View Full Version : Who here is still releasing new music?
Yodelgoat
12-26-2012, 09:26 PM
I'm curious to know if anyone is still planning, or actually producing new music. I'm not talking about for fun, but for actually building a fan base and selling, yes, for money, their own music.
My questions are:
1. why?
2. How do see the future of music as a commodity?
3. Do you have second doubts about wether you're being realistic?
4. What formats are you going to use?
I'd really like to hear what you are honestly thinking.
Robbue
12-26-2012, 11:41 PM
YES... my band Visual Cliff is poised to release two new albums in 2013 actually!!
Ans to #1 > Simply because I love to share what I create with others.
Ans to #2 > Music in my opinion has completely lost any "real worth paying for value" to most folks. We all know the reasons why. Music however still holds very high emotional value and inspirational value to just about everybody. This dual reality perplexes me on a number of levels for as much as music still moves people, most of those same people still view those who create it as not being worthy of any financial support. Especially independents.
Ans to #3 > See answer to number 2. I feel this is a completely realistic view of the current culture of music listeners.
Ans to #4 > Digital download only. Tracking my band's sales over the last 5 years it has been 10 album downloads to every one CD purchase. The next Visual Cliff release will have an extensive digital booklet that will explain recording techniques used, rigs that were used for each song etc... It makes no sense financially for me to worry about pressing anything anymore. I recently went to a free download / donate if you want to model to just test the numbers and it's been eye opening ! Seeing the number of album downloads I average per month now only confirms that most people will find a way to steal it then pay for it.
Wilton Said...
12-27-2012, 12:30 AM
I'm curious to know if anyone is still planning, or actually producing new music. I'm not talking about for fun, but for actually building a fan base and selling, yes, for money, their own music.
My questions are:
1. why?
2. How do see the future of music as a commodity?
3. Do you have second doubts about wether you're being realistic?
4. What formats are you going to use?
I'd really like to hear what you are honestly thinking.
Yes I'm releasing new music, well I did last Nov 2011. In the new year I'll be releasing a video for a remixed song.
1 - I enjoy writing, recording and performing music and I don't think I could stop. I think most musicians, song writers, artists would say that it's in their blood and they don't feel content unless they're doing the art that they like.
2 - The future of music as a commodity is pretty bleak for some and a roaring trade for others. Indie bands will have a hard time as technology has made it easier and cheaper for anyone and their dog to record music. As a result there's so much of it around that we are over saturated with music. There's too much for any one act to make what they used to for any long period of time. Now those bands that have already made it and have a cemented fan base will probably still be going strong, but as they get older and retire and/or die, I think you'll see that the bands taking their place will not be the financial heavy hitters that bands like U2, Iron Maiden, Madonna, or The Stones were. The heavy hitters will not have the staying power as record companies do not seem to be investing in long term relationships with artists any more.
However, I still market my music and play gigs and I make a bit of money and it's all fun.
3 - I think I'm very realistic. I gave up thinking I'd make a living soley doing my own music about 10 years ago. If I wanted to make a living doing music, I'd be hustling my ass of being a session musician or a sideman while trying to squeeze in time with my own project. That wasn't the path I wanted however and now I'm quite happy with my daytime job as a preschool teacher (it was always my 2nd choice as a career) while I get to do my musical project as a hobby.
4 - I'm currently working on a Rock Musical and it'll probably be released on a small run of professionally looking CDR's. I find it almost a waste to have a minimum of 500 made as I know they'll sit in the basement. So 100 is a good number. I'll also do downloads as I know many people listen to music via their computer anyways.
As for marketing, I'm on Facebook and Twitter and I'm currently working my but to network and get more followers who might be interested in what I do.
I'm hoping the video I release in the New Year will give me a bit of a push in sales and gig attendance. But we shall see.
Thanks
Wilton
Big Block 454 part 2
12-27-2012, 04:44 AM
Yes, I'm still releasing new music - 4 albums last year (two from Churn Milk Joan and two from Jumble Hole Clough), one just about to come out, enough material for another one at least.
1. Why? Because it's what I do. Because I enjoy making music and want to share it with other people. Because I get a good reaction - people download (and actually pay for) the music, and then let me know that they've enjoyed it - which is what it's all about.
2. The future of music as a commodity? The whole financial structure of music is changing - how many people still make a living solely out of music? I'm not sure.
3. Whether I'm being realistic? How many musicians are realistic ?! I doubt if I'll ever make enough money out of music to live on it full-time, but it pays for equipment.
4. Formats? Downloads only currently. No money needed upfront, no money tied up in stock, no having to ship CDs to the USA... It's a good format, and it's what people are buying - I could see that when I was selling both CDs and downloads through CD Baby. If any of my projects were gigging regularly, I'd have some CDs made to sell at the gigs - but realistically, CDs are dead.
There's an update on my recent recordings here: http://bigblock454.tumblr.com/
And of course, you can download all my albums from the links on my signature. So what are you waiting for?
everythingtoexcess
12-27-2012, 06:07 AM
Yeah, I'm still doing it. Two CDs in the past 13 months...one with Pinnacle and one with RED.
1. Why? It's just what I do. Sometimes I think because I'm stupid. Other times I think it's because I'm proud of the work I've done and I want to share it with the world and thus far I've been able to do that and make at least a little money every time. I have a studio here which is paid for, so production doesn't cost me anything. If I don't count the man-hours involved in recording (which are insane, but I'd be doing SOMETHING with music during that time, anyway) I can produce and release a CD for about $3000. I only have to sell 300 at ten bucks a pop for it to pay itself off, then....PROFIT (tiny, tiny scraps of profit.)
2. Music as a commodity...interesting question. Two years ago I'd have said it was dead and gone, but we've already sold more physical copies of the new Pinnacle CD than we did of the last one ever, and we've sold a ton of downloads as well. Everything has a cycle. Remember how big and clumsy cell phones used to be. Then they got smaller and smaller and smaller. Now what? They are getting bigger and bigger and bigger. The next generation Iphone is going to be a TV that you talk to. I think people are starting to miss actually "owning" something. I don't think CDs will ever get back to the sales they had in the 90s, but I think the market will come up a bit. But again, maybe I'm stupid.
3. Yep.
4. So far, printing cds and having downloads available seems to be working. With all that I've said, I feel I need to also say that I now have a real, grown up day job for the first time in my life. I've turned in my "rock star" card. At 42, I no longer think that super stardom is right around the corner and it kills me to say that music is now a hobby. (wow..that's the first time I've actually said that and it really does hurt like hell) I have enough gigs and sell enough albums to where it's a hobby that pays for itself. So maybe that's the future of the recording industry? Determined hobbyists?
Robbue
12-27-2012, 08:51 AM
I think people are starting to miss actually "owning" something.
I sense this too but for vinyl not CD's. When I say that I sense this, I am purely speaking for what I have gathered from the non-prog crowd. Which is encouraging. A lot of my marketing is aimed at the non prog crowd and the Christian rock crowd. It's funny the emails I get from "normal" every day music listeners. It's like they discovered something so unique and fresh and when I turn them onto other prog bands the replys are always the same "I never knew music like this existed or still existed". It's my feeling that the younger 20 somethings and late teenagers will be ripe for a prog revival. A lot of my younger guitar students love learning Pink Floyd, Yes and Rush tunes rather than the latest Bullet For My Valentine tunes.
We must keep advancing our brand into non-prog related groups of folks... they will convert over trust me I have seen it happen so many times. Great music cant be denied.
nosebone
12-27-2012, 09:20 AM
Creative musicians have to get it out, otherwise they'd get constipated and and die.
trurl
12-27-2012, 09:21 AM
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2U1H8KbCEcU
The first 2 parts are worth watching but it's really the end of this section where he gets to the point...
nosebone
12-27-2012, 01:31 PM
Streaming music services are the future...., no doubt!
trurl
12-27-2012, 01:36 PM
And the idea that in most ways music in itself will mean nothing as a product; it's just a commodity that will justify the services. It becomes "content". If you can provide "content", you can make some money. maybe.
80s were ok
12-27-2012, 01:45 PM
Streaming music services are the future...., no doubt!
not if you are a live act (and to me, playing live is the ultimate end game for anyone involved in music). When I go to concerts and see an opening band that catches my ear, I'm looking to buy a CD. What else are they going to sell me at at merch booth...a download code??? Plus I can't get that autographed by the band.
nosebone
12-27-2012, 01:53 PM
not if you are a live act (and to me, playing live is the ultimate end game for anyone involved in music). When I go to concerts and see an opening band that catches my ear, I'm looking to buy a CD. What else are they going to sell me at at merch booth...a download code??? Plus I can't get that autographed by the band.
I was referring to audio music, not live music !
Robbue
12-27-2012, 08:12 PM
Creative musicians have to get it out, otherwise they'd get constipated and and die.
HAHAHAHAHA ! Spot on.
arabicadabra
12-28-2012, 12:22 AM
For me, it's the hope of maybe.... just MAYbe..... doing something the tiniest bit different than anyone else has and that sense of gratification that comes from creating something.... tangible. That's why the physical CDs matter to me - it's evidence that what I believe happened actually DID happen. Or, at least, that SOMETHING happened....
Yodelgoat
12-28-2012, 09:17 AM
YES... my band Visual Cliff is poised to release two new albums in 2013 actually!!
... Digital download only. Tracking my band's sales over the last 5 years it has been 10 album downloads to every one CD purchase.
Rob! I have a Visual Cliff CD from about 6 years ago, we met in a different forum. I'm glad to see you're still feeling the love for music. Its a great CD!
Funny how that swing has been so quick. The digital downloads are working for you.
Robbue
12-28-2012, 09:41 AM
Rob! I have a Visual Cliff CD from about 6 years ago, we met in a different forum. I'm glad to see you're still feeling the love for music. Its a great CD!
Funny how that swing has been so quick. The digital downloads are working for you.
How cool !! Thanks so much!
Yeah the download model seems to be working just as well as when I was only selling them via cd's and now folks dont have to go to file sharing groups and run the risk of viruses. I'd rather just make it easier for people to get the music and if they dig it enough they eventually donate or if they dont the word of mouth that the site is 100% free has been spiking my visitation stats which is what I would rather have. More people hearing and diggin the music is more important to me than making a few extra bucks but I'm sure I would be feeling differently about it if music was my only source of income. But then again I would be touring if that was the case.
Good to meet up with you again!
No Pride
12-28-2012, 11:34 AM
Creative musicians have to get it out, otherwise they'd get constipated and and die.
Thanks Chris, now I know why I'm dying of constipation.
Honestly, I could write a long post on why I've only put out one album by my own (former) band (and that was 8 years ago), but I'll spare you all of the whining. I do always dream about making another one.
The most positive thing I can tell you right now is that the latin/jazz/fusion band I've been in for over 30 years, Chevere is making plans to put out a live DVD culled from a couple of concerts we played 2 years ago. We were supposed to have a meeting about it this afternoon, but it just got cancelled.
sonic
12-28-2012, 11:40 AM
Honestly, I could write a long post on why I've only put out one album by my own (former) band (and that was 8 years ago), but I'll spare you all of the whining. I do always dream about making another one.
Just do it. There are many of us here who would be interested in hearing your originals. What is holding you back?
No Pride
12-28-2012, 12:05 PM
There are many of us here who would be interested in hearing your originals. What is holding you back?
Number one: Finances
Number two: The hassle of trying to get four professional musicians to get together and rehearse for free. Not that they wouldn't want to, but the unwritten law is that if you get a gig you're getting paid for, you HAVE to take it. And somebody always has a gig. My band WAS together for about 17 years, so I suffered through that predicament for a long time. The stress gradually outweighed the fun.
Number three: I don't have a home studio.
Number four: I'm in a relationship. The one time I was able to get enough money together to record and put out an
album was when I was between relationships. When you're in one, there's always stuff that "we" need that takes priority.
Number four: Having no prospects for releasing another album, I'm not inspired to write. I know there's some people for which the music just "comes to them," but I've never been one of them. I have to work long and hard to finish a piece.
If you've never heard ANY of my tunes, there's the s/t Bad Dog U album, available at CD Baby and on iTunes.
Here's a the first track from it (unfortunately, YouTube's compression makes the soft parts sound louder than the loud parts):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oakFPTh0JEA
And I hope I wasn't sounding like I don't appreciate the encouragement; I DO!
sonic
12-28-2012, 12:16 PM
, I'm not inspired to write. I know there's some people for which the music just "comes to them," but I've never been one of them. I have to work long and hard to finish a piece.
I know what you mean. I'm just a bedroom noodler, but I wish I could just pump it out like some people seem to do.
I have actually seen your CD in the shop once. I'll definitely pick it up next time if it's still there.
You could always record DIY with a computer and doing your own backing, but as a professional I guess you might not be satisfied with that approach...
No Pride
12-28-2012, 12:31 PM
You could always record DIY with a computer and doing your own backing, but as a professional I guess you might not be satisfied with that approach...
Well, not as a finished product that I'd want to share. For one thing, I kinda hate drum machines, even when they're programmed with a lot of knowledge and ambition. I'm also just a "band" kinda guy; I love and thrive off of the input and interaction of other musicians.
nosebone
12-28-2012, 01:04 PM
Well, not as a finished product that I'd want to share. For one thing, I kinda hate drum machines, even when they're programmed with a lot of knowledge and ambition. I'm also just a "band" kinda guy; I love and thrive off of the input and interaction of other musicians.
Band kinda guy....yeah I hear you.:up
HoldYourFire
12-29-2012, 06:46 PM
Yes, if things work out, because I love to create new music. I am a guy who thinks he has something to offer the prog world if not the music world at large and I frankly want to go to my grave having played at least one prog festival. It was a blessing to find out that there are people who like what I write, find it listenable, don't care that I don't sing better than Bill Berends, don't mind that I'm derivative because I have so much Yes, ELP and Genesis floating around my brain, think a positive spiritual message is a good thing, like the way I play the keys even if I am no Emerson, and finally, know I'm being honest about it all.
My wife thinks I am nuts, wasting time I could be spending with her. My band thinks what we are doing is worth pursuing because they love creating new music. That means it's worth us all putting up with each other's various deep seated personality disorders and banging our heads against the "who's available and when" wall. It means that putting that idea on the anvil of the creative process and watching it coalesce into a finished piece of prog, even if it's not as intense as Frost or as 990-mph as Niacin, has so much satisfaction for all of us that if we quit they'd be calling the men in the white coats in short order. Wait, I think they're at the door now because I haven't seen my guys in almost a month and I can't wait for next week when they'll show up and we'll argue for two hours before we start playing.
I feel like a guy on a 90-mph treadmill as I watch band after band I never heard of get festival slots and think, next year that'll be us because we're gon' git 'er done this year. I get inspired and depressed as I listen to new music so phenomenal as to be unreal and then realize KE is still trying to figure out how to operate Sonar X-1 producer edition or waiting till we get something decent to at least put on Kickstarter and raise ten grand to go to a real studio with somebody at the controls who knows what he's doing.
I do it because it's in my genes to do it and I aim to get another CD done that is good enough to get us onto a festival before I am done. So maybe if it's pride, a grand delusion or just that the passion for this genre is what lights my fire, and a spirit with a vision is dream with a mission, I can't choose which, and I know there are artists more talented than I, but I am a prog rock keyboardist and what else is a prog rock keyboardist gonna do with his talent? Wait. I know. Put together a bunch of classic rock covers and go play bars so as to get some money for the gear we need to record the prog. Anybody near Richmond come see KE on 1/25.
Music as a commodity: it's an art. I accept the prog reality that either recognition gets you on a festival or a festival gets you recongnized and either way you need both to move some product. I have had this argument with bandmates several times: if we get money it'll be bonus. That's why I drive big trucks 60 hours a damn week. I HAVE a day job. That's facing reality. Reality is what your life is. I'm 60 years old. The music business is done with me. I'm done with it. Prog people, however, if I can reach them I will be as happy as if I achieved Jay-Z status. People who share my passion is for whom the commodity I make is intended.
Formats: I don't even know what that means unless we're talking about CDs vs. downloads vs. shows etc. ... to which the answer is "all of the above." Or if we're talking about what the work will be, well, Powered by Light was a concept album; I think Wonderland Journey is going to be unrelated songs/pieces about this and that with a bunch of good playing supporting them.
I just was feeling a little frustrated as I wrote this .... hope it doesn't put anybody off ... you know I love you all.
Lebofsky
12-29-2012, 10:42 PM
1. I can't stop, apparently. So might as well try to connect to more and more people.
2. The same as I always have since being a kid in the 70's: nobody makes money except a select random few.
3. On one hand, being realistic means nothing risky ever gets done. On the other, I always do the math in advance and thus am never disappointed in the results.
4. Whatever exists. Currently dumping all my excess non-band stuff on bandcamp. See links below.
- Matt
Bartholomew_of_DIS
12-30-2012, 09:14 AM
I haven't given up yet. If I had any common sense I would have years ago.
Technology does make it easier for just about anyone to put together a decent recording, but I disagree that the volume of competition makes things harder for artists. I have heard some terrible, terrible playing, songwriting, and vocal performances recorded in relatively high-spec recordings. Great ideas, arrangements, and inspired performances stand out as much as they ever have--they just have to compete with a higher level of "background noise."
I suppose one benefit of not depending upon progressive rock recordings/gigs to feed one's family is that one does not have to entertain any artistic compromises. The prog artist can go for a big, pompous, overblown project or a commercially poisonous, edgy, experimental statement without fear. Art for art's sake.
So, to answer the original question, YES, Divine In Sight will eventually be releasing more music. When? Maybe within a year or two. I'm 130k words into a novelization of our next concept album's story. By June 2013 I should have a decent rewrite of the first draft completed (200-240k words, i.e., 600 + pp. novel), which I'll be shopping to select publishers at a writing conference later that month. If I get no bites, I'll self-publish. Proceeds will go to upgrade my studio, then recording begins in earnest (I have about 70% of the music written with basic arrangements). I'd have skipped the whole novelization step except that my current studio can't handle the ambitious scope of the project. Given the state of the economy my family cannot afford to drop $5k on studio gear for my projects. I am hoping the novel will scratch out just enough funds to facilitate the rest of the project.
I'm already five years behind my original projected release date for O Nox Ultima. Our previous album, Sorrow & Promise, was released in September 2001 (within a few weeks of the 911 tragedy). Much of the instrumental tracking for that album was done during Clinton's second term. Yikes! My first daughter was a toddler when we were mixing that album down, and next year she'll be in high school.
For me, life has had a tendency to "get in the way" of prog-rock aspirations and productivity. It would be nice, at some point, for my wife to see some actual ROI on the hours of writing and playing, planning and scheming I've done to breathe life into these epic musical statements. If it never happens, though, it would be at least a decent consolation to have produced something really good and/or really significant/important, even if no one buys it (literally or figuratively).
Kim Olesen
12-30-2012, 03:51 PM
My band ANUBIS GATE are making their 6th album (should be out late 2013).
Two songs from our latest album:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_ravGcKto3I
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pF6UcqP-2z4
Robbue
01-01-2013, 11:57 PM
LOVE these tunes Kim !! Great songs man.
everythingtoexcess
01-02-2013, 06:09 AM
LOVE these tunes Kim !! Great songs man.
what he said. Time do do some shopping.
nosebone
01-02-2013, 08:10 AM
We've currently started work on a fourth Helmet of Gnats studio album.
I'm not sure what it's going to sound like yet, but most likely a progression of fusion, jazz-rock, prog and avant garde styles we've been mining forever.
We'll also be mixing and releasing a live recording of our NEARfest apocalypse set from last June.
Kim Olesen
01-02-2013, 11:21 AM
LOVE these tunes Kim !! Great songs man.
:-) thanks man.
Kim Olesen
01-02-2013, 11:31 AM
what he said. Time do do some shopping.
Help spread the word :-)
AdventAlan
01-02-2013, 12:36 PM
Greetings,
I plan to keep releasing new music for as much of the remainder of my life as possible, both with Advent and otherwise (in collaboration with others and, if all goes well, perhaps even one or more solo albums).
