As I write this article, I realize that the previous two very
informative articles written by Don and Rie have pretty much laid down the guidelines for
making and producing a music CD. Without repeating what they’ve already said, I will
talk about some of the positive experiences I have had on the way to producing several
CDs, some of which have enjoyed a good degree of personal success.
Why
record a CD? That is the first question I asked myself. As I tried to answer it,
I was forced to be very clear as to the goals and
motivations I had in creating the project that was going to involve a great deal
of money, sacrifice and time. This clarity gave me faith and perseverance, and
faith and perseverance definitely were to become the shield and armor in the
battle of bringing my product to successful completion.
In the music world, and especially in the flute world,
we live in the reality that only a select few have the good fortune to have an orchestral
job or a full-time teaching position. Without the outlet of being heard weekly at the
orchestra concert, how is one to let people know how you play, except through a CD? Yes, I
realize there are competitions and auditions for this or that concert series, but none of
these forces you to develop an artistic concept of who you are musically.
Making a CD puts one on a musical Voyage (sorry Don) of
discovery that leads to happy self-realization. This self-realization doesn’t have to be
only the self-indulgent gratification of seeing yourself on the cover of a CD, but rather,
an inner satisfaction of having made a musical statement to the world. When this happens,
the world most often responds positively, acknowledging the growth and flowering of a
musical child, (and it is true that I often felt like my CD was a child trying to find his
way in the world).
I can’t emphasize enough the importance of forging a
musical statement through the making of a CD. Once this statement is created the results
will more than pay for all the sacrifice, effort and money spent. I was once involved in
the production of a chamber music CD, and although it was difficult and costly to put
together, it lead a booking by Carnegie Hall, a residency at a major university, several
high profile concerts, and a few prominent Summer festivals - all because the CD was well
played and well produced.
As Don Bailey so aptly put it, a concept that is
"fresh and new" is a very important step in creating your musical statement.
This is hard to do at first, because we have all been fed on the same staple of Bach,
Mozart, Dutilleux, etc., and the list goes on. We must break away from the cocoon and sail
freely into uncharted territory to discover the musical vessels we really are. My dear and
beloved teacher, Thomas Nyfenger, gave me one of the best pieces of advice of my college
days. He said, "Marco, if you’re planning a recital where you’re not getting
paid, make sure you only play the music you love; if they pay you, then you play whatever
they want you to play." This quote really stayed with me, especially after I
graduated from college, when for the first time, I began to seriously explore the music of
my heritage, South America. As a child, I often went serenading with my father, playing
the folk tunes of my country, only to give them up later to become a "classical"
artist. Now, whenever I play Latin or folk based music, I feel truly at home and happy
with the outcome. This doesn’t mean that you should go out and start playing folk music,
but it is important to really tune in to what you love most, and go for it!
Once you settle on a "concept" and feel
emotionally enthused about making the recording, don’t be afraid to shoot for the best
possible scenario. If possible, always try to record with the best musicians, engineers,
producers that your budget will allow. If you start doing things cheaply, it will show,
and it could become a self-defeating endeavor. When I went to Venezuela to record
Sunflute
(released April 20th, 1999), I was in a quandary as to whom I would use as backup
musicians. As I had not lived there for many years, I had lost contact with the best
musicians. A good friend said to me, "Why don’t you call so an so; he’s the best
cuatro player in Venezuela." I said, "Well, he’s too famous and too busy. He’s
not going to have time for me since he doesn’t know me." Her reply was, "Why
don’t you call? The worst that can happen is that he says no, but at least you will have
tried." I followed my friend’s advice, and when I called this cuatro player, he
told me he had heard of me through a fellow flutist and, luckily, he happened to be free
due to a cancellation in his schedule. I ended up recording with the "Itzhak Pearlman"
of the cuatro, and the sessions were very spontaneous. Again, I would follow this advice
through every step of the production process, because you never know who might be out
there, willing to help you. BUT, we have to ask!
Once you have completed your recording and are happy
with the edits (check carefully over and over, so that you don’t go into the mastering
process to find out you need to remix or reedit this or that take), make sure the sound
quality of the CD is up to the standard of the CDs you love most. Top engineers advise
comparing the sound of your CD with the best sounding CD of the same genre. Once you begin
the mastering process, use very critical ears and the advice of a good mastering engineer
to achieve a pleasing result. Many musicians only want to be involved in the playing
process and leave the editing and mastering to the engineers. This can be a fatal mistake,
because the engineer won’t know how you want to sound. Unless you can afford the tried
and true ears of a good mastering engineer, you should stay involved in the process to the
end.
