YRock

Sweet Wave Audio building online success in stock audio production

A good friend of ours and drummer in Glasgow band SEED has recently been using his music skills to make money in a different and very cool way. James is doing so well selling stock audio files that the website recently did a feature on him. This is a great example of some of the new ways musicians can earn a living with their music as technology and the whole world moves online. We've copied (ctrl + C) the original feature for you to read, please also check out the author of the interview Adrian Try, with links to the original feature at the bottom of this page.

Tell us a bit about yourself. Where are you from, what do you do for a living?

My name is James Grant, a 27 year old musician from sunny Scotland. I have been involved with music since I was 12 and main talent is as a drummer and private drum tutor. As well as AudioJungle and teaching drums, I play in my band Seed (from Glasgow). I have always written music, but about a year and a half ago started to put together my home studio mainly to record my band. I was chatting to a friend at a wedding in September 2011 and he said I should start selling music on AudioJungle. I didn’t even know what stock audio was! I decided to give it a try and started my profile in late November. I have since had over 400 sales, had a featured item and had my track rank as high as number 2 on the weekly sellers. In December I was the 12th best selling author! Blown away is an understatement. I came in here with no real knowledge or game plan other than to write good music and I’m glad it seems to be working. Yesterday I discovered I had a song used in a Leurre Lingerie video which was really cool to see. I hope to be around on AudioJungle for a long time and aim to keep building my profile up so I can maybe be one of the top guys. We shall see!

Which marketplaces do you belong to? What types of files do you sell?

I sell music on AudioJungle. I have a wide range of styles in my portolio but currently do best with upbeat indie pop/rock tracks. Basically, solid drum grooves with catchy guitar hooks is what I’m best at. I also have a strong ambient collection as well as a romantic/sentimental collection. I even have a few jazz, country and folk tracks selling just for good measure!

My questions is: “What were your expectations when you joined AudioJungle? Did you have a great start or your sales came later?”

I came into AudioJungle with zero knowledge of selling royalty free music. I didn’t know if $50 or $500 a week was good. I uploaded a few tracks a they started to sell after a couple of days. I didn’t know if it was luck or whatever but I continued to work hard and things have gone well since then. Sales risen since I started (especially after my track was featured) but I think I’ve reached a level that will take even more hard work to get beyond. But I’m looking forward to it. I don’t know the reason my tracks have sold other than I think I have a knack for catchy guitar melodies! (Even though I’m actually a drummer!)

Hey Sweetwave. I know you are a drummer since you’ve said on your profile page that this was what you’re doing when you’re not recording. Are you using real drums or programmed drums? What percentage do you use real drums/programmed drums? Do you/would you always prefer real drums or do you have situations where you actually prefer programmed drums?

I would love to have all live drums on my tracks, but due to space (and noise!) restrictions I need to use programmed drums. I think I’m pretty good at giving the programmed drums a human feel though as I just visualise myself playing it, so I know which notes should be loud/quiet etc. I have used my acoustic drums with my band in the studio and they sound great but for my AudioJungle tracks programmed drums will need to do for now! The only time I would prefer to use programmed drums is for my ambient tracks as they are mostly electronic. Or if I write a 350 bpm death metal song…

One author here has to ask this silly question as you are known to come from Scotland! In fact you seem to be a multi-instrumentalist, so I would really like to know if your musical skills also include playing the world famous Great Highland Bagpipe or other pipes?

Yeah I play the bagpipes. All Scottish children require bagpipe lessons from the age of five, so Ive been playing for 22 years. Only joking…. Ive only ever had a go at playing bagpipes once about two years ago and it wasn’t easy! I can play snare drum so I’ll leave the piping up to you! If you love bagpipes listen to guys called Red Hot Chilli Pipers. (Actual band!)

How did you get started? Have you had any formal training?

My background in regards the skills required for AudioJungle start back at school. I started drumming when I was 12 and I am a self taught guitarist. I then started using Cubase at around 14 and found I had the knack for it. I went onto music college in Edinburgh and learned a lot in the recording part of the course. I started using studio mics, Pro Tools etc. After college I played in a previous band for a few years before recently setting up my home studio. I record using Logic and I basically worked out how to use it myself through trial and error and a little help from Google/YouTube. My Mac had Logic installed when I bought it but no instructions! I am still learning my craft but enjoying every minute of the AudioJungle roller-coaster!

