TuneCorner

Promoting Your Music With the Holidays by Jake Smith

First and foremost, I’d like to congratulate a handful of TuneCore users who have recently been featured in the iTunes Halloween Music section along with some very notable acts like Alice Cooper, Trans-Siberian Orchestra, and John Carpenter (if you personally had an iTunes spotlight and I didn’t catch it I’m very sorry!)

Artist: Ultimate Horror Sounds

Album: Halloween Horror – Scary Sounds and Music

Artist: Ultimate Horror Sounds

Album: Halloween Chopped Up – Scary Horror Sound Effects

Artist: Monster’s Halloween Party

Album: The Ultimate Scary Sounds and Music for Your Halloween Bash

Artist: Sounds For Life

Album: Halloween Scary Party Sounds

I felt it was important to mention these albums for a few reasons.  For one, I just thought it was cool to see albums I recognized from TuneCore on the storefront of the largest digital music retailer in the world.  Second, this directly relates to an article I wrote a few months back about taking advantage of the fact that sales of Holiday music spike drastically on and leading up to the date of said Holiday.  Third and most important, these albums serve as a reminder of the very real power that new artists and small labels most definitely did not have even just a few years ago.

With so many free and cheap promotional tools available to all artists, it’s understandable to feel like your music will just get lost in the endlessly cluttered World Wide Web.  The sad truth is that it can.  I love music, and I love discovering new music, but at the end of the day there is only so much audio I am physically capable of hearing.  Will everyone reap a huge reward for the content they put out in the world?  That would be awesome, but no.  However, with a quality product, a long-term plan and a willingness to put in the hard work needed to reach a target market, many people who once couldn’t now can (and do).

That being said, I do not want to understate the extremely helpful boost that can come from creating music or covering a popular song specific to a holiday season.  If releasing Halloween music doesn't work well with your overall artistic vision, don't sweat it!  This is all just food for thought.  Some random examples I can think of:  I do not run a record label, but if I did maybe I would make a compilation album where every artist from my label performed an original Halloween song.  Maybe I would spend some time searching iTunes and the other stores for Halloween terms that haven't already been used to death (for example, a search for "Kids Halloween" brings up 50 song results, while a search for "Silly Halloween" brings up 44 and "Teen Halloween" only brings up 19).  Maybe I want to think ahead to all the other holidays coming up to see how I can prepare for them.  A search for "Kids Thanksgiving" for example only yields 19 song results.

Anyway, I could ramble on like this for a while (I often do), but I would really love to hear more about some of the unique ideas you guys have tried or are considering trying.  Do any of you think you've created a truly unique market position for yourselves?  Do any of you use Holiday music as a way to lead listeners to other music you've created?  Share it all here on the TuneCore blog!

The Keys to a Great Mix, Part II: Dynamic Processing by Jake Hartsfield

In Part 1 of “Keys To A Great Mix” I talked about various EQ techniques to use when mixing.  Now I’m going to follow up with tips on dynamic processing (compression and expansion) and time-based effects (delay, reverb, etc.).  I’m going to give very specific settings & examples, but just remember that these are my personal preference and are not “correct” or “standard” by any means.

Why use Compression?

A lot of times, you want to control the dynamic range of an instrument (such as a lead vocal) so that it doesn’t disappear during softer phrases and blow out your ears on louder belted phrases.  Also, compressing something like a vocal helps you place it in the mix and lift it up without overpowering everything else.  For drums, compression helps you achieve a consistent sound/level for each hit (especially important with kick and snare).

Clean up your drums with Expansion

With drums, expansion helps to attenuate (get rid of) the unwanted noise from the rest of the kit when a particular piece (the snare, for example) is not being struck.  With expansion, you’re basically singling out your hits so they sound almost like samples.  This can help in mixing to clean up some of the extra noise and allow you to adjust the level of the kick, snare, or toms, without affecting the rest of the drum mix too much.  You don’t always need to use expansion…it’s more of a problem solver (very useful in live situations) than a necessary key to mixing.  You generally would only want to try using expansion on the kick, snare, and your toms.  If it sounds good, use it.  If not, don’t!

