Ty Davison

Audio files were sent to the distributor today. Cover art has been finalized and will be sent shortly. I expect One Man Garage Band to be available for digital download (256 bit MP3, no DRM) by the first of next week at the latest.

UPDATE of 6/15/09: There was one addition approval step I didn’t realize existed. I had to “finalize” the album and listen to all the 30 second song clips to make sure that everything got digitized correctly. Obviously one wouldn’t want CD Baby to digitize a song and give it the wrong title or something, especially since once submitted to iTunes or Amazon it’s virtually impossible to change without deleting the album and resubmitting. Anyway, the upshot is that I’ve now completed that step and expect One Man Garage Band to be available in the next 24 to 72 hours.

I’ve joined BMI, aka Broadcast Music Incorporated, in the off-chance that any of my songs pick up a wider audience. BMI is a Performing Rights Organization (PRO) who collects and pays royalties on behalf of songwriters and publishers.

I’ll also be joining SoundExchange, a PRO that handles Internet and satellite radio.

Turns out that I’ve neglected two important steps in the process: Mastering and copyright. Unfortunately, this may mean a delay of a couple weeks in getting One Man Garage Band out the door.

Mastering is an interesting process whereby the album’s sound frequencies are manipulated to—for lack of a better phrase—sound better. This has to do with compression and equalization of the audio. It’s not the same as mixing the tracks, but it can be used to bring out certain sounds in the mix and “punch up” the overall recording. I’ve listened to some before and after samples and consulted with my friend and professional musician Garr, and it’s obvious to me now that I need to have One Man Garage Band mastered.

Having the album mastered will cost several hundred dollars, and depending on how many copies are sold may end up eroding significantly or erasing entirely any profit. Nonetheless, I’d rather turn out the best work I can than make a fortune. Hopefully I and everyone else will be able to hear the difference.

The copyright process is not terribly difficult now that everything’s been moved online. It appears that once I have the final versions (post-mastering, in other words) I simply need to fill out a form, upload them, and pay $35 fee. This is, of course, copyright registration I’m talking about. The actual copyright itself already exists.