NUTS AND BOLTS

If you have a recording ready to release (or nearly so) kindly send a link to the files and describe the project a bit for us. We’ll get back to you swiftly and move ahead if it all seems copacetic. We’ve got really wide taste and value a diverse range of musicmakers and the sounds you piece together so judiciously and effectively. We just want to help you put your best foot forward and play to each other’s strengths. The music doesn’t end with a double barline; we invite you to bring it to the wider public in the way that it deserves.

Who needs a label anyway these days? We know there are DIY options out there but maybe your time is better spent making music than navigating all that arcane chicanery. You are also judged by the company you keep: being part of a larger catalog of top-flight musicians reflects well on all its members. Fans will discover artists they didn’t know before through this kind of cross fertilization. Having a trusted partner who understands your visions, dreams, and concerns is also critical: You will be working directly with an experienced professional in the field who has designed and released many hundreds of albums (some of them Grammy winners) over three decades.

Our promise to you is to help bring your work to the highest level of technical and artistic proficiency, respecting its integrity along the way, disseminating it around the globe, and making every effort to get it attention, played, discussed, heard, featured, and reviewed. We love to connect the maker and the made; how are you like your music? We will shine a light on the artists as well as the music to see what makes you tick.

The growing catalog includes several areas of interest: Then; Now: Next. Some releases are significant archives from the deep past; some chronicle today's musical achievements; some propose musics of tomorrow. All curated as a synergistic collection.

How do we choose what to release? Here are the criteria:

1. Compelling. Is it grippingly fresh to listen to on some level?

2. Technical proficiency. Are the performance and recording up to the highest industry standards?

3. Craft + Risk. Is it not only well made and -considered but does it also go beyond mere proficiency?

4. Vision. Does the music exhibit a unique perspective, an authentic personal voice? We love musical ideas that are boldly individual rather than market-driven.

5. Program and sequence. Does it feel like a cohesive album that takes you on a journey with some logic, intrigue, and surprise? That’s different from a typical concert program or a laundry list.

6. Artist commitment. Is there a newsworthy story behind the artist or project that might help with promotion? Will the artist be touring, producing videos, or actively involved in building awareness? 

7. Response. Can we immediately think of a handful of critics and radio stations that would love your work?

We offer an a la carte menu that takes your project from wherever it currently stands to its fullest realization.

• Need mastering? We can help make it sound like a million dollars (for only a fraction of that).
• Need cover art? We can do that, using your images or suggestions.
• Want CDs in addition to the digital release? Yes, we even encourage it.
• Liner notes and extra info welcome, for any printed media and for posting on our web site.
• Once the assets (artwork and audio) are in place and approved by you, we will upload for distribution. Your work will be globally available soon afterwards on all platforms you’ve ever heard of (Amazon, Apple, Spotify, Youtube, Tidal, Deezer, Bandcamp, etc) and a whole lot more. If you make multichannel audio and want it distributed in spatial format, we can do Dolby Atmos files. Want to keep your stereo audio in hi res (24bit)? Yes, we can. Binaural? No sweat.

Physical product, if you choose to make it, will be available from Amazon, Bandcamp, and fulfilled directly from our own site. CDs all belong to you so we just need to keep enough on hand to fulfill expected orders and for some promo mailing. Storage is at a premium so whoever runs out first can request them of the other party.

You keep all rights; you are just allowing us to push it out into the wider world on your behalf. Our deal is non-exclusive so you never need to ask permission if you want to do something else with your work.

If you are in it for the money, keep looking. That bird flew a while ago. For comparison, the sale of 700 CDs used to generate about the same income as 20 million Spotify streams do now. Digital services can expand your audience significantly; more people will be exposed to your music than ever before, but the dribbles of income are likely to remain a trickle. That said, you are fully entitled to receive whatever micro-revenues your listens generate. The balance is for us to pass that back to you in a practical manner (we’d rather spend the time releasing good music than assigning fractions of a penny to each artist from a giant spreadsheet each month). We have a simple and innovative solution: you will receive an equal share of the pooled net income from sales of the whole catalog each year. It’s like a dividend or co-op model that also keeps our accounting manageable. The label keeps none of the sales income so it’s as fair as can be given our capacity. That's, of course, in addition to any mechanical royalties that get skimmed off at the point of sale and go directly to you or your publisher.

