11 Reasons Why Making an Album is a GREAT Idea!

[@h1de]

Bands: we're broke, we can't afford what we want to do, we can't record live drums because money, wah wah. Glenn: here's some financial advice. Bands: its not about the money! Wah wah!

[@urvermin2682]

wouldn't it be hilarious if i created the perfect scenario for my lame joke!? because i totally believe that not being financially able to accomplish some of your goals is somehow the same as spending very little to record an album? somehow? don't ask how. oh! and for some reason i think spending thousands on a good drum set is the same as spending $60 on a DAW and $30 to put it on streaming services lmfao. oh.. o-oh wait i'm turning into glenn ahhh!! *transforms* Ah hi hello everybody, I'm glenn and i think that "recording my first album" means paying a big time producer to do it, and having every piece of equipment to perform live, and literally putting out physical CDs on store fronts!! i totally don't realize I can't record an album for next to nothing and pay a few bucks to get it on every streaming service ever!! even tho i'm literally sponsored by a company that does that 😳😳😳

[@orlock20]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/n5rHg4GFrq-pqcU It's not the lack of equipment, it's the lack of talent in their case.

[@jensstuufe1060]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/e4LSdICPq91kiZI

[@mistymu8154]

Musician's can be such a contradiction sometimes. If you want to make a living from music then you have to take the financials, branding and business side of things seriously.

[@procyon6445]

Kirk Hammet is that you?

[@AcidSepp]

There is a secret trick out there, that cuts down production costs and enables new bands to record their album in a nice studio: rehearse the shit out of your music and record it live. Not only does it sound better, it also saves a ton of time and money. As a bonus: you become a better musician.

[@DuckReconMajor]

I remember a tip I heard on an Adam Neely video where you can have everyone open a sound recorder on their phone and put it in a different part of the room to mix together later as a super cheap live recording method

[@omega1231]

At that point it's easier to just invest in a cheap sound card, a free DAW and a few mics, actually compared to live recording you can probably get away with an overhead for the drums. Music has changed since live recording was the thing, technology has changed. There is no way on earth you'll get anywhere near the same quality from a live recording then a simple recording setup at home, live recording is great for low-fi or genres where it's not the quality of the sound that matters. Unless of course you can get a DI recording from the mixing table at the venue you're playing live at, but that is easier said than done.

[@aggzish]

Live albums pretty much suck with the odd exception. Like deep purples made in Japan which kicks arse .

[@AcidSepp]

@@omega1231 What I mean by "live": recording in the studio not track by track but with the whole band together.

[@SkogensHjaerta]

@@AcidSepp yeah like a rehearsal, but everything is recorded professionally. or you just record at home what I will do with my band.

[@GoldNettle]

My old band ended up at 2 venues that wanted a cut of the merch profit. Easy fix, we announced on stage our merch was free and at the table mentioned we accepted "donations" outside at the van. And said why

[@scottvelez3154]

Pro-gamer move

[@ConnorMacDougallMusic]

Modern problems require modern solutions

[@derekcleffi6476]

Genius

[@espenstoro]

Fucking savage

[@postworld1185]

Band saying they will pay venue a % of merch to get the gig then not doing so is fraud.

[@dispersemedia]

Punk, Thrash, Death, Black Metal capitalize on nostalgia that's why cassettes still get sold out. If you are in a Djent or Metalcore band, you have a totally different market where releasing videos and singles periodically is a smarter move. It's basically a parallel thing with the tube amp vs digital gear market.

[@doctorjoyboylove]

Exept the tube amp does not sound worse than the software based amp.

[@dispersemedia]

@@doctorjoyboylove Sound quality is another topic far from my point. I was only talking about the marketing aspect.

[@666ACDCROCKNROLL666]

@@doctorjoyboylove Lol tell that to the touring successful musicians who use Kempers and AxeFX in the studio and live and no one cares. Literally Glenn said that in the first minute of this video.

[@doctorjoyboylove]

@@666ACDCROCKNROLL666 That's because they are convenient, not because they sound better.

[@666ACDCROCKNROLL666]

@@doctorjoyboylove If something sounds better but takes you a year to dial in and set up, really at what point is it worth it? Efficiency is part of the working music business and sorry to say, if you don't think so you're probably not a working musician or producer. I promise you not 1 person gives a fuck about how you got the sound, especially if you delayed a gig by 2 hours to dial in your ideal sound with the mic and cab and tube amp you so preciously had to have. At a point it's not worth it and doesn't matter.

[@nitroanilinmusic]

With today's technologies, producing an entire album at shockingly low cost is possible. I've done, what, 7 albums now for the last 9 years or so and I really didn't need to spend much at all. With no shade towards studios like Glenn's, I feel bedroom producing really made full scale projects more viable. It does still, however, take a lot of time and effort. You might not have to spend thousands of dollars, but you still need to offer a lot of blood and sweat, especially if you want to go through the route of self-production.

