Posted: 03 Dec 2020 07:04 PM PST

When you review your audio files, you check for various qualities, including content, likability, and sound. The space you choose to listen to the recordings should be clutter-free, soundproof, comfortable seating, and free of distractions. The goal is to form an impression from your audios, look for tips to enhance the recordings, and find what works perfectly. Below are some tips to use when organizing your music room to review your audio recordings.

Comfortable Seating

If the space is small and furniture is placed closely together, it could distract listeners, including you. It would be best to choose furniture that complements the room’s size and set those items far apart. Doing so could make it more comfortable as you listen to the audio recordings instead of worrying about hurting your back or legs while sitting. Spacing out the furniture properly could also reduce your risk of focusing on bumping into an object or another person and allow you to give your undivided attention to the music.

Good Speakers

Just like the instruments and words are vital to a completed song, the speakers in your music room are essential when listening to an audio recording. Low speaker quality could make the song sound bad, even if it is good music. When organizing the room, make sure your speakers are appropriately placed to avoid echoing and other issues distracting the reviewing process. It will help if you consider custom installation for your speakers and other equipment to give you more quality when recording and reviewing audios.

Quality Source Equipment

If you plan to play the music on your mobile device, a computer, or a laptop, you will need to ensure your connections are secure and your source equipment is right. These devices will deliver the music in the format of your choosing, but if they are damaged, the audio could have poor quality and sound horrible. Always look for source equipment with the highest quality data stream and devices that can deliver the music in multiple formats.

Remove Games and Television

The music room is strictly for music, regardless if you are creating sounds or listening to audios. Therefore, you should not have items like a bed, pool table, games, and other objects or appliances that cause significant distractions. These are disturbances that prevent you from enjoying the sounds and truly listening to the work you have created. When organizing the room, always remove items that are distracting or disrupt the sound.

The tips above can help you organize your music room for reviewing your audio recordings, allowing you to get a great impression of your work. Be sure to listen to the recordings at least twice, and write down your honest feelings. After going over the notes, you can determine what works and what needs to be changed.

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More Tipping Options, Closed Ticketed Online Shows, Interactive Tools Via Show4me

Posted: 03 Dec 2020 07:02 PM PST

If you are looking to sell music, merch, and tickets to your online music shows, as well as grow your fanbase into a paying audience, Show4me is the place to be. The platform offers musicians, bands, and representatives a solid set of pro tools to engage the audience and run a music business.

Today, Nov. 23, Show4me is rolling out a major update, including music charts, more tipping and interaction options, closed online concerts functionality, and a mobile app for fans.

Here’s what’s in store.

Music charts

Show4me team will select the best albums and track uploaded to the platform and feature them in Charts. The network now features Top 12 Albums, Top 12 Tracks, and Top 12 Genre (rotating) music charts. The Top 12 Genre chart will feature top 12 tracks in the genre of the week – pop, rock, hip-hop, techno, metal, etc.

Improved online concerts

Musicians and bands have been forced to reduce their live performances to online-mostly. In April of this year, Show4me introduced the capability to launch and ticket such online events and have since developed the toolkit into full-throttle online concerts with tickets, built-in stream, a dedicated campaign page, and up to 20 ticket tiers to allow for bundled tickets (with merch, music lessons, shout-outs, birthday congrats, afterparties, beat writing sessions with the artist, etc).

With the new update, online concerts now get two more features. It’s commenting capability during the show for fans to be able to provide feedback, ask questions, and interact with the performers. And musicians will also now be able to set their streams to a closed, i.e. private format to make it accessible only to the fans who bought the tickets.

Artist club tipping

Show4me has offered a tipping option for fans buying an album, EP, or a single, and now the platform introduces the tipping functionality for its Artistclub subscriptions.

Now, a fan subscribing to an Artistclub of a band or a musician they like can pay more than the set $1/year premium subscription price by typing in their own number and thus contributing more than the standard subscription, helping the musician make more.

App

And the best for last – Show4me is now offering an app for fans! The app is available for iOS and Android users and offers a vast functionality for fans to engage with their favorite artists, discover music and artists, browse charts and popular music content, as well as watch online shows and buy music and tickets to events.

The app is ad-free and features only music-related content, providing an immersive experience without any distractions.

Fans can listen to tracks while browsing other content available from the artists they follow or popular performers. Music discovery is seamless and intuitive in the app so if the user wants to explore something new, they can easily navigate through similar tracks or find the albums to check out.

Get the app in AppStore or Google Play

Final thoughts

Wrapped in a brand new, fresh design, the new Show4me update is designed to enhance the fan experience with the artists, shows, and music on the platform while at the same time helping musicians using the platform to monetize their work and be able to supplement their income through varied streams of profit, provided by the Show4me tools.

Show4me fees are some of the lowest in the industry and vary between 6 and 15%. The artist only pays the fees when withdrawing the profits, meaning the fees are success-only. Any artist can start using Show4me to monetize their music and grow their fanbase without any investment investment.

How To Keep Your Instruments And Equipment From Water Damage

Posted: 03 Dec 2020 08:05 AM PST

Musical instruments and equipment are expensive. In an ideal world, you could keep them in a controlled environment like your home or a studio and only take them out when you need them. Unfortunately, most musicians don’t live like that, so you’ll often find yourself trying to keep your equipment dry in the pouring rain as you move in and out of gig venues. What can you do to protect your instruments from water damage?

Buy a Big Umbrella

Moving in and out of venues will probably be one of the biggest problems when it comes to protecting your equipment from wet weather. No one will want to hire you if you cancel every time it looks like the sky might get a little gray. You don’t need to invest in the world’s largest umbrella, but something affordable like an oversized golf version can help save you a lot of trouble and heartache in the long run.

Don’t Play in Wet Environments

We get it — playing an outdoor gig where the skies open up on you isn’t always avoidable, but if you can avoid playing in wet environments, we recommend it. For those afternoons playing in the rain, and really for all outdoor gigs, we recommend covering any electrical equipment in plastic. If you’ve got the funds, consider picking up a beater guitar that you can switch to to finish out your set.

If lightning starts striking nearby, seek shelter. The last thing you want to do is hang out in a lightning storm with a six-string conductor in your hands.

Repair Leaky Vehicles Quickly

The only thing worse than getting caught in the rain is putting your gear in the trunk, only to have old or rotten weatherstripping fail and soak everything. If you’re just starting out and working with the cheapest beater car you can find, the chances are high that the weatherstripping has started to wear out or dry rot, leaving your gear vulnerable to water damage even if you think it’s safe in the trunk or cargo hatch. Be sure to make any necessary repairs before the next rainstorm. Not only will it keep you dry, but there may be laws about leaky windshields or windows you need to follow too.

Let Things Dry Out

If you get soaked, the most important thing to do is let everything dry out thoroughly. This is especially crucial if you have electrical gear. Park your equipment around a dehumidifier, towel off any visible water and wait for at least 24 hours for everything to dry out. Water, especially in electrical systems, is bad news and could cause your expensive equipment to short out and stop working entirely.

Protect Wood Surfaces

Wood, especially if it’s unsealed, is particularly vulnerable to water damage. Too much moisture can cause it to warp and crack. In an instrument like a guitar or violin, which relies heavily on its wooden shape to generate its iconic sound, this can be devastating. Sealed wood can withstand it a little better than unsealed surfaces, but if you get caught in the rain, take the time to dry everything out carefully so things don’t crack or warp.

Stay Dry Out There

You can’t always avoid getting caught in the rain, especially during an outdoor gig, but you can minimize the damage by taking the time to prepare for any potential downfall.