Get noticed in today's crowded world!
Are you ready?
Irrespective of how you plan to get your
music out there, you have a few things to
consider beforehand. First and foremost: is
your track really ready to be released?
Sending a low-quality track to a busy label
can only reduce your chances of success
and could come back to haunt you when
sending any material to that label in the
future. In terms of ‘quality’, I'm primarily
referring to the technical side of things –
your production skills.
Your
network can help you judge, though: run
the track past people you trust – producers
and non-producers, musicians and nonmusicians,
and listeners of different genres.
As for production quality, it’s the labels
and distribution companies you need to
impress here. If all the sounds in your mix
sound mushy and indistinct, if there is hiss,
if the sound is too quiet or over-limited to
the point of total distortion, no good label or
distributor will touch it.
A good mastering
job can make all the difference here.
To sign or not to sign?
Record labels traditionally handle the
marketing, manufacture, distribution and
royalty assignments for your music, leaving the
artist free to make the music.
Labels come in all
sizes, from vast umbrella labels like Warner
Brothers Records or Sony-BMG (each with large
numbers of subsidiary labels), through
successful independents such as
Yellow Recordings or
Yin Yang Records, right down to one or two person
operations.
So-called ‘major labels’
generally sign artists for exclusive deals and
handle recording, engineering and mastering
costs too, whereas smaller independents might
sign finished tracks with no exclusivity.
While contracts vary (especially
between major and independent labels), the
contract will state the intention of the business
relationship from the outset, and it’ll give you a
good idea of what’s expected from both parties.
As usual, don’t enter into a contract lightly, and
make sure you know what you’re letting yourself
into before you do.
If you choose to sign your track to a label, the
label will effectively take control of how, when,
and even if it is released for sale. Perhaps all
you’ll have to do now is sit back and concentrate
on the music.
Seting up your own label
Your label is a company like any other, and
it’s important to register it as such.
Depending on your resources (time, people
and money), you’ll need to decide what
‘structure’ your company will take: operate
as a sole trader, form a partnership, a limited
company or a limited liability partnership.
Practical advice on the mechanics of
setting up your label is available from the
Association of Independent Musicians, who
can guide you through the whole process.
They cover
the legalities, your structure, basic
agreements, current laws, copyright, and royalty
arrangements.
It’s also good to
get some branding nailed down! A label
website, including a well-designed logo that
you’d be happy to display everywhere, now
and in the future, can make the difference
between you looking like a sophisticated
label and a disorganised shambles of a
music racket.
Budgeting for artwork and
design is money well spent.
When commissioning the logo, be sure to
look at the competition and remind your
designer how it will be displayed.
In dance
music, this will normally be on-screen, and on music vendor sites it
will also be quite small, so avoid too much
fine detail as it simply won’t show.
Distribution
Next up, you’ll need a way of actually
getting the music to people, and it’s at this
point that a distributor comes in. In years
gone by, distributors moved physical
product (CDs, records, etc) to shops around
the country and the world, but the rise of
digital has made this sort of distribution far
less necessary – especially when starting
out.
If you are
starting a new label, then my advice is to
definitely keep it digital. Physical stock is
clearly outnumbered by digital sales, and
that speaks for itself.
Digital, then, is the way to start, and there
are a number of digital distributors to
choose from. Your main consideration is in choosing a
distributor that specialises in your kind of
music.
Their specialisation gives them the
right know-how, contacts and connections
to ensure your track is sold and promoted in
the best way possible.
Distributors (usually) make money
from taking a commission on the tracks
you sell, so they’re truly on your side. Don’t
overestimate the role of your distributor,
though – while they facilitate the sale of
your music, making sure people actually
want to buy it is still your responsibility.
Promotion
Whatever method you use to release your work,
you can’t expect any return if it doesn’t get
noticed. Getting pro-active and promoting your
release is essential if you’re going it alone, and
even those signed to a label.
It's very easy, What are you waiting for?
Labels: Deep House, Electro, House, Information, Progressive House, Techno
