Why record an album?

I am looking for any good references for the pros and cons of recording an album for a part-time local to regional band without a huge following. It seems like an EP or one off recordings might be a better investment over time than recording an album for no one to hear.

At this stage, recording a demo for gigs is not the point...thinking more like radio play and to establish an online presence....see if anyone is interested in the music.

Thanks1

The one advantage is that if you have the songs, you can record 12 or 14 songs and get a consistent sound out of them all. I have a few CDs where it is obvious the songs were recorded in different places on different gear with different engineers, and they're hard to listen to because I have to adjust the CD player for every other song or so. The other advantage is a good part of the cost of a studio is set up and dialing in levels and drum tones. Recording an entire album means you only have to pay for that once. And lastly, if you want to release a CD, you have that option, but if you want to release only 3 or 4 songs at a time, you can do that as well. Just keep in mind that the printing and manufacturing costs for hard copies will be the same for three songs or 14. I'm seriously considering recording 14-16 songs next year all at once and releasing 4 songs every 4 to 6 months. That way, you keep a steady stream of new material coming to the fans for at least a year to two years, rather than making a splash, shooting the wad all at once and dropping back out of the public's mind in 4 or 5 months.

Exactly, plus, recording a dozen allows you to have a physical disc for sale at gigs, plus you can 'freebie' links for fans from your website.

The down side is the overall costs involved versus the ROI.

practically no one sits down and listens to an entire album anymore. I don't even do it unless I'm on a long drive and music is my life! No, I think those days are gone. I would demo everything and get feedback from the crowd at gigs as well as close friends who hear you demos. It's a good bet that the majority of your tunes are still in the mediocre stage anyway but there will be 2 or 3 that people will seem to love. ONLY record them and put out low res versions for free on your website. Make short run CD's with those songs on them plus a few more demos of lessor tunes for an EP that you can sell at gigs and push that. As you gain fans and if you're good, people will want a memento from the show and you will sell some.

It's about a single and a video now, so find someone who can help you shoot and most importantly, can edit and post a music video. Get it up everywhere and have people help link to it, share it on FB, twitter etc..Do one for your best song.

Also, write a few hundred songs because after that if you're serious and work hard, they will start getting really good. Do as Pat said and keep recording/releasing a steady stream of music every couple months. Play your ass off everywhere, and get the social networking rolling but NEVER NEVER market. ENGAGE..Get a conversation going. Have fun:)

record an album because you are a musician and recording music is awesome

You can record an entire album without releasing it as such. It's much cheaper to do it that way.

I'm one of those that doesn't listen to full albums anymore, but I still value having the physical product. My beef is with this whole thing of bands only releasing EPs. So what if people don't listen to full albums, at least the quality of a band's output is higher when they're working on an album or a batch of ten or more songs.

well there are two ways to look at that.

The band has maybe a dozen songs ready to record.

They record all 12.

Now, out of the 12, how many do you think are really top quality songs? 1, 2? Passable...3-4, filler...6+.

Put all 12 on one disc? 1 sale.

Put one quality and 2 passable and a filler on an EP...twice? 2 sales.....

Cost wise, the replication of two discs with only four songs is not economically smart...but the ability to release 'new' material relatively quickly if the first disc sells well is priceless.

However...in this current technologically rabid era, the releasing of any physical product is moot...no one under the age of 40 wants it....nor wants to pay for it...they really want to buy the ONE or TWO top quality songs...no 'B' sides...via the internet...because that is how music gets delivered (for now).

Other possible route:

So the band goes in, records the 2 killer songs and puts them up on iTunes...shoots vidoes for both, promotes the crap out of them on FA, twitter, Google...whatever is coming next...plays out wherever they can to their 'following'...

either way, the odds of recouping costs is low and slow.

This is not the time for bands to think about making money selling songs, I'm afraid....not on any kind of scale. Having a CD for sale at shows is still possibly worthwhile if you are gigging a lot [to more than friends and coworkers].

Recording an entire album independently is a challenge but is definitely worth doing. If you treat it professionally and seriously, it'll help to establish you as a pro musician even without a record deal, and can lead to further opportunities within the industry.

Didn't you get the CD mastered as a whole? Seems like the mastering engineer should have leveled them all out in terms of volume and EQ.

Terry D.

Well I'm a 20 year old trying to find my way in the music industry, and it seems to me the concept of albums is definitely dead. I still love them, but if I'm honest I rarely sit and listen to an album all the way through. Unless it's a concept album of some kind.

But it's all about social media like Youtube now. And probably around 99% of youngsters get all their music off itunes, 1 or 2 songs per artist at a time. Instead of looking at an album, I would suggest looking at getting a few of your very best songs recorded the best you can, and then get some real top quality videos to with them.

It's not a bad thing, just different. At least us musicians no longer have to pin our hopes in getting signed to some label.

Also, I just listened to your music on myspace! I was very impressed man! Great tunes, great instrumentation and great production! Nice job!

Didn't you get the CD mastered as a whole? Seems like the mastering engineer should have leveled them all out in terms of volume and EQ. Terry D.

