In this podcast sP takes a look at the world of synchronisation, showcasing artists who have been featured on TV productions and advertisements worldwide.
With music from:
Carlis Star
Second Hand Marching Band
Capac
Ian Britt
MinionTV
Stanley Moon
Take. Aim. Fire
Jonathan Cotton
goFASTER
The Aeroplanes
Mankala
Check out the blog ‘Six Things To Improve Your Chances Of Getting Your Music Synched…’ by clicking here.
And subscribe via iTunes here
January of every year brings with it a mélange of ‘Tips For 20XX’ articles in newspapers, magazines and blogs where they inform us of their (usually rather safe) bets on who is going to be constantly blaring out on daytime BBC Radio 1 inbetween innate banter in where Fearne Cotton constantly agrees with whoever she appears to be interviewing that day; “You like food?! So do I!!! LET’S BE SUPER BEST FRIENDS!” etc.
So why do I say ‘usually safe’? Well the fact of the matter is the artists featured usually (and please not the word usually here, this isn’t gospel before you start spitting proverbial feathers) have had the right team behind them for a good 6 months already so therefore the ‘people in the know’ are aware that it’s going to be pretty much impossible to avoid them so they might as well put them down as a tip so in 12 months time they can look back with a faux sense of achievement on their Nostradamus-esq prediction skills.
It isn’t brain surgery at the end of the day; if you become aware that Major Label ‘X’ have just signed ‘GENERIC POP BAND Z’ for ‘QUITE LARGE SUM OF MONEY’ in say, July of that year, then you can pretty much guarantee that the money they’re set to invest in marketing that artist means that joe public are going to be more then aware of them the following year.
Take the BBC Sound of 2010 list for example (which you can read here); many years ago when I was a student knocking on the door of this elusive industry I used to rather look forward to seeing that list as chances were I would only know a couple of the acts featured and therefore it would be an opportunity for me to discover plenty of new and exciting music. Nowadays thanks to a triumvirate of my work, my inherent passion/interest for music and having friends whose job it is to discover new music, by the time it makes the BBC list it’s all old news to gubbins over here.
For example on this years list you have Everything Everything who I first witnessed on a snowy March Friday night back in 2008 in the geographical anomaly that is Barrow-in-Furness and have keenly followed their falsetto shenanigans since. Delphic also make an appearance who I was made aware of by an industry friend in the summer of 2008 and after hearing a few of their initial demos it was plain to see that eventually they’d be causing a fuss with the right investment.
I must point out here; please don’t read this in a ‘holier than thou’ internal monologue as I’m not intending this to be a ‘OH LOOK HOW BLOODY CLEVER I AM?’ post, I’m just saying that due to the factors above I’m lucky enough to pick up on these things earlier then say, my mum (although she’s been harping on about Giggs for months now).
So here is my twist on all these lists. A twisty list. A tlist. I present to you the sP Sound of 2011 shortlist! Artists who I think will be in your collective iTunes libraries and Spotify playlists 12-18 months time.
The Jane Bradfords – Myspace – Twitter
The Jane Bradfords are a band about to blossom. Their debut album was a very strong introduction which helped them gather a loyal following in their native Northern Ireland, but after hearing a couple of tracks from their next release they appear to well and truly found their ‘sound’ (which is somewhere in between The National and Echo and the Bunnymen). I expect these to be slow burners, along the likes of Snow Patrol, not because of their home country, but because they’ll hit the big time after 2 or 3 albums just like Lightbody & co did.
More Than This – The Jane Bradfords – Alternative by sentricmusic
Kid Adrift – Myspace – Twitter
I’ve harped on about Kid Adrift for a little while now and rightly so. He’s bloody brilliant. Although he’s only been making music for less than a year he’s already making tracks that demand listeners attention and he’s beginning to get a rather formidable bunch of music industry heavyweights behind him who’ll no doubt help catapult him straight on to playlists around the country once his sound has developed even more over the next year. A dead cert in my books.
Red, Green and Blue – Kid Adrift – Electronic by sentricmusic
The brain child of front man Alex Thompson and musician Harry Robinson, I’ve been following their shenanigans for a couple of years now and they’ve gone through more ‘sounds’ then I’ve made bad puns (which regular readers will struggle to quantify); from their early tracks in the ilk of The Streets which saw them receive plenty of Radio One play from Colin Murray and the likes, to a pop-ier sound which had hints of Mystery Jets and early Noah and the Whale to what would appear settling somewhere in-between. Very cool, very talented and extremely hard working.
In A Recession – Riff Raff – Pop/Hip Hop by sentricmusic
Dutch Uncles – Myspace – Twitter
One of the ‘must see’ bands at In The City in 09, the Uncles finished the year on quite a bang after supporting Bombay Bicycle Club on their UK wide tour and gaining quite few new fans from it. They’ve recently got a manager who knows his stuff behind them and after listening to their first album quite heavily in the Sentric office, it’ll be interesting to hear how their sound develops next for their following long player.
Steadycam – Dutch Uncles – Indie by sentricmusic
Thomas J Speight – Myspace – Twitter
Although it’s a saturated genre, BBC Radio 2 will always need a good bit of Americana/Folk on its playlist and there is no reason that Mr Speight can’t fill that gap. With tours coming up in mainland Europe, UK and New York and a few recordings underway with some rather exciting people, 2011 could very well be the year your girlfriend buys Thomas J Speight’s album, listens to it and wishes you were just as bloody emotional as him.
