by Kevin Dooley via Flicker

Writing, producing, rehearsing, recording, mixing, mastering, and pressing an album takes a lot of work. Hard work.

Once you’ve picked yourself up off the studio floor, wiped away the blood and tears, and walked out into the daylight for the first time in months, there’s really only one thing to do next:

Party!!!

Here are 4 tips for throwing an album release party:

1) Have CDs to Release

The cardinal rule of throwing a CD release party: Have your CDs in hand before actually booking anything. Nothing is more embarrassing for a release show than inviting a bunch of people, hyping up your album, and then not actually having copies to give away.

We’ve said this before: Shit happens!

Mixing and mastering revisions can take longer than expected. Things can get held up at the pressing plant. Artwork can get flubbed. There are an endless number of things that could potentially delay the process.

Avoid having a release party with no albums to release! Play it on the safe side and avoid booking anything until you have your album stock in-hand.

2) Only Order What You Need

Be realistic about what you’ll sell or give away. The flip side of having no albums is having too many. You don’t want to get stuck months (or years) after your release with boxes of albums that you couldn’t move.

Keep in mind, once you play your release show (and maybe a string of tour dates), your core fan base -the ones willing to pay for your music- will then have your album. They’re not going to buy it again the next time you play in town.

Unless you have a significant fan base or are planning an extended tour, consider pressing a short-run for your release show. You can always press more afterwards.

CD (Photo credit: Anders Ljungberg)

3) Put Together a Strong Bill

This is going to be your big event, but it doesn’t hurt to invite some other bands that can help fill the room. Putting together a great lineup of artists can make the entire night memorable, and generate more buzz before and after the show.

More importantly, inviting other bands gives you a great chance to reach out to a new fan base that may not have heard your music. Use it as an opportunity to convert someone else’s audience into your new fans.

4) Plan a Pre and Post-Release Strategy

Figure out what you want to accomplish with your album and lay out a strategy for before and after the release to help you achieve those goals.

Pre-Release:

Figure out what kind of media coverage you’d like to get. If you’re looking for radio play, you’ll likely want to send your album to stations a few weeks in advance of your release party. Invite music reviewers and bloggers to your show (offering a guest-list spot will be more enticing) and let them know that you’re available for interviews.

You might consider releasing some content (a single, music video, etc.) a few weeks in advance of the release to generate buzz. Figure out how you want to promote the show (Social media? Posters? Emails?) and plan accordingly.

Post-Release:

Have an idea of what you’re going to do after the release party to keep the buzz going. Maybe you’ll follow up the release by announcing more shows, or by putting out a second single or video.

Do you plan on shopping the album around for reviews? Maybe you’ll make a push for licensing or sync opportunities.

You’ve put in a ton of legwork to make your album and throw a release party. Don’t let the momentum fall flat by failing to prepare a post-release strategy!

Have any tips for putting together a great album release party? Post them below!

Here are a few of the artists (excluding Mojito artists) whose sets I really enjoyed seeing this past week:

Who: Megan Bonnell

When & Where: Thursday, 10pm at Cameron House

Great voice. Great melodies. I guess other instruments have been trendier or more prominent as of late, as it felt quite refreshing to hear singer-songwriter material over a piano. Bonus points to Megan for handling some technical glitches with jokes and grace.

Plus she played this awesome cover:

Who: Great Bloomers

When & Where: Thursday, 11pm at The Horseshoe Tavern

For a festival that can spread audiences pretty thin, Toronto’s Great Bloomers had the Horseshoe Tavern well-stocked. Catchy rock tunes topped up with energy worthy of the famous stage. Songs from their newest album ‘Distant Fires’ sound even better live.

Who: White Ash Falls

When & Where: Friday, 10pm at Supermarket

My first time seeing the alt-country/folk group from Vancouver. Well written songs and a tight band, the set slid effortlessly from roots-rock to honky-tonk. If you’re a country fan, White Ash Falls is well worth checking out.

Who: The Black Atlantic

When & Where: Saturday, 8pm at Cameron House

You could hear a pin drop throughout the entire set by this acoustic-pop band from the Netherlands. Delicate harmonies and well thought out arrangements. I had to look up the song ‘Fragile Meadow’ the minute I got home. Been in my head ever since:

Thanks to all the bands who put on tremendous shows throughout the week!

