Recently in the past weeks, I had been approached by bands asking about where, how, and the what-to-do-next questions on CD replication and distribution.
My presumption is that these questions were asked not because these bands don’t believe that the CD industry is dying but perhaps because they lack faith in online distribution. Or at least, they don’t understand the commercial and economic advantages of it completely.
I don’t blame them. This is Cebu and we are in the Philippines.
From what I have observed, it appears to be a bit more difficult to just digest the concept overnight of considering online distribution more than pressing CDs if one’s perspective and intention to sell music is limited only to a national audience.
But let me try and display in words the new basic platform in today’s behavior in music buying.
It is a fact that today’s fans do not buy albums in the same way as they did in the past decades. This is because today’s technology allows bands and fans to share or sell singles first before ever bringing the entire album out.
This not-so-new trade becomes an easy deal between the artist and fans.
While it is important in any endeavor to set goals (and foresight is king), it is also important to acknowledge that things change all the time. Because of the internet and media players like iPods and mobile phones, the buying habits of people changed with it.
The constant here however, is adhering to the idea of bringing forth one song at a time. Yes – one song at a time just as how the singles in the 60s and 70s were done in vinyl records.
Unless if you have a huge fanbase, music buyers generally remember songs not albums. Sometimes, they don’t even care about the artist at all.
So why spend money on pressing CDs if you can launch the entire album online? This way, you are making multiple ends meet – (1) you have an album, (2) you don’t spend that much, (3) it removes the trouble of shipping costs and labor, (4) and most importantly, you are allowing your fans the option to buy on a per song basis – a huge plus.
Another advantage with singles is that if you’re an unsigned band, you can now freely move around for gigs without having to carry CDs with you. Just play and tell the audience your songs – I repeat SONGS, not album – can be found online.
Or how about bringing a laptop in your gigs and have someone take charge. Tell the people who may be interested in your songs that they can have a free MP3 transfer to their media players.
Another option is by giving out CDs with say 3 of your songs for free in your gigs. Put the URLs in the CD jacket so people could check out the rest of your music online. Of course this involves cost.
There could be more innovative ideas. Be bold. Be brave. Be creative. Be always open to options. If one idea fails, move on to the next. If it succeeds, embrace it. I think this should be the indie mantra.
The consumer’s general priority today is to know first the value of what they hope to buy.
Globalization is about retail. Singles are retail goods from the album. Sell them piece by piece. Heck you can give these singles for free if you want to. Your fans will love it and you'll get the biggest smile at the end of the day.
Some may think that perhaps giving out your songs for free may seem like you are stealing your own music. Perhaps your fans will do the same. But just because people can steal music doesn’t mean you cannot sell them anymore.
Showing posts with label music scene. Show all posts
Showing posts with label music scene. Show all posts
Friday, October 10, 2008
Preparing A Good Set List
Performing live is an experience that can be totally unique each time. But I think the most challenging part for almost every band is keeping the audience interested.
I’d like to share one aspect I learned in delivering a good show in the years that I’ve played in a band - and that is how to prepare a good set list. For the sake of this article, I’ll present it in three chronological parts.
1) Launch your set with a song that allows the audience to forget about the artist that played before you.
The first song in your set list must create that first impression. Wearing fancy wardrobes and cool shirts may not be enough. Your vocalist’s good enunciation and grammar may not be enough.
Play a kick off number that breathes a powerful intro – something that should catch everyone’s attention. When you get there, keep it that way.
Some pros do this with a fast groove as a start up number. Others do the soundcheck approach – playing a chord progression over and over until all members are musically in place (volume, tone, balance, etc.).
Don’t rely too much on gimmicks. They can be superficial.
If your band plans to stage one, it's better to do it in the middle of your set. An audience’s attention span is short so always remember to start with a catchy intro.
Believe me, you don’t want to waste that moment.
2) In the middle of a set, never fail to communicate with the crowd.
At this point, it should be the vocalist’s job to bring your fans’ attention back up to a perky level by talking to them. In other words, don’t be a snob.
The “celebrity” attitude and the rock-and-roll-image may help you get somewhere (superficially perhaps) but it is important to remember that the very reason songs are written is because we try to satiate our need to communicate.
It is also important to remember to never think that you’re smarter than the audience. To communicate means to "speak the language" that your listener speaks.
Be extra friendly to your fans.
Try not to be too much of an artist when you’re in between songs (and not playing). Be a person to them. Just because you’re on stage doesn’t make you any better than anyone. Your fans are people and should be your friends too.
3) Your finale song should be something that leaves a mark for your band and your music.
While the first song is the scene stealer, the last should be the memory maker. Your last song must be distinct enough to qualify for the LSS (last song syndrome) contest.
Play something that you think people can dance to, sing with, or talk about on their way home. I know this is not easy but it’s not impossible either. If your band has a well received single that's currently enjoying airplay, you may use this as your finale piece.
So there… the three basics to consider when drafting your set list for the gig. Play as if it’s your last gig (but don’t overdo it). Don’t get too drunk when you play (and if it helps, don’t get drunk at all).
Thursday, October 9, 2008
Ang ‘PAYO’ ni lo‘LA’ (My Grandmother's Advice)
Imagine this – a record label representative would go to a radio station, hands over the CD sampler of a new record to the DJ and says, “Maybe you can get me some airtime for this new talent.”
The CD in the plastic jewel box, is wrapped in a thin cardboard sheet with the name of the artist and the title of the soon-to-be-a-hit track. Mr. DJ would bring it close to his ear, shakes it a bit and hears that rattling sound of what it seems like sheets of paper – money.
“This is going to be a good hit this year,” the jock replies, without even bothering to listen to the song. Minutes later, the song made it on air. A week after, it’s on the station’s chart list.
The label rep moves on station after station doing practically the same thing. Maybe a few different creative approaches but the mission hasn’t changed. Two weeks after that, the song’s a big hit nationwide. But the song sucks.
This is a modern version using a CD sampler instead of the vinyl. But this was how it was in the 1960's.
Have you ever wondered why there are songs that are really annoying yet still made it to the charts? Guess what? There are some transactions in the music business that doesn’t require documentation such as receipts. All it takes is a healthy business relationship and an exchange of confident and assuring words.
