Yes, you can combine being true to music and selling yourself without selling out.
The normal blogg guy is up to his ears in pay outs and other Record Union business, that’s why me, Peter, is writing this one.
As an artist, designer, marketeer and salesman in general, I thought I could encourage all of you to sell yourself in a creative way. If you don’t sell your music and yourself no one will listen to you. Selling yourself and selling out is not the same thing.
Record Union is a first step. Selling your music through Record Union is done on your own terms, no one will tell you how to act and which channel you should do promotion. No one will tell you what record to but on your record, when to have your release date. All of this you will have to figure out yourself. The problem is, you are not that very good at it. Record companies are professionals in these matters, they have the valuable contacts with media. This is where your creativity comes in. You need to find ways to get to media and get to the people you want to listen to your music. Your own ways. The web is filled with promotion tricks but most of them are already done and if someone comes up with a good way to sell their music they really don’t want to share it on the web do you?
You need to sell yourself to be able to play your music. Make those uncomfortable phone calls. Make it your job to reach out. Unless you are the shit. But let’s face it, we are not the shit. We need to make ourselves and it’s hard work to do so.
Think of your band as a company. You need to build your brand, you need to get customers, you need to get the right customers, you need media and internet space to broaden your customer base. You need to tell the world that you are the shit, humble yet sincere. In your own way. From your heart. Not someone else’s.
People are quite clearly nuts about Nomy. In the past few months he has been receiving serious playtime on Spotify, in total achieving over 100,000 listens. His hit “Cocaine” has more plays that Eric Clapton´s song of the same title.
So who is Nomy? some of you may ask. An impossible question to question to answer, clearly. But to give you some idea we can tell you that Nomy is an self producing musician from Sweden who has built his following from the grass roots up. He creates much of his music via his own computer, which gives him the artist freedom and control he requires for his creativity reach its musical potential. The feeling and meaning contained within his music is surely a testament to this. His songs change from moving ballads to awesome thrashing hard rock refrains. Within each one one can feel the underlying genius which one can identify as Nomy.
By his own volition, much of his music can be found on his website and floating the Internet for free. With such an interest in his music the availability on streaming services and music stores has made his music more omnipresent than ever. Keep on rockin, Nomy. The world is ready.
The Phoenix Rose is a band on a mission. The goal of their debut release “Sick and tired” on Record Union is not just to provide their growing fan base with some great new music, but part of a larger scale campaign to raise awareness about how the music industry can too become more environmentally aware.
To assist them on their noble mission is the pioneering labelArchangel^Green, the first Record Label 100% committed to a green agenda. When the band signed to the label they both agreed to numerous clauses aimed at making the production, performance and distribution of their music as environmentally friendly as possible. The release will also be 100% digital, which is far more eco-friendly as it requires no physical transportation or manufactured raw materials!
The official release of “Sick and Tired” (featuring Flo) on the 9/9/9 is set to cause quite a stir. Their massive media campaign has received support from all corners, especially organisations working to promote a greener future. As for the song itself, well, it is extremely catchy and will definitely have you coming back for more. Head over to their MySpace page to give it a listen and check out their video.
For the full single, including 5 great remixes from the likes of Pete Hammond and Freshold, you will have to wait until the 9th when it will be available first on TuneTribe!
One of the fantastic things of the new music environment is the diversity of music which is now available to those who love music. No more is this tendency proved than in the case of Dr.Sounds, who composes slow, electronic, ambient symphonies probably unlike anything you have heard before. One could describe it, strangely, as new age classical music – as there is a subtle sophistication in his music which takes careful listening to fully appreciate. Not something which you throw on at a party, but something to stimulate your mind. In fact, even without mind altering substances, it has been said to induce trancelike states. Do not listen to while operating heavy machinery.
And what of Dr.Sounds himself? Well, the inspiration behind his music is equally intriguing. His mind values “logic and mathematics before feelings”, and he says he has always had a deep relationship with his computer. With his music he describes “experiences of flying through several worlds, changing shapes and another life context” – the experience of “coming from another planet” a common point of expression within his music.
Rather than voice and playful hooks, Dr.Sounds uses floating new age soundscapes to express his vision. He is aware that his music contrasts with the more popular sound, and requires more interaction from listeners. However, he has found an audience for his music among new age circles and those who practice meditation, yoga or alternative healing. He hopes that with his music now available widely, he can introduce his music to a new audience – Record Union will support him in any way we can.
Dr.Sounds has released a large collection of his works via Record Union. You can listen to them here on Spotify. Or buy them from most major online music stores, such as iTunes and Amazon MP3.
The above video is an except from a documentary called “Before the music dies”, we posted an article about it a little while back. Provocative, or what? What this clip tries to get across is that there is something “soulless” about pop music made under these conditions, and they may well be right. But surely not all pop music fits this category? Many pop artists possess some kind of talent, they can dance and sing, and have struggled to hone their craft just like any other performer, right? People like them for a reason. What this clip does illustrate is a darker side of the music industry, a dishonest side, where music is created not for the joy of self expression on the part of the artists, but with a naked profit motive in mind in which the artist is just a vehicle. All in all, this clip raises some interesting questions.
One of the fascinating things about music is the subjective process involved in forming listening tastes. It is fascinating the way that music helps to build a life narrative affecting how people make sense of their everyday experience. Music is, in a very real sense, a kind of philosophy. Bands and genres often form an almost tribal following, with clear examples of what genres a part of another tribe. These tribal followings have their own social codes, general frameworks for acting and certain forms of living which are associated with them.
