I just got another of these messages from an artist with no clue. Sure I have written about this in my blog hundreds of times in different versions, still, I get these messages. So I will take it one more time, sorry if you feel that you have read this before.

What I got was a single of course already recorded and mastered. The artist asked if we could work on this, they wanted to release it in early September. They were already recording an album and wanted it to reach a bigger audience (sorry they all tell this, so it’s not YOU).

Nothing wrong with this. At least they sent their stuff before it was released (see this post). But the timing is not that good. We are a couple of days to September. Always count that we need 10 weeks minimum to release a track. Yes, there are idiots that now will tell me that they can upload a track in 24 hours to get it online. Yes, I can actually get a track up in 3 hours. But what’s the point of that? These 10 weeks are preparing and doing PR so your track really has the chance to get as many peoples attention as possible.  Yes, it can be done faster but not that good.

Also, don’t you think we have other artists that we work with that already has booked time to release around here? I don’t think we would drop any of these jobs to get on your project. Oh yes if your project could guarantee us to get a lot of money in return we might push something, still quite unlikely.

This is a good artist though so they were willing to push their release to another time this autumn.

Of course, they had been asking us if we wanted to listen to the music. In fact, I just wanted to know more if there was a point to listen to them. I asked the question that actually no one sends in but every company wants an answer on.

What are your plans for this autumn and spring?

The answer I always get is:

1. We keep going to record the rest of the album.
2. We are planning to get some gigs.
3. We are really not sure.
4. We are giving out more singles.

The answer I want:

1. We have planned and booked these gigs and we are planning to visit these industry events to promote our music.
2. We are also planning to this things on social media to promote this single we are planning.
3. We are going to be on this thing that people really watch.
4. We have all these things for the first single that we are planning to do.

I guess the best answer was a band telling me that to the spring they will “burn rubber on the road in Europe”. So you have booked a European tour? Well, not yet but we plan to do it, it can’t be that hard.

I guess many think that this is the job of the label, PR team, booking team. Yes in a way but you have to start the things to happen. I can’t get your radio interviews if you are not visiting that city that the station is broadcasting from. I can’t get my booking contacts down to a show if you don’t have any shows. It’s hard to support nothing.

Then they usually go to technical stuff. Our single is recorded in this studio or and mastered by this person. Sorry, that is a none story. That won’t get you the gigs or the PR or anything. The sound of the recording is probably really good if you used professionals. At the same time, I have number one hits recorded by a nobody in a kitchen. It’s really not that important. Your song won’t be better if it’s mastered at Sterling Sound in NYC. It will be a good master, but if the recording and song are already crap it will be like polishing a turd.

Let say that the song, recording and the master are brilliant. Still, nothing will happen if you don’t have planned what steps you want to take to promte the stuff. That has to be in place before the release, it’s nothing you make up on the way.

When you hear people talk about that it came up on the way, it’s usually when something is already in motion. Things are dragged to things that are in motion.

The secret is that I already know what is going to happen with my artist I work with. Right now we are planning the spring of 2018. The Autumn we already spoke about before summer and we are mainly updating around the events that we agreed to work on. Then, of course, things change. Suddenly you get a really great opportunity and we have to reschedule. That is a good thing and usually if a single is pushed because of events it’s just a good thing. If it’s pushed by laziness then it’s bad, usually not happening that often.

Same with my professional things. I know I will be in Barcelona on Future Music Forum in September. Also, know that I will be on Reeperbahn in Hamburg in September. I will be in NYC in October and in Tokyo. In fact already know where I will be in January, February, and March next year. Right now I’m checking the opportunities of April 2018. Yes, this schedule will change, still, as long nothing better comes up I at least know where I’m heading.

So can you give me a good plan that is reasonable, the chances that I will work with you is pretty good.