CLCmusic

As my time at Berklee comes to an end, it is more than appropriate that I have a final piece of work that encompasses the last three years of my life. I can confidently say that today I am a bass player, a producer, and now... a songwriter.

Like so many musicians, I always have had chord progressions and melodies in my head. Maybe I played one for a friend once and they told me they liked it. I never took it beyond that though. That said, for my final production project here at Berklee, I wanted to challenge myself. I wanted to make something that was as much a representation of my personal, creative-self as possible. So, I started with what was in my head and nothing else knowing that by the end of the semester I would need to present 3 complete songs. I just took it step-by-step and today, they are done.

I started out recording all 3 songs in a 4-hour session in September with a makeshift band. I proceeded to develop those recordings as much as possible by mixing them and recording overdubs. I scheduled lyric writing sessions with others and we sat and wrote lyrics together while listening to these demos. I had a session in my apartment with Álvaro to come up with guitar parts to the songs (a few of the "sounds" we recorded that day actually made it into one of the final tracks). We had a similar session during which time we crafted the solo for "Sea Miner". I had additional sessions with Jack to come up with keyboard parts for all the songs. I recorded myself singing the vocals and added the effects I wanted in the final versions. I showed Tom these as a reference for what I wanted it to eventually sound like.

We began tracking the final versions in mid-October starting with a 6-hour session to record the drums for all three songs. I had one rehearsal with Steve and Tom before the session. Other than that and listening to the demos on his own, Steve really delivered in this session on drums. Jack and I played along while Steve recorded his drums; I even mumbled some words where the vocal would one day be. All the while, Maio was there making everything sound great.

Once the drums were tracked, I scheduled individual sessions with Jack and Al to record the keyboard and guitar parts respectively. All-in-all, these sessions totaled about 20 hours. The vocals were done in 3 separate sessions with Tom, two of which were in a tiny control room with me engineering and Tom and I both wearing headphones.

While this was going on from October right up until the final mix session in early December, I tried to mix the songs as best I could on my own on my laptop. These mixes acted as references for the final mix sessions with Martin who listened to what I was trying to do on my computer and realized them in a fully equipped studio.

Throughout this entire process, my fellow classmates and professor for the final production class constantly gave me feedback and helped to shape the songs. Today I played the final mixes in class, made a few adjustments afterwards, and now it's done.

This has been an incredible journey. I can now say I'm a songwriter; I am better equipped at asking for help; I have gained more experience working with musicians, vocalists, engineers, and mixers to collectively move towards a similar goal; I have had a lot of fun simply creating a piece of art to share with you.

Please let me know what you think in the comments. I hope you like it. :)

For lyrics and full credits, visit the CLCmusic Bandcamp page.

MUST READ: Digital Straingelove (or How I Learned To Stop Worrying And Love The Internet)

I am not one to re-blog. Given that precedence, my reasoning for posting this presentation should be straightforward. Just read it!

My initial reaction: I need to become an expert in data collection and analysis. The immediacy of our society has never been more apparent. There's no need to worry about being "behind". The internet is still so young, no one really knows where it's headed. Whew.

I would love to know your initial reaction below in the comments...

Read on.

Digital Strangelove (or How I Learned To Stop Worrying And Love The Internet)

View more documents from David Gillespie.

Starting A Home Studio

I am fast approaching the end of my time at Berklee. Since being here, I've spent 100s of hours developing my production and engineering chops. I have learned the ins and outs of Pro Tools. I have learned the signal flow of, and how to best utilize, consoles for the purpose of recording and mixing, like the SSL 4000. And most importantly, I have worked with others to create many recordings, which has led me to the realization that I am capable of producing. I have the skills necessary to create professional recordings, worthy of existing in the commercial marketplace. (I say this mostly as an affirmation to myself, for we creative types are our own worst critics.)

As I leave the confines of my higher education bubble however, I realize that it is both the skills I have acquired and the tools at my disposal, that have enabled me to reach my current level as a producer. And so, as I venture out into the "real-world" I realize that I will need to obtain some of my own tools in order to continue to compete in the professional marketplace; therefore, the purpose of this post is to share with all of you what I intend to acquire in the coming (months? year(s)?) that will allow me to produce music from home.

