How do you attract bands to working with you?

if6was9

I've been trying to think of ways to basically promote myself and to attract bands to coming to record with me? I'm really just getting started with a few projects done and my gear list isn't huge but its solid and capable of very decent results. I've being doing some free recordings but I really want to step away from that to move on to the next step.

How do you guys do it?

I've noticed the social networking sites like myspace and bebo are flooded with people promoting their studio and no one gives the spam a 2nd thought. The whole industry is pretty saturated with engineers/producers at the moment,

sei046

TBH just do good stuff. Dont do ANYTHING to give yourself a bad name. I have put out some serious sh*te when i shouldnt have bothered. If someone sees your name on an album and its terrible that will be all they remember. Just do good rate, have a good attitude and be down to earth about it. To start off with just bite your tongue at a lot of stuff to get a bit under your belt.

Also get in with other studios/producers, you will get a lot of work that way. TBH if there is a niche where your based it will just come to you.

Dagon

Best thing is just to release a full demo cd of your band, only it's not a band, it's just you. You could possibly ask a drummer who you know to help out, or a guest appaearance by a friend or two. But really just do a full demo cd of 5 songs or so, and do it well as the previous poster said.

This will show that you mean business, wil show your abilities, and other musicians can listen to it, and decide if they want to get involved. Then it will be a "proper" band.

I'm still getting interest from musicians from a demo I made 5 years ago, and I didn't even have very good resources (or any cash_ at that time. If I didn't have that demo to show them though, then why would they believe that I have any musical ability whatsoever?

PaulBrewer

if6was9 wrote: »

I've been trying to think of ways to basically promote myself and to attract bands to coming to record with me? I'm really just getting started with a few projects done and my gear list isn't huge but its solid and capable of very decent results. I've being doing some free recordings but I really want to step away from that to move on to the next step.

How do you guys do it?

I've noticed the social networking sites like myspace and bebo are flooded with people promoting their studio and no one gives the spam a 2nd thought. The whole industry is pretty saturated with engineers/producers at the moment,

I've learned a lot in the few years I'm this side of the Mixing Console (the 'Not out of the box yet' side!)

It seems to me the guys who do well, and by 'well' I mean guys who can pay the bills and eat, have 3 things in common.

1. They have a niche. Most of my customers specialize - they're not 'Studio Open, will record anything' type guys. Around here we have StudioRat who does his Rootsy thing primarily but also extends that to Big Band and Orchestral. TrackMixStudio seems to focus on Metal type stuff. Tweeky has a solid pedigree in Rock/Pop.

2. They run it like a business. That is, charge the market rate, work sensible hours and deliver. They have lives outside the studio. I had a visit from a client today who has been melting himself in the studio for the last year. He said 'There's no good music about these days' to which I retorted 'How would you know? You've been in the Studio since '07 !'

3. This is the one that a lot of guys fail on in my opinion. Have something to Sell...... a lot of studios fail because they only a tick above what their client has at home. You MUST have something unique to attract clients in a crowded market - that's a Business Ground Rule no one is breaking. The Unique aspect could be many things, You, your Rooms, Gear, Musical Equipment, Location - but it must be something.

I don't know how many time I've been told that 'Bands won't pay' by guys who have unclean, badly equipped dingy studios.

You'll only get paid like a pro when you act like one..........and even that's not a guarantee!

Best of Luck.

trackmixstudio

Good points by Paul.
Having a niche is good and happened to me partly by accident.
I did an album for a band called "mael mordha" a couple of years ago.
They signed to a German label and the album came out Europe-wide and got really good reviews and suddenly I became the place to go for Irish metal.
I do lots of other stuff too!

I don't actively promote myself anymore really but let satisfied customers do the work for me.
A happy band will tell everyone about a good studio. One of my main selling points is that the band can just show up and record with my €6000 drum kit, €20000 worth of guitars including all the standards (LP, US Strat, US tele, Rickenbacker, PRS, Gibson hollow body etc) and collection of expensive amps.
From my experience, a band doesn't know what a neve preamp is but certainly know what a les paul or prs is.

The main thing is:
You are only as good as your last recording
So, as Paul and Sei said, don't record anything you don't want your name on.
I turn away a fair bit of work with young bands who aren't ready and suggest they do a few student sessions and come back to me in 6 months or whatever.
And don't record singer/songwriters! Life is too short and one day of depression doesn't get added back on at the end, you have lost it for good:-)
And if you work for nothing, you will always be busy. Make sure you get paid!, Always.

PaulBrewer

trackmixstudio wrote: »

Having a niche is good and happened to me partly by accident.

As is the case of most of the guys I know, more circumstance than accident.

There are a couple of guys whose Dads/Uncles were in the Showband/Country+Irish scene. They both now rule the C+I scene with bookings running months ahead.

There's a guy in the North West who, because of Location and his own musical skills, does a lot of good quality Trad.

A new customer is developing a studio based on his Music in the Community workshops. He's contracted for a few months per year by the County Council and that's a years wages sorted.

Similarly there's a guy here in Dublin who runs a Summer Music School that pays the year's bills.