[@orlock20]

Recording is becoming cheaper and easier, but song writing still stumps everyone.

[@bobleglob162]

checked out your stuff. not my usual style but i dig it. are you on spotify?

[@PhilloniousMonk]

Distro is definitely cheaper and easier. I agree with others too, though... Nothing beats good song writing.

[@nitroanilinmusic]

@@bobleglob162 Yo, glad you liked it! Yes, I'm on Spotify!

[@nitroanilinmusic]

Yeah, songwriting is definitely the easiest thing to miss the mark, but I'd argue the *real* entry barrier would be production, unless you hire somebody to do that (but then again, adds up to the cost). It took me almost a decade to learn what I know and I still cry on reference mixes. LOL

[@ryane323]

Your point on signing merch: fun story about that! I recently joined a band after their previous guitarist quit and after a brief period of getting myself up to snuff on enough of their back catalogue to play live, we started gigging. We played a local festival of all Canadian metal bands from the Maritimes, and even though I hadn't recorded a damn note on the albums, the fans were still asking for me to sign the album/t-shirts because they enjoyed my performance! I used this time to network and help rebuild the band's reputation a bit. We're currently working on recording our first album since the pandemic started, doing it all DIY at home and this is also my first experience tracking a 10-12 song album. I'm super stoked to finally have something with my name on it to share.

[@kodypelletier7852]

Name of your band? Would love to check it out! Been looking for Canadian based bands recently to listen to 🇨🇦🤘

[@JanderVK]

Yeah, I've gotten the "I wasn't even on this record that you want me to sign!" bit before. I'm like, dude, I just want your signature on something/my favorite album of the band you now play for, #1. Be grateful that you have someone that wants your signature on something. And #2. I'm not going to bring multiple releases based on who's on what album, and have them all signed separately lol

[@michaelmaas6460]

My story about signing: Well-attended show at a college, and for first time ever lots of requests to autograph flyers for the show. I was feeling pretty good, until I found out a teacher was giving extra credit for students who could prove they were at a live event by getting an artist's signature!

[@ryane323]

@@kodypelletier7852 Thanks man! Always down to have more folks check out our stuff. I play in Doom Machine from NS. All previous material has their old guitarist on it, but we've got the new album with my playing/vocals coming out early 2022 so keep your ears peeled! \m/

[@ryane323]

@@JanderVK Oh for sure! I was just caught off guard that someone wanted my signature at all haha. It's a trip being seen as a "celebrity" (I use that term incredibly loosely), especially where I had only been in the band like... maybe 6 months by that point. Honestly, even though we're a small band from buttfuck nowhere, it's cool to have people support you as "the new guy"

[@lachinelli]

I've recorded an album all by myself. Nobody listens to it but I'm proud of what I've done. The good thing is that I recorded it in my home studio so I didn't have to shell out money.

[@RobKMusic]

I've recorded a bunch nobody listens to.

[@ThreeSixFive]

Ay that’s all that matters !

[@ZethKeeper]

Same here. It's fine I got so little playbacks of my music. I already have the main listener for my music. It's me. It's not selfish, I just do music that I'd absolutely would love to listen to if it was done by someone else. Also, I just like the process.

[@_nurmi06]

@@ZethKeeper Dude I have the exact same opinion as you. I don't listen to my own music thinking it's me, but I write music that I would like to hear. My friends (jokingly, hopefully) call me a narcissist because of that, but I've told them the other fact. Also I released a single last Friday and it has 5 views (none of mine) lol. I listen to my own songs in Bandcamp where you don't get views from listening to your own music, because I want to see the actual number of listeners, even if it's 3 or 3000.

[@ZethKeeper]

@@_nurmi06 I listen to my stuff directly from hard drive.

[@worksofein6449]

Making music, planning and recording albums, creating a cohesive body of songs and having a project and finished article at the end, kept me going through my call center years. I remember that feeling of hopelessness and the crushing weight of thinking, "is this it? is this my life forever now?". During those times making music, especially metal, was a life line of creativity and catharsis that stopped me taking a final exit. Now I have a job and career I like, music is still there and I can chose if I am making something for catharsis or for fun. I put the project management and work skills I learned in the call centers into making music in an efficient way that kept me moving forward. I took those skills into my current career and they have been a huge help. I still record albums, and have multiple albums in several projects planned or in progress. I put them online rather than making physical copies. Once the album is on bandcamp or spotify and public, it has finality and I can move on. It also makes them convenient for me to listen to later. I have no interest in making a career from music. Being able to take what I hear in my head, make it into a solid recording, and then listen to it when I like is more than enough for me.

[@superblindeye1]

As a call center employee, I totally understand your feelings.

[@Guill3B3tinat]

I took note, Glenn. It's good to do the whole process: release a single, generate some interest, and then release an album. 8 songs that each one is worth. And play a lot live, to sell the album. Obviously you don't have to suck. The cd is today's souvenir along with the t-shirts. Cheers!

