How to Independently Release and Distribute your Musical Works
Divine Affliction: Perception Through A Feminine Lens Part 14
Divine Affliction: Perception Through a Feminine Lens Blog Series presents an expansive view behind the music production of album Divine Affliction. An expression of the feminine aesthetics in music. A sonic portrayal of the duality of divinity and affliction…a journey through the female experience. The album is a shorter album consisting of seven songs and would be defined as experimental electronica with raw, introspective, brooding, emotive music. This album presents an aural representation of the female processes and application to music production. The musical compositions are inspired by my own experience of the intersectionality of gender and music production along with the preliminary research uncovered in the 1st four theoretical blogs of this series. The previous blogs dissected my creative process, narrating my music-making processes and highlighting how I implement the song concepts into the musical composition, audio processing, and lyrics. Along with a blog discussing the Do-It-Yourself (DIY) ethos used for the production of the album and project, and another blog demystifying the mastering process and polishing the final product ready for release. This blog educates how to independently release your music to the industry, with great resources and information to aid in understanding this process. Observe the creative experience through the lens of a female producer.
How to Independently Release and Distribute your Musical Works
The Divine Affliction album was self-released independently on 25th December 2019. Throughout the production of the album, I have used a Do-It-Yourself (DIY) approach to self-represent myself, a female producer in the environment of music production to address the under-representation of females in the field. The representation of females in this space has created a lack of access to music production for females. Triple J’s Hack reports, “If you’re working as a songwriter, an artist manager, an indie label manager or on the board of a peak music body, you’re more likely to be a man than a woman” (McCormack, 2018). During this process, I have been sharing my skills via these blogs to provide a source of access to education in music production for females, breaking down the gendered stereotypes in music production, and to be a role model inspiring more females to the field. The DIY ethos democratizes music production, bypassing the traditional distribution process of signing to a record label, allowing individuals to distribute their music autonomously to the public. The term independent can be convoluted as it is often used to describe a genre of music, indie music. It is also used to describe independent record labels, which distribute music for artists independently from commercial record labels or their subsidiaries. In reference to my use of term independent, I am focusing on autonomously releasing and distributing music to the public.
With modern technology and the internet, it is now accessible to release and distribute your music independently. Though there are many are pros and cons of using this approach, Heather McDonald breaks a few of these down as follows.
The pros of self-releasing an album are: You Keep Your Rights, forget worrying about confusing contracts, expensive lawyers, and accidentally signing over your music, your vision, and perhaps your firstborn child to some record label for life. You decide how your music is used when it is used, and how much people have to pay to use it; You keep the cash: Ever marvel at the way that some extremely successful musicians are seemingly flat broke? Often they’re in that position because they’re last on the list to be paid. Every person that comes in to help with your career gets a cut, but when you’re doing it yourself, you get to eat the whole pie; You make it on your own terms, even the most laid back and artist-friendly independent label is bound to have a few limitations in mind when it comes to projects they’re willing to work on with you, and major labels can be extremely demanding. Some labels may want to send you back to the studio when you decide to change musical directions, or they may demand you adopt a ‘look’ for marketing purposes. There are lots of ways you can clash creatively with a label, and depending on what kind of deal you have, sometimes the label will win. When you’re the one putting out the music, you release the music you want, and only the music you want, when you want to release it. The marketing, the touring, and all of the decision making will be made by you, so there will be none of the typical conflicts (McDonald, 2019).
The cons of self-releasing an album include: You’ve got to foot the bill, one of the main reasons many people want a record deal is so there is some money behind their release. A major-label deal may bring a nice advance, and even a small indie label is going to pick up many of the costs associated with releasing a record, like PR and pressing. If you release it yourself, the financial burden will be yours alone, and that can be limiting when it comes to accomplishing everything you want to get done. It could also mean you will be facing a mountain of debt if you don’t sell as much as you anticipate. Also, labels will have established relationships with manufacturers and PR companies that often translate into credit agreements and reduced rates, as the labels throw a lot of business their way; You may not have the contacts, labels will have a stack of contacts in place that help them promote their releases — media, promoters, agents, and so on. If you’re new to the music biz, you’ll have to build your little black book from scratch. Of course, everyone has to start somewhere, and if you keep plugging away at self-releasing your music, you’ll have your network of connections soon enough. Don’t underestimate the time this can take, though; You’ll be learning while doing, If you don’t have much music industry experience to speak of, you’ll face a learning curve when you start putting your music out there. There are a lot of different parts to manage and tend to. It will take some time to figure out what works for you and what doesn’t; It’s a full-time job, depending on your goals for your music. Promoting a record can be extremely time-consuming. Arranging press, keeping track of sales, promoting the album, and booking shows are all a full-time job. When you’re doing all of this work, you’re not concentrating on your music. So, it’s easy to find yourself in the position where you’ve made some good headway with the promotion of your first release, but you don’t have anything fresh to follow up with because you’ve been consumed with the business side of things (McDonald, 2019).
