I've always been good when it comes to artistic things. Seriously. When I was growing up, it didn't matter what it was, paper, pencil, ink, paint, cardboard, you name it. If you could draw or paint on it or fold and reshape it, I probably used it to turn it into some thing else. In fact, I managed to get straight "A"s in art from kindergarten through grade and high school, and yes, even college. And, while I graduated from the University of Akron in 2009 with a degree in Mass Media Communications, I still retain a certain amount of ability when it comes to things of an artistic nature.
Somewhere along the way, I discovered that music or more to the point, songs, were a way to create something out of seemingly nothing. Once I got the hang of how to organize my musical ideas, I couldn't get enough. It's been like using my mind as a canvas to construct the intangible and then bring it into the world of the physical by way of writing it down.
When I got my first chance to record my ideas, things changed a bit. Learning the language of music seemed to slow the process. That's when I began to pick up instruments and fashion sounds as I heard them without regard for rules. This was fun at first, but then what would happen is, I'd get a great groove with no idea if words would even fit to what I had come up with. I spent a couple of years recording my writings in this way. It wasn't until I tried to relate my melodies from my mind to the instruments that I was playing. Not being a virtuoso on any particular one, left some of my tunes lacking in the beginning. But, a little formal piano took care of that in a hurry. Soon there after, I was going hunting for any little melody that passed through my head.
Over time, I've managed to bring the music to the words in a marriage that has not only been gratifying, but has won me an occasional compliment or two. Which, has led me into believing that I'm on the right track. If there has been a weak point, I think that it would be my singing. Which by the way seems to be what makes my songs work these days... go figure. Personally, I feel that I'm a work in progress. And now, being able to record and produce myself as I do so, I have an even greater opportunity to get everything I can from what I hear in my head.
The point of all of this, is that when a song or album is finished and ready to release to the world, it will go into the market place right along side countless other artists. After years of excepting that what I did with paint and paper was art, there are times when I don't feel the same when it comes to my music. The reason is simple. What makes it's way to the world is as close to what I imagined as possible, but the process of producing a record can be a tricky thing. So, the question then becomes, is it the performance, the arrangement, or the production that makes a piece of recorded music a work of art?
I'm sure that we've all heard a song or two on the radio and thought, "now there's no way that that one should get any air play," only to learn that it's a number one smash. Music is subjective, for sure, and I would say that it's true that most singer songwriters, bands, and musicians are creating sounds with meaning, even if only enough for their own tastes.
Radio is alive and well and not about to disappear anytime soon. However, whenever I'm online and I get a chance to stream some music, I'm always able to find something that sounds so good that I've got to hear it over and over again. I mean, folks whose stuff is more than worthy of air time over the terrestrial airwaves. Things with melody as well as rhythm and rhyme. Definitely worthy of being called art.
It just makes me wonder why it isn't possible to give more people a chance to learn that good music is alive and well and living online.
Wednesday, December 19, 2012
Wednesday, December 5, 2012
How About That Demo...
When your a DIY or Independent artist, it's very likely that a lot of what gets done with regard to your music is done by you. In other words, you may be wearing all the hats. When it's time to promote your music you have to do it. Or when it time to go to social media in order to spread the word, you're the one whose tweeting, posting, or blogging.
You may be good at making music, but know absolutely nothing about marketing. And, selling your self may not be what you think of as the best way to sell your music. But, it's not enough to record your music and get it into iTunes. Once it's there, it could just sit, receiving little if any attention, until someone finds out about it.
The same is true if you've just made a CD. If you're fortunate enough to get it into a brick & mortar store, you've really got to let the people know or lose your spot on the self.
If you were signed to a label, most likely, a certain amount of resource would have been allocated for promoting your release. Depending on the size of your contract, you're promotion money would be part of a marketing plan or campaign.
This marketing plan, if you're lucky, might include some live appearances by you on local radio or television. May be a few print ads or some Radio or TV commercial. And, if you're really lucky you may get a shot at national radio or TV. At any rate, the formula used my most labels involves knowing who your audience is and getting your name and/or face in front of them as often as possible, or what your promotion budget will allow.
