PRODUCTION INDUSTRY PROEJCT

Module Title:
Music industry.
Candidate Number:
1086508.
Date: 14 May 2019.
Index.
Executive summary

This Product management Document summarises our work towards a physical

release which is backed up buy a digital one. At the same time that it will be
promoted with Gig, Merchandising an on line. The physical release will be on
CD and Tape.
The band is a four peace Rock n Roll band from Bristol, realising a 6 song EP.
The album was first release on Bandcamp and slowly released on other digital
markets and finally on the physical formats. All of this was done through our
own record label, which in the beginning delayed the physical release, but has
given us time to prepare it slowly and readjust our self to the particulars of this
project.
Please have in mind, that this is a D.I.Y. Release through a collective of people,
even though it is not that present in the following text, the human factor has
played a great role in the final out come of our product.

Introduction.
Our initial idea was to release a 10” EP. Consisting in 6 song recorded and
produced by our own record label, Chicken Attack Records. To do this we where
depending on two collectives, “https://lalmorranakomercial.bandcamp.com/”
and “Ediciones Decariadas”. As they pulled out in the last minute and we had
already managed to rise 450£ through gigs and donations from people that
supported our project, this meant that we where 923,91£ short out of a original
1373,91£ quote (see Appendix 1). We decided then, to invest the money in
making physical copies on CD and on Tape, working at the same time towards a
vinyl release in the near future.
The other way we found of founding our self is to produce our own
merchandise, so we can sell it and gigs. So we talked to some of the local pubs
in our area and decided to form a collective of bands. Performing at once or
twice a mouth and that way create a bit of a scene, where we could sell our
merchandise, have a fixed few for playing, encourage bands to play and more
important, work towards a release date.
Although these release is heavenly based on live performance and physical
copies, we also decided to go fully digital, so that people that enjoyed the gigs
can later, enjoy the music from the comfort of their home and give some online
exposure.

Project Details.

Due to the nature of the band and their work ethic, the song wrings are split in
four way. All the components have the same involvement in the musical and
lyrical part of the compositions. In other words everybody in the band gets
performance ad compositional rights. Although we it comes to liquid assets it is
al slip in five parts and one of the parts maintained by our own record label.
This we have the opportunity to promote other bands, pay for art work or
recording.
In this case the art work and the recording is made by our selfs. The pictures
on the cover ( see Appendix 2) and back cover ( see Appendix 3 and 4) where
taken by some at one of are gig, which we emailed and asked for permission.
The biscuit on the Vinyl, the print for the CD, the booklet and the side was also
made buy us (see Appendix 5 , 6, 7, 8 and 9).

Registering Our Work and Getting Paid.

As this release is more physically centre that digital, we decided not to spend
any money to in register our work in the PRS, digital distribution or Generating
ISRC codes. This is how we did it:
To get registered with the PRS and not have to spend any money we when
Through a musical aggregator (Sentric). This way we would not have to pay
the PRS fees (around XXXX) but still be able to acquire some capital, trough the
gigs we play and through radio or internet plays if this would ever be the case.
This meat that this aggregator will register our music on the PRS keeping
twenty precent of the royalties.
When it comes to digital distribution, we manage our own Bandcamp
(http://chickenattackrecords.bandcamp.com/) account where we can sell our
CD and Tapes. Unfortunately they keep 15% for digital copies and 10% for
merchandising. A way we found to keep 100% of the profit when it comes to
physically copies was to encourage people to writes to our email directly and
request it through there. This is also important for us because we a dealing
with to markets (UK and Spain) with different pricing when it come to physical
copies, as we will see later
To get our music on all the other digital platforms, like YouTube, Spotify or
Itunes, we decided to use a digital distribution. With a number on options out
there (see Appendix 10) we finally decided to go with symphonic. Which gave
us the option of registering for 15% of profit. Or if later we find that we are
making enough money out of digital plays can keep 100% of or royalties for a
fixed few.

Budget Analysis.

