Category Archives: musics

Running An Underground Death Metal Music Record Label

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My first injection of Extreme Metal Music was back in 1985, i was 13 and a Metallica – “Ride The Lighning” cassette crossed my paths (Yes back then that was considered Extreme). I remember being at home alone with my crappy old “Ghetto Blaster” (that ‘ate tapes’) and fascinated at the cool “Electric Chair” cover art, it was at that moment within the first 30 seconds of “Fight Fire with fire” that my life would no doubt be set down a new path and Extreme Death Metal Music would be my fate. I remember being blown-away and scared shitless at the same time. The shear aggression and speed of the music was unlike anything i had ever heard (remember this was 1984 and i was 13 and Def Leppard was about the heaviest i had ever heard) and it was that very song that forever changed my life (thanx James) and led me to investigate this style of music even more. Bands like Slayer, Venom, Possessed and Death became the metal music that “Got me thru the day”

Well, the year is now 2008 and even though Metallica’s “Ride The Lighning” is still one of my top 20 favorite albums of all time, Extreme Metal Music is like drugs, one is too many and a thousand is not enough. The need for faster, heavier, more brutal and intense music dosages becomes the addiction. In today’s world of Extreme Metal Music – Metallica would probably be considered choir boys.

I guess it’s time to talk about what this article is actually about… running an underground Death Metal Record Label. First off, running an underground death metal label like this usually means running it from your parents basement, or if your a grown man who just can’t seem to grow up, your running it from your own basement and are constantly having to remind your wife, “would you rather me be here at home with you wasting all our money, or at the strip clubs wasting all our money). Truth be told probably 90% of Death Metal Record Labels that exist do it for the pure love of the music and do it on top of working 40 – 50 hours a week doing something that actually makes money, and to those who continue to do it while investing their own money and risking their marriages and relationships i raise my Corona and “Cheers You!”… But that’s just what Extreme Metal does to people, there is a devotion to it, there is just this undeniable force that encapsulates you… it’s likebeing in a gang… a really large gang!

I work for a small record label CDN Records, a basement run 2 person operation managing over 2000 Extreme titles in the genres of Death Metal, Brutal Death Metal, Melodic Death metal, Grindcore, Goregrind, Black Metal, Thrash Metal and more. The other person involved again and actually the one who started the label, a grown man like myself in his late 30’s obsessed with metal music in it’s most extreme form and probably the biggest “Death” (the band) fan you will ever meet. He started the label over 15 years ago, originally called “Civilian Death Network”, but after 9-11 it was apparent that we needed to change the name, hence (CDN Records). The label started out mostly as a “Tape Trading” network trading various Death metal bands demos with other Death Metal music fans around the world, and back then without the internet and low-cost’s of producing cd’s the cost involved could bankrupt most people. Most of us doing this tape trading stuff usually spent every last extra penny we had, we begged borrowed and stole just so we could pay for postage.But with the advent of the internet and the ability to manufacture “CD’s” cheap the label was able to evolve into a full-blown record label, signing and releasingbands.

Currently we have over 15 of our own titles, and what we do is trade our titles with other Extreme Labels around the world which increases our distro catalogue. It’s a great system, and its probably the only form a music in the world (that i know of) that operates like this… again reminding me of the bond and devotion to Extreme Music us “Metalheads” have. It’s like there is no competition between all Underground metal labels, we work together to create an even larger network. Its and even better deal for alot of the bands in the Death Metal, Extreme Music genre. We have taken bands who would never have been able to get their music on a cd let alone shipped out and into the hands of metalheads around the world… and that’s a great feeling and what fuels us to keep going.

Although, we first do this for the love of Death Metal music, we definitely work very hard at trying to get “Death Metal Music” to pay the bills. How much better could it get? promoting the music you love and making a living do it…

Tips for staring your own Death Metal Record label:
1. Find a band that you really like and has already recorded their own full-length cd (This saves you money)
2. Sign the band to a simple distribution deal, you press 1000 copies and give the band a few hundred copies (most death metal bands will jump at the chance for this)
3. Get yourself a simple web site and the ability to sell your product online.
4. Spend countless hours surfing the internet looking for other small Extreme Death Metal labels… create a long list
5. Contact all the labels you found online and ask if they do “Trades”, usually trades are based on a point system you’ll figure that out quick.
6. Most labels will trade 3-5 copies to start, trade with 100 labels you now have 300-500 titles to add to your web sites online catalogue
7. Don not take more than 10 copies of any one title… 3-5 at most
8. Promote online, Promote Online, Promote online… forums, blogs, myspace etc etc.
9. Repeat steps 1 thru 7 once you have no more of the original 1000 cd’s you pressed, of the cd traded well press the same release, if you struggled
to get other labels to take it on trade, search for a new band and try again.
10. You will be very lucky to sell more than a few thousand copies of any 1 Extreme Death metal cd, Grindcore cd or Black Metal CD (unless you happy to get lucky enough to sign the next Cannibal Corpse or Cradle of Filth) release so don’t get frustrated, the key is to
build your online catalogue with 1000’s of titles to chose from and enjoy the fact that you are now promoting and selling 100’s of Extreme Metal bands.

