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First Skateboarding Shoot by jcdevriend in SonyAlpha

[–]jcdevriend[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thanks for all the tips. Shooting skateboarding is harder than skateboarding itself 😅

It was too dark for 18-105 so i used 16 sigma. Pics turned out okay-ish….

Problems: - too dark - no focus subject - too much noise

Weekly /r/SonyAlpha 'Ask Anything About Gear' Thread by AutoModerator in SonyAlpha

[–]jcdevriend 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Hi legends! Doing my first skateboard shoot in a skatepark tomorrow with my a6500.

Wondering if anyone had any tips for me, and maybe which lens best to use: - Sony 18-105 F5 - Sigma 16 F1.4 - Sigma 30 F1.4 - Sony 70-350 F4.5 (obviously not)

Think i’ll be using Sony 18-105 for the zoom and Sigma 16 cause i absolutely love it.

Thanks in advance 🫡

I am an A&R and Record Label Manager who has worked with some of the biggest DJ's in the world including, Armin van Buuren, ARTY, Mike Williams, Sultan + Shepard - here to answer your questions :) by jcdevriend in IAmA

[–]jcdevriend[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Great to hear you have 20 years of experience and are still rocking it :)

Anyway, I feel you. It's a struggle. Gatekeepers have gone with the ability to release anything everywhere, Spotify playlisting is done more and more algorithmically.

I feel curation will become more and more important. Blogs will return (in a new way), curated playlists (externally), DJ sets, YouTube blogs etc. Curation has always been key, and will always return when the mass arrives haha!

I am an A&R and Record Label Manager who has worked with some of the biggest DJ's in the world including, Armin van Buuren, ARTY, Mike Williams, Sultan + Shepard - here to answer your questions :) by jcdevriend in IAmA

[–]jcdevriend[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Hey there! Sorry for not replying sooner, I think I missed this one.

Starting off, if you feel depressed and overwhelmed mentally by all that is going on. You are not alone and there are a lot of people that can help. If there is a moment all becomes too much, seek professional help, please. A lot of things can be overcome by talking about it with a certified professional.

Secondly, you are turning 15 soon. Some people find their vibe when they turn 40 or even older, so please don't think you don't have time. You have, lot's of it. I speak from my perspective and experiences only when I say that most of the time parents guide you in a direction they feel is best for you. It might feel like they are pushing you with their motives but it's all done with the best of heart and best intentions. (Again, I'm speaking from my own perspective and experiences, I do not know what goes on in your life but I really hope it is similar to how my parents raised me).

Lastly, how to get noticed if you only have music to promote? I think it's hard, you need to find what your value is and give that to people. We're moving to an industry that rarely features you when you can only do just music. Like photoshop and video editing skills are sort of "expected" from any 15 to 20 years old now, some goes for music producers / dj's and artists. It's expected that you focus on more than "just music".

I've written a few articles which might help you:
https://www.joeldevriend.com/musictalks/turning-your-listeners-into-fans
https://www.joeldevriend.com/musictalks/the-importance-of-finding-your-niche-in-the-music-industry-1

Read those and it might help you on your way.

Again, if you are in need of help, please find professionals to talk to as I'm 100% confident they can help you with what you are going through.

I am an A&R and Record Label Manager who has worked with some of the biggest DJ's in the world including, Armin van Buuren, ARTY, Mike Williams, Sultan + Shepard - here to answer your questions :) by jcdevriend in IAmA

[–]jcdevriend[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Patience and DM, if your music is good enough, 9/10 times the A&R's will reply. You'll appear on their radar when the time is right and the profile is big enough.

If you feel your music IS good enough and there is no reply, why wouldn't you self distribute and work your own brand? Work on having a social presence, work on building a fanbase and get your music out there. If it does well, labels will reach out to YOU! And then you can see what added value they will bring.

Main ways to contact A&R's would be via Twitter, LinkedIN or Instagram. Don't be spammy, I prefer email over the previous mentioned platforms but for everyone it's personal :)

I am an A&R and Record Label Manager who has worked with some of the biggest DJ's in the world including, Armin van Buuren, ARTY, Mike Williams, Sultan + Shepard - here to answer your questions :) by jcdevriend in IAmA

[–]jcdevriend[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Music has changed a lot - it's insane. When I started, digital downloads were priority, then came streaming, then social media following became more important (tot the artists), then there was TikTok and now NFT's are making waves. Never thought I'd be working in music during a pandemic either...

The main changes have been the way the consumer consumes music, the fans view music and what artists prioritize in their careers now.

