Re: What does it mean to you, to "release a record"?

["L.Angulo" <labaloops@yahoo.com>]

Hey Matt,
i am just getting to read this mail which is an excellent topic!

I am still in thought about your comment on CD baby:

>Also, if I was a reviewer, I'd probably be less likely
> to listen to
> anything that comes from CD Baby or any of those other
> sites that
> cater to people who are less serious about their cd
> releases.

Ups, i think most of us here are with CD baby;-)
I think CD baby has been a blessing for independent artists and being 
discovered but yes i see your point, i see the danger of such types of 
distributors who have wide open arms without many requirements.Ive sold 
many CDs from my previous cuban son band through them but almost none of 
my original spanish or looping material.All of them are physical CDs and 
have been done independently,recorded,produced,packaged etc.but is also 
obvious that there is music out there that is more mass appealing than 
other.Lately ive been thinking of just pulling the stuff out that has not 
sold and keep releasing my own stuff and give it away in concerts,instead 
of marketing it which i am also not very good at...i know that with the 
limitations of doing everything yourself most likely it will never be as 
appealing for reviewers as something backed by an established label.But 
then you come across somebody like Jose Gonzalez or Elbow and you canīt 
help but having the feeling
 that it can be possible...
Luis



> This is one of my favorite musical discussion topics.
> 
> As Zoe mentioned, I feel very strongly that an
> "album" is a carefully
> prepared, sculpted and intentional "artist
> statement". That collection
> of 10 or so songs will become your identity as an artist
> for everyone
> who doesn't personally know you. For that reason,
> it's important not
> to turn everything you've recorded into a cd release.
> It's better to
> critically listen to your own music, figure out what is the
> "cream of
> the crop", and find a way to turn it into a cohesive
> whole that's 40
> to 60 minutes (not 80 minutes) long. During the entire
> process, you
> should be willing to cross out songs that are only 80%
> good, or songs
> that simply don't fit well with the others. Yes, this
> applies even if
> you make "non conformist" music.
> 
> I personally dislike the idea of a cd as a "document
> of where the
> artist is at this year", or a collection of the most
> recent 60 minutes
> of music the artist has recorded. Over the course of your
> musical
> career, it's much better to release 4 cds that are 100%
> excellent than
> it is to release 14 cd's that are 70% good.
> 
> Now, to answer George's actual questions:
> To my experience, most reviewers/blogs/radio stations
> don't pay much
> attention to a web-released cd unless there is an actual cd
> to go
> along with it. (Exceptions may apply if you're
> Radiohead or Nine Inch
> Nails.) Frankly I don't blame them - there are too many
> people who are
> into "release everything" when it comes to their
> music, and that tends
> to bring the changes down of finding a quality album. At
> least with a
> physical cd, you know that someone felt passionate about
> the music to
> invest some money into it.
> 
> Also, if I was a reviewer, I'd probably be less likely
> to listen to
> anything that comes from CD Baby or any of those other
> sites that
> cater to people who are less serious about their cd
> releases.
> 
> Many cd manufacturers are aware of the transitions to mp3,
> and are
> recently offering packages for runs of 500 cd's. (A few
> years ago, the
> minimum was 1000 discs.) When you have your cd's
> pressed, shrink wrap
> is usually a good thing, but don't get shrink wrap on
> any that you
> plan to send to reviewers/blogs/radio stations. All the
> radio DJ's I
> know personally tell me that they hate shrink wrap. (On the
> other
> hand, someone who buys your cd probably wants shrink wrap -
> to show
> that it's a new cd.)
> 
> One-Sheets:
> One-sheets are the sheets of artist and cd info that
> accompany the cd.
> The one-sheet should include:
> --Artist name
> --CD name
> --A press-quality photo of the artist if you think it will
> work in
> your favor. If not, a picture of the cd artwork. (I did the
> latter.)
> --Record label
> --all track names
> --all track lengths in minutes:seconds
> --a symbol that denotes any tracks with language that
> shouldn't be
> played on the radio (or "tracks with fucks" as my
> dj friends call
> them)
> --a short bio paragraph about the artist
> --a short paragraph about the cd
> --(if applicable) one or two lines of
> "pull-quotes" - nice things that
> well-known reviewers said about you.
> --two or three "similar artists"
> 
> Some important notes about your bio: It should focus on
> what makes
> your and your music unique and interesting. Use descriptive
> adjectives
> to describe your music, but DO NOT use self-promotional
> language like
> "Mind blowing", "the most" or
> "important" - it will just make you look
> big-headed. Those terms are great in your pull-quotes, if
> it's clear
> that you didn't write them to describe yourself.
> 
> www.allmusic.com is the site that generates most of the cd
> "metadata"
> (track names, lengths, reviews and "similar
> artists") that winds up
> all over the internet. If you get your cd reviewed on
> allmusic, that
> review will appear on emusic and a slew of other spots on
> the
> internet. However, the important thing with allmusic is
> that the first
> cd you send to them is very important. The first cd I sent
> them wasn't
> that great. They gave it a 3/5 star review, and didn't
> review the
> "better" cd's I sent them afterwards.
> 
> At some point, the "put out an actual cd"
> requirement will probably go
> away. I predict it will be within the next 2 or 3 years,
> but something
> else will probably take its place to make sure people
> aren't flooding
> the market place with willy-nillily released albums.
> 
> Ok, I've gone on enough.
> 
> Matt Davignon
> www.ribosomemusic.com