You’ve made it out of the studio alive, so now what? You’ve checked your band mates are all present and have retained their limbs (well, the drummer’s lost a finger but, hey, he’s a drummer) and you can, more or less, still look each other in the eye. You’ve lost your day job because you simply didn’t turn up over the six successive nights that you were hovelled away shouting at people ‘til you resembled an irate Arthur Lee as immortalised on the Forever Changes’ outtakes. So now what? Time to party right? Almost.

PRELIMINARIES

Get the CD made first of course. The DIY ethos will never die but like all great things, it has to be malleable and respond to the modern world. You can still labour at home, copy every disk one-by-one and design an individual collage for every cardboard slip sleeve but, let’s face, it, it probably won’t look great and they’re more likely to end up in the bin than on Tom Robinson’s 6music show.

Get it done properly: it’s cheap! Companies like VDC will make small numbers of CDs really cheaply and if it all kicks off, they can do large scale orders too. Design the sleeve art yourself by all means but get quality copies made. Here’s a tutorial about using Photoshop for your album art:

There are some legal and technical matters that you might want to take care of; Indie and Unsigned tell you how to sort out things like copyrighting, ISRC codes and how to register to collect royalties from your songs. Hopefully there’s a techie in the band so they can encode the tracks in WAV, AIFF and MP3 formats and then, if you want to get anywhere, you’ll need an online presence. Get a bandcamp page, experiment with a blog and a facebook page.

PLAN THEN PARTY!

Now you can think about the party! Don’t be shy! The launch is how you’re going to generate that first bit of interest and dare we say it – hype – about the band. Plus, think off all your mates who’ve put up with your self-involved wittering about the creative process – they could do with an awesome party as a thank you. Where do you normally hang out? Is there a bar or cafe that knows your name and might agree to host the launch? IdeasTap tells how Lee Denny started a festival in his parents’ back garden so remember that anything is possible.

You need to get flyers made and distribute them to the right places. It’s prudent to use a similar design to that of the album cover to make the whole event cohere. There are loads of copying companies out there, Soho Print will get your flyers printed quickly and offer bespoke shapes and sizes too. Get a Facebook event page up and pester people but stop before you drive them completely demented and they delete you altogether.

OUTDO THE COMPETITION

Think about what else is on the local area. London is saturated with artists and while getting lost in the swell might be what you want yourself from time to time, it’s certainly not what you want for your band. Great launch parties are often the kind of parties where there is a focus on more than just the album – think about getting some artist friends to exhibit or make an installation, have a paint party, or even better a holi party – from the traditional Hindi festival – get some coloured powders, throw them around with abandon and then wherever your colourful guests go next, people will be asking them where they’ve been, it’s great publicity. And make sure plenty of photos are taken on the night then make sure they’re shared around the web.

So you started with a big idea, you had a message, something to share with the world and maybe it seems like all this promotion is more like work than art but building the profile of the band is paramount to getting noticed, which ultimately leads to more people hearing what you’ve got to say and perhaps someone even paying you to say it. Then you can get cracking with that difficult second album!

In the last year, CD sales in the UK fell by just under 15% according to this article by The Guardian. Digital sales are definitely up reaching the £1bn mark as of January this year; but there’s another contender on the rise, a blast from the past. Vinyls have strangely survived the digital apocalypse and are more in demand now than ever. Many modern day DJs still use vinyl, and they have always been sought after by rare record hunters and enthusiasts alike, but why have their sales have increased so dramatically in the last few years? In order to explain this phenomenon, let’s look at the process of how vinyls are made and what makes them so special.

Just A Novelty?

I’ll be interested to know just how many of you reading this read the information, or whether you just skipped straight to the video. I feel this is a testament to the nature of the modern day consumer: we want easily digestible information and we want it now. Or at least, we did, up until the novelty of downloading died out. It’s true, you can’t hold your newly downloaded record, and the fact that it took 18 seconds to get it is a major contributor to why vinyls sales are on the rise again. Just take a look at these vinyl veterans; I think they sum up the ‘feeling’ of owning a vinyl record rather well:

Spin Me Right Round

Even writing about them is making me miss my old vinyls. I never had much of collection as a child, apart from my Fireman Sam vinyl complete with a musical German translation on the B-side, but it’s hardly Led Zeppelin I. Not the coolest kid in the world, but now at least I can be thanks to companies like Key Production who you can visit here: http://www.keyproduction.co.uk/services/vinyl-manufacture/. Now if I make a recording, I can send the file and get my very own vinyl pressed complete with customized artwork! For those of you wanting to break into the music industry, you can really make a good impression just by playing on a producer’s nostalgia and sending in a vinyl.

