Give out of Hold back?

[kama]

There seems to be 2 schools of wisdom regarding uploading your finished tracks to Soundcloud, Myspace et al.

The first would upload full versions of all (unsigned) tunes, at the highest allowed bitrate to let people hear exactly what the track is like and to promote themselves. The ones getting the most gain out of this method would be the audience, since they necessarily don't have to buy the track to listen to it - they could just log on to their soundcloud, myspace or whatever and listen to it whenever they are on a computer. Someone who knows what they're doing (and doesnt care about the artists getting compensated for their work) could even rip the track as an MP3 and, worst/best case, spread it on p2p networks. This is free promotion, but also eats away from any possible future "income".

The alternative is to keep your sound to yourself, minimum promotion, and to send tracks only to labels as demos - only upload lo-fi clips if you get a track out there. This way the 'free promotion' part doesn't work but obviously as the listener cant get the track from Pirate Bay or Limewire or whatever, some of them would go and buy it. We have to remember however that not all peeps who would download a track from some illegit source would pay for it if it wasn't available free.

Obviously it is much easier to use the second method if you're already an 'establihed' artists with a few releases under your belt. I'm currently struggling on which path to go for. The reality will without a doubt be somewhere between these two extremes, but I'd like to hear some thoughts on this matter.

[richie_stix]

good topic... i think shamelessly whoring out your tunes is the best way to go when you start out... and then slowly hold back!

[motion audio]

Ive always thought this aswel, probably a mix of both would be the best way. Even though I'm against people just ripping a track off the net (especialy when its people who are playing it out, this isnt on at all!) there is always the promotion side of it like you say. I think the majority of people who download tunes are more than likely just going to be sticking it on their phone or mp3 player, listening and playing it to mates, If theres something you wanted to release then it'd probably be best to just keep it to yourself as much as you can, but I always take the attitude that if someones listening to your music and getting others on to it, its got to be a good thing.

[richie_stix]

I always take the attitude that if someones listening to your music and getting others on to it, its got to be a good thing.

spot on mate!

i will admit to ripping some youtube vids to listen to in my car... but i am an serial vinyl buyer and i normally use said vids as 'research' into what is up and comming.... and i wouldn't have the audacity to play shitty rips in a club/on radio!

[Lucidproduction]

i think if ur not gonna make any money off it then its not gonna hurt u to give it out but if u can potentially make any money off that tune then dont upload it or give it out??

when your unsigned you might aswell put ur music out there every way u can

[Blurr]

depends how hung up on money you are i suppose, the internet has changed the music industry forever and it's highly unlikley that any new artists will ever sign a contact like robbie williams did a few years ago, the age of the multi-million pound rock star is dead, i'm not saying free music is right but there's not alot you can do to stop it, it's gotta be at least 10 years since napster got shut down and free music online is bigger than ever, the way forward seems to be accepting this fate and just getting the money from ads on free sites/programs like spotify, it will be pittance in comparison but if ur music is good enough ppl will pay to see you play!

but u gotta start somewhere and until you catch somebody's ear you've gotta whore urself out, true musicians do it for love not money

[safety]

doesn't just uploading a snippet make a happy compromise?

[richie_stix]

plus getting good tunes about there really helps you get club bookings, which in turn means more recognition and more money (thats if thats what you are after!)...

to be honest i'm just well pleased my remix of 'day and night' managed over 2000 hits! (here comes shome shameless whoring!)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1gJeZQrslCY

[Lucidproduction]

doesn't just uploading a snippet make a happy compromise?

yes. yes it does.

[kama]

So where can I cash in my million euros?

Thanks for the replies everyone. I also thought of a beautiful compromise between the two: Once I finish a tune, I'll start sending it off to labels I think could be interested, and if I don't hear back in a few months I'll start giving it out, full quality, completely for free. I guess this way I get most of both worlds, right?

[Le gash]

If your sending out to labels, put yourself in their shoes getting a fair few cd,mp3 evrey week/day, you gotta make it stand out!!!
Try coloring yer cd luminous green or sending a big mac meal with it or maybe a drunk irish midget or better still a drunken irish midget dressed in luminous green eating a big mac with your demo round it's neck.

See if you had that going on ya'd be signed in no time , my point is getting your music out there and noticed in more ways than every tom dick or harry doing the same will get ya yer million euros quicker

[sook]

i upload mine as wav...
love that it has that option....
i never see the point in reducing
quality below 44.1k 16bit...
i hate mp3s..!!!

in the end you want people
to hear your beats...
exposure is really important...

dont hold back...
not at this stage of the game..

get on aim aswell start trading
tunes... DJs esp bigger names
playing your beats is going to take
your music to an even wider
audience...
and propel you even higher...

[Original Nuttah]

I took route 2. i have recently uploaded 2 songs on soundcloud, full length and in wav but only about 9 people have acess. they r people who r big in dnb. so ive noticed 1 person has played my tune. dno who. but thats all. ive had it up for more than a couple weeks now and got no feedback or nuthin.

i just put my 2 songs in a editor, reduced the volume (not sure if that would help stop stealing) and made a clip it of it about 1:30 long. think im gonna add it publicly to my myspace page. not happy about it tho