Most record companies use the age group of 14 to 24yrs as their marketing demographic, or audience to which they want to sell most of their releases. The idea is, that people in that age group tend to have a lot of what is know as disposable cash. I mentioned this before in another post, but it something that DIY artists should consider, even if it isn't important for the music that you make. I say this because, and this is just my opinion, you should always know who it is that likes your music enough to buy it. If your music skews older than the 14 to 24 demographic, it's likely that you will be doing a lot more live performances, possible at smaller venues, and your record sales will come partly from these performances, and tend to bring less income than said performances.
If you're not an artist who performs live, use YouTube, Vevo, or GrooveShark as a means of sharing your music visually. There's also video chat and webinars.
I realize that there's no revelation here. But, when you consider how Facebook tends to place most of it's attention on those whose followings are at least 10,000 and up, you have to look for and find as many other outlets for exposure of your music as possible. And while the idea of having and/or using a demographic may seem silly or even useless as an independent or DIY artist, it might not hurt to consider having broad appeal and then giving the people what they want.
You may be good at making music, but know absolutely nothing about marketing. And, selling your self may not be what you think of as the best way to sell your music. But, it's not enough to record your music and get it into iTunes. Once it's there, it could just sit, receiving little if any attention, until someone finds out about it.
The same is true if you've just made a CD. If you're fortunate enough to get it into a brick & mortar store, you've really got to let the people know or lose your spot on the self.
If you were signed to a label, most likely, a certain amount of resource would have been allocated for promoting your release. Depending on the size of your contract, you're promotion money would be part of a marketing plan or campaign.
This marketing plan, if you're lucky, might include some live appearances by you on local radio or television. May be a few print ads or some Radio or TV commercial. And, if you're really lucky you may get a shot at national radio or TV. At any rate, the formula used my most labels involves knowing who your audience is and getting your name and/or face in front of them as often as possible, or what your promotion budget will allow.
Most record companies use the age group of 14 to 24yrs as their marketing demographic, or audience to which they want to sell most of their releases. The idea is, that people in that age group tend to have a lot of what is know as disposable cash. I mentioned this before in another post, but it something that DIY artists should consider, even if it isn't important for the music that you make. I say this because, and this is just my opinion, you should always know who it is that likes your music enough to buy it. If your music skews older than the 14 to 24 demographic, it's likely that you will be doing a lot more live performances, possible at smaller venues, and your record sales will come partly from these performances, and tend to bring less income than said performances.
If you're not an artist who performs live, use YouTube, Vevo, or GrooveShark as a means of sharing your music visually. There's also video chat and webinars.
I realize that there's no revelation here. But, when you consider how Facebook tends to place most of it's attention on those whose followings are at least 10,000 and up, you have to look for and find as many other outlets for exposure of your music as possible. And while the idea of having and/or using a demographic may seem silly or even useless as an independent or DIY artist, it might not hurt to consider having broad appeal and then giving the people what they want.
Wednesday, November 7, 2012
New Profile!
Problems with my Nprogram Myspace account have led to it's deletion. However, I've replaced it with another profile, at least until the New Myspace is up and running. All interested parties can find me at my new Nprogram Myspace profile.
Also, I've just release a new single called, "Full Court Press," and it's available at iTunes! Click the widget to the right for a full stream preview of it and all of the other songs.
Also, I've just release a new single called, "Full Court Press," and it's available at iTunes! Click the widget to the right for a full stream preview of it and all of the other songs.
Thursday, October 11, 2012
Pono Anyone?
A few weeks ago, Neil Young appeared on Late Night with David Letterman to promote Pono. Pono is Young's project turned reality, for giving music fans and consumer better quality sound from their digital purchases. The word Pono is Hawaiian for righteous, and if it delivers the promise of studio quality sound, that's just about what it will be.
I posted in the past about lossless audio compression schemes such as FLAC, which can play back a WAV file, which is what CD files are made from, with a sound that is exactly like the original. What Young has come up with, is a player that can play back studio files recorded at an uncompressed 192kHz/24 bit resolution. He's already made a deal with Sony, Universal, and Warner to make high resolution versions of some top name artists' music available in a Pono download store. The player will also have the ability to play back any audio file format, plus it will be able to convert those files into high resolution files.
