Audiobus: Use your music apps together.
What is Audiobus? — Audiobus is an award-winning music app for iPhone and iPad which lets you use your other music apps together. Chain effects on your favourite synth, run the output of apps or Audio Units into an app like GarageBand or Loopy, or select a different audio interface output for each app. Route MIDI between apps — drive a synth from a MIDI sequencer, or add an arpeggiator to your MIDI keyboard — or sync with your external MIDI gear. And control your entire setup from a MIDI controller.
Download on the App StoreAudiobus is the app that makes the rest of your setup better.
Publishing my music, recipe for a failure?
After almost 40 years playing and writing music, for some strange reason I decided to try and go beyond shyness, lack of self confidence and make one track available. What can go wrong? at worst nobody will ear it.
The thing is I'm not into marketing, have basically no online presence, no followers, and I can't say I have any real life presence either.
On top of that, that track is not really fitting in any genre and is 41 minutes long.
In the age of play listing, I'm quite sure all of that is not going to fly.
How are you guys dealing with all of that?
Comments
I’ve uploaded about 60 albums in different ‘bands’ onto Bandcamp over the last few years. Despite having over 6k followers on social media I don’t get many sales or plays. I once made a ‘best of’ CD for my nephew, but his wife won’t let him play it in the house. “It’s shit”, was her review of my music. Everyone’s a critic.
So why do I do it?
Because I absolutely love making music, and the whole process of compiling the tracks and creating the cover artwork takes me far away from the horrors and drudgery of the real world.
If people don’t like it, that’s absolutely fine and has no impact whatsoever on the pleasure I get from doing it - if anything, it frees me up to do exactly as I please.
I’ll never stop.
Hi @jo92346
Go for it!
I am the same as @monz0id and similar to you,
I love making ‘music’ - I have a bandcamp page, and several soundcloud monikers… the whole process off creation is what it is about for me… if I get a sale, that’s great… very rare, I’ve had three!
Good luck,
Keep us posted!
J
thanks, I definitely find myself in those sayings
Wow, such an amazing attitude. 🙌🙌👏👏👏
Nothing will go wrong! I have been known to put music on Bandcamp and YouTube usually with zero response.
I look upon those places more as a useful library of my works rather than just filling up a hard disk with my music.
Go for it . . . and as others have suggested, the most important thing is to enjoy the process.
Thanks - it's really just about doing something I enjoy though, it's no hardship!
Some of my accounts are for 'experimental' music - the more unusual stuff - and these are anonymous. This gives me the freedom to properly enjoy and muck about without worrying what people might think. If I think they're any good, then I put them on my main 'public' account.
Exactly this, and I find it helps to focus what I'm doing too. Rather than having loads of random, half-finished tracks on my hard drive, they're organised and catalogued into a finished thing.
If you have enough financial means for it, do it. I have utmost respect for all the introverts in the world who still have the fire to do what they love and believe despite the world turning to shit aesthetically. Don't forget to post the details here one you have it up. Since many members of audiob.us forum do more or less "experimental" electronic music, in fact, it might be a good idea to create playlist or whatever it's called on any streaming platforms where all of us can see and access. Is there such a thing? Kind of starter help for those with same spirit. I for once will play that playlist on repeat all day! 👍
As other have already said, don’t worry about it!
Just make your music, bung it onto Soundcloud, YouTube or wherever, and share it wherever is convenient (there’s the creations section here, for example). Maybe you’ll get no plays or reactions, maybe you will. Enjoy the making of it, anything else is a bonus.
The way I look at it, is that if any of my music connects/resonates with anyone else, even if it’s just one person, and makes them feel better, even briefly, then job done. If you don’t put it out there at all, then that can never happen, by definition.
Friends and family can be unhelpful (certainly not always), especially if you are working in unfamiliar territory - I’ve kind of got used to tumbleweed when I post stuff. But then I’ve managed to find supportive communities where I get helpful feedback and occasionally praise. This forum being one of them.
Lot of wisdom in those words.
Since I have absolutely no idea what I'm doing after my music is finished, I followed some random tutorial on YouTube, created a Distrokid account, uploaded that first track and set some arbitrary release date: 11/11 because it looks pretty.
I like the process of creating music, always did since I put my fingers on a piano a very long time ago. Anything beyond that is quite lost to me, it isn't interesting, which is the main reason all my music goes in a drawer when its done. Not totally true, actually I enjoyed working on the cover art, like @monz0id .
Something must have changed in me because I sorta decided to make some of my music "public". Don't know what it is. Or maybe I know: I'm starting to slightly loose my earring and perfect pitch and maybe it's time someone else can ear my music before I can't anymore.
I don't think seeking the approval of strangers is a healthy way to live, but on the other hand a musician needs an audience. I would propose that playing live is more rewarding than publishing.
that would work for people in a band, someone playing Chopin for an audience, and overall for healthy normal people that can technically interact with other humans and do all that is needed to play for an audience.
In my case I can't do that. And if I could who would come to see a guy pressing the play button?
If you want to leverage your music to become popular and make money, then there are approaches and attitudes that can help, though of course there are no guarantees. Still, it's basically true that whatever you spend time on is what you will become. If you want a market for your wares then you need to become a marketer.
Fortunately, the tech today removes a lot of barriers and levels the playing field. The long tail and all that. But it also makes it more difficult to differentiate your music and make a mark.
I think the best marketing opportunities arise when a new trend surfaces. A lot of these trends don't amount to much, so expect many small failures, but some become extremely influential for at least a few years -- until the next thing comes along. Think mp3.com, MySpace, iTunes, Pandora, YouTube, Instagram, TikTok. If you can get a foothold when a new trend is just starting, your efforts will receive a huge boost when the platform takes off.