[@lolaa2200]

CD are the thing you buy from your friend band because you are too polite to tell them it's just a piece of plastic that take place and collect dust, and there is 100 more convenient ways to listen to their music if you wanted to

[@AvatarofHate]

@@lolaa2200 I didn t even took money from friends for the CD S :D

[@johnathanpratt944]

@@lolaa2200 not I says the cat, I buy and stream

[@Guill3B3tinat]

@@lolaa2200 It's no use selling records to your friends. You have to generate your fanbase, well, everything that is in the video.

[@befellband]

I just want to explain this bands personal experience. So with our first release where we really tried (good a great producer, it sounds great, and the songs were just more focused) we only did a 3 track single. And released 2/3 tracks individually and released them as a group. Now even on a 3 TRACK SINGLE, we had this one song called Endless Cycle gain a bunch of traction. Has 12k Spotify streams (not completely massive I know) and gotten us some legit fans from discovering this one song. The other songs? Still not even cracking 500 streams yet haha. I get why an album can be a fun endeavor and why people would do it for fun, but when we started viewing this from a business standpoint, stuff actually started to happen. Also idk how much this effects it but endless cycle is the only song with a lyric video we’ve done so we’re getting them done for all the songs on the upcoming release lol. Everything the band released within the last 10 months was written all at once, all 9 songs. But the one ended up as a rough demo, we refined the rest of the songs to get them tighter, then had a super good release that was refined all from this writing session and got some traction. But the thing is the song that blew up, every time I ask someone their favorite song even for those who heard all of our songs, that’s usually the answer so the refining paid off. If you want to truly see growth from this, the first video truly is the way. Ola Englund was right, Finn Mckenty was right, and Glenn is right. But I see nothing wrong with this video either for self proclaimed hobbyists.

[@matildastanford7019]

Just checked out your channel and song, yeah, that riff is tight, 👍. I've written a very similar pedal tone motif in e minor, it's in it's early stages atm but love that sound and feel. 🤘😁👍❤🇦🇺

[@befellband]

@@matildastanford7019 Haha thank you so much! That riff was a very spur of the moment thing but we were all kinda like WOAH that was kinda cool. And playing the polyrhythm live took some time haha. But thank you again!

[@domnatali199]

After seeing your other video, my band went from originally doing a 15 song album to now working on 3 EP’s of 5 songs each with each song being promoted as a single for more traction and content. Thanks for the words of wisdom Glenn, much appreciated! 🤘

[@rahulmenon4357]

Do music videos also

[@domnatali199]

@@rahulmenon4357 Oh for sure! We’re budgeting to make sure each video has quality and is unique! But the visuals come after the music of course!

[@rahulmenon4357]

@@domnatali199 Make the videos as cheaply and quickly as possible, if the songs are good, the video doesn't matter much for metal bands. 80% of music videos that gain traction look like Ibanez ads. Having the video is more important than a good video. And really consider doing it on an iphone/gopro, save $$$$$$$.

[@ScreaminT81]

Cassette’s have made a massive comeback haha. Also far cheaper than vinyl to get made. Also Glenn mentions long records, and I laugh as Maiden is notorious for this hahaha. Senjutsu is terrible

[@spudvader]

I was sitting here, watching your delightful video and doing my morning warm up on my Gibson guitar.. Thanks Glenn, you didn't have to remind me

[@bandpenunggu]

this definitely helps. we are a heavy metal band from Malaysia and altho our scene is relatively small over here, doesnt mean we shouldnt try to push to do what we love eventho we're still tryin to balance between making playing music as a business vs doing it for sole passion alone.

[@thesollylama130]

There is still a place for full albums- concept albums, soundtracks, and live performances are still solid reasons to have an 'album'. Glenn brings up the most important issue at hand-- how music is consumed today. It's simply a different market today for better and for worse. Bands that are stuck in the paradigm of a cycle of album recording, then release, then tour are just beating a dead horse. It's good in many ways. Today it's better to release a trickle of singles and promote each one rather than the old days of 3 good songs and 9 fillers on any given album. Each song can be a banger, and those that miss the mark are replaced shortly by a new single release. it gives bands time to really work on a single song- and leaves time to promote it on social media or video platforms. That is less stressful than the cyclic nature of the old days. Today more than ever during the Mtv heyday-- having a video and social media promotion is as important as the song itself. People just don't look at music as 'albums' much these days. Especially when traditionally album just meant a bunch of songs you fast forward thru anyway to get to the song that got radio air play. The downside of course is every song has to be a banger- the days of filler songs are done with. Can't write one big single then fart out ten more tunes to fill a contract. Good is that bands can produce great music and videos on the cheap without huge productions and cost. Bad is that bands can't just be good at playing music anymore- someone has to be good at social media, someone needs to know how to edit videos, someone needs to run Patreon and do the merch work. There is way more DIY today than before. Like making videos that used to require professional companies that can now be shot on Go Pros- but it's just more stuff the band has to do other than play their music. Given that task load- it's probably easier to write fewer songs and release them slowly than trying to beat a deadline for xxx number of songs. Especially for small or new artists that just don't have a dozen full set list of songs to perform. You can write one good tune and get it into the music business today. Problem is everybody is doing it and it's even harder now to stand out. As Glenn often points out-- you might be good, but there are a ton of good bands out there. You need to be great to get anywhere.

