Following up from my last post, we received a boatload of questions. My answers follow. Names have been changed to protect the innocent.
Would you say that demo tracks are a necessity before doing a decently-produced EP or LP? If needed, where would the line be drawn for their audio quality vs. their overall usefulness in attracting a fanbase? Could one or two decently-produced tracks make up for five or so lower quality recordings?
Nearly everyone these days has access to make at least decent level recordings. Making demos is a good way to acquaint yourself with the process and minimize waste if you invest a lot of money in more pro recordings but I wouldn’t advise selling the demos or presenting them as a real release. It’ll look bush league.
For getting started, don’t spend a lot of money. Do some demo tracks, get some opinions from trusted sources and figure out what’re your best songs. A lot of times I’ll listen to something I think is good at the time and then a year later I’ll realize how much better it could’ve been.
Most of the best pro studios in the area (Cue, DragonFly, Assembly Line) will run you about $60/hr. There are a lot of budget studios in the area that can help you get something workable for a lot less.
The main thing is to understand how the recording process works and what you can expect for your budget. As a drummer it’s important to get used to playing by yourself with a metronome. A lot of your time will be spent doing this in a real studio. It’s lonely and demanding. Your singer should be prepared to sing in a dark room by himself. Your bassists and guitarists have it easy – but they should be good at their parts and be prepared to double everything.
The bigger your budget, the better quality you can get and more time you can spend on nailing parts and making it clean. A lot of bands at your stage will just do a couple of live recording takes where everyone plays at the same time and you can go for the best mix you can.
Should the audience be charged at all for tracks which are well-produced, or should production costs for recording/mixing/mastering/etc. be recuperated through other means?
Always make your music available for purchase (CD Baby is cheap and easy) but give it away for free too. As a band starting out the exposure is so much more important than the $0.99 you might get from someone. A lot of people are accustomed to not paying for music anymore. It may take them awhile to get hooked. Maybe all they want is one song of yours. Remove barriers to entry or excuses to say no. There are a million other places for them to turn if you can’t deliver what they want easily and immediately. Like dudes eating cockroaches on YouTube.
Virtually no one makes money mostly through recorded music anymore. Your best bets are live performances, merchandise (T-shirts), ring tones, etc. Real fans who want to support the band are happy to pay for premium packages with extra features but your hardcore will be too small to support the band for a long time. It takes a lot of time to grow organically.
Would you say that concepts such as “CD release shows” are outdated, since they require the audience to wait an x number of weeks before they’re able to acquire the music?
If you’re only playing locally it’s important to differentiate your shows from “just another show.” Having a CD release show can help do this. If you want to make it available online for listen beforehand, great. Bundle tickets for the show with an advance copy of the CD at a discount. Let people get to know the music so when they come to the show they can sing along. Incentivize your fans.
Beyond CDs and t-shirts, are there any items that could really benefit bands during their first few shows? One thread that I read in a music section on Reddit made it seem like vinyls and download codes were just as beneficial as CDs.
Having cool well-designed merchandise is an absolute must for a legit band. Not only will it sell well with good margins, it’s a walking advertisement for your band. Make sure it’s something people will want to wear – cool designs are a must. For instance, people frequently buy our “Love, Myself” tank top just because they think it looks cool. Many times they’re not even there for our band and don’t stay for the show. That’s a sign of a successful shirt.
Resist the urge to just make a shirt with your band name on it and a simple logo or design. Same goes for a picture of all the guys in the band. Make it something snappy or catchy that people outside your circle of friends want to wear. Include a funny saying, sweet design, or something else that appeals to your niche. Girls can probably help with this, provided your music isn’t mostly oriented towards guys.
Avoid vinyl unless your crowd is indie hipsters or you have 10,000 hardcore fans. It’s not even remotely worth it. If people don’t want to buy a CD, make sure they can download your music, preferably for free. People want a reason to say “no.” Don’t give them one.
Are there any songwriting tips that you can provide? Like I previously mentioned, I am [slowly] learning bass and guitar to better express my ideas to other members, but is there anything else I should actively pursue or research?
There are entire books on the subject and most of them are bullshit. Nobody can tell you how to write a song. There are “rules” for traditional hits, and then there are artists who break all the rules successfully. There are also people who fail spectacularly at either formula.
The best advice I can give is to be critical and don’t settle. A lot of times it’s easy to write a lyric or a riff and it’s pretty good but maybe doesn’t sit exactly right. Avoid “good enough” and strive for great. Get feedback and try to get honest reactions from people who will give you straight responses. But ultimately believe in what you’re doing. There are a lot of artists in history who did something so crazy and unlikable that it worked. Don’t be afraid to follow your gut.
As for pitching your ideas to other band members, it really comes down to the chemistry of the band. I tend to micromanage and write all melodies for a song I write, but leave room for bandmates to improvise and add their own flavoring.
Are there any other blogs or websites you can refer me to that assist in understanding the music industry?
There’s innumerable advice and opinion blogs on the web and most of them are shit or self-serving. Here are three people I like that I regularly read. Sometimes they ramble on about BS but they generally are very progressive thinkers:
This is one that I’ll probably understand with more work experience, but how exactly does a band pay taxes on their acquired funds from t-shirts, CDs, Paypal donations, etc.? I want to be as legal as possible with acquired funding, but at the same time, I don’t want to put too much effort into the band profiting from items if they’re going to be heavily taxed.
Don’t worry about taxes – at least until you’re 18 and your band is making a lot more money than your operating costs. Still, it doesn’t hurt to be diligent about tracking expenses and income. It can help you see what’s a waste of money and what’s good for business. Most venues will pay you under the table anyway – State Theatre shows are just one example where we actually had taxable income.
Seriously, don’t sweat it for now. If your band does start to bring in the money then you can form either an LLC or INC and get a service mark for your band name.