1. Why?
I just love good music, regardless of whether I'm creating, performing, recording, listening, seeing it performed, or supporting it in some other sense. It's simply the essence of my being and I couldn't really stop making new music if I tried (and would be afraid of my mental condition if I had to stop for some reason).
2. How do see the future of music as a commodity?
Making money from music has been a difficult proposition for as long as I can remember. In fact, that's precisely why I decided to give up a professional (primary) career in music at age 20 and seek a different career--but this also resulted in great freedom to be able to pursue the music I loved without any compromise whatsoever. I really wish that there was more of a legitimate market for good music--progressive or otherwise--but I'm happy with the choices I made (and the potential for monetizing one's music has certainly grown worse over the years, especially lately).
3. Do you have second doubts about whether you're being realistic?
Not at all. I sincerely hope that Advent's next album (that we're hoping to release this year) will sell well, ideally providing joy to many and also helping to provide some financial compensation for all of our related investments--including the fairly significant amount of money, time, and dedication we've put into it. Regardless of how things go in that regard, though, I'll just be proud to have been a part of it and happy to have another set of music produced that I truly love.
4. What formats are you going to use?
I'm nearly 100% sure we are going to stick with a legitimate CD release, but also provide digital download options for those who prefer it.
Cheers,
Alan
Freedom To Glide
01-02-2013, 03:51 PM
We certainly are!!
We've just releases a 6 track mini album called 'The Wait' and our first EP called the 'Rain EP' sold out of CD's in November (still available as a download).
Yes we're a new band, but with hard work and bit of luck you can start to get a fan base and sell records. We do it because we love it!!!
We've been quite lucky really, we had a lot of interest from the media and radio with our first release. And we're feeling rather optimistic about the future - you make your own destiny!
We release CD's and downloads using Bandcamp and iTunes
For those that are interested, you can check out The Wait and the Rain EP on our bandcamp page: http://freedomtoglide.bandcamp.com/
You can listen to the full mini album here too: http://www.progstreaming.com/_wb/pages/play-album.php?activeAlbum=00301%20-%20Freedom%20To%20Glide%20-%20The%20Wait%20EP
All the best to everyone - Freedom To Glide
http://www.facebook.com/FreedomToGlide
www.freedomtoglide.com (http://www.freedomtoglide.com)
Yodelgoat
01-06-2013, 10:50 AM
I don't see anyone talking about how piracy has affected their decisions to release their music. For me that's probably the biggest reason why I never plan on releasing anything again. Like a few of you, I would probably explode if I ever stopped composing music, but the idea that if you give your music away, no one will be interested (what we obtain too cheaply we esteem too lightly) and the fact that once you actually produce something that does cost money, it is immediately stolen and used as a way to attract people to other sites. Its a weird situation. I do think that over the past couple of years, that has diminished somewhat. But that may just be my distancing myself from the commercial aspects of music. Mind you, Ive probably spent over $1000 on upgrading my CD collection this last year (2012). I have physical product for everything I listen to, with only a few exceptions where the physical CD is not available.
Thanks for speaking up. Some of you sound quite satisfied with attempts at claiming your own piece of the pie, and I find that refreshing. I've found many new avenues to pursue as far as building my music collection. But adding to the pile myself? I will probably just continue to compose and enjoy that process, and avoid the headaches of the venture capitalist.
trurl
01-06-2013, 10:51 PM
Well, there's two schools of thought on piracy and I have drifted a bit from one to the other.
The first, which my band co-leader subscribes to is that it's all a zero sum game and every download equals a lost sale and money taken from your pocket. After many years, though I get pretty angry at the notion of people downloading our albums, I tend to think that in all honesty a large percentage of downloads almost certainly don't equal any lost revenue because those people would never have paid for the album in the first place. It becomes a choice of they didn't buy it and they don't have it vs. they didn't buy it and they do have it. And, I think there is also a small percentage of people who "try before they buy" and go ahead and get a hard copy with booklet and such when they decide they like the album . However I think that is a far lower number than downloading apologists believe. In full disclosure, I myself have downloaded albums by artists I was curious about, but not remotely curious enough to pony up fifteen bucks. Youtube makes this a bit redundant though these days.
So, I think downloading has an impact but a smaller one than many suspect. You have to write it into your overhead the same way insurance companies write off insurance fraud- the trick is estimating an accurate number.
It must be noted that prog is an exceptional genre in this area because proggers have an unusual devotion to physical media and tend to be philistines when it comes to digital downloads, so we have at least a slight advantage.. For now.
This is all also a large part of the reason I make my digital only (for now) solo album available for $2 or name your price. For that money most people feel better about themselves being honest, and many decide it's worth more than I'm asking at a minimum. I have no overhead of any kind on it, so even 2 bucks is pure profit.
Hobo Chang Ba
01-07-2013, 01:27 AM
First off, I've not released anything yet. I'm in two bands that plan to release something in the future (near or otherwise...which has more to do with money and time than anything thing else...) so I'm probably not the best qualified to answer your question. So feel free to ignore my response or say piss off. :p
1. For fun would be the simple answer. For a more complex answer...I enjoy creating. Doesn't matter what...poems, paintings, music...all give me a good feeling and is something I enjoy spending my precious time doing. I don't really care if it resonates with others...it resonates with me and that is good enough. It's not really something that I can stop, unless the gods dictate by paralyzing me or something. Even when I don't have a lot of time, I still find myself pursuing creative avenues...even if I just have to stop once I really get going. A bit frustrating I admit...but still...I blame time and life more than anything else there. :p
2. As things currently stand now (selling and buying being dictators) I imagine there will always be a 'demand' for music...of some kind at least. Music has been around too long for it not to last. Given this someone is going to want it. However, being able to live off of said someone(s) is unlikely. I think the climate will have to change before that changes. (As an aside...I like both ideas...one) the way things are now (theoretically...). People can buy music (in standard forms) and collect it, and have it be tangible, and make it pretty, and worship it or whatever people do with giant music collections. In my mind it makes it feel very personal, even when it's really not. or two) something akin to star trek...a big ol' computer with all the music ever created on it, perfectly accessible to anyone and everyone, whenever and wherever they want it (conditions permitting of course). I like this because everything is there, right in front of you. Sure, it's all digital files and can't be held or smelt or anything, but on the other hand no one will ever say 'damn...oop again?!' or 'why the hell is this so damn expensive?!' or similar things. Unfortunately, it seems we are moving towards the later with the ethos of the former ($$$$). Which is depressing...but I digress...)
3. I'm probably not being realistic. But where's the fun in that? :D Seriously though...I think given current conditions, yes I'm being somewhat realistic. Of all that other dreg I spilled...maybe. Or maybe I'm just too cynical about things...
4. My band is currently in the talks (figuratively and literally) of being able to record (somewhat if not completely) in a real life studio with professional equipment. Ideally, all that effort will translate into a real Cd. I'm not really a digital download type of guy. I think things like Bandcamp and youtube and the likes are great for getting your name out there and exposing people to your music, but I don't think it's a good substitute for a real CD (or even vinyl). Similarly, I'm glad those things exist for such a purpose, I just fear they are usurping the power and the glory of physical formats.
Jefferson James
01-11-2013, 05:26 PM
1. Why?
Because we can.
2. How do see the future of music as a commodity?
I don't have a crystal ball but it seems books, tv, movies and music are going the way of the board-game ie. people still play Monopoly but far more people are playing Call of Duty. It will remain a niche product largely existing in the cyber rather than analog worlds.
3. Do you have second doubts about whether you're being realistic?
Never. Well, sometimes. Ok, never.
4. What formats are you going to use?
CD and download.
Wilton Said...
01-11-2013, 05:37 PM
While I'm still planning on releasing new music, I also released a new video.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=THKbfuHdAFc
I'll keep making and releasing music until I don't want to anymore or I die or whatever unforseen thing.
I'll only add the following as an example of how radically things have changed since the blossoming of the downloading era. Thoughout the 90's I used to receive perhaps 500 - 600 Euros a year from sales of 8 or 10 different CDs - my own and others I was involved in - that sold small but steady numbers every year, it added up and amounted to a goodly percentage of my miniscule yearly income (I have never made more than what they consider the poverty line in France :) .
Since 2005 I haven't received one cent from album sales.
BD
www.bdrak.com
sonic
01-12-2013, 04:47 AM
Since 2005 I haven't received one cent from album sales.
BD
www.bdrak.com
Sorry to here that. Downloads seem to work for some though, like this guy:
http://www.jonathancoulton.com/
Rarebird
01-12-2013, 05:17 AM
I'm still working on something, that should become a new album. I suppose I'm going to release it as a digital download and I suppose it will be pay what you want. Judging from what interest there is for my music lately, I'm affraid there won't be any downloads at all. Alas I can't stop making music, though it is hard to stay motivated.
Yodelgoat
01-14-2013, 10:29 AM
I'm still working on something, that should become a new album. I suppose I'm going to release it as a digital download and I suppose it will be pay what you want. Judging from what interest there is for my music lately, I'm affraid there won't be any downloads at all. Alas I can't stop making music, though it is hard to stay motivated.
Thats a noble thought RB. I dont think you have to ever stop making music. All of you seem to have it in perspective. I get a different vibe from some other places where people seem to think its 1987, and they are the first ones to ever put out a CD. Its amazing how reality is only one of many choices.
This just came up this past weekend - I have a son who does alot of playing out of original tunes - though its not anything I'll ever listen to (punk - and BAD punk at that) his band is talking about making vinyl - and cassettes. Just to make sure that anyone who wants the music, willl actually pay something for it. Its wierd, because when he was 13, and I broke out my old record player to record some LP's he saw it and said to me "Wow, dad! I didnt know you played one of these!" He thought of the turntable as a musical instrument. He had never seen my bands LP's from 80-84. Vinyl may be an interesting way to go, I would love to put out something with real artwork on it. But I think you really have to do at least 1000 pressings dont you? ANyway, talk about going retro. People would have to really want your music to buy an LP - wouldnt they? Of course our two old vynil LP's from the 1980's still fetch a decent price on Ebay ($20-$40) - the wierd thing is, it was digitized and spread over the internet for years before I finally re-released everything on CD. They did pretty well, but no more, that was almost 10 years ago. The cool thing about considering Vynil is, you may sell some simply because of the format. Secondly, Most fo my songs are about as long as the side of an album. It would fit nicely. Anyway, this is just me thinking outloud, because I am far away from considering releasing anything. Composing, Recording and producing are far more fun than trying to peddle stuff on the web.
trurl
01-14-2013, 10:32 AM
I believe that if you make music that pleases you then if not one other living soul enjoys it it still was worth it. And if you make music to please others and not one other soul enjoys it you've truly wasted time you'll never get back.
Rarebird
01-14-2013, 02:04 PM
I believe that if you make music that pleases you then if not one other living soul enjoys it it still was worth it. And if you make music to please others and not one other soul enjoys it you've truly wasted time you'll never get back.
In a way, yes. On the other hand, some audience to be enjoying it, makes all the extra work, involved in recording the music, worthwhile. When I'm finished recording, I've heard my music so often, I hardly can listen to it anymore.
Phid3aux
01-18-2013, 07:20 PM
Wilton, that was a great video! What a brave man! :-)
progkeys310
01-23-2013, 12:17 AM
I've had several projects. Two with my jazz group RM Allegiance and two solo projects. I have to this point crossed over genres from pop/jazz fusion/progressive rock. I think its important to play and write the music you want to because that is when your best work will come forward. By my 2nd solo project "Seven Revelations of Morpheus", I had made a commitment to record the music that has given so much to me over the years. I am referring to progressive rock and fusion. This day and age, it is very hard to expect to succeed as an artist. Even if you try and write/play/record what you think people want to hear instead of what the music is singing to you, there is far from any guarantee that you will make it today. Its not the seventies anymore, and labels seldom if ever are giving musicians the experimental keys to create the music that genuinely drives many artists/musicians. So there is a part of me that does this to have some success, but I'm at peace with the fact that money is not the only measure of success, especially if you are creating what is in your head and heart. Its always good to have something to fall back on, and not put too much pressure on the financial end of it, but its the drive, motivation, dedication, and passion that drives many of us to create something unique and you be ready for when the day may come that we get fans and sell music. Self promotion and the internet are two of the biggest tools that may help many artists/musicians this day and age.
www.purevolume.com/sevenrevelationsofmorpheus
www.youtube.com
Bob Sakamano
01-24-2013, 11:27 PM
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IDNTewyquQY
Supersonic Scientist
01-28-2013, 03:02 PM
If I stopped doing music in some form or another I would DIE.
So, my new band: Absolute Velocity is starting out as a Power Trio (GTR, BS Drms), hoping to add a keyboard player if we can find one. In the mean-time, I'll be overdubbing keys. So far, one friend said it sounded like an instrumental Robin Trower on Amphetamines. (I'll take that) Hope to have enough material for a CD within a year.
Pekka
02-05-2013, 05:11 AM
We (Riverdog Samson) released an album almost a year ago (A vinyl/cd package). It's quite recently have become available as a download and it's also on spotify. Vinyl is still available too.
http://open.spotify.com/album/23ojGl2YSKc0XtXHw2hujz
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Riverdog-Samson/72372639211
Hi. New member here.
1. I've loved making music for as long as I can remember. I'd like to demonstrate to a wider audience what I can do. With the technology of music recording and distribution becoming ever more accessible, not to do so would seem a missed opportunity. There are albums I want to make, and in order to develop expertise to do them, I have to start somewhere.
2. People - not only individuals but also industries - will always want music, as they have throughout history. The details of how that's produced and distributed will depend on future technological innovation, although I imagine neither the internet nor the merch table will vanish any time soon.
3. When I'm tired or ill, I have moments of self-doubt. I can't afford to indulge them if I'm to pursue my goals. I observe how I'm thinking and feeling, and I remind myself that there are no guarantees - which is as much a positive as it is a negative, because it reminds me that if success is not guaranteed, then neither is failure. Then I look at what is the next thing I have to do to move toward my next objective.
4. I hope to release an EP this year as both a download and a CD. Then an album, ditto. Once that's out, I'll have more options as to what direction I take then.
bill g
02-07-2013, 07:53 PM
1. Count me in with those who cannot stop. I love putting music together-song orders-going outside and letting the beauty translate itself into chords and melody.
2. As a commodity, difficult. You have to spend money to make money and I don't have any money, so its hard to get the sound I hear with limited resources. But we press on...
3. Yes, but all I can think about is the music, piecing the music and song orders together in my head. All the time.
4. With our third cd, we joined bandcamp. I like cds for the booklet and packaging. But of course we're always available on iTunes, etc... We just don't have the demand for vinyl.
Yeah, obsession helps. ;)
I'd love to release an album on vinyl - gatefold, with lots of liner notes, so that others can enjoy my music the way I enjoyed progressive rock when I discovered it: with headphones on, poring over the cover and notes. Given the cost, though, it won't be my first release.
Pekka
02-08-2013, 03:37 AM
Yeah, obsession helps. ;)
I'd love to release an album on vinyl - gatefold, with lots of liner notes, so that others can enjoy my music the way I enjoyed progressive rock when I discovered it: with headphones on, poring over the cover and notes. Given the cost, though, it won't be my first release.
We did just that:
https://fbcdn-sphotos-c-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-snc7/417108_10150617953739212_423342145_n.jpg
https://fbcdn-sphotos-a-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-snc7/580574_10150689021589212_774787187_n.jpg
We had 500 copies pressed and about half of them has been sold through mail, at gigs and straight from the door.
Well done, Pekka! My hat's off to you. :cool
fictionmusic
02-10-2013, 09:57 AM
Well done, Pekka! My hat's off to you. :cool
mine too!
Pekka
02-10-2013, 12:31 PM
Thanks! It's still available, 25 euros to Europe and 28 to USA & the rest. Includes vinyl and cd (they aren't available separately). PM me or write at www@riverdogsamson.com
It's also on Spotify, iTunes and some others, more info on downloads here: https://www.recordunion.com/Music/Album/17675
Thanks. I followed your link and am listening to the samples now. I like your sound.
canardminceblanc
03-02-2013, 07:12 AM
I plan to release my next opus on flexidisc. Now I just need to find someone who can manufacture flexidiscs.
Yodelgoat
03-02-2013, 10:22 AM
What is a flexdisc?
trurl
03-02-2013, 12:22 PM
https://encrypted-tbn1.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcT5CRTQHa1ppsulg1EGIxtNrwUPfnG1X pEcg87BSgMLZt0kc04LGg I remember them being on the backs of cereal boxes.
trurl
03-02-2013, 12:24 PM
I plan to release my next opus on flexidisc. Now I just need to find someone who can manufacture flexidiscs.
I'f you're serious, a Google search turns up several people who still make them! (You're not, are you? :p )
spknoevl
03-02-2013, 02:27 PM
I'm just finishing up the final mixes for my next release. Hope to get it out there by May.
Gongtopia
03-02-2013, 08:42 PM
I'm curious to know if anyone is still planning, or actually producing new music. I'm not talking about for fun, but for actually building a fan base and selling, yes, for money, their own music.
My questions are:
1. why? Why not? This is what I do and have done for most of my life. To stop now would be unrealistic. Mind you, I'm not trying to be 'the next big thing,' just looking to express myself and find people who like what I do.
2. How do [you] see the future of music as a commodity? That's a tough one, as we are in a transition right now—it's all a sliding floor. Music will always be a 'commodity.' The question really is, "Will music be a commodity that can be sold for money in the future, or will it be free and used as a promotional tool?"
3. Do you have second doubts about wether you're being realistic? See my 1st answer. The thing now is to find your niche and work it. Build your own little community. The days of being Eric Clapton or Sting will soon be over…
4. What formats are you going to use? I'm almost all digital now because people anywhere can get my downloads instantly. But I still do produce CDs for those who want them, and because I still quite like to have a physical object—you can't hold a FLAC file and enjoy looking at it.
I'd really like to hear what you are honestly thinking. You just did!
Yodelgoat
03-02-2013, 09:15 PM
what does that mean? I just did? What? release msuci for commercial purposes? Did I miss a memo?
Gongtopia
03-02-2013, 11:21 PM
what does that mean? I just did? What? release msuci for commercial purposes? Did I miss a memo?
MEMO: Question was asked: I'd really like to hear what you are honestly thinking.
My answer was: You just did! (in reference to my answers inserted within the quoted post in BOLD letters)
Jerjo
03-03-2013, 12:11 AM
this thread is going to cost me some money...
Pekka
12-12-2015, 08:24 AM
We are, again. Our new album "Station" is released 15th of December, vinyl version sometime next year (as the pressing plnts are overbooked...). Digital releases should drop in soon too.
https://scontent-arn2-1.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-xpt1/v/t1.0-9/12122615_10153232989819212_4072487205983441874_n.j pg?oh=b435841788e60f5611a1c542728aacd7&oe=571E2F42
https://scontent-arn2-1.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-xta1/v/t1.0-9/12360100_10153232989244212_3260171764260232129_n.j pg?oh=4e971459a4225cf07ef01bf4fa844008&oe=571974C8
Pekka
12-14-2015, 02:22 PM
Here's a link where you can listen to the whole album.
https://soundcloud.com/riverdog-samson/sets/station
nosebone
12-15-2015, 12:18 AM
I'll never stop.
New ideas nag at me all day.
My prog/fusion band, Helmet of Gnats are finally back together and writing a fourth studio album.
I also have an acoustic guitar duo that plays covers & originals.
Dean Watson
12-15-2015, 06:30 AM
I'll never stop.
My prog/fusion band, Helmet of Gnats are finally back together and writing a fourth studio
Awesome!
Supersonic Scientist
12-15-2015, 12:17 PM
I'll never stop.
New ideas nag at me all day.
My prog/fusion band, Helmet of Gnats are finally back together and writing a fourth studio album.
I also have an acoustic guitar duo that plays covers & originals.
HoG: FUCK YEAH !!!! Great News !!
btw: I'm writing material for my first solo Harp Guitar album.
Pekka
12-15-2015, 03:40 PM
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_12aeTn5utc
We are about 1/2 way through writing the sophomore Story Of A Life album. Plan to have it out sometime next year. It's going to be more of a power trio approach this time. I think we got the funk out of our systems for the moment, though you never know what might make the last cut.
