I'm ready to record a CD. Now what do I do?

[aframe9999]

I have a small studio set up in my basement. 8-track cassette (I know, I know, go ahead and laugh...) I have been writing and recording songs for my own amusement for quite a few years. But just recently, the material we've come up with seems to be legitimately good music. So I would like to turn these 8-track cassete demos with minimal production, into professional, even broadcast quality, recordings and even begin to market it.

 

So where do you start?

 

I have a limited budget.

 

Should I try to shop the demos to a label (big or small)? How do you do that? If by some miracle, they love it and want to distibute it, how does the whole process work?

What about publishing and copyright?

How does BMI or ASCAP work?

 

I realize that to explain the entire industry is beyond the scope of this board. But I would like to know what steps to take to turn what I have into something that is available to people and that might make a little money (or at least recoup some of the investment)???

 

What are the steps I should take from here?

 

Thanks

 

Andy

[Tedster]

Hmmm, hopefully you'll get a lot of different answers here, so you can take your pick as to what might work best for your situation.

 

You can try to get on some smaller label. That, I'm unfamiliar with, so I'll leave that to others.

 

What you may want to do, is consider your CD just like some piece of gear that you need. "I need a new power amp...reverb...monitors, etc."...and just sock money away for your project the way you would do that. If you gig, and gigging is only a small percentage of your total income (day gig pays most of the bills), then put the gigging cash away for your CD.

 

It might take awhile. I would (and this is me) not go into the studio with only enough cash for a few hours. I'd wait until you got a nice chunk to begin working on it. You may wish to prepay for a block so you'll know how to budget your time, rather than ending up with a bunch of unfinished tracks. It always takes longer than you think...

 

But that's what I'd do.

[KenElevenShadows]

> Should I try to shop the demos to a label (big or small)?

 

This is really up to you. I have gone the small label route. It's easier to be signed on a small label, obviously, but it's much of the same problems -- not getting paid, lack of distribution and promotion, etc., but you really have to be realistic about your release. You can try the big labels, but look at it realistically -- what do you want out of them? It's doubtful that you are going to have them put out your own cassette multi-track songs, but if you want to shop it to them to try and obtain something else, maybe????

 

You can also attempt to put this out yourself, if you are willing to put in the hours necessary to do this properly. You can form your own record company, get your own UPC code, do your own promotion, beat on distributor's doors to find someone willing to give your record company release(s) a shot, and beat on their door again when you are supposed to get paid. You can mail out your promotional items to magazines and radio stations, etc., and do it all yourself.

 

> How do you do that?

 

You send 'em out, just like everyone else. Contact them, send 'em stuff, and if they like it, they will contact you. It'll take them a while sometimes, but they'll contact you if they've listened to it and liked it. One easy way is to look for record companies putting out compilations that are similar to the style of music that you are doing, and submit your stuff for the compilation. That gets your foot in the door, and it's free exposure. If your stuff is good, sometimes record companies will start contacting you.

 

>If by some miracle, they love it and want to distibute it, how does the whole process work?

 

You negotiate a contract. You hammer it out, and come to an agreement. They send a contract, you sign it, and then you get on with it.

 

> What about publishing and copyright?

 

You want to keep these. They are yours. There are very few exceptions to this.

 

> How does BMI or ASCAP work?

 

 

These are performance rights societies that you form publishing companies with (along with SESAC). They also pay you for performance and songwriting royalties, which for most people, will allow you to get a dinner at McDonald's. You should look on their sites for far more detail than people can possibly give you in a post. Basically, though, it's a waste of your time and money to join one of these performance rights organizations until you are going to have something that is "commercially" released.

 

What you need to do, first of all, is start reading some of the trade publications, which answer much of this on a regular basis, and look in bookstores for stuff, or on the Mix Bookshelf, or whatever. You should really sit down with a few of these books and see what you are up against first.

 

Oh, and don't sign to Hyperium Records in Germany!

 

 

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Ken/Eleven Shadows/d i t h er/Nectar

http://www.elevenshadows.com 4 music, travel, more!

http://www.cdbaby.com/elevenshadows

[KikkyMonk]

Dont know what your aim is but read the book called All you need to know about the music business by donald s. passman... its a bible

 

Dave

[Duhduh]

Not to sound jaded, but:

 

8-track cassette recorder + minimal budget (do not) = broadcast quality.

[Beatheavy]

i second the passman book. i first read an early edition in 91' and since i've gone back to it quite a few times.

it's a great resource and starting point.

so ya wanna be a rock star heh?

learn everything you can about the biz and remember that no matter how much you think you may know, you'll never know everything.

surround yourself with compitent and trustworthy people. even if that trust is predicated on a dollar amount.

set realistic goals and be your own worst critic.

and remember....

no does not mean....."better luck next time kid"

no means......."i gotta work harder!"

if you take this as seriously as the people on this forum or any of your favorite artists do, you will be just fine.

