The LyPhyS Music Blog

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...

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 ...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

So you go to distribute your music or post to a new platform and there it is: the genre drop down pick list. (Insert dramatic organ music here.) You have to choose a genre or two or three (maybe even a sub-genre). Ack! "But I don't fit any of these!!!" you might be thinking. Or perhaps you are offended that you should even have to choose. Why should you give anyone any expectation as to what they are getting into? Why should you pigeonhole yourself for the sake of search functions? You're original right? You're you! Here's the thing: if you think you want to distribute your music across streaming platforms, catch the eye (and ear) of bigger bloggers and reviewers, or are hoping for radio play in the future, you need to categorize your sound. Getting people to listen often means giving them a reason to click that play button. Would you buy a box of snacks with an odd name, no ingredients, and no indication of type of snack? Are they corn chips or peanut butter...

It can range from “writers block” on a specific project to a general funk / slow down to a total creative burn out. And no matter how energized you may be one day, there will come a time where you feel it, whether it’s on a project or overall. Don’t panic! I’ve been there. Often after I’ve run myself ragged or I get stuck in a boring routine otherwise. Here are, in no particular order, some of the ways I deal with that inevitable creative rut. Switch gears: By this I mean work on a different project. For me, I can work on another song or start a collaboration. This is most useful, of course, when a particular project is giving me grief. That song may just need more time or a different frame of mind and will be all the better for what you learn while working on a different song. Pick up a brush! Or a pencil, a crochet hook, some clay, a camera, etc. Many musicians have other artistic talents and hobbies that keep their creative wheels greased. And sometimes I have to remind myself t...

This is a post about stretching your ears and mind to accept and enjoy more types of music. Music is forever changing from musicians learning about and fusing other genres, with new technologies in instruments and recording, and the experimental nature of many artists. That being said, I have had far too many conversations where a person tells me they just don’t enjoy anything “too different.” Too different from what? A little prodding reveals they mean different from the standard offerings. Music didn’t come into being as rock, pop, country, blues, jazz, etc. It evolved into those genres and multiple variations of each over time. So what’s too different? And if you are reading this and wonder how you are supposed to find that new and changing music before it is so ingrained as to be on the radio, this is for you. First, go out and look for it. Internet radio and interactive streaming were my windows to the world in college. I found sites (similar to Jango) where I would type in an a...

I've been working with some musician friends looking for media presence / exposure advice.  Artists are looking for gigs, podcasts, interviews, reviews, and air play.  While I'm not a super popular musician, I have managed to get reviews, interviews, features, and online radio play both on my own and with the help of a campaign manager.  You can do a lot yourself, but there are times when it's best to find someone with a better network to help you.  The right marketing campaign manager can get more exposure for an artist than the artist could usually get on their own.  But the key to all of this, whether you are contacting bloggers yourself or handing it over to a pro, is to know how to describe your music in a concise, clear, and intriguing manner . What do I mean?  I'm talking about a short bio that you can copy and paste into any email, contact form, online profile blurb, etc.  This should also be part of something you can hand off to a campaign m...

Are you stagnating? Are you between projects?  Are you needing a creative pick-me-up?  It may be time for a collaboration.  Why?  If you've been fortunate enough to have a successful, fulfilling experience in working with others like this before, you don't need an explanation.  You already understand that it gets you into a new mindset, helps you learn some new tricks, jump-starts your creativity, helps you interact with new artists, and increases exposure to new fans.  If you haven't yet, or your recent collabs felt stale, you are missing out. In a recent post, I discussed valuing yourself.  You need to have this in mind for your collabs as well.  If this is a free project, determine what amount of your time and energy you are willing to put forth while weighing the benefits.  Personally, I find taking a few hours here and there to interact with fellow artists gives me some breathing room and a chance to explore new techniques and ideas wh...