DISCLAIMER: I already own: A computer (MacBook Pro), Pro Tools 8 with an mBox2 Pro, a MIDI controller (Axiom 61), and monitors... oh, and a degree in Music Production & Engineering.

My (eventual) Home Studio's Capabilities

• Be able to record as many live elements at home as possible (i.e. vocals, acoustic instruments)
  
• Have high-quality sample libraries to use in lieu of live instruments. (Note: I have every intention of using musicians and studios when budgets allow for it. And I will highly encourage anyone I work with to make such an investment. I won't turn away a talented artist though if they don't want to spend that kind of money. Samples will enable me to create demos that will still be far better than 9 out 10 bands' songs on their MySpace pages. p.s. - it's all about the mix.)
  
• Be able to mix tracks at home as the pros do.

Live Home Recording

Three things are needed to record at home:

1. Microphone Preamplifier
2. Microphone
3. A proper acoustical environment
   

Preamps: The entry level preamp (entry level meaning entry into the professional market) is the API 512C.

• API 512C ($895)

API makes an array of hardware used for recording and mixing (all down the left-hand side on this web page) that is the same physical size. As you can see, these devices need to be mounted somewhere. The home studio solution for this is the “Lunchbox”.

• 500-6B Lunchbox ($499)

Ideally, the 6 slots would some day hold:

• Two(2) API 512C Preamps ($895/ea)
• Two(2) API 525 Compressors ($1195/ea)
• Two(2) API Equalizers (you decide which ones)

Why 2 of each? Certain elements are favorable to record in stereo: acoustic guitars, drum kits, etc. And sets of compressors and EQs can be used while recording something in stereo (or while recording two mono things simultaneously) and can be used while mixing to process individual elements as well as stereo tracks.

Microphones: In nearly every (pop) composition, the vocal is the most important element. By far. In order to create productions that are on par with what is at the top of the charts today, a great microphone is needed.

Here's a list, based on my experience, starting with the best microphone to suit my needs (recording vocals and acoustic guitars and home), the Blueberry, followed by other mics I would like to own some day.

• The Blueberry ($999)
• AKG414 (If you can find an old model. I hear the new ones aren't as good.)
  
• Anything by Neuman
  
• Shure SM7 ($350)
• A tube microphone (ex. Rode K2)
  

Once one begins collecting microphones, you’re never finished. It’s a life-long journey. (I currently own two SM57s and an sE2200A.)

A proper acoustic environment: sE Electronics has recently made this infinitely easier than it used to be with their Reflexion Filter ($299). A no-brainer for any home studio.

Sample Libraries

Samples are created by recording every single individual note of an instrument, played in every way possible. Then, these samples can be triggered with a keyboard and the samples are played back.

There are two types of products I am interested in:

• Expansive Sample Libraries
• Instrument-Specific Libraries

The expansive variety:

• Kontakt 4 ($399)

My limited research so far tells me this it the one to go with, but there are plenty others out there.

Instrument-Specific Libraries: You can’t fake drums. People create sample libraries of only drums, which are higher quality than what one would get in a general sounds library like Kontakt 4.

• DrumCore 3 ($249)

Expansion packs of other drummers can always be added later if I wasn’t getting what I needed out of the existing drummers/kits for a particular project. (There is a deluxe version, which includes all the additional expansion packs for $599.)

Mixing like the Pros

Technology is amazing. In order to process audio in the past, one would need an entire room full of hardware to add reverb, EQ, compression, delay, and other FX. Today, all of this hardware can be emulated with software known as plug-ins. In order to have an industry level mix, a home studio requires a bare minimum in plug-ins.

Reverb:

• Altiverb 6 ($520)

Bundles: Every company that makes plug-ins offers bundles that include “everything that you need”.

• McDSP Emerald Pack ($1595)
• Waves Gold ($1300)
• SSL 4000 ($1000)

Personally, I'd go with the SSL 4000 bundle because I have experience on an actual SSL and then I’d add individual McDSP and Waves plug-ins to my collection after that.

