Anyone released an Album of Original Songs before?

[Hook]

I did record a demo with my old band LiFF (Jarle was on the drums) ... we never took it any further tho ...

*Here's the original songs from that demo :
http://www.soundclick.com/bands/default.cfm?bandID=957976

You guys rock with the best LiFF (Geir and Jarle)!!!!!!!!

Yes sir, great stuff!!
Release On!

[leighelse]

I've recorded and independently released a couple of albums; "Inappropriate Touching" in 2002 and "Lean on the Angels" in 2004. Pressed a hundred copies of each, went round local retailers (they still existed then) and persuaded them to stock a few. I was surprised to get a nice review for the second album in a (New Zealand) national music magazine, and sold out all my copies. But demand for a further pressing didn't seem to be there.

Since then I've released an anthology of sorts; "Three Deck Wreck" in 2007. I hand pressed and printed up a few copies for family and friends, but by then the trend was towards downloads so I only tried to sell it through my website. I did sell a few, which was nice.

All of these have a second life on Bandcamp.

At the moment it's hard to see a future for making an income in mainstream popular music as a songwriter or a recording artist. Music has become commoditised and has largely lost the mystique it had when I was a teenager. Given a lucky break or two it's still possible to make a living at it, but that won't be everyone's experience.

On the other hand, it's possible now to realise musical ideas much more effectively and affordably. If songwriting's in your blood - it's certainly in mine - enjoying it as a creative part of a balanced life has never before been so satisfying. And who knows? Those lucky breaks could still come along.

::Leigh

[T.C. Elliott]

I listened to a few tracks, Leigh, and I liked what I heard.

I started writing and recording songs for an album in November. It's a hard rock/punk(ish) libertarian themed project which means it'll have a small audience, I fear. My plan is to release it digitally and do small physical runs on kunaki for possible placement at cdbaby. I have nine songs written and several more in various stages of completion with a handful recorded. (I was sidetracked with a hand injury for a few weeks.) I am just now starting to look at a plan to "market" it so any pointers would be appreciated.

[Hilary]

I did a couple of marketing courses in Edinburgh this year - largely about online self/brand promotion, I mostly concentrated on Twitter. If anyone wants any tips PM me (I'm not intending to release an album btw, I'd quite like someone/anyone to see me live!)

[bruno]

Leigh - I listened to a few of your tracks, and really enjoyed what I heard - very much so.

For me, never really bothered to take my music into a formatted album. Years ago, I did an EP/CD as part of a band, but that's about it. I love Songcrafters as it gives me a reason to produce, share, collaborate and make new like minded friends. I 'do' music it coz I've always done it and I can't imagine not doing it. I reached a point in my life when there doesn't need to be a reason, I do it because I enjoy it, I have a passion for it. The only person I need to satisfy is myself (or if I'm collaborating, the person(s) whom I am collaborating with). If people don't like it, that's okay - if people like it - that's great. I almost don't want to make money from it (if you get what I mean). I've grown weary of 'the dream' years ago, to the point where I stopped playing - until I released the only person I need to satisfy is myself. I don't like 'scenes' with  petty politics - I have no time or respect for that.

Don't get me wrong, I don't want to be anyone's mug, however I like the idea of giving what I can do back for free. I also like the idea that if there is no money involved (however small) - I have absolute freedom to  do what I feel like, whatever floats my boat, however experimental. I think that pays off as (imo) you can always push your own boundaries - change and grow as a musician. I think that's what I enjoy more that anything. Not sure if I'll put together a CD - that would require a polished end product, and that would require significant effort - perhaps one day. However, at the moment - I'm having way too much fun. A confession. I will admit to listening to my own music, when I'm alone in the car, turning it up and thinking "well that ain't half bad, imo" and simply enjoying the music - even the mistakes blend into the character of the track after a while.  

Apologies for the ramble.

Rock on.
B

[Hilary]

You are a really accomplished musician Bruno - you should so do your own CD!

[Blooby]

I think it is only in the last six months or so that I have looked back on certain posts and thought that there was something interesting there...esoteric as my instrumental posts are. Wouldn't know what to do with it, though.

Blooby

[CaptainJimbo]

It's a good damn "Long Way To The Shop If You Want A Sausage Roll."
I independently released 8 albums between 1998 and 2006 with another 4 that never actually got released. These were mostly with other bands I was playing with at the time and a few of them as solo efforts. At that time in the universe the only place you could record was in an actual recording studio.

