Mark Nicholas ([info]cosmicity) wrote,
@ 2008-03-26 14:51:00
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Current location:BBDO Detroit
Current music:Techno Squirrels - Love Comes First
Entry tags:cosmicity, mark nicholas, the free ep

Less Hypothetical
Let's just say for kicks... that the reason I was asking about songs yesterday was because I'm considering offering this entire EP of my music to the whole world completely free. In fact, I'm thinking of calling it "THE FREE EP". One big, fat, free download. Totally unrestricted MP3s. In fact, giving this music away to people you know would be actively encouraged, and as easy as sending friends a link to the download page.

Assuming that was the case, and assuming that I've narrowed it down to these 10 songs... I'd still like to trim the list down a bit. The easy thing to do would be to just eliminate the Cosmicity songs (tracks 7-9) completely, since they are a good five to seven years old. Thoughts? Arguments?

1. I Wish
2. Maniac
3. Backlash
4. Coming Clean (Club Mix)
5. Green
6. Little Goth Girl (Ethereal Mix)
7. I Want You
8. The Princess of Detroit
9. Tinnitus
10. Selective Memory Loss (Pure and Simple Mix)

For the record, my THEORY is that by releasing a completely free EP, some of the, hopefully, many people that'll download it just 'cause it's free will like, or grow to really like, some of these songs as they hear them on their computers or iPods over time. And that they'll eventually either want to go buy more songs from the original albums, or at least be more inclined to buy my next album because they've become something of a fan. Will it prove to be a totally foolish business model to give away 6 or 7 of my best songs for free? Maybe. But I'm hopeful that, ultimately, it could prove to be the opposite.

Hit me people. I can take it.

-m


(31 comments) - (Post a new comment)


[info]miss_ania
2008-03-26 07:43 pm UTC (link)
I think that you should at least leave one Cosmicity song on there...what about the version of YBL that was on Perversions? It's kind of a best-of-both-worlds senario. If you DID use Cosmicity songs, though, I really would use probably only two (and probably only from EP442 but that's totally your prerogative), and then maybe then as a kind of a "bonus" on the EP - you know, before he was Mark Nicholas, he was COSMICITY!

I don't think that giving away the songs will be disastrous - heck, if Radiohead and Nine Inch Nails can give away albums for free (or "purchase" them for $0.00, whatever) then you can give away an EP. Instead of maybe hunting down albums online to download maybe, just maybe, they'll see this and download it instead because it's more easily accessible (and official!). I know that I'd be more inclined to download a free EP if a band I'm kinda sorta interested in offers it.

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[info]cosmicity
2008-03-26 08:05 pm UTC (link)
Cool. And I think you're probably right about Cosmicity, too. Maybe there's just one bonus track... just for fun, to show my history and let people know there's a large back catalog of that stuff.

-m

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[info]serpent_sky
2008-03-26 07:52 pm UTC (link)
I actually think it's a very good idea. People are willing to take a chance on free, but are far more hesitant with their money. I have this whole theory on the future of music, and how NIN is going to lead that revolution. It gets long... I wish I could find it on Shoutmouth where I originally wrote it.

That said, an integral part of it, in my mind, is smaller/lesser known artists releasing things for free/very low prices, just to get into the public conscious. If you could find Web sites that would give away the free download, it would help, too. [Hmmm, know anyone who runs/writes for a music Web site?] I know AbsolutePunk had a free EP from You, Me, and Everybody We Know. I said, "hey, why not?" and downloaded it. I like the band, and now will buy releases from them and go see them live. In that case, it worked.

Another thing that helped was the free EP was "endorsed" by Max Bemis of Say Anything. That's another reason why I downloaded it. The singer of one of my favorite bands says it's good? Then I have to check it out!"

I think you're doing something really forward-thinking that's in line with how people discover and consume music these days, as opposed to sticking to the old rules. Good idea, definitely, from where I stand.

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[info]cosmicity
2008-03-26 08:03 pm UTC (link)
I will TOTALLY take you up on your offer to host it at Shoutmouth, if that's a real offer. Do I fit on the sight, though? Is my music Emo?

I was trying to figure out how I wanted to handle it exactly... put it on my own site, or last.fm, or iLike, even just myspace? Maybe all of these places... or maybe just Shoutmouth. Let me know how you think that'd work.

