Do I Need a Website?

September 20, 2023 by Aaron

Instructional Stuff, Music Business, Music Thoughts, Rants, Randomness

aaron trumm, are music websites dead, do i need a website, do musicians need a website, indie music, music websites, websites, websites for musicians

OR: Are music websites dead?

Trolling around on Facebook and other social media accounts as I do, I often come across questions or debates about the usefulness or need for a website. It’s not only musicians, in fact, that tend to debate this. Usually, the commentary around the subject strikes me as misguided. Things like “websites are dead!” or “you need a website or you’re nobody” are the basic extremes that are both – well, too extreme.

Just ten minutes ago, in fact, a fellow musician asked this question in a group, and I was in a terrible rush to answer with some thought before the deluge of incomplete and extremist responses sent this person reeling. Let’s look at what I said (I reserve the right to make this better as I go):

Do I Need a Website – or – Are Websites Dead?

A website can be an important tool, depending on your strategy. However, it’s also a tool that is super duper misunderstood, and in many cases completely unnecessary.

You’ve touched on the truth of it when you say no one has found your site so far. I like to use this analogy:

People often think of a website like a TV commercial. Put it out there and a captive audience will be sure to see your message. This is false. A website is more like a storefront. But it’s a storefront hidden in a back alley in a dark part of town with no sign.

Clearly, no one will ever find the site buried in the back alley, hidden along with literally 1.9 billion other websites – so it is not, as some people imagine, a promotional tool.

In fact, a website can be a powerful tool – either for sales or some other purpose. But the website itself must be promoted in order for it to be seen. It’s actually the opposite of a promotional tool. It’s the thing you need to promote.

For some businesses, the website is really only a digital brochure. That is indeed useful for some businesses. After all, it’s cheaper and cooler to give someone a simple URL and have them read all about your services or products, with the added bonus of being able to dynamically change information and have them call you. Even Web 1.0 style sites are useful this way.

For some businesses (ahem Amazon), a website is the entire business. We have a term for that now, um let’s see, what is it – oh yeah – “e-commerce”. 😉

For some businesses or individuals, a website may serve to communicate authority and professionalism – and indeed, if you purport to be a business and your card or email signature points me to a Facebook page, you look like an amateur. A website provides a more professional look – the most important part of this may actually be the dedicated domain and email address, though!

Do you trust bobsplumbing@yahoo.com more or less than sales@bobsplumbing.com ? (Please don’t lie to me just to be argumentative…)

Music Websites

For a musician, this depends on strategy. Someone who’s entire strategy is to push traffic to Spotify does not need to waste time or money on a website. There’s zero need – why? Because you’d have to drive traffic to the website via some channel – probably social media. Then you’d have to point them from there to Spotify. You’ll lose half your traffic that way. It’s dumb. It would be dumb to maintain a website if your entire goal was Spotify (that goal is also dumb – usually – but that’s another post).

Similarly, a website isn’t necessarily the first priority for a dedicated sync artist. It can house audio samples and information, but the more important tool for a dedicated sync artist in this time period is a Disco account. Why? Because in the sync world, the culture is to use Disco. That platform is more likely to successfully stream audio to the recipient, it allows a host of features that would be hard to build on your site, and so on. Is a website a bad idea for a sync artist? No! It communicates professionalism and you can certainly point people there to find out more about you! Is it necessary? No.

However, some artists (myself included) maintain a website for very different purposes. For a digital direct marketing business model, the website, tied to an email autoresponder service, is the key infrastructure tool for building sales funnels, which is the basis of the model. So, in that case, the website is mission-critical. But the most important part of that infrastructure isn’t the front page, about page, audio page, video page, etc. It’s the backend infrastructure, cart and funnel software, and landing page system – all of which would be invisible to anyone visiting “soandso.com”.

Also, in my case, I maintain a pretty extensive blog. Do I need to do this? No. But I happen to be a writer for my “day job”. I write about things musicians would be interested in, so the crossover makes sense. And content marketing is a known entity – a powerful tool for businesses. What is the point of my blog? To help you, of course, silly!

Oh and also, from a business point of view: to establish industry authority and build relationships, maintain a powerful portfolio, and leverage revenue generators like affiliate linking and ads. This is not a vanity blog, kids, it’s part of the business. If it wasn’t, I wouldn’t do it.

(I love you guys and all, but kitty needs a new pair of kick toys.)

The point: the website is a tool. It should have a purpose. If it doesn’t, you don’t need it.

At the End of the Day

In summation, the question “Should I have a website” isn’t a question that can be answered generically. It’s like asking “Should I own a hammer?”. Well, maybe. Do you need to drive nails regularly?

So, if someone says to you “Websites are dead!” or “All you need is a Facebook account” OR “You have to have a website or you’re nobody!” they’re wrong – maybe. It all depends on what your goals are and how you plan on getting there.

I hope this diatribe has been helpful! 🙂 If you need help building a website, determining what kind of website you need, or consulting on your overall internet presence, I just happen to be opening my doors as a web developer and consultant once more – email me at aaron @ aarontrumm.com to find out more, talk about your project, or book a free initial consult!

Don’t Wait. Create! Creativity and recording

This article on creativity and recording first appeared in Recording Magazine. I reprint it here with permission, and I encourage you to subscribe to that publication, as they are a stand up bunch of folk! PS: you may find affiliate links in this post and I may get a commission if you buy something. 🙂

Long ago, in wood-paneled control rooms and expensive cathedral studios far away, there was no way to make a record without gaining access to a top-notch facility. Home recording wasn’t a thing in the beginning days, save for a few absolutely awful sounding demo tapes circulating around. Fact was decent recording technology for every person just didn’t exist. Now it does.

But that doesn’t stop some of us from getting caught up in “I need this before I can start” syndrome. Some of our would-be recording brethren even wait years before they flip a switch, for fear that the gear just isn’t enough (or expensive enough).

Vocalists can be found shopping for the perfect microphone, even saving for months and selling off prize possessions to try and get a $20,000 U47. Drummers pine over interfaces and pre-amps. Guitarists have more pedals than finished songs. Bassists collect world class cabinets and don’t record any licks. Beat makers spend more money on plugins than their kids’ educations – never to release a track.