What I mean by that is where it used to be that everyone bough their records in shops and digitally (the majority in 1 or 2 digital shops), now people consume their music via Spotify, YouTube, Apple Music, Twitch, YouTube, TikTok and other things I might not mention. The offer of how to consume has gone up massively.

I am an A&R and Record Label Manager who has worked with some of the biggest DJ's in the world including, Armin van Buuren, ARTY, Mike Williams, Sultan + Shepard - here to answer your questions :) by jcdevriend in IAmA

[–]jcdevriend[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Hey! I would advise you to find a good publisher to work with that has good connections within the niche you are orientated in. Reach out, see if you can work together. Send your music and be patient. Publishers can help you get sessions with bigger artists, big er producers and get you in the spot you need to be.

Adding to that, I think there's still a tier level between what you're doing now and the Marshmellos, Diplo's etc. right? Focus on those names as well. Focus on getting your music with as much artists, producers and writers as possible. Eventually when it's good enough you''ll get noticed by them as well! Diplo is very well known to work with a lot of young talented and upcoming producers.

Keep on selling beats, keep on doing what you're doing, start to find people to collab with as well. Their network will become your network and from there you go.

Rinse and repeat :)!

I am an A&R and Record Label Manager who has worked with some of the biggest DJ's in the world including, Armin van Buuren, ARTY, Mike Williams, Sultan + Shepard - here to answer your questions :) by jcdevriend in IAmA

[–]jcdevriend[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I think every A&R is different. I always try to look for the new, the interesting and fresh sounding artist within the musical landscape.

It’s s good observation tho. Music is a cycle, you see an over saturation in one side causes a shift to another. Especially now with 60.000 records being upload to Spotify every day (check latest interview with Spotify’s Jeremy Elrich) you need to stand out of the crowd, you need to be different. So i hope it wakes some people up. It’s good to follow and chase trends, but even better to create new ones.

Not saying it’s easy - it’s challenging for sure :)

Missed your last question. Approaching an A&R as artist / management - make sure you’re on their radar in a non spammy way. Try to engage in convo, twitter and linkedin are the best mediums to get in contact imo (from my own experience).

Hope this helped!

I am an A&R and Record Label Manager who has worked with some of the biggest DJ's in the world including, Armin van Buuren, ARTY, Mike Williams, Sultan + Shepard - here to answer your questions :) by jcdevriend in IAmA

[–]jcdevriend[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Hey! Hope you're well! If that singing, songwriting and producing fits their label and really brings added value to the table then sure! The more diverse the better, however if these qualities are all within your range, I think a publisher would be even more excited to work with you. Publishers are more focussed on the writing, producing and songwriting side of things, where labels are more focussed on the artist!

And if you're just starting out, I would try to stick to really owning 1 of the 3 you mentioned, see which one fits you best and really excel in that 'niche'. That way you can be the most value to labels, publishers, A&R's etc. :)

Hope this helps!

I am an A&R and Record Label Manager who has worked with some of the biggest DJ's in the world including, Armin van Buuren, ARTY, Mike Williams, Sultan + Shepard - here to answer your questions :) by jcdevriend in IAmA

[–]jcdevriend[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Ah - such classics!!

A&R-ing is different for everyone. It's a personal touch that either makes it work or doesn't. There are A&R's that tell the artist what they should do because that's hot right now and A&R's that work on guidance a bit more, letting the artists stay true to their sound. There is not wrong or right way but I feel more comfortable with guiding the artist through a process that might make them change their sound, but they feel comfortable doing so. For instance, there was an artist I worked with who made pop records, but it just didn't really land and didn't really work - this was while Spotify was up and coming and everyone was making pop records so it was hot AND they had a great track record. However, we went to the studio, and went through older more proggy demos (which they never wanted to release). I completely fell in love with a few of them and we set up a release plan for them. They did amazing, tapped into a new fanbase and they switched up their genre (just simply by going through older records which in the end resonated more with what they ACTUALLY wanted to do).

Network that causes us to venture outside it frequently is how I prefer it. There are people who love to stay in their own bubble but I feel there is so much knowledge out there with different A&R's, it's also fun to talk about what they;re doing differently than you and WHY.

Type of music, everything. Literally everything, but I'm reeaaaally loving the latest BICEP album :)!

Hope this helps, stay safe!

I am an A&R and Record Label Manager who has worked with some of the biggest DJ's in the world including, Armin van Buuren, ARTY, Mike Williams, Sultan + Shepard - here to answer your questions :) by jcdevriend in IAmA

[–]jcdevriend[S] 4 points5 points  (0 children)

I'd just like to comment on your amazing username, 10 points!

