Repost from CDBaby
Michael Zapruder is an award-winning musician who serves as Music Curator for Pandora, the Oakland-based internet radio service based on the Music Genome Project. As curator, he directs all aspects of music collection, curation, and cataloging for Pandora’s stations. Zapruder has been with Pandora nearly since the inception of the Music Genome Project and was appointed as Pandora’s music curator in 2004.
There are any number of ways to get your music on Pandora. We’re always looking for new music to play for our listeners, so we watch all kinds of blogs, radio stations, show listings, charts and things like that. And while we don’t automatically add everything we see in those places, when an artist reaches a certain level of visibility we like to try our best to make that music available on Pandora.
So that’s the first thing you need to know. If you are connecting with an audience or community in a strong way; if you’re playing good rooms and getting attention, you will have a fine chance of getting into our collection.
We know we can’t find everything, though, so for the many deserving bands that we miss for one reason or another (and for bands that are just starting out), we offer a web-based music submission process that is free and open to everyone.
Here’s how it works:
1. Register for Pandora (the submission process is connected to listener accounts, so you can use your existing account if you have one).
2. Go to http://submitmusic.pandora.com and follow the directions for submitting.
3. If your CD meets the requirements for submission (you have to have a valid UPC code and the record has to be for sale in the Amazon CD store), you’ll be prompted to upload two songs along with any biographical or press information and any links you’d like us to know about.
4. When we get to your submission, we listen and make a decision about whether your submission is right for us. (This takes time, so be patient.)
5. If you’re accepted, we send you an email with a customized mailing label that you’ll use to send us your record. If we pass on your record we let you know on your submission page and we encourage you to keep us posted on your future work.
Lots of people ask us about the Amazon requirements, so here’s the skinny:
We use UPC codes as identifiers to display the right artist information and album art when something plays on Pandora. We want to be able to show as much information about the artists we play as we can, and UPC codes make that possible.
Requiring albums to be available in the Amazon CD store guarantees that we will have usable metadata for every album we accept, which in turn frees us up to spend our time listening to your submissions instead of entering song titles and such. It also means that interested listeners will be able to find and buy your music by clicking the Amazon link in the Pandora tuner.
You can get your music into the Amazon CD store for free using a service called CreateSpace. They press on-demand CDs for Amazon purchases. For people who have CDs for sale already, there is a vendor program that Amazon offers that charges an annual fee as well (and in case you’re wondering, we don’t have any financial stake in the above services).
So, what are we listening for when we get to your submission?
Well, for unknown bands the fundamental question we have to answer is: will fans of this kind of music be excited to discover this on Pandora stations?
We also consider how the submission might add to our existing collection. We may have more of a need for Black Metal, a less visible genre, than for something more common like Indie Rock (that’s not to say that we close the door on any genres, but the state of our collection sometimes comes into play).
We have a few basic internal guidelines for listening to every submission.
For one thing, our reviewers never have to give a reason for accepting music, but they always have to explain their decision if they are rejecting something. This only seems fair to us.
Also, we try to keep our personal musical preferences out of the decision-making process. The fact that a reviewer may not enjoy Darkwave or East Coast Hip hop or anything else really has no place in the decision about whether our listeners would embrace that music.
We are looking for excellence. Tim, Pandora’s founder, often says: “You have to earn your way into Pandora.” We try to make good decisions about whether the music lives up to that high standard.
When it’s all said and done, though, we know that with music and art we can’t ever be 100% sure we’re making the right call. We can never completely transcend our own subjectivity. Our way around that is to keep it simple: we try as hard as we can to give your music a fair hearing. We do our best to be conscientious with your work.
If we do get it wrong (and we do sometimes), we’ll find out about it; and when we see your music being reviewed or appearing on a chart somewhere, or when you’re playing the Fox Theater here in Oakland, we’ll make sure to get it into the collection right away!
Best of luck to everyone who is considering submitting their music or has already done so, and thanks from all the reviewers here for your interest in being a part of Pandora.
_______________________________
Note: this article was written by Pandora’s Music Curator Michael Zapruder and originally appeared on KnowTheMusicBiz.com. Thanks to both of them for allowing us to re-post it here. We should mention that CD Baby distributes our artists’ music to Amazon (one of the Pandora requirements). Here are a few steps you’ll need to take to ensure this requirement is met before submitting your album to Pandora-
1. In your CD Baby member account area, sign up your album for physical distribution through Super-D (No CD-Rs allowed) and for digital distribution to Amazon MP3.
2. Once you’ve confirmed that Amazon is selling both physical CDs and MP3s, contact our customer service team by writing cdbaby@cdbaby.com and ask that we “link up” both products so that Amazon houses them together under one UPC.
