There are times when every musician gets a writer's block and can't think anything to compose. One method to inspire creativity and revive this drought is through the use of synectic triggers. Synectic triggers are essentially words designed to inspire creativity. Within these words you have more specific commands or possible instructions. Here's a few examples.
Combine - Bring things together by connecting, arranging, linking or unifying. Make new mental associations that some may not necessarily make. You can apply this to music, for example arranging a harmony alongside a melody, linking certain instrument passages together or unifying different rhythmic textures.
Subtract - Simplify, omit or remove certain elements. Think what could be reduced, disposed of or eliminated. You could remove an instrument from a certain passage, leave out a rhythm or simplify a melody.
Add - Extend, expand, enlarge, or add colour. Can your idea be better developed by adding more? What else can be added to your image, object, material or idea? You could add distortion to a guitar, expand an instrumental solo by a few bars, or extend the octave range of a certain instrument.
Superimpose - Overlap, cover, place over or overlay. Overlay elements to produce new meanings, images or ideas. You could overlap certain instrument passages, overlay instruments onto a rhythm or place a new instrument over another.
These are just a few examples and there are truly endless options to trigger and inspire creativity in your music endeavours.
Here's a link to all the synectic triggers -
http://www.rawumber.com/education/level1/Synectics/synectic_triggers.htm
Thursday 31 October 2013
The Art Of Selling Music Online
With the abundance of online resources available to musicians, it's never been easier to sell music online. The problem is that it's so easy to sell music online that anyone can do it, and now you have an over-saturation of musicians flogging their material with little imagination, craft or originality.
The truth is that you should only have a respectable fanbase and some decent material before you even think about selling music. A respectable fanbase should be a few thousand fans minimum. After you've reached this target you should consider these steps:-
The truth is that you should only have a respectable fanbase and some decent material before you even think about selling music. A respectable fanbase should be a few thousand fans minimum. After you've reached this target you should consider these steps:-
- Develop a mailing list for your fans. Ask for an e-mail for musician updates and news and in return you give them a free track. Many bands have become successful this way by giving away free tracks and other merchandise during their development stage. However, from a producer perspective I have an issue with this. If I'd spent a long time to produce a track or album and then I or another musician gave it away for free, I would feel pretty underwhelmed for getting no monetary reward for my efforts. If you have this concern, consider giving away a high-quality demo or outtake of a track as a freebie.
- So you've given away a track or more for free and you've developed your fanbase and created a bit of buzz. You should then consider creating a bit of anticipation for your next release, either through a blog detailing the development of your music or by some clever promotion through an online video. If you take this stage seriously you'll keep your fans hungry and they will be ready and waiting for your next release.
- Now your at the stage where you have your finished masterpiece, more than likely an album or a collection of strong singles. Try to get as many online reviews of the album as you can, one of the most popular way being through blogs. Have great videos for your singles, post them online on YouTube, and with that well looked-after fanbase you're music will spread and go viral. You should offer all kinds of music-related merchandise, including DVD concerts, limited edition CDs, vinyl editions, extended takes of tracks, outtakes of tracks and any other music odds and sods. This way you'll keep your fans focused on the music. And all this time you'll use your growing e-mail list to keep your fans aware of these updates.
Tuesday 29 October 2013
Reference Tracks For Music Production
If you’re making music then you’ve probably got at least a few
musical influences, and from those influences you have a few tracks that have inspired you. These are you’re reference tracks, which you use to
model your own production techniques and musical ideas. Here are some
things to take note of when listening to your reference tracks.
Panorama – Listen to where the instruments are place in the mix. Most likely the drums and bass will be placed in the centre (although this is not always the case). Often you’ll hear synths, guitars, piano and leads placed on the left or right of the mix. Vocals are generally placed in the middle, but again, if the vocals are double-tracked then they may be placed on both the left and right side.
Tone and Dynamics – There is no definitive tone or perfect sound for a piece of music. This is when you have to judge the emotion of the music. Is it dark, atmospheric, punchy, mellow, or intense? These factors are particularly important if you want to give your music a signature sound.
Volume – Average volume levels vary considerably depending on what kind of music you’re making. Ambient and classical music is generally the quietest, and on the other end of the scale rock and pop music has the highest average volume levels. This is something to listen out for.
Use Of Effects – Listen out for equalization, compression, reverb and delay. There are many, many other effects to consider but in most occasions it is those four that are prevalent in well-produced music. Most music has EQ to cut away any unwanted noise, or to achieve a more desirable tone. All tracks will feature compression, which helps control the dynamics of each instrument, or the mix as a whole. Reverb is often used on a selection or all instruments to judiciously bind those elements together. Delay is often used on particular tracks to ‘beef up’ instruments, such as on synths and basses.
Improvements – Not many producers would tell you this, but when you listen back to your tracks, think how the mix could be improved. You might think the bass is too weak, or the drums are too loud, or that the vocals lack a bit of punch. This, of course, is entirely subjective. It may have been the artist and/or producers intention for the music to sound that way. This is not always an essential aspect to look out for but definitely worth bearing in mind.
These skills are essential for any budding producer, composer or songwriter if they want to make great mixes and develop an original style.
Panorama – Listen to where the instruments are place in the mix. Most likely the drums and bass will be placed in the centre (although this is not always the case). Often you’ll hear synths, guitars, piano and leads placed on the left or right of the mix. Vocals are generally placed in the middle, but again, if the vocals are double-tracked then they may be placed on both the left and right side.
Tone and Dynamics – There is no definitive tone or perfect sound for a piece of music. This is when you have to judge the emotion of the music. Is it dark, atmospheric, punchy, mellow, or intense? These factors are particularly important if you want to give your music a signature sound.
Volume – Average volume levels vary considerably depending on what kind of music you’re making. Ambient and classical music is generally the quietest, and on the other end of the scale rock and pop music has the highest average volume levels. This is something to listen out for.
Use Of Effects – Listen out for equalization, compression, reverb and delay. There are many, many other effects to consider but in most occasions it is those four that are prevalent in well-produced music. Most music has EQ to cut away any unwanted noise, or to achieve a more desirable tone. All tracks will feature compression, which helps control the dynamics of each instrument, or the mix as a whole. Reverb is often used on a selection or all instruments to judiciously bind those elements together. Delay is often used on particular tracks to ‘beef up’ instruments, such as on synths and basses.
Improvements – Not many producers would tell you this, but when you listen back to your tracks, think how the mix could be improved. You might think the bass is too weak, or the drums are too loud, or that the vocals lack a bit of punch. This, of course, is entirely subjective. It may have been the artist and/or producers intention for the music to sound that way. This is not always an essential aspect to look out for but definitely worth bearing in mind.
These skills are essential for any budding producer, composer or songwriter if they want to make great mixes and develop an original style.
Some Words About Sampling
Sampling is the art of taking one track or instrument from an existing song and then implementing it into your own music. It's a difficult topic to explain because it brings up so many issues regarding copyright, usability and it's necessity as a compositional tool.
The whole culture of modern electronic music was founded at least to some extent on sampling, and in the modern era many dance producers still use certain beat, instrument and even vocal samples. To some music cultures and genres this seems a betrayal of tradition. However, such is the range of technology available to composers and producers who implement samples that it's incredibly easy to make the samples sound totally different and original.
There are some cases when sampling is used that make it sound uninspiring and pointless. Take an electronic composer/producer when they use a dubstep sample and implement it into their own dubstep track. It's not very inspiring and sounds fairly unremarkable. However, if you took a classical sample and implemented in a dubstep track then that would sound very original and fresh, and that would put the used sample into a different musical context, or 'recontextualize' to give it it's fancy name.
Another factor with sampling is copyright. Many musicians have a royalties license from collection agencies like PRS and ASCAP. Composers/producers have to be extremely careful when implementing licensed music into their music, so they either have to pay mechanical royalties for use in their music, or risk getting a lawsuit filed against them because you can hear in their music that they 'nicked' a popular song. There are many good royalty-free tracks available online, so that's a good area to explore if you want to avoid the sticky issue of copyright.
Sampling is a very effective tool within music composition and production, so provided you can avoid the obstacles of copyright and stigma you could have a highly effective element to your music.