We hand an initial budget of 450£. So we decided to spend most of that money

on producing the physically copies.
After extensive online research and asking local businesses we found the best
deal we could to produce our own CD and tapes.
CD would cost us 146.6 £ for one hundred copies, that is with the CD
duplicated, full colour on everything, four page booklet, jellew case and
delivery (no qoute has been included in the appendix because it was all done
on the phone).
The tapes where a bit more expensive, but being so that we have quiet a
following in Spain, and there is some kind of fetishism towards tapes, we
decided to go along with it.
It cost us 142,08 €, which having in mind the exchange rate the day we
purchest, it work out at 125,37 £ (see Appendix 11). This is only the blank tape,
with the casing. Not including the booklet or the art work on the actual tape.
We tried to go through the same online retailer but this increase the price to
323,96 € or 278,3£ (see Appendix 12) , which would reduce the profit we would
make. Where in the Spanish market where we are acostum to sell tapes at 4€
would mean a profit of only 0,77 cents. So we when to our local printer and we
worked out that if we made stickers for the on the tapes and the booklet the
there, it would work at 72,5£.
Another reason for not ordering online, is that we discovered that the length of
this EP on side A would be of 12:01 minutes and side B is 12:22 seconds,
having to buy tapes of 13 minutes per side. The positive thing about this is that
we talked to another band on our label which where interested in releasing a EP
on tape, with a playing time of 11:58 for side A and 8:32 on side B. This gave
us the opportunity to slip half the blank tapes and the cost. Which would work
out at 197,87 £ for 100 tapes, slip in between two band makes out 98,9£ per
50 tapes.
As we still hand some money left of the initial budget. So we decided to spend
some of it on merchandise. We acquired a screen printing kit on line for 59 £
(see Appendix 13).
We also had to by T-shirts , so we looked for them online and after enquiring,
we found out that the T-shirts that we would buy, where made in Maroco, that
the workers are treated ethically and no child labour is used in the
manufacturing process. This cost of the shirts is of 25,50£ with postage (see
Appendix 14).
As we had the screen printing kit and are pretty experience, we decided to go
down to the Free Shop in the Bear Pit and ask them for T-shirts to print on.
Donating the money that we make by selling to them, but that way we also
promote our selfs.
All this makes a total of 330£, which includes the following:

100 CD
50 tapes
10 Black T-shirts
14 Assorted t shirts and hoodies from bristols free shop.

Funding Options.

Most of the money that we used to fund the release,come from the music
events that we have been putting on in the past year.
We did a paid gig in London which made us 300£, 223 £ with expenses.
And two gigs here in Bristol that got us 70 £ and 100£.
We also managed to rise 33 £ from a Bandcamp account (see Appendix 15 ).
And from singing on to Sentric music and registering our gig on line we where
capable of request the money from the PRS, which is after the percentage that
Sentric take it works out at 5 £ per gig, we registered four gigs which made us
20£.
We have also, in the past mouth agreed with our local pub to put on night with
a minimum few of 50£, at the moment we played one of the gig sand have
another two planed, which will not only help us raise money, but we will use
these gig as I way to work towards our final release date.
That makes up a total of 496£.
We are also looking to request for the PRS open fund, but waiting for the money
would only delay our activity and our actions.

Release Formants.

The physical format we are releasing on are Tapes and CDs. Digitally we will
upload it to our bandcamp page
(https://chickenattackrecords.bandcamp.com/album/rock-n-roll-ep). And thanks
to our digital distributed it will be accessible on: Spotify
(https://open.spotify.com/artist/5ojUNvfbyfWdbKh83NehaP), YouTube
(https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_lItZCHyNEKiYh4V0Be55i-
pQKn_VtL_lc), Amazon Music (https://www.amazon.co.uk/Rock-Roll-Ep-
Bailiffs/dp/B07PHVYQN5/ref=sr_1_fkmr0_1?
keywords=the+bailiffs+rock+n+roll+ep&qid=1557397842&s=dmusic&sr=1-1-
fkmr0) and other online platforms. At the same time that it will generate ISRC
code for us.
This way we can sell our merchandising and physical copies trough our
Bandcamp page and at gigs. While at the same time through our digital
distributor we also have internet exposure so people can listen to the music.
We could sell our physical copies through them but we would lose some of the
money. And after comparing our online sales to the sale we do at gigs, which is
usually something in between two to five CDs per gigs and couple of T-shirts,
(tapes are more problematic, but the people how buy them, are people that
really like our music, in other words super-fans). We realized that with the
music we do and the way we promote it, the profit of online reatial is
insignificant (33£ in the last year this is with out production cost).