[@aliquidcow]

I remember hearing about one band (can't remember who but I believe it was someone relatively well known) who arranged to be able to sell merch in the pub across the street. So on stage they announced that they weren't selling merch at the venue because they take a cut, and to head over the road to the pub to buy some after the show. Worked a treat apparently. Pub was probably happy to do it because it got people in the door.

[@TVert-fy2gy]

Whoa, hold on there, Glenn! Dark Fortress' "Venereal Dawn," Noctem's "Haeresis," and Avatar's "Feathers and Flesh" were not only brilliant concept albums made in the last 7 years, but were also very successful, as well. It can be done.

[@chrisrowan4953]

dark fortress is sick af

[@SpectreSoundStudios]

Who?

[@TVert-fy2gy]

@@SpectreSoundStudios Hahaha! Go look 'em up and check them out. 😉

[@taylorhirschmusic]

Dark Fortress 🤘

[@tigershell]

Awesome video. Loved #1 I have no delusions of grandeur and a shit tonne of expensive gear...I made 2x albums coz I can and thought it was cool to have albums on Spotify. Not everything is about how much money you can make. For some of us who have jobs it's just about having a hobby and playing artist, record producer, engineer, publisher, record label, graphic designer, video editor and video star....these days we can all do it, so if you enjoy it, go for it!

[@tigershell]

Lol I should note that a also did a concept album lol

[@TjByers369]

Drooling over that Sunn Beta Lead in behind you. Solid state amps are so cool.

[@willprince643]

I didn't expected another video on that topic from another point of view, although I should :O. For me making an album is also a way of learning audio engineering and producing skills, and building portfolio, it's also a hobby and fun thing to do, even though it can be tough sometimes. Another question: Would you like to make a video about recording live shows? Any tips, things to remember? I bought Tascam 16x08 last vacation, because of the pandemic I didn't played any shows, neither did my friends, but I'm looking foward doing my first multitrack live show recording. Also is it a good idea to mix individual tracks onto the mixing board stereo recording, in order to correct that mix (since it was probalby mixed for the venue that wasn't acoustically perfect) without needing to pay professional engineer to mix the multitracks properly?

[@gerardodc7712]

Thank you for pointing both sides of the coin in these pair of videos. They has been quite eyes opener and give me new perspective to share with my band and try to follow a better plan. Let's see if we could achieve something, but no one could say, if we fail, that it was for not trying enough or have not information. Again, thanxs.

[@DreamCreativeSpaceStream]

I'll accept giving a percentage of merch as long as they give me the exact same percentage of bar sales. Sounds like a great trade-off to me of course it depends on the venue but most of the time if they fall for it you come out the winner. I helped bring customers to sell your drinks and you allowed a venue for me to sell my merch. Music is an art but is also a business and even though they both are music don't ever confuse the 60 ft wall in between them. It's okay to go on vacation to the other side but if you want to be taken seriously build your home on one side!

[@charlesrocks]

Hahahahaha!!! I knew you were gonna do something like this! Love it. Also I wouldn’t mind giving a venue a percentage of the sales if they PURCHASE THE PRODUCT FROM THE ARTIST FIRST and sell the product at a markup that works for them. If Venues are going to charge a merch sale percentage, then they better offer a POS system, excellent merch area with killer Sales Reps, and create an experience where people actually want to buy a Tshirt for $50.

[@gamesgearnthrash5338]

Thank you Glenn, for actually giving bands a strategy to go by!!! Now, since I live in the US, it’s time to play shows. Could you do a video of the best ways to promote your band, with the old methods AND the new ones (i.e Instagram, TikTok, etc.)? From my experience, shows are still what get the most people to pay attention to you.

[@brunobailly7013]

"it's like drum editing... Just because you can doesn't mean you should". I LOVE that quote and 100% agree.

[@groper6793]

Spot on with everything Bro. Great presentation. After recording 2 LPs and 2 EPs I’m on a solo project and releasing 1 song at a time for over a year now. By default it seems right for me. Hobbies do cost money is a great way to justify a full length album.

[@arcachata4137]

So glad you made this second video. And that Gibson part was hilarious.

[@theomegadirectivemusic]

Great video. Really loved the philosophy of music making in the, 'It Can Be Therapeutic' section' :)

[@gonzalordtm]

you say that an album is expensive when people nowadays record themself in their house, produce their own music and can post it on Spotify with low cost or even free distributors? I know, its not the best quality but they can do it and also start with 10 songs instead of just one, then release a video or single of the songs with better reviews from the album. I don't see any trouble with albums, it turns an amatur artist to profesional musicians.

