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A Guide To Music Publishing Part II: Performance, Sync, and Print Royalties

Reading Time: 5-7 minutes

Hey everyone! Ok we're on post two of our Music Publishing blog series. We hope you learned a bit from Part I, Mechanical Royalties. I'm hoping to keep these posts a bit shorter so that they are easier to digest, however I think we can squeeze in a few types of royalties in this post. So today we are going to talk about performance royalties, sync royalties, and print royalties, what they are, show some examples, and talk about how to collect these royalties.

Performance Royalties

What are performance Royalties?

Simply put, the songwriter and the publisher of a particular song are owed a performance royalty every time that song is "broadcast" or "performed" in public.

Examples

Played on internet radio

Played on terrestrial radio (FM and AM radio)

Played in stores and businesses, such as restaurants, department stores, or specialty shops.

Played on online streaming services

Performed at live venues or clubs. This includes performances by yourself, by a cover band, or even by a DJ.

3) How To Collect

These royalties are collected through a Performing Rights Organization, otherwise known as PROS. As a songwriter, you'll need to register your works with one of the PROS in your country, and they will collect your performance royalties for you. Here are the main ones in the United States and Canada:

United States

ASCAP

BMI

SESAC

Canada

SOCAN

SYNC ROYALTIES

1) What Are They?

Sync royalties are earned when the songwriter and publishers works are synchronized with visual media of any kind. This is typically used for TV shows and movies, but it does extend into any visual element. The trend as of late has been for companies to buyout all rights to the works, which results in a large upfront payment, however no royalty payments during the use.

2) Examples

Played in a movie

Played during a commercial

Played in advertisements

Played in online video streams

Played in video games

3) How To Collect

Sync royalties are also collected through PROS, but some agencies that collect mechanicals will also collect sync royalties, such as the Harry Fox Agency in the United States. So again, these are the agencies you'll want to look into:

United States

ASCAP

BMI

SESAC

Canada

SOCAN

Print Royalties

1) What Are They?

Print royalties are the least common type of royalties, however they are still worth mentioning. So, whenever your compositions are transcribed and printed, you are entitled to a print royalty. The amount of royalties you receive is very simply based on the number of printed copies.

2) Examples

Sheet music

3) How To Collect

Print royalties are typically paid out by the printer of the sheet music to whoever licensed the works. So this one is a case by case basis.

Ok that's it for this post, thanks for reading! Like I said, we want to keep these nice and simple so that it makes the topic easier to digest. As I suggested in our last post, there are a few amazing books on this topic that I highly recommend you read if you're going to take publishing seriously:

Music Publishing: The Complete Guide The Plain and Simple Guide To Publishing All You Need To Know About The Music Business

Don't forget a free trial to Amazon Prime so you don't have to pay for shipping! Click here to redeem.

Thanks for reading guys! We hope that this blog series on music publishing is answering some questions on what exactly it is. We will post Part III next week, which will cover how you can get into publishing, ways to reach out to publishers etc. We hope that by the end of the series, you have a thorough understanding of what publishing is and how you can work it into your strategy.

As usual, please share this post, follow us on social, sign up for the email list for updates, and join the Facebook group to join our community!

Cheers,

Brad Velveteen Records

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Brad Simons is the founder and owner of Velveteen Records, as well as the recording studio Velveteen Audio. He produces, engineers, and plays in his own project called Optics.

Categories

#touring #merch #practice

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velveteenrecords-blog · 7 years

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10 Books To Help You Succeed In Your Career

Reading Time: 8-10 minutes

We love to read. Seriously. I know it sounds like a lame past time for a musician to read books, but man, you can really learn to expand your career by learning off of others who have lead the way. It can help you come up with new ideas, learn how to effectively run your band, and even keep you motivated in hard times. Here's a few of our favourites books to inspire you to do more with your music:

Six Figure Musician - David Hooper

This book is incredible as it talks about all the unique ways that you can market your music in todays digital world. From avenues like social media, website traffic, strategies on touring and money management, it's fantastic. My key takeaway from this book was the point on how there are people who won't like you or your music, and theres nothing to be afraid of. The quote used to help you keep going is, "you don't really know how fast a car is until you crash it". No matter what, push as hard as you can to develop your career, as that's the only way it's going to happen.

Think And Grow Rich - Napoleon Hill

This is a timeless classic in the area of self-improvement and success. Now, don't be put off by the title (like I was), the principles are not necessarily geared towards money. It's more so describing the deep "burning desire" that you must have to succeed. I am inclined to say that this book has inspired half of the authors on this list in some way, shape or form. A definite read!

Tools Of Titans - Tim Ferriss

Tim Ferriss is a monster entrepreneur, successful angel investor, and the inventor on the "lifestyle design" philosophy. In this book, he puts a collection of short excerpts together from various highly successful people as to shed some light on how they operate. He's got everyone from Arnold Schwarzenegger to Tony Robbins to Jamie Foxx, to billionaire investors and powerlifting gurus -- even the creator of the comic "Dilbert". It's a great way to gain insight from a variety of people who are making things happen on a large scale. Also, worth checking out is Tim's book 'The Four Hour Work Week'.

Ask Gary Vee - Gary Vaynerchuk

For any of you out there who have heard of Gary Vaynerchuk, you probably have either one of two conclusions. The guy is completely insane, or he's a complete genius. Either way, the guy operates at a very intense level. His main focus in his books is about business and social media. In my opinion, his social media tactics are absolutely paramount to musicians. They can drastically increase the size of your audience. Not to mention, listening to Gary can be quite inspiring!

The 10X Rule - Grant Cardone

Here's a another maniac that we love. Grant Cardone is an intense dude! The guy focuses on working your ass off to get where you need to go. It's hard to argue with him when he's amassed a $100 million real estate portfolio. Anyways, the point of this book lies in goal setting. Say you have a goal of getting 50,000 streams this year on Spotify. Grant Cardone says, add a zero to the end of that goal (multiply by 10) and aim for that, which would 500,000 streams. This forces you to find new ways to reach your goals, because the tactics that get you to 50,000 won't work to get you to 500,000. And then if you don't achieve your goal and only reach 200,000 streams, you still blew by the original.

Creativity Inc - Ed Catmull

I especially enjoyed this story, written by Ed Catmull, one of the founders of Pixar. It is essentially a biography of Catmull and a discussion on how Pixar became one of the leading innovators in animation, and revolutionized the film industry. It's a great story as it shows how big operations can run in the creative industries, how to effectively run a creative team, and how films such as Toy Story came to be. Highly recommended!

Steve Jobs - Walter Isaacson

The Steve Jobs biography is a must read for anyone who is doing something creative in their lives. One of my favourite things about reading this book is that you get an deep look into Steve's intense obsession with design and simplicity. The man was a true genius who deeply cared about his product and his company, just like you deeply care about your songs.