An endorsement would be awesome - I can see how that would influence you to download something. It's a fantastic idea. Too bad the highest profile people I know aren't really powerful endorsers. I know lots of low-level synth bands, and I'm aquaintences with like Assemblage 23 and Anything Box - one band probably too dark, one probably too light. Know any semi-established bands that might like my music?! ;-)

-m

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[info]cosmicity
2008-03-26 08:04 pm UTC (link)
(Just noticed i typed "sight" instead of "site". Yuck!)

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[info]serpent_sky
2008-03-26 08:18 pm UTC (link)
That's the one thing that I wonder about -- it might work on Shoutmouth, it might not. The odd thing is lately, a lot of electronica has been getting mixed in with hardcore [see: Enter Shikari, Sky Eats Airplane, Drop Dead,Gorgeous, etc... lots of keyboards and the like], plus AFI has a side project, Blaqk Audio [LOVE it]... so it's not entirely out of place since a lot of that is crossing over with emo and punk and hardcore.

That said, I wouldn't exclusively rely on Shoutmouth, though I'd be happy to promote it or host it [have to wait for the new site to be up because it will run faster] because hey, free music. :) Are there any sites like Shoutmouth or AbsolutePunk.net or the like for electronica that you could go to for this? I'm honestly not sure... but that would probably be a better bet.

I wonder if Blaqk Audio is reachable, or if they'd be willing to endorse? If you even dig them at all? It could help with a wider audience, and I know they have some connections to VNV... etc etc.

Just some thoughts...

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[info]cosmicity
2008-03-26 08:53 pm UTC (link)
I hadn't heard it, but I'm listening to Blaqk Audio. It sounds remarkably like what all the bands in the so-called Synthpop scene have been doing for years... since like 1997... doesn't it?! Not bad at all, I'm just kinda shocked how much it sounds like those bands. If you hadn't told me this was dudes from AFI, I'd have assumed they were the latest import on Metropolis or A Different Drum's new band.

But yeah, I'm sure they're not really reachable unless there was a press connection like you guys interviewing them or something. There's no way they read their own e-mail. I'll have to keep thinking about the endorsements thing.

Let me know when your site can host. I say, why not? Nothing to lose, and I'd be happy to direct people there to download the album. And I'll also try to put it, strategically, in a couple of other places so I can cover as many bases as possible. There are a lot of electronic music sites, but not really any that cater to what I do (or even what Blaqk Audio does) which is electronic songs with vocals (as opposed to the repetitive house music most people assume you're talking about when you say electronic.) I'll probably just end up using a more mainstream site instead.

-m

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[info]serpent_sky
2008-03-26 09:15 pm UTC (link)
Blaqk Audio kind of had a built-in press coverage, really, being that they're the singer and guitarist from AFI. Also, the project has been talked about for years, to the point that people stopped believing it would ever come to fruition. So they had a lot of coverage on all the punk/emo/alternative sites simply because of who they are.

I have no contacts with them... the major labels are hard to get a hold of, and if you do, the crap they want you to do to get to the good stuff is ridiculous. Not to mention, it doesn't fit on the site at all.

I have a feeling there is going to be more electronic stuff with vocals coming up. Bands like Metro Station, or even Cobra Starship, are folding into the punk/emo/hardcore scene, and there's a lot of shifting going on with serious hardcore bands incorporating electronic elements [like I mentioned, Enter Shikari and Sky Eats Airplane come to mind.] As it turns out, this might just benefit you more than any actual "electronica" connections, all told. I could see your music working with that sub-scene of the more electronic-based bands, you know?

Check out some of them... Metro Station almost sounds like Alphaville to me, but they're covered on all the sites and getting bigger by the day. It's interesting watching this evolution, especially since I like mixing genres that I enjoy like this.

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[info]tr00per2
2008-03-27 03:23 am UTC (link)
Thanks. I've put these bands on my short list of things to check out. Every few months I hunker down and go through new artists. Too bad my favorites haven't got the recognition and exposure they deserve.


-- Eric (tr00p)

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[info]introvert
2008-03-27 12:52 am UTC (link)
However you do it, make sure you push the hell out of it. The big problem with things like this is that they go unnoticed.

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[info]tr00per2
2008-03-27 03:33 am UTC (link)
Agreed. Which is why it really needs to be more than just a good collection of tracks. It needs to be varied, and it needs to fundamentally -move- people.