The whole culture of modern electronic music was founded at least to some extent on sampling, and in the modern era many dance producers still use certain beat, instrument and even vocal samples. To some music cultures and genres this seems a betrayal of tradition. However, such is the range of technology available to composers and producers who implement samples that it's incredibly easy to make the samples sound totally different and original.
There are some cases when sampling is used that make it sound uninspiring and pointless. Take an electronic composer/producer when they use a dubstep sample and implement it into their own dubstep track. It's not very inspiring and sounds fairly unremarkable. However, if you took a classical sample and implemented in a dubstep track then that would sound very original and fresh, and that would put the used sample into a different musical context, or 'recontextualize' to give it it's fancy name.
Another factor with sampling is copyright. Many musicians have a royalties license from collection agencies like PRS and ASCAP. Composers/producers have to be extremely careful when implementing licensed music into their music, so they either have to pay mechanical royalties for use in their music, or risk getting a lawsuit filed against them because you can hear in their music that they 'nicked' a popular song. There are many good royalty-free tracks available online, so that's a good area to explore if you want to avoid the sticky issue of copyright.
Sampling is a very effective tool within music composition and production, so provided you can avoid the obstacles of copyright and stigma you could have a highly effective element to your music.
Monday 28 October 2013
An Introduction To Film Composition
Film composition is a huge subject area in it's own right, and there many aspects to consider before attempting it. Here I will run through some terminology to help you understand music's effect in film.
Diegetic music - Where the sound is visible on screen or when the source is implied to be present by the action/story of the film. The most blatant example of this is a concert film of a rock band, where you can clearly see the band playing the music that your hearing.
Non-diegetic music - Where the source of the sound is not visible on screen. Any background music can be classified as this. It can be used to provide mood for the narrative, make reference to geographic location or the period of time of the story.
Leitmotif - Use of a musical phrase to identify with a particular character. The mood or emotion of the score could change dramatically when a character's 'theme' is introduced, such as when a hero comes to save the day. Often on many original soundtrack CDs you will find a track that make's reference to a particular character's theme.
Mickey Mousing - Where the music is synced with the actions onscreen. Can be used to add excitement to high-octane scenes and also to heavily exaggerate character actions.
Underscore - Musical accompaniment to dialogue. It should add to the dialogue of the film but not be intrusive or overbearing, as dialogue is more important in this instance. This could be used effectively in a plot twist, in which a character reveals something terrible to the audience and the music starts to turn darker.
Many of these elements work on a subconscious level, and you don't really start to take into account the music being used until you listen to it closely. There are many ways you can use these elements in film music, so it's a good idea to watch as many films as possible before you try them out yourself.
Diegetic music - Where the sound is visible on screen or when the source is implied to be present by the action/story of the film. The most blatant example of this is a concert film of a rock band, where you can clearly see the band playing the music that your hearing.
Non-diegetic music - Where the source of the sound is not visible on screen. Any background music can be classified as this. It can be used to provide mood for the narrative, make reference to geographic location or the period of time of the story.
Leitmotif - Use of a musical phrase to identify with a particular character. The mood or emotion of the score could change dramatically when a character's 'theme' is introduced, such as when a hero comes to save the day. Often on many original soundtrack CDs you will find a track that make's reference to a particular character's theme.
Mickey Mousing - Where the music is synced with the actions onscreen. Can be used to add excitement to high-octane scenes and also to heavily exaggerate character actions.
Underscore - Musical accompaniment to dialogue. It should add to the dialogue of the film but not be intrusive or overbearing, as dialogue is more important in this instance. This could be used effectively in a plot twist, in which a character reveals something terrible to the audience and the music starts to turn darker.
Many of these elements work on a subconscious level, and you don't really start to take into account the music being used until you listen to it closely. There are many ways you can use these elements in film music, so it's a good idea to watch as many films as possible before you try them out yourself.
The Beginners Guide To Soundcloud
Soundcloud is an online music platform where you can upload, share and discover music in a variety of ways.
You have the option of uploading a track in any file format you want to, whether it be MP3, Wav, FLAC, AIFFs and so on. You can upload single tracks, remixes, sets, demos, podcasts and any other type of audio you can think of. The fact that you've got this choice shows how incredibly flexible Soundcloud is.
So you've uploaded your tracks, and you want people to listen to them. One of the best ways is to add your track to a group that's tailored to the style of your music. There are thousands of groups you can share your track to, and it's a good way to start getting plays. You can also send messages to other Soundcloud users and share your track on a variety of social media such as Twitter, Facebook, Myspace and StumbleUpon. You can also provide links to your bands website or video links to your tracks.
You may find at first that your track is a bit of a slow burner, and you'd like to get a lot more plays and comments on your tracks. One of the best ways to improve this is to listen to other artists on Soundcloud and make comments based on what you've heard. Try not to say anything negative or abusive, but be constructive with your criticism and be detailed and specific with your compliments. After this those Soundcloud users will at least listen to your tracks in return. There is also the option to start your own group, where you can choose a theme or genre for the group and encourage other Soundcloud users to join. This is a great way to raise your own profile.
There are three different accounts available to you when you sign up - free, pro and unlimited. In a free account you can upload 2 hours worth of tracks, you can count plays, likes, comments and downloads. With a pro account you can upload 4 hours worth of tracks, get details on who is listening to your sounds and where they are in the world, and you also have spotlight mode, which lets you pin your sounds to the top of your profile. With an unlimited account you can upload as much audio as you want and you can find out what devices, pages and networks your audio is being played on. You have the option of a free 14-day trial on the pro and unlimited account if you just want a taste of those extra features and added audio time.
Soundcloud has a strong sense of community and is widely used throughout the world. It's variety and versatility make it a much more satisfying music platform than other music websites. It's focus is on new and under-the-radar talent, and if you follow some of the steps in this article you can really grow your fanbase.
Take a look for yourself - https://soundcloud.com/
You have the option of uploading a track in any file format you want to, whether it be MP3, Wav, FLAC, AIFFs and so on. You can upload single tracks, remixes, sets, demos, podcasts and any other type of audio you can think of. The fact that you've got this choice shows how incredibly flexible Soundcloud is.
So you've uploaded your tracks, and you want people to listen to them. One of the best ways is to add your track to a group that's tailored to the style of your music. There are thousands of groups you can share your track to, and it's a good way to start getting plays. You can also send messages to other Soundcloud users and share your track on a variety of social media such as Twitter, Facebook, Myspace and StumbleUpon. You can also provide links to your bands website or video links to your tracks.
You may find at first that your track is a bit of a slow burner, and you'd like to get a lot more plays and comments on your tracks. One of the best ways to improve this is to listen to other artists on Soundcloud and make comments based on what you've heard. Try not to say anything negative or abusive, but be constructive with your criticism and be detailed and specific with your compliments. After this those Soundcloud users will at least listen to your tracks in return. There is also the option to start your own group, where you can choose a theme or genre for the group and encourage other Soundcloud users to join. This is a great way to raise your own profile.
There are three different accounts available to you when you sign up - free, pro and unlimited. In a free account you can upload 2 hours worth of tracks, you can count plays, likes, comments and downloads. With a pro account you can upload 4 hours worth of tracks, get details on who is listening to your sounds and where they are in the world, and you also have spotlight mode, which lets you pin your sounds to the top of your profile. With an unlimited account you can upload as much audio as you want and you can find out what devices, pages and networks your audio is being played on. You have the option of a free 14-day trial on the pro and unlimited account if you just want a taste of those extra features and added audio time.
Soundcloud has a strong sense of community and is widely used throughout the world. It's variety and versatility make it a much more satisfying music platform than other music websites. It's focus is on new and under-the-radar talent, and if you follow some of the steps in this article you can really grow your fanbase.
Take a look for yourself - https://soundcloud.com/
Sunday 27 October 2013
Why A Career In Music Should Be Taken Seriously
I believe that there's a culture in my native UK that a music career isn't a proper one and that you should try and pursue something that's more realistic. I find this very annoying and patronizing given the amount of effort, skill, knowledge and creativity that goes into many different music careers.
