January 28, 2021
Release Party officially launches its self-service platform, which offers a seamless end-to-end experience for artists and audiences alike. In addition to their original livestreaming service, artists will soon be allowed to share smart links with their fans and notify them via text message when their new music releases.
January 9, 2020 Creating a great body of work is the first step towards a successful career in the music business, but getting the songs heard by countless people across the world should be the next move. It can be challenging to get your first album distributed and into the homes, cars, and playlist of music listeners, but it is not impossible. Below are some of the ways that you can handle the distribution cost for your first album, putting you even closer to a great music career.
Advice, Digital Distribution, Finance tagged Album Release, Distribution, cost, finance, money October 28, 2019 Picture this: You’ve just spent some quality time finishing a new track and it’s brilliant.
You’re super pumped for other people to hear it and can’t wait to send it to people for feedback, maybe get a preview up on Soundcloud or even get it released on Spotify etc.
Stop.
Before you do anything with the track, you need to wait.
February 12, 2019 In January 2019 I was asked to present a talk on how to release your own music to a group of people in Riga, Latvia.
It was the first time I’d done anything live, with regard to self-releasing, but I took up the challenge and wanted to fit as much information into the talk as possible.
Turns out, I went overboard and spoke for almost TWO HOURS on the topic! I had so many stories, tips and things I wanted to discuss.
Anyway, I re-recorded the presentation here, and was more concise and a little faster. I managed to get the presentation down to a little over an hour.
April 27, 2017 Today’s artist is in a whole new world when it comes to getting noticed by the record industry. Years ago, it was a matter of pounding the pavement getting the big labels to at least listen to a demo you produced and hoping that someone would like what you did enough to sign you on. Sometimes you’d get noticed in clubs and sometimes studio musicians would catch a lucky break when a big name they had the chance to work with noticed them and gave them their start.
Advice, DIY, Promotion tagged Album Release, DIY, Distribution, press release, promotion, social media April 13, 2016 Bands often come to me while they are in the studio with a clear idea they would like to release their album within a few months. However, without a finished product this is rarely a successful strategy. I’ve even seen a few bands announce their album release date on social networks and then have to retract that date, due to a variety of circumstances.
These are three reasons why you shouldn’t announce your release date before you have a finished product.
January 27, 2016 I was asked to do a presentation for Fort Lewis College in Durango, CO on How To Release Music As An Independent Artist. It’s mostly from an EDM/Rap perspective, but I figured it would be beneficial for everyone to learn from. Some of the details are missing since I explained it to them in person, so if you have any questions or anything here needs to be corrected, please post them, and I’ll be sure to reply to all of them so we can disuss further.
September 14, 2015 This article originally appeared on the Sonicbids blog.
The first album you release sets up the rest of your career, and it can help you gain a lot of fans… if it’s any good. Timing the release is important, because if it comes too early, not enough people will know who you are, but if you make people wait too long, the perfect moment might have passed you by. Here are five signs that it’s the perfect time to release your debut album.
August 27, 2014 Whether you paid thousands of dollars working with a great producer or made your own bedroom recording, chances are you want people to hear your music.
Over my 20 years in the music industry I’ve seen bands and even record labels make the same mistakes which ultimately prevent their record from standing a chance for success.
In order for people to hear your music and increase the chances your album or EP release will be a success, you need to create a solid plan before you release the record.
1. Do NOT release the record the same day you receive your masters back or your CDs arrive on your doorstep.
This is the #1 mistake we see bands make. You’ve spent months, if not years, on your album and you just want people to hear it. I get it. However, as counterintuitive as it may seem, you greatly reduce the amount of people hearing your music by releasing it right away.
Album Release, Artist Advice, MP3, soundcloud September 5, 2013 There have been a whole bunch of revolutions lately. One of the ones I’m most excited about is the revolution in the area of recording gear and software. I think it’s really incredible how just in the past few years tools have evolved to the point where people like you and I can get REALLY great recordings on our own, in our own homes.
I think a lot of people are aware of this particular revolution and are really jumping on board, which is awesome! But there’s another revolution I want to talk about today that I think a lot of people are missing… and that’s the promotion revolution! Just like in the recording arena, there are tools that are now available to normal people like you and me that we can use to really effectively promote our music.
MTT Open, Networking, Promotion tagged Album Release July 24, 2013 Fence-sitting has no place in marketing and release plans. When planning a release or campaign around a tour, for example, it is integral to define your marketing strategy and make sure you give it your all. In a music marketplace that is saturated with artists (many that have a larger marketing budget than you), it has become even more difficult to stand out. Marketing endeavors or companies who are constantly saying “we’ll just give it a try for now, with a small budget” without the right care, attention to detail, and most importantly attitude behind it, will come across as half assed in the marketplace. Potential fans can tell when you’re not committed and it seeps into every aspect of a project in peculiar ways.
February 18, 2013 It’s still technically winter-time at the time of writing this post, but before you know it, it’s going to be spring and there’s a good chance that you’re thinking of releasing a new album. I’ve read at least a dozen articles with people who make sweeping claims like “Don’t release in January” that quite honestly don’t have any idea what the hell they’re talking about. When you should release your album depends on A LOT of factors and there’s no simple reason why you should pick one month over another. It all has to do with what your plans are AFTER the release. Let’s take a look.
Selling Your Music tagged Album Release, release January 21, 2013 For DIY musicians the old model of recording an album may no longer be relevant. Why make your fans wait, when you’ve spent so much time building that relationship. Release music more often to create more of a buzz, grow as a musician and keep your fans interested.
Developing a Strategy tagged Album Release, Music May 21, 2012 The first piece in this 3 part series discussed steps you should take before you start promoting a new album, such as having your online presence all in order. In Part 2, I will go over some basic elements for, yep you guessed it, promoting a new album.