Working for an Indie Record Label, Part 1

Hello Chaps & Chapettes.

As some of you may know, I work for an Indie Record Label. It’s a blast, but not what everyone thinks it is. So, I thought it would be interesting to do a little blog about what the day to day is like working for an Indie Record Label because as much as I make it sound like gigs galore and nights out in reality, its really not!

Paperwork. Data entry. There’s lots of it.

Before this job I thought getting a record made meant going to the studio, getting the tracks done and then sending them off for mass production. If only.

So, we’ve got the music. Great. Then you need to get it Mastered. Which is fine. So long as you remember to deliver the relevant ISRC codes (Unique, trackable numbers for each track) with it. Oh, and the correct track listing for the Redbook/DDP (final format for delivery to manufacture). Forgot to write “feat. Blah blah blah”? That’ll be an extra £40 to get it amended.

Then, you enter the lovely world of Metadata, or the spreadsheet of doom as I like to call it. You enter ALL the track/album info into a spreadsheet. Title, artist, feature artist, release data, catalogue number, publisher, composer, producer. Everything. 10 track album? Not to bad. 5 formats? Not so easy. CD, LP, Digital, iTunes Exclusive, German Exclusive? Yup, need to write a separate one for each. And make sure you get a new barcode for each. And the right catalogue number. Did you know Scandinavia cant take iTunes videos? So an exclusive with video means a separate entry all together.

Oh, and the price. Easy you think? “We’ll sell it for £xx”. But then you have to talk to separate countries about their price, and if you don’t, it wont show up on their system. And they don’t tell you till the last minute. Handy.

And between all that, you’ve got the Label Copy. Label Copy is a document that holds all the information about the release. Contributors, publishers, copyright holders. 9 guest artists? Better get all the separate publishing information for them, ASAP!

Whilst all this is going on, you’ve got artwork. Pricing for artwork. Working out the unit cost of each product. Did you know you can’t release a CD in Europe if its not shrink-wrapped?

*Breathe*

That’ll do for now I think. For me, its fascinating to see what goes into actually getting a CD released to the public, and how it works. Above is just a teeny part of what goes on. There’s also marketing, sales notes, picking singles and remixes, track ordering and much more.

I might do another one like this about a topic if someone asks, or if I feel like it.

Enjoy x

Theres more to guitar than rock...

I’m a musician. Music has been a big part of my life since my parents sat me down, 7 or 8 years old, in front of our Sony stack system, put Thriller on the deck and taped a massive set of cans to my ears. That, I think when I look back, is when music became more than something to listen to, but something that I wanted to be a part of.

To this day I still rummage through my parents record collection (or rather, when my dad lets me near it). My Dads love for rock, with the LP’s you’d expect from someone who found music through Radio Caroline (“If I liked the single, I just brought the album”) and the like back in the day. Led Zep (and their various solo guises), Deep Purple, ELO, ELP, the odd curve ball like Sledgehammer and hundreds more.

This element of rock in my life in no doubt played a part in why I wanted to learn to play guitar, and I’m sure its what inspired me to start playing.

But, I started playing guitar….10 years ago now. Im a very different player from the rock/metal/post-hardcore guitarist I started out as. And I think I’ve worked out why. My mum.

As explained, one half of my parental unit is a rock man. I still throw him new rock records for his van when I get them, in some attempt to pay thanks for his doing the same thing. Mama Crook, however, is a disco girl. She still likes rock, but you look through her side of the boxes of records, it’s a different story. ABBA, Discotecs & The Sexolets, Wild Cherry, Bee Gees and the like. The stack of disco/funk/soul-esque CD compilations that accompany us on car journeys is testament to that. Jamiroquai is another one that gets a lot of plays in the living room.

The last few years I’ve started to get involved in learning jazz and funk style guitar. Initially, it was unintentional. A 4 year or so blues binge following a 4 year rock/metal starter course makes your playing get a little…mechanical at times. Guitarists will know all about the joys of being trapped in the pentatonic scale. All those years of listening to my mums CD’s and records was starting to take effect. Wild Cherry licks were happening without my realising. Chord stabs were moving away from standard power chords with more interesting 7^th, 9^th and other odd inversions I was messing around with. My rhythm playing was evolving massively.