Who did you enjoy seeing at CMW? Let us know in the comments section below!

Music Canada, our nation’s leading music industry advocacy organization released an impressive report at Canadian Music Week that outlines policies and programs designed to stimulate the economy by developing Canada’s music industry.

The report describes the impact that our music industry has on the national economy, and identifies 5 key areas where we should be focusing our development efforts. It also includes 17 specific recommendations.

It’s encouraging to see how much the music sector contributes financially to the well being of our country. Kudos to Music Canada for accepting the realities of the industry, and putting together such a forward-thinking report.

Here are some of the highlights from The Next Big Bang: A New Direction For Music in Canada.

Economic Contributions of the Music Industry

The Music Canada report threw out some economic numbers that blew my mind:

-       Arts & culture contributes $46 BILLION to the Canadian economy. That’s three times the insurance industries, and twice the size of forestry. That’s 600,000 jobs.

-       Major & indie music companies made expenditures and investments exceeding $398M in 2011.

-       That generates more than $178M in wages, $43.5M in tax revenues, and sustains over 4100 jobs.

-       It also results in a contribution of $240M to Canada’s GDP.

Reality of Commercial Music in Canada

The report states some important facts about the state of our current industry:

Digital Consumption is Driving Change- Digital sales account for nearly half the market. The shift to digital comes with its challenges, such as ensuring artists are being compensated fairly for their work.

Music Companies Continue to Invest in A&R- Despite declining revenues, music companies are still investing 16% of expenditures on A&R.

Live Perfomance Becomes an Increasingly Important Source of Income- Due to digital piracy, performing has become crucial for an artist to reach audiences, develop fans, and earn an income.

Marketing Evolves in the Online Environment- Music marketing has shifted “dramatically” in the digital era. Successful marketing campaigns are taking full advantage of social media to connect with fans not only in Canada, but around the world.

Discovery Moves Online- More and more audiences are discovering new music using the internet. According to a CIMA study, “whereas consumer discovery of new artists traditionally took place in the domestic market via radio broadcasting, that medium increasingly exhibits more established Canadian artists (generally in order to satisfy Canadian Content regulations). Accordingly, consumers’ discovery of new artists is now derived using social media … in addition to through live performance.”

5 Key Areas to Focus Development & Recommendations

The meat of the The Next Big Bang is in its outlining of 5 specific areas where we should focus of development efforts in the digital age, and some recommendations on how to do so:

Music Education

- Provincial governments need to make a conscious and significant investment in music education that supports a 21st century curriculum, provides properly trained teachers, and incorporates technological advancements in the teaching tools.

Digital Innovation

- More fluid funding, allocated according to criteria that reward a constant push toward finding innovative ways to do business, should be implemented and would help secure a place for Canada on the leading edge of digital innovation.

- Design models that support the discovery of Canadian music online through partnerships and strategic initiatives. Efforts dedicated to innovative technologies that support Canadian talent should be favored over those that are tied to old technology or which support of services that do not promote Canadian music.

Music Tourism

- Implement a Commit – Measure – Broadcast strategy for all music tourism stakeholders. Ensure this model incorporates measurement tools, is open to review to ensure best practices are implemented, and ensures optimal deployment of resources.

- Stakeholders in the commercial music industry are experts at fan engagement and community building. This expertise should be leveraged to build and engage with a community of active music tourists.

Export Expansion

-Funding should be provided to enhance Canada’s music industry representation in Los Angeles, to support export growth to the U.S., Canada’s largest music export market, and to attract additional recording activity to Canada’s world class recording studios.

- Consideration should be given by cities, provinces and the federal government to appointing musicians to act as good-will ambassadors to the world and involving them in trade missions. This is something Austin has done to great effect.

Interconnected Tax Credits

- Artist and Repertoire development needs to be treated in the same manner as R&D in other intellectual property industries, to ensure sufficient dedicated funding is available for artist professional education.

- Similar to the film and TV industry in Canada where there are tax incentives for both Canadian and foreign-controlled companies, existing music tax credits and any new tax credits, should be expanded to go beyond support of domestically owned companies. They could be constructed to provide incentives for foreign-owned companies to further invest in using Canadian studio facilities, undertaking the associated music videos in Canada, and employing the music eco-system of sound engineers, graphic artists, music videos, marketing services and the like.

