ADVICE

IS GETTING A RECORD DEAL STILL A VIABLE OPTION IN THE DIGITAL AGE? 


In the age of Bandcamp and YouTube is a record deal worth it? 


One thing all musical artists used to strive for is a record deal. A record deal is a dream a lot of musicians never attain. But is a record deal something that we as musicians should still work towards? My honest opinion is that it is up to the individual artist/band. You don’t need a label to record and sell your music for you anymore. With websites like Bandcamp and Soundcloud you can release your music for however much you want and whenever you want. With YouTube you can make and release your own personalized music videos for free or relatively low cost. 

Being signed to a label does have its benefits though. Artists that are signed to a label tend to be taken more seriously by the media and the rest of the world. When an artist is signed to a label the label will pay for things. What many artists don’t know is that the money a label spends on them is recoupable. Recoupable means that you must pay it back. The way labels get their money back is by taking it off the sales of your music and merch but once you recoup the money the label will then give you more money. It is a vicious cycle. 


Being signed to a label is in my opinion still a viable option in the digital age, but each artist should carefully read their contracts and get advice from a lawyer or agent before signing anything. 

SUPPORT THE BLOG ON

PATREON!
https://www.patreon.com/ottawasound

 FOLLOW OUR PODCASTS BANDCAMP
https://theottawasound.bandcamp.com/releases


Crowd Funding:
Should you use it to fund your album/E.P

Kyle Stumpo:

Crowd funding platforms are becoming a very popular way to raise money for new products, services and music. There are many websites to use such as GoFundMe and Kickstarter. Kickstarter is mostly used for new products in the science and technology department and has some pretty strict rules that users need to follow to qualify for the service. GoFundMe is used for more art stuff such as movies, YouTube channels and music.

Both sites take 5% off your income from the site. If you don’t reach your goal then they will not take the 5%. The income from crowdfunding is taxable so always take that into account when you make your goals.

Artists also need to create rewards for those who donate to entice people to donate. Some common rewards are:
  • ·         Keychains
  • ·         Signed albums
  • ·         Free downloads
  • ·         T-shirts
  • ·         Hats
  • ·         Promo USB’s
  • ·         Free tickets to shows

Always take these costs into account when you want to use crowdfunding. If you don’t deliver people will probably be angry.

Crowd funding has other uses as well. It can drive your social media presence through the roof if it is done correctly and it can also garner media attention for your music. Always contact the media BEFORE you start your campaign. With enough notice the media can help you drive more traffic to your crowd funding page. Also, if you use crowd funding it means you don’t have to borrow money from a bank. Borrowing money from a bank can be a pain as you need documents; a good credit score; and depending on the amount you may even need collateral. Another issue with dealing with a bank is that you are the in debt which is not a good place to be.

How Can I Convince People to Donate?
The best way to get people to donate is to offer rewards that would be appealing to your fans. As listed above they can include many inexpensive products that you can buy in bulk. Another thing you should always do if crowd funding is to create a promo video. This video should:
  • ·         Tell people what your cause is
  • ·         What rewards you’re going to offer
  • ·         WHY they should donate to your cause
  • ·         What your stretch goal reward will be.
    •         Stretch goal is an amount over your goal that can help fund something extra
    • Common reward is a tour
  • ·         Some videos are samples of the music  
  • ·         Campaigns with videos are more likely to succeed 

The short answer to whether you should use crowd funding is yes. Crowd funding is a great way to connect with fans and make them feel like they are part of the process in creating your music. It also helps you stay out of debt. Campaigns also keep you in control of the creative process and keep record labels out of your hair if you don’t want to deal with a label changing the sound of your music.

SUPPORT THE BLOG ON PATREON




Advice on what to wear when performing
By: Karri Duperron
          Everyone has their own style and ultimately it is up to you on what you want to wear. When you’re on stage it’s your time to shine and show people what you’re made of. Whether you’re in a band or going solo, the first thing people see before you start is your appearance. Ever heard the phrase “don’t judge a book by it’s cover.”  Well, that phrase always comes around when people are watching the performance. But does that really matter to you when you’re performing? You want to think about that when choosing what to wear. Your choice in clothing will depend somewhat on what style of Music you’re going to perform.
What are your options?
Options #1:
(What you wear day to day)
This is a good option if your style is already keeping with your music and personality. When you chose this option it lets the audience know something about you.  
Option #2
(Costume or dress up)
Some people wear costumes or dress up. Like lady gaga, we all know her stage clothing is completely different from her everyday wear. She would normally wear jeans and a t shit but, when she is performing she wear outfit as I like to call them “go big or go home”. If you’re going to wear a costume or dress up make sure you’re prepared to look different form other people. When you’re in a jazz band the standard is to wear a suite but that doesn’t mean you can’t wear it in a rock band.
Option #3
(Adding accessories)
When you wear just your plan old every day clothing it can get a bit boring, adding some accessories will help enhance your look and can make you stand out more to your audience.
Dos and don’ts                                              
Do’s:
  • Wear what suites you
  • Take complements on what you wear
  • Wear dress that are medium to long in lengthen
  • Dress for the audience you want to have
  • Be you
  • Wear what comfortable 
  • Dress for the occasion
Don’ts:
  • Wear shorts  
  • Wear clothing that speak loader then you
  • Over dress
  • Wear nude coloured clothing people in the back could think your naked
  • Wear short dress you can give off the wrong vibe 


 But don't forget that this is just my opinion and you can make your own decisions. Thanks for reading!





Become a Patron!

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

History Of Recorded Sound Part 1: The Phonautograph and Phonograph

Image
If you follow our YouTube channel, then you are aware we are working on a new series where every week we will discuss a small section of the history of music and audio recording. I decided that once a week I will make a written version of the YouTube video so that the people who don't watch the channel, can still get the information. However, the written version will have a bit more information in it as it doesn't require as much work to produce and I'm more comfortable making written content than a video. THE BEGINNING:  The history of audio recording is divided into eras; the first of which is called The Analogue Era (AE for short). The AE focuses on the time from 1854 to about 1930. Now when most people think of the beginning of audio recording, they are more than likely under the assumption that Thomas Edison was the first person to figure out and produce a way to record sound, but this is not true. The first person to actually find a way to record sound wa
Read more

Why Don't Big Touring Acts Come To Ottawa?

If you live in Ottawa you are no doubt used to having your favourite acts skip our beautiful city on their tours, and you may have asked yourself, why? Why won't they come and play here? There isn't any single correct answer to that question. Part of it has to do with location; it also has to do with our lack of large venues, and believe it or not, we're viewed as a small market. The reason location plays a factor in our little problem is this, we're only four hours away from Toronto and two hours away from Montreal. Many acts don't want to spend the extra money on a venue in Ottawa if people can just use a car, train or plane to get to Montreal or Toronto in a half decent amount of time. Ottawa is also lacking in one very important thing when it comes to music: venues. For a band like Metallica, ACDC, or a giant act like Beyonce or Katy Perry to come to a town, they need to have a venue big enough to hold a few hundred to a few thousand people. Could you picture AC
Read more