Its amazing how you can be influenced without realizing. All these records I heard as a kid and beyond were starting to wiggle their way into my style without my knowledge.

I still play in a rock/metal/prog band, so this change in my playing style was pretty obvious.

Mostly, modern rock and metal needs to be pretty precise, specially with the more tech-heavy genres. Your playing can become very tight and targeted with rock, which is great, its where that attack and pace comes from. Only problem there is that, especially in my opinion with young players, it can stunt exploration a little. Working in a guitar shop is a pretty good example of this. I’ve come across more kids that can shred like the best of them, technically sound and can play me 5 modes of a harmonic minor, but can’t play a 12 bar blues. I shit you not. I’ve taught more of them the all hallowed I, IV, V pattern than I can remember. Don’t get me wrong, I wish I could play some of the licks and patterns these guys do, its an area of my guitar playing im constantly trying to improve, but jeez…it’s a 12 bar. Which brings me to my point below, and the one after that.

But when you listen to stuff like Wild Cherry, Jamiroquai and funky people, the guitar playing is a lot…wider. Its not messy, and it still has that precision for the right timed lick and string rake, but it gives you a lot more freedom to go off the beat a little, shake up the rhythm with some triplets or a more interesting strum pattern.

So, what im trying to say, in a long and round about way is:

1.     Raid your parents record collections. You are guaranteed to find some gems that will change how you feel about genres. Things were a lot simpler back then.

2.     Listen to as many styles as you can, as often as you can. Now, obviously, if you don’t like it, don’t listen to it, its simple. But(!), you might not, like me, enjoy all of Dillinger Escape Plans music, but love Protest The Hero. Same band, different name. I shit ye nae. I know it too, but for some reason I cant get on with it. So I guess im trying to say, for every band you don’t like, there are probably 2 others doing more or less the same thing that you will like. Ears and brains are weird man.

3.     Don’t be afraid to be influenced. I naturally play with a bit of a loose rhythmic style, injected with moments of technical accuracy when needed. I used to suppress it, playing a very standard rock style, but I found that my natural style of playing brings something unique when the lead/other guitarist is on it with his playing.

A Little Something About Me and Music

Hello again readers.

Once again its been a while. I apologise. I’ve been up to my eyeballs and other assorted extremities in work.

As explained in my last blog I’ve been working as an intern for the record label Sunday Best. We’re coming up for 4 months now. It’s mental. I love music, all types (we’ll get to that later…) and it’s been a rollercoaster since starting there in September. Not many people can say in their first 4 months of working for a small independent record label operating out of a box office on Denmark street that they’ve worked at one of the biggest festivals of the year with Bjork and The Cure as headliners. Then put out the legendary film director David Lynch’s (Twin Peaks, Eraserhead, Blue Velvet) first solo album. Then put out a 32 track live album of The Cure. All on a label which started as a DJ night in London. Mental. I’m very privileged to have played a part in all these things. And I’ve learnt an absolute bucket load in the process, and I’m fairly certain now that the record industry is where I want to make my career. God that’s a dangerous word. Career.

Not bad for a rocker working in a hip hip/dance label…

Now, most that know me will know that I’m a rock man. Born and bred with the likes of Led Zep, Deep Purple, Black Sabbath and much other weird and wonderful collections from my fathers array of vinyl. Others may know me as “that guy who likes blues”. A lesser-known curse of the pentatonic scale (Sorry, I’m talking guitar for a moment), is that every ruddy lick you play has a blues edge more or less. And then there are the few out there who know me as the metal/post-hardcore/’emo’ guy.

The latter set of genres there are what I learnt to play guitar to. Funeral For A Friend, From Autumn To Ashes, Senses Fail, (Early(!)) Soasin. From there, I found hard rock and blues. There were a good few years there where I was exclusively a blues guy. Stevie Ray Vaughan, B.B. King and the list goes on and on.

Now, where am I going with this you may ask?! I fear that people are becoming less multi-genred again. I remember at school, anywhere between 11 and 4 years ago, you were either a grunger/greebo/emo, or a chav/pikey/sket. If you listened to Hip-Hop/R&B/Rap, you were a chav. If you listened to Rock/Metal, you were a grunger. If you listened to Jazz, the only reason you were on the fence is because you were being pushed on from either side of it.