If you still don’t get what I’m driving at here, let me spill it for you. While you, a songwriter, are writing an intellectual song believing that it can change the face of the music industry as we know it, there are those who are doing things to disprove your faith. These things they do are what is termed as payola.
Wikipedia defines payola as the illegal practice of payment or other inducement by record companies for the broadcast of recordings on music radio, in which the song is presented as being part of the normal day's broadcast.
It’s a crime. Everybody knows that. It’s like bribing your child’s grade school teacher some favors – financial or otherwise – so your kid can pass in class. That’s sick.
If a song was believed to be a hit, why do labels need to bribe for it? Oh yes of course… they have competitors and they are doing the same thing. If you can’t beat them, join them.
There are other means of exercising payola dealings. At some point in the music business history, labels hired third party entities – someone that has a good relationship with media and can set up a promotional program for them. These are called independent record promoters. They are, for a time referred to as “indies” (not to be confused with indie labels).
The presence of these people allows them to exercise payola without having any trace of the crime. There will be no documents and receipts. Every transaction is now slid off into the hands of the indie.
Payolas don’t have to be monetary. It could also come in the form of exchange deals. A radio station would give airtime in exchange of concert tickets, funding for a concert of the artist, etc.
Allow me to share accounts from people whom I’ve met in the music industry that had worked with and for the industry:
Case#1:
A friend of mine once worked for a major record label as sales executive for Visayas and Mindanao. One time, when I had the opportunity to visit him in his studio, we had a long and interesting exchange of stories.
He confided that giving each radio station P15,000 a month just to get a new track on regular airplay was part of his job (of course this job scope isn’t printed in his deliverables).
This was in the late 90’s. How many stations were in the VisMin region? These “money grease” are bound to be reflected against the artists’ royalty paychecks later.
Case#2:
There’s one band manager I know in Manila who said she was paying P35,000 to each radio station to get a track spinning on air. She also claimed that other managers managing indie bands are doing the same. This was between 2004 and 2005.
Case#3:
A friend of mine who used to be in a popular band confessed that these facts I mentioned above are true. He was with a band signed under a major record company. The band was very successful. The good thing was that he didn’t favor the business practices behind it. He was a witness to these crimes. It's just unfortunate that these crimes have no proof of billing.
Case#4:
The Big Four (Sony BMG, Warner, Universal, and EMI) are, ironically, the primary culprits. Why not? They practically own 60% of the entire broadcast network in the U.S. Below are some links about these cases:
EMI Settle Payola Allegations
EMI Agrees to Fine to Resolve Payola Case
Universal Music Settles Payola Probe
The good news is that there are moves to resolve these issues. But will it really end?
It’s ironic that the giants in the entertainment industry is going after other opportunists such as vendors of pirated CDs, Napster (the old-Napster case), iTunes, etc. Isn't it that they want to bring a song to the peak of its success?
It’s ironic that labels turn out unhappy with the effects of their success, isn't it?
It's like they want to rape the system but they don't want to be raped. As I said, there are no evidences - a rape case is brought to court without papers, only witnesses.
And let’s face it, when an attractive lady gets out of her house, she may not be in control of her fate anymore.
I personally don’t like this system. But it exists. You can’t see and feel it but you know that it’s happening. It’s sickening. I’m posting this not to discourage artists but to bring awareness to one of the greedy pursuits that are breathing through the system.
Ang ‘PAYO’ ni lo‘LA’? Just hope that the emergence of indie labels, self-music-publishing, and the internet will change all that. I’m sure there are better options in our hands just waiting to be uncovered. Perhaps, it is already happening as we speak.
The CD in the plastic jewel box, is wrapped in a thin cardboard sheet with the name of the artist and the title of the soon-to-be-a-hit track. Mr. DJ would bring it close to his ear, shakes it a bit and hears that rattling sound of what it seems like sheets of paper – money.
“This is going to be a good hit this year,” the jock replies, without even bothering to listen to the song. Minutes later, the song made it on air. A week after, it’s on the station’s chart list.
The label rep moves on station after station doing practically the same thing. Maybe a few different creative approaches but the mission hasn’t changed. Two weeks after that, the song’s a big hit nationwide. But the song sucks.
This is a modern version using a CD sampler instead of the vinyl. But this was how it was in the 1960's.
Have you ever wondered why there are songs that are really annoying yet still made it to the charts? Guess what? There are some transactions in the music business that doesn’t require documentation such as receipts. All it takes is a healthy business relationship and an exchange of confident and assuring words.
If you still don’t get what I’m driving at here, let me spill it for you. While you, a songwriter, are writing an intellectual song believing that it can change the face of the music industry as we know it, there are those who are doing things to disprove your faith. These things they do are what is termed as payola.
Wikipedia defines payola as the illegal practice of payment or other inducement by record companies for the broadcast of recordings on music radio, in which the song is presented as being part of the normal day's broadcast.
It’s a crime. Everybody knows that. It’s like bribing your child’s grade school teacher some favors – financial or otherwise – so your kid can pass in class. That’s sick.
If a song was believed to be a hit, why do labels need to bribe for it? Oh yes of course… they have competitors and they are doing the same thing. If you can’t beat them, join them.
There are other means of exercising payola dealings. At some point in the music business history, labels hired third party entities – someone that has a good relationship with media and can set up a promotional program for them. These are called independent record promoters. They are, for a time referred to as “indies” (not to be confused with indie labels).
The presence of these people allows them to exercise payola without having any trace of the crime. There will be no documents and receipts. Every transaction is now slid off into the hands of the indie.
Payolas don’t have to be monetary. It could also come in the form of exchange deals. A radio station would give airtime in exchange of concert tickets, funding for a concert of the artist, etc.
Allow me to share accounts from people whom I’ve met in the music industry that had worked with and for the industry:
Case#1:
A friend of mine once worked for a major record label as sales executive for Visayas and Mindanao. One time, when I had the opportunity to visit him in his studio, we had a long and interesting exchange of stories.
He confided that giving each radio station P15,000 a month just to get a new track on regular airplay was part of his job (of course this job scope isn’t printed in his deliverables).
This was in the late 90’s. How many stations were in the VisMin region? These “money grease” are bound to be reflected against the artists’ royalty paychecks later.
