Free recording, am I digging myself an early grave?

[Ionei]

Hey,

So, for promotional reasons I have decided that I am going to offer free recording of one/two tracks.
After investing a LOT of money into my musical endeavors and seeing NOTHING in return, I have decided to just say fuck it and do it for free to get my name out.

I looked around at local bands etc. and everything they have is SHIT(not to sound super arrogant).
But these kids are paying for something to promote their band, and they aren't getting what they pay for.
I can literally spit out a demo in an hour that sounds better than a lot of the local guys are doing.

I won't be doing live drums as that would drive me insane, and I really don't want to have to deal with shitty drummers for free, although if the music calls for it i may have to.
I will be putting effort into the tracks, not just saying here you go and handing them a rough/leveled mix, the product will be polished as best as I can(within reason).


I think what has driven me to this is the fact that I have realized that I am probably never going anywhere with my music and I would like to see other people benefit from the countless hours I have put into becoming decent at something.
I also love producing bands.



So, is this a really really bad idea?

Also, has anyone else done something like this?

Cheers,
Ionei.

 

[Virgil.]

I think it's a great idea, but be sure you stand firm when they ask for more free tracks. Or don't be afraid down the road to say no when a band pulls "c'mon man, you recorded those guys for free, why not us too? that's not fair!" tactics.

I have no experience doing this by the way... I would just assume that's the norm to look out for if doing something like this with any service. I offered free guitar lessons for a bit to get my name out in my area, and it's hard to start charging for people used to getting shit for free.

 

[dale_a_smith]

If your going to work for free. go out and find a good band that you will enjoy working with, make sure they're good musicians and offer your services.The end product will be far better, and your more likely to get paying work off the back of it.

If the bands you get are bad, the end product will be poor, and which ever way you look at it, that will reflect badly on you.

Working for nothing can cause problems for you later down the line, but I feel your pain. I have done it plenty of times.

 

[Daniel 608b]

Not a bad idea by any means! It's the best way to get your name out there! After bands start to hear you and your sound you can charge low rates at first, then slowly increase (if you want to make money)... I'm currently tracking EP's number 3, 4, and 5 at the moment and I juuuuust started charging.. Best of luck to you!

 

[Morgan C]

I recorded a couple of bands around my area for free, just one song each. Both were kind of awkward, and take a lot more liberties than if they were paying. One was an absolute nightmare but I stuck with it because the musicians were so good and it's the best mix I've done so far.

It's done absolutely NOTHING for me in terms of getting more local bands. It did, however, turn me off actual recording completely, at least for the moment. Now I'm only doing mixing and editing (all paid), for bands in other countries or guys that I seek out because I love their music.

 

[if6was9]

If you're gonna do it, make it clear to the band that you are only going to put X amount of time into it and no more unless they pay. Put a limit on the time you'll put into recording it and only allow for something like 1-2 mix revisions before you charge.
It's very easy when you give bands something for free for them to treat it as though your time is worthless and therefor limitless and to keep coming back looking for more.

Also make it clear to the band that you can use the tracks however you want for marketing/ promotion when you are done. Like if it they decide to record a new track and aren't really happy with the structure or something afterwards, it's not your problem and are going to use it on your site and give out as an example of your work anyway. Some bands can get very pissy about stuff like this but when you aren't being paid, the promotion you get from the recordings is your only reason for doing it in the first place. Make this clear from the start so they don't fall out with you later about it.

 

[Loren Littlejohn]

Free is fine as long as you draw the lines of what to expect early and stand firm on it.

 

[GeertSamuel]

I think free is fine, you only need to set outlines for what you actually DO for free, and make that clear to these bands.

Maybe my idea is something you also can work with?
Got in contact awhile back with a local organiser. He booked my band for a show, and after that we've been in contact several times. Now I'm about to finish up building my new studio. So after a break of 1.5 year I can continue my recording business.
To get the ball rolling again they're putting out a competition with 3 or 4 local bands, and 1 bigger band headlinging. The winner (of the 3/4 locals) will get a free demo recording of 3 songs. The losing bands will get a reduction on the price (30% or something like that).

