Just want to clarify, and will write another post on, my definition of value as a musician, cos I don’t mean $$$. Maybe down the line…when you clamber onto step three… but for us first/second crew… the value i speak of is your value to those around you. Creative people, opinion makers, fans, promoters, labels… i will go into this further, at a later point.

So giving up full, say 160kbps mp3s (320 if you’re keen), and letting them spread and multiply online is the first part of this. GET HEARD.

The second part of this project is to incorporate ALL and ANY additional digital content into the release package. Artist pics, gig pics, random pics, youtube videos that incorporate the music, live videos, videos you like, other music, links to pages/people. Anything. Anything that is you- the artist- expressing personality.

I usually use (Grammy winners) The Flight of the Concords to explain the benefits of this. Not necessarily to that extent, but I consider it a clear description of the benefits of defining and expressing personality as an artist. Don’t you find you like someones music much more if you know them.

Music has always been more than just music, wacky sentence I know, but there is another level of communication involved, whether you are communicating understanding, emotion, humour; however you define it; the key to the second step is defining your message and getting it to those how will appreciate it. GET LOVED.

So, I guess I’m kind of up to step 3 now. I should at this point state that this is my iteration of much smarter, more experienced people who share their knowledge. The main idea I’m referencing (kinda blatantly) is Hear/Like/Buy by Andrew Dubber. He’s an ex-pat kiwi music industry futurist, based in England; and most importantly he’s a really clear communicator. Check it out.

Yup, so thats my point, put it out first, quickly and easily online, so your audience can hear your music, display personality so that your audience can further understand your music. And then… then you can look to expect some sales.

Watch this space for a free, downloadable, cross format, release of original NZ music.

And expect another post when I have figured out how best to faciltate a multi-format release. Any ideas MORE than welcome.

Here’s a sampler

And (for you 2.0 geeks) here’s alink to my top 10 ted vids

Ted Jetpac

 Filtering Information. How, Why and for What purpose.

“…in an information-rich world, the wealth of information means a dearth of something else: a scarcity of whatever it is that information consumes. What information consumes is rather obvious: it consumes the attention of its recipients. Hence a wealth of information creates a poverty of attention and a need to allocate that attention efficiently among the overabundance of information sources that might consume it” (Simon 1971, p. 40-41). http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Attention_economy

So what’s my point:

 Audiences need Music > < Musicians need Audiences

Audiences want music they like > < Musicians want audiences that like their music

Okay- no problems so far… so lets define eutopia as music listeners being able to hear music they like, whenever they want, at home and frequently experience it live. Conversely artists are able to financially sustain continued creation of music, for these audiences, and continue to perform live. Simple, huh. Well the old way of doing this no longer applicable. ie. Fans going to the cd store for music and artists signing million dollar contracts. Hey it’s great news, the pop star is dead, the independent artist revolution is in full swing.
But here’s the problem. The revolution is in FULL swing: We are spoilt for choice. There is too much music out there, not enough of it is good and, to include my perspective, there’s way too many ways to spread and promote it. I mean, I just looked through someones pick of the the Top 40, (yes four zero!) online music social networking platforms. You’d need a huge team of pretty damn creative monkeys to manage that sort of thing. The challenge for the information provider / entertainment professional is to filter their content; music, live performance, art, ideas, etc, so as to make the information they are giving their audience valuable enough to warrant the attention that it consumes.
So, the topic I would like to talk about is the way in which A-List Records will approach this issue. First, the obvious action is to provide my audience with good, intelligent music, and further down the track, provide interaction with artists, blogs, videos, music videos, tutorials. This is all standard practice that will soon be expected from labels and artists.

But here’s what I want to do aswell, 1) to be nice, and 2) in the hope that more people out there are doing the same and are willing to pool resources; I am planning to provide what some would call my assets, but I disagree with them; you, your attention and your connections are where I can find value from my information. So, I’m going to make my business open.