I'm working on a side project with a drummer that loves Genesis and Zappa. Sings like Gabriel meets Phil. The trick of this tale is to make some music that isn't derivative of Genesis despite past influences. Though if some creep in, whatever, at least it won't be deliberate. I do some of my best work backing up a vocalist so this should be fun and echo back to my Mindworm days.
A solo cd of acoustic tunes I sing may happen too, I feel like I'm ready at this point. Singing is something I have seriously worked on the past few years.
I'd love to do a metal tinged avant project too were we write some stuff that is just batshit crazy. Where people go "how the hell did they remember all that weird shit and play it so tight?!". That would be fun and scratch an itch that my other interests don't.
Sputnik
12-15-2015, 04:04 PM
I'll never stop.
New ideas nag at me all day.
My prog/fusion band, Helmet of Gnats are finally back together and writing a fourth studio album.
I also have an acoustic guitar duo that plays covers & originals.Fantastic, really great to hear this!!
Bill
jamesmanzi
12-16-2015, 04:42 PM
Here's a link where you can listen to the whole album.
https://soundcloud.com/riverdog-samson/sets/station
Lovely album. I've been listening to it on and off at my desk the past few days.
100423
12-16-2015, 05:02 PM
{Video for Faces by Riverdog Samson}
Very cool!
My prog/fusion band, Helmet of Gnats are finally back together and writing a fourth studio album.
Great news!
Pekka
12-17-2015, 12:38 AM
Lovely album. I've been listening to it on and off at my desk the past few days.
Thanks man! If you (or anyone else) are interested in a CD version just PM me. I'll give a slight PE discount. :)
jamesmanzi
12-17-2015, 11:19 AM
Thanks man! If you (or anyone else) are interested in a CD version just PM me. I'll give a slight PE discount. :)
Thanks! I was gonna say in my last post, just let me get thru the holidays and I'll throw you some money. :)
Nijinsky Hind
12-17-2015, 11:29 AM
I have a lot of new stuff I'd like to release but I don't want to use the Baku llama name because the other band members are busy with their lives in other pursuits. Still trying to work out a name and a stable project before I get too old. Also having difficulty with finding the time.
Yodelgoat
12-18-2015, 11:49 PM
Wow! a three year old post is still getting posts! this is so cool! I originally posted this in what 2012(?) to decide if releasing musicv was ever worth it anymore. In three years, I still don have a clear answer. I have noticed that the overall number of new music has diminished over the last 2 years. But I think there are still many who think that somehow, somewhere, things will work out. I wish I had seen it. Perhaps the past few years have cleared the field somewhat. At least from a physical format perspective. Is anyone getting rich from releasing their stuff? I see Glass Hammer seems like it is probably doing OK, but what about Y'all who have not been around releasing stuff FOR 20+ Years.
nosebone
12-19-2015, 12:55 AM
We, HoG always broke even.
marquette
12-19-2015, 07:18 AM
two albums with me have been published this year:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C9Q21V0i7Xc
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DhRUsYLu3tU
best Markus (www.marquette-music.com)
Dean Watson
12-19-2015, 04:16 PM
I do it as a hobby. The industry is way too shattered now to even think of making a living at it - perhaps only if you tour. I don't tour, but it have to say, while not a significant amount, I have made every penny back from CD sales to cover my 'musical' expenses, and more, I've even bought quite a bit of gear from that revenue as well. So for me, it's a win win situation. The perfect pastime.
Supersonic Scientist
12-20-2015, 06:31 AM
Hardly made any $ selling music: CD's, Gigging.....I did make a KILLING teaching guitar for 16 years though.
Yodelgoat
12-29-2015, 07:28 PM
I now seem to make money by selling off all my old recording gear. Of course its not at a profit... I get pennies on the dollar, but at least I occasionally have enough to buy the wife dinner... I have lots of crap. I could probably keep it up for years - selling off the stuff Ive collected over the years
two albums with me have been published this year:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C9Q21V0i7Xc
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DhRUsYLu3tU
best Markus (www.marquette-music.com)
Nice sounds! :)
marquette
12-30-2015, 11:53 AM
Thank you @hFx
dgtlman
12-31-2015, 04:41 PM
two albums with me have been published this year:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C9Q21V0i7Xc
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DhRUsYLu3tU
best Markus (www.marquette-music.com)
Rockin'!!!
Rarebird
01-01-2016, 11:16 AM
If everything works out well, I will bring my new 'Rare Bird Suite' on the internet somewhere this year. I'm currently nearly completing the main part, which is the longest, with 11:30 minutes. After this there are 2 other parts planned, one of which is partly completed.
I don't expect making any money, not even to cover any costs.
Yodelgoat
01-01-2016, 03:33 PM
two albums with me have been published this year:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C9Q21V0i7Xc
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DhRUsYLu3tU
best Markus (www.marquette-music.com)
Those are great cuts!! - this is another reason for me not releasing music - Other musicians are a LOT better than I am. This was great. Thanks for keeping me off the market for another year or two. Ok four.:lol
Those are great cuts!! - this is another reason for me not releasing music - Other musicians are a LOT better than I am. This was great. Thanks for keeping me off the market for another year or two. Ok four.:lol
I'll hope you'll find a project were you can contribute with your fine voice, though... :)
Phil Jackson
01-06-2016, 04:46 PM
If everything works out well, I will bring my new 'Rare Bird Suite' on the internet somewhere this year. I'm currently nearly completing the main part, which is the longest, with 11:30 minutes. After this there are 2 other parts planned, one of which is partly completed.
I don't expect making any money, not even to cover any costs.Our timelines seem to cross. I started playing and producing my own music in 2000. Fortunately Ohio guitarist Rick Ray released 4 CDs of mine on his Neurosis label. He would try to sell them at gigs. I got $5! But Rick and I both forked out money to send promos and got lots of reviews and Internet plays. Of course you don't make money. That's not why we do it. Unless someone 'big' picks up on you. It is strange what sells sometimes! Anyway, I produced 3 CDs of tracks by solo artists like yourself- not much interest although I met a lot of great people and compiled the 10th anniversary 2 CD of Stone Premonitions. My most recent project was a collaboration with members of Census of Hallucinations and Clear Blue Sky called 'This Fragile Peace' available on Bandcamp. It will never sell enough copies to cover costs the way things are going so... as I said. Anyway I have set up a group for musicians like you on PE check it out. Also checked your music out on Bandcamp and liked what I heard.
Rarebird
01-07-2016, 09:46 AM
Our timelines seem to cross. I started playing and producing my own music in 2000. Fortunately Ohio guitarist Rick Ray released 4 CDs of mine on his Neurosis label. He would try to sell them at gigs. I got $5! But Rick and I both forked out money to send promos and got lots of reviews and Internet plays. Of course you don't make money. That's not why we do it. Unless someone 'big' picks up on you. It is strange what sells sometimes! Anyway, I produced 3 CDs of tracks by solo artists like yourself- not much interest although I met a lot of great people and compiled the 10th anniversary 2 CD of Stone Premonitions. My most recent project was a collaboration with members of Census of Hallucinations and Clear Blue Sky called 'This Fragile Peace' available on Bandcamp. It will never sell enough copies to cover costs the way things are going so... as I said. Anyway I have set up a group for musicians like you on PE check it out. Also checked your music out on Bandcamp and liked what I heard.
That's what I'm doing it for. Some form of recognition.
BaldFriede
01-22-2016, 04:48 AM
My wife and I plan to make a third Bald Angels album (after "The Goat and the Donkey" and "It's a Dog's Life"). It will however be released in a limited edition of 500 copies only, as the previous two. No idea for a title yet, but we have some material we can work with. Like on the other two albums there will be an adaption of a classical piece of music (Franz Schubert's "Erlkönig" on the first album, Hugo Wolf's "Feuerreiter" on the second). This time it will be the famous duet "La ci darem la mano" from Mozart's opera "Don Giovanni", but in a lesbian context, with Jean singing the part of Zerlina and me the part of Don Giovanni.
The cover art will be provided by the same artist as on the first two albums, and we plan to make it as provocative as the cover of our second album.
Nijinsky Hind
01-31-2016, 09:23 AM
My wife and I plan to make a third Bald Angels album (after "The Goat and the Donkey" and "It's a Dog's Life"). It will however be released in a limited edition of 500 copies only, as the previous two. No idea for a title yet, but we have some material we can work with. Like on the other two albums there will be an adaption of a classical piece of music (Franz Schubert's "Erlkönig" on the first album, Hugo Wolf's "Feuerreiter" on the second). This time it will be the famous duet "La ci darem la mano" from Mozart's opera "Don Giovanni", but in a lesbian context, with Jean singing the part of Zerlina and me the part of Don Giovanni.
The cover art will be provided by the same artist as on the first two albums, and we plan to make it as provocative as the cover of our second album.
Now this sounds like a good time!
regenerativemusic
02-20-2016, 01:07 AM
I did put about 12 of my albums here:
http://www.regenerativemusic.net
I have about 18 more that I've done. I would like to monetize my music onday, so
not sure how long they will stay up.
Since I do writing too, I had to focus on one thing at a time. At first, I thought I could
do both professionally, but it turns out I was just creating both, not marketing them both.
In 2005 I started marketing the writing more, and the music really took a backseat.
I was in a composers collective from 2000 until it disbanded in 2004 and this helped immensely. Maybe
finding some kind of online one would help as well.
I did put about 12 of my albums here:
http://www.regenerativemusic.net
Some really nice and interesting music there! :) However, the year 1995 design of the web site might put some potential listeners off...
regenerativemusic
02-20-2016, 11:10 PM
Some really nice and interesting music there! :) However, the year 1995 design of the web site might put some potential listeners off...
Thanks. I have basic html skills and can cut and paste code in the right spot. I just need to find a
new template or a designer who needs another site for their portfolio.
kjtheguitarist
02-21-2016, 01:10 AM
This subject matter is really deep to unknown musicians.
I released an EP last month.
I don't know why the others want to do that, but I can tell you my own words.
1. why?
First of all, there's no music what exactly matches with my taste.
Second of all, I create something because I like to share my thoughts, feelings with someone else.
You can't do it by talking.
2. How do see the future of music as a commodity?
I think most people won't buy CD or MP3 in the future.
Most of them will listen music with something like Spodify. And they will still pay their money for it.
3. Do you have second doubts about wether you're being realistic?
I'm not realistic. Nobody like me is realistic.
To be honest, I want to quit every day, every minute though.
It's a tough job, you know.
But if you ask me why I didn't, I can't answer it. 'cause I don't know either.
4. What formats are you going to use?
As I mentioned, I released my music last month.
I didn't release physical copies. Just for digital.
CD is just for the collectors these days.
Mister Triscuits
03-10-2016, 05:58 PM
This is my new album...I put it out as a vinyl LP simply because I've always wanted to make one! And with the confluence of the current vinyl resurgence on the one hand and the dying market for physical releases in general on the other, this may be my last chance. And it came out great; I'm really pleased with the look and feel of it. A big ol' 12-inch elpee with my name on it :cool. Random colored vinyl, too--the copies I've seen so far have been either white, aqua blue, or very dark purple (almost black). The music is a mix of ambient, prog, electronica, and avant-garde, featuring various woodwinds, guitars, Moogs, and computer electronics. Reference points: Brian Eno, King Crimson, Zappa's Jazz from Hell, Wendy Carlos, side two of Low.
7080
Limited vinyl edition available from Wayside: http://www.waysidemusic.com/Music-Products/Dawson-Michael-P-The-Insect-Garden-vinyl-lp-(due-to-size-and-weight-this-price-for-the-USA-only-Outside-of-the-USA-the-price-will-be-adjusted-as-needed)__ESM-spc-3.aspx
MP3 version available on iTunes, Amazon, or CDBaby, the last being the cheapest.
https://soundcloud.com/michael-p-dawson/all-prick-and-no-pence
https://soundcloud.com/michael-p-dawson/stun-that-weevil
Yodelgoat
03-29-2016, 04:27 PM
Vinyl! How cool is that? I take it you have a place to market this?
Thats a bold step, to release something new on Vinyl. Keep us posted on how it does will you? How many did you manufacture?
Mister Triscuits
03-29-2016, 06:14 PM
Thats a bold step, to release something new on Vinyl. Keep us posted on how it does will you? How many did you manufacture?
Well, so far it is, shall we say, highly select in its appeal. (Thank you Spinal Tap.) I had 200 copies made. Who knows, I may die with 175 of them still in my closet! I was hoping to get a write-up on slyvinyl.com, which I think would have stirred up interest in the general collector community, but they didn't bite. I've just had some cards made to promote the album, which came out really bitchin' looking. Our own Zombywoof played a track on his internet radio show a couple of weeks ago, which was very cool of him.
http://www.waysidemusic.com/Music-Products/Dawson-Michael-P-The-Insect-Garden-vinyl-lp-(due-to-size-and-weight-this-price-for-the-USA-only-Outside-of-the-USA-the-price-will-be-adjusted-as-needed)__ESM-spc-3.aspx
http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/michaelpdawson
Nijinsky Hind
03-29-2016, 10:51 PM
Well, so far it is, shall we say, highly select in its appeal. (Thank you Spinal Tap.) I had 200 copies made. Who knows, I may die with 175 of them still in my closet! I was hoping to get a write-up on slyvinyl.com, which I think would have stirred up interest in the general collector community, but they didn't bite. I've just had some cards made to promote the album, which came out really bitchin' looking. Our own Zombywoof played a track on his internet radio show a couple of weeks ago, which was very cool of him.
http://www.waysidemusic.com/Music-Products/Dawson-Michael-P-The-Insect-Garden-vinyl-lp-(due-to-size-and-weight-this-price-for-the-USA-only-Outside-of-the-USA-the-price-will-be-adjusted-as-needed)__ESM-spc-3.aspx
http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/michaelpdawson
How much for a copy? Where do you ship from?
Mister Triscuits
03-29-2016, 11:49 PM
How much for a copy? Where do you ship from?
You can order it from either of the links in the post you quoted. Price is $20. I recommend buying from Wayside because Steve F. is an awesome guy. THANK YOU for checking it out!
Nijinsky Hind
03-30-2016, 12:07 AM
You can order it from either of the links in the post you quoted. Price is $20. I recommend buying from Wayside because Steve F. is an awesome guy. THANK YOU for checking it out!
Got it... Thanks. Really liked the soundcloud track. I try to get hold of private pressings on vinyl. Hope you signed and numbered them?
If you dont mind me asking where, and how much did it cost, to get such a small number of LPs pressed and how much time allowed on each side?
Thanks.
Rick
Mister Triscuits
03-30-2016, 01:35 AM
If you dont mind me asking where, and how much did it cost, to get such a small number of LPs pressed and how much time allowed on each side?
I did it through Disc Makers. Supplying them with finished masters and artwork, it cost me a little over $2,500 for 200 shrinkwrapped LPs plus test pressings and extra jackets (including UPC, shipping, and tax), but there are a lot of options that can affect the price either way. Their limit is 22 minutes per LP side. The turnaround time was about four months, but they got the LPs to me ahead of the promised ship date.
Thanks again!
Yodelgoat
03-30-2016, 11:02 AM
Wow, so I would say that limited pressings of Vinyl are a break even proposal - at best. I applaud you for your efforts. Almost makes me willing to go and get a new turntable just so I can get into this kind of music. - You cannot pirate it (except by digitizing it) and the people who buy it are truly appreciative of all your work. Wow, what a commitment to your music.
Time to shop for turntables - I always wished they would come out with a laser turntable. They were talking about that years ago, where they would use a laser to read the grooves, and then digitize it and remove clicks and pops and surface rumble. Never happened, but I thought it was brilliant. Of course digital vinyl would have its own problems like the CD wouldn't it? I have also recently gotten rid of close to 1000 records, and I would have to start over with them. Most of which I could never get back, I'm sure. I cry when I realize what I gave away for next to nothing. Stupid, stupid, stupid. (but I have a happy wife for the moment)
Really inspirational MT - Thank you. I miss the days of slipping on a piece of Vinyl, and hearing that ever so slight crackle/pop and then the music jumps out at you...
I still have a linear tracking turntable (with a laser guide that no longer works - it allows you to skip songs etc..)
robdebank
03-30-2016, 09:47 PM
I believe that there are still a lot in here that are releasing their own music.
Yodelgoat
03-30-2016, 10:51 PM
I'd like to hear from them. Its an open invite. I myself have retired from releasing music because it is just not worth the effort to me. I totally understand the desire to create music, but thats not the same as trying to ask money for it. I do like to hear why people release music in such a seemingly hostile environment - I would even enjoy hearing how they decide whether or not its worth it. I think the semi-indie music sales world has even gotten tougher since 2012 when I started this thread. But what does an artist think when releasing a CD (or whatever format) these days?
Is it something they hope to make money at?
Is it because they want to sell something at shows or on tour?
Is it because they have recorded songs and that's what you do?
I'm not being cynical, I just would like to hear the thought process that artists go through today. CD's sales are kind of dying, A new artists would really have a tough road to get anyone to pay for their product. On the other hand, Existing artists may still do quite well.
When I released my last CD (2005) I thought that perhaps I could release something I really thought was exceptional, and it would eventually pay off, in that I could sell enough copies to pay for keeping a modest studio in gear, and be a hobby that kind of supports itself. It turned out to be a pseudo money-pit. I think it was worth it though I probably never came close to breaking even. The experience that came with it was priceless. I occasionally run into people who are thinking about releasing a CD, and its always interesting to hear what they hope to achieve. Some have no idea, others have a following, like they are a member of a church or organization and have people ready to buy. Its always interesting to hear what drives the desire to release new music. - Which, by the way I am enthusiastically for.
So, if anyone is still participating in the great experiment of revenue from recorded music, Please by all means tell me why and how it's going.
Nijinsky Hind
03-30-2016, 11:28 PM
Yeah I want to do a vinyl if I ever get around to mixing all the BL stuff I have in my puter.
Sputnik
03-31-2016, 10:18 AM
I'd like to hear from them. Its an open invite. I myself have retired from releasing music because it is just not worth the effort to me. I totally understand the desire to create music, but thats not the same as trying to ask money for it. I do like to hear why people release music in such a seemingly hostile environment - I would even enjoy hearing how they decide whether or not its worth it. I think the semi-indie music sales world has even gotten tougher since 2012 when I started this thread. But what does an artist think when releasing a CD (or whatever format) these days?
Is it something they hope to make money at?
Is it because they want to sell something at shows or on tour?
Is it because they have recorded songs and that's what you do?
I'm not being cynical, I just would like to hear the thought process that artists go through today. CD's sales are kind of dying, A new artists would really have a tough road to get anyone to pay for their product. On the other hand, Existing artists may still do quite well.
When I released my last CD (2005) I thought that perhaps I could release something I really thought was exceptional, and it would eventually pay off, in that I could sell enough copies to pay for keeping a modest studio in gear, and be a hobby that kind of supports itself. It turned out to be a pseudo money-pit. I think it was worth it though I probably never came close to breaking even. The experience that came with it was priceless. I occasionally run into people who are thinking about releasing a CD, and its always interesting to hear what they hope to achieve. Some have no idea, others have a following, like they are a member of a church or organization and have people ready to buy. Its always interesting to hear what drives the desire to release new music. - Which, by the way I am enthusiastically for.
So, if anyone is still participating in the great experiment of revenue from recorded music, Please by all means tell me why and how it's going.
My band has done three CD releases. All three releases are in the black against the direct costs of producing the CDs themselves, which was the only real goal we had for doing those releases. So it was certainly worth doing the CD releases from a financial perspective as it didn't cost us anything to do the CDs, in fact we made a bit of money on each release. I think having the CD also elevated our profile and got us attention that just another bunch of files on Bandcamp would not have achieved. I also really like having something physical to show for our work. So it was totally worth it on a number of levels to do the CD releases, even in the current climate of CD sales. Not sure what else to add, but that's been my experience.
Bill
Pekka
06-03-2016, 07:35 AM
Our latest album just came out on vinyl too.
https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/4322198/RDS1.JPG
https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/4322198/RDS2.JPG
Yodelgoat
06-03-2016, 11:02 AM
Wow, thats beautiful! Is producing Vinyl much more expensive than CD's?
