you recorded your first album in your home studio. what do you do now?

[willjrockstar]

Double dog dare you Dan.

[C. Hanson]

Yes, Danny. Go ahead and tell a few truths. Surely noone would mind.

[shackman]

Yeah Danny:

SPill man. So much trash is written (no disrespect to MOST posters here) that it would be good to hear your views.

[newkid]

Originally Posted by Danny Danzi

My God....I soo wanna post something here, but unfortunately it will be a huge book as there is so much to talk about in this one. I've been living this 24/7 since 1999. I'll ask a question to the original poster.

What are your goals? There's a difference between shopping something to a major label, shopping something to an indy label, shopping something to a label that thinks they're a label and selling cd's. Actually, there are a few different ways to sell cd's too. LOL! This is just such a loaded question, I'd be here all day and the last thing any of you wanna see is a 3 page post by my sorry ass. However, if you want the facts and the truth as I have lived it, I will do it gladly.

Write the book already.
And ask them to stickitfy.

[Danny Danzi]

Ok, you guys asked for it...here goes. What you will read here is factual based on my own experiences. It doesn't mean any of it is the "gospal according to Danny" but it may just put you on the right route as this stuff has worked for me. Not to sound like a Richard Cranium, but a few of you may be asking "who the hell does this dude think he is?" LOL! I don't blame ya, I ask myself that every day. If you do a search on my name you'll see that I've gotten a little credibility in this business world-wide...some good stuff, some bad, but I've been around the block and I'm not just a guy sitting here typing away trying to lie to get your respect. I'm here to help because I've lived it and am still living it. Ok...now for real, here goes.

The most important thing to think about here is what your goals are. If you have none, you're in the wrong business. Once you get those goals, you need to research how to go about them correctly or you could be wasting time, money and opening yourself up for something bad....you just never know.

So you have your album done, you think you rock and you have what it takes to be a star. You're gonna shop you stuff to every label and camp out on their doorsteps to slide that package into the hands of someone that is someone...or so you think. Sounds good doesn't it? Did you copyright your material?

1. All material should be copywritten before you even let a stranger hear it. That goes for this place too. Though we seem to trust our brothers on most webistes once we get tight with people or form a family, you've dropped your guard...when you drop your guard, you get screwed. People think they can mail packages to themselves...it won't hold up in court, don't waste your time. If I grab an idea someone posts on this site and copywrite it before you do, it's mine. When we go to court and you bring your Cubase work files and a sealed envelope that shows a postmark, my attorney is going to say "he mailed the evelope to himself with nothing in it, got his postmark and steamed open the envelope."

"Yeah but mr attorney, the CD I used is an old one....check the code, the CD itself was made at the Maxell factory in 1999!"

"Hmm, I have blank CDR's from that time that I haven't used yet. I could easily steal a song, record my version, burn it on an old disc, have envelopes that I've mailed to myself years ago, steam them open, put this in and say I've had it for years!"

"Yeah well my CD files have the date they were burned on them, so there!"

"Nice try, anyone can set their date and time back on a pc and then burn a disc"

My point is, whether the above can happen or not isn't the point. The fact of the matter is there are possibilities that can make your life miserable depending on how smart someone is. Your best bet is to copyright your work at the Library of Congress in Washington DC and be done with it so you're safe the right way with proper documented proof. This is the first thing you should do before you release anything or send stuff to anyone.

So you decide to shop to a label. Did you know that all the major labels do not allow unsolicited material? Yep, that means your $25,000 demo will automatically be sent to the cirucular file...which means the trash can. You need an attorney or an agent that is a real agent in order to break through here. A record label does not want to talk to you. They need to talk to legal representation at all times. Don't think for a second a label will contact you without legal representation or proper solicitation.

That said, most agents and manager types are all full of shit. Don't waste your time. A manager "manages". He doesn't shop deals and what credibility would he have to walk into a label and ask for someone to play material? If he is a credible manager, he may have a tie somewhere or a bud in the business. Most do not and take a % of your gigs and merchandise. Don't be a victim. Same with Agents. Most have 0 ties. Look at their roster....if there are serious signed artists on the roster, it may be worth a shot...if not and they have no bragging rights, they are nobodies.

You best bet is to look for entertainment lawyers with credibility. People that work in film, TV, with artists etc. If you're searching for an attorney and you see he's worked with Creed or Bon Jovi or Van Halen etc, that's the dude you want as he has the pull to call a label president and say "play this fookin cd man!"

He won't even take you on if you don't have what it takes. There is a retainer fee...usually about $5000 or more. You may have heard in your past "if you ever have to pay someone, you run away!" This is completely true on all counts other than a credible entertainment lawyer. The retainer fee is done for "principal". The dude has millions...he doesn't need your 5k, so don't think you'll get ripped off. He won't even take you on if he feels you can't get a deal. He'll have to do all the leg work, court costs, Fed Exing, paper work, phone calls etc...this costs money and you are paying for his credentials as well his experience of knowing the right people.