OK, now you have a good concept, a beautifully played
and recorded master tape, and you dream of being picked up by a major record label. This
is a very common and understandable dream, but it is a bit delusional and impractical from
the economic point of view. Major record labels are only really interested in artists that
already have a track record, because obviously, they want to make money. Often, how well
you play, how well the CD is recorded, or how fresh the concept is has nothing to do with
your success at getting signed by a major record label - sad, but true. Of course there
are exceptions, and you should still send your CD and press kit to as many labels as you
can. But please, DON’T TAKE IT PERSONALLY when they don’t reply, or if they reject you
outright. It does not mean your record is bad. (This is where that faith and perseverance
I mentioned earlier come in handy.)
The most practical and cost effective thing to do is to
finish the CD yourself, so that it has your vision throughout; plus, manufacturing it
yourself will enhance your ability to recoup your monetary investment. If you sign away
your CD to a record label, you will have to buy the CDs back at $7 or $8 dollars a piece
if you want to sell them at concerts, but if you manufacture them yourself, you will pay
only $2 or $3 dollars a piece, depending on the complexity of the artwork. Again, don’t
cut corners - use a reputable manufacturer so that you get a good product back.
Once you have the beautiful finished product, you will
want to give it to a lot of people who could be influential in furthering your career. In
this respect I am very generous; I like to give CDs to cab drivers, street musicians, and
even beggars. I figure if they like it, they will talk about it, and that’s publicity I
can’t buy.
Even before you begin setting up a distribution
situation, you could benefit by sending the CD to presenters who might be able to book you
for concerts. Concerts are great outlets for selling your CDs (some record labels won’t
sign artists unless they have already arranged touring schedules, management, etc.). So,
if your CD helps you get concerts, you’ll be well on your way to maximizing your return
economically.
Also, think of the CD as a very fancy business card. Our
business is music. What better way to let someone know what you do, than by giving them a
sample of your playing and your sound? Every time someone comments on how good your CD is,
you’re maximizing your return because it is creating awareness of your artistry to
someone else, and it grows from there. How true it is that careers are built one stone at
a time. Every step you take leads to a build up of experience and an awareness of you as
an artist. Persevere and be patient.
The World Wide Web
Besides using the traditional channels of distribution,
I agree with Don that the Internet is a vast uncharted territory that is open for all of
us to explore. Even though I recently signed with a record label for the release of
Sunflute, I have decided to focus my attention on developing a strong Internet presence
and strategy by launching my own web site called http://Sunflute.com.
There are many ways to start a web site. Most ISPs
(Internet Service Providers) provide a small amount of server space, where you can have
your own pages. Other places, like WebJump.com, offer free web hosting in exchange for
displaying their ads on your site, and most search engines like Lycos and Yahoo, also
offer free web pages. On my site, I have placed pertinent information about my CD, plus
bios, pictures, reviews, sounds clips and news of upcoming events. There are also links to
the online retailers where people can buy Sunflute online, or they can order it by
printing a form and sending it to me along with a check. To my amazement, the web site is
already serving me as a virtual press kit which people can access it in the comfort of
their homes or offices. There’s no longer a need to mail it. A presenter recently got
all of my information from the web site without having to wait for it to be delivered. In
the future I plan to include repertoire lists as well as printed arrangements of the
Venezuelan music I play. There’s also a forum on the site for the discussion of
flute-related topics, especially topics about South American music.
Now, once you’ve launched your web site, how do you
get people to visit it? Feature the address of your site on all of your presentation
information, including business cards, the CD tray card and booklet, and send emails to
all of your friends announcing the site. Several Internet listings such as Yahoo, Lycos,
Excite, etc. will list your site for free. Find other flute-related web pages and ask if
they would put a link to your site on theirs, and vice versa.
Needless to say, make every effort to keep your web site
looking as professional as possible. There are a lot of software programs that make it
easy for you to set up a web page. After looking at three different programs, I decided to
use Symantec’s Visual Page 2.0, which is included as a bonus on the latest Norton
SystemWorks 2.0. Other user-friendly programs include Adobe’s Page Mill and Microsoft’s
FrontPage. All of these applications offer generous 15-30 day free trial periods.
A couple of tips when designing a web site: make sure
you design it at 800x600 resolution, which is the standard resolution for a 14-inch
monitor and most laptops, and try to give it a consistent look throughout all the pages,
so that all are based on the same design. The programs I mentioned above come with
templates that make it easy for you to get started with this.
Well, enough of all this technical talk - my point is
this: Try not to become jaded or disheartened while waiting for that invitation to play at
Carnegie Hall. So much can be accomplished by recording a CD showcasing your talents. It’s
one of many available resources which allows us to enjoy what we love so much - playing
the flute.