For all you Death Metal, Brutal Death metal, Melodic Death metal, Grindcore, Goregrind, Black Metal and Thrash Metal needs, stop on by www.cdnrecords.com

Making The Most Of Your Owned Music Production Hardware

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Lets face it — nothing in the music production arm of the music recording industry is cheap. If you were to list out the prices of all music production products and services that are used to make an album, the bottom line would be staggeringly high. From the unnecessarily posh recording studios to the outrageous hourly rates they charge, traditional music recording is not for the stingy.

However, thanks to the improvement in DIY music recording technology over the past twenty years and the accessibility of those qualified to educate on such products and their uses, the music recording playing field is being leveled. Thanks to this great shift, musicians of all kinds (beat makers, producers, instrumentalists) can now justify the cost of recording over a long period of time, whereas before the more you recorded, the more you paid. Not the case today! With products like GRAMMY award winning producer Dallas Austins new music production tool Beat Thang, what you get for your money is entirely dependent on how much you use it.

But DIY does not equal cheap. However, these music production suites often make up for their sometimes steep price point in other ways. For instance, Beat Thang comes pre-packaged with assets at no extra cost that a traditional music recording studio could never offer you, like 24/7 technical support from professional producers.

Additionally, I dont think youll ever come across a music recording studio that will give you your money back if youre not pleased within the first day of recording, like Beat Thang does. Most importantly, a studio will never be able to upgrade the sound of your recording once its finished. On home recording tool sets like Beat Thang, you get free software upgrades included for life.

Thanks to the digital connection on this music production device, no software on the Beat Thang will ever be obsolete, so long as its creators continue updating it to align with the progress of other music recording sounds and standards. Instead of having to spend a few hundred dollars an hour to master beats and record samples in the studio and know that the price is fixed, the more you use a product like Beat Thang, the more youre getting for your money with each and every usage.

As beat makers continue their experimentation with Beat Thang, theyre also learning the ropes of music recording and beat-oriented music production as well, thus controlling their own creative destiny. No squabbling over artistic differences with anyone when using Beat Thang, just your own inner conflict.

Once you start to tally up all the features and see how much youll be using any music production device, not to mention learning from it, prices begin to seem more reasonable.

Beat Thang or no, it is important that you seek out information regarding portability, intuitiveness, and capability before purchasing any music production tool. The grade any piece of equipment gets in each of those categories will go a long way in determining if youll get your moneys worth.

Dish Network Music Channels

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Do you love listening to music? They say music has the power to both heal and calm. That is right in many ways. Whenever you feel low and sad, listening to music can give you the desired boost. If you listen to some soothing and relaxing music it can relieve you from all kinds of stress and tension. Music therefore has an important role to play in our day to day lives. We just love listening to music. Dont we? If you are a music lover who cannot live without music then you are sure to have an entertaining time with DISH Network, one of the leading satellite TV companies of the United States.

The Satellite TV provider offers you a wide array of music channels that can give you a heavenly musical experience. There are number of DISH Network channels that are dedicated to music. These channels bring you music of every kind and genre. Whether you love jazz, rock, blues, pop or any other kinds of music for that matter, you can get a variety of music of your choice on DISH Network satellite TV channels. You can also get to hear a number of musical performances by the eminent artists. The music related reality shows are also there. You will enjoy watching some of the rising stars of music industry through these programs. It is sure to be an experience to remember. You can hear some cool classics as well as some of the latest chartbusting singles by the pop idols through these channels.

We can classify the music channels on DISH Network in different categories. Some of these channels are audio channels while there are some channels that bring you the beautiful music videos that come with these singles and other songs.

DISH Network Audio Channels

The DISH Network audio channels can be found under the name of DISH Music. You can have a great time listening to your favorite genre of music with these channels. The channels include DISH MUSIC – 50’s & 60’s Hits, DISH Music – 70’s Hits, DISH Music – 80’s Hits, DISH Music – City Lights, DISH Music – Country Music One, DISH Music – Expressions, DISH Music – Gumbo, DISH Music Hitline, DISH Music Love Song, DISH Music Hot FM and much more. You are sure to get the best of songs and performances from the eminent artists with this DISH Network channel.

DISH Network Video Music Channels

There are a number of video channels that offer the viewers high quality music entertainment. Through the music channels you can not only get to hear some of the coolest music videos and live performances. Yes, that is true. You can enjoy the latest music videos by the famous pop stars and music bands through these DISH TV channels. You may also listen to some beautiful and refreshing country music through these channels. The channels include MTV, Country Music Channel or CMTT and much more.

Apart from these channels there are channels like Fox, NBC and ABC that brings you musical talent shows, live performances and much more with DISH Network channels.

Rap Beats – Get Your Music Heard! – Music Marketing 101

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Rapping Beats

Marketing of your music product (mixed and mastered vocals on Rapping Beats or R&B Instrumentals) is probably the most important part of the music BUSINESS. In this Rap Beats and Instrumentals support article Ill give you an intro in the MASSIVE world of Music Marketing. This article is part of a series on how to become a successful Rapper or Singer. You can view all the articles in this series on the authors page.