I was a grunger. Long hair, played guitar, loved music. But I can remember thinking “Jay-Z is a genius” or “Timbaland’s beats are so inventive” back then. I remember on more than one occasion being heckled for long hair or something equally as trivial, walking past, and then correcting a set of my oppressors (That might be a bit over the top) on Hip-Hop lyrics/release dates/collaborators. Much to their surprise.

And there was a shift. I remember it well. Chavs started listening to ‘Rock’, or should I say ‘bands with guitars that didn’t look like greasy metal heads’. Hard-Fi, The Ordinary Boys, Libertines (Although they did look greasy at the best of times).

Indie music had arrived.

Now, indie music is not a new thing. It wasn’t even a genre to start with back in the day. It just meant ‘A Record Label that wasn’t a major’ in a nutshell. I work for an Indie now, but I wouldn’t say we put out Indie music. Warp Records in the North is an Indie, but I wouldn’t call Battles and Aphex Twin indie acts. Worth remembering that. Hell, Roadrunner records, known now for Slipknot, Nickelback and Mastodon, was an indie back in the day!

Anywho, back to my point. This ushered in a time of great music. Cross-genres. People listening to more than one genre. Rockers listening to Rap, Chavs listening to Rock. Anyone could listen to anything.

But im starting to fear that the trend is shifting to one or the other again. I hope it isn’t. We shall wait and see.

And why am I writing this?

At work I had a flashback to a track my old drummer from a Post-Hardcore/Emo band I was in back in 6^th Form showed me.

The Sound Of Animals Fighting - Act 1: Chasing Suns.

Live

Studio

A bit self indulgent this blog. But I wanted to write it, so there.

Enjoy!

PaisleyMusic x

So...its been a while...

Hello, blogging denizens of the world!

Its been a while. My last blog was....20 freaking months ago. Jeez...

So, whats happened since?

Well, I graduated. So now theres a fancy little BSc (Hons) after my name, should I choose to look like a fancy pants. Unfortunately, I haven't had the chance yet. Having said that, part of my reasoning for going to university was to get letters after my name...and to graduate, which is more or less essential to the first task. So, 2 life goals ticked off the check list there!

So, im no longer at the O-Bar, which I miss terribly. Im now back in Kent!

After a short and rather unfulfilling stint at a local pub, which ended strangely and well...ridiculously to say the least.

But then, there was a light! After a local cider fueled weekend in Cornwall, I started working at Sound & Image, my local Guitar and Record shop! Which was excellent, as I listened to fantastic music all day, got to play fancy guitars, and made the most of it!

But that was...2 months ago nearly. Im still there on a Saturday, but now, Monday to Friday, I work in the mad and frantic world of London, for a record label.

Sunday Best Recordings LTD is my base now, Radio 1 DJ and Camp Bestival/Bestival curator extraordinaire Rob Da Bank's label. Dealing with acts such as Dan Le Sac vs Scroobious Pip, Beardyman, Kitty, Daisy & Lewis and many more.

Commuting. Sucks. So tiring. A warning to all.

But, im learning. Its tough, but im getting there. And I got to go to Bestival, meet people, and got paid to be there! And, I work on Denmark Street. GUITARS EVERYWHERE! That I can't afford :( Wahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhfuckitillcope.

So, thats me.

Other than that, i've put some covers onto YouTube!

http://www.youtube.com/user/ThePaisleymusic

Have a look, tell me what you think!

Other than that, not a lot.

Some music for your ears though. No links though, so google IS your friend!

Scroobious Pips latest album, Distraction Pieces is a masterpiece. That is all. Listen. I mean listen. Hes a poet and spoken word artist. But dont think of it as poetry. Its got a hard music vibe to it.

Foo Fighters latest offering Wasting Light is awesome. Im a FF fanboy, and finally got the chance to see them live this year. So I might just be a little bias...

You Me At Six's 'Sinners Never Sleep' is also awesome, as is Mastodons 'The Hunter' is also a great offering, less prog but more still punchy.


So thats it. Hopefully ill be keeping this updated more now. And I need to get a few more covers up onto the YouTube Channel and some originals too!

Much love, happiness, hugs and naughty things.

PaisleyMusic x

And now for something completely different

Hello again all.

Im in the mood to blog, so this is probably going to contain a lot of nonsense as I haven't planned any music to show you guys! Maybe i'll write about what i've been up to instead.