No, this isn't about pipe organs or Hammonds, although in spirit, this posting could apply.  "Organ Harvesting" refers to stripping a perfectly good guitar for parts and selling pieces at a markup.  Not sure that this is an official term, but it sure fits.  It makes me sick to my stomach when I'm searching for NOS parts or legitimately removed parts and come across a beautiful guitar body, stripped of everything that the owner could manage to remove, and a description along the lines of "Played great before parts were removed."  Then why the H-E-double hockey stick did you remove those parts???  As a person who owns a few beat-up, vintage beauties and has acquired them in various states of disrepair, I have to look very carefully to not find a guitar that has been harvested.  I also have worked closely with a luthier that has shown me time and again the damage that has been done by people removing or replacing parts on vintage guitars. Why don't I like...

After a rousing discussion among some Twitter peers, I've decided to tackle an angle of the value of music.  Now, as I often do, I'm going to remind you that I do not believe in subsidizing everyone who believes they are an artist.  No one forces any one person to pay any one artist.  I'm not asking you to buy my CD just because I worked hard.  I'm not telling you to give me five or ten bucks because I think I'm talented.  You don't have to be a superstar to have your music valued and make a living from it, but you have to work for it and have something people want.  Does that mean every single artist out there deserves to make a living from art?  No.  Not in the least.  Not every start-up business has a right to succeed.  If your music isn't something that anyone wants, you're SOL.  That's the way it is with any product.  So how do you convince people that not only is your music something they want, but something of value? F...

For this post I communicated with Kim (Belly Full Of Stars), Kees (Roofhare), and Jeff (Isotherme) for input.  I've included links to their pages and Kees and Jeff's Eclectrocasts Podcast at the end of this post.  So I asked these musicians about what different and bizarre comments and questions they've gotten over their music careers.  Some are funny, some are bewildering, and some are downright rude.  I plan to write a few posts on this, so for the first one I'm focusing on the style questions and how to handle some of these situations. "What is your music for?"  What seemed to be a flowing theme through some of the comments we get is that our music doesn't fall into "popular genres," so some folks don't quite understand the purpose of creating something that feels more or less like a sound track, mood music, or a very thoughtful arrangement of sounds.  Kees, Kim, and I have all gotten the question, "What is your music for?" or ...

This posting is about a the new culture of music that is mostly supported by ourselves.  It has become like a shared hobby group when I'm pretty sure that is not what many of us are intending by publishing our music and marketing ourselves.  It is a culture of a lot of back-patting and encouraging words by the outside world with little follow-through, so we turn inward, or worse... we turn toward a fake fan base. Followers and rankings are ego boosters... At least at first, until you realize that they don't mean much.  We know if we can measure it we can improve it, but where does that lead with fake follows and fake promotions?  That floods our stats with fake support.  That's noise.  How do we adjust our expectations in a world of noise?  And maybe there are times that the appearance of success could lead to it, but not likely for most of us playing in niche genres.  I ranked number one for my genre for my city for the majority of my time on R...

Going to ask a very simple question:  What is music worth to you?  It's just music right?  It's not directly fighting for your country or feeding and clothing your family.  It's entertainment and it's abundant, right?  So let me ask it again... Do you sing along in the car?  Do you get misty-eyed when a patriotic song is played at a ball game?  Do you feel the need to raise your hands and close your eyes during worship?  Do you swear by your workout mix?  Does a great dance track get your blood pumping?  Have you ever wandered over to the bandstand because you liked what you heard?  Does the right song on the radio make your morning drive?  Does the Star Wars theme make you grin like the goofy nerd you are?  Do you recognize a movie in the other room by the sound track?  How about a show by the song in the opening credits?  Do you keep headphones at work just to listen to music while you crunch numbers?  D...

So recently I wrote a piece about how to support artists, and when I examined some of my reasons for that I realized that there are so many times when we are inadvertently disrespected.  Usually this isn't because people are setting out to be rude.  Usually these things are born out of a lack of knowledge of the process and a lack of understanding that music isn't about attention and exposition, it is about expression and experience.  And it's dang hard work on anything approaching a professional level. Here go some of my pet peeves!  Some of the following things may not tick off or annoy every musician, but these things certainly are on my list and I would wager are on a lot of other folks' lists as well. Expecting FREE :  Asking a musician to give you their latest CD for free?  Telling a musician to put all their stuff on Soundcloud so you can listen for free?  No. No. No.  Just no. Why?  Because it shows a huge lack of respect for that...