Week 7: How To Release Your Music (Part 2 of 3)

(This is Week 6 of my Fifty-Two Weeks of Do-It-Yourself Music Advice)

Three Part Series: HOW TO RELEASE YOUR MUSIC

Read Part 1 here - http://seanclaesdotcom.blogspot.com/2010/10/week-6-how-to-release-your-music-part-1.html

So, you’ve decided how you’re going to present and package your music. Now you’ve got to plan a killer CD release show. You have got to dream big. Knock the cobwebs out of your brain and come up with something that will make people want to come out and celebrate with you. Put some honest thought into this and it’ll likely pay off in a big way.

The CD Release Show (Part 2 of 3)

Snake Skin Prison CD Release Poster

Can You Touch It?

Have the CD in your hand BEFORE going any further. Don’t assume the company producing the physical product will make deadline and have t for you. I’ve been to quite a few shows where the band is hosting a CDless Release Party. It doesn’t look good for the band.. at all.  People have chosen to be with you, pay the cover price, and help you celebrate this occasion. They’re probably even willing to drop a $20 to buy your music. The LEAST you can do is have it available for them.

You can only have one CD Release show (well… per town your band calls home). Make it count.

Booking A Club

There are a couple of schools of thought here. Do you play a club where you’re a regular or try and shoot for the stars and book a club a little bit bigger than the ones you’ve been playing?

If you are a local band, chances are you call a certain club home base. It’s where you play the most gigs. In my thought process, this is where you should host your CD release show. It tells the booking agent, bar owner, and club manager that you see them as an important piece of your band brand. 

If you take the bigger is better route, make sure you’re taking a step as a band and not just doing it as a one-off. There’s a good chance that the club who’d always book you will see this as a little bit of a slap in the face and it may be harder to book there the next time. But, if you’re trying to step-up to the next tier, go for it. Use the CD release show to announce your arrival.

Please, if you do the latter, make sure you explain things to the club that gave you our first chance and helped you develop the following you (hopefully) have earned.

The Line-Up

Again, there are a few ways to go about this. I’ll present three. Depending on the club you’d like to play… you may not have an option, but just in case you do think about these.

 

Get on a Line-up

Find out if the club you’ve chosen has a good line-up scheduled or a headliner that works with your style of music. Sometimes you can get lucky and a national act or a popular local act will need an opener and if you play your cards right, you can promise the club a few more folks through the door than any other opener (you ARE going to have a good crowd to come support you… right?).

Provide Your Own Line-Up

Assuming you are not selling out clubs right now… come to the table with a headliner that is one of the top local draws in your genre. Do your homework on this one. The idea is to find at least one band that provides a much bigger draw than you and have them play directly AFTER you. That way you get the benefit of their fans who are ready to party and a few more heads through the door which will likely mean a few more dollars in your pocket from CD sales. I remember there was a band I did some promo for called Loss Rayne. They released their CD Fragile Mind in 2005 at Alligator Grill (an unconventional spot but nice) and booked Malford Milligan to headline. It was a packed house.

It’s a Party… Right?

It’s your CD release show… wouldn’t you like to pick three other bands who are buddies of yours to help you celebrate? This will work best with a smaller-club scale release. It’s just a big-ol party and you are as much of a participant on stage as in the crowd. Just keep in mind, if this is your choice you’ll probably give away more CDs than you sell, but darn you’ll have a good time.

Promotion

I’ve already done two stories about promotion. You can read them here - Week 1 and Week 2. The addition to that is… this isn’t just another show. It’s a CD Release. Treat it special.

 

Something that has impressed me is bands printing physical tickets to a CD release show. Most recently, the Austin band Snake Skin Prison has gone this route for their CD release party that is happening on November 19 at The Parish Room in Austin (see poster up top). The bonus cool thing they’re doing is lead singer Matt Ballengee is posting photos of people with their tickets in a special album on his Facebook. Buy tickets for this show here. 

 

A band that always seems to impress me on the promotional front is Full Service. They’re actually releasing an acoustic album on November 27 at Stubb’s and they are offering a download of the album for free in exchange for ordering an advance ticket. Show information here.

I’ve made the statement before and I’ll likely use them as an example again. Watch these two bands. They are doing a lot of things right in the band promotion game. If you want to learn you should watch, listen, and follow them (Also follow area folks like One-Eyed Doll, Dave Madden, Trashy and the Kid, and Three Kisses).