There are options - the imaginative are the ones who succeed.

tweeky

all said, one mans sh1te is another mans toothpaste so don't box yourself in.
No matter who you work with someone will always think they/you are sh1te
be they the Frames/Kings of/muse/ting tings/rhianna/dylan etc etc.

If you hate folk/roots/country what will you do when your Kings of leonesque
darlings discover Gram Parsons! (look him up) or you get offered a gig with
U2 and they go all CSNY! You have to be able to adapt. My path in this business would have been very boring if i only worked with Echo and the Bunnymen/Jam/Stranglers clones.

Learn to record every instrument with every mike/situation that a session can throw at you and be as quick as possible to hit that record light as a great performance beats sound quality anyday.

Also don't forget those people skills!

sei046

People skills is a big thing. I can think of one very well equipped studio that opened not too long ago beside me (paul knows him) and nobody likes the guy so he relys on people renting the studio and getting him out of it!

Circumstance can definitely be a lot. It can be a serious ice breaker so get in with people. NETWORK ALL THE TIME! Who you are related to or friends with will mean nothing if your not any good but it can open interest.

PaulBrewer

sei046 wrote: »

People skills is a big thing.

Never got that one worked out:o

brettzy

Some very wise words above. The only thing I would add is the Halfords slogan, "going the extra mile".

It's easy to take you money and run but much more rewarding, in plenty ways, by putting time your not being paid for to polish off a mix and doing the little needless extras that make your customers think they are being looked after.

Oh, that and a good coffee machine!!!

studiorat

Rootsy? I'm cuttin' edge me! Brown tweed is the new black leather!

Word of mouth is probably the best way to get introductions. The gigs that you pick up from the phone book etc are usually a nightmare!

It's all about getting along with people and making them feel comfortable working with you and knowing you'll give it 110% the way THEY want it done. Knowing when to take the bull by the horns as it were and knowing when to sit back and let the musicians work it out when to give your opinion and when to shut yer hoop. Be honest and always exude confidence, even if the gear is going up in smoke and place is falling down around your ears.

It takes a long time but if you do this and stick with it you'll build up a good client base and make lots of friends on the way.

If it's quiet give someone a call see do they want to demo anything and get them in for a day it'll often stir up a bit of work along the way.

PaulBrewer

tweeky wrote: »

all said, one mans sh1te is another mans toothpaste so don't box yourself in.
No matter who you work with someone will always think they/you are sh1te
be they the Frames/Kings of/muse/ting tings/rhianna/dylan etc etc.

If you hate folk/roots/country what will you do when your Kings of leonesque
darlings discover Gram Parsons! (look him up) or you get offered a gig with
U2 and they go all CSNY! You have to be able to adapt. My path in this business would have been very boring if i only worked with Echo and the Bunnymen/Jam/Stranglers clones.

Learn to record every instrument with every mike/situation that a session can throw at you and be as quick as possible to hit that record light as a great performance beats sound quality anyday.

Also don't forget those people skills!

I'm not advocating the Niche approach, in fact, logic would suggest otherwise.
However I have found it to be the case.
Perhaps it's avoiding the Jack of all Trades, Master of None trap?

if6was9

Cheers lads- some good advice there!

I've got a good idea of the general types of music that I'd like to get known for, metal/ hard rock and acoustic music, I've got no aspirations to end up filling my days with country, singer songwriter or trad sessions! that said i'd do once offs alright if I liked the band/artist
I've been working on a portfolio kinda thing- writing short busy tunes with alot of different instruments purely for the production of them and to showcase my mixing/recording skills. Hoping to work alot more on that so I have some savage samples to throw around along with my name- no deadlines with these as well, some of the bands that i've worked with have been massively impatient about getting their finished product after tracking and I've felt some of the mixes suffered from the rush to get them done.

One problem I've been having is the bands I've worked with bar one haven't released their stuff properly so after they record my name isn't anywhere to be seen and the tunes can only be heard on not so active myspaces! the last band I've recorded are releasing their stuff and i'm getting proper mixer/engineer credit so i'm hoping i get more bands like this and might start get some work that way.

PaulBrewer

if6was9 wrote: »

One problem I've been having is the bands I've worked with bar one haven't released their stuff properly so after they record my name isn't anywhere to be seen and the tunes can only be heard on not so active myspaces! the last band I've recorded are releasing their stuff and i'm getting proper mixer/engineer credit so i'm hoping i get more bands like this and might start get some work that way.

This is an ongoing problem. I remember reading an interview with Mick Glossop (Van Morrison etc) recently who now has a home studio from which he's doing about 60% of his work.

He reckons, no matter how much he likes the artist he won't do an album with them unless they have a business structure around them i.e. Management, Publishing or a Label...

I recently did a track for a band and someone else got the credit on the sleeve.....

I was right impressed with that.............................

sei046

That has happened to me alright, its not right as far as im concerned. Then again their were times i WISHED someone else got the credit

PaulBrewer

sei046 wrote: »

That has happened to me alright, its not right as far as im concerned. Then again their were times i WISHED someone else got the credit

Aon Focail, Gha Focail .....

sei046

Paul your ****ting me...