Let's start with the career of a musician. There are many musicians who are gifted, talented and experienced, capable of playing many types of music to many different types of audience. This is could be a concert pianist, a rock guitarist or an orchestral musician - all with different skills and experiences but all equally talented. There are often too few opportunities for these musicians to show their talents in live venues and they often aren't paid enough for their profession, so often they have to have other jobs alongside this.
It is equally difficult to find opportunities in music production. I have a music production degree, and the pressure to find work in this area whilst trying to find a regular income makes my lifestyle very difficult. It's very labour intensive to plan, compose and produce your own material, and competition is fierce from other producers. I feel my effort and skill should be rewarded, but I also understand that there are many other producers in my position.
Then there's the business side of music. Often artist development staff need two years to break a highly successful band or artist. It would be very difficult for these artists and bands to make a living during these two years with the cost of trying to get them to a high level of finance, performance and musicality.
One of the main reasons people who aren't involved in music don't value it is because of their experiences of music. From childhood they may have been forced to play the recorder or a woodblock at school, neither of which are creatively satisfying and could potentially put you off music for life. Only a minority of students from my school were involved in the different bands and orchestras, so the one's who weren't involved didn't care or had no interest. It's this apathy that's carried through to adulthood and explains why many people have little value towards music and resort to piracy.
So it's important that I should emphasize this commitment and dedication people involved in music have, and no one should feel foolish for having aspirations to break into the music industry.
Friday 25 October 2013
The Truth About Music Streaming
Music streaming is a very popular outlet for many artists and bands to spread their music to a worldwide audience. Many believe that streaming is enough to make a living out of in it's own right. However, the amount bands receive from each stream is miniscule. This criticism has also been echoed by artists like David Byrne and Thom Yorke towards streaming services like Spotify.
It isn't right to say that Spotify is bad because it rips off artists. With over 20 million users, Spotify is a widely used music platform. Artists can make the most of this platform, and can scatter their music to a range of international audiences throughout the world with growing music markets. It raises profile of an artist or band throughout the world.
So in a sense Spotify and many other streaming services are not big moneymaking schemes for artists, but a great promotional tool that could be used to divert towards artists' merchandise and/or music website. However, Spotify doesn't point this out and can mislead a lot of artists thinking they're heading for success by music streaming alone.
In a few years Spotify will receive a significantly higher amount of paid subscribers and maybe then artists will get a better deal from streaming. Until then Spotify should be seen as an effective promotional platform for all types of artists, but they can't live off it.
Thursday 24 October 2013
The UK Vinyl Revival
In the UK there has been a strong and surprising vinyl revival. Vinyl LPs have reached the half a million mark for the first time since 2003. According to the British Phonographic Industry (BPI) vinyl now accounts for 0.8% of album sales, which might seem small but is actually a big improvement on the 0.1% the format commanded in 2007. In April this year independent record shops sold a massive £2 million worth of vinyl on Record Store Day, an event to celebrate the importance of said record shops.
So why this big vinyl renaissance in the age of digital music? It's largely down to the sound quality of vinyl records. Digital music sounds bright and incredibly pristine, but that also makes it sound clinical and cold. Vinyl sounds warmer and more immediate. Then there's the process of the listening experience - taking the vinyl out of the sleeve, putting it on the turntable, dropping the needle and sitting back to embrace the pure listening experience. It's an activity in it's own right and one where an album should be listened to in full. Then there's the artwork, liner notes and the added benefit of a download code for MP3s.
There's clearly a high level of intimacy associated with vinyl culture, and I believe this doesn't exist in MP3 culture, where playlists damage and overshadow the power of the album format, which showcases a band or artist's hard work and skill over many months. You don't even have to download full albums on digital platforms, just cherry-pick the best tracks. This takes away from the attachment that vinyl has to offer. MP3s don't feel like products, and many bands and artists give them out for free. A vinyl feels like it's been loved and cared over, tailored-made for your ultimate enjoyment. It also confirms that music lovers still buy records.
So in conclusion I think vinyl has had a great resurgence as a result of the musical isolation digital music has created, enhancing the album experience that the latter simply cannot emulate. Maybe in the future vinyl will become the dominant album format, but there's still a long way to go for that to be realized.
Here's a link to the BPI article on Vinyl's Resurgence.
http://www.bpi.co.uk/home/vinyl-revival-continues-as-lp-sales-reach-highest-level-in-more-than-a-decade.aspx
So why this big vinyl renaissance in the age of digital music? It's largely down to the sound quality of vinyl records. Digital music sounds bright and incredibly pristine, but that also makes it sound clinical and cold. Vinyl sounds warmer and more immediate. Then there's the process of the listening experience - taking the vinyl out of the sleeve, putting it on the turntable, dropping the needle and sitting back to embrace the pure listening experience. It's an activity in it's own right and one where an album should be listened to in full. Then there's the artwork, liner notes and the added benefit of a download code for MP3s.
There's clearly a high level of intimacy associated with vinyl culture, and I believe this doesn't exist in MP3 culture, where playlists damage and overshadow the power of the album format, which showcases a band or artist's hard work and skill over many months. You don't even have to download full albums on digital platforms, just cherry-pick the best tracks. This takes away from the attachment that vinyl has to offer. MP3s don't feel like products, and many bands and artists give them out for free. A vinyl feels like it's been loved and cared over, tailored-made for your ultimate enjoyment. It also confirms that music lovers still buy records.
So in conclusion I think vinyl has had a great resurgence as a result of the musical isolation digital music has created, enhancing the album experience that the latter simply cannot emulate. Maybe in the future vinyl will become the dominant album format, but there's still a long way to go for that to be realized.
Here's a link to the BPI article on Vinyl's Resurgence.
http://www.bpi.co.uk/home/vinyl-revival-continues-as-lp-sales-reach-highest-level-in-more-than-a-decade.aspx
Tuesday 22 October 2013
Sexualisation In Pop Music
There has been much outcry recently in the US and UK news about the sexualisation of the modern female popstar.
In a recent interview Charlotte Church said that she was put under pressure to wear revealing outfits from the age of 19. She also added that the music business is a 'male dominated industry' with a juvenile perspective on gender and sexuality. There has also been an open feud between Sinead O'Connor and Miley Cyrus about the latter's overtly sexual behaviour in her 'Wrecking Ball' video.
However, the sexualisation of female popstars is not an exclusively modern one. Artists like Donna Summer in the 70s, Madonna in the 80s and Britney Spears in the late 90s have all sexualised themselves for videos and live performances. It's because the fact that there is this legacy that modern female artists believe they must exert this image in order to be successful, therefore they subsequently feel less self-conscious when it becomes realized. And surely Charlotte Church must of known that there were elements of sexualisation involved in female pop performances! The main elements of pop music are fashion, which comes down to looking good, which inevitably has elements of sexualisation.
Because the vast majority sexualize they inevitably sell a lot records, which is good business for the artist and the record label, and any subsequent publicity created sells more records as it gravitates more attention to the artist. The sad fact is there are not enough acts like Adele who don't really sexualize themselves, create a great music performance and sell well.
I can't see female sexualisation ever being phased out in the music industry, as it's a commodity the industry can't get enough of.
In a recent interview Charlotte Church said that she was put under pressure to wear revealing outfits from the age of 19. She also added that the music business is a 'male dominated industry' with a juvenile perspective on gender and sexuality. There has also been an open feud between Sinead O'Connor and Miley Cyrus about the latter's overtly sexual behaviour in her 'Wrecking Ball' video.
However, the sexualisation of female popstars is not an exclusively modern one. Artists like Donna Summer in the 70s, Madonna in the 80s and Britney Spears in the late 90s have all sexualised themselves for videos and live performances. It's because the fact that there is this legacy that modern female artists believe they must exert this image in order to be successful, therefore they subsequently feel less self-conscious when it becomes realized. And surely Charlotte Church must of known that there were elements of sexualisation involved in female pop performances! The main elements of pop music are fashion, which comes down to looking good, which inevitably has elements of sexualisation.
Because the vast majority sexualize they inevitably sell a lot records, which is good business for the artist and the record label, and any subsequent publicity created sells more records as it gravitates more attention to the artist. The sad fact is there are not enough acts like Adele who don't really sexualize themselves, create a great music performance and sell well.