Along this line of thinking, the artists who create music are in some sense philosophers. Ok, they don´t have long beards and write very long books, but they share something of the philosophers spirit. Through reflecting on their life experiences, or simply because of them, they compose an artefact which in some way transmits their vision of how things are; melody and rhythm acting like different shades of colour on a paintbrush, like words on a blank page. Whether it is a chirpy guitar riff, a dazzling drum beat or a soaring piano melody or the mournful lyrics of an ode; it communicates something to the listener. Though the emotional effect of music lacks the precision of verbal expression, it often speaks with much more clarity. Dancing is when the emotional truth of music translates into action. The origin of rhythm may well lie in the steady beat of the heart pumping our around our biological self; in this case, music shares and intimate relation with our very existence. We will finish this contemplative post with a quote:
“Music expresses that which can not be said and on
New York rapper Immortal Technique takes independent music to a new, revolutionary, level. Techs regard for major Record Labels can be best described as one of contempt. Echoing the move of many artists who wish to exercise control over the content and production of their music, he did not sign with a record label that would alter his music and fillter his message. This gives him the freedom to say whatever he wants about whoever he wants. His gritty and sober reflection on the realities of Harlem life, social injustice, racism, corporate America, the hypocrisy of western governemnts, religion, and the manufacturing of consent reflects his belief that Hip-Hop is an emacipatory and critical movement which should question existing power structures, not perpetuate them.
It is interesting the homogenising effects that major labels have on artists with an outspoken anti establishment message, and Immortal Technique is all too aware of this. He has reputedly turned down at least one major record offer. After the initial underground success of Revolutionary vol. 1 (which got him unsigned hype in Source), he released Revolutionary vol. 2 with Viper Records, for which he is executive VP. To date, he has moved over 135,000 units without a major label. Immortal Technique embodies the spirit of the independent music, the reality of his expression is rooted in his experience of the world, and the deliverance of this vision will not be compromised by anything. A profoundly accomplished lyricist and musician, his music is both provocative and engaging. Tech is a prolific activist, and his tireless work ethic is well known.
Francis and the Lights, a New York based band (whose music is best heard or seen than described – it’s really quite special) did something very intriguing recently. Feeling no pressure to sign to a record label, who may wish to exert external control over their creations, they decided to incorporate themselves into a company. They then raised $100,000 from the normative music company, as an investment. This move was not so much an alternative to signing a record deal, more a way of orientating themselves towards their future development.
The partnership between Normative and Francis and the Light reflects a joint understanding of the place of independent music, and a shared regard for music as an art form not open to compromise. The promise of independent music, says Jake Lodwick, the manager of Normative, is that of “unmolested artistic integrity”. This art begins with a vision, a “spark in the musicians mind” and must be “absolutely realized, irrespective of cost“. Such dedication to a pure aesthetic ideal is surely something to be commended on both sides, especially in the age of mechanical reproduction and the homogenizing effects of the culture industry.
Billy Salisbury a.k.a The Undercover Hippy is a ruthlessly independent musician originating out of the UK. He creates studio quality music out of his own bedroom, which he showcases and sells from his own personal website. The Undercover Hippy is an inspirational example of how musicians now have the power to make music on their own territory, on their own terms, and in their own way. This creative freedom is reflected in the tone of his music. If you like your music enlightening and dealing with issues facing the world today, while at the same time sounding great, then this guy is right up your street. It´s nice to have a change from the monotonous sensationalist feel good nonsense which they sometimes play on mainstream radio, and this guy fills that void brilliantly. It is difficult to locate The Undercover Hippy within any particular genre, so its best quote the man himself, who describes his music as “Ben Harper meets Mos Def… at a Drum n Bass night… hosted by Delasoul”. Hmmm, that clarifies things…a little. Pressed on the matter, he describes his music as “acoustic jazzy bluesy hip-hop reggae with a drum n bass flavour”. Whatever his music is, it sounds great. Combining pointed and clever lyrics with an almost spiritual acoustic guitar, the emotion and truth in his words pierce deep. His is the kind of music which makes one want to quit their job, grow dreds, become good at something creative, and just chill out. He has recently released a single called “money money money” on vinyl with an independent German label Agogo Records, and we wish him the best of luck. Check him out at www.undercoverhippy.com.
Julia´s album cover from her album "Left, Right, Wrong"
Julia Nunes has become quite the celebrity, having established her fame on one of the great wonders of the digital revolution: YouTube. Her most popular track “into the sunshine” has gathered over 1.5 million hits, most others are well above the 300,000 hit-mark; so as you can see, people seem to be going quite nuts about Nunes! Julia plays the guitar and sometimes the melodica, but what she is most famous for are her excursions on the ukulele. It’s not often one sees someone so versatile with a ukulele, she bangs out covers so diverse as Destiny´s Child and The Killers. Julia performs covers of her favourite songs well, but one should not underestimate her own lyrical ability. Her lyrics read like poetry, and she weaves them brilliantly in between the melodies coming out of her chosen instrument. So highly is her talent regarded that she was offered the opportunity to open a string of Ben Folds concerts this year, and she is only 19! Impressive to say the least. What´s so inspiring about the Nunes story is that it is unlikely that she would have been discovered by so many without the help of the internet and the endless possibilities available to artists to distribute their music, and listeners to discover it. Julia is a great example of how talent, locked up perhaps never to be seen globally, can burst forth and bring musical happiness to so many people. A truly inspiring tale. Julia is now signed to Rude Butler Records and her website is http://junumusic.com/, check her out and see what you think.
