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Music promotion
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Nectarios
Martian Arts
Started Topics :
187
Posts :
5292
Posted : Feb 10, 2011 14:11
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Quote:
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On 2011-02-08 07:13, minus wrote:
ok, so what i see happen all around me is,,, artist complete's 3-4-5 tracks, finds a small label( his friend from another country), releases a free net release, then hopes to get booking within his country, and maybe outside also, and they mayeb even to get picked up by a big label.. this is what is happening, and everyone is folloing this same formula.
so,what all changes do you think should be made to this approach, from an artist's point of view...
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None as far as we are concerned. It works for us, did not take too long either, released our first album with Ektoplazm in 2009. Released our second album with Ektoplazm in 2010 which got us gigs in Europe...so a combined 40k downloads and a new unreleased third album, we're playing our first big one this year http://sol-fest.com/index.php/en/line-up with the people that inspired us to make music in the first place. SO this whole process took something like two and a half years from the day Disco Hooligans were formed. And I think the most important factor was simply spending a lot of time in the studio, making tunes, messing things up, releasing mixes that make me cringe today when I listen to them (although they sounded good to me back then when we had a less critical ear and less experience), learning from our mistakes and simply moving on making more and better music.
We did get last weekend's gig in Holland and November's gig in Germany through myspace though. So having a page on-line where people will come across with your tunes on, definitely helps.
Peace out.
 
http://soundcloud.com/martianarts |
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vector_0
IsraTrance Full Member
Started Topics :
113
Posts :
1191
Posted : Feb 10, 2011 17:15
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^^myspace, really?
I figured that at this point, in 2011, having a myspace page was pointless, but now i'm thinking maybe i need one
http://soundcloud.com/rob-vector |
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Colin OOOD
OOOD/Voice of Cod
Started Topics :
95
Posts :
5380
Posted : Feb 10, 2011 17:26
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vector_0
IsraTrance Full Member
Started Topics :
113
Posts :
1191
Posted : Feb 10, 2011 18:21
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hey, along this same thread of conversation....
do you guys have a "demo" that you send to labels? I wrote to some all-free-netlabel and linked them to my soundcloud page but the guy wrote back like "thanks for your interest but please send us a link to your demo." All but a couple tracks on my SC page are available for download, so I have no idea what this guy was looking for from me.
http://soundcloud.com/rob-vector |
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Basilisk
IsraTrance Full Member
Started Topics :
168
Posts :
2984
Posted : Feb 10, 2011 18:39
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Send a link to an MP3 archive maybe?
SoundCloud is convenient for sharing music but it is also ambiguous if your purpose is to send a demo. My demo policy clearly states that I don't take links to SoundCloud because it is never clear what is released, what is actually part of the demo, what songs are incomplete or otherwise unavailable, etc. There is a way to group tracks into a set that you could title "demo for (netlabel)" and that might suffice.
It is also possible that the netlabel is looking for a more standard demo: a zip archive with a few complete songs in MP3 format, a bio or some release information in a text file, and maybe a photo or image or something. I tend to pay more attention to demos in this sort of format.
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Beat Agency
IsraTrance Full Member
Started Topics :
53
Posts :
1752
Posted : Feb 10, 2011 20:22
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Some labels should try to move into the new century and stop being so picky (most have fast ADSL connections these days). Honestly its a bad excuse if a label dont want to download a tune on SoundCloud as there's absolutely no difference in a down-loadable tune on SoundCloud and a zip/rar as you can have a description connected to the tune and your Bio on your SoundCloud page (photos aren't really that important in this stage).
You can even make direct links to your tunes on SoundCloud 
So no difference here (many labels say yes to Yousendit etc. links)
www.beatagency.dk |
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Beat Agency
IsraTrance Full Member
Started Topics :
53
Posts :
1752
Posted : Feb 10, 2011 20:54
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P.S! I am speaking in general terms and are not pointing fingers at anyone here. 
www.beatagency.dk |
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Basilisk
IsraTrance Full Member
Started Topics :
168
Posts :
2984
Posted : Feb 10, 2011 20:59
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Labels are picky for good reason: time is limited and demos are not. It isn't about the speed of the connection so much as the time invested in assessing the demo itself, whatever form it may take. Again, I speak from experience in saying that most demos are not worth the time to consider. I would really like to be helpful and listen to all demos and provide constructive feedback and nurture relationships that might grow in the future... it's a very good story! It sounds positive and would reflect well on my operation.
Sadly, the reality is that most demos are half-completed first experiments in Fruity Loops, what I jokingly refer to as "Fisher Price" psytrance, often sent in an email consisting solely of "hihi check out my trax: (myspace/soundcloud link)"... what can I say here except "continue working on it"?
On the other hand, demos that are close to the ideal I have written about on previous pages tend to feature much better music, some of which I have actually gone on to release (or at least refer to another netlabel--and they tend to heed my referrals so it is nearly the same to the artist). I have one of the most open policies for releasing music in this scene: any style (as long as it is psychedelic) no matter who you are as long as the music is good. I am proud of the fact that I publish a lot of experimental and unusual styles that might never gain commercial traction. Free music is a bastion of creativity and I don't like to shut anyone out, but I can't help everyone. Because demand is so high it is necessary to implement filters such as a stricter demo policy. I do not feel this is unreasonable. I would imagine other label owners have similar reasons for being picky.