3. At that point, you’re free to submit your music to Pandora. Follow the guidelines below from there!
- Chris R. at CD Baby
Monday, August 16, 2010
When is a Pro Studio the Right Choice?
Repost from CDBaby
We listen to tons of albums every day, and the recording and production quality tends to vary just as much as the styles of music do. Ultimately, it’s up to you (the artist) to decide what sort of sound you’re going for, and of course, cost is always a concern. Yes, in a perfect world, we’d all have the time and money to spend weeks tinkering in a professional studio. That’s not a reality for most of us. But are you sacrificing pro-sounding results for the convenience of home recording? Again, it all depends on what your goals are with your music, and the means at hand. But unless you really know what you’re doing, getting that “radio-ready” pro sound of polished tracks at home can be a struggle.
So, when is a pro studio the right choice for your project?
We’ve heard a lot of different stories from musicians: some swear by the studio, others prefer the freedom of working at home and could never imagine shelling out big bucks and dealing with time constraints. For others, booking studio time is a motivator: you know exactly when you’re going in, and you’d better have your tracks up to snuff by the time that day rolls around. With the advent of pro-quality (HD, even) home recording, a lot of musicians are doing basic tracking at home, and only going to the studio to lay down the major elements of their record. (Why record tambourine at the studio when you can do it at home?)
What are your thoughts on this? Can you get the sound you want from your DAW/home studio? Do you think a pro studio is a must for a serious musician, or a waste of money? Let us know in the comments below.
We listen to tons of albums every day, and the recording and production quality tends to vary just as much as the styles of music do. Ultimately, it’s up to you (the artist) to decide what sort of sound you’re going for, and of course, cost is always a concern. Yes, in a perfect world, we’d all have the time and money to spend weeks tinkering in a professional studio. That’s not a reality for most of us. But are you sacrificing pro-sounding results for the convenience of home recording? Again, it all depends on what your goals are with your music, and the means at hand. But unless you really know what you’re doing, getting that “radio-ready” pro sound of polished tracks at home can be a struggle.
So, when is a pro studio the right choice for your project?
We’ve heard a lot of different stories from musicians: some swear by the studio, others prefer the freedom of working at home and could never imagine shelling out big bucks and dealing with time constraints. For others, booking studio time is a motivator: you know exactly when you’re going in, and you’d better have your tracks up to snuff by the time that day rolls around. With the advent of pro-quality (HD, even) home recording, a lot of musicians are doing basic tracking at home, and only going to the studio to lay down the major elements of their record. (Why record tambourine at the studio when you can do it at home?)
What are your thoughts on this? Can you get the sound you want from your DAW/home studio? Do you think a pro studio is a must for a serious musician, or a waste of money? Let us know in the comments below.
Is Your Band/Artist Name Holding You Back?
Repost from CDBaby
When choosing the name that’s going to represent you and your music, don’t take the decision lightly. The moniker is going to follow you wherever you go, and it will be forever associated with any music you release under the name. So choose wisely: picking a good name can not only be a great tool in promoting your band/brand, but it can also help you avoid fan confusion, online hassles, and possibly even lawsuits.
How about a stage name? If you’re a solo artist, the thought of using anything but your real name may not have occurred to you. And honestly, most of the time, using your given name is going to work just fine. After all, what represents you better than the name you’ve been using your whole life? But if you have a really common name, one that might be overly hard to pronounce, or even one that you simply feel doesn’t suit your music – for whatever reason – don’t shy away from the idea of adopting a stage name. You won’t be the first musician to do it. I think we’ve all heard the theories on how Bob Dylan might have fared had he stuck with Robert Zimmerman. And you can’t help but wonder if Iggy Pop would have had the same impact had he gone by James Osterberg.
Does it match your music? Picking a band name is trickier, because unless you choose to go the Van Halen route and use your last name as your band name, you’re probably starting from scratch. (If you have a last name as cool as “Van Halen,” you may want to consider just going with that. Just sayin’.) There are many schools of thought when it comes to picking a band name, and there are no hard and fast rules that universally apply. Some folks would tell you that you should go with a name that directly evokes the feelings you’re trying to get across in your music, but if you’re a fan of irony and/or sarcasm, maybe choosing something completely incongruous with your sound is the way to go. But be wary of picking quirky or jokey names: what may seem funny at the time may seem old and tired down the road.
Use the internet! When picking your name, the internet is going to be your best friend. Think you’ve thought up the best band name ever? Give it a quick Google and see if somebody already beat you to it. You’d be surprised how many artists we see on CD Baby with the same band names. In the pre-internet days, you could claim ignorance when it came to another band having the same name as you’re using, but nowadays, you’ve got no excuse. Make sure you’ve chosen a name that no one is using, or no one has used. The last thing you want is someone badgering you online for taking their name, or even worse, taking legal action against you. So go original. When it comes to online promotions, you’ll be glad you did.