Start As We Mean To Go On – Tom Speight – Folk by sentricmusic
A journeyman of the music industry, Ian Britt has had a rather loyal following for the past decade but after hearing demos of his latest album he finally appears to be molding all of his influences into a continuing and fluid ‘sound’ which could help him break into the mainstream. It all very nearly happened for Ian in 2008; on the verge of a worldwide sync deal for a well known car brand, a whole bunch of showcases lined up and with high profile press/radio showing interest, his manager suddenly and tragically died causing quite a disruption to proceedings. Back and stronger then ever with recordings featuring contributions from Sheffield and the northwest’s finest including Liam Frost, Lucy of Lucy and the Caterpillar fame, Little Lost David and many more it’s about time Mr Britt’s hard work paid off.
Me & My Friend Cupid – Ian Britt – Folk by sentricmusic
I also asked some friends to chip in and being bloody lovely they all did:
Andrew Dubber – Founder of New Music Strategies and general clever bloke – Twitter
Krause, Dark Mean , Le Corps Mince de Francoise, John Shelley and the Creatures, Sola Rosa, Kyteman, Ogo Nzeakor, SJD, Vertigo Smyth, Pentagram, Caitlin Smith, Audiotransparent, Jean Parlette, Undying Inc, Swarathma, Friends of the Stars
Louise Sargeant – Platinum Sound
I’d say Neeta Sarl. She has been described as an Asian Kate Bush although I think her new stuff is more like an Asian Zero 7. Here is her myspace though evidently she is having some image rights issues. She has been on a couple of BBC radio shows and we have a couple of contacts who are interested in working with her.
Sean Adams – Founder and Editor of DrownedInSound and despiser or lists – Twitter
I detest tips and I’ve not seen or heard anything exceptional for quite some time. A few years ago it was easy because bands had world changing aspirations but most acts I’ve seen and heard lately are self-interested or the respect of a niche orientated. It’s well and good, and bringing us some great music but few acts are able to develop into something incredible. And to be honest, if a half decent band are on anyone’s radar right now, they’ll be written off as failures by June. Much more interested in returning bands with potential crossover albums (if Sufjan’s or The National’s new album is out early 2011, then I tip them) rather than adding to the churnover of promising but essentially just another-new-band, bands.
Louise Dodgson – Editor of The Unsigned Guide – Twitter
Dutch Uncles – Perhaps an obvious one, but we have followed and loved these guys since they were The Headlines. They’re getting better and better all the time, and we think they’re on the brink of even bigger things.
Young British Artists – A great band. I only discovered them this year and just love them. On a great little independent label from Manchester, Red Deer, and I’d love them all to get the recognition they deserve!
Jim Warburton – Music Supervisor for Lime Pictures
Mt Eden – A dubstep producer from NZ who created my favourite track of the last year. A beautiful, original mix of melody and harsh beats. Still in his infancy as an artist, mainly remixing at the moment, but with the right exposure and the right project, deserves to be massive. Not on myspace or Spotify yet so you’ll have to look at his youtube channel here.
Chew Lips – Already quite well known, young three-piece with huge potential. Real song writing quality displayed on their debut album, tipping for 2011 because I think they might do even bigger and better things in the future once they develop their sound further. Particular highlights: “Solo” “Salt Air” and “Karen” .
The Jane Bradfords - Widescreen epic indie-pop from Belfast armed with strong, insistent and memorable melodies. Show potential to write a couple of simple minds/bunnymen tinged stadium-sized anthems over the next few years if they so choose to.
Jen McCullough – Bruised Fruit Promotions - Twitter
Strait Laces - Who? A punk rock trio from the North West of Ireland, described as “chunky, ballsy and a little bit sinister” by the BBC. Why? Championed by Bruised Fruit, they’ve already managed to record with EMI, put out a debut single and play festivals across the UK. They’ll also be at SXSW in 2010
Yes Cadets - Who? Out of the ashes of The Elliotts arose indie hipsters Yes Cadets. Skinny jeans, quirky haircuts and a female drummer, they make great indie pop music. Why? Championed by BBC NI, they played Oxegen Festival in 2009 and MTV Presents Belfast with General Fiasco in 2010
There you go then. Did I miss anything? Let me know if you sincerely believe I did.
What I’m listening to this week: Two Door Cinema Club and Fans of Kate
What I’m reading this week: The Stars Tennis Balls by Stephen Fry
If for some reason you haven’t listened to the podcast yet (which features The Jane Bradford’s and Kid Adrift) then stream/download here and subscribe via iTunes here
Stay tuned
sP
In the inaugural Sentric Music Podcast sP says hello, discusses the latest blog post “If I was an unsigned/independent artists in 2010 I would (in no particular order)…”, talks about why ‘Unsigned’ is now a dirty word and features some rather fantastic music from:
Grammatics
Kid Adrift
The Jane Bradfords
CutAways
Skeletons and Them Empty Pockets
Alex Highton
Thirst
Post War Years
Wolf People
Picture Book
Middleman
You can also download the podcast using the widget below.
Spread the word!
It’s always lovely to receive correspondence from you lot as it helps remind me that what I’m doing is worth the endless stream of Microsoft Word’s condescending green and red wiggly lines underneath my musings/ramblings/blatherings etc.
Every so often someone emails a thought that makes me have a right old ponder about my various blogging foibles and such a thing happened recently:
“Can I make a suggestion for your marketing? I noticed you still use the word ‘unsigned’ in conjunction with ‘independent’. I would suggest ditching ‘unsigned’ altogether as it implies that your artists have been unable to achieve the desired state of being ’signed’ – it suggests that there are successes (those who are ’signed’) and failures (those who are not). As you know, many artists choose their independence and revel in it, so I’m sure it would be less problematic to simply call them independent artists until such time as they choose to sign a contract with a major label, if ever. Hope you don’t mind the suggestion.”