In this thread I have taken the approach of outlining what artists can do to make their demo stand out from the crowd. Hopefully that advice still resonates. |
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Beat Agency
IsraTrance Full Member
Started Topics :
53
Posts :
1752
Posted : Feb 10, 2011 21:12
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I dont think we will agree
To me the music is most important in the first "meeting" with an artist demo. I only want to listen to the music and after that IF I'll release it all the rest will follow (usually you have to change the artists Bio's etc.).
To me it really does not matter if I get a link to a SoundCloud, Yousendit, zip/rar etc. All that matters is the music.
We can agree on bad/good music. But that's not really the issue we are debating here
Seriously what does it matter if it's a link to a SoundCloud download-able track, Yousendit or whatever other link?
I agree that I would never listen to a demo if it's a "listen to my Myspace player". But any other link to a mp3 (in good quality) will do with me www.beatagency.dk |
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Basilisk
IsraTrance Full Member
Started Topics :
168
Posts :
2984
Posted : Feb 10, 2011 21:23
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The music is indeed the most important component of the demo... all I've been saying is that ill-conceived messages are often associated with bad music. One way to make the process more efficient is to say "no Myspace links" and be done with it.
SoundCloud is a bit of a different case... when it first came around I started receiving lots of annoying song fragments that could only be streamed and such. Now people are using it more to host individual tracks that can be downloaded. That's fine.
Hey, would you like to volunteer your time to listen to some of the demos I receive? I've tried this several times before with eager applicants who give up after a week. Maybe you have the right attitude to make it work! Plus I could relax the demo policy and let people send whatever they want 
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Beat Agency
IsraTrance Full Member
Started Topics :
53
Posts :
1752
Posted : Feb 10, 2011 21:31
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Quote:
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On 2011-02-10 21:23, Basilisk wrote:
Hey, would you like to volunteer your time to listen to some of the demos I receive? I've tried this several times before with eager applicants who give up after a week. Maybe you have the right attitude to make it work! Plus I could relax the demo policy and let people send whatever they want
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If it was Tech House and House yes But I would not be a good Demo listener when it comes to 99% of the music you receive as its way away from my taste and knowledge
www.beatagency.dk |
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moki
IsraTrance Junior Member
Started Topics :
38
Posts :
1931
Posted : Feb 18, 2011 17:03
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))there is a very innovative new model of promotion - lets call it sound card give aways. i tell you, you announce a give away of your old sound cards , put a sticker with your project on the surface of the sound card, make a photo, post in isratrance and look for innovative "attention wealthy" people who might wanna buy the old things you dont need any more. if the person is not a "usual unknown person", but someone who has something to say, and gets lots of visits in his or her house, then it is a very powerful word to word instrument.) you can do it with the whole bunch of old equipment you have at home too. ))) you dont like the idea???:))
it is not so much about label chefs who get recommendations from someone else but it is mostly about the person who gives the recommendation to the label chef or generally establishes the publicity. you are all so great label chefs, and probably read already the basics of good public relationships, and know that you should never underestimate people who are multiplicators of ideas and have a lot to say because others simply listen to them. but you all give an impression as if you are only interested in the small circle of artists and artists' friends and not in the world outside.
and also a look outside of the usual closed circle of trancers would be very innovative. you see, if you have someone with lots of connections to the outside world and scenes, then he recommends your cd to 500 people who never heard trance and are likely to buy it out of curiosity because they never had a trance cd. with one person you reach 500 new potential persons.
your usual networks of trance artists will not establish such high curiousity in conversations of recommendations - you will only reach people who are already totally overkilled by trance and techno music and just dream for a day without any fuckin mail in their boxes with the next newcomer wanting to invade the world. .
actually i think there are quite a few good cds released in the last months too. but you promote them on a slightly wrong place. it is a market with a total overkill where you try to act. why not diversify your acitivities with new people, new targets of publicity? are you afraid that other people dont like trance?
and also, there was this conversation about the long tail, long time ago, http://forum.isratrance.com/dear-artist-how-many-copies-of-your-album-were-sold/page12/
the long tail can actually make a lot of money. but there must be a taste of " i buy something that nobody else has". we had it already in that discussion, which you as usual did not take seriously.
you would be well adviced to take a few things seriously. ))
but lets forget it, wanna make the deal with a couple of good soundcards? btw i could make a great advertisement for you on my web tv plattform and in times i used to work on that, i had over 20000 clicks for a video on my server. it was very easy to put a video ad in the beginning, one minute with a presentation of a label.
you prefered to make jokes in isratrance. actually you dont take the chances that life might have for you. )
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PsyGalaXy
IsraTrance Full Member
Started Topics :
68
Posts :
437
Posted : Feb 28, 2011 22:40
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PsyGalaXy
IsraTrance Full Member
Started Topics :
68
Posts :
437
Posted : Mar 24, 2012 22:54
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OzMike
IsraTrance Full Member
Started Topics :
148
Posts :
1681
Posted : Mar 25, 2012 04:43
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