If this is you (and in truth, hasn’t it been all of us at least a little?), our message is simple: Don’t wait. Create!

It’s a trope at this point, but it bears repeating: now is the most exciting time ever to be a musician! You can get started with a funky old laptop and some free software. If you have even a little spending money, even the most inexpensive interfaces do an amazing job, and if you haven’t shopped for microphones lately, you’re in for a pleasant surprise. You can do quite well for under $100.

Back in the digital day…

When the infamous ADAT first appeared, a major debate came up. Analog vs. digital. Can you possibly get great sound with digital recording? No no, no way, the pundits and experts said. They had a point – there’s just something about analog tape, and digital recording at the time was in its infancy.

There were even articles about famous artists using ADATs and the question was “can you possibly make a hit this way??” and of course – people did. Not surprisingly, genres like hip-hop were at the forefront there. Those genres and artists who were barred by resources from stepping into a $200 an hour analog studio turned to this new, cheaper technology.

Remember “Regulate” by Warren G. and Nate Dogg? ADATs. Outkast’s “Players Ball”, “Pork Soda” by Primus – Allanis Morrisette’s “Jagged Little Pill”. Yep.

We don’t have to pretend these acts didn’t have some pretty serious resources but at the time, ADATs were considered by some to be way too cheapy to do anything good. In truth, it’s the art and the craft that made those records.

And tech has come a long way. No doubt you’ve heard that pretty much everything Billie Eilish has done with brother Finneas was recording in his bedroom in the family house. Like the ADAT pioneers above, those aren’t just hit songs, they’re beautiful works of art.

And yes, Billie Eilish records now are mixed and mastered by high falutin engineers – but they weren’t always, and the point is – it doesn’t take much outside of some fun recording and creativity to make great records.

The golden age?

So, are we living in the golden age of affordable recording tech? Maybe. Certainly, tech will advance, get smaller, get cheaper. But we may see new formats and expectations from the market that are only doable in expensive facilities.

That seems far off, though. In the meantime, it’s getting easier and easier to record with great quality, so this may be only the beginning of a long golden age.

Now does that mean every song you record will be gold? Sorry. You’ll still have to work your creative muscles. And now you have a lot more competition. That’s not a bad thing, but it does mean you can’t just throw money at a recording project and expect it to kill. All the expensive gear in the world won’t make a record on its own (although it might inspire you).

Now’s the time

By now you see the point. We love toys, and you should get what inspires you and you can afford. After all, outfitting a studio is fun! But time comes to create, don’t sit around pining over gear you don’t have. Just create! Right now! Because you can!

I’m known as the MacGyver of Recording as of now. Talk about jury-rigs, cheap and expensive gear, and creativity with my on Instagram or Facebook.

My Almost Vegan Superfood Protein Smoothie Is Everything, And I Think I Know Why

August 15, 2023 by Aaron

Music Thoughts, Rants, Randomness

aaron j. trumm, aaron trumm, covid, healthfood, nquit copy, nquit music, pandemic, protein drink, smoothie, superfood, superfood smoothie, vegan smoothie

My Almost Vegan Superfood Protein Smoothie Is Everything, And I Think I Know Why

“Have you been eating raw garlic again?” She says I smell like garlic every day.

“I put a little in my shakes…” Confession: I put 2 or 3 entire raw cloves in my Almost Vegan Superfood Protein Smoothie every morning. And more in my Totally Vegan Breakfast Bowl Of Awesome. This ritual has been keeping me sane for months now. At a time when it’s seemed like everything is out of control, in my life, in the world, in the universe at large, finding a daily something that’s good for me and better for the environment, even if it’s just this one thing, is helping bring things back into balance.

I wasn’t always so fond of ritual – or eating right. Back in college, I might get out of bed any time from 6 AM to 2 PM. Sometimes I’d leave the house for the first time at 5 PM, just in time for wrong direction rush hour. The next day I might be seen in study hall at 8 in the morning. Consistency just wasn’t my bag.

And boy what a diet! When asked by a potential date what I’d eaten for breakfast, I responded (truthfully), “Two swiss roles, a jelly doughnut and a coke!” I was even proud of it! I thought this showed how invincible I was. She didn’t agree.

Going with the flow

It goes without saying that I couldn’t have kept that up long. But it also says something about the life I was privileged enough to lead that I could bounce around so randomly, eat so crazily, eschew all sense of personal responsibility, and pretend to be superman – all the while being relatively assured that the world around me would remain the same. At any point, I could grab hold of that solid ground around me – society, business, culture – and I’d be right as rain.

Perhaps we all did that just a bit. And why not? After all the world can be so structured. School, work, family, sports, church – so many obligations. So many things conspiring to keep you hemmed in. There’s something to be said for riding the wave, going with the flow, letting life do what it will.

Everything changes – including freedom

And then 2020 happened. Even if you’re reading this in 2030, you know what happened in 2020. Hemmed in took on a whole new meaning, as we took to our homes and stayed away from everyone and everything, waiting out a pandemic we had no idea would last all year – and beyond.

And in a cruel irony, while I felt trapped – more trapped than I could have anticipated – I simultaneously lost all sense of coherence. The world wasn’t just evolving – it had completely changed overnight. Nothing seemed in control. Nothing seemed predictable. We had a global virus – unequaled in scope and devastation for the past 100 years. We had fires – and not just in California – the Arctic, Siberia, Australia, Indonesia, Brazil, Argentina – the whole world seemed to be on fire.

If that weren’t enough, we had political and social unrest. Here in the U.S., we fought tooth and nail over civil rights, racial justice, voting rights, healthcare, guns, and of course climate change. Meanwhile, South Asian countries have faced unprecedented financial pressure, including rising unemployment rates, slowing national growth, and recession – not to mention political unrest in various countries including India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh.

Needless to say, that solid ground we’d relied upon – the structure that gave us freedom – it was gone.

Garlic, ginger, blueberries

For me, uncertainty was laid upon uncertainty as I moved into 2020. After six years of pristine health following life-saving double lung transplant surgery, I had unexpected issues. I was admitted to the hospital twice at the end of 2019 and found myself in almost constant communication with my medical team in 2020. I was even admitted once more in June. Not only was the world going mad with the pandemic and everything else, I was suddenly unsure if I’d even be around to see the end of it.

