| Author
|
Music promotion
|
minus
IsraTrance Full Member
Started Topics :
103
Posts :
1614
Posted : Feb 6, 2011 12:03
|
|
all i'm saying is keep a more open approach to what you recieve, maybe not all of it is crap, i dont know, there is should be a well defined way for the proper artists to follow, when they send their music in to some labels, so it doesnt get trashed without even being listened to, this leads the proper artists to ignore these labels in the future. maybe more constructive ideas should be shared, instead of what is already well known.
|
|
|
Mike A
Subra
Started Topics :
185
Posts :
3954
Posted : Feb 6, 2011 12:07
|
|
Then read my before last post again, carefully.
|
|
|
|
minus
IsraTrance Full Member
Started Topics :
103
Posts :
1614
Posted : Feb 6, 2011 12:17
|
|
i always had some idea in my head from the begenning that labels do help out their artists a lot. i was under the impression for a long time that a proper label, once they have taken in an artist, will take care of the artist for a long time, that means helping him grow, helping his sound grow, encouaring new technologyical developments, offering their studio for quality sound.,,., etc , but now its pretty clear out of a 100 labels maybe 1 or .2 r something, actaully even give a shit about their artists. for some reason i always believed that because of our human nature, the label/artist relation will be like a family, of caring and growth, of positive feedback, and checking of the negative approcahes,,but over the years maybe i have seen 4-5 labels do this,, out of thousands,, these days, maybe labels like sanaton, give that feel,maybe a few more,ofcourse it depends on the individuals who run the label, and egoists have no place in this love and warmth, but this is the proper relation between a label and an artist.hope some see what i mean.
|
|
|
|
Mike A
Subra
Started Topics :
185
Posts :
3954
Posted : Feb 6, 2011 12:30
|
I understood that you did not read it carefully.
Who said I do not take care of my artists? Who said I do not help them?
My artists are getting my full support (mostly financial, since goa trance sells like shit and we never get booked, but that's another story).
Each track is thoroughly reviewed. They get full promotion (while trying to not be an annoying spammer).
How is that even remotely related to the fact that my inbox is spammed by artists which have been writing music for 1 month and they think that they just made the next hit?
So you know what - if I am an egoistical piece of shit just because I have no fucking power to listen to loads of crap music arriving in my inbox, then so be it.
I am not alone in this. I opened this thread to put reality in people's face and give them tips for effective promotion of their own music. You can do with it whatever you want. You can either learn, and find original and innovative ways to promote yourself, or you can keep on crying on how egoistic labels are just because they didn't listen to your music.
I am sorry for the pissed of tone of this post and being rude and stuff, and I know I will probably regret this 5 minutes from now. But you pissed me off.
|
|
|
|
minus
IsraTrance Full Member
Started Topics :
103
Posts :
1614
Posted : Feb 6, 2011 12:50
|
the last post wasnt directed to u mike, take it easy bro, that post was my perspective on things, not intended towards you, ok and i am not crying or nothing about nothing. i am calling u an egoist because ur words say so, thats all, and if may correct ur ass, i am not the only one calling u one. the way you put forth ur thoughts , lead us to believe that u r 1. thats all. and its ok, dont be pissed, its just the net man, lot of bullshit talk, and bushit talkers, so chillout.dont take whatever is written too seriously, i dont, so chill. i am just saying all this, because this approcach, of not listening to promos sent to you,and caling all of it crap has to be changed, if not, how does a proper artist send out his music? why will they send out their music, if they think, it will be trashed immediately??!! thats it, i am trying to understand that, or find the reason why this approach is made, and what should be the correct approach, for not just an artist, but a label aswell,thats it.and as for me, i have experienced both no response and wonderfull responses from labels, and most of the time i do get responses, actually most of the time labels responded, most of the time. it depends on what you write in ur mails, along with ur promo, you must be stright forward, and clear in ur words,write about urself, who u r, what you do, how many years u been doin it, ur style of sound, maybe some vid's/pics of ur performances,a description of the sound, and dont worry about if you dont get responses from 1-2 labels, there r many many labels, and eventually the artist does get picked up by some good label anyway.so its all good
peace
|
|
|
|
Yestegan chaY
Yestegan Chay
Started Topics :
4
Posts :
91
Posted : Feb 6, 2011 13:28
|
Oasilisk wrote:
Quote:
|
I don't think you know Mike at all  He provides good advice for a lot of situations. Most label owners are overwhelmed with demos... and, speaking as someone who has, at times, attempted to actually get to every demo arriving in my inbox, the vast majority are complete garbage. I don't blame anyone who ignores unsolicited demos; it's a full-time job just to sort through what sort of stuff people think is release-worthy. I happen to have a non-zero rate of release based on unsolicited demos but it can't be much higher than 1%, and most of that would be established veterans calling on me, not new artists. Mike is right: the best way to get a demo heard by a label head is to draw the attention of a gatekeeper of sorts... a trusted friend or ally, for instance.
|
|
Mike wrote:
Quote:
|
You got me all wrong.