The expander will be “closed” until a sound hits the input high enough to cross a threshold (dB level) you set.  For a snare, you want to set the threshold just above the noise level, so that only the hit from the snare is triggering it to open.  To use an expander on a snare that’s consistently striking around -3dB, while the other noise from the kit is coming through at -15dB, you might want to try setting the threshold to -10dB.  Set the attack time as fast as possible; the attack controls how quickly the expander opens up, and you want all of the attack from the snare.  Listen closely to the snare and adjust the “hold” (how long the expander stays completely open) and “release” (how long it takes to close back up) so that you hear the full snare sound, and it closes smoothly and almost unnoticeably.  I tend to keep my hold and release time longer than most to allow the snare to settle before attenuating it too much.

Compression Settings for Drums

Some of these settings may seem a bit extreme, and that’s because I’m using examples that would fit a pop rock sound with a drummer that hits fairly hard…  In the end, the settings do not matter at all – it’s how it sounds.  If it sounds great, go with it.  Learning how to achieve certain sounds will help you know when and how to break the rules…and we like breaking rules in music

Kick – For a “tight” and “punchy” kick sound, try setting the attack at 30 ms (just enough to let the slap/attack through), the release at 60 ms, the ratio at 5:1, and the knee at 20 dB.  Start the threshold at 0 dB (so that the compressor is inactive) and lower it until you’re consistently getting about -3 to -6 dB of gain reduction (GR).  The threshold completely depends on your input level.  Adjust the makeup gain when you have a nice sound to reach a useable mixing level.

For a “thumpier” kick sound, try adjusting the attack to .5 ms (you’re not letting the attack through with a fast attack), the release to 30 ms, & the knee to 10 dB.

Snare – I like to use moderate compression on my original snare track (to hear the attack/crack), then double it (send it by itself to an aux track at full volume) and compress the heck out of it to get that sweet pop…I like to think it sounds like a tennis ball being served.

For the original snare, try using an attack of 15 ms, a release of 45 ms, a knee of 20 ms, and a ratio of 6:1.  You should adjust the threshold to see between -3 and -12 dB of gain reduction.  These settings also work well for your bottom snare mic.

For the super-compressed snare, try keeping the settings the same, but bringing the threshold down -20 db from where you had it.  You should see a nasty amount of gain reduction (12 to 30 dB)

Toms – Try using an attack of 30 ms, a release of 10 ms, a ratio of 4.5:1, a soft knee at 30 dB, and adjusting the threshold to see about -6 dB of gain reduction.  You want to let the attack/slap of the top come through and compress the rest of the tone so that it sounds smooth and full.

High-Hat – Use similar settings to the ones I described for the toms (attack: 30 ms, release: 10 ms, ratio of 4.5:1, soft knee of 30 ms).  These compression settings work well for most drums & cymbals (overheads)

Overheads - Use the same settings as the high-hat & toms.  You can also experiment and try increasing the ratio to as much as 15:1 or 20:1 and see what happens.  Since your snare drum is usually the loudest piece of the kit, you might see it peaking 3 – 10 db above everything else in your overhead mics.  You usually want a nice smooth cymbal sound with your overheads, and you might want to try to compress them enough so that the snare is attenuated to be almost the same level as the cymbals. This gets a nice poppy sound from the snare and also makes your overheads easier to work with; you can bring your overheads up in your mix without bringing up your snare volume as a side effect.

Bass Guitar – You want to smooth out your bass guitar as much as possible to have a solid low end.  Bass can easily get out of hand if not compressed enough.  For bass, compression settings can vary widely based on the player/musician.  You might need to compress slap bass more than someone using a pick, more than someone thumping softly with their fingers.  Try using an attack of 8 ms, a release of 600 ms, a knee of 20 ms, and a ratio of 4:1.  You almost always want to see at least 3 to 6 dB of gain reduction, and up to 20 dB of gain reduction.  Don’t be afraid to crush it.  Again, this all depends on the style – you may not need to compress the bass much at all if you want an open, airy sound.