Press release.

Here is a copy of the message we usually send out either through Facebook,
Wasap, Email or other messaging platforms:
Hi there we are Chicken Attack Records a small collective of musicians based in
Bristol UK and Madrid Spain. We have experimented with number of genders,
from psychedelic music, to punk, to rock and roll. Heavily influence by a strong
D.I.Y ethic.
Today we send your are last release a bit of rock and roll from the deep of
Bristol underground scene, The Bailiffs first EP. A four piece band filled of
electrifying guitars and lyrics content in Spanish and English to reach the wider
public.
As a collective we have been making music for the past seven years,
extensively playing around the UK, Spain and France, managing to branch out
to places like West Africa or Cuba.
Having influenced the Spanish underground hardcore punk scene with or band
Mierda or having succeeded in the squat scene in Bristol with a folk rock band
Mid Week Rattle.
At the moment we are working with a new project Money a psychedelic rock
and looking to release fiscal copies of the Bailiffs and other of a past projects.
Here are some links to our music:
https://chickenattackrecords.bandcamp.com/album/rock-n-roll-ep
I will also include some of the music we are working at the moment getting it
ready to release That includes Money (another rock band) and Juffureh Band
(west African music).
Thanks in advance, please contact us if you have any questions, as we are not
very good with emails here is my Facebook and my phone number:

Promotion.

As this release is mostly a physical release, we uploaded strait on to our

Bandcamp account. This is prior to any digital distribution or any actual
physical copies. We do this because the people that follow our Bandcamp page
a considered for us like Super-fans. From here we set up to indications of the up
coming gigs to promote album lunch and at the same time rise the money.
We gave our self a mouth, performing two promotional gig beforehand, and
then one final gig as an album launch.
But long before the promotional gigs we set our digital distribution account, so
that when people went to the gigs it would be easy for them to access the
music or share it with their friends later. Being so that most people do not like
or simple not familiar with Bandcamp and prefer to use other streaming
platforms like Spotify or YouTube. And also made a “to send list” (see Appendix
16) , which not only included or friend or anybody we could think to be
interested in our music, but also a list of blogs, radio station, YouTube channels
or other bands with a similar tastes. We manage to get more that seven
hundred plays in the first two weeks.(see Appendix 17).

Campaign.

To understand a campaign we have to Bundestag marketing:“Marketing is the

social process by which individuals and organizations obtain what they need
and want through creating and exchanging value with others” (Kotler and
Armstrong, 2010, p.5). To succeed in this, in the most appropriate way, we used
the 4Ps of marketing marketing technique.

The 4Ps method which is divided in four strong points:

Product.

“Rock n Roll EP” on the negative side Is a rock and roll album which is more
directed to a reduced number of listeners, especially people that assist to our
gigs. Due to the nature of the product and that it reassembles music from a
past era, the bigger market is out of the question. On the positive side, we
have a coherent product, which has its reflection in a physical format, where
the design of the covers as well as the music evokes the past, there before
saleable in a market already in existence.

Place.

As we mentioned early we have a big presence in Spain, we could affirm that

nearly half of our listener come from there. That is way when we composed the
album decide to do at least two of the song in Spanish to reach out to this
market in a better way.
The other thing we realised is that the divergence that there is between the
Spanish listener and the one from the UK (This is concerning our music and our
listeners). For instance in Spain we would always sell fiscal copies even though
we are not playing gig, while In the UK is virtually impossible to sell physical if
you are not gigging or really engaged with the people. At the same time most
the UK listener will prefer to stream contend, while in Spain most of the listener
would much rather downland the content or own it in any other way. For this
reason we decided to let fan pay if the what on our Bandcamp and not put a
fixed few.