Case#2:
There’s one band manager I know in Manila who said she was paying P35,000 to each radio station to get a track spinning on air. She also claimed that other managers managing indie bands are doing the same. This was between 2004 and 2005.
Case#3:
A friend of mine who used to be in a popular band confessed that these facts I mentioned above are true. He was with a band signed under a major record company. The band was very successful. The good thing was that he didn’t favor the business practices behind it. He was a witness to these crimes. It's just unfortunate that these crimes have no proof of billing.
Case#4:
The Big Four (Sony BMG, Warner, Universal, and EMI) are, ironically, the primary culprits. Why not? They practically own 60% of the entire broadcast network in the U.S. Below are some links about these cases:
EMI Settle Payola Allegations
EMI Agrees to Fine to Resolve Payola Case
Universal Music Settles Payola Probe
The good news is that there are moves to resolve these issues. But will it really end?
It’s ironic that the giants in the entertainment industry is going after other opportunists such as vendors of pirated CDs, Napster (the old-Napster case), iTunes, etc. Isn't it that they want to bring a song to the peak of its success?
It’s ironic that labels turn out unhappy with the effects of their success, isn't it?
It's like they want to rape the system but they don't want to be raped. As I said, there are no evidences - a rape case is brought to court without papers, only witnesses.
And let’s face it, when an attractive lady gets out of her house, she may not be in control of her fate anymore.
I personally don’t like this system. But it exists. You can’t see and feel it but you know that it’s happening. It’s sickening. I’m posting this not to discourage artists but to bring awareness to one of the greedy pursuits that are breathing through the system.
Ang ‘PAYO’ ni lo‘LA’? Just hope that the emergence of indie labels, self-music-publishing, and the internet will change all that. I’m sure there are better options in our hands just waiting to be uncovered. Perhaps, it is already happening as we speak.
Starting Up A Band
A friend is putting up a new band. His last update was that he has three musicians who expressed their interest. He added that what he’d like to do first was to start off with cover tunes and then move up to songwriting before finally recording them. Sounds like a good plan.
I got an email from him a week ago. He was asking for help. I wasn’t really sure what he wanted me to do but I suppose he was asking some inputs on how to start his new band (or whether his plans would work). This is probably the most difficult question I’ve ever been asked of. I didn’t know exactly what to say.
In all tasks, the most challenging part is usually the first few steps. But then, those steps lead to another series of steps leading to another first step and so on. One time I consulted Mr. Junks Muaña, one of the owners of The Outpost, on what I need to do first when putting up a business. He simply said “Just start with whatever you have and you will learn from there. Everything else will follow.”
I’m still hanging. All of a sudden, it got me thinking - if I were to start up a real live band today, what should I do first? What should I next? What do I need to get myself from point A to point B. Barred by these preliminary FAQs, I allowed my mind to teleport to 1990, the year when my first band in college was formed.
My selective memory showed me images of a laundry room (our practice studio for a time), a karaoke, two acoustic guitars, and a wooden box. Just like any start up band, we didn’t have any money and our options were only limited to these tools so we decided to improvise.
We would plug the microphone jack into the karaoke and the other end into one of the acoustic guitars. The amplified strings would serve as our bass. There were four of us - Blair Kriekenbeek, Antonio Mesa (Oniot), Mitchello Simbajon (Mich), and me.
I insisted that I play the bass. Oniot was still new to the 6-string instrument and at that time couldn’t get the notes right. Later, Oniot and I decided to change places (today he’s one of the finest bass players I know). Mich sat on the box and provided the beat. Blair, with his strong and powerful baritone voice married with that good diction, became the musical voice.
We tried jamming (still with improvised tools) in other places like Mich’s aunt’s house in Maria Luisa village. Sometimes we would just hang out at the “Bukid” (yes for those who grew up with us during these years, you know where this place is) and all we would do was talk, play, talk, play, write, talk, play, write, and beer.
Our little sacrifices and late night sessions lead us to Las Piñas recording studio wrapping up the very first ditty Blair, Mich, and I wrote together. The song was “Desolate” and we called our band The End. Our song enjoyed heavy rotation in Y101's airplay back then.
Today, with the many great and talented bands sprouting like weeds in a playground, the challenge is steeper and the goals are higher.
I guess my college band worked because we all share the same passion. We all wanted to do the same thing. Apart from that, Blair had a fetish for high standards. One time he said, “I will not play on stage or sing a new song if we feel we have doubts about it.”
It all started with me looking for souls who may be interested in making good music with me. Now I’m thinking… if I were to put a band together today, how will I do that? Where do I start?
I guess an important thing to look into is not to look too much on the skills of a potential band mate (although this is a huge plus). Me? I usually look more on the level of interest and the personality (and someone that understands discipline). Skills can be developed and when that happens, talent will surface.
What makes a good band is not how good the musician plays. A good band comes when there is the understanding that one musician is not any better than the other. Good music is made because each musician allows their personalities to merge.
Music is an extension of one’s personality. There is greater output when every musician in the band listens soulfully to what the other member is playing. We become better musicians with teamwork. Everyone must compliment each other. We become a great rock 'n' roll band when we start understanding the benefits of a collective effort. That’s how I think a good band is formed.
In any start up band, there are no clear-cut rules. But there’s always the drawing board in your head. A vision of what you need to happen, how you would like it to happen, and what you would like to see happening in years to come.
I guess the next thing to do is stay firm with that vision of your band and keep an open mind. Oh and keep your music as honest as you can – meaning keep it close to your soul.
I got an email from him a week ago. He was asking for help. I wasn’t really sure what he wanted me to do but I suppose he was asking some inputs on how to start his new band (or whether his plans would work). This is probably the most difficult question I’ve ever been asked of. I didn’t know exactly what to say.
In all tasks, the most challenging part is usually the first few steps. But then, those steps lead to another series of steps leading to another first step and so on. One time I consulted Mr. Junks Muaña, one of the owners of The Outpost, on what I need to do first when putting up a business. He simply said “Just start with whatever you have and you will learn from there. Everything else will follow.”
I’m still hanging. All of a sudden, it got me thinking - if I were to start up a real live band today, what should I do first? What should I next? What do I need to get myself from point A to point B. Barred by these preliminary FAQs, I allowed my mind to teleport to 1990, the year when my first band in college was formed.
