In the indie Music industry

Making a budget music video.

2011-12-06T18:35:00.001-08:00

So you recorded the song and people liked it, you uploaded it to iTunes and soundcloud and the song is ready to have its music video. You know money is tight when you go independent, the songs aren't really making enough or no money at all, but your passion is all you got.

I was invited to perform one evening at a local actors club, so I got up grabbed my guitar and started playing one of my songs, I was pretty nervous, but I did it anyway, people were clapping, that was nice, it felt good afterwards. That night I sang two of my songs. When I finished I headed back to my car to put away my guitar, as I'm walking a young girl approaches and asked me if she could use one of the songs as a soundtrack for one independent film she was working on. I said sure that would be awesome, but I have not recorded the song yet, so if you could find a producer with a home studio that could solve that problem. She said, I think I might have someone who could help Us with that.
That night we exchanged numbers, she said she'll be in touch. A couple of days later, she calls and says she wants me to meet the film producer, so we arranged a meeting for next day.
In the meeting we talked about getting the song recorded and making a music video, all sounded great!
A few days later, I'm sitting next to the music producer, who was just interested in the credits for the job, he was not going to charge either of us for the music production nor for studio time. But I actually offered him a cut if the music download sales.
We spend about three weeks in the studio Working on this one song, it does not usually take this long to record a song but we had to work around schedules.
We finally mixed it and mastered it. Right away it was uploaded to iTunes as a single.
I became really good friends with the girl that introduced me to the producers, she was an actress, and all her friends were Into film making and acting. So I got to meet all these actors and directors and producers.
One day we meet with one other actor, who was getting into directing, so we told him about the song and out of the conversation we came up with the idea of producing a music video, all we needed was a director of photography who had a camera. So we asked another o f her friends who is also starting in the film making business if he could help with his camera, and he said yes.
Now with 4 guys in the team, we all sat and discussed the project, we only had about $200 dollars to work with and it was to pay for the actors food on the day of the shooting.
Everything was moving forward, then a friend of mine who had recently taken some video editing classes asked me if he could be part of the project. I said sure, that would be great!
So he came with us to the Starbucks meetings and we all shared responsibilities.
Now with five people in the production team we felt stronger about the project. One person was in charge of calling the actors and extras, which were also willing to be in the video without pay.
The video took 2 days to shoot, and we were blessed with good weather. All came out great.

It was now time for editing, so my friend and I worked on it for a few days, and we were happy about the clips and the quality of the video. The video was looking just ok, but not great, so I was thinking about putting some effects to it and make it more interesting and may e use some animation, but of course this would need some one who has knowledge about video after effects, so I decided to post an add, looking for someone with after effects knowledge. And again I explained that it was something we were all doing with out any monetary gain.
A couple of hours later I get an email from one guy who is willing to help, he said he wants to check the video out and see if he could help us with that.
Then another email from a student who wanted to build his portfolio said he wanted to participate. So I sent an ema to these guys with the link, but they never got back to me. This is usually the kind of response I usually get from posting adds in Craig's list. You live and you learn.

So I kept on working on the editing with my friends, and some new ideas came out, about color correction, we changed a few clips, and my friend the producer and the one who is starting a radio show told me someone from a tv channel approached her and told her she wanted to be part of the video production and that she and her husband could help with after effects.

We finally finished editing, went to my other friend's place to finish color correction and voila! The video was now complete, everyone involved was happy. Video was uploaded to YouTube and shared with all of our friends in Facebook.

Here's the vid: http://youtu.be/KfvjrZtt-m0

Online Music distribution, be careful!

2011-11-16T08:22:00.000-08:00

you are an indie musician, and have done great effort in composing, producing, recording and promoting your music in sites like myspace, Facebook, youtube, soundcould, etc. you probably have an account in tunecore and are also selling your music in iTunes, This is all wonderful and soon you'll see the seeds planted growing and then producing its fruit. but just be careful who you deal out there with and mostly online. i don't want to scare you, i just want you to be cautious and make sure that before you enter into an agreement with someone or some company, even if they look legitimate, make sure you take the time to read the terms and conditions and not only that, but to pause and ask some questions, about all possibilities. believe it or not there are some people just trying to make money out there and they don't care if they take advantage of the ignorance of most people, and these people are usually people that don't read the terms and conditions.

let me tell you a little story, this artist placed his music in soundcloud.com to promote and distribute his music for free, this way he was speeding his seed all over the world, his music started being downloaded and played, after a couple of months he decided to check on an external web application used to sell and distribute your music online called "VibeDeck", which used your paypal account to collect your sales. They offered free membership and 100% of all your sales. This last part is the most important, read with me very carefully, the last part says: 100% of all "YOUR" sales, it does not indicate of "ALL sales and ANY kind of profit" coming from the songs the user uploads.
So when the artist read in the terms and conditions that he was granting the use of his music for all purposes for eternity and world wide, he decided to ask them a question.