Describe your home workspace.

My workspace is in my bedroom and started as a Mac Mini with a M-Audio Fast Track. I then got my hands on a decent vocal mic, a MIDI keyboard and a multi-input interface to replace the Fast Track. From my first AudioJungle wage I purchased a pair of Yamaha HS-50 monitors and Beyerdynamic headphones. Believe it or not my best selling track was actually recorded and mixed using iPod headphones and small hifi speakers! Its all I had! But my little studio is coming along nicely and I recently added a nice big managers chair!

Describe your creative process. What steps do you normally follow to create your files?

My process usually involves a melody appearing in my head so I either start up the computer or I sing it into the voice recorder on my phone. When I’m ready to write the song I write and record it at the same time. I often do a rough drum track and guitars will follow. Bass next. Then synth/extras. When I have a rough song in place I will then go through it in fine detail and makes necessary changes, whether it be adding, taking away, editing the length, arrangement. Then I leave it until the next day and if I like what I hear I will upload it to AudioJungle.

Hi Sweetwave. Could you describe your approach to working on a new piece? From loading up your DAW to a finished idea. What inspires your work? 

My approach varies from time to time but I usually decide which genre I will write in before I start. After I decide, I just sit down and mess around with melodies/chords until something jumps out at me. I often start with the drums, followed by guitar chords, followed by guitar melody, then bass and then strings/piano/synth if needed. I usually write the track as I record it until its roughly finished and then I will add little details such as drums variations and guitar hooks until I am happy with it. My inspiration comes from buzz of being able to create a piece of music from thin air and someone likes it enough to spend money on it! Any way to make a living through music inspires me to do it again.

Hey Sweetwave! Do you use rare traditional instruments in your projects? If yes then which one is your favourite?

I don’t have a wide range of live instruments at my disposal, so I don’t have any rare traditional instruments, although it would be fun creating some unusual sounds. I have an electric guitar, acoustic guitar and a ukelele! (I have a drum kit but currently don’t have the facilities to record live drums.) So at present, no I don’t have anything too much out of the ordinary.

Hi Sweetwave! What do you use to get that “jangly” guitar tone in your tracks? What instruments do you record and what instruments are virtual instruments? What does your recording setup look like? What mics, preamps/interface, instruments, software?

Here is a list of everything I use! It may seen like a long list but when its all together its not much. At present its just a small bedroom studio. I use a Mac Mini with Logic Pro. I have an Alesis io26 interface, an M-Audio Keyrig 49 MIDI keyboard, Beyerdynamic DT100 headphones, Yamaha HS50 monitors, an SE220a condenser mic, an old Yamaha Pacifica electric guitar, an even older beat up Hohner acoustic guitar and a cheap ukelele! I only started putting together the studio about a year ago but my AudioJungle income is allowing me to upgrade bits and pieces as I go. As for acoustic guitar tone, Logic has a few presets and one works great for me. Stereo Doubler i think its called. It gives the acoustic a double-tracked sound. The acoustic guitar is pretty average but I’m lucky it sounds pretty good when recorded. For electric guitar its much the same. The guitar is pretty cheap but one pickup gives a great sound so I always use that and mess around with amp simulators/effects until I find something that works. But it’s probably a magic guitar. My friend has named it The White Wolf!

What is your advice to other authors regarding how to create a successful portfolio?

Being so new I don’t have a whole lot of advice but I must be doing something right as I make sales. For me, it just comes down to the quality of the music. I didn’t really do any self promotion to begin with. I have only recently started a Twitter, Facebook, website etc. I would say the same as what everyone else seems to say. Only release your best material. I have even been guilty or rushing a song or thinking “that will do” but it’s the wrong attitude. If you wouldn’t buy it, don’t upload it!

What do you do to market your files?

I have recently started my homepage www.sweetwaveaudio.co.uk and I have set up Twitter, Facebook and YouTube. I try to remain active in the AudioJungle forum and I also try to link all my similar tracks together with picture links to try and get buyers browsing my portfolio. Another area I’m learning as I go!

What are your three favorite files, and why do you like them?

