7 inches of bliss – The economics of DIY vinyl

I’m currently working on the release strategy for Pantaloon Descendo's “7 inches of bliss”, which I will be laying out here sometime in the next few days.

It's taking a bit longer than anticipated to come up with all the details, because I'm freaking clueless when it comes to music marketing.

Uhm, how do you marketing?!?

While I’m ironing out the details for the marketing strategy, I thought it would be interesting to explain some details on the production of the sleeve for “7 inches of bliss”.

Honestly, the initial decision to draw all of them by hand was a cost-cutting measure. Pressing 100 7-inch vinyls with printed sleeves would have cost $1,500. On the other hand, printing them with blank chipboard sleeves (solid brown-ish cardboard sleeves) was $1,300.

So, according to my initial calculations, if I were to draw them myself, I’d actually save $200.

Turns out, drawing them was quite an endeavour. In pure DIY style, this is what it entailed:

FRONT SIDE:

1) Write out “Pantaloon Descendo” in a stylish way (7 minutes)
2) Draw the stickman (3 minutes)
3) Color the stickman’s face (1 minute)
4) Draw the stickman’s face (1 minute)
5) Color the rainbow (7 pencil changes:  4 minutes)
6) Write “7 inches of bliss” (2 minutes)
7) Add all the little metallic-colored sperm (2 minutes)
Total time for the front side: 20 minutes

BACK SIDE:

1) Draw 3x big sperms (3 minutes)
2) Lettering track list and numbering (4 minutes)
3) Contouring 3x big sperm (2 minutes)
4) draw all additional colored sperm (2 minutes)
Total time for the back side: 11 minutes

Total time per copy: +/-30 minutes.

30 minutes for 100 copies equals 50 hours.

So, it took me 50 hours to save $200. 

Was it really worth it? 

Based on time alone, every hour worked on it saved me $4.

But that’s not all there is to it. Let’s add the cost of the art material I had to purchase:

- it took me roughly 20 archival pens, ($2,50 each). Chipboard is really rough and ate through the archival pens’ tip very early.

- three white pencils ($1 each) to colour the face. 

- 7 coloured pencils for the rainbow ($1,50 each)
- 5 metallic pens to draw the sperms on the rainbow ($3 each)

Total art cost: $78.50

So, if we factor that in, I saved $2.43 per hour (or $1.215 per copy) since I was able to produce 2 copies per hour.

All in all, it took me 50 hours to save $121.50; not exactly a sound investment, because it means I worked at an hourly rate of $2.43. My day job pays waaaay more than that.

But…

The sleeves look fucking amazing!

Given the amount of time versus the money I saved… Would I do it again?

The answer is a reluctant yes, only because it looks really really good.

Business cards and temporary tattoos!

To go along with the launch of The Mustache Club, I printed business cards. On the front side, with The Mustache Club information, and on the other side, Pantaloon Descendo details. I just received them and I just wanted to share them with you!

Here's the front:

And here's the reverse side -- the written logo actually reads better in person: 

I also printed some temporary tattoos with Pantaloon Descendo's logo for a future promotional/branding campaign.

Everything's coming together just right!

Popular Problems in the music industry

Sometimes, I feel like I’m the only dink out there supporting the CD industry.

I don’t purchase as many as I once did. Maybe one every two weeks. Once upon a time, I bought roughly 10 new CDs a month. I guess I would purchase more; I’m just not that interested in a lot of new bands. So I’m just purchasing albums from artists I already love, whenever they release new albums. I’m that guy who goes to HMV to purchase the latest album on the release day.

But I’m still out there, supporting the CD industry.

Call me dumb, but I’d rather pay $12 and get a physical CD than pay $9 and only get the mp3 version. 

Earlier, I picked up Leonard Cohen's new album, "Popular Problems". Leonard Cohen has always been some sort of a visionary. Or maybe it might be more accurate to say he carries an aura of wisdom. Anyhow, I like to think his aptly-named album carries a secondary meaning that relates to the recording industry...

