BACK LIST
RELEASING AN INDEPENDENT RECORD
Alter coming out at the studio clutching your tape there are generally two ways to go next, assuming you've shelled out and made the best product you can. You could try approaching a label with it (either major or independent) or set up your own record company and release the songs through that.
Don’t wait until you‘ve got 1000 copies at your baby cluttering up your living room belore going to see Fast Forward (031 226 4616), the Scottish branch at independent distributors, The Cartel, to talk about distribution. Make an appointment and take along a cassette at your mastertape. ‘They‘ll be presented with opinions, brought down to earth and occasionally mollycoddled,‘ says Fast Forward and 53rd & 3rd supremo Sandy McLean, who often has to bring home a lew truths to naive young bands.
Belore doing anything else you will have to decide about the tormat at your disc. This is not as simple as it once was. In the last year most olthe major record shop chains have banned 7in singles, except lorthose in the Top Forty. It's a sad time torvinyl addicts everywhere, butthe trend can't be ignored. A great deal at the time 7in singles are just not prolitable, and 12in singles and mini-LPs have become the
says, ‘Some things sell betteron 7in, and you‘ll get into the indie shops, but are you ghettoizing yoursell it you aim for that? Basically, certain markets sell well on 7m, and most don‘t.‘
It’s worth remembering that mini-LPs have the same production costs as 12in singles, and bring back a greater return. With Fast Forwards standard distribution deal your indie label will get 70 per cent at the shop price.
Turning your master tape into a vinyl disc requires several stages. First,
I lacquers must be cut. These are
needed for the pressing plant to make the ‘negative‘ which stamps out the discs.
».‘ . g a“
norm in the indie sector. As McLean
You can try organising everything
The Thanes
yoursell, but it's simpler and cheaper in the long run to hand overthe reins to a company who will arrange the pressing ol the discs lor you. The Fast Forward labels’ preferred choice is Mayking Records (250 York Road. Battersea, London SW11 SSJ. Tel: 01 924 2147), and since they deal in bulk orders with pressing plants, their lacquers will get higher priority than a small label like the one you’ve just set up.
You will get back test pressings (usually three, though more can be arranged), and it any laults show up on them the problem will have to be
then wobble meant
that The Thanes recently had to re-record an entire song again, though this is unusual. McLean reckons that only about one in titty test pressings are sent back. butthe lacilities Mayking use are extrememly good. It‘s not uncommon tor people to have 200 or so test pressings stamped out at £1 each and sold. still turning a prolit. though this is particularly in records aimed at the club scene. More usually, once the test pressings are passed as satislactory, the label will then order the lull quantity. Mayking will also have sleeves and labels printed, though these can be done at your local printers. The appeal ot this wears oll, however. alter lolding 1000 sleeves yoursell and glueing them down or sticking them in plastic bags.
The minimum order a pressing plant will take is 1000. lie-pressings can be done in batches ol 500. though printers are usually loath to printlessthan 1000. Just stick the remaining 500 sleeves and labels in a cupboard and hope thatthe demand loryourproduct will necessitate a lurther re-pressing.
Finally, don‘t discountthe idea ol compact discs completely. The price at making a 00 these days can be equal to the cost at an LP with a lull-colour sleeve. A largernumberol indie records than you might think are also released on CD. or are CD-only, so it
backtracked through the process and
can be a prolitable alternative.
includes Atari “MUSTF computer with colour monitor. Steinberg Pro 24 software (version 3.0) and Nomad tape sync system. Akai S900 sampler. Yamaha TX 803. 8 DX 7s. Roland 55(l. Akai MX73 keyboard. Wide range of microphones and effects. I Backshop Studios413 Shields Road. 041.041 439 5555. (‘ontactz (‘hris Adams. Rates: {Ill/hour (negotiable on longer bookings. cash payment. etc). lb track recording through 'I'AC' Scorpion 2-1- lo-Z desk. ()ther equipment includes Aphex aural exciter. assorted mics. Fostex Bit). Mirage synthesiser. 2 Yamaha Rev 7. Tannoy Super Red monitors. Rehearsal facilities are also available. at a rate of £5 hour. subject to the use non-use of the studio. This can allow bands to make live recordings of rehearsals. etc. IArch Studios 171 (‘urlc Street. (ii-l. (l-ll 9596251. Contact: Archie. Recording and rehearsal facilities. 24 track
recording rates: £12’hour:
£l5i'hour (weekends and after 6pm weekdays). 16 track: £8.1hour'.£lt)/hour (weekends and after 6pm). 8 track: its/hour; £8/hour (weekends and after 6pm). Basic rates do
i not include the cost oftape g — although packages are available for longer
bookings. Recordings are
made through AMI-1K ' desk with SI€(‘K ausilliary
desk. Two rehearsal
I studios — large rooms with 'I'race ' Iiliot 'Yamaha l’eavy
backline equipment.
