Calling All Recording Gurus: I’ve Got Nothing to Prove, but I Still Need Your Help (See My Video!)
What do I do now?
In 1991, I released my first record on MCA (or MCI, as my mom always mistakenly told her friends, hoping to impress them). I was bummed, as I had just missed the opportunity to have my face big on an album cover. But vinyl was over, and the CD format (with the long cardboard box–remember that?) was the wave of the future.
Since then, I have been dropped by two major labels and languished on two indies that both went bankrupt.
Well, no one in my world (the music industry) seems to really know what to do. That’s why I am asking you D geeks if you have any ideas.
Right now I have plenty of what I think are really swell songs. Here’s one:
None of my musician friends are mourning the demise of the record industry. Most of us got crummy deals anyway and never saw a penny of royalties. My nephews expect really expensive birthday gifts from me, as they think that I must be rolling in dough, having been on MTV a few times. I always acquiesce, not wanting to tell them the truth.
For us, in this YouTube, long-tail, Kara-and-Walt world, it’s an exciting time. But it’s also confusing. How do I release my next recordings? Do I still put out a CD in the traditional way, or just go digital? Do I send demos one last time to the remaining majors or go indie (this time with a company that lasts longer than a year) and get a, say, 50/50 deal? Do I just finance the whole thing myself–musicians, studio, marketing, publicist, radio, promo, video, etc.? And where do I get the money? How do I pay the rent? How do I support my gambling and morphine habits?
One thing I am doing is working with the guys at QiGO (who presented their invention, a key-shaped USB device that launches a predetermined Web site when connected to a computer, this year at D5). One of my strong points is my live performance (I have heard). I sell my CDs at the concerts, but people who are fans already have them. Plus, some feel that the recordings do not, and cannot have, the fun and spontaneity of a live show. Some artists drag a bunch of CD burners to tape their shows. People will stand in line for hours to get a copy of the concert they just saw. I had this idea with Dan Klitsner (co-founder of QiGO) that we could sell his little USB keys, people could go home and the next day they could download the show. We gave away keys at my last New York show, and everyone seemed to really like it. (We are still working out the kinks.)
Now to the question of how to finance a new album (I still like saying “album”). I once had this idea of asking my fans to chip in and become “stockholders,” sort of like investors in Broadway shows. So one fan could give maybe $100, and a wealthier one could give a grand or more. Once the record breaks even, they would get their money back and subsequently a cut of the profits–if any. And they would all feel part of the success of a smash-hit record–fun! My manager and lawyer were so not into it and discouraged me. They said it would be a nightmare on all fronts. I still do kind of like the idea. Plus, these days, to make a record does not cost as much as it once did. Everybody and everybody’s brother has Pro Tools or GarageBand in their computers. The big-time studios have had to cut down their rates substantially.
Thoughts? Ideas? Comments?
Help.
By the way, I don’t have a morphine or gambling problem…yet.
Comments
I’m no “recording guru,” but I like the QiGO idea - although I’d like it even better if I could get the concert right then-’n-there, rather than having to wait a day and then download it. Impulse buy, and all that.
I’m sure the suits freaked when they heard the “stockholders,” idea, just from the term alone.
But I don’t know why you couldn’t have a Jill Sobule “club,” or something along the same lines, with different levels of membership. $100 buys you access to audio/video of sessions/outtakes, $500 gets you - I don’t know, backstage access or something; a grand gets you acknowledged on the new CD.
Btw, you might want a different video partner than Brighcove. The video has been unavailable every time I’ve accessed the page. Good luck, Jill!
Posted by Fred Bals at September 5th, 2007 at 9:22 amHave you checked out ArtistShare? In their words, it’s “a place where fans fund the projects of their favorite artists in exchange for the privilege of ‘participating’ in the creative process.” It’s exactly what Fred described in his comment: a way for big fans to invest more money in exchange for a richer experience than just a CD.
Posted by Oren Levine at September 5th, 2007 at 11:53 amHi Jill,
Long time admirer.
It is a confusing yet exciting time to be in the music business. The paradigms are shifting so fast that it’s difficult to know what to do, but artists can be more independent than ever.
I know what you mean about the spontanaity (Three attempts - That’s my max: I can’t spell, and I don’t care; it is phonetically correct ;^)) of live performances, as I am a performer too, and I never think my “studio” recordings do me justice (And, my students agree with me).
