Hey folks,
So, lets just say you fell into $20k to promote your label and yourself as an artist. What is the most effective way to get your label/artist/release to potential fans? How far can that budget get me?
Should I buy banner space on Beatport and iTunes? Should I try to book a live tour? Should I hire someone that knows what they're doing? I really have no idea and I don't want to throw money at the wrong things. Any help appreciated.
I have a budget to promote my label: Now what?
i would go on holidays if i was you 
if you dont know what to do now you should maybe do something else? otherwise you will just loose your money on absolutly nothing
Hard But True....
regards
if you dont know what to do now you should maybe do something else? otherwise you will just loose your money on absolutly nothing
Hard But True....
regards
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Awful advice. I hope you don't go around telling everyone "do something else if you don't know what to do". I realize I have a lot to learn, but that's no reason not to do it.... Sheeeesh!xzusa8ky wrote:i would go on holidays if i was you
if you dont know what to do now you should maybe do something else? otherwise you will just loose your money on absolutly nothing
Hard But True....
regards
treat that 20k like it's 200.00, cause that is what it really is. and go straight gorilla marketing. the most important thing is that your music is good, and that you know who to market too.
do not pay any adults for marketing, they will eat your money in 4 slices or less
pay a kid to give you a dope website, myspace, virb, facebook and when I say kid I'm talking kid, between 13-and 16. give that kid $500. and make sure it's a talented kid.
if not a kid get a talented girlfriend to do it and give her the doe.
do not pay any adults for marketing, they will eat your money in 4 slices or less
pay a kid to give you a dope website, myspace, virb, facebook and when I say kid I'm talking kid, between 13-and 16. give that kid $500. and make sure it's a talented kid.
if not a kid get a talented girlfriend to do it and give her the doe.
i think this is good advice...at the end of the day when you listen to your music or other music you hope to promote on your label, do you think it's really good?lola wrote:If the music is great and the clip cool, it will promote itself.
we are our harshest critics so sometimes this is hard to answer. have you sent any trax to other labels? are you getting positive responses from them?
20 grand is a great way to get started this day and age...
make your own pro quality record with some great plugs... done that?
now use a service like tunecore and get your album available everywhere. done that?
now get on Ilike, reverb, myspace, and your own .com, pro designed buy a flash designer... done that?
now just keep going, play shows, make flyers, buy yourself a weeks worth of front page myspace, and reverbnation, and ilke... and hopefully you will get some good fan base going...
cheers..
Oh, if you do this right, you should have plentY of money left over for a fun holiday...
make your own pro quality record with some great plugs... done that?
now use a service like tunecore and get your album available everywhere. done that?
now get on Ilike, reverb, myspace, and your own .com, pro designed buy a flash designer... done that?
now just keep going, play shows, make flyers, buy yourself a weeks worth of front page myspace, and reverbnation, and ilke... and hopefully you will get some good fan base going...
cheers..
Oh, if you do this right, you should have plentY of money left over for a fun holiday...
too many lasers...
Top notch product is first and foremost. If you don't have something to sell then you don't have anything to sell! Do what you need to do to get a good master and then get a good CD designed and burned. Discmakers is really good with this and has artists that can help you through this process for a few grand depending on how many CDs you want. Check them out first IMO unless you already have something 100% professional. (ie: a self-burned CD with ink-jet labels isn't going to cut it!)
Once you have the product, move on to marketing. With the artwork from the CD you can do virb and myspace, etc. yourself for $0. Do it yourself. Save the money. $20K can disappear very quickly so don't just blow $5K here and $5K there because you think you're rich. You're not rich with $20K - you can get some GREAT stuff done - don't get me wrong - but spend it wisely.
Then you can use CDBaby for a very minimal amount of $ to sell your solid goods (the CDs) and they will also rip and send your tunes to all the major digital outlets. This will cost you less than $100 total - probably closer to $50 actually. CDBaby is great and is an excellent middleman. I went to music college with the dude who founded it and use them myself - highly recommended. Before you know it you'll be on iTunes, Napster, etc.
