Making and selling a CD

An indie album from start to finish

This is a simplified list of the processes I use when making an album. Sometimes the order will 

change slightly and some methods may differ to suit a particular project. I'm not going into any detail, 

but rather highlighting each step along the way.

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Conceptualise, compose, compile

Brainstorm sessions, write, rewrite, scrap, start again, write, rewrite.
This part of the process can take (from my experience) anywhere from a few weeks to a
few years. The rewriting continues through many stages of the project, tweaking along the
way.

The skeleton

Once the writing process is complete I record rough versions of the songs. I utilise a
couple of different methods, depending on the project: 
1 . "Band in a Box" is a wonderful program that is primarily a practice/learning tool. I
sometimes use it to map out the geography of the songs and to experiment with
different tempos, styles and keys. I then export the song as a midi file into Sonar
(Cakewalk Sonar Producer Edition is the audio recording package I have used for
many years) 
2 . Lay down rough guitar rhythm and melody tracks (or get vocalist to sing the melody) in
Sonar. I often use a quick and easy general midi VST instrument like Cakewalk's TTS1
during these early stages. The sounds will be replaced later by real instruments and/or 
better quality VST instruments
Very little (if any) of the skeleton is likely to remain in the finished track.

Tracking and programming

Once I'm pleased with the tempo, key and geography of the song, the real recording
process begins. Vocalist lays down a guide vocal (if they haven't already done so). Then
the rhythm section: find suitable bass/drum sounds (these may change later). Record a
more suitable bass line and drum track. Lay down guitars, and keyboards. Other instruments
such as brass, percussion, strings are added.

Artwork

Sometime before, during and/or after the recording process a designer is briefed on
the look and concept of the CD cover. Track order and final CD credits are usually only
forwarded to the designer later so that no musicians' names are left off the cover.

Barcode and online distribution

I use CD Baby as my online aggregator. I begin the registration process with CD Baby and purchase a barcode from them. (purchasing a barcode directly from them is cheaper than
buying one in South Africa and there's no annual fee). The registration process will be
completed later, once the album is complete.

Mixing and mastering

Once all the tracks are recorded, the final mix can begin. I constantly do rough mixes
during tracking, which makes it easier to do the final mixes. Once mixed, I burn a CD of all
the songs and test it in various systems: my car stereo, the cheap hi fi in my living room etc.
I also try to get a friend or two (who's judgement I trust) to listen to the CD and comment on
the mixes. Then back to the studio to tweak the mixes. Repeat.
On albums for commercial release I prefer to take the CD to a professional mastering
studio rather than attempt to master it myself. A decent mastering job adds a little "polish"
to the final mixes.

Manufacturing, paperwork etc

Get quotes from manufacturers. Before manufacturing can begin, clearance must be given
by the Mechanical royalty societies (there are currently 3 in South Africa). Songs must also
be registered with the relevant society for performance royalties (that would be SAMRO in
S.A.). The master CD and artwork are then taken to the manufacturer. Copies of the final
product need to be sent to CD Baby in the U.S.A
Around this time payments need to be made to the mastering studio, graphic designer and
manufacturer.

Pre release sheet

The pre release sheet is a one page document with CD title, cover art, bar code/Order
number, price, release date and a short description of the album and any planned
marketing campaigns. This document is then sent to customers so that they can pre order
the album.

Press release/marketing

I usually draft a press release then ask kind friends who work in P.R. and marketing to help
me edit and proof read the text. Once the press release is done, it needs to be sent (along
with the CD of course) to the media. It is pointless sending out unsolicited mail, so relevant
media people need to be phoned, mailed or met with in person.
Marketing strategies, both short and long term must be decided on and acted upon.
Website and Facebook pages need to be updated with photos, album artwork, links to
purchase the new album and links to listen to it. These pages need to be regularly updated
with press clippings, news and reviews and contests relating to the album.
People on mailing list (and Facebook fans) need to be contacted with news of the new
release, details of contests etc and where they can buy the album.

Orders

Old customers need to be phoned or called on in person to be made aware of the new
release and they are usually given a free sample of the CD. New retail outlets/avenues
must also be explored. Existing customers must be contacted at regular intervals to check
on sales.

The Future

When the CD is ready for marketing and distribution, I begin conceptualising the next
album, and the cycle repeats itself.

Our album African Numbers is due for release late September 2010.

Disclaimer: I’m not affiliated to or endorsed by any of the companies mentioned above.

Paper versus iPad

As a song-writer I'm constantly looking for ideas, and when I find one, I need to be able to jot it down immediately before it fades away. So I’ve always carried a notebook around with me.

I have notebooks scattered around my living spaces, each full of songs in various stages of completion. Sometimes when I page through them, old ideas jump up off the pages and spark a series of new ideas. A song that I spent months trying to perfect unsuccessfully, can suddenly fall into place. My notebooks are full of words, waiting to be fitted snugly together like pieces of an intricate puzzle.

