Steps to Make Next CD Release Successful

1. Pick a single before you have a release date for your CD.
2. Choose a release date for the single that’s a few weeks ahead of the release of the CD.
3. Build anticipation for the release of the single. Mention it on your social networking sites, website and mailing list at least a few days in advance. If you have a good story behind it or anything interesting to say about it then talk about it. You could even add a countdown timer on your website to build the anticipation.
4. Launch the single on your website. Create a very simple landing page with:
   • A graphic that promotes your new album with the release date.
   • A small MP3 player or a video player that plays your new single or a 90 second sample of it.
   • A mailing list signup form.
   • A very visible graphic that says: “Sign up for email updates to download this song for free!” or something similar.
5. Use all of your social media outlets, your mailing list and any other means to direct people to your website immediately upon the release of the single.
6. Play the single at every show after you release it online.
7. Use your mailing list, social media, live shows and word of mouth to build anticipation for the album in the days leading up to the release.
8. Have a CD release party.
9. Work it! Sell some CDs! As the late, great Jim Rohn used to say, “Maturity is the ability to reap without apology and not complain when things don’t go well.”

Happy Recording!

http://www.soforealproductions.com

Real Beats for Real Artists

Charge a DONATION for your Music

Yeah... donations! Usually artists will sell there CD's, a few will give them away.. either has its advantages and disadvantages. With selling CD's, you're guaranteed money, but it will turn off people that don't know much about you. Giving away CD's is the best form of promotion... it spreads your music and awareness of your brand out to the public.... like giving away free food samples. Negative side of that is you lose money. And the people that don't want to pay for your music will go to the Youtube links in the description to download your music illegally anyway. How about mixing the two together.. sort of... Ask for donations! Let the customer tell you what they want to pay to get your music. Some will say $0.. others may give you $20 or even $100 bucks. If you play around with it, you may average what you would normally make off a $10/CD rate, but you might move more units. Give it a try... thats what an English rock band did once and they netted $1 million bucks off of 1 album! (Forgot the name of the band, but they made their new album available by donation from their website.. 1 year later, they had $1,000,000 in the bank.) So do a trial run at your next show... say you have CD's available for whatever you want to give. It will be hard for a customer to look you in the face and tell you your CD isn't worth more than free. Happy Recording.

Twitter and the Artist

So everyone's familiar with Twitter and knows it's pretty important in the music promotion game. Well everyone might not really fathom how important it is. Twitter is your most direct connection to your fans. It's a way for you to converse up close and personal every second of the day. A true fan wants to be able to 'touch' the artist and see what's going on in his/her mind. The Twitter status update is the best way to do that in this day and age. With twitter just expose who you are personally...true you want to promote your music every now and then but use it as a way to personally connect with your fans. Say random facts or make random comments on whatever. "I was walking down the block and tripped over a weed growing through the sidewalk..how a weed gonna break through cement??!" or something like that lol. Because then you give them a reason to want to know more about you, which they can find in your music. Happy recording.

Follow So Fo Real at http://www.twitter.com/soforealbeats

Vocal Recording Tip #2

So you're an artist... and you're in the studio, ready to record your first take. So you put your notebook down and stand up to position yourself in front of the mic. Ever thought about just staying where you were and bringing the mic to you? Don't think you have to stand up to record! Try recording sitting down, or even laying down. The best position is usually whatever is comfortable and whatever will put you in the mood of what you're singing about. As long as the vocal booth can accommodate the repositioning of the mic, give it a shot. You'll be surprised at the vocal difference it will make! Happy recording.

http://www.soforealproductions.com - Real Beats for Real Artists

Checklist for those buying RAP, R&B, and POP BEATS

Checklist for those buying RAP, R&B, and POP BEATS

Here's a checklist to make sure you have what you need in your beat purchase. You want to make sure that...

1) you have read the rights... should be clearly stated on the website or in contractual form

2) you are getting the beat broken down into high quality wav files for exclusive rights purchases... that's the only way you can get the song mastered as it should before distribution

3) you are getting a quality beat...use your own ears for that

4) you are getting an original beat that doesn't sound like what's current (because what's current will no longer be current by the time you're ready to push it)

5) you are getting a signed contract for any kind of lease or exclusive rights or licensing (this is for your protection and easily holds the producer liable if they don't live up to their end of the agreement)

6) you are getting a beat actually produced by the people you're buying from (duh!, right? Well, you might want to reconsider those people at the top of the search engines who don't offer any kind of guarantee of rights... they may not be producers, but excellent marketers though...)