Physical versus digital; purchase an album or pirate it; try to sign with a label versus stay independent... 

"Popular Problems" in the music world indeed!

The product: 7 inches of bliss

I realize I’ve been talking about building marketing strategies and release plans, but I haven’t exactly explained what the product will be.

That would probably be quite helpful; it would definitely help you understand what I’m attempting as a label.

So…

The release I’m currently gearing up for is “7 Inches of Bliss” by Pantaloon Descendo.

“7 inches of bliss”, because it’s on 7-inch vinyl, but also because it refers to … uhm… the male apparatus. So, there’s a cool double-entendre there which I consider to be rather novel; I've decided to exploit this in the artwork:

It’s a short release: only 3 songs. Funny light-hearted songs. And there will only be 100 copies, all of them hand-drawn, hand-coloured and hand-numbered in order to increase collector appeal. It was a painstakingly long operation involving drawing 100 copies, colouring 100 copies, hand-writing 100 copies. It took me countless hours to get it done. Months. MONTHS!!!

In order to help promote the release, The Mustache Club will be releasing two official music videos.

I already shot and edited both of them, I’m just waiting to build my promotional plan for the release and for the music videos before I roll them out.

Essentially, until it’s released, all promotional initiatives described in this blog refer to “7 inches of bliss”.

Creating a brand identity – Band

Yesterday, I laid out the key points to The Mustache Club’s Brand Identity.

First and foremost, Pantaloon Descendo’s music is the product. Without Pantaloon Descendo, there is no need for The Mustache Club.

Yet, the branding strategy for Pantaloon Descendo isn’t that different from the one I laid out for The Mustache Club. 

It revolves around three key principles:

1) A good name : Pantaloon Descendo

I like the name.

It’s unique (which makes it Google-exclusive, a very important aspect today).

The name is a personal creation, which comes from the French “Pantalon Descendu”. It translates into “dropped down pants”.

It sounds like it could be a magical formula or something.

But it definitely foreshadows something naughty.

Which is great, because I like to brand my style as “Naughty folk!”

2) A strong logo

The logo combines a heart and an inverted cross. It’s a different spin on something universal, the heart symbol. It is easily recognizable. 

It is easy to reproduce by hand, and easy to slap everywhere as a watermark. 

3) Visual image: make up

I chose to hide my face under black and white make up for one reason: plausible deniability. I have a good career and don’t want to fuck it up (yet) by having colleagues dig up some dirt on me.

At the same time, I enjoy the ‘mystique’ of hiding one’s face.

In an age where everyone’s super accessible all the time via social media, posting selfies and all, I like the idea of maintaining some sort of distance between my personal life and my artistic endeavours.

Creating a brand identity – Label

Pantaloon Descendo and The Mustache Club are meant to walk hand-in-hand.

Both are a part of a same component: Pantaloon Descendo creates the music, The Mustache Club releases the music.

While Pantaloon Descendo is the product, The Mustache Club is the engine.

So, I need The Mustache Club to have an identity of its own.

To start with and establish the brand, I identified three key components:

1) A good name : The Mustache Club

The Mustache Club is an evocative name. You think of a mustache club, you think of a bunch of mustachioed gents in suits. I like the image it conveys. 

But I wanted the name to make you chuckle, which I think it does.

Plus, being a “Club” makes it a bit more exclusive, and opens up a lot of options along the way when it comes to marketing initiatives and promotions, especially on social media.

2) A strong logo

What’s the manliest thing you can imagine?

A mustache with big fucking muscles has to be pretty high up there! 

Sure, if it were shooting guns, it would be manlier. Or if it were ripping a snake in half.

But a kickass mustache with giant biceps is pretty fucking manly!

I actually designed this way before the whole hipster craze, way before mustaches were brought back into fashion. I just drew it one day for the fun of it.Turns out I was able to repurpose it when I came up with the concept for The Mustache Club.

I like the logo: it’s easily recognizable. But, coming up with a final version wasn't that easy.

