One of the most abundant sights at SXSW is bands handing out free copies of their music on CD. Problem is, since most SXShow-goers are tirelessly walking around all day, the last thing people want is something they have to carry around. Especially when it’s something that’s not pocket-friendly — like CD’s. Luckily, there’s a more convenient …
Ever been at a show, seen an awesome shirt, but didn’t have the cash for it? As a fan, this can be a let-down — but as a musician, it’s lost money. Well, those days are now over! If you have a smartphone, you can now take credit cards at your tasty pig parts merch …
A few weeks ago, we talked about PledgeMusic as a great fan-funding alternative to Kickstarter for bands outside of the U.S. Naturally, Bay Area death-comedy metallers Feral Depravity heard about PledgeMusic on our Facebook Page and went for it since they could use it with PayPal (Kickstarter only allows Amazon Payments). Specifically, Feral Dep wanted …
We’ve professed our love for Kickstarter here before (and crowdsourcing funds for your band, in general) so you don’t have to rely on a record label advance. And indeed many bands have successfully used Kickstarter to fund their albums, tours, and even new gear. But, as much as we love it, there’s one little problem with Kickstarter — you can only …
When it comes to tracking guitars, most players — including myself a few years ago — usually rely heavily on a cab (or a wall of cabs), serious head power, and several mics on each cab (typically two SM57‘s and a MD421). But in the mid 2000’s, I noticed many guitarists using laptops as preamps …
Many people today condemn file-sharing as “piracy,” especially those who are deeper entrenched in the media cartel (obviously Lars, among others). From a metalhead’s perspective, the glaring hypocrisy is how so many old-school metal bands made a name for themselves via the 1980’s tape-trading scene! If you don’t remember what tape-trading was, here’s a quick rundown: When cassette …
Guitarists, have you ever wanted to get a great quality pedal, like an overdrive or delay? But when you priced what seemed to be the best corporate branding had to offer, you were looking at anywhere between $150-$200 and upwards of $250 for “branded” boutiques? Last week, I sat down with DIY boutique pedal-maker Walt Cannoy …
To read part 1, click here. Laying a Foundation We have witnessed a revolutionary change in modern recording in the last decade: the ability for anyone to have access to affordable means to record a song from the convenience of their own home. Despite that, one big challenge that remains is achieving a commercial, studio-quality …
I know that we talk about the power of giving your music away for free, and it is truly a good way to utilize the marketing model to get your music out into the world. You are truly trying to reach a largest possible audience with your music. Yet, the thing that most artists don’t …
When it comes to adding third-party plug-ins to your recordings, there is abundance. Many are over-priced and out of reach for most musicians. Relying on successful branding, Neve, Pultec, etc., companies like Waves and Universal Audio charge premium prices for digital “replicas” of classic outboard gear and may require the purchase of additional hardware to …