With everything going on and almost no way to influence any of it – I had to take control of something.

So, I took control of my diet. Luckily, I’m a certified personal trainer and I knew a fair amount about nutrition already. I dove into extra research and found out about anti-inflammatory foods, plant-based diets, Asian diets, Mediterranean diets, the works. I reached new levels of understanding about calories, macros, proteins. I learned more than I could explain about the benefits of plant-based eating – even when it’s not a full-on vegan commitment – including environmental benefits.

Armed with all this new knowledge, I designed my very own morning shake. As mentioned above, I call it the Almost Vegan Superfood Protein Smoothie, and yes it includes blueberries, garlic, and ginger. It also includes vegan protein powder, peanut butter, plain non-fat yogurt, spinach (or kale), and if one must – milk (or soy milk). The yogurt and optional milk are what makes it “almost” vegan.

It has everything I decided I’d need to help protect my health so I could celebrate the end of 2020 with everyone else. Does it taste great? Yes, I think so. But I would feel bad if I didn’t mention that I can’t smell. So, there’s your fair warning.

Circumventing insanity

It’s not the shake itself, obviously. You’d have to be crazy to put raw garlic in a smoothie. It’s the ritual, the commitment to health, and the win-win of doing something that’s a little better for the world. The shake ritual has calmed me each morning, reminded me that I do have a say in how I feel, and that I can do something – even if it’s small – to help.

The shake led to the Totally Vegan Breakfast Bowl Of Awesome, which led to daily workouts again, which led to better sleep, which led to better coaching for my clients, which led to more income, which led to a few donations to environmental charities and food banks, which led to an overall better feeling about the world.

It led me back to meditation, to letting petty things go, to doing whatever I can to serve and see the greatness in people. I notice the good news again now and I finally feel as strong as I did in early 2019. I find myself impressed with all the creative ways people are coping, helping each other, and finding new ways to get things done.

It may sound nutty but for me the Almost Vegan Superfood Protein Smoothie was the key to staying sane while the world goes crazy. All of the insanity shall pass, but I think I’ll hang on to this.

I make music, and I write stuff. Want me to write stuff for you or your brand? Email me or check out copy.nquit.com.

The Case of the Mysterious Black Cassette Tape

In 1984 (I think), I was mailed a mysterious black cassette tape. Before you ok boomer me, I was 9. It was, in fact, a present for my 9^th birthday. It had nothing with it – no liner notes, no J-card, no letter, no explanation that I can remember. It simply said “Street Beat” on it in my Aunt Elaine’s handwriting. I think she dubbed it off a record or something!

On it was a compilation chock full of all the original hip-hop stuff – the actual old-school songs and artists. Sugar Hill Gang. Grandmaster Flash. Kevie Kev. Songs like White Lines, New York, New York, and All Night Long (Waterbed) (what the HELL does “Watashi-wa, Tokyo suki” mean??). These songs were 7, 8 minutes long, by the way.

I didn’t spend a lot of time on the typical tunes white guys around my age seem to be obsessed with like Pink Floyd and Led Zeppelin. No sir. THIS tape played in my Sony Walkman until it damn near wore out.

That started me off. After that, it was break dance this, break dance that. Hip-hop culture really swept the country and no, we weren’t all rappin. We were all breakin. I spent fourth and fifth grade wearing parachute pants and spiked wristbands.

I would obsess about cardboard and linoleum. I’m still like that by the way, but for different stuff. Everywhere I go, if I see any body of water, no matter how small, I say “ooh does that freeze over?” – I’m all about hockey and getting a skate in now. Back then it was all about breakin. I changed my name and made everybody call me Breaker. I labeled my desk with electrical tape spelling “Breaker”.

They even held a break dance competition at the Taos Fiestas. I joined it and at the last minute, teamed up with another 4^th grader named Harley Davidson (yeah that was his given name).

I watched Breakin’ a lot of times and had the soundtrack. At that time, rap wasn’t part of it. In fact, the songs with more rap vocals were kind of annoying because they might not be as danceable. Rockit was the pinnacle for that.

This was the music I was actually formed on, in addition to anything my parents had on vinyl (Beatles much?) and everything my dad played on the guitar and sang. That was all old Western Swing country. Bob Wills, Willie Nelson, Doc Watson (oh man Tennessee Stud is catchy, but my dad does it better, says I).

I think you can see how disparate these two sets of influences are…

But here’s the point…

We’re not a homogenous people, us Americans. We really are a melting pot. The more generations we create, the more we mash together.

There’s a whole slew of reasons I call myself a hip-hop artist even though at this point nobody else would. But I came up obsessively listening to these early hip-hop records. I learned to rap by memorizing every word of Young M.C.’s “Stone Cold Rhymin’”. But obviously, there’s 100 other influences in there too. Rock, country, jazz, blues.

It’s American music. Not purebred, not singular – like all our dogs growing up, it’s a mutt. Just a solid, tail-wagging, loud-barking, chicken-stealing doggo of beats, rhymes, and jammin.

I think it’s important for us to embrace that mashup, that togetherness, while simultaneously having respect for where our influences came from. It’s easy to just look at things from your same point of view, but when you’re encouraged to try new ways of thinking, learn other cultures, and gain influences outside of your sphere, things get better for everybody.

I don’t know why my aunt Elaine sent me that tape, but I do know it was a huge part of what I became in life. I’d love to think part of that is a person who digs other perspectives and respects multiple cultures. At least that’s what I want to be. Maybe that’s why she sent it.

Elaine’s on my list. So hopefully she’ll respond and tell me why she sent “Street Beat” – the tape which sent me on this path!

Wanna talk about it all? Hit me up on Facebook or Instagram @AaronJTrumm. And get a free CD while you’re at it right here!

How to stretch your home studio budget

This article about how to stretch your home studio budget first appeared in FlyPaper by Soundfly. I reprint it here with permission and I encourage you to check out their courses. You can get a 15% discount code on a subscription using the promo code AJTRUMM15. Finally, you may come across affiliate links, and I may make a commission if you buy.

