Who here is still releasing new music?

[Dean Watson]

I prefer spending that time composing new music.

I am retired, I compose music all the time, I have a following, I need to promote myself if I want people to hear it. Everyone is different.

[Rarebird]

I am retired, I compose music all the time, I have a following, I need to promote myself if I want people to hear it. Everyone is different.

I prefer putting my music on Bandcamp and Soundcloud, which is less time-consuming. If I would know putting my music on Youtube would really attract a bigger audience, I might do it, but at this moment it seems like a huge investment in time, without much reward.
I try to compose as much as possible as well, but to make my music listenable for an audience, after I have composed it, I need to do a lot of work, that is relatively boring. It is not that I can produce sheetmusic and give it to musicians who can play it. I can't play it myself, so I have to do a lot of work on the computer, to let it play the music.

[Benedict]

I prefer spending that time composing new music.

Then either decide not to YT (which may not be wise) or make relationships with people who enjoy doing the things you don't.

:-)

[Benedict]

All this talk of video, here's my latest:



My partner Jane drew the cartoon characters based on the Greek Myth and I animated them (simply) using Shotcut. The latter took me about 4 hours. It isn't exactly Avatar II but it is something unique from me (and Jane) to hopefully get a few ears on my tune.

Apart from a bit of showing off, my point is really that by working together we raise things we probably would never have done, or even thought of alone. It gives me ideas for doing something a bit more elaborate for my next album. Jane gets something to show off to her peeps and new skills in creating characters to order.

:-)

[Rarebird]

Then either decide not to YT (which may not be wise) or make relationships with people who enjoy doing the things you don't.

:-)

Making relationships is something I don't excell in.

If I would know my music would be getting a bigger audience by putting it on YouTube in addition to putting it on Soundcloud and Bandcamp, it might be worth the efford, but I doubt it.

Music is something that has to get out. Anything else, like writing bookreviews, or making CD-inlays for my dad, is dependent of some form of appriciation.

[Benedict]

Making relationships is something I don't excell in.

If I would know my music would be getting a bigger audience by putting it on YouTube in addition to putting it on Soundcloud and Bandcamp, it might be worth the efford, but I doubt it.

Music is something that has to get out. Anything else, like writing bookreviews, or making CD-inlays for my dad, is dependent of some form of appriciation.

Or I really* BUT it doesn't mean you can't do things, even with others. Mike was renown for avoiding people at almost all costs. Richard Branson spent lots of time running interference for him as he released one of the largest, most influential records of the '70s. I guess you know who Mike is?

Getting heard these days is indeed difficult but it doesn't mean that there is no point in publishing. there is simply no point (or common sense) in trying to take Drake head-on on Spotifry.
https://benedictroffmarsh.com/2019/0...he-new-divide/

Put your material up the best way you can and after that, what the people do (or don't do) is not yours to control. YT is one of the best ways to get found in music. Abandon SC as they are dead and not remotely useful in building buying fans. Bandcamp, your own site to help people understand you as an artist, and YT to draw in the few souls who are looking for what you can give them. If well tagged etc your vid may show as a suggestion alongside something similar and you have been seen.

:-)

*I have a habit of being helpful and the people I am offering my help to (after they asked in some form) tend to be offended at my methods far more than I'd like. I know that mostly they are people who don't really want help, just to whine. My directness, calls them on that, whether I intended it or not. I can crawl in a hole and evaporate or simply keep on being me.

[Rarebird]

Or I really* BUT it doesn't mean you can't do things, even with others. Mike was renown for avoiding people at almost all costs. Richard Branson spent lots of time running interference for him as he released one of the largest, most influential records of the '70s. I guess you know who Mike is?

Getting heard these days is indeed difficult but it doesn't mean that there is no point in publishing. there is simply no point (or common sense) in trying to take Drake head-on on Spotifry.
https://benedictroffmarsh.com/2019/0...he-new-divide/

Put your material up the best way you can and after that, what the people do (or don't do) is not yours to control. YT is one of the best ways to get found in music. Abandon SC as they are dead and not remotely useful in building buying fans. Bandcamp, your own site to help people understand you as an artist, and YT to draw in the few souls who are looking for what you can give them. If well tagged etc your vid may show as a suggestion alongside something similar and you have been seen.