Tuning: Even the world’s best singers are tuned these days. It’s a part of the “sound” expected in a professional recording, so anyone trying to compete in the marketplace needs to be able to tune from home. There are two industry leaders in tuning:

• Auto Tune Evo ($320)
• Melodyne ($299)

Berklee owns both, so I need to play around with both a bit more before leaving in order to decided which one to buy. (Chances are, I'll end up owning both some day.)

Plug-In Addiction: More so than microphones, a producer/mixer/engineer can never have enough plug-ins. There’s always some new plug-in out there that gives you a certain sound no other plug-in can give you. They’re much cheaper than mics and are up and running in a home studio with the click of a button.

The Shopping List

Here’s the list of everything “needed” to get up and running:

• API Lunchbox - $500

• API 512C - $895

• Reflexion Filter - $299

• Blueberry - $999

• Kontakt 4 - $399

• DrumCore 3 - $249

• Altiverb 6 - $520
  
• SSL 4000 Bundle - $1000
  
• AutoTune Evo - $320

• TOTAL: $5181

How To Best Spend Your Limited Marketing Dollars

A friend recently shared with me that he thinks (based on some actual data) that a willfully given email address from a fan costs $1.50.

This is sort of a follow-up to a past post of mine, "How Much Would You Pay For Someon's Email Address?" which had some great conversation in the comments and even lead to another blogger writing his own post in response.

This means that instead of paying per impression, or per click, one could pay for only goal conversions, which in this case is those that sign up for an email list (via a free download trade-off).

This got me thinking. If I had say $2500 to spend on a new artist, how would I go about spending it? I am currently considering four options and perhaps you can help me make a decision: online advertising, internet radio airplay, PR, or touring. Remember, my goal is to acquire new fans' email addresses.

Online Advertising

Assuming an email address costs me $1.50 via online advertising, $2500 will get me 1667 emails.

I have bought online ads through Facebook twice now. Once to promote a contest for Project K-Paz (whose new CD is available here!), and the other time to promote a show for Tom Howie. Both ads led to Facebook event pages where potential new fans could learn more about the event and click through to each artist's website. The ads only received 92 and 7 clicks, costing $44.14 and $4.45 respectively.


If I were to take this to a larger scale, I would direct the ads to the artist's website or MySpace where the "clicker" would be led to hear the music. If a click cost $.60, then $2500 would buy 4167 clicks. How many of those would then download the music in return for the email address? If it were 40% (2 out of 5) then that would be 1667 email addresses ($1.50 per email address). Even if it was 1 out of 5, that would be 833 email addresses.

Let's call it 1000. That's 1000 new people located in the areas that I designated when I bought the ads who I can invite to future shows and offer products to as long as they stay on the email list. This seems like a great option.

Buying Internet Radio Plays

What about paying for internet radio play? Jango offers such a service where you can have your music played alongside the artists that you think you sound like while being targeted to your exact demographic in the locations that you choose. This costs $100 for 2000 plays, which will lead to unpaid plays if you are "liked" enough times. $2500 = 50,000 plays.

I'm currently using Jango with Tom Howie and so far we've had only 424 spins and have acquired 4 "fans", which would equate to 472 fans if we spent $2500. This is far less than 1000, but I'm assuming the numbers would increase over the life of the campaign once more people started hearing about it. Additionally, we are receiving feedback from listeners throughout the process, which we wouldn't get with ads.

Who knows what 50,000 listens would lead to. (What is the potential snowball effect?) Jango claims that 1000 listens should lead to 40-80 new fans. That said, the user base for Jango is far less than that of Facebook and you can only contact fans acquired through Jango on Jango... Hmmm.

Hire a PR Company

CyberPR is a digital PR firm that connects artists, authors and filmmakers to blogs, podcasts, Internet radio stations and social media sites. For $2500 you get the following:

• Full online PR outreach with multiple placements on blogs, Internet radio stations, podcasts, zines, video sites, lifestyle sites, and many additional outlets as well as extensive exposure on social networking sites.
  
• Your own customized VPK (virtual press kit). (example)
  
• All your social networking profiles written and posted for you.
  
