Documentary of EL Viejito Tequila’s Story of Success

El Viejito Tequila

EL Viejito Tequila hired Primeau Productions to come to Guadalajara Mexico to document their 75th anniversary. Their story, which Primeau Productions will be turning it into a documentary, begins with a man who traveled across the desert at age 14 to come to Guadalajara for a better education. He completed school and got a job for a major tequila distillery. While working in the tequila distillery, he decided to start his own distribution company. On a side note, a lot of bottlers of tequila buy the tequila from a distillery and they package it with their own name and their own bottle and then offer it for sale. In this particular case, Indalecio Nuñez, who had been the little boy who set out to get an education for himself, built his own tequila distillery and called it EL Viejito, which translates as “little old man” in Spanish. Indalecio Nuñez continued this brand for seventy five years until now, with the family’s third generation’s son running the company and has taken … [Read more...]

Record Live for Energy, Record In Studio for Perfect Music

Guitarist

Musicians record live to get energy, then they go into the studio to do overdubs to get the exactness professionals seek in recordings. When going into the studio to record a music project you should always record the rhythm track first. This section could include drums, bass, rhythm guitar, keyboards and scratch vocals. The scratch vocal allows the rest of the band to always know where they are in the song throughout the recording process. If the rhythm track is not right, the song will never be right. How do you know if it is right? Let’s just say you will feel it. After you have successfully recorded the rhythm track, it’s time to record the overdubs. These could include lead guitar, lead vocals, backing vocals and various types of percussion. Today, keyboards create many of the sounds for music because of the incredible technology available. It used to be that, in order to get good keyboard sound, you had to spend big bucks and buy a Kurzwell or something along those lines. … [Read more...]

Live Recording Vs. Studio Recording

Microphone

I want to take some time to discuss recording live versus recording in a studio. It’s difficult for most performers to give their best performance to the lens of a camera. It‘s just as hard in an audio studio to do your best playing to a microphone. Most performers are at their best when interacting with a live audience and feeding off of their energy and enthusiasm.   Tap into the energy of your audience. Live recordings allow you capture the dynamic exchange of energy and passion between you and your audience. Your audience’s presence in the recording adds a dimension to the product—in radio, it’s called “theater of the mind.” But audiences do just as much to enhance video production. Game shows are taped in front of live audiences because the audience adds more excitement. Musical groups videotape concerts because the audience adds so much to the recording. Even sporting events are better when played in front of an audience. When you are in the … [Read more...]

Music and the Copyright Topic

Picture by jscreationzs http://www.freedigitalphotos.net/images/view_photog.php?photogid=1152

The Copyright Topic The music should be free because artists make a fortune from their concert appearances.  Interesting concept, but it's not how the music industry looks at the pirating issue.  Allow me to break down the analog to digital discussion and explain how the law attempts to regulate this activity. There is a lot of music and spoken word recordings available for downloading on the Internet.  How did we arrive to this massive pirating of copyritten material? It's because people assume that if you can download it, downloading must be ok.  Just because you can find and download a recording on the Internet does not mean it’s legal. In The United States There are still an artists and record companies that believe if you want another copy, you should BUY IT!  It is how they make their living! Right now, the music industry is in turmoil.  It is so easy to infringe on the copyright that people sometimes do it every day and most are not even aware of what … [Read more...]

The Law and Transferring Analog Cassette Tapes to Digital

Cassette Tape

Should you convert your cassette tapes to digital formats?  This is a great topic that includes some areas that are debated daily by a lot of people. Is this cassette a personal recording (family conversations or gatherings, etc.)? Is this cassette a copyrighted recording? If it is copyrighted, are you the holder of the copyright? Is this cassette a professional recording of copyrighted material? Here are few considerations when converting and the legality involved.  The following information also applies to all recorded material that you wish to copy like CD’s, Cassette’s, 8 Track tapes and vinyl records. Copyrighted Material You have a cassette tape of your favorite 70’s band that you want to be able to play on your MP3 player.  This is a copyrighted product and law prohibits you from making a copy in any format. So the correct answer in the United States is NO: you cannot copy that recording because you do not hold the copyright. Now as a side bar, … [Read more...]