Yeah Yeah, Which Is Better?

That’s what you really want to know isn’t it? Which one is better. This article from Skeptoid I found extremely informative and honest: http://skeptoid.com/episodes/4303. I particularly enjoyed the details behind how sound works in the opening paragraphs, give it a scan! In terms of which musical medium is better, I think I can answer this question better with an example. I went to my friend’s house the other day and found him playing Red Hot Chilli’s on vinyl. He told me he had paid £18 for the album. I’ve heard Blood Sugar Sex Magik a hundred times on my iPod, but we sat and listened to the whole vinyl together, watching it spin and crackle to the next track. The same album came on again a few days later on my housemate’s laptop: I barely noticed it playing.

Maybe just knowing it’s a vinyl triggers some over-protective nature in music lovers where they feel they have to jump to its defense against what we know is a superior way to access music. Saying this, downloading an entire discography in less than an hour does take away from the experience, in my opinion anyway.

If you’re going to enjoy music through and through it doesn’t really matter what you choose to play it on, but investing a little extra in something as profound as music can change everything about a song you’ve heard a million times.

Turning 18 is one of the most important birthdays you will experience. Sure, 21 is an important birthday too, but 18 means adulthood: freedom to go where you like, buy what you like and take control of your life. You’re done being a teenager; your 18^th birthday means you have joined that fantastic little category of ‘young adult’ – responsible enough to largely do what you want without the accountability of being a fully fledged adult. It’s perfect! And what better way to celebrate this new-found maturity with a good old-fashioned kid’s party?!

The great thing about kid’s parties when you’re older is that you can enjoy the nostalgia of your youth. Whatever decade you’re from, there’s opportunity to track down your favourite things from your childhood for your party. Your friends (presumably the same age as you) will appreciate this trip down memory lane as well. So what do you need to create a little kids party?

Food: This is, let’s face it, the best part of any party. Sure, turning 18 means you can now drink alcohol, but if you’re anything like me you’ll be more excited about the prospect of cake, ice cream, jelly and Space Invader crisps! If you really want you can add a little rum to the punch, but make sure you label it so people know it’s not innocent fruit juice! Little touches like cupcake trays, themed cupcake cases and moulded birthday candles will add an excitable aspect to your birthday party food. Click here to have a look at the range of birthday party food accessories on offer from Party Care.

Music: Compile a playlist of all the songs you loved when you were a kid. Any 18-year-old will love a good bit of 1990s pop. Think Spice Girls, Hanson and Boyzone to name a few. As well as this, why not opt for a good old karaoke machine?? Think back to the hours of fun that used to be had from a karaoke machine. You can sing along with your friends, having singing competitions and even just have a group sing-a-long with the whole party! One company that hires out up-to-date karaoke machines that are easy to use is London Disco Hire. Visit their website to browse your options.

Costume: Why not dress up as your favourite ‘90s character? You could wear the iconic Sporty Spice tracksuit or if you prefer, go as Britney Spears circa Hit me Baby One More Time. There’s such a wide variety, just have a look online. Some good costume shops that offer historical costume for grownups are Party Delights and Ace Fancy Dress. Enjoy your last chance to dress up in your favourite costume before you become a proper adult!

Once you have these things in place, it won’t take long before your guests are having a whale of a time! With karaoke, typical party food and good old fashioned fancy dress, you’ll have thrown the best little kid’s party for your 18^th ever! The rest of your life is for cultured, sophisticated dinner parties; being 18 means you can celebrate being a kid one last time before entering into the beginning of the rest of your life.

Despite being the single most stressful week of my life, I have successfully managed and promoted two live music gigs this week, and wow did I learn the hard way. My task was to organise a live music event in an otherwise non-live music venue after the management agreed to let us the bar for the night. The event was a charity fundraiser for an arts movement in Lancaster and after finding a number of bands to play the event, as well as my own; I began to acquire everything else needed for the gig. I was told I would have two weeks to sort everything, but it was unexpectedly cut to five days: nightmare. As the week drew on, more and more interest was generated and the management at the bar started to see the growing potential. What started as a small time gig in a large pub soon became a hyped up event for half the town and my nerves began to crack under the pressure.