I can't see female sexualisation ever being phased out in the music industry, as it's a commodity the industry can't get enough of.
Monday 21 October 2013
Great Android Music Apps
There are some very sophisticated and useful music apps on the android phone market, many of which are free or have free versions. Here's a quick guide to a few great music apps.
Chordbot is an essential app for any composer or songwriter. It lets you create and play a variety of simple and advanced chord progressions. It is great for experimentation and accompaniment to guitar, piano or vocals. There's a massive range of chord types to choose from in all keys and inversions. You can alter the tempo, transpose the chords and create slash chords. Some of the complex diminished, sixth and seventh chords are probably more useful to experienced composers, and can sound very dissonant. However, this app can create song arrangements from absolutely nothing and it's good fun to play around with. Chordbot Lite is free, but you have to pay for the full version, which comes with extra features like extra instruments and exporting options.
Songo is essentially a chord finding app without the boring bits of music theory. It's a tool that helps you find chord progressions by joining chords of the same key together. You can create songs in 12 keys, transpose the songs or just have a good old mess about. The design does look a bit too kid-friendly, but that doesn't take away from the fact that this is a vital educational tool for songwriters of all ages, and can help you understand how one chord relates to another. This can be used alongside Chordbot for even more effective chord progressions. The basic free version is fine, but the full version can let you play around with altered chords in seventh and minor seventh variations, see each note of a chord and includes a hands-free auto-play mode.
Piano For You is a great piano app. It has a full piano keyboard (88 keys), you can record it, you can create custom instruments using samples, it loads quickly, it's completely free and has no ads! Even that description doesn't do the app justice, there's plenty to explore on this app and it provides hours of creativity and entertainment. I would personally like to see more keys on the screen to play with, but apart from that this app is fantastic!
For the more experimental music creator, Plasma Sound is worth a go. It is an instrument that acts as a theremin, continuum, keyboard and sequencer. When you touch the screen a note is generated. The left-right axis controls the pitch and up-down axis controls the volume. You can pick the note range, the waveform, tremolo, vibrato, delay and much more. Some of the controls should be used with caution, as they can create some seriously unstable sounds, unless that's your intention. The design is certainly very slick and it's completely ad and cost free!
There's plenty of variety and experimentation available to you with these apps, and are fine examples of how new technology can shape modern music composition.
Chordbot is an essential app for any composer or songwriter. It lets you create and play a variety of simple and advanced chord progressions. It is great for experimentation and accompaniment to guitar, piano or vocals. There's a massive range of chord types to choose from in all keys and inversions. You can alter the tempo, transpose the chords and create slash chords. Some of the complex diminished, sixth and seventh chords are probably more useful to experienced composers, and can sound very dissonant. However, this app can create song arrangements from absolutely nothing and it's good fun to play around with. Chordbot Lite is free, but you have to pay for the full version, which comes with extra features like extra instruments and exporting options.
Songo is essentially a chord finding app without the boring bits of music theory. It's a tool that helps you find chord progressions by joining chords of the same key together. You can create songs in 12 keys, transpose the songs or just have a good old mess about. The design does look a bit too kid-friendly, but that doesn't take away from the fact that this is a vital educational tool for songwriters of all ages, and can help you understand how one chord relates to another. This can be used alongside Chordbot for even more effective chord progressions. The basic free version is fine, but the full version can let you play around with altered chords in seventh and minor seventh variations, see each note of a chord and includes a hands-free auto-play mode.
Piano For You is a great piano app. It has a full piano keyboard (88 keys), you can record it, you can create custom instruments using samples, it loads quickly, it's completely free and has no ads! Even that description doesn't do the app justice, there's plenty to explore on this app and it provides hours of creativity and entertainment. I would personally like to see more keys on the screen to play with, but apart from that this app is fantastic!
For the more experimental music creator, Plasma Sound is worth a go. It is an instrument that acts as a theremin, continuum, keyboard and sequencer. When you touch the screen a note is generated. The left-right axis controls the pitch and up-down axis controls the volume. You can pick the note range, the waveform, tremolo, vibrato, delay and much more. Some of the controls should be used with caution, as they can create some seriously unstable sounds, unless that's your intention. The design is certainly very slick and it's completely ad and cost free!
There's plenty of variety and experimentation available to you with these apps, and are fine examples of how new technology can shape modern music composition.
Sunday 20 October 2013
A Short Guide To The 360-Degree Artist Deal
In the past 10 years one of the most recent developments in record deals is the 360-degree deal. A 360-degree deal involves artists sharing every type of income avenue they generate, which includes live performances, record sales, merchandising, sponsorship and endorsements. Essentially this deal works with the application of turning an artist into an entertainment brand.
One of the major benefits of a 360-degree deal is that they provide new opportunities for artists to maximize income from publishing, merchandise and sponsorship, therefore providing new revenue streams. It also helps record companies to sign bands that might not sell many records but have the potential to sell merchandise to their loyal fan base. Record companies also commit to bands for a longer period of time, as they are constantly sourcing new opportunities for them. It also creates better relationships between record companies and specialist music companies in artist management, marketing and online networking, because those specialist companies can provide cross-platform opportunities to artists.
However, this is type of deal isn't without it's drawback. The record company may take a large share of the artist's overall revenue because they are finding and monetizing so many different opportunities for them. The artist may feel that this is worthwhile for the amount of revenue streams they are getting. Some artists may not want to endorse themselves to a particular product or service that undermines their image. There is also great risk with this strategy. An artist may not recoup the cost of their own music with their other streams of income, which is bad for the record company and the artist. It's a case of going to the extreme and therefore creating the highest risk.
There is no doubt that a 360-degree deal can propel an artist into superstardom, provided that it's well strategized. If it isn't, this method could prove to be extremely unsustainable.
One of the major benefits of a 360-degree deal is that they provide new opportunities for artists to maximize income from publishing, merchandise and sponsorship, therefore providing new revenue streams. It also helps record companies to sign bands that might not sell many records but have the potential to sell merchandise to their loyal fan base. Record companies also commit to bands for a longer period of time, as they are constantly sourcing new opportunities for them. It also creates better relationships between record companies and specialist music companies in artist management, marketing and online networking, because those specialist companies can provide cross-platform opportunities to artists.
However, this is type of deal isn't without it's drawback. The record company may take a large share of the artist's overall revenue because they are finding and monetizing so many different opportunities for them. The artist may feel that this is worthwhile for the amount of revenue streams they are getting. Some artists may not want to endorse themselves to a particular product or service that undermines their image. There is also great risk with this strategy. An artist may not recoup the cost of their own music with their other streams of income, which is bad for the record company and the artist. It's a case of going to the extreme and therefore creating the highest risk.
There is no doubt that a 360-degree deal can propel an artist into superstardom, provided that it's well strategized. If it isn't, this method could prove to be extremely unsustainable.
Ways To Improve Composition Skills Part 2
In this article on composition improvement, I will be talking about dynamics, which basically concerns how loud or soft you make your music sound. Little tweaks to dynamics can make a big difference.
Placing a loud dynamic on the first beat of each bar is a simple but effective tweak. It can give a track momentum and impetus, and it also helps you keep in time.
You may also want to introduce consistently loud dynamics for choruses, by placing them on every beat of the bar. This adds impact and power to the chorus.
Very quick dynamics are also very effective. You should consider introducing rising dynamics on the beats toward the end of a bar, like on a pre-chorus, which can make the track very dramatic and exciting. You could start very quietly and end the bar very loud for maximum effect.
For a more extreme contrast, you could introduce very quiet dynamics on the beats of one bar, then very loud dynamics on the next. Repeat this process a few times and you have a very unusual sound texture.
Those are just a few ideas to consider for creating an excellent dynamic range, and can really add extra life and vibrance to your tracks.
Placing a loud dynamic on the first beat of each bar is a simple but effective tweak. It can give a track momentum and impetus, and it also helps you keep in time.
You may also want to introduce consistently loud dynamics for choruses, by placing them on every beat of the bar. This adds impact and power to the chorus.
Very quick dynamics are also very effective. You should consider introducing rising dynamics on the beats toward the end of a bar, like on a pre-chorus, which can make the track very dramatic and exciting. You could start very quietly and end the bar very loud for maximum effect.