* * * * * * * *

Mark,

Promoting stuff isn't easy. It's an uphill battle with few rewards and many dead ends. But really connect with people, and they will promote for you. You have poured your heart and soul into making good music for more than 15 years. You're expert at it. Now really do something important, and get it heard at all cost. Not just your latest version of it. All of it.

-- Eric (tr00p)

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[info]cosmicity
2008-03-27 05:11 pm UTC (link)
I'm totally open to any and all suggestions for getting the word out. I'll use the hell out of all the stuff that I know, but I'm sure the net is totally full of stuff I've yet to find...

-m

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[info]laerm
2008-03-27 01:14 am UTC (link)
good idea do it yeah whoo!

(need clarification? ;) )

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[info]cosmicity
2008-03-27 05:12 pm UTC (link)
Nope, I think I get what you're trying to say. You're hesitant and skeptical about this entire notion, right?

-m

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[info]tr00per2
2008-03-27 03:13 am UTC (link)
You asked for it, Mark. :-)

The current list isn't bad. But it is narrow. Which minimizes your chances of really striking a chord, regardless of the fact that they're darn good songs. Without an organized marketing campaign, or insane luck, really great albums don't get the exposure they deserve. TOSS A BIGGER NET.

Putting a list together with huge variety, that covers your whole body of work, in a hook-em-and-reel-em-in manner (why I went dance-to-slow) is much more likely to resonate with people than focusing on just your current sound. D33 is excellent, super hip, and literally one of my favorite albums ever. That being said, the prior stuff is what I emotionally respond to; songs that I could not imagine never having heard. You didn't compose those songs to have them fade away. Thinking Cosmicity is rather dated to put forward with your current work is rather destructive to your cause. There's enough good stuff and variety in your back catalog to sway anyone, especially once they *get interest* enough to explore the albums. Combine that with D33 tracks and you've at least got a suitable net.

You replied that you thought Digital Delays and Too Far Gone didn't have good enough sound quality. Nothing on my list has objectionable sound quality. In fact, the charm of those songs is how they SOUND. They're high bpm. Note that I'm the guy with audiophile headphones ripping to 320kbps who is highly sensitive to over-compression, poor level balance, and other common mastering issues. Whatever the mastering of those songs, they still work and work beautifully; whether on my Sennheiser HD-595's or in my car with speakers that I really need to change out.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

The following is the honesty you seemed to ask for. Please forgive me. :-)

Your current list:

1. I Wish
--- NO. Love this song, but the spoken delivery is objectively strange. Trust me on this, you don't want the first song to be one that has to grow on people. This will have to grow on people. I would replace it with I'm Trying to Impress you, which is a damn hip opening track. LISTEN TO DODGE on this one. :-)

2. Maniac
=== NOPE. While I like the song, and love it with the video, don't embrace it just because it's a recent effort. Why? Because it's a fairly straight interpretation. Covers must have a huge dose of originality (unless you're backed by a record label selling to sheep). Last night on American Idol (which I rarely watch), a guy completely remade "Billy Jean" and got a standing ovation and three judges who think he'll win the competition with 10 left. I didn't love his style, but I was still moved by what he accomplished with the song.
Automatic is a *much* more original cover; it hasn't already been beat to death by an f'n Kia commercial; and it's a song that everyone remembers and loves but no one expects. USE IT INSTEAD.

3. Backlash
=== NO. Great song, great lyrics; however not widely appealing. The lyrics are clever commentary, the music is good, it's polished... but it doesn't leave an imprint. No toe tapping, no sing-along chorus, no emotional response. Just content listening. TRY DIFFERENT BAIT.

4. Coming Clean (Club Mix)
=== VERY CLOSE. This mix is good for fans of the song, but is otherwise too beat driven compared to the really accessible sound of the original. Any techno song can do oontz. Keep the sonic texture. Don't alienate the Electropop-leaning audience. USE THE ORIGINAL.

5. Green
=== NO. Edgy. Awesome composition. I like the song a lot, but the ambitiousness of the lyrics and the KMFDM-style marching sounds, while seriously enjoyable, are not what I would call universally accessible. BE ACCESSIBLE.

(Reply to this)


[info]tr00per2
2008-03-27 03:13 am UTC (link)
6. Little Goth Girl (Ethereal Mix)
=== NO. Awesome mix. I like it better than the original. But this song is both way too emo and way too goth at the same time, making both groups scratch their heads. Few people would connect the song on first listen (if ever), but I think that audience is smaller than what the blog and your circle of friends may represent. It's all about about a goth girl and goth thoughts, for goth's sake. This is coming from someone who has lots of goth and goth-crossover music, used to go goth clubbing, dug goth girls and had lots of goth friends. I'm trustworthy on this. DOESN'T UNIVERSALLY CONNECT.
7. I Want You
=== GREAT! Just watch the track order.

