I’m a small artist but do sign my work. I’ve been enjoying Lemmy for some time now and want to push this community to interact more and grow! So I thought one way I could contribute is to do a little AMA about what it’s like as a signed artist making house music :)
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So let’s hear some of your music!
That’s kind of you to request! I hope links are allowed: My Linktree
I am excited! Will listen on my way home.
It’s not for everyone, but I hope you enjoy!
Oh hey I really dig this. It’s a vibe, I listened to a bunch on the way home. Well done.
That’s so kind of you to say! Thank you
How big a deal is it (for you or relative to the industry in general) that you’re “signed”?
Any links to your work or anything?
For me it was definitely a big deal when it first happened! I was working alongside artists I listened to for years. However, these aren’t massive corporate labels, so I have the freedom to contract one song or EP to a label, and one to another, etc.
All of my stuff can be found under my name on basically all platforms :) Not sure if links in comments are allowed.
What does it actual get you being signed? Apologies if it’s impolite to ask about financial things.
No apologies needed! It’s not much and it depends on your audience as well as your label. I’m lucky where the labels I work with split 50/50 with the artist. However, that split comes after the distribution take. With my current numbers, I probably get paid out $100-150 each year. As your catalogue grows and your streams get higher, that does grow significantly with time.
Thanks! I was actually more interested in what the label does for you. I’m guessing they take care of distribution (sorry, I don’t really know any details about the industry, especially how it operates these days)? Do they do anything else? Marketing, touring?
Sadly the scene for this subgenre isn’t exactly big enough for touring and shows (yet, fingers crossed!). But yes, I finish my mix and send it in for them to handle mastering, artwork, distribution, and marketing within their own channels. They will provide the marketing packet with artwork, etc. a week or two before release so I can share on my own artist pages as well :)
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What was your learning experience like?
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How long before you got signed?
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What was the most important thing you learned that helped you improve?
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What is the most recent thing you learned that helped you improve?
Oh I love these!
1: Learning experience was VERY slow. I still feel like I’m playing catch-up, but I can be proud of what I put out now. DAWs have a very steep learning curve, then it flattens out for a bit, then gets steep again as you start to realise just how little you know!
2: I have had no musical training whatsoever, so it took 6+ years of playing around and teaching myself through experimentation to get a track signed.
3: Most important thing, and something I still struggle with, is to focus on the music. It may sound silly, but when you’re a producer, you’re doing everything from start to finish. So it’s easy to get caught up in the production, in the technicals, or even in trying to get a specific style down — sometimes you have to step away and listen after a week so you can go “oh this is actually musically interesting”.
4: Most recent is taking advantage of macros and modulation to give sounds character and slight imperfections, such as a randomised LFO on a cutoff filter that changes the texture slightly throughout :)
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Classic question: What do you wish you had learned sooner when it comes to music production?
This answer is a bit more specific to what program I started with (FL Studio) — but organisation! Colour coding, naming, etc.
Another one I’m still learning and struggling with is not to sit on songs. I have 20+ 90% done ideas that I should finish and get out. Sometimes waiting for that ‘spark’ to come back is detrimental. Trust your talent and finish it.
Nice! That’s the channel I used to listen to most on DI.FM before it went to premium or whatever the paid tier is now. I should just sign up for it anyway to support them.
Keep up the great work!
They’re great! I used to be an artist on that channel and relax and listen there to find new artists and sometimes share my own tunes. If you want to support the artists directly, following label channels such as Emergent Shores and Synth Collective can help!
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African or European swallow?
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How did you get signed? Did you reach out to various A&R, or did they reach out to you? I’m an indie music producer and I’ve never gotten noticed by anybody in the industry for distribution.
For me it was networking via Facebook and supporting the labels who released the music I enjoyed. It doesn’t go unnoticed. But for larger labels, I think it’s about submitting good work consistently, even if the first few are rejected.