Rates: £4 hour — with specialdeals for solo
musiciansil hourordUos £2 hour (before (rpm only). I Centre City Sound S71. Sauchiehall Street. (l-ll 2215(l58.('ontact: Derek Chalmers. Rates: on application. Reeordingon lo track using’I‘AC Scorpion 2-1 16 console. Lexcion P(‘M 7t). Bel BDRU and 4 SPX 90s. Recorder has full auto locater and remote. 5 rehearsal studios equipped with quality gear 'too numerous to list.‘ One interesting feature is a special rehearsal room for drummers only. containing a Pearl lixport seven piece kit. I Toad Hall Studios 1433 Pollokshaws Road. 04] 632 1113. (‘ontactz Ian Carmichael. Rates: £1 ll) per it) hour day. i‘ l 2 per hour. to track recording using Soundcraft Series II mixing consol. ’I‘ascam 85—lomultitrack. AKU
and Alesis reverb. ()uad amps. Custom Design. Auratone and Beyer Dynamic monitors. Range of microphones and instruments including AKAI 90“ sampler and Roland 'I‘R7ll'7. Although a lotrack studio. independent singles by We l’rec Kings. The ()rchids and the Bachelor Pad have been recorded here. Also has
video photography
studios ( see Videol
I Radio Clyde ( 'ly'debank Business Park. (iSl ZRX. (Ml 9-1! ll l l.('ontact: (irae Allan. Rates:
£35 hour. 3-1 track recording studio. which is available for trse w hen it is not occupied by w ork for the station. Aniek (i35 3“ ZS channel in line 24 group desk. .‘sl(‘l .lll 2-1 track tape machine with Dolby A. MC] Nil 10?. track mastering. Sony l’(‘.‘yl7tll Digital Audio processors. ‘I‘annoy. Yamaha and Atrratone studio monitors. ()ther equipment includes [57(1‘) vocal stresser. [fret and Atrdio Design limiters and compressors. [Trei dual parametric H). BX 2t) reverb. I-ZM'I‘ plate. liyentide ‘) Ill. Delta lab ’I‘imeline. Bel l)D8lland Yamaha SPX 9t). (‘lark 'l‘echniks [)N7Sl). Large range of microphones.
Also 2-1 track mobile studio: MCI .ll lotltl3o input 2-1 group desk. .‘yf( ‘l J] l 24 track recorder and two MCI: tracks. which can go straight todigital tape.
I Sirocco Studios 1 (ilencairn Square. Kilniarnock. (l5o3 34377. Contact: ('lark Sorley'. 24 track recording and rehearsal facilities. Rates
MISCELANEDUS
POWER
connoprrou AND LIES
PROMOTERS/
MANAGEMENT v
it is in this area that it is hardest for bands starting out to make any kind of impact. lispecially in (ilasgow. good management is very hard to come by . 'l'hose managers who have 3 enjoyed any kind of ) success seem to be
l
negotiable.
I Scotty‘s Sound Studios New toys ll Street. Kllsy ll‘. tll‘sliSZFI‘)! Contact. Bill (iardcn. Rates: on application. lzqurpnient includes Sounderalt 'I‘S i I 34-input console. Soundcral't Saturn 31 track recorder and two Sllltlc‘r .3 track t'c'ctutlets Westlake 12 ltltlllllt'ts. B( i“ amps.
invon ed with so many bands that any addition to their ranks could at nii ist r‘eceiy e only _‘llper cent ol theit'atterition yshiehis not good enough for any scriotrsact.
()ri tlreotlier hand. there seems to be a worrying tendency on the other extreme for" dodgy characters to attach themser es to halt decent bands and ruin their
prospects When choosing .r manager . the best thing it) do is find someone ytltl c in trust eyen ll their cspci rencc is limited Any intelligent person can pick up the methods of dealing on your behalt reasonably quickly
.-\s for thepromoters. llance factory and Regular \ltisieareboth specialising in name bands
soil youcan't pullat least sey en hundred
people forget it Dance l-actory are responsible lot some smaller giesat Bar (‘heyeiolet Ill Dundee. while the (‘ostlios .\gcncy seems to not k w ith more independent type bands. \\ itii all these major promoters. study what kindot gigsthey are promotingandsce whether they are worth approaching: I RegularMusics‘mtt-l. (astlcclrtl. lilohnston l eitaee. l dinliuigh l l H “Al ligtiti, (‘ontact \lark.\lack1e. Recent gigs hay c Included 1 loyd ( 'olc and the ('omniolrons. Ry ('ooder. and the .lcstts .ltttl .\l.tly (ham. I Dance Factory‘l Blackness .-\y eriue. Dundee DI): Ill “35: (iSZ‘lF ( ontact. ('lir‘rs lltltlstm. Recent proiiiotrons haye included
The List lo 4 2‘) September 1988 69