You’ve finished the production of the music and are in the process of mastering the songs. The next process is releasing music. The following discusses how-to independently self-release your music autonomous from a record label, being independent or commercial. I will be discussing; publishing; distribution; marketing and promotions; publicity; merchandise; music synchronization; Copywrite and intellectual property; legal and contracts; along with grants and funding. While I have used much of the following information to self release my music, there are a few things like music synchronization and publicity that are part of my future approach to help get my music out to a wider audience. I also intend to apply for grants and funding to help with the cost associated with releasing future music.
PUBLISHING
Music publishing deals with songwriters and copyrights. When music is used commercially (whether sold, licensed, or publicly performed live or via broadcast), the songwriter and copyright owner are owed royalties. A music publishing organization can offer multiple services for songwriters. As a publishing administrator, they administer the copyright, protecting the use of songs as well as collecting royalties owed from use (Tunecore, N.d).
Before you can submit your works to a publishing organization to receive royalties from selling, licensing, or publicly performing your music, whether live performances or broadcasts, you first have to apply to ARIA for your IRSC codes. The Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA) is a trade group representing the Australian recording industry. This was established in 1983 by six major record companies, EMI, Festival, CBS, RCA, WEA and Universal replacing the Association of Australian Record Manufacturers (AARM) which was formed in 1956. ARIA oversees the collection, administration, and distribution of music licenses and royalties. It is the Australian International Standard Recording Code (Australian IRSC) national agency and allocates the country and first owner codes for encoding on all audio and audio-visual recordings, as a method of identification (Wikipedia, N.d). The International Standard Recording Code (ISRC) is the international identification system for sound recordings and music video recordings. Each ISRC is a unique and permanent identifier for a specific recording that can be permanently encoded into a product as its digital fingerprint. The ISRC provides the means to automatically identify recordings for royalty payments and, in many territories, is increasingly becoming a tool in the fight against piracy. By identifying all sound and music video recordings that are released, regardless of the format that they are released in, the ISRC enables the tracking and tracing of these recordings through the music value chain. ARIA recommends that all music producers, both ARIA members, and non-members, use the ISRC (Aria, N.d). Here is the ARIA website to apply for your IRSC codes http://www.aria.com.au along with the link for the IRSC handbook for more information regarding this http://www.aria.com.au/pages/documents/isrc_handbook_2003.pdf
Once you have your IRSC codes from ARIA, the next step is to submit these to the mastering engineer for encoding into the final recordings or masters. Then you can register yourself as a creator/songwriter and these recordings/works with music rights organizations including APRA AMCOS and the PPCA. APRA AMCOS is a music rights organization representing over 100,000 members, of songwriters, composers, and music publishers. APRA AMCOS license organizations to play, perform, copy, record or make their member’s music available and distribute the royalties to their members (APRA AMCOS, N.d). The Phonographic Performance Company of Australia (PPCA) is another licensing organization that deals with the publishing and collection of royalties. The PPCA is a non-profit organization that provides licenses to Australian businesses to play recorded music in public. The net fees are distributed to record labels & registered Australian artists who create the recordings so they can continue to make music for us all to enjoy (PPCA, N.d).
On the creative side, music publishing companies focus on the use and exploitation of the copyrights they administer by securing opportunities in the form of sync licenses for film, TV, ads, video games, etc. Additionally, these creative teams play an active role in setting up co-writes and pitching songs to artists and labels to be recorded for the first time. Most deals with larger music publishers see copyright owners receiving 50% of all royalties the music publisher helps generate. At the end of the day, the songwriter still owns the song, but working out; licensing; pitching to music supervisors; and collecting royalties is a lot of work (Tunecore, N.d). While I have registered my recordings/works with publishing organizations — APRA and the PPCA to receive royalties, I have not worked with music publishing companies. The following are links to some music publishing companies for further research and information. I will be discussing music synchronization further in this blog for more information on this topic.