Online advantages of a highly original name:
- Search engine-friendly. Nothing like being the top result in Google when someone types your name in, instead of making people search through stuff to find you.
- Easier access to ideal domain names. If you name your band something no one else has ever thought of using, you’ve got a great chance of slapping a “.com” on the end of it and claiming the domain for yourself.
- Same goes for MySpace, Facebook, Twitter, etc. While there’s nothing wrong with facebook.com/yournamemusic, facebook.com/yourname looks sharper. Choose an original name, and you’ve got better odds that no one’s using the URL you want.
Some common mistakes we’ve seen artists make:
- Using a first name only. If you just call yourself “Steve,” you’re never going to show up when people are searching for you online.
- Using overly common words. You ever wonder if the band Train gets tired of seeing locomotives pop up when they Google themselves?
- Using excessive punctuation and/or symbols, purposeful misspellings, or any other tweak that will constantly have you saying, “It’s spelled…” This one certainly has some exceptions (hey, it worked for !!!) but you might consider doing yourself a favor and leaving out the bells and whistles.
The bottom line: When picking a name, look to the future. Is it going to set you apart from the crowd, or is it going to fill you with regret and assure that you’re lost in the muck of the web? Use Google to do some research, and make an informed decision. You’ll be glad you did.
When choosing the name that’s going to represent you and your music, don’t take the decision lightly. The moniker is going to follow you wherever you go, and it will be forever associated with any music you release under the name. So choose wisely: picking a good name can not only be a great tool in promoting your band/brand, but it can also help you avoid fan confusion, online hassles, and possibly even lawsuits.
How about a stage name? If you’re a solo artist, the thought of using anything but your real name may not have occurred to you. And honestly, most of the time, using your given name is going to work just fine. After all, what represents you better than the name you’ve been using your whole life? But if you have a really common name, one that might be overly hard to pronounce, or even one that you simply feel doesn’t suit your music – for whatever reason – don’t shy away from the idea of adopting a stage name. You won’t be the first musician to do it. I think we’ve all heard the theories on how Bob Dylan might have fared had he stuck with Robert Zimmerman. And you can’t help but wonder if Iggy Pop would have had the same impact had he gone by James Osterberg.
Does it match your music? Picking a band name is trickier, because unless you choose to go the Van Halen route and use your last name as your band name, you’re probably starting from scratch. (If you have a last name as cool as “Van Halen,” you may want to consider just going with that. Just sayin’.) There are many schools of thought when it comes to picking a band name, and there are no hard and fast rules that universally apply. Some folks would tell you that you should go with a name that directly evokes the feelings you’re trying to get across in your music, but if you’re a fan of irony and/or sarcasm, maybe choosing something completely incongruous with your sound is the way to go. But be wary of picking quirky or jokey names: what may seem funny at the time may seem old and tired down the road.
Use the internet! When picking your name, the internet is going to be your best friend. Think you’ve thought up the best band name ever? Give it a quick Google and see if somebody already beat you to it. You’d be surprised how many artists we see on CD Baby with the same band names. In the pre-internet days, you could claim ignorance when it came to another band having the same name as you’re using, but nowadays, you’ve got no excuse. Make sure you’ve chosen a name that no one is using, or no one has used. The last thing you want is someone badgering you online for taking their name, or even worse, taking legal action against you. So go original. When it comes to online promotions, you’ll be glad you did.
Online advantages of a highly original name:
- Search engine-friendly. Nothing like being the top result in Google when someone types your name in, instead of making people search through stuff to find you.
- Easier access to ideal domain names. If you name your band something no one else has ever thought of using, you’ve got a great chance of slapping a “.com” on the end of it and claiming the domain for yourself.
- Same goes for MySpace, Facebook, Twitter, etc. While there’s nothing wrong with facebook.com/yournamemusic, facebook.com/yourname looks sharper. Choose an original name, and you’ve got better odds that no one’s using the URL you want.
Some common mistakes we’ve seen artists make:
- Using a first name only. If you just call yourself “Steve,” you’re never going to show up when people are searching for you online.
- Using overly common words. You ever wonder if the band Train gets tired of seeing locomotives pop up when they Google themselves?
- Using excessive punctuation and/or symbols, purposeful misspellings, or any other tweak that will constantly have you saying, “It’s spelled…” This one certainly has some exceptions (hey, it worked for !!!) but you might consider doing yourself a favor and leaving out the bells and whistles.
The bottom line: When picking a name, look to the future. Is it going to set you apart from the crowd, or is it going to fill you with regret and assure that you’re lost in the muck of the web? Use Google to do some research, and make an informed decision. You’ll be glad you did.
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