Taking 3 factors out of the traditional music business model....

Having a great composition is the beginning.  The rest could simply be put into 4 extra steps that a singer-songwriter must follow in order to get their composition and performance out of their tape deck, or laptop.  The traditional music business model called for:  Production, Promotion, Pressing, and Distribution.

Thanks to the world of instant communication and the world wide web, aggregate distributors such as CD Baby, Ingrooves, Tunecore, etc. are making it really affordable to distribute one’s art form.  The basic differences here in the world of distribution are financially in nature.  Some distributors charge up front, while others do not.  Some let you hold all of the royalties earned, while other take a cut.  However, keeping all things equal in this respect, the outcome is pretty much comparable depending on the songwriter’s situation. 

That summary took care of the distribution side of things.  So, iTunes here we go!  Now, the production could be done inexpensively by purchasing a DAW and using a dedicated piece of equipment such a as a laptop or PC (Mac vs. PC is a different question).  The rest of the equation mentioned in the beginning still leaves us with the duplication of the product or the “pressing” of it.  Digitally, this done automatically by your distributor.  If one wishes to sell through for example, CD Baby, physical copies of the product, then it is just a matter of increasing the budget a bit, but nothing that will break your pocket.

So, what about the last part of the 4 part system?  The “Promotion” of everything is still the most expensive part of developing a successful product in the end.  It is advisable then, that one’s budget go toward promotional services.  The promotion should take on a life of its own.   Although there is a lot one could do such as:  performances, independent promotion, PR company engagement, etc.  The fact is that this could turn out expensive.  Therefore, before one spends all of the resources in hiring a great local studio and engineer to go with it, one must make some executive decisions as far as how will it all get to the ear and eye of public.   

Here is a great company to follow and dive into when optimizing your music marketing:

How to quickly ARRANGE a song for production: The "scratch vocals" --your partner in crime!!!

Arranging a composition in order to have it laid out for production requires some planning depending on how the creative juices are flowing.  It could take a long time or not.  But, having your bases covered from the beginning will make the process a smoother one.

From my experience, the most useful technique so far (and I have tried many!), has been the scratch vocals.  A general ideal of the vocals with all its desired inflections will give the producer/arranger a very clear path as to what comes next.

How to get the vocals recorded as a scratch recording?  Well, this is a rough recording, but not necessarily an unimportant one.  Sometimes, I have kept a track of the scratch vocals in order to keep referencing even after the song has the definitive vocals in the mix already.

The attitude transmitted and emotions put in this performance of scratch vocals have proven very hard to duplicate later.  So, record your scratch vocals first and foremost.  Keep them in a very safe place through the tracking and production, and you will notice how the blueprint will be that much easier to follow.

For other great production techniques, please visit Larry Crane's webpage.  A great resource!

This video posted on Larry's production techniques can help quite a bit as well.