To release or not to release

Dreadfunk · Post by **Dreadfunk** » Wed Mar 09, 2011 9:24 pm

I was wondering how other people feel about this:

If you think that you are still finding your sound, and aren't quite happy with where you are as a producer, is it still worth putting your stuff out on Soundcloud and showing people? Or is it better to keep it to yourself until you are making tunes that are worth trying to get signed?

I put tracks out on soundcloud so I can get feedback, and have some motivation to finish them. It feels kind of aimless to just produce with the intent to get better, and not really put anything out there. The feedback gives me a lot of motivation to continue on. I wonder what the big names did while they were still learning?

While my tracks are getting better, I don't have anything that I'd really want to show a label. Which I guess is normal, considering I've only been at it for less than a year. I always figured I'd produce under one alias until I got good, and then rename myself once I had hit my stride.

I would be interested to hear some views on this subject.

press · Post by **press** » Wed Mar 09, 2011 9:41 pm

your tune in your sig is not bad at all, id happily add it to my ipod and even might consider playing it.

judeing only by that one id say you are at a good level to show people what you got, close to good enough to start thinking about sending to labels imo.

i have seen alot worse pushed hard by other producers.

I say keep posting your stuff on soundcloud def and ones your really proud of in the dubs section or try to get some blog love with them if you wanna do freebies etc. and as long as your still working hard something good may happen probably sooner than later.

shopping tunes to labels is still one of my least fav things about producing its hard to be confident.

press · Post by **press** » Wed Mar 09, 2011 9:51 pm

had a looksy into your soundcloud, just a quick flick through and the one in your sig is the best imo. its the newest to it seems so your getting better and that is a big deal. keep working bro.

also imo feedback is over rated its hard, nearly impossible to get real feedback that actually goes into changing a tune, and sometimes i even get a little butt hurt when i like things in a tune and others feedback says that needs to change. so rather than look for that kind of feedback, id say keep posting to soundcloud because someones gonna like them and hopefuly say so and that is the coolest feedback rather than actually trying to get anything out of constructive critisism. then id take time to read books on sythesis, mixdowns, mastering, your daw, anything you can get your hands on to suppliment what you may have been trying to learn through constructive critisism.

maybe that was less of a discussion and more of a personalized answer but i think it goes for anyone. practice is key, learning is key. and yes there is a line between where i think it does more harm than good to post if your not up to snuff. the hard part is knowing where the line is def.

MedikProductions · Post by **MedikProductions** » Wed Mar 09, 2011 10:02 pm

I use a different alias for my soundcloud =] Medik is my dubstep artist name and I haven't put a single song up on youtube yet. Simply because I'm waiting for artwork for the videos, but I'm also not looking to put up anything I'm not completely finished with. Ex: my sig has the finished version of a song I'd like to put up, but the levels are a bit funky and I'm looking for advice to change the little things before I do so. Anyway I use GrimyBoySwag as my producer name, in which I upload chill rap beats as well as dubstep for comments and not necessarily recognition (although I have been offered jobs to make videogame ost's for a nintendo ds game as well as producing the base music for the largest producing elevator company in the world? it's weird). But yeah once I get some recognition with my name Medik, I will then make a soundcloud with that name. But for now I'm making stuff under the first alias.

Mad_EP · Post by **Mad_EP** » Wed Mar 09, 2011 10:09 pm

putting stuff up on on Soundcloud is one thing - very few labels have the time to go snooping around for random artists that way...

...but actively sending demos to labels when you aren't ready is another. You'd never believe how long the half-life is on a demo.

FSTZ · Post by **FSTZ** » Wed Mar 09, 2011 10:22 pm

takes forever to get stuff released

keep working on your stuff and when you're ready.. you'll know

I wish I hadn't busted out before my sound was mature but hey... c'est la vie

edit: I say this based on not hearing your music at all (no soundcloud at work)

dj seizure · Post by **dj seizure** » Wed Mar 09, 2011 11:31 pm

Yeah, I put stuff up on Soundcloud, and keep things to myself too.

I'm coming to a stage in production where I don't think I'll get a release anytime soon. Sending stuff that you are really proud off to labels to get no reply is a hit, so why not just put it on Soundcloud and let other people hear it.

And free things every now and again, if it's good enough it'll go in mixes, great exposure and perhaps people will hear it.

virks · Post by **virks** » Wed Mar 09, 2011 11:43 pm

feedback gives you nothing...look for the real feeback...its in your mind..just listen

Sharmaji · Post by **Sharmaji** » Thu Mar 10, 2011 1:31 am

Mad EP wrote:You'd never believe how long the half-life is on a demo.

it's about half as long a--

But seriously, for a long time, labels have acted as gatekeepers for the rest of the world-- this applies from the top of the majors on down to indies with less than a P&D deal. In this current flux of digilabels, where all that you need to put out a record is an email address, that function is going away. part of me laments this fact, but another part of me thinks, shit, if you've got the moxie to get your material out there independently and do what it takes to make it land on its feet (PR, PR, some more PR, and PR)... go for it.

hifi · Post by **hifi** » Thu Mar 10, 2011 3:55 am

Dreadfunk wrote:I was wondering how other people feel about this:

If you think that you are still finding your sound, and aren't quite happy with where you are as a producer, is it still worth putting your stuff out on Soundcloud and showing people? Or is it better to keep it to yourself until you are making tunes that are worth trying to get signed?