• A feature profile in our newsletter “Pre-Cleared & Podsafe” delivered to over 7,000+ new media resources.
  
• Custom station ID scripts so you can record personalized drops for the Internet radio stations and podcasters for additional inclusion.
  
• An 8-week, step-by-step system for maximizing your campaign and overall online exposure.
  
• Contest opportunities to giveaway CDs and merchandise on Internet radio stations.
  
• Monthly coaching calls with our team to keep your campaign on track and moving forward.

The above is their $1500 package, which lasts 3 months, but the $2500 one last four months and also includes the following:

• Your VPK profile sent to several hundred additional new media outlets.
  
• Personal coaching from Cyber PR founder and social media expert, Ariel Hyatt.
  
• A full Marketing plan created by our team to help move you along in all areas of your music career.
  
• Billing as a featured artist at our Digital Press Conferences which take place 2-3 times a year in New York City.
  
• Full access to Ariel’s workshops (either in person or recorded versions).
  
• 10 tour dates promoted and publicized (if applicable).
  
• Your professional bio written for you by an expert in how to craft the perfect pitch and story.
  

How many new fans would this lead to? How many spins on internet radio would this buy? What increase would one see in fans/followers on Facebook, MySpace, and Twitter? How much of an increase would one see in website traffic? If successful, this option could not only lead to a comparable number of fans acquired through the first two options (1000 +/- a few hundred), but it would also create an online infrastructure fo the artist to build upon.

And the 10 shows they would promote? How much more money would you make from those gigs if this company were to promote them? It seems like there is a lot of potential with this option.

Tour

How about spending $2500 on a tour. What are the costs per show?

• Gas - $50
• Food - $50
• Hotel - $100

If the cost per show was $200, then the act could play 13 shows, but if they slept for free at fans/friends' homes they could play 26. Let's figure 20 shows then (because they are using Better Than The Van to find free accomodations). These 20 shows are mostly in new towns so attendance isn't going to be great. The average email sign up at the gigs will probably be 10. This equates to 200 new email addresses, which would mean that each email address cost $12.50.

$12.50 per email address sounds awful, but think of all the benefits gained from the tour option that are not gained by any of the others:

• Experience playing live.
• CD and Merch sales (minimal, but enough to make a difference).
• The fans that are acquired are better fans because they had a real-life connection with the artist; they saw you live!
• The potential to make money on a second round of touring.

After the tour though, how much further would the artist's online presence be built? What evidence would the artist have to show that their fan base was growing? Would they still be scratching their heads asking, "How can I get more traffic to my website and social networks?"

My gut reaction is to hire the PR company and stay local. Play fewer shows than you would on a 20-date tour, but keep costs down. Practice and watch your online presence grow. As a result, plan a tour then that could potentially be profitable with the new fan base established.

Maybe the answer lies in a combination of the 4 options:

• Do the $1500 CypbePR package
• Spend $750 on Facebook Ads (300 or so new email signups)
• Do a 5-date tour on the cheap to grow your reach ever so slightly
  

I'm not sure... What would you do with $2500?

Tumblr For Musicians

I know you're on Facebook... and I can safely assume you're also on Twitter, but are you on Tumblr yet?

I've been hearing about Tumblr for some time now. In fact, a good friend of mine has a tumblelog that I subscribe to. It wasn't until last night though, when I finally signed up myself and started using it, did I quickly realize the potential of Tumblr for musicians.

You are currently sharing articles, quotes, videos, and music on Facebook and Twitter. Wouldn't it be great though if all of your posted items were kept in one place? That is your tumblelog:

a variation of a blog that favors short-form, mixed-media posts over the longer editorial posts frequently associated with blogging. Common post formats found on tumblelogs include links, photos, quotes, dialogues, and video. Unlike blogs, tumblelogs are frequently used to share the author's creations, discoveries, or experiences while providing little or no commentary.

You're already doing this when you tweet a link, but instead of sending your followers directly to the source, direct them to your Tumblr page instead!

Why?