[@ZonkerRoberts]

Glenn, you are one hoopy frood! Young musicians should be made to watch both your "13 Reasons Not to Make an Album" and "11 Reasons to Make an Album" back to back.

[@redeyebloom]

I am definitely the therapeutic-next-project guy. As someone who currently drives a forklift for a manufacturer, you described me perfectly. 🤘

[@jackeast1880]

Here come the crybaby’s saying you’re a hypocrite ..

[@jonkerrmusic]

I feel like I learn more through this channel than I would if I earned a Music Business diploma. Glenn, you are a gem.

[@WastelandBowman]

#9 is exactly why I’m doing albums. I came close to getting addicted to booze and when my doctor said I had to stop or I would, I turned to creativity. I’ve never been happier and I’m good enough I wrote enough material for a 8-10 song record. I don’t think I’ll do physical copies. I plan to look into printing a few guitar tab books as a supplement though.

[@ItsWezzel]

Good point in both videos "it can be therapeutic" really hit home for me, however im making a concept metal album so you have the take what you said about the back :P One thing you didnt mention though is the power a great album can have and how many, which and order of the songs matter to the listening experience. I like to use Reign in Blood by Slayer as an example of this, it starts with the perfect song and it ends in a perfect way and it feels like they thought of all of that while making it, and it does matter.

[@OsLapsosBandaRock]

Manage expectations is the secret... These two videos are golden knowledge... Thanks!!!🤘🤩🤘

[@jimsinister13]

Thanks for providing the first laugh of the day Glen. Cus when you mentioned the elder as a bad metal concept album idea my coffee almost came out my nose, even though I love the album, it was such a bad idea for the band at that time.

[@r0by]

Hi there, just want to say that even tho i don't make or record metal at all (but i am a die hard kinda metalhead), your videos are extremely valuable, whether i agree with them or not, which in most cases I do. Love the honesty and insight. Keep it up!

[@TGBoleyn]

You made my point right off the bat. I made four albums in the past few years to explore my music talent. Each is a different genre, though I am by default a metal musician. I explored EDM, Americana instrumentals, Epic soundtrack (inspired by the Vikings TV show) and Pop-Rock/Ska. The positive reception to these experiments has me going on to try out future albums in Psychobilly, Old Country and Industrial. It's all for fun first and foremost. So I think that doing things in this way warrants albums, where several songs are done in a related fashion. If you are a one-genre artist, then maybe releasing singles is the better way to go.

[@filianablanxart8305]

Real reasons : You accept that music is something you do because you like music , and enjoy playing . Either you realize that the odds of any one musician /group becoming the next Rolling Stones is far less than the average kid playing ball at elementary school recess will become an NBA millionaire . Or the genre that you and/ or your musical sidekicks play is de facto non- commercial . Knowing that , you Want to make an album's worth of music ( hopefully with a theme or concept ) for the challenge and inner satisfaction .

[@PerezBroz-p5o]

Thanks for rounding it out, that last one really bummed me out but it was a necessary reality check and I thank you for your candor.

[@Niramerica]

Glenn...first off got to give you appreciations, props for what's becoming thousands of videos worth of real vital information. This was a great part 2 of the album to part 1 the other week. And I hate to be "that guy" that says it, everything you spoke of can now speak to bands that had their moments a few years back and have fallen to semi-obscurity, like myself. Curious, though, are you the producer / engineer "Slipperman" who's words I remember fondly some years back? Got no idea what I'm talking about? Lemme know publicly here and I'll email you the pages and pages of threads he put out years back.

[@Middlestepofficial]

Lessons learned from this lecture: "It's easier to record an album than to find an adequate bassist for the band"

[@SmilingGolf-on1ox]

I admire his honesty he reminds me of my “old bird” friend who is resting as we speak.. that being said I hold onto this advice like a cheat sheet, thank you smg 🎉

[@Vyrus-1980]

Enjoyed your take on this subject. Talked with my Dad about the whole singles/vs albums in the current social paradigm these days and came to most of the same conclusions you mentioned when it comes to the singles strategy. So we stuck to the idea of EPs rather than albums as our "longform" content. The part that really stuck with me was when you mentioned knowing why you're recording the music in the first place. Took me a while, like with most young musicians I'm sure, to realize the chances of me being hit by lightning twice in the same location was greater than making a living as a musician in the streaming age and come to terms with that. Now I record music, my own enjoyment notwithstanding, to leave something behind for my kids so that they'll hopefully know when I'm gone that there was more to their Dad than just being an exhausted working class laborer and that I had some kind of depth beyond that of a worker drone. If I can achieve that, then I consider it a success. \m/

[@dennmillsch]

Twenty Seven years on the assembly line !!! Reminds me of a time I drove from Chicago to do a repair at a refrigerator factory in western Illinois. One factory worker would put on ear protection and cuffs on his hands. Then he would lift a big piece of sheet metal into a machine where it would be stamped into a certain shape. Then he'd pull it out and do it again. All day long. For 30 years. On my drive I had passed a state prison and I wondered which place would be better to do 30 years, the prison? or the factory? I think a lot is lost in only streaming music. I'm glad there's at least a small resurgence of albums. The artwork on vinyl albums really added to a broader artistic package that went far beyond the music. Think about the classic album the Beatles "Sergeant Pepper..." it was put together as if the album were one big concert/show. So much would be lost if you could only stream the individual songs, and with no artwork to add to the mystique of it all.