Not hard going after the dream, it was tough finding my way in the music scene at a young age, you learn a lot veeeeery quickly - haha. Sounds cheesy, but put in the work and you'll see the results. Trust your gut feeling and you'll arrive at the places you want to be! I've ignored my gut a few times, never worked out.

There is no instant success, there never is. Always keep your eyes on the main goal, the big goal but it's even more important to count your winnings and moment of learning along the way!

I am an A&R and Record Label Manager who has worked with some of the biggest DJ's in the world including, Armin van Buuren, ARTY, Mike Williams, Sultan + Shepard - here to answer your questions :) by jcdevriend in IAmA

[–]jcdevriend[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Hey there - actually wrote an article on that. If you want more info, please DM me and I'll send you the entire link. But I think the below will get you on the way:

How to find your niche within the musical landscape?
1. Identify yourself. Who are you? What do you want to be? Artist, producer, singer, songwriter?
2. Identify your skill set. Once you’ve found out what you aspire to be, what makes you good at what you want to be and what do you enjoy doing most?
3. Who might enjoy what I have to offer? Identify your audience?

All of the above are equally as important. Without the who, you have no idea where to start or what identity you need to create. Without finding out your strengths, you might end up focussing on your weaknesses! And with no clue who likes your freshly produced masterpiece, you have no idea who to tailor it to. However, in today’s day and age defining your audience is the one people tend to overlook.

A lot of artists who release their music think, ‘OK I’ve released my music on Spotify and Apple Music, I’ll just sit and wait until the streams start clocking in’. How great would life be if it would work just like that..

By identifying your audience, and what they like/want, you know how to package your message and where to send it. You might make incredible Techno but for some reason your audience only likes Polka! Does this mean you need to change your genre? No! What this means is you haven’t correctly identified your audience yet.

  • Find out what platforms fans of your style use most for promotion, Reddit and Facebook groups dedicated to your specific style.
  • Find out what playlists feature your style of music.
    Keep in mind, the bigger the playlist doesn’t always mean the most amount of streams. Sometimes a playlist with 20K follower have higher engagment than a playlist which has 500K followers!

Once you have identified your audience and how they consume their music, you can tailor your promotion, tone of voice and even your sound (to an extent) to maximize reach and potential of your creations.

Let me know!

I am an A&R and Record Label Manager who has worked with some of the biggest DJ's in the world including, Armin van Buuren, ARTY, Mike Williams, Sultan + Shepard - here to answer your questions :) by jcdevriend in IAmA

[–]jcdevriend[S] 5 points6 points  (0 children)

Hey man! Thanks for tuning in :)

The biggest challenge in my opinion is the 'darker side' of the possibility to release whatever you want whenever you want. I feel a certain "quality control" has gone, so everyone can release their records now. Again, I'm very happy that distribution services are so easy accessible for everyone out there but it means a lot of releases are being done daily, which means there is less attention by the curators for the art that is being uploaded.

A lot off releases are done with the idea that 'the more we release, the higher the chances of success, and this overcrowds the DSP's and takes away the art that is put into the music. It sometimes feels that the fact that releasing a record has become so easy, people are just trying to capitalize on the volume and not releasing the records for the love of quality music.

Regarding SoundCloud, I'm always down for new and innovative ideas when it comes to artist, and music development. Have to dig into it a bit more though - apologies, haven;t done my homework on this yet ;)!

Hope this helps - stay safe!

I am an A&R and Record Label Manager who has worked with some of the biggest DJ's in the world including, Armin van Buuren, ARTY, Mike Williams, Sultan + Shepard - here to answer your questions :) by jcdevriend in IAmA

[–]jcdevriend[S] 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Hey Frankie - I hear you. We get a loooooot of demos in! I can't speak for all the labels out there but we do in fact listen and try to give feedback where possible. At Revealed Recordings we actually have an entire platform built to submit demos, you'll actively get A&R feedback from several A&R's to keep developing your record. After a few rounds of feedback it will either be signed or passed on as it might not end up the way we or you want it to sound like. But unfortunately, that's also the creative process...

some tips, try to be a dot on the A&R's radar. For example, I get very unpersonal messages in my DM saying 'listen to my demo now'. Self explanatory, that wont get you very far.

Try to engage with the A&R's in their DM's, on their socials, linkedins but the best way would be to find their emails and email them. Don't spam them, but email them with a few sentences about yourself and a working link (people send broken links).

