PaulWarning

[quote name='BigRedX' timestamp='1492595351' post='3281437'] Especially when your band is named after the singer! The final line-up of The Terrortones was guitarist number 8 and drummer number 5. Anyway back to the OP have you decided on an aggregator then? The Terrortones used CD Baby, and I've used Catapult Distribution in the past. Both have been perfectly good, although it does take a long time for your first payment to come through. [/quote]bloody hell, 8 Guitarists and 5 drummers? I think I'd have given up long ago, band discussion this Wednesday, I think it will be a toss up between CD baby or Soundrop, depends whether we think it's worth paying the upfront fee, I think they all take the first few quid (£10?) before they start paying you

[quote name='BigRedX' timestamp='1492590836' post='3281368'] Thanks! My time with The Terrortones was not only musically rewarding, but also the most fun I've ever had in a band. I'll be pleasantly surprised if I'm ever in that situation again. It's a pity it's over, but IME nothing lasts for ever and while from a song writing PoV we still had plenty of new ideas, had the band carried on we would have been looking for yet another guitarist and drummer. The most disappointing thing about the end of the band was the fact that we had just taken delivery of our first proper full-length album which was getting a lot of interest, but in the absence of any gig activity, few reviewers or publications were prepared to give it any real exposure, which means that I have a load of boxes full of unsold records and CDs. [/quote]guitarists and drummers are replaceable as I have found out, with good frontmen and singers it can be impossible

have I missed an announcement? didn't know you'd stop gigging, what's behind that? assuming you want to tell us of course, if you don't that's ok

[quote name='BigRedX' timestamp='1492511695' post='3280780'] There is no right answer to this question although the aggregator mentioned in the OP is obviously the wrong answer for everyone except the lazy and stupid. What you have to do is look at the deals and work out which is best for you in terms of projected sales vs up-front costs. Unless you can guarantee a lot of download sales I would go for one with a single fixed fee and who takes the lowest percentage of your sales. If you do go with CD Baby, don't bother with the "Pro" version as they don't offer anything that UK artists with PRS and PPL membership don't already have for free. I also wouldn't bother with getting the aggregator to do your physical product distribution. IME the vast majority of sales come from people buying CDs and records at gigs. If you don't have the technical know-how to set up your own merch page on your website then Bandcamp seems to offer the best VFM. One thing that all the aggregators make a big deal of is how many different service they will get you music on to. However does anyone actual use any service other than iTunes, Amazon and Spotify? When I look at our stats, that is where 99% of our income comes from. [/quote]I'd agree with all that, the only thing to consider is the upfront verses commission fee which depends on digital sales, CD baby with a one off upfront fee and no commission or Soundrop (just 7 sites but all the ones you'll need I would imagine) with no upfront fee but 15% of sales, now where did I put that crystal ball?

[quote name='ambient' timestamp='1492339657' post='3279469'] Distrokid don't remove it when you stop paying. I used them for an album in January last year, the music is still there on Amazon and Spotify etc. [/quote]but do they still pass on any sales revenue? I'm sort of looking at Soundrop, no upfront charges but they take 15%,(after the digital stores 30%) seeing as we're not expecting may sales it's tempting

[quote name='woodster' timestamp='1492326703' post='3279357'] The only issue I found with Distrokid is if you stop paying the $20 per year, all your music is removed. I'm not sure if that is still the case? If so, I guess it's great for artists who have regular material to release. [/quote]this is one of the things you have to take into account, some have a one off fee (CD baby) some have a yearly fee, some have no fee but take a bigger percentage and presumable some do more than others, like putting the album into to record shops, there's a lot of things to take into account once you start looking into it.

thanks guys, I'll check them out

[quote name='ezbass' timestamp='1492260190' post='3279064'] My thoughts exactly. It's like it's a music program devised by a focus group (like a lot of BBC programming). Speaking of TOTP, given that the Beeb don't seem to tire of rehashing that cheese-fest, why don't they repeat some Whistle Test too? [/quote]quiet a lot of TOGWT content appears in oldies music programmes, watched one on the yesterday channel of all places the other day which was almost exclusively Whistle Test content, there's a bit of rose coloured specs going on here, there was an awful lot of crap on the Whistle Test as well as the good stuff, bit like Jools

found this article, http://www.digitalmusicnews.com/2014/05/29/digital-distribution-company-review/ so we'll probably decide whether we want to pay an upfront fee or pay a higher commission rate, but not both!

[quote name='McBass' timestamp='1492251925' post='3278958'] You pay £60 to give them 10% of sales, 20% of your publishing and 50% of your PPL, what exactly are they offering in return? If you are a member of the MU get their lawyers to look over the contract, i bet they find more holes in it than a block of Emmmental cheese. [/quote]doesn't seem good does it?, our guitarist is good at contracts used to do it for a living, he's sorted all these pitfalls out, the 50% PPL fee seems particularly harsh I registered with them to get the IRSC code for our new album so I should get them direct shouldn't I? We want to get the album on the download sites like itunes, Amazon, Google play etc and you have to use an Aggregater to do that by the looks of it, so has anybody got any good stories to tell?