Electric Guitar – I don’t usually compress my electrics (until I compress the stereo guitar buss with a strong limiter) because the amp is already compressing the signal so much.  This also opens up the field of sound a little so that there’s more room for the guitars to bounce around enough room for a little magic to happen...  I can always count on the limiter on my stereo guitar bus to keep them from peaking.

Vocals – I tend to crush vocals (mostly in pop rock) because I like to hear the lead vocal up close and personal (similar to most vocals on Top 40 radio).  A popular vocal compressor that can achieve this is the Universal Audio 1176.  The Pro Tools plug-in called Bomb Factory is modeled after this compressor.  Here’s what one of my Bomb Factory plug-ins looks like on a rock vocal.



You want to use a fast attack (1 ms) and a fast release (200 ms) on a vocal.  You want to hear the “punch” of the vocal, but set the attack quick enough to clamp down and smooth it out.  You don’t want to hear a “pumping” sound while you’re adjusting the attack and release.

The compression ratio can range from 2:1 to 20:1…until it becomes limiting.  I like to use a ratio of 20:1, push all the buttons in on Bomb Factory (and the 1176) and listen to the magic happen…  Pushing all the buttons in technically still has a 20:1 ratio, but lets the compressor start to act a little funny.  Just shift-click two of the ratio selector buttons to try it and you’ll see.

Subtle Reverb and Delay Tricks

When you’re sending your instruments to your reverbs, try creating a dedicated Verb for your drums and instruments, and a separate one for your vocals.  You can use more than one reverb and mix them together if you want.

Try soloing the lead vocal and just the reverb aux track, starting with the reverb fader all the way down.  Slowly bring the fader up until you can faintly hear the verb.  Try to hear it creating a nice bed for the vocal without it sticking out.  Focus on the lead vocal and see if it still sounds clear and out front.  If the reverb is distracting or too noticeable, turn it down a little.  If you keep your effects subtle enough so they sound good when they’re soloed, they’ll sound great in the whole mix.

Try sending your lead vocal to 4 separate stereo delay aux tracks.  Create a mono slap delay with the first (150 ms to 230 ms).  Use the same method of soloing the vocal and the delay track and slowly brining up the fader until you barely notice it.  It should be enough to add body and depth to the vocal – and even a little bounce – without sticking out enough for your audience to notice its there.

Use the second delay track and set it at the quarter note length based on the song tempo (you might have to tap it out or actually listen for it), the third delay track at the half note, and the fourth delay track at the whole note.  By doing this, you’re creating your own manual “echo” or “multi-delay” effect… You may want to use one of those automatic effects, but this is my favorite way of adding delays to the vocal.  Add in these long delays ever so subtly based on your taste… You may want to automate them to be lower in the verses and more prominent in the choruses.

Now when you add everything else back into your mix, your audience shouldn’t even notice that you have reverb and delays on your vocal – unless you intend for them to – and your vocal will have more body and blend with your mix much smoother.

If you want to hear the song I referred to for most of my settings, you can go to http://www.jakehartsfield.com, click on the DP logo, and listen to the first track by Kristen Jaudon.

I know that was a long read, but I hope it was helpful.  It should have at least inspired you to think “oh yeah, I can mix better than this pretentious fool!” ;)

Best of luck with your mixing! 

Questions, comments?  Share them here on the TuneCore Blog!

The Lyric Holy Trinity: Writing a Breakthrough Lyric by Wayne Cohen

Wayne Cohen is a veteran multi-platinum selling ASCAP hit songwriter, producer, educator, and owner of publishing/production company Stand Up Songs. He also teaches individual and group songwriting tutoring sessions at his NYC Stand Up Studio and via Skype.