Firstly let me say that of course I don’t mind the suggestion. If anything I applaud it.
This wasn’t a concern that took me by great surprise as I’ve chatted about it with a couple of people in the past and it was also mentioned on Drowned In Sound’s forum regarding the last post but this particular message acted somewhat as a fulcrum for me to hereby take this stand:
“From this day forward, with (insert name of your deity here) as my witness, I hereby declare that I shall strive to avoid using the term ‘unsigned’ to describe artists who are indeed that, whether by circumstance or choice. If I do so please feel free to vituperate me as you see fit.”
Ooh I feel all clean now.
“Unsigned” is a rather flexible word in this here music industry which I’ve heard used in all manner of ways.
Excitement:
“Did you catch (BAND) at (TRENDY VENUE) last night?! I can’t believe those guys are still unsigned! They’ve got (EVERY BLOODY LABEL EVER) sniffing around them apparently; they haven’t had to pay for dinner or drugs in nearly two months!”
Derogatory:
“Christ (BAND) are awful you know, no chuffing wonder they’re still unsigned. I heard they once made an A&R man’s ears actually bleed they were that bad.”
Respect:
“(BAND’S) debut album is breathtaking you know. Even more amazing considering they’re unsigned and they did it all themselves as well. You know the drummer had to sell his third stomach to fund the marketing budget? You what? Oh, his dad is a cow apparently.”
Apologetically:
“The gig was going great until the obvious onstage friction between the bass player and the singer came to a climax in the form of a rather vicious ‘Your Mom’ insult battle live on stage with no obvious form of irony in either one of their voices. They’re still young and unsigned though so hopefully they’ll work out their differences soon enough.”
Fiscal:
“Sorry sir, I can’t cash that, it’s unsigned”
Over the course of the past 18 months it appears that “unsigned” is now more often than not seen as a negative term rather than a positive or simply a descriptive one. When I first started treading the boards in music it was a perfectly legitimate word to use and no one ever got shirty about being referred to as unsigned (not that the gentlemen who emailed me is being shirty I must point out), but now it’s been known to cause genuine offence.
So why? I’d argue there is a subconscious timeline in our fickle minds where ‘unsigned’ shifts from acceptable to suspicion and finally to dismissal.
Been unsigned for 12 months? That’s fine, they’re still finding their feet. 18 months? Mmm, the climate might not be right for someone to invest in that genre at the moment. 24 months? Ah, they must just be pants.
I would imagine some of you may be spitting into their respective hot beverages now and rightly so. What an obviously awful and meretricious thing to say! It’s almost like I’m trying to rub you up the wrong way isn’t it?!
Well spit, rant and shout all you wish but if you look deep within that caffeine ridden soul of yours then there will be a minuscule percentage of you that agrees. Somewhere. Honestly. Just to the left. There it is. Not as pure as you thought eh?
This is of course nonsense, we all know by now that being ‘signed’ isn’t something to strive for, it may be the right path to take for some artists but it is by no means at all the answer for all. Unless the question is “Whats the best way to owe someone a lot of money you have a 1 in 10 chance of actually recouping and repaying?” of course.
So, let 2010 be the death of unsigned shall we? Stick with ‘Independent’ or my personal word of choice ‘Emerging’. There is something about the word ‘Emerging’ that makes advertising agencies and TV production companies salivate so that’s what I like to throw around.
What I’m listening to this week: Jonsi & Alex and Sentric artist Gabby Young (who has been selected by the Guardian as a one to watch in 2010! Lovely stuff)
What I’m reading this week: Endless ‘tips for 2010’ lists, taking note of the ones who don’t mention Marina and the Diamonds and Ellie Goulding.
Stay tuned.
sP
Many moons ago I compiled a post titled “If I Was An Unsigned Artist In 2009 I Would (In No Particular Order)…” which went down rather well with you lot out there, so as 2010 looms over us with the genuine possibility of two silly haired Irish loons dominating the charts I thought I’d do another with some bits and bobs to consider over the coming 52 weeks. I may even do another one in three hundred and something days time as well and then in fifteen or so years I can do a ‘best of’ compendium where I look back at the original post and titter about how absurd it all sounds in comparison to the music industry of 2025. In fact, the music industry/blogging/maybe even I myself probably won’t exist in 2025 and therefore my guff writing will have come to its demise.
On that sobering note, lets celebrate whilst we’re still alive, blog-hungry and willing to better our musical careers in two thousand and ten shall we?
You know that MySpace profile of yours? Sort it out please.
Although not the powerhouse it once was, a MySpace profile is still pretty essential to have for people to discover/search for your music and to actively not have one would arguably be a tad strange, but let us hereby make a virtual pact and declare that 2010 is to be the year where bad MySpace profiles finally die a well deserved death. A poorly produced/maintained MySpace profile is a real turn off for me personally and there is just no bloody excuse for it.
Here are my 6 commandments, obey them please (if you follow these then I’ll turn a blind eye to worshiping other gods or coveting your neighbours ass):
Get your music on Spotify, for the exposure, not for the royalties.
It’s easier then ever to get your music on Spotify so there is no real excuse not to if you have good quality recordings that you’re happy for the world to hear. The sharing and playlist functionalities on Spotify by far outweigh emailing a social networking link to a friend and it could really boost the viral spread of your music. I’m constantly creating and sharing playlists to friends/industry and if I really like one of your tracks then it’ll be slotted in there between a Muse B-Side and a Susan Boyle cover of Sympathy For The Devil.