Sing To Me - LA Reid

This is a fantastic read for those who want to know more about the business end of the music industry. For those who don't know, LA Reid is a music executive, founder of LaFace Records, and was the CEO for Arista Records, Epic Records, and Island Def Jam Records. He also was a judge on the X-Factor. He has worked with the likes of Justin Beiber, Mariah Carey, TLC, Usher, and Avril Lavigne.

The Artist's Guide To Success In The Music Business - Loren Weisman

This book was very similar to the Six Figure Musician, but was much longer and therefore contained a lot more information. Loren displays modern ways to get your band out into the world, and reveals some creative ideas you can use to generate more fans.

Content Inc - Joe Pulizzi

You may have heard the phrase that, "content is king". Well, it's not the only thing, but in today's mobile web-based age, the content you provide online can make or break you. This book is written by one of the founders of the company Content Inc, and that's what they do best. From blogging, to videos, to SEO and social media, it's a great book if you're looking for more ideas on modern marketing methods for your music.

Ok guys! That's that. If you have any books to add to this collection, please let us know! And for more information, follow us on social as well as sign up for our email list!

Cheers,

Brad Velveteen Records

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#books #reading #learning #marketing

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5 Ways To Prep For The Studio

Alright everyone, this is a pretty fundamental post, but it is also very important. We've borrowed some of this information from our studio site, Velveteen Audio. Making music in a professional recording studio is time consuming, physically and mentally draining, and most of all, expensive. Let's make sure you don't waste your time.

1) Know Your Songs

Ok there are two parts to this argument. First, you should know your songs inside and out. In a perfect world, you can play them forward, back, upside down, and even while doing algebra (yeah don't do algebra, be a musician). You want to be at this level so that you're playing is muscle memory, and therefore it can be very emotional. When you're actively thinking about what you're playing, you tend to get rigid and lack any feeling. Now having said all that, a big part of being in the studio is having time to experiment (see below). Try to bring in several alternate ideas for each part so that you have a few things to work with.

2) Prepare Your Instruments

Maaaaannnnn. I can't tell you how many times this has been an issue. Drummer shows up and says, "well I haven't changed the top heads in over a year, and the bottom heads have been on for the last ten years". Well, your kit is going to sound just like that, garbage. So get your damn instruments tuned up, restring, re-skinned, setup, etc. Can you tell this is a sore spot for me??? There's nothing worse than a session falling apart because the intonation on the guitar is just not right, no matter how well it's played. It can really kill the vibe of a session, and waste a lot of time and money. Get your shit setup!

3) Rest And Be Healthy

Being well rested and eating healthy is often overlooked. Most musicians generally agree that they shouldn't be out partying and getting bombed the night before their session, but you might want to go one further. Drink alot of water, get a good 8-9 hours of sleep, eat a hearty breakfast. Being in the studio is mentally exhausting, and you need to have the stamina to push through.

4) Plan For Experimental Time

So, to tie into the 2nd half of our discussion up top, you gotta plan for experimental time. Work this into your budget and make it happen. Yeah, the bulk of your recording is in your bed tracks and your laid out parts, not disputing that. However, really great records have the extra sprinkle on top that sets them apart from the crowd. Give yourself time to find those things! Try crazy things like reverse your vocal track, sing operatically, whisper, try crazy harmonies, get feedback from your guitar in weird ways. The point is, get creative. This is where the magic happens and the song comes to life.

5) Pre Production

In the old days (and on big budget productions these days), this could be done in the studio. But given the costs of a basic recording setup these days, there really is no excuse for not demo'ing your songs out on a decent recording system. Hell, you can make some pretty great records from your laptop. Check out producer Steve Lacy here and read about how he produced a track on Kendrik Lamar's new record all from his iPhone. That's insane. Anyways, get yourself a decent recording rig and do your own pre-pro. You'll get to hear what your song sounds like back at you and make critical decisions to fix it!

Ok guys, that's our tips on how to make the most of your recording session. Let us know if you have anything to add!

For more updates, follow us on all social and sign up for email list!

Cheers Brad

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#recording #studio #music

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velveteenrecords-blog · 7 years

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Why Hiring A Publicist Can Help Your Band

You may have heard other musicians or music professionals suggest that you hire a publicist for your band. You may have also thought that it's too costly or not worth it. Now, just like anything else in the music business, if you don't find the right publicist, it can be a waste. However, the right publicist can really help your career. So let's get into it: why hire a publicist, and when should you do it???

WHY

Promotion

Ok let me be clear here, a publicist does not actually do the promotion for you. However, they will act as a gateway into the right places for promotion. What that means is the publicist will connect you with newspapers, blogs, radio stations, tv shows, podcasts, and virtually anywhere that is relevant to your campaign. And on top of that, one of the publicists key roles is to build you a strategic plan for when to schedule interviews, when to reach out to media outlets, what time of day to post social media, etc. They will help you maximize the effectiveness of your marketing campaign.

Delegation

I'm sure you've heard us say this over and over and over, but your Team is everything. So think of it this way: you hire a publicist to handle the promotion of your record. That's what they are good at! After all, they do it day after day and are paid to do so. So let them do that. But that's only half of the equation. The other half is that you must now make effective use of the time you've just freed up. Decide on what important tasks you need to be doing yourself, and get to those. For instance, maybe you could spend time writing new songs while the publicist is doing PR work. Or if the publicist is working on your upcoming tour, spend your time working on building an amazing live show! Always make sure you effectively use the free time you have created by hiring the publicist, or any team member for that matter.

Contacts

Again, publicists do this job day in, day out. So if you find the right publicist, there's a pretty good chance that they will be able to put you in contact with the people that you desperately need to talk to. Think of a publicist as a an extension of your network, allowing you to connect with the often "unreachable" people in the industry. Since publicists are in contact with music industry professionals on a constant basis, they have built those relationships and created those networks. Have you ever heard the phrase, "right place at the right time"? Well, having a publicist can be paramount in making sure you're in that right place at the right time.

Credibility

Building a team around your music is a sure way to appear as though you have got it going on. And let's be honest, if you have the right team of motivated and talented people, then you probably do, or will very soon! Having a credible publicist will only increase this effect. The media outlets that your publicist reaches out to will most likely take you more seriously, as you will appear as less of a DIY project, and more a professional with backing. So get yourself a publicist on your team to handle you public relations!

WHEN

We've talked about why you want a publicist, but when do you pull the trigger? Answer these questions to gain some insight on whether or not you're ready.

1) Did You Just Finish A Project? - this could be a record, a video, really any type of media release. You'll want help to maximize the marketing efforts for this project

2) Are You Looking To Expand Your Reach? - If so, you'll need to expand your team and your area, so you'll need a publicist to bring you into new regions in the best way possible.