Valentines day is a day I love, purely because I always get cards and presents. Arrogant you might say. My birthday, I would reply! I am now officially 'Over the hill', or just plain old, as a friend of mine keeps calling me at the moment. I prefer to just say 21. Its easier.

One of the best things I did over my birthday weekend this year was to go for a Cut Throat Shave, a la Sweeny Todd, but minus the death, being made into a pie, and Alan Rickman singing. If you are male, and grow facial hair (Hence the previous male comment. If your female, be worried.), I highly recommend it. My father, brother, and I travelled up to London to St James Road (Near Piccadilly, which is where you'll find many of the high fashion shops, i.e. Tiffanys, Prada, and also Alexander McQueen, which had a very fitting black window display with nothing but a bouquet of white roses in each window, god rest him.) and went to a barbers called Truefitt & Hill. I will mention, that at £40 odd, it was the most expensive shave of my life. However, its like being 13 again. My Dad, a 50 year old, was amazed. You get the works there. Hot towel, face massage, advice, everything. Thoroughly enjoyable, and well worth it.

My old man and I, looking very youthful!

Its the simple things in life that do it though. Going home and seeing my Parents and family, having my cat attack me as per usual, because it chooses to sleep in my bed when i'm not home, and gets the hump when I try to claim it back!

Le Mog, looking blurry on a sleeping bag!

Im still doing the radio, for those of you interested. Its all changed a bit though since the start of the year. No longer will I be on the airwaves for 3 hours. Just 2 now, which is much nicer really. Means I don't have to rush to work for 8 if thats when I start. So tune in from 4-6 on a Friday to hear my lovely voice, or any other week day, if you can bear to be without my tones!

Well, I think that will do for now. Should have another written by the end of the week with lots of music for you guys to listen to.

Paisleymusic

Im back again!

Sorry about the delay! Things have been a wee bit hectic over the last few months, but im back to shower you with more music and ramblings!

First things first, some music! These guys are called the "Diablo Swing Orchestra", and their a Swing/Rock/Gothic band from Sweden, and have a very unique sound. Think Danny Elfman with a rock band behind him! This track is off their latest album "Singalong Songs for the Damned & Delirious" and its really worth a listen. The track is called "A Tap Dancers Dilemma", and its the first track off the album. No idea when or even if they have any dates in the UK, but as soon as I find out, I will share the wealth!



Now, what else have I got to talk about?!

Ooh, thats right. Alas, I am no longer going to Glastonbury, for whatever reason. But, like a knight in shining armour, my friend Iain has offered me one of his Isle of Wight tickets! The line up is immense so far, with the likes of Jay-Z, The Strokes, Blondie, Biffy Clyro, Calvin Harris, Ocean Colour Scene to name but a few! So im quite the excited little bunny about that!

Also, in March, im off to see Dan le Sac vs Scroobious Pip in Nottingham! Those of you who have read my previous blogs would have seen that I put up a Dan le Sac remix of War Pigs by Black Sabbath, and together with Pips poignant and socially scathing lyrics, it makes for an amazing sound. I cant wait!

Anywho, im gonna go make some weird sound effects now for some uni work!

Ciao x

The Ever Tricky Second Blog

Im back again for another entry, but first off Merry Christmas to you all.

Im sure most of you had been keeping a close eye on the chart show this weekend to find out who was Christmas number one. Deservedly, Rage Against The Machine's "Killing In The Name Of" won the battle. Although credit should definately go to the starters of the Facebook group. It takes some serious dedication to get a track, which im willing to bet, not a lot of people actually like. Don't get me wrong, I love Rage, but to me, it seemed like they just picked a song that was anti-....everything really. Then there's the irony of the synonomous line "Fuck you, I wont do what you tell me". Oh wait....you've all been told to buy this single.....
But, at least RATM have promised a free UK gig as a thank you, and to thier credit, and the facebook group, Shelter have had a massive boost to thier donations this Winter, which at the end of the day is a beautiful and touching thing.
Anywho, its been interesting to follow. Well done to Joe though, its just a bit of a shame some people seem to be using him as a target, as opposed to the X-Factor as an entity, not a winner. Its not his fault he had a go and won.
And, my final comments on Christmas Number ones....The Muppets. The person who had the idea for The Muppets to cover Bohemian Rhapsody needs a pat on the back, its genius.



