DIY Music Tour – Part I
This is just the initial stage, read DIY Music Tour – Part II to find out how to put a band together and DIY Music Tour – Part III on planning the DIY tour.
When deciding independently to release a debut album, there is a way of doing this successfully on a small scale. Just do three things; write, record and register your songs according to industry standards, put a reputable band together to perform your songs at an industry-recognised festival local to where you live, and run a mini-marketing campaign locally. Yes, that is actually three things; with many elements, a lot of sweat and consistent hard work involved. First and foremost what you as a budding musicians wanted to decide right now before reading the rest of this three-part article is: are you cut out for set-backs after set-backs after set-backs to no extent and throughout your musical career to eventually reach a break-through which opens the tiny doors of the music industry and one day, maybe, to finally be recognised? If yes read on, if no then this career is not for you.
Being a successful songwriting-artist does not happen overnight in the music industry. It takes at least a year to write the right songs, record them properly and be good enough to be chosen to play your songs at various songwriter showcases (and then be invited back!). Building your repertoire and reputation work hand-in-hand. For instance if you love your music, it does not necessarily mean Mr Record Label or Mr Fan will. Music is a personal – it either does or does not transcend and move you. So in order to write a melody line to entice a group of people enough to be astounded so much that they buy your demo, you need to write astounding material. Nothing improves without trial and error – if you do not let your music be heard and criticized, 1) it will remain silent and 2) you will not grow as a musician. It is an obsession for a songwriter to know that they evoke their audience into outburst of applause, dancing, wolf-whistles and record sales. Write, write, write, write and write until you have that effect. Once you know which songs are the money-burners and consistently most popular, it is imperative that you register them with an association for copyright and royalty purposes.
Did you know in the UK a music venue has to pay a license for music to be played so that when the music is played the songwriters receive royalties for this? Did you know that the music license also covers any live entertainment, so if you are playing original music and own the copyright, you can already be receiving royalties, as an unsigned artist-songwriter, by submitting a list of the songs you play stating which venue you played at – however you will need to become a member with PPL and register your songs before you can make a claim. Organisation is so important, think BUSINESS, not dreamy music stardom.
From the moment you start showcasing your songs, have a clipboard for anyone to write their name and email address on, so you can start creating a fanbase. Whilst performing remind them to sign up to keep in touch with your next show date or latest news. After your show go and meet people, be energetic, smile and sign up as many people to your list – network, network, network. Then be sure to create an online mailing list with subscribe/unsubscribe options (http://www.reverbnation.com is a good site to start with) and stay on track with this – data protection is precious and important. As you begin to start making waves and perform more and more, pick up the phone to call a local press agent asking them to interview you or publish your next show date in their live music section. Think BIG.
At this stage it is always good to have a demo CD – if you audience likes you, they will want to have something to buy so they can listen to this again. Alternatively create postcard handouts with next show dates, your website address and ‘CD available soon – stay in touch’. In the initial stages, try not spend too much money on a demo, as you probably won’t be earning much and it’s better to save up for once you have a band together and rather spend more money on this. Remember though if you do a demo to always keep it professional and simple. Creating the artwork for your CD is a visual silent version of you. It needs to speak your music without hearing it. Therefore a photo of you with an emo hair-style with a leather jacket will not sell you as the male singer you are. So it is vital to have the right image and style communicated on the CD cover. When posting your demo CD to a record label, the visual aspect of your package is the first thing they will see. Create something dynamic, eye-catching and different that strikes the eye at first glance – but ensure it is inline with your music as well.
The author is a music band owner which offers its services to a variety of class especially five star hotels in Asia. There are several music bands which performs live shows six days a week. The band offers Musician Jobs and Music jobs across the world.
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