My selective memory showed me images of a laundry room (our practice studio for a time), a karaoke, two acoustic guitars, and a wooden box. Just like any start up band, we didn’t have any money and our options were only limited to these tools so we decided to improvise.
We would plug the microphone jack into the karaoke and the other end into one of the acoustic guitars. The amplified strings would serve as our bass. There were four of us - Blair Kriekenbeek, Antonio Mesa (Oniot), Mitchello Simbajon (Mich), and me.
I insisted that I play the bass. Oniot was still new to the 6-string instrument and at that time couldn’t get the notes right. Later, Oniot and I decided to change places (today he’s one of the finest bass players I know). Mich sat on the box and provided the beat. Blair, with his strong and powerful baritone voice married with that good diction, became the musical voice.
We tried jamming (still with improvised tools) in other places like Mich’s aunt’s house in Maria Luisa village. Sometimes we would just hang out at the “Bukid” (yes for those who grew up with us during these years, you know where this place is) and all we would do was talk, play, talk, play, write, talk, play, write, and beer.
Our little sacrifices and late night sessions lead us to Las Piñas recording studio wrapping up the very first ditty Blair, Mich, and I wrote together. The song was “Desolate” and we called our band The End. Our song enjoyed heavy rotation in Y101's airplay back then.
Today, with the many great and talented bands sprouting like weeds in a playground, the challenge is steeper and the goals are higher.
I guess my college band worked because we all share the same passion. We all wanted to do the same thing. Apart from that, Blair had a fetish for high standards. One time he said, “I will not play on stage or sing a new song if we feel we have doubts about it.”
It all started with me looking for souls who may be interested in making good music with me. Now I’m thinking… if I were to put a band together today, how will I do that? Where do I start?
I guess an important thing to look into is not to look too much on the skills of a potential band mate (although this is a huge plus). Me? I usually look more on the level of interest and the personality (and someone that understands discipline). Skills can be developed and when that happens, talent will surface.
What makes a good band is not how good the musician plays. A good band comes when there is the understanding that one musician is not any better than the other. Good music is made because each musician allows their personalities to merge.
Music is an extension of one’s personality. There is greater output when every musician in the band listens soulfully to what the other member is playing. We become better musicians with teamwork. Everyone must compliment each other. We become a great rock 'n' roll band when we start understanding the benefits of a collective effort. That’s how I think a good band is formed.
In any start up band, there are no clear-cut rules. But there’s always the drawing board in your head. A vision of what you need to happen, how you would like it to happen, and what you would like to see happening in years to come.
I guess the next thing to do is stay firm with that vision of your band and keep an open mind. Oh and keep your music as honest as you can – meaning keep it close to your soul.
Which Is Better? CDs or Downloadable MP3s?
The very first medium used in music distribution and sold to the public was just music sheets in the 1800s. These sheets were sent out to entertainment production outfits and performed in variety shows called vaudevilles. More than a century later, music’s physical medium had evolved into plastic formats we commonly refer to as compact discs.
More than a decade today, it’s evolved into intangible digital downloads.
Now, a band from Cagayan de Oro emailed me a couple of weeks ago asking about my opinion on the pros and cons between CDs and downloadable MP3s. I decided to post a huge portion of that email below (verbatim):
Which would you rather prefer?
Artists selling their albums at a more expensive price with a superior CD quality (i.e. pressed CDs/printed CDs)?
or
Artists selling their albums at a least expensive price but with a lesser CD quality (i.e. CDRs/burned CDs) but with an album full of songs that would use up the entire 80min CDr?
My take for this one is that in the advent of MP3 players and Ipods, people usually just rip the CD's songs to MP3 formats and play it in their mp3 players, leaving the CD in their cabinets gathering dust. So in my opinion, less and less people will be using the CDs. So having a superior quality CD is no longer important if this would be the case. People would just rip it, transfer it in their Mp3 players.
I am asking this question because we have plans in releasing a new album. And we are thinking of using this line of positioning. More Songs for a lesser price but using CDrs only. Cds would be sold maybe around P150-200/CD. Compared to pressed CDs which are now being sold at P280-300/CD.
Answer : I don’t see the point why one should give out music of inferior quality. The listeners ergo the fans want good quality music. Period. Give them what is for them and what makes them happy. Why compromise the quality when you can provide the best?
Today, I think what is most important to the music fans is not the album but the songs. If you are a music collector, I’m sure you have experienced buying an album with 14 songs worth and only 1 or 2 fit in your eardrums. (Labels have learned this painfully over the years and yet they lose nothing because it's always charged back to the artists against their royalties).
A perfect example here is Extreme’s worldwide hit “More Than Words” in the late 80’s. When the song hit the airwaves, the album moved into music players and up the charts. The bad news was that the consumers discovered the chartbuster as the only good track in the album. In fact, the rest of the tracks didn’t “gel” with the single.
Buyers of that album returned the merchandise to the stores and the store owners shipped it back to the label's warehouse (some record stores even posted a note on their wall saying WE DO NOT ACCEPT RETURNS OF EXTREME ALBUM - it must've been that bad).
You see, before you even think about putting more songs in a CD, deciding between a pressed format and a burned CDR, think about the quality of your music inside and out first. Since ultimately, it's the fans who have the control in deciding on buying your songs (IF they like it), you now have an opportunity to understand how your music should be presented to them.
I understand that your band is also acting as your own record label. Since this is the case, one of the ways to build a strong and huge fanbase is to give your fans what they like to hear, not what you want them to have. You are right - a CD may collect dust in the end. But still, do not compromise quality.
Now people would just say why not purchase the song via download? I think if you download 1 song, it would cost you around P20-30/song. And as an artist, i still can't find a way to reconcile how we would be able to monitor the downloads and be assured that we are getting the right numbers from the dowloading service providers. But if we are selling the CDs, then we would be able to keep hold of our physical inventories and our number of units sold. And if we would be consuming the 80min CDr, then that would give us around 17-18 songs which if you would compute it by the price of the CD that we are selling, it would cost you something like P11-12 per song. So still very much cheaper than what the downloading service providers are giving.