7) you understand that if you buy a beat with uncleared samples, you face having to put $1000's of dollars into just clearing it... buying a 100% composed original beat is the safest way to go...

8) you are writing that check to an actual company and not someone's name(Don't send any money to an individual's name!! That's the most risky thing you can do! If they are a legit and legal business, they will have a legal business name you can make the check to.)

9) you will not be held liable for any hidden future royalty payments, etc... (i.e, read the contract!)

10) and most of all, the beat is HOTT!

A producer's reviews and credits will tell you whether their material is on point or not. Also, any legit producer will also make available his or her contact info so you can talk to them PHYSICALLY and not just digitally (email, etc). So if you've passed this test, then go ahead and buy your beats and make that next hit!

Feel free to hit us up at www.soforealproductions.com for beats and more.

Websites for the Independent Artist

Independent Unsigned Artists and Bands - Unsigned.com

Unsigned.com is a website for unsigned artists and bands to host their mp3s and get ... We showcase unsigned artists, independent labels. ... Top 10 Plays ...

Login - Browse Artists - Hip-Hop - Create an Artist Profile

www.unsigned.com/

Independent Artist Website, Get Major Exposure, Music Business ...

Independent artist website Track buzzer is the premier digital delivery, marketing and music promotions company created by some of new York city's most ...

www.trackbuzzer.com/

Music Forte : Indie Music : Sheet Music : Independent Music Charts

Music Forte is an indie music website community offering something for everyone interested or involved in ... Will the conquest of major labels keep radio away from indie artists? ...Radio Play: Will Topping The Charts Make You Bi. ...

Hard-Copy Sheet Music - Contact Us - Artists - Mp3 Downloads

www.musicforte.com/

CDBaby : Discover Music

CD Baby is the largest online distributor of independent music. CDBaby.com is our ... Thisartist is on his way to the top. Hip-Hop/Rap: Political Rap ...

www.cdbaby.com/

Jamwave - Unsigned artists, bands, Independent musicians and fans ...

Unsigned artists Independent bands and musicians and fans blog, download music, ...Artist Genre: Rock / Indie / Post Rock ... Top Jamlist Favorites ...

www.jamwave.com/

RRadio Music - Indie Artists for Online Radio Stations

Independent Artists: Submit Your Music Indie Artists looking for radio airplay reach internet radio station owners through RRadio Music. ...

www.rradiomusic.com/

iLike - GarageBand

The iLike Artist Dashboard™ allows you to manage your presence on iLike, Facebook, ...More than 200000 leading artists are now using iLike to manage their ...

www.garageband.com/

So Fo Real Productions

A Walmart for Singers and Rappers: Download beats, get website design, mixing/

mastering, and more, all high-quality at low prices, from producers with ...

www.soforealproductions.com/

Rehearse Your Voice

The band rehearses, why are you an exception? lol.. True a lot of singers and rappers have natural talent and believe they don't have to rehearse like musicians, but think about how you would sound if you did? Your voice is an instrument using muscles that need exercise. The stronger the muscle, the more control over your vocal performance you have. Every day or so you can do some warm up exercises, scales, all types of things that exercise the muscles used (vocal chords and diaphragm). A lot of useful vocal training videos can be found at www.YouTube.com. So then when you hear your favorite performer on TV do a spectacular run, you'll be like "OH he/she almost hit all the notes like I can!". Happy recording.

Real Beats for Real Artists

EVERY SINGER AND RAPPER SHOULD VISIT THIS WEBSITE. You might find something you like ;)

With Credits Including:

MTV, ATLANTIC RECORDS, UNIVERSAL MUSIC, VIRGIN RECORDS, E1 ENTERTAINMENT

and production reaching as high as #6 on BILLBOARD CHARTS..

http://www.soforealproductions.com

Sister Sites:

http://www.neosoulbeats.com

http://www.buyrnbbeats.com

http://www.needrapbeats.com

http://www.buypopbeats.com

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REAL BEATS FOR REAL ARTISTS:

Website Features:

Signed Contracts with Leases instant in email

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LISTEN NOW: http://www.soforealproductions.com

Your Future is Your Stage Presence

Like that irony huh? lol.. well it's true. A lot of times artists are so focused on recording the music that they forget to focus on the actual performance! The performance is probably more important than the recording... thats the crucial time where you SELL your music. You want to give the audience the highest quality most entertaining show you can, in hopes that they will buy your music. You will sell more music at shows than anywhere, so why not focus on it? People will do what is called "impulse buying", where they will buy in the moment rather than waiting until later to get it. How many things have you purchased without planning on it? So artists, when it comes to your careers, put stage presence at the top of your lists. Work on your audience connection... make eye contact, and move around on stage. You almost want to act out every single word you say, to make the visual match your audio. Oh... and more important yet. Make sure your band is fire! The stage is your commercial.. and you're trying to get sales and maybe even more gigs out of it. Take advantage...grow your stage presence, and watch the growth in your future. Happy recording.