Ok we lied. We’re not going to tell you exactly what to buy and what not to buy. That’s up to you. But we would like to help you avoid the trap that says you must have every whiz-bang technology in order to make great recordings.

So, let’s go over some quick concepts to keep you from spending way too much, so you can stretch your home studio budget.

Computers

Unless you plan on recording to tape or old school digital hard drive, you’ll need a computer. You can pay anywhere from $2,000 on up to get a laptop or desktop computer that’s customized for audio. So how do you keep a lid on your computer spend? Two ways: Know exactly what you need and optimize.

Look up the minimum requirements for the DAW software you plan to run and keep that in mind as you shop. You may find that a regular ol’ modern day computer is suitable.

For reference, here are some bare minimum specs you’ll need to be able to produce audio:

2.5GHZ processor multi core
4GB RAM
5-20GB space for the DAW software itself

4GB of RAM is nothing these days, but that’ll get you by. To be really comfortable, though, opt for 16GB. Anything less than the above specs and you won’t really be able to work, no matter how optimized you get.

Next, make sure you optimize your OS for audio. If you’re a Mac person, check out Steinberg’s guide for optimizing OS X, and if you’re into PC’s, check out my Recording Magazine article, “Tweak Your Own”.

You can make a cheaper computer go a long way with a few operating system tweaks.

Pro Tip: Although used isn’t great with computers, refurbished can be. I paid half of retail for my current laptop, simply because it was a refurb.

Software

You can spend way too much on DAW software, plugins, extras, sample libraries, etc. Think about what you’re doing and stick to what you need, rather than chasing trends.

Digital Audio Workstation

When it comes to DAWs, there are the industry standards like Pro Tools and Cubase. They’re not that much in the grand scheme of things, but if you’re short on funding, you may look into the totally free Cakewalk by Bandlab (update: Cakewalk won’t be free for much longer, but legacy copies will still work) or Ardour, or the very cheap Reaper, all of which are fully functional, not cheapo DAWs which some people actually prefer to the more famous packages. Unless you’re a commercial studio owner managing client expectations, there’s no reason you have to go with the obvious choice.

Plugins

Plugins will eat your lunch. Do you need every single Waves bundle, Slate subscription, next gen iZotope badassery, and whiz bang super crusher that comes out? No.

Instead of chasing trends and buying into the hype, think about what you want to accomplish.

Some products, such as iZotope’s Ozone, really are game changers and can make your life easier. Some products might make life easier for someone but not you, because you never need what they do.

When it comes to your bread and butter, there are four things you will always need:

EQ
Compression
Reverb
Delay

Almost every DAW comes with these basic processing tools built in. Don’t assume they’re bad or generic. In fact, they’re often quite powerful and optimized to work well with the DAW. In the case of Cakewalk by Bandlab, EQs and compressors are available directly in the channel strip, which can save a ton of CPU time.

If you’ve got a favorite third-party plugin or a few, great. Keep your setup tight, focused on what you know you’ll use. Bonus: this will make things easier to find, which will make you faster.

Pro Tip: There are hundreds of incredible free plugins out there. Try some!

Mics

Everybody wants a huge mic locker. Almost nobody needs one. Again, assess what your home studio is built to do and equip accordingly. If you’re a vocalist, figure out the best mic for your particular voice. That may be a $25,000 Telefunken tube condenser, and it may not. Would a $300 Røde do just as good a job, with some proper room acoustics?

If you’re a drummer, you can optimize your setup with carefully selected mics and when you want to change things up, tweak the placement rather than opening up the pocketbook.

No matter what you play, you may want a bunch of choices for different occasions but think about which of those esoteric mics are actually getting used. You may find that your collection of vintage Russian SM57 knock offs are just collecting dust.

This isn’t to say you shouldn’t have any variety in your cabinet. Just make it work for you – don’t try to cover all the bases and don’t assume expensive equals better.

Hardware – Mic pres, outboard gear, etc

If you don’t secretly covet an original 1176, I don’t know why I’m talking to you.

Nevertheless, don’t bother. When it comes to outboard gear, you can do the whole thing without any outboard effects, compressors, vintage gear, rack mount anything. If you’ve got a particular sound you want to repeatedly achieve, then by all means, purchase the gear. But don’t be fooled into thinking you’re stuck if you’re not in vintage gear heaven.

The only thing you’re almost certain to need is some kind of mic preamp. For many applications, the preamps in your interface will do just fine. If they don’t, follow the same rules you follow with mics. Shop for the pre that will help you achieve your sound. That may be a tube pre and it may not.

Pro Tip: There are services that will run your audio track through almost any analog gear you can think of – so if you want a real 1176 on something you don’t have to buy one. Try RackFX, MixAnalog, or Access Analog.

Instruments

We’re not going to tell you guitarists what to do with your money – we know how you get! We’ll just say…some big stars have been known to rock some pretty janky instruments.

For everyone else, if you’ve read this far you know what I’m about to say. Focus on the instrument that works best for you. A toy violin might not work, but neither may a four million-dollar Stradivarius. It’s ok that you care about the action on your keyboard, but that doesn’t mean the $4000 Nord will feel better to you than the $400 Casio Privia.

If you want to add a cajon to your collection, awesome! But go and play some and pick the one you like – don’t just sort by price on Amazon and pay as much as possible (yes, people do this).

Used Gear

Some things you want to buy new. Some things are never sold used (like software). But a whole bunch of stuff you may need – from mic stands to furniture to synths to guitars to mics – can be found on Ebay or Reverb.com or Craigslist or even just through friends.

Some recordists avoid the used gear market, but don’t be afraid of it.

Everything

You’re probably getting the jist by now. Yes, you’ll need to spend money, and when you care about quality, you may have to spend a good chunk sometimes. But the overall point is, make sure the quality you care about is the music you make. Don’t be afraid to make the best choice for you and leave the rest out.

Believe it or not, that change in thinking alone will save you a ton.

We’ll go out with one last tip I use to keep my head straight when it comes to spending – unsubscribe from all manufacturer email lists. Rather than reacting to a sale (which happens every day), react to your own need and go looking for a deal. This may be the best way to stretch your home studio budget.