Answer : The quality between CDs and music downloads are, unless all fans have trained ears, practically the same. In fact, no matter what medium – vinyl, CD, cassette tapes – the consumer’s experience is enjoyed because of the song, not because of the medium. The medium is just the material aspect being made available to the public at a time.
Whichever medium you choose to distribute, the consumer ultimately decides whether they like your song or not. It’s another decision for them whether to buy your songs or not. And then another decision whether to buy the entire album. Bottom line is it’s not your role to worry about how much the consumer can spend.
I sense that the issue here is more about financial investment. In which case, and if I am correct about this presumption, I’d recommend that you sell your music via TuneCore.com. Believe me, it works. Just make sure you read the FAQs religiously.
If you worry about inventories, believe me, it’s probably the most boring and the most gruesome task in any distribution business. That's what labels are for. It's one of their main services. Unless you are willing to compromise your time for creativity, you wouldn’t like it.
Another thing is that by producing CDs instead of just having it available for downloads, we are giving graphic designers/Artists a chance to promote their works by giving them an opportunity to design our album's packaging.
Answer : Hmmm… this is a good point to consider. Or maybe it would be more fun if the artists that work for you work on a voluntary or for-the-love-of-it basis instead of promising them promotional benefits. It can be difficult not to build expectations around your goals and vice versa so if you can, try to keep everyone away from this probable negative outcome.
So there… I guess my general answer is that it’s really up to you. When the CD medium was first introduced, there was resistance but eventually it caught up. Now, they are fast becoming obsolete (but maybe I’m wrong).
The evolution of music was from paper to tapes to vinyls to tapes to plastic compact discs to MP3s...
Today, professionally pressed CDs cost about P35,000 - P60,000, and maybe even more - just to make for 500 pcs excluding shipping cost (since you are in Cagayan de Oro).
While downloadable MP3s are apparently becoming the new music business model. No frills, no shipping hassles, less cost, etc. All you have to do is simply trust the website you are working with... now that's another issue isn't it?
More than a decade today, it’s evolved into intangible digital downloads.
Now, a band from Cagayan de Oro emailed me a couple of weeks ago asking about my opinion on the pros and cons between CDs and downloadable MP3s. I decided to post a huge portion of that email below (verbatim):
Which would you rather prefer?
Artists selling their albums at a more expensive price with a superior CD quality (i.e. pressed CDs/printed CDs)?
or
Artists selling their albums at a least expensive price but with a lesser CD quality (i.e. CDRs/burned CDs) but with an album full of songs that would use up the entire 80min CDr?
My take for this one is that in the advent of MP3 players and Ipods, people usually just rip the CD's songs to MP3 formats and play it in their mp3 players, leaving the CD in their cabinets gathering dust. So in my opinion, less and less people will be using the CDs. So having a superior quality CD is no longer important if this would be the case. People would just rip it, transfer it in their Mp3 players.
I am asking this question because we have plans in releasing a new album. And we are thinking of using this line of positioning. More Songs for a lesser price but using CDrs only. Cds would be sold maybe around P150-200/CD. Compared to pressed CDs which are now being sold at P280-300/CD.
Answer : I don’t see the point why one should give out music of inferior quality. The listeners ergo the fans want good quality music. Period. Give them what is for them and what makes them happy. Why compromise the quality when you can provide the best?
Today, I think what is most important to the music fans is not the album but the songs. If you are a music collector, I’m sure you have experienced buying an album with 14 songs worth and only 1 or 2 fit in your eardrums. (Labels have learned this painfully over the years and yet they lose nothing because it's always charged back to the artists against their royalties).
A perfect example here is Extreme’s worldwide hit “More Than Words” in the late 80’s. When the song hit the airwaves, the album moved into music players and up the charts. The bad news was that the consumers discovered the chartbuster as the only good track in the album. In fact, the rest of the tracks didn’t “gel” with the single.
Buyers of that album returned the merchandise to the stores and the store owners shipped it back to the label's warehouse (some record stores even posted a note on their wall saying WE DO NOT ACCEPT RETURNS OF EXTREME ALBUM - it must've been that bad).
You see, before you even think about putting more songs in a CD, deciding between a pressed format and a burned CDR, think about the quality of your music inside and out first. Since ultimately, it's the fans who have the control in deciding on buying your songs (IF they like it), you now have an opportunity to understand how your music should be presented to them.
I understand that your band is also acting as your own record label. Since this is the case, one of the ways to build a strong and huge fanbase is to give your fans what they like to hear, not what you want them to have. You are right - a CD may collect dust in the end. But still, do not compromise quality.
Now people would just say why not purchase the song via download? I think if you download 1 song, it would cost you around P20-30/song. And as an artist, i still can't find a way to reconcile how we would be able to monitor the downloads and be assured that we are getting the right numbers from the dowloading service providers. But if we are selling the CDs, then we would be able to keep hold of our physical inventories and our number of units sold. And if we would be consuming the 80min CDr, then that would give us around 17-18 songs which if you would compute it by the price of the CD that we are selling, it would cost you something like P11-12 per song. So still very much cheaper than what the downloading service providers are giving.
Answer : The quality between CDs and music downloads are, unless all fans have trained ears, practically the same. In fact, no matter what medium – vinyl, CD, cassette tapes – the consumer’s experience is enjoyed because of the song, not because of the medium. The medium is just the material aspect being made available to the public at a time.
Whichever medium you choose to distribute, the consumer ultimately decides whether they like your song or not. It’s another decision for them whether to buy your songs or not. And then another decision whether to buy the entire album. Bottom line is it’s not your role to worry about how much the consumer can spend.
I sense that the issue here is more about financial investment. In which case, and if I am correct about this presumption, I’d recommend that you sell your music via TuneCore.com. Believe me, it works. Just make sure you read the FAQs religiously.
If you worry about inventories, believe me, it’s probably the most boring and the most gruesome task in any distribution business. That's what labels are for. It's one of their main services. Unless you are willing to compromise your time for creativity, you wouldn’t like it.
Another thing is that by producing CDs instead of just having it available for downloads, we are giving graphic designers/Artists a chance to promote their works by giving them an opportunity to design our album's packaging.