:-)

*I have a habit of being helpful and the people I am offering my help to (after they asked in some form) tend to be offended at my methods far more than I'd like. I know that mostly they are people who don't really want help, just to whine. My directness, calls them on that, whether I intended it or not. I can crawl in a hole and evaporate or simply keep on being me.

Yes, the Mike my music was compared with when I was much younger, when my music was also compared with that of a Swedish guy named Bo. Both were and are present in my collection.

YouTube could be an interesting idea. Funny part is, I take a lot of pictures of the same tree and the view from my balcony with the intention to turn them in some kind of video for my music, but actually I don't really know how to do it. Any advice is welcome and directness is great.

Soundcloud I mostly use to publish rough versions of tracks, so people who are curious can get an impression of what I'm working on.
Bandcamp is used for finished versions.

[Benedict]

Yes, the Mike my music was compared with when I was much younger, when my music was also compared with that of a Swedish guy named Bo. Both were and are present in my collection.

YouTube could be an interesting idea. Funny part is, I take a lot of pictures of the same tree and the view from my balcony with the intention to turn them in some kind of video for my music, but actually I don't really know how to do it. Any advice is welcome and directness is great.

Soundcloud I mostly use to publish rough versions of tracks, so people who are curious can get an impression of what I'm working on.
Bandcamp is used for finished versions.

I have that Bo playing pieces (not) about Hobbitses.

Lots of pics of the same tree is a good start, esp if they were from exactly the same position but that is likely reaching. Here's what I'd do:

Assuming Win 10: https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/...-create-videos (if not on Win 10 you'll find similar feature sets in other places or Shotcut and do it manually).

Toss in all your photos (number the files first to set order)
Import a Mastered stereo music file (your song) -0.3db max if you Normalize to a full 0db YT processing will probaly distort it.
Look for a feature that automatically sets slide time to match the music length
Set any sort of crossfades or fx you want - less is usually safer until you know how to do it tastefully
Export - some programs offer to pop in YT for you but I am old-school so I export to my PC and then control my own upload. Whatever gets it done.
Tags and a Story to explain the piece on your Vid are easy to ignore, but the info can make all the difference.

:-)

[Rarebird]

I have that Bo playing pieces (not) about Hobbitses.

Lots of pics of the same tree is a good start, esp if they were from exactly the same position but that is likely reaching. Here's what I'd do:

Assuming Win 10: https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/...-create-videos (if not on Win 10 you'll find similar feature sets in other places or Shotcut and do it manually).

Toss in all your photos (number the files first to set order)
Import a Mastered stereo music file (your song) -0.3db max if you Normalize to a full 0db YT processing will probaly distort it.
Look for a feature that automatically sets slide time to match the music length
Set any sort of crossfades or fx you want - less is usually safer until you know how to do it tastefully
Export - some programs offer to pop in YT for you but I am old-school so I export to my PC and then control my own upload. Whatever gets it done.
Tags and a Story to explain the piece on your Vid are easy to ignore, but the info can make all the difference.

:-)

Thanks for the explanation. The tree pictures are from the same position, but there may be some difference in size. The views from my balcony are made with a tripod and always the same setting of my camera.

I don't have Windows 10 so I need to look for something else.

[Benedict]

Thanks for the explanation. The tree pictures are from the same position, but there may be some difference in size. The views from my balcony are made with a tripod and always the same setting of my camera.

I don't have Windows 10 so I need to look for something else.

I feel like you're more focused on the reasons you can't than finding ways you can. (I note you didn't way what O/S you do have.)

Easy to do and it's not like I don't do it myself. Buuuuut, it means that thing can't happen either way.

So, is this a thing you want done?And if so how far outside of your current comfort zone will you go to get a result - almost any result is a start. Failing is a great sign that you have at least started work. Nothing is a sign you didn't even start.

:-)

[Rarebird]

I feel like you're more focused on the reasons you can't than finding ways you can. (I note you didn't way what O/S you do have.)

Easy to do and it's not like I don't do it myself. Buuuuut, it means that thing can't happen either way.

So, is this a thing you want done?And if so how far outside of your current comfort zone will you go to get a result - almost any result is a start. Failing is a great sign that you have at least started work. Nothing is a sign you didn't even start.