1. Another spoke on the wheel: yet another connection to your main site (which you'll link to obviously).
2. A ReTweet will send potential new fans to a site of yours (instead of YouTube).
3. A snap shot of you: a quick scroll through the archives on Tumblr will reveal a part of you, furthering the connection between you and your fans.
4. Automatically post a link to your main blog when you blog there, providing visitors another opportunity to visit your main site.
   
5. Did I mention Tumblr is also a social network? With a click of a button, followers within Tumblr can reblog your posts.
   

I could explain the social networking aspect more, but it'd be a waste of both our times. Just join already and see for yourself! And when you do, follow my tumblelog.

Your Tumblr Page = one more way to Connect With Fans (CwF)

Link back to your main website = Potentially leading a fan to discover a Reason To Buy (RtB) something from you.

CwF + RtB = New Music Business Model

Your DIY Activity Document

As promised a few posts ago, here is the document to help you keep track of your DIY activity.

Download it HERE.

Its purpose is to keep track of all your actionable DIY activities: the "business" items you need to keep up in order to build a self-sustaining career. After reading all the great comments left here and in the Topspin Greenroom, I realized that this is not the end-all-be-all document for "independent musician success". On the contrary, it is just one more tool to help in achieving that goal.

It is my hope that as you go through the week with this sheet sitting on your desk, you will be reminded you of where you need to focus. If a certain column has racked up only zeros by Thursday, you should then shift your attention there. As you start to use the document regularly, track the results of your efforts with Google Analyitics, URL trackers, YouTube Insight, and MySpace plays. This sheet will not only keep you focused, but it will help you make informed decisions about where you should be putting your efforts.

Every artist is different. Some may see more results from reaching out to bloggers, while others will benefit from hyperactivity on MySpace. By keeping track of your activity and weighing it against the results of your analytics, you will hopefully be headed in the right direction.

You can download the document over at Hypebot, where Bruce Houghton requested to post it. While you're there, subscribe to their RSS feed if you haven't already. It's my go-to blog for information on the music industry. Also, if you would like the excel document, just shoot me an email. And special thanks to Álvaro Kapaz for helping out with the formatting of the document.

The Teaser And The EP

Dear All,

Thanks so much for reading my blog. It is an honor to share my thoughts and happenings with all of you. I wanted to take a moment to share with you the things I've put a lot of time and energy into recently.

If you follow me on Twitter, or know me personally, you are aware that I'm managing/producing the careers/work of Tom Howie and Project K-Paz. I would not be working with either of them if I did not believe, 100%, that they are both incredible artists whose music I know you will appreciate and possibly like as well :)

Project K-Paz is a group of extremely talented instrumentalists lead by my good friend, Álvaro Kapaz. This music, we believe, will create a new niche that we're calling, "Spontaenous Music". Learn more about it here. There will be a DVD and CD released soon that you can pre-order now from the Project K-Paz website. In the meantime, please watch the teaser:

Click here for Full HD

And Tom Howie's new EP, "The Chester Sessions" is available as a free download right here:

Before forking over your email address, have a listen:

Not bed, eh??? PLEASE! Let me know what you think! It doesn't stop here; this is only the beginning! Your input could shape these artsts' futures.

There's still some work to be done with the Project K-Paz production. In fact, I am mixing two of the tracks for the DVD right now. For now, I wanted to share a promotional idea I had with you though and see what you thought:

• Screenings coupled with performances

We will send out press kits to colleges and boarding schools from New York to Boston and see if they would like to do a showing of the movie on their campus. That showing will be followed by a live performance the same, or following night. The smaller and more remote the school the better, I think. This way, we could potentially be the FEATURE entertainment on a weekend. Larger schools are decentralized and in urban areas, we're competing with bars, movie theaters, clubs, etc.

So, if we can successfully target smaller, more remote schools, then we could possibly be playing to hundreds of people. CD and DVD sales could be substantial, and the following buzz and word-of-mouth could very well be noticeable.

Your thoughts? Worth the effort to contact schools and send them press kits (which cost money!)?

How Much Would You Pay For Someone's Email Address?

This question was presented to me in a similar fashion. I do not suggest there is a right answer. In fact, I believe there is not enough information currently available to know what the right answer is. I'm sure you all have an opinion though. I hope you share it.