100423
06-03-2016, 11:04 AM
Our latest album just came out on vinyl too.
Nice!
Yodelgoat
06-03-2016, 06:27 PM
That might be fun if its not too expensive - Do you have issues with people making digital copies of your Vinyl and posting it on the internet?
Pekka
06-04-2016, 07:18 AM
That might be fun if its not too expensive - Do you have issues with people making digital copies of your Vinyl and posting it on the internet?
The album is already released on cd (12/15/2015) and it's available on spotify, youtube, soundcloud, iTunes and of course some people have already "liberated" it (illegal blogs where you can download albums for free). :) We take it as a promotion as we have no choice.
The vinyl is a bit more expensive. I think the 200 copies did cost approx. the same as the 500 cd's we had made.
arabicadabra
06-05-2016, 10:41 PM
And the wishes came true.....
Congratulations, Mike!
Yes, if things work out, because I love to create new music. I am a guy who thinks he has something to offer the prog world if not the music world at large and I frankly want to go to my grave having played at least one prog festival. It was a blessing to find out that there are people who like what I write, find it listenable, don't care that I don't sing better than Bill Berends, don't mind that I'm derivative because I have so much Yes, ELP and Genesis floating around my brain, think a positive spiritual message is a good thing, like the way I play the keys even if I am no Emerson, and finally, know I'm being honest about it all.
My wife thinks I am nuts, wasting time I could be spending with her. My band thinks what we are doing is worth pursuing because they love creating new music. That means it's worth us all putting up with each other's various deep seated personality disorders and banging our heads against the "who's available and when" wall. It means that putting that idea on the anvil of the creative process and watching it coalesce into a finished piece of prog, even if it's not as intense as Frost or as 990-mph as Niacin, has so much satisfaction for all of us that if we quit they'd be calling the men in the white coats in short order. Wait, I think they're at the door now because I haven't seen my guys in almost a month and I can't wait for next week when they'll show up and we'll argue for two hours before we start playing.
I feel like a guy on a 90-mph treadmill as I watch band after band I never heard of get festival slots and think, next year that'll be us because we're gon' git 'er done this year. I get inspired and depressed as I listen to new music so phenomenal as to be unreal and then realize KE is still trying to figure out how to operate Sonar X-1 producer edition or waiting till we get something decent to at least put on Kickstarter and raise ten grand to go to a real studio with somebody at the controls who knows what he's doing.
I do it because it's in my genes to do it and I aim to get another CD done that is good enough to get us onto a festival before I am done. So maybe if it's pride, a grand delusion or just that the passion for this genre is what lights my fire, and a spirit with a vision is dream with a mission, I can't choose which, and I know there are artists more talented than I, but I am a prog rock keyboardist and what else is a prog rock keyboardist gonna do with his talent? Wait. I know. Put together a bunch of classic rock covers and go play bars so as to get some money for the gear we need to record the prog. Anybody near Richmond come see KE on 1/25.
Music as a commodity: it's an art. I accept the prog reality that either recognition gets you on a festival or a festival gets you recongnized and either way you need both to move some product. I have had this argument with bandmates several times: if we get money it'll be bonus. That's why I drive big trucks 60 hours a damn week. I HAVE a day job. That's facing reality. Reality is what your life is. I'm 60 years old. The music business is done with me. I'm done with it. Prog people, however, if I can reach them I will be as happy as if I achieved Jay-Z status. People who share my passion is for whom the commodity I make is intended.
Formats: I don't even know what that means unless we're talking about CDs vs. downloads vs. shows etc. ... to which the answer is "all of the above." Or if we're talking about what the work will be, well, Powered by Light was a concept album; I think Wonderland Journey is going to be unrelated songs/pieces about this and that with a bunch of good playing supporting them.
I just was feeling a little frustrated as I wrote this .... hope it doesn't put anybody off ... you know I love you all.
Dimitris
06-29-2016, 02:31 PM
I just released my first single (2 weeks age)... I've been producing it for 5-6 months, and paid for the production personally :p
(shameless self promotion: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NdC0Ila2Dqs)
Why? Because I'm a musician. That's what I do.
And it's an investemt if you see it financially - you have to put effort and money into what you do, if you do it seriously.
Nijinsky Hind
07-13-2016, 11:31 AM
I just released my first single (2 weeks age)... I've been producing it for 5-6 months, and paid for the production personally :p
(shameless self promotion: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NdC0Ila2Dqs)
Why? Because I'm a musician. That's what I do.
And it's an investemt if you see it financially - you have to put effort and money into what you do, if you do it seriously.
I like iT!!!!
Nijinsky Hind
07-13-2016, 11:32 AM
Our latest album just came out on vinyl too.
https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/4322198/RDS1.JPG
https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/4322198/RDS2.JPG
Pekka, I would like a copy.... How much and where do I buy?
Rarebird
07-13-2016, 11:58 AM
Hurray, after 4 years, I finally finished my new Rare Bird Suite. Now I only need to master it, before I can publish it on Bandcamp.
100423
07-13-2016, 02:20 PM
Hurray, after 4 years, I finally finished my new Rare Bird Suite. Now I only need to master it, before I can publish it on Bandcamp.
Very nice! Let us know when you do!
Rarebird
07-13-2016, 02:52 PM
Very nice! Let us know when you do!
I'm a slow worker.
Pekka
07-18-2016, 03:22 PM
Pekka, I would like a copy.... How much and where do I buy?
Hi and sorry for the delay. You can buy it from me
The price is 30 dollars to the USA (includes the shipping). I'll send you a PM.
I tend to believe that what I've been working on for the last 6 years is causing me agony. It originally began with 7 pieces I wrote and recorded that I went back to and observed , discovering that it was more of a suite. I then reconstructed it recording atmospheric sections to be played by string quartet which fell between each of the 7 pieces. In sections of some of the pieces...I had recorded distorted guitar playing 5/chord style , producing an odd effect and decided for a Cello to play that instead. After 4 years of pulling my hair out, I decided to base it on a Chamber Rock approach. I found the right musicians and we rehearsed the material in my house until it was tight enough to perform. I have 4 amazing musicians that play in orchestra pits who don't expect to get paid. I work with two of the musicians on side projects. We are ready...but I have decided that this music could become a Chamber Symphony instead of Chamber Rock. The only aspect of this journey which I'm afraid will annoy the musicians...will be when I ask them to record the entire work as a Chamber Rock piece and then as a Chamber Symphony, so I can listen back to both versions and decide what was meant to be. I have to hear it first in it's entirety to make that decision. Obviously I'm not doing this for money and I don't care...but I desire to release the work to share with others. If I can complete the work , finalize everything, I will put effort into distributing it. I expect nothing in return . Although one of the most beautiful experiences in the life of a musician/composer is for people to tell them that they like their music. That's ultimately the best gift...appreciation.....just don't allow it to swell your head. Stay humble.
Rarebird
07-19-2016, 01:13 PM
I tend to believe that what I've been working on for the last 6 years is causing me agony. It originally began with 7 pieces I wrote and recorded that I went back to and observed , discovering that it was more of a suite. I then reconstructed it recording atmospheric sections to be played by string quartet which fell between each of the 7 pieces. In sections of some of the pieces...I had recorded distorted guitar playing 5/chord style , producing an odd effect and decided for a Cello to play that instead. After 4 years of pulling my hair out, I decided to base it on a Chamber Rock approach. I found the right musicians and we rehearsed the material in my house until it was tight enough to perform. I have 4 amazing musicians that play in orchestra pits who don't expect to get paid. I work with two of the musicians on side projects. We are ready...but I have decided that this music could become a Chamber Symphony instead of Chamber Rock. The only aspect of this journey which I'm afraid will annoy the musicians...will be when I ask them to record the entire work as a Chamber Rock piece and then as a Chamber Symphony, so I can listen back to both versions and decide what was meant to be. I have to hear it first in it's entirety to make that decision. Obviously I'm not doing this for money and I don't care...but I desire to release the work to share with others. If I can complete the work , finalize everything, I will put effort into distributing it. I expect nothing in return . Although one of the most beautiful experiences in the life of a musician/composer is for people to tell them that they like your music. That's ultimately the best gift...appreciation.....just don't allow it to swell your head. Stay humble.
You are lucky to have found musicians that don't expect to get paid.
You are lucky to have found musicians that don't expect to get paid.
I agree
littleatlas_steve
07-25-2016, 04:21 PM
I just released a new album with a new project called "Grackle". The music is less "proggy" than anything I did with Little Atlas or French TV, but firmly outside of the mainstream box. Drums are by my fellow French TV alum, Jeff Gard. The whole album is available to listen to on Apple Music, Spotify, Bandcamp, etc...
Here's a video to one of the tunes,. enjoy!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RnRRm5WQywk
Yodelgoat
07-26-2016, 09:52 AM
Nice - I hope your investment will be rewarded. But why move away from prog? Is this available only digitally? or did yo produce a CD/Vinyl?
klothos
07-26-2016, 12:03 PM
i am...link below
littleatlas_steve
07-26-2016, 02:27 PM
Nice - I hope your investment will be rewarded. But why move away from prog? Is this available only digitally? or did yo produce a CD/Vinyl?
Grackle isn't an intentional "move away from prog" as much as it is an exploration of other musical ideas and interests that don't fit cleanly in that category. Besides, Little Atlas is still alive, meaning I still get to create progressive music with the ultimate group of musical brothers. I've already been "rewarded" in the incredible satisfaction of writing, creating, recording, producing, and sharing. We've even covered the costs ;) Wintergarden is a digital-only release, though we did a small batch run of cds to sell at shows. Its available wherever you usually get your digital music. Or you can just stream it for free on spotify, apple music, youtube, bandcamp, etc...
Steve
saucyjackstl
07-27-2016, 05:25 PM
https://www.amazon.com/Contraption-Lida-Una/dp/B01ECSXZKM
We self record, the last album Contraption we mixed ourselves. Pay for mastering and CD Baby as the aggregater.
Jonas Tamas
08-18-2016, 12:36 PM
Recently I've released my first EP, it contains instrumental progressive rock songs (Pink Floyd meets Vivaldi meets early Dream Theater).
I use the new "free streaming" attitude - the whole album can be listened in its entirety for free. And if someone likes it and wants to support the artist, they can download it on Bandcamp.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iNehTMP-OHM
Rarebird
08-18-2016, 12:42 PM
A few days ago I put my new album Rare Bird Suite on Bandcamp.
Evership
01-14-2017, 07:02 AM
4 years after the original reply but as people are still responding... Yes, we are still making music to share with the world. We released our Debut album in July 2016.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NCBapLbFU1s
Yodelgoat
02-08-2017, 02:23 PM
So, in 2016 did any of you who have recently released material find it to be a good year for sales? Where are your sales coming from? Is there anything you are doing to advertise or to promote your material? Obviously, this is not a place where you can do that, but I would sure like to know what has worked for you, and what if anything definitely does not work. (fly-by leaflet drops?)
HoldYourFire
02-11-2017, 11:39 AM
Kinetic Element and I just keep plugging away. We released Travelog in 2015 and in 2016 after ten years of trying to make a dent in the prog world we got to play at both ROSfest and Terra Incognita. I am blessed to have a bunch of guys who do it for love of the music and have day jobs, because we have just hit a TOTAL for three albums of about 1000 units sold. Most of it occurred in 2015 with the release of Travelog. I just don't care about whether it makes money or not. By constantly being where I needed to be at festivals I finally met people who could help and wanted to help and we wound up signed by Nick Katona to Melodic Revolution Records.
When we put out Travelog we had become fortunate to attract the attention of Fred Schendel and Steve Babb of Glass Hammer who did our mixing and mastering. We were looking to get a "name" associated with our project in order to get some attention and this was a Godsend. Literally. I had been simply relentlessly networking with hundreds of people in the prog world via the Internet (Facebook, Twitter, message boards before FB came around, MySpace too) and just kept asking and asking for opportunities to play live which finally materialized into dates at Jaxx, Orion Studios and some venues in New Jersey, DC, and Richmond, and I am still doing all that. We are still not able to keep putting out product at a pace that can sustain momentum so I have to keep pushing and pushing and I expect that will never stop.
Anyway I also engaged the services of William James of Glass Onyon Promotion and got a plethora of additional reviews thereby, and I'm sure that's what finally convinced ROSfest to give us a chance. I made sure music CDs or files went to every possible prog internet radio station and made friends at the stations and among their listeners. I posted music to Soundcloud. I let people know where it was.
We have gotten an invite for Progtoberfest 2017 and I am working on shows to play out at least four times before then. I put together an online press kit so that I have something to e-mail to every venue I approach. And I will go after Cruise to the Edge next. All I know how to do is ask and present what he have, and be supportive because I believe what to sow, you reap. My anthem is Mission by Rush which I quote in all my posts here.
This is the MRR link. http://mrrmusic.com/kinetic-element/
Prog Lives. It keeps us young. But ... recognition won't come to you. You have to go after it.
Jefferson James
02-14-2017, 03:33 PM
My band put out a live album last year (http://usa.badelephant.co.uk/album/epic-at-the-majestic-heliopolis-live-at-rosfest), on a new (to us) label, and it pretty much sank without a trace. The release also corresponded with my decision to leave social media so I wasn't around to "work" Facebook and all that stuff. It's all good 'cause the album was meant as a "live band" calling card, something to send promoters, and we were not expecting any real sales to result.
All that aside, we're still writing and recording new music and there is a studio album on the horizon. I would not be doing this (the band) whatsoever if I didn't believe this is the best music I've ever been involved with. I can't wait to put something out there but since there's no momentum behind the band, there's no pressure to rush something out.
We're back to doing what we do best: writing and recording songs. I can't fathom doing anything else (like selling CDs bundled with another product). Hats off to the guys who can do the crowd-funding and the merchandising and the social media work and have a day job and still be able to write and rehearse with their bands.
A year ago I decided writing, arranging and recording music is all that matters to me and I ditched all concerns of the peripheral necessities that have become part and parcel of commercially releasing music these days; I am thinking about music.
It feels awesome and it's insanely gratifying to have a band who not only work for peanuts but are able to take my rough ideas and send them skyward.
Yodelgoat
02-14-2017, 09:30 PM
It feels awesome and it's insanely gratifying to have a band who not only work for peanuts but are able to take my rough ideas and send them skyward.
So you are just going to produce albums and not really "try" to sell it? Are you going to be playing out? If so, where will you play? are the venues still out there to play prog?
Jefferson James
02-15-2017, 11:29 AM
So you are just going to produce albums and not really "try" to sell it? Are you going to be playing out? If so, where will you play? are the venues still out there to play prog?
Hi Goat!
I like to take it one album at a time so who knows if there will be another one after the one in progress?
And, no, I personally am not going to try to sell the album aside from telling friends about it and maybe posting something here; if we can't find a partner or label to do that, we'll just give it away digitally.
As for gigs, luckily here in the LA area there are always opportunities to play, and that's on our radar, but it comes down to: are we going to get together to rehearse a live set, or are we gonna get together and compose new music as a collaborative?
Right now we're getting together to write and record; when we're done writing and recording we'll whip up a set, play a couple local gigs, and see what, if anything, happens. We've played a bunch of gigs (last one was RoSFest 2015 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gl-aQaD9lFA)) and we can all rock a stage so it's all a matter of prioritizing at this point.
Over the last year I've made some significant lifestyle changes and there were lots of times I felt like scrapping the band. But, damn, when I hear the music we're co-authoring and what my band mates are contributing, I have to keep going, at least one more album, you know? It's still fun and we're still writing music that challenges us as a band and individually. It took us almost 2 years just to co-write one 15-minute epic, but I've gotta say, hearing the almost-finished result makes it all worthwhile. This motherfucker is as tweaked as an epic can get, for me anyway. Considering it's a true collaboration between 5 writers, that's saying something.
I've been lucky in that I've gotten to do some cool things with this and my prior band so anything that happens at this point is pure gravy. It doesn't matter. All that matters is how hard we're dedicated to working on the music.
aith01
03-20-2017, 11:18 PM
Hi Goat!
I like to take it one album at a time so who knows if there will be another one after the one in progress? [...]
Good to hear you guys are still writing and recording together. I finally got around to picking up that first Heliopolis CD, and am glad I did (although I wish I'd done it sooner)! New Frontier is probably my favorite tune, but there's lots of cool stuff on all five tracks. :up Was wondering how progress on the sophomore disc was going. :)
3RDegree_Robert
03-22-2017, 03:28 AM
Hi Goat!
I like to take it one album at a time so who knows if there will be another one after the one in progress?
And, no, I personally am not going to try to sell the album aside from telling friends about it and maybe posting something here; if we can't find a partner or label to do that, we'll just give it away digitally.
As for gigs, luckily here in the LA area there are always opportunities to play, and that's on our radar, but it comes down to: are we going to get together to rehearse a live set, or are we gonna get together and compose new music as a collaborative?
Right now we're getting together to write and record; when we're done writing and recording we'll whip up a set, play a couple local gigs, and see what, if anything, happens. We've played a bunch of gigs (last one was RoSFest 2015 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gl-aQaD9lFA)) and we can all rock a stage so it's all a matter of prioritizing at this point.
Over the last year I've made some significant lifestyle changes and there were lots of times I felt like scrapping the band. But, damn, when I hear the music we're co-authoring and what my band mates are contributing, I have to keep going, at least one more album, you know? It's still fun and we're still writing music that challenges us as a band and individually. It took us almost 2 years just to co-write one 15-minute epic, but I've gotta say, hearing the almost-finished result makes it all worthwhile. This motherfucker is as tweaked as an epic can get, for me anyway. Considering it's a true collaboration between 5 writers, that's saying something.
I've been lucky in that I've gotten to do some cool things with this and my prior band so anything that happens at this point is pure gravy. It doesn't matter. All that matters is how hard we're dedicated to working on the music.
This sounds really fucking cool. I look forward to it. In slightly related news, we too have a 15 minute song coming (3 parted but quite united). Only 2 of us wrote it though! ;) Good to see you're still plugging away despite the malaise that sometimes comes into the picture regarding all the "other stuff" (non-music creation)!
Jefferson James
03-22-2017, 03:36 PM
Good to hear you guys are still writing and recording together. I finally got around to picking up that first Heliopolis CD, and am glad I did (although I wish I'd done it sooner)! New Frontier is probably my favorite tune, but there's lots of cool stuff on all five tracks. :up Was wondering how progress on the sophomore disc was going. :)
You are seriously the kindest person on earth, thank you. Wow, that's so cool of you.
New Frontier was the very first song we wrote together from scratch, the rest of the songs on the debut were adapted from home demos we'd all written.
For the sophomore album I wanted all the songs written from scratch, collaboratively. So far we've got about 40 minutes of all-new collaboratively written music (in two suites) and a couple of pre-written demos we're going to tackle to flesh the album out. We wanna keep the running time around 50-55 minutes max.
It's silly to talk about the music prematurely 'cause anything can and likely will change, but I will say these songs are fucking loaded with details. Tons of one-off's and rhythmic shifts, solo sections, unison bits, balanced by sections where vocals are happening. There are still verses and choruses (chorusii?) so it'll be recognizable as rock music, but other than that things have gotten a lot weirder music-wise.
And why not, right? That's the goal. Nothing pleases me more than writing a riff that stumps the band for awhile until we all get it down. We all love it when someone throws in something weird, or challenging, not to be gratuitous but because if it fits, you must acquit. Don't sweat it -- edit. Zero rules except it's gotta have energy and sincerity and fit into the rock music mold.
Thanks again!
This sounds really fucking cool. I look forward to it.
Thank you, that makes two of us.
This is a little piano solo, a rough mixed, unmastered MP3 played thru computer speakers, recorded on a smartphone while watching an LSD video. We're recording with the same gentleman who did our first album, John Prpich; he's a great engineer and so, so fast in getting sounds, so no worries about the sound quality based on this phone recording.
Thanks for listening, seriously.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o2xKGJxQPuw&feature=youtu.be
aith01
03-24-2017, 01:15 AM
You are seriously the kindest person on earth, thank you. Wow, that's so cool of you.