For a more extreme contrast, you could introduce very quiet dynamics on the beats of one bar, then very loud dynamics on the next. Repeat this process a few times and you have a very unusual sound texture.
Those are just a few ideas to consider for creating an excellent dynamic range, and can really add extra life and vibrance to your tracks.
Friday 18 October 2013
The Best Music Websites EVER
After years of scouring the net for music resources, I believe there are three that stand head and shoulders above the rest - Allmusic, Audiotuts+ and Chordbook.
www.allmusic.com - This website has a huge database of band biographies, discographies and sample tracks. You can search these artists by genre, mood or through similar artists. Genres include rock, blues, classical, country, easy listening, electronic, folk, jazz, latin, soul and many others. You can also look at album recommendations as chosen by Allmusic's editors. Another feature is the detailed blog which includes sections on new album releases and specialist music. There is an infinite amount of appreciation and inspiration that you can gather from this site. In fact, I'd go as far as saying it's the most influential music website.
audio.tutsplus.com - This incredibly useful blog features tutorials on all aspects of music production and music theory. There are hundreds of articles, features, tips, sessions, resources and videos written by industry experts and professionals, and talented amateurs can earn money by posting articles on the website. You can also join Audiotuts+ Premium for more specialist production tutorials, although this will cost you a monthly or yearly charge. This is the best website to help you compose music, both theory and production.
www.chordbook.com - This doesn't quite pack the depth of the other two websites, but the simplicity of this website works in its favour. You can construct chords using the 'virtual guitar and chordbook' section. It features all the notes of the scale and 23 different types of chords. Once you have selected a chord you can save it and repeat the process a few times, and then you can listen back to that chord sequence in the 'my chords' section. You can change the strum speed from slow to fast and choose from either acoustic or electric guitar for playback. This is a great tool not just for guitar players but all kinds of composers and songwriters, as there are so many chord progression you can experiment with.
These websites are truly brilliant, and are sure to satisfy any music lover.
www.allmusic.com - This website has a huge database of band biographies, discographies and sample tracks. You can search these artists by genre, mood or through similar artists. Genres include rock, blues, classical, country, easy listening, electronic, folk, jazz, latin, soul and many others. You can also look at album recommendations as chosen by Allmusic's editors. Another feature is the detailed blog which includes sections on new album releases and specialist music. There is an infinite amount of appreciation and inspiration that you can gather from this site. In fact, I'd go as far as saying it's the most influential music website.
audio.tutsplus.com - This incredibly useful blog features tutorials on all aspects of music production and music theory. There are hundreds of articles, features, tips, sessions, resources and videos written by industry experts and professionals, and talented amateurs can earn money by posting articles on the website. You can also join Audiotuts+ Premium for more specialist production tutorials, although this will cost you a monthly or yearly charge. This is the best website to help you compose music, both theory and production.
www.chordbook.com - This doesn't quite pack the depth of the other two websites, but the simplicity of this website works in its favour. You can construct chords using the 'virtual guitar and chordbook' section. It features all the notes of the scale and 23 different types of chords. Once you have selected a chord you can save it and repeat the process a few times, and then you can listen back to that chord sequence in the 'my chords' section. You can change the strum speed from slow to fast and choose from either acoustic or electric guitar for playback. This is a great tool not just for guitar players but all kinds of composers and songwriters, as there are so many chord progression you can experiment with.
These websites are truly brilliant, and are sure to satisfy any music lover.
Wednesday 16 October 2013
The Surprising Scientific Elements Of Music
I use to only think of music purely as an artistic interest, but many aspects of music could not exist without science.
One scientific trait is in music theory. When you learn grade 1 and 2 british music theory the notation and musical understanding is fairly simplistic. However, as soon as you get onto grade 3 and 4, you need to develop an understanding of high technical theory, such as augmented and diminished changes, different musical clefs like the bass or alto, some tricky transcription and some increasingly difficult terminology. You get so exhausted trying to decode various compositions that they may as well of been written in Egyptian hieroglyphics. Almost all composition is factual - chord triads, chord progressions, major and minor keys and scales all have a particular science and therefore work in a particular way. This leaves less room for abstract interpretation or philosophical understanding. I can't instantly read sheet music and hear a composition in my head, I have to take time to read it before I can understand it.
The second scientific trait is in music production. Before the days of abundant and affordable music hardware and software, the role of a sound engineer or studio assistant was completely scientific. The hardware consisted of generators or analog tapedesks, and these required a highly competent understanding of physics in order to be fully utilized. These people were more science boffins than music enthusiasts. You still have these experts, but they are involved in more specialized subjects like acousmatics or psychoasoustics. That doesn't mean to say there are less scientific processes in modern music production - far from it. Using the right microphone to record audio requires some scientific understanding of polar patterns. Effective audio compression involves controlling dynamics with accurate ratio, threshold, attack and release settings. Equalization is a highly complex frequency process that changes a track's tone. The art of mixing isn't really an art of all, it's all about keeping a balanced audio spread and making sure the levels are correct. You have a lot of creative leverage within modern technology, but the best processes are usually tried and tested settings.
The third scientific trait is in performance. The way in which an orchestra performs is systematic - certain instruments may play louder in certain sections of a composition, and the combination of instruments playing produces a rich palette of harmonies, melodies and counter-melodies. All this requires some knowledge of tonality, or in some cases, atonality. Less prevalent in classical music but more prevalent in popular music is tuning, especially when instruments or voices can only sound pleasing if they are in tune, which is another scientific trait. If an instrument or voice is out of tune then quite often it sounds horribly flat (this is not the case in jazz or blues), so precise tuning is essential in live performance.
The last scientific trait is in music business. Many labels sign bands largely down to facts and figures from online media, which include Itunes downloads, YouTube plays, Facebook friends, Google Analytics and many other sources of metadata. Radio 1 only select artists with good metadata. This example can be a negative aspect of science's impact on music, because many good artists and bands do not get signed or played on national radio stations because of poor metadata.
These examples show how important science is to music, although that does not mean we should be entirely dependent on it.
One scientific trait is in music theory. When you learn grade 1 and 2 british music theory the notation and musical understanding is fairly simplistic. However, as soon as you get onto grade 3 and 4, you need to develop an understanding of high technical theory, such as augmented and diminished changes, different musical clefs like the bass or alto, some tricky transcription and some increasingly difficult terminology. You get so exhausted trying to decode various compositions that they may as well of been written in Egyptian hieroglyphics. Almost all composition is factual - chord triads, chord progressions, major and minor keys and scales all have a particular science and therefore work in a particular way. This leaves less room for abstract interpretation or philosophical understanding. I can't instantly read sheet music and hear a composition in my head, I have to take time to read it before I can understand it.
The second scientific trait is in music production. Before the days of abundant and affordable music hardware and software, the role of a sound engineer or studio assistant was completely scientific. The hardware consisted of generators or analog tapedesks, and these required a highly competent understanding of physics in order to be fully utilized. These people were more science boffins than music enthusiasts. You still have these experts, but they are involved in more specialized subjects like acousmatics or psychoasoustics. That doesn't mean to say there are less scientific processes in modern music production - far from it. Using the right microphone to record audio requires some scientific understanding of polar patterns. Effective audio compression involves controlling dynamics with accurate ratio, threshold, attack and release settings. Equalization is a highly complex frequency process that changes a track's tone. The art of mixing isn't really an art of all, it's all about keeping a balanced audio spread and making sure the levels are correct. You have a lot of creative leverage within modern technology, but the best processes are usually tried and tested settings.
The third scientific trait is in performance. The way in which an orchestra performs is systematic - certain instruments may play louder in certain sections of a composition, and the combination of instruments playing produces a rich palette of harmonies, melodies and counter-melodies. All this requires some knowledge of tonality, or in some cases, atonality. Less prevalent in classical music but more prevalent in popular music is tuning, especially when instruments or voices can only sound pleasing if they are in tune, which is another scientific trait. If an instrument or voice is out of tune then quite often it sounds horribly flat (this is not the case in jazz or blues), so precise tuning is essential in live performance.