Product Ideas and Managing the Process

There are many different types of product you could create. If you are a professional speaker, you might want to create an audio series. Motivational or instructional audio programs are just two categories among many. How about something industry-specific that could better position you as an expert? Perhaps even get your clients involved in the production by interviewing them. I have had much success over the years conducting interviews as a method of discovering potential product content. Interview programs make good products. How about an audio business card or audio newsletter? Audio business cards have been very successful for marketing in the financial planning and insurance industries. Lots of ways to create opportunity. Audio newsletters have proven themselves over time. You could produce a different one for each of your industries. You can be very productive in the use of live video footage. First, you could lift clips out of the footage already shot to make a video … [Read more...]

Are You Ready to Create a Product?

Question Mark in Gray Box

First, let me say, if you are a performer, one way or another, you need a product. If you do not want to work full-time for the rest of your life you need a product. If you want to be the best at what you do then you need a product. Now to see if you’re ready, ask yourself these questions: 1. Would you like additional bookings? 2. Do you believe that you have a message or song worth sharing with the world? 3. Do you want supplemental income? 4. Do you believe you are at your best performance level ever? 5. Do people come up to you after your performance and ask if you have a product available for purchase? 6. Would you like to be better positioned as an expert at your craft? 7. Do you wish to leave a legacy in your area of expertise? 8. Are you in a financial position to invest in product development? 9. Could your product benefit those who purchase it? 10. Are you willing to offer a money-back guarantee to anyone who purchases your product and is not … [Read more...]

Five Benefits of Selling Your Product

Green Sold Picture

Picture by digitalart Every product you sell is a new opportunity. Your products are a passive marketing tool for you; another way of marketing your performance when you are not there. Think about it like this: someone sees your show and enjoys it enough to buy your video or audio product. They take it home and share with their family, friends and co-workers. If they are trying to share your lessons on sales or time management, then your product becomes a vehicle for repetitive instruction. By offering a product, you raise your potential for incremental growth, in terms of income and your “brand” awareness. Think of it as a secondary marketing campaign. Nothing will work harder for you to build public awareness. Bands that make audio or videotaped product have a better potential for getting booked than the bands that have no product. Some of my favorite music is by the Beatles. I have rewound those tapes a few thousand times, just like my favorite motivational tapes … [Read more...]

Why Do You Want a Product, Anyway?

Stacks of CD cases

Three important reasons to want a product: 1) to earn extra income, 2) self-promotion, and 3) to create higher perceived-value, based on your level of experience or expertise. It’s a fact that experts earn more than novices do! Not just on product sales but on higher performance fees. Webster defines an expert as one who has knowledge or great skill; especially skilled or learned; an authority. Professionals with great knowledge and skill earn more income and recognition. A good product line, with a book, and video or audio products will go a long way to establish your authority in program offerings. By offering a product, you also show your commitment to your particular area of expertise. Your belief in what you say comes through more energetically, with more passion. By creating a product, you’re saying to your audience this is important, vital information — important enough to put your blood, sweat and tears (and money!) into it. Do you think the Beatles would have … [Read more...]

The Production Budget: Your Return on Investment

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

THE BUDGET: Getting all your bucks in a row. Before beginning your production you should consider the entire cost of production so you can plan accordingly. There is nothing sadder than a project that has run out of money. And you’ll want to budget your time too. Let’s look at a sample budget and amortization schedule for a single audio-CD.   Studio: Recording digital 2-track: 6 hours @ $95/hour...........................…............... $570 Load recording into computer for editing: 6 hours @ $100/hour .................... 600 Editing for content and formatting: 24 hours @ $100/ hour ........................ 2,400 Record introduction, professional announcer: 1⁄2 hour @ $100/hour ............. 50 Professional announcer fee:.............................................................................. 100 Mix announcer, music for intro and ending: 1 hour @ $100/ hour.................. 100 Materials: SUBTOTAL: … [Read more...]