I just want to take this opportunity as well to link to a brilliant article by the ever knowledgeable Solo Bass Steve regarding the story that made the rounds a couple of weeks back about Lady Gaga receiving $100 for a million plays on the Spotify service. Click here to read why it’s basically a load of old tosh.
Prepare a 12 month plan, setting yourself SMART objectives.
I’m not expecting a full business plan here guys, just have a think about what you want to happen in 2010. Do you want to record an album? Focus on touring? Improve your online presence? I’ve linked to this post several times before (probably because it’s one of the most useful I’ve ever written) but have another gander if you haven’t looked at it for a while or if you’ve not seen it altogether. It’s pretty basic management theory but genuinely could help you out no end.
Be a geek & become aroused by stats
Utilise analytical tools to help focus your efforts to yield more return and become more efficient. Free analytical tools like the ones Google and Soundcloud offer can really help you hone in on exactly where your music is being discovered, who is discovering it, where they are from and what they like. Train your psyche so that stats, line charts and geographical hotspot graphs all excite you as much as the idea of eating a Beres Pork Sandwich does to my good self (note – this excites in all manner of ways).
So that’s the few from me, but I also asked a few clever friends of mine to chip in their thoughts:
Sean Adams – Founder & Editor – Drowned In Sound – Website – Twitter
If I was an unsigned artist I would stop and take stock. I’d do almost nothing, except focus in on what it is I am and want to be. I’d sit up ’til sunrise with absinthe and a pen and write something-like a manifesto full of benchmarks and ideals. I’d spend weeks making music and revising the manifesto, asking myself/my band, whether the end result will be unique, whether it’ll truly express or communicate that I think and feel needs to be out there in the world. I’d invest my time searching for great/interesting/beautiful music and in doing so learn how people discover music and how I’d like things to be if they stumbled across my music.
I’d keep asking whether what I’m doing has a clear aesthetic which runs through it, whether the presentation of the music relates to the music and if it doesn’t, I’d adapt it and change the manifesto to reflect this. Then, maybe, just maybe, when I’m sure I have a strong set of songs which cohere with each other, I’d tease some music out to a hand-full of chosen people who’ve turned me on to music, whose opinion I trust and respect and whose taste I think fits with what I’m making. Rather than target them directly, I might target them indirectly, commenting cleverly (or in a manner befitting my music) on their blogs or sending them useful information, then if they’ve not checked out who I am, poke some in their SoundCloud dropbox or on a compilation of other music I think they’d like, within which my music fits. Or I’d come up with a few ideas, relevant to my music, involving web projects or real world concepts, to help contextualize my music and let the project create an energy of its own.
I’d be everywhere (MySpace, theSixtyOne, iLike, Facebook, my own website, Bandcamp, etc, etc), planting entire tracks for people to find on whichever platform they’re using and learn which services and songs work best for my music. I’d treat the industry and fans as equal importance and turn up to gigs where I think people would like my music and give out CDs (this is what Johnny Borrell did when Razorlight first started!).
Most of all, if I was a musician I’d investigate and take inspiration from everything that Trent Reznor, Amanda Palmer, Weezer, Paramore, Tara Busch and Imogen Heap has done and is doing, then I’d go my own way…
Phil Cooper – Director – Sentric Digital – Twitter
Make as much content as possible…
Shoot videos of you rehearsing, dicking about, going to the pub. Have a go at making videos for your music. Consumption of content is so quick now due to the proliferation of social networks that your fans may not want to wait two years between albums. Also make use of apps and sites like Audioboo to communicate with your fans, embed these on your social networks and feed the consumer content fire.
Get into podcasting, easy to do on Garage band on a Mac and let your fans hear what inspires you, also a great opportunity to plug gigs/releases/free sex with band member of your choice.
A Prime example of someone who does this well is Mat Playford (EDM producer), he makes videos and podcast which you can check out here.
Engaging your fans through a blistering guitar solo or some profound lyrics about being dumped by your bird/fella on a limited edition 7″ two years ago is not enough; once engaged, fans need to be retained and entertained on a regular basis! Give them food for thought, out takes, rare footage, unreleased material etc.
Treat you fans like the bird/fella who has not dumped you, tease them, feed them, play with them, inspire them, put a gimp mask on and tie them to the bed… well maybe not the last bit, but imagine how that would look on your next video.
Chris McCourt – A&R – Perfect Kiss Records – Twitter
It’s always been the same for a band in my opinion. Don’t believe your own hype, and surround yourself with a good team of people that can guide you through anything. Good people in any capacity can deal with changing times and environments, and be sure to make the right decision for the artists they work with. In short, don’t work with people with a short term view or attitude.
Dave Haynes – VP Business Development – SoundCloud – Website – Twitter
I would setup and own my own URL instead pointing people to Myspace. Oh… and get my music up on SoundCloud of course 
Caroline Bottomley –Founder – Radar Music Videos – Website – Twitter
Three short and sweet thoughts:
Annie Lin – Director Of Licensing – The Rights Workshop – Website – Twitter
Try to play fewer shows, but make each show an awesome, exclusive experience.
Louise Dodgson – Editor – The Unsigned Guide – Website – Twitter
Sign up to Sentric Music and buy the Unsigned Guide
Well there you go! Hopefully you’ll have took at least one thing away from this post. If you have anything you feel you need to add then put it below for the full world to see.
What I’m listening to this week:
Face In – Dutch Uncles – Indie by sentricmusic
What I’m reading this week: The Only War We’ve Got by Derek Maitland
Stay tuned
sP
Everyone loves a good ‘list post’ where the author sums up everything into X amount of handy succinct points to therefore make them easier to drink in and follow. Remember the ‘9 Twitter Tips for Artists’ or the ‘8 Tips On How To Make The Most Of Your Mailing List’? Or who could forget the classic* ‘Top 8 Things Unsigned/Independent Artists Do Wrong’?