[@torreyjeromerileysr3179]

Dude I so love your videos , and get a kick out of your sense of humor yet your seriousness is appreciated. Me and my boys are just getting started in recording, and I would be appreciated to get any and all constructive criticism to properly record our stuff. We're not in it for the money but if we can bless someone's life with our music then our mission is accomplished. Love and respect T.J.

[@Ari_1917]

12:27 I would genuinely listen to a concept album about an assembly line. There are so many great songs about how working sucks, because it's such a relatable topic: Maggie's Farm by Bob Dylan, for example.

[@thetruepyromancer2928]

The underground US Black Metal scene seems to have a dedicated buyer base. Bands like Stake Driver, Till, and Saidan have done very well with sales on Bandcamp from dedicated fans in the underground scene.

[@chrisrowan4953]

this is vary true

[@Lokrion]

That shot of Jeff Loomis and the message given made this video for me. Great choice.

[@stefan7399]

Not an album but I released an EP last year. It felt great when I hired friends for artwork and mixing/mastering. Felt great to showcase what I can do. My tips: 50 is plenty to sell and even that can be slow. There's only one good small local radio station and about two and a half good reviewers who might give you a chance. The rest aren't worth you time. This is the same for all cities. Just have fun. You won't regret any recording costs if you are enjoying it the whole time. I had a great EP review from a complete stranger on twitter one time. Said other people should listen to it. Made my weekend. Still makes me happy thinking back to that.

[@MarcFMusic]

I am always a "there's two sides of the coin"-guy and I love the fact, that you are doing this. Thanks man! I am 32, right now. I've been playing the guitar since I was 14 years old. I am rather talented and by now more than a pretty descent guitarist. I am in the beginning of forming my own band, with own songs and - of course - I think my/our ideas are great. But this is a serious question! To me it was always: contra album: it takes a lot of time and money and in the end noone will listen to it... on the other hand, pro album: you are more than one song! if you release just one song people might get the wrobg picture of the band! It's hard, these days.... :)

[@marcfonseca3205]

That's crazy I did the same thing about recording and writing while i was making rockets in the aerospace industry. All those notes really helped for those 4 hours a week I had off of work working in space exploration.

[@wiltaylor]

Love the Douglas Adams reference! Oolon colluphid rules!!

[@mojorising6775]

i really love you man , you partially heal my wubba lubba dub dub ....oh and the music nowadays is white noise backround oof ... what a wild concept ... first time i hear someone else mentioning this ...or not ?

[@paultodd3497]

Thank you for your educational detail towards making Albums, have learnt a lot Thank you

[@crazyjoeshorts5256]

on the tape thing; i actually really like some old metal on tape. there is something magical about the hiss and warble that makes the guitars sound cool, sort of how vinyl can have a different sound. about five years before everyone started coming out with vinyl, I told my friends it would be cool if bands did it and they looked at me like i was crazy. now people shell out tons of money for it.

[@tristenandrew2265]

Wow, I really needed to hear this. I’ve been stuck in a creative rut for a long time and I just recently started picking up the guitar again. Thank you Glen.

[@TheFlowHolland]

Great video, just as the previous one, musicians should pay close attention to all the points you bring up, the key to the success you want to achieve as a band or musician is all in those 2 videos!

[@henrythesane9105]

I absolutely love the Hitchhiker‘s quotes!

[@Setri123]

fantastic piece of knowledge here. great series of videos man

[@francescopedersoli3327]

Thanks man 🙏 the therapeutic part was inspiring 🤘🏻 i’m in the same situation… but now i know that maybe it can be done… thanks again 🤘🏻

[@pointlesswasteoftime]

Both videos were really good. I'm working through physical and mental rehabilitation and using making another album as a focused therapy (DBT has doing something productive as one of its core strategies). Learning all my instruments again after many years of pain prevented me from practising is great physical therapy and has a mind/body element to it. I have no illusions I'll ever be successful with this. It's just a pointless delusion to prevent me giving up again like I did a few years ago. So I delude myself, pretending this will be my legacy album. My best work. And so I don't off myself because I wasted my younger years doing what others wanted, and once I got to a point where I could do the things I wanted I was already permanently disabled with a zero prognosis for recovery. So ill force myself through the pain to make this garbage album to keep me alive. That's why I'm doing it. Everyone else should definitely follow the single release method. But have stuff ready to record (and refine) if you're lucky and get enough people asking for more. Nothing worse than a band that hits, but then can't back it up during that wave of interest. Because all waves pass and people don't wait forever.