The last scientific trait is in music business. Many labels sign bands largely down to facts and figures from online media, which include Itunes downloads, YouTube plays, Facebook friends, Google Analytics and many other sources of metadata. Radio 1 only select artists with good metadata. This example can be a negative aspect of science's impact on music, because many good artists and bands do not get signed or played on national radio stations because of poor metadata.
These examples show how important science is to music, although that does not mean we should be entirely dependent on it.
Tuesday 15 October 2013
The Best And Worst Aspects Of Classical Music
Classical
music is the one of the oldest music genres, with a wide variety of
styles within in it. It is one of the finest of arts but also
difficult for modern music lovers to interpret. Why is this the case?
It
is one of the most technical and challenging musical forms. The
styles within it - chamber music, choral music, symphonies,
concertos, ballets, sonatas and operas - all possess a huge level of
finesse and elegance. The level of composition requires years and
years of training, and most of the music has a breathtaking delivery from the finest musicians on the planet. It also cemented a permanent
influence on the popular music that followed it in the 20th century.
However,
this highly refined and technically demanding genre has a series of
drawbacks made out of its own benefits. The level of composition is
so brutal and difficult that the end results often sound
over-elaborate and exhausting to listen to. When have people really
got time to listen to a 30 minute sonata with their full undivided
attention? The level of concentration required to listen to most
classical music is not huge but off the scale. Another drawback is
the unfamiliarity of listening to instruments that aren't
pigeon-holed with the popular music conscientiousness, at least in
most occasions. There is also the difficulty in learning to compose
and/or play classical music – you can't easily emulate a concerto
like you could with a pop song.
There
is still an outlet for classical music, and that is with film
composition. Many classically trained composers turn their hand to
film, as this medium provides a platform for their more ambitious,
dynamic and dramatic compositions. Many factual TV programs include
classical background music, although this is often in a condensed
time.
Monday 14 October 2013
Ways To Improve Composition Skills Part 1
There are some ways that you can craft highly competent composition skills, both on a music and a production level.
- Listen to close harmony singing - You should take time listening to classic close harmony groups like The Beatles, The Byrds, The Beach Boys and Simon and Garfunkel. These groups are particularly good because of the wealth of harmonies and melodies combined from very simple tunes. You can pick out particular harmonies and melodies and learn the craft of arrangement in tunes.
- Listen to a variety of different rhythms - You should also invest time in listening to a range of rhythms from around the world. With Cuban Music you have a lot of polyrhythms i.e. two separate rhythms played at the same time. Irish jigs have 6 beats to every bar. The waltz is another very distinctive pattern, played in 3/4 time. Listen to complex rhythms in jazz genres. This is only a small description of the huge cornucopia of rhythms to listen to.
- Listen to different genres for production techniques - dance music is particular sub-bass heavy, with some variation between subgenres. Pop music has very up-front vocals, and folk music has a much more natural production style. Rock and metal is very guitar-heavy and a lot of vocal music has very sparse and little arrangement around the vocals. After careful listening you'll develop important distinctions between different genres and between different artists.
- Find common chord progressions - You'll find a lot of websites that list common chord progressions ranging from classical to popular music. This is a very easy method to writing initial tracks or compositions, and is the perfect platform to build your own sound and arrangement on.
Sunday 13 October 2013
The Future Of The Music Business
With some research, experience and knowledge, here are my predictions for the music business in the next year or so.
Huge boost in subscription levels - musicians will experience a greater boost in YouTube channel subscriptions with the emergence of new music economies (particularly in Brazil and India). This also applies to Spotify subscriptions.
Greater mobile device usage - With the globalisation of smartphones, there will a greater percentage of music, including mobile music streaming, with many people paying music through their mobile devices.
Increase in live ticket and album packages - There will be a greater number of bands selling both live tickets for gigs and albums in a single package. This model has worked very well in Latin America and is sure to catch on in the rest of the world, if not already.
So that's a small glimpse into the future. Hopefully these changes will add to the wealth of markets available to musicians and fans alike.
Huge boost in subscription levels - musicians will experience a greater boost in YouTube channel subscriptions with the emergence of new music economies (particularly in Brazil and India). This also applies to Spotify subscriptions.
Greater mobile device usage - With the globalisation of smartphones, there will a greater percentage of music, including mobile music streaming, with many people paying music through their mobile devices.
Increase in live ticket and album packages - There will be a greater number of bands selling both live tickets for gigs and albums in a single package. This model has worked very well in Latin America and is sure to catch on in the rest of the world, if not already.
So that's a small glimpse into the future. Hopefully these changes will add to the wealth of markets available to musicians and fans alike.
Make Your Instruments Sound Better
One of the most important stages and aspects of music production is the tone of each instrument, which is achieved through equalization. Equalization manipulates the volume of a certain frequency bandwidth in an audio track, ranging from the lower 0-20hz right up to the high end of 20khz.
Here are some ideal frequencies for certain instruments, but this is by no means a definitive guide. For the sake of argument, I have chosen four instruments - drums/beats, bass, guitar and vocals.
Drums/beats - For kick drums, you want a lot of chunky depth and sub-bass, which is more of a rumble or feel than a distinctive frequency. Boost the frequency around 30-70hz, and that should add a fullness. For cymbals and hi-hats, you want to boost the frequencies in the higher echelons, around 3-5khz, to give those parts more snap and presence.
Bass - Similar to the kick drum, you want to boost the frequency in the bottom end. perhaps around 60-80hz, ensuring you get a booming, fat bass sound. Some bass harmonics appear in the high end, but not too high, and you can add this texture if you boost around 1-2khz.
Guitar - Most guitar frequencies are prominent in the mid-range, so you want to boost around 600-800hz for a warm guitar sound. You may want to boost the frequencies a bit higher if you want to add distortion.
Vocals - This is by far the most complex frequency range to master, as the voice has one of the widest. To add some brilliance, boost at the very high end, around 8-10khz. You may wish to cut the frequencies at the bottom end to make the vocals sound crispier.
So there are some ideas to start with. There are many other variations and desired sounds for these instruments, but the ideas mentioned are certainly effective.
Here are some ideal frequencies for certain instruments, but this is by no means a definitive guide. For the sake of argument, I have chosen four instruments - drums/beats, bass, guitar and vocals.
Drums/beats - For kick drums, you want a lot of chunky depth and sub-bass, which is more of a rumble or feel than a distinctive frequency. Boost the frequency around 30-70hz, and that should add a fullness. For cymbals and hi-hats, you want to boost the frequencies in the higher echelons, around 3-5khz, to give those parts more snap and presence.
Bass - Similar to the kick drum, you want to boost the frequency in the bottom end. perhaps around 60-80hz, ensuring you get a booming, fat bass sound. Some bass harmonics appear in the high end, but not too high, and you can add this texture if you boost around 1-2khz.
Guitar - Most guitar frequencies are prominent in the mid-range, so you want to boost around 600-800hz for a warm guitar sound. You may want to boost the frequencies a bit higher if you want to add distortion.
Vocals - This is by far the most complex frequency range to master, as the voice has one of the widest. To add some brilliance, boost at the very high end, around 8-10khz. You may wish to cut the frequencies at the bottom end to make the vocals sound crispier.
So there are some ideas to start with. There are many other variations and desired sounds for these instruments, but the ideas mentioned are certainly effective.
Saturday 12 October 2013
The Most Important Trait All Musicians Should Have
There is one thing that every musician should have - an ultimate goal. It could be to make an album, it could be radio airplay, it could be playing a successful gig. Forward planning is essential, and can help turn all that motivation, skill and passion into great art.
Friday 11 October 2013
How Musicians Can Use Their YouTube Channel Effectively
If your a band or artist you might be thinking of making or have made music videos. You will almost certainly want to upload these onto YouTube. Over 800 million people use YouTube, and you can attract a large amount of subscribers if you know how to manage your channel effectively. Here's how.
- Have a great video - This is the easiest and obvious way to get plenty of viewers and/or subscribers. Although it should not rest on the quality of the video alone. The music has to be good too, and the visuals should combine well with the music. This is what turns a good video into a highly memorable video, especially if the visuals are original. Try to avoid cliched videos - such as having the band play in the video, as this has been done millions of times and has absolutely no imagination to it.