Most of these were sold at gigs or to friends and family etc. I used to sell a few CDs on consignment in various music shops back when they existed. The income stream was minimal at best.
Where I did make some coin was submitting them to locally produced tv programs which actually paid really well. There were a couple of shows that used quite a bit of my music over various seasons. That was a great way to recycle old music. I still get royalties from reruns etc.

It's only been in the last year that I've been getting back into writing and recording music and I'm really starting to enjoy it in a big way, (when I can actually find the time). The last album I recorded was late 2009 with a band called SuperHeavyWeights, it sounded great but the singer wasn't happy with his vocal parts. It was mixed and ready to be mastered but then before we could go back and redo the vocals and finish the damn thing, the band split up and the album never got pressed or released. I've always been pretty pissed off by that experience as we'd worked our arses putting together a fantastic sounding bunch of tunes, but then never got around to getting it out there.
I still listen to that recording on occasion and i love what we did but hated that we never finished it.

I've not ever released anything digitally as that world didn't really exist back then, but it is something that I'm quite keen to do in the not too distant future. I just need to work out where to start.

[bostjan]

I did music as a career for seven or eight years before releasing an album with a band.  The album cost us a fortune to make and gave us about 90% of what we spent on it in return income.  I also got some airplay and ended up with a pretty hilarious royalty check a couple years later for $2.40. 
I tried again with another band just a few years ago and spent about a third as much to make an album that sold about a dozen physical copies and about the same number of downloads, meaning that the experience cost the band about fifteen hundred bucks in all.  After such a poor showing, we lost a lot of momentum at our shows and it was a major contributing factor in the band's end.
While my band was dealing with that debacle, I decided to do my own release alone.  I programmed drums, and recorded all of the other tracks on my Boss Micro BR-8 recorder, mixed it on the BR-8 and burned the CD's myself.  I did the artwork myself and printed it on my home printer, and made only a handful of copies to give away to friends and folks at shows.  The response I got was quite positive, so, while my band was in the process of finishing tour dates and winding down, I bought a PC and some decent recording software and made a follow-up.  I mixed it and even mastered it myself on my own PC at home, recorded vocals in my bedroom closet, recorded the drums in my attic, recorded most of the guitar and bass direct, etc.  I hired an artist and a printer to complete artwork and print 100 copies.  I followed that with two more of the same and one online only release.  I plan on finishing another very soon.  These releases always cost me more money to make than I get back, but I make weird music.  If I made normal music, though, I really don't even think I'd be able to make a penny back.

[T.C. Elliott]

Udate: The Libertarian Rock project was put on hold about half way done. But this past fall I started a facebook group "Album Production Challenge" to record an album in two months. A bunch of people did it. I failed... but eventually got it done and released it on January 26th. I've had about 100 bucks in sales (digital and physical) which is more than I anticipated. And I'm beginning work on an EP with a cowriter from Washington State and either gonna finish that rock project or do another solo album.

I've written a ton of songs so I just pour through and pick out songs. I actually had a hard time narrowing it down. I got it down to about 60 or so with 24 or so being more likely. Eventually I just recorded the two songs I knew I wanted on the album and then when I was done I picked the next song I wanted to record and continued until I had 12 songs. Then I wrote another song for a friend who died in a car accident last December. And then I added one more song that was a tribute to a friend who died of cancer a year ago January. 14 songs. Too many, probably, but it seems to work okay.

I recorded it all myself on the BR900. I mixed it all in Reaper. I mastered it myself which was harder to do than it sounds and easier to do than I thought. Getting all the tracks the same volume is not the easiest, but ultimately I only spent about a week on it.  I did run into some problems. Guitars that were fin last fall were suddenly out of intonation. I had tuning issues. I replaced the strings on the acoustic twice and still had dead strings by the end.  It's hard to be critical of your own performance while performing... too critical and you stop getting a good performance. Not critical enough and you have timing issues or phrasing issues or whatnot.

As far as release and distribution. I expected to sell 2 cds (to family) and I exceeded that. But really it's just friends that bought it. I released it on bandcamp as a free download for a month (which ended up being forever) and then used kunaki.com to by replicated discs on demand. The problem with that is they sometimes skip (rarely) but it happens.  I also mastered the disc to .3 db of 0 which ended up being a mistake:

So I've had three radio air plays. But when you master that close to 0 the radio compression tends to make it sound like .. crap.  It's a pumping sensation that sucks.  And one of my tracks skipped while on the radio. A little embarrassing.

So lessons learned: Mater a bit lower to accommodate radio compression. If you get radio play, do duplication (which costs a lot more) rather than replication.

Things I didn't cover: Copyright. PRO affiliation. Marketing.