Fortunately, with a Powerbook, ProTools, an external HD, and their Digi 002 rack, it’s easier than ever to capture live shows. You may want to consider that. If you work with a decent sound man, this should be easy enough for him or her to adapt to. A little critical listening to your performances can also aid with tightening up this and that.
I also feel your pain with respect to here today/gone tomorrow record labels, as I was in a string of bands back in the 80’s which seemed to be cursed in that regard. Or, perhaps it was just me.
I got so fed up with the business part of the deal I just blew off the band scene entirely and went solo. I know this isn’t really an option for singer/songwriters, but the simpler you can make things, the better, IMHO.
I record my CD’s at home. I write the music, I perform the music, I engineer the recording, and I produce the recording. I’m sure I’d get better results with more production resources, but being completely liberated from the industry at a time when it is going through so much upheaval gives me some deep peace of mind. CD’s cost me $1.50 each to produce, so most of the selling price is pure profit. The swinish, capitalist pig in me rather enjoys that.
Whatever happens, I’m sure you’re sharp enough to figure it out and resiliant enough to get through it.
Wish I could be more helpful.
Posted by George Pepper at September 5th, 2007 at 7:06 pmThanks guys for the ideas.
One thing I am doing is working with Don Was (bad- ass, dread locked, grammy winning producer).
I am putting out a song on his website. We are trying to go to radio without a record deal or even a record. It will go out Sept 10th to AAA radio stations. You never know. Who knows?
Go to mydamnchannel.com , and click on the Don Was site.
Oh, you must also go on Harry Shearer’s. He does a hilarious Dick Cheney on, “No Cooler For the Scooter”.
xo, jill
Posted by jill sobule at September 5th, 2007 at 8:58 pmHey Jill,
I’m following the same route that George mentions:
1. Record myself at home using a computer-based recording setup.
2. Producing the CDs through Kunaki.com (there are many others out there too like Discmakers).
3. Using CDBaby for physical and digital distribution. http://www.cdbaby.net
I recorded my own album this way earlier this year and it should be up on CDBaby by 9/15. CDBaby will also distribute the album to iTunes, Napster, Rhapsody, etc.
My main recommendation would be to leverage CDBaby to distribute your music.
You will still need to leverage your fanbase as much as possible for marketing though. I’ve also approached podcasters and posted my songs on the Podsafe Music Network http://music.podshow.com to try and gain more exposure. This has gotten my music played on podcasts worldwide. Heopfully it will turn into sales.
You may want to check out another indie artist that did not have the cash to finish his album, Scott Andrew. Scott did something similiar to your “shareholder idea” - but he asked for donations from his fans. Depending on the amount donated, you would gain access to pre-release songs, demos, artwork, and of course a pre-paid copy of the album. It seems to work well for him (he now has the money to finish it). Check it out at http://www.saveyoufromyourself.com
Good luck with everything and let us know what path you choose!
Neall Alcott
Posted by Neall Alcott at September 6th, 2007 at 5:13 amhttp://www.neallalcott.com
I don’t know anything about recording and promotion. But I do know computers.
If you sell a key that will give users access to the show recording, you’re saying that you’re going to shoulder the expense of having that show online and accessible, forever.
It becomes your responsibility.
Is a site like iTunes a solution? What kind of deal can you set up with them? I’m sure they would be happy if you used them exclusively to release singles that you make.
Posted by Erik Zolan at September 6th, 2007 at 6:47 amInteresting point Steve Jobs made yesterday is that 32 percent of all music released now never exists as a hard copy.
I like the investor idea. I’d probably throw a few bucks towards something like that for my favorite musicians.
How about starting a cooperative of musicians that locks out music lables? Like Magnum for photographers. They support each other by contributing a percentage of their income to the cooperative.
Centralize marketing, managmenet, distribution, etc. The agency does not make a profit. Only the participants do. Agency employees are paid on salary. No commissions.
Get more money, offer Apple a better deal for the ITMS than the labels give them. Let greedy capitalists call you a socialist as you laugh all the way to the bank with your bourgoise profits.
Put a poison pill in the cooperative agreement that keeps the labels from buying it out to kill the competition.
Only tour in venues that aren’t monpolized by Ticketmaster. Cheaper tickets, keep more of the money.
Make a deal with movie theaters like Edwards that broadcast live concerts in their theaters with digital projectors?
Posted by Eric Welch at September 6th, 2007 at 8:34 amJill,
There already exists an online business model for “fan-funded” albums and concerts. ArtistShare was started by jazz musician/composer/arranger Maria Schneider.
