How To Record a Music Demo

As a musician, your demo is your calling card. It can help you expand your audience, and it's your ticket to getting noticed by record labels, so it's important to get it right. Contrary to popular belief, demo recording doesn't have to be elaborate or expensive. If your songs are great, listeners will hear it, no matter how much cash you spent on the recording.

1. Pick your recording venue. Are you going to book a studio? Are you going to record at home using your computer i.e nero, fruityloops or any other software or 4 track recorder? Make sure whichever venue you choose is equipped with everything you need, and if you're recording at home, make sure you understand the acoustical quarks of the room.

2. Choose your recording method. There are two basic choices available to you:
Recording live - that is, all instruments and vocals being recorded in one take - produces a raw, rough sound.
Multi-track recording - each instrument being recorded independently on its own track- gives cleaner and more polished sound.

The right one for you depends on the music you are making. Hardcore punk? Go live. Radio friendly pop? Go multi-track.

3. Set up. For the drums, each individual drum should be miked, and the cymbals should each have two mics . The bass and guitar should each go through a DI. If you have a double guitar part, or to get a really clean sound, the guitarist can have a mic plus be hooked up to an amp in separate room, to prevent bleed of the amp sound into the mic.
Record. Time to do the actual recording. Don't get caught up in the details and don't record for hours on end. A demo should be short, sweet, and to the point.

4. Mix your recording.
Remember that labels don't expect a demo to be perfect.
If you're recording at home on a computer, and mixing is easy enough, don't feel pressured to excute a perfect mix. A rough mix is fine.
If you're recording in a studio, the engineer or producer can mix your recording for you.
One more time - a demo is not intended to be a release ready recording. Mixing is one of the most important parts of professional recording, but not of demo making. Don't get caught up in spending too much time and money on this step.

5. Master your recording. (This step is completely optional.) Mastering involves a final EQ process and also adds a bit of compression. Keep in mind that people who master recordings have styles all their own; no two people will master the same recording in the same way. If you decide to get your recording mastered, make sure you get an unmastered copy as well, in case you don't like the finished product.

Artist Manager

What is it?

An artist manager, also known as a "band manager", is in charge of the business side of being a musician or an artist. Often, band members/musicians are great at the creative side of things, but aren't so great at promoting themselves, booking their own gigs, or negotiating deals. In a very general sense, the task of a "manager" is to take care of the day to day running of the artist or band's career, so they can focus on the creative side of things. The jobs a manager does depends very much on the artist/band and where they are in their careers. For an unsigned artist/band, a manager should:

1. Send out demos to labels, radio stations, local print media, and online publications
2. Book gigs and invite labels and the media to the shows
3. Network and talk to people about the artist/band
4. Help book studio time and practice sessions
5. Explore funding opportunities for the artist/band

For signed artists, managers should:

1. Negotiate financial deals with the label for expenses like touring and recording
3. Oversee other people working for the band, like accountants, agents, and merchandisers.

What Jobs Should an Artist Manager Do? Unsigned Artists:

For an unsigned artist, the manager should be the mouthpiece of the band, and their greatest ally, making sure that everyone else involved in the band's career is doing their job and working hard to promote the band's success. For instance, the manager should be on the phone with the label, asking about advertising campaigns and then on the phone with agent asking about upcoming show opportunities.

Do Managers Need a Contract?:

In a word, YES. Even if you're managing an unsigned band made up of personal friends and there is no money involved for now, you need to write up an agreement. It doesn't have to be fancy or even supervised by a lawyer. Just jot down what is expected of both manager and band, what the percentage of income for the manager will be if any money should come in, and what happens if band and manager decide to part ways. Many new bands don't want to make their friends sign contracts. Put that out of your mind. When you're entering into a business relationship with a friend, a contract keeps the friendship safe.

How Do I Find a Band Manager?:
If you're a musician looking for a manager, this article will let you know how to go about finding one.

What is the Pay Like?:

Managers are generally paid a percentage of the band's income: 15% to 20% is the industry norm. In addition to their percentage, managers should not have to cover any expenses out of their own pocket.
There are some things a manager should NOT get a cut of. These are, including royalties - in my opinion. You should be aware that there are many different kinds of management deals out there, and the changing face of the music industry has meant a change in management deals. Case in point: merchandise. It is becoming the norm for managers to take a cut of merch income - you can still find managers who do not, but they have become the minority. Essentially, the way musicians make their money is in flux, and since the income of the musicians is directly tied to the income of the managers, managers need to make sure they are able to tap into the new sources of money.
Any deal between musicians and managers should be negotiated up front and revisited when significant events occur that could drastically increase or decrease the band's income.