Publishing music online

[umonox]

thats a very honest attitude. but at the same time it also reads like: i have given up. somehow at least. no offence, it just reads like this

that whole networking, social media and marketing part you are talking about is only frustrating, exhausting and - just not nice - because we are simply not used to this. sometimes i think that we are just too old for this shit already because, seriously: if you look at the youth out there which grew up with these things … they dont have a problem getting their stuff spread.

we have to adapt to what is required from most people today. i cant stress this enough. if we learn to garnish our music with the entertainment factor we have the ultimate tool to success in our hands: Its called Youtube. It might not be a good thing, but its the ultimate platform today. Next time you do a gig in your Bar, have someone shooting a Video of that. Now find someone who can edit that video and who can spice it up. Now upload it to Youtube, design an eye catching thumbnail and see where things go

[Unifono]

Next time you do a gig in your Bar, have someone shooting a Video of that. Now find someone who can edit that video and who can spice it up.

And be sure to put some plants, lemons and a nice desk in place
Sorry, just joking, but that seems to be the new trend in order to gain attention since the “Knobs” demos came out. They’re all stepping their game up regarding video production

[Ryan]

I think, for spreading the word, it would be best to collaborate with artists of different mediums. Cartoonists/film makers to start out- after that get creative. United we stand method. Lack of notice is a struggle shared amongst all artists

[umonox]

oh yeah. Knobs really pushed this table thing quite far i sometimes wonder where he gets all this stuff from that he puts on his tables

But its not just that. You can clearly see that he established his own kind of style with this. The way he arranges these accessories and how he places text in between - so much eye candy and something to learn at the same time … while effectively just doing sound tests with crazy pedals, so to say. mostly at least.

Jeremy Blake áka Red Means Recording is another great example. His OP-1 Videos were garnished with funny text phrases; i cant count how often he talked himself down in his very own way while - at the same time - showing how amazingly talented he is. strong contrast, so to say. but always funny in its own sense. this combination … this is him, this is jeremy and people got used to it, they love him for this.

and this is what i mean. we may be able to make great music, but we can do more. and people want to see more. if we can deliver, our music mustnt be the best out there but we can still be successful. whether we want to do it that way or not is another question. but if we want to be successful for as long as Youtube is so successful we have to adapt and find our own way im afraid.

[Unifono]

You can clearly see that he established his own kind of style with this.

for sure. And these videos are great, I’m a big fan.

Jeremy Blake áka Red Means Recording is another great example. His OP-1 Videos were garnished with funny text phrases

Yeah, I also wanted to mention him. Those little phrases are a big reason for his success. But his music was/is also very good, which is also an important factor fortunately.

But these are still examples from the gear video point of view.

Don’t get swept up in the gear video thing. The only people that care about that gimmicky non-sense are other gear nerds. Other people don’t care

[insect]

many important and great things have been said here. Most of those are also my experience in runing a label since 1998 … so it´s 20 years see everything changing in the music world.

But one word on youtube. They are a very important plattform to reach and grow your audience. BUT they main goal of Alphabet and their share holders is to make money. Is this wrong? Not at the first sight. A month ago youtube canceled all youtube partnerships with channels with less then 1.000 subscribers AND less then 4.000 hours view time the past 12 months … 4.000 hours, thats basicly 240.000 minuntes … which is around 240.000 views by 1 minunte average viewing time. So you have to make really good stuff to became youtube partner these days and get a little little little. Or you just be happy with spreading out your music for free.

[oldbills]

I’ve never performed before other than just DJ’ng and I’m wondering for those who have done a few shows have u noticed more listeners/buyers/followers after you started performing?

[umonox]

yep, thats right. the community watching these videos, although not small, is definitely not the huge crowd out there which can make you financially successful in no time. but that wasnt the OP’s intention, right?!

a good compromise is probably what @Ryan has suggested. i can see a big trend for collaboration on YT at the moment and for good reasons. combining strengths gives you the best of all worlds. if you arent a talented video creator but if you create amazing music, work with someone who can make great videos and is on the lookout for music that fits to what he/she does. the hard part will probably be to find these people. would be interesting if there are some collaboration portals out there who can bring people with different talents together. im sure where are many, but i never really stumbled upon them yet

[darenager]

I agree with a lot that has been said about youtube, I do think though that possibly the best days of youtube are behind it, I find the prominence of ads and amount of corparate content a bit much these days, it is almost as bad as TV.

[Unifono]

but that wasnt the OP’s intention, right?