The Artist E.P.

What's an E.P.? It literally means "Extended Play"... coined before CD's were born. Today it can mean 'demo', or just a short album. E.P.'s have special significance in the internet world. With an E.P., artists can in a sense test the market with a collection of songs without full dedication to a CD's worth of material. This is great for artists looking to be signed to larger record labels. If you make a nice buzz on the internet with the few 3-6 songs you have, you can save your other gems for once you get that deal. Some artists are now even making a living release 4-6 song E.P's every few months. The internet makes it simple to do that.. why not output more music especially if music creation is getting easier. With digital distribution, making E.P.'s starts to make more sense. But ultimately it's up to you the artist. If you're staying independent, do your research and know your fans. Whatever they want, give it to them. I'd say if you're looking for a deal, focus on a good few songs and send that E.P. everywhere you can think of. Happy Recording.

So Fo Real Celebrates Martin Luther King Jr.

Artists, celebrate MLK day remembering how important it is to be a part of your community. You can always perform benefit concerts and shows for the greater good of the people. There's no better feeling than giving back!

Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was a vital figure of the modern era and a pivotal figure in the Civil Rights Movement. His lectures and dialogues stirred the concern and sparked the conscience of a generation. His charismatic leadership inspired men and women, young and old, in this nation and around the world.

Following in the footsteps of his father, in February 1948, at the age of 19, Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. entered the Christian ministry and was ordained at Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta. In 1954, upon completion of graduate studies at Boston University, he accepted a call to serve at the Dexter Avenue Baptist Church in Montgomery, Alabama. While there, he was an instrumental leader in the Montgomery Bus Boycott, made famous by the nonviolent resistance and arrest of Rosa Parks. He resigned this position in 1959 to move back to Atlanta to direct the activities of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference. From 1960 until his death in 1968, he also served as co-pastor with his father at Ebenezer Baptist Church. Dr. King was arrested 30 times for his participation in civil rights activities.

While Dr. King preached about justice, empowerment, love and peace, in the final months of his life, his attention was turned to fighting poverty. Sadly, more Americans live in poverty today than during Dr. King's lifetime. Forty-seven million Americans currently fall below the poverty line.

Dr. King was shot while standing on the balcony of the Lorraine Motel in Memphis, Tennessee and died on April 4, 1968. He had gone to Memphis to help lead sanitation workers in a protest against low wages and intolerable working conditions.

Learn more about Dr. King’s life from The King Center website at www.thekingcenter.org

YouTube and the Artist

Everyone is familiar with Youtube. If you're not, know that it's the #3 most visited website in the world after Google.com and Facebook.com. Most go there to be entertained.. to look at those crazy music video spoofs like Chris Brown's Dueces, or those Short Bus Shawty clips... or you go there to look up your favorite artist's music.

Did you hear what I just said? People are going there to look up music! So as the world's #3 website, #1 for entertainment, wouldn't it make sense as an artist to focus getting your music exposed on YouTube more than any other website?? Ok.. so now that we established YouTube is important, let's see.. how do we get people to look you up? Well the quickest and cheapest way to get those views ramping up is to have quality and creativity to begin with. That of course starts with your production, your recording, mixing and mastering. Then you need great visuals to match up with the music. Video quality is not as important as video creativity.. you want to keep the viewer interested. Thats all... there's plenty of webcam videos with millions of plays and plenty of HD Real 3D quality videos with just over 10.

So if you want to be exposed to thousands, maybe millions of potential fans, try focusing on getting your music and video up with some creativity in mind. And always include your plugs..website, iTunes, what have you. You could literally have overnight success (like our Youtube spoof of Auburn vs. Arkansas football game http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CdsiOiPqBEQ). Good luck and happy recording!