But the notebooks aren't just filled with words. They are filled with thought processes - words crossed out and replaced with new words; arrows linking sentences from one paragraph to another; circled words that rhyme; notes on on an elusive emotion that I'm trying to pinpoint; a melody scribbled on a hand-drawn staff.

For years I considered getting a laptop to jot down my ideas so that they will be in one place, easy to access, easy to edit, with spellcheck, encyclopaedias  and rhyming dictionaries close at hand. Then came the release of the iPad. I'm a sucker for gadgets and I thought that aside from being a lovely (if somewhat expensive) toy, this was the portable electronic notebook I've needed all my life. I took the plunge and got a friend to buy one in the States for me.

So I took my shiny new iPad to one of my usual song-writing coffee shop/restaurant/park hangouts with the intention of doing some writing. Only this time I chose my venue based on whether or not they have a WiFi connection. 

Comfortably seated on a couch at the coffee shop, an hour or two passed, along with much caffeine, & I was yet to write a single word. Every time the creative juices started to flow, the iPad beeped an email alert. And then I "quickly" checked what was happening on Twitter. Some tweeter posted a link to a very interesting article. Which led me to another article....then "ping" another email announced....DISTRACTION!

Next time I ventured out to write songs, I purposefully chose a venue without WiFi, and therefore without the temptation of email and internet to distract me. I wrote for a while and then read what I’d written. It was going nowhere, so I deleted everything and started again. I repeated the process, writing, reading, deleting. This happened a few times, and in the end all I was left with was a blank screen.  I began to miss the real pages where lines get crossed out, words are replaced, ideas linked; but nothing gets deleted.

The process is the important part.

So out came the old notebooks again. And once again I spend 20 minutes a day searching my flat for pens (there must be a place somewhere in the world where lost pens, socks and plectrums end up). Perhaps someone will develop an app that mimics/replaces a notebook. I've tried out quite a few so far without success. Until then my iPad has been relegated to a fantastic, exiting & fun toy, ebook reader, dictionary, calculator, radio, video player, iPod, news reader, Internet browser, picture frame, metronome.....but not a notebook.

 

 

 

P.S. this piece was written almost entirely on my iPad.

Moshito: Some useful links/resources that were discussed

Moshito is an annual music conference held in Johannesburg “focused [on] broadening the business intelligence of music industry professionals in South African and the continent, strengthening business networks for participants and informing delegates, traders and the public about the multifaceted and dynamic nature of the global music industry.”

Here are a few sites that were discussed at the conference that I found interesting:

South African Sites:

www.speakerbox.co.za (Sort of a MYSpace for S.A. bands)

www.overtone.co.za “Overtone is a band bookings agency, music industry administration service provider and an events management company.”

http://www.entertainmentafrica.co.za/ (news site)

http://www.rhythmmusicstore.com/ (South African MP3 download store)

http://www.tunegum.com Gig guide & tickets for events

 

International Sites:

http://www.bandcentral.com/ “In a nutshell, BandCentral is an online band manager with all the tools you and your band members need to manage your band.”

http://themusic.com.au/ All things to do with Australian music. But also has great music business and news articles.

http://www.mediafuturist.com/about.html A lot of great information about the music industry & where it is headed

http://hypem.com/ “To put it simply, the Hype Machine keeps track of what music bloggers write about”

http://www.99dollarmusicvideos.com/ “independent music network dedicated to merging low-fi, cutting-edge videos [made for less than $99]with the best of today's music scene”

http://microfundo.mymondomix.com/ “MICROFUNDO will help you fund your music career. Need capital for your next recording? Looking for financial support for your next tour? We can help you raise funding directly from your fans and develop a core fan base from across the globe”

http://www.radarmusicvideos.com/ Post a brief for a music video, and music video directors will bid on the job.

http://www.songlink.com/ Tip sheet of producers/artists etc looking for songs

The business of songwriting

This post is based on a recent talk I gave at COPA (Campus of Performing Arts)

Its based purely on my own methods and findings

How I got started

I decided years ago that I wanted to be a songwriter. I’d always written songs, but never seriously and I’d never tried to make a living from it. I wanted to be a songwriter, but I wasn’t one. I was too busy being a gigging musician. A book I read gave me a wake up call: I realised it was pointless wanting to be a songwriter and that I should either give up the idea, or really try to work at it. (By the way the title of the book is irrelevant & it was a crap book except for one inspiring chapter, so I’m not going to advertise it here!) I made a conscious decision to do something about it and started to work on a plan of action…

I read Pat Pattison’s book “writing better lyrics” which gave me some amazing techniques and ideas. I worked with a partner & drew up a schedule and we wrote together on a regular basis as if we had a day job. I started telling everyone I knew that I was a songwriter. It took about a year until we got our first professional writing job: A friend asked us to write songs for an educational show to be performed at schools. The show was successful and the songs were well received. We were hired to do two more shows.