*my definition of classic may radically differ from yours
Point made.
So you want to record your music? Of course you do, if you don’t record it then you can’t sell 300,000 copies of it and have the Edith Bowman voiceover say “The deluxe Über platinum edition of (insert title here) by (insert your name here) is now out for Christmas. Featuring (insert number 3 smash hit here), (insert over-achieving second single here which received loads of PR after your drummer slept with Kate Moss) and upcoming single (insert critically acclaimed debut single that disappointingly undersold here that you’re re-releasing)” on the prime time advertising slot you foolishly splashed out on after drunkenly agreeing to commit the marketing spend with the pretty blonde ITV advertising representative who got you drunk on Mojitos and complemented your skinny jeans/winkle picker combination.
So what do you need to consider? I asked a few of my friends, who either own, run or work in recording studios for their advice (referred to as ‘JD’ & ‘AG’) and the result was hence thus to fore hitherto:
(Note: whether you’re venturing into the studio for the first time or fifth time hopefully you’ll be able to take something from this).
1) Are your songs actually ready?
Out of all the points I put forward to my chums this one received the most comment as it would appear you musician lot are just so bloody eager to get into the studio that you and/or your songs are often just not ready. Do you know your song part inside and out? Can you play it without a drummer or will you need a click track? Are the songs you want to record actually good enough? JD comments “Lots of time can be wasted in the studio if you don’t know your part or you’re trying to play something beyond your ability. Practice and be prepared and then more time can be spent in the studio creating and perfecting rather than doing endless takes of the same part in order to get enough bits to stick together to make it passable.” All in all AG sums this up very well; “Rehearsal time is an awful lot cheaper than recording time!”
Amen to that.
2) Do a bit of market research
What are these tracks actually for? Do you want to release them? Are they purely to demo your ‘new sound’ (in which case you might only need to do live recordings and therefore save yourself some cash)? Do you think you have a track that is potentially ‘sync-worthy’? Whatever your tracks are for will inevitably influence the time and money you spend on the process and also the style it’s recorded. I’ll never forget the time an artist sent us both instrumentals AND television backing track versions! Imagine that! (The difference I hear you ask? The drums are lower in the mix, no “ooh”’s and “ahh”’s and intruding middle eights are cut out).
This can all relate back to a post I wrote a short while ago entitled ‘Different People Have Different Ears For Different Needs’ have a read of that and consider the points raised.
3) Budget, cash, moolah etc
You may have noticed there is a bit of a recession on at the moment, add to that the fact that the music industry was in its own mini recession before the world joined us in our recession (ever the trend setters that we are) and now we find ourselves in a freaky recession-squared situation. All I’m trying to say in a rather convoluted way is that frugality is the new sexy.
Thanks to points 1 & 2 you should now know how many songs you’re wanting to record and for what purpose. You should now think about how much time it takes to perform this recording wizardry as JD points out: “Long drawn out recording processes are often more problematic than booking a week/weekend and completing it all at once”. Doing it over a number of sessions leaves you too much time to think and just like your ex girlfriend, when you over analyse things you’ll inevitably pick flaws in them and end up wasting valuable time and therefore money. The wisdom continues as he points out “Don’t try and do as many tracks as possible in one session. One or two well recorded tracks is way stronger than ten sloppy ones.”
Amen to that.
4) Choosing your location
Google is a wonderful thing, it’s the gateway to a better life. Although probably an awful thing to actually say rather than just think; I owe more to Google than I do some of my friends. It gives so much and asks for so little back. Google is your friend. In Google you should trust. So use it.
The key things to research in choosing a location:
Really do have a shop around, you never know what deals you just might bag. Due to the current state of the industry you might be able to get a rather high quality studio for cheaper than you think;
At the end of the day
A full studio at a reduced rate is better
Than an empty studio at full rate
That’s the worst haiku ever.
5) Tracking, Mixing and Mastering
One of my pet hates is when people disregard the advice and opinions of those who know better about a certain subject then them. The prime example of this for myself is when someone ignores what a Doctor has told them. There is no real need for me to tell you this in the blog, but it winds me up to such an extent then maybe somehow someway that last sentence will help stop a singular moronic person doing it. If a sound engineer tells you that a certain aspect of your song isn’t right, then he/she is probably worth listening to. Let us remember that this is their job and before you walked, nay, strutted through those studio doors there were hundreds, if not thousands like you previously.
I understand your music is precious to you, but picture yourself as Demi Moore in Ghost and the studio engineer as Patrick Swayze…
Go with me on this…
Your music is the ball of damp bulbous clay and with the aid of the muscular engineers guiding hands you mould it into a beautiful piece of three and a half minutes audible delight in a no way erotic process.
There are three main processes in recording your works and be aware that not always the same person will provide all three services. Click on the following to learn about Tracking, Mixing and Mastering if you’re not clued up already and be sure to have a conversation about them with the studio before you book any time with them.
6) Edits and Instrumentals
Pretty straight forward but an alarming amount of artists always forget this as they’re usually extremely giddy by the fact the recording process is done and they can’t wait to get a copy to their mum.
Is your song 5 minutes long? Then get yourself a nice little 3 and a half minute radio edit so the lovely people over at BBC Introducing won’t worry about allocating too much airtime to one artist.
And I’ve harped on about it plenty enough in the past; get instrumentals of everything you do as it helps people like me get your much on TV/adverts/games.
7) Is your work ethic up to scratch?
