DO YOU WANT TO RELEASE YOUR FIRST ALBUM BY OCTOBER 2024?

October 2023 action items for your calendar:

1. Choose your best song, and finish it completely.  Make a lead sheet that has all the right chord markings and  lyrics written under the right chords.  Sing your song into a recording device (even if it is only your phone) and have all your sections in the right place, and the whole song arranged in the order you want it sung.  Go back and check your lead sheet and make sure it matches up.  You will be using this “scratch” recording and lead sheet many times, as you record your song professionally later on.
2. Make plans for three albums. Not all of your songs will fit together in one album.  Sort through your songs, and start identifying them by theme, mood, or subject.  Some themes are easier to identify than others. “Christmas” and “Easter” are easiest to categorize. Others may take a little thought.  Some possible categories might be “Gratitude” or “The Names of God”” or “Suffering”.  As you work to create these general categories, your songs will find their “home” album. Then you can choose an appropriate name for your album, either by subject, or you can use the title of the best song in the album.
3. Pick one Album category (or title, if you have it!) for release in October 2024. As you do this set all of your other album categories aside.  You will be working on one album this year. You may even write more songs for this album in the coming year, but begin with what you have.
4. Dedicate a notebook to your album.  Start journaling how you want the music played, what the finished product should sound like, production thoughts, and identify players you would like to use for your album project.
5. Research Recording studios in the area. Ask friends who they have used. You may also want to try a service like Fivr to find recording studios and producers. If you do decide to use some kind of referral service, it would be in your best interest to have them record a single song first, so you can get an idea of their price, quality, and ease of working with them.  This holds true for producers and musicians as well.
   
6. Start arranging your song lineup dynamically. This is not merely alternating fast and slow songs.  You will want your album to have a dynamic impact on your audience.  We will be discussing these album dynamic in our meetings in 2024. I have a chart that has served as a dynamic template for our concert lineup, which has worked well for almost 10 years.  Ask me at the meeting, and I can give you a copy.
7. Start creating a concept for your album artwork.This may be as simple as a picture of you on the album cover, or you may want to hire an artist, or seek out a friend who is a good artist. This ties in with your promo photos as well.  You will want to have a good set of photographs done by a pro photographer.  We will be offering a photoshoot by Tija Medina on Saturday February 3, 2024, at 1pm. Contact us for details.
8. Document everything, and date your journal entries. Meeting notes, people you meet, creative ideas and progress are all important enough to write down.
9. Start a calendar. You will want to keep track of appointments and deadlines, so nothing is missed. If you are good at keeping a calendar on your phone, its the best. Their reminders have saved the day for me many times. But  you may also want to consider getting a good booklet calendar that has a monthly and weekly view, and enough space to write in important notes.  I have used a Blue Sky weekly/monthly calendar for years.  If you want one, order  early, because I waited too long last year, and couldn’t get one.  www.bluesky.com 
10. Come to our meetings! You will get the help you need for starting your first album, plus, you can play your songs and share with the other songwriters in the group as we worship together! You can sign up here.