Like Basilisk said here (thanks alex), I get overwhelmed by music. I get lots of demos, and I do want to listen to everything - but everything is mostly the same crap (sorry for using such a harsh word). Eventually you lose interest in listening to demos, because carefully listening to 2 hours of crap just to find that one track is tiresome and boring. You end up with a preconceived opinion about demos you get, and psychologically it makes them sound less good, just because you got them in mail. Sad, but true. This has nothing to do with ego, nothing to do with disrespecting the artists.
Maybe as an artist it's hard to understand, but I want to see your opinion after 4 years of listening to endless below-average to total-crap music.
Just as Basilisk said - you have to somehow get past the "gatekeeper", because the gatekeeper is tired.
|
|
Right...I really dont know mike at all 
and i agree that connections are a good..but it is obvious.
anyway..im coming from the "psychill" genere which is still kind of small and underground and maybe i got a different prespective about this stuff..
but by reading your words i got the feeling that psytrance really became like pop or hip hop.
do you really get hundreds of demos every day?!
if so...u should get more man power for your label..cuase its not good for your soul to listen to so many tracks every day..what makes you ignore some of the artists eventually..
that is a "lose-lose situation"
im saying all this stuff cuase today its much easier to release your music by yourself and i truly belive that the amount of small labels will get lower and lower in the next few years..
so i think that if u want to stay alive in the buisness..u should get more respectfull approach..
im not saying u should listen to any demo imediatly..u can answer even after one month..but answer!...to ignore an honnest e-mail from a person who worked hard for his music its really disrespectfull..even if he makes a total crap!
and if u want to get less demos be more spesific with the words on your websites ! ask for one or tow demos...and if the artist will pass the "first level" (good technique,good sound,big titis  or whatever u are looking for) ask him to send more tracks...or i dont know..just think about your own respectfull way.
peace brothers
 Facebook - http://www.facebook.com/yesteganchay
SoundCloud - http://soundcloud.com/yestegan-chay |
|
|
|
Basilisk
IsraTrance Full Member
Started Topics :
168
Posts :
2984
Posted : Feb 6, 2011 14:58
|
|
This might be one of those things you just need to experience to understand... but speaking as someone who receives anywhere from 10 to 25 demos a week, responding to everyone or even listening to everything that is sent is not practical. If there were more "honest emails" from hard working producers then it wouldn't be so bad... but the signal-to-noise ratio is atrocious. Labels operate with limited resources. When your roster is already full sometimes all you can do is post "no demos please" on your contact form and ignore whatever comes in.
|
|
|
|
Yestegan chaY
Yestegan Chay
Started Topics :
4
Posts :
91
Posted : Feb 6, 2011 16:00
|
Quote:
|
On 2011-02-06 14:58, Basilisk wrote:
This might be one of those things you just need to experience to understand...
When your roster is already full sometimes all you can do is post "no demos please" on your contact form and ignore whatever comes in.
|
|
acceptable!.. so do it! say that u dont want demos..its ok!
but you (or actaually mike) cant advice people to not send demos to other labels cuase it sometimes considered as a spam or something like that...(thats the big picture i got from this post)
promotion it is importent and effective if you are smart enough to do it without letting people think you are a spammer.
so in the bottom line...u cant give promotion tips to artists from the point of view of a busy label owner who is tired from getting e-mails and dont want artists to send him demos..its an absurd!
thats why i said that mike should speak for himself.
Facebook - http://www.facebook.com/yesteganchay
SoundCloud - http://soundcloud.com/yestegan-chay |
|
|
|
Mike A
Subra
Started Topics :
185
Posts :
3954
Posted : Feb 6, 2011 17:53
|
First of all, I am also an artist (as you can see by my blue status here) so I know both sides of the story, including being ignored by labels. Now, as a label I also understand the reasons.
I didn't say "don't sent demos to labels". Please do, but do it in some non conventional way to stand out from the rest. You want to be the needle, not the haystack.
The entire post was about motivating innovation in promotion, not demotivating.
|
|
|
|
vector_0
IsraTrance Full Member
Started Topics :
113
Posts :
1189
Posted : Feb 6, 2011 18:04
|
from what i've observed and experienced, sending music to labels is a waste of time and energy. seems like hardly anyone actually listens to the songs, but just listens to your formula, reads how long the track is, and criticizes their pet sound (bass, kick drum, whatever the guy's favorite thing is). labels look at everything from a marketing standpoint, not valuing originality or story-telling.