So he contacted support and asked these 2 separate questions in two different emails:
1. Will VibeDeck or any other party be making any profit from the songs that the user uploads to Vibedeck?
2. Can i cancel my membership at any time?

These were the answers after sending these questions a couple of times:

For the second question they answered right away with a simple dry "yes". That means yes you can cancel your membership at anytime but we keep the authorization you granted us to use your material any way we want and keep "OUR" sales.

For the first question the artist never received an answer. Fishy? most definitely. so be careful with these type of fisher men and their agreements.

The artist also contacted tunecore with some questions other questions, although tunecore is way more specific on the money matter than VibeDeck, tunecore charges you a fee to distribute your music and iTunes gets 30% of your sales. you get 70% which sounds fair. Now what does tunecore mean when they state: "Tunecore does not keep any of your sales" does this mean all and any kind of profit generated by the music the user uploads to tunecore is granted to the artist?
I was glad to receive a response from tunecore, that showed me they care and that they are a serious company, this is what they wrote:

You are exactly right! TuneCore keeps absolutely NOTHING from your music sales. The store keeps 30 percent of each sale; all money beyond that is yours to keep.

Tunecore yes, VibeDeck noooo!

Getting into acting and performing

2011-11-14T16:55:00.001-08:00

Acting and performing is such an important aspect of being an artist, being in front of people and becoming a living show and experience the rush of adrenaline running through your body.

At first this is so difficult, in your mind you think is peace of cake, and you picture it going so well, no nerves, no anxiety, but when you are right there, in front of a judging group of people, things change, although you try your best to make your heart beat slowly, it will not obey, not at first.

A good way to get you feet wet, is to sign up with a talent agency, to start they'll send you to casting for extras and easy non speaking roles, in commercials and reality tv, and this is good so you start getting used to the whole environment of cameras and production crew, plus you start building friendships, and gaining experience.

My first speaking role was in a soap opera, I had just a very small dialog, it was so small that I thought I didn't need to prepare. When I got to the set, I was feeling a bit nervous, there were a few other actors that were filming in that same day, so I had to wait, I was actually the last one to go, when my turn was up, I was shaking, I even told the other actor who was doing the scene with me to please be patient with me because I was so nervous and that it was my first time.
So the director calls me and I stand up, he wanted us to rehearse the lines before he started filming, but in this rehearsal I froze, I couldn't say my two lines, it was one of the most embarrassing moments of my life, they even made fun of my inexperience. After that little experience I thought about running away. I was thinking this is not for me, what in heavens am I doing here? So after a little thinking I said, well let's just get this over with and, I don't have anything to lose, maybe just that they laugh but I can take that. So one of the guys from production noticed I was very nervous, came to me a said: don't worry this is just like going inside the pool for the first time, is scary the first time, but once you do it, you loose the fear.

So I did it, I made my first tv appearance, it wasn't very good but no one expected me to be Robin Williams or Robert de Niro.

The more I got in to it, the more I felt comfortable, I have to say that it took a few months and a few castings for me to overcome the fear. And the more I did everything else was building, friends, my resume, experience, etc.

So I made friends, and these friends invited me to their projects, and there I met producers and directors and more actors, I was also introduced to theater, which is great to get rid of your shyness and start to explore your inner lion/ess.

All this at a point you'll discover is a process to make you ready for your ultimate performance, the day you were Meant to shine.

As a last note: availability is a plus, humility is a must, also value your self, work hard, prepare and study diligently, don't do something that goes against your goals or just to gain a few bucks, pray to God to guide you through and towards the good path.

Learning how to play an instrument

2011-11-11T09:16:00.001-08:00

Learning how to play an instrument.

Since I was a kid I always wanted to learn how to play an instrument, but It always seemed so difficult, and i thought the beginner stuff was so boring, and tedious.
To be honest it is, everything in life that's worth something takes some effort and discipline, and if you want to be with the best then you need to run the extra mile.

I'm not gonna say this is for everybody, unless you just want to learn a couple of songs to just entertain your friends and family on your gatherings. If this is your goal the sure Ll you have to do is put maybe 20 to 30 hours of your time and you'll be able to play some famous catchy songs, Which is totally fine if this is your desire.
Now if you want to be included in the list of great guitarist, or at least go pro, then you need to put some decent time to your practice routine.