New Frontier was the very first song we wrote together from scratch, the rest of the songs on the debut were adapted from home demos we'd all written.
For the sophomore album I wanted all the songs written from scratch, collaboratively. So far we've got about 40 minutes of all-new collaboratively written music (in two suites) and a couple of pre-written demos we're going to tackle to flesh the album out. We wanna keep the running time around 50-55 minutes max.
[...]]
Think nothing of it, my friend. :) Having followed since the Next/Mars Hollow days, it does my heart good to know you've continued making the music you want to make. If the musicians are having fun, that can often translate to the listener in ways that are not quantifiable but very effective. I think that's something that comes through with City of the Sun. I got similar vibes from Moth Vellum (which I think you and I have actually talked about in the past), along with a musical "sunniness" that I can't quite put into words.
It sounds like the new music is coming along well, and if New Frontier is any indication, the collaborative material will be something to look forward to. If there's a pre-order, I'll be there. :D
Jefferson James
04-03-2017, 12:46 PM
Thanks, aith01! We've wrapped up the music for "Cluster A", as you can see it's pretty straightforward. "Cool part" is this really sunny, upbeat thing I came up with as a platform for Mike and Matt to solo over, it's only 5 chords but for some reason it's some of my favorite music I've ever "written". We're gonna start tracking this one in a month...thanks again!
10150
IncogNeato
04-12-2017, 09:47 AM
1. why? - I can't NOT make music. I will always take part in projects that are of interest to me, whether they pay me money or not. I don't make my living playing music, but I make a little side cash singing on people's albums. I guess that's different than your main point. I always, always have a desire to record and write music.
2. How do see the future of music as a commodity? - Not being burdened with trying to make music my livelihood, I don't concern myself with it. The way I see it, music will always have an audience of true music lovers...however small. There will always be a small contingent of people who want real music, who want physical formats, who want to see live bands, who want the t-shirts, etc. The so-called decline in sales, IMO, is truly just a sussing out of who the true music fans are. The same true fans of music who bought CDs in 1995 are buying CDs in 2017. They didn't grow out of it, they didn't forget about it, they did not lose interest. They crave new music. They always will.
3. Do you have second doubts about wether you're being realistic? - I feel like I am being realistic. I am starting up a new venture, hopefully, with guys in my own area (a first for me in quite a while...most of my projects are overseas remotes) that hopefully can sustain itself. But that's the goal...write good songs and try to get it to sustain itself. If we can't get the second part accomplished, we at least have the first part.
4. What formats are you going to use? - CD and download, most likely. I'm looking at using Bandcamp when the time comes and short-run CDs for the hardcores.
IncogNeato
04-12-2017, 09:51 AM
You are lucky to have found musicians that don't expect to get paid.
That is a rare, rare thing. I am of the perspective that, if it's something that truly, deeply interests me and I love it, then I don't expect to get paid money for doing it (singing). Holding the end result in my hand (the finished song/album) is plenty. Then I'll spend all my time sharing it with anyone who I think would like it.
That falls in line with being realistic, IMO. If you're realistic about the kind of music you're playing, and understanding the size of the audience you're most likely going to appeal to, then you can let expectations fall away and simply enjoy it.
Koreabruce
04-13-2017, 08:07 AM
That is a rare, rare thing. I am of the perspective that, if it's something that truly, deeply interests me and I love it, then I don't expect to get paid money for doing it (singing). Holding the end result in my hand (the finished song/album) is plenty. Then I'll spend all my time sharing it with anyone who I think would like it.
That falls in line with being realistic, IMO. If you're realistic about the kind of music you're playing, and understanding the size of the audience you're most likely going to appeal to, then you can let expectations fall away and simply enjoy it.
I like your attitude. That is also the way I'd do it.
IncogNeato
04-13-2017, 11:46 AM
I like your attitude. That is also the way I'd do it.
Thanks. It took me a while to get there. Ha! But music is meant to be enjoyed...both by the listener and the creator.
aith01
04-21-2017, 12:46 PM
Thanks, aith01! We've wrapped up the music for "Cluster A", as you can see it's pretty straightforward. "Cool part" is this really sunny, upbeat thing I came up with as a platform for Mike and Matt to solo over, it's only 5 chords but for some reason it's some of my favorite music I've ever "written". We're gonna start tracking this one in a month...thanks again!
10150
Awesome! I'll be paying extra attention to the "Cool part" section, once it's done. :D
Jerjo
04-21-2017, 04:01 PM
Posting so this will show up in my subscription list. Keep the tunes coming folks!
stretch-heart
07-07-2017, 03:23 PM
1. why?
Because it's my passion in life and I'd like to make it my livelihood. I think given the right approach it is entirely possible to build a following and make a living via lessons, studio work, and independent releases.
2. How do see the future of music as a commodity?
I think it is a saturated market and it is no longer possible to make a living exclusively from the sales of music as a commodity. This includes live shows, as it is difficult to find a niche with all the options available.
3. Do you have second doubts about wether you're being realistic?
Not really, no. The reason for that is I have seen people do it before and I have faith that if I continue to work at it I'll learn the skills I need it will eventually become possible. Regardless, I'm writing the music anyway. Even if it isn't possible I won't regret writing original pieces of music.
4. What formats are you going to use?
Digital to start followed by physical after a threshold in sales is reached. Mainly CDs after that with a limited vinyl run (10-20 units) for posterity. Check out my Facebook for updates on the upcoming record https://www.facebook.com/stretchheartmusic/?ref=bookmarks
Rarebird
07-08-2017, 03:55 AM
I'm curious to know if anyone is still planning, or actually producing new music. I'm not talking about for fun, but for actually building a fan base and selling, yes, for money, their own music.
My questions are:
1. why?
Because I still have a lot of ideas.
Currently I'm working on a set of more classical orientated compositions, which are supposed to be played either seperatly or in combination, with parts over over eachother. These compositions will also become a part of an orchestral piece.
At this moment I'm working on 'Erde' (Earth). The other parts will be 'Wasser' (Water) and 'Luft' (Sky, or Air). They are more or less based on a series of painting by 3 German artists (among them Christian von Grumbkow).
At the same time I'm working on the orchestral piece 'Elements'.
2. How do see the future of music as a commodity?
There are still people creating new music, so why shouldn't I be one of them?
3. Do you have second doubts about wether you're being realistic?
What is being realistic? I still hope to be able to earn money with my music, but I doubt this will ever be the case.
4. What formats are you going to use?
Digital only, unless people get really interested. I might be able to produce sheet-music.
Currently I'm working on a set of more classical orientated compositions, which are supposed to be played either seperatly or in combination, with parts over over eachother. These compositions will also become a part of an orchestral piece.
At this moment I'm working on 'Erde' (Earth). The other parts will be 'Wasser' (Water) and 'Luft' (Sky, or Air). They are more or less based on a series of painting by 3 German artists (among them Christian von Grumbkow).
At the same time I'm working on the orchestral piece 'Elements'.
Interesting ideas! Keep us posted!
Rarebird
07-25-2017, 01:18 PM
Finally recorded 'Erde' Earth, a 3 part composition for piano, marimba and bass-synthesizer
Used 2 different pianosounds from the Arturia Piano V. For the marimba I used the Arturia Modular V3, with a factory preset named Syn Marimba. For the bass-synthesizer, I used a sound I created for the Artura Mini V3.
https://soundcloud.com/user-804295634/erde
Dean Watson
09-04-2017, 03:44 PM
I have already stated 'why' I continue to write, about 4 pages back. I thought I'd just introduce something I wrote last week.
https://soundcloud.com/dean-watson/updown-waltz
Sputnik
09-04-2017, 08:01 PM
I have already stated 'why' I continue to write, about 4 pages back. I thought I'd just introduce something I wrote last week.
https://soundcloud.com/dean-watson/updown-waltzNice!! I hear a touch of Mahavishnu in that one. Been spinning Sum of Parts a lot. Anyone who likes this track should check that one out, great instrumental, challenging, yet still totally melodic stuff. Glad you are still releasing new music! :)
Bill
Dean Watson
09-18-2017, 02:07 PM
I did a playthrough video of UpDown Waltz here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3aLMwzdOoog
Supersonic Scientist
09-19-2017, 06:15 PM
On a whim, I got inspired to write and record a modern (progressive) Surf Guitar tune....I "think" it works ?!?!?
https://soundcloud.com/harold-timms/below-the-surface
Mister Triscuits
10-03-2017, 09:23 PM
Just received copies of my new album!
10863
regenerativemusic
10-30-2017, 04:22 PM
Just had a French label release a vinyl LP of my music.
http://www.serendip-lab.org/label/artistes/robert-scott-pearson/
aith01
10-30-2017, 04:42 PM
Just received copies of my new album!
10863
Nice! I forgot that one was on my radar. Is CDBaby the best place to get a copy?
Kenny.Mitchell
11-01-2017, 04:42 PM
I'm curious to know if anyone is still planning, or actually producing new music. I'm not talking about for fun, but for actually building a fan base and selling, yes, for money, their own music.
My questions are:
1. why?
2. How do see the future of music as a commodity?
3. Do you have second doubts about wether you're being realistic?
4. What formats are you going to use?
I'd really like to hear what you are honestly thinking.
I self produce and release my own albums generally on a once yearly basis. I have no record deal and have to finance the whole thing myself but I've been a musician for a very long time now and it's what I do naturally so I'm kind of compelled to continue regardless. I guess that's why I do it..
How do I see the future of music as a commodity...? There are still some people out there who will do the right thing by us musos and actually pay us for our work if they like it, but a quick search with the necessary keywords - for example "Kenny Mitchell, Cinematica" (The title of my last album release) will quickly lead one to discover that my music is available not only on all the popular streaming sites as well as on Bandcamp, itunes and Amazon, but also on a number of pirate download sites where it can be obtained completely free of charge and completely outside the realm of my control and generating absolutely no financial reward whatsoever for me. So how does that render my music as a future commodity...? If I'm brutally honest, probably pretty worthless.
Do I have doubts about whether I'm being realistic..? I think we all have doubts now and again about what we're doing as well as doubts about just how good or how crap we are in reality as actual players, but most of us carry on regardless for the love of it in my experience.
What Formats...? I record and produce in Logic and release my albums only in the digital domain because I have neither the cash nor the fan base to viably release on CD. I don't gig because it's all just me on my own but if I ever did find myself in a situation where I was gigging regularly I would probably get a batch of CDs pressed to sell at gigs because I have a mate who gigs for a living with some pretty big names and selling the CDs at gigs works for him. Otherwise I wouldn't bother as it's just not viable as an option in my current situation....
I hope someone finds my comments useful, and....
Anyone interested in what I do can find me here : https://kennymitchell.bandcamp.com
JKL2000
11-01-2017, 06:16 PM
Just received copies of my new album!
10863
Nice! I forgot that one was on my radar. Is CDBaby the best place to get a copy?
Any chance of CDs via Bandcamp? Sorry if I asked this already.
Mister Triscuits
11-05-2017, 12:28 PM
Nice! I forgot that one was on my radar. Is CDBaby the best place to get a copy?
Any chance of CDs via Bandcamp? Sorry if I asked this already.
CDs are currently available through Wayside and CDBaby. No plans to sell though Bandcamp at the moment. Thanks for listening!
http://www.waysidemusic.com/Music-Products/Dawson-Michael-P-Paleozoic__FSM-spc-CD-spc-4.aspx
The Red Masque
12-11-2017, 01:47 PM
Well, i'm delusional I guess :)
The Red Masque (http://www.theredmasque.com) is currently in the studio working on our fifth studio album. we plan on releasing it digitally(bandcamp etc) and perhaps also as a physical CD (or perhaps as limited edition vinyl). We still have to decide on that. I doubt we'll get the money back we spent in the studio as we went all out on this one and are recording at a really great studio with an amazing engineer. However we are considering seeing if people want to do gofundme to help us create a professional music video (which we have, sadly, never been able to do) to go with the release of the album. I have some ideas on that but we'll have to see what is do-able.
My other new band, Green Cathedral (http://www.green-cathedral.com), also did release our debut album in September (both digital and limited physical cds). However, we are new and nobody knows who we are so we expected that release to be mostly used for promo purposes to hopefully garner attention for the band and to help book shows.
Rarebird
12-11-2017, 02:15 PM
Well, i'm delusional I guess :)
The Red Masque (http://www.theredmasque.com) is currently in the studio working on our fifth studio album. we plan on releasing it digitally(bandcamp etc) and perhaps also as a physical CD (or perhaps as limited edition vinyl). We still have to decide on that. I doubt we'll get the money back we spent in the studio as we went all out on this one and are recording at a really great studio with an amazing engineer. However we are considering seeing if people want to do gofundme to help us create a professional music video (which we have, sadly, never been able to do) to go with the release of the album. I have some ideas on that but we'll have to see what is do-able.
My other new band, Green Cathedral (http://www.green-cathedral.com), also did release our debut album in September (both digital and limited physical cds). However, we are new and nobody knows who we are so we expected that release to be mostly used for promo purposes to hopefully garner attention for the band and to help book shows.
Nice stuff from Green Cathedral.
The Red Masque
12-11-2017, 02:40 PM
thanks Renate
CarvinAbuser
02-23-2018, 12:59 PM
Some of my projects
wildvinesmusic.com (http://wildvinesmusic.com)
musicmarie
03-03-2018, 05:42 PM
I still make music, but more as a recreational thing, most by habit, and less thinking of it as being my career in the future. I think the future of music is going to continue to screw independent artists over more and more until a huge shift occurs. Will be curious to see how it all plays out.
When I was in my teen years, my dreams were full of being on the big stage, accepting a Grammy, etc., but I find that realistically, I don't need all those things to enjoy music and creativity in my own little space, with my small base of fans. I'm sure that mostly comes from my low-key personality; but the more I learned about the music business behind the scenes, the less I desired to see myself on the front-end of it all.
Andyyyy
08-10-2018, 05:39 PM
I'm curious to know if anyone is still planning, or actually producing new music. I'm not talking about for fun, but for actually building a fan base and selling, yes, for money, their own music.
My questions are:
1. why?
2. How do see the future of music as a commodity?
3. Do you have second doubts about wether you're being realistic?
4. What formats are you going to use?
I'd really like to hear what you are honestly thinking.
Wow, what a question and how long it's been running!
1. It's about creativity and fulfillment for me. A composition is like a child- you witness the beginning and maturing process whether by yourself or with bandmates. When it's ready for the world, you put it out there. If praise follows, great! Someone out there will usually enjoy what's been created, and if they enjoyed it enough to put down their hard earned money as thanks, it's the highest compliment.
2. Music as a commodity? I can look at what I pay for, and if I can be touched by someone's music, I want to support it. But then, that's thinking like a musician, no?
3. If my expectations aren't high, then I suppose I'm realistic. I am doubting myself as to one thing- should I duplicate (not to mention replicate) CDs or stay within the digital realm. Other than that, I have no doubts ;)
4. Ah yes, for this album, we are doing digital as well as CDs (duplicated), a small run. I have seen sales of another project I was involved with where I produced a few tribute albums and know that music still does sell. But CD sales have been dropping, for now.
I have seen some of you mention this, and I knew it could happen, but I was very surprised at how quickly it did happen, and that is our album being on pirate sites. Man, that was quick! One way to help minimize this might be to let potential downloaders know that they are exposing their computers to being hacked on those sites. Run the sites through scamadvisor.com. They are in countries that don't discourage piracy and might even be sites that collect info, so, buyer, beware!
Benedict
08-12-2018, 12:12 AM
Creative musicians have to get it out, otherwise they'd get constipated and and die.
Yep, basically that
1. Why? Because I have to create and music is the way I try to express myself to the world. Music is in effect my children.
2. How do see the future of music as a commodity? Depends how you define music. Right now I think it is a bit dire with most people saying they "luv" music but not giving a whit about anything at all as they stream music on random so they have no real engagement with music as an artform, let alone realizing that if someone gives you enjoyment you should give them reward (as they expet to be rewarded when they go to work).
3. Do you have second doubts about wether you're being realistic? This might just about explain it: https://benedictroffmarsh.com/2018/05/22/an-unpaid-update-money-the-muso/
4. What formats are you going to use? I only use Bandcamp as I see streaming as being a total con right now. Bandcamp seems to have become a bit of th eplace to be for people trying to make music as art. I'm not there to be "in the scene" but it is simply the most suited to albums. If you have a buying audience then vinylu seems ot be the thing as kids buy that becasue they feel that it is real music and they are getting something for their coin. Great I guess but seems to be missing the point a bit as the music itself can be delivered digitally (at better quality) for less money (therefore you ccould buy more music for the same coin).
Yodelgoat
08-28-2018, 12:56 AM
I have been really down for te past few months - regarding the state of creating new music myself. I have begun to put together a one person show that I can take all the songs I have written over the years, and play them live, using backing tracks. I have picked up ableton live and am in the process of recording most of my songs in a format that leaves the main vocals and acoustic guitar/main guitar parts. Playing with them - but in a live setting. Once it is show worthy, I am going to start playing live venues anywhere I can. I have a decent PA, putting together a decent light show, and practicing these songs so I can do 2+ hours of my own music. I think the world is ready for something like this. Playing other peoples music is becoming less and less meaningful - since I dont even know any modern music anymore. But My music over the years does cover several different styles and sounds. No, I wont play "Freebird" or "proud mary" - but I also see no reason to try to "release" new music. As it looks right now, my first set does sound pretty decent even on the first listen. Since DJ's have kind of made it culturally acceptable to have one person on stage, and a whole lot of music coming out - no one should be too offended by me doing this. If it doesnt work out, hey, at least I tried right?
Once I get this all worked out, I also will invite people to come in and play with me - guitarists who can do solos, stuff like that. But doing an entire evening of original music just may give me something to look forward to. I do have someone who does booking, and if I choose my venues carefully, I think I might be able to play once or twice a month - or a quarter... whatever comes my way. The cool thing is, I have become a much better guitarist by doing this.
I plan on billing myself, not necessarily as a musician, but as a singer/songwriter...That I play every instrument the audience is hearing, and have written every song. So far the production is quite a bit better than what you typically hear out of say, a local bar band. It's also quite diverse - some pop, some prog some folk, but it will be all original. But its all set up so I dont have to pay anyone, and I also dont need to be paid myself. It will all fit under one 12x12 tent, and is a snap to set up. I hope to have this up and running by the Christmas season. I May have to violate my no covers policy, and work up a few Christmas tunes as well. Anyway, I dont know if this will work out, but I am having a blast getting this organized. Even if I never do a single gig, it has been worth it. Its getting harder and harder to find decent live entertainment at least here in DFW Texas. There is not much work for musicians any more, so fewer and fewer are doing it. I have tested out some of my songs at an open mike night, which went over pretty well, but they have since cancelled the open mic night - They wouldn;t cough up the 150 bucks to pay the sound guy - he owned the PA. Anyway, I will try to find other open mic nights, but I do have a place that will let me set up and play on a Saturday night, but the show isn't ready for prime time yet.
So rather than release new material, Ive decided to just start playing out and screw the idea of releases. I can tell people the only place they will hear these songs is at a live show.
Dean Watson
01-10-2019, 03:52 PM
I have been really down for te past few months - regarding the state of creating new music myself. I have begun to put together a one person show that I can take all the songs I have written over the years, and play them live, using backing tracks. I have picked up ableton live and am in the process of recording most of my songs in a format that leaves the main vocals and acoustic guitar/main guitar parts. Playing with them - but in a live setting. Once it is show worthy, I am going to start playing live venues anywhere I can. I have a decent PA, putting together a decent light show, and practicing these songs so I can do 2+ hours of my own music. I think the world is ready for something like this. Playing other peoples music is becoming less and less meaningful - since I dont even know any modern music anymore. But My music over the years does cover several different styles and sounds. No, I wont play "Freebird" or "proud mary" - but I also see no reason to try to "release" new music. As it looks right now, my first set does sound pretty decent even on the first listen. Since DJ's have kind of made it culturally acceptable to have one person on stage, and a whole lot of music coming out - no one should be too offended by me doing this. If it doesnt work out, hey, at least I tried right?