Right, now for some musical reccomendations for you! My last entry ended on a heavy D&B vibe, so im gonna head back to my rock roots for this one.

First up is John Mayers new album "Battle Studies". His best yet in my eyes, much more confident pop songs and more thought through rock and blues numbers. "Who Says" is the first single, an acoustic track. Melodic and very much "Look at me, I play guitar and im hot". And unfortunately for the rest of us guitar players who look like roadies, it works. Very good cover of "Crossroads" on there too (A la Cream/Clapton), and my favourite track is probably "Assassin" (No relation to the Muse track).

Next comes an album I dug out of my CD collection about 3 weeks ago. Its the soundtrack to the first Spiderman film, and unlike the following 2 soundtracks, the music actually features in the film! Featuring artists such as Alien Ant Farm, The Strokes, The Hives and Stone Sour, its essentially an alt-rock outing with a few soppy love songs thrown in, and an odd, but enjoyable, track from Macy Gray.

That should do for now, I may come back and edit this later with some new music, but i've not really had a great deal of time to explore recently. Best wishes for christmas, as of the 25th im gonna be playing my guitar extremely loudly through my new pedal.

Thank you Santa!

PaisleyMusic

DemonFM Blog 2 - Sketches For My Sweetheart The Blog

Here's Blog Number 2!

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Well, here we go, blog entry two! And in case you hadn't guessed, my titles are actually album titles! Witty eh?! Ok, ok, dont all cheer at once....And for those of you interested, "Sketches for my Sweetheart the Blog" is actually "Sketches for my Sweetheart the Drunk", the final proper studio album that Jeff Buckley made. And last weeks "Return of the Blog Cowboy" is actually "Return of the Space Cowboy", one of my favourite Jamiroquai albums....go check them out!

Anywho, back to the blog! DemonFM has been a bustling hive of activity as ever, leaving the people in charge with plenty to do! Keep checking the website, there are blogs, podcasts, and interviews a plenty, for those of you who like to know exactly what were doing! In other news, im nearly at the end of my recording session with the lovely Lucy Norris, i've just got to go and lay down some guitar/drum/synth/violin parts now, and get my little brother in to play bass. And as soon as they're mixed, ill be throwing them out for you guys to listen to and critique. Also, as were talking about Lucy, she's supporting a band on Friday at LE1 as far as im aware, so you should get down there. She played at the hub last night, and I wish I could talk about the improv songs, but alas, i may get a slap on the wrist, as the language wasn't really blog friendly!

Now, what else have I been doing since the last blog.....oh yes! Some new music! Them Crooked Vultures, a supergroup consisting of Dave Grohl (Foo Fighters/Nirvana), Joshua Homme (Kyuss/Queens of the Stone Age), and the legend that is John Paul-Jones (Led Zep), have released thier album (Its self titled, just so you know). Thumping tracks, sounds just how you'd expect actually. Some tracks are very Queens of the Stone Age, whereas others definately have that Led Zeppelin Edge to them, so definately worth a listen. Also, John Mayers new album "Battle Studies" has been relased. Again, its a solid album back to front, with that blues/pop/rock sound that he's made his own. Good cover of Crossroads (made famous by Cream/Eric Clapton) on there too, and in my opinion, this is his best album yet.

Anyway, thats enough from me for now, best get back to my work...the joys of Transistor Theory and Osciallating Circuits...Im A University Student, GET ME OUT OF HERE!

DemonFM Blog 1 - Return of the Blog Cowboy

Here is the first Blog that I wrote for DemonFM. The blog names are after album titles....see if you can guess!
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Hello!

I thought it was about time I sat down and scribbled a blog out for you lovely people to read. This is pretty much, with any luck, going to be a weekly stream of consciousness for you to trawl though and try and make some sense of! But I digress, lets get on with the blog shall we?

I'm Luke Crook, one of the presenters from the Rush Hour show with Iain, Asha, Kyle, Craig and Mike DeVille. But of course, your all avid listeners, so you know that....right?! I hope your all enjoying the show, I'm certainly have a good time myself, but I'm a little gutted I missed the on-mass baconaise/bacon salt session that Kyle and Iain were invited to by Rewind. Think I'll have a few quiet words with Mr Harris....

