How do you present your music visually? The decisions about how your music sounds is your art, your personal expression. However, marketing your music is not about originality. So, the visual materials, for example, should contain and present the music effectively or you could be missing out on opportunities to enhance the public's perception of you and your music.
One of the advantages of being an independent recording artist is the extra freedom for self-expression. On the other hand, presenting that work to the public using CD packaging, websites, and other visual designs needs to meet a particular function, marketing. While marketing may contain elements of self-expression, its primary purpose is communication; you are wanting to assist people into knowing about, listening to and buying your music.
Yeah, I know, "marketing" probably makes the hair on the back of your neck stand up. It seems like it is totally opposite to the reason you are an artist. Yet, here you are, album in hand, and you are wanting people to hear it... to buy it and help support your creative career.
Do the marketing yourself?
Maybe you've had some time to market your album and you're finding it's a lot more work than anticipated. Perhaps you're beginning to realize there are actually advantages in signing with a record company. But, oh, but those horror stories you hear... you don't want to go there! Well, there may be some compromises, but it doesn't have to be all bad. Many independent record labels understand the needs of indie artists. Keep in mind, they need to make money to stay in business too.
However, stay focused on what is important for you to maintain. For instance, don't give up the rights to your songwriting. (However, it is common to grant the rights to the specific recordings for your album, not the lyrics and music. Read more about copyright information by clicking on the colored text you just read.) Elvis wanted to record a couple of Dolly Parton's songs, but he requested partial copyrights to the songwriting; fortunately, Dolly did not give in to such an absurd proposal or she would have lost lots of money selling usage rights for those songs she wrote herself.
It is a record label's responsibility to market and distribute and sell your music. You will have to pay them to do that, which will give you more time for writing and recording and performing. Now, if you are going to try to control the way the record company works, then you are working against both of you. It is in your interest to figure out if they have the kind of approach you need. If so, then go for it. It is in their interest to figure out how to best sell your work. If they don't, they will suffer too!
If you need to have control of everything, then going with a record label is not for you. Be prepared for a lot of work on your part. And, sincerely, good luck; get that good music out there!
Marketing is more than presenting good music.
Perhaps you think of marketing as sending your music to radio stations and music reviewers so they can hear your great tunes and tell the world about it. Maybe you even understand about sending press releases and such. (However, talk to anyone on the receiving end and they will tell you that most of what they receive they cannot use.) Marketing involves a variety of areas. Let's focus on some considerations for visual design and how they can affect the success of your album (and the band itself).
Designing a CD or creating a website may sound like fun (or not). Maybe you have a friend who can do it for you. Hopefully, you do not have the illusion that just because you have a website, an album on CDBaby and and some MP3 samples on MySpace, you are going to make it big time. That is waaay rare, regardless of how good your music is.
In many cases, your music will be represented visually in one way or another, press releases, CD packaging, website, merchandise, announcements, even emails to a fan(s) (bet you didn't think about the appearance of your emails). What is so little understood by most indie artists is how important any of those things look.
Appearance makes an impression. Perhaps a flyer or a CD cover may not be worth a thousand words, but it does play an important part in communicating about you and your music. Basically, inadequate design says, "AMATEUR,." is misleading, or confusing. Of course, the music itself is your most important marketing tool. Hopefully, they will recognize the quality of your work. However, if their perception of your CD cover or website is, "It looks unprofessional," it could affect their expectation of the music, and how they "hear" it.
You don't want to create even a hint of that expectation because it may take a few listens for someone to catch on to your originality and the quality of your music. Familiarity is very important for buyers. If you want them to tap their foot or hum the melody, most of the time you need for them to hear it more than once to catch on. They possibly could skip on having more listens because of something that affected their perception of the music beforehand.
Many factors can create that pre-perception. What is important is the connection between the design and how the design functions. They have to work together to effectively assist in achieving the results you want. That does not mean the design has to be entirely directed by marketing, but even original artwork needs to be presented in the right way.