DISTRIBUTION
The next step is to distribute your music. Music distribution is how music gets delivered to the listener. Traditionally, distributors enter agreements with record labels to sell to stores. However, digital distribution changed all of that by cutting out the middleman, allowing artists to distribute music directly to online stores while keeping 100% of their royalties. As an artist, digital distribution has become a must in order to reach all your potential fans. Smart distribution grows your visibility. It gets your music into as many ears as possible. And it helps you get paid for your music (Trandafir, 2016). Here is more information regarding digital music distribution.
The digital distributor I use for my music is DistroKid along with Bandcamp, though there are many others. Here are links for digital distribution. Find the one that gets your music to the stores you want and works with renowned artists that inspire you.
Along with a digital distributor is it good to use other platforms, in conjunction with a digital distributor to get your music to an audience. These include; YouTube, SoundCloud, Triple J Unearthed, and AMRAP. The following discusses these further and provides links to these services.
YouTube is an American video-sharing platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. Three former PayPal employees; Chad Hurley, Steve Chen, and Jawed Karim, created the service in February 2005. Google bought the site in November 2006 for US$1.65 billion; YouTube now operates as one of Google’s subsidiaries (Wikipedia, N.d). Link — http://www.youtube.com
SoundCloud is the world’s largest open audio platform, powered by a connected community of creators, listeners and curators on the pulse of what’s new, now and next in culture. Founded in 2007, SoundCloud empowers the world’s audio creators with the best tools, services, and resources to build and grow their careers. With over 190 million tracks from 20 million creators heard in 190 countries, what’s next in music is first on SoundCloud (SoundCloud, N.d). Link — http://www.soundcloud.com
The Australian Music Radio Airplay Project (Amrap) is a community radio initiative that distributes and promotes contemporary Australian music to community radio stations nationwide. Amrap helps get new Australian music airplay and supports community radio broadcasters to promote new Australian music on-air and online. Amrap offers services for signed and unsigned Australian musicians, major and independent record labels, music business enterprises, and all Australian community radio stations and program makers. Amrap offers services for unsigned Australian musicians, major and independent record labels and all community radio stations around Australia. These services include AirIt. AirIt is the community radio’s Australian music catalog and distribution service. AirIt contains Australian music from major and independent record labels and unsigned artists. AirIt is 100% free for community radio, record labels, and unsigned artists (Comunity broadcasting association of Australia, N.d). Link — https://airit.org.au/
Triple J Unearthed is a digital radio station you can access to distribute your music to their listeners, playing some of the best new independent Australian music (Triple J Unearthed, N.d). Link — https://www.triplejunearthed.com/
MUSIC SYNCHRONISATION
A music synchronization license (sync), is a music license granted by the holder of the copyright of a particular composition, allowing the licensee to synchronize (sync) music with some kind of visual media output (Wikipedia, N.d). Music synchronization can be a lucrative income stream for songwriters and composers. Essentially, sync is created when music is combined with a form of visual media such as a video. For music creators, the most common sync opportunities arise in film, television, advertising, and gaming. Landing a great sync deal can be a game-changer, and many songwriters have experienced considerable success thanks to the right syncs. As previously explored, music publishing companies play a key role in finding syncs for songwriters, but there are others who also specialize in bringing together music and visuals (APRA AMCOS, 2017). Following is the link to this article along with others for more information on music synchronization.
Here are some links to music synchronization companies, keep in mind this is something that I am currently researching for the future. I have not yet worked with a music synchronization company.
Publicity
Publicity is gaining attention or press whether print, digital or broadcast via media outlets for your music release. The first thing to do is create an Electronic Press Kit (EPK) along with a press release about the music release, and send these out to radio stations, magazine press (digital or physical), and blog contributors for promotion. Independent artists have more opportunities than ever before to launch their own career without the backing of the major labels or a big budget. While we are seeing more and more unsigned artists breaking through off their own backs, many promising new artists out there simply don’t know where to start or how to maintain a successful promotional campaign. Ditto music advises you to; perform often and make an impact, build a website and mailing list, develop an engaging social presence, get playlisted, get press and blog coverage, release music videos, surround yourself with a strong team, know your audience, and focus on your niche (Ditto Music, 2019). Here is the link to this article for more information along with other articles discussing publicity and your music release.