I found a font I liked

But it created dead space I wasn't too fond of. 

The solution was to write out THE MUSTACHE CLUB with an upwards curve that fills in that negative space.

There. That's a logo I can stand behind. It's easily recognizable, it makes you smile when you see it, and it's easy to slap on merchandise if need be.

3) Editorial policy: full disclosure

A part of the brand’s identity is a “full disclosure” approach via social media, and in general.

I don’t have anything to hide: I’m going into this whole ‘music label’ thing pretty clueless.

Looking for information online on how to build a label, I found some information, but not a lot ended up being really helpful.

This blog is a part of the “Full Disclosure” approach/policy. I want to document The Mustache Club’s achievements and failures so you can use it as a blueprint for what to do and what not to do if you’re running a record label.

I want to detail what worked for me, what didn’t work for me, what I learned from it and what I’d do differently next time.

Furthermore, and this is key, consistency and frequency.

I have to stay consistent with the branding; I have stay frequent with the publishing if I want this to have any pull.

***

That being said, if you have any questions, comments or suggestions, do get in touch! Did I miss something in my branding strategy? Let me know what your thoughts are!

Fear of failure

In early January, I had an interview with an ad agency.

Turns out they were complete dinks who were looking for someone who’d be willing to do the job for half of what I currently make, yet work twice as much.

Not interested.

They were absolute pricks. Very entitled. And I never would’ve wanted to work for that company, I disagreed with their corporate culture.

Ultimately, I left the interview frustrated, because they asked the world of their employees and offered a shit pay. I thought it was a complete waste of my time and mentally wrote the whole experience off.

However, during the interview, one of the executives said something that stuck with me.

“Here, at the agency, we have a motto: Fail often, fail quick!”

I didn’t really reflect on it right away… It took a while to sink in.

“Fail often, fail quick!”

Over the years, I’ve developed a lot of angst over Pantaloon Descendo and The Mustache Club.

It’s a project that’s been in the works for years – I wrote the first Pantaloon Descendo songs back in 2004 and have yet to release anything. We’re in 2014 for fuck’s sake.

But I’ve been too afraid to try. Because I wanted everything to be perfect.

I haven’t been failing; I haven’t been doing anything!

Sure, over 10 years, I’ve built a good back catalogue of songs waiting to be recorded. But this project could be way ahead already instead of still being in its infancy.

Turns out I haven’t been failing or succeeding with Pantaloon Descendo and The Mustache Club, because I haven’t been trying.

I’ve been stuck in a cycle where I simply didn’t want to release anything until I was absolutely satisfied with the strategy.

Didn’t want one of Pantaloon Descendo’s releases to go into limbo because of a poor PR campaign. Didn’t want a video to go unnoticed because of a bad release strategy.

Haven’t been trying, and I’ve been using “perfectionism” as an excuse.

But “Fail often, fail quick!” has been echoing through my mind.

Fuck it. I’m ready to fail. No more exhaustive planning with no action.

Let’s fail often, let's fail quick.

It’s better than stressing out.

Current hiccups: Web site and Marketing Campaign

At this point, Pantaloon Descendo’s debut vinyl “7 inches of bliss” is ready to be released:

1) The EP has been recorded, mixed, mastered and pressed
2) All 100 sleeves have been hand-drawn, hand-coloured and hand-numbered
3) The music videos that will support “7 inches of bliss” have been shot and edited

I’m almost there.

At this point, there are two things I need to do for this ride to truly begin:

1) Establish a web store

There’s no point in releasing a 7 inch EP and advertising it if no one can buy it.

So, I need to build a decent web store.

I can build the backbone of a Web site, but the “store” component is what I’m going to struggle with.

But I need to figure it out if I want to be able to actually sell the albums when they’re released.

2) Build a robust marketing plan

I can record an album. I can shoot a music video.

But getting the word out… Spreading the news that Pantaloon Descendo is releasing an album, and that Pantaloon Descendo is releasing a music video is where I’m going to struggle the most.

I’ll need to create a good marketing plan in order to get the word out there.