:-)

Actually I'm more focused on turning my ideas into music. I'm working on one compostion and already have ideas for the next one. First I have to finish the one I'm working on and then I have to turn it into a recording, which is quite time-consuming. I probably have a weird way of working. I can't play any instrument, so I have to do everything with the computer. My O/S is Windows 8.1. I just need to find a way to combine an image and music into a YouTube video.

[Benedict]

Actually I'm more focused on turning my ideas into music. I'm working on one compostion and already have ideas for the next one. First I have to finish the one I'm working on and then I have to turn it into a recording, which is quite time-consuming. I probably have a weird way of working. I can't play any instrument, so I have to do everything with the computer. My O/S is Windows 8.1. I just need to find a way to combine an image and music into a YouTube video.

I was responding based on your words in that matter.

As musicians, I do believe that we should stay focused more on music than other stuff. Sadly some of the other stuff needs to get done so people can be attracted to (and understand) our music. Lest the whole shebang becomes a bit pointless.

Win 8 is an odd one, but nonetheless, almost everything that runs on Win 7 or 10 will still run. Therefore there are a host of options for vision to sound. If you aren't wedded to your DAW, you could look into Mixcraft as they say you can edit video right alongside MIDI! https://www.acoustica.com/mixcraft/

Otherwise, as I have said many times already, you create a relationship where you help someone to feel good about making videos for you.

:-)

[Rarebird]

As long as my computer keeps working, I use Windows 8.1. As soon as it has to be replaced, it will be with Windows 10, or whatever comes next.
Besides composing, I write book-reviews and I have to look after my dad a bit. And alas I probably spend to much time on internet.
For creating music, I use Cubase 8 Pro and I'm very attached to that. If I have to buy something new, it will be a new version of Cubase, a program I use since 1993 (started with an Atari). I record with an external harddiscrecorder, burn it on CD-RW and make wave-files on the computer.

[Benedict]

I started sequencing pre-Atari with a Casio SZ-1 which was a horrid thing. Then a Korg SQD-1. My first music computer was an Atari 1040ste with Digital Muse's Prodigy which was a pretty cool program (and a cut-down of Virtuoso which was a bigger deal). Finally I got a Mac and Opcode Vision 2. Stayed with them till Gibson did their thing at 4.5 then floundered for years with Sonar and Energy XT. 100% Reason now for 10 years. Little would make me move so I understand.

You'll do video when you are ready. it took me longer than I wanted but now I'm getting into the swing. The music I have just completed I ade with video in mind so I am making my own animations for a simple (for me) story.

:-)

[Rarebird]

I started sequencing pre-Atari with a Casio SZ-1 which was a horrid thing. Then a Korg SQD-1. My first music computer was an Atari 1040ste with Digital Muse's Prodigy which was a pretty cool program (and a cut-down of Virtuoso which was a bigger deal). Finally I got a Mac and Opcode Vision 2. Stayed with them till Gibson did their thing at 4.5 then floundered for years with Sonar and Energy XT. 100% Reason now for 10 years. Little would make me move so I understand.

You'll do video when you are ready. it took me longer than I wanted but now I'm getting into the swing. The music I have just completed I ade with video in mind so I am making my own animations for a simple (for me) story.

:-)

Before I had an Atari with Cubase, I had a Commodore Amiga. First I used a program that created sheetmusic named DMCS, but didn't have much possibilities. Everything had to be done by dragging notes and other things that are in sheetmusic, so if a part had to be softer you put a P sign, a PP sign, or a PPP sign and so on. Then I switched to a program the brother of a friend wrote himself in machine-code. He even build his own wind-synthesizerdriver, like an EWI.

[Yodelgoat]

If anyone is interested, I have downloaded a some songs I recorded from a practice of my live show. its directly off my mixing board, so its not perfect. I think it sounds better live. Its in my dropbox. I think You can just send me your email and you can hear it - Covers, Closer to the heart, the Third Hurrah, The battle of evermore... Typical stuff you hear from every cover band out there...


I may not even need an email... see if it works:

(sorry I deleted the links - they need to be better before I start sharing)

[Koreabruce]

Cool! Love your version of Battle of Evermore. I think you're onto something with these solo sets.