Answer : Hmmm… this is a good point to consider. Or maybe it would be more fun if the artists that work for you work on a voluntary or for-the-love-of-it basis instead of promising them promotional benefits. It can be difficult not to build expectations around your goals and vice versa so if you can, try to keep everyone away from this probable negative outcome.
So there… I guess my general answer is that it’s really up to you. When the CD medium was first introduced, there was resistance but eventually it caught up. Now, they are fast becoming obsolete (but maybe I’m wrong).
The evolution of music was from paper to tapes to vinyls to tapes to plastic compact discs to MP3s...
Today, professionally pressed CDs cost about P35,000 - P60,000, and maybe even more - just to make for 500 pcs excluding shipping cost (since you are in Cagayan de Oro).
While downloadable MP3s are apparently becoming the new music business model. No frills, no shipping hassles, less cost, etc. All you have to do is simply trust the website you are working with... now that's another issue isn't it?
Wednesday, October 8, 2008
How Your Music Spins On The Table
In one Indieology series, I made a brief yet long rundown of all the groupings in the music business chopped down in three criteria. I’ll try to somehow recap what I have discussed so far to refresh and get a clearer view of how every person in the music business is tied to each other.
But this time, I will do it by describing a succession of events and I’d like to start from the back end. Take note that my focus is the song as this is what should "fly" (read Indieology #3).
Step 1: The Audition
A struggling songwriter Bebon writes a song called “Big Winner”, records a demo and sends it to Dico Music Inc.(DMI), a music publisher. If the publisher sees potential in the material, he may ask a lawyer to draft a contract and sends it to the songwriter. Bebon reviews the contract with his entertainment lawyer friend, finds the deal fair, signs it, and sends it back to DMI.
Step 2: The Licensing Agreement
Happy All Records, an independent record label just signed a new and promising band called Plastic Eyes and the label needs one more song to complete the band’s album. Enter DMI with Bebon’s demo, pitches it in and, fortunately for Bebon, the label executives and A&R liked it.
Since Plastic Eyes is doing an album, a Mechanical License Agreement is issued by Happy All Records and DMI’s entertainment lawyer reviews it. The lawyer finds the agreement fair and advices the publisher to take it. The contract is signed, the label pays an advanced royalty to the publisher and the latter pays the lawyer and taxes, and splits the net 50% to Bebon.
Step 3: The Production
The song is now in studio production. People who are involved are the record producer (the main man), the recording engineer, the musicians (or the band), the artist (or the singer), and sometimes the band manager. Everybody should get rewarded for a job well done.
Before an album is released to the media, the recordings must be mastered. This entails another process and there are specialized studios that do this. I’d like to skip this part since it’s actually a boring topic to talk about (but if you are really interested, I’d be happy to talk with you over a cup of coffee).
Step 4: Release Date
Now Happy all Records is ready to release “Big Winner” as Plastic Eyes’ carrier single and is preparing the schedule of activities. Press kits are made and sent out to the press for immediate press release. Podcasters, internet radios, physical radios, satellite radios and other media venues are sent with a radio edit version of the song for its world premiere.
At this point, I’d like to emphasize that the release date of the song is also the official date “Big Winner” is published. I repeat, the published date of the song is essentially the day it got launched into the public.
Step 5: Marketing and Promotion
A few days after it is launched, an agent from the label went to all the TV networks with a music video to support the product. Three weeks later, the video is topping the charts and so is the song in radio stations and internet. Now the entire country is going gaga over Plastic Eyes and “Big Winner” is played as the finale in the band’s concerts.
Soon, with the help of booking agents, Plastic Eyes, is now one of the most popular bands in the land. They are performing in afternoon variety shows, guesting in music channels, performing in concerts as opening acts for an established band, and a nationwide tour tied up with a product endorsement.
Because of the band’s successful turnout, Happy All Records, with the help of the independent promoters and booking agents, intend to keep them in that limelight until “Big Winner” starts moving down the charts.
Ok. I’ll stop here.
So the band became famous, and the song made it to No. 1 in various charts for months. But remember, “Big Winner” is not written by any member of Plastic Eyes. It’s a song administered by Dico Music Inc. on behalf of Bebon, the struggling songwriter.
Applying the Copyright Law, and considering that the song had succeeded to its full potential the entire year – radio airplay, movie soundtracks of the same title with different versions, TV commercials, music downloads, album sales and so on – Bebon gets to be the one paid.
Think of royalty as something that is paid to someone for doing something right the first time. And when I say “doing something right the first time”, it doesn’t only mean writing a good song alone. One must also believe, religiously in fact, that the Copyright Law actually works if you send it to the right channels – technically that is.
Right now, Bebon could be sitting pretty and counting his royalty earnings. Maybe in 5 years time, another label would license the song for another artist and he would be earning again from the same song. Two years after that, a bank may be interested in using “Big Winner” as its jingle. Three years after that, a rapper uses the chorus part for his works. Who knows?
He continues to write songs and keeps sending them to DMI and other music publishers as well, hoping that one of those tunes could spark another fanbase. Who knows?
Right now Bebon is happy.
But this time, I will do it by describing a succession of events and I’d like to start from the back end. Take note that my focus is the song as this is what should "fly" (read Indieology #3).
Step 1: The Audition
A struggling songwriter Bebon writes a song called “Big Winner”, records a demo and sends it to Dico Music Inc.(DMI), a music publisher. If the publisher sees potential in the material, he may ask a lawyer to draft a contract and sends it to the songwriter. Bebon reviews the contract with his entertainment lawyer friend, finds the deal fair, signs it, and sends it back to DMI.
Step 2: The Licensing Agreement
Happy All Records, an independent record label just signed a new and promising band called Plastic Eyes and the label needs one more song to complete the band’s album. Enter DMI with Bebon’s demo, pitches it in and, fortunately for Bebon, the label executives and A&R liked it.
Since Plastic Eyes is doing an album, a Mechanical License Agreement is issued by Happy All Records and DMI’s entertainment lawyer reviews it. The lawyer finds the agreement fair and advices the publisher to take it. The contract is signed, the label pays an advanced royalty to the publisher and the latter pays the lawyer and taxes, and splits the net 50% to Bebon.