Here's a list I things you'll need:

1-Guitar ( some people prefer starting with the acoustic)
2-Time (plenty of it, forget about hanging out and talking to girls/boys)
3-Guitar book (method )
4-YouTube videos ( this can be fun, look for songs you like)
5-Tuner
6-Capo.

Once you have all these, then start looking at some YouTube vids for beginners and if you are not familiar with the instrument at all, the find some vids which explain the real basics for guitar, like the name of the guitar parts, way of holding it, how to tune the strings, strumming, etc.
Then you move on to guitar exercises, this way you fingers tart to get use to the movements and positions.
And while you are watching these videos you can also start your guitar method, and make sure you follow each single Instruction to the letter.

As you start with this process you will find more and more videos and tutorials along the way, like playing styles, scales, and complex guitar progressions.

So with this in mind, I woukd suggest you start with 30 mins a day the first week, make sure you do spend the time with your new friend (guitar) every single day religiously. Then increase the time by 30 mins every other week, until you reach at least 4 hours a day. You can obviously split the time and divided between your method book, YouTube video watching, exercises, and fun song playing.
Usually you spend about an hour with the book, another with exercises, another watching vids and lastly another just having fun playing with it.

At first it will look like you are not moving forward and you'll feel frustrated because your knowledge is so little and your sound may not be the one you expect, but trust me if you commit to just not listen to your thoughts for one month and say lets just keep moving forward and finish my daily routine, you'll see some light at the end of the tunnel.
And expect to find challenges along the way, and keep moving forward, you will always see light ahead, and the feeling is great!

So just play, play and play... Everyday! And if you one day Feel like 30 mins is too long then play for 10 or 15 mins, but always pay a visit to your friend.

Here's a few links of some instrument tutorials for beginners:

Guitar: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cP0IcQV8aL4&feature=youtube_gdata_player
Piano : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vphWgqbF-AM&feature=youtube_gdata_player
Congas: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vWMS7dszNBw&feature=youtube_gdata_player
Trumpet: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l2VEXrILqAs&feature=youtube_gdata_player
Drums: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GxEP0VarF8k&feature=youtube_gdata_player

The future of Music Production

2011-11-11T08:27:00.001-08:00

The future of music Production

From making music in a million dollar recording studio facility, to recording in a home studio with sophisticated programs and hardware like protools and logic using audio interfaces and expensive equipment and acoustic panels, to making music on your hands with small gadgets like the iPhone, iPad, mic and. Good pair or headphones.
You can find great apps for music production, to make beats you can use imaschine, and to make more complex music productions you can use the GarageBand app, this cost about $5 dollars, is nothing compared to all the other software out there, and sure you may say that all these other platforms have way more options and capabilities and you are right if you think about it, but as you know all you need is creativity to make something great out of nothing. So this is why I say the future of music production is now fitted to the palm of your hands. Here in these links below you can find samples of music done with this kind of technology.

http://m.soundcloud.com/rising-music-global

http://itunes.apple.com/us/artist/a.b.-junior/id160049840?uo=4

So this is a nice combination I have found to be an amazing tool for music production, and these are the elements you'll need to make awesome music.

1 -iPad or iPhone,
2-Sennheiser Headphones
3-Griffin guitar connect cable (for iPad or iPhone) if you play the guitar.
4-Compatible condenser mic (Blue has great ones) if you want to record decent vocals.
5-GarageBand app and imaschine.

Once you have these elements, some music knowledge, a good ear, passion and creativity, your set to go.

Building a Budget Home Recording Studio

2011-11-09T10:52:00.001-08:00

Budget Home studio,
You want to get your music ideas and beats rolling, I suggest you get a budget home recording studio. We are talking about $2000 to $5000 dollars to spend and to start from scratch.
Ok, so let's talk about the basic and most important in the list:
Computer: I would definitely recommend a Mac if you want to go pro later on, some people don't believe it to be necessary and think is just a matter of preference, and if it is then my personal preference is definitely a Mac computer.
If the money is tight you can find a good deal on a used one in sites like Craigslist and eBay, just be careful who you deal with. I would also recommend that this computer have at least a dual core processor, because you will be dealing with audio and lots of plug ins. So a decent computer could cost you around $1500 To $2500 dollars.

Audio interface: There are many options out there, logic, m-audio, etc. my personal favorite is digidesign, the have different levels Of audio interfaces, that could range from $15.000 to $300 to but since we are working on building a decent budget home studio then I should recommend the M-box which I'm sure is about $600 dollars. M-box comes with an awesome audio editing program called protools. If you want to record a drum set then you will need the m-box which brings more inputs.

