Creating a Demo on a Tight Budget
Concerning creating a demo on a tight budget, here are a couple of suggestions:
* Where I live (Raleigh, NC) there's a performance venue called Six String Cafe that has an open mic night every week. They have a great sound setup and offer to record your performance for $10. There might be something like that near you. You might want to check it out at least. You wouldn't have any production, but at least you could get some very inexpensive recordings.
* Another option is to check around at different studios and see if they have any deals on recording demos. Just make sure that you and any other musicians have the material perfected before going into the studio. You are usually charged on an hourly rate (usually between $50 and $75) and it can get very expensive if you don't have it together. I met my producer at a local studio and he did some production there on my earlier songs. A lot of people who run the studios only do engineering, though. That's something else you might want to check out if you're looking for a producer.
* Sometimes studios have workshops where they teach people how to use the equipment. When they do this, they usually need a band to record.
The quality won't be as professional since it is more of a learning process, but you will still be recording through the studio equipment.
* If you are comfortable with computers and know how to play the keyboard, you might want to consider a home studio setup. That's getting a little more expensive, but if you're planning on recording a lot of songs, it might be the way to go. At my house I have a MIDI setup (keyboard, recording software Digital Performer, and my macintosh computer), which allows me to do some preproduction on my songs before showing the songs to my producer. A mixing board would be very helpful if you want to use this setup for the final recordings. I'm not quite sure how you would set all of that up, though.
* Check around at some local colleges that have music recording programs. Sometimes the students there need bands to record.
Finding a Manager
Here are some tips for finding a manager:
* Try and find one who has worked with artists that have had some success.
* A manager who works near a major music scene (LA, NY, Nashville, etc.), will be able to make connections more easily.
* I met my manager through the internet. I saw his website, sent him an email asking him to check out my website and then he had me send him an MP3. Before you get a manager, you will probably need a press kit with some of your songs recorded. If you can get someone from the industry to come out and hear you perform without hearing your music previously, then that's great. It usually doesn't happen that way, though.
* If you do get a couple of songs recorded, you might want to consider joining the following website: www.sonicbids.com. For a relatively
small fee, you can create something called an EPK (Electronic Press Kit) that you can email to people. You can also enter competitions, and submit it to a list of management, media, etc.
* Get a list of managers that cater to the genre that you perform. Check out their credentials and then start sending out press kits. After about 2 months, you might want to give them a followup call/email just to make sure that they got the press kit and see what their response is.
* Go to the following link just to get a start for gathering your resources:
Google Agents and Managers Directory
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About Jessi Hamilton
20-year-old singer/songwriter from Raleigh, NC (USA). Jessi recently completed her debut album and is working with New York management. Music is a pop/rock blend with ambient overtones, haunting and memorable melodies, rich harmonies, and driving beats.