[@LesterBrunt]

If you love songwriting then writing an album should be one of your goals. Sure writing a good song is hard but writing a set of songs that not only work on their own but also aa a collection and together say more than their individual parts that is really hard. That is next level songwriting. You will really take your songwriting to a whole new level. And I’m talking about writing an album, not “compiling” an album from random songs. It is like playing a tournament. Winning one game is hard but winning every game in a 6 game tournament is another level of hard.

[@sigbauer9782]

Growing up, my mom had the Up in Smoke album from Cheech and Chong. The liner was a giant rolling paper. Yes, they (she, her sisters, and other divorced single mother friends) smoked it, and though I was in the 1st or 2nd grade when it happened, I could tell that it wasn't tobacco being smoked. I still remember just sitting around, listening to that thing over and over again.

[@rixxortiz8744]

i think a smart move/example on releasing music is what Slash did with his last record: He recorded the full album, but he released the songs one at a time on digital media, allowing each song to have its moment, a few days to be consumed and maybe when the last song starts loosing momentum released the next one, i didnt knew you could do that on spotify like fulfilling an album through uploading on different days, but thats how i remember he did... i also remember i was following all the moves on youtube, listening to the songs and waiting excited for the upcoming song that i knew would arrive in a few days So every song was releas treated as a "single", but they were all part of the album

[@DerekPower]

If it’s a double LP where it’s about *conquering* an assembly line … that’s something 😁 I think CDs may be the next format to get a resurgence because it’s even easier to manufacture than cassettes and just as cheap. Also, I think enough people learned their lesson about how CDs were done in the 1990s/2000s where you end up paying $20 for something that was most likely bloated. I will say certain genres and styles lend themselves well to 60-70 minutes of music but not all =] And I’ll say this again, only do an album if you have a vision for it. For myself, I grew up enjoying albums and listened to plenty of them to know how they work (and how they don’t). So when I started to make my own music, this included being able to make my own albums as I knew what I wanted to do and how to make it work for whatever length of time was needed. But like you said earlier, it’s also a goal you can set for yourself and it *definitely* helps to get through the day-job doldrums if you have to do that.

[@aclonenamedgibso6704]

Great stuff. I'm still a lover of the album, and the hard copy. Great to hear that there's others still out there who agree. I'd love to hear how that band managed their marketing on Instagram, great idea if you can make it happen.

[@-sailhatan-]

I work at a vinyl pressing facility and we made that etched Witherfall album, I was over the QA on it🤙🤙

[@IainFrame]

Regarding expensive kit, I bought a Kemper about 4-5 years ago and it is literally my best musical investment ever. So unbelievably versatile.

[@aidanellis7879]

Cassettes are pretty popular for metal bands in Alberta for whatever reason. I used to collect them when I drove an old shitbox a few years back and actually had something to play them on. I’ve recommended them to a few bands I’ve been in and they’ve all rolled they’re eyes, but the items I see go flying off merch tables are the Tshirts and the cassettes. Nobody actually listens to physical copys of music nowadays and I see the cassette like a smaller cheaper vinyl record because of it.

[@serenitypillows61]

Glenn that tshirt you're wearing is sick!!

[@yellowdudewithedibleshorts]

Man I loved that "Don't look at what I can buy, but look at what I can do" followed by picture of Jeff Loomis. Got me chills, really

[@CTheRevillusionS]

3:56 "Corey. Trevor. Merch, let's go."

[@tangyorange6509]

We made 5 cassettes DIY for our first album for our relatively small base, they were the first thing to sellout…. Not the CD’s or shirts

[@heavymetalcatz9584]

good advice. loved the hitchhikers guide quote too :D haha

[@davidurrutia7495]

Hello. I am a music student and I play in a band and we´re working on our debut album. It´s been going pretty good except we still need to track vocals... and have been needing to for the last 4 months! I have been asking our singer "when are we tracking vocals?" all summer but he always answers with something like "soon", "we´ll see when", "I´m not sure" or "yeah I´ll get on with it" like he´s waiting for the one and only opportunity to do so when we literaly can just head into a room with a computer, a microphone and a soundcard and get it done with! I have been trying to force him lately but I just gave up and stopped asking him many weeks ago. I don´t really know if this has much to do with the theme of your previous video about not making an album but I just needed to write something out. I have been in a few other projects that were very short lived and only barely produced one album and perhaps some live shows. It has started to frustrate me how so many people give up on a project or give up on each other and decide to quit, just because they got bored or wanted to do something else. I love music, I want to make it a career and work on all kinds of different things, and I know i can handle many things at once. But it hurts to be let down, especially if the ones you are working with dont have the same drive or passion as you! Going back to the singer situation: he is a very good friend of mine. Very funny, very good company. But man he kan be incredibly lazy on some things... especially since he is a music student himself! We have even gotten financial aid from a music association to produce the album so no problems there. I am well aware that as a working musician you must have many sources of income if you want to survive, but I want to be able to work with reliable people if we`re gonna be a band... feels like a could loose my mind at anytime.