[Yodelgoat]

Thanks Bruce, I need any encouragement I can get. FYI- I also am doing a straight up acoustic version of Evermore - and its sure different, but seems to be interesting enough to get by with. Lots more slowdowns and mods to the vocal style. I'll be trying it live next week. We'll have to see how people react. That is of course, assuming anyone will be there to hear it...

Last week in Sedona, I did a an open mic night and played the Zeppelin songs Going to California, and That's the way. They went over great. - The Hippies loved it!

[Benedict]

Here's a new one that was based around the idea of having a video story from the start (actually the video was supposed to be made by a real artist as a collab but she bailed - as I expected).



All the music was made in Reason 10. I then made elements in Inkscape and animated them in HitFilm Express. I tried Hit Film before but it eluded me. Once I got the logic of how it really worked it was rather fun to do. I had to live with a couple of Z-Order issues in the cornfield but otherwise it all went to plan pretty well.

:-)

[Yodelgoat]

First Paying gig coming up this Friday night. Should be interesting. That's really when I'll see just how well prepared I am. I'm expecting myself to lay a few eggs, but fortunately, I am Just doing an hour. I'm hoping I can hold it together for a single set. If I enjoy doing it, I'll probably do it again, If I don't, well, I'll be hanging it up for another 20 years. Just me, my Baby Martin acoustic, and a few backing tracks. What could go wrong? Good news is, my setup for rehearsal is pretty much what I'm doing live, so I shouldn't have to mess around with the mix too much. I picked up a Harbinger MLS900 line array PA and its surprisingly decent sounding. The room is pretty small (about 100 seats packed) Its a St patty's day party so I really do not know how coherent the audience will be - or if there will even be an audience. I'm the third of 3 artists playing.

Here is the planned setlist;

Goin to California, Zep
If you could read my Mind, Lightfoot
Don Quixote, Lightfoot
That's the way, Zep
Couple original Acoustic songs
The Third Hurrah, Tull
Lazarus, P-tree
Battle of Evermore, Zep
Three more originals w/backing tracks
Give a little bit - Supertramp
Roads to Moscow - Al Stewart
Whatever else - I may be run off stage this point...
Maybe even Closer to the heart - Rush

I have not planned a setlist for years so this will be fluid depending on audience response. They may be expecting c/w songs - I don't know.
I know a few old Leon Redbone tunes as well so if that's needed I can drop in a few of those.
The good news is, if they don't like it, I pack up and leave. I am a great quitter.

The owner of the club owns my 2005 CD and says he likes it a lot, so we'll see how it goes.

[Rarebird]

Here is the artwork of my latest album on Bandcamp.
Erde, Wasser, Luft voorkant.jpgErde, Wasser, Luft achterkant.jpg

I've just finished composing a new piece, which is almost 19 minutes.

[grego]

Looks amazing, Renate! Very tasteful album cover.

[Bartholomew_of_DIS]

I haven't given up yet. If I had any common sense I would have years ago.

Technology does make it easier for just about anyone to put together a decent recording, but I disagree that the volume of competition makes things harder for artists. I have heard some terrible, terrible playing, songwriting, and vocal performances recorded in relatively high-spec recordings. Great ideas, arrangements, and inspired performances stand out as much as they ever have--they just have to compete with a higher level of "background noise."

I suppose one benefit of not depending upon progressive rock recordings/gigs to feed one's family is that one does not have to entertain any artistic compromises. The prog artist can go for a big, pompous, overblown project or a commercially poisonous, edgy, experimental statement without fear. Art for art's sake.

So, to answer the original question, YES, Divine In Sight will eventually be releasing more music. When? Maybe within a year or two. I'm 130k words into a novelization of our next concept album's story. By June 2013 I should have a decent rewrite of the first draft completed (200-240k words, i.e., 600 + pp. novel), which I'll be shopping to select publishers at a writing conference later that month. If I get no bites, I'll self-publish. Proceeds will go to upgrade my studio, then recording begins in earnest (I have about 70% of the music written with basic arrangements). I'd have skipped the whole novelization step except that my current studio can't handle the ambitious scope of the project. Given the state of the economy my family cannot afford to drop $5k on studio gear for my projects. I am hoping the novel will scratch out just enough funds to facilitate the rest of the project.