8 track machine?

you might want to SERIOUSLY consider upgrading your recording gear.

My2

JLB

[dansouth]

If you want to use the tracks from your 8-track, you probably want to take the unit and your tapes to a studio, transfer the tracks to better equipment with the help of a pro engineer and have them do some rough mixes for you. Decided whether it's good enough or whether you'll have to overdub some new tracks. Have the results mixed and mastered. This is the fastest way to achieve your goal. You should try this approach with one or two songs to see if it's the right way to go. Make sure that the engineer is not a hacker. You can hack it yourself and save some money.

 

For the long term, try to pick up some better gear and learn as much as you can about recording, mixing, performing and songwriting. One day, people will be coming to YOU for help.

[aframe9999]

Thanks for all of the advice gang.

 

One point of clarification: The 8-track stuff is only of demo quality at best. Only existing as a reference to the song, it's arrangement, melody, lyrics, etc. (That's all the cassette portastudio is good for).

 

My intention is to take the songs and completely re-record them in a 'real' studio to have a finished master (probably on DAT) that can be pressed to CDs. I wouldn't use anything from the 8track. Totally re-recording from scratch.

 

So the first step I would like help with is how to I get from where I am now, to having a broadcast quality finished product that I can can then shop to labels or begin distributing.

 

1. Should I hire a producer for the re-recording?

 

2. Should I Shop the rough demos to determine if a label (big or small) is interested in subsidising it?

 

3. Should I produce myself? I've got pretty good ears, but not any experience in knowing what is marketable.

 

4. Or should I just spend $2-3000 and get an ADAT or Hard-disk recorder and better mics etc and re-record it myself and creat my own CD and go it alone.

 

These types of questions are where I'm at now.

[KenElevenShadows]

>> So the first step I would like help with is how to I get from where I am now, to having a broadcast quality finished product that I can can then shop to labels or begin distributing.>>

 

>> 1. Should I hire a producer for the re-recording?

 

If you feel that you can't produce yourself. It's rarely a bad thing, though, and often advisable, provided that you screen one very carefully and try and get someone who understand the aesthetic you are going for, and can take it to the next level.

 

>> 2. Should I Shop the rough demos to determine if a label (big or small) is interested in subsidising it? >>

 

If you want to.

 

>> 3. Should I produce myself? I've got pretty good ears, but not any experience in knowing what is marketable.>>

 

You almost answered your own question. Assuming you want to market it -- a pretty easy assumption since you are trying to get on a label -- then sure...

 

 

>> 4. Or should I just spend $2-3000 and get an ADAT or Hard-disk recorder and better mics etc and re-record it myself and creat my own CD and go it alone.>>

 

If you suddenly feel that you can record, produce, play, plan, and have enough marketing savvy, absolutely. Go for it. I purchased my own equipment to record with because I have a really clear vision of how I want my stuff to sound, and the know-how to achieve it. If you feel that you do as well, then this is the least expensive, but perhaps most difficult to accomplish, since you're doing it all yourself.

 

Be prepared to have a lot of time putting the thing together, figuring out how to use the equipment and how to record it really well, troubleshoot potential problems, to be able to have a strong sense of vision and self-editing, and be able to know instinctively what is marketable, and to what, and what is not. Sound like something that you are completely comfortable with doing? Hope you have a fair amount of spare time, great recording chops, and a great deal of tenacity.

 

If not, let someone else help you through it.

 

 

 

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Ken/Eleven Shadows/d i t h er/Nectar

http://www.elevenshadows.com 4 music, travel, more!

http://www.cdbaby.com/elevenshadows

[Emile]

2. Should I Shop the rough demos to determine if a label (big or small) is interested in subsidising it?

 

Absolutely. You've got nothing to loose and if they like the songs they will pay for the re-recording, provide a producer, etc...Even if you had your finished re-done product, you'd still have to shop your songs to get at the very least a distribution deal. Bottom line is regardless of the quality if they think you've got a hit they'll want it and probably redo it anyway.

 

3. Should I produce myself? I've got pretty good ears, but not any experience in knowing what is marketable.

 

How much are you willing to pay for a producer? Do you know any you like and can afford? Regardless of what you decide to do, find out who is in your area and range.

 

4. Or should I just spend $2-3000 and get an ADAT or Hard-disk recorder and better mics etc and re-record it myself and creat my own CD and go it alone.

 

That won't buy you the producing chops needed to make it broadcast quality and it's gonna take you years before you use the gear to the point where you get pro results. (plus you'd need monitors, maybe some soodproofing, outboard gear, etc...)

 

Just some thoughts but definitely shop your demo 'cause people do get signed for better or worse. And a lot (myself included) of musician procrastinate the knocking on doors aspect of the biz just to be "more" ready until time passes by and you find out a kid half your age just got signed sending a cassette.

 

Whatever you do, do something and you can still do everything you mentionned altogether whatever works out first will sort out the dilema.

 

Emile