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TImeline and HR


Wait EP Timeline


Update: Wait EP is now on iTunes

Latest Article

Collaborating on a New Song

Over the past few months, I have had the pleasure of writing new music for a vocalist and lyricist I have not collaborated in years. Dave Gr...

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Oct 2, 2018

New Music Tuesday

Although I had created a web page and iTunes picked up my EP on September 3rd - today is the official launch day for Wait.

List of some of distribution channels hit today.  SmartURL.IT is a really neat tool for musicians.

Overall, a bit of a mess with the process... But all's well that ends well? If I could do it over I certainly would change a few things. One is setting my launch date out one month or two or not setting one at all. So, what am I talking about?

At the end of August I looked into distribution companies. There are a lot of them out there and good reason to go with different ones.

Here is a great article that walks through the big ones out there.
Ari's Take: CD Baby, Tunecore, DistroKid, AWAL, Ditto...Who is the Best Digital Distribution Company for Music:  This is the most comprehensive and accurate digital distribution review comparison piece on the web. By far.
Now, I didn't find Ari's article until after I made my selection. But the reasons for me were the same, so no regrets here. For me I wanted broad distribution and not pay anything. Routenote is who I chose - although I am curious about Amuse too.

When I was first using Routenote I wanted to go as fast as possible, don't do that. I submitted my tracks, I mastered them in a day and was clipping. Stopping the process took another day and a few emails.

What Is Audio Clipping and Why Is It Important?

Did I learn? No. Once I got it stopped I remastered and resubmitted for two weeks. If you set your release date too soon - a couple weeks out, Routenote will blank the date and tell companies to release immediately - 4 weeks is the minimum. Apple is on the ball and picked up the EP on right away. I know most won't have this problem because who the hell tries to release an album within a few weeks? Well.. if you do and use Routenote this is important to keep in mind.

It is also important to allow time for marketing and promotions - so take your time. You do not need to spend money, use social media and other wonderful sites and resources out there - be curious and see what others are doing. Bandcamp has some wonderful hidden treasures and tools to build great sites. https://antsostriches.bandcamp.com/ Bandcamp is free and has fantastic articles.

There are some brilliant folks out there that offer up a lot of insight too. I found a great channel on YouTube for DIY musicians. MRSTEJ

What I would do differently.

  • Set the release out two to three months or not at all.
  • Write 3rd person bio articles.
  • Be mindful on track placement - the songs that get downloaded most are the first song.
    • My first song is not my best tune - I think it is the worst.
  • Get more engaged. Be curious and take more time. Although being in a hurry is fun, it is more disastrous than productive.
  • Make artwork vinyl ready. 12 x 12 inches - you can always scale down - not up.