EP vs SINGLE vs ALBUM ? WHAT A UNKNOWN TRANCE (EDM) ARTIST SHOULD CHOOSE ?

B

Bagcee

New member
EP vs SINGLE vs ALBUM ?
You are like me, an unknown Trance maker, you make Trance music only (or in other case, DJ also) so you want to get known in the Trance music scene. you write and make a couple of track. When it's time to think about Releasing the track to the public. Your first real release (not just making track only for fun). You choose: to be independent, on your own, No label. So, Do you wait for a label to get you sign for a track or more ? Do you release your track on your own as an EP ? or as an Album or only Single ?

DJ vs PRODUCER: Can you be a producer or a guy who is making EDM music (In my case Trance music) and never be a dj and never perform live ?

GHOST PRODUCER:
Want to hear your opinions about "GHOST PRODUCER" (People who write a track for someone. That someone takes all the credit and never put the name of the producer or music writer of the track.) (it's like a contract between 2 person but one gets the glory) ???????

PS: I'm not a Ghost producer, never will be and never will use one.
 
Questions, in order:

A) IF you are an independent artist/producer, then I would start with a single (but maybe do a "real" single and have a second track as a "B side" ready for a follow-up). If you don't have a large budget, skip a physical release of any kind and go Beatport and YouTube (if you are just trying to get promotion out of it). But the bulk of your $$ should be set aside for promotion (banner ads, YouTube inserts, press release blitz, e-mail campaign to any DJs that might be of assistance, marketing to any EDM journalists that might cover/review your release, etc.).

B) Of course you can be either or both (or neither)

C) You answered your own question here...

GJ
 
Hey there Bagcee!

a) Work on 4-5 songs and produce an EP at first. When it comes to the creative industry, having a valid portfolio is the most valuable thing there can be. Even if it's just a small EP. An EP can get you so many places - it can get you playing gigs, it can get you into collabs, it can get you a deal as an opener, it can even get you signed by a label. A single is nice to have and you should definitely produce singles, but I would only do so after an EP. People are more likely to listen to your music if you have some sort of portfolio over just one song. One song lends you less credibility.

b) Absolutely do both. It's not required to both, but at the end of the day the point of your music career is to entertain - and unless you have 2-3 hours of your own music to keep a crowd happy, you might want to mix some DJing in with your career. Fit your own songs into whatever mix you're playing and the crowd will eat it up one way or the other. You can get any number of gigs as a DJ, too.

c) Ghost Producers can make quite a bit by entering said contract, mainly because they can sell a beat and have it be a huge hit if the right person buys it, but not ever be heard and make no money if they tried releasing it on their own. There's advantages to both, of course.

Hope that helped :)
 
Thanks you both for your reply, it's really appreciated.:

Golden Week:
For the DJ part : Seriously I don't know how to DJ (and yes I could cheat and use vortual dj or any other software that allow me to cheat the fact that I don't know what i'm doing but I want to use the proper way and get recognize for the real thing). I'm just a keyboard player that love trance music so much that he decided to make tracks or songs. So, if I could play every instruments toghether live I would (I know elctronic dance music doesn't work like that). Also, I know that money (you're supossed to make) is on the gig and teh live show, dj set with you're track include. So for now I was unsure about doing both or just doing track at home. Mayve one day I'll learn.

For the ep music part: I start making track Post it on youtube and start only to see if I could make the sound I was looking for in trance.
This what I do (Progressive Trance and Uplifitng Trance)

soundcloud.com/bagcee
youtube.com/user/BAGCEE2011

and yes I posted my track on forum for feedback and also on Youtube and Soundcloud. (Also Soundclick in my early stage of making music.)

I made a couple of new tracks that nobody heard of anywhere and yes, I did send some track to some trance label but I'm tired of waiting for them (To see if they will release it or not, individually or in a 3 track ep like I want.) and I don't want to do the "Single" or "One track after one track" road. Release one track per month or else like that does't satisfy me.

So I was thinking about releasing an EP each 4 or 5 months (On my own, no label) (No free ep for now) with a lot of promo behind it and keep sending some track (That, of course will not be in any EP) to Trance labels. I know you're maybe thinking, wait that's the same thing than release song one per month or weeks ... No for me, it isn't. It's more like a project after project for me or a craft diy project.

For the ghost producer part : I just find that weird (and cheating) that someone would pay someone else to do his own music and never put the credit or say that he or she dind't write the music of the songs at all. Also be in a lot of compilation, get a lot praise and ranksfor a particular songs that he didn't write music, beacuse in EDM whatever the style or the genre you have to be able to do it all or just say who helped you for writing the music of that songs.

rhythmgj:
For the ep part : Thanks for the promotion tips.
 