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Obviously, a hooky melody is what draws people to a song, but an emotionally riveting lyric is what keeps them coming back time after time.  In addition to a compelling story (which I’ll talk about later) there is a holy trinity of three elements which – to me – are absolutely paramount; this holy trinity is needed for a lyric to be engaging and interesting enough so people don’t turn you OFF.  So after you go back to work on your current song, ask yourself, is your lyric:
 
1) Universal  (Does the story express a universal emotional truth?)
2) Real  (Is it a simple, fresh, street expression of that truth?)
3) Urgent (Does the song takes place in a single emotional moment, and does the protagonist own that emotion? Does every line of the lyric come from the same emotional place?)
 
So, how did you do on the holy trinity checklist?  Unfortunately 1 or 2 out of 3 ain’t good enough if you want to have a breakthrough song.  But do not despair – you can make 3 out of 3 every time if you follow a few simple steps.
 
How to express a universal emotional truth

Some examples of universal emotional truths include heartbreak, restlessness, attraction, etc… But it’s all in how you say it.  Look at your lyric; is it in the passive or active voice?  If it’s passive, take the same song idea and flip it from passive to active. For example, you could say ‘why don’t you come back,’ but I would rather say ‘I want you to come back’ because it’s not passive and blaming.  And let’s say you want to express that ‘life is falling apart’ or you’re ‘falling off the edge of a cliff’ and ‘never going to recover from this heartbreak.’  Whatever it is, really go for it and don’t just say ‘I can’t stand this’.
 
It doesn’t have to be in first person but it’s definitely more dramatic and compelling to say things like that in the first person rather than ‘when are you going to come back,’ ‘why didn’t you come back,’ ‘it could have been so much better if you had blah blah blah…’ There can be a passive part of the song, could be the bridge, however people aren’t generally drawn to songs that are passive.  There are so many different forms of entertainment competing for your audience’s attention.  Changing from the passive voice to the active voice can make your lyric much more immediate and appealing.  A listener will be engaged way more if the protagonist of the song is passionate about what they are expressing as opposed to blaming the other who the protagonist is singing to.
 
So, ask yourself: Is your song’s emotional story universal? Is the theme of the lyric consistent?

Inside EQ - The Keys To A Great Mix by Jake Hartsfield

Jake Hartsfield is a songwriter, producer, touring sound engineer and a new addition to the TuneCore Marketing Team.

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With today’s technology – GarageBand, for example – anyone can record a track straight into their computer using their computer mic, slap on a few automatic effects, and instantly have a finished recording of a song.  If you try to transition from Garage Band to Logic or Pro Tools, it can be a little overwhelming trying to understand all of the fundamental rules of mixing that are done for you in Garage Band, but which need to be applied from scratch with more professional programs.

I’m going to help you get an idea for some fairly advanced EQ, Compression, and FX techniques that you can apply on your own, which should also help you understand fundamentally how to create a great mix.  All of the specific settings I’m recommending are my own personal preference – they are by no means the “standard” or “correct,” but should give you an idea of what you can go for when you mix.  This article – Part 1 – will focus on EQ.  Part 2 will focus on dynamic processing and time-based effects.

Equalization (EQ) – The Golden Rule: Cut before you Boost

Always cut before you boost.  Think about it this way – you want to cut out the nasty, keeping the sweet.  If you boost too much, you’re keeping the nasty, and adding a little sweet, but hearing mostly the nasty.  You’re raising the noise floor when you boost.  Any audio processor is going to color or change the tone and quality of whatever audio is fed through it.  Equalizers sound better if you attenuate frequencies rather than raising the gain.