Unless you’re prepared to work like your great granddad doing overtime in a coal mine then don’t even bother about booking studio time. This was an issue I was surprised even existed until JD informed me otherwise:
“One last thing: Work hard. Don’t be drinking beer and pissing about in the studio as you’ll just be wasting money. You can get pissed anywhere, anytime and drinking in the studio is like drinking in a shit bar that cost £400 a day to get into. Be prepared to play your parts over and over and to sing your songs many times. Don’t get impatient. Work hard, take your time and you’ll be a million times more pleased with the end result.”
Amen to that.
So there you go. Follow that and you’ll be alright. If you are looking to record then here at Sentric we’re chums with the following lovely folk so if you’re a Sentric artist get in touch (info at sentricmusic.com) and I’ll introduce you for some preferential ‘mates rates’.
Miloco Studios – Home to 17 studios based all around the UK (and a couple in Europe), they have been home to some of the world’s most famous acts including The Arctic Monkeys, Sugababes, Slipknot, Chemical Brothers, Jamie T and the list goes on. In fact, I went on a tour of their studios just the other week and bumped into Chaka Khan and Lulu (who was wearing some awful shoes and therefore was referred to as ‘Bad Shulu’ for the rest of the tour).
Flesh & Bone Studios – To quote their blurb “Flesh and Bone is a collective of young, seasoned sound engineers and producers working in London. A collective that works with a common purpose for new artist development and the provision of a unique space in which to create.”
Sandhills Studios – To quote their blurb “Sandhills Studios are a 19th century converted cotton-cellar studio, housing a 4000sq/ft recording complex. Featuring a carefully tuned 1000sq/ft live room, adjoining stone reverb chamber, two isolation booths, and a Pro Tools HD equipped control room, the studio can accommodate a vast array of recording scenarios. From full live tracking to overdubbing, and everywhere in between, Sandhills aims to create a unique environment for every session.”
The Animal Farm – To quote their blurb “The Animal Farm recording studio is in a converted 19th century biscuit factory minutes from the South Bank of River Thames. The studio is designed around classic Neve, SSL and state of the art Pro Tools. With three live areas, lots of natural light and an extensive equipment list The Animal Farm is a creative haven maxed out on the latest gizmos available.”
2Fly Studios – So cool they haven’t even got a website but check out the Alan Smythe’s Wikipedia page who is the brains behind the operation. Based in Sheffield, pretty much anyone who is anyone from South Yorkshire has recorded there at some point.
What I’m listening to this week – Kid Adrift and Little Comets (if you want to win tickets to see the Little Comets in Liverpool and an exclusive Passion Pit T-Shirt then click here)
Oxytocin? Chemical Soup – Kid Adrift – Electro by sentricmusic
What I’m reading this week – We Are The Digital Kids Tumblr
I hope you’ve all checked out our SHINY NEW WEBSITE as well?!
Stay tuned
sP
referred to as ‘JD’ and ‘AG’
So it’s a bit of a first for the Sentric Blog, I’ve been asked by the rather lovely people at Topman Ctl if i wouldn’t mind running a competition they’re currently promoting.
Here is the long and short of it:
• Passion Pit have ‘hand selected’ the line up for the Topman Ctl gig in Liverpool at the Korova Bar on the 19th November
• The line up is
• Passion Pit have also designed a rather flash t-shirt (which you can see below) of which only 50 have been made and I’ve got one to give away to you fine readers.
• You can read an interview with Passion Pit here about their current audible listening habits and visit Topman Ctl’s website here
If you want to win the t-shirt plus yourself + 1 guestlist for the gig in Liverpool then all you have to do is answer the following question:
Q) Passion Pit claim in the song I’ve Got Your Number that they “cry tears like diamonds”, with that in mind: which of the following make honey?
A) Bee
B) Sea
C) Hay
Email your answer to info@sentricmusic.com with the subject title ‘Passion Pit’ for a chance of winning.
I’ll email the winner on Monday 16th November
Stay tuned
sP
The clocks must go back soon. I don’t actually know when exactly, but I do know it must be soon as I’m currently sat here staring at a never ending inbox, still shattered following three days of Mancunian shananigans (which my feeble body couldn’t even finish off the last evening of – I’m obviously not as Rock N Roll as I used to be). Oh yes; it was In The City.
My sixth year at the musical conference was my first one where I actually had some input of sorts in the form of a Sentric Music showcase and also partaking on a publishing panel. Both of which, I’m utterly chuffed to say, went rather well.
So here is what was said, what I learned and what I think.
- Rick Falkvinge – Chairman and founder of The Pirate Party – certainly knows how to cause a stir. Giving a presentation to potentially the hardest crowd he’s probably ever had the pleasure to stand in front of, he called the need for change in copyright and intellectual property laws. And despite holding his own and raising a few interesting points by calling up on various historical technological landmarks to support his various cases, he was ultimately undone by one eager member of the crowd who told him to “fuck off” and went further to rubbish his historical references by claiming “what does it matter what happened in medieval times? If we were in medieval times now I’d burn you at the stake”. Although maybe a tad crass his feelings seem to be echoed by the crowd with one of Falkvinge’s points especially upsetting the masses: reducing copyright to five years. A rather obnoxious suggestion that superciliously undermines pretty much everyone in the industry. From what I could gather his only argument for this was in order to allow fans to produce ‘mash ups’… I hope the readers of this blog don’t need me to inform them why the needs of the industry and all those trying to make a living from it are greater than those fans who wish to make mash ups (not that they can’t or shouldn’t; they’re great promo tools at the end of the day, but reducing copyright to five years?!) and I hope over the course of my blog writing history, and indeed the fact I do Sentric Music, I have done enough to prove to you all that I’m all for a forward thinking industry, but this my friends is not the man to vote for.