Once I get this all worked out, I also will invite people to come in and play with me - guitarists who can do solos, stuff like that. But doing an entire evening of original music just may give me something to look forward to. I do have someone who does booking, and if I choose my venues carefully, I think I might be able to play once or twice a month - or a quarter... whatever comes my way. The cool thing is, I have become a much better guitarist by doing this.
I plan on billing myself, not necessarily as a musician, but as a singer/songwriter...That I play every instrument the audience is hearing, and have written every song. So far the production is quite a bit better than what you typically hear out of say, a local bar band. It's also quite diverse - some pop, some prog some folk, but it will be all original. But its all set up so I dont have to pay anyone, and I also dont need to be paid myself. It will all fit under one 12x12 tent, and is a snap to set up. I hope to have this up and running by the Christmas season. I May have to violate my no covers policy, and work up a few Christmas tunes as well. Anyway, I dont know if this will work out, but I am having a blast getting this organized. Even if I never do a single gig, it has been worth it. Its getting harder and harder to find decent live entertainment at least here in DFW Texas. There is not much work for musicians any more, so fewer and fewer are doing it. I have tested out some of my songs at an open mike night, which went over pretty well, but they have since cancelled the open mic night - They wouldn;t cough up the 150 bucks to pay the sound guy - he owned the PA. Anyway, I will try to find other open mic nights, but I do have a place that will let me set up and play on a Saturday night, but the show isn't ready for prime time yet.
So rather than release new material, Ive decided to just start playing out and screw the idea of releases. I can tell people the only place they will hear these songs is at a live show.
Well, did you ever do it?
Rarebird
01-11-2019, 06:55 AM
One of these days I'm probably releasing my next album on Bandcamp. Just recorded the last track yesterday.
Actually a did publish it today:
https://rarebirdproductions.bandcamp.com/album/erde-wasser-luft
Yodelgoat
01-12-2019, 12:15 PM
Well, did you ever do it?
Yep. Its still rusty at this point, but I am having fair responses at open mic nights. I do a bit of the Zeppelin acoustic songs and pretty much nail them, The original music is pretty well received. There seems to be pressure to play more covers from some people who aren't used to seeing just one guy playing obscure music. I did a version of Lazarus by Porcupine tree last night and nobody knew it but loved it. THey asked me if it was my own.. (wow!)I am working on getting part of my show on Video and more gigs will be likely to come. Right now I have an open invite to play at one resteraunt any time (pays me $150 plus dinner) No one yet has said "You are just doing Karaoke" That is my main fear, but I keep enough pure acoustic songs so that the Backing tracks seem like afterthoughts. Anyway, yeah, This year (2019) is the year I became a performing musician again. I am also recording a lot in the studio, but its all for the live show, no plans on releasing anything anytime soon. Kiss of death, IMO.
Benedict
01-12-2019, 06:42 PM
Yep. Its still rusty at this point, but I am having fair responses at open mic nights. I do a bit of the Zeppelin acoustic songs and pretty much nail them, The original music is pretty well received. There seems to be pressure to play more covers from some people who aren't used to seeing just one guy playing obscure music. I did a version of Lazarus by Porcupine tree last night and nobody knew it but loved it. THey asked me if it was my own.. (wow!)I am working on getting part of my show on Video and more gigs will be likely to come. Right now I have an open invite to play at one resteraunt any time (pays me $150 plus dinner) No one yet has said "You are just doing Karaoke" That is my main fear, but I keep enough pure acoustic songs so that the Backing tracks seem like afterthoughts. Anyway, yeah, This year (2019) is the year I became a performing musician again. I am also recording a lot in the studio, but its all for the live show, no plans on releasing anything anytime soon. Kiss of death, IMO.
Honestly I think people are so udes to backing tracks now they think nothing of it. People see it everywhere.
All anyone wants is to be entertained. Then don't really care how it happens, so long as it entertians them.
:-)
Benedict
01-12-2019, 06:43 PM
One of these days I'm probably releasing my next album on Bandcamp. Just recorded the last track yesterday.
Actually a did publish it today:
https://rarebirdproductions.bandcamp.com/album/erde-wasser-luft
Interesting idea.
:-)
Koreabruce
01-12-2019, 11:23 PM
Yep. Its still rusty at this point, but I am having fair responses at open mic nights. I do a bit of the Zeppelin acoustic songs and pretty much nail them, The original music is pretty well received. There seems to be pressure to play more covers from some people who aren't used to seeing just one guy playing obscure music. I did a version of Lazarus by Porcupine tree last night and nobody knew it but loved it. THey asked me if it was my own.. (wow!)I am working on getting part of my show on Video and more gigs will be likely to come. Right now I have an open invite to play at one resteraunt any time (pays me $150 plus dinner) No one yet has said "You are just doing Karaoke" That is my main fear, but I keep enough pure acoustic songs so that the Backing tracks seem like afterthoughts. Anyway, yeah, This year (2019) is the year I became a performing musician again. I am also recording a lot in the studio, but its all for the live show, no plans on releasing anything anytime soon. Kiss of death, IMO.
That's good to hear. I really hope this works out for you. Have you done any video recording of your performances at home for reference? (I assume you've tried this during rehearsals.) It'd be great to see some clips of what you're doing. Please feel free to share if you don't mind.
Yodelgoat
01-12-2019, 11:37 PM
Honestly I think people are so udes to backing tracks now they think nothing of it. People see it everywhere.
All anyone wants is to be entertained. Then don't really care how it happens, so long as it entertians them.
:-)
That surprises me.. Most of the performances I have seen are more about live everything. I cant recall seeing anyone doing Solo acts with backing tracks. Of course I have only been out in Fort Worth and in Sedona AZ. Not the hugest places to see live music - especially if its not country or Hispanic... Seen lots of great flamenco and live bands of several genres in Sedona - Its a music town, perhaps a bit highbrow, but nonetheless for its size it is remarkable what you can see. I went to a club on a Sunday night there and met Phil Rossi - who performed with Sinatra and other greats. He gave me a CD with many of his performances - including the Music to the Pink Panther movies. Anyway Backing tracks are considered kind of a low class thing by the Sedona elites. I really don't have a choice. I do play about half the music as stand alone, so perhaps mixing it up may be OK and provide some diversity.
Yodelgoat
01-12-2019, 11:44 PM
That's good to hear. I really hope this works out for you. Have you done any video recording of your performances at home for reference? (I assume you've tried this during rehearsals.) It'd be great to see some clips of what you're doing. Please feel free to share if you don't mind.
Ive recorded some practices, but nothing I would want to share. It's just so easy to mess up the potential by doing something too early. once I think its ready for primetime, I'll share something with you. - It needs to be something more than just raw. I have a recorded version of the battle of evermore that's - well, kind of OK.
Buddhabreath
01-13-2019, 10:27 AM
^^^
Good on ya for getting out there mate. It’s been close to 30 years since I last did an open mic - I’m trying to muster the courage and even taking some voice lessons but as soon as I’m in front of people, anxiety kicks in and my performance degrades and small mistakes shake me... but working on it.
Dean Watson
01-13-2019, 01:19 PM
That surprises me.. Most of the performances I have seen are more about live everything. I cant recall seeing anyone doing Solo acts with backing tracks. Of course I have only been out in Fort Worth and in Sedona AZ. Not the hugest places to see live music - especially if its not country or Hispanic... Seen lots of great flamenco and live bands of several genres in Sedona - Its a music town, perhaps a bit highbrow, but nonetheless for its size it is remarkable what you can see. I went to a club on a Sunday night there and met Phil Rossi - who performed with Sinatra and other greats. He gave me a CD with many of his performances - including the Music to the Pink Panther movies. Anyway Backing tracks are considered kind of a low class thing by the Sedona elites. I really don't have a choice. I do play about half the music as stand alone, so perhaps mixing it up may be OK and provide some diversity.
As a side project to my CD projects I play in a duo, an excuse for me to play some "Rock" guitar, and it's all 80's rock, no originals, but we play to backing tracks that I have recording on my DAW. So, anything that isn't bass or lead guitar ( some rhythm ) gets put on the backing track. We've had some good responses and will likely gig a few times this year. Obviously, it looks a little strange, playing "You Shook Me All Night Long" with no drummer! But it works, and people are liking it.
Top Cat
01-13-2019, 02:11 PM
Obviously, it looks a little strange, playing "You Shook Me All Night Long" with no drummer! But it works, and people are liking it.
Dean, you could always check to see if this cool cat is available for a couple of gigs...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Oy3q3HaGK1k
Yodelgoat
01-13-2019, 08:27 PM
As a side project to my CD projects I play in a duo, an excuse for me to play some "Rock" guitar, and it's all 80's rock, no originals, but we play to backing tracks that I have recording on my DAW. So, anything that isn't bass or lead guitar ( some rhythm ) gets put on the backing track. We've had some good responses and will likely gig a few times this year. Obviously, it looks a little strange, playing "You Shook Me All Night Long" with no drummer! But it works, and people are liking it.
Yeah that's kind of how I feel about being so lonely up there. I do use a tiny kit on stage, a 8 inch snare, 2 toms and 2 small cymbals, and I use a cajon for a kick drum...I also play the kick and hihat along on some of the 'acoustic only' songs and it adds a little something more. - But I do a version of Tull's "the third hurrah". I learned the flute part on my high spirits wood flute, which turned out to be in the exact right key, so I recorded the bass and worked up the other harpsichord, organ and other key instruments on MIDI. I Played the drums and then realized I could do that live to add to the diversity of the show and prove that I actually play drums a bit. So its a little different, since I do tell the audience that I have played all the instruments they are hearing - I try to sell myself as more of a "composer" than a guitarist. I'm eventually planning on having a "guest" guitarist come on and do the leads and other parts that are missing on some of the songs. If I find the right person, I'll make it a duet, but right now I am just hoping to get myself up to speed and to put on a truly "good" show. Right now its just a bit too sloppy for my taste. I need another ton of reps on all the songs to get them really polished. I am a bit of a perfectionist, and hate to make mistakes, so I think it may eventually become something I could stand to watch myself. For me, It needs to be something unique, and worth doing. Here are the cover tunes - just to show the diversity...
In no particular order:
There aint no saguaro in Texas - Rev Horton Heat.
Roads to Moscow, Apple cider reconstitution - Al stewart
Up a Lazy River, Seduced, Dixie stars are playing Peekaboo, Lazy Bones- Leon Redbone
Long Cool Woman - Hollies
If you could read my mind, Don Quixote, Sit down young stranger, Cotton Jenny - Gordon Lightfoot
Give a Little bit - Supertramp
Closer to the heart - Rush
The Boxer - Simon and Garfunkel
Battle of Evermore, That's the way, Goin to California, Stairway to heaven, Ramble on- Zeppelin
Lazarus - Porcupine tree
I have yet to play them all live, but the list is still growing. I have to really like the song I am playing, and it has to be something no one else would ever think to do. I also do Three songs off the Jaugernaut AD album, So I can potentially sell the last 400 copies I have of that album, along with 15+ other unreleased originals interspersed as seems apropos.
I should maybe put out some of the covers somewhere so if you're interested in what I'm trying to do, you can encourage, or discourage. I have no intention of becoming a current hit machine and playing every weekend in bars. I wouldn't even know where to start to learn new music. If it doesn't work out and no one likes it, hey, I am having a lot of fun just setting this up.
Through this, I get to play my own music live, which is really what I want to do.
Rarebird
01-14-2019, 02:21 AM
Yeah that's kind of how I feel about being so lonely up there. I do use a tiny kit on stage, a 8 inch snare, 2 toms and 2 small cymbals, and I use a cajon for a kick drum...I also play the kick and hihat along on some of the 'acoustic only' songs and it adds a little something more. - But I do a version of Tull's "the third hurrah". I learned the flute part on my high spirits wood flute, which turned out to be in the exact right key, so I recorded the bass and worked up the other harpsichord, organ and other key instruments on MIDI. I Played the drums and then realized I could do that live to add to the diversity of the show and prove that I actually play drums a bit. So its a little different, since I do tell the audience that I have played all the instruments they are hearing - I try to sell myself as more of a "composer" than a guitarist. I'm eventually planning on having a "guest" guitarist come on and do the leads and other parts that are missing on some of the songs. If I find the right person, I'll make it a duet, but right now I am just hoping to get myself up to speed and to put on a truly "good" show. Right now its just a bit too sloppy for my taste. I need another ton of reps on all the songs to get them really polished. I am a bit of a perfectionist, and hate to make mistakes, so I think it may eventually become something I could stand to watch myself. For me, It needs to be something unique, and worth doing. Here are the cover tunes - just to show the diversity...
In no particular order:
There aint no saguaro in Texas - Rev Horton Heat.
Roads to Moscow, Apple cider reconstitution - Al stewart
Up a Lazy River, Seduced, Dixie stars are playing Peekaboo, Lazy Bones- Leon Redbone
Long Cool Woman - Hollies
If you could read my mind, Don Quixote, Sit down young stranger, Cotton Jenny - Gordon Lightfoot
Give a Little bit - Supertramp
Closer to the heart - Rush
The Boxer - Simon and Garfunkel
Battle of Evermore, That's the way, Goin to California, Stairway to heaven, Ramble on- Zeppelin
Lazarus - Porcupine tree
I have yet to play them all live, but the list is still growing. I have to really like the song I am playing, and it has to be something no one else would ever think to do. I also do Three songs off the Jaugernaut AD album, So I can potentially sell the last 400 copies I have of that album, along with 15+ other unreleased originals interspersed as seems apropos.
I should maybe put out some of the covers somewhere so if you're interested in what I'm trying to do, you can encourage, or discourage. I have no intention of becoming a current hit machine and playing every weekend in bars. I wouldn't even know where to start to learn new music. If it doesn't work out and no one likes it, hey, I am having a lot of fun just setting this up.
Through this, I get to play my own music live, which is really what I want to do.
I would like to hear some of your covers.
Benedict
01-16-2019, 12:54 AM
That surprises me.. Most of the performances I have seen are more about live everything. I cant recall seeing anyone doing Solo acts with backing tracks. Of course I have only been out in Fort Worth and in Sedona AZ. Not the hugest places to see live music - especially if its not country or Hispanic... Seen lots of great flamenco and live bands of several genres in Sedona - Its a music town, perhaps a bit highbrow, but nonetheless for its size it is remarkable what you can see. I went to a club on a Sunday night there and met Phil Rossi - who performed with Sinatra and other greats. He gave me a CD with many of his performances - including the Music to the Pink Panther movies. Anyway Backing tracks are considered kind of a low class thing by the Sedona elites. I really don't have a choice. I do play about half the music as stand alone, so perhaps mixing it up may be OK and provide some diversity.
I get you I really do I have seen that time & again. But if you give in to them then you don't get to do your thing.
I lived in a Hippie town and they were all so anti anything where some stoned droob wasn't strumming hs bongos with his beard and would be so uncool about Electronics in music but as soon as they heard Enigma or Enya they got all gooey.
So do your thing and if it is good, they will get over thsmselves. Or you may just attract a different set of people.
:-)
Benedict
01-16-2019, 12:57 AM
This may help some of you who are trying to make sense of it.
https://benedictroffmarsh.com/tutorials/the-indie-musicians-guidebook/
It isn't one of those silly get rich on Spotifry things but talks a lot about how to find your way to do your unique thing. I have lived every side of this and still am.
:-)
https://aeroplasticvoice.files.wordpress.com/2019/01/the-indie-musicians-guidebook-3d-cover.png?w=200&h=1139
Supersonic Scientist
01-16-2019, 11:15 AM
Dean, you could always check to see if this cool cat is available for a couple of gigs...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Oy3q3HaGK1k
That was hysterical…..The wife loved it too.
Yodelgoat
01-18-2019, 04:20 PM
Hey where is a good place to park a cover tune - if I wanted to share it? Isnt soundcloud anti cover tunes for copyright reasons? I cant share an MP3 here.
I have loaded one backing track with no vox or second guitar. Im trying to put up a couple complete cover tunes but I don't know where I can park them - not on Soundcloud.
https://soundcloud.com/yodelgoat/zziknowwhatiwant
Benedict
01-19-2019, 05:29 PM
Hey where is a good place to park a cover tune - if I wanted to share it? Isnt soundcloud anti cover tunes for copyright reasons? I cant share an MP3 here.
I have loaded one backing track with no vox or second guitar. Im trying to put up a couple complete cover tunes but I don't know where I can park them - not on Soundcloud.
https://soundcloud.com/yodelgoat/zziknowwhatiwant
Hi Mr Goat
I have a couple of covers on YouTube. They accept them but you will lose "rights" to them as the copyright admin will claim them.
https://youtu.be/slDg37OsAxc
The only downside I have had was with my Bach EP which Sony "claimed" despite it being public domain. Drooble also refused to allow it on their radio citing it as a cover even tho I showed it was in the clear. The music is all still up tho.
https://youtu.be/ZHlRJxas8EY
Bottom line tho, YT will generally accept covers so long as you are clear whose work it is and don't try to monetize it.
:-)
Yodelgoat
01-20-2019, 11:22 AM
Ah, well, it sounds like a lot of work for such a small thing. perhaps one day, but that sounds like I ought to just get part if a show recorded. I'm a bit off from that becoming a reality. But recording during practice really shines light on just how far there is to go.
Oh I also had Sony Claim copyright infringement on my own CD. Which I composed, recorded and released on my own and which had nothing to do with Sony whatsoever. I could not even reach anyone at the company to find out why they thought they owned it. I guess they just claimed it because they could.
By the way - very interesting synth versions of those songs! Quite brilliantly crafted. that must have been a lot of fun to work out all those sounds. Good work!
Benedict
01-21-2019, 06:38 PM
Hi Mr Goat
Why is it a lot of work? I made the slides because I was hoping to entice people to watch longer but there is nothing to stop you using one static image (I've seen some use no image at all which I think is a bit too lazy). Remember this is not going to go viral anyway so do what suits you. Don't let such a small thing get in your way.
Yes, I think Mr. Sony has a very aggressive stance - claim it and then work out if its mine based on complaints at the unmanned counter. Did you try asking YouTube to look at the claim from Sony? It is an automated pattern algorithm that says, "sounds like mine". So if your song has enough markers to make a computer think that it is Stairway To Heaven, it will be tagged as Stairway, until questioned by a human. Which of course has to be you becasue Sony won't be checking.
Thanks. Yes, it is fun (and frustrating). The Bach was great in many ways to work on because his use of notes was so incredibly clever. It is nice not to have to worry about making the notes myself for a while.
:-)
Rarebird
01-22-2019, 07:20 AM
Hi Mr Goat
Why is it a lot of work? I made the slides because I was hoping to entice people to watch longer but there is nothing to stop you using one static image (I've seen some use no image at all which I think is a bit too lazy). Remember this is not going to go viral anyway so do what suits you. Don't let such a small thing get in your way.
Yes, I think Mr. Sony has a very aggressive stance - claim it and then work out if its mine based on complaints at the unmanned counter. Did you try asking YouTube to look at the claim from Sony? It is an automated pattern algorithm that says, "sounds like mine". So if your song has enough markers to make a computer think that it is Stairway To Heaven, it will be tagged as Stairway, until questioned by a human. Which of course has to be you becasue Sony won't be checking.
Thanks. Yes, it is fun (and frustrating). The Bach was great in many ways to work on because his use of notes was so incredibly clever. It is nice not to have to worry about making the notes myself for a while.
:-)
I still don't know how to put music on youtube, combined with a slideshow. It would be another way to bring my music to the audience.
Koreabruce
01-22-2019, 08:03 AM
I still don't know how to put music on youtube, combined with a slideshow. It would be another way to bring my music to the audience.
Renate, it's actually very easy to do. If you have a YouTube account, there are tutorials there that explain this well. It's all pretty intuitive.
Yodelgoat
01-22-2019, 10:13 AM
Renate, it's actually very easy to do. If you have a YouTube account, there are tutorials there that explain this well. It's all pretty intuitive.
Oh well, if its simple then I'll give it a try, I figured I'd have to get a bunch of picts and video and edit it in some new software and all that stuff. My plate is kind of full as far as learning curve goes. Prepare to be dazzled.:meh
I'll do the Third Hurrah Bruce - I play one of those beautiful wood flutes in Leu of Ian's regular one. Its a little different, but still has the same idea.
