with authenticity will go along ways in your career. There are so many phony people out there inside the industry and out, that when individuals who are decision makers inside the industry find authentic and truly gifted talent, they are pulled to it. Do you have a record cut or a record deal, maybe, maybe not. But the fact that you now have an ally inside the inner circle creates a much broader platform for your career to take off from. The fact that now someone who holds some influence and who has taken a liking to you is strong – really strong. You develop these types of relationships whether at area writer’s meetings, artist showcases, or other various ins that you can find and think of in your area, and you will be well on your way to getting your demos not only listened to, but listened to with interest and on an inside path. Don’t be users. Figure out ways where you can have conversations totally outside the music industry where an individual truly thinks you care – if your career comes up the conversation great, but if not that’s fine to. And if it does come up in the conversation, don’t make a big deal of it.

Your song demos have got to be the best no questions asked. Your productions better sound better than what’s on the radio. Figure out the key musicians in your area and produce your song demos with no excuses. I’ve said it before and it’s worth repeating, that it’s better to have a slimmed down song demo version with an incredible guitar or piano player and vocals that just melt, than a fully produced song demo that’s pretty good. You hear that. Don’t produce pretty good demos – They’re not good enough. When you get the opportunity from a heavy weight in the industry to listen to your song demo, artist demo or jingle reel, it’s far better to have an incredible demo done with a few musical elements that just wow the listener. Chances are you won’t get another chance, and so your listener better remember that your demos not only sound good, but will make him or her look good when they go to pitch your material. Don’t hesitate to contact us at ReelMusician.com if you have any questions about demos, what you’ll need and your current writing and artist demos.

In closing, and I never feel like I have enough space to cover all of the relevant ideas in a given article, please take these few simple concepts seriously and implement them in your career goals. Don’t get all stirred up about the latest and greatest this or that or your having to be in the “in” musical crowd to get a record deal or to get your songs cut. Just develop authentic relationships and make sure that your song demos, jingle reels and artist demos are simply the best! Please feel free to contact us for any questions you might have!

Mr Gauger is a former talent booking agent with the William Morris Agency and founder of ReelMusician.com. You may contact the author at tgauger [at] reelmusician.com. Free e-books “The Jingle Singer’s Guide,” and “Secrets To Great Song Demos,” may be downloaded at www.ReelMusician.com.

Generally, the first thing that springs to mind when you need to record a song, is to make inquiries with local recording studios. However, studio charges are generally based on an hourly rate that is often more than your day job pays you.

Once you’ve saved enough money for this excursion, there are then further worries. Unless you are a regular visitor to recording studios, you may not quite know what to expect. You may not be able to communicate your ideas for your sound clearly to the engineer, who really only understands technical jargon.

As the hours tick by, you will be under the stress of wondering if you’ll be able to complete your project before your money runs out. Artists under stress don’t generally perform well, but you won’t hear this because you’ll be out there performing, instead of listening to the performance.

If you have also hired musicians in for the session, you’d also better be a good personnel manager. The longer they have to sit around waiting to be told what to play and how to play it, the more it is going to cost you!

It is in your best interest to use a studio that is the best you can afford. But have you taken the above problems into consideration? Have you planned out your time in the studio in the fullest detail? Do you know enough about the multi track recording process to know exactly what tracks your song needs? Are you, or your band rehearsed enough to play every track on its own, and in perfect time with all the others in the arrangement? Can your drummer play to a click track? Or do you have detailed drum parts already programmed for your songs? Have you written detailed score sheets for all the session musicians? Do you know what kind of sound they need, and what style to play in? Have you already tried out various mix ideas and sound effects at home, and know how to explain these ideas to the engineer?

If not, you will most likely end up with a recording that isn’t quite what you expected. And it will have cost you a small fortune! At best, you will get a good recording that sounds something like you thought it would. But does it sound original to you? Has it captured your unique sound, and conveyed the essence of what you are as an original artist? Does it convey the emotion of the song correctly to the listener?

There is another way to approach the recording process that will solve all the above problems, and could even get you a professional recording for FREE!

All the above jobs are part of the work that is generally done by a PRODUCER.

A producer is someone who has the experience to hear, not just the music, but the essence of what you are as an original artist.
 
A producer will know instinctively when you have made the perfect take, and will get you onto the next stage of the process without having to waste studio time playing back every take first.
 
A producer will have your whole sound in glorious 3D in their head before a single note is played.
 
A producer will have the technical knowledge to know how to translate every part of the process to something the engineer can understand.
 
A producer has a long list of business contacts who he can call upon at short notice to add whatever is necessary to make the sound you need … session musicians, arrangers, writers, synth programmers, track editors, equipment rental companies.

Sounds expensive, doesn’t it?

Not necessarily!

Although some producers will charge a flat rate for the job of perhaps several thousand pounds (or dollars!). Many work from their own studios, with their own “in-house” session musicians for a royalty plus expenses. Therefore, they become somewhat like a “record company”. They will produce a recording for any artist they see potential in, in the hope that their recording will eventually be signed to a major label and make money. Of course, in these instances, you will still have to pay the studio and session musician costs.