Some of my tracks got onto Pandora in the early days and they're still paying off 20 years later. There is a conservancy to these playlists that can be disconcerting unless you happen to be on one of them.
All of this is just to say that music and marketing are two different things. You can be good at one or you can be good at both. Do what you want to become is my advice.
Footnote about TikTok: its algorithm is designed to seek out uniqueness and match interests. If you post to TikTok it is virtually guaranteed that someone somewhere will see it. And, besides, TikTok is fun.
This analysis of Taylor Swift's marketing campaign for Midnights reiterates the importance of TikTok:
http://www.artists.bandsintown.com/blog/5-key-lessons-taylor-swifts-midnights-can-teach-the-music-business-bill-werde
Truth. Some really good buskers that I have encountered in real life, or solo performers on YT have left more of a lasting impression on me than published works of equal or better quality.
Although I don’t know the real life busker names, I believe it’s witnessing first hand the joy that they are experiencing as a result of reaping what they have sown with practice, is what inspires me and drives me to practice and create for the sheer joy of it.
These performances are not exclusive to traditional instruments either, some are also beatboxers, linnstrument performances, junglist on an MPC or SP, Beatsurfing 2, as well as a good tabla player, jazz on an ukule, ect.
Published works is good to have too tho. If done right with sync licensing, something you made might get picked up and generate a few passive dollars or maybe something more sizable as a passive income, no extra effort after a certain point.
Practice acceptance and letting go. I’m with @monz0id (this is our old friend Monzo, right?). Finishing my 60th album on BandCamp plus five actual CDs on NewArtists Records). Couldn’t buy a decent steak dinner with the profits.
If there are 8 billion people on the orb there must be at least ten million with extraordinary musical ability. Used to be you had to have dough or get a record contract to even make a ripple. Now you’re competing with a genius from Bangladesh. That’s egalitarian in my book and an improvement.
As an artiste, I do it for the money
Lots of good replies here. Personally I just make music for fun. I’ve released some music before with my old band and would like to release some solo stuff eventually, but again just for the fun of it. And if no one ever hears it, I can live with that because at the end of the day, I’m doing it all for me.
Yeah, that’s me, I’m like Dr Who - I keep regenerating
It’s a real privilege to be in a position to be able to dedicate time, and cash to what’s basically a hobby for me, and do whatever I fancy without restraint. That’s part of the motivation - musically, I can do whatever I want.
When I’ve been in ‘real’ bands, usually as a bassist, I’m playing other peoples songs, and quite often their basslines too. It’s enjoyable, but at the end of the day it’s work.
This is different, it’s pure fun. ‘Playing’ music in every sense, though it takes a while to get hardware and software in sync to get the perfect setup.
To the OP I’d say just enjoy the creative process, post your music up online but unless you’re reliant on it for an income, don’t focus too much on what happens to it after that, put your energy and focus into making the next one.
Do it because you love doing it. If you find only one other person in the world likes what you do, that's still a win.
Do it. Also, Distrokid is a great way to get all your songs on multiple streaming services at once. For about $20 a year. Saves you the stress of getting a record label.
I think putting your music online it’s pretty low risk I mean setting up a band camp pageand uploading your music there is free so you don’t lose money if it doesn’t work
In my opinion I think the important thing is to not expect much and not to do it for success rather more because you like to make and share your music because especially in the beginning if you don’t already have a following you will get Not the response you might like
That's a good idea - someone make a 'Made on iOS' playlist on Bandcamp / Spotify or whatever. Not the sexiest name but it would probably be of interest to people here at least.
It took me years to finally get stuff out onto public platforms. I'd just go through weird head states and it all would just sit on my hard drive somewhere. Now it's actually a liberation of sorts to put stuff out there. It's definitely for the fun of creation.
I think this is the way to go.
Makes sense to me
I understand where you’re coming from @jo92346, and have really enjoyed reading all the interesting comments on this thread. I totally agree that if the act of creation is what you enjoy most, then that is all that matters!
Have you tried BandLab? It’s another way of putting your music out there for nothing. I started publishing on it during the first lockdown in 2020, and I can’t do without it now! There is a social element to it - people do listen to your music and comment on it, and part of the deal is that you return the favour when you can. I’ve ‘met’ some incredible people on there, and you can collaborate with others if you want. What I enjoy about it most is that I can create whatever and whenever I want, but even when I’ve kept quiet for a while and then publish, there are listeners for my music. It might not be your thing at all, but I just thought it was a mention.
Put it out there on one or the other of the distributors, many have been mentioned (I was with distrokid but now I’m likely to choose Horus music, I’ve started an account) (or Soundcloud is now a distributor if you pay them more money than most of the other distributors)
Once it’s out there nobody will listen to it
But it’s a considerable relief to have got that far, and then you move on – it means you can finish things and plan the next things
Well, I've gotten over my shyness over the course of the past couple of years. I use SoundCloud for my Ambient stuff I know won't make me any money but that I enjoy producing, and I've started to use BandCamp for my EDM/Pop stuff.
And yes I admit I have a bit of an ego. Most of my music here hardly ever receives comments. I can understand that with the Ambient stuff as not everybody has 10-50 minutes to spare listening to those pieces. 😂 But when I work hard to make an EDM song like "Silver Moon", and I receive little to no comments, then it's a bummer. (I even paid a friend to do a bit of voice acting on the "Album Version", and aside from my good friend Rene, nobody else commented.)
So in short, I know a bit where you're coming from mate.