The Game

...Not referring to the BET TV show that all of cable watched yesterday lol, but the music game. Hear's some quick words of advice. If you're an artist who is focused on being successful in this game, look at the other success, but do your own thing. Listen to hit songs and try to hear how distinct their sounds are and how well they conveyed that sound.. use the same rules in your music. Realize your own strengths, your weaknesses, and work on what's weak, capitalize on what's strong. You want to have your own distinct sound in the game but to do that you have to be comfortable with who you are--and how you sing or rap. If you're going to compare your music, use loose rules. Compare things like quality, originality, and themes. If you stick with it, you might be grossing the 8 million views BET's "The Game" season premier got yesterday from your own Youtube video that went viral. Sounds nice huh? Well get to work! lol. And happy recording.

Congrats to Auburn Tigers, National BCS Football Champions 2011

What does this have to with music? lol.. well Slick, So Fo Real's founder and one of the producers/engineers, is an alumnus of Auburn. So indirectly Auburn University instilled the same work ethic you saw on the field of the championship game in Slick. He studied Wireless Engineering there and also played saxophone in the jazz ensemble, giving him the business sense and some of his musical sense to grow the So Fo Real Productions we have today. So whether you were rooting for Auburn or quacking for the ducks, the real winner was the demonstration of how hard work and belief can pay off. So, for you artists or musicians that have dreams, work hard and BELIEVE, and watch your dreams come true. And in the words of Slick, "War Eagle"! Happy Recording.

Market to 1000's.. on the Morning News

Yeah... the morning news! Do you know how many working class people get up in the morning to watch the news? Alot of these people have money to spend on leisure..so why not market to them? It could be as simple as looking up your local news station phone number and asking for your band/yourself to be featured. This will expose you to literally thousands of viewers FOR FREE and will jump start your buzz, especially if you sound good! Happy recording.

WSFR Radio - A Chance to Be Heard

Every artist wants a chance to be heard... what better way than to give the whole world access to your music! WSFR Radio is So Fo Real Production's own radio station that highlights the best of YOUR songs recorded using our instrumentals. Having your song featured on the radio station means thousands of people each month will potentially hear your song. Your music is your most important marketing tool, so the more exposure, the better your chances at success! Submit your music today at wsfr@soforealproductions.com . Remember it must be using a So Fo Real beat and must be mixed. You can get both beats and mixing at http://www.soforealproductions.com/. Good luck and we here at So Fo Real look forward to hearing your music! Happy Recording!

Writer's Block

Ever went to the studio excited about recording but then the track comes on and your creative juices freeze? Well, besides going for that "inspiration", try this.. Step outside the studio, maybe even step outdoors. If you can take the music with you, do that and write in that different environment. Breath the air around you, close your eyes and just listen... Something new will come to mind that couldn't get to you while you were in the studio. Also something you can do is try to draw from an experience you were actually a part of. Really think back and imagine the details of that situation, the sights, sounds, smells, tastes, whatever. Add all those details to your writing and see how much you and your listener will enjoy the finished product! Happy Recording!

Think Outside The Box

Typical cliche right? But it's so important.... Every artist should 'think outside the box'. What box? The vocal booth where you sing. Instead of just going into the booth and singing, try thinking about what makes a hit. Think about the production.. about what melody lines and rhythms would work on the track at hand. Think about the kind of song you're trying to make. Think about other hit songs that kind of match what you're trying to do to gain insight and inspiration. Research music.. I mean really research music. You'll start finding similarities between hit songs... sooner or later you'll start using some of these techniques in your own way and your recordings will become potential 'hits' on purpose. Happy Recording

"Featured Artist" - Getting Huge First Week Sales

Here's a technique that works out real well if you are an artist on the grind... Before you release your CD, try to be on as many other records as possible... be featured here, there, everywhere. Don't worry about getting paid..this is your promotional tool. And usually you have to pay for promotion. Once all of these features get out there the people will start talking... "Who is that on the hook?" Or "who is that on the second verse, he just clowned!!" Once word of mouth creates a big buzz about you, thats when you release your own project. And walah! First week sales are through the roof..and you're on your way. Happy recording.

http://www.soforeaplroductions.com

Real Beats for Real Artists

"Subtractive EQ"

EQ is one of the most basic tools of recording and mixing. EQ is responsible for getting all of your voices and instruments to sit together in the song. One basic rule of thumb is to use what is called "subtractive eq". You make dips or cuts in the frequencies instead of raising peaks, as this adds noisy information that wasn't there to begin with. For example, if you have a male vocalist and a rhodes keyboard yo need to mix, instead of boosting the male vocalist, make a dip in the low mids of the rhodes to separate him from the mix. You'll find subtractive EQ will give you a cleaner sound when all the little tweaks add up. Happy mixing....

http://www.soforealproductions.com - Real Beats for Real Artists