KRAZYJAY.COM
Beats x Rhymes x Marketing x Music x Consultant

As an aspiring recording artist, it’s easy to forget that aside from making music, we also have to create music that will be pleasing to us as well as the consumer. I have come up with a few tips that you can use to reach those goals in no time flat!

5. Be conscious of your message and delivery.

I’m not saying to be squeaky clean with the lyrics.  We all come from different backgrounds and various perspectives.  Those are the trials and tribulations that allow us to express ourselves creatively. Remember to make your music “user friendly” for the listener. Are you gearing up to have your next hit record play in your local night club? Are you aiming to play it on satellite radio?  Disney channel?  Place yourself in the mind of the listener.  What type of reaction do you want their parents or children to have when they listen to your music?

4. Be the solution for the listener’s problem

We often catch ourselves listening to a song because the artist is able to explain his\her feelings in a way that allows us to pinpoint our current mood.  Here’s a story for you!  Before my wife and I were married, we had a really BAD argument.  We both thought that was the end of our, then, 5 year relationship.  After listening to Kanye West’s album “808’s and Heartbreaks”, I felt better.  The album talked a lot about losing love, how bad it felt, and being willing to take that extra step to make things work.  After listening to that album, not only did I feel refreshed, but I felt like I wasn’t the only one dealing with these types of situations. Needless to say, my wife and I are now married with 2 kids! #ThanksYeezy (@Kanyewest)

3.  Type your lyrics and submit them to lyric websites

I’m very surprised when I speak with artists and they tell me that all of their lyrics are written in binders and notepads, however nothing has been published for the general public to read.  There are hundreds (if not thousands) of lyric websites that are dying for you to submit your songs to them.  Google is your best friend on this one. Simply search “Submit my lyrics” and you’ll find pages of results.  There’s no telling how many new fans you could get from people reading your work.

2. Communicate with your fans via Social Media (Twitter, Facebook, etc.)

Let me be honest…If you want to gain new fans, you’re going to have to do waaay more on your social network account than send someone a message saying “Available on iTunes…Jim Janka ft Tally-All in…DOWNLOAD NOW”… It looks cute, but it’s not building any relationship with the recipient.  Your initial contact should be something like…”I see you listen to ______. I have written a song that I think you may enjoy. Would you like to listen?”  It doesn’t have to be those exact words, but SOMETHING that shows that you’re more concerned with them getting music they may enjoy rather than just sending them to iTunes in hopes that they will buy the song.

1.  Direct your fans to a local hub(Your Official Website)

Make sure that once your following has gained momentum to have somewhere for them to go online to research and listen to more of your music as well as provide them a bio to see what makes you such an amazing artist.  Try not to complicate the website. Make it simple to navigate and user friendly. Here are a few sites that offer free website creation (Wix.com, Webs.com, and Wordpress.org)

Follow these steps and you’ll be one step closer to living your dream as a recording artist.

This article was written by: Jason A. Spencer of Krazyjay.com

Indie artists have the freedom to control their branding without the "guidance" of major or indie record labels, but this freedom comes with a difficult task of self-promotion. The key is to try to create an image that is different from the mainstream and take promotion into your own hands.

Are you working hard on your music but not dedicating enough time to promote your brand? Do you have a website and social media profiles but are not mentioning them in your media kits? If so, start making the necessary changes. The essence of branding yourself is getting your image "out there" actively and consistently. Do make sure that your image captures your true spirit - real image is easy to express confidently and consistently, while fake is hard to maintain for too long.

Tell your story to the public. When telling it, remember that authentic conflict and tension always help to engage the audience. If you have a touching story about your music, tell it. Connect with people's hearts, and people will remember you, spread the word about you, and invest in you. Your story gives them an additional reason to connect with you, beyond your art. Stay active and update your followers on your news and appearances.

The most powerful venues for indie artist music promotion are: local and regional events and online social networks.

Local and Regional Events:

Taking part in local events is an important ingredient of branding for an indie artist. Events to take part in include: singing contests, beauty pageants, various non-profit events and charities, and local networking events. You could be a "guest star", MC, judge, or guest speaker. The main point is to weave in your music promotion. For example, the host can give a brief introduction to your band plus mention your website, Facebook, Twitter, or MySpace page. If you are not sure how to proceed, call the event administrator and say that you want to volunteer; they will advise you. Do it for free and show everyone that it's your passion, and the money will follow. Local events really help to enhance your image as an entertainer and make people remember you.

Social Networks:

Social media is irreplaceable for artist promotion. You can use Facebook, Twitter, MySpace and YouTube to define who you are to your fans and connect with them. If you are looking to get signed to a record label, remember that many indie labels or major music companies today want to see that you can gain dedicated and loyal fans and retain them. They are looking for strong artistic vision & credibility, tour history, strong online presence, significant independent sales and potential brand value.

These days, independent music performers need compelling and creative marketing to reach their audience and interest indie record labels. There are myriads of songs for download on the internet and myriads of bands on social networks, so it is important to actively promote your own band and create name awareness for it. Remember: artist promotion takes time. Results will come, just wait and don't panic. If you consistently put your brand into the people's faces, they will remember you. Your unique expression together with an emotional experience should create a sound result. Let your public image follow you everywhere, just like your forum profile picture accompanies your every post on the forums.

RYAL MUSIC is an indie label dedicated to the development, management and direct-to-consumer promotion of unique and exciting, indie artists by encouraging individuality, authenticity and true music innovation. Check out their site http://ryalmusic.com/ and SIGN UP to their newsletter today! The company is becoming one of the next top indie music labels in North America.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Alex_Marcus

Jason can be seen doing a zillion things in Hollywood...This is one of em. #Daretodream!

The Problem:

Normally for a music producer or audio engineer, the biggest issue when creating anything is relying on the room to give your ears an accurate represenation of what they are hearing.  This plagues a lot of those who do their mixing in a room that hasn't been properly treated with bass traps and reflection foam "correctly". By mixing in a room that hasn't been properly calibrated, you can expect to see yourself taking cd referencing trips to your car more frequently because of this oversight.

The Solution:

This software claims to take out all of the guess work of professionally calibrating the room by taking measurements with the measuring microphone that is provided with the software.  The company also claims that this software will simulate a better listening environment which ,in turn, will provide you:

• Wider stereo image
• Room correction for unfamiliar studios for the traveling engineer.
• Higher level of mixing confidence

The Price:

Currently this system is on sale all over the net for around $299.00. A HUGE step back from it's previous pricing of over $500.

Overall:

A system like this would be greatly useful to me, considering that I currently have an odd mixing space to work with. And for $299.00, you can't beat the price.  The only drawback with this system however, is the inability to use it outside of your DAW software.  The software acts as a plugin, and in order for it to work correctly, you must place the ARC plugin on your master track. I think i'll buy it, give it a try, and see how it works though.  If it does what they and all of those who use it claim it can do...It will be worth every penny.  Something like this would have the beats sounding Phenomenal!

This is video of world renowned music producer,Chris "Soleternity" McGill, explaining Side-Compression.  This technique is extremely handy for the producers out there aspiring to become the next big thing in electronic/loop based music.  This technique can be heard on any of your favorite dubstep/techno music.  

Source:(http://www.soleternity.com)