Marketing
Along with sending a press release out to local and national radio stations, physical or digital magazines, and other press publications marketing is another area of focus. I use social media marketing through the following channels.
· Artist website http://orthentix.com
· Facebook https://www.facebook.com/orthentix/
· Instagram https://www.instagram.com/orthentix/ @orthentix
· Linked In https://www.linkedin.com/in/louise-m-thompson-orthentix-184b92118/
· Soundcloud https://soundcloud.com/orthentix
· Google + https://plus.google.com/u/0/111364451854102908107
· Twitter https://twitter.com/orthentix
· YouTube https://youtube.com/c/Orthentix
Merch
Music merchandise is another way to get your music out to potential fans at gigs and live performances. As an artist, this can also help you gain income from your music. I use the Austep Eco Printing company for my CD pressing. Austep Music provides affordable eco printing, specializing in cardboard CD packaging, CD duplication, CD replication, and vinyl pressing. They use 410gsm CD wallets which are thicker than most competitors’ for a sturdier finish and printed on recycled card, which is better for the environment. They are a carbon-neutral company and work with major record labels, bands, graphic artists, and festivals. They can print hardcover CD books, bamboo USBs, magazines and more. Below is a link to their website for more information (Austep Music, N.d). Also, sign up to their newsletter and get a downloadable album release checklist guide in PDF format — https://www.austepmusic.com.au/album-release-checklist/
Now we have discussed how to self release your music independently, following is some information on Copywrite and intellectual property; legals and contacts, along with grants and funding.
Copywrite and Intellectual Property
In 1886 when the Berne Convention was ratified in Switzerland as an international agreement to support artists, no-one at that time could have possibly envisaged the digital realm and its ramifications. Technological advancement has allowed artists to broaden their reach and capitalize further on their creative work. Yet, and perhaps because of this, creative practitioners can find the notion of Copyright somewhat perplexing and confusing. In this sharing economy, some may question its worth in the digital age. Today, in order to protect your ideas and work, creative practitioners need to be cognizant of the law, its implications, and its monetary value, to understand how it can work for you, and against you if you are not careful.
The following provides you with an overview of Copyright Law — in Australia and internationally, and to inform you of how to control and commercialize your talent in this somewhat fickle era of establishing a creative livelihood.
Australian Copyright Act 1968
This is a compilation of the Copyright Act 1968 that shows the text of the law as amended and in force on 23 June 2017.
Australian Council for the Arts
Arts Nation: An Overview of Australian Arts is a new report which provides evidence as a catalyst for informed discussion about arts and culture in Australia. It is an evolving report which fills a critical gap by creating and interpreting a set of national indicators to increase our understanding of the Australian arts industry.
Technology, Copyright Law and the Future: The Contemporary Australian Music Industry
The Australian music industry is at a historic crossroad considering the challenges from the technological advances it has faced in recent years. It is an industry that has long relied on copyright law for the protection of its income streams. However, the ease with which everyday consumers flaunt the law along with the general apathy that society has towards it has generated a need to either change the laws or change the business model that the industry has relied on for the past 100 years. This paper examines the failure of existing copyright laws in the face of changing technology and the likely impact of changes currently under consideration.
Arts Law Information Sheet: Copyright
Arts Law Centre of Australia information sheet provides information on knowing how to license, copyright and earn royalties, giving artists a way to monetize their creativity.
Australian Copyright Council
The Australian Copyright Council is an independent, non-profit organization. Founded in 1968, who represent the peak bodies for professional artists and content creators working in Australia’s creative industries and Australia’s major copyright collecting societies.
The pre-digital age Copyright Law of 1968, is under review to be inclusive of online content distribution. The Australian Copyright Council provides updates on the changes being proposed to the law.
Legals & Contracts
Whatever type of artist you are, the law protects you and your work. However, the many aspects and complexities within the law and our legal system can often hinder creative practitioners from understanding their rights and obligations. The Australian government has established several peak bodies that have the sole purpose of supporting artists. Knowing what these organizations can do for you can make all the difference to your bank balance and your creative practice.
Arts Law Centre of Australia
Arts Law Centre of Australia provides legal advice and information on a wide range of arts-related legal and business matters.
Music Industry Legal Pack — AMIN
AMIN’s Music Industry Legal Pack gives information to Australian artists to navigate the legal complexities of the music industry. Covering everything from management contracts to producer and remixer agreements. This fact sheet and checklist are aimed at equipping artists with some of the basic legal knowledge they need to deal with an increasingly complex industry.
