| Author
|
To all artists concerned about the promotion of their releases
|
full_on
IsraTrance Team
Started Topics :
279
Posts :
5475
Posted : Jun 16, 2007 02:27
|
In the last few months I’ve been reading some artists complaining about releasing albums and not having feedback on it in the form of comments, reviews, bookings, etc... Also roughly a dozen different artists with releases out said to me on MSN, e-mail or PM something like: "It seems like my album is invisible", "we’ll be lucky to reach the 600 sold CDs mark" or "the label isn’t making anything about my release".
As sad as it may be around half of these artists are well-known and established names in the scene, which denotes that the situation is really difficult. On the other hand when I ask "what have you done about it?" they usually answer: "not much".
This is a HUGE mistake. Theoretically labels should promote and support their artists, but in the real world most labels can barely manage to stay alive. Of course this is no excuse for being incompetent enough to actually turn a nice album into an "invisible release". As I see it a lot of these so called "new labels" or "bedroom labels" are created just to promote themselves. If they can hardly avoid to lost money in every release how can someone expect they’ll find a way to promote the artists, fix bookings, etc, especially when they can’t even manage to promote their own releases because promotion also costs money.
This lack of promotion by the labels also happens with well known labels. Unless you’re signed under Hom-Mega, Com.Pact, Utopia or other huge label which can actually do something like "label tours" in profitable places like Brazil, you should start to watch your own back.
Thus here I present some realistic suggestions on how to proceed in order to make your music reach the ears of people who may actually enjoy it. Most of them are common sense, and all of them represent just my humble opinion:
- Promote your music yourself, not by spamming half of the world, but by making your music available for FREE. Good ways of doing this is to make some of your tracks available for free in mp3 and maybe even in full .wav quality. The realistic picture shows that probably before the release even 5 years old children will have illegally downloaded your full length album for free. Not to mention that no artist can live only with the money they make from their albums. As sad as it can be releasing an album is basically promoting yourself to get bookings and play at parties so that you can actually earn real money with your music. There’s no way to fight reality and if you check my homepage you’ll see that most artists I interviewed have other jobs in order to pay their bills.
- Have a website. This is important; a website with samples from your music, probably some full length tracks for free, pictures and Youtube videos, and information regarding your projects. Maybe a Myspace page can do the job, but a personal homepage looks professional and you can use your creativity to make it "look like your music". The bad news is that not much people will access it. The good news is that key persons will access it, and you can use it like your personal portfolio.
- When releasing an album make interviews on specialized media to promote it, and also place promotional mixes on the web and on radio if possible.
- Send PROMO to people you trust and think will like your music.
I mean the real CD, not mp3s which I personally found offensive, unfortunately anyone willing to have your music can easily download it probably before the release date, so sending mp3s as promo looks pretty much like spam to me.
For example, send 10 original PROMO CDs with a nice letter containing information regarding your project and release, and do not keep asking for reviews everyday. If only one or two persons review your release and another couple of guys make comments it will already be worth. I know it costs money to send PROMOs, particularly mail can be expensive, but it is still worth it IMHO.
Never send PROMOs as if you’re trading CDs for reviews. Give them away as gifts to people from whom you’d like to have feedback about your release. If they like it, great, if they don’t then you just stop bothering them.
- Also send PROMO to DJs that play music in your style, so that the sound system at parties and festivals can promote your music.
- If possible also go to the dance floor after playing Live or DJ Set and reach those people that were dancing and enjoying the music you were playing. If they’re receptive then talk to them, ask them for feedback and maybe give a signed copy of your album to some of them while saying something like: "this is some of the music you heard today". They’ll enjoy seeing "the artist" talking to them like a "simple normal person" and will always remember you. This is an excellent opportunity to get some feedback about your music and Live, and also giving free CDs at the dance floor is cheaper than sending PROMOs, in this case you can give burnt CDs instead of originals if you feel like.
- MSN, AIM and other instant message systems can be very useful in promotion, but they must be used with intelligence. A lot of people like to have artists on their MSN, however spamming will make you look annoying. Instead of sending them the tracks in your computer, politely ask them if they want the .wav or the .mp3 and send them a link to some fast file transfer site. Never send mp3s to DJs or to anyone who will play it at parties, it is disrespectful.
- Last but not least: make some real good original psychedelic music. There are people out there actually searching for good music instead of being focused into big names and commercial stuff. Promoting yourself will help, but it won’t make miracles: your music must speak for itself.
Respect!
  .