I put tracks out on soundcloud so I can get feedback, and have some motivation to finish them. It feels kind of aimless to just produce with the intent to get better, and not really put anything out there. The feedback gives me a lot of motivation to continue on. I wonder what the big names did while they were still learning?

While my tracks are getting better, I don't have anything that I'd really want to show a label. Which I guess is normal, considering I've only been at it for less than a year. I always figured I'd produce under one alias until I got good, and then rename myself once I had hit my stride.

I would be interested to hear some views on this subject.

I kind of feel the same way. What I do is I'm friends with a couple producers where I live (well like 1) and 1 friend who is really into dubstep almost as much as I am and he gives me some feedback and hes real he doesn't try to be like "umm that was ook man i... like it" he will straight up say "yo that sucks" I guess you can say that's feedback. And if I'm really proud of a tune I made I would just post it in the Dubs section or send it to a producer I'm friends with online who is signed and can give me real feedback. I know none of my tunes are even close to getting signed and probably never will and I'm just wasting my time but to help you out since the tune in your sig seems pretty nice is just keep producing and become friends with other producers that may be signed or have more knowledge than you and before you post up tracks on SC or anything send them the track first and ask for personal feedback and a true opinion on how it sounds.

hifi · Post by **hifi** » Thu Mar 10, 2011 3:59 am

press wrote:your tune in your sig is not bad at all, id happily add it to my ipod and even might consider playing it.

judeing only by that one id say you are at a good level to show people what you got, close to good enough to start thinking about sending to labels imo.

i have seen alot worse pushed hard by other producers.

I say keep posting your stuff on soundcloud def and ones your really proud of in the dubs section or try to get some blog love with them if you wanna do freebies etc. and as long as your still working hard something good may happen probably sooner than later.

shopping tunes to labels is still one of my least fav things about producing its hard to be confident.

real feedback right here too.

makemerich · Post by **makemerich** » Thu Mar 10, 2011 4:32 am

Dreadfunk wrote:I was wondering how other people feel about this:

If you think that you are still finding your sound, and aren't quite happy with where you are as a producer, is it still worth putting your stuff out on Soundcloud and showing people? Or is it better to keep it to yourself until you are making tunes that are worth trying to get signed?

I put tracks out on soundcloud so I can get feedback, and have some motivation to finish them. It feels kind of aimless to just produce with the intent to get better, and not really put anything out there. The feedback gives me a lot of motivation to continue on. I wonder what the big names did while they were still learning?

While my tracks are getting better, I don't have anything that I'd really want to show a label. Which I guess is normal, considering I've only been at it for less than a year. I always figured I'd produce under one alias until I got good, and then rename myself once I had hit my stride.

I would be interested to hear some views on this subject.

i dont think any of us are ever entirely happy. i feel as if im almost ready and when i finish this album it will be the right time to at least start networking maybe get signed with my tunes. i just think its good to wait till you can show something to someone and not be emberassed because is not what you are hearing in your head. if its close enough it should due. often times we dont have all the neccessary resources to produce exactly what we hear anyways.
if you hear skrillexes first release that came out a few months ago, it sounds NOTHING AT ALL like his newer shit.
if i didnt know better id say he had a sound designer even. but i know even i have improved significantly since a few months ago. so anyone in X amount of time can dramatically progress. i like to use songs as experiments. some of them turn out good. its always good to get feedback too. even though it can be hard to get attention.

next time you write a song or even a part that makes you feel warm and fuzzy, put it up.
after all you can always go back.
i had a song i wrote a few months ago that sucked and i scrapped everything but the intro and now its one of my hardest hitting tunes.
keep moving forward no matter what!

staticcast · Post by **staticcast** » Thu Mar 10, 2011 12:01 pm

Dreadfunk wrote:I was wondering how other people feel about this:

If you think that you are still finding your sound, and aren't quite happy with where you are as a producer, is it still worth putting your stuff out on Soundcloud and showing people? Or is it better to keep it to yourself until you are making tunes that are worth trying to get signed?

put it on soundcloud by all means, but imho, don't send it out to labels (or release it - even on a shitty bedroom netlabel) unless you're happy that it represents you as an artist. your tracks ARE basically you as an artist. one of the great things about being a producer, as opposed to a performer, is that if you're not happy with something you don't have to show it to anyone.