• Open release plans, with lists of connections and contact details, plus ratings of how successful I found them to use

• Tutorials and recommendations for web research and online music promotion

• Lists of resources for selling music, both online and physical CD distribution, and mp3 selling

• Lists of Record Labels to contact with projects

• Lists of ways to get funding for creative projects in NZ

• Provide means to follow research paths and provide relevant links

• plus plus plus

Those are basically the ones I’ve done so far, and each one is a work in progress. Can you see the “A-List” thing starting to pan out. These links are all each just “a list” of information that I needed to compile anyway for whatever project I was doing. All I’m doing is making this information available online in the hope they a) attract some more attention to A-List in exchange for using that attention valuably, b) help other people facilitate the creation of other similar projects, and c) encourage other people that are doing the same sort of work as me to add their information to our resource, with the same goals in mind.

Thats what I’m working towards, free information, as a way to give value to the attention of its audiences.

Just to prove that I’m for real heres a couple to start with.

Online CD sales links.

http://www.jeteye.com/jetpak/43105249-215799110367307992713161946/

Mp3 selling and promoting websites for Independent Artists

http://www.jeteye.com/jetpak/28622180-625925365652062705993088576/

Online research tools

http://www.jeteye.com/jetpak/99507606-329545984414611531430919666/

My web research bibliography

http://www.jeteye.com/jetpak/86491438-360498085003596239614094610/

And a formative release plan for Grouch: The Moof Is Rooving is up on my forum www.openarchivesnz.freeforums.org . The forum is still very much a work in progress but over the next month or so i should have it ready to host all this information.

I hope you find something useful. Watch this space because I’m always writing new lists. Its sorta what I do. Please let me know what you think about my free information approach. And how you found the presentation of the info.

Chur chur

ali

A-List Records

Do it. Send me music.

A-List Records does not sign artists. I am simply looking to gain a reputation for providing audiences with good, intelligent music, ie. by promoting you I promote A-List.

I’m basically just starting out here, so the goal is simply to create a base of musicians and listeners to build the future from. So no money, no 50 page contracts, when I receive new music I, a) give it to djs who will play it, both radio and gig djs, and b) enable listening on the internet through myspace, facebook, iLike, Last.FM and web radio.

I just want to clarify, at this point, that, though A-List’s plans for promotion of artists is mostly focused online, this is only because the internet is the best way to get through to your audience. Live performance and live enjoyment of music is why I’m doing this. Gigs don’t work online. But gigs don’t work without audiences. This is why we look to the web to gain recognition sufficient to sustain our careers.

So, those are my aims and my motivations. When a sufficient audience shows itself through one of these promotion mediums then we can look at funded projects; CDs, DVDs, parties, tours, merchandise etc. At that point a simple, specific contract is written to keep everything above board. My previous projects have been 50/50 deals, but I approach all projects individually.

My point here is that my goals are about building stable, effective systems that enable sustainable projects rather than throwing money, that I don’t have, around, all willy nilly.

A-List Records is looking for artists that are prepared to work. The ideal artist is also an entertainer. This means providing maximum content at consistant quality. Gigs, live performance, music, videos, gigs, blogs, tutorials. Audiences want someone real: take Flight of the Concordes as an example – 50% music, 50% entertaining bs. Now, in this age of information and social networking people need to know who you are for this to work. I mean I’m still wrestling with this concept but, seriously, if I run A-List as another faceless record label she aint gonna float for very long..

So Hi, I’m Ali, I run A-List Records.

• Who are you?

• What do you do?

• What kind of content can you bring to the table?- original music, video, Do you write? Do you have knowledge you can share?
• Tell me about your audience? Who are they? Where are they?

The quality of your music is important, but your ability to be real and communicate with your audience is just as important. So send me your music, but tell me about yourself too.

This is What I’m Listening For:

• Production quality
• Strength of feeling
• Orignality
• Musical talent
• Clarity of message
• Music that fits its purpose
• Do I like it?

A-List is not bound by genre. If your music fits the bill I will find someone who likes it, so be prepared to be promoted; it is no longer time to restrict people from listening to your music. That is your gift. It is also your tool to get peoples attention. A-List Records is here to show you how to best utilise this tool.

Send your music on CD (wav files – I’m a quality junkie) and make sure that its clearly labeled too, I already have 5000 unnamed cds lying around.

