By Cari Cole

Whether you have some cash or are on a budget, money is not really what’s holding you back from recording. But planning might be. Because the truth is, as long as you plan for it, you can achieve it. This is true for anything you really want. The key is in the planning. You can stretch out recording over 1 – 2 years if you need to. Or you can get it done in 6 months. It’s better not to rush it because you run the risk of making poor decisions. Recording is a sacred process that needs ample time and reflection.
Here are my top tips for Planning Your Next Recording Project:

1. Singles, EP, or Album?

First things first. Are you wanting to release an EP (5-7 songs) or an Album (10-12+ songs)?

What’s the difference? Usually budget.

What’s better? An Album. We need a full album to really commit to an artist.

Artists without a bigger budget can release 2 singles that later lead to an EP. And then do the same 6 months later to create an LP. This is a way of releasing more content over a longer period of time. It also allows you to give each song a longer marketing cycle and still do an album ;).

2. Your Budget.

Your budget will depend on the size of your project (how many songs), who is producing (what their fee is), how many musicians are involved ($$$), and the cost of the studio.

Tip: It’s interesting to watch cover artists like Kina Grannis build their careers on acoustic productions (low production cost.) An option if you don’t have access to much funding.

3. Funding Your Project.

Crowdfunding is generally the way to go to raise money for your project. It’s also a great way to give fans a heads up that you’re working on a record and get them involved in the process.

Be careful not to overshoot your goal (particularly on Kickstarter.) If a Kickstarter project fails, no money is collected from the backers. Their credit cards are not charged unless the project is 100% funded. The best way to not overshoot your mark is to tally how many people on your list you think will give, lowball the amount and have an extra cushion you can donate at the end to bring it to success.

If you’re not the crowdfunding type, you might look for an investor. A family member, a patron of the arts or an actual investor interested in helping you. Have your budget outlined so you know what you need, and then add on top of that. You’ll always need more than you think ;). If you have an investor, you might want to have a promotional budget in mind as well.

4. Pre-Production Planning.

Plan out the kind of production you want. What’s your sound? Are you a solo artist with electronic tracks or an acoustic organic sound? Are you a rocker with screaming electric guitars or a stay-at-home Mom whose music belongs in a yoga studio? Your sound is your signature stamp.

Start with a list of artists and song productions you want to emulate (not imitate, but emulate.) We call them “reference tracks.” Narrow them down to carve a sound. “A little of this, a little of that, and a smidge of that.”

Careful to listen more to the sound of the music – the productions, not so much the vocal. Producers will listen to the music when carving a base for production and direction.

5. Production Team: Producer, Musicians, Mixing & Mastering Engineers, Vocal Arranger/Producer.

Choosing the right team is no small thing. It’s well, everything. Spend a lot of time researching, scheduling meetings with potential people.

6. Your Recording Timeline.

In my 30 years of experience making records myself and helping others do theirs, I would say it’s an average of 1 year to write and 1 year to record. That can easily turn into 3 years (1.5 to write, 1.5 to record.)

The most important thing is not to rush the process but stay on track. Set your goals. Start with when you’d like to have your record out and then reverse engineer (plan backwards from there.) You may find you need to push your release date back (usually the case.) It always takes longer than you think. Once you have a general idea and are in motion, be sure to put your writing, planning and recording sessions in your calendar. Including all of your practice and research time as well. “Live” the calendar to help you stay on track. If you get behind, don’t stress. Just push your dates back. I’ve never experienced a project yet that went according to plan ;). It’s hard to put a firm deadline on creative projects.

7. Your Content River.

A big part of your recording project should be creating your content river. Photos of your journey, writing sessions, lyric sheets, recording sessions, filming, blogging, vlogging, social posts, hashtags, FB live sessions etc. It creates a fun experience for your fans to follow along with you. Plan it into your recording timeline. Build it and they will come ;). And don’t be afraid to share it all – the good, the bad and the ugly. Authenticity attracts! The more emotional connection you make the more people bond with you.

8. Your Release Timeline.

An equal part of your recording project is your release timeline and planning. Derek Sivers years ago said something to the effect of — ‘is your album completion your finish line of your starting line?” I would say, you have two start/finish lines. Your recording start/finish line and your release start/finish line.

In closing — be sure to spend lots of time planning how you want the experience to go – for yourself and your fans.

Success of any project is in the details.

Happy planning! You can do this!