- Have a few videos ready - If you only have one video uploaded then there's a good chance your online audience will lose interest, so make sure you have a few videos uploaded to keep them happy. There will inevitably be times when you don't have any new videos to upload, so during this time you should favourite videos on other channels that you like, preferably ones that are related to your own work.
- Keep your videos short - The reality of YouTube is that most people won't watch a 20 minute epic of your music, if you make it that long. Even at 5 minutes you may struggle to keep them watching for the whole duration. It's far easier to condense and make a great 2 or 3 minute video instead of making anything longer. You have only so much allocation time before your audience switches attention to another video.
- Include plenty of tags - Make sure you put plenty of words relevant to the video and your band in the tags option, so that you appear more in searches. This optimization is vital to ensure you reach a large audience.
- Have a short description - Most people only read the first two lines of the description box for each video, so make sure you post a link to your website and also to remind them to subscribe to your YouTube channel.
- Avoid automated YouTube plays - Many websites guarantee you a large amount of views or plays for your video in exchange for money. YouTube are trying to crack down on this, and if you try to pursue this option your video may be taken offline and they could suspend your channel.
- Consider collaborating - You can share ideas with other YouTube channel makers and explore new areas. With this idea you are creating leverage from your collaborators channel and so you will gain new subscribers to your channel, and vice versa.
- Always mention to subscribe - After every video you should remind your audience to subscribe to your channel, so they are kept informed about any new videos you've uploaded.
Those are useful points to make the best out of YouTube for you or band, and if you adapt to those then you will have a very successful YouTube channel.
- Have a great video - This is the easiest and obvious way to get plenty of viewers and/or subscribers. Although it should not rest on the quality of the video alone. The music has to be good too, and the visuals should combine well with the music. This is what turns a good video into a highly memorable video, especially if the visuals are original. Try to avoid cliched videos - such as having the band play in the video, as this has been done millions of times and has absolutely no imagination to it.
- Have a few videos ready - If you only have one video uploaded then there's a good chance your online audience will lose interest, so make sure you have a few videos uploaded to keep them happy. There will inevitably be times when you don't have any new videos to upload, so during this time you should favourite videos on other channels that you like, preferably ones that are related to your own work.
- Keep your videos short - The reality of YouTube is that most people won't watch a 20 minute epic of your music, if you make it that long. Even at 5 minutes you may struggle to keep them watching for the whole duration. It's far easier to condense and make a great 2 or 3 minute video instead of making anything longer. You have only so much allocation time before your audience switches attention to another video.
- Include plenty of tags - Make sure you put plenty of words relevant to the video and your band in the tags option, so that you appear more in searches. This optimization is vital to ensure you reach a large audience.
- Have a short description - Most people only read the first two lines of the description box for each video, so make sure you post a link to your website and also to remind them to subscribe to your YouTube channel.
- Avoid automated YouTube plays - Many websites guarantee you a large amount of views or plays for your video in exchange for money. YouTube are trying to crack down on this, and if you try to pursue this option your video may be taken offline and they could suspend your channel.
- Consider collaborating - You can share ideas with other YouTube channel makers and explore new areas. With this idea you are creating leverage from your collaborators channel and so you will gain new subscribers to your channel, and vice versa.
- Always mention to subscribe - After every video you should remind your audience to subscribe to your channel, so they are kept informed about any new videos you've uploaded.
Those are useful points to make the best out of YouTube for you or band, and if you adapt to those then you will have a very successful YouTube channel.
Wednesday 9 October 2013
Do Online Music Resources Dilute Or Help Musicians?
Musicians have a whole arsenal of
resources available to them on the web. Many specialize in music
theory, production techniques, marketing and promoting resources and
advice, music business news, online music platforms,
even sites where fans can donate money to musicians, in exchange for
a limited edition album.
Do these resources dilute or add to a
musicians success?
One of the problems with promotion and
marketing tips is that there easily imitable, so if one musician does
it than there's bound to be someone else that follows. This might be
a Youtube Video that's easy to make. Production knowledge is also
easy to be copied, and subsequently you go on any music platform like
someone and you hear loads of musicians doing exactly the same kind
of music. It is also a bad influence on other musicians.
On the flipside, there are many
benefits from using a combination of these resources. If you learn a
good level of music theory and develop sound production skills, both
from online resources, then you will create a more unique and
distinctive sound in your own music. Distinctiveness is absolute gold
dust. It also pays off not to get carried away with overloading your
platforms of online music access – instead of having your music on
Bandcamp, Myspace, Soundcloud and Reverbnation why not just have it
on one of them? You can then give that platform your undivided
attention.
Restraint and control with online music
resources is the effective way, instead of getting carried away with
too much.
The Very Simple Science Of Pop Music
The very simple science of pop music
goes like this:
- Write a common chord progression
- Have a verse/chorus structure repeated three times
- Add a novel or unusual element
- Keep it three or four minutes long
And that's it! This sequence can be
interpreted in many different ways, but with this basic formula you
will have the makings of a pop song.
The Importance Of In-House Artist Development
One key area for a label or record
company is their artist development. More
specifically, they must decide whether or not to promote and market a
band immediately, or give them time to develop. The latter option is
very important – here's why.
Many artists come into labels as raw and unrefined, like raw goods essentially. They have plenty of promise but there maybe some doubt about their musical quality or sound. With artist development, an artist has the time to craft and develop their musical repertoire over a few or even possibly several years. They can learn new compositional and production knowledge, adapt to the business practice of the industry and build a solid network of contacts. This turns a promising musician into a well-rounded, confident one.
One artist from the past who took this route was David Bowie. Despite having an early hit in his youth, it was after five years of artist development that he became a pop mega star with Ziggy Stardust. He was given time to develop and craft his arty and innovative style, and became largely a huge success throughout the seventies because of years of artist development.
There are issues with this strategy. It is very time-poor and can be very costly to a label or record company, who want to have a ready-made product to sell. It makes more financial sense for them to approach an artist who already has an established fan base and tailored to a specific market or genre. There's also the problem that developing an artist won't pay off in the long run simply because of bad development or just plain impatience.
So, artist development can be highly effective, but the key to it's success is giving an artist the right amount of time and taking them into the right direction.
Many artists come into labels as raw and unrefined, like raw goods essentially. They have plenty of promise but there maybe some doubt about their musical quality or sound. With artist development, an artist has the time to craft and develop their musical repertoire over a few or even possibly several years. They can learn new compositional and production knowledge, adapt to the business practice of the industry and build a solid network of contacts. This turns a promising musician into a well-rounded, confident one.
One artist from the past who took this route was David Bowie. Despite having an early hit in his youth, it was after five years of artist development that he became a pop mega star with Ziggy Stardust. He was given time to develop and craft his arty and innovative style, and became largely a huge success throughout the seventies because of years of artist development.
There are issues with this strategy. It is very time-poor and can be very costly to a label or record company, who want to have a ready-made product to sell. It makes more financial sense for them to approach an artist who already has an established fan base and tailored to a specific market or genre. There's also the problem that developing an artist won't pay off in the long run simply because of bad development or just plain impatience.
So, artist development can be highly effective, but the key to it's success is giving an artist the right amount of time and taking them into the right direction.
Monday 7 October 2013
The Changing Role Of The Music Performer
It use to be simple. In the past bands and artists would play gigs or concerts to an audience and get paid.
However, with the emergence of turntablism as a popular performance act in the 1980s DJs were the new breed of performer. They seamlessly blended disparate textures to create a unique new sound, despite not actually using any traditional instrumentation, or having any artistic credits on the records they played.
Roll on a couple decades and you had (and still have) X-Factor, a show that makes regular people's dreams of pop superstardom turn into a reality. At least for a short while. Contestants perform to a panel of judges who decide whether they have the credentials to be a pop star, and culminates with many of them being voted off the show. Combine this with millions of primetime viewers and you have a major entertainment show. Some don't even watch it for the best singers - many of the bad singers are just as entertaining. However, because the stakes are so high many contestants are totally devastated when they lose (and the few that win are beyond ecstatic).