This was a very interesting read, and if you’re at all interested in the business of music, or the future of the Canadian music industry, I would highly encourage you to check out the full report!

Artists have often spent months working hard on their projects, and it’s great to be able to share the excitement, energy, and relief that they feel when the final masters are put in their hands.

As we wave them off into the sunset it’s not uncommon for artists to turn back and ask, “Uh… now what?”

Truth is, creating an album is only half the battle. Now comes the hard part: making the connection between the music and the ears!

Here are 4 steps to take once your masters are done, and your album is completed.

Line Up Your Team

If you haven’t lined up your team yet, do it now! Figure out what your DIY strengths are, and where you might need to bring in some help. The right professionals can assist in: booking shows, getting press coverage, managing tours, distributing albums, building websites, online marketing, legal matters, etc.

Plus if you hire the right people the rest of this list gets a lot easier!

Freshen Up Marketing Materials

Releasing an album is like the spring season. It’s a great time to freshen up your image or start anew on all the materials that go along with marketing your music. This includes (but is by no means limited to…):

- Press Photos- Great band photos are a must. Spring to get some quality shots taken, as you’ll be using them online, in your press kits, and when you’re trying to grab media and blogger attention. Consider getting both promo and live photos, as both can be useful depending on the situation.

- Band Bio- Use the release as an opportunity to re-work your band bio and give it some new life. Maybe the band line-up has changed, or some exciting new things have happened since your last release. Band bios can be tricky, and if no one in the band has strong writing skills, you may want to consider hiring someone to write a bio for you.

- Quotes- Gather all the press and media coverage you have received and put together a list of the best quotes about your band. You’ll want to highlight the bigger outlets first.

- One-Sheet- Once if you have photos, a bio, and some press quotes you might want to put together a ‘one-sheet’- a one-page document that offers some quick-hit info on your band. This will be necessary if you plan on pitching media or radio stations yourself.

Update Website & Social Media

You’ve got new music, and if you’re releasing an album it probably means there’s album artwork to go along with it. Now that you’ve sorted out all your marketing materials, you can put them all to good use by updating your website and all your social media platforms.

Consider branding as you do so. All your pages and profiles should have a similar look and feel. Depending on your promotional plan, you might want to stream or offer one of your new tracks for free. If you can, try to keep your social media handles consistent (@MojitoMastering, facebook.com/MojitoMastering, MojitoMastering.com, etc.). It’ll make it easier for potential fans to find you online.

Music… (Photo credit: georgiemathew)

Remember you also don’t need to give away your whole hand in one go. Save some photos, videos, or audio tracks. Put them up in a few months when your online image could use another boost.

Plan A Release Party

Time to celebrate! You’ve earned it. Book a release show and then promote the hell out of it. Release shows are special compared to regular gigs. Try to come up with some fun ideas that will make the night unique.

As a word of caution, we’d always advise you wait until your stock of albums are in-hand before booking the release show.

Shit happens. Mix and master edits take longer than expected, artwork formats get fumbled, hold-ups occur in duplication. Save yourself a ton of stress, and avoid the embarrassment of playing a release show without any albums!

Check out our article Party Time! 4 Tips For Throwing an Album Release Party for more ideas. 

As you build your schedule for the week, be sure to stop in and see some of our friends in action!

Erik Lind & The Orchard

Wednesday, March 20th – Czehoski – 9:00 pm

Trent Severn

Tuesday, March 19th – Dakota Tavern – 7:30 pm
Wednesday, March 20th – Dakota Tavern – 7:30 pm

Running Red Lights

Saturday, March 23rd – Cabin 5 – 9:00 pm

Zameer

Saturday, March 23rd – Tranzac (Main Hall) – 10:30 pm

Sonic mastermind Joshua Van Tassel is featured in our latest studio session at Verge Music Lab. Playing along with our ‘minimalist’ recording experiment Joshua and his band recorded the track ‘Sneaky Beard’ live-off-the-floor, with one mic per instrument.

The entire session was run through a Nagra tape machine to give it that warm vintage vibe.

We asked Josh what the story was behind the writing of the track:

“I had a a futuristic chase scene in mind when writing it. Someone running from some unidentifiable bad guys, sometimes on a hoverboard or mechanical horse. You know, normal future chase scene stuff.”