Nope. Just sayin…

[umonox]

it is the new TV, so to say the Ads become more and more irrelevant for us Creators in the future since more and more people are using Ad-Blockers these days. And once the Ad-Blockers are widely spread on the mobile devices, Ad revenue is literally gone And Youtube will start to struggle…

But at the moment catching the attention and building up a small community of people who love what you do is nowhere near as easy as on Youtube. And i would jump on this train for as long as its still possible Youtube might be gone one day, but your fans are not. Patreon and the like already offer alternative options to support Creators and if people really love you for the stuff you do, you become independent one day. And this should be the primary goal on the road to sucess i think.

Well, i blathered enough for today i think time for bed.
interesting Thread nonetheless. All these ideas and experiences … have to read on tomorrow

[anokah]

About the thing of just uploading half baked ideas, I sometimes do that just to finish something. It’s mostly more experimental stuff where I don’t want to get to deep into the production side, but just actualise some ideas. If I then upload them somewhere I feel like they’re “published”, and I don’t have to think about them anymore. A bit of an exercise you might say.

When it comes to releasing music and become noticed, I have no idea. I’m 33 and I feel seriously ancient, and I’m just glad that I play and make music for my own sake, or I would just give up. Until I do I guess I’ll just keep shouting into space and hope someone hears me.

[Ryan]

Back to my notion of collaboration there’s an idea I’ve been working towards and will pick back up once I get my career in order.

A collaboration with writers, actors, directors(ideally)- a podcast in the vein of Chris Morris’ “Blue Jam”

You give a potential audience multiple reasons to listen, grace them with a variety of mediums to enjoy, and the more people you get involved the more people, naturally, that will network it.

If you make something that’s really good- you’ve got yourself set up for instant viral potential.

And if you can get a tight enough schedule and secure enough workflow with the team- you’ve got multiple avenues for success with promoting your music being just one small perk

[JuanSOLO]

Lot’s of interesting info in here.
Music has never been something I wanted to make a job of, but I do enjoy playing gig’s, releasing music, and even working on small tours.
I too am working on a couple releases, and still trying to dial everything in.
Playing locally, and doing tiny tours over the past year has definitely gotten me some new followers I wouldn’t have had otherwise.
When the RYTM came out, I posted a couple videos on vimeo, and linked them here.
That was the first time I got a whole lot of hits in a few days, maybe 1000.
Not sure how many people were really into it, but it felt good to reach anyone.
Since then Vimeo has been one of my favorite spots, plus linking stuff.

For me the next step is definitely, finishing the albums, pressing vinyl, some other merch, dialing in my live set with video and lasers, booking a small tour with some friends who got more experience in the touring dept.

The music I am using for album release I have been playing out, but not really posting online until it’s DONE done.
I put a lot of effort into the final work, and I don’t want to half ass any of it.
That said, I do post a lot of half ass stuff in the meantime for fun, rough ideas that I may dial in later.

[phaelam]

Do it for fun, not followers.

[rstk]

totally understand, I think many people think like this.
I don’t want to point fingers, and I don’t think changing your approach to uploading things would change anything.
But I do think that approach , on a global scale , is really problematic.
I also think, even if someone’s goal is to only be listened by a few friends, it’s always wise to be somewhat selective with what to upload

[JuanSOLO]

I’m 33 and I feel seriously ancient,

Once you get to 43, 33 will look like it was your prime.

[enryo]

I think participation in a local music community is important. I play shows reasonably often; not at clubs, because we don’t really have clubs here (that have live music). I play at bars and galleries and house parties, with bands, with people that I know.

️

[mattleaf]

I reckon local, community radio is key. Or independent radio stations. Or maybe podcasts. Bandcamp and things like that assume a listener is actively searching for tunes, but most aren’t tbh. Instead of trying to get on labels and do it the old fashioned way, just get your tunes to radio or podcast DJ’s who have a nice following in your general style. Make sure you have your social media setup, so then people can follow you if they want. There’s a lot to be said for passively receiving music, if people are just driving home late from work listening to some late night radio show and your tunes are on, maybe they’ll look you up. I think people like to feel like they discovered music, rather than have it forced down their throats. Its nice to be surprised when you come across something you like. I think starting grass roots is key, and things like labels and releasing things and dropping posts about that kinda thing come about out of a desire and need from the audience. Being succesful in music promotion is your own art in itself, there’s no right or wrong way and maybe doing things a bit differently can get you further ahead of the pack.

Good luck!

[insect]

The Bandcamp 2017 Year in Review