...Be gentle with the earth...
...Dance like nobody's watching...
.
...I don't mind not going to Heaven, as long as they've got Coffee in Hell... |
|
|
|
psybratt
Devic
Started Topics :
23
Posts :
442
Posted : Jun 16, 2007 03:24
|
Right-on! 
peace,
Devic |
|
|
|
Misha(Overlap)
Neogen / Overlap
Started Topics :
29
Posts :
281
Posted : Jun 16, 2007 06:44
|
|
good words!
Planet Ben Records |
|
|
|
orange
Fat Data
Started Topics :
154
Posts :
3918
Posted : Jun 16, 2007 16:10
|
|
Pavel
Troll
Started Topics :
312
Posts :
8646
Posted : Jun 16, 2007 17:51
|
|
Word!
Everyone in the world is doing something without me |
|
|
|
Nathan
IsraTrance Senior Member
Started Topics :
301
Posts :
3605
Posted : Jun 16, 2007 18:35
|
Well, for reviews In israel just mail me to: Nathan@Layla.co.il
and ill try to help if the music is good.
-=The Meaning Of Life Is To Give Life A Meaning= |
|
|
|
CLAW
CLAW
Started Topics :
117
Posts :
2738
Posted : Jun 16, 2007 21:35
|
|
nipun86
IsraTrance Junior Member
Started Topics :
11
Posts :
58
Posted : Jun 16, 2007 22:20
|
|
all problemz solved, well said bro
FUTURE IS NATURE, I'M STONED ,SO WHAT? |
|
|
|
d1m1tr1
Moderator
Started Topics :
76
Posts :
2168
Posted : Jun 17, 2007 00:59
|
|
chrysalid
Started Topics :
0
Posts :
32
Posted : Jun 19, 2007 09:29
|
|
#Liquidream2012#
Started Topics :
5
Posts :
96
Posted : Jun 19, 2007 20:48
|
wise words |
|
|
|
Shawnodese
IsraTrance Full Member
Started Topics :
141
Posts :
2339
Posted : Jun 19, 2007 21:53
|
Nice one full-on.....some good tips for those who begin in the business.....to whom I'd specially like to say that for example spamming me or others 20x a day with your new release (like Trancemoon Radio and some others tend to do) will NOT make me even get close to checking it....it makes me wanna block you rather then check your release. I don't need to get brainwashed by anyone of u out there, if I'd like that I'll simply go to the BVD (Dutch equivalent for CIA) ok:q: For the rest I got little to add here apart from that it's a good possibility for labels to get promotion in magazines and such by simply offering a certain amount of cd's as payment for the advertisement. That way you don't need to pay cash AND you have managed to get rid of part of your stock all ready as a payment for your bills....which means those people who took your cd's, WILL ACTUALLY SELL THEM AND WORK FOR YOU THAT WAY ! Because...of course they wanna make some money with it  Wishing all newcomers and labels lots of luck out there...and of course to all customers and consumers out there....support your local psytrance label/artists/scene and STOP downloading everything please. There is to much to buy it all...we all know that, but buy the stuff you really like to keep this unique music alive ! Thx 
Mind Funk Records
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
www.myspace.com/shawnodese
www.myspace.com/mindfunkmusic |
|
|
|
CRX(HSS Records)
IsraTrance Full Member
Started Topics :
97
Posts :
2707
Posted : Jun 20, 2007 01:39
|
nice thoughts but this is like monopoly u're talking about
plur
Helicon Sounds Music
www.hssr.gr |
|
|
|
Pedro_1
Started Topics :
7
Posts :
5
Posted : Jun 22, 2007 18:35
|
If anyone interested in reviews in Polish then please contact me:
psybient.net@gmail.com
EVERY CD I get will be reviewed in 2 weeks.
my website:
http://www.psybient.net
My taste? Psychedelic, innovation, experimentations - all kind of psy- music, from full-on, psytrance, goa, progressive to chillout, ambient, etc.
From 1st of January 2008 my website will be in English too, so any reviews will be in this language from that date as well. But till 01/01/08 - in Polish only.
Ishq is... everything |
|
|
|
Karash
Karash
Started Topics :
49
Posts :
485
Posted : Jun 28, 2007 15:42
|
Right Right Right !!!!
In fact you gave all the tips in order to be recognize, and also the will to succed, whatever the price it will cost in time or money ;-), and of course work, work, work more and more
Nia KOR |
|
|
|
kidding of course good work i hope all will read this and understand it!