Mp3 files are considered lossy audio files, because a portion of the information in a WAV, file from which they are usually made, is removed in order to compress it so that it is faster to download or stream over the internet. Much talk has been circulated over the past several years about using lossless compression schemes such as FLAC, which is similar to a zip file, where none of the information is removed. While some e-music stores have been making downloads available in several different forms, most are still offering only Mp3's, but with a higher bitrate such as 256kbps, 320kbps or higher.
Personally, I'm in favor of better sounding downloads, and more over, I think that Young is on the right track. The question that hasn't been asked is how much will the higher resolution downloads cost. One reason that the Mp3 has stayed in such high demand is that the cost per track is usually .99 or lower if on sale. Of course, having said that, I can see how some classic tracks and albums would be viewed worthy of a higher price, as a high resolution download, no matter what the cost.
All in all, with the introduction of Pono, it would seem that the digital download business may be in for a little shake up.
I posted in the past about lossless audio compression schemes such as FLAC, which can play back a WAV file, which is what CD files are made from, with a sound that is exactly like the original. What Young has come up with, is a player that can play back studio files recorded at an uncompressed 192kHz/24 bit resolution. He's already made a deal with Sony, Universal, and Warner to make high resolution versions of some top name artists' music available in a Pono download store. The player will also have the ability to play back any audio file format, plus it will be able to convert those files into high resolution files.
Mp3 files are considered lossy audio files, because a portion of the information in a WAV, file from which they are usually made, is removed in order to compress it so that it is faster to download or stream over the internet. Much talk has been circulated over the past several years about using lossless compression schemes such as FLAC, which is similar to a zip file, where none of the information is removed. While some e-music stores have been making downloads available in several different forms, most are still offering only Mp3's, but with a higher bitrate such as 256kbps, 320kbps or higher.
Personally, I'm in favor of better sounding downloads, and more over, I think that Young is on the right track. The question that hasn't been asked is how much will the higher resolution downloads cost. One reason that the Mp3 has stayed in such high demand is that the cost per track is usually .99 or lower if on sale. Of course, having said that, I can see how some classic tracks and albums would be viewed worthy of a higher price, as a high resolution download, no matter what the cost.
All in all, with the introduction of Pono, it would seem that the digital download business may be in for a little shake up.
Wednesday, September 26, 2012
New...Again!
Recently, I've been having some issues with my Nprogram Myspace account. After a several week wait, I got an email apologizing for the time it took to get back to me and giving me some suggestions for what I could do until they could fix the problem. But, they also informed me that the reason that they were so behind in their responses was that they were building a brand new Myspace.
Later, I read and article in Billboard were the new owners were currently revamping Myspace, turning it into a site that leans toward artists and their fans through the use of social media. There's no definite date set for the site launch, but the design is great and well worth a look. If you follow the URL new.myspace.com you can get access to a video preview that is also available on Vimeo.
At the end of the video there's a chance for you to request an invite.When you click the link you're sent to a page where you type in your email address and a pop up dialog tells you that an invitation will be sent to you. The process lends an air of class to the new Myspace. From the looks of things, I think it will be well received and well worth the wait.
Later, I read and article in Billboard were the new owners were currently revamping Myspace, turning it into a site that leans toward artists and their fans through the use of social media. There's no definite date set for the site launch, but the design is great and well worth a look. If you follow the URL new.myspace.com you can get access to a video preview that is also available on Vimeo.
At the end of the video there's a chance for you to request an invite.When you click the link you're sent to a page where you type in your email address and a pop up dialog tells you that an invitation will be sent to you. The process lends an air of class to the new Myspace. From the looks of things, I think it will be well received and well worth the wait.
Wednesday, September 12, 2012
Quiet Times?
Musically speaking, it's been a rather quiet year. At least, as near as I can tell. New music by some of the more familiar major label artists are just starting to be released. New music from Dave Matthews Band, Bob Dylan, David Byrne, Dwight Yoakam, No Doubt, Pink and more are all expected this fall. So why so quiet this year?
I don't know. As near as I can tell, one of the biggest selling albums of 2012 is last year's "21" by Adele. That might tell you something. While it's not odd for an album to have success in multiple years, it makes you wonder about the music that's been released since the beginning of this year by artist such as John Mayer, Chris Brown, and Usher. I have no criticism of their work at this time. I only know that they are major label artists with huge followings.