8. The Princess of Detroit
=== NOPE. Not your best selling single and not a fan favorite. It's good, especially on close listen, but a lot on Pure was much better from the first note. TOO SUBDUED.

9. Tinnitus
=== EXCELLENT! Again, watch the track order on this one.

10. Selective Memory Loss (Pure and Simple Mix)
=== GOOD. Another great mix that's really grown on me more than the original. It's a damn good ballad. I just think it would be a horrible shame not to put Awake either before or after this track. Everyone's experienced the raw feeling in that song, and hit an emotional nerve beneath my normally insensitive exterior. Possibly like no other song of any artist. SHARE AWAKE WITH THE WORLD. [in addition to Selective Memory Loss]

- - - - - - - - -

Paraphrasing what I said when posting my list: getting independent synthpop out to my friends, coworkers, and everyone has been on my mind for many years in a very objective way. The music deserves to be heard. That's why I've somehow been driven to spend so much time illustrating it here.

What difference does a few more tracks make? Call it "THE FREE *ALBUM*" and let people explore.

Rehash of my dance-to-deep list, with modifications and in album length:

1) I'm Trying to Impress You
2) Coming Clean
3) Tinnitus
4) Orange (Dance Mix)
5) Defeat
6) Sedgwick
7) I Want You
8) Automatic
9) Digital Delays
10) Too Far Gone
11) This City
12) Selective Memory Loss (Pure and Simple Mix)
13) Awake

Don't put source albums on the track names. Do put file it under both artist names. Do put "Mark Nicholas and Cosmicity present: The Free Album" on top of the album description. People will figure out your entire catalog from there.

-- Eric (tr00p)

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[info]tr00per2
2008-03-27 03:21 am UTC (link)
Do give out your Myspace and Livejournal at the end of the album blurb. Community, and mass hysteria, goes a long way to bringing out people's appreciation of anything, including music. :-)

-- Eric (tr00p)

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[info]tr00per2
2008-03-27 03:36 am UTC (link)
Last one for tonight: Do put three Paypal links wherever possible. One for $5, one for $10, and one with blank amount.

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[info]cosmicity
2008-03-27 05:51 pm UTC (link)
I agree with you about Paypal links - I will do that where possible.

I agree with you about links to blogs - again, will do where possible.

I somewhat disagree with you about Cosmicity. Now, I definitely agree that I wrote some great songs as Cosmicity that I'm proud of and that deserve to be heard. I'm not questioning that. But the issue of them being dated or not-up-to-par recording quality-wise, I'm pretty sure, is quite real. And that makes them a tough foot to put forward first. (There's also the potentially huge issue of artist confusion that I was just thining about - when I'd have to list two artist names at the top of the album.)

You're fighting for a couple of songs that just don't have mass appeal based on what's popular with the music-buying audience right now (or based on iTunes sales of the Cosmicity catalog, for that matter.) Too Far Gone is unquestionably dated sounding. Not just the synth patches, but the lack of any sound in the sub-bass area instantly puts it in the previous decade. People just don't record like that anymore. And "Defeat", as hard as I tried, never really had a current sound. I knew even when I released it in 2001 that it wasn't right. I just didn't know how to fix it, at the time. Anyway, I could go song by song, but the bottom line is that I really believe Cosmicity is even more audience-limiting than the Mark Nicholas tracks. You have to absolutely love 80's New Wave, or you can't get past the opening notes of almost any Cosmicity song. So, I'm probably going to take Miss Ania's idea and separate out a couple of Cosmicity songs as bonus tracks on the main download page.

You're probably right about Maniac, but Automatic is exactly the same. They're really both straight interpretations of the originals. I'll probably ditch 'em both.

And then there's "I Wish", which was hands-down the out-of-the-gate favorite on D33 when it was released, and continues to be the most downloaded song. There's gotta be something to that. Remember that whole conversation before about how music is subjective? It really is. "I Wish" didn't happen to strike you, but it seems like it struck a chord with most others, and I can't ignore that.

You might be right about Coming Clean too... might switch that back to the original. I was just trying to get a balance of stuff from Perversions on this too, but I shouldn't force it.