Step 3: The Production
The song is now in studio production. People who are involved are the record producer (the main man), the recording engineer, the musicians (or the band), the artist (or the singer), and sometimes the band manager. Everybody should get rewarded for a job well done.
Before an album is released to the media, the recordings must be mastered. This entails another process and there are specialized studios that do this. I’d like to skip this part since it’s actually a boring topic to talk about (but if you are really interested, I’d be happy to talk with you over a cup of coffee).
Step 4: Release Date
Now Happy all Records is ready to release “Big Winner” as Plastic Eyes’ carrier single and is preparing the schedule of activities. Press kits are made and sent out to the press for immediate press release. Podcasters, internet radios, physical radios, satellite radios and other media venues are sent with a radio edit version of the song for its world premiere.
At this point, I’d like to emphasize that the release date of the song is also the official date “Big Winner” is published. I repeat, the published date of the song is essentially the day it got launched into the public.
Step 5: Marketing and Promotion
A few days after it is launched, an agent from the label went to all the TV networks with a music video to support the product. Three weeks later, the video is topping the charts and so is the song in radio stations and internet. Now the entire country is going gaga over Plastic Eyes and “Big Winner” is played as the finale in the band’s concerts.
Soon, with the help of booking agents, Plastic Eyes, is now one of the most popular bands in the land. They are performing in afternoon variety shows, guesting in music channels, performing in concerts as opening acts for an established band, and a nationwide tour tied up with a product endorsement.
Because of the band’s successful turnout, Happy All Records, with the help of the independent promoters and booking agents, intend to keep them in that limelight until “Big Winner” starts moving down the charts.
Ok. I’ll stop here.
So the band became famous, and the song made it to No. 1 in various charts for months. But remember, “Big Winner” is not written by any member of Plastic Eyes. It’s a song administered by Dico Music Inc. on behalf of Bebon, the struggling songwriter.
Applying the Copyright Law, and considering that the song had succeeded to its full potential the entire year – radio airplay, movie soundtracks of the same title with different versions, TV commercials, music downloads, album sales and so on – Bebon gets to be the one paid.
Think of royalty as something that is paid to someone for doing something right the first time. And when I say “doing something right the first time”, it doesn’t only mean writing a good song alone. One must also believe, religiously in fact, that the Copyright Law actually works if you send it to the right channels – technically that is.
Right now, Bebon could be sitting pretty and counting his royalty earnings. Maybe in 5 years time, another label would license the song for another artist and he would be earning again from the same song. Two years after that, a bank may be interested in using “Big Winner” as its jingle. Three years after that, a rapper uses the chorus part for his works. Who knows?
He continues to write songs and keeps sending them to DMI and other music publishers as well, hoping that one of those tunes could spark another fanbase. Who knows?
Right now Bebon is happy.
Tuesday, October 7, 2008
Who Are The People In Your Neighborhood? (Part 1)
I. The Front End
Seven years ago, I set up an independent record label I aptly called Independent Culture Records (ICR) registered and licensed under a single proprietorship. That label was supplemented with a website initially launched as indieculturerecords.net and about a couple of years later, the online counterpart evolved into a more sophisticated format under a new domain indiecultureonline.com.
The label didn’t really do well financially and otherwise but this article is not about the faults and failures nor the occasional successes that I have experienced and enjoyed in this little dream I’ve tried to accomplish. This is about the things that I’ve learned in the process particularly the key players in the music industry.
ICR’s birth pains were very significant to me because I have managed to understand things in this business that I only knew so little about at the beginning. My understanding then of how the music business should run was once grounded on the belief that an artist should have a record label’s help to lead them to success.
To some extent this is true but as I write my way into this chapter of the Indieology series, I will try to uncover some concepts and definitions of who are involved in this business, and that record companies are just part of a bigger picture. In fact, I’ve learned that you don’t really need a label at all (take this point with the success of Paolo Santos to support my theory).
Contrary to what I thought before, labels are not really the key players (if they were, Radiohead wouldn’t be selling their songs themselves today). My perception is that the music scene is divided into three main components - (1) the front-end; (2) middle men; and (3) the back-end. Since this will be a long Indieology chapter, I chopped it into these three main parts and I would like to start off with the front liners of this business.
1) The Artists
By definition, an artist is not the same as a songwriter and vice versa. Although in most cases, even if artists write their own songs, the contracts of record companies usually refer them as talents, performers, musicians, bands, and singers or solo acts. In other words, artists don’t necessarily need to write their own songs.
In the earliest days of the business in American music history, there were no labels yet and the artists perform songs written by other songwriters represented by their respective music publishers (I will discuss the significance of a music publisher later). Perfect examples here would be Frank Sinatra and Elvis Presley.
The success of Elvis’ singing career was made possible with a team of songwriters Mike Stoller and Jerry Leiber with immortal hits like “Hound Dog” and “Jailhouse Rock” to their credit. Frank Sinatra had big all time hits that he didn’t write as well.
2) Media (radio, tv, internet)
Although technology is changing the face and value of media so fast these days, it is still a powerful tool for artists to reach out to their fans regardless of its current format or what the next wave may bring. Today, the physical radios may not be getting the same attention as compared to ten years ago (if at all they’re getting any attention).
You and I know that the modern music fan sources out music mostly if not all from the internet being the perpetual supplier of everyday music. This new avenue (downloads, internet radio, satellite radio, and podcast) is still media. In fact, in today’s copyright laws, the variations of this technology are referred to as the “new media”.
Without it, it is almost difficult to conceive how your music can reach out to a huge and significant volume of listeners that hopefully will eventually become fans and eventually become buyers of your music and concert tickets.
3) The Venues
Promotion is always in every manager’s plan formulated for his/her band. That is a given. But even with the most advanced technology in place and bands can practically sell their music in any format they like on the internet, the human behavior hasn’t changed. People still watch concerts because they want to feel the music with their eyes. YouTube cannot ever substitute a good live gig experience.
This first hand experience of a fan or audience increases the probability of music sales whether it’s done via download or any other means (which is the bottomline anyway).
I recall that time when the Eraserheads was promoting their Aloha Milkyway album, I was in front of the stage about 7 meters away from Ely. The experience breathes nostalgia and I bought the album a couple of days after. Months after that, I started collecting their past records.