Attn: Demos

20 Norna Cres

Highbury

Wellington

New Zealand

Alternatively, if that trip to the post office is really too much for you, I will accept 320kbps mp3s to demos@alistrecords.co.nz

So lets go. Whatcha got for me? At the very least I will tell you were I feel you have room for improvement. My goal for next year is to create a database of basic audio production tutorials.

Its time to create. Make your presence felt.

Ali

A-List Records

I figure that it really is time for me to say hi, in this medium, so as to explain a few details about the workings of A-List Records. Where I’m at now and where I’m looking to for our future.

A-List’s current project is a compilation release with NZ psy producers both new and seasoned. Its looking really strong. Exactly the kind of project I’m looking to get involved with. I’m going to use it as an example to explain my plans for the future. I’ll get back to that in a minute.

First let me explain the reality of how A-List Records got to where we are now by swinging back a year to my first release and the lessons I learned from it.

The first release on A-List Records was Grouch’s debut album “The Moof is Rooving”. Getting 1000 copies of the album delivered to my house was my first act as a record label. One way of starting up I guess.

Umm…Lesson 1…Just having a CD available does not mean it will sell.

I know that this is an obvious lesson, and I was pretty well aware of it before hand, but i want to put that reality out there. CDs are becoming an old medium, though full quality audio is still imperative (mp3s are the devil). Lets just say CDs aren’t the newest products out. However, when Grouch plays at gigs we can sell up to 10 copies at $20 a pop. That wasn’t happening before we got the album. The CD also gave me the excuse to hold a release party that was hugely successful, and allowed us to put the word out to people in the local scene. Overall though, the CD has been a slow seller, a reasonable hint for the near future.

Lesson 2. An album is now a really good, but really expensive, business card?

Yeah. I said it. But i don’t quite mean it like that. With a pre-built audience of gig attending, internet savvy, high fidelity craving, CD collectors and djs then a CD = income. In my position, ie. starting from scratch, the monetary benefits from the album have been pretty stilted. The real value has come from the album acting as a real door opener for me. It has enabled connections with musicians, producers, managers, label owners, radio stations, websites, distributors, promoters etc. Always on behalf of the artist, pushing his music, getting it heard, but still giving me the chance to create networks to enable future projects. Basically it has given people the excuse to take me and Grouch seriously.

In hindsight I realise that what the CD therefore did was to a) get the music out- played and heard, and b) gain recognition for Grouch and myself. This has shaped the model of how i see A-List Records. The use of releases of music and other content to gain recognition so as to encourage and precipitate other forms of income for artists. Getting booked for gigs, licensing to websites / games / TV / Film, getting signed to good independent labels, selling mp3′s, commissions, grants, investments, etc, etc…I’m finding lots of ways for recognised artists to start to sustain their careers, but its that recognition that needs to come first. Building an audience.

Lesson 3. Start climbing from the first step.

So I’ve come to an assumption that this first step, finding your audience and gaining their recognition, is basically why an artist is approaching an independant record label in the first place. Promotion. This may seem obvious to some, but I want to clarify this. My motivation is music; The spreading of good music and facilitating the sustained creation of more music and more live performance. Profit can get fucked. I have a job that pays my bills. I started A-List so that I can create; enable creation around me It brings me trials and tribulations, success, joy and defeat. It’s challenging me and its shaping my life. I help artists because its win-win.

So, that is what I’m looking for in an artist. Someone who is prepared to help and be helped. Produce content for the purpose, of first, promoting themselves, furthering their careers. Then finding income, travel etc. There are plenty of income sources out there but there is an awful lot more musicians. Express yourself. Be real. Connect with your audience. Work hard, produce lots of content. That is the successful artist of the new music industry. These are the artists that A-List is looking to support, and what I am looking to have audiences recognise A-List for. Intelligent, high quality music, made by musicians, for their audience.

So that it the process that led to the build up for the new release. With the connections and experience gained from the first album, I can now confidently use the upcoming release as a model to describe what it is that A-List does and will do in the future.