I put tracks out on soundcloud so I can get feedback, and have some motivation to finish them. It feels kind of aimless to just produce with the intent to get better, and not really put anything out there. The feedback gives me a lot of motivation to continue on.

that's totally understandable and i think everyone who produces for other ears (as opposed to completely for themselves - which is rare) would say the same thing. of course you need some kind of outlet for finished material. but a soundcloud page - while of course it's accessible to everyone - won't get you anywhere near the same exposure as a release on a proper label, so you can just use it as drawing board to see what people think, rather than a personal CV.

also, crikey, it's not like you're without an ultimate goal. your ultimate goal is to get better enough TO BE ABLE TO RELEASE SOMETHING. working on your sound is not a waste of time and it's not an endless road to nowhere - if you can hear your tracks getting better, then use that as your motivation to keep going, because once you're good enough then you can start doing shit.

While my tracks are getting better, I don't have anything that I'd really want to show a label. Which I guess is normal, considering I've only been at it for less than a year. I always figured I'd produce under one alias until I got good, and then rename myself once I had hit my stride.

yeah, that's pretty much what I did.

look. i mixed bands for 3 years then produced electronic music for another 5 before i ever released anything. the entire time i thought my stuff was whack because i was judging it against that of the most influential names in whatever genre of music i was producing. when i finally (reluctantly) released my first record in january, it got - without any promo - way more attention than i could have hoped for, and support from most of my favourite producers within the genre. cut a long story short, i'm glad i waited.

my advice:
1) if you want to be seen in the same league as 'name' producers then you need to be honest in your self-criticism. the level against which you need to judge your tracks is the level of the music of your favourite producers. that shit isn't like an unattainable goal - it's just 'a professional level of production', something that you can do as well.
2) be patient. getting there time. maybe you can do it, maybe you can't. judging from your sig track, i would say you can, you just need to maintain your motivation for long enough.

stereotactic · Post by **stereotactic** » Thu Mar 10, 2011 12:20 pm

Depends how you feel about Soundcloud...

I don't put my music up in the hope someone goes 'WOW I have to sign that', because that isn't going to happen. I am only just getting to the stage where I am happy with a couple bits I have done. But I have some friends who are interesting in what I am doing and give me good feedback, a couple are producers, others just mates who enjoy music, even the people I work with have asked what it is I do, and Soundcloud is the easiest way for them to check out some tunes if they want to.

For me personally it acts as a record of my progress... admittedly at the moment it is fairly sparse, but that's due to not having been happy with anything I have done up until now!

I say, if you are pleased with something, or in my case quietly happy but a little unsure as to whether it actually is that good (my latest track I must have listened to a 1000 times trying to decide whether I liked it or not... it was only when a mate said 'that's nice man' I finally relaxed about it!), put it up. Feedback, even negative, will help you develop as a producer.

REAP3RMusic · Post by **REAP3RMusic** » Thu Mar 10, 2011 3:39 pm

I've uploaded all of my tracks on my soundcloud since i started producing. That way, you can look back and see the improvements and progress you've made over the years.

legend4ry · Post by **legend4ry** » Thu Mar 10, 2011 3:46 pm

REAP3RMusic wrote:I've uploaded all of my tracks on my soundcloud since i started producing. That way, you can look back and see the improvements and progress you've made over the years.

I wouldn't recommend this!!

I looked at my soundcloud about 3 months back and realised how many little ideas or shit tracks I had on there...

Have a offical page and a page for everything else 'cause if a label does check your page or even a DJ wanting to play your tunes and sees the inconsistency of your tunes they ain't going to approach you...

Showcase only your best tracks, forthcoming material and released material. If a label likes what they hear from what you've had out before they will ask to hear anything unsigned you have.

When sending out demos - make sure you're sending them to the right labels but in all honesty, very few people will work with people they don't know - make sure you create links and network and when you're ready - send demos.. Why?

1) a e-friend is more inclined to listen and take you seriously and give you feedback if they don't want to sign it.
2) growing a friendship and not jumping straight into the nitty gritty will earn you more respect and thus - creating more contacts as people will pass your music on (with your permission).

This is how ive gotten signed to the two main labels I am on and its family vibes as well - its not just me, as an artist signed to a label who puts out my music with the prospect of earning money out of it.

FSTZ · Post by **FSTZ** » Thu Mar 10, 2011 5:33 pm

static_cast wrote: my advice:
1) if you want to be seen in the same league as 'name' producers then you need to be honest in your self-criticism. the level against which you need to judge your tracks is the level of the music of your favourite producers. that shit isn't like an unattainable goal - it's just 'a professional level of production', something that you can do as well.
2) be patient. getting there time. maybe you can do it, maybe you can't. judging from your sig track, i would say you can, you just need to maintain your motivation for long enough.

Sound advice (no pun intended)

BTW... "the goose that got away" is a top track

had to dig it up the other day and enjoy it again

Dreadfunk · Post by **Dreadfunk** » Thu Mar 10, 2011 8:36 pm

@Static_Cast

I think i'll continue to use my Soundcloud as an outlet, as I have been. And when I'm ready to start promoting myself, well I'll cross that bridge when I get there. Your post is some of the best advice I've ever gotten on this forum, thank you. I feel encouraged by your words.

Some really good replies in this thread. Love this community. Bug ups.

Ongelegen · Post by **Ongelegen** » Thu Mar 10, 2011 8:58 pm

FSTZ wrote:BTW... "the goose that got away" is a top track

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