There is a huge amount of money in it for him. He can't afford to try to turn you onto a label that passes on you. If they pass on you, that means they didn't like you and that attorney's credibility loses stock. Too many duds and they will no longer deal with him. So rest assured, if you land a credible attorney that takes you on, you are 95% going to get a deal. This is the best and safest way to get a deal without playing gigs all over the world for $0. The attorney cuts through the BS and makes things happen. You better be able to play what you played on that CD live though or you'll be erased from the industry forever. You get one chance at a good first impression, don't blow it.

Marketing: Your best bet here is to sign with an Indy label with a bit of credibility. They give you an advance, they release your album and you don't have to do it all yourself. This gets you press, worldwide release and a chance to open up your own publishing company which we'll talk about in a second. The Indy labels are pretty good these days as it allows you to get your feet wet and learn the ropes. You can make mistakes here and most times they will not be horribly costly, however, they sure can piss you off to where you wanna throw in the towel. But you can make good money with a few sales. The Indy labels usually target areas that are into what you do.

For example, I'm an 80's rocker for the most part. My stuff does well in parts of Europe, parts of South America and Japan. It does so well there I don't need the USA to survive. My labels didn't target the US because it would be a waste of money for us to reach out here due to how this country buys into whatever gets rammed down their throats. Europeans and Japanese aren't like that. If they like something, they support it. If they don't, it's crap and it won't do well there. So, to curb yourself from losing money advertising and wasting time, you target where your style sells. The labels have a good beat on this most times and do it all for you.

They give you an advance, you get licensing in other countries, another advance from Japan, and then you usually get half of every CD sold once they recoup what was invested into you. You also get the majority of your publishing but radio airplay is not as fierce as it would be if you were signed to a major label being played in the US. For example, my publishing company in Europe is GEMA. I get 60% of my publishing, they get 40%. In Japan my publshing company is The Burnn! Corporation. The own Young guitar etc and are kinda like Clearchannel here in the usa. I get 90% of my publishing in Japan, they get 10%. They also own loads of radio stations so we both make out quite well with that. I'm with ASCAP in the US and other parts of the world. Other than dues once in a while, I get all my publishing.

[Danny Danzi]

Now keep in mind...if your sales drop off and you fall below a certain quota (approximately 2500 sales per country is needed these days) you lose that country for you next release. As the countries drop off, your label will lower your advance for your next album. Sooner or later, they may drop off altogether and you may not have a deal. This is why file sharing is so bad for little guys like me. We can't absorb the hit like a major act can...so remember that. You may get a rush to see your name or your tunes on a torrent....don't smile for too long, you just lost sales. No one has ever emailed me and said "Danny, I heard your stuff on Kazaa, Bear Share, Audio Galaxy or a torrent and I just had to buy your CD's man!"

Publishing: Anyone can get a regular publishing deal. Go to ascap, bmi, seasac etc and fill out the forms. However, not everyone can get to have their own publishing company and this is how you make big bucks. To have this kind of publishing deal, you need to supply proof of a worldwide release. From there, you form a company and that company can publish your stuff as well as others. You can even place tunes to be sold to other artists and FOR other artists. This also makes sure you are paid for airplay as well as performance royalties, being in juke boxes, and after a certain number of sales you get some extra money.

You can establish most of this with an Indy label and this can pave your way to going to the majors. From your Indy experience, you have made connections within the business. Some small, some big. But you now have an "in" with all the stores carrying your products as well as distributors worldwide. CD baby is not a distributor that is worth anything, so don't think you're special when you have something with them. LOL! The distributors I deal with put me in every major store in the world just about. If my CD is not in stock, I'm in their computer or listed on their website. These are some of the things that can help you achieve success.

Now, we talked about solicitation up there....for Indy labels, most of them allow you to send your stuff to them. It's best to keep the following in mind.

1. A current bio

2. 3-5 of your best songs...leave them wanting more.

3. A short but sweet cover letter thanking them for their time.

4. Make your package stand out. Would you want to go through 300 beige envelopes or Fed Ex packages? Be creative...make them never forget you in a good way.
Put your name, address and contact info on the cover letter as well as a business card or something in the CD jacket.

5. If you use those stick on CD labels, make sure you use the good ones that never come off. You have one of those come off in a label dude's CD player, you'll never hear from him again.

6. Don't get uptight. Sometimes they can take a month or longer to listen to your stuff.

7. When you establish a connection with a label via the net or by telephone, ask nicely when they may get back to you and if you can call or email them in 2 weeks or so. I usually wait a month and then touch base every 2 weeks after I send a package. After 2-3 months of this, I get the hint. Most times an Indy label will get right back to you though and they tell it like it is. The majors just toss you to the side and feel they don't need to tell you they didn't like you.