‘Sneaky Beard’ is the first single of Joshua’s new album Dream Date, out March 26th on Backwards Music.

Recorded by Reuben Ghose at Verge Music Lab
Mixed, and Mastered by Reuben Ghose at Mojito Mastering

Filmed and Edited by Michael Welfle & Lucas Santo of Orange Peel Pictures

http://www.joshuavt.com
http://mojitomastering.com
http://orangepeelpictures.com
http://vergemusic.ca

Video will be coming shortly. In the meantime here are a few photos taken on the fly from the session.

Joshua Van Tassel @ Verge Music Lab

The band setting up for the live-off-the-floor session

Joshua Van Tassel & Dean Drouillard

Joshua Van Tassel & Band @ Verge Music Lab

Josh on a #DreamDate

100 Mile House cracked Earshot’s National Top 50, and made their debut at #10 on the Folk/Roots/Blues chart. They also charted at #1 on Edmonton’s CJSR and Alberta’s beloved CKUA.

The husband and wife duo of Peter Stone and Denise MacKay as well as multi-instrumentalist Scott Zubot will be hitting the road in early April for a string of shows around Western Canada. Check out the single ‘Last Call’ from their (chart-topping) new record, Wait With Me:

Erik Lind & The Orchard

Erik Lind & The Orchard hit 2013 full-on. After releasing their album Great White North, the track ‘War Outside’ hit #1 in early January on the CBC Radio 3 (R3-30) charts. They went on to hold a Top 30 chart spot for 7 consecutive weeks! Not bad for a debut EP.

You can catch the Montreal band on March 12 at Divan Orange. They’ll be in Toronto March 20th playing at Czehoski for CMW.

Joshua Van Tassel 

Producer/Engineer/Drummer/Sonic Magician Joshua Van Tassel has been nominated for an East Coast Music Award. His self-titled album is up for Electronic Recording of the Year.

Josh’s new album ‘Dream Date’ will be coming out March 26th on Backwards Music.

Lydia Hol 

Congrats to Lydia Hol, who has made the regional finals of CBC’s Searchlight competition! Lydia is one of the five finalists representing Vancouver in the nation-wide competition to find Canada’s ‘Best New Artist’. The regional winner will be determined by votes, so head over to Searchlight and throw Lydia a vote!

The IFPI (International Federation of the Phonographic Industry) released their annual music industry report earlier this week, only this time -unlike a number of years prior- there was an overall sense of good news for the music community.

Global recorded music revenues were up in 2012!

Industry revenues grew by 0.3%, a number increased by digital downloads, music subscriptions, and other channels. And while 0.3% may not seem insignificant at first glance, it marks the first year of music industry growth since 1999.

…1999!!! This means the last year the industry grew, Cher’s ‘Believe’ was the chart-topper of the year. (No wonder the industry started tanking).

The IFPI have reported that music industry revenues grew by $100m from 2011 to 2012, and as Frances Moore CEO of the IFPI declares, “We’re on a path to recovery”.

Here are some of the other highlights from the report:

- Digital revenues increased by an estimated 9 per cent to US$5.6 billion in 2012, now accounting for around 34 per cent of global industry revenues.

- Download sales increased in volume by 12 per cent globally in 2012 and represent around 70 per cent of overall digital music revenues

-The number of people paying to use subscription services leapt 44 per cent in 2012 to 20 million. Subscription revenues are expected to account for more than 10 per cent of digital revenues for the first time in 2012.

- Digital music consumption has become mainstream, as shown by consumer research by Ipsos MediaCT across nine markets in four continents. Two-thirds of internet users (62%) have used a licensed digital music service in the past six months. Among younger consumers (aged 16-24) this figure jumps to 81 per cent.

To read more on the global music industry growth, read the full IFPI report. 

What does this mean for your music career?

It means for the first time in 14 years there’s hope that the damaged music industry can turn itself around. A stronger industry means more support for artists committed to making music their career.

It’s encouraging to see that digital platforms and new technologies are finding their way in an unchartered marketplace. It means if we keep heading in the right direction, and the music industry continues to rebound, we could get back to a place where young artists view music as a viable career path.

It means keep working hard. Keep writing great songs. Only now, do so with more hope that as the industry bounces back you’ll have firmer ground to stand upon.