Legal essentials for business | business.gov.au
Find out the basic legal issues before starting your business. This may include business name registrations, licenses, and permits required for running your business operations. When you agree to do a job in exchange for money or some other benefit, you are probably entering into a commercial contract. This site provides you with all the legal requirement documentation, obligations, and information you will need to have in place when starting your creative business.
Arts Law Centre of Australia
What is Raw Law about? It is important for creative people to know what their legal rights are when producing and presenting their work, but it can be hard to know where to start. Raw Law provides simple, accessible legal information for people who experience major barriers to participating in the arts, including artists with a disability. Raw Law is a series of factsheets that explore the main legal issues for creative people.
Grants & Crowdfunding
Okay, so you’ve got a great idea, all ready to go, just one problem money! Gathering funds to realize your aspirations can be challenging. However, there are several ways in which the industry practices garnering production funding support. These extend from grants and financial support from government bodies nationally and across all states, to distributors, philanthropic institutions, and crowdfunding. There are systems and processes available to support you. The objective is to determine ways to secure funding for your project that will not only enable the production to happen but will also provide you with the personal financial support you need to free you up so that you can focus on your creativity.
Answers Bank — sample answers for grant applications — The Funding Centre
FundingCentre.com.au is where not-for-profits go for everything they need to become champion fundraisers.
Research Funding Toolkit
This book is based on a successful series of workshops called The Grants Factory. The grants factory has developed a series of workshops, exercises, and checklists that enabled academics; to develop, to practice, and to test the skills they need to write good grant applications. Patrick Brindle, who was a Methods editor for SAGE at the time, heard about one of our workshops being delivered by a colleague and commissioned the grants factory to write the book. The first half of the book discusses how to decide whether or not to write a grant application, what sort of application to write and how to prepare yourself to write it. The second half explains how to write the application and how to test whether it is fit for purpose. The book also discusses ways to set up a grants factory in your institution.
HELP SHEET: Writing a grant application — The Funding Centre
Tips and tricks for writing a great grant application: i.e what the grantmaker wants to read!
Planning and Writing a Grant Proposal: The Basics
So, you want to write a grant proposal? This is exciting! This means that you have valuable research to do or a particular nonprofit to build or a community resource you’re passionate about developing. You have a distinct vision for how something could be improved or advanced, and you’re ready to ask for funding or other support to help this vision become a reality.
Grant Writer’s Handbook
This website offers basic tips for researchers preparing grant applications. There is advice on how to communicate the novelty, strengths, and importance of your research ideas, as well as how to convey your abilities to plan, manage and deliver on your project. There are also links to external grant writing resources.
Arts Hub Grants Directory
Access the latest news & advice on arts jobs, grants & funding opportunities from industry experts in Australia.
Home | Australia Council
The Australia Council for the Arts is the Australian Government’s arts funding and advisory body. Its focus is on increasing the visibility of Australia’s vibrant arts and culture, along with recognizing the evolving way that Australians make and experience art. Their role is to support the unimagined along with the reimagined, the unknown and experimental along with the keenly anticipated. They are a champion for Australian arts both here and overseas, investing in artistic excellence through support for all facets of the creative process, and are committed to the arts being accessible to all Australians.
Grant Connect
The Australian Government’s grants information system GrantConnect provides centralized publication of forecast and current Australian Government grant opportunities and grants awards.
A Female Music Producer in Her Realm: Reflection on My Creative Practice of Music Production
While there are many pros of self-releasing including; you keep your rights, you keep the cash, and you make your music on your own terms. The cons can outweigh the pros. Producing and releasing an album is expensive. While I applied for a few grants to produce this album and greater project, none were approved, therefore I footed the bill. For future productions, I plan to research grant writing further with the above resources and apply these into my grant writing process. While I have quite a few contacts within the music industry, I do not have enough contacts within the greater music business industry. Promoting a record is also time-consuming. Arranging press, keeping track of sales, promoting the album, and booking shows is a full-time job. You can become consumed with the business side of things.