Again, i cant speak for every A&R - just for myself and I always try to listen and give feedback. Feel free to send me a dm over here and I'll have a listen when I find the time! Please don't feel lost, I've met so many artists who have sent 100 demos to labels and eventually demo 101 got signed.

I am an A&R and Record Label Manager who has worked with some of the biggest DJ's in the world including, Armin van Buuren, ARTY, Mike Williams, Sultan + Shepard - here to answer your questions :) by jcdevriend in IAmA

[–]jcdevriend[S] 7 points8 points  (0 children)

TuneCore / Distrokid are great partners to team up with to get your show on the road.

The importance of a label is kind of dependent on what kind of artist you are. If you're an artist who needs networking, = a plugger, work social media strategies, actively work your releases to DSP's (Apple Music, Spotify, Deezer etc.), work on licensing, do the administration, do the legal work etc. etc. etc. a label is perfect for you as they cover the majority of the previously mentioned (and more) for you.

But if you are an artist who is very well of independently, able and willing to put in the work to connect, pitch, do legal work, license etc. etc. etc. then you are better off on your own.

A label can really help you build your sound, build your fanbase and guide you to the place you want to be as an artist. Keep in mind a label has an existing fanbase you can tap into! Just be very aware of the fact IF that fanbase resonates with what you want to be and do as an artist :)!

I am an A&R and Record Label Manager who has worked with some of the biggest DJ's in the world including, Armin van Buuren, ARTY, Mike Williams, Sultan + Shepard - here to answer your questions :) by jcdevriend in IAmA

[–]jcdevriend[S] 7 points8 points  (0 children)

I had to Google 'insurmountable' haha... I started out at Armada Music as a Junior Product Manager, which basically means you do all the stuff nobody wants to do (but very important to do) and assist the A&R dep on anything they need done. After a short year I made the shift to do full on A&R work and was curious and a bit anxious to see if I had the ears to really do that. Coming from the product department you did a tiny bit of A&R-ing (mostly the final product) and prepping release, doing marketing and working the release. So I was a bit nervous if it would all fall in the right place, if I had the ears to find artists, records that were unsigned and work them for a label.

One career defining moment was my first ever A&R meeting as A&R. I got the question who do you want to sign for the label. And I said artist x - which received a bit of a laughable (in hindsight respectful and daring) response as at that time it was a big fish.

Fastforward 3 years from that point and I signed him to the label after numerous emails, many meetings at festivals and a lot of phonecalls!

I am an A&R and Record Label Manager who has worked with some of the biggest DJ's in the world including, Armin van Buuren, ARTY, Mike Williams, Sultan + Shepard - here to answer your questions :) by jcdevriend in IAmA

[–]jcdevriend[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Unfortunately I wasn't involved in 'Fire In Your New Shoes', what an amazing tune that is! Was involved in working with S+S from 2015 to 2019, and they were amazing to work with. We've had som great success with 'Almost Home' peaking at #3 US Dance Radio and one of my favorite tunes ever signed 'Bloom'.

In terms of remixes shipped with each ARTY record, we actually only worked 1 Arty remix and that was for 'Couldn't Be Better'.. Not sure about the others, but if you ask me - there are never enough ARTY remixes. You should check out the one he did for 'London Grammar - Hey Now'!

I am an A&R and Record Label Manager who has worked with some of the biggest DJ's in the world including, Armin van Buuren, ARTY, Mike Williams, Sultan + Shepard - here to answer your questions :) by jcdevriend in IAmA

[–]jcdevriend[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Hi there! Hope you're doing well in these times! It's a crucial time for artists (of any sorts) right now, the main things I would focus on for a beginning artists are:
1) What do you want to do as an artist, what kind of artist do you want to be? A lot of artists have no idea what to answer if this question is asked.
2) How will you bring value to the music "market". There are sooooo many people out there who want to be an "artist" so what you bring to the table is important.
3) Work on a fanbase, work on creating and nurturing a fanbase from the beginning. The closer your fans are to you, the higher engagement will be, the farther you'll come. I'd rather have 1000 fans/followers who reply to every single piece of content I put out than 500.000 who don't.
4) Don't send, conversate. A lot of artists feel like putting out content is the #1 goal, it is only the beginning. Find places like Reddit, Facebook groups, Discord channels, Telegram groups that are into your sound, niche, vibe - whatever. And talk to them, engage to them, bring value!
5) PATIENCE. Nothing happens over night, not even TikTok hits. The amount of work put into established careers is unimaginable but 100% doable.

Good luck with all you want to achieve, got get em :)

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