So you like writing and playing music, eh? Well, perhaps it’s time to record an album. That’s the done thing, right? Well, here’s a quick guide on doing just that.
1.How long do you want to make it?
When people say “album”, they’re often thinking of musical projects that last half an hour or more. (These are called LPs, or long plays.) They’re often comprised of anywhere from ten to twenty songs. These can be pretty big undertakings, though. If you’re reading this, you probably haven’t created one of these projects yet. While you might want to get straight to making a formal, full-length album, you might want to consider an EP instead. EPs are extended plays, and can last anywhere up to half an hour, with three to seven songs. These are great projects to begin with.
2.Who do you want involved in the project?
Are you a solo act, or are you writing music with a band? Either way, you need to consider who else you’re letting in on this project. You may need people to play additional instruments. When this occurs, you need to make sure you’ve still written the music they’ll be playing. This will help you retain solo credit or band credit.
3.What’s your recording method?
People can record albums in so many ways. If you’re recording demos, then the audio quality often doesn’t matter that much. If you’re recording an EP, then things aren’t usually very strict in the audio quality department. Good recording software and a professional studio offering affordable time are what you need. If you’re looking to create an LP, then you need to be willing to invest more in the recording methods. The longer you want someone to listen to your music, the more audio quality you should offer them! Ultimately, if you really need to get your music recorded, then do it however you can.
4.How will you distribute it?
You may have heard that the album is dead. When people say this, they’re often referring to hard copies of albums. But these still sell pretty well, and a lot of people love to have physical copies of albums. Even if you’re planning on releasing it online, it may be worth seeing what demand there would be for physical copies. Ask your Twitter and Facebook followers if they’d be interested. You can work with a professional distribution service like Nationwide Disc to get some quality physical copies.
5.How much are you willing to spend?
You’ve probably also heard that there isn’t a lot of money in music these days. Unfortunately, this is pretty accurate. It’s not impossible to make a profit, but the profit probably won’t cover your daily expenses. Merchandise and touring is where most music acts make their money these days. To get to that point, of course, you want to have a good amount of recorded music. Which will cost money. So you’ve got to see the recording of your album in two ways here. One: as an investment that can lead you to further success. And two: as the realization of your artistic vision. Ultimately, most music acts don’t mind having spent that money to record their album, even if there wasn’t any profit at the end. You should be doing this because you love making music!
