Research Before You Get Started
Many aspiring artists get inspired, find the nearest project studio - quickly get the song recorded, hastily mixed and mastered then what? The "Now What Zone" is a real place. A dull lonely place whereartists wander aimlesslygroping foranystrandsthat might connect with the slightest hope of airplay. Beforefinding a project studio, giving a producer your "real" money to record your very real dream song you need to do some research.
Genre
First, research on the type of music you want to record. Please note I am not saying change the lyrics, I am talking about the genre. Before recording anything find out how well that type of music is received in your community.
A case in point is that of a music genre like reggae. Please note, I am talking about roots reggae or conscious not dancehall. Think of the biggest roots reggae or even dub artist in the world right now. The most popular and successful roots reggae artist is... That pause alone as you try to surreptitiously google "popular reggae artists" should sound off some warning bells if you have decided to produce your music in that genre. How often do you hear roots reggae even from the most popular reggae artist on your local radio station? Is roots reggae on high rotation? Remember that this is not a question about how good the music is but it's a question of airplay as already alluded to earlier. Remember you are inspired to record a song, you have a catchy melody and lyrics but before you record you can decide on the genre, the style of music to package your masterpiece. This decision relies heavily on the research you do in advance; the knowledge you acquire about what is likely to be played on your local radio station. Yes I said it, local radio station! Most artists are angry because they produce peculiar music in obscure genres confident that somewhere in the world the music will be appreciated. This type of approach only leads to frustration and despondency. Give the people what they want. Start by anticipating the style of music your audience is accustomed to and build from there. Remember, if radio is not playing the biggest roots reggae artist they are unlikely to pick up on your sound, especially since you are still unknown.
Distribution List
Before doing anything, the moment you feel that you have a song brewing inside you and you might want to record it you must begin building a distribution list. Yes, you can begin building this list well before recording anything. A distribution list may not necessarily be a contact details list, however this will come in handy later when you need to network with other stakeholders in the music industry.
A distribution list is a list of stakeholders in the music industry that can add value to your music. This includes but is not limited to, identifying radio stations, deejays, journalists, newspapers, TV stations, TV shows, personalities that advocate for the style (genre) of music you want to produce. For example if you are keen to produce a gospel song you must listen to ALL the gospel shows on all radio and TV stations, at least as much as is physically possible. You must have a list of the programming schedules, you must know the names of the producers and presenters of these shows and more importantly the stations where the programming is aired. In my experience as a deejay on radio there is nothing as irritating as having an artist ask you which days and times you are on air before asking after the fate of their submitted music. So you clearly do not listen to my show but have approached me with a clear misconceived notion that I am not playlisting you. Angry artist go away.
Listen religiously to radio. Learn the trends before setting foot in a project studio. One assumes you are an avid radio listener from the very beginning. That is the only way you have been able to identify your musical niche. Identify other artists doing the same style of music you want to pursue both local and international artists. This information is valuable during the recording session at the project studio. Trust me it is very helpful when you can articulate clearly your expectations to the producer. A clear my song is something like Sean Paul "Gimme the light" will immediately set a tone and create the right mood in the studio to produce another dancehall classic.
Your distribution list must also include social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter. Even WhatsApp groups are crucial. Join a few which talk about music or even those that have other aspiring artists. WhatsApp groups are a great place to start to harvest crucial contact details for your distribution list. Thank me later. But for the love of God please do not make contact. Even if you happen upon the contact details of Jah Prayzah, remember he has worked hard to get where he is. He is a professional so before you reach out you must become a professionaltoo. Remember you have not recorded anything yet. You are still at home with your dream song buzzing in your head. Get organised first before making contact with established artists. Be professional. Professional people do not send messages to people theydo not know with phrases like "sei, sei?", "Ari sei maRunnings", "Ko indava kutiBlue ticker, tisu maFans enyu". Before contacting anyone ask yourself what real business you have to offer. No one likes a time waster.
By now you are probably wondering why you need to do all these things before even recording a single song. It all seems cumbersome and a little over the top. Can't you just walk into a studio and record you song without all this preparation? Oh yes you can. You can wake up in the morning and record your song in the afternoon, get it mastered by the evening and submit it to radio via the official email before you go to bed in the evening. All done and dusted in 24 hours, great job - now what? You are stuck and a little disillusioned. It will not be long before you become angry.
Taking deliberate steps before recording your masterpiece will prepare you mentally and emotionally for the stormy waters of our music industry.
Project Studio
Say you get it right and you choose a popular genre to produce your music. Remember that you are still at home with your hit song swirling around in your head. You have lyrics and perhaps a melody but you have not identified a project studio or paid any producer to record you. This is a great place to start. Do not rush into committing your dream song to any project studio or producer yet. Yes, I keep repeating the words "project studio". This is because that's where you must go to record your FIRST song. Never waste money recording your first song at a commercial recording studio. One; it costs a heck of a lot of money and two, your very first recording will be a "demo". You will hear your recorded voice for the very first time, you will interact with a condenser microphone and plugins for the very first time - it won't be a perfect recording by any standard. When I recorded my first song I made the mistake of trying to use a professional studio. I could not afford the minimum number of hours required for a full recording session including mixing and mastering. What I ended up with was a hotchpotch job rushed through in one hour and then burnt straight to CD; no mixing, no mastering and definitely nowhere near perfect. In hindsight I should have used a project studio.
Identifying the right project studio
From the music WhatsApp groups you have joined you already have a number of project studio contact details. From constantly listening to radio you should be able to narrow the list down to the right studios to approach for your first recording. Remember this will be your first demo recording so keep your expectations realistic. It is unlikely that from recording one song you will immediately become an overnight success. Stay grounded.
Identifying the right project studio is easy. Listen to the music on high rotation and do the research through your distribution list to find out where the producers of these hits are located. Do not stray too far from your comfort zone, remember this is just your first recording (a demo). It is unwise to invest too much in this first step in your music. For example if you are in Norton it is unwise to come up with a budget to visit a project studio in Gweru. It is better to invest in a project studio in your area.