8. Be professional and don't be afraid to ask questions. The more you ask, the more you can determine what is good and what isn't.

9. Don't act like you know it all. Let the man or woman speak, you listen...don't interrupt. Wait until there is dead air before you speak.

10. Don't sign anything that you do not understand. Take it to an attorney and have him look at it. All to often people get so excited when there is a deal pending that they sign something they regret years down the road. Don't be one of those people.

11. Don't be afraid to talk to the label about something in the contract that you do not like. Try to find a happy medium and make amendments to the contract on your behalf and see if they go for them. Worst case scenario, they say no.

12. Don't play hardball to the point of losing your deal thinking "this label liked me, so will many others". It doesn't always work that way. This particular label may have plans for you or they may wish to invest in you or build you into something. Not every label will see it as they do. Listen to them, make suggestions and be a team. You have as much right to what happens in your career as they do. However, they are the one's investing the money so you have to be a bit lenient and be smart about how you conduct yourself.

13. One band member should be the person that deals with the label. Everyone shouldn't get involved. One man that speaks for everyone and that person should clear everything that will be said within the band before it is discussed with the label. Make sure the person you appoint to this position is smart, can speak well and can be trusted. Have discussions before a label meeting commences so everyone is on the same page.

14. Don't ever lie to your label or talk bad about them if you leave or part ways. You never know when this label may be in your life once again for some reason. You see the same people coming down that ladder as you saw going up. Burn bridges and it can be the death of you.

15: Make sure that when something is discussed with the label that they own up to their end of the bargain. Have them send you something in writing so everything is legit. An email will do, but it's best for all major decisions to be on paper with a signature.

This should keep you guys reading for a while. I'll probably add more to this over time...a bit swamped with work at the moment. Enjoy!

[dizzydog]

Another great post by Danny, full of excellent advice – particularly the parts about knowing what your goals are and defining a target audience.

I’m an old fart who did the live act and touring thing 20 years ago, but still write and record songs as a hobby – sort of a one-man bedroom-studio band. Believe it or not, it is possible to make a small profit by selling tunes online (a very small profit, Mr. IRS). It might be a slightly larger profit if pirates didn’t immediately rip and post the albums on Rapidshare and those supposedly-legal Russian sites that sell MP3s for $0.15… but that’s another story.

My goal was not to get signed or anything big, but just to prove to myself that the songs I’m writing are as good as other stuff out there – I felt they were, and having somebody review them positively is a nice ego boost.

If you think your tunes are strong, do some research into review sites that focus on your style of music, and send those folks a CD (using Danny’s do’s and don’ts below). If they enjoy your stuff, you’re likely to get some coverage. And a good review with a link to iTunes can result in sales. While I agree that CD Baby isn’t a distributor, for less than $50 they get your stuff up on iTunes, eMusic, and other legit download sites. Exposure helped get my most recent record picked up by Not Lame Records, a “slightly more real” distributor that specializes in my style of music. All this surpassed my admittedly low expectations, but the point is if you believe in your recently-finished home recording, why not see what happens? But be realistic.

If you want to hear my stuff and/or read reviews, check it out here. No mix bashing yet, pweeze – that’s why I’m soaking up tips around here, so if I do another album it won’t sound so obviously like it was recorded in a bedroom…

[newkid]

Originally Posted by Danny Danzi

...

That said, most agents and manager types are all full of shit.
...

You best bet is to look for entertainment lawyers with credibility. People that work in film, TV, with artists etc. If you're searching for an attorney and you see he's worked with Creed or Bon Jovi or Van Halen etc, that's the dude you want as he has the pull to call a label president and say "play this fookin cd man!"
...
Marketing: Your best bet here is to sign with an Indy label with a bit of credibility. They give you an advance, they release your album and you don't have to do it all yourself. This gets you press, worldwide release and a chance to open up your own publishing company which we'll talk about in a second.

The Indy labels are pretty good these days as it allows you to get your feet wet and learn the ropes. You can make mistakes here and most times they will not be horribly costly, however, they sure can piss you off to where you wanna throw in the towel. But you can make good money with a few sales. The Indy labels usually target areas that are into what you do.

... My labels didn't target the US because it would be a waste of money for us to reach out here due to how this country buys into whatever gets rammed down their throats. Europeans and Japanese aren't like that. If they like something, they support it. If they don't, it's crap and it won't do well there. So, to curb yourself from losing money advertising and wasting time, you target where your style sells. The labels have a good beat on this most times and do it all for you.