Unless a label actively seeks you out wanting to give you money for music, I say fuck 'em. its too easy these days to release your own stuff without subjecting yourself to some dude's superiority complex. i think the whole artist-label-distributor paradigm is coming to an end within 3 years tops.
this is all from an amateur chillout artist's perspective....
http://soundcloud.com/rob-vector |
|
|
|
Beat Agency
IsraTrance Full Member
Started Topics :
53
Posts :
1752
Posted : Feb 6, 2011 18:10
|
My 2 cents on this topic having had a label that received more than 50 demos a week.
We (3 people) sat down and listened to every single demo and also replied back to every one (no standard reply). Basically it was done every Sunday and took us many hours. But it was worth every minute!
So why did we do it? Because of very logic simple reasons.
1. A newcomer might one day become the next big thing and if you treat him/her with respect and bother to use some time on him/her there is a big chance he/she will come back to you again with future projects. And frankly everyone sending you a demo deserve your time!
2. Your name in the business among artists. It's very important to have a good name (otherwise they will go elsewhere and you will loose opportunities) and we had a lot of amazing artists referred to us via other artists (signed or not) and music industry people who respected us for always having time to talk to them and give constructive criticism and advice.
My personal opinion as a label head and an artist for many years is this. If you do not take the time to listen to demos and communicate with all artists (one pearl among 100 demos is worth it all) you loose out on great opportunities, get a reputation among artists as being one of those many labels who dont really care about and respect them. Many artists see such labels as labels who only care about big names.
My 2 cents.
www.beatagency.dk |
|
|
|
Beat Agency
IsraTrance Full Member
Started Topics :
53
Posts :
1752
Posted : Feb 6, 2011 18:18
|
Quote:
|
On 2011-02-06 18:04, vector_0 wrote:
Unless a label actively seeks you out wanting to give you money for music, I say fuck 'em. its too easy these days to release your own stuff without subjecting yourself to some dude's superiority complex. i think the whole artist-label-distributor paradigm is coming to an end within 3 years tops.
this is all from an amateur chillout artist's perspective....
|
|
You forget one very important aspect of why a label can be very good for you. PROMOTION & PR. Many artists are their own worse enemies when it comes to promote themselves. Its not always easy to promote yourself(Have you ever tried to write about yourself? If yes you know what I mean).
And if it's a professional and serious label they will invest both time and money into proper promotion. Promotion is an old and successful tested tool. A label that know how to promote an artists the right way will not only be miles ahead of other labels. The artists will also gain a huge advantage no matter if the music is better than other artists with less or almost none promotion.
Now if a label does not know the first thing about how to promote their artists (many does not) then yes it's a waste of time working with those labels.
www.beatagency.dk |
|
|
|
minus
IsraTrance Full Member
Started Topics :
103
Posts :
1614
Posted : Feb 6, 2011 19:42
|
vector put it nicely,eventually they come, and that is what makes sense to me, and vector pls explain how u mean"the whole artist-label-distributor paradigm is coming to an end within 3 years tops".. should be good reading why the chillout scene thinks there will be a rather drastic change in the upcomming years ?
beat agent put it very nicely there! the promotion tho is not soo important, sometimes ppl tend to stay clear of such,but i cant disagree on it.
peace |
|
|
|
Beat Agency
IsraTrance Full Member
Started Topics :
53
Posts :
1752
Posted : Feb 6, 2011 19:48
|
Quote:
|
On 2011-02-06 19:42, minus wrote:
the promotion tho is not soo important, sometimes ppl tend to stay clear of such,but i cant disagree on it.
peace
|
|
I have to disagree. Promotion is everything! I do not speak about bad versus good music. That is not an issue as good music is the key too. But without proper promotion you wont get far.
www.beatagency.dk |
|
|
|
kukan-dub-lagan/ItaiTaiko
kukan-dub-lagan/ItaiTaiko
Started Topics :
144
Posts :
1728
Posted : Feb 6, 2011 21:06
|
Quote:
|
On 2011-02-06 18:18, Beat Agency wrote:
Quote:
|
On 2011-02-06 18:04, vector_0 wrote:
Unless a label actively seeks you out wanting to give you money for music, I say fuck 'em. its too easy these days to release your own stuff without subjecting yourself to some dude's superiority complex. i think the whole artist-label-distributor paradigm is coming to an end within 3 years tops.
this is all from an amateur chillout artist's perspective....
|
|
You forget one very important aspect of why a label can be very good for you. PROMOTION & PR. Many artists are their own worse enemies when it comes to promote themselves. Its not always easy to promote yourself(Have you ever tried to write about yourself? If yes you know what I mean).
And if it's a professional and serious label they will invest both time and money into proper promotion. Promotion is an old and successful tested tool. A label that know how to promote an artists the right way will not only be miles ahead of other labels. The artists will also gain a huge advantage no matter if the music is better than other artists with less or almost none promotion.
Now if a label does not know the first thing about how to promote their artists (many does not) then yes it's a waste of time working with those labels.
|
|
this is exactly one of the more important thing of a good label.
Check out my music page - free music , new style and more :) |
|
|
|
|