3) Are You Unable To Keep Up With Media/Marketing Tasks? - If you're at the point where you simply cannot keep up with the phone calls, emails, texts, etc., then again its time to expand the team and have a publicist take over the appropriate duties.

4) Do You Have The Funds To Put Into A Publicist? - Here's the downside. Bringing in another team member means bringing in extra costs to pay for that member. You need to make sure you have the systems in place first before you can add someone like a publicist into the mix.

Hope that helps guys! Feel free to comment below, and follow us on social!

Cheers

Brad Simons Velveteen Records

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#music marketing #music promotion #music business #publicity

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Growing Your Mailing List at Shows

It’s kind of weird to consider, but as a musician, you’re both the product and the salesman. You’re essentially selling yourself (no, not like that…), every time you perform, release a track or album, or post a photo on Instagram. Good salesmen know their product inside and out and are willing to try different ways of getting cash out of a potential customer’s pocket. You should be no different!

We’re all about growing your mailing list around here, and if you haven’t heard us say it before, I’m saying it again now. The reason you need to do that is because you own your mailing list. Once people opt in to that list, they are yours to directly market to until they unsubscribe — which you should try your darnedest to avoid. Once you have them in your list, you are pretty much free to do with it what you please. We wrote about this once before in a post called, "Building An Email List" and then went on with some tips on "Running a Killer Email Marketing Campaign" afterwards. Those are both recommended reading if you're serious about growing your mailing list!

However! This post is specifically about growing your mailing list at shows, so let's get to it.

Traditionally, artists have just left their mailing list sitting on their merch table for people to sign up to when they pass by, and that’s…. about it. Let me ask you: how many have you signed up for? If you're anything like me, it probably hasn’t been all that many. You need to step up your game a notch.

If you’ve already been through our FREE RESOURCES section, you’ll have read all about email marketing and mailing lists before. If not, click that link and brush up — then come back here. Once you’re back, here’s how you’re gonna step it up. This is way easier if you’re a band, but as a solo artist, it’s still possible.

Before your next gig, you need to get yourself and every member of your band the following items:

a basic clipboard, or an iPad/tablet computer

a quick download of this free, simple, Mailing List Printout (click the image),

a pen, where required

Notice that the document has "[ARTIST NAME]" at the top -- do not forget to change this to suit your needs. You will look like an amateur goof if it stays that way and you're trying to get people to sign up to hear more from you! Your attention to detail will be noticed.

Next: BECOME THE SALESMAN

Let me explain. Before and after every gig, you need to be walking around to every single person in the venue (I don’t care if it’s a stadium or a cafe), striking up conversations, and asking them to sign up for your list using the aforementioned Mailing List Printout. It doesn’t matter if you look or feel silly. This will not only grow your list, but also work wonders for your fanbase. Even if people aren’t at the show for you, they’ll take notice of the fact that you took the time to speak directly to them and you’ll create fans. They might not even like your music, but they’ll want to know more because now you’re genuinely connected. Make sense??

Secondly -- remember how we talked about the mailing list sitting at your merch table? It's a really good idea to have your merch person actively requesting that people sign up.

People love the words 'FREE' and 'DISCOUNT', and in order to get them to sign up, I highly suggest that you give them some sort of incentive for doing so. Offer them something like a free sticker or a discount on your merch, or anything of value that you can think of! This, of course, applies to both the merch table signups and the walkaround signups!

IMPORT INTO MAILCHIMP

Now that you have their name and email address, you’re set. Since you’ve already read the info in the FREE RESOURCES section, I don’t need to reiterate this, I hope. Your mailing list should be your kryptonite. It should be your holy grail. You should treat that list like a newborn baby and breathe life and love into it every single day!

But, what do you do with your new information? This can easily be imported directly into MailChimp (or whichever email service you use), to add to your (hopefully) pre-existing list. I'm sounding like a broken record here, but check out the FREE RESOURCES section of the site to get more info on getting that started.

Oh wait, I have one more tip. Have you asked everyone you know to subscribe your list? Your family, friends? Facebook, Twitter and Instagram homies? You know what to do. There is zero shame in asking anyone to support your art. Art needs a community, and if you don’t have their support, then maybe there's something to be said about them as your friend.

Okay go get some subscribers and tell me in the comments below how you made out!

Andrew

Velveteen Records

#canadian record label #how to grow your mailing list #alberta record label #edmonton record label #artist mailing list #artist newsletter #growing your mailing list at shows

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Easiest Way To Stay Motivated? Get New Friends

I'm sure you've heard the phrase, "you are the average of the 5 people closest to you," or, "you're a product of your environment," or, "show me your friends and I'll show you your future." Yeah, sometimes these quotes can sound pretty hocus pocus, but we're telling you, they're totally true! Putting yourself amongst great people will have a dramatic influence on your own greatness. Let's dive into why, as well as how to do it:

Why

1) Confidence - As a musician, you are constantly putting yourself out into the world for judgement. It's a part of what we do. We reveal our inner selves to the world and hope they enjoy and relate to the message that we're portraying. What's bound to happen? People are going to disagree with you, judge you, make fun of you, put you down. So what's an easy remedy? Surround yourself with friends/musicians/professionals who are positive and encourage you to keep pushing yourself further. They will give you the confidence to move forward. Apply to this to the members of your band, as your band has to work like an effective team, as we discussed in a previous blog post, Is 'Your Band a TEAM, or Just A Band?'

2) Opportunity - What do you think happens when you surround yourself with people who create opportunities for themselves? You get opportunities for yourself! This is an endless cycle of good people working hard and helping each other out. This is one of the ways that musicians can find themselves in the right place at the right time. Start by finding the right people, and the right time will come eventually.

3) Knowledge - This one is huge. Surrounding yourself with the right people means you will have access to information that will help your career more than you can possibly know. Every music career has it's own twists, turns, and problems to overcome. By surrounding yourself with like-minded people, you will find yourself gaining insight as to how you can overcome your current hurdles. Not only that, your increased knowledge adds to the general increased knowledge of the group!

How

Ok we've covered the why. It's pretty clear to see that you need to get people in your life who are already where you want to be. Now, how do we do that???

1) Outline your goals - The first step is to get a clear idea of where you want to go and who you want to be. Write down your career goals, your personal goals, your values and morals. This will make it easier to understand the type of people you want to be spending your time with.

2) Develop a set of criteria questions - You'll want to put the people you spend your time with through the following set of questions:

Do you make me feel good?

Do you make me feel confident?

Do you inspire me?

Do you encourage me to do what I love to do?

Do I feel happy and energetic around you?