- Rick Falkvinge also looks a bit like Colonel Stuart from Die Hard 2 (thanks for @StevenOakes for pointing that beauty out)
- The P2P panel agreed that the industry was missing one key thing: Optimism. I’m not sure I agree with this statement, but it’s maybe because I haven’t been in the industry for as long as some of the panel members have been. Granted, the world is lacking a pinch of the stuff at the moment and maybe it’s simply because I’m sooo bloody happy that my middle name could be ‘Rainbows & Kittens’ but it’s really all rather exciting at the moment isn’t it?
- John Webster, CEO of the Music Managers Forum – “The MMF would like to see rights holders take more risks, and mimic P2P services”. He’s clever as well, he help set up the Mercury Music Prize and Now! That’s what I Call Music so he’s worth listening to.
- The P2P panel also argued that the major players in the industry were stifling entrepreneurialism. As I come from an indie company it’d be great for me to wave some paper in the air whilst simultaneously mumbling and shouting something in that way that back bench MP’s do in the House of Commons, but again I don’t think this is true anymore. It may have been as little as 18 months ago but the majors appear to be allowing access to their catalogue to a whole variety of services so far this year. This could arguably be seen as a “throw enough poop until something sticks” tactic, but at least they’re saying yes right?
- 20 year old Paul Curry built a website when he was 16 that was used by over 250 million people and even with that success saw the industry as so backward and difficult to work with that he’s already moved on. That’s quite a sad fact and after listening to him speak he was clearly a very, very clever guy but ultimately he was a software industry entrepreneur rather than a music industry entrepreneur. Not that that’s a bad thing whatsoever of course, but he contradicted himself at one point by saying Radiohead’s In Rainbows was a good example of how ‘free’ can work (which it isn’t) but then suggesting that his websites ‘tipjar’ raised nowhere near enough cash for him to live off. Is that not the equivalent in this case? In the statement: “I like Radiohead so even though I can have it for free I’ll still give them some cash” couldn’t Radiohead be substituted with his website? Still, compared to what I was trying to do when I was 16 (insert your own joke here, but do be kind).
- Anthony Volodkin however appears to be cut from a similar, yet at the same time ultimately different cloth. The creator of the rather influential Hype Machine discussed his story with the editor of Drowned In Sound and his passion for music really shone through. The highlight of the conversation was when he discussed the reason of his love of music blogs and about how they’re written by people who simply love music so much they feel the need to share their thoughts about it with no financial agenda influencing their words (in the majority of cases anyhow).
- The Duty of Care panel took a look at the responsibility an artist’s team has in their welfare. Some argued they shouldn’t care whatsoever; they work with them, they’re not their nanny, whilst others argued it’s in their inherent interest to care; if the artist isn’t well then they’re not producing the goods so then everyone inevitably suffers at the end. It took a surprisingly long time for the word ‘empathy’ to be used and for someone to remove all hierarchical structure altogether; we’re all human after all, shouldn’t we just look after one another anyhow? All aboard the train to music utopia.
- The panel looking into computer games opened my eyes somewhat; now I’m fully aware how much the gaming industry is booming, but it would appear it’s exceeding even my educated estimations at the moment and the future potential is stunning. The panel were keen to discuss the concept of ‘Cloud Gaming’ which they believe will happen in 8-10 years (which probably means it’ll happen a lot quicker). Cloud Gaming sees the complete disappearance of hardware as everything you need will be online and accessible via a high speed internet connection, ergo you don’t need the latest offering from Sony or Xbox in order to play computer games. Take down that initial financial hurdle of having to purchase a console and the industry truly becomes global meaning the level of potential exposure for artists becomes phenomenal.
- On the panel I took part in the topic of conversation was what publishers are doing in the current industry that isn’t necessary traditional and as everything that Sentric Music does is pretty untraditional I hope my ramblings were of use to someone.
- The geekathon panel (I say that in a wholly positive manner as I am also a geek at heart, and even aesthetically some may say) saw social media experts pretty much agree that Trent Rezner is doing everything right so look at what he does and try and apply it to your situation. This, of course will be near on impossible but hey, don’t shoot the messenger.
- John Niven (author of the rather good read ‘Kill Your Friends’) publically invited Ed O’Brian of Radiohead fame to “suck on his balls” due to the bass players recent outspokenness on behalf of the FAC.
- During the final ‘free for all’ panel, the audience was asked to shout out who their favourite band of the festival was and rather brilliantly the majority vote went out to Sentric Music’s very own Gallops! I assure you this is the truth as well; I wouldn’t be so disrespectful as to lie to my dear, dear readers. It’s just that we have some of the best UK talent on board here at Sentric Towers!
This leads me very nicely onto the artists I managed to catch over the conference. Here are the highlights…
MidiMidis (Sentric Music Showcase) – Winners of our ITC 09 competition sent the simplest tech spec I’ve personally ever witnessed: Two guitar amps, a mic and a 3.5mm jack which was then connected to a Sony PSP handheld gaming device. They then performed music that can be best described as The Strokes writing a soundtrack for a Sega Master System game, circa ‘Alex The Kid’. Very interesting and clever enough to disperse any preconceptions of gimmickry, it even instigated BBC Introducing to tweet: “MIDIMIDIS last song rocked. Called Nemesis, out in Nov. Tune.”