Save the rest of the money to buy yourself a little new gear for gigs and/or recording and start working on the next CD and do it all again. Maybe do some Google ads and local advertising for your gigs. Send out lots of CDs to appropriate (college) radio stations, etc. Guerilla market as much as possible.
Good luck with your stuff - you are about to embark on an exciting adventure - don't rush it - take your time and spend wisely and when you get your CD back you'll have something you can be proud of!
Once you have the product, move on to marketing. With the artwork from the CD you can do virb and myspace, etc. yourself for $0. Do it yourself. Save the money. $20K can disappear very quickly so don't just blow $5K here and $5K there because you think you're rich. You're not rich with $20K - you can get some GREAT stuff done - don't get me wrong - but spend it wisely.
Then you can use CDBaby for a very minimal amount of $ to sell your solid goods (the CDs) and they will also rip and send your tunes to all the major digital outlets. This will cost you less than $100 total - probably closer to $50 actually. CDBaby is great and is an excellent middleman. I went to music college with the dude who founded it and use them myself - highly recommended. Before you know it you'll be on iTunes, Napster, etc.
Save the rest of the money to buy yourself a little new gear for gigs and/or recording and start working on the next CD and do it all again. Maybe do some Google ads and local advertising for your gigs. Send out lots of CDs to appropriate (college) radio stations, etc. Guerilla market as much as possible.
Good luck with your stuff - you are about to embark on an exciting adventure - don't rush it - take your time and spend wisely and when you get your CD back you'll have something you can be proud of!
check out chipPad for iPad @ http://earsmack.com
Tour
Treat the $20K as your living money for a year (a very lean year) and tour your act. Touring is the best way to reach the 16 to 25 year old music buying audience. Promote using the free sites, Myspace and youtube (make a cheap clip, use your phone or handycam. Don't make a big budget clip for youtube.)
In 1998 (the last time I had anything to do with a release through a major) the budget for a mainstream commercial release was up to $500,000 dollars so don't freak out yet.
Pause for a second and realise that this is just another step in your career. This money means you can stop working that shit job, diverting energy away from making music and really focus on getting somewhere.
Hey, and well done! Good Luck. We're all cheering for you (in between bouts of intense jealousy)
In 1998 (the last time I had anything to do with a release through a major) the budget for a mainstream commercial release was up to $500,000 dollars so don't freak out yet.
Pause for a second and realise that this is just another step in your career. This money means you can stop working that shit job, diverting energy away from making music and really focus on getting somewhere.
Hey, and well done! Good Luck. We're all cheering for you (in between bouts of intense jealousy)
Live 7
15" MacBook Pro OS X 10.5 Leopard
Intel C2D,2.4 GHz,2 GB RAM
Novation X-Station, Korg T-2, BDJ-3000, Ms Pinky vinyl.
15" MacBook Pro OS X 10.5 Leopard
Intel C2D,2.4 GHz,2 GB RAM
Novation X-Station, Korg T-2, BDJ-3000, Ms Pinky vinyl.
Well, that's the thing. My music might not require a Brittany Spears budget. My own stuff is "underground" electronic. A mix of say RJD2 and 808 techno stuff if I had to categorize it.thefool wrote:Out of general interest: What is the style of your music?
And good luck
OK, I'm not that inexperienced. I've had releases on a label before, pressed vinyl and I already have distribution set up. I guess I'm wondering what next? How do I take this 20k and make the best out of it considering the music I'm producing?
Spend your 20k on proper studio time with a respected engineer and get some solid tracks down. Get the tunes sorted first and foremost. A small label these days requires a website, a logo and login details for a few forums sadly. Skip this part... It's pretty easy to find the email addresses of the big guns djing wise if you want to get your tracks into the right hands.
You wont get on beatport of your own merit these days - they've tightend ship ALOT and i think its fair to see next year we will see the demise of most of the digital shops bar the big guns. Maybe spend a few hundred on getting a run of recorde made - If your tunes are that good they WILL sell.
So spunk all your cash on making the best tunes you can and find a respected "big" label in the genre you create and let them handle it all for you. Get yourself out and about - hit the road and promotoe, promote, promote!!