[quote name='SpondonBassed' timestamp='1492250777' post='3278948'] [/quote]

you could try a Zoom B1on it has almost limitless adjustment to get a fuller sound, I have it set so it's just before it gets spikey, only about £45, https://www.amazon.co.uk/Zoom-B1on-Bass-Effects-Pedal/dp/B00JLEHMG6 incidental I tend to just play an octave higher during a guitar solo

trouble is, being the only live music programme on mainstream TV it has to eclectic, so best thing is record it and whizz through the bits you don't like

[quote name='SpondonBassed' timestamp='1492243196' post='3278864'] PS; Am I going to get a slap next time she sees me for what I said earlier? Heeheehee. [/quote]you should be so lucky

[quote name='SpondonBassed' timestamp='1492205737' post='3278735'] I was curious as to how Wendy felt about using the kit at the Horse and Groom a while back on your side project... I noticed she'd brought a snare and cymbal. Is that because she prefers a minimal kit or just for convenience? [/quote]pure convenience, carting around a bass and side drum for a few songs at open mic, and the time to set it up would be too much

anybody know anything? we're looking to sign up with one to get our new album out there, our guitarist is a bit of a whizz at reading at reading terms and conditions the one that's approached us, Confidential records, charges, £60 for a 2 year deal, plus 10% of all sales income, and you have to be signed up with Maori for the publishing, they are obviously the same business. That means letting Maori take 20% of all publishing, PRS income. They also take 50% of PPL (Phonographic Performance Licensing) income, which I find a bit worrying and is it necessary given I'm a member of PPL (to get the IRSC codes fr our new album), is this a good deal or is there a lot better out there?

[quote name='hen barn' timestamp='1492085749' post='3277814'] I have been playing for 40 years now and the wife complaints how deaf I am! so went for ear test and now have to wear hearing aids!! So to protect them I got ACS 17 then 15 then 10 and hated it as felt like I was somewhere else. So got IEM found that really hard and couldnt talk to band members and new guitarist hated them. So I'm back looking for protectors? I have some xmas tree ones that I will try again but I might try some isolate one????? Any other suggestions? [/quote]I use ACS 10's in the ear next to the drummer and a christmas tree one in the other which I can pull in and out to suit, but yeah I can't get on with ACS 10's in both ears, could be something to do with being a bit deaf, I have hearing aids too

[quote name='RhysP' timestamp='1492077991' post='3277699'] They were never in a band together... [/quote]

you'll always get this, our drummer not very good at brushing up on songs, I take my MP3 player to rehearsals and we play the song, to be fair he's very quick at getting it right, another one is the guitarist says we don't have to be just like the original song than last night pulled me up because I missed a fill out of Suspect Device! hey band politics, everybody has short comings some peoples you can put up with some you can't, you have to decide, but if Martin McGuiness and Ian Pasley could learn to get on there's hope for us all

[quote name='skankdelvar' timestamp='1492005258' post='3277103'] Frank Sinatra, Sepultura, Paul McCartney, Brian Eno, Biffy Clyro, Keith Richards, Elvis Presley, Roy Orbison, Pearl Jam, Michael Jackson, Neil Young, Miles Davis, Metallica, Lou Reed, Angus Young, Malcolm Young, Green Day, Joey Ramone, Johnny Ramone, Dee Dee Ramone, C J Ramone, Green Day, Lemmy, Sting, Dolly Parton, Elton John, Jagger, Bowie, Shakira, Joe Strummer, Carole King James Taylor, Doc Watson, Buddy Holly, Johnny Cash, Bono, Johnny Rotten, Paul Cook, Steve Jones, Sid Vicious, Glen Matlock, Henry Rollins, John Lennon, The Beatles, Beethoven, Mozart, Jim Morrison, Freddy Mercury, Brian May, John Deacon, Roger Taylor, Jerry Garcia, The Grateful Dead, Ozzy Osbourne, Chopin, Bob Marley all have organisms named after them. Top organism muso is Frank Zappa with nine of the little buggers named after him. Which says more about scientists than it does about Zappa, imo. [/quote]at first I misread this, thought they'd all had orgasms named after them, I was quite worried that I'd missed out on a lot of life's pleasures

[quote name='King Tut' timestamp='1491988902' post='3276926'] Yeah i obviously do but it's still no one else's business. I usually stay away from threads like this cos it's they screw with my mental well-being but sadly took the bait today. But hey! I'm on my hols in Portugal in full sun, about 23 degrees and about to head off to the sea so shan't be thinking about headstock decals much more today ;-) [/quote]enjoy, now am jealous

[quote name='PaulGibsonBass' timestamp='1491984980' post='3276886'] When someone comes up to you in the street and says 'are you that guy from..?' [/quote]that has happened to me, locally I have to add, of course if you're the singer and not just the bass player everybody knows who you are

[quote name='King Tut' timestamp='1491986369' post='3276903'] Don't really give a toss about what anyone else thinks [/quote]ah, but you do

just showing off, like a personalised number plate, a flash car or having designer clothes, we all have a seeking approval gene, in some folk it's a lot stronger than others.

when you can pack up your day job