You can of course tailor this list to what works for you, but this is a starting point. If you find someone in your circle that lets you down on those questions, they gotta go!

3) Replace the person you cut in step 2 with someone new - Take those questions again, and apply them to potential new candidates for your circle. If you find someone who generally answers positive to those questions, then it's time to reach out to them! Maybe ask them for a coffee, lunch, go see their show, get involved with what they do.

Ok! We've surrounded ourselves with amazing people and our careers are moving forward. What about family, you ask? You can't just cut out family! Well, of course you can't. But if your family does not support you or make you feel empowered or encourage you in what you do, then you need to sit down and have a serious conversation with those people. Remove the roadblocks! Give yourself the tools you need to succeed, and that starts with the right people.

And while you're at, check out our favorite Mr. Gary Vaynerchuk describe this whole process in his over the top and vulgar method in a YouTube video here

Thanks for reading guys! Please subscribe to us on all social and our mailing list for more updates from the Velveteen Records family.

Cheers! Brad Simons

#motivation #networking #team #friends #canadian record label #alberta record label #edmonton record label #record label

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You Want a Break Already?

[Disclaimer: This post is pretty straight up and I’m sorry/not sorry if it’s not the news you want to hear. However, we have no intention of discouraging anyone from playing or writing music -- in fact, we encourage everyone to try. But if you want to progress your career, these are some suggestions on how to do that.]

About a month ago I wrote an entry on the topic of "what record labels are looking for ” and you guys loved it — thank you! Today I’m going to look deeper at the one overarching thing that record labels are looking for: the HUSTLE!

There is a reason that this blog is called The Music Industry Hustle and it’s not because we’re here to hustle you. In fact, it’s quite the opposite. We want to give you everything you need to make your own hustle a reality. Record labels, above everything else, want to see that you’re working your buns off — Every. Single. Day. You have to be treating your music like it’s a business and working full-time hours on it, even if you’re working a full-time job at Chuck E. Cheese. Why? Because it IS a full-time job.

If you’re already living a “rockstar life” and partying constantly and going on trips and bragging like you’re famous, you might as well give up. When people say “fake it till you make it”, it doesn’t mean that you should mis-spend or waste your time and money on material things so you look a certain way on Instagram . It means that you have the mentality and drive all day/every day that comes across like you’re more accomplished than you already are. Even if you’re playing to crowds of 4 people and selling zero shirts at that show, you have to act like you’re standing on top of the world. If you don’t, no one else will think you are, because no one else (besides you) actually cares if you're successful!

Be honest with yourself

If I’m being honest, which I absolutely always am, (I’m like Jim Carrey on Liar Liar when he can’t lie…), we at Velveteen are looking for artists that NEVER STOP. We want all of the other things that record labels are looking for, (ie, kick ass music, solid branding/marketing, etc) that I wrote about before but they also have to have already established themselves as far as they know how to without a wicked team beside them. We want our artists to have already exhausted every single avenue and have bulging eyes and veins and sweaty palms because they’re working so hard at it and can't figure out what to do next.

So if you think you’re ready for that trip to Mexico cause you’ve worked so hard and you “deserve” it, then go ahead. But before you do that, let me ask you a quick question before you book that trip:

Why have I never heard of you?

**crickets**

That’s what I thought. This has nothing to do with me, or myself having any sort of notoriety or industry strength, so I'm not trying to make it seem like that. I’ve never heard of you because you have one foot in the water and one foot on the beach. I hate to tell you, but the proverbial tide is going to change and you’re going to have to pick a side (like 99.9% of people who have also given up at this point)! Is that you? If yes, then you actually have way more work to do than the people who say no. You have to find the drive to re-motivate yourself and step up your game.

Time to PIVOT!

If not, here’s my quickstart list on how to get started:

1. Sell your PS4/XBOX. You have no use for video games if you want to win. 2. Minimize your belongings. If it’s not something you need, then you should sell/give it away. Check out www.theminimalists.com for a guide. Why minimize? Two reasons: you need to get used to living on tour if you’re going to do this, and that means living out of a suitcase. And, every dollar you make off your “stuff”, can be put into gear, marketing, recording time, etc. 3. Cancel your Cable, Netflix, land line, etc. Anything extra that takes up your time and cash, (if it’s not music or reading related), and replace it with concentrated practice at your craft. Distractions are creativity-killers. 4. Start scheduling everything. Seriously — that practice I just mentioned, your exercise, walking your dog… it will give you routine! Just keep in mind that you don’t want to plateau and lose interest. If it gets boring, pivot again! 5. Start going to networking events and shows and actually talking to people. Don't just drink beer and stand there -- make it known what you're trying to do, and make a point of talking to people who are doing it. On that note, make another point to reach out to a set number of people every day/week/month who are doing such things and see if you can get a conversation with them! 6. Set public goals. What does that mean? Make your goals as a musician a public thing (maybe not to your Facebook friends, but a select group of friends, a girlfriend/boyfriend/best friend/sister, Facebook group, etc), to keep yourself accountable for those goals. 7. You see where this is going. Add more below if you want. The idea is to spend as much time as possible on music and being an artist. If you want it as bad as you say you do, you’ll know that nothing else (besides your family, friends, and keeping a roof over your head), is worth it. 8. 9. 10.

Just remember that there is a difference between being busy and being productive. Alright that’s pretty much it. If you want to “make it in the music industry” or “get signed to a record label” or “get famous”, then you need to kill it every day and take no prisoners (or breaks until you’re there)!

Got something to add? Comment below!

Andrew Velveteen Records

#music marketing #musicians #musician #music business #music #hustle

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How To Survive Your First Tour

Man, going on your first big tour as a musician is one of the most memorable experiences. It's full of surprise, excitement, wonder, and just seriously good times. But you probably don't realize that it's also going to bring out all the issues your band has, test your physical and emotional limits, and force you to rapidly change your perspective. This is why you see a lot of bands work so hard to get themselves on the road, and then quit as soon as they get home from their first big tour. So let's dive into some ways you can avoid this catastrophe!

1. Map It Out - Travel expenses will always be one of the biggest costs on your tour budget, especially for us Canadian folk. We have a very low population density, which means that you must drive long distances to reach your fans! So, an effectively mapped out route is essential. There are several websites that allow you to enter multiples cities, a starting and stopping point, and they will find the most effective route for you. Alternatively, you can use Google Maps to find the most effective route between each city, and compile a list. This can help you plan for your gas consumption budget. Which brings us to our next point.