Happy shopping!

I’m a producer, vocalist, and writer. I only sometimes buy stuff. Let’s talk about it on Facebook or Instagram

What is a Record Label?

This article asking what is a record label? first appeared in FlyPaper by Soundfly. I reprint it here with permission and I encourage you to check out their courses. You can get a 15% discount code on a subscription using the promo code AJTRUMM15. Finally, you may come across affiliate links, and I may make a commission if you buy.

Twenty, even years ago, the answer to this very basic question – What is a record label? – would have been pretty straightforward. Now, it’s a philosophical quagmire, and you’re likely to get a hundred different answers if you ask a hundred people.

It’s true, the role of the record label in music as a whole has changed. The role a label may play in an individual artist’s career may even be different, but contrary to popular opinion, the record label is not dead, nor is it likely to be soon.

So rather than spend a thousand pages (and we could) on the subtle history and nuance of record labels, their role in the music industry, and all the varying opinions on their usefulness or morality, let’s start by sticking to the basics, and get a fundamental understanding of what a label does.

So, first things first: The standard definition which you will see a thousand times if you Google “what is a record label?”:

A record label is a company that manufactures, distributes, and promotes music recordings.

A Simple Proposition

In the real world a record label may be complex, but at its heart what a label does is simple. A record label monetizes recorded music.

That’s it. Record labels’ sole business mission is to find ways to make money from recordings of music.

They do this by contracting with music artists who make recordings either with a production team or on their own or in collaboration with another company. They may fund the recording process or not. They may fund manufacture of recorded media such as CDs. They may not. They may fund distribution of recorded media, say to old fashion record stores. And most importantly, they put money into promotion of music.

If you’re an artist signed to a record label, you’re an independent contractor contracted with the label to make recordings.

Before we go any farther there is one thing to understand about a record label: A label is not a publisher. A publisher finds ways to make money from the songs themselves. This could get confusing, because many companies operate as labels and publishers, but the two are separate.

Make Money How?

This is where things get more complex, as there are myriad ways to make money with recordings, and a ton of complexity gets introduced in contracts, with even more confusing twists and turns added almost daily due to streaming, new internet thingamabobs, and various and sundry other craziness.

So, let’s boil it down to basics again.

Recorded music generally is monetized in one of these ways:

Sales – Sell a CD in a store. Sell an MP3 download. Sell a vinyl record. Sell a tape. This means sales to customers who then listen to the music for their own enjoyment.
Licensing – If the producers of a TV show or movie or any other project such as a live show or a YouTube video want to use a recording in their production, they need to negotiate and pay for a Master Use License. Remember this is separate and distinct from licensing the song itself.
Digital Performance Royalties – A recent addition to the list. Traditionally, broadcasters of recordings such as radio stations are only required to pay songwriters/publishers for “performing” their songs, not the owners of recordings. Now, however, labels can make money from performances on digital platforms such as the internet or satellite radio.

That’s the list! Every way of making money directly from music falls into one of those categories.

Of course, in today’s world, record labels don’t necessarily stick to these two categories – labels nowadays often do more than just sell music. That makes most record companies more than just record companies.

A modern label might make money from merchandise like shirts or stickers, YouTube monetization, licensing the likeness or name of an artist, live appearances and concerts, or any number of things that are traditionally not the purview of a label.

What IS a Record Label??? Another Way Of Thinking About It

Now that we have the basic picture of what a record label is, if you’re an artist you may want to think about it another way (this is going to help you when deciding who to submit to).

From an artist’s perspective, you could think of a record label as a service. This service is the business structure that allows you to make money being a musician. The label provides services like recording funding (think of this as a loan you could never get elsewhere), manufacturing, graphic design, marketing and promotion, and distribution.

If you sign with a label rather than building that structure yourself, you will have to pay them. Luckily, you don’t pay up front. Instead, you share the revenue generated from the monetization of your music.

Of course, in most cases you won’t be getting the majority of this money – in fact you might only be entitled to 10 to 25%. It’s up to you to decide if that’s worth it, but the idea is your ability to build the structure and promote your music is so miniscule compared to a big company that even 10% is a world better than 100% of what you could make on your own.

This theory was definitely true in the beginning. Even to have access to a recording studio was such an expensive proposition that artists had no way to make a record without a label.

Now Things are Different

Now of course, it’s only partially true. Not only can you make a recording on your own, with a little knowledge and work, you can even build a following, distribute music, promote, and create the entire structure yourself, skipping the label entirely. Think of Chance The Rapper and you’ll see how far its really possible to go.

That doesn’t mean there’s no place for a company that can do all that for you. The fact is, not all musicians want to become graphic designers, recording engineers, digital marketing gurus, concert promotors, and agents.

Still, many musicians have trouble with the idea of sharing the wealth. If you think of a label as an organization you’re paying to help you with your music career, a lot of what you see in the contract might make more sense.

There It Is, In A Nutshell

Record labels and the music industry in general are complex things. We haven’t even scratched the surface here, but we hope that understanding what a record label is at the most basic, fundamental level will be a good first step toward your understanding of the industry.

So, there it is in a nutshell – the basics of record labels.

While you’re here, if you’re going the independent route, take a look at one of the most important pieces of your music business structure – distribution.

I’m a producer, vocalist, and writer. When I asked myself “what IS a record label?” my life became all roses and puppies. Do you believe me? 🙂 Let’s talk about it on Facebook or Instagram

How to Beat Writer’s Block

February 8, 2023 by Aaron

Audio Instruction, Flypaper by Soundfly, Instructional Stuff, Music Business, Music Thoughts, Rants, Randomness, Published Work

aaron j. trumm, aaron trumm, home recording, how to beat writer's block, music business, nquit music, professional audio, professional music, recording, songwriting, writer's block

This article about how to beat writer’s block first appeared in FlyPaper by Soundfly. I reprint it here with permission and I encourage you to check out their courses. You can get a 15% discount code on a subscription using the promo code AJTRUMM15. Finally, you may come across affiliate links, and I may make a commission if you buy.

I don’t know what to say about this. Blah blah blah. Doop dee doo. La la la writer’s block shmiter’s block.