[@WellsFargo-py5zy]

Even if no one listens to your album, I still enjoy it because its good practice for making consistent mixes, writing consistent parts, etc

[@anonmcanon5724]

I'm in an indie/psych-rock band and hipsters love casettes, especially limited-run casettes with nice artwork

[@JR-dd4ec]

I hope I get to meet one day, I have nothing but respect for your REAL AND REALISTIC views

[@wesleybermingham9986]

Cassettes culture is a surprisingly large community. It's fun to collect Cassettes if you're into it. Long live analog music.

[@WIMPY86]

Fucking A

[@sicilianmammalian]

Wow I really needed this, I have whole albums I’ve wrote but I always look at stuff from the business perspective like your previous video

[@krisellis702]

Interesting contrast to the flip side argument you presented last week. I'm surprised you missed out on the "economies of scale" aspect. It's cheaper to record and mix a bunch of songs together than it is to do them all separately. The release strategy is up to you. Just cuz you recorded 8 tracks as an 'album' doesn't mean you need to release them all to streaming at once. For a fledgling band the singles release strategy will be easier to manage. It takes so much time and effort to get a solid promotion scheme together, plus supporting video ideas, etc. Having the tracks already done lets you focus on having a consistent and high quality release strategy, and having Video/Visual content is essential for building your band/brand on social media; unfortunately its not all about the music when you're fighting for attention on a scrolling platform. Maybe do your 8 tracks on a physical media so you can sell it to your super-fans, and adopt the singles strategy for streaming platforms. Best of both worlds? Maybe...but I bet shorter EP's are even better.

[@adinadamian5634]

At 4:42 I remembered an interview of Michael Kiske saying how Helloween got screwed by their label in the 80's, they were selling out venues, selling millions of albums and in the end they were in a massive debt (not much money went into their pockets), hence why "Pink bubbles go ape" was more commercial in the hopes they would earn some money to pay what the label asked of them.

[@AllanGildea]

You're a good man, Glenn - thanks for sharing your hard won wisdom in your uniquely restrained and genteel manner.

[@Yezu666]

I still think that the best way to approach music is to release EPs. It really has most of the benefits of releasing an album and releasing a single, with few of the drawbacks. You can create a bigger, potentially more interesting project by having 3 to 5 songs, which can be just as creatively fulfilling as recording 9 or so, but you won't need as big of a budget as for a full album. Also unlike with a single you already will have content to show people if they are interested in hearing/seeing more. Additionally, selling CDs after shows is still a thing, it won't make you rich, but can have an impact on an indie musician's budget. People are much more likely to pick up an EP than a single.

[@voronOsphere]

I love albums and having hard copies of albums!!! Both strategies are legitimate! Thanks, Glenn!!! Great video!

[@dzonyyya]

Glenn: That was my existence for many years, and that's what kept me sane. Me: Huh, I'm not so sure about the sanity part

[@shea_o_keith]

I set a goal to put out an album last year and honestly it was one to most stressful things I've ever done creatively but it was well worth it imo. Even if I'm the only one that listens to it ha! But the sense of accomplishment was worth it.

[@lion9460]

Upon watching the last video, I've had a lots of "but, Glenn..."s. So this video is a welcomed one. You've hit most of the marks. Sure, not many ppl will pay a full album's worth of money to spend a half to an hour and a half "appreciating" the "artistic message" of a full LP, but some people will still record just for the sake of it, and some weird people like me will still insist on finish an album from the front to the back (I've find myself doing that over and over with all the CD's I've accrued over the years and, recently, what digital copies I buy on places like Bandcamp). What's told in this video, along with your advice on the other video to record a steady stream of singles and EP, is actually quite realistic and meets the halfway point quite nicely, i think. It's a buisiness, sure, and that should never be forgotten. But at the end of the day, we write, play, record, and listen to music because, well, it's an HONEST GOOD FUCKING FUN.

[@raptorrsr5817]

Another great video Glenn!

[@zodiatube]

I just wanna say I really like your product Xero Shoes. I haven't worn any other shoe since.

[@aragorn767]

In Maryland, my band has two gigs scheduled for October, the first since the COVID onset.

[@mikefrombloodofthewolf7076]

Great follow up video!

[@jerry7663]

Heck, yeah. Great t shirt, bro!

[@AndrewGrey22]

It's not always bad that you are doing something that's already been done before. Everybody has their influences. I am my own biggest influence. And I don't work against my influences, I work with them.

[@taLLdavidproduction]

You have a lot of unappreciated wisdom, Glen. Salute

[@doctorjoyboylove]

Haha, when you said "Metal concept albums problably aren't the greatest idea ever." I immediately thought of those exact two albums.

[@JulesFox]

Glenn, you are a treasure of the internet.

[@papikrabz3592]

"I'm playing both sides so I always come out on top"