Update: Yep, you have to download software, install it, learn it, run it, all that crap. tried to download both Picasa and Filmora and got virus detection from Windows 10 on both. I'm not gonna do it.
Benedict - what software are you using?
Any reason why I cant just use my phone camera and create an MP4? Does it still have to be modded into a YouTube format?
Benedict
01-24-2019, 07:11 PM
As I said YT can be as simple as a black screen - not that I recommend that as it will be tres dull.
Yes you can upload an m4a from your phone as YT will do their own encoding. BUT be sure the audio is worth listening to as I notice esp a lot of Rap type ppl video their screen & speakers which is vile indeed.
I use Shotcut but Windows Live Movie Maker is an easier place to start. Both freebies.
:-)
Yodelgoat
01-24-2019, 10:59 PM
I'll give windows live movie maker a go. My issue is with downloading something that brings with it a bunch of malware and crap like that. Maybe I'll check best buy for a cheap $10 movie maker. Or better yet, just start playing out more and have it videotaped (is that even a real phrase anymore?) I have a friend who will do it anytime, and he does pro work.
Dean Watson
01-25-2019, 11:36 AM
I've put a few videos up on Youtube using Windows Movie Maker Live. It's easy to do, but time consuming.
Rarebird
01-25-2019, 01:23 PM
I've put a few videos up on Youtube using Windows Movie Maker Live. It's easy to do, but time consuming.
I prefer spending that time composing new music.
Dean Watson
01-26-2019, 10:18 AM
I prefer spending that time composing new music.
I am retired, I compose music all the time, I have a following, I need to promote myself if I want people to hear it. Everyone is different.
Rarebird
01-26-2019, 10:52 AM
I am retired, I compose music all the time, I have a following, I need to promote myself if I want people to hear it. Everyone is different.
I prefer putting my music on Bandcamp and Soundcloud, which is less time-consuming. If I would know putting my music on Youtube would really attract a bigger audience, I might do it, but at this moment it seems like a huge investment in time, without much reward.
I try to compose as much as possible as well, but to make my music listenable for an audience, after I have composed it, I need to do a lot of work, that is relatively boring. It is not that I can produce sheetmusic and give it to musicians who can play it. I can't play it myself, so I have to do a lot of work on the computer, to let it play the music.
Benedict
01-26-2019, 04:29 PM
I prefer spending that time composing new music.
Then either decide not to YT (which may not be wise) or make relationships with people who enjoy doing the things you don't.
:-)
Benedict
01-27-2019, 08:02 PM
All this talk of video, here's my latest:
https://youtu.be/xJpODM5J_NY
My partner Jane drew the cartoon characters based on the Greek Myth and I animated them (simply) using Shotcut. The latter took me about 4 hours. It isn't exactly Avatar II but it is something unique from me (and Jane) to hopefully get a few ears on my tune.
Apart from a bit of showing off, my point is really that by working together we raise things we probably would never have done, or even thought of alone. It gives me ideas for doing something a bit more elaborate for my next album. Jane gets something to show off to her peeps and new skills in creating characters to order.
:-)
Rarebird
01-28-2019, 05:25 AM
Then either decide not to YT (which may not be wise) or make relationships with people who enjoy doing the things you don't.
:-)
Making relationships is something I don't excell in.
If I would know my music would be getting a bigger audience by putting it on YouTube in addition to putting it on Soundcloud and Bandcamp, it might be worth the efford, but I doubt it.
Music is something that has to get out. Anything else, like writing bookreviews, or making CD-inlays for my dad, is dependent of some form of appriciation.
Benedict
01-29-2019, 06:19 PM
Making relationships is something I don't excell in.
If I would know my music would be getting a bigger audience by putting it on YouTube in addition to putting it on Soundcloud and Bandcamp, it might be worth the efford, but I doubt it.
Music is something that has to get out. Anything else, like writing bookreviews, or making CD-inlays for my dad, is dependent of some form of appriciation.
Or I really* BUT it doesn't mean you can't do things, even with others. Mike was renown for avoiding people at almost all costs. Richard Branson spent lots of time running interference for him as he released one of the largest, most influential records of the '70s. I guess you know who Mike is?
Getting heard these days is indeed difficult but it doesn't mean that there is no point in publishing. there is simply no point (or common sense) in trying to take Drake head-on on Spotifry.
https://benedictroffmarsh.com/2019/01/29/creators-or-consumers-the-new-divide/
Put your material up the best way you can and after that, what the people do (or don't do) is not yours to control. YT is one of the best ways to get found in music. Abandon SC as they are dead and not remotely useful in building buying fans. Bandcamp, your own site to help people understand you as an artist, and YT to draw in the few souls who are looking for what you can give them. If well tagged etc your vid may show as a suggestion alongside something similar and you have been seen.
:-)
*I have a habit of being helpful and the people I am offering my help to (after they asked in some form) tend to be offended at my methods far more than I'd like. I know that mostly they are people who don't really want help, just to whine. My directness, calls them on that, whether I intended it or not. I can crawl in a hole and evaporate or simply keep on being me.
Rarebird
01-30-2019, 05:12 AM
Or I really* BUT it doesn't mean you can't do things, even with others. Mike was renown for avoiding people at almost all costs. Richard Branson spent lots of time running interference for him as he released one of the largest, most influential records of the '70s. I guess you know who Mike is?
Getting heard these days is indeed difficult but it doesn't mean that there is no point in publishing. there is simply no point (or common sense) in trying to take Drake head-on on Spotifry.
https://benedictroffmarsh.com/2019/01/29/creators-or-consumers-the-new-divide/
Put your material up the best way you can and after that, what the people do (or don't do) is not yours to control. YT is one of the best ways to get found in music. Abandon SC as they are dead and not remotely useful in building buying fans. Bandcamp, your own site to help people understand you as an artist, and YT to draw in the few souls who are looking for what you can give them. If well tagged etc your vid may show as a suggestion alongside something similar and you have been seen.
:-)
*I have a habit of being helpful and the people I am offering my help to (after they asked in some form) tend to be offended at my methods far more than I'd like. I know that mostly they are people who don't really want help, just to whine. My directness, calls them on that, whether I intended it or not. I can crawl in a hole and evaporate or simply keep on being me.
Yes, the Mike my music was compared with when I was much younger, when my music was also compared with that of a Swedish guy named Bo. Both were and are present in my collection.
YouTube could be an interesting idea. Funny part is, I take a lot of pictures of the same tree and the view from my balcony with the intention to turn them in some kind of video for my music, but actually I don't really know how to do it. Any advice is welcome and directness is great.
Soundcloud I mostly use to publish rough versions of tracks, so people who are curious can get an impression of what I'm working on.
Bandcamp is used for finished versions.
Benedict
01-31-2019, 05:55 PM
Yes, the Mike my music was compared with when I was much younger, when my music was also compared with that of a Swedish guy named Bo. Both were and are present in my collection.
YouTube could be an interesting idea. Funny part is, I take a lot of pictures of the same tree and the view from my balcony with the intention to turn them in some kind of video for my music, but actually I don't really know how to do it. Any advice is welcome and directness is great.
Soundcloud I mostly use to publish rough versions of tracks, so people who are curious can get an impression of what I'm working on.
Bandcamp is used for finished versions.
I have that Bo playing pieces (not) about Hobbitses.
Lots of pics of the same tree is a good start, esp if they were from exactly the same position but that is likely reaching. Here's what I'd do:
Assuming Win 10: https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/help/17205/windows-10-create-videos (if not on Win 10 you'll find similar feature sets in other places or Shotcut and do it manually).
Toss in all your photos (number the files first to set order)
Import a Mastered stereo music file (your song) -0.3db max if you Normalize to a full 0db YT processing will probaly distort it.
Look for a feature that automatically sets slide time to match the music length
Set any sort of crossfades or fx you want - less is usually safer until you know how to do it tastefully
Export - some programs offer to pop in YT for you but I am old-school so I export to my PC and then control my own upload. Whatever gets it done.
Tags and a Story to explain the piece on your Vid are easy to ignore, but the info can make all the difference.
:-)
Rarebird
02-01-2019, 05:10 AM
I have that Bo playing pieces (not) about Hobbitses.
Lots of pics of the same tree is a good start, esp if they were from exactly the same position but that is likely reaching. Here's what I'd do:
Assuming Win 10: https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/help/17205/windows-10-create-videos (if not on Win 10 you'll find similar feature sets in other places or Shotcut and do it manually).
Toss in all your photos (number the files first to set order)
Import a Mastered stereo music file (your song) -0.3db max if you Normalize to a full 0db YT processing will probaly distort it.
Look for a feature that automatically sets slide time to match the music length
Set any sort of crossfades or fx you want - less is usually safer until you know how to do it tastefully
Export - some programs offer to pop in YT for you but I am old-school so I export to my PC and then control my own upload. Whatever gets it done.
Tags and a Story to explain the piece on your Vid are easy to ignore, but the info can make all the difference.
:-)
Thanks for the explanation. The tree pictures are from the same position, but there may be some difference in size. The views from my balcony are made with a tripod and always the same setting of my camera.
I don't have Windows 10 so I need to look for something else.
Benedict
02-02-2019, 05:26 PM
Thanks for the explanation. The tree pictures are from the same position, but there may be some difference in size. The views from my balcony are made with a tripod and always the same setting of my camera.
I don't have Windows 10 so I need to look for something else.
I feel like you're more focused on the reasons you can't than finding ways you can. (I note you didn't way what O/S you do have.)
Easy to do and it's not like I don't do it myself. Buuuuut, it means that thing can't happen either way.
So, is this a thing you want done?And if so how far outside of your current comfort zone will you go to get a result - almost any result is a start. Failing is a great sign that you have at least started work. Nothing is a sign you didn't even start.
:-)
Rarebird
02-03-2019, 04:23 AM
I feel like you're more focused on the reasons you can't than finding ways you can. (I note you didn't way what O/S you do have.)
Easy to do and it's not like I don't do it myself. Buuuuut, it means that thing can't happen either way.
So, is this a thing you want done?And if so how far outside of your current comfort zone will you go to get a result - almost any result is a start. Failing is a great sign that you have at least started work. Nothing is a sign you didn't even start.
:-)
Actually I'm more focused on turning my ideas into music. I'm working on one compostion and already have ideas for the next one. First I have to finish the one I'm working on and then I have to turn it into a recording, which is quite time-consuming. I probably have a weird way of working. I can't play any instrument, so I have to do everything with the computer. My O/S is Windows 8.1. I just need to find a way to combine an image and music into a YouTube video.
Benedict
02-04-2019, 05:51 PM
Actually I'm more focused on turning my ideas into music. I'm working on one compostion and already have ideas for the next one. First I have to finish the one I'm working on and then I have to turn it into a recording, which is quite time-consuming. I probably have a weird way of working. I can't play any instrument, so I have to do everything with the computer. My O/S is Windows 8.1. I just need to find a way to combine an image and music into a YouTube video.
I was responding based on your words in that matter.
As musicians, I do believe that we should stay focused more on music than other stuff. Sadly some of the other stuff needs to get done so people can be attracted to (and understand) our music. Lest the whole shebang becomes a bit pointless.
Win 8 is an odd one, but nonetheless, almost everything that runs on Win 7 or 10 will still run. Therefore there are a host of options for vision to sound. If you aren't wedded to your DAW, you could look into Mixcraft as they say you can edit video right alongside MIDI! https://www.acoustica.com/mixcraft/
Otherwise, as I have said many times already, you create a relationship where you help someone to feel good about making videos for you.
:-)
Rarebird
02-05-2019, 10:40 AM
As long as my computer keeps working, I use Windows 8.1. As soon as it has to be replaced, it will be with Windows 10, or whatever comes next.
Besides composing, I write book-reviews and I have to look after my dad a bit. And alas I probably spend to much time on internet.
For creating music, I use Cubase 8 Pro and I'm very attached to that. If I have to buy something new, it will be a new version of Cubase, a program I use since 1993 (started with an Atari). I record with an external harddiscrecorder, burn it on CD-RW and make wave-files on the computer.
Benedict
02-06-2019, 04:56 PM
I started sequencing pre-Atari with a Casio SZ-1 which was a horrid thing. Then a Korg SQD-1. My first music computer was an Atari 1040ste with Digital Muse's Prodigy which was a pretty cool program (and a cut-down of Virtuoso which was a bigger deal). Finally I got a Mac and Opcode Vision 2. Stayed with them till Gibson did their thing at 4.5 then floundered for years with Sonar and Energy XT. 100% Reason now for 10 years. Little would make me move so I understand.
You'll do video when you are ready. it took me longer than I wanted but now I'm getting into the swing. The music I have just completed I ade with video in mind so I am making my own animations for a simple (for me) story.
:-)
Rarebird
02-07-2019, 04:35 AM
I started sequencing pre-Atari with a Casio SZ-1 which was a horrid thing. Then a Korg SQD-1. My first music computer was an Atari 1040ste with Digital Muse's Prodigy which was a pretty cool program (and a cut-down of Virtuoso which was a bigger deal). Finally I got a Mac and Opcode Vision 2. Stayed with them till Gibson did their thing at 4.5 then floundered for years with Sonar and Energy XT. 100% Reason now for 10 years. Little would make me move so I understand.
You'll do video when you are ready. it took me longer than I wanted but now I'm getting into the swing. The music I have just completed I ade with video in mind so I am making my own animations for a simple (for me) story.
:-)
Before I had an Atari with Cubase, I had a Commodore Amiga. First I used a program that created sheetmusic named DMCS, but didn't have much possibilities. Everything had to be done by dragging notes and other things that are in sheetmusic, so if a part had to be softer you put a P sign, a PP sign, or a PPP sign and so on. Then I switched to a program the brother of a friend wrote himself in machine-code. He even build his own wind-synthesizerdriver, like an EWI.
Yodelgoat
02-09-2019, 09:31 AM
If anyone is interested, I have downloaded a some songs I recorded from a practice of my live show. its directly off my mixing board, so its not perfect. I think it sounds better live. Its in my dropbox. I think You can just send me your email and you can hear it - Covers, Closer to the heart, the Third Hurrah, The battle of evermore... Typical stuff you hear from every cover band out there...:lol
I may not even need an email... see if it works:
(sorry I deleted the links - they need to be better before I start sharing)
Koreabruce
02-09-2019, 11:24 AM
Cool! Love your version of Battle of Evermore. I think you're onto something with these solo sets.
Yodelgoat
02-09-2019, 02:16 PM
Thanks Bruce, I need any encouragement I can get. FYI- I also am doing a straight up acoustic version of Evermore - and its sure different, but seems to be interesting enough to get by with. Lots more slowdowns and mods to the vocal style. I'll be trying it live next week. We'll have to see how people react. That is of course, assuming anyone will be there to hear it...
Last week in Sedona, I did a an open mic night and played the Zeppelin songs Going to California, and That's the way. They went over great. - The Hippies loved it!
Benedict
02-18-2019, 10:10 PM
Here's a new one that was based around the idea of having a video story from the start (actually the video was supposed to be made by a real artist as a collab but she bailed - as I expected).
https://youtu.be/CWStEYsKbrk
All the music was made in Reason 10. I then made elements in Inkscape and animated them in HitFilm Express. I tried Hit Film before but it eluded me. Once I got the logic of how it really worked it was rather fun to do. I had to live with a couple of Z-Order issues in the cornfield but otherwise it all went to plan pretty well.
:-)
Yodelgoat
03-12-2019, 12:44 AM
First Paying gig coming up this Friday night. Should be interesting. That's really when I'll see just how well prepared I am. I'm expecting myself to lay a few eggs, but fortunately, I am Just doing an hour. I'm hoping I can hold it together for a single set. If I enjoy doing it, I'll probably do it again, If I don't, well, I'll be hanging it up for another 20 years. Just me, my Baby Martin acoustic, and a few backing tracks. What could go wrong? Good news is, my setup for rehearsal is pretty much what I'm doing live, so I shouldn't have to mess around with the mix too much. I picked up a Harbinger MLS900 line array PA and its surprisingly decent sounding. The room is pretty small (about 100 seats packed) Its a St patty's day party so I really do not know how coherent the audience will be - or if there will even be an audience. I'm the third of 3 artists playing.
Here is the planned setlist;
Goin to California, Zep
If you could read my Mind, Lightfoot
Don Quixote, Lightfoot
That's the way, Zep
Couple original Acoustic songs
The Third Hurrah, Tull
Lazarus, P-tree
Battle of Evermore, Zep
Three more originals w/backing tracks
Give a little bit - Supertramp
Roads to Moscow - Al Stewart
Whatever else - I may be run off stage this point...
Maybe even Closer to the heart - Rush
I have not planned a setlist for years so this will be fluid depending on audience response. They may be expecting c/w songs - I don't know.
I know a few old Leon Redbone tunes as well so if that's needed I can drop in a few of those.
The good news is, if they don't like it, I pack up and leave. I am a great quitter.
The owner of the club owns my 2005 CD and says he likes it a lot, so we'll see how it goes.
Rarebird
03-12-2019, 08:42 AM
Here is the artwork of my latest album on Bandcamp.
1282912830
I've just finished composing a new piece, which is almost 19 minutes.
grego
03-12-2019, 08:09 PM
Looks amazing, Renate! Very tasteful album cover. :up
Bartholomew_of_DIS
02-08-2022, 03:39 AM
I haven't given up yet. If I had any common sense I would have years ago.
Technology does make it easier for just about anyone to put together a decent recording, but I disagree that the volume of competition makes things harder for artists. I have heard some terrible, terrible playing, songwriting, and vocal performances recorded in relatively high-spec recordings. Great ideas, arrangements, and inspired performances stand out as much as they ever have--they just have to compete with a higher level of "background noise."
I suppose one benefit of not depending upon progressive rock recordings/gigs to feed one's family is that one does not have to entertain any artistic compromises. The prog artist can go for a big, pompous, overblown project or a commercially poisonous, edgy, experimental statement without fear. Art for art's sake.
So, to answer the original question, YES, Divine In Sight will eventually be releasing more music. When? Maybe within a year or two. I'm 130k words into a novelization of our next concept album's story. By June 2013 I should have a decent rewrite of the first draft completed (200-240k words, i.e., 600 + pp. novel), which I'll be shopping to select publishers at a writing conference later that month. If I get no bites, I'll self-publish. Proceeds will go to upgrade my studio, then recording begins in earnest (I have about 70% of the music written with basic arrangements). I'd have skipped the whole novelization step except that my current studio can't handle the ambitious scope of the project. Given the state of the economy my family cannot afford to drop $5k on studio gear for my projects. I am hoping the novel will scratch out just enough funds to facilitate the rest of the project.
I'm already five years behind my original projected release date for O Nox Ultima. Our previous album, Sorrow & Promise, was released in September 2001 (within a few weeks of the 911 tragedy). Much of the instrumental tracking for that album was done during Clinton's second term. Yikes! My first daughter was a toddler when we were mixing that album down, and next year she'll be in high school.
For me, life has had a tendency to "get in the way" of prog-rock aspirations and productivity. It would be nice, at some point, for my wife to see some actual ROI on the hours of writing and playing, planning and scheming I've done to breathe life into these epic musical statements. If it never happens, though, it would be at least a decent consolation to have produced something really good and/or really significant/important, even if no one buys it (literally or figuratively).
I guess it's my turn to resurrect this ancient thread:
Our rock opera, formerly known as O Nox Ultima, has since become my debut novel, Regarding Tiberius (https://www.amazon.com/dp/B018PFITD6). As it turns out, I'm a much better novelist than musician. I've already written a sequel, Call of the Jackal, which is buried in the editorial process, and am working on the outline to a third installment.
That said, I absolutely love writing and arranging prog/art rock projects, and I've found that surrounding myself with far superior musicians like Jonathan and Frank helps distract would-be listeners from poo-pooing my guitar chops. What they can't hide, however, are my high tenor but otherwise nondescript lead vocals, so in the intervening nine years since my first post on this thread, I've since fired myself from role of Divine In Sight's lead singer/frontman. I'll still sing and arrange backing vocals, but I have a good friend with a great smoky tenor voice whose voice is much more engaging that my own. He sounds like the late Phil Lynott of Thin Lizzie fame, rich with texture, which is far more appealing than my unnervingly clear, gender-bending choirboy voice.