 

Another impressive thing for me is when bands go out and push the album through conventional media. Sometimes this takes many attempts, but if you’re playing your cards right, you can likely get booked on a TV or radio show, get a review or interview in a magazine, do a few podcasts, and get some bloggers to rave about the show. Now, if you’ve not given a crap about any of these things before your CD release show is planned, why should they care about you? This is why making good contacts in media is important.

Finally, sink a little bit of money into design for the CD and promotional posters. Your CD is a big achievement. If you want people to drop their money on the product, you need to drop a little bit of money, time, and energy on the materials you’re going to be handing out to promote the piece.

Lagniappes

When I was working for a federal grant, my boss always wanted to throw in a little extra at the end of a presentation… something unexpected but appreciated. He called it a lagniappe (Click the word for an actual definition).

What does this involve for a CD Release show? I don’t know.. they sky is the limits. Announce from stage that you’ll buy a shot of Jägermeister for the next 3 people who buy a CD. If it works… announce that you’ll do the same thing for EVERYONE who buys a CD during the last song (What better way to end a CD release show than with an audience participation shot?). Throw a few nice t-shirts out to the audience. Make a package deal just for the show, free shirt with CD purchase, or an “everything is $5” sale. Play a song you have never played before live just for your diehard fans. Give everyone who buys a CD a raffle ticket and give away the drumhead from the show signed by all of the bands who played. Something big.. something that will be appreciated.

(This is from my birthday bash in 2006)

FYI: If you do the shot thing… warn the bar… and work a deal with them.)

Finally

Dream big. It’s a HUGE deal. You’re birthing a CD and setting it free to the world. The more of a big deal you make about the release the more people will take notice and maybe do a little talking you up to others.

Also, remember, the CD release show is the BEGINNING of the promotion of a new album, not the end. After the show, you have got a long way to go.. so get some sleep (the next day or two) and get ready to hit the promotional trail hard the next week… because you’ve got to get some press on this bad boy so it can grow some legs and run on it’s own.

Week 6: How To Release Your Music (Part 1 of 3)

 (This is Week 6 of my Fifty-Two Weeks of Music Do-It-Yourself advice)

HOW TO RELEASE YOUR MUSIC

Snake Skin Prison's Keith Ploeger with the bands 11/19/10 release Nine Kinds of Bad

Having reviewed new releases for the last 15 years, I’ve seen a lot of different ways a band handles this subject. What I’ve gathered is there’s pretty much three pieces to this process, and each one is as important as the others.

First, you must decide how you want to produce your music; will it be a full-length or an EP? Are you going to produce a CD, release it online, or sell it via USB (or a combination of all three)?

Second, you have to plan and execute a CD release show.  This includes booking a club, promoting, and doing something to make it a special night, not just another gig.

Third, you have to get your music into the hands of the people who can promote your music. This would be radio, critics, bloggers, and club bookers and owners.

This is a lot of information, so I’m going to go ahead and break it up into three sections. So, “What Are You Releasing” is part one of this three part series.

PART 1: What Are You Releasing?

A Compact Disc

There are three different versions of Compact Discs (or CDs). If you’ve got one song, you release a single. If you have 3-5 songs, the release is known as an Extended Play (EP) and if you’ve got 8-15 songs, you’ve got yourself a full length or Long Play (LP). The terms EP and LP come from the days of vinyl (you know “records”). I included a little background at the end of this piece.

Squint celebrated the National Release of their  Goodnight, Bad Intentions on 10/23/10 in Austin at Emo's.

The Full Length

If you have at least 45 minutes of music, you can release an LP your standard full-length CD. To me a full-length CD is a milestone in a band. It’s making a statement that you guys are serious and committed to being a band.

On a cost level it makes sense as well. When you release a CD, the physical product costs the same no matter how many songs are on there. The cost to promote and mail the product to magazines, newspapers, radio, bloggers, and other interested media folks is the same.  But, if you only have 4-5 songs on a CD, you’ll only be able to charge half the amount because at the end of the day, the music is what the music fan is interested in paying for.

The EP

Based on the above, you can probably guess my stance on EPs. I really, really don’t like EPs. Initially, the fact is, you’re putting half the effort into something and asking fans and the media to treat it as importantly as a full-length.

