From: brian@mel.dit.csiro.au (Brian May)
Newsgroups: aus.music
Subject: Re: Nu-Music and unsigned bands
Date: 30 Aug 92 23:43:28 GMT
Distribution: aus
Organization: CSIRO DIT (Melb.)


In article <pet.715167585@munagin>, pet@mullian.ee.mu.OZ.AU (paul eng-yi tan) writes:
|> neilex@brt.deakin.edu.au writes:
|> >Studio 52 in Johnston Street, Fitzroy are doing a great job of making cd
|> >release accessible to unsigned bands with their nu-music sampler series.  
|> 
|> Only problem is, it's fairly expensive to record :( However, I'd recommend
|> it to bands who get regular gigs and are making enough bread to spend it on
|> recordings.

About $750-$800 for 1 track which includes engineer, 1 day in the studio
and mastering - in other words -`everything'.

|>>Ta.  Studio 52 has a hard time keeping in business.  Solve the problem?       
|>>20 bands on each CD = 20 days studio time paid for.  4 compilations per year       
|>>= 20% of the year booked out automatically!       

|>Mutual benefit methinks. They aren't exactly cheap, but if any band feels
|>it's not worth participating, they aren't being forced to. When I went
|>studio-hunting, 52 was the best deal. I feel that the 52 guys are rather
|>more committed to unknown bands than other studios and record companies are.

You missed my point totally.  This CD offers a band the chance to be recorded
and not to worry about any detail of the process (ie S52 supply engineer, studio,
etc etc and you have a fixed price).  Given that, and the other alternative of
finding your own engineer/studio...etc, negotiating prices.....artwork.....
distribution......record launch...and so on - it's hardly surprising that the
bands choose the 'packaged' option!  Look at the bands on the CD.  They are
on the whole new and inexperienced.

I have interviewed the man behind Studio 52 and the Nu-music series.  He does
not give a shit about any of the bands on the CD.  All he wants to push is his
studio - period.  You might get some lip service paid to the musicians - that's
it.

Nu-music sampler #1 priority to promote unknown & unsigned bands?  Utter crap!

|>various stations. I believe Ausmusic is made up mainly of people from
|>the major record companies. This is about the only thing I know of
|>which helps unsigned bands and is done by major companies. I can't
|>comment on its success so far.

Ausmusic is the co-ordinating and advocacy body for the music industry.  They
organize Australian music day activities as well.  Check my list for other
bodies that help unsigned and signed artists.

|>Selection criteria include live appearances. This makes it a bit difficult
|>for studio bands.

This is a bit rough considering electronic music has been exposed in the
mainstream since the 70s!  (that's a cultural problem here really)

|>My feelings:
|>1) Being the best song on the CD can be good. I imagine 52 would put the best
|>   songs first. The A&R people would notice one good song out of a bunch of
|>   bad ones, esp. if it's the first track.

Sorry, 'best'?  Have you ever listened to a Nu-music sampler CD?  I think not.

Being the best song on the CD is not necessarily good if you are surrounded by
19 other arrangements which are diabolical.   Also - define 'best'.  No, 
seriously - please understand that there is LITTLE OR NO THOUGHT placed in
the content and placing of songs on the CD.

|>2) This being a "promotional" item for 52 as well as the bands, I would expect
|>   them to make it as good as possible, given the raw material which they
|>   receive. The existence of 4 CD so far indicates that bands remain satisfied
|>   with the value received from this scheme.

Again, it's a promotional exercise for S52.......with some Australian bands 
attatched to it.

|>3) 52 being an established company with contacts in the industry, I think that
|>   being released on a "known" label is better than pure independent release.

There is no 'label' so as to speak.  The CDs are not meant to be for sale.  They
are 'meant' to be sent to industry people.  The fact that some Melbourne shops
have them for sale is curious.  The fact that no-one buys them isn't.

I firmly beleive that if the only option you have to independent release is a
sampler like Studio 52's - release your own, independently.  It will cost more
- there's no doubt.  What you will have if you release your own record is 
something that is not a 'quick fix' whic S52 seem to offer.

-------------------------

Now I've canned S52 (sorry, can't help it) - anyone want to talk about the 
RooArt Young Blood samplers? :-)

brian
--
|  Brian May, DIT, CSIRO,  |           Open Systems Program           |
|723 Swanston st, Carlton, | TEL +61 3 282 2613 -- FAX +61 3 282 2600 |
|   VIC 3053, Australia.   |     email Brian.May@mel.dit.csiro.au     |
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