DIS bassist Jonathan Dexter has finished tracking and mixing a solo project, which he's just shipped off to get mastered. In the months to come, Lord willing, he and I will hash out the arrangements to a new Divine In Sight concept album, which will have a unifying maritime theme. Expect a lot of 6/8 time signatures and nods to shanties in this salt-sea epic. Frank is swamped with his church music director and independent recording studio projects and probably won't return as our drummer, but who knows? We might catch him in a rare moment of downtime and convince him to pound out some tracks. If not, JD and I will figure out some other way to get the drums parts nailed down.
I am also interested in rerecording/mixing/mastering our debut epic, Sorrow & Promise, with better production and our new lead singer at the helm. I've always loved the arrangement of that entire project very much, but have been perennially frustrated with some of the production limitations and compromises made at the time, particularly my contributions on guitar and vocals. In the intervening years, Jonathan's bass tone has been sharpened to a razor's edge of lead bass prog perfection, and my guitar tones are miles above what they were in the last year of the Clinton Administration when S&P was recorded. I think a Sorrow & Promise Redux album would be a great contribution to the genre.
There are no persisting delusions of financial reward or fame attached to either of these projects. JD and I will just make the best art we possibly can and loose it all upon the world on faith.
I guess time will tell if any of this comes to pass ... hopefully in a time frame measured in weeks and months rather than years and decades.
Koreabruce
02-08-2022, 05:34 AM
Really glad to see you posting back here again, Bartholomew! It's also heartening that you're still passionately following your dream. Keep us up to date on all of your projects as they continue to progress.
I'm pretty late to this thread and still reading/absorbing what a lot of other people have said but...
1. why? I've actually come to the conclusion that trying to have a rational "why" is futile. Existentially, everyone's gotta have a thing. I've decided this is what I do with my time and energy. I can imagine lots of pleasant collateral effects it might have, but none of those are expected or required to do it. I can't advance much of a why beyond that.
2. How do see the future of music as a commodity? Not great. For me, minimal at best. I'd love to get enough money to somewhat offset the costs of making the stuff, but that's about it. I haven't thought much about the monetization angle beyond that because to do so would require fans.
3. Do you have second doubts about whether you're being realistic? At this point I've set my expectations to zero, so that seems realistic enough.
4. What formats are you going to use? Streaming, Bandcamp and CD. If I don't have a CD I can put on my own shelf then it doesn't feel to me like it's done, and the companies that make them have minimum order quantities so I end up with 49 other copies that I can leave in public toilets.
Sputnik
02-08-2022, 07:45 PM
Our rock opera, formerly known as O Nox Ultima, has since become my debut novel, Regarding Tiberius (https://www.amazon.com/dp/B018PFITD6).This looks really good... right up my alley. I will check it out when I have time. I also started writing during the pandemic, and have completed four novels that a publisher picked up. The first is due out at some point, but is also mired in editing. More on that at some point.
In the meantime, my classic rock band just released our second CD, Marathon (download is pay what you want if you'd like to check it out). https://bravepursuit.bandcamp.com/
We did small runs of CDs, because I agree with EBES that it just doesn't feel finished to me until I have a CD in my hand. There's a glut of content of all kinds out there, but people who have the urge to create will continue to do so, even if there's no money in it, or very little, unless you get extraordinarily lucky. So it goes.
Bill
Top Cat
02-09-2022, 07:45 AM
That said, I absolutely love writing and arranging prog/art rock projects, and I've found that surrounding myself with far superior musicians like Jonathan and Frank helps distract would-be listeners from poo-pooing my guitar chops. What they can't hide, however, are my high tenor but otherwise nondescript lead vocals, so in the intervening nine years since my first post on this thread, I've since fired myself from role of Divine In Sight's lead singer/frontman.
There are no persisting delusions of financial reward or fame attached to either of these projects. JD and I will just make the best art we possibly can and loose it all upon the world on faith.
I guess time will tell if any of this comes to pass ... hopefully in a time frame measured in weeks and months rather than years and decades.
I think your vocals sound great, so please continue, even if you switch lead singer roles back and forth with the new guy.
I've been guilty in the past of saying the same thing"life gets in the way", meaning jobs and family and other commitments prevent one from spending more time on music.
But as the years have gone by, I realize even time watching a favorite program on television, or a DVD, concert, listening to music, grocery shopping together, or other chores are precious moments we have in life. And these experiences outside the recording studio creating, are partially what feeds our soul to create and feel new things.
I'm pretty late to this thread and still reading/absorbing what a lot of other people have said but...
1. why? I've actually come to the conclusion that trying to have a rational "why" is futile. Existentially, everyone's gotta have a thing. I've decided this is what I do with my time and energy. I can imagine lots of pleasant collateral effects it might have, but none of those are expected or required to do it. I can't advance much of a why beyond that.
2. How do see the future of music as a commodity? Not great. For me, minimal at best. I'd love to get enough money to somewhat offset the costs of making the stuff, but that's about it. I haven't thought much about the monetization angle beyond that because to do so would require fans.
3. Do you have second doubts about whether you're being realistic? At this point I've set my expectations to zero, so that seems realistic enough.
4. What formats are you going to use? Streaming, Bandcamp and CD. If I don't have a CD I can put on my own shelf then it doesn't feel to me like it's done, and the companies that make them have minimum order quantities so I end up with 49 other copies that I can leave in public toilets.
You've said everything perfectly Hans. I agree 100% except the toilets thing. I would suggest next time you have so many cds left, you could offer them here for free less cost of shipping. At least they would be going in the hands of someone who might appreciate it more than a stranger who may pick it up and be disappointed it's not Buck Owens or Justin Bieber. lol
Also, why can't you burn your own copies and use a printer to create the cd cover, etc. Some of the printers also allow printing a design on the cd itself.
I'm pretty sure I read where you have your music professionally mastered, so with your savings on manufacturing you can buy the kind of printer and software to do professional looking cds.
I've found some cd jaclets constructed from cardboard, which I now use. Good for the environment and they work really well. I'll take a photo and share it here later.
My wife is an home hobbyist artist and we use a heavy paper for her cards, which I've discovered are great for making my homemade cd jackets.
Anyway, great comment Hans.
Of course it's not as professional looking as a manufactured one, and I understand that. I'm just sharing if someone has to work on a budget, or if you're sharing with casual fans or family and friends.
There is also room on the back jacket for a smaller photo or image.
15783157841578515786
link to jackets
https://www.amazon.com/Sleeves-Envelopes-Cardboard-Storage-Packaging/dp/B07FQNP653/ref=sr_1_19?keywords=Cardboard+Sleeve&qid=1644418196&sr=8-19
This looks really good... right up my alley. I will check it out when I have time. I also started writing during the pandemic, and have completed four novels that a publisher picked up. The first is due out at some point, but is also mired in editing. More on that at some point.
In the meantime, my classic rock band just released our second CD, Marathon (download is pay what you want if you'd like to check it out). https://bravepursuit.bandcamp.com/
We did small runs of CDs, because I agree with EBES that it just doesn't feel finished to me until I have a CD in my hand. There's a glut of content of all kinds out there, but people who have the urge to create will continue to do so, even if there's no money in it, or very little, unless you get extraordinarily lucky. So it goes.
Bill
Great classic rock, keep the fires burning. :)
battema
02-09-2022, 08:21 AM
At my current rate of creative throughput, someone just needs to re-reactivate this old thread again in, say, 8 years and I might have something to offer up :lol
As was noted in the Spotify thread, there's no chance of my becoming a self-sustaining independent artist but I never banked on that either. My day job is grand (satisfying, even!) and keeps the bills paid so my art is just me & my whack muse entertaining one another. And luckily, there are a handful of you fine, crazy, wonderful people out there who actually LIKE what I do....so, it's a small little nano-sized ecosystem, but it's one that works and quite honestly makes me feel incredibly happy, fortunate and even successful by my own measures.
So as long as my brain keeps reminding me to get those odd ideas out of the head and into my DAW, I plan to keep dropping bits whenever ready :up
Also, why can't you burn your own copies and use a printer to create the cd cover, etc. Some of the printers also allow printing a design on the cd itself.
I'm pretty sure I read where you have your music professionally mastered, so with your savings on manufacturing you can buy the kind of printer and software to do professional looking cds.
I've found some cd jaclets constructed from cardboard, which I now use. Good for the environment and they work really well. I'll take a photo and share it here later.
My wife is an home hobbyist artist and we use a heavy paper for her cards, which I've discovered are great for making my homemade cd jackets.
Anyway, great comment Hans.
Of course it's not as professional looking as a manufactured one, and I understand that. I'm just sharing if someone has to work on a budget, or if you're sharing with casual fans or family and friends.
There is also room on the back jacket for a smaller photo or image.
Thanks for the recommendation -- I may look into that. I've been doing the music that I release as Electric Brain Electric Shadow since 2015, and with every release I've increased the amount of professionalism (i.e. expense) without increasing the amount of external reward (i.e. people giving me money). The increasing outlay of time, money & effort has started to increase the perceived stakes around the quality of the end result, and honestly it's starting to burn me out. Looking into measures like the one you mentioned might be some way to ramp that down.
AdventAlan
02-11-2022, 08:27 AM
Greetings,
Advent released an instrumental single last month that can be heard (and purchased) here:
https://advent-prog.bandcamp.com/track/pas-de-quatre
An "in the studio" video for the tune as well:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2W_ave6lXPw
I'm also in the process of working on my first solo album that I hope to release later this year, along with several new Advent-related tracks for our next (album) release as well.
Cheers,
Alan
Polypet
02-11-2022, 07:46 PM
Greetings,
Advent released an instrumental single last month that can be heard (and purchased) here:
https://advent-prog.bandcamp.com/track/pas-de-quatre
An "in the studio" video for the tune as well:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2W_ave6lXPw
I'm also in the process of working on my first solo album that I hope to release later this year, along with several new Advent-related tracks for our next (album) release as well.
Cheers,
Alan
So exciting! All the best on these new projects :) :up
Mister Triscuits
02-11-2022, 10:46 PM
If I don't have a CD I can put on my own shelf then it doesn't feel to me like it's done, and the companies that make them have minimum order quantities so I end up with 49 other copies that I can leave in public toilets.
Now there's a marketing strategy! I've been missing a bet!
AdventAlan
02-12-2022, 08:09 AM
So exciting! All the best on these new projects :) :up
Thanks so much, Kim!
Enidi
02-15-2022, 10:35 PM
I still write and record and it's long hours of work . A person who has a natural talent for composing is periodically in limbo. It's pretty logical to be in limbo until the idea comes to you. In several cases an idea will come to you overtime and it's better not to force it .
If your writing something that has similarities to a Progressive Rock suite..and you know how you want the piece to begin and end...and you have definite ideas for the middle section..( all in your head), but there's something missing...something you can almost hear.....You have to wait for that idea . If you become impatient and persist in creating a part that you think may be suitable and you record it...you'll end up deleting it when the really worthwhile idea comes to you.
Recording is an on going process. It's easy to figure out your mix as you record. It's always a good idea to blend your instruments with the dynamics that the piece requires . Then it's easier to mix. It takes hours to get everything just right. It's so easy to never be satisfied with the end result. After taking Excedrin and drinking diet Coke I run the race until its complete. If I have solid ideas ready to go. If I don't I'll leave the piece alone .
Now there's a marketing strategy! I've been missing a bet!
Sometimes when I leave one I'll write on the wall above it "for a good time go to electricbrainelectricshadow.bandcamp.com"
Distance of Man 1
04-28-2022, 01:51 PM
I released my former band's first and only album on Spotify, Apple Music, Deezer, etc in 2020. Songs from the Heart, by Concept of Innocence.
https://open.spotify.com/album/3XVzmX6IUEI3WUGFGPavvX?si=CW54xND2SBOhQ2GPOWzqYQ
I'm working on more material. I have six songs written, four of them recorded. I'll probably write a seventh one to put on the album. It may be a while before it's done. The songwriting, recording, mixing, all are better than anything I was able to do years ago.
As to the questions in the original post, I'm not doing this under the illusion that I'm going to make money. I'm a musician and making music is what I do. I spent years playing in bands playing other people's music. But I have my own music that I'm writing. I want to record it, release it, and let whoever wants to out there enjoy it. And as long as I feel like every new song I record is my best one yet, I'll keep writing and recording them.
Distance of Man 1
04-28-2022, 02:02 PM
If your writing something that has similarities to a Progressive Rock suite..and you know how you want the piece to begin and end...and you have definite ideas for the middle section..( all in your head), but there's something missing...something you can almost hear.....You have to wait for that idea . If you become impatient and persist in creating a part that you think may be suitable and you record it...you'll end up deleting it when the really worthwhile idea comes to you.
This has been a struggle for me for decades. I am now, in 2022, recording pieces with musical ideas that I came up with in 1987-1990. But it was always "Wow that would make a great intro" and I was never able to find something to put after it that I thought fit, or "Wow that's a cool ending" but I was never able to figure out what to put before it.
Another way out of this is to collaborate with fellow musicians. But you have to find the right ones. If you have an idea for an intro, or verse, or something, and they've got a chorus and a bridge that goes perfectly with it, it's amazing how much more quickly songs can happen. But it's not easy finding other musicians who are sensitive to the direction you want to take a song and will come up with the missing parts that take your song further than you could on your own.
Rarebird
04-29-2022, 06:41 AM
I still write and record and it's long hours of work . A person who has a natural talent for composing is periodically in limbo. It's pretty logical to be in limbo until the idea comes to you. In several cases an idea will come to you overtime and it's better not to force it .
If your writing something that has similarities to a Progressive Rock suite..and you know how you want the piece to begin and end...and you have definite ideas for the middle section..( all in your head), but there's something missing...something you can almost hear.....You have to wait for that idea . If you become impatient and persist in creating a part that you think may be suitable and you record it...you'll end up deleting it when the really worthwhile idea comes to you.
Recording is an on going process. It's easy to figure out your mix as you record. It's always a good idea to blend your instruments with the dynamics that the piece requires . Then it's easier to mix. It takes hours to get everything just right. It's so easy to never be satisfied with the end result. After taking Excedrin and drinking diet Coke I run the race until its complete. If I have solid ideas ready to go. If I don't I'll leave the piece alone .
Sometimes mixing can be a lot of work, especially with layered parts. It's one reason why it took me more than a year to finish 'Annus horribilis'.
Often after completing something I feel in limbo, but this time I started immediately with my next composition. At some point it didn't seem to work, so I saved it as version 1 and started all over again.
My way of composing is a bit different, which makes it difficult to work with others. I don't play, I just compose.
Perhaps someone should try to add a drum part to 'Annus horribilis'.
IncogNeato
07-09-2022, 10:03 PM
I have been vocalist on lots of releases, but none of them close to prog.
I did my own instrumental, ambient, darkwave thing called Vouhl, as well.
https://vouhl.bandcamp.com/album/v-uhl
16132
Rarebird
07-10-2022, 03:41 AM
I have been vocalist on lots of releases, but none of them close to prog.
I did my own instrumental, ambient, darkwave thing called Vouhl, as well.
https://vouhl.bandcamp.com/album/v-uhl
16132
Sounds interesting.
battema
07-10-2022, 07:57 PM
Recording? Yep? Releasing what I record? I gotta work on that bit
Gizmotron
07-10-2022, 09:53 PM
Recording? Yep? Releasing what I record? I gotta work on that bit
But you have released at least one, after all, I bought it!!
Did you do others in the past?
battema
07-11-2022, 08:08 AM
Ha ha....yeah, I have several on Bandcamp from years past, plus an awkwardly-sizable amount of stuff that I did, don't hate, but couldn't convince myself to release.
IncogNeato
07-11-2022, 09:15 AM
Sounds interesting.
Thanks! :)
Farpoint Kevin
08-09-2022, 10:20 PM
I know it's been years since this question was asked, and weeks since the last reply, but what the heck...I generally release 1-2 albums plus a single or two per year, with a variety of different projects. So far this year I released one collection of original folk/rock songs with my group The Green Swamp Collective, one brand new studio album by my prog rock band Farpoint, and in the process of releasing a live Farpoint show from 2008. (It's on BandCamp now, will hit the major streaming services this Friday.) Also plan to release a Farpoint Christmas song this November. (It's kind of the year of Farpoint since this is our 25th anniversary as a band.) So far I already have one, maybe two albums and at least one single on the schedule for next year as well. Anyone interested can check out everything I've put out in the past 20 years here:
https://kevinjarvis.bandcamp.com/
Enidi
08-17-2022, 12:59 AM
This has been a struggle for me for decades. I am now, in 2022, recording pieces with musical ideas that I came up with in 1987-1990. But it was always "Wow that would make a great intro" and I was never able to find something to put after it that I thought fit, or "Wow that's a cool ending" but I was never able to figure out what to put before it.
Another way out of this is to collaborate with fellow musicians. But you have to find the right ones. If you have an idea for an intro, or verse, or something, and they've got a chorus and a bridge that goes perfectly with it, it's amazing how much more quickly songs can happen. But it's not easy finding other musicians who are sensitive to the direction you want to take a song and will come up with the missing parts that take your song further than you could on your own.
Yes it's a crazy struggle!
Enidi
08-17-2022, 01:01 AM
Sometimes mixing can be a lot of work, especially with layered parts. It's one reason why it took me more than a year to finish 'Annus horribilis'.
Often after completing something I feel in limbo, but this time I started immediately with my next composition. At some point it didn't seem to work, so I saved it as version 1 and started all over again.
My way of composing is a bit different, which makes it difficult to work with others. I don't play, I just compose.
Perhaps someone should try to add a drum part to 'Annus horribilis'.
I would like to hear Annus horriblilis! I must check it out
Enidi
08-17-2022, 01:38 AM
I seem to get ideas from dreams and the idea comes from thinking about what occurred in that dream .
There are moments when I might recall something creepy happening in my life and then a piece will develop from that.
This is usually how I know what to title the piece , but not the album. I struggle with that . Usually when I'm ready to hire an artist to create the cover...I still don't have a title. Like now! I want to release something in early 2023, but can't come up with a title.
Music For Non Existent Films is taken. Music For Imaginary Films is taken. What do I title the album? Imaginary Themes? It's frustrating.
I've spent 12 to 15 hrs a day recording this album and I'm still not satisfied. I wonder if Todd Rundgren was correct to say that in the 70s when you recorded in the studio you were under pressure to finish and that being a healthier situation than what Laura Nyro often did which was ending up with 10 versions of a song and not being able to choose in the end. I do wonder if he's right about that?
In some situations I hear something playing in my head. I might decide to try a flute or trumpet to play specific lines. Signature lines or guiding lines may enter my head before a melody and I'll have to record that first and the melody later . This sometimes works out beautifully. Other times it can be a failure.
Sometimes I write a section for a piece that features guitar, keyboards, flute, and bass, but I discover afterwards that I can't play the drum part and so I may spend 3 days practicing the drum part. It's insane.
Rarebird
08-17-2022, 06:18 AM
I would like to hear Annus horriblilis! I must check it out
You can find it here: https://soundcloud.com/user-804295634/annus-horribilis
I also did a next song, named 'Dezember', which is here: https://soundcloud.com/user-804295634/dezember
Currently working on 'Dad' in which I use the sound of my dad's old tenor banjo. I can't say I can play it, but after tuning it, I just recorded all notes from every string and used them in Cubase to create chords and things. For chords I used 4 seperate tracks, each representing one string, because I couldn't layer the parts. I also have tracks where I have used a lot of effects on single banjo notes. One part has some octavider, to create lower notes.
The tracks should become an album on Bandcamp.
Here's a link to a bunch of collaborations I played keys on.
https://www.bandlab.com/collections/e6d43a57-8a33-ec11-981f-e42aac7a5303
And a direct link to my profile and solo stuff.
https://www.bandlab.com/ptmconsulting
Lots of great musicians on Bandlab that you can collaborate with in all genres.
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