Please see:
Maria Schneider: http://www.mariaschneider.com/
ArtistShare: http://www.artistshare.com/home/default.aspx
Basically, by looking for a fan-funded model for an album, you’re looking for a contemporary version for the time-honored arts tradition of “patronage”.
Good Wishes!
Posted by Yllona Richardson at September 7th, 2007 at 3:56 amI’m inclined to go the digital route as being more straightforward. One of my bands tried the ‘patronage route’ and it turned out to be a huge headache in terms of paperwork (who owed what to whom) and guilt (we forgot some folks…)
The digital route just makes stuff available for sale right away.
But start small. A couple of songs with very basic arrangements. Voice, guitar, lead and maybe a synth pad.
Sell those and then move on up. If things go well, by the time you’ve got a dozen songs up…you might be funded for ‘Sergeant Pepper’ (4 tracks!!!!!)
My buddy has a folk label. 95% of sales is from the stage still. And NO videos.
They’re not big (http://www.borealisrecords.com/) but people are making their living from this… So it can be done.
Good luck.
Posted by Laurence Stevenson at September 7th, 2007 at 11:06 amFor the musicians out there: I am starting a blog for Yahoo Music. Mine will be on music and politics (loosely).
Not wanting to do all the work myself, I am asking my music pals to contribute. For example, I have Tom Morello, Jello Biafra, Harry Shearer (Spinal Tap!), Boots Riley, Lloyd Cole, Cyndi Lauper, etc, providing me with a song, a video, or a written piece (what a name dropper)
If any of you have a swell topical song-serious or smartly inane- send them my way.
For the non-musicians out there: now’s your chance.
jill
Posted by jill sobule at September 7th, 2007 at 8:06 pmI just got back from a weekend of gigging and, during the course of things, mentioned your dilemma to the guys.
Posted by Laurence Stevenson at September 10th, 2007 at 12:19 pmThey echoed Neall Alcott’s advice about CDBaby.
One of my bandmates knows the chap who runs it and feels that he’s very organised and reliable and, most importantly, has set the system up so that you get paid extremely promptly. If you sell anything that week, you are paid on the following Monday.
He also replies personally to all e-mails!
The concensus is that CDBaby is about to take off in a big way.
Hi Jill, I loved your performances at D5! Thanks!
I’m on the email list of a small local vocal group here in San Francisco and they recently asked if anyone was willing to host a house concert. I’d never heard of the concept before but got intrigued and began to look into the idea.
On the surface it seems like a great way to hold a performance, not split the gate with a club owner, sell CDs and most of all build a loyal following that would feel a close personal connection.
I wonder what your thoughts are as an artist?
(for anyone who wants more info on this idea, I found a good site: http://www.gaiaconsort.com/house.html
-josh
p.s. I’ve purchased a number of CDs through CDBaby over the past year and always feel like I am helping artists rather then helping record companies (which is what I feel like when I use Amazon). I don’t know if this is accurate but thought I’d put it out there.
Posted by Joshua Weinberg at September 10th, 2007 at 2:37 pmHi Jill,
In these difficult days for the industry, I think the best advice is for the artist to become more self-reliant especially when it comes to marketing oneself.
A site that I’m involved with, which is now in invite-only beta is” http://www.youbeats.com/test_site ”
Sites like it allow artists to attract fans by posting music samples.
The next step I’d recommend once one works on increasing her fan-base is to get more gigs. Performing live often is the most consistent revenue stream these days.
Using do-it-yourself-PR sites like YouTube, MySpace, PureVolume and YouBeats has become a necessity in this free-sharing music world.
Above all, don’t panic, keep your head high and you have reason to given your immense talent.
Aaron
Posted by Aaron Krawitz at September 11th, 2007 at 10:28 amI agree with much of what others have said. I haven’t used Qigo but it makes me a little nervous — are they Windows-only? Does it require additional software to be installed? (Judging by a recent thread on the Happytown list, a lot of your fans are using Macs.) It’s an interesting experiment.
I’m not a recording industry person but I can’t imagine that the major labels have anything to offer you. They don’t promote you very well and it seems you don’t get much back from them. Maybe it was the right way to go when I could visit a Tower Records in Chicago, but those days are long gone. In a world where the top music sellers include Amazon and iTunes, why bother with a label?
It seems that you could do this all on your own. You might want to still put out a physical CD to sell through Amazon (or your own website) but digital-only distribution seems very viable today. Then get your fans together and try to coordinate them to get dugg, get stumbled, get on the front page of iTunes.