Thinking of it as a band, my reason for not liking EPs is, you are wasting half that CD and it’s costing you the same amount of money to design packaging, order and print the physical CD, and promote. I am going to continue to shout this to anyone that listens. If you want to release 4-5 songs, get together with another band that has a similar style as you, and produce a “Split EP.” That way you’ve got 5 songs and the other band has 5 songs on a single disc.

If you do this you win in 3 ways. You are using all the space a CD allows, you are splitting the cost of production with another band, and you are crossing over to their fan base and introducing your fans to theirs. It’s really a winning combination. This is how underground punk bands used to do it about 30 years ago. Why it’s not done more today is beyond me.

If you decide to produce a physical CD, do me a favor and really think about your CD packaging. Have a design in mind and make sure it enhances the music. If you aren’t a designer, hire an actual designer to design the artwork. By the way, the drummers girlfriend “who took art once and can do it for free” seldom works out. If you go the designer route, give them guidance if you have an idea or know what you don’t want… but let them create the concept after listening to the songs. I’ll write more detail about this in another column, but just know that the design is as important as the music that it contains. It’s a product, and product packaging is the eye candy that may make someone want to pick your product up.

In 1999 30,000 "apples" of the Beatles entire catalog on USB was released.

New Media – Digital and USB

Now, there’s the matter of new media. You can elect to do a digital-only release where you sell (or give away) your music on your website or via places like iTunes. The bonus of releasing on your Website is, you can glean the fan’s information. If they give you their e-mail, you send them a link to the music. Now you have a valid e-mail for them and have expanded your mailing list so you can keep them informed about your band and invite to shows.

Another way I‘ve gotten music has been via a Universal Serial Bus (USB) Drive, or as I like to call it - a thumb drive. This is neat because it expands your options. You can place songs as well as any videos, lyrics, messages, or photos you’d like to share. It’s nice for a release with bonus content.

Here’s the drawback. Fans can easily delete the music in favor of having a thumb drive. So, in this instance, you should probably sell your “Music Stick” for at least double the cost of buying the thumb drive.

HISTORY OF THE CD

I did a little research on this to get the basic idea, but I also included my opinion. Here’s a little history. This is largely my view, so I reserve the right to be wrong on this, but I think I’m right. Originally bands (or record companies) would send out singles (45s) in vinyl to radio in order to get a song played. This cost less than sending a full record (as in actual vinyl).  

The term EP and LP were the formats in which the recording was produced via vinyl (source). When CD technology came about, the format changed, but we kept the terminology. The EP was originally just promo for radio, not a viable sales option.  Since the physical product was the same, record labels and bands decided to throw 2-3 songs on there, and sometimes alternate versions like a live version or radio edit and ship it to their promotional contacts.

When digital music sources came out, consumers (read the music fan) could suddenly buy the one song they liked via iTunes and the like. In order to cater to that, bands and labels started producing and selling EPs. It’s the “need it now” syndrome.

Yes... that's me. Are you listening? SOAPBOX TIME!

SOAPBOX TIME

In my opinion, record companies and bands have done a lot of damage to the concept of a physical album by selling things to the general public that isn’t in it’s finished product.

Let me put it this way. In the current Rolling Stone, Keith Richards has an excerpt from his new book, Life that was released this past Tuesday. This is kind of like the concept of a “single.” Here’s a taste for free and if you like it, buy the book. That works. It’s a free taste and he got the media to bite.

My thought is, by releasing singles and EPs for sale, you’re taking away from the bigger package. EPs are no longer a call to pick up the new LP; they are being marketed as a stand-alone package. It’s a bastardized version of promotion and I’m not a fan. To me a single or an EP should be a freebie. They are hooks to get people to pick up a full-length.  Why should I spend $15 on an LP when I already dropped $5 on an EP that has most of the songs on it already?

Let me qualify my soapbox statement. I am a fan of digital media, but I do not own an iPod, I don’t have music on my phone (heck... I even turned off texting), and I may know more about the inner workings of a band that lead to an EP release than the general public…. But I totally think music fans would eat up a split EP. Pay for the band you like and get a bonus treat of a band that could be your next favorite.

Next week will be part two in my “How To Release Your Music” series. I’ll talk about planning the CD release show.  Trust me… it’s important.