As you can see, anyone can run into a little writer’s block from time to time. It’s nothing to be ashamed of. In fact, the waxing and waning of creative energy is an important part of the process, and everyone experiences a lull in creative flow at least once in their career – and usually it comes at regular intervals.

So, creative professionals have an entire toolbox dedicated to getting back their mojo in a predictable way, so they can go on meeting deadlines, writing hits, and winning Grammys.

And as it turns out, generating creativity is a predictable process, and writer’s block is not some mysterious demon that rears its ugly head because you’ve some how angered the muses with your unworthy lyrics or dastardly lifestyle.

Writer’s block usually indicates something in you that can be addressed – an emotional blockage, physical exhaustion, or a simple running out of ideas.

Here, we’ll go over some of the best, most tried and true remedies for the dread blockage (besides just using this thing), so you can get on with penning your next great work of art.

Fill The Well

Writer’s block is often the result of putting out a lot of creative energy and not getting any back. So one of the best ways to get your juice back is to consume other people’s art. Read a new book, explore new music, get out and enjoy a movie, take in a play.

Pro tip: in-person experiences like going to see a live concert or comedian usually have more impact.

Exercise

Writing music isn’t exactly physically taxing. Getting up and moving around will not only help you maintain your health, exercise has also been shown to increase creative thinking. Getting a good workout in on a regular basis is a necessary part of being a healthy person, and also an important part of a strong creative flow.

Get Out

One of the best authorities in the business of building up creativity is Julia Cameron’s “The Artists Way”. Walking is a crucial part of Julia’s method, and for good reason. Not only is it exercise, but it gets you out of the house, seeing new things, interacting with the detail of the world, and refreshing your perspective.

Sleep

Artists tend to romanticize the all-nighter. While the creative vibe at night can be super compelling, in general lack of sleep does damage to clear thinking and creativity. Best to get plenty of sleep to go along with other healthy habits, if you want to remain creative for long.

Play

Sometimes you just need to get out (or stay in) and have some fun! Make something weird, run around the room, rock out with your…ahem…friends. Socialize or play a game or do whatever it is that makes you forget everything and just be. If you’re lucky enough to get juiced up like this by being on stage, then you can use your gigs to have a blast and rejuvenate your creativity.

Freewrite/Jam

Sometimes the way to get out of writer’s block is to write your way out. Journaling in the morning or taking your instrument and just improv’ing for half an hour can work wonders. When journaling or brainstorming, make sure not to edit, or even think about what you’re writing. Write three or four full pages by hand without stopping. Even if the whole first page says “I have nothing to say” over and over again.

Perfectionist? Stop It

We’re always hearing about some great maestro or famous producer who’s just the ultimate perfectionist. Every little detail has to be right and she never quits and never accepts anything until its absolutely, totally, unequivocally perfect.

Poppycock. Perfectionism will stop you dead in your tracks. There’s a point, when you’re finishing a song, or if you’re a mix engineer, where you’ll need to be thorough about the details. But even then you have to let things be, and when you’re thinking about your next song, you should not be concerned about how great it might be or trying to get it right, much less perfect. Leave obsessiveness to the people writing about you.

Get Away From It

Sometimes you just have to let things lie. If you’re in the middle of something and you’re stuck, let your subconscious work on that puzzle while you take a walk or learn to cook. As a creative, you shouldn’t try to prove your worth by sitting in front of the computer 16 hours a day. Creativity is as much about letting it happen as it is about doing something.

Another pro-tip: try hanging it up for the day before you’re out of ideas. Just stop working while you’re still into it and come back tomorrow.

Find A Purpose

It’s amazing what having a reason to do something does for creativity. Not just a deep, spiritual drive to create. No, what we mean here is a real, tangible, reason. For example, getting paid to write an article about writer’s block. Money can sometimes be a mind killer in the arts, but sometimes doing a job that has a real, tangible purpose will be just the kick in the pants you need.

It doesn’t have to be specifically about money and you don’t have to wait to get hired. Book a gig in 3 weeks and promise to perform all new songs, for example.

Look Back At Your Own Stuff

It may sound a little self-aggrandizing, but sometimes you can get a real spark from listening to your own old stuff. If you’re like most of us, you remember your old stuff as being absolutely terrible, but with a fresh perspective, you may be surprised at your own talent. This exercise can help you remember how creative you really are.

Pro-tip: Watch out for wanting to re-do your old work. You know more now, so you might hear something you could fix. Better to move on, letting your former self inspire you.

Get Help

Finally, it’s worth acknowledging that writer’s block can happen when your emotional state is not its best. Psychologists have identified a number of deep-seeded reasons that writers and artists get stuck for long periods of time, and there’s no shame in admitting you may have reached an impasse that’s bigger than normal. After all, artists do deal in some pretty heavy emotions, and life does throw us a lot of curve balls. So, if you find that nothing is working, or the joy you once had for creating seems gone for good, it’s not a bad idea to seek the help of a qualified counselor.

It doesn’t mean you’re crazy! It means you’re a dedicated craftsperson, who knows how to do the work to keep in top shape. Just like an athlete would seek the help of a physical therapist when injured.

Ok, Let It Flow!

Every creative person has their own way of working, and that includes getting past blockages. Let us know some of your favorite techniques, and the next time you’re stuck, see if something – or everything – from the above list helps.

And now – let it flow!

I’m a producer, vocalist, and writer. I get writer’s block when I have to write what I don’t want. Let’s talk about it on Facebook or Instagram

The 5 Best Reverb Plugins Compared

This article first appeared in FlyPaper by Soundfly. I reprint it here with permission, and I encourage you to check out their courses. You can get a 15% discount code on a subscription using the promo code AJTRUMM15.

Reverb is like water. You can live without it for a few days, but eventually you’ll die. Ok, it may not be that necessary, but without a few good reverb plugins in your DAW, you’ll be hard pressed to get a good mix, as reverb is one of the most essential tools in mixing. Reverb creates a sense of space, makes a song come alive, and gives mixes depth.

So, we’ve compiled five of the best reverb plugins around, in case you’re in need of an upgrade in that department. It would be hard to claim that this is the only possible list of five top verbs, as there are so many incredible plugins out there, but these five come up repeatedly and have become staples in many a studio.

