This time Nick looks at maximising income from your songs for radio play and the like. Find and follow his work at nicktann.co.uk and @nick_tann on twitter.
I am now in the position where I am just waiting for the delivery of 1000 copies of my new album. It’s ben available for download on Bandcamp (selling quite nicely, thanks for asking) for about a fortnight and is also on Spotify, iTunes and numerous other internet sites. I’m now in a bit of a publicity frenzy, doing what I can to get airplay on radio stations and podcasts as well as getting reviewed in magazines and music blogs. As the album is a collaboration between myself an co-producer Toby Vane, it’s easier to bang on about how marvellous it is. But enough of that, what I really want to write about is the process I have gone through so far in my attempt to self publish this album, or at least I THINK that’s what I have done.
I want to take a few steps back in the process. I would also like to add that the information I am about to impart may NOT be totally accurate, sorry. It’s stuff that I have gleaned from various articles and advice given to me from other self releasing artists.
So after all the fun stuff of recording, editing and mixing we had to embed the ISRC codes to the final masters.
“The WHAT?” I hear you ask. Well that is what I am going to talk about in this article.
I am a full time musician so I am not only looking to recoup the cost of producing this album, I am also looking to make a profit. It IS my business so I do my best to take a business like approach to it.
Sorry, rambling again, lets get to the meat….As a songwriter, I have all my songs registered with the PRS, I will write about them at a later date but basically they collect monies from radio stations, music venues and a few other places. Put simply, when you get your music played on the radio, you get some money. But how? That’s where embedding the ISRC codes come in, remember them? To get ISRC codes you need to register with the P.P.L.who will issue you with you very own ISRC code. THEN that ISRC code in embedded in your track. This is a tracking code and links to the appropriate tune you have registered with the P.R.S. Are you keeping up? There are plenty of websites that explain how these codes are embedded, it’s just a software thing and only a little bit tricky. Alpha Duplication, the company that is pressing my album, said they would do it for £15 so you could always go that route. All these services, the PRS and PPL are free so why not use them and if you DO get some radio play then it’s got to be worth the little bit of effort, or the £15, to do it.
I am happy to answer any question so please ask if you have any.