I was recently in a seminar with Susan Rogers on music cognition. Rogers was Prince’s staff engineer for many years, along with producing The Bare Naked Ladies and has worked with many other renowned artists. She is now an associate professor in the Music Production and Engineering and Liberal Arts departments at Berklee College of Music. In the music cognition seminar, Rogers discussed Bill Verplank and his lecture on archetypes/personas of design. She commented “that he has proposed there are 4 archetypes/personas within the design framework; the artist who embodies risk, ideas and is a visionary; the engineer who embodies logic, technical and is systems-oriented; the manager type who embodies a competitor/bully persona and is self-oriented, and the entrepreneur who embodies sociality, leader and is people-oriented” (Rogers, 2019). It takes a lot of time to create the artifice, manage the business and connect with the business, publicity and social/fan based side of music. I embody the artist and engineer, though I do not embody the manager type. Therefore, once I start to see more profit from my music I plan to get a manager to help with the business side of my music along with connecting me to the right networks to make my music a lucrative business.
A music business manager is someone who represents recording artists and musicians with the advertising, marketing, business and financial end of things. He or she will manage and handle contract negotiations, counsel the artist on how to invest their income wisely and also recover unpaid fees and royalties. Most music business managers have a degree in business administration and should have knowledge of tax laws, investments, accounting and negotiating. This position requires that the business manager wears many hats, but the main goal is to connect the artist to the music industry. Music business managers have distinct personalities. They tend to be artistic individuals, which means they’re creative, intuitive, sensitive, articulate, and expressive. They are unstructured, original, nonconforming, and innovative. Some of them are also enterprising, meaning they’re adventurous, ambitious, assertive, extroverted, energetic, enthusiastic, confident, and optimistic (Career Explorer, N.d).
Along with a manager, I would like to get a unit publicist to help with gaining publications in the media about my artist brand and releases. I am a social/people-oriented type, though I do not have the press contacts to create more publicity leading to more fans. The comment “a good publicist is worth their weight in gold” is one we hear regularly in the entertainment business. Skilled publicists can drag your record into the limelight — garnering acclaim and recognition for your project and your talent. And this means, not only audience outreach, awards, and applause, but also critically gaining financial return through sales and success.
The following will demystifies the role of the publicist in the age of digital distribution and explains how to work with a publicist to get the best result for your project.
The value of effective unit publicity, commissioned as early as possible in the production process can be immeasurable. A cornerstone of the marketing cycle, unit publicity helps mold the establishment of core marketing objectives. It plays a significant role in helping to inform the development of marketing collateral and ensuring the necessary elements are captured for release.
An experienced unit publicist will devise a publicity plan, based on the goals discussed by the producer, sales agent, and distributor, along with helping to identify numerous marketing opportunities down the track. A publicity plan will identify elements that are crucial for planning the overarching marketing strategy of:
· Target audience — although this is an evolving process and maybe refined from production to distribution, it’s critical to identify the audience for the film and how to reach them.
· Key marketing hooks — unique selling points of the story, cast, setting, etc. which will stimulate interest.
· Publicity angles — a variety of story angles that may go beyond traditional film coverage.
· Timeline — identifying when announcements, access, and materials are needed for crucial stages in the production process and beyond.
The unit publicist’s role is to collect and build the creative assets that will be used to promote the film by the distributor and the sales agent. They manage the unit photographer and EPK team, organize interviews for media, exhibitors, and partners, and handle media and public relations. One of the most valuable things an experienced unit publicist will bring to any production is their network: their relationships with media and stakeholders. A good publicist can help to generate buzz and anticipation around the project. Investing in an experienced unit publicist pays off down the track. In addition to devising an overall strategy, they take on a broad range of responsibilities.
The unit publicist will draft, seek approval and distribute a ‘start of production’ press release and, once approved, issue it to trade and news media. Additionally, the press release is issued to local film, entertainment and arts media and international media to alert them to the start of production on the film. The announcement should also go to any key territory, eg a targeted list of US media including major US news and wire services — to encourage North American interest and awareness. Where a pre-sale is in place, in collaboration with the sales agent, the release may also be sent to foreign distributors for their local disbursement.
The media are a vital component to a record’s success and early inclusion can help to build champions for the project down the track. Delicate management is needed to control the messages released to the public and an experienced publicist will field and respond to all media inquiries, acting as a single spokesperson and crisis-manage any difficult situations which may arise.
The unit publicist will also: liaise with producers and filmmakers to determine the level and degree of access to the set for journalists, partners and executives; liaise with talent representatives to establish their level of cooperation regarding publicity and marketing activity; in conjunction with the line producer, determine which shooting days are suitable for set visits from print journalists, EPK crew, etc; and manage local and regional media.