I had been running around like a headless chicken all week whilst managing work, but a few nights before the gig I paid a visit to the venue to finalize my plans with management. When I arrived, they told me they were expecting their event crowd barriers any day now, and also did I need a better PA system? I was still reeling from the crowd barriers comment, ‘barriers? How many people do you expect to come? And what do you mean a “better” PA? What’s wrong with yours?’ I asked nervously. ‘It’s just a bit iffy sometimes, you’ll be fine though’ was the response. I’m not entirely sure what my expression was at this news, but from the management’s reaction it was far from reassured. I had agreed to do this as a favour to the arts students, and to gain some experience, but this was fast snowballing into catastrophe unless I kept my head.

When throwing something as complicated as a live music event, you should always follow the gig rules for organising. In this case, I had not. Crowd barriers were disconcerting enough without crucial news like ‘no PA system’ and ‘this/that band have dropped out’. In short, it wasn’t looking good for the gig.

The night finally arrived, and to make things worse I had double booked myself to play in another pub, finishing half an hour before the start of the main event. By the time we had moved everything over, the place was packed and I was somewhat relieved to see the barriers in place: it was going to be a great crowd, if the PA would even start up.

In hindsight, I should have read up more on operating a PA system, but then again I should also have been given a lot more time, equipment, budget and permissions. As it was, the pub just wanted live music and hadn’t thought far ahead at all. I won’t describe the horrors of the first 45 minutes trying to get everything to work, but again, thank god for those barriers when it did finally click. The packed pub roared in unison at the first note struck, and we finally got the show underway. We pulled it back from disaster by the skin of our teeth, but it could have gone the other way very easily. I advise anyone thinking of organising a gig to learn from my mistakes; preparation is pivotal, improvisation is invaluable.

Going to a festival can be a great experience and is a rite of passage for most twenty somethings. But if you want to enjoy yourself make sure you are prepared for any eventuality,So here are some tips so that you can make the most of your weekend, safe in the knowledge that you have everything sorted.

Arriving early can be very useful, it means that you can pick the prime tent pitching location and get your bearings before the area gets too crowded. Try and pitch your tent near a recognisable landmark, or at the very least make your tent distinguishable from the sea of tents that will appear. When your tent is pitched claim some territory around it so that you don’t get squished between tents, a good idea is digging a little trench around your tent. If you have come with a group of friends then make a circle with the entrances to the centre that will give you a little territory and some social space in the middle. Once you are pitched find out where the toilets are and also where the medical centre is at the festival, hopefully you won’t need it, but if you do you don’t want to be wondering around looking for it.

There are certain items that you definitely need for a festival the first is money. Though there may be ATMs  around the queues will be huge so make sure you have enough money for the whole weekend, budget beforehand  so you don’t run out. Dry Clothes are another one that you can’t go without, it will probably rain and you don’t want to spend the weekend in damp clothes. Put them in a plastic waterproof bag so you can ensure their continued dryness. Bring your phone, ID and cash and keep them on you at all times so that you don’t lose them and you can use them in emergencies.

If you are in England then your festival is likely to get wet so bring a waterproof poncho or an anarak.  Do not wear flip flops, your feet will be wet all weekend and your feet will be stomped on. Wear some good waterproof (do you see a pattern emerging) wellies and bring spare socks, if you can, take your shoes and socks off at night so that your feet can breath. Once you get there, you will not have a decent wash so bring wet and antiseptic wipes, dry shampoo and deodorant so you can at least hide the fact. If you are a girl or a boy with long hair get it in a style that means there will be a minimum amount of fuss, like a plait. Bring water, there will be bottled water at the festival but it will be expensive so make sure you make room for it in your bag.

As long as you don’t forget any of this information and bring the essentials you are almost guranteed to have a great festival experience.

There is nothing better in the summer than relaxing with friends, and one of the best ways to do this is at a summer festival. Festivals can relate to all kinds of things, from poetry festivals to live music festivals, so it is important to think about where you and anyone you are going with would want to go and what they want to see.