Posted by Tom Parker at September 12th, 2007 at 1:06 pmHi Jill,
I’m a cofounder of a software startup that’s building a game-changing music hub for artists and their audiences — artists upload their music, and we use game mechanics to drive community around it.
Our initial focus is to help artists break free from obscurity and find their audiences. It’s a stark contrast from the cluster-f*ck that is MySpace and the fact that iTunes is simply an online version of Walmart.
Stage 2 and 3 of the company address concerns like monetization, etc., and I’d love to get in contact with you to talk more. We’ve got a pre-launch page up at http://www.thesixtyone.com.
Hope to hear from you!
James Miao
Posted by James Miao at September 13th, 2007 at 5:02 pmjymiao@gmail.com
It seems like my web link is broken because it includes the “.” at the end of my last sentence.
Here’s a working link:
http://www.thesixtyone.com
Posted by James Miao at September 13th, 2007 at 5:05 pmJoshua,
The house concert thing is great. In fact I am in Milwaukee (not a usual stop on my tour) for one. This should be more of a treand. It’s great for the artist (usually pays fairly well) and is great for the fans. It is like playing in someone’s living room. Well it is.
jill
Posted by jill sobule at September 15th, 2007 at 4:42 pmNow I feel like a cyber-stalker but every new thing that you have released online has been spectacular. I would get your music anyway available but digitally is the way to go because the nature of the music is so topical. Somehow there must be a way to direct a profit to you for this. I would buy live shows (even if i wasn’t there because there is something great about hearing live shows). I haven’t been able to see you live in 3 years. Would selling your shows be profitable? Whatever you do, I’ve seen so many talented artists give up, don’t. I bought a tape of your second album nearly 2 decades ago and would by record if that was all that was available. I cannot believe with all the junk on the market right now you cannot be heard. It’s horrifying. If you get a chance play in Nashville again, please. You have been missed. (fdrthecat)
Posted by mary-michael johnson at September 22nd, 2007 at 9:38 amHey Jill,
Whichever way you decide to go, you might want to check out RockMe. It would be a great way to promote your new blog on Yahoo, or a new album. It’s been going real well so far and is really a new way to reach out to and interact with your existing fans, and find new ones.
Just let us know if you’re interested and we’ll plug you into the schedule…
Posted by David Mandell at October 12th, 2007 at 7:28 amVery similar ideas and pains have been voiced by Kristin Hersh over the years. While digital only helps to keep the cost down, which alows you to make a good profit at a low prce, but does not give us fans a chance to pay that little bit extra. I for one buy ceveral CDs to give to friends, a vinyl copy for myself and a digital version for quick access when one of my favorit artist releases a new album and would download more if it was available at a reasonable price.
Posted by Adrian Dorr at October 15th, 2007 at 12:51 amHere is Krisrtin’s blog anouncing her goodbyes to labels of any kind and a similar fan-funded approach that you mentioned:
http://www.throwingmusic.com/b.....chive.html
The homepage has currently more details the new venture cashmusic.org that they are planning to start: http://www.throwingmusic.com
I think all of the suggestions posted above are valid way to put one’s music online. I work at a company that enables individuals to “promote” their music (amongst many other categories) on a cost-per-click basis.
http://www.ipromote.com enables users to generate a banner display ad with streaming audio/visual capability in just minutes and geographically target the ad to wherever you want. Many musicians in particular have already used iPromote with excellent results.
Imagine advertising your music across the Internet and attracting users to you website where they can buy the music.
We think that “User-Generated Advertising” will be a huge part of online promotion in the future.
iPromote.com — Get the Word Out!
Posted by Michael Barr at October 19th, 2007 at 5:11 pmJill,
While properly answering your question is akin to writing a business plan, and not knowing much about you and your fan base limits my ability to offer advice, here are some thoughts.
In your situation, all a record label offers is “album” financing. They won’t be effective in promotion. And given that you used quotes around the word, perhaps you are questioning whether your next project should even be a traditional 12-song package. While you may not have a Radiohead opportunity, you are an established artist with an established fan base. As such, I would encourage you to try to find a way to produce your next project without going to the majors, although I don’t think the shareholder idea is the proper model.