Without further ado, in no particular order, and a drumroll please….

Valhalla VintageVerb – $50

Overwhelmingly the most mentioned plugin in our informal surveys of producers and musicians. VintageVerb is a simple, intuitive plugin that offers three distinct modes:

1970’s Color Mode uses algorithms inspired by digital reverb hardware from the 1970’s. This mode reduces bandwidth to add artifacts.

1980’s Color Mode emulates digital hardware reverbs from the 80’s. Bandwidth is less limited here, and the mode does just what it says – makes 80’s sounding reverb.

NOW Color Mode gives you a more modern, clean reverb sound.

Valhalla VintageVerb is great for vocals, and while it may not be everyone’s go-to for other tracks, it has a flavor all its own, and as such is loved across the board.

Audio Ease Altiverb – Around $650 to $1100

Altiverb an expensive choice, but the love shown for this convolution reverb is as much as any other. Altiverb comes in two flavors – regular at 499 British pounds and XL at 849 pounds. This translates to somewhere around $650 and $1100 depending on current exchange rates, although you can do a good bit better at a dealer like Sweetwater.

Expense aside, Altiverb is sophisticated and rich, and arguably the top convolution reverb on the market. If you don’t already know, convolution reverbs take impulse responses (IRs) from real world spaces – cathedrals, concert halls, bathrooms, anything, and use complicated computer mumbo-jumbo to allow you to place your source in that space.

Altiverb has a massive library of IRs from around the world, all exquisitely crafted. This includes more than just music spaces. It also includes responses from vitage gear, specific stage locations, experimental responses and more. If you’ve never tried a convolution reverb, do yourself a favor and at least try out Altiverb’s demo.

Uaudio Lexicon 224 – $299

Uaudio’s Lexicon 224 is a digital emulation of Lexicon’s famous hardware reverb, which was the most popular studio reverb from its release in 1978 well into the modern era. If you’ve heard U2, Talking Heads, Peter Gabriel, Grandmaster Flash or any number of other artists, you’ve heard the 224.

UAD’s emulation does the classic reverb justice, using the same algorithms as the original hardware and adding presets from famous producers who used the original, such as Prince’s Chuck Zwicky and Peter Gabriel’s Kevin Killen. Even Lexicon endorses UAD’s plug-in version, and for good reason.

The 224 is another great vocal reverb, but it shines in almost every situation. Its characteristic lush tails and classic 80’s sound will transport you back, but the truth is the sound of the 224 is equally at home in a more modern production. It’s a pretty simple plugin, with only 5 faders (just like the original remote control), so it won’t be hard to start experimenting right away.

Fabfilter Pro-R – $199

Fabfilter’s Pro-R makes the list not only for popularity and a decent price tag, but because it’s so innovative. The company claims the Pro-R plugin works in a more “musical” and less technical way, and that’s a pretty accurate statement. Some features that set Pro-R apart are a stepless room size control, tempo sync’d pre-delay, and probably the coolest thing ever – delay rate eq, which allows you to control the decay time of different frequency ranges independently.

Besides offering these cool features, Fabfilter’s Pro-R has an incredibly natural and smooth sound, almost never introducing artifacts or producing ugly, nasally “reverb” sounds.

Softube TSAR – $199

Last but certainly not least, Softube’s “True Stereo Algorithmic Reverb”, or TSAR. Softube’s sell on their reverb plugin is that it is NOT an emulation or a “static snapshot” of a space (a possibly unfair potshot at convolution reverbs). TSAR also boasts a “true stereo” response, which simply means it responds to a stereo input in a more realistic way. IE: if you pan an input hard right, the reverb won’t just be heard in the right speaker.

TSAR is another simple reverb. It’s got a few faders and only one algorithm. There’s no low-cut option, but you can always add an EQ to your chain to do what you need to there.

In the end, TSAR makes the cut because of its excellent sound quality, relatively low CPU usage, and of course because of its sheer popularity in our surveys. TSAR is a fair-priced, effective and high- quality solution.

There You Have It

In all honesty, we could have gone a hundred ways with this. There are a plethora of awesome reverb plugins out there. Companies like UAD, Waves, Liquid Sonics, and Eventide are just the tip of the iceberg. Even your DAW’s stock reverb plugins are likely to be awesome. That said, the five above showed up repeatedly in surveys, always get great reviews, and when we tried them, they all sounded magnificent in some unique way.

So, go out there and try some, and let us know your favorite!

I’m a producer, writer and artist. I’m not always spacey, but when I am, I prefer lush and classy reverb – sometimes. Let me know your favorite reverbs on Facebook or Instagram

Do You Need That Upgrade?

August 24, 2022 by Aaron

Audio Instruction, Instructional Stuff, Music Thoughts, Rants, Randomness, Published Work, Recording Magazine

aaron j. trumm, aaron trumm, do it yourself recording, home recording, mixing, mixing music, music equipment, nquit music, professional audio, professional music, recording, recording magazine

This article first appeared in Recording Magazine. I reprint it here with permission, and I encourage you to subscribe to that publication, as they are a stand up bunch of folk!

Black Friday will be upon us soon and you’ll be inundated with discount offers tempting you to buy while you can. But unless you’re filthy rich, “discounts” can break the bank. In fact, it may be the number one way to stay poor: spend money you wouldn’t otherwise spend on something you don’t need, simply because it’s less than it might have been.

Still, when it comes to your studio and your creative output, there are times when you need to make purchases. Around the holidays is a great time to make upgrades, not only because of sales, but because at end of the year you’ll have some idea how much room you have for tax deductions.

Generally, it’s wiser fiscally to respond to a need (or a want!) and see if you can get a great deal than to react to an offer – unless you’ve been patiently waiting for exactly that offer. But that doesn’t mean offers won’t come your way, so there are a few questions you can ask when one hits your inbox:

Have I been waiting for this exact thing?
Is there a quality issue in my studio that this would solve?
Is there a productivity issue in my studio that this would solve?
Is there something I can’t do at all without this (eg: recording vocals with zero microphones)?
Do I already have this functionality?
Is something broken that this would replace?
Have I exhausted the possibilities with my current gear?
Am I excited about this?