They give you an advance, you get licensing in other countries, another advance from Japan, and then you usually get half of every CD sold once they recoup what was invested into you. You also get the majority of your publishing but radio airplay is not as fierce as it would be if you were signed to a major label being played in the US.

For example, my publishing company in Europe is GEMA. I get 60% of my publishing, they get 40%. In Japan my publshing company is The Burnn! Corporation. The own Young guitar etc and are kinda like Clearchannel here in the usa. I get 90% of my publishing in Japan, they get 10%. They also own loads of radio stations so we both make out quite well with that. I'm with ASCAP in the US and other parts of the world. Other than dues once in a while, I get all my publishing.

True

Not going to be able to get that lawyer for 99.99% of the folks reading this advice. Even with 10K$ up front. If you do you will get a wall job.

Indy - cred -- oxymoron???

You do have to target the market.

Half of every CD - you did a great job of negotiating.
Most folks can expect closer to 10% - maybe 15 or 20 but no más.

Tell us how ascap is involved with ***publishing*** and not royalty from airplay.

[Danny Danzi]

Originally Posted by newkid

True

Not going to be able to get that lawyer for 99.99% of the folks reading this advice. Even with 10K$ up front. If you do you will get a wall job.

Depends who you go to. Some guys are actually in the talent business...they'll even sometimes waive the retainer fee IF you're good enough and hurting financially enough. They work out payments or will even take it off the top upon getting you a deal. Depends on the situation, how talented or "unique" or "groundbreaking" you are...and of course, who the attorney is.

Originally Posted by newkid

Indy - cred -- oxymoron???

Nah these days they are quite credible. 2 examples....I was signed to Sony for a short time....made decent money, was on salary....signed to an Indy and made more money. Yngwie Malmsteen is another example....made decent money while signed to Polygram....made way more with his Indy deal because there aren't as many middlemen to deal with and most Indy's don't fork out loads of cash for airplay. This means you do the radio marketing yourself in the areas that they don't and you get all your publishing/airplay money. In a major deal situation, because they literally have to pay radio marketers about $2500 per station, per song to get you to the try or die bin, this can be quite costly. This is why the majors get about 88% of your publishing...they did all the work. With an Indy, this is a very different animal. However, sales are set up differently and like I said, way less middlemen. It's more up close and personal.

Most times you'll either deal with the president of the label or the 1st, 2nd or 3rd in command.

Originally Posted by newkid

You do have to target the market.

Yeah it helps if you do some of the work as well. The label has their little niche they handle, but if you can branch out and get your name out there as well, it can really be helpful.

Originally Posted by newkid

Half of every CD - you did a great job of negotiating.
Most folks can expect closer to 10% - maybe 15 or 20 but no más.

I actually didn't have to negotiate that at all. It was a stock option on the contract. Most of the Indy's give you this deal unless there is a major radio or marketing campaign. The biggest issue I've had with the Indy's I've been signed with is how they hold onto the money that is owed to you. For example, like I said, each sale gets split 50/50.

However, YOUR take of that money is thrown into an account where it will stay until you exceed the number of sales needed per your contract to which that money will get released to you. So while they are holding onto your money, they are also making interest on it. The other bad side of the coin is you can only be paid quarterly. So if you are one sale short of getting that money released to you at the end of a quarter and one sale comes in the next day, you won't get that money until the end of the quarter.

Actually in a major label situation, you may not even see 10%. It all depends on the deal and what your "points" spread is. Most artists are on the "points on an album" deal as well as studios, producers, and mastering engineers. This is another reason why file sharing is so bad. Let's say we have a band that got a deal. They need to record and put product out there. The studio, engineer, producer and mastering engineer may get a downpayment to start the project. The rest of the money is usually in points off album sales. If the album tanks, these people suffer....not just artists but the entire entourage.

This is why CD's are becomming more expensive. Studios, producers and mastering engineers...as well as anyone with points on an album, are getting screwed so they want all the money up front. Label shells it out, the album tanks, now they take a hit. People just don't understand how bad file sharing effects an entire organization. Right away they think "good that happened...the label was charging too much for cd's" or "good, that band has way too much money anyway!". It's not just those 2 that suffer...it's everyone involved. That's an entirely different animal I can talk about another time though.

Originally Posted by newkid

Tell us how ascap is involved with ***publishing*** and not royalty from airplay.

They handle published works in written or notation form and track money owed to you. If you got published by Mel Bay or something, ASCAP would track the sales of the book or notation you put out. They do large venue performance royalties as well. If you played at The Meadowlands one time, you would get a small percentage of all "large venue" royalties. If you played serveral, you get even more. You also get a small chunk of change for units manufactured once they exceed a certain amount. And, anytime your CD is in a jukebox or something, you make money from that as well. So they do quite a lot for you behind the scenes. Hope this helps.