2. Set A Budget - Let me make this abundantly clear. Tour is expensive. Seriously. Look up this article from a band called Pamplemousse to get an idea of how ridiculously expensive it can be. So, what's the obvious recourse? Plan a meticulous budget. This will accomplish several things. First, it will allow you to determine what you can and cannot do before you have even started your tour. Second, it will allow you to see where you can cut costs. Third, it will give you a baseline to follow while on the road. Be thorough about this. Track expenses such as gas, hotel/accomodation, daily per diem, merch top ups, extra activities (lots of bands go to pools to both shower and have some down time), repairs and maintenance on both vehicles and equipment, etc.

3. Pre-program Social Media - You ever heard of Hootsuite? Well, you have now. Go get it. Asap. You can program every social media post on your entire tour (with the exception of things like Instagram stories and Snapchat snaps). This will save you a lot of time on the road, where you can just interact on social media, rather than be posting. Furthermore, you can schedule Facebook advertising in each town for the time when you will be there. Maybe you want to advertise your show to fans in Austin Texas for two weeks before your show. Guess what, you can do that! And you should.

4. Make A Daily Itinerary - I will say, making a daily itinerary ahead of time can sometimes cause unnecessary and redundant work. However, it's a good idea to have the key points laid out ahead of time. Then while on the road, you can update your daily itinerary for the next day or two as you go. This will help everyone stay on track and make sure you don't miss any appointments such as radio shows, sound checks, and set times.

5. Communicate With Each Other - Man, tour can bring out all the issues that people have with each other within an instant. It's crazy, I've seen it happen on repeat. So how do we solve that issue? Well, communicate with each other. Make sure that everyone is aware ahead of time that they are going to bring up any issues with each other in a manner that allows them to solve it. Bothered by the fact that one of your band members isn't helping load in and out as much as they should? Bring that up immediately so it doesn't fester and become a much larger issue than it needs to be. This will keep everyone in check and getting along.

7. Take Care Of Yourself - I definitely fell victim to this on my first tour, way back when I was a teenager. You have to make sure that you continue to take care of your body and your mental health. Try to get good sleeps, eat healthy, give yourselves time to relax and unwind. These things all matter, and a tour can fall apart if someone's health declines in any way. For example, if someone gets a cold, there's a high likelihood that it's going to spread to other members. What's gonna happen when you give your singer a nasty chest cold? Yeah, he or she is not going to sound as good as they normally do. So stay healthy!

Thanks guys! Comment below if you have any other touring tips, whether it be first time or not. And as usual, follow us on all social and subscribe to our email list!

Cheers!

Brad Velveteen Records

#touring #travelling

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velveteenrecords-blog · 7 years

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Should You Attend A Music Conference?

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Music conferences can seem like a big waste of money and time. Let's be honest, they totally can be! But that isn't necessarily the fault of the music conference. You should have a specific plan when you go to a conference. Make use of the seminars, the performances, the networking opportunities, etc. I've myself gone to Canadian Music Week a couple of times, played my gigs, then went home. What a waste! Don't be like me! Let's dive into why you should attend a music conference.

WHY ATTEND?

1. Seminars and Networking Events - These events are fantastic. There are countless keynote speakers, songwriting circles, networking mixers, etc. You can spend your daytime learning from the experts in your field. This could be things such as marketing your music, better songwriting, ways to tour, etc. The knowledge alone is worth it. Not to mention, the networking events are a great way to meet new people. Many conferences hold a sort of "speed dating" type event, where you have a minute or two to speak with someone new, then a bell goes, and you move to the next person. You might encounter someone who could drastically help your career in these events. Take advantage!

2. The Right People - One of the best parts of music conferences is that they bring together the heavy hitters in the industry, assuming you're at a decent conference ;) Make a list of some key people that you must talk to at the conference, and do whatever is necessary to get a moment (within reason of course, don't be a clown either!). Work on your pitch and make a great impression. Even if nothing comes from it immediately, you're building relationships over time.

3. Music - I think this goes without saying, but there are generally thousands of musicians out at major music conferences around the globe. This is an excellent opportunity to find new musicians to tour with, get inspired by different sounds, and just be a part of the music community. You might even find someone to co-write with! (Check out our post on co-writing music). In addition, you should ideally have your own gig booked through the conference. That way you can also show off your talents to a new set of people. However, be aware that there is usually a saturation of shows at conferences, so they can be hit or miss. This is why you must take advantage of the additional opportunities listed above.

4. Vacation - Let's be honest, going to an out of town music conference is almost like a vacation. Have fun with it! It's inspiring and exciting to be around other musicians, in a new city (assuming it's out of town) and focusing on your career. So enjoy it! Don't be afraid to take a couple days before or after the conference to explore the city that the conference is in. Not to mention, you can write this whole trip off ;)

CONFERENCES TO ATTEND

I'll list a few key conferences to attend for North Americans, but this is not an all inclusive list. Do your research on music conferences relevant to you.

1. SXSW (South By South West) - This conference is located in Austin Texas, and usually takes place in March. This is one to attend for sure. There are some 30,000 registrants per year, thousands of showcases, trade shows. The range of artists and music industry professionals ranges from brand new artists to those on top of the game. A must attend.

2. Canadian Music Week - This is probably the biggest music conference for us Canadians. This conference takes place in Toronto and is usually in the early spring, not far from SXSW. For Canadians, this is a great one to attend. Countless seminars, keynote speakers, great shows, and the best of the best in the Canadian Music biz.

3. ASCAP "I Create Music" Expo - This conference brings out the world's best in songwriters, publishers, and producers, as well as the best of the music industry. Located in Los Angeles, there are countless workshops featuring songwriters on the top of the Billboard Hot 100. Where else are you going to be doing that? Imagine going to a conference and Ryan Teder of One Republic is talking to you about songwriting. That is crazy!

We hope this gives you some insight as to why you should attend music conferences. Remember, have a purpose and a plan, and it will no longer be a waste of money and time to attend. Seriously!

Thanks for reading, and follow us on social and subscribe to our email list for more info!

Cheers!

Brad Velveteen Records

#music marketing #music business #music conferences

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velveteenrecords-blog · 7 years

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What Are Records Labels Looking For?

Musicians have always attached some sort of glamour or affirmation of success to saying they’re “signed to a record label”. There is, and always will be an undeniable, underlying need for an artist to be recognized somehow for their craft. The problem is that most artists have little-to-no idea what record labels are looking for, or even what they have to offer labels as an artist! Some don't even stop to think: Do You Need a Record Label These Days? (click that for another post on the topic). Is that you?