Sean Claes is the owner of Austin's INsite Magazine and has been a freelance entertainment writer since 1996. For an introduction to his "52 Weeks of DIY Music Advice" visit this link - http://www.tinyurl.com/Claes52DIY. If you like what you read... please share. To visit Claes' homepage, go here - http://www.seanclaes.com/.

CD Review: The Roving Gamblers

“Just take my hand, let’s get out of this place. We’ll go somewhere far where there’s room and a space to run, run, run.” - Run

The Roving Gamblers

The Roving Gamblers

If you’re a fan of Austin-based children’s television stars The Biscuit Brothers, you’ll likely dig The Roving Gamblers. Why? Because The Roving Gamblers are Jerome Schoolar, Allen Robertson, Damon Brown, and Brad Shelton – aka the actors/musicians who have spent the last two decades portraying characters on the Austin-based Emmy Award Winning PBS series.

Don’t worry though. It should only take you 2-3 songs to forget that the voice you hear on the debut album of The Roving Gamblers is the same as that of Dusty Biscuit. This is a good thing… because the fourth song is called “I Like To Drink.”

I sat down with Jerome Schoolar, lead vocalist of The Roving Gamblers, last week. He explained that this CD is a collection of the music the band has written over the last 20 years and played during sound checks. While the instrumentation and vocals may sound similar to The Biscuit Brothers (duh…it’s the same band), the songs are for the parents… not the kids. This is a mixed bag of country, swing, and a little humor thrown in there for good measure.

Dusty Biscuit and Jerome Schoolar

It’s a 42-minute journey into the songbook of Schoolar and company. By and large, these are songs about love and life. They keep positive and are really a fun listen.

The album kicks off with a nice two-step worthy love song entitled “Dance A Million Miles.” It continues with some great harmonizing on “Playing With Fire” which is a track about the type of girl most men chase, but few keep. There’s also the blues-infused “Marry Me,” the escape-with-me ballad “Run,” and the reassess your life track “The Plans You Made.”

Now, the track that I alluded to earlier. “I Like To Drink” is a classic country swing that takes a humorous approach to a place where most adults have been. “I like to drink. But the drinking, it don’t like me. I like a shot, but I can’t stop and two or three.”

My favorite track on the CD is “Lucky One.” I can see contemporary country stations playing this one. It’s definitely got a hook, great harmonies, and is an easy one to sing. “I am a lucky one. I am a fortunate son. I have a place in the line, I’m doing just fine. I’ve already won.”

Now, there is a kitchy fun song that reminded me what these musicians do as day jobs… the ragtime-infused “Charleston When I'm 90” is a nice little ditty about dancing away your senior years.

The album ends on a nice note with “Better Man” which is a song celebrating the thing all guys strive to be when we meet our other half.

Several of the tracks evoke an 80s country sound to them, which makes me think The Roving Gamblers could find a musical home in Austin at places like The Broken Spoke, Poodie’s Hilltop Roadhouse, and Continental Club. I could see a “Roving Happy Hour” being a nice draw if these guys decide to make this double musical life a mainstay. They definitely have the talent, and based on this CD, they’ve got the songs as well.

Schoolar explained the sales from this CD are going to go entirely into The Biscuit Brothers’ Project, meaning they are using this band as a fundraiser to make the next season of the PBS show a possibility.

But, don’t expect The Roving Gamblers to play anything from the “Magical Music Farm” when you head to Central Market (38th & Lamar) Sunday, October 24, 2010 at 6p for their CD release celebration (which doubles as The Roving Gamblers’ debut concert as well).

Oh, and if you want to bring the kids, don’t worry, Schoolar promised they wouldn’t be playing the drinking song at this show.

INsite Night 1 for May:

Mike Truth & The Replacement Killers CD Release Party @ Red Eyed Fly






May 2, 2009



Mike Truth & The Replacement Killers (CD Release Show) - 12:15

One Eyed Doll (Coming Home Show)- 11:00

Naked Empire - 10:00

Sedium - 9:00

Stars Collide - 8:00



All Ages Show


Doors 7:30pm


$5 Adults

$8 Minors



Red Eyed Fly

Austin, Texas


CLICK THE POSTER BELOW TO GO TO A DO512.COM PAGE WHERE YOU CAN WIN A PAIR OF TICKETS TO THIS SHOW.