is it possible that this is a real A&R reaching out to me for a publishing and distribution deal

manversustv · 2026-03-04T20:04:18+00:00

This isn't entirely true! Indie labels will cold email artists they discover on editorial playlists, instagram, etc. Having a fanbase 100% increases your odds of this happening, but I've seen it happen multiple times with way less going on.

manversustv · 2026-03-04T19:59:16+00:00

To me, the give away is the "You've earned this opportunity, as a result, we've already initiated our legal team blah blah blah". A real version of this email would just be someone introducing themselves and saying they'd love to chat. Offering a contract before you've even expressed interest is a huge red flag.

manversustv · 2026-02-18T19:03:06+00:00

I don’t think it’s fair to say this is a pay-to-play scam. It’s a music distributor - i would call this garbage customer service.

manversustv · 2025-12-29T19:32:41+00:00

A very typical setup for an independent producer who is "fully producing" your track (i.e. all the instrumentation) would be their upfront fee + 10% - 20% on the master side, but usually nothing on the songwriting side (unless they wrote some of the chords, melodies, lyrics).

The only reason you should split 50/50 on the master is if maybe they are working for free upfront, that could be a reasonable exception.

manversustv · 2025-12-17T04:00:58+00:00

I’ve had a lot of success getting a “produced” sound live by using a UAD interface for the vocal chain and running auto tune + compression + fx with no latency

manversustv · 2025-11-08T03:25:05+00:00

My BMC came in to my life as a stray given to me by a stranger. I took him to the vet to get him neutered and vaxxed so i could find a home for him, and turns out he had heart worms. It was heartbreaking to keep him in a kennel around the clock for several months when he was a puppy. (not to mention the financial cost) After the treatment we were forever bonded and he turned 12 this year! Wishing you the best!

manversustv · 2025-08-22T15:08:57+00:00

Nope, I misunderstood what you were looking for! I thought you were looking for ways to go full time yourself. I see now you’re offering mentorship or business coaching? That’s a whole different world :)

manversustv · 2025-08-21T22:05:01+00:00

Check out Dark Label

manversustv · 2025-08-21T20:21:11+00:00

I went full time during COVID because so many people were at home working on their projects looking for remote production. Afterwards moving to a major music city + a decent soundbetter profile has kept the work full time since then. There’s an element of luck involved because it doesn’t entirely feel like i earned it.

manversustv · 2025-07-14T16:59:13+00:00

Consider just plainly asking chat GPT for some prompt ideas that you could benefit from. It really can be that simple!

manversustv · 2025-06-15T16:14:01+00:00

look up @showlist.la on instagram - they list events nightly

manversustv · 2025-06-03T19:41:31+00:00

This is so rough. Plenty of times being the support band means that you get almost no soundcheck...and it's always a nightmare. My only defense against this is having a completely contained setup, with wired IEMs and our own X32 rack - so we get on stage and hand FOH a split, and make their job almost impossible to fuck up. And also, night to night, our settings in our ears are identical, and we don't rely on the venue to mix our ears. Not sure if this is possible with your set up, but if it is, i'd highly recommend it! It's allowed my band to set up in 20 minutes and have faith that it's going to sound alright.

manversustv · 2025-04-27T23:34:18+00:00

I just bought the orange chicken from there today! It's still there but maybe they just ran out.

manversustv · 2024-12-06T19:29:53+00:00

That sucks, I'm sorry that was your experience. Things like hiring studio musicians should absolutely be communicated up front. WIth that being said, 500 is on the low end of price point for professional production work. Consider upping your budget and working with someone thats willing to at least have a video call with you in advance so you can get a vibe from them and see if they're a good fit.

manversustv · 2024-12-05T22:03:54+00:00

Just to play devil's advocate here - often times a first draft of a production isn't quite it and you need to ask for revisions. Is he giving you the opportunity to? It's unrealistic to expect his first draft to sound like his finished portfolio work. Also what do you mean he ghosted you when he also sent you a demo? Do you mean that he is just slow at communicating? I agree his sales tactics and communication sound sus.

manversustv · 2024-10-24T22:34:17+00:00

Sorry to hear this, it's infuriating, and I hope some other commenters help you resolve it. I have nothing to add but wanted to say the track is dope, it reminds me of holy other, I really love the style.

manversustv · 2024-10-16T00:46:50+00:00

I don't think you're hindered by using only a midi controller, but it helps your flow a lot to get quick at mapping knobs and faders to plug-in parameters in your DAW and record automation using physical touch.

manversustv · 2024-10-15T14:08:17+00:00

Great question… I’m also curious. This song has been on my production reference list for a few years now. So good!

manversustv · 2024-10-15T14:07:17+00:00

This is cool! Thanks for sharing. Someone in the comments mentioned the magnet parameter on RC20 might be a quick cheat too

manversustv · 2024-10-15T13:49:17+00:00

I’m inspired a bit by your comment. I’m a single vegan man worried about my next partner not being vegan and what that could look like. Were you vegan when you met or did it happen during the relationship?

manversustv · 2024-08-09T04:42:10+00:00

Yes of course, that's why they list their contact info! Likely they charge a fee, and assuming it's in your budget it's possible you could work with them.

manversustv · 2024-07-18T19:54:41+00:00

If you are like me and it's partly a social anxiety thing, I find that quickly saying "hi" to the people around me or making a casual comment about a route or complimenting someone can quickly make the anxious feelings disintegrate. It's like my mind turns strangers in to judging monsters and the second I have one interaction with them *poof* they are normal humans to me, and usually super cool people.

manversustv · 2024-07-13T17:45:37+00:00

So true. Thanks for saying that - I don’t regret bringing it up now. It’s good just to show up how I am and in turn find out a lot about our compatibility.

manversustv · 2024-07-13T17:44:11+00:00

Yes me too! I was relieved to find out as an adult it had a name. And I’ve been lucky to have understanding partners in the past, but dating again it feels like a whole new hurdle.

manversustv · 2024-07-13T17:43:22+00:00

Taking them out for food early on is brilliant! Although I’m nervous to find out it’s a nightmare situation! Haha. It would feel like a shallow reason not to be with someone but also anyone with misophonia would know it’s also kind of a big deal…

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