Okay. Release model for Untitled Compilation. This CD is a collection of NZ electronic producers who are the main acts of the local gigs and festivals in the psy scene. They are Grouch, Invader Tron, Psyzaak and the Freakin Durkka Durr, Spoonhead and Psysquatch. I met all of these guys in conjunction with promoting Grouch’s CD. This really feels like my first real release. Grouch The local crew that make up the scene, and attend the parties, are the primary audience for the release. I love NZ music and so do those around me. There is something unique and moving that surrounds a true kiwi song played, outside, at dawn, in one of our mystic forests. I dont want to seem cliched but its that feeling of the right song, at the right time, in the right place, that drives us. So for me and the artists I’m working with on this project, its about building audiences that we can connect with on this level, both in NZ and overseas. The other goals for the artists are to use the CD as a demo to approach overseas record labels, and to create recognition in the global audience of this genre of music. To help this I successfully approached an already internationally recognised NZ act called Antix. By contributing a track for the album they will enable these new, local artists access to their existing audience. My kinda project.

This is how I will approach the achievement of these goals.

• Have the CD’s available for purchase at live performances.
• Create a list of record labels in the appropriate genre and send them all copies of the CD and artist bios.
• Promote a release party or tour in an area that is accessable to as much of our audience as possible.
• Contact local radio for a) airtime / playlisting, b) promotion of release and release party, c) interviews with myself and artists explaining the project.
• Contact web radio in NZ and overseas- with the same sort of goals
• Use social networking sites on the internet, Myspace, Facebook, Stumble, Youtube, LastFm etc to spread content, both on individual artists sites and a-list’s site
• Have the CD’s for sale with an online distributor.
• Have mp3s for sale or for free online
• Communicate with those who want to listen, through blogs, video, VOIP
• Us online distribution to fulfill orders myself and keep overheads down
• Provide all information gained, free.

Though this may seem like a lot of work, it is simply a case of doing everything for the first time. Once a connection is successfully created and used once, its simply a matter of sending a stock email or letter to repeat the process. This is the ultimate goal for A-List over the next couple of years. Simply “picking the team”, making the connections and networks required to enable any further projects. At the same time making this information accessible for any one else who can build on these successes.

So to summarise. A-List Records is here to work with artists at the ground level, trialling new promotion models, specific to each release, with the goal of a) gaining recognition for artists in NZ and globally on the net, and b) creating new networks and connections, providing these openly, to enable further industry growth.

I have a forum, www.openarchivesnz.freeforums.org, where I catalogue all the connections that I gain ie. There is a full release plan, with names / contact details of all the people and services we will work with to release and promote the compilation. I also give a quick review of a) how i used the service / what the individual could do for us, and b) a quick breakdown of what the results and benefits of each connection were, after I have connected with them. Take a look and add any connections that you think might help.

But this isn’t going to work without artists. Send me your music. (See my bio for “What I’m Listening For”) If it fits I will play it to people who will like it. Local djs, radio djs, etc

I can also show you the best ways to promote your music independently on the internet.

Can give opinion on production quality / levels. Working to create resource for production tips.

Come to me with your projects. I’ll give you my opinion of your best options.

Its time to get active. With a bit of hard work we can find sufficient income to sustain the creation of our music. Then we can concentrate on achieving the finer things in life.

• gigs were you only have to sell enough tickets to cover costs
• traveling and touring sustainably, spreading good music globally
• cost covering releases of high quality music, wavs, CDs, vinyl.

Okay i think i’ve made my point. Time to sign out. Please contact me with any comments or requests for clarification. I’m looking to spark a bit of conversation here. Tell me what you think, basically some people go to University to learn what they want to learn. I’m gonna do this. Works for me, lets see where we end up.

I have no idea where i will be in 5 years. This is a paradigm that defines my life. I see it as an adventure, the model for the future. Be adaptable. Act now, execute as quickly as possible. Progress. Let us join and succeed. Together

If you want another way to know what it is i do; listen to the music. Thats what my role is, finding ways to make good music available for people, then, telling them to listen to it. Realising all the time that to keep good music available there needs to be financial support for the artists and for the scenes.

ali

A-List Records