Phillip’s Blog

Two of the things that have sort of been the thorn in my side as far as the music business is concerned are getting that really great, perfect sounding record made and getting people to find out about it. Now before I go further I want to confess that I know that I am not the best song writer/musician out there and I am certainly not the most popular artist, but I do know a little about those ideas.

Let’s start with making that “album.” You know that one that you have always dreamed of making? First of all you really can do it with out the help of a big time record company and all of their money. Music production today is in many ways cheaper than it has ever been.  You can create  Nashville quality recordings in your own home if you have but a few select pieces of gear.  Usually good mics, good pres, good instruments and of course a good artist do the trick. And of course the skills to use all that gear well enough to get “that sound.” Now if do it yourself is not your style then seek out a good studio. In this age of recording the truth of the matter is that digital is digital. It doesn’t matter what you use to record your tracks to all you need is the a good sound going on to that digital format and a means of taking it and putting it into other programs and you have the potential for a serious production. I recorded my second album (Cafe Mirage) at home. I then put the wave files from my digital workstation on to cd and took them into another studio where we mixed and mastered the record. As for the quality of that recording check out the music and the see for yourself. The proof is in the pudding. My website www.phillipbrownmusic.com and my myspace www.myspace.com/phillipbrownmusic both have cuts from the album available for listening. Keep in mind that you don’t need to spend $100 an hour, or more for studio time there are many talented engineers out there who run great little studios and charge $50, or less per hour and can really get you what you are looking for. Now with that said if you have got the talent the more money and time you can spend on a record really does allow you more freedom where production is concerned. Larger and more well known studios usually offer more services and have better facilities for music production. Shop around and get the most bang for your buck. It really helps to have a good idea of the scope of your project in mind when choosing the place to turn your vision into a reality.

If you are making a larger production record, or just want steller musicianship on your album it doesn’t hurt to hire a hot shot session musician, or two. Really good session musicians are worth the money!!! First and foremost they are gooood! Being professionals they play their instrument all the time and often know what to play and where in the song to play it. They work quickly too. This will save you money in the studio by spending less time waiting for someone to get a part just right. These people can often have their parts figured out and usable material recorded within minutes. I really recommend it if you can afford it. As for yourself make sure you are well rehearsed and really ready for recording too. Again much time and money can easily be wasted on getting a part right when all you had to do was have the part ready before you got there.  Don’t forget that this album represents you, so you want to make it the best that you can. Also you are  competing with other artists. Many of whom have big labels and big money behind them. I think that the most important things are not only be good at our craft, but also to have a record that does justice to the music.  It’s got to sound professional to be taken seriously. I absolutely hate to see an artist perform a great song that they wrote, then have them give me a cd with a poor recording on it. Remember that when you give someone something to listen to you are letting them take you home with them. If you sound like crap at home they aren’t likely to come out and see you play live.

Ahhh yes getting people to come to a show, or getting popular. How it frustrates me so. Now you have this great album “the album of all albums.” Now how do you get people to find out about it? I had a meeting with my publicist a few days ago during which we discussed the pains of getting people in the know about you and what you do. Promotion is the toughest and most costly part, I think, of being a musician. Touring is the best promotion, but it still costs lots of money to do it. We all would love to have that big record executive happen to stop by a club where we are playing,  love what they hear and pull out a contract for us to sign right then and there. Lets face it you have a better chance of getting hit by lightning that you would have at getting a record deal. It’s that simple. Unless you are really lucky and the record people happen to hear and love you  you have a lot of work cut out for you.  Now I don’t mean to make things sound so bleak, not at all, but I do want to stress how bloody hard and frustrating it can be. When you spend many months and lots of money promoting the release of your greatest project to date then a grand total of 30 people come to the release concert (including your Mom and Dad and brother and sister) you start to wonder weather or not there is even a point in trying. Well there certainly is. You will find that as time goes on something is gained with each effort you make to get you and your music out there. Sometimes you get a new fan, or two, sell a couple of cds. Sometimes you simply gain  knowledge and experience both of which are worth more than any amount of money. It seems to me that everything boils down to time. The more you do the more you know and then more people know about you. Building a career and a following in the music business is crazy hard. It’s a huge, complicated game and there are many players. Each of them with the same goal and becoming successful.

Now your measure of success is what you make it. If you just want to put on some shows for your friends and family and give them some music to listen to and you have done that then you are successful. If you are more ambitious and want to make music you career then be persistant and patient, because it could take a few years before you can start to making a living off of your art.

The only real advice that I can feel good about giving you is to do as much as you can as often as you can for as long as you can. Use the internet, tell your friends  and their friends and get them to tell their friends. If you can get away with it exploit your workplace. I work at a hospital where there are lots of people who might just be interested in what I am doing. It all starts with a good song. Then if you work hard and passionately it’s only a matter of time before people start to catch on.

This entry was posted on Saturday, August 29th, 2009 at 5:14 pm and is filed under Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.