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    The Independent Music Producers Handbook
    The Independent Music Producers Handbook
    The Independent Music Producers Handbook
    Ebook79 pages1 hour

    The Independent Music Producers Handbook

    By Christopher A. Wilson

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    About this ebook

    A guide to releasing, distributing and promoting music for independent musicians and DJ's

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherChristopher Wilson
    Release dateJul 21, 2014
    ISBN9781501436192
    The Independent Music Producers Handbook
    Author

    Christopher A. Wilson

    Author of the Independent Music Handbook. Music producer.

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      Book preview

      The Independent Music Producers Handbook - Christopher A. Wilson

      Table of Contents

      Introduction

      Major Record Label vs. Going Independent

      How To Have A Successful Album Release

      Making Your Album

      Distribution

      Promotional Preparation

      Putting It All Together

      Continuing Your Career

      Conclusion

      Appendix:

      Crowdfunding Sites

      Digital Music Distributors

      Physical Music Distributors

      Social Networks/Online Communities

      Introduction

      If you want to be successful in the music business, you could try the easy way and get discovered. It used to be that you would  travel to a music hub such as New York City, Los Angeles or Nashville and set up shop on a street corner playing music all day long hoping that someone from the industry would hear you and offer you a recording contract. Most aspiring musicians these days know that is not going to happen. So instead they do the next worst thing – they stand in line all day hoping to become a contestant on a nationally televised music competition show, such as American Idol, The Voice, or one of the other countless shows that have come and gone on both network and cable television stations. And yes, it is possible that you could be THE ONE out of the other hundreds of thousands of hopefuls standing in line to become the winner of the next top singing competition. And even if you do win, you may not become the next big award winning, multi-platinum recording artist that you hoped to be – but instead your name could become nothing more than the answer to a trivia question, if you're lucky.

      If you want to stand on a street corner and play music because you enjoy performing, buy all means do so. Or, if you want to enter into a singing competition for the experience and fun of it – please do. But know that it will most likely not get you any further into a career in music than if you stay at home and sing in front of a mirror.

      You may have also heard of people being discovered by indeed staying at home and singing, not in front of a mirror, but in front of a web camera. And then, by simply posting the video on a video website such as YouTube, you could become the next internet sensation as your video goes viral. The truth is, most videos that do go viral have rather sophisticated marketing strategies behind them in order to make their video popular. In other words, it does not just happen. 

      However, if you really want to find success in the music business -  you could raise some money, record a professional quality album, release it yourself, set up distribution, get your album on the radio, get covered in the press and become a buzzworthy artist or band in your local music scene. Yes, that sounds like a lot of hard work, and it is.  And sure, this would not guarantee that you will become a major international recording artist with a long, stable, profitable career in the music industry. But by going at it on your own, starting small and learning the skills you need to be successful in the music business – you will build a strong foundation that is essential to be successful in any field that you pursue.

      Whether you are an aspiring musician, Dj, artist manager, label owner or anyone wanting to pursue a career in the music business – in the following pages, I will provide you with the tools and information you will need to successfully release, distribute and promote independently produced albums.

      Chapter  One

      Major Record Label vs. Going Independent

      This book was created as a guide to help you create your own record label and release and promote albums. However, I thought it would be a good idea to explain the role of major record labels. You may have no interest in the major labels, but in essence they too will be your competition. Or, your ultimate goal may be to get signed to a major record label contract, in which case you will still find this book helpful. Currently, most bands or acts that get signed to a major  label found success as an independent artist first. You need to gain a following and become known first in order to be noticed by a major. In other words, fame begets fame.

      How major labels make their money

      Major record labels are no different than other large publicly traded corporations. Their primary goal is to make a lot of money and keep the share holders happy. That is not to say that the staff and executives at the major label are not passionate about music. But as with any company, if the major record label does not make and sustain a profit over several years, it will essentially go out of business.  That said, you may be surprised to know that as with most record labels, the majors lose money on a majority of albums they release. How can this be true? Well, the idea is to create and promote a Superstar artist, such as Lady Gaga or Taylor Swift. Both are examples of artists that have sold over one-million albums (mainly CD's and downloads) in the first week in which the album was released. These superstar artists generate enough revenue for the label to pay the bills as well as cover the

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