One question that always comes up is “How do you start a label?” Well, it’s really not just one question. That question is really the opener for a series of questions on the subject of labels. Joel Armstrong of Dot Dot Records and Pete Le Freq of Llama Farm Recordings have graciously sat down to give us their take on this timeless subject.
Read more: How NOT to run a record label: A Guide to Making it up as You go along...
Way too often I see people who are totally clueless about the process of submitting music to labels for a potential deal. Outside the random Myspace links, links to slow as Christmas 3rd party download sites, and tracks previously distributed for free or by the artist themselves, very few tracks actually come through random submission worth signing. I guess the first key to getting signed is having a very good track, but you already knew that. With that knowledge in hand, here are 10 tips to help get your tracks signed.
There was a time when people did not really discuss money in underground artistic and ministry circles, but I think it is becoming far more widely acceptable that many people make all or part of their living in the music and entertainment business. Everyone has their own opinions and viewpoints on where they feel comfortable, some feel their music should impact the mainstream, others feel it should be kept for ministry or artistic purposes, and most listen to all types of music, and find their own balance somewhere in the spectrum. If you want to make all or part of your living from music, you should understand, depending on your choices, it is not always easy, but here are a few options.
For the first time ever, Tastyfresh presents the Freshie Awards, an acknowledgement of achievement amongst members of the Christ Centered Electronic Music community. After taking into consideration your nominations and considerations, our staff has compiled our first ever list of winners. So, without further delay, here are the Freshie Award winners for 2007.
Read more: Tastyfresh.com presents "The Freshies": The Best of 2007
It’s been my pleasure to write this series for the past two years. When I started writing “The Business of Dance Music” two years ago, it seemed as if all you Tastyfreshers knew where you wanted to go, but had no idea how to get there. In that two year span, I’ve seen many new faces come aboard, and many old faces step up their game. I’ve seen Christians take their production levels up to a standard that is now acceptable in the secular scene, as opposed to just settling for “good enough”. I’ve seen Christian events and events with Christians pop up all over the world on par with a product capable of standing on its own. I’d like to think that my advice has played some small part in this, but in reality, it’s the Christian Dance Music microcosm stepping up and deciding to put out a better product. For that, I am very proud of all of you.
Read more: The Business of Dance Music: Episode Ten - Bringing it all Together
I just wanted to go into showing everybody what it took to make an event like “After Hours – The Cornerstone Dance Barn” happen. Dave and I started talking about the possibility of taking over the Dance Barn back in December. After getting the blessing from the previous management we got started planning the week’s events.
Ever heard of a man named Andrew Carnegie? He was an industrialist back in the 1800’s who founded a company called Carnegie Steel, which later was bought by J.P. Morgan and because US Steel. He came from humble beginnings as a Scottish immigrant, to becoming one of the wealthiest men in the world. He achieved this through hard work, dedication to a task, and having good people around him. Carnegie is one of the people I try to model myself after because of his work ethic, but also because of a little philosophy he had called the “Gospel of Wealth.”
"You know you’re at GMA when you drink more cups of coffee than hours of sleep you had the night before". That was my epiphany when I found my self-telling people "Good Morning" at 4:30 Monday afternoon. There is a lot more to GMA than coffee and music. The following article is my general ramblings of a DJ’s view of the GMA experience.
Music is an expensive business, isn’t it? There are pressings, CDs and mastering. Then there’s equipment, travel, promotional materials, administration, and did I mention that every once in a while, you might like to purchase new music. Before you know it, expenses are running rampant, and you are left holding the bill for everything. This doesn’t have to happen. With a little caution (and a lot of receipt saving) you can make your music happen on a small budget. Here are a few tips on how to make it happen.
Read more: The Business of Dance Music Part 7: Keeping Records While Making Them.
In this series, we’ve primarily dealt with business aspects of electronic music. We've covered contracting, marketing, and networking. This time, I’d like to say a bit about something not normally covered along with business, and that's providing value. See, value is when someone makes an investment that returns more in reward than the initial cost. How do you provide value as a DJ/Producer? What can you provide to make your potential services more attractive? This can be summed up in three simple words; promotion, performance, and networking.