With the power of the Internet there is now a website where artists and bands all over the world can perform to a virtual audience. Artists and bands on Stageit.com can create and perform interactive monetized shows to audiences all over the world who are willing to pay. This gives a different meaning to performance, but also takes away the real interaction with fans and listeners.
These three examples show how changing technologies and new forms of entertainment have had a revolutionary change in the way a musician performs to its audience.
However, with the emergence of turntablism as a popular performance act in the 1980s DJs were the new breed of performer. They seamlessly blended disparate textures to create a unique new sound, despite not actually using any traditional instrumentation, or having any artistic credits on the records they played.
Roll on a couple decades and you had (and still have) X-Factor, a show that makes regular people's dreams of pop superstardom turn into a reality. At least for a short while. Contestants perform to a panel of judges who decide whether they have the credentials to be a pop star, and culminates with many of them being voted off the show. Combine this with millions of primetime viewers and you have a major entertainment show. Some don't even watch it for the best singers - many of the bad singers are just as entertaining. However, because the stakes are so high many contestants are totally devastated when they lose (and the few that win are beyond ecstatic).
With the power of the Internet there is now a website where artists and bands all over the world can perform to a virtual audience. Artists and bands on Stageit.com can create and perform interactive monetized shows to audiences all over the world who are willing to pay. This gives a different meaning to performance, but also takes away the real interaction with fans and listeners.
These three examples show how changing technologies and new forms of entertainment have had a revolutionary change in the way a musician performs to its audience.
The Best And Worst Products Musicians Sell To Fans
The increase in the range of merchandise and added-value goods has provided a real goldmine for all types of musicians, but what goods are of real worth?
The best products are the ones that are related directly to the music - tickets to gigs, limited edition CDs, live videos of concerts and performances, music tuition and instrument kits.
Then there is the worst - the ones that seemingly have almost no relevance to music whatsoever. These include locks of hair, necklaces, nauseating photo books and a lot of clothing merchandise.
The amount of products in the worst category seems to give off a smack of desperation from the artist, and may even reflect an insecurity from the artist with the most important aspect - their own music.
Musicians should know that their fans want their music more than their superficial goods, and I would certainly prefer it if a fan had an album of mine rather than just a T-Shirt.
The best products are the ones that are related directly to the music - tickets to gigs, limited edition CDs, live videos of concerts and performances, music tuition and instrument kits.
Then there is the worst - the ones that seemingly have almost no relevance to music whatsoever. These include locks of hair, necklaces, nauseating photo books and a lot of clothing merchandise.
The amount of products in the worst category seems to give off a smack of desperation from the artist, and may even reflect an insecurity from the artist with the most important aspect - their own music.
Musicians should know that their fans want their music more than their superficial goods, and I would certainly prefer it if a fan had an album of mine rather than just a T-Shirt.
Production Music - A New Step Into Music Longevity?
Production music is essentially licensed music that is used for TV, film, radio and online broadcasts to name a few.
Many artists have licensed their music for use on these mediums and it provides them with a decent and regular income. A lot of them earn more money this way than they do from selling their own records.
So how do these payments break down? Usually a band will register their licensed music on a production music website like Audio Network, where a production company can then listen and use the music they like, paying a fee in the process. This fee gets split 50/50 between the production music website and the artist.
The level of income received varies depending on which the music is used on. Film soundtracks pay the highest, follow by TV and advertising, radio, internet, games and mobile usage.
So this all sounds good. However, if you're an up-and-coming musician then it might be a while before your music grabs someone's attention and gets used. Many production companies go for established artists, so you have to make sure your music stands out.
It also creates another problem regarding your direction in acquiring a living from music. Is your customer a production company instead or as well as a dedicated music fan?
Production music offers a great new opportunity for artists, but competition for usage is fierce and it's only going to get fiercer.
Many artists have licensed their music for use on these mediums and it provides them with a decent and regular income. A lot of them earn more money this way than they do from selling their own records.
So how do these payments break down? Usually a band will register their licensed music on a production music website like Audio Network, where a production company can then listen and use the music they like, paying a fee in the process. This fee gets split 50/50 between the production music website and the artist.
The level of income received varies depending on which the music is used on. Film soundtracks pay the highest, follow by TV and advertising, radio, internet, games and mobile usage.
So this all sounds good. However, if you're an up-and-coming musician then it might be a while before your music grabs someone's attention and gets used. Many production companies go for established artists, so you have to make sure your music stands out.
It also creates another problem regarding your direction in acquiring a living from music. Is your customer a production company instead or as well as a dedicated music fan?
Production music offers a great new opportunity for artists, but competition for usage is fierce and it's only going to get fiercer.
The Power Of Music Collaborations
There are many collaboration opportunities available to musicians in the modern era. Here's just a few of them.
Working with other musicians - The obvious one, and quite a broad one at that. Working with similar musicians can develop ideas and improve your own knowledge. It can be very enriching and even just working with another musician will improve you as a whole.
Working with other creative types - such as art designers, choreographers or film directors (if you're lucky enough to work with a film director). This is a popular route to making a living for many musicians. It also make your work accessible to a range of new audiences that were previously unreachable. A good relationship with other arts professionals can lead to regular collaborations.
Online collaboration - This is a way of working with a musician without having to meet them in person. The major benefit of this collaboration is that you can collaborate with musicians from all over the world, something that was virtually impossible before the Internet.
Mass online collaboration - This is a development from the online collaboration method. With this method you collaborate with as many musicians as you can, fusing many different styles with musicians from many different countries. You may find that your involvement in the project will become a lot more diluted, but think of the relationships you would build with many different musicians. If you want to branch out internationally, then this could be a viable option.
With the right planning and execution these collaboration methods can act as a way forward to a musicians success.
Working with other musicians - The obvious one, and quite a broad one at that. Working with similar musicians can develop ideas and improve your own knowledge. It can be very enriching and even just working with another musician will improve you as a whole.
Working with other creative types - such as art designers, choreographers or film directors (if you're lucky enough to work with a film director). This is a popular route to making a living for many musicians. It also make your work accessible to a range of new audiences that were previously unreachable. A good relationship with other arts professionals can lead to regular collaborations.
Online collaboration - This is a way of working with a musician without having to meet them in person. The major benefit of this collaboration is that you can collaborate with musicians from all over the world, something that was virtually impossible before the Internet.
Mass online collaboration - This is a development from the online collaboration method. With this method you collaborate with as many musicians as you can, fusing many different styles with musicians from many different countries. You may find that your involvement in the project will become a lot more diluted, but think of the relationships you would build with many different musicians. If you want to branch out internationally, then this could be a viable option.
With the right planning and execution these collaboration methods can act as a way forward to a musicians success.
Sunday 6 October 2013
New Music Markets Across The World
Breaking into the traditional music markets (USA, UK, Japan,
Germany) is the dream for many musicians and bands worldwide.
However, those are not the only options. There are growing
music economies throughout the world that could eclipse the traditional markets
in the near future. I will focus on three of them – Brazil, India and The Netherlands.
From 2011 to 2012, Brazil has had a music market growth of
11.2 per cent. This has largely been down to a huge population, growing
economy, improved infrastructure, expanding middle class, increasing device
penetration and greater use of social media. Growing internet access has been
the key to this surge. Another major factor is the emergence of one of the world’s
biggest digital music platforms, itunes, which has recently been launched there.
This Latin American market is huge, and Brazil is its new leader.
A third year of consecutive growth in 2012 has seen India
emerge as one of the most powerful Asian music markets. Digital sales have
overtaken physical sales, and this has largely been down to the increased
ownership in mobile phones, particularly smartphones. The largest proportion of
sales has come through mobile channels, and with half a billion mobile
subscribers it is an extremely lucrative market.
The Netherlands has experienced the biggest growth of
digital music in Western Europe, with a growth of 66%. This has occurred
because of a growth in streaming usage and a big clampdown on illegal downloading
sites such as Megaupload, Fileserve and Filesonic. There are now more Spotify
users than Pirate Bay users in the Netherlands.
These are just a few examples of the potential that new
music markets offer to the modern musician and if subscription services carry
on growing and illegal platforms are tackled then artists will enjoy a new renaissance.
All the information featured in this article can be found in
the IPFI 2013 report.
http://www.ifpi.org/content/library/dmr2013.pdf
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