Unless it's a major record deal, being signed to a label doesn't necessarily mean that you'll be able to just quit your day job and focus on music 24/7. What it does mean, though, is that you'll now have people on your team whose success depends on your success. They're going to do what it takes to get your music heard, your face seen, and your fanbase growing so that you'll be able to do that down the road. Before any of that happens, you're going to need to make sure that you're set up in a way that gets record label attention. Let's start:

1. Obviously your music needs to kick ass. It's sad, but a lot of musicians have no idea that their music is terrible because they have friends that are way too concerned with their feelings that they let them release it without any constructive criticism. Here's an example:

We recently had a band come through our studio who blew everybody away. Like, socks off blown away good. The lead guitarist killed everything in one take and they finished their record in no time at all. Why does this matter? Two years prior, that guitarist had literally no chops. He was the guy in the room who flubbed his way through solos and was probably jealous of all the other players in his circle. Someone in that circle was straight up with him, told him he needed a lot of practice if he ever wanted to be a musician of any sort of merit, and he went out and did it. Now, his music kicks ass and his band also kicks ass because of his efforts!

Ask for REAL feedback from people -- especially other musicians who you look up to in some way. Record labels aren't looking for projects that will take years to develop with no guaranteed return.

2. You need to have solid branding and marketing in place. If you think that having a terrible website with links to old music and pictures that barely even look like you anymore will suffice, you are wrong. Check out this post we wrote on 7 Things Every Band Needs to Have on Their Website for more info on that! You need to know how you want to come across to viewers/listeners and live and breathe that. Terrible branding is detrimental to the health of your career as a musician, and before that -- your chances of being noticed by a label. You know the old saying, "don't judge a book by it's cover"? That almost doesn't apply here unless your music is so good that nobody cares how you present yourself. If you're not knocking socks off with your tunes, get your branding professionally done (yes that means spending your money for graphic design, web design, etc), and become serious about marketing yourself. Learn how to optimize your site for search engines. Learn how to create email marketing plans. Or, work your buns off so you can pay a pro to do it.

3. Establish your fanbase, yourself. Yes, a label is going to play a key role in growing your fanbase, but there is so much you can do yourself, that I'm willing to bet you're not doing right now. Most musicians are sitting around wondering why the likes aren't just pouring in. Half of them are willing to pay for fake likes and followers because they need (no, want) that affirmation "so badly" but they aren't willing to go out there and grab it themselves. This needs to be your only hobby, that everything you do feeds into. We have a ton of FREE RESOURCES (click) that can get you started growing your fanbase so that you're more attractive to labels. We also have a couple more informative blogs on Building an Email List, and Running a Killer Email Marketing Campaign that should give you a lot of insight! Just remember: a larger fanbase equals more people at your shows, and more people buying your music and your merch. Simple! Keep in mind that this shows that your work ethic is strong as well, which is another important factor for labels.

4. Perform an attitude audit. While having an attitude will work for some artists, that's not an approach that works for the rest of us. An attitude sometimes develops and it becomes part of an artists style, but if it's ever perceived as a bad attitude in the beginning, you're going to have trouble getting the attention you want from labels. This doesn't mean you have to be a goody-two-shoes and suck up to everyone/anyone, but it does mean that you should be aware of how you come across. It ties into your branding and marketing a lot -- how are others seeing you as a person? As a musician? Evaluate and revise, where needed.

5. On that note, how many shows have you played and how good of a performer are you?? Most labels want to see that you're an active musician with a lot of experience, industry connections, a great band and excited fans. Why? Because it's way easier to start building a house on a solid foundation than it is on the dirt. There are the oddities who are discovered but have no prior experience, and that's bound to happen. Chances are, though, that you're not one of those people. I hate to tell you that but the artists who put themselves out there and have that star factor are snatched up like rations in the zombie apocalypse: quickkkk! Here are some Tips For Putting on a Killer Live Show, in another post of ours.

6. This should be a given, but: your recordings have to be amazing. Why do so many musicians think that it's up to the label to ensure that they have high quality recordings, and not them? Sure, your next recording AFTER you're picked up should be on the record label, but your out-of-tune, closet recording is not going to get anyone's attention. You need to work hard, get yourself some money saved up (yes, this will cost you thousands of hard-earned dollars), and get into a pro studio with pro engineers who will make you sound amazing. Just remember that they can't turn everything into gold and that you need to actually have good quality music to get good quality recordings. We're lucky to have a recording studio built right into our business model. Check out out Velveteen Audio for information on that!

7. Are you FREE to be anywhere, anytime?? This might sound a little silly, but if you have something that might prevent you from moving ahead with your career (family issues, drug or alcohol problems, the aforementioned bad attitude), then it's quite likely that a label will pass on you. It's like an insurance company denying you health coverage because you have a previously existing disease whose medication is expensive -- they're going to deny you and find someone who will cost less to develop. You need to be free to do anything that makes your chances at success better. Whether that means touring, interviews or studio time, you have to be a "YES MAN/WOMAN" all the time.

Thanks for reading! We hope this gives you so insight and motivation :) Follow us and subscribe to our email list for more info!

Andrew Morren Velveteen Records

#labels

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velveteenrecords-blog · 7 years

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8 Essential Ingredients For A Successful Tour

Reading Time: 7-9 minutes

Touring and playing live is arguably the best part of being a musician. That's where you lay it all out there and finally do the thing you spend all your days working towards. But, it can be super stressful and insanely expensive if not done properly. Scratch that, it's just insanely expensive. Period. But, if you do things right, you can ideally put some money back in your pocket. At the very least, you can cover some of your expenses. Here's a list of essential planning points, but I will stress, this is only the tip of the iceberg. Check it out!

1) Get All Your Online Marketing In Order - This is important for booking your tour, but it is just as important when you actually get out on the road. This includes: having your album on your site and on all relevant third party sites, such as Spotify and Apple Music, having up-to-date photos and videos, updating tour dates as they are booked, getting your social media in order, etc. This will help with booking, as the promoters and booking agents will have something to look at when you contact them.

2) Be Extremely Well Practiced - When you're on the road, you have one chance to impress the staff of the venue and the crowd that inhabits it. You may not get another if you don't deliver. So, make sure that you are on your A-game before you head out on the road. Know your parts inside out, be well rehearsed, and plan out an interesting set. You need to blow people away night after night!

3) Schedule Your Social Media Posts In Advance - Man I wish I had this when I was younger and touring more often. You can use tools like Hootsuite to plan out your posts for your whole tour. Every city. You can research relevant facts about each city and tailor your posts towards that city. For instance, I live in Edmonton, so if you're coming to my town, make sure you say something about the Oilers. Or even just hockey. Man, we love our hockey here. Anyways, spend a few weeks scheduling these posts ahead of time, and then you can focus on more candid posts on the tour, as well as interacting directly with your fans in comments or DM's (direct messages).

4) Map Out Your Tour - Mapping out your itinerary can help you optimize the driving time, and therefore fuel consumption. If you're on a long tour, this is probably your biggest cost, so being effective about your route will minimize the damage. Mapping this out also helps you to pre-plan your social media posts from the previous point.