I assume you mean my own files… Number 1 has to be Seeing Is Believing as it was the first track I uploaded and it has been a big success for me. The track was a featured item and is a regular in weekly sellers so it’s sort of my star pupil! I never get bored of this track as it’s very uplifting and catchy. I also think its a pretty cool track which for me is important. Number 2 would be Daybreak because I love the vibe I managed to create. I don’t really remember much about writing or recording it but it’s one that makes me think, “Wow, did I do that!?” Finally I would say You Sweep Me Off My Feet. This track doesn’t actually have any sales but it was written as a Valentines track and features my big sister on vocals and I think she done a great job. Basically, I think it’s a nice track and we had a lot of fun recording it.

Apart from yourself, who is your favorite marketplace author, and why do you like them?

I’m guessing a lot of people say this guy but for a few reasons I would say Mr Tim McMorris. Firstly, his tracks sell consistently so he’s a good person to use as inspiration and measure your tracks against his as they are of such high quality sonically and musically. Secondly, instead of keeping his cards close to his chest he is very willing to help other authors. I emailed him a couple of questions but didn’t expect a reply but he sent a very helpful, in-depth answer. He also emailed me off his own back to offer tips on how to maintain the success of Seeing Is Believing. So he gets my vote for being a great author and also one of the good guys.

What do you do in your spare time?

I love to gig with my band. I play a lot of football (or soccer!) and I like hanging out with my friends and winning at Xbox! I am also partial to a bit of adrenaline and have done the highest bungee jump in the world!

Boxers or Briefs? No, but seriously you have good stuff I gotta get out to Scotland and see those big green rolling hills.

Commando.

Article Posted by Adrian Try on 

http://notes.envato.com/interviews/author-interview-sweetwaveaudio/

The Fleet Headline Classic Grand

YRock are proud to announce the first main headline show for Glasgow band The Fleet. 

In addition to playing several successful shows across Glasgow including King Tuts & Captains Rest the boys have  spent some time doing recording sessions in London. The 4 piece band are now set to put on an amazing show for you in April!

The Fleet have their own unique sound and with a variety of brilliant videos on Youtube, they are well worth checking out both online and live.

Tickets are £6 and available from Ticket Scotland.

https://www.facebook.com/events/197767383664875/ 

Spotify Hits Germany!

Below is an official press release from music streaming service, Spotify. 

"Today sees Germany become the thirteenth member of the Spotify family. Our German friends can choose from three great Spotify services - from absolutely free to paid subscriptions.

Spotify Free – the unsurpassed free music service. Enjoy free, on-demand access to millions of songs on your computer. No gimmicks. Just listen and love it, month after month.

Spotify Unlimited – all the special features of our free service, but with uninterrupted, ad-free access to Spotify on your computer. All for only 4.99EUR a month.

Spotify Premium - the top-of-the-range Spotify experience. Premium gives you access to all the music, all the time. Listen online, offline, on your computer, your mobile phone and a whole heap of other devices. Enjoy enhanced sound quality and access to exclusive content, competitions and special offers. Premium costs just 9.99EUR."

How does this affect up and coming artists in the UK as well as abroad?

Thoughts on a postcard please… 

Geoff Ellis tell his story and how he became Scotland's top Promoter

Having just attended Glasgow UNESCO City of MUSIC: INSPIRING ENCOUNTERS with Geoff Ellis an having found the event and Geoff very engaging I thought it would be a great idea to write up some of my thoughts as I know that I took a lot away from the event, and also think that many of our bands and students should be looking to tonight for inspiration and I’m going to try and highlight some of that here on the off chance it might be of interest to someone.