I was talking about CDs other people have given me. I have never recorded a CD "ala carte".

I have an early Chris Duarte CD that is nearly unlistenable because some songs were recorded in different places with different gear, different engineers and different EQ. The mixes are different, some of them the drums are so loud they sit well above the mix; others the drums and guitars sound buried and mushy, etc. I have no idea why he's put this out, on a label no less.

Aw shucks, thanks!

I used to think that way too. Then I got turned onto a band.. 3 songs I heard. I scoured the internet and found they had 2 albums and an EP. I ordered all three. Found only a handful of songs among all three albums that I wasnt in love with, most of it was (and still is) amazing to me. I will put my phone on "artist" at work or in the car and listen exclusively to those albums all day.

I thought it was the exception, as I hadn't felt that way about "new music" since the 90's grunge movement, but then I discovered another, and then another, same thing. But the real surprise is that I found one band with 3 songs demo'd ( and downlaodable)- I loved the three songs, but that was all they had recorded. They released a 4th song not long after which showed a major obvious leap in songwriting and proficiency.. I was hooked.. I wanted more. And then the band broke up. I would have bought 5 albums if they had them. I've since embraced online streaming radio and listen to different stations and styles all day at work and still constantly find new and interesting music that excites me to a level I haven't felt since probably RATM and AIC first appeared.

Music TODAY is starting to get really interesting again, IMO. Can't wait for the resurgence!

If I remember correctly, the 50s and early 60s were a bit like today in that no one under 25 bought albums; that was for old people. Kids bought 45 rpm singles- they just wanted the hit songs, not the whole thing. It wasn't until about 1964 with the Beatles and Stones and other British Invasion bands, as well as the Monkees, that kids started buying albums again. As a young kid we had stacks of 45s. I remember in the 6th grade buying the Beatles' Revolver album for a girl I was trying to impress for her birthday and she was blown away because no one hardly had albums then.

Hi HarpNinjaMike,

From what you've said, I'd go for an EP. You can tout it at gigs, because some people who like your stuff and have a really good night will be interested in buying.

You can always stick it up for sale via your website.

And put it up on something like Bandcamp so people can download individual tracks OR the whole album OR EP CD, if they want.

If it goes down well, then think about doing another EP or go for an album.

Sure, fewer people really listen to albums anymore, but I think at least recording enough material for one is a good way to develop a catalog, and get more of your stuff available for people to become familiar with. Especially if you're trying to establish yourself as an original act, rather than a cover band who occasionally plays originals. How are you going to fill out a 45 minute set if you've only got one or two songs?

I think spacing things out and releasing a few tracks here and there is a good idea, though. Once there's enough material, you can compile them into an official album...or not. I don't think there's any absolute right or wrong way to do it. I think simply having enough songs is probably what is most important.

I do think one benefit of not releasing a full-length album right off the bat is that you can't say "This is just a B side", or "lets put some filler here"...people won't be listening to the entire thing, so you have to try to make every track equally good in order to keep their attention.

I've been saying this to everyone and I'll say it here. We're living in the age of a single and a video. Period. Put them out regularly and engage. absolutely NO reason to make an album and put it out at once.

No, but there is good reason to make an album of 10-14 songs and release them over time as singles, for all the reasons I already mentioned.

Absolutely!

If you're promoting your stuff online as your primary means of marketing, then you definitely would rather release either singles or EP's. Gives you more to talk about on your Facebook page. A new event each month to spam your tribe with. Because they're going to get all hot and bothered because Joe Nobody just put out a new song. Again. I'm being snarky but serious - it is the way to market online.

However, we should not throw Advertising and Marketing 101 out the window. Whatever makes your product most compelling to the audience its in front of is what you want to do. So if you're a story teller singer/songwriter playing in front of 60 people in Nowhere, New York, you have an opportunity to sell a CD, not a bunch of downloads. If you're trying to gain new fans on the Internet, you're casting out a free single. If you're opening up for a successful band in a club, the best strategy might be to sell an inexpensive EP. If you're a progressive rock band, your fans still want a full length CD. Or God help us, a double CD. What would happen if Dream Theater said "We're only making singles from now on?" You'd have dogs and cats living together, I tell ya.

The big artists like John Mayer will release a new single or two and then sell a full new CD. The CD/Album is not dead. It's just another format now that some will choose to use and some will not. It's not good or bad, it's just another choice.

I agree. The experience will be useful and you'll have the album to sell. And you WANT to record one, right? If you can't afford to release it yet, then maybe you should just focus on recording it for now.

Nice to see not everyone is approaching this question in terms of sales.

Make an album because albums make for better listening than singles. End of.

Lately I've been seeking out new blues artists on Internet radio. Pat Coast's excellent stuff plays a lot on internet radio, btw.

What I've discovered is some of the blues artists DON'T give the option to download individual tracks. It's the album or nothing, but the album is reasonably priced. I kinda like that, really. I might not buy the full album if it was $15, but for $10 I pretty much always will. I figure if I like one or two songs a lot from hearing them on internet radio, I'm probably going to find one or two more to like on the full album.

Maybe more bands should try this.

Terry D.