5) Build A Budget - This should be number one. Build a realistic budget, and track your expenses as you go. Don't let this slide. You can use things like Excel, or Apple Numbers, or even just Google Sheets. But make sure you keep track of your expenses and budget for the tour. Be sure to include daily per diem's, gas, merchandise inventory and sales, hotels and accommodations, income from gigs, etc. Being diligent about this will help you stay on track, and it will also help you refine the process for your next tour.

6) Open For Local Bands When Starting Out - This isn't a revolutionary idea, but I'm going to include it here regardless. When you don't have a following in a city, the best way to play in front of fans is to open for a local band who does! Pretty obvious right? Once you start to build a bigger following, then you may be able to do your own gigs. But it does take quite awhile to get there.

7) Send An Advance To Your Promoter - Make sure you communicate with the person who booked you to play the gig, one month in advance, and maybe another reminder about a week in advance. You'll want to ask things like: "What are the set times?", "When is soundcheck and load-in?", "Is there backline gear?", "Is there catering?", etc. Make sure you get as much information as you can so that you can do your best at the gig. Also, make sure you provide the promoter with a tech rider for the sound guy. This is usually an input list for the sound guy so they know what to expect. It can also include a stage plot, and if you're a bigger band, a preferred backline setup for fly-in gigs.

8) Show Gratitude To Everyone And Show Respect - If you want to continue to grow your band, you need to make a point of thanking every single person who was involved in your gig. This starts with the promoter and venue staff, to everyone on your team, to the sound guy, to each and every fan. Make sure people know how much you care about all the effort they put in, and they will treat you with the same respect. And next time you want to book a tour, they will be more than glad to help you out.

Like I said at the beginning, this is not an all-inclusive list of items. Touring is hard work in the planning stages, as well as during. But these items will definitely increase the likelihood that your tour is a success.

Thanks for reading guys! Follow us on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and even Snapchat! Sign up for our email list too for more advice on the business side of being a musician :)

Cheers y'all!

Brad Velveteen Records

#touring #traveling #marketing

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velveteenrecords-blog · 7 years

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5 Reasons Why Musicians Should Be Live Streaming

Reading Time: 4-5 minutes

Live Streaming is the hot thing to do right now in the social media world. Apps like Periscope and Meerkat are the staples for this, but most major platforms are integrating this feature in already. Facebook and now Instagram both have live streaming capabilities. So why do you care? Let's dive in:

1. Urgency - The first advantage is that streaming creates a sense of urgency for your fans. A fear of missing out #FOMO. Yeah, I just wrote that...yikes. But seriously, when you start a live stream, you are in the moment and your fans will feel compelled to jump on the stream for fear of missing that moment. Not to mention, your fans will feel compelled to see you in the future on another live stream or a gig if they missed this one.

2. Authenticity - Today's social media world is all about developing personal connections with a wide range of people. The barrier between musicians and their fans is diminishing. Fans expect to get to know you on a more personal level. When you do a live stream, it's a lot more difficult to put on an act. They get to see the real you. You can live stream a gig, or a writing session, or just hanging out at your favourite coffee shop. Whatever you choose.

3. Priority - Social media platforms are now starting to curate your posts for you, and guess what? They are giving priority to live streams. For instance, Facebook will put your live stream further up on your fans/followers wall than if it was a regular post. So you'll be able to reach more fans on your Facebook feed. Even further, Instagram sends out a notification to all your followers that you've started a live feed. So if you got 10k followers, the moment you start a live feed, a notification goes out to 10k phones. That's pretty cool.

4. Interaction - On live streams, you can interact with you the viewers of your stream in real time. This is awesome for deepening a personal connection. For instance, let's say you have a live stream going and users are commenting (or even just logging in). You can say "hi" to each person who joins into your camera, and that person will hear their name and feel a personal connection to you. How crazy is that? What an insanely awesome feature to have. Incredible.

5. Promotion - This is an obvious one. You can promote your gigs, your new record, future live sessions, really anything you got coming up. And again, because the fans who are watching your live feed are most likely more deeply connected to you at the moment, they will most likely be more receptive and interested in your promotions. So take advantage of this opportunity and let your fans know whats coming up!

Now I gotta say something. Having said all that information above, it still scares the hell out of me. Putting yourself out there like that takes a lot of courage (or maybe just time to get used to). But it's quite apparent that it is an awesome way to promote your music and build more personal connections with your fans. These days, thats what social media is all about. So get on it!

Thanks for reading y'all! Follow us :)

Brad Velveteen Records

#social #social media #live streaming #streaming

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velveteenrecords-blog · 7 years

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Sell Your Merch With Shopify

Shopify is the bee’s knees, people! Not only is it a proud Canadian company like we are, (not to deter our American friends — there are actually some advantages to it for you that aren't available to Canadian's), but it’s also home to nearly 400,000 entrepreneurs doing awesome stuff, worldwide! Velveteen Records is among that 400k — our own store is integrated directly into our website) and Facebook page. The store can also be found here: Velveteen Records Merch Store

Okay maybe you’re new to the internet and have somehow never heard of Shopify. That’s okay! We’re not about that high horse mentality here! (But really….?)

Shopify is an Ecommerce platform that is super easy to implement and utilize for you brand and/or company. You can customize the (free or paid) themes to look exactly how you want, add multiple sales channels, stock an unlimited number of products, specify shipping options and instructions, and analyze your sales data all within one simple dashboard.

Scenario Time!

Imagine that you have a bunch of t-shirts, hats, hoodies, stickers and cd’s sitting in your rehearsal space that make you ZERO money when you’re not playing shows. Sometimes, not even then! What if I told you there was a magical website on which you could host those products and sell them to anyone, anywhere, at whatever price you want — for a totally reasonable price of shipping and a monthly subscription fee of $29.99?? Oh wait, that’s real life for nearly every single artist out there?! Enter Shopify.

Before you say something like “I don’t have an thirty extra dollars a month” or “I’m a starving musician” or some other weak excuse, consider the fact that if you sell just ONE shirt, you’ve basically paid off your subscription for the month! Okay, maybe 2 in case the price is lower and you have to ship it to Tuktoyaktuk (look it up. It exists and it’s what everyone imagines Canada to look like). It pays itself off faster than you can even say Tuktoyaktuk.

The Checklist

At this point I’m going to lose some of you, and that’s okay because now we have our focus group. You’re the folks who want to start making money while you’re sleeping, like we are! If this piques your interest, you’re going to want our Shopify Checklist which is a step-by-step manual for getting your merch online with Shopify, and integrating it with your social media! The following link gets you instant access to the 'FREE RESOURCES' section of Velveteen Records where you’ll find the checklist. That’s not all you gain access to though! There’s also e-books we’ve written on a variety of topics, another checklist, and some tips for stepping up your Instagram game -- all of which will all give you new valuable knowledge for building your fanbase.

