Posts

Hobby, Passion, Career?

Howdy music makers! Today I would like to discuss the varying degrees of commitment for artists out there in the not-quite-famous realm of music. Many of my posts are for those who are making music a second career or want it to be much more than a hobby. I’m sure there are many out there though who may struggle to relate to those articles because music is important to them, but they don’t see a need for monetizing it or being deliberate in marketing or building a fan base. And that’s okay! So let’s talk a bit about that shall we? Do you record but just for fun? Do you create EDM or remix music but don’t post anywhere or very few places? Do you write an occasional ditty on the guitar and made a rough demo or two but didn’t take it much further? Have you created a song and casually put it out on Bandcamp not expecting anything to come from it? This is sounding like a hobby to me. You aren’t expecting radio play, not seeking sales, and you may or may not be interested in serious feedbac...
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Limited Gear Challenge

There are many hidden costs in music, from gear and gear maintenance to recording hardware and software to web and releasing fees and more. But I want to address the fear of not having the right equipment and how to not let that stifle your creativity. I started with a $40 Radio Shack mic, Audacity, a laptop, cheap earbuds, and music partners across the world helping me. I had my piano at home and blank staff paper for writing. I had no tablet, no smart phone, so no quick capture apps. But I was creating. I was recording. I was releasing very basic scratch tracks. It was not ideal of course given the kind of music I would eventually create. There’s a song on a collab site that was released in 2012 that sits comfortably at number 1 in their chart at the time of me writing this. So what’s the point of this story? I made do with what I had at the time and didn’t let it stop me from writing, recording, collaborating, and releasing. My next step involved some gear and software upgrades ...
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Collaborating: Tracks and Protocol

I’ve written plenty about collaborations but never really got into the nuts and bolts. From how to send a song to a remote collaborator to speaking up on both sides, here we go! 1. The song is well underway and maybe you’ve got vocals and some instruments roughed in enough to send it to another musician to add some of their own magic. But how and what do you send? First, your mix needs to start from the start. As in, don’t merely grab a portion and send it. You want to be able to take that new track in without having to line it up. 2. Send it a couple ways at least: one without vocals or melody line and one whole for example. I’ve also been asked to remove other lines that could be distracting (sometimes arps or ornaments). 3. Make sure that what you are to receive (or send to another to mix) are either standard format or you understand the format (44.1 and 16 bit for example). Explain if anything is roughed in or final. In a word... COMMUNICATE 4. If you are recording for anot...
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Mission Playlist Submission

Recently I’ve been creating themed Spotify playlists to bring various artists together that might not otherwise be on one playlist, provide independent artists that may not fall into traditional popular categories the opportunity for plays, and broaden my own reach and network. I chose Spotify because it’s well-known, and while it pays only a pittance, those who are on Spotify have accepted this for now and are often seeking additional plays. (We are not debating the benefits or evils of Spotify with this post though.) All-in-all the experience has been positive. I’ve heard a lot of new music, met some very talented artists, and hopefully made a little bit of an impact for those artists as well. As I promised my Twitter pals, I’m going to break down a few things I’ve learned that may help other  artists submitting music. Some of these tips are also things I’ve learned from submitting to shows, lists, blogs, etc. For my own playlists I usually ask for submissions via Twitter and g...
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A Musician’s Guide to Working with a Designer

Howdy! Today I’m going to marry two of my passions to give my music friends some insight that (hopefully) doesn’t feel patronizing. I do graphics and UX projects as both my job and as a hobby. I sometimes take freelance projects for musicians varying from flyer design, album art, CD layouts (for print), and media elements to incorporate photos. I love this type of work. I’m also a musician with multiple released media / album projects. And as a musician that does her own artwork, I’ve realized that there are things I instinctively and by trade know that many of my clients do not. These are tips for potential clients (or any musician working with a designer) so they can maximize their experience with a visual artist: 1. LOTS of options! And for this I mean photos. Give me everything from that shoot. Tell me your favorites for sure and tell me which you don’t want and why. I can retouch photos, change lighting, warp, and fix lens issues so don’t be afraid to hand over photos you are if...
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Cost Snowball - internet presence edition

Creating music is costly on its own. From instruments to marketing, if you’re actively trying to reach potential fans, you are aware or quickly becoming aware of the costs. For purposes of this post, I’m not going to talk about fame-seeking vs sustaining career. Nor am I here today to entertain the argument that creation is free or even an expensive hobby. The intent of this post is to give artists starting into the space an understanding of the hidden costs of maintaining a credible online presence. And FYI, I am not being paid or otherwise compensated by any site cited below. The good news:  You can maintain a very basic internet presence with little to no cost. Twitter accounts, Facebook pages, YouTube, a (very) limited amount of SoundCloud presence, and Bandcamp are free to use to reach potential fans and provide them a means to listen to or buy your music. And yes, you should make use of these where you can. I highly recommend using Bandcamp, where there are no up-front cost...
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Less is More Perhaps

More releases or fewer... I can never decide.  Certainly keep them coming, but how often?  This is a thinking-aloud piece if you haven't figured that out. Some people are constantly creating (I being one of them) and enjoy doing quick improvisations or creating on the fly. However, not every piece I create gets posted or published or monetized. Then there are other artists I know that release something every time I turn around. Some of them release amazing things routinely, but with others I do hear a lack of quality. I’m certainly not arguing that one way is right or wrong. Frequent releases work well for some genres and very talented improvisational players. For others it may not be the best method. I'm going to hit the pros and cons of releasing multiple works and I heartily encourage comments and discussion. Pro:  Publishing pieces as you make them keeps the world abreast of your latest endeavors. Your fans hear what was just in your head. This makes for an intimate...
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