An experienced unit publicist should be engaged to; collect and collate recent cast and filmmaker biographies from their representatives; fact check and update where necessary; undertake interviews with cast and filmmakers for use and inclusion in the production notes; and research, write and edit production notes (production story, long and short synopses, key cast and crew biographies, etc), circulating these for approval, and edit or rewrite where appropriate (Screen Australia, N.d).
I would like to finalize this blog with a personal insight into how I feel after finalizing this album and releasing it to the public. As many artists may have similar feelings, I want to put these out there so you realize you are not alone… I feel so exposed at the end of a creative project. When an album is finished and set for release I get a sense of shyness and self-doubt. It’s like I just shared my inner self with the world, shared my inner truths, my vulnerabilities. All that stuff that we analyze, package, deconstruct those inner feelings and thoughts. All my imperfections showcased in waiting to be judged and picked apart, poked at and analysed. Someone once told me that artists have a combination of humility/lack of confidence and ego/confidence, and in the middle is art. This is depicted in the following self-created image.
The great Hunter S Thompson commented on the music business, his prose resonated so deeply with how I’m feeling right now. So I will share with you his quote to ponder.
“The music business is a cruel and shallow money trench, a long plastic hallway where thieves and pimps run free, and good men die like dogs. There’s also a negative side” (Hunter S Thompson).
Music flows through each of us, I write what I feel, what I experience and how I view the world. I’ve learned during the process of this project, while the feminine in the binary socially constructed system is deemed as soft, caring, empathetic…she is also fierce, powerful and strong. She overcomes her afflictions through learning, expressing and empowering herself through the subjectivity of her gender. I feel I have made something that liberates women from the marginalisation in music production. Art that heals and sparks vision in other women, for women who have never seen themselves represented in this culture before, for women not to feel underestimated. To be proud of our struggles, and how we turn our afflictions into a virtue, proud of the beauty our feminism portrays, creating a space free of marginalisation. Showing women that they are not alone, bringing solidarity to women. In each of us, another woman or girl may see a reflection of herself and her worth. The youth need to see the greatness reflected in our eyes, go forth and let them know we are real.
Conclusion
The Divine Affliction album was released — December 2019! There will be a series of video tutorials published on Youtube — early 2020 under the same title Divine Affliction: Perception Through a Feminine Lens with an exoskeletal view into the production of title song ‘Divine Affliction’ from the album. The tutorials will give a breakdown of the music production with each tutorial covering how to produce a certain element of the song, giving a visceral account of how to compose and produce a song from start to finish, with the final tutorial educating how to independently release your own music. Experience her story of music production through a feminine lens, a feminine perception of music production, educating womxn how to make music and embrace the realm of music production. Excited? I am…Stay Tuned via the following Youtube link to my channel!
The following blog is the final blog of this series. It hosts a playlist of the video tutorial series of Divine Affliction: Perspectives Through A Feminine Lens. Stay tuned!!!
Read the following blog: https://medium.com/orthentix/polishing-the-final-product-mastering-95decba3b29f
Read the following and final blog: https://medium.com/orthentix/divine-afflictionvideo-tutorial-series-perception-through-a-feminine-lens-8397fe9e1eb1
Encore
Divine Affliction, experimental electronica with raw, introspective, brooding, emotive music. A journey through the female experience. A musical expression of the divine feminine and the afflictions she faces…She finds strength in her vulnerability and turns her affliction into a virtue.
Keep updated with news and releases on the following — Orthentix Official Website!
Reference List
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Orthentix. (December, 2019). Divine Affliction Album Volume 1[Bandcamp link]. Retrieved from https://orthentix.bandcamp.com/
Orthentix. (December, 2019). Divine Affliction Album Volume 2 [Bandcamp link]. Retrieved from https://orthentix.bandcamp.com/
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Orthentix. (December, 2019). Divine Affliction Album Volume 2 [Spotify link]. Retrieved from https://open.spotify.com/album/42suiny8bkX4JXP5Y3VKOm
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Image References
Figure 1. Divine Affliction Album Cover. Image by House of Pheonix Eleven. Copyright Orthentix 2019.
Figure 2. Publicity image. Retrieved from http://rgcommunications.com.au/media-publicity-strategy/media-publicity-strategy-2/
Figure 3. Art. Self-created image.
