- Written by
David L. Whitehurst
- Posted January 21, 2010 at 5:23 pm
Are you thinking about producing your first album? When you start there are many questions that need to be answered. I’ll share with you my notes as I’m beginning this journey myself. I’m writing this post to document my thoughts and considerations. Let’s begin.
A friend shared a site similar to CD Baby called Magnatune. Anyhow, I know nothing about these sites but I had said something about doing my own album without a label. I read their requirements and submission guidelines but I didn’t realize that I would have to pay for the product packaging. My first vision was that I submit the music and simply the front cover art; they would do the rest. I was wrong. They take you on if you’re very good and they “expect” sales. You have to be chosen to do business with them. Then, you pay. Yes, your cost may be reduced because you will be independently marketing your own product. But, you pay to manufacture or put together that product in a marketable form.
So, am I going to try a submission with Magnatune? No. I will provide a download-for-fee service on my websites. Now let’s talk about what is needed to have a “product” in a marketable form to place on the website. Here’s my first rough list.
- Approx. 10-12 songs
- 45+ min in total listening time
- Top quality audio in several formats
- Artwork in wallpaper (marketing) size for free download
- Artwork in thumbnail for album download
- Instruction for or setup for iTunes artwork
After I accept the fact that I need more music altogether, I focus on polishing the songs that I have. I’ve added each song to my MP3 player and I’ve been listening to them over and over. I’ve noticed a ton of small things that need to be fixed. Here are some of the things I’ve found.
- Every song fades at the end
- Several songs have slam introductions
- Only one song has drum fills to break the loop monotony
- intonation issues between MIDI and real instruments
- Songs could take a sonic turn more often
- Some real instrument tracks have tiny mistakes
- Some played midi tracks have tiny mistakes
Once I fix everything, I’ll go back to creating the new music. I actually started another one last night. The artwork is another seemingly huge undertaking. I have the talent and creativity to do the album artwork, but not the energy or focus right now. I’m still trying to convince myself to have someone else do the artwork, but I like the idea of doing it myself too.
In conclusion, doing this first album will be difficult, but my first priority is to produce tasteful music. I will update with new posts as things move along.