This does not cost you anything so don’t go having kittens here, folks!

We want you to be successful, and so we do the legwork for collecting and digesting this information for you -- so you can spend more time being creative!

Okay here’s that link again:

'HOW TO SELL YOUR MERCH ON SHOPIFY' CHECKLIST

On this list you'll find the some of the following tasks, extrapolated upon:

How to start your Free 14-day Shopify trial account

Installing and customizing a theme that fits your brand

Places to find free use stock images if you don’t have any of your own

Importing your merchandise and integrating with online dropshipping printing companies if required.

Creating collections of products to organize your goods.

Integrating your store with Facebook and your website.

Setting up shipping and payment options

Adding a blog to your store

Adding your own custom domain name to your store

Discounting items

Integrating your store with your MailChimp mailing list to maximize your sales. Don’t have MailChimp? Check out our free e-book in our 'FREE RESOURCES' section of the site!

Okay there is a lot to cover and I want to get you started on this. Don’t be crazy — sign up for a 14-day-trial now and start making more money today with your merch!

#merch #online stores #shopify #merchandise #online #marketing #digital marketing

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velveteenrecords-blog · 7 years

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Social Media Etiquette

Man, I really could of used a lesson on social media etiquette in the past :S But hey, you live and you learn. So I'm going to pass on some information that I've learned over the years in terms of how to handle yourself on social media.

1) Don't Do The Follow Then Unfollow Strategy - Yes, I did this one in the past on some other accounts. I would follow people, and then unfollow them if they didn't follow back. Alot of articles suggested doing this. Although I modified it to work slightly better, the quality of your audience goes down significantly. Furthermore, when you do this at a large scale, you tend to forget who you've followed and unfollowed, and then you start doing this to people multiple times. Not cool! *smacks self in face*. Instead, simply follow people that you think are interested in your music and have interesting profiles that you want to follow. Also, follow people who followed you first, unless you're really not interested in their profile. Be genuine!

2) Engage In Your Communities - This is a big one. Why do you think they call it social media??? Talk to people, start up discussions on Facebook walls, Instagram Feeds, Twitter Feeds, etc. Now I have to say, I struggle to do this consistently with how busy we get around here, so I'm being a bit of hypocrite. But I'm telling you, engaging with people on social media really gets things moving.

3) Don't Spam - Shame on you! Don't spam your audiences with a post to buy your album 18 times a day. You're just going to turn off your audiences, and they will most likely unfollow you. Now you've lost them forever.

4) Focus On Quality - I have to keep reminding myself of this one too. Starting multiple blogs has really put this in perspective. But yeah, focus on bringing content to your audience that has value. This is why we started this blog, we wanted our audience to get as much advice as possible on how they can grow their "business" as musicians. Plus, you wanna know whats a killer side effect of providing amazing content? More often than not, you learn something really valuable by doing it. We often have to research more information on what we're trying to say, and that always enlightens into how we can do better in our business.

5) Don't Hire Someone To Manage Your Social Media - Once again, I can say this from experience. I hired a social media manager on Upwork for another account about a year ago...She didn't know anything about the music biz, and she simply followed people and commented on their posts with a set of 15 stock phrases such as "This is great!". No Miss Social Media Manager, that is not great. I quickly shut that failed experiment down. Again, social media is a social thing, so you have to partake in it and you have to be genuine and honest about it.

6) Be Consistent - Yeah yeah, I know. We struggle with this one big time. It can be super hard to be consistent, especially with all the different platforms out there. I mean, we got Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, SnapChat, LinkedIn, Website Blog Posts, Periscope, Tumblr, yada yada. It can be super overwhelming. So maybe find a platform that is relevant to you and that you commit to, then do it. Start there and see where you can end up. Furthermore, there are lots of tools that can help you do a lot of your posts in batch, such as Hootsuite or Latergramme. We use Hootsuite to schedule as much as we can, and then make additional real-time posts as well.

Hope that helps! Social Media is a ton of work, but it can pay huge dividends in your career if you do it right. Keep working it at!

Thanks again for reading errbody!

Brad Velveteen Records

#social #social media

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velveteenrecords-blog · 7 years

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How To Choose The Single

Reading Time: 4-5 minutes

Hey guys! Ok so today we're gonna chat about choosing a single. Sometimes, it's super obvious. Sometimes, not so much. You've been listening to your record over and over for months while creating it, so your first time listeners perspective is pretty dang shot. No sweat, here's a few things you can do to test the waters:

1) Listen To What Your Friends Say - Knowing most musicians, I'm sure you've shown your songs to a few of your close friends and family. Or maybe your a bank vault and won't let anyone hear it. Well, it might be good to show a few friends and family members that you can trust. Let them give you direct feedback on what song stuck out most to them, and which ones didn't. Further, listen to their natural conversation and behaviours. Do they hum a melody from one of your songs? Are they just straight up singing it in the shower? They might not be consciously thinking about it, but thats the point. Those are the catchy songs that should be the singles!

2) Think About Where Its Going - If you're pitching your first song to radio, for instance, then don't pick the 9 minute rock opera. C'mon man! I'm not saying that you're going for radio, just that you think about where you want the song to go and pick the appropriate one. If it is radio, think of the 3 and a half minute song that hits the super catchy chorus at around 45 seconds.

3) Sample Some Industry Pros Opinion - If you do know some industry (which you should!), then send it to them and ask them to give you their opinion. This will probably only work if you have a strong relationship with this person, as they're going to have to spend the time listening to your entire record in order to make a recommendation. Hopefully you've nurtured some solid relationships and can make this happen. Don't forget to mention to each person what your goals are with the single. This kinda relates to point #2, and it will help this person give you guidance on which song to move forward with.

4) Gauge The Audience Reaction At Your Show - This may be a bit of the "who came first, the chicken or the egg" scenario, but if it is possible, its worth thinking about. It's probably a good idea to sample your songs live before you plan on recording them. Of course, this isn't always realty. If you have done this, then you can gauge the audience reaction at your gig. If the audience is really into it on certain songs, make note of it that night. Then look back at the notes you made after all your gigs. This will most likely point you in the right direction

5) Ask For Kids Opinions - This can be a bit of a weird one, and it doesn't always work. However, kids are more likely to give you their unfiltered opinion of the song, and they aren't influenced by whats cool and isn't in the adult world. So, you may be able to get some really solid advice from them! Try playing your top three to your own kids, nieces, or nephews (if you have any) and see what they say between the 3 songs. May give you just the insight you need!

Sweet! Thanks for reading, hope that helps. Feel free to reach out to us if you have any question or things you want us to write about, we're always looking to help!

Cheers yo!

Brad Velveteen Records

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#single #music marketing #marketing

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