 If you're a professional musician, or an aspiring professional musician, you'll at some point need to be able to display what you do as a musician to prospective venues at which you'd like to perform. Musicians, just like any other business owner, need to keep their overhead low and profit margins high. It makes sense then that a musician needs to have their music recorded to easily allow potential venue owners to hear their sound hopefully leading to gig bookings.
But if you're getting started as a professional musician and you have a budget of basically zero dollars to allocate toward the recording of a demo. If that sounds like you then you'll want to keep reading. There are several ways to record a decent demo for the purposes of getting gigs without breaking the bank.
 Not long ago my niece asked me why I’ve chosen to pursue art and music throughout my life. Until that moment I don’t know if I had ever consciously reflected on my pursuits, and examined why I’m attracted to those outlets.
My first thought, after a quick pause to register what was just asked of me, was: “What a great question?” Then, I thought for another quick moment, and told her that I wasn’t sure if I totally chose my pursuits in art and music…in many ways those outlets chose me. To me, there is a spiritually that exists in the process of artistic creation. The taking of a concept from nothing more than an idea to a tangible completed piece of work is a bit magical in my opinion. I think what I’m attracted to, in regard to my interest in artistic creation and being an artist, is that when I create my expressions through my art and/or music I’m liberated. Liberated in the sense that there are no rules as to how, when, where, or why I create my expressions. Furthermore, because there are no rules associated with my creations (other than those that may be self-imposed) my mind, spirit, and even body—as I’m often engaging in a physical act of performing, drawing or designing—are free. Something else that I realized that I’m attracted to is that my expressions are unique to me. No one else can create what I create in quite the way I create it—they can try but it will never have exactly what I put into it. I suppose art and music are simply the vehicles of my expression. Those are the God-given outlets I have to realize and make sense of the world I perceive on a daily basis. It’s how I relate to the world and understand, and protect, myself within it.  Do you ever find yourself with a never ending “to do” list that you just don’t seem to be making progress toward completing? You end up feeling like you’re constantly doing “busy work.” Well, maybe you haven’t organized your tasks in a way that lines up with your strengths and how you work the most effectively. I’m talking about understanding how and when you work best on specific tasks, so you can be more productive toward meeting your creative goals.
For example, I know I am most creative when it comes to tasks like writing in the morning (with some coffee), in mid-afternoon and late in the evening after everyone’s gone to bed. Thus, I make sure to allow myself time to do those kinds of tasks at those times of the day. I also write “to do” lists daily, and I’ll admit I usually get carried away with the items that end up on one day’s list. So, after I can’t think of anymore things to add to my “to do” list for the day (which I usually create in the morning) I then simplify that list into only two or three priority items that are important I get done that day. If I get to more on the list, great, but if not at least I got a few important things done. It’s important to mention that Rome wasn’t built in a day, and you need to cut yourself some slack if you can’t complete everything on your “to do” list every single day. I’ve mentioned this before in other blog posts, but it’s important to mention again: Just try to get at least one thing done each day that will help further your creative goals. The idea is that you will string along several small actions that will have larger results over time. I also like to get up and move after I’ve spent a good portion of time in focused concentration on any one project. For example, if I’ve just finished a draft of a logo design project for one of my clients or after I’ve finished recording a demo song for a new album I’m working on I like to take a walk or go for a run and let my subconscious continue to reflect and perfect what I’m working on. Then I’ll come back to that project later with fresh eyes and ears and new subtle ideas that will enhance the project toward realizing the vision that’s in my head. In conclusion, I recommend taking some time to reflect on when you work best, in what environment you work best, and how you can organize and prioritize your time to maximize thoseyour ability to check things off of your “to do” list.  A logo is a cue card to your brand. Whether you’re a musician or a large company having a logo is a quick and easy way for others to identify who you are and what you do.
A logo is a part of your entity’s identity. Once others become aware of who you are and what you do—and see your logo plastered all over every marketing piece that you create--they’ll start to see your logo and immediately recall what they know and think about you. Once known, your logo becomes the visual reference that, when seen allows the viewer to recall all that they know about you and your endeavors. You may hear companies talk about branding—that’s what they’re talking about; the association someone makes when they see the company’s logo or hear the company’s name. That’s your brand. Hopefully, people associate good things with your brand. However, that association is up to you and your actions to create a positive reputation for yourself. Once you have a positive reputation in place you’ll want to help your fans, clients and customers to quickly and easily recall that brand with little to no explanation, hence creating a logo—a visual reference to your brand. What makes a good logo: Understandable – It’s easy to read and grasp the logo concept. If there is text, it’s easily readable, and if there are iconic images or visual elements they’re also understandable, or make visual sense within the design as a whole. Color or not – Good logos look great stripped down to their essence, meaning they work well in black and white or with color (just like a good song that if you strip it down to only the barest essential instrumentation still captures the essence of the tune…then you know you’ve got a good song). Large or small – Good logos work well in large sizes or small as on a business card. Simple – Great logos are simple. Over complicated logos are busy and do not keep a viewers attention. A simple logo is like good concise writing—the fewest amount of words are used to get the message across to readers. Visual impact – By this I’m referring to how visually interesting the logo is. In other words, does it catch your eye? Is it visually pleasing to your eye? Is it memorable? Need logo design? contact Nick Venturella Media Not long ago I was out with my wife at a restaurant for dinner, and our waiter was informing us of a club membership for patrons of the establishment. There was a fee for the membership, but it pays for itself in a very short amount of time with the discounts given to members. Regardless of the membership details, the waiter mentioned that the restaurant periodically host events for its members at which there is live music. Immediately my ears perked up. I asked what kind of live music? I mentioned that I'm a musician and I proceded to ask who does their booking, and if our waiter could pass my card along to that person. The waiter did pass my card along and I followed up with the person who's name the waiter gave me. |