Any suggestions? Tips? Things to avoid? 
Let me know, I could use your help!

The Mustache Club, Phase 2 : Music videos

Yesterday, I tackled the customized vinyl component of The Mustache Club, let's tackle another aspect today, music videos.

While I love everything there is about Pantaloon Descendo, (the music, the lyrics), I do have one major challenge:

I don’t play live shows.

• I don’t play live because of stage fright issues.
• I don’t play live because I don’t have the discipline to practice frequently enough.
• I don’t play live because I can’t even remember my own songs by heart.

That’s a hell of a challenge when the best way to get known is to get out there and play on a stage.

So, being an artist that only records music and releases it without ever playing live is quite a challenge.

How do you get people to know about your art?

The solution: music videos

I might not be able to play live for now, but it doesn’t mean Pantaloon Descendo can’t have a strong visual image.

So, I decided the releases should be backed up by music videos.

It allows to create a visual branding for the band all while bypassing my stage fright issues.

Produce the videos in-house

However, good quality music videos cost a lot of money. It will run anywhere from $3,000 to $10,000, depending on the technical difficulty and reputation of the production company.

Given that number, when I crunched the numbers, I realized it’s actually possible to buy your own material for the cost of hiring an agency to create a mid-tier quality music video.

I might not be very good at self-promotion, but I understand numbers. If I can own the material and shoot everything myself for the price of one video, I’d be dumb not to do it!

So, instead of hiring a team to produce videos for Pantaloon Descendo and The Mustache Club, I purchased my own video production equipment.

As a result, not only will The Mustache Club be a music label, it’s also going to be producing music videos.

Only for Pantaloon Descendo to begin with, then we'll see along the way if it's possible to branch out and shoot videos for other bands.

And I intend for Pantaloon Descendo to grow organically with the medium. 

The Mustache Club, Phase 1 : Customized vinyl

The music industry is in shambles. 

I know that. You know that. Everybody knows that!

Why purchase a CD when you can get the mp3 for free? 

That’s the dilemma the industry is facing.

So, what's the answer?

I don't claim to have THE answer. But I have one that works for me.

I like to think in today’s world, one thing that makes a release valuable is its packaging; how unique the presentation is.

As I’m establishing The Mustache Club as a label, I could completely bypass physical releases and go for strictly-mp3 releases.

But I’m still attached to physical releases; I still enjoy them. There’s something sensual when you hold a release from an artist you enjoy. There’s something more engaging about holding an album versus downloading an album in two clicks.

My solution: customized vinyl

For The Mustache Club's first release, I decided to go with a vinyl release.

Vinyls look great.

I only printed 100 copies because, let’s be honest, Pantaloon Descendo is a no name band. And 100 copies is the lowest amount of copies I could print.

However, with the 100 copy limitation, an opportunity arose: the amount is low enough to allow for customization. Instead of having 100 jackets pressed, I decided to order 100 blank jackets and hand-draw all of them. 

To make it more of a “collector’s item”. To make every single copy unique.

So, that's why the intial release on The Mustache Club will be Pantaloon Descendo’s recording debut on vinyl:100 hand-drawn and hand-numbered 7-inch vinyls.

A beginning

For the last decade, I’ve been creating music under the name of Pantaloon Descendo, as a genre one could label as “comedy music”.

It revolves around a ukulele backbone for confrontational lyrics. Or, kid music with adult-themed lyrics.

No subjects taboo: murder, prostitution, rape... Anything goes!

If there’s human misery, I like to think there’s comedy in it.

It’s not for everyone, I’m aware.

It’s more of a novelty thing.

But I like to think there’s an audience for it. I’ve been struggling with coming up with an audience.

I’ve reached the point where I’ve been writing music for decades, now is the time to release some of it.

So, I founded my own label, The Mustache Club, as a means to back Pantaloon Descendo’s releases.

This is a label that’s in its infancy.

This blog will attempt to make sense of establishing a very low-key music label in today’s ever-evolving fast-paced music world.