Whether it’s a club, a stadium, or a gym, a concert is a different experience and it holds that mystery of making that music reside in you. It’s magical. It’s strange how this beautiful effect eats you up and before you know it, you’re in a record store looking for that band’s CD.
In Cebu, there was Shakey’s Pizza Parlor in the 80’s; there was Sacred Heart School for Boys Gym, SIH Alumni Center, Artist Dais, and Rib-O’s in the 90’s; there was Handuraw and Kahayag in the early half of this decade. Today, the best local musicians find their home at The Outpost.
4) Record Stores
The physical record stores had been the music library for ages. Not anymore. The brick-and-mortar concept of music distribution is fast fading simply because CDs are not raking enough dough these days – or at least not enough cash for the major record companies to fill up their bank bins.
Again, technology is the artist’s virtual best friend today. It doesn’t only serve as the new media, it also introduced opportunities allowing artists to set up their own stores online. All of a sudden, the D.I.Y. approach has gotten better and more credible. It’s probably ten times cheaper with a much better mileage.
Even with the phased out physical record stores as a result of the internet’s options-free-for-all ideals that lead to a negatively huge impact on the music industry, particularly in the distribution department of record companies, the essentials in music buying hasn’t really changed. The stores are still there, only that it has morphed from the analog, person-to-person transaction to digital tools and software applications and it’s up to the artist to choose what options to take.
In the next Indieology article, I would like to discuss the middle men and how they work inside the business.
Seven years ago, I set up an independent record label I aptly called Independent Culture Records (ICR) registered and licensed under a single proprietorship. That label was supplemented with a website initially launched as indieculturerecords.net and about a couple of years later, the online counterpart evolved into a more sophisticated format under a new domain indiecultureonline.com.
The label didn’t really do well financially and otherwise but this article is not about the faults and failures nor the occasional successes that I have experienced and enjoyed in this little dream I’ve tried to accomplish. This is about the things that I’ve learned in the process particularly the key players in the music industry.
ICR’s birth pains were very significant to me because I have managed to understand things in this business that I only knew so little about at the beginning. My understanding then of how the music business should run was once grounded on the belief that an artist should have a record label’s help to lead them to success.
To some extent this is true but as I write my way into this chapter of the Indieology series, I will try to uncover some concepts and definitions of who are involved in this business, and that record companies are just part of a bigger picture. In fact, I’ve learned that you don’t really need a label at all (take this point with the success of Paolo Santos to support my theory).
Contrary to what I thought before, labels are not really the key players (if they were, Radiohead wouldn’t be selling their songs themselves today). My perception is that the music scene is divided into three main components - (1) the front-end; (2) middle men; and (3) the back-end. Since this will be a long Indieology chapter, I chopped it into these three main parts and I would like to start off with the front liners of this business.
1) The Artists
By definition, an artist is not the same as a songwriter and vice versa. Although in most cases, even if artists write their own songs, the contracts of record companies usually refer them as talents, performers, musicians, bands, and singers or solo acts. In other words, artists don’t necessarily need to write their own songs.
In the earliest days of the business in American music history, there were no labels yet and the artists perform songs written by other songwriters represented by their respective music publishers (I will discuss the significance of a music publisher later). Perfect examples here would be Frank Sinatra and Elvis Presley.
The success of Elvis’ singing career was made possible with a team of songwriters Mike Stoller and Jerry Leiber with immortal hits like “Hound Dog” and “Jailhouse Rock” to their credit. Frank Sinatra had big all time hits that he didn’t write as well.
2) Media (radio, tv, internet)
Although technology is changing the face and value of media so fast these days, it is still a powerful tool for artists to reach out to their fans regardless of its current format or what the next wave may bring. Today, the physical radios may not be getting the same attention as compared to ten years ago (if at all they’re getting any attention).
You and I know that the modern music fan sources out music mostly if not all from the internet being the perpetual supplier of everyday music. This new avenue (downloads, internet radio, satellite radio, and podcast) is still media. In fact, in today’s copyright laws, the variations of this technology are referred to as the “new media”.
Without it, it is almost difficult to conceive how your music can reach out to a huge and significant volume of listeners that hopefully will eventually become fans and eventually become buyers of your music and concert tickets.
3) The Venues
Promotion is always in every manager’s plan formulated for his/her band. That is a given. But even with the most advanced technology in place and bands can practically sell their music in any format they like on the internet, the human behavior hasn’t changed. People still watch concerts because they want to feel the music with their eyes. YouTube cannot ever substitute a good live gig experience.
This first hand experience of a fan or audience increases the probability of music sales whether it’s done via download or any other means (which is the bottomline anyway).
I recall that time when the Eraserheads was promoting their Aloha Milkyway album, I was in front of the stage about 7 meters away from Ely. The experience breathes nostalgia and I bought the album a couple of days after. Months after that, I started collecting their past records.
Whether it’s a club, a stadium, or a gym, a concert is a different experience and it holds that mystery of making that music reside in you. It’s magical. It’s strange how this beautiful effect eats you up and before you know it, you’re in a record store looking for that band’s CD.
In Cebu, there was Shakey’s Pizza Parlor in the 80’s; there was Sacred Heart School for Boys Gym, SIH Alumni Center, Artist Dais, and Rib-O’s in the 90’s; there was Handuraw and Kahayag in the early half of this decade. Today, the best local musicians find their home at The Outpost.
4) Record Stores
The physical record stores had been the music library for ages. Not anymore. The brick-and-mortar concept of music distribution is fast fading simply because CDs are not raking enough dough these days – or at least not enough cash for the major record companies to fill up their bank bins.
Again, technology is the artist’s virtual best friend today. It doesn’t only serve as the new media, it also introduced opportunities allowing artists to set up their own stores online. All of a sudden, the D.I.Y. approach has gotten better and more credible. It’s probably ten times cheaper with a much better mileage.
Even with the phased out physical record stores as a result of the internet’s options-free-for-all ideals that lead to a negatively huge impact on the music industry, particularly in the distribution department of record companies, the essentials in music buying hasn’t really changed. The stores are still there, only that it has morphed from the analog, person-to-person transaction to digital tools and software applications and it’s up to the artist to choose what options to take.
In the next Indieology article, I would like to discuss the middle men and how they work inside the business.
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