I'm already five years behind my original projected release date for O Nox Ultima. Our previous album, Sorrow & Promise, was released in September 2001 (within a few weeks of the 911 tragedy). Much of the instrumental tracking for that album was done during Clinton's second term. Yikes! My first daughter was a toddler when we were mixing that album down, and next year she'll be in high school.

For me, life has had a tendency to "get in the way" of prog-rock aspirations and productivity. It would be nice, at some point, for my wife to see some actual ROI on the hours of writing and playing, planning and scheming I've done to breathe life into these epic musical statements. If it never happens, though, it would be at least a decent consolation to have produced something really good and/or really significant/important, even if no one buys it (literally or figuratively).

I guess it's my turn to resurrect this ancient thread:

Our rock opera, formerly known as O Nox Ultima, has since become my debut novel, Regarding Tiberius. As it turns out, I'm a much better novelist than musician. I've already written a sequel, Call of the Jackal, which is buried in the editorial process, and am working on the outline to a third installment.

That said, I absolutely love writing and arranging prog/art rock projects, and I've found that surrounding myself with far superior musicians like Jonathan and Frank helps distract would-be listeners from poo-pooing my guitar chops. What they can't hide, however, are my high tenor but otherwise nondescript lead vocals, so in the intervening nine years since my first post on this thread, I've since fired myself from role of Divine In Sight's lead singer/frontman. I'll still sing and arrange backing vocals, but I have a good friend with a great smoky tenor voice whose voice is much more engaging that my own. He sounds like the late Phil Lynott of Thin Lizzie fame, rich with texture, which is far more appealing than my unnervingly clear, gender-bending choirboy voice.

DIS bassist Jonathan Dexter has finished tracking and mixing a solo project, which he's just shipped off to get mastered. In the months to come, Lord willing, he and I will hash out the arrangements to a new Divine In Sight concept album, which will have a unifying maritime theme. Expect a lot of 6/8 time signatures and nods to shanties in this salt-sea epic. Frank is swamped with his church music director and independent recording studio projects and probably won't return as our drummer, but who knows? We might catch him in a rare moment of downtime and convince him to pound out some tracks. If not, JD and I will figure out some other way to get the drums parts nailed down.

I am also interested in rerecording/mixing/mastering our debut epic, Sorrow & Promise, with better production and our new lead singer at the helm. I've always loved the arrangement of that entire project very much, but have been perennially frustrated with some of the production limitations and compromises made at the time, particularly my contributions on guitar and vocals. In the intervening years, Jonathan's bass tone has been sharpened to a razor's edge of lead bass prog perfection, and my guitar tones are miles above what they were in the last year of the Clinton Administration when S&P was recorded. I think a Sorrow & Promise Redux album would be a great contribution to the genre.

There are no persisting delusions of financial reward or fame attached to either of these projects. JD and I will just make the best art we possibly can and loose it all upon the world on faith.

I guess time will tell if any of this comes to pass ... hopefully in a time frame measured in weeks and months rather than years and decades.

[Koreabruce]

Really glad to see you posting back here again, Bartholomew! It's also heartening that you're still passionately following your dream. Keep us up to date on all of your projects as they continue to progress.

[EBES]

I'm pretty late to this thread and still reading/absorbing what a lot of other people have said but...
1. why? I've actually come to the conclusion that trying to have a rational "why" is futile. Existentially, everyone's gotta have a thing. I've decided this is what I do with my time and energy. I can imagine lots of pleasant collateral effects it might have, but none of those are expected or required to do it. I can't advance much of a why beyond that.
2. How do see the future of music as a commodity? Not great. For me, minimal at best. I'd love to get enough money to somewhat offset the costs of making the stuff, but that's about it. I haven't thought much about the monetization angle beyond that because to do so would require fans.
3. Do you have second doubts about whether you're being realistic? At this point I've set my expectations to zero, so that seems realistic enough.
4. What formats are you going to use? Streaming, Bandcamp and CD. If I don't have a CD I can put on my own shelf then it doesn't feel to me like it's done, and the companies that make them have minimum order quantities so I end up with 49 other copies that I can leave in public toilets.