Of course, if you've read any of my previous posts, then you know that I have a theory about how loss of melody in favor of more rhythm is most likely the reason. And, I know this sounds like a broken record effect, but maybe there's something to it.
Back in the 1990s, Hootie & The Blowfish went against the the Rap and Hip Hop heavy sounds of the time, with the release of their debut album, "Cracked rear View." The album featured slow to mid tempo Pop songs that were not only heavy on melody, but contained lyrics that were easy to remember and not nearly as offensive as some of the other releases of that time. Not only could you sing the words, but so could your parents. The album sold 16 million copies. That may not mean much to some, but if you've ever heard any of the songs from that album, then I think that you might get an idea of why I believe my theory to be true.
We all have a favorite kind of music that we like to listen to. As someone who makes their own music, I have an eclectic sense of taste when it come to what I like about it. But, all in all, I think that when we hear something that not only moves us, but is so memorable that it stays in our minds, it's usually something that most of us can relate to. When a song or a piece of music comes along and no matter what your favorite kind of music is, if that song or piece of music grabs you and not only holds your attention. But, when you hear it, you don't really recognize it as being part of a genre. That particular song or piece of music appeals to so many at one time that it's appeal could be considered, universal.
At that point, it's not about how much money the song or music makes, or how many units sold. In fact, when that happens, I think, and this is just my opinion, that it's about where you were and what you were doing when you first heard it. That we only think about how many people related to the experience of hearing that particular song or music, even though we all may have heard it at different times and in different places.
It's been a while since anyone has done that. But, with music, it can happen again, over and over. And, it may just be that it will happen again some time soon. We'll just have to keep listening.
I don't know. As near as I can tell, one of the biggest selling albums of 2012 is last year's "21" by Adele. That might tell you something. While it's not odd for an album to have success in multiple years, it makes you wonder about the music that's been released since the beginning of this year by artist such as John Mayer, Chris Brown, and Usher. I have no criticism of their work at this time. I only know that they are major label artists with huge followings.
Of course, if you've read any of my previous posts, then you know that I have a theory about how loss of melody in favor of more rhythm is most likely the reason. And, I know this sounds like a broken record effect, but maybe there's something to it.
Back in the 1990s, Hootie & The Blowfish went against the the Rap and Hip Hop heavy sounds of the time, with the release of their debut album, "Cracked rear View." The album featured slow to mid tempo Pop songs that were not only heavy on melody, but contained lyrics that were easy to remember and not nearly as offensive as some of the other releases of that time. Not only could you sing the words, but so could your parents. The album sold 16 million copies. That may not mean much to some, but if you've ever heard any of the songs from that album, then I think that you might get an idea of why I believe my theory to be true.
We all have a favorite kind of music that we like to listen to. As someone who makes their own music, I have an eclectic sense of taste when it come to what I like about it. But, all in all, I think that when we hear something that not only moves us, but is so memorable that it stays in our minds, it's usually something that most of us can relate to. When a song or a piece of music comes along and no matter what your favorite kind of music is, if that song or piece of music grabs you and not only holds your attention. But, when you hear it, you don't really recognize it as being part of a genre. That particular song or piece of music appeals to so many at one time that it's appeal could be considered, universal.
At that point, it's not about how much money the song or music makes, or how many units sold. In fact, when that happens, I think, and this is just my opinion, that it's about where you were and what you were doing when you first heard it. That we only think about how many people related to the experience of hearing that particular song or music, even though we all may have heard it at different times and in different places.
It's been a while since anyone has done that. But, with music, it can happen again, over and over. And, it may just be that it will happen again some time soon. We'll just have to keep listening.
Sunday, September 2, 2012
New Music
Last month I released two new songs. As Nprogram, I released, Everybody Ain't Got Somebody, an R&B ballad. And, under my given name, John Hughley, I released Give It to You, a med tempo R&B/Funk groove. Both songs are available at iTunes, Amazon.com, Rhapsody and more. They can also be streamed on Spotify.
You can also listen to the songs on my Facebook pages, Facebook.com/John Hughley and Facebook.com/Nprogram.
You can also listen to the songs on my Facebook pages, Facebook.com/John Hughley and Facebook.com/Nprogram.
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