 

[Ionei]

Cheers for all the replies guys!!
Made me feel way better about my decision!

I will be sending all the bands a guide of what I expect from them to expect a good product.

What a coincidence funky animal!
I JUST approached a local organizer to do a BOB with me as the prize!!!
Seriously the best idea.
It gets kids knowing your name who don't even play in bands.
It gets bands knowing your name.
And most importantly you get a good band to work with!!
Super stoked on it.

Thanks heaps for the feedback guys, really really appreciate it.
Hopefully this all works out well and I get some decent musicians come through.

Cheers,
Ionei

 

[if6was9]

The battle of the bands thing seems okay but, at least in my experience, most decent bands avoid band competitions like the plague. The guys who end up competeing are young, inexperienced and not together very long so you've to pick between 3-4 shit bands to work with.

 

[Ermz]

Also, has anyone else done something like this?

Did it for 2 years at the start. Built a portfolio of work, experience and also a few crucial contacts that allowed me to start doing it full time (a whole 5 or so years later).

Don't expect a living to come about overnight from it. There are almost as many people leaving the studio industry here in Melb, as there are kids saturating it. You need to be in it for the long haul - no doubt, 100% commitment.

I can literally spit out a demo in an hour that sounds better than a lot of the local guys are doing.

ORLY. Might have to call you on that one sometime

 

[digitaldeath]

Ermz: Interesting point. How are you finding it competing against the laptop-metal kiddies?

 

[Chris Riot]

I won't be doing live drums as that would drive me insane, and I really don't want to have to deal with shitty drummers for free, although if the music calls for it i may have to.

You will not go very far with that attitude if you want to be in this business.
God knows how many bands are out there with the same (fake) sounding, programmed drums

it can only work for a special type of genres, if you're willing to limit yourself to them

regards

 

[kass]

ORLY. Might have to call you on that one sometime

 

[MindMunch]

If you work for free, expect the bands to give as much value to your time as you´re giving it yourself. Don´t expect the band to arrive in time or rehearsed, because they won´t.

 

[DaveBlack]

Maybe I'm the only one here who has had the opposite experience. I honestly think that there's an inherent feeling in all of us that "if it's free, it must suck" or a "whats the catch?" attitude.

It wasn't until I started charging $30 an hour that business took off. I think putting a price on your work shows people that you're serious and that you believe your product is worth it. As long as you have that quality work at an inexpensive price, you should find your target clientele.

It's not a bad idea though, like many others on here have stated. You could even say to the bands, i'll record you for free but I'll charge $25 per mix. Whats that, like $5 or $10 bucks per song from each band member ya know? Plus you can approach the bands with a pitch like "Hey I'm having a promotion where the recording is free for two/three songs....." and then when you get them interested you let them know it's $25 per mix. If you've already peaked their interest with the prospect of free recording, they would be more inclined to accept the later terms of the promotion.

 

[FIXXXER]

make a contest or something and record the best band for free!

 

[idontpullout]

If your going to work for free. go out and find a good band that you will enjoy working with, make sure they're good musicians and offer your services.The end product will be far better, and your more likely to get paying work off the back of it.

If the bands you get are bad, the end product will be poor, and which ever way you look at it, that will reflect badly on you.

Working for nothing can cause problems for you later down the line, but I feel your pain. I have done it plenty of times.

I just recently had a terrible experience with I band I recorded, they werent prepared at all. None of the members knew the parts. I ended up spending half the session copying and pasting the songs together because they didn't even know their songs. I actually ended just telling them, I would still do it but come back when they were better prepared. Plus, it didn't help that I didn't enjoy their music.

I think it's a good idea, I would just be picky with who you do it with. Otherwise, you'll be saying in the back of your head "I'm not even getting paid for this!"

 

[DeclanWhite]

hmmm. ionei i usually kinda.. force people to pay me haha. im recording a band right now with programmed drums for 350 bucks for 2 and a half songs..

 

[mmmatthew]

Charge something for your time and effort. It wont be much at first until your get your name out and gain a reputation, but you will attract all sorts of idiots doing work for absolutely nothing.