The first six questions here come down to practicality. You can solve many problems with resourcefulness and handywork. There’s a lot of creativity in that, but sometimes you’d rather apply your creative energy to music, so it’s perfectly alright to solve these problems with money. But you can save a lot of money, time, and space by asking these practical questions before buying. If the answer is “no but so and so says I need it”, back away slowly.

The last two questions deal with creativity.

The first – “have I exhausted the possibilities with my current gear?” means a lot. Most of us don’t read the entire manual when we start using a new gadget. We just jump in and make it make noise and as we go we get really good with certain aspects and neglect others.

This is fine – there’s no reason to use audio snap if you only use MIDI. But the downside is you may have missed something a piece of gear or software can do that you’re about to buy a whole other thing for. Your existing gear may even do it better!

Not only that, you may find that exploring an undiscovered function could lead to a bunch of ideas. Why NOT record audio and see what audio snap does? Why not explore the omnidirectional setting on your condenser? What happens if you use the sequencer on this vintage synth instead of the DAW?

It’s worth it to really get to know the ins and outs of your current rig before you add to it. You might discover that you don’t need something you thought you needed, or you may discover a different new purchase that would suit you better.

That leads into that last question – which other than pure practicality may be the only real reason to buy something new. Inspiration! Sometimes you just need a fresh something to jazz your juice! There’s nothing better than diving into a new toy – maybe a hot new analog synth or some insane, revolutionary plugin that does something heretofore not done in sound.

There’s definitely nothing wrong with that. After all, you may be a musician at heart but if you’re reading this, you’re also a recordist at heart and that’s all about playing with toys.

So, ask yourself “does this excite me?”. Believe it or not the answer is often no. As Derek Sivers, famed founder of CD Baby, has said many times, “hell yes or no!”.

At the end of the day there are a million things that everybody says you need lest you not be good enough and you almost feel obligated to buy just to keep up with the times. This is financially prohibitive. Instead, you can maintain the health of your studio with practical purchases and leave just enough room for those new toys that will cream your corn and make you make a new masterpiece.

This is the way of the wise upgrader.

I’m a producer/artist who stays just behind the cutting edge, stays efficient, and thus can afford healthy food. Ask me about it on Facebook @AaronJTrumm or Instagram @AaronJTrumm

Mix Fu:

May 31, 2022 by Aaron

Audio Instruction, Instructional Stuff, Music Thoughts, Rants, Randomness, Published Work, Recording Magazine

aaron j. trumm, aaron trumm, do it yourself recording, home recording, mixing, mixing music, nquit music, professional audio, professional music, recording, recording magazine, the art of mixing

Learn, Practice, Forget

This article first appeared in Recording Magazine. I reprint it here with permission, and I encourage you to subscribe to that publication, as they are a stand up bunch of folk!

In martial arts, there’s a concept that goes something like this: learn the technique, practice the technique, forget the technique.

Music mixing is similar if you think about it. As we’ve mentioned in these pages before, there are two sides to mixing. One is artfulness and intuition – your ability to feel a track with your heart. One is technical knowledge, skill, and science – your ability to understand a track with your brain.

The Brain Side

On the technical side, it behooves you to study, study, study and practice, practice, practice; learn the techniques and rules of the masters, drill the technique, gain skill over time.

You should never stop learning new techniques and practicing the skill and science of mixing records. You can hone your listening skills by listening to great tracks. You can train your rhythm or do ear training work. You can read magazines and books, watch YouTube videos, and attend seminars. You can continually find new songs to mix and evaluate each mix you do with critical ears. And the more you understand the physics of sound, the science of audio, and the engineering concepts behind the gear and software you work with, the more refined your mix fu becomes.

All this will help you develop a skillset which will make you a technically great mixer. All the practice will deepen your skills and help you learn faster, becoming more confident in the mix. Building your mixing brain may even help you improve your intuitive side.

The Heart Side

Learning, understanding and practice is crucial. But when mix day comes, it’s time to stop thinking about all that. Learn, practice, forget. Mix day is the day to be an artist, and let your intuition take over.

Most great mixers will tell you to mix quickly and there’s a reason for that. Letting yourself follow your gut and move quickly will allow you to tap into your deep well of knowledge efficiently, without overthinking. Overthinking can kill a mix, because you’ll start to make technical changes that aren’t needed and fail to trust your ears.

After all, if it sounds good, it sounds good. The day you mix is the day to forget with your brain, and let your intuition take over. You’ve trained the scientist, now you can be an artist.

Many of us take a deliberate approach to this process, with rituals or methods that remind us to let go and feel the music. One famous story involves a famous Jamaican producer arriving at a studio to finish a mix and refusing to start before getting high. According to lore, this mixer got just high enough and spent the next few hours with his eyes closed and his hand on one EQ knob on the high hat, simply twisting and grooving until at last – voila! It is done!

You will probably do more than tweak one high hat, and you may prefer not to be really high, but you get the picture.

Sometimes a little darkness is good. Some mixers clear the room. Some meditate. I clean the studio and clear out all the physical clutter. I also set up many of the more technical, tedious aspects of a mix in a separate session (a job for the engineering assistant, if you have one).

It doesn’t matter what you do, only that you allow yourself to stop thinking and fall back on your accumulated knowledge and skill intuitively.

It Takes Both – Train, Practice, Forget

Some newer mixers rely only on feel and intuition. This is what Bruce Lee would refer to as the “brawler” – fighting only with passion, flailing and usually falling to the better trained “classical man”. It’s true, without passion and heart, you won’t find the magic in the mix. And if you overthink it and get too technical, you’re likely to create cold, lifeless (although sonically flawless) mixes.

But if you don’t do the work to train yourself and become technically adept, your passion will often fall flat. This kind of mix is often muddy, distorted, or overly odd. I have often suffered from this affliction myself.

To achieve music mixing greatness, you truly need both sides. Learn, learn, learn. Practice, practice, practice. Then call up the mix, turn off the brain, and let your bones do the talking.

Aaron J. Trumm is a lifelong martial artist and music producer. Talk to him about all these things on Facebook, Instagram, or email at aaron at aarontrumm.com!