One of the more popular kinds of summer festival is the music festival, of which comprise countless different forms. You can almost guarantee that there will be at least one festival out there catering for every kind of music imaginable, and certainly the more popular forms of music are covered. Summer festivals like T in the Park and Download are high profile and popular despite catering to a wide range of musical tastes, so even if in your own community you feel like a musical outcast, at a festival you will be safe in the knowledge that you are not alone.

Summer festivals have been gaining popularity since the late 1960s, when festivals such as Woodstock were high profile and very fashionable. Though types of festivals have been happening for thousands of years, or at least as long as humans have had some kind of civilisation. They were often used to celebrate the gathering of the harvest, or in celebration of nature itself. These ritualistic events paved the way for our popular summer festivals, and it is easy to still see aspects of these events in the way we celebrate to this day.

Live music is arguably one of the main ways in which music itself develops. If a musician who has limited influences sees several different live bands, they may only like a few of them, but the few they like will probably be similar to the type of music they already like but with a couple of key differences. It is these key differences that help to broaden the tastes and influences of that musician, so that they can then experiment to a greater degree in their own music. The effect of this is often that some of the musicians’ influences will inevitably alter over time, but that there will be some core influences that are unlikely to change unless something extreme happens.

It can be seen that live music can have a profound effect on a music lover’s life, and even those who are not that interested in music can be drawn to live music for other reasons. Someone with an interest in theatre and acting may well be drawn to a band that is particularly dramatic and audience-involving on stage, so they may not buy their albums to enjoy the music, but will go to their live shows. As another example, someone with experience in pyrotechnics and an interest in the subject may want to go to the gig of a band that use a lot of special effects on stage, which may include fire spectacles. Live music is not always just about the music, but about the combined, shared experience.

Music downloads are killing the music industry. That is the current scare story coming out of the music industry. We have to remember that in the seventies the mantra coming out of the music industry was that home taping was killing music. Yet the music industry is still here.

There is a difference between then and now, and that is digital reproduction. With analogue tape in the past, every time something was recorded and re-recorded it lost a little bit of quality every time. A third or fourth generation recording was noticeably of lesser quality than the original. Digital recording and reproduction has changed all that. Every copy is a perfect duplication of the original without any loss of quality. What’s more, with the internet, the distribution of digital recordings is so much easier. People can copy and share their music collection incredibly easily.

This poses a problem for the music industry. How are they supposed to make money from recorded music when it is so easily copied and distributed with no loss of quality? Their first attempt to cope with the situation was to try and outlaw music downloads, but this proved to be impractical. The internet is impossible to police so any law to try and curb how it is used will prove ineffectual. Their next step was buying the main offending file sharing service. This was more successful but in effect neutered the services appeal. People stopped using the service when they suddenly had to pay for it.

Concert venues have changed over the years and the type of events stages at venues have changed as well. Orchestras used to perform at concert halls and pop singers used to perform at clubs. Things have changed.

Since the fifties, teenagers did not grow out of pop music and progress to “classical music”, they wanted to take pop music with them. As pop music grew up, and its audience grew up with it, the venues for pop music have got bigger and bigger. Where once the concert hall was the preserve for classical music, it was more likely to be staging a pop concert as a classical music concert. Indeed, the pop concert is more the norm these days. A concert venue could not survive today just by staging classical concerts. As a result, the number of working orchestras has reduced dramatically over the years and many surviving ones are in a constant battle to raise the money to carry on in the long term.

As for concert venues there is very much a pecking order depending on what stage of career the performers are at.

Music magazines have played an important role in the cultural fabric of our society and have been the life blood of the music industry for fifty or sixty years.

In the nineteen fifties something happened: the teenager emerged as a financial power in modern society. What the teenager was concerned about was pop music, and what they spend their money on was records, and when they were not listening to music they were reading about music, reading about their favourite pop stars and, most importantly, finding out about new music and new pop stars.
This is where music magazines came in. The music business relied on the music magazines to publicise their new records and stars and to keep existing stars in the limelight. Teenagers devoured the music magazines to keep up to date on the latest sensations, and even musicians used music magazines to advertise themselves in the small ads to try and put a band together.

This went on for a long time and to a certain extent carries on to this day, but in the sixties things did start to change. As the teenagers grew up their tastes grew up with them. As a result, pop music grew up with them. Pop music started to be about more than just about “boy meets girl”. Pop musicians started to write their own songs, taking as their subject matter things that concerned them. As a result the music magazines started to change to reflect this. They started to publish serious articles about musicians.