Pricing.

Also based on the purchasing power of the individuals in the two different
countries we decided to use different pricing:

United Kingdom Spain

Euros Pounds Euros Pounds

CD 5,84 5,00 3,50 3,00

Tapes 5,84 5,00 4,00 3,43

Vinyl 9,34 8,00 7,00 6,00

This is at a market rate of 0,86 pound to the Euro.

Promotion

We spoke about it earlier in the promotion section.

Campaign Management

As a D.I.Y. collective our main obstacle, when it come to releasing music, is

having to produce or at least manage everything from the lyrical content of the
song to the merchandising that goes with it. This makes it terribly hard to stick
to a time line. Being this one of the main reason way “Lalmoranavallecana” and
“Ediciones Descariadas” pulled out of the vinyl release.
For example the Bailiffs was recorded in March 2018, it wasn't mixed and
mastered until September 2018, The art work need for digital platforms wasn't
ready till late December the same year. The vinyl format wasn't ready till April
of 2019, when we had agreed on having ready for the end of February.
Readapted for CD format in late April 2019 and work for the tape edition is still
ongoing. So this is more that a year from the recorded format to the actual
physical copies.
The good thing about this it is that is gave us time to do a research at to
expose or music online warranting a presence at the gig where we would
actually sell the CD, Tapes and Merchandising.
We manage to sell 13 pre-ordered CD and 5 Cassette tapes. At one of the gig
the gigs building up to the Album launch.
Also even thought they pulled out of the Vinyl Release, Both
“Lalamoranavallecana” and “Ediciones Descariadas” pre orderer 20 tapes and
25 CDs.
Meaning that before it even release we had sold 33 CDs and 25 Tapes.
Regaining 234,05£ plus another 50£ of the gig we puts us only 45,95£ away
from our initial 330£, which hopefully by the time we launch the album, will be
paid and we can work steadily towards our vinyl release.
Before our first show we manage to get an interview at our local radio station
Ujima, we also sent it to our community based radio BCFM. And a working
towards having another radio show at Ujima after our album launch.
To reach to our Spanish listener, we manage also to get an interview on the
local pirate radio station Radio Almaina.
When we released digitally we message people through our “to send list” (see
Appendix 15) , and posted in a diversity of Facebook pages that related to our
music. As its been nearly six mouth from the digital release to the actual
physical one, we have resent the email inviting people to come to the gigs,
showing them physical copies and the T-shirts.

Finally I would like to mention that our biggest marketing technique and
campaign managing technique is the trust our listeners have in us. Knowing
that we are a collective that works towards the new release and promote
upcoming music, clearly not trying to make a living out of at least this music.
This make our costumers confident in acquiring our product, that is because at
the end of the day they trust or collective to produce music outside the current
musical industry. Understanding the risk we go thought to promote this kind of
music,

“The enigma of marketing is that it is one of man’s oldest activities and yet it is
regarded as the most recent of business disciplines”(Baker,1976)

Reference List.

Kotler,P and Armstrong, G. (2010) Principals of Marketing. New Jersey: Pearson.

Baker, M J. (1976) Marketing: Theory and Practice. London: McMillan .

Appendix 1. Vinyl Quote.

Appendix 2. Album Cover for CD and Vinyl.

Appendix 3. Album Back Cover for CD.

Appendix 4. Back cover Vinyl.

Appendix 5. Biscuit for the Vinyl.
Appendix 6. Print for the CD.

Appendix 7. Booklet A.
Appendix 8. Booklet B.
Appendix 9. Side.

Appendix 10. Digital Distribution Chart.

Appendix 11. Tapes Quote.

Appendix 12. Tapes Quote with Art Work.

Appendix 13. Screen Printing Kit.

Appendix14. T-shirts Qoute.

Appendix 15. Bandcamp Finance.

Appendix 15. Chicken Attack Records “To Send List”

Appendix 16. Chicken Attack Records Bandcamp Plays.