As someone who has started a business as a fresh university graduate I’ve been lucky enough to attend many events and hear a lot of inspiring speakers through SIE, PSYBT, Scottish Enterprise and Strathclyde Entrepreneurial Network. I have heard Dan Germain from Innocent Smoothies talk about how important the little things in your brand matter and that fighting for them is just as important, I’ve had many conversations with Fraser Doherty from SuperJam who took his grannie’s lessons in jam making and turned them into an international business before he had turned 20… in fact I could sit and list so many different stories and snippets of other businesses that have inspired me or given me unique insights into my own ventures at YRock and tonight I’m wondering why exactly it has taken 5 years for me to sit at an event and hear somebody speak about their own experiences from the industry and profession that has absorbed my whole life for so many years. Too often I’ve heard people question the industry and suggest business models more structured and safe like the window cleaner, web designer or phone salesman and have had the grand parents ask why I don’t have a real job…. I’ve always been told that the music industry is a fickle place and very high risk… hard work, and difficult to get into…. In fairness, I wouldn’t really say Geoff said anything that would argue with this description, however seeing how successful you can become from working in the industry at the ground level and working your way up is important and very “inspiring” for someone who is working hard to grow a business, particular in this pleasant economic climate, and continue to run exciting events for bands in Scotland. One thing that did come across is that when you enjoy something it doesn’t feel like work, but that doesn’t necessarily make it easy.

Let’s not mess about here either, if you aren’t sure who Geoff Ellis is, then it’s probably worth highlighting that Geoff is one of the most successful music entrepreneurs in Scotland and he is currently the CEO of DF Concerts and the man behind the now legendary T in the Park festival.

Geoff’s success with DF and T in the Park is well documented, for me the interesting part of his story came from his early days, maybe it is because I felt that he was often describing scenarios that I could relate to and challenges that I’ve had myself or perhaps still have to look forward to, I’m not entirely sure. All I know is that a lot of the things Geoff said tonight really resonated with me and I think that whether you are a musician, event manager, promoter or interested in the industry in anyway then there is something that could be learned from tonight’s talk. There was also someone filming, so you might still be able to catch it if you check out Hear Glasgow’s site.

Starting from the ground up, initially as a volunteer organising events for his student union down in England, Geoff worked his way up and worked very much as a freelancer and runner for other promoters. This seems to be a really common story in this industry, another great example of this would be the Marmite man himself Simon Cowell, who I believe started in the mail room at EMI (or possibly one of the other big labels). This was a big part of tonight’s tale and bringing the story back to DF and those keen to work or volunteer with DF concerts and T in the Park it was very clear that one of the important things about the music industry is respect for others and also the willingness to do the simplest tasks. Geoff gave an example from his days working as a runner, when he was asked to drive all the way back to a hotel for a pair of gloves…. While many would probably moan about this and feel it was beyond them, Geoff took this in his stride and while it turned out the gloves weren’t even at the hotel, it was the fact he was willing to take the journey and the positive manner in which he did this that led him to be offered another role on the video shoot he was working on, a small step maybe, it all matters though.

I think this is a really important lesson that needs to be valued in today’s industry, having worked regularly with students over the years and also now actually doing a bit of teaching up at Cally I see just how important it is to get work experience for students. I reckon that when I was at uni I must have put in about 40 hours a week into voluntary work as well as my coursework and the value I got from that is incomparable. So if you want that glamorous job, be prepared to do the photocopying, make the cups of tea and keep that smile on your face, if you can do that then maybe someone will trust you with another job. But, as Geoff said tonight…. If you canny make a cup of tea or do the photocopying, don’t expect to be given a gig to run.

It is definitely getting harder to find employment, so if you are a student or are looking to change career and move toward the music industry we now know that even Mr T (in the park) was there too and the only way to move up the ladder is to start at the bottom and get experience. Geoff also talked about how another student venture of his was the creation of a music focused student magazine as there was nothing like that in his University, seeing an opportunity and then doing something about it is a common story with all entrepreneur’s and it’s great to hear that Geoff was just the same in his early days. Richard Branson and Virgin Records started as a magazine venture and slowly moved toward the record label when they realised there was further opportunities to build the business. So, maybe journalism and media is a platform worth looking into. It’s always worth remembering that every man and his dog has a degree these days, I’m pretty sure that you can buy them from the internet with a PayPal account, the degree proves you have the ability to learn and have a core knowledge. If you are looking to get that exciting job you need to remember that a degree isn’t enough, employers need that life experience and “more than a degree”. Something that Geoff highlighted when talking about the way in which most of his 30 strong team at DF Concerts had in abundance and it was the ability to achieve things on your own that he looked for in promoters and employees. Likewise, if you don’t have a degree, that shouldn’t put you off, gaining more knowledge is always an advantage, the proof is in the pudding though and if you can get results then that’s ultimately what will make the difference.