Failing all this read the manual by the KLF
http://ewanmorgan.co.uk/theManual.htm
You wont get on beatport of your own merit these days - they've tightend ship ALOT and i think its fair to see next year we will see the demise of most of the digital shops bar the big guns. Maybe spend a few hundred on getting a run of recorde made - If your tunes are that good they WILL sell.
So spunk all your cash on making the best tunes you can and find a respected "big" label in the genre you create and let them handle it all for you. Get yourself out and about - hit the road and promotoe, promote, promote!!
Failing all this read the manual by the KLF
http://ewanmorgan.co.uk/theManual.htm
Britney.. bah :p
Nah. The electronic underground scene is more about the music. I mean,
people go to see britney dance not to hear her sing or listen to the crap
(some do go to listen... aaa)
Well, whats next. Personally my first step is to complete track which I am
working on these days. I have spent the last few years on becoming better at producing, designing and such. Read a lot, played even more, learned.
Now I want to produce something. Got a few people who helps me with it,
listens and such.
Thats MY step. If I had done what you're about to do, i'd gladly help. But I
am not (yet, i hope) at that step so it would be some guessing.
---
Guessing then
I suppose, if you got a great product, its about promotion. Promote to other dj's, at the internet, radio stations etc. Sending the CD out.
But actually I am not sure if you even need to spend much money on this.
Getting some cd's pressed, a nice website etc. Spending money on stamps
hehe
Oh yes, and live gigs/performances at various clubs might be a good idea.
This could happen if you convince a local club dj to play your stuff a night..
See if people like it, and if they do you can probably convince the manager.
But since you allready released on labels before, I suppose you got much insight to this world than me. I am just guessing
edit:
Now I noticed that you also talk about label promotion. Well, I suppose the best way to promote your label is to be signed under it yourself and stir up the audiences
Nah. The electronic underground scene is more about the music. I mean,
people go to see britney dance not to hear her sing or listen to the crap
(some do go to listen... aaa)
Well, whats next. Personally my first step is to complete track which I am
working on these days. I have spent the last few years on becoming better at producing, designing and such. Read a lot, played even more, learned.
Now I want to produce something. Got a few people who helps me with it,
listens and such.
Thats MY step. If I had done what you're about to do, i'd gladly help. But I
am not (yet, i hope) at that step so it would be some guessing.
---
Guessing then
I suppose, if you got a great product, its about promotion. Promote to other dj's, at the internet, radio stations etc. Sending the CD out.
But actually I am not sure if you even need to spend much money on this.
Getting some cd's pressed, a nice website etc. Spending money on stamps
hehe
Oh yes, and live gigs/performances at various clubs might be a good idea.
This could happen if you convince a local club dj to play your stuff a night..
See if people like it, and if they do you can probably convince the manager.
But since you allready released on labels before, I suppose you got much insight to this world than me. I am just guessing
edit:
Now I noticed that you also talk about label promotion. Well, I suppose the best way to promote your label is to be signed under it yourself and stir up the audiences
I'd agree with most of the responses on here to use some of the money to polish up your own music. Take it to a good engineer and don't just spend that time leaning back in a chair throwing pencils into the ceiling. Use that time to also learn some new skills.
I would also use some of the money to throw a couple underground parties which you can recoupe some, if not all, of the money back. Get some respected talent on the bill and place yourself on a decent time slot to be heard, although probably not headliner at this point.
I think a label of 1 is going to be a big uphill battle and frankly don't see the point in it this early on. I know several artists that have thrown loads of money into this concept when there really wasn't any point other than saying they own a label nobody has heard of.
I would also use some of the money to throw a couple underground parties which you can recoupe some, if not all, of the money back. Get some respected talent on the bill and place yourself on a decent time slot to be heard, although probably not headliner at this point.
I think a label of 1 is going to be a big uphill battle and frankly don't see the point in it this early on. I know several artists that have thrown loads of money into this concept when there really wasn't any point other than saying they own a label nobody has heard of.