You can have the craziest lyrics and the hottest rapping beats and R&B instrumentals in the world, but if no one knows about you and your music, it makes NO difference. You can even have distribution with the biggest distributors in the world. But without proper marketing it wont mean anything. If you dont promote your music heavily, youll get lost in the ocean of rappers and singers that are online and in stores. Ill give you an intro here, but the topic is way to huge to discuss in one article.

Q: Once my song is ready, where and how can I promote it and get it heard?

A: Like I said earlier this is a big subject which cant be explained in a couple of paragraphs. But once you have a fully mixed and mastered song with solid lyrics on a really HOT rapping beat or R&B instrumental, youre ready to get it out there into the world. (Remember, as important as marketing is, music quality still matters). One thing you definitely want to keep doing is constantly learn all you can about Music Marketing. The key is to get AS MANY PEOPLE AS POSSIBLE to hear (to actually listen to) your song. Post your music up everywhere online. Give it to all your friends and tell them to make copies and share it with their own friends. Hand CDs out at clubs and concerts where they play music similar to yours. When youre first starting out dont be afraid to give your music away for free. Yes I said FREE. (well Almost free, the only thing you should ask for in return is the persons Email Address more on this later.) People wont pay to listen to a song from an unknown artist they might not like. They have to trust and like you before they buy from you. Trust me, giving away your music to gain a true fan will PAY OFF in the end.

The next thing to do is get your music on the internet and let the world hear. Upload your music to any music related website you know of. POST IT EVERYWHERE YOU CAN! Some good ones to focus on are iLike, ReverbNation, MySpace (yes MySpace still matters), Last.fm, Jango and BandCamp but the list goes on and on. After that get on social media sites like Facebook and Twitter and socialize with different people tell them about your music! Its important NOT to be annoying and spam people with ads of your music. That is one SURE way to get potential fans to HATE you. (Do you ever click on those kinds of posts? Didnt think so) You have to start or join in conversations and build personal relationships with people. Thats the key to social networking Its hard work, but it WILL pay off.

Another thing you dont want to forget about is having your OWN website it looks professional and will give you credibility as an independent artist. Having a MySpace of Facebook Page is great but you need a HOME your personal website will be your own store-front where you can gather fans. A good solution for this is BandZoogle. You can easily design a professional looking website with them and get your own domain (something like www.YourArtistOrBandName.com). BandZoogle also has a great Mailing List application that will let you collect all your fans email addresses so you can keep in touch with them. This is VERY important. When you give your music away to fans, make sure to get an email address in return and keep them updated on all your new releases. Its much easier to keep old fans (customers) than it is to get new ones! Well this is the longest article in the series so Ill leave it at that for now! Keep learning about Music Marketing Its Important! Hope this helped.

Holla @ ur boy!

DatPaki
Producer/Songwriter
PBE Music

House Music – The Origins

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Establishing “House”

The birth of the words “house music” is a hotly argued question amidst artists and DJ’s. Some people assert it originated from a night club called “The Warehouse” where longtime resident Producer/DJ Frankie Knuckles played a distinctive brand of dance music until 1982 when the establishment closed down. Knuckles himself suggested he initially witnessed the term when driving by a bar on the south side of Chicago that hung a sign in its window reading “We play house music”. DJ Leonard “Remix” Rroy suggests the sign was likely a reference to the style of soulful songs one would listen to at your own house.

A second sentiment is that the phrase referenced the production of music in the residences of groundbreaking DJ’s and dance producers. These early creations would be recorded with synthesizers, drum machines and sequencers. Many others assert that “house” references the relationship of particular tracks with their respective DJ’s, as in the house DJ’s played their very own house records.

The Fathers of House Music

The Chicago night club scene of the early 80’s was spurred by DJ’s spinning a number of styles of music like disco, hip hop, funk, pop, and R&B. The beginning of somewhat economical electronic instruments led to some DJ’s crafting their own combination of existing tunes by mixing in drum machines and effects.

Seen by many to be the very first original house music record, “On & On” by Jesse Saunders was published in 1984. The album’s prosperity ignited a wave of tracks from the earlier DJ’s attempting their hand at putting out house music. The music soon branched off into subgenres of house such as deep house and acid house.

Through the support of club DJ’s such as Lil Louis, Frankie Knuckles, Ron Hardy, and radio stations like WBMX, house music quickly gained popularity in Chicago. Concurrently, house began to spread to nearby DJ’s and producers of Detroit, Michigan. Artists like Marshall Jefferson helped push house outside of Chicago with his hugely well known track “Move Your Body”. From the middle to late 1980’s artists such as Larry Heard, Derrick May, Kevin Saunderson, Farley Keith, and Steve Hurley, persisted to popularize the style.

Now, house music is more prevalent than ever and can be heard in a variety of forms in night clubs spanning the earth. The genre has continued to fork off into subgenres including progressive house, electro house, techno house, breakbeat, and the list goes on. House isn’t just a style of music, but is a religion protected by loyal followers the world over.