If we are able to arrange a license for your recording (as in sync rights for film/TV or grand rights for dance) then we split that 50:50 with you directly.

We can also submit your work for a Grammy when the time comes (though we only get 5 free entries each year). Prepare your acceptance speech now.

With thousands of songs published every hour it is hard to get noticed and rise above the glut of the market. Buyers no longer wait for recommendations from a few trusted journals or critics to make their decisions. We will certainly send your album to targeted radio stations and bloggers though. We can also arrange for ads in journals, some will even guarantee reviews. We invite you to draft a one-sheet (mini press release) that tells the story of the album and accompanies all publicity (we are happy to edit).

We will share your release on all our social media and combine our networks with yours for maximum impact and buzz. We will feature your release in our monthly email newsletter that goes out to over a thousand subscribers. You are welcome to hire additional publicists to dedicate their time and effort to your album. As with anything these days, we will do our best but results may vary.

Bear in mind, commercial companies spend many times the recording budget on advertising to reach a large audience with cash to spare. Our field is the reverse. We ensure the music is intriguing and significant enough to survive on its own out there for years to come. We promise ubiquity and quality and go from there.

We encourage the community of Neuma artists to support each other as a big family; checking out label-mates’ live streamed events, leaving reviews on Apple and Amazon, and sharing advice and collaborative energy where possible.

Our efforts work best in tandem with your own campaign. It is worth spending time compiling your own networks of friends, colleagues, students, contacts – anyone with a personal interest in your work – and making sure they know about your album. Each release builds on previous ones in the catalog so together we can expand awareness as a whole.

All the above costs time and money. Our team could not be slimmer. We work hard to keep costs to artists as low as possible while also keeping the label stable in an industry that changes daily. We will customize the budget for each project but it will comprise whatever services you choose to opt into, and a fixed overhead fee that covers management time and a share of the business infrastructure costs (think distribution charges, software, registration fees, hosting services, storage space, legal compliance, staff…). We are not a non-profit so rely on a steady stream of projects to keep the wheels greased.

You can select the services you need for your particular album. As we get further into your project you will see a more tailored budget. Full payment (by Paypal, Venmo, Zelle, Bitcoin, or check) and a completed contract are required before proceeding to manufacture. 

Full CD release

$650 Mastering and DDP prep, full album quoted here at Neuma's discount rate. (If only for track levels and CDText codes: $200). If the project needs restoration/editing/tuning, or mixing (in addition to the final mastering) then these are charged as a separate daily rate. 

$600 Graphic design of complete package and all assets

$1380 CDs in 4-panel wallet with 8p booklet (formats and quantities ((100-1000)) flexible, 300 quoted here)

$450 Targeted promo mailing, ca. 50-80 media contacts (yes, costs are rising outrageously)

$200 Digital promo servicing EPK to 1000+ contacts worldwide

$200 Ad budget for social media boosts. (Magazine ads optional:   $300-$1200; Fanfare [or other] Magazine review: $150)

$2000 Flat fee: project management and business overhead

Digital-only release

$650 Mastering, full album quoted here. Shorter? Ask for quote. More needed? See above for rates.

$100 Basic cover art design. ($300 if there's an additional booklet)

$200 Digital promo servicing EPK to 1000+ contacts worldwide

$200 Ad budget for social media boosts

$2000 Flat fee: project management and business overhead

italics = optional line items

By not producing CDs you may save a bit but there are dozens of media venues that will not consider digital-only submissions. We recommend going in whole hog if you can.

Have a great project but limited funds? Let's talk turkey and make a deal. Sliding scale, pay what you can, Bandcamp exclusive, barters all possible...