-m

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[info]tr00per2
2008-03-28 04:09 am UTC (link)
I see your Schwartz is as big as mine! However, I'm not fighting for favorite songs. :-)

I'm trying to steer you into an concept of how to promote your music that is broader than your initial comfort zone. In doing so, I am empathizing with the same aspirations as an artist that made you retire the old band name to make a change and hopefully get some validation. And yes, it deserves to be heard because good music truly moves and inspires people.

The issue of older tracks goes back to little net or big net. You can choose to promote the heck out of basically one modern sound (albeit very good) that might get some attention from an audience of size X. Or you can lure them with the hip, modern sound and then throw some depth at them with the best of 15yrs+ music; getting overlapping audiences X, Y, Z and the associated word-of-mouth. "X" may love the new sound, "Y" may love the older sound, and "Z" will love both.

People are much more likely to want to explore when your music is not just good, but is *different* and presented in a way that demonstrates there's something for many tastes. That you're not a one-album artist with a few good tracks and nothing to make them dig into that catalog. It must be said that regardless of how great / fun / singable / danceable / unique I think D33 is; the *real* hooks, the ***emotionally resonant*** songs that you find yourself singing fondly when no music's playing, are in your back catalog.

Depth isn't just song variety, but also emotional depth and sonic depth across the compilation. Forget about the sound *quality* concerns - it isn't that big a deal for anyone but the composer. Exception would be the Ich Liebe Deutschland Mix which is such a good mix but I listened to it again and yeah, it's very grimy. None of the tracks I've listed have objectionable sound quality. In my editing of the last post, I said "They're high bpm" and accidentally cut off ", but have a *SMOOTH* and fun sound." Not bad sound, but a refreshing break from the constant sonic barrage of loud, high-impact music (that I also enjoy listening to). There's room for both modern/high-impact and smooth in a single listener; many of whom would find a lack of overcompression refreshing.

Moving on to the topic of "dated" sound. I went to University of Florida (Go Gators!) in the 90's and there were a half-dozen clubs of varying size right off campus. Two of the largest had 80's nights weekly, sometimes twice a week. They were always mobbed - over a hundred people - and lines at the entrance. What was the demographic of these lines? Mostly girls, who want to dance to something other than booty music (played the other 6 nights a week). Girls are also, bar none, the most passionate online promoters of music.

Fast forward to the present. My sister is at the same University. Every whiny guitar-playing boy band is considered "Punk" (hahaha), bunches of guys think they're Emo, and the long tail of niche music is readily accessible. So much so that you need to keep their attention by sounding very, very different from the hundreds of MySpace embeds they whiz by in a given month. (Another mandatory thing you need to offer. Link to your Youtube page. Help them embed your videos and especially your music.)

What's going on at these clubs today? Still 80's nights. Still mobbed. Lines full of girls, their Emo guy friends, and I'm told even normal guys (who say they're there for the girls, but really dig the music). This club-going audience is in addition to the Electroclash audience and the biggest crowd of all: those who are open to and excited about discovering *good* music.

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[info]tr00per2
2008-03-28 04:10 am UTC (link)
What percentage of that audience has Duchess 33 and Perversions reached? What percentage has Cosmicity reached? Holy crap, there's a ready and underserved audience out there the size of a vast empty reservoir, and you're a big storm system of talent that's passing them by with nary more than a drop. Open it the f up if you want to realize those things you talked about when you. I don't mean leave your job, but I do mean being relentless and smart in promotion even if it means postponing the next album. Set goals for yourself for tedious exposure. For example: I barely ever log into MySpace, but when I do visit some band pages I'll occasionally click on some unknown band that happened to post a "Hey there! Love your stuff" followed by a mildly interesting banner on some more popular band's page.

Now onto whether or not a song sounds "dated". You seem to put it in the context of something negative; a track with a sound past its shelf life. In some cases, your older stuff does have a certain vintage sound and in other cases they hold of surprisingly. Regardless, they are enjoyable and different (that word again). I didn't list a bunch of songs that will have people wondering why they don't remember Cosmicity in the 80's and 90's. Hell, most of the people consuming new music now weren't even born in the 80's.