Soon after that we found a singer who was looking to record an album. We wrote, recorded and produced the entire album (except for 1 song). She licensed the album to Gallo Records, and we watched as the album become a monumental flop! My partner and I did all the writing and recording for free and earned a whopping R35 each from album sales. However it was the cheapest and best education I could ever have received. From that one album I learned about sales, marketing, distribution, contracts (get a lawyer!), performance royalties, mechanical royalties  and most importantly I learned a lot about songwriting.

 

My philosophy: All writing is good for you

Since then we’ve written in wide variety of styles for radio & TV commercials, theatre productions, meditation CDs, pop artists, kid’s CDs and a bunch of other stuff. I’m a songwriter, I’m happy to take on the challenge of writing in any style. I’ve lost the musical snobbishness I had as a student.

The obvious starting point is to write. And write. And write. There are many courses & books around to help you, but that’s not what this article is about. As with anything in the music industry you have to be good at what you do. That’s a given. I’m assuming that you’re already at a point where you’re writing songs and are looking for a way to make a living as a songwriter. You have to build up a library of songs, and they have to be recorded. Properly. There is no such thing as a demo anymore. Demos are unacceptable. Your songs need to be adequately recorded and produced. If you don’t sing well enough, pay a session vocalist or barter with one. I recommend setting up a simple home studio as it is far cheaper to do than always having to pay studio time.

Something that I have found invaluable is having a songwriting partner. Someone to share the writing means less insecurity that you may be writing crap, and also helps to take you in directions you wouldn’t otherwise consider. A songwriting partner may also add skills/talents that you lack, such as a different vocal range, a good keyboard/guitar player etc.

Now back to the part where I assumed you already have songs recorded. What do you do with them?

 

Here is a list of things I’ve done (and often continue to do)

1. Tell everybody and anybody who will listen that you are a songwriter. Work often comes from places where you least expect it.
2. Make sure your songs can be heard easily by anyone. This means carrying CDs with you; putting up a website, MySpace page, FaceBook page etc.
3. Keep your ears open for bands/artists going into the studio to record, and remind them that you’re a songwriter.
4. Pitch your songs to artists or bands whenever you can. Be careful of playing just any of your material though, make sure it fits their style.
5. Network. In real life and online. Go to jam sessions. Hang out with musicians. Try and meet people in the record industry and the advertising industry. Use FaceBook, Twitter, write a blog or whatever else is out there. Engage with people.
6. Be an opportunist. Always be on the lookout for ways to market yourself. My partner & I were commissioned to write a love song for a woman who wanted to propose to her boyfriend. We approached Radio 702 and the whole thing was broadcast live on radio.
7. Join sites like Songlink and Taxi but be warned: Songlink and Taxi are expensive and there there are some dodgy sites out there waiting to take your money. Do your research before paying for anything and have a library of songs ready to send.
8. Read and contribute to relevant forums. You’d be surprised at the amount of information out there. A few that I like: Sound on Sound, Cakewalk, CD Baby, Composers Association of S.A. (CASA)
9. Get a routine. Write regularly. You’ll start to develop a method and a style.
10. Carry a notebook around and always be on the lookout for song ideas. Write them down, record them into your phone.
11. Don’t be too precious about your songs. Be open to criticism, but be aware of who who is doing the criticising. If it is someone you respect, take note, if it’s not then take it with a pinch of salt.
12. Pump Audio licenses independent music for film, television & commercials. As with anything, do some research before sending them your music.
13. CD Baby is a great place for indie musicians to sell their music
14. Some good places for info on various aspects of the music industry: http://sivers.org/ http://blog.artistshousemusic.org/  http://www.arielpublicity.com/

The business side

I learned most of the business stuff the guerrilla way, by making mistakes and later the right way from Donald S Passman’s “All You Need to Know About the Music Business”. It should be mandatory reading for all musicians

Join Samro immediately. They will handle your performance royalties.

I use Norm for my mechanical royalties, but there are other organisations handling mechanicals too.

DO YOUR HOMEWORK BEFORE JOINING! This means reading the organisations literature, asking them as many questions as you need to. Ask other industry professionals for advice. 

DON’T JOIN AN ORGANISATION OR SIGN A CONTRACT WITHOUT BEING TOTALLY CLEAR WHAT YOU ARE GETTING YOURSELF INTO.

Conclusion

For me songwriting has become the primary focus of my career, but I’ve had to be creative to be able to make a living from it. I’ve learned to create my own platforms for selling my songs which include recording, distributing and marketing my own CDs. Empower yourself by learning all there is to learn about your craft and that includes the recording/programming techniques, marketing, distribution and sales.

Songwriting is a great way to earn a living even if you don’t ever have that number 1 hit song in the U.S.A. Getting enough good work in circulation in enough places should see you getting a fairly steady stream of income, and who know perhaps that hit will come along when you least expect it.

Good luck!