Now, a little bit about my week so far! Having just got away from a bad chest cold, I'm feeling like a brand new man! So, after an entertaining shift at the O-Bar on Monday, I was out filming for one of my uni modules. If you saw a man in a brown jumper standing deathly still by the Uni Steps, that was me, and it was bloody cold!!! Wednesday was radio time, with me joining Asha for the show, and it was good fun, made better by the fact that Iain and Kyle left it to us! Bit of power feels good!! Thursday Iain and I played open mic at the Quay, which was entertaining as always, especially when you end the set on a jungle book cover...with ukulele accompaniment! Then, Friday! Iain and I presented the show! And gave away 2 Ed Byrne tickets for Sunday night! Well done to Ollie for winning them! Then we were both in the studio recording one of my friends EP, which is also double up as some of my coursework...cheeky, i know :D.

And now, its Saturday, I'm in my PJ's and dressing gown still, building up the courage to get on with the day and be productive....but then again....surely this is productive? I don't know anymore, I need another cup of tea!

So, on that note, I shall leave you to listen away and get on with your day.

Thanks for reading, and keep on listening to the Rush Hour, "Driving you home!".....we need to change that ident...

Blog Numero Uno

Hello, welcome to PaisleyMusic!

With any luck, this blog will contain mostly mindless ramblings about my day to day life, the blog I write for DemonFM (When I remember to...), music that i've either written, recorded or performed on, and suggestions to other musicians for your aural pleasure. Heh...aural pleasure...

But I digress, dirty jokes aside (Yes, there will be more. No, they wont be funny), music is my life, and I love being able to share new, old and exciting tunes with everyone.

I myself am a guitarist/vocalist, but dabble in bass, drums and keyboards. Blues and rock are currently my main themes at the moment, but having learnt to play guitar to classic rock, indie metal and alternative rock, I like to switch things up a little and see what happens. I also engineer, produce and help other peoples music, which I should be able to put up on here for you lovely people to hear.


So, my first gem for you comes from the lovely Lucina-Olivia Norris. A singer/songwriter who lived above me in my first year of uni, she has an absolutely stunning voice. Inteligent lyrics and soungs with a brillian acoustic/jazz vibe, she brings something new to the slightly dull acoustic fore of modern times.

Now, I cocked up a bit here, and mixed it so that the guitar comes from one speaker, and the vocals from another, and the guitars not loud enough. I've been too lazy to fix it, so you'll have to deal with it for now im afraid, but ill sort it soon!


Lucinda-Olivia Norris EP  by  Paisleymusic

Let me know what you think, but bear in mind its a work in progress at the moment :)

Hmmm, what else can I talk about? Oh yes, my music! Finally, after 7 odd years of guitar playing, im starting to write songs. So far, in a year i've written.....2. Spectacular I know, but im getting there! At the moment they have a bit of a jazz vibe to them, but blended with a bit of blues. We'll see. Lucy is writing some lyrics for one at the moment, but im going to have a bash at the other.

Now, some recomendations for you all! Heard of Dan Le Sac? He's the beat making, music mashing half of the powerful spoken word/electro miestros that are Dan Le Sac vs Scroobious Pip. Much to my delight the other day while scouring the web for some music, I came across his website! More importantly, I stumbled onto his blog, http://lesac.wordpress.com/. Packed with mix tapes and remixes (Mostly free to download, featuring Florence + The Machine, Black Sabbath, Radio Head and Flat Eric(!) to name a few), it gives an interesting take on remixes, and I would definately say give it a go, even if your not into the whole electro thing, you might just change your mind..... Heres the Black Sabbath remix, its got quite a tasty D&B vibe, but not in an annoying "CONSTANT RELENTLESS DRUMBEAT AND BASS" kind of way, tell me what you think.

DRUMS OF DEATH V BLACK SABBATH V dan le sac - Ozzzzzy! (dls dnb ish) by danlesac

Right, I think thats about it for now. With any luck you'll hear from me again soon, so stay tuned, leave me some comments, things to listen to and opinions.

Stay Paisley,

PaisleyMusic

P.S. Im using SoundCloud to upload this music, and its ruddy brilliant. I suggest checking it out if your trying to get your music online. Its free. www.soundcloud.com