You're overly sensitive to the sound of your songs. It's understandable, but please come to terms with it for your own good. No music consumer: "Wow, I really love this catchy [insert artist here] song, but it sounds so dated so I'm just going to not listen to it." If that were the case, the Beatles and Rolling Stones and The Supremes and (heck) Depeche Mode would be stuff relegated to our parents generation. We would have never checked out those back catalogs that still sell strong decades later to new generations. (In my extreme case, I was unfamiliar with all 80's music but the top radio hits until I went to college and started listening to my friends albums. This was partially due to a heavy metal phase.)

They might raise an eyebrow at the first beats of a Cosmicity track, but you already got some of their attention with the modern stuff. In my case, I had heard a few of your tracks on various comps starting back in 1999. Also on Real Synthetic Audio. Things like "Orange (Dance Mix)" on Mix Rinse and Spin; and Self Involved (B! Machine Mix) on A Different Mix.

Being overwhelmed with a new career out of college and a baby in the house, I checked out some bands but it took a couple more years of comps releases for me to realize I was missing out on your music. The big factor for me was how different and well-rounded and universally good those songs were; as were the track previews from your albums. The clincher weren't the great toe-tapping songs, but the songs like Awake that unexpectedly dug past my tough skin.

Speaking of dated, they're crazy for releasing that Franz Ferdinand album. How the heck did an indie band think they could build enough momentum for worlwide promotion / distribution and 3.5 million album sales playing quirky, fun, uncompressed music that sound like it came from the 80's?! They just did. I'm sure there was luck involved, but oh my god people gobbled that "dated" music with its "dated" mastering right up. --- I didn't even buy their album. It didn't grab me, *subjectively*. But there sure as heck was a receptive audience that went for it. Big lesson here. Don't make the mistake of writing off some of the best music you have to offer, and offering a variety to appeal to many subjective tastes.

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[info]tr00per2
2008-03-28 04:12 am UTC (link)
Next to final note. The sound quality on "Defeat" is awesome, and the sound's style is very unique. Perhaps you're blocking out something or I'm not getting your concerns about it. The bass is great, the synths are great, the occasional metallic hits with the drums perfectly mixed. It was a standout song from the beginning and the more I hear it over the years the more I appreciate how well it came together. Similar to that is "Into It" which suffers a bit on mixing / mastering / vocals / polish. But I don't excuse it for being an early (1995) release... I absolutely excuse it because it is one of my STANDOUT FAVORITE tracks. Despite the rough edges, it's amazingly well-programmed, extremely unique, and *subjectively* as worthy of being on this free album as any other track.

On a final note, I meant it when I said that I really love "I Wish" despite suggesting it not be on the album. Among an audience that has already discovered you, I am not surprised to find it so popular. Objectively, I don't think it's an opener because of the lyrical delivery. Some people will be lost before the chorus and others will need it to grow on them, but the objective effect doesn't seem like a strong hook for Track 1. Put it on the album, sure... but make it Track 2+. I'm not saying that "I'm Trying to Impress You" has to be Track 1, but whatever opens had better be both modern and fun (we agree there) and grabbing on first listen to the broadest audience possible. What follows must transition progressively deeper, so that you first get interest, let them experience the variety and uniqueness of incredible songs you've created for 15yrs+, and finally they'll stop and realize with smiles on their faces that they've discovered something that really struck a nerve.

-- Eric (tr00p)

[Holy crud that was long.]

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[info]cosmicity
2008-03-28 06:03 am UTC (link)
I've heard enough. You lost me at "the *real* hooks, the ***emotionally resonant*** songs that you find yourself singing fondly when no music's playing, are in your back catalog."

No more posts on this topic, please.

-m

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[info]tr00per2
2008-03-28 07:47 am UTC (link)
Yikes. The way I was trying to communicate that whole emotional tie in, among other things, got way out of whack. Hard to make a compelling case when it goes off to an extreme of both quantity and sense. I'll respectfully cease the whole issue.

Some apologies below:
---------------------

Despite the poor wording, I do sing along to D33 and it's on the short list of my favorite albums of all time. I've been very happy with the direction you've been taking. While setting out to argue the merits of a whole-catalog promotion, I took the music out of context and pushed my opinions too forcefully.

My selection of "Into It" as example of a promotion-worthy song despite the sonics was wrong on the sonic part. Seems most of what I perceived as sound problems was caused by the ringy factory tweeters on my drive home from work. I checked it out with the uber-headphones tonight and the sonics were much much better, essentially a non-issue.

It's likely that I made other hasty statements in there while using your plans as proxy for venting my frustrations on the issue of good music not being heard. Sorry about that, and please don't take anything to heart.