Sometimes they will even do the whole job for FREE, or for a minimal flat rate to cover expenses. How can they do this? Well instead of taking a royalty from your advance or sales, they take ownership of the copyright in the sound recording they make. This is fair, because, after all, they put a lot of their own money and special skills into the making of it. So what do you get in return? Of course, you get full use of the recording for your promotional needs!

Furthermore, many producers with their own studios, now also have their own record label. Wobbly Music is one such producer. Whilst you are looking for a recording or publishing deal elsewhere, or whilst promoting your record as an independent artist, your producer will have the right to sell the recording (from which you, as the artist or composer, will be paid royalties) in order to try and recoup their losses or even profit from this mutual deal.

There are now a great number of producers doing deals similar to this. It means you can have a demo made, or release your own recordings for little or no money up front, whilst still retaining the freedom to sign with whoever you wish, or remain as an independent artist. So in effect, you will have a record deal working for you to earn extra royalties in the background, whilst you concentrate on doing what you do best, which is writing and/or performing great songs!

Since this kind of arrangement may not be costing you anything, it is worthwhile trying a few different producers to see whose ideas and style of production gel best with your own view of yourself and your sound.

All producers have their own unique style, just as you, as an original artist, have yours. This “sound” can be heard throughout all their productions with various artists. Look for a style that seems complimentary to your own. In other words, don’t use a Hip-hop producer to make your records if you are a Country artist!

Many good producers have a wide range of musical skills, and may also be able to write lyrics, compose melodies, write arrangements, or even play various instruments, such as guitar, piano or drums. All these extra skills could be utilised to give your recordings an extra edge at minimal, or no extra cost.

Finally, now that you are off to find your own producer, here are some things to avoid…

Don’t rely on pictures of their studio, and lists of top quality recording equipment to tell you how good they are as a producer. Any piece of specialist equipment can be hired if necessary. A good producer can produce radio-ready recordings on even the most basic equipment, whereas a poor producer, will not achieve such good results on even the best and most expensive equipment.
 
Don’t sign with a producer who doesn’t make samples of their previous work available to you. You need to know what experience they have, and get an idea of the audio quality and styles that they can produce.
 
Don’t sign with a producer who comes solely from a DJ background. These producers specialize in remixes of existing records, or “beats”.  Not in the creation of a new artist’s unique sound, or a recording from scratch.
 
Don’t sign with a producer who specializes in a genre of music that is totally different to yours … Unless you want to change your style to that new genre!
 
Don’t sign with a producer who has no creativity or commercial flair of their own. You don’t want a producer who is just going to record everything exactly as you already have it, just to please you. A good producer will see things that you have missed, and will add hooks and sounds to your songs that will attract new listeners, and interest from music industry professionals.
 
Don’t sign with a producer who is asking you to assign publishing rights to your songs. You want to be free to sign your songs to record companies or publishers who may be able to do more for you in the marketing or promotion of them. Once you assign the copyright of your songs to someone, they have exclusive rights to them for the duration of your contract, or even for perpetuity! All a producer needs from you, is your written permission to record your songs, and perhaps sell their recordings or release them on their own label. If so, make sure you get at least the statutory mechanical royalties (currently 6.5%) from these sales!
 
Don’t sign with a producer who only works with one set of musicians. Although many have their own preferred set of “in-house” session musicians, there will be times when your music wont be suited to the way these musicians play. Make sure that your producer has a wide range of musical contacts to draw from.
 
Don’t sign to a producer who promises to make your song into a hit record. Even if the producer has already produced several hits, there is no guarantee that your song will be a hit. Marketing gurus and sales teams make hit records, not artists and producers!
 
Finally, some producers may ask you to sign an exclusive contract for a certain time period (perhaps 1-5 years). These producers must also be “song-pluggers” or “promoters” who need to protect their interest in you whilst they are working to get you a deal with a major label, using the recordings they have produced. Before signing any exclusive deal, always have the contracts looked over by a lawyer specializing in the music business. Make sure, by examining the production company’s track record, that their promise of a major deal looks likely to happen within that time period. You don’t want to be wasting five years of your life whilst your best songs are sitting on someone else’s shelf, doing nothing!

If you are a Country music writer, you can go to a Nashville demo studio and get amazing sounding recordings using top Country music session musicians. If you are only pitching songs to that specific market, that is great, but every recording they produce sounds like the last.

If, on the other hand, you think your music has wider appeal, or you are a performing artist yourself, you will want to be noticed in the crowd across a wider marketplace. You need to accentuate the part of your sound that is unique to YOU. A good producer will be able to recognize that which is unique to you, and will make sure that your recordings take advantage of that.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Lynn Monk has experienced over 30 years in the music business as a musician, concert sound & lighting engineer, DJ and record producer; and is now the proprietor of Wobbly Music. An indie record company dedicated to supporting the “Mature Independent Artist”. Lynn can be contacted at lynn at wobblymusic dot net

Find out more about our artist services & recording contracts, at http://www.WobblyMusic.net