Remix competitions – Why bother?
By Paul Dakeyne
| Posted in Writer's Block
It’s no ground breaking news that remix competitions held by independent and sometimes major labels are not rare. These are usually in the form of a multitude of singular ‘parts’ (sourced from the original multi-track recording) or at the very least, a dry acapella of the tracks vocal content. So why do labels do this?
Well, primarily, they’re after a cost effective (read ‘free’) remix production to further enhance their track or artist’s profile (perhaps hooking up with an industry equipment/software sponsor along the way). A self congratulating pat on the back, feel good factor is probably gleaned by also enhancing the profile of entrants and the winner(s). Most recently, labels have been charging for (usually more high profile track) parts to be downloaded often attracting criticism from DJ’s and forum posters. Is it wrong to charge for said parts?
I say no. Think about it. The ‘stems’ used to create the hook or backbone of the remix entry could have cost a helluva lot of money to record and produce so (by chipping in a nominal download fee) helping to recoup a portion of the artists costs has got to be a good thing. The platform that supports and promotes the online competition requires admin, staffing and bandwidth too, there’s another cost..
Now then, to your bit.. What’s the remix competition entrant’s reason to participate? The answer of course is 100% self-promotion (plus possibly cash and studio goodies too), and there’s nothing wrong in that. So if the above ‘cost’ factors still niggle you a tad, just think how, with a serious, creative and focused effort, this opportunity can be maximised to really benefit your career. If you’re struggling for DJ/Producer recognition then leap up higher than the rest of the pack and put your best ruddy effort into the remix. None of that half hearted “well, I suppose I’ll give it a go but I’m not gonna win am I..” etc.
Once your remix is done (and unless the competition restricts it), bang it up on YouTube with some simple imagery that says what the track is, your name, what it’s there for and asking people to post a link to their friends and vote at whatever URL the competition statistics reside at. Then go ‘social networking’ crazy. Share, link, share, re-link and link again via Twitter, Facebook, MySpace, Digg etc to drive traffic and fans of your (YT video) remix back to the ‘voting page’. Add a darn fine piece of work to this level of networking and you are guaranteed much more profile than ‘DJ Half-Hearted’ and his feeble efforts.
Over at the renowned DJ download site ‘Beatport’, their ‘BeatPortal’ blog has a few days left of entry time for the Armand Van Helden ‘Witch Doktor’ remix competition (in conjunction with ace U.S. label, Strictly Rhythm’). Granted, there’s not that much time on this one to self-promote, but maybe call it a practice run and keep your web eyes peeled for the next big one. Anyway, why not spend a few pounds ‘n pence, dollars ‘n dimes, euro’s and cents and get bloomin’ crackin’!
Tags: Armand Van Helden, DJ Gear, Producer, Remix Competition, Strictly Rhythm
I’m gonna disagree with you here Paul..
In the case of AVH “Witch Dokta’ there’s no real costs to recoup. It’s an age old track that has made enough money to cover this already. The re-release and related competition with parts is purely to see just how long the legs are. I won’t focus on this track too much. I’ve never liked it or understood exactly what made people so fond of it. Even if the stems were free and the prize was amazing, I couldn’t put up with working with it. Just one of those songs. But moving on.
I generally don’t agree with this idea. It reminds me too much of what happened with DJ-ing. We’ve gone from Renta-crowd DJ’s to Rented Producer/Remixers. It’s music by numbers. We couldn’t get a good mix that sold from the first bunch, so we’ll offer the parts out. But to make sure we make some money, we’ll charge for the parts.. When money becomes involved, it shows a lack of willingness to allow absolutely everyone access and participate, in order to find the best talent or mixes. Charging will put a lot of people off. Maybe one person who had a killer idea, but like me won’t do it because they disagree with the concept of charging for parts in a competition. If you’re confident that the track has potential for good remixes that could be successful and make money, why charge people for parts. I’d say this is a valid point. Most of the tracks I’ve heard parts for have been weak in at least some aspect. Badly recorded, produced or just a not a strong song idea to begin with.
Charging for parts in a sample pack with loose/free copyrights is acceptable, because the focus is on incorporating these into your own ideas. Charging for entry into a competition is also fine. It’s this bit in the middle that bothers me. It’d be like asking X Factor contestants to pay for their audition. You’d get rid of most of the rubbish, but also alienate a lot of talent. When all is said and done you end up with a winner, but you’re not sure they’re the best because not everyone that thought about entering did.
I think the best approach to this I’ve ever seen was on ATFC’s old OnePhatDeeva label. They tried and nearly pleased everyone. They’d charge £6/7 for a vinyl release with the strongest mixes on, but included in this was a CD with digital versions, extra mixes and song parts. Vinylists were happy, CDJ-ers were happy and wannabe producers were happy. The problem was slow vinyl sales. But it’s something I’d like to see with digital single releases. Buy the song, get the parts that made it.
Ed
Some valid points there Ed and I respect your opinions as always.
This blog and my opinion on the subject matter is 100% focused on novice DJ’s, budding producers who unfortunately in this day and age are competing with not a handful of (shall we say) competitors) but with tens of thousands. In a nutshell, the cost of these remix parts is a drop in the ocean really, realistically they’re not even equal to a pack of fags or maybe a pint or a premium lager. I reckon the ROI in self-promotion, YouTube coverage (if possible), MP3 promo mileage and social media marketing plus the actual practice/experience gained, is worth a few quid.
Best
Paul
Paul Dakeyne