I'll now stop hijacking this topic.

-- Eric (tr00p)

(Reply to this) (Parent)

[info]killerkersten
2008-03-27 03:26 pm UTC (link)
I don't have any technical knowledge when it comes to music or how to sell/promote it. That having been said, I think the idea of free samples is a fantastic one. It helps sell all kinds of products (perfume, deoderant, dog food, shampoo, food, medications, etc.). When it comes to my desserts I've always had a "first taste is free" kind of mentality. If it's yummy, they'll want more. Have confidence in the product you are promoting! I believe if people have access to your music, you will increase your fan base and sell more music in the future.

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[info]cosmicity
2008-03-27 05:21 pm UTC (link)
Thanks. I think this theory works too. Pretty sure I'm going to do it. I mean really, why not? It's not like I'm going to cut into my massive existing sales. I make relatively small amounts (a net loss last year, if you ask Sara the accountant who figures in the costs for my synthesizers and stuff), so there's not too much to lose.

-m

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[info]dhumphrey73
2008-03-28 03:37 am UTC (link)
You make music? Where the hell have I been?!?! :)

I kid... I kid...

I don't have much to offer, I don't think, except for the following...

As far as remakes go, if you CAN give away the remake of "Pure Imagination", I'd suggest that one. Everyone I've ever played that for loves it and asks for it. Since I don't know any way of them being able to buy it, I just give it to them. I think there's no harm in renaming that one a Mark Nicholas track (since it was never on a Comicity album) and using that one instead of Automatic or Maniac.

As for the rest, use whatever you want... it's your music and you're giving it away for free. That being said, go for catchy, impressive, cool, fun, etc. You're doing it to hook people for the future, so give 'em memorable stuff.

Free = good. I'd make sure to have something to go along with it. "I was kind of hoping that by doing this I'd help Hillary and Barack find something they could finally agree on. I think they'd both like "Little Goth Girl". I mean, what public figure wouldn't?"

D

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[info]tr00per2
2008-03-28 04:41 am UTC (link)
That's awesome that you brought this up! I was scrolling through Cosmicity MP3's by album in the car this morning, in order to prepare for tonight's follow-up manifesto, and I was like "Synthetic Broadway? Oh yeah!"

I'm almost certain that I got it with a few other rarities when Mark posted it on a secret, temporary "blog readers only" website page.

Great track and the vocals were really pulled off! Though I don't have that many friends or coworkers who are into broadway-style tracks (or Willy Wonka for that matter :-). Cool that you do. My wife and I certainly are fans of broadway, though I need to get reacquainted with it; haven't even ripped most of my stuff.

Were I to actually ever compose anything, I would so do a cover of a song from Chess or Secret Garden!

(Which reminds me on the straightforward cover thing Mark said. "Automatic" may have been sung straightforward, but the music and effects were layered great and done in a very non-straightforward way.)

According to the timestamps, the tracks posted were:
All You Need [Syn (EP)]
An Unbiased Observation of Human Interaction [Listen to the Future (COMP)]
I'll Take You Down [Syn (EP)]
Your Beautiful Lie (Red Sweater Mix) [Visionary (SINGLE)]
Pure Imagination [Synthetic Broadway (COMP)]
Late Night Winter [CatClause 96 - The Network Holiday Album (COMP)]
Orange Sunshine [Y2K Compliant] by Hatchetmen (Cosmicity + David Humphrey)
Olson Twins [Y2K Compliant] by Cosmicity + Steve Sholtes
Nevermind http: (Cosmicity Mix) [Red Flag: Who Are the Skulls?]

The Red Flag album is still available on CD Baby and probably elsewhere.

-- Eric (tr00p)

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[info]dhumphrey73
2008-03-28 05:48 am UTC (link)
Oh, yes, clearly... "Orange Sunshine". That kind of goes without saying. :) Greatest song ever recorded.

D

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[info]dhumphrey73
2008-03-28 05:54 am UTC (link)
OHMYGOD.... you should promote it as a free Mark Nicholas Minidisc and then post the mp3s as a free bonus digital copy. Then just mail people a blank Minidisc.

D

PS - Gawd, I did love Minidisc back in the day. Now, they're great for putting under table legs to keep the table from wobbling.

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[info]cosmicity
2008-03-28 06:06 am UTC (link)
It would be so awesome to promote it as a MiniDisc. Seriously, how cool was that format?!

-m

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