Although digital reigns supreme, do not underestimate the value of tangible items to consumers. Bundle digital and physical versions together, and make sure to offer high bit-rate versions. And I think you could use your USB key idea to bundle your concert experience. Include it in the pricing of concert tickets. I want to stress, however, that the USB sticks are a good idea for the perception that they provide consumers, not because it makes sense as a distribution method. The majors are trying to sell digital music in physical form on CD’s and USB sticks. It’s a miserable idea, and when they debut in the US (Ringles) and UK (flash USB) in the coming months I’m sure it will quickly become apparent. However, your USB key provides a sense of ownership to the concert-goer, and offers an opportunity to create a rich media experience very different from downloading a .zip file of mp3’s accessed through your web browser.
Video! While it may not be economical to make every live show available, video is an essential component to promoting musicians today. Package it with your USB key. Bundle some video - concert, documentary, music video, etc - with your album. Professional digital content production and distribution is extremely affordable.
Get your music out there. Make it available on all the web 2.0 music services but don’t invest all your time or energy in one particular site. Despite one reader’s claims to his “game-changing” service, these companies haven’t proven anything yet. So do your due diligence and make your content available at all of the relevant portals, but don’t let them convince you that any one site is the answer.
But in the end, it all comes down to touring. It’s paying the rent and the gambling debts. So, use the endless possibilities that the digital world offers to tailor an online experience that complements your live shows. Leverage it for greater touring revenue.
While I wouldn’t want to be a Wall Street investor in the music industry right now, it’s a crazy space ripe with opportunity. Be creative and innovative, and take responsibility for your online presence.
Posted by Jack Sullivan at October 21st, 2007 at 6:50 pm@ Jack Sullivan:
I totally hear you and appreciate your candid feelings related to music services. To clarify, we’re not interested in tying up musicians to any one portal. We’re just two 20 year olds that are tired of the current, gimmicky offerings that ultimately fail to offer much more than a simple web url (and this doesn’t mean much, especially when nobody knows who you are!).
Posted by James Miao at November 5th, 2007 at 7:50 amI hate to be a pessimist, but I think the record industry serves a purpose greater than most people see.
They are the gatekeepers. And I mean that in a good way. I’m sure Jill’s music is good, but how does a listener differentiate Jill from the thousands of female singer/songwriters in America, who are also good? And that’s only in her genre; when you add up all genres, you’re looking at millions of artists, all trying to make it big.
My theory is that the labels create value by limiting the number of options consumers have. Now I know, I know, most people think options are good. However, I disagree, and marketing logic tends to agree with me. 10, 20, even 100 options are good. But millions of options are bad. People want a simple menu to choose from. The classic example is that of 2 ice cream shops next door to each other. One has thousands of flavors, the other has 3. The latter one almost always succeeds.
So what happens? There are many websites for up and coming bands, and these, in addition to myspace, flood our brains with too many options. We choose a few, and ignore the rest.
Sure, labels pay for your CD to be produced, but that’s not their core value, and as everyone here as pointed out, it’s very easy to record your own high quality album. The problem isn’t the recording, the problem is getting it into the hands of 100,000 screaming fans. And sadly, in most cases, indie websites and myspace alone won’t do that. You need to have your name in bold at Best Buy. You need to be on the front page of iTunes. You need a marketing machine to make you stand out from the millions of other artists. You need to get past the gatekeeper.
I’m also a musician (well, part time at least), so I empathize with this challenge. However, I don’t think it will ever go away until there exists a more efficient way of making one artist stand out from the rest. I’m sure many can think of a few examples of artists that did make it big through myspace, but the odds of doing so are much smaller than getting a record deal, even a crappy one.
So what can you do? I hate to say it, but make a better album, and make it stand out from every other musician out there. Then sell yourself to the labels.
That is.. if you want to actually become a famous musician. I prefer to avoid the selling of the soul and keep my day job and jam out on weekends.
-A
Posted by Adrian Grabicki at November 19th, 2007 at 11:07 amI know you don’t want to hear this, but the world is awash in content. There is just no reason to expect to be able to sell music, or even a way to make a living off the music you produce.
Musicians need to get past the thought that the music, as ART, is the product. That time has passed, simply because the scarcity value has disappeared. It is the intangibles of the performance that are of value now, and that is what you need to embrace.
Posted by Alex Tolley at November 20th, 2007 at 8:08 amSo my advice is to make a living off ancillary stuff. Do your concerts with t-shirts, offer insights about your music that are not available on the CD, create a community of fans/followers who will pay for the experience and the trinkets denoting that that follow and support you. Make your website a community place to engage your fans, not as a place to sell music, per se.