Websites to scare your fans away.
One of the more popular websites for recording artists is MySpace.com, especially since a few artists, like the Arctic Monkeys, have made a big success there. MySpace is also full of user-designed pages, which is really fun for "Joe Friend." User-defined pages are often not the friend of the serious recording artist. As Bob Baker, author of "MySpace Music Marketing," puts it, "Clashing colors, annoying background images, and hard-to-read typefaces will not endear you to fans. Spicing it up is one thing; making people seasick is another." Surf around MySpace and you will quickly know what I am talking about.
This can be true for band websites as well. For instance, Flash animation is cool, but it must be used effectively or visitors may leave before waiting more than ten seconds for it to download, or waiting through a long animation when they want to be somewhere else on your site. This is not to mention the many other important factors about design and navigation. You may want to read "Suggestions for Designing a Website for Your Band."
In another publication by Baker he says, "...most folks will become fans for a reason that has nothing to do with the facts and features of your musical product. They will be attracted to you because of the way your music and personality make them feel. That’s right, feel." Visual design definitely contributes to that personality and feel and is part of what marketing is about.
CD package design: commercial or artistic?
Well, it can be both, actually. It depends. Many record labels sell the artist rather than the music. Why? Because people like to feel they are close to the artists. Fans wear t-shirts with the band name on it, they wait at the backdoor of the theater to get autographs and to be photographed with band members. A portrait on a CD cover reinforces that type of connection. Yes, that is "Marketing."
Say you want to put your personal painting on the cover of your CD, or a collection of your own photos. Maybe you know a little about Photoshop and create something from there to put on your CD package. Cool, but check in with a professional designer before you print out your design on your desktop printer and distribute the CD's yourself. Like it or not, people are impressed with good design and commercial offset printing. This contributes to the professional image of your band and the perception of your music in a similar way does quality songwriting, recording and performing.
Should you use a professional designer?
Okay, so you decide to have it printed and manufactured for you. Did you have a professional designer put it together? Why should you? You know enough computer software to do it yourself, right? Would you hire an amateur guitarist or backup vocalist to contribute to your recordings? Of course not. You may have some good ideas about content, maybe even some good art or photos to include, but consider the design of your CD package or website with the same level of integrity and knowledge and experience you would for your music.
I have seen a CD package that has all the tiny text in red on a green background. It is nearly impossible to read. Text on CD packaging is already small, which is challenging enough, but red on green seems to vibrate right on the page. Cool effect for a title, or some art, bad for lots of reading. Irritating to the reader, and negative energy, dude.
Technical issues with design.
There are also technical issues. Do you know what upsampling is? Is it a good thing? Do you know what a bleed is and why it is important to know before cropping an image or graphic element, or why it may be necessary before sending a design to be printed? Did you know that there are important color profile considerations when converting an image from RGB to CMYK? Do you know what those terms mean, and which is necessary for offset printing? And do you know that it is not a good idea to send JPG-formatted images for printing, the standard format used by most digital cameras?
These are only a few technical issues that will affect the quality of the final product in offset printing. Web design also has many technical issues that are not apparent to the non-professional.
Do the visual designs have the same integrity as your music?
An article such as this cannot adequately cover or explain all the issues and ramifications that are known to a professional designer who has the knowledge and experience with design and production. Designers devote their career to design like you devote it to your music. You should take advantage of their abilities and their advice for two basic reasons. You want the appearance to be parallel with the quality of your music. Good design is also a good marketing tool.
There is plenty of software to make it easy to create a website or a CD cover, but it cannot create good quality design for you. It cannot tell you if there are technical deficiencies that can interfere with the appearance or function of the final product.
As a creative person, it is natural to have abilities in different artistic forms. Regardless of your level of experience with visual art, a professional designer can offer valuable advice and service for the personality and marketing effectiveness of the visual materials associated with your music and your band. If your music is important to you, filter your visual ideas and artistic expressions through someone who is as experienced in design as you are with your music.
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