Last edited:
Bagcee said:
Thanks you both for your reply, it's really appreciated.:

Golden Week:
For the DJ part : Seriously I don't know how to DJ (and yes I could cheat and use vortual dj or any other software that allow me to cheat the fact that I don't know what i'm doing but I want to use the proper way and get recognize for the real thing). I'm just a keyboard player that love trance music so much that he decided to make tracks or songs. So, if I could play every instruments toghether live I would (I know elctronic dance music doesn't work like that). Also, I know that money (you're supossed to make) is on the gig and teh live show, dj set with you're track include. So for now I was unsure about doing both or just doing track at home. Mayve one day I'll learn.

For the ep music part: I start making track Post it on youtube and start only to see if I could make the sound I was looking for in trance.
This what I do (Progressive Trance and Uplifitng Trance)

soundcloud.com/bagcee
youtube.com/user/BAGCEE2011

and yes I posted my track on forum for feedback and also on Youtube and Soundcloud. (Also Soundclick in my early stage of making music.)

I made a couple of new tracks that nobody heard of anywhere and yes, I did send some track to some trance label but I'm tired of waiting for them (To see if they will release it or not, individually or in a 3 track ep like I want.) and I don't want to do the "Single" or "One track after one track" road. Release one track per month or else like that does't satisfy me.

So I was thinking about releasing an EP each 4 or 5 months (On my own, no label) (No free ep for now) with a lot of promo behind it and keep sending some track (That, of course will not be in any EP) to Trance labels. I know you're maybe thinking, wait that's the same thing than release song one per month or weeks ... No for me, it isn't. It's more like a project after project for me or a craft diy project.

For the ghost producer part : I just find that weird (and cheating) that someone would pay someone else to do his own music and never put the credit or say that he or she dind't write the music of the songs at all. Also be in a lot of compilation, get a lot praise and ranksfor a particular songs that he didn't write music, beacuse in EDM whatever the style or the genre you have to be able to do it all or just say who helped you for writing the music of that songs.
Click to expand...

No problem Bagcee :)

Yeah DJ is quick/easy money (relatively when talking about music) so it's usually everyone's first choice, and most artist's bread and butter for a while during their own personal production process.

For you, being a trance artist who doesn't DJ but wants to perform, I suggest signing up and trying to get into music fests or doing openings for larger bands who come through your area and your surrounding area. When becoming a musician, you need at least 3 other bands/groups/musician with you at each place you play: One opener, One additional tourer, and yourself. The reason for this is because venues want to keep their crowd in their establishment for 2-3 or more hours, because statistically half the fans who are drinking age will have purchased an alcoholic beverage within the first hour, and about half that amount will buy another drink within the next hour (which as you can see slowly decays by half). Selling alcoholic drinks is most venues main goal. keeping this in mind will get you places.

The advantage a DJ has is he can play for 2-3 hours without any additional groups/musicians, so he can pocket all the money for one gig instead of splitting it (or charge less, which some venues might want).

You should definitely make an EP, producing single after single is by far one of the worst strategies for a start up musician. If you're writing songs, you aren't touring. You can absolutely tour with a EP.

The misconception about ghost producers/writers is that they do it on their own accord; they don't. Most ghost producers/writers are famous people that everyone knows. When they sign with a label however, that label can assign them a job like "write this other artists lyrics" or "Produce a track for our new rapper" and the label gets to claim total rights to whatever was produced. The artist still gets to make his own music, but he has to give some of it to the label for whatever they want it for as well. You'd be surprised to find out which artists are signed to the same label!
 
Yeah DJ is quick/easy money (relatively when talking about music) so it's usually everyone's first choice, and most artist's bread and butter for a while during their own personal production process.

For you, being a trance artist who doesn't DJ but wants to perform, I suggest signing up and trying to get into music fests or doing openings for larger bands who come through your area and your surrounding area. When becoming a musician, you need at least 3 other bands/groups/musician with you at each place you play: One opener, One additional tourer, and yourself. The reason for this is because venues want to keep their crowd in their establishment for 2-3 or more hours, because statistically half the fans who are drinking age will have purchased an alcoholic beverage within the first hour, and about half that amount will buy another drink within the next hour (which as you can see slowly decays by half). Selling alcoholic drinks is most venues main goal. keeping this in mind will get you places.
Click to expand...

Just by seeing these video I saw that Being a (one man) live act in EDM is possible
youtube.com/watch?v=o43pcv86f3E
youtube.com/watch?v=j5Y9tgxxVPY
Because let's face it EDM is about DJ makiing DJ set and including their own production in their sets but for me I would like to play at least one instrument or more live and put the djing in the closet. People get use to a guy or a girl be hind a dj boot or behinds DJ deck mixxings tracks but a guy with a laptop, an external soundcard and midi keyboard controler to play some sound it's weird but make it more crazy for a real live show.

if you want to perform live you don't have to make a "pre record" dj set or djing, just play your song and play some lead or whatever you choose to play in your song or remix and you can also improvise If you want to (Just make it continuous). That's It, You got a crazy live show. One day I'll do that, here in montreal. Sick ideas. Gives me a lot of ideas.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top