Episode 23: Start Your Own Recording Project

05/25/19 • 14 min

The Musician's Guide To Being Healthy, Wealthy, and Wise

Have you ever thought about recording your own album or EP but didn’t know where to begin? This week, Karen talks to us about demystifying the process and the steps you can

take to start creating your own project. It’s important to know that you can start at anytime and that a project like this is simply a timestamp of where you are at a certain point in your life. You don’t need to be at the peak of your career and no one needs to give you permission. You have the rest of your life to create more projects but if you want to start now, do it!

The first step is creating a project like this is to have any idea and to decide what you want this to look like in the end. Will it be a tribute? Classical? New Music? Jazz? Original works? You’re only job is to find the question and answer it yourself.

The next step is to figure out the financials. Will this be a crowdfunded project or will it be something that you finance yourself? Regardless of your method, it is imperative that you know exactly how much you will actually need to fund this project. By working backwards and determining every factor, you can find a number that works for you and go from there. Karen finds that most artist tend to run out of money when it comes to marketing their project so to remember to incorporate that aspect when crunching the cost of your project. Once you have figured out the financial details, you must figure out the timeline of payments. Most projects of this sort don’t happen all at once, so it is necessary to ensure that the funds needed will be there when you need them over the span of the project.

Setting a date for the release of your project have a number of benefits. On your end, it provides a deadline and keeps you accountable for yourself and your timeline. As for your audience, it gives them a build up and time to get excited about what you’re working on and will ultimately release for their enjoyment. Having a team to work with can make something like this much more manageable and realistic. Karen has found that the bigger and the more competent the team, the better the results.

If recording in a studio is a new experience for you, it is important to prepare yourself and expect the unexpected. It can be highly stressful and uncomfortable for some to record in a studio or professional environment for the first time so you should always remember that you won’t always be perfect and that it is okay to feel vulnerable.

Finally, Karen stresses the importance of a marketing campaign. Having a clear vision and portrayal of what your audiences can expe

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Have you ever thought about recording your own album or EP but didn’t know where to begin? This week, Karen talks to us about demystifying the process and the steps you can

Finally, Karen stresses the importance of a marketing campaign. Having a clear vision and portrayal of what your audiences can expe

Listener Write in: https://www.musiciansguidepodcast.com/about
Patreon- Come Hang out: https://patreon.com/user?u=66581011&utm_medium=clipboard_copy&utm_source=copyLink&utm_campaign=creatorshare_creator&utm_content=join_link
The Musician's Guide to Social Media Courses: https://www.musiciansguidepodcast.com/courses
Leave us a Review on Apple Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-musicians-guide-to-being-healthy-wealthy-and-wise/id1440699268
Karen Cubides Agency: https://karencubidesagency.com
Karen's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/karen.cubides/
Jen's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jenniferjames.co/

Previous Episode

Episode 22: All About Sleep Hygiene

On this week’s episode, Karen tells us about the importance of Sleep Hygiene and her own personal night time routine that allows her to recover and be completely rejuvenated for each and every day.

Sleep Hygiene is essentially how we incorporate our nightly routine into our daily lives and how it affects us. As musicians, performance is directly related to how we recover and if we aren’t allowing ourselves to recover, we aren’t setting ourselves up for success.

Karen’s first tip for good sleep hygiene is to make the bed for sleeping only! By eliminating electronics or other work materials, you are allowing your brain to be retrained into believing that when you are in bed, it’s time to sleep. Doing so can help with insomnia, stress and many other unhealthy habits.

The same goes for sleepwear. We should aim to have specific clothing just for sleeping. As a freelancer and business owner who works from home on a regular basis, Karen finds that it is crucial to have specific clothing for sleeping, lounging, working, exercising etc.

Making sure your physical body is ready for sleeping can also make a difference. Being aware of our eating habits and coffee intake prior to bedtime can make all the difference when it comes to settling down for the night. Karen personally prefers stretching, meditating, or journally before bedtime in order to allow her mind and body to become centered and relaxed as it prepares for the next day. It is important to provide yourself with a conducive environment to have a good night’s sleep.

Finally, knowing how much sleep you need personally and maintaining consistency in the number of hours you are allowing yourself to have each night will allow you to take care of yourself and ensure that you are refreshed, rejuvenated, and ready to tackle the next day.

Listener Write in: https://www.musiciansguidepodcast.com/about
Patreon- Come Hang out: https://patreon.com/user?u=66581011&utm_medium=clipboard_copy&utm_source=copyLink&utm_campaign=creatorshare_creator&utm_content=join_link
The Musician's Guide to Social Media Courses: https://www.musiciansguidepodcast.com/courses
Leave us a Review on Apple Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-musicians-guide-to-being-healthy-wealthy-and-wise/id1440699268
Karen Cubides Agency: https://karencubidesagency.com
Karen's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/karen.cubides/
Jen's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jenniferjames.co/

Next Episode

Episode 24: Brian Garcia

This week, Karen speaks with her long time friend and Costa Rican trumpet player, Brian Garcia about their history as friends, his career as a musician, and what he has learned in the process.

Karen and Brian first met in 2007 at Interlochen summer camp where they bonded over the struggles and challenges that they faced when it came to understanding the language and the culture that surrounded them.

Growing up in Costa Rica, Brian loved music and the trumpet and fondly looks back at the days he would get to go to the music store and scour the shelves for hours looking for CD’s of his favorite orchestras and musicians. Once arriving in the US for the Interlochen Arts Summer Program, he quickly realized how many resources he suddenly had at his disposal and how common it was for those surrounding him to take these resources for granted. He found that the environment at Interlochen was an explosion of creativity and that everyone around him was just as inspired and motivated as he was.

After graduating from the Interlochen Arts Academy, Brian attended Lynn University in Florida for his Bachelors, then SMU in Texas for his Masters, then returned back to Lynn for a Performance Certificate. Brian is now in the process of pursuing a Masters in Musical Arts at Yale University.

After all his years of schooling and looking back on the mental and emotional struggles that he has faced, Brian gained a great deal of wisdom when it comes coping with hard times and maintaining the strength to believe in yourself and carry on despite the circumstances. He emphasizes the importance of seizing the day and making the most of what you have.

His advice for young aspiring musicians? “Believe in yourself!”

You can find Brian on Instagram and Facebook