Monitor speakers: again there are plenty to choose from, the best way to pick a good pair of speaker is to go to the music store and have a listen to them. When it comes to this part of your equipment you don't want to spend less than $500 dollars, because this is such an important peace. My recommendation is the Alesis Or the KRK, make sure these are active powered monitor speakers.

Microphone : there are people that spend a Great deal of money in their microphone, and I don't blame them, because you want to get the best audio possible thorough your interface. So in a way they are right, on these peacetime don't want To go all the way cheap. So at least get something from $300 dollars. The brand Shure has great mics. Make sure that you get a mic stand and a pop filter, it'll cost you like $40 dollars.

Midi Keyboard: this one is pretty simple and you don't have to spend a lot, M-audio has keyboard that start from $150 dollars, they all have one main function. Some guys don't mind having the really small keyboard of 25 keys I prefer the 49 key midi keyboard controller.

Software: (sound bank) go to the local music store and find a decent software which can be compatible with protools or whatever audio editing program you are using. My recommendation is Reason, from propellerhead, this is a great beat making program with tons of sounds and cool features and works perfect with protools, once you rewire them and use it as one of protools plugins. This baby costs like $500 dollars. But hey you may find a used deal or some hookup, and save yourself a few hundred bucks.

Room Acoustics: The final touch, and yeah believe it or not it will make a big difference, make sure you get some bass traps, and sound prof your walls and maybe a nice carpet on your wooden floors could help too. You can find great deals at eBay in this kind of stuff, they will also give a nice touch to the environment of your studio. Cost: $200 to $400 dollars.

Headphones: my recommendation is 2 pair of Sennheiser they sell for about $130 dollars each.

Last note: you will need small gadgets to connect your guitars (if you need to) and to hook up a couple of headphones, just go to the local music store and have the sales guy tell you what you need. You won't spend much more than $ 100 dollars on these.

Ok, I hope this was helpful.

Making indie Music

2011-11-09T08:28:00.000-08:00

You are either a musician, producer, songwriter or a singer and you want to get into the music business without the help of the big record label, or maybe you were turned down by them at a point or maybe your contract is expired or the label is not doing what you expected, so you want to keep recording your songs, promote them, have people hear your music, make music videos, perform, acquire a ton of fans, distribute and sale music downloads on your own, may be start your own record label.

Some of you have a home studio, which will make things a lot easier, this way you can produce tons of music, anytime you want. But if you don't have the equipment nor the money to get your own home studio, then you need to find one, and there are different ways depending on your budget.

If you have capital, then sure go ahead and buy some studio time and if you are a singer find a music producer who is willing to arrange some tacks for you. Usually the best and cheapest way to do it, is to meet friends and talk to musicians, they are all usually trying to achieve the same thing, is just a matter of finding the right team, if you are a producer, then find a singer and other musicians, if you are a songwriter, talk to singers and music producers, they all have different connections and once you get together and talk about collaborating in a project, somehow all the tools you need will start to emerge.

So, know what your strength is, talk to people that are going towards the same goal, which is the music business, and don't limit yourself to only musicians, you can meet artists of all kinds, like computer graphics design guys, film makers, photographers, actors, models. at the end they all will play a role once you start recording your music. and keep in mind that in order to promote and make the music video you will need a production team.

Another important aspect is to get your music business in order, Go to tune core and get an account there, this company will be your online music distributor world wide. but before you do this, Start copyrighting your songs, go to the ASCAP website and become a member, read a few articles on how to register your music and get your publishing name. The beauty of this is that all this is accessible to you online, just google the keyword copyright or ASCAP and your find tons of links with helpful information, now i suggest you go to sites that are credible and are not trying to sell you any kind of information, so go directly to the official websites.

Once you have all this in order, you make sure you get your band page on various social networks, like Facebook, soundcloud, youtube, etc, you can actually monetize some of this accounts and this is a great tool for promoting your material with friends and build your network.

Lastly i want to say something very important, make sure you have talked about all of this with your partners, let them know what you can offer them in terms of monetary gain, get the proper releases forms signed, is is good to have something in writing. when it comes to collaborating with other artist and you want to have a strong bond, the best way is to have equal shares of the gains. now for the seed to grow you will need time, so don't expect to be making money right away.

Here are some indie artist:

http://youtu.be/OHTSxw6zN1E
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cyxMKmM2tZE
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PeqZE1KMDPA&feature=related