Dutch Uncles – One of the three most talked about bands of the weekend (alongside Gallops! And Frightened Rabbit), Dutch Uncles have been causing quite some fuss within the Manchester scene in the past few months securing high profile support slots with the likes of Maximo Park and Bombay Bicycle Club. There lead singer oozes the Mancunian idiosyncrasies of Byrne, Curtis and Morrissey without coming across pastiche and I’m very happy to say we’ll be working with them here at Sentric very soon.
Dirty Goods (Sentric Music Showcase) – Funky Welshman Dirty Goods certainly delivered on one latter part of their name and thankfully appeared well groomed quashing any worries about the former. Their 50 word bio that was submitted to the ITC Live Guide convinced a couple of lovely folks from Sony Pictures in LA to come and catch them opening the doors to potential syncs in the future; a good example of how important a well written bio can be.
Jamie Ley (Sentric Music Showcase) – The former front man of Jamie & The Lionhearts who is now going alone brought with him some actual fans who sang along with the actual words and everything. A lovely voice that has a touch of Nutini about it whilst still staying original, Ley has a few big boys sniffing around him at the moment and rightly so as even though he falls thoroughly into a saturated genre he’s still managing to stand out.
Gallops! (Sentric Music Showcase) – Before In The City began I claimed there will be three phrases guaranteed to be used at some point over the course of the conference, one of which was: “Were you at (insert artist name here) last night?! They KIILED it”. I’m rather chuffed to say that you can well and truly insert Gallops! Into that gap, because they indeed did kill it and kill it good (I should point out to people reading who don’t keep up with ‘Youth Culture’ that ‘Killing It’ in this context is actually a good thing and no, I don’t know either). Instrumental organised chaos with a drummer who caused me to agog my face off. Brilliant.
The Federals (Sentric Music Showcase) – I’ve was looking forward to seeing these ever since they came on board at Sentric Music and thankfully my anticipation didn’t lead to disappointment. I could throw around many buzz words to describe these lads but it simply boils down to good old fashioned dirty rock and roll. I like these, and so should you.
Frightened Rabbit – The Drowned In Sound showcase was always going to be rife with talent thanks to the ears of the sites editor and Frightened Rabbit shone majestically. Scotland is churning out some quality music at the moment alongside artists such as Twin Atlantic and Sentric’s very own Nacional, maybe it’s time I visited that old friend of mine in Edinburgh.
So there you go, that’s enough eh?
What I’m listening to this week: All of the bands mentioned above, Quartershades new single (out now) and The Snake The Cross The Crown
What I’m reading this week: Bill Bryson’s ‘A Short History Of Nearly Everything‘ Warning – don’t read unless you want to feel rather unimportant.
Stay tuned
sP
The line up has been finalised after competition winners MidiMidis caused nothing short of a ferocious debate within Sentric Towers over who should take the elusive fifth slot. Thank you to all who applied, it truly was a hard decision.
So the line up as it looks now:
The Federals
Gallops
Jamie Ley
MidiMidis
Dirty Goods
All kicking off at 7pm @ Electric Boogaloo, just across the road from the ITC Head Quarters – The Midland Hotel.
The Federals – Exploding out of the soulless back streets of York, The Federals bring a vitality, urgency and immediacy to the music scene. Fast and furious, these four angry youths are putting the rage into garage with an arsenal of spiky potential rock n’ roll classics.
Gallops - “Gallops, who have inherited more than horsey wordplay from their successful precursors. While they’ve harnessed the jerky propulsion of Foals, the riffs-as-rhythm of Pivot and the synthy tomfoolery so beloved of Battles, it’s all built on a bedrock of post-rock and they’re not afraid to unleash guitars as heavy as, say, Russian Circles (NME).”
Jamie Ley – Jamie Ley was born in the eye of a hurricane and he swears that the wind was whistling in C sharp major that day. Swapping between a variety of instruments including piano, ukulele and guitar whilst wooing audiences with his Buckley-esque vocals, Jamie Ley’s soulful creations certainly stir the emotions.
MidiMidis – MidiMidis are two brothers-in-law who spend an obsessive amount of time in various bedrooms experimenting with retro MIDI and 8bit sounds from the likes of their AMSTRAD CPC 464 and ZX SPECTRUM. They are the only band who compose all of their songs using 8bit and MIDI whilst adding late 70’s New-York style guitars and crooning vocals.
Dirty Goods – Dirty Goods are an elctro-pop/dance two piece from South Wales. Formerly of “super scratchy indiests” (NME) Jump The Underground. Influences are drawn from many a musical genre but sounds of Chromeo, Daft Punk, Pheonix, Basement Jaxx can all be heard. Safe.
Want to know why these guys are ones to watch? Then listen here and quench that curious thirst of yours…
Sentric Music In The City Showcase 2009! by sentricmusic
Not an artist but want to check out In The City? This year the UK’s international music convention launches its new, open to the public, ITC Live Wristband - bringing 150 bands over 3 days to the streets of Manchester.
Showcases confirmed alongside Sentric Music’s include NME Radar, BBC Introducing, Xfm, Popjustice, SJM Concerts, Now Wave, Big Scary Monsters, Swn, Front Magazine, Love Music Hate Racism, Same Teens, Future Sounds, Drowned in Sound, Rock Sound, Fierce Panda, and Murkage.
Quite simply you’ll be seeing the crème de la crème of the unsigned music industry all for just over £20 if you buy one now!
It’s going to be a good one this year. Sentric Music are going to be there so come and say hello and watch one of us show just how ignorant we actually are about this Music Publishing business as we take a seat on the panel: “PUB-LABEL-UBISHING – DEFINING THE LINES OF THE FUTURE” Read here for more information.
On the Sentric Blog, we tell unsigned bands the vital facts they need to know about the music industry.
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