My Label - Feasible?

  • Thread starter Thread starter Mikey likes it!
  • Start date Start date
Goldcan said:
You mentioned going to a pro studio and using their gear, do you even know how to use their gear? I don't know a lot but I don't think any studio will let you come in and hop on their gear and do it yourself

I did that for YEARS before I landed a full time, permanent position at a studio. If you are bringing them business they'll let you produce it. Heck, you can even keep about 50% of the studio fee!
 
ATTENTION: VERY HARD "REAL WORLD" VIEWPOINT AHEAD....

Honestly, your experience in four track recording amounts to crap if digital recording vexes you. You have neither the equipment or experience to put out quality CD's, nor do you have the time to do so.

Plus, your job is finding and developing talent, getting tours set up and getting distribution for the bands *NOT* recording.

Making a quality recording that actually has a chance in hell of selling isn't something you do in a typical weekend on crap gear. Minimum buy-in cost for a decent studio IMHO is about 50k. The amount of time to make a good sounding record? At least 50 hours, more like 100-200 if you really care about the craft and try a few options. ...and that's being conservative.

SOLUTION: Find a local engineer to produce bands for you. When Sub Pop started out neither Poneman or Pavitt were studio hounds, so they hooked up with Jack Endino and Reciprical Recording.

Bands don't want/need someone to sell promo/swag for them. If they aren't doing it themselves I wouldn't even *CONSIDER* them as a serious investment for a label. The strength that any label has is DISTRIBUTION and MONEY. Okay, so you don't have the money (yet)... so you have to find distribution.

SOLUTION: Find the best, most "now" bands that have a chance to be signed and get them out there. Build your label's name with the band's name. Keep bugging big record labels until they see the need to deal with you because you have a band they want to sign, make access to their distribution through a subsidiary part of the contract deal.

I think you need way more education in what a label does, HOW it makes money, and develop yourself into a position to succeed. Right now, IMHO, you are doomed to total failure.

I'm not saying don't do it, I just don't think you are prepared yet. Get your ducks in a row and try it out. Screw those who say you can't do it, there's only one way to find out and that's hanging it all out there.

Good luck man.
 
Mikey,
Find a band with a finished product...
there are alot of bands out there with finished products but can't
afford duplication.
Invest $1000 for the dups (credit card if u like)
put your label logo on each cd. and
and sign a contract with the band that after u make back your investment
the rest will be split by %. Make sure all the cd's are barecoded for
soudscan. It's a gamble so make sure you find a band that can move cds....that's the hard part

jim
illustriousday.com
 
Cloneboy Studio said:
Plus, your job is finding and developing talent, getting tours set up and getting distribution for the bands *NOT* recording.

Thank you - that's what I was sayin' :) Although I'm not sure about the distribution, I have argued on other threads that this is one of the hardest thing to do right in setting up an independent label.
 
Cloneboy Studio said:
I did that for YEARS before I landed a full time, permanent position at a studio. If you are bringing them business they'll let you produce it. Heck, you can even keep about 50% of the studio fee!

I KNEW IT! :D I knew that was too good an idea for no one to have ever thought of.

Cloneboy Studio said:
Honestly, your experience in four track recording amounts to crap if digital recording vexes you. You have neither the equipment or experience to put out quality CD's, nor do you have the time to do so.

It's true that the only digital recording experience I've had is with Audacity and a couple other software programs, but it doesn't bother me a bit. I don't think it's as much fun as analog, but it gets the job done.

I'm not starting this next week, nor probably this year. The home recording boom in the last decade or so has given anyone who tries hard enough the chance to put out a quality CD with less money for equipment than ever before. Just ask anyone here who has been recording for 20 years.
You just have to want to bad enough. I do, and I'll learn.

Cloneboy Studio said:
Plus, your job is finding and developing talent, getting tours set up and getting distribution for the bands *NOT* recording.

Not so. I'm going to be the only employee of my record label at first. I'll handle all aspects of the couple of bands I have until it starts getting to be a little too much. Then I'll hire an employee or two, to carry out my promotional plans and find new talent.
I am good at promotion, and like it alright, but recording is what I love.

If it wasn't, I would've joined a tin foil collectors' forum. :D

Cloneboy Studio said:
Making a quality recording that actually has a chance in hell of selling isn't something you do in a typical weekend on crap gear. Minimum buy-in cost for a decent studio IMHO is about 50k. The amount of time to make a good sounding record? At least 50 hours, more like 100-200 if you really care about the craft and try a few options. ...and that's being conservative.

I realize that. Rome wasn't built in a day. I also know that you have to have good equipment, which is exactly why I don't want to buy any now with what little funds I do have. That's why I want to use a pro studio until I can afford to get good equipment.

I have no qualms about spending a lot of time making a quality recording. I would only work on one project at a time, so it wouldn't hold up my business anyway.

When I am recording, i want to make it the best quality possible, and better than all my previous projects. I guess you could call it an obsession, but it's not obsessive in trying to rush and get it finished.
On the other hand, I'm not a perfectionist at all. If a minor part doesn't turn out right and it's threatining to hold up the project, I'll either replace it or leave it alone. Records shouldn't be perfect anyway.

Cloneboy Studio said:
I think you need way more education in what a label does, HOW it makes money, and develop yourself into a position to succeed. Right now, IMHO, you are doomed to total failure.

I'm not saying don't do it, I just don't think you are prepared yet. Get your ducks in a row and try it out. Screw those who say you can't do it, there's only one way to find out and that's hanging it all out there.

Can you reccomend any good websites that has info on this? I love to read. :D

"RIGHT NOW" Is not when I'm going into business. I am still learning.

:D Heh Heh I need to get my ducks in a row so everyone can shoot them with corks, right? :D :D

BTW, what is IMHO?

illustriousday said:
Mikey,
Find a band with a finished product...
there are alot of bands out there with finished products but can't
afford duplication.
Invest $1000 for the dups (credit card if u like)
put your label logo on each cd. and
and sign a contract with the band that after u make back your investment
the rest will be split by %. Make sure all the cd's are barecoded for
soudscan. It's a gamble so make sure you find a band that can move cds....that's the hard part

Sounds like a good idea. :) I know some bands that can move the stuff, but none that have already recorded. I'll ask around. I'm pretty sure I can scrape together a grand from my friends.



Please keep the ideas and arguments coming, they're getting me thinking! :D ;)
 
Mikey likes it! said:
I KNEW IT! :D I knew that was too good an idea for no one to have ever thought of.

That's how I broke into the biz. It took about 3 years or so in my off time, but eventually I was at the right place, at the right time, with enough experience (and a large client base) that a studio took me on full time.

I skipped the whole "intern" and "fetch coffee" thing entirely. Heck, I was never even an assistant engineer. I went straight to chief engineer at a fairly well-equipped studio because I blew the other engineers there out of the water while recording a project. They got fired, I got hired.

By next year I should be making more than my 9-to-5 job. As it is, I'm making about the same now.
 
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