Dear Facebook,

Instead of paying you roughly $0.50 for every click, I'd rather pay you $X.XX for every email address I get as a result of clicks from your ads.

Thanks,
Chris

All of my ads direct users to a page where they can download something in exchange for his or her email.

By giving me his or her email, that person is saying, "I would like to be your customer."

What is the average revenue per member on my mailing list then for the average life span of that customer (the average time on the mailing list before unsubscribing)?

Let's say, the average person chooses to stay on my mailing list for 18 months. In that time frame, they have purchased $10 of stuff from my website and have spent another $20 by way of shows and merchandise for a total of $30.00.

Please note, these numbers came from my head. I'm sure all of you would estimate differently. And that is where a lack of data leads me to believe that we don't know what $X.XX should be.

Either way, go ahead. Have a gander.

What should $X.XX be???

Keeping Track Of Your DIY Activity

In today's industry, the way I see it, you either are on your own, or you're signed to a label. I think an artist should look to get signed once they've taken their own career as far as they can without one. If, at that point, you are not satisfied with your reach and/or income, I'd try to find a label... but only then! Doing so before taking it to that ceiling, in my mind, is a cop out. It's giving up in a way because the tools are out there and if you can use them correctly, you can earn an income from your music, keeping 100% of the profits. If you're on a label, you can see 0% of profits if you're not a hit (obviously, if this was the result of the deal you signed, you probably got a nice check upfront, but after that, you're not gonna see a dime).

So, the goal is using the tools that are out the effectively. That's why I'm working on a document right now to be used as a weekly checklist for artists to keep track of all of their DIY activity. By keeping track of daily activity, an artist can see which categories they've been putting a lot of energy into lately, and which one they haven't IF the document contains EVERYTHING they should be doing.

I'll be sharing the document with you when I finish it, but first, I need your help! The idea is to have all the things an artist should be doing across the top and days of the week down the side. Here's what I have so far across the top:

• How many new followers on Twitter?
• How many new fans of Facebook?
• How many new friends on MySpace?
• How many new subscribers on YouTube?

• How many emails sent to individual fans?
• How many other emails sent? (bloggers, magazines, podcasters, radio, etc.)

• How many personal messages sent on Facebook?
• How many DMs sent on Twitter?
• How many messages sent/comments left on MySpace?
• How many comments made on YouTube?

• How many posts made to blog?
• How many posts made to Twitter?

• How many new contacts at radio stations?
• How many new contacts from the blogosphere?
• How many new venues did you get in touch with?

• How many established media contacts did you communicate with?
• How many established venue contacts did you communicate with?
• How many established radio contacts did you communicate with?

I know I'm missing some basic things! Like what? What should be added to the list of EVERYTHING an artist should keep track of so that they can easily see when a certain area needs attention?

Please help by sending this to anyone you think would be able to add to the list!

So You're Booking A Show...

Tom Howie, the singer/songwriter that I am managing, just booked a show at the Midway Cafe on Wednesday, June 24th: 11pm show. He emailed me asking what questions he should ask the booker. Some of these questions he should have asked before setting the show, but here they all are anyways:

• What is the capacity?
• How many people do you usually expect for an act on a wednesday night at 11pm?
• Do you take a percentage of the door, and if so, how much?... Or... Do you take the first X number of covers and we get the rest? If so, how many is X?
• Can we sell tickets in advance? If so, what is that process like?
• Do you have any local media contacts we can get in touch with in order to promote the show?
• What are some successful ways you've seen others promote shows at the midway?
• I have an EP that will be ready in a few weeks. Are there any local stores, coffee shops, bars, that you think I can get to play and/or sell the EP and/or promote the show? If so, do you know any of the owners?
• One idea I had was to play on the street a week or so prior to the show in JP [Jamaica Plain, the area of Boston that the venue is]. If I had tickets to sell and there was a good location, I think it could make a difference! What do you think of this idea? If you think it is good, can you recommend some locations?

What questions do you ask when you're booking a show? What are some other ideas you have for getting people to come out?