Search and Destroy: Find the bad frequencies before you cut them 

A quick way to find bad frequencies (whether it’s from the room acoustics, sibilance, the instrument, or an electronic issue) is to boost a specific frequency with a sharp Quality Factor* (8 to 10) very harshly (boost it 10dB) and listen. While you have that boosted, change the frequency and search around to find the offending frequency.  Once you’ve found it, try softening the Q (maybe 3 to 7), then gently cutting until you can’t hear that frequency standing out any more.  You could also reverse that and cut it 10 or 20 dB, then slowly raise it back up until you barely hear it.  You might use this technique to find a ringing in a snare drum – and you might want to make a note of the frequency (say it’s 185 Hz), then also check for the ringing at the harmonics of that same frequency (double or half the Hz, so check 92.5 Hz and 370 Hz).

Quality Factor = Q

*The Quality Factor (Q) defines the sharpness of the band of frequencies affected by an equalizer.  A lower number widens the band while a higher number narrows the band.

Kick – Cut 200 Hz with a fairly wide bell curve (with a Q of 1 to 3) to attenuate some of the “boxy” sound of the drum.  Boost 3.5 kHz to 5 kHz with a fairly sharp bell curve (with a Q of 3 to 6).  The phat nasty (the good kind of nasty) bumpin’ frequencies in the kick drum are around 80 – 150 Hz.  Different size kick drums are centered around different frequencies.  50 Hz and below is the subtle sub frequencies that add depth to the kick.  Don’t go boosting that low end just because you don’t think you can hear it well enough.  You don’t want to compromise that nice top end you’ve carved out.  The biggest mistake people make is mixing the low end too hot.  A bass-heavy recording will muddy up your entire mix, and sound like a puny little chipmunk squeaking through someone’s computer speakers that can’t reproduce anything below 400 Hz.

Snare – Use a high pass filter around 100 – 150 Hz, because there are generally no frequencies generated by the snare drum below that threshold that you need.  Try gently cutting the mid-range (around 600 Hz) with a wide bell curve (Q of .5 to 2) to take out some of the harsher noises in this range that aren’t always frequencies most prominent in the snare drum.  Sometimes you still want to feel the weight of the snare, which you can do by leaving a little low end around 150 Hz to 300 Hz.  That crack you want in the snare is usually between 1 kHz and 4 kHz, depending on the snare drum.  Try boosting 3.5 kHz to get more crack…but don’t have a crack attack!

*For that epic 70’s & 80’s snare sound, try scooping a big chunk of the mids out (600 Hz) leaving that low end and the crack.

High Tom – Use a high pass filter around 50 Hz to 80 Hz, or even higher.  Toms are tricky – sometimes they sound great without any tweaking, other times it’s a much-needed fix.  Try cutting around 500 or 600 Hz with a soft Q (1 to 3) to take out some of the “nasty” box-like sound.  Boost that frequency first so you can hear what sort of “nasty” I’m talking about.  The slap/crack of the high tom might be around 3.5 or 4 kHz, so you can boost that with a sharp Q (similar to the slap of the kick) to help the top end cut through the mix.  The sweet spot in the low end is entirely dependant on the tom, but is usually around 150 to 300 Hz.

Low Tom – Only use a high pass filter if the floor tom is too bassy, and then use it around 50 Hz.  Similar to the kick, cut around 200 or 250 Hz to attenuate that boxy sound, then subtly boost (if needed) 3.5 kHz to help the attack/slap cut through the mix.

High Hat – Use a high pass filter starting anywhere from 200 Hz to 450 Hz.  You only really want the sweet, smooth, and bright frequencies between 800 Hz and 10 kHz.  If you’ve got a harsh sounding hat, try cutting 1 or 2 kHz with a medium Q (3-6).

Overheads – If you’re just going for the cymbals, cut most of the other drums out by using a high pass filter around 200 Hz to 400 Hz.  Sometimes you’ll want to gently attenuate (cut) 600 Hz with a wide Q (.5 to 2) to soften those harsh mid frequencies not always favored in drums.

