Archive for the 'Record Label' Category

THEESatisfaction…unsatisfying.

Published on 10/31/2011 in Local Music, Old Age, Photography, Record Label and Writing. 0 Comments Tags: , , , , , .

THEEsastisfaction + SubPop…I Guess?

I guess I kind of get it?  Maybe I don’t?

I remember a day when someone got on a label because THEY WERE AMAZING.  Not the today kind of amazing, you know the blogging world fed “oh my God this is an amazing band” only to find that the band doesn’t exist 6 months later…But FUCKING mind blowing amazing.

THEEsatisfaction have the longevity…the back catalog…the instant (if taken on as part of the recording contract) back revenue, I get that part.  But I just don’t get them.  I suppose that is what makes music a powerful part of the artistic community…the fact that something can be “good” but still not be understood by the masses.  I deal with that subjectivity regarding my own music and other projects I have been a part of.

Congrats to them…let’s see if SubPop can make them Mo Betta’ and stuff.  This was my first introduction to THEE and well it colored my palette with a shade of meh…I have tried many a times to get into them, as again I was told I should by the local press, but only with the same taste of bleh:

 

What do you think?

RED BULL and and more…

Published on 05/15/2011 in Music, Record Label, Uncategorized and Writing. 0 Comments Tags: , , , , , .

I am not sure what to make of this most recent announcement from RED BULL but I am sure that it directly reflects where “we” are heading.  Red Bull has decided to enter the print magazine game and offer a life and entertainment type of rag.

You may think that this is a pretty standard thing to occur due to the fact that many other brands have their own branded print, clothing, or other lines of merch.  The difference here is that this is in addition to Red Bull entering the music studio and record label world back in 2008.  Also this magazine entry plus the record label parrallel the the January announcement of Red Bull entering the cell phone/service market.

Why all the above is interesting to me is that it is an all inclusive move to be in your life.  It is a shepparding of time, brain space, and mostly money for and towards Red Bull.  The premise being that if they can provide a majority of their own content, generate their own “sister brands” off of their drink success…then they will see profits exponentially from the cross branding and providing of content.

If you are on their label, you will probably be in their magazine, and your ring tones will be on their cell service.  If you are in their magazine and your ringtones are on their cell service, you will probably see a higher percentage of impressions on your band website.  This is the future…

Creating a network of operations that web over and into the next so that any activity in A will change the results of B and C.

I promise you that you will see additional business models like this emerge in the music world…

Working on my kingdom…

Published on 09/10/2010 in Going Somewhere, Hearing Impaired, Mastering, Mixing, Music, Record Label and Uncategorized. 0 Comments Tags: , , , , , .

A quick update on what I have been up to!

I have pretty much finished the packaging layout and print work for “Going Somewhere…?”. It took way longer than I expected due to some tech issues with my old laptop (speed) and then figuring out how I wanted to package the whole deal.

So I sent out 10-15 packages last week and am slowly getting feedback that they are arriving in good shape! This is exciting news due to the amount of thought I put into the final presentation.

Dreams in a bag

I am still working on getting my cover song cleared. I can’t technically sell the music till that little issue is taken care of. It shouldn’t be long…as it is now just a money thing to pay for the license.

The next mechanical step is to save up the scratch $$ to get a run of 100 or 200 color discs replicated. Then from there start assembling the hand packaging for these little beauties!

Hope everybody is embracing the change of seasons and the way it changes our minds.

I know I am.

Best to those who read this…

My early votes for album of the year…

Published on 01/19/2010 in Music, Record Label and Recording. 0 Comments Tags: , , , , , .

Step right up…

I am making an early prediction about what will be my favorite album of the year. It is not a clear decision as of yet, but the two front runners haven’t even been released yet and they still are loudly battling.

Up first is:

POST HARBOR – “They can’t hurt you if you don’t believe in them”
http://www.myspace.com/postharbor
They are in my opinion what music is about. They do it all so well…paint the picture, tell the story, convey the emotional message. They make music that moves you. For that alone I appreciate their art in all its forms.

Post Harbor is not a bandwagon group. You won’t find them mentioned with the “current cool kids” such as The Maldives, The Moondoggies, and these other “rock” bands that are supposed to be the next great sound out of the Seattle scene.

This band is who the local blogs should be writing about. This band is who you should invest the franchise player card on. There music imprints on your mind and requires you to take listen number three, four, and five to disect just what they are doing at 2:43 in song number 7. Rarely does a band make you do that anymore. They do.

If you ever get the chance to see them live, I highly recommend it. You too will be fan just from the energy that they exude.

Up next is:

The Forecast – “The Forecast”
http://www.myspace.com/theforecast
I have been a fan of this band for 3 discs now. They were originally signed to VICTORY RECORDS and were thought to be the cross-over salvation for that label. Unfortunately VICTORY did not do the band justice and put them on the road with bands that drove away their core fanbase.

My band (HISTORY for SALE) has played with The Forecast and I have seen them every time they have come through town. There is no other band that I think I enjoy seeing more than The Forecast. They are 4 friends who make music…they live for this…it is who they are.

Mark my words that either one of these discs will be on lists for year end results…mark my words.

Mastering is done…NOW WHAT???

Published on 01/12/2010 in Mastering, Music and Record Label. 0 Comments Tags: , , , , .

Well last week I mastered.

To be correct in the above statement *I* did not master, but the very, very talented Ed Brooks did. He took 9 different songs and squeezed life into them.

One could take that statement and ask…”hey, don’t you mean squeezed life *out* of them…?” The answer would still be the same. He squeezed, pulled, lifted, and compressed the 24bit/44.1 units into something whole and new. He gave them life.

Rob Sharp of The Playroom Studio came in with the tracks and we went to work. Rob is someone who I think will continue to grow in the local music world. He has a great sense of sound dynamics, and most of all he really cares. I would recommend him in a heartbeat. Hell, he put up with me and my schedule for the past 2-1/2 years.

Probably the most exciting thing about the mastering session to me was the education. There was no judging about my music. No looking down upon was done. There was only a free flowing giving of the experience that Ed has amassed over his long career. That is why I love this hobby…coming across people who share the passion of creation.

Now that the disc is mastered…I am trying to figure out what I want to do with it. For that reason I didn’t even get a CD or VINYL master. I will decide that later…

Since I am not really in a hurry…I am going to spend a month sending out mailers, emails, blog requests. If I can find a home for this disc that will help with getting it out to the people that should hear it, then I would love that.

Would you like to hear a track? Shoot me a message and I will let you hear one.