Be proactive, don’t expect to have these opportunities land at your feet, they won’t.

I think another key part in this story was the move from down south (I’m saying “down south” because I can’t remember the exact location, I want to say Coventry but certainly London areas “ish”) when he was given the job role of venue manager at King Tut’s Wah Wah Hut.

Now…. there aren’t many venues that have bands begging to play them, venues that give musicians more excitement than present time on Christmas day.

King Tut’s is one of those venues.

Everyone wants to play Tut’s.

A fact that doesn’t always make my life easy when trying to book bands and I think a lot of this was again down to hard work and building relationships with labels, Geoff actually brought his bar manager and door manager up from down South, somewhat accidently by the sounds of it, but to me that shows the importance of having a good team and working well with others. That team, who already worked well together elsewhere, clearly turned Tut’s into what it is today and it is a venue that has that little bit of magic that every Glasgow unsigned band wants the excitment of playing and I’m pretty sure if you talk about Glasgow to any band in the UK it’s King Tut’s that they’ll talk about. That’s an impressive brand and reputation for a small venue.

For any bands eager to work with Tut’s or DF… or of course YRock for that matter, Geoff also clarified something that I’ve known for a long time, and feel that bands need to be aware of and that’s how promoters work.

“If you are in a band a promoter doesn’t book you because of your demo” – or nowadays your online music.

Geoff talked about how promoters need to know that a band has a following and will bring a crowd, and this is true whether you are playing a small intimate venue like Captain’s Rest, King Tut’s or the playing the big guns like SECC. The promotional tools and the methods to market might differ as the venue size and band popularity increase, but the simple maths of the industry remains the same and bands looking to work with promoters need to work hard to build and keep their core following of fans interested in their music. Sometimes in the past I’ve booked bands that think the opposite of this and I’ve always felt that it’s not just about being talented musicians and writing amazing songs, it’s also about working hard and developing your band as a brand and nowadays there is really no excuse as the online tools are available and extremely easy to use. It was great to hear that this is of course how the industry works all the way up, and if you’re in a band I guess the best thing you can do is work with promoters and look for mutual benefit. On a personal level it has always been really important to me that I understand the goals of a band, and certainly in 2012 I’ve set out to really focus on this and hearing Geoff talk about the relationships he has created over the years was really reassuring and helped cement and validate the ideas and promotions I’m planning for this year.

I never got to ask Geoff a question, no excuse really, I was right at the front, but by the time I’d put my hand up too many people had ironically taken the opportunities of self promotion as appropriate questions, trying to get Geoff to support their cause and eaten up valuable question time. There were a couple of great questions about how to start making the move from running gigs to running small festivals and another good question about the radio and importance of media in the industry… On the off chance that Geoff is as vain as me and decides to Google himself one day, here’s the question I wanted to ask:

“How do you manage the financial risk of making the move from booking unsigned bands on ticket deals to booking the big shows with the big bands, and should the likes of Creative Scotland actively be recognising upcoming promoters as a legitimate part of the music industry and provide funding support for this part of growth?”

Why did I want to ask this question, well… Geoff touched on bits with this, but there is a clear leap or chasm in this industry and in a recession it’s a very risky leap to take on big shows… I also feel that there is no support for promoters, every other business has funders and people supporting the grass roots, I’ve been pretty successful in getting the generic business support offered in Scotland… but in the 5 years of running YRock I’ve never had support for the music promotions side of my business, YRock School and all of my social enterprise work has received a lot of funding, but the music promotions side of things seems to be looked down on by funders like Creative Scotland and I do feel that somebody needs to identify promoters as up and coming and hope that one day this is recognised. I do wonder how Geoff would have answered this, and maybe one day I’ll get to ask him. He certainly wasn’t given any funding when DF was at the stage I am at, so maybe that’s the answer.

All in all, a thoroughly enjoyable and thought provoking talk. I would like to thank Geoff for talking the time for talking to so many of us, and also think that BBC Radio’s Vic Galloway did a great job of hosting the evening. If you are looking to get yourself along to similar events keep your eyes on Hear Glasgow and UNESCO City of Music as I’m sure they have some more great events lined up for this year. I’ll definitely be there.

This article has been written by Grant McWhirter, founder of YRock.