Vocals – Use a high pass filter starting around 100 to 150 Hz.  Listen carefully, and depending on the singer, you might want more low end or less.  Cutting low end (200 Hz to 300 Hz) off a vocal is like cutting off the weighted chains holding it down beneath the ocean of sound and lifting it above the mix.  If you recorded the vocals in a small room, there could be “room modes” (frequencies that are more reverberant than others due to the dimensions of the room), that are affecting your vocal.  You can find these by using the search and destroy method and listening for frequencies that sound like they’re humming or feeding back.  You may want to cut a little harshness around 1 kHz to 2 kHz (with a medium Q between 4 and 6), which is where most of the harsh sibilance (s’s, t’s, v’s, f’s) is.  You don’t want to cut too much of this, because the sibilance helps us understand what the vocalist is saying – you just don’t want these frequencies to sound too harsh on the ears.  Attenuating the sibilance is usually best accomplished with a de-esser (a dynamic processor that will be covered in Part 2).  You can add “air” to vocals to make them sound lighter and brighter by boosting 5 Hz and higher with a shelf EQ…or a soft shelf boost after 1 kHz.

Acoustic Guitar – In a full band mix, you want the acoustics to really pop out of the mix, and the best way to do this is to cut off all the baggage – so use a high pass filter as low as 100 Hz and up as high as 400 Hz (use your own judgment, all acoustics are different).  You should also look for frequencies in the lower mid-range that are excessively boomy or humming (most acoustic guitars have a natural resonance – a frequency at which they vibrate/reverberate the most).  Before you boost 3 kHz – 10 kHz to get that sparkly you want, try cutting the low end and mid range more with a wide EQ band.

Electric Guitar – For rhythm guitars, you want to keep some of the warmth and power of the low end, but you still want to get rid of the unnecessary rumble deeper down.  Try using a high pass filter around 100 Hz.  For lead guitars, try using a high pass filter up to 150 Hz or 200 Hz.  Start low and raise the frequency until you hear it begin to affect the center of the tone, then back off (lower the frequency) to where you can’t tell the difference.  You might not be able to hear the lower frequencies you’re cutting out, but you are cleaning up your mix!  This allows more room for the kick and bass guitar in the low end without the guitars muddying up everything.

You may have noticed I didn’t mention anything else besides the high pass filter when mixing electric guitars…  That’s because I believe it’s better to go for a great tone with the amp and mic placement than try to fix it with EQ.  I rarely use more than a high pass filter on my electric guitars.

Piano – Another instrument similar to an acoustic guitar in a full band mix – you want it to pop above everything else, and be able to mix it fairly low and still have it stand out.  Use a soft, but generous high-pass filter between 100 Hz and 200 Hz.  To help the attack of the keys sit above your mix, try gently boosting anywhere between 1 kHz and 5 kHz.

Bass – Your bass guitar should be married to your kick drum.  It should sound as though the kick drum is your bassist thumping his strings – the attack at the front of every hit.  To achieve this, you should find what frequency your kick is centered on and carve out that frequency in your bass guitar (cut about 5 dB and see what it sounds like) to make space for the kick.  To get rid of the boominess of a bass guitar, try cutting between 80 Hz and 150 Hz.  Cutting to carve out that space for the kick drum will help control a boomy bass as well.  If you want to add a little presence (brightness) to your bass, try boosting sharply on a frequency between 1kHz and 3 kHz.

If you want to hear examples of songs I’ve mixed of various genres (if you don’t trust me), go to www.jakehartsfield.com and click on the DP logo.

Your ears are your greatest tool.  Listen to a lot of music and try to imitate the sounds you hear when you’re mixing.  Play a song with a great drum track or lead vocal through your speakers, then immediately switch back to your mixing software and try to replicate that sound – try to hear and find how sharply they EQ’d the instrument, which frequencies stick out, and which sound the sweetest to your ear.

Happy Hearing!

The Future of the Music Industry by Jake Smith

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Jake Smith is a TuneCore Customer Support Representative and Editor of the Weekly Newsletter

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To say it's been a bumpy decade for the music industry is a bit of an understatement.  After Napster's introduction in June of 1999, we've seen ten years of new formats, declining record sales, lawsuits, and passionate arguments from all sides (artists, labels, the RIAA, and consumers) about the pros and cons of these drastic changes.  Has suing music pirates done anything to curb illegal downloads?  Has digital file sharing helped new artists reach more fans faster?  Where will the industry be ten years from now?

iTunes 9 recently came out, and with it a variety of new "bonus" features that come with selected albums.  These iTunes LPs as they're called can include album extras like music videos, digital booklets, artist band photos and more (important note: at this time TuneCore is not yet set up to deliver content as iTunes LPs - we will make a HUGE announcement when we are able to, stay tuned).   Features like these have got me thinking about the innovative ways in which stores, labels, and artists have worked towards making incentives to pay for, rather than steal music.  In my opinion, the music makers and retailers who stick to the list below will be the ones leading this crazy music business into the future.

1. Stop fighting the changes

The digital revolution was and continues to be scary for those who once made the brunt of their money selling round pieces of plastic.  In the wake of peer to peer websites that allowed for people to share and receive music files without spending a dime, the first response of the Record Industry Association of American (RIAA) was to sue the peer to peer services themselves.  After this proved only to spawn new peer to peer services, the RIAA turned its sites on the people doing the sharing.  Suddenly, people of all ages, shapes and sizes found themselves being sued for thousands and sometimes millions of dollars in damages.  I don't mean for this to turn into an argument about the pros and cons of file sharing, but I think most people would agree that these giant lawsuits haven't done much of anything to stop the piracy problem.  I remember a particularly pathetic attempt by BMG to create an "unrippable" CD on which to print their new releases.  One day after the release of the first disc in this format, it was discovered that by using a black sharpie around the edge of the disc, you could burn and import it with no problem at all.

The moral of the last ten years?  It's futile to fight changes in how people consume their content.  Consider this: once upon a time, the biggest threat to the industry was that people could use cassette tapes to record songs off the radio.  Piracy stinks but as long as music is written and recorded, the danger of it exists.  This leads me to my next thought:

2. Sell things that can't be stolen

Maybe people will always find ways to crack codes and steal content in our digital age, but there is money to be made by providing consumers with additional ways to connect to the music they love.  Some things to consider:

• Classic merchandise is still very big: T-Shirts, Buttons, Stickers, and even less traditional items like USB drives and Snuggies keep many bands in the black.
• Music "powers" other products: Movies, TV Shows, commercials, video games (The Beatles Rock Band, anyone?), even greeting cards have been great, "non-stealable" ways of getting music out there.
• Give consumers bonus "rewards" for buying: iTunes LP definitely practices this idea - now, instead of just getting music for your money, you get cool additional content as well.  Other incentives could include bonus tracks for people who pre-order, providing different formats (CDs, digital downloads, vinyl records), offering limited run "premium" items (coffee table books, first 100 copies signed, etc).
• Don't forget live shows: While music sales may have dropped, concert attendance is as high as ever.  Give fans a show to remember and they'll keep coming back!

3. Quality over Quantity

I read this really great interview the other day with the founders of Merge Records (Arcade Fire, Spoon, M. Ward).  While other labels, both big and small, have had some really extreme ups and downs over the past 20 years, Merge has remained steady.  Instead of pouring hundreds of thousands of dollars into every artist they release then praying for one of them to make it big, they focus on putting out the artists they love.  If they don't expect to make a ton on the release, they keep recording and promotional costs low.  As a result, Merge have positioned themselves as taste makers.  When indie music fans see "Merge" on a new artist, they see it as a mark of quality.  The lesson in this?  The more good product you provide your fans with, the more they will respect and support you.  I would argue that whatever